A/N: Thanks as always for reading, reviewing and following! It's much appreciated. The reaction to the last chapter was pretty much what I thought it would be. My evil side loves the attention. She's like that. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"You're in an awfully good mood. What's up?" Sofia noted the huge grin on the face of her boss. She didn't know if she had ever seen anyone with a smile that big and bright before.

"My brilliant and beyond beautiful wife is taking me out to dinner tomorrow night."

"Lucky you! Any particular reason?"

"Nope. She's doing it just because. What can I say? She's Bianca, and I am one lucky woman!"

"You won't get any argument from me on that. She's pretty lucky too though."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Do you know where you're going?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, I don't. She's not telling and wants it to be a surprise. I'm good with that. In a few months, we won't have the luxury of going out as much or probably won't feel like it."

"I thought you had a long list of people aching to babysit Sparky and the rest of your brood."

"We do, but neither of us wants to take advantage of everyone. Plus, I don't know. I just …"

Sofia smiled knowingly. "You trust each and every one of them, but it's your baby and you don't want to miss anything. I get it. My sister was like that when she had my niece. It's normal. Don't worry about it. They'll understand."

"Thanks." Marissa sighed. "Okay, let's get to work."

/

Jesse stood outside the law offices of Thompson, Stevens, Montgomery, Cortlandt and Tasker. He really didn't like making this type of visit. In fact, he downright hated them. Brot had offered to do this notification for him, but Jesse turned him down. It was something that he had to do. Bianca and Marissa were special and good friends. He had to be the one to do it, and it needed to be done in person. Jesse believed that he owed it to them. The chief took a deep breath to brace himself and went inside. The receptionist recognized his name when he gave it to her and directed him to Marissa's new office when he asked to speak with the redhead. Once there, he was greeted by Ellie.

"Good afternoon. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm Jesse Hubbard, Pine Valley police chief. I'd like to see Ms. Tasker please."

Ellie was a little concerned that the chief of police was asking to see her boss. It wasn't that she thought Marissa had done anything wrong. It's just that it was disconcerting that the police chief was here wanting to talk to her, and it didn't look like it was a social visit. "I'm sorry, but she's in a meeting right now. It should be over shortly if you'd like to wait."

"This can't wait. It's important that I talk with her now. I'm going to need you to interrupt her meeting for me."

The secretary nodded getting his message loud and clear. Ellie picked up her phone and buzzed her boss. "Marissa, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Chief Hubbard is here and needs to speak with you."

"Send him in."

Ellie disconnected the call and addressed Jesse. "You can go right in, Chief."

"Thank you." Jesse nodded and headed towards the office.

/

Marissa was high alert the instant Ellie told her Jesse was outside and needed to talk to her. Something was definitely wrong. "I'm sorry, Sofia, but we need to cut this short. Jesse Hubbard needs to talk to me."

"Is everything alright?"

"I have no idea, but I don't have a good feeling about this."

A brief knock on the door announced Jesse's arrival. The chief opened the door and walked inside.

"Marissa, I'm sorry to interrupt, but we need to talk."

"Is everything okay, Jesse?"

The chief glanced at Sofia and nodded in recognition. He remembered her from the firm's celebration and knew that she worked for Marissa and wasn't a client.

"There's been an incident."

"What kind of incident? Did something happen to Bianca? Is she alright?"

"I need you to calm down and have a seat. I'll tell you what I know."

Marissa didn't budge one inch. "Jesse, just tell me what happened. Is Bianca alright? Has she been hurt?"

"A woman by the name of Amelia Mears came to the Center earlier and was looking for her former girlfriend, a woman by the name of …"

"Kirsten Tanner. Yeah, I know all about that relationship. Kirsten's been staying in a safe house because of Amelia's abuse. Dammit, Jesse. What about Bianca?"

"This woman, Amelia, attacked Bianca. She's been taken to the hospital. I don't know the extent of her injuries at this time, but I was told by paramedics that they weren't life threatening. I'll take you to the hospital if you'd like."

Marissa was already pulling her purse out of her desk drawer and disconnecting her cellphone from its charger. "Let's go. Sofia, I really need to have Ellie call Susan and see if she can watch the kids for us, and tell her I'll call her later to check on them. Then, I need to have Ellie cancel all of my appointments for the rest of the day."

Sofia nodded. "Don't worry about the kids or anything here. I'll make sure everything's taken care of. Bianca's going to be fine. Just go."

"Thank you. Jesse, please, let's go."

Jesse had to scramble to keep up with Marissa. He may have had several inches on her, but with the redhead was practically flying down the hallway, not that he could blame her one bit, the police chief had to run to keep pace with her. Jesse was a little surprised she was holding it together as well as she was but suspected that could very easily change if they didn't get to Bianca quickly.

They reached the police cruiser Jesse was driving and got in. Once they were belted in, Jesse chanced a quick glance at Marissa. The redhead was pale and quiet, and it had the chief a little concerned over her condition. He knew she was pregnant and that stress like this wasn't good for her or the baby. Jesse flipped on the cruiser's lights and siren and pulled out, racing to the hospital as fast and as safely as he could.

Marissa was sending up silent prayers and willing Jesse to drive faster. Bianca had to be alright. She just had to be. The redhead didn't know what she would do if she wasn't. What was she going to tell the kids? What was she going to tell Erica and Kendall? Please let Bianca be alright. I need her so much. I don't know that I can do this without her. I love her so much. We're supposed to spend our lives together. I can't lose her. Please. No, I can't go there. Please, God, please let her be okay.

/

Ellie watched as Marissa dashed by her with Jesse on her heels. Whatever happened wasn't good. The secretary glanced at Sofia who had left the redhead's office after her.

Sofia was making a quick mental list of what needed to be done and then went into action. "Ellie, I need you to do a few things for me right away."

"What do you need?"

"I need you to get our team together as soon as possible. We'll meet here."

"Okay. That's easy enough to do. What else?"

"See if Caleb is available. I need to speak with him privately." Sofia knew that, out of the four other partners. Marissa was closest with Jack and Caleb. She also knew Jack was offsite today meeting with one of their largest clients. If he was free, Sofia knew that Caleb would be the one she would need to talk to about what was going on. "After that, I need you to get me Susan Lester's number and then I'll need you to cancel the rest of Marissa's appointments for today."

"Anything else?"

"That should do it for now."

"Is everything alright, Sofia? I know Susan is the kids' babysitter."

"I'll explain everything as soon as the rest of the team is here." It was then that she saw Caleb walking by and flagged him down.

"Sofia, what can I do for you?"

"Could we speak for a minute in private? We can use Marissa's office."

"Lead the way."

Ellie began making the necessary calls as the two lawyers met behind closed doors.

/

"And Jesse gave no indication of how badly Bianca was hurt?" Caleb asked after they were seated in the guest chairs in Marissa's office and Sofia had told him about Jesse's visit.

"No, he didn't. The only thing he said was that the paramedics didn't believe her injuries were life threatening."

"How was Marissa?"

"She was holding it together somehow. She just really needed to get to Bianca. That was her main focus, understandably. Well, that and making sure the kids were taken care of. She asked us to contact their babysitter. Ellie's getting me her number, and I'll tell her what I know and make sure she's good with watching the kids until we know more. I don't feel it's our decision to make as to what to tell the kids. That's something for Marissa to decide. I'm sure Susan will agree."

Caleb nodded. "I think you're right. Erica or Kendall might have some insight on that as well. Marissa most likely hasn't had a chance to inform them of what's happened since she just found out herself. I know she'll be calling them as soon as she can. Alright, I'll let the other partners know what's going on, and I'll also make sure Jack knows what's happened. Bianca is just like a daughter to him."

"I know. I'm going to inform the team. There's no doubt in my mind they'll want to know. We'll make sure everything is taken care of here for her."

"Good. Marissa was very smart when she picked her team. She believes in you and that's good enough for me. If any of you need anything at all, let me know. Alright, I'll go inform Geoff and Bryce. Between the three of us, we'll get ahold of Jack. If you hear anything more, let me know."

"I will. I have a feeling that Brian will want to go over to the hospital and be there for Marissa. I'll make sure he keeps all of us informed."

/

"What's going on, Ellie? What's with the last minute meeting? You know that no good ever comes from them." Brandon noted.

"I honestly don't know exactly what's going on. Marissa and Sofia were meeting when Chief Hubbard arrived and asked to speak with Marissa. The next thing I know, the two of them are leaving and Sofia's wanting me to call all of you to meet. She's in there talking with Caleb right now."

"There's a valid reason for all of this then. Sofia wouldn't do any of this without good cause." Claudia stated.

Just then, the door to Marissa's office opened and Caleb stepped out. He nodded to the assembled group and left to make his calls.

Sofia had followed Caleb to the door. When she saw the team was already there, she motioned them inside. Everyone found a seat, but Marissa's chair was left empty. Sofia leaned against the redhead's desk and addressed the group.

/

"Okay. I'm sure Ellie told you that Chief Hubbard was here earlier and spoke with Marissa. Soon after, the two of them left." Seeing the others nod, Sofia continued. "There was an incident at the Miranda Center."

"What kind of incident?" Claudia asked.

"He didn't give a lot of detail, but he did say that the ex-girlfriend of one of the Center's clients was there trying to see her. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but the woman attacked Bianca."

A collective gasp was released by the group.

"Oh my god. Is Bianca alright?" Lisa knew how much the couple loved each other and knew that Marissa has to be beside herself.

"Chief Hubbard didn't know for sure. The paramedics that responded reported that they didn't believe her injuries were life threatening. Marissa left to go to the hospital and be with her. Don't worry. She didn't drive. Chief Hubbard took her. Obviously, Marissa needs to concentrate on Bianca and the kids. I told her we would take care of everything of here. Ellie's working on clearing her schedule for today. I let Caleb know what's going on, and he's going to inform the other partners, including Jack. He said to let him know if we need anything. As to the kids …"

"I've got Susan's number for you." Ellie handed Sofia a slip of paper.

"Thanks."

Brian had sat listening to everything and turned to face Lisa. The two held a silent conversation, and the blonde nodded. Brian stood. "I'm going to go to the hospital. Marissa shouldn't be alone right."

Sofia had expected this. The two were close and were jokingly referred to as each other's work spouse around the office. "I think that's a good idea. Someone should be with her. Keep us informed?"

"I'll take the rest of your appointments for today. My schedule's free because I was moving offices." Lisa offered.

"Thanks. I'll let you know as soon as I know something." Brian said before heading out.

Lisa turned to Sofia. "If you'd like, I could call Susan. I know her a little."

"If you're sure, that would be great. Thank you." Sofia handed the paper with the babysitter's number on it to Lisa before continuing. "Claudia, we all know Marissa's plans for when she goes on maternity leave. She plans on having you take the lead here with me handling the Miranda Center. I think this might be a good time for somewhat of a test run of that."

"I suppose you're right. You've handled everything today perfectly. I honestly can't think of anything that you've missed. That being said, we should think about tomorrow. I'm going to assume the best case scenario here that Bianca's injuries aren't serious. I really hope that's the case. Even with that, I don't see Marissa back here tomorrow or Bianca back at the Center. I could be wrong and hope I am, but if Bianca had to be taken to the hospital, it's probably a pretty safe assumption."

Brandon nodded. "I think you're right. What do you need?"

"Let's do this. Sofia, why don't you contact the Center? See what is going on over there. Maybe they can give you some more information about what happened today. No matter what though, I think they may need our help, and Marissa would want us to make sure the Center was okay."

"I agree. I can shift my remaining meetings around today and take care of what they need. That leads us to tomorrow."

"Yes, it does. I think the best way to tackle this is for us to review our schedules for tomorrow. Ellie, I'll need you to pull up Marissa's. We can determine what absolutely needs to be covered. Then, we can shift things around as needed. Does that sound good to everyone?"

The other nodded in agreement.

"I'll go pull up everyone's calendars and get copies for us to review." Ellie volunteered.

"While she's doing that, I'm going to go call Susan. We don't want to wait too long to do that."

"You're right, Lisa. We don't. Thanks."

"Let me try and get ahold of the Center now."

"Hey, Sofia. If by chance they don't answer, I do have Jan's and Aya's phone numbers."

"I didn't think about that, Lisa. They may not answer. Marissa said they have procedures in place for emergencies where they might have to lock down the Center temporarily. Let me try the main number, but I may need theirs."

/

Jesse pulled up to the hospital's entrance knowing that parking the car and expecting Marissa to walk back was out of the question since he knew she would want to get to Bianca as soon as possible. Marissa was out of the car like a shot and raced into the emergency room. She was desperate in her need to find Bianca, to see her, to know that she was okay. The redhead was barely holding on to her emotions by a thread that was fraying quickly. If she didn't find something out about her wife soon, she was pretty sure she was going to lose it.

Marissa scanned the room for someone she might know that would be able to help her. It was then she spotted Frankie Hubbard.

"Frankie!"

"Hey, Marissa." The doctor's easy smile quickly faded when he saw her near frantic expression. "Is everything alright?"

"I don't know, but I hope so. God, I hope. Bianca was brought in. Your dad didn't know how serious her injuries were."

"My Dad? Where is he?"

Marissa froze briefly. She honestly had no idea. The last time she saw him was when he pulled up out front and she got out of the car. "I don't know. Frankie, Bianca was attacked at the Center. I need to know how she is. Please help me."

"Alright. Alright, I will. Have a seat, try and be calm, and I'll see what I can find out for you. Stay here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Marissa took a seat. One of her legs started bouncing nervously. She needed to do something. She reached for her cellphone and made a call she was dreading. It needed to be made though and quickly.

/

"Hey, Red. What's up?"

"Kendall, uh."

"Marissa, what's wrong?" Kendall's easy tone disappeared immediately. She knew by the shaky response from her sister-in-law that something was wrong.

"It's Bianca. She was attacked earlier at the Center."

"What?! Is she alright?"

"I don't … I don't know, Kendall. I just got here. Frankie's trying to find out for me now. The only thing Jesse was able to tell me was that a paramedic told him that he didn't think her injuries were life threatening. I …"

Kendall felt slightly relieved hearing that and was already gathering her things to leave. "What about the kids?"

"Sofia is going to get ahold of Susan for me and ask her to watch them until she hears from me."

"Have you called Mom yet?"

"No, I haven't. You're my first call. To be honest, I don't know what to tell her."

"Okay, don't worry about that. I'll take care of calling her. I'm on my way. Hang in there, Marissa."

"I'm trying. I could really use you here though."

"I'm leaving right now."

/

Marissa disconnected the call and took a shaky breath. She said another prayer. Please don't take her away her from me and the kids. It's taken us both so long to find our other halves. I need her. The kids need her. Our little one needs her. I can't imagine my life without her. Please, please let her be okay. I haven't asked for a lot in my life, but I'm asking now. Please.

"Hey."

"Brian." Marissa's tear filled eyes met those of her friend.

"Any word?" Brian asked as he took a seat next to the redhead. He'd broken a few speeding laws on his way to the hospital, but he needed to there for his friend. Brian new that she'd do exactly the same thing for him.

"Not yet. Frankie Hubbard is trying to find something out for me."

"I'm glad you didn't try and drive yourself here and let Jesse bring you. Where is he?"

Marissa nodded to the other side of the room where she had spotted Jesse appear a few minutes earlier taking to one of his officers. "He over there."

"How are you holding up?"

"Honestly, I'm going a little nuts here. I don't know what's taking them so long to let me know how she's doing, what her condition is, something. Dammit, Brian. She's got to be alright. She just has to be."

"She will be, Marissa. Bianca is one of the strongest people I know, and she loves you more than anything. The two of you have a long and happy life ahead of you. Plus, you've got Sparky joining your terrific family in a few months. There's no way she's not going to be around for that. She's going to fight like hell. No, Bianca's way too stubborn. She comes by it honestly. Look at her Mom. Look at her sister."

"What about me?"

Brian glanced up and saw Kendall eyeing him. He knew he could play this one of three ways, back off his statement, plow forward or a playful combination. The first would get him out of hot water with Kendall. The other two might help distract Marissa a little. Brian decided to take one for the team. "I'm merely pointing out to your sister-in-law that the Kane women are known far and wide as strong, fierce women who aren't afraid to take on all-comers. They are unyielding and unwavering and a little ruthless sometimes, except for Bianca. The Kane women fight and refuse to lose. They are …"

Kendall knew immediately what Brian was doing for his friend, and she was grateful for it. She decided to play along a little bit hoping it would help Marissa. "You're using a lot of words, counselor, to say we're stubborn."

"Well, if the shoe fits …"

"Isn't that considered slander?"

"Not if it's the truth." Brian quipped.

"Hmmm, you seem to be forgetting one important fact there, Brian."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"My sister-in-law, your boss, is a kickass attorney who loves a good fight. I have a feeling she might enjoy sparring with you and defending the honor of her favorite in-laws. Oh yeah, we also made her an honorary Kane woman."

A small smile made its way across Marissa's face as she listened to her sister-in-law and her best friend banter. She knew what they were doing and why, and the redhead loved them for it. "Kendall may have you there, Brian. You really don't want to be on Erica's bad side. Besides, don't you know that all Kane women have each other's backs?"

"Yeah, you make some pretty valid points. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Kane women, and if we're being honest here, you all kinda scare me a little."

Kendall smiled. "Smart man. Nice to know we still have it."

Marissa was out of chair in the blink of an eye when she saw Frankie finally return. "Frankie, how's Bianca? Where is she? I need to see her."

The doctor knew it was useless to have her sit down. She'd been waiting for a while now. "She was in x-ray before. That's why it took me so long to get back here. Jake's taking care of her right now and so is Dr. Torres."

Marissa recognized the doctor's name from her stay in the hospital. "She needs a neurologist? Stop beating around the bush and trying to sugarcoat things for me, Frankie. Just tell me."

"Sorry. She's in serious but stable condition. We're listing her as serious because she has a concussion. Protocol requires us to list all patients with concussions or other types of head injuries as being in serious condition until they have been fully evaluated. Dr. Torres is examining her now, and her preliminary exam points to this being a mild concussion. Bianca did not lose consciousness so that is a very good sign. She has some other minor injuries that Jake is treating. She's going to be alright."

To say Marissa was relieved would be a huge understatement. A tremendous weight was lifted off of her shoulders hearing that Bianca was going to be okay. Kendall was equally relieved. Bianca was the glue that kept their family together, that kept Erica and Kendall from tearing each other apart sometimes that kept them out of trouble for the most part. She was their heart and soul.

"Would you like to see her?"

Marissa raised an eyebrow at the no-brainer of a question. "Seriously? You really have to ask? Of course I want to see her." Marissa glanced over at Kendall and saw her sister-in-law equally relieved and eager. "We both do. Let's go."

Frankie smiled. "Sorry. Forgot who I was talking to for a minute. Follow me."

Marissa looked at Brian. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be right behind you. I'm just going to give the folks back at the office the good news."

"Come up to the 3rd floor when you're done." Frankie said as he led an immensely relieved Marissa and Kendall away.

Brian sighed in relief and was very happy and grateful to be able to pass along this news.

/

Marissa paced in the waiting room while she and Kendall waited for either of Bianca's doctors to make an appearance to give them an update on her condition and the all-clear to see her. Kendall was keeping a close eye on the redhead. She knew Bianca would want her to. To be honest, Marissa was like a sister to Kendall, and she loved her dearly. While she could see her sister-in-law was relieved with the early prognosis given to them by Frankie, Kendall knew Marissa wouldn't relax until she saw Bianca, spoke with Dr. Torres and had Bianca home. Kendall also knew this stress wasn't good for either Marissa or the baby. The brunette was trying to figure out the best way to say 'calm down' without actually saying it. She couldn't think of many other things that were worse to say to someone with fraying nerves than that. If anything, those words only served to have the exact opposite effect, and that was something she wanted to avoid. No, the only thing Marissa truly needed right now was to know that Bianca would be alright. Kendall had to admit that she needed the exact same thing. The brunette was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized Marissa had stopped pacing and had taken the seat next to hers.

"Were you able to get ahold of Erica?"

"What? Sorry, I kind of zoned out there for a minute. Yes, I talked to her on the way over, and I expect her here any minute."

"Maybe she'll be able to get them to give us an update." Marissa was frustrated she still hadn't spoken with either Jake or Dr. Torres. Part of her understood they were examining Bianca and that was causing the delay, but the other part of her didn't understand why they couldn't send someone out to give her a damn update.

"How did Erica take the news?"

Erica was worried beyond words when she heard Bianca was injured. Rage followed when she heard that her youngest daughter was attacked. Erica would be on the warpath as soon as she was assured of Bianca's condition. Come to think of it, Erica wouldn't be the only one on that path. Kendall would be joining her, and they would actually be behind Marissa. She also knew that there would be a long line of people behind the three of them. Erica was called 'Pine Valley's Favorite Daughter', but that wasn't exactly true. That title really belonged to Bianca, and everyone knew it. Kendall was about to respond to the redhead's question when the women saw Jake heading their way.

Marissa darted from her seat and met the doctor halfway. Kendall was right on her heels.

"How's Bianca? Can I see her?"

Jake was about to ask both women to have a seat, but judging by their expressions which were mixtures of worry, frustration and exhaustion, he decided against it. "I'm sorry for the delay. I had finished my examination of Bianca and was with another patient while Dr. Torres was finishing running some tests on her. She just gave me an update and confirmed Bianca sustained a mild concussion, and there is no permanent damage."

"Thank God!"

"She has a sprained wrist and some bruises, but that along with her concussion is the extent of her injuries. She will be sore for a few days, but we expect her to make a complete recovery."

Marissa and Kendall hugged each other and wiped away tears of joy and relief.

"Can I see her, please?" Marissa pleaded.

"Of course. She's been asking for you."

"Knowing her, she's probably been wanting them to check on you to make sure you're okay and not stressed out." Kendall smiled.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Marissa saw the amused look on Jake's face. "Oh my god, she has been, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, she has. Come on. I'll take you back."

"You two go ahead. I'll wait here for Mom to keep her from storming the place and scaring the staff."

"Are you sure, Kendall? I know you want to see her."

"I'm sure, Red." Kendall knew the couple would both want and need a few minutes alone before they became inundated with visitors. "Tell Binx I love her and will be back to see her shortly."

Marissa squeezed her sister-in-law's hand. She knew exactly what Kendall was doing and why, and she was beyond grateful. "I will. Thank you."

The redhead paused briefly. There was a question that had been nagging her since Jake greeted them, and she had to ask it.

"Jake, that other patient you were seeing? Her name wouldn't happen to be Amelia Mears, would it?"

The doctor's expression said it all and confirmed Marissa's suspicions.

"I can't …"

Marissa stopped him. "I'm sorry. I know you can't tell me, and that it would be a HIPPA violation if you did. I understand."

"Who is Amelia Mears, Red?"

"The woman who attacked Bianca and put her in here. Do me a favor, Kendall?"

"Anything." The brunette had an idea of what it was Marissa wanted after hearing her answer.

"Let Jesse know she's here if he doesn't already know."

"My pleasure."

The two women shared a look that would have sent shivers down the spine of anyone caught in its path. Both were on the same page. Amelia Mears would not be going anywhere anytime soon if they had anything to say about it, and they were going to make damn sure they did. Marissa and Kendall nodded in understanding to each other. First, they would make sure Bianca truly was okay. She was their main priority. After they were assured of her condition, Amelia would be dealt with.

/

A/N: No actual Bianca in this chapter (blame my evil side for that), but I promise she'll be in the next one.