A/N: Thanks as always for reading, reviewing and following! I'd also like to give a big thank you for your input on Sparky and the delivery! You definitely had me cracking up with some of the comments. I do have more drama planned so hang in there with me. I'm working my way through my notes/ideas. I will tell you that I do plan the reappearance of some characters from earlier chapters. I'll leave that up to you to guess who they are. Now, this chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
Erica squared off against the chief of police. "So, Jesse, what are you going to do about this Mears woman?"
Jesse sighed. Of course Erica would already know who attacked Bianca. He was about to respond when the diva cut him off.
"Did you know she's here? She could possibly get to Bianca again, and I will not allow that to happen. Do you understand? I want that woman arrested for assaulting my daughter. I want a guard outside her room and her in handcuffs. I don't her to have the chance to get anywhere near Bianca. Am I making myself clear?"
Kendall jumped in. "Mom's right, Jesse. You know she is. That woman needs to be in jail. I know her family has connections, but I don't give a damn about that. I want her in jail for what she did to my sister. I don't want her walking free. You know that if she attacked Bianca once that she'll do it again, and that's not going to happen."
"They're both right. She will go after Bianca again. There's not a doubt in my mind about that." Greenlee had quickly figured out what was going on between what Kendall had told her earlier when she left Fusion and what Erica and her friend were saying now.
"Since Marissa's busy taking care of Bianca, I'll be filing for a restraining order against Amelia Mears. I will also want to be present or have someone from my firm be present when you question Bianca. She has a head injury, and I won't take the risk of having anything she may say in her current condition be taken out of context." Brian jumped into lawyer mode immediately. It wasn't that he doubted Marissa's ability to handle things, far from it. It was just that he knew that she would be worried about Bianca and didn't want to take the chance of her judgment or objectivity being called into question. Brian knew that Marissa would do the same exact thing for him if their roles were reversed.
Jesse held up his hands hoping to get a word in edgewise. That was easier said than done with this group. He had expected this to some degree. They were talking about Bianca after all, and Jesse couldn't blame them one bit for their reactions. "People, please, I need you all to take a breath, alright?"
Erica raised an eyebrow. "I highly suggest you don't tell me to chill right now."
"I wouldn't dream of it, Erica. I will answer all of your questions. First though, how is Bianca?"
Kendall stepped forward. "Jake told us she's going to be okay. She has a mild concussion, sprained wrist and bruises, but they expect her to make a full recovery."
"That's good news." Jesse turned to Brian. "I think filing a restraining order is an excellent idea. I wouldn't be surprised if Ms. Mears tries to file for one of her own. Don't worry about me questioning Bianca. I will need to talk to her, but I won't do anything until I get the all clear from her doctor. Even after that I know Marissa will want to be present. Where is she by the way?"
"Marissa is back with Bianca. What did you mean about Ms. Mears filing an order of her own?" Kendall asked.
"Surely, she can't be trying to put this on Bianca! My daughter is the victim here!" Erica was furious.
Jesse couldn't blame Erica for feeling this way. "Look, I don't know what the woman has planned. I only know she was complaining to and threatening Brot on her way here from the Center."
"Erica, how's Bianca?"
"Jack." Erica embraced her worried fiancée. "She's going to be okay."
"Thank god. Have you seen her?"
"Not yet. Marissa is back with her. We have another issue we have to deal with right now. Her safety."
"Her safety? What do you mean?"
"It seems that the woman who attacked her is here and may be trying to put this all on Bianca."
Jack turned to Jesse. "I hope you're not giving those claims any credence. You should have a guard on that room and makes sure she stays away from Bianca. I'll be filing for a restraining order."
Jesse pointed to Brian. "I believe Mr. Douglas over there is already on the order."
Hearing his name, Brian glanced over while still on his cellphone. "Alright. Thanks, Claudia. Everyone will feel better once we have that in place. The chief's over here right now. So, you can bring the order over here once the judge signs it. See you soon." Brian disconnected the call and shook hands with Jack. "Claudia's found a judge who'll sign the restraining order against Amelia Mears and her family. They won't be allowed within 200 feet of Bianca. She'll bring it over here to you Jesse when she has it signed."
"Good work, Brian. I wouldn't have thought about her family."
"That was Claudia's idea. She thought it advisable given all of the things we've been hearing."
/
Marissa carefully eased out of bed, not wanting to wake Bianca. There were several things on the redhead's mind, chiefly among them talking to Susan about the kids, wondering why Kendall and Erica hadn't shown up at Bianca's room yet and what needed to be done about Amelia Mears. Marissa placed a gentle kiss on Bianca's forehead and slipped out of the hospital room. She pulled out her cellphone and called their babysitter.
"Hi, Susan."
"Marissa, how's Bianca?"
"She's going to be okay."
"Thank god! How are you holding up?"
"I'm doing okay, thankful that she's okay but mad as hell that this happened."
"I understand that. Don't worry about the kids. I'll pick them up and stay as long as you need me to."
"Thanks. I really appreciate it. I will be bringing her home tonight. I'm just not sure exactly when. We'll talk to the kids about what happened when we get there."
"Got it. I won't say anything about her being hurt. I'll just say you both were running late and needed me to watch them. Again, don't worry. I've got the kids covered. You focus on Bianca and getting her home."
"I don't know what we would do without you. I'll call you when we're on our way."
When the call was disconnected, Marissa could hear voices being raised. It sounded like it was coming from the waiting room. Having a feeling as to the source of the commotion, Marissa headed in that direction.
/
Erica turned to Jesse. "So, what are you going to be doing to keep my daughter safe?"
"I have an officer outside Ms. Mears room. For now, she's a suspect until we get corroborating evidence."
At the word 'suspect', the others erupted and began protesting loudly, drawing attention to the group from others on the floor. A nurse on duty started in the group's direction but was stopped.
"I'll take care of this."
The nurse nodded. "Thank you. Otherwise, I'll have to ask them to leave."
/
"Enough!" A loud voice had everyone stop and stare at the source, Marissa.
The redhead continued in a calm voice now that she had everyone's attention. "Thank you. Do I need to remind all of you that you're in a hospital? There are people trying to recover, and they need the quiet."
"How's Binx?" Kendall asked.
Marissa looked between her mother-in-law and sister-in-law and gave them a reassuring smile. "Stubborn. She was giving the doctor a hard time when I went because she was worrying more about me than she was herself."
Erica shook her head. "That's Bianca. She's really alright?"
"Yes, she's really alright. She's asleep now. The doctor gave her something for her pain, and Bianca nodded off. I can take her home later today. I was expecting you and Kendall back there a little while ago. I wanted to see what was keeping the two of you. Now, will someone tell me what the hell is going on out here, and please, do it quietly."
"We would have been back before now, but it seems the woman behind Bianca being here is a patient as well. We're trying to make sure Bianca is safe by making sure that abhorrent woman does not get close to her." Erica answered.
Marissa glanced the other two lawyers in the group. "Restraining order?"
Brian nodded. "Claudia is on her way to get a judge to sign it. She's bringing it here as soon as that's done."
The redhead smiled gratefully at her friend before focusing on Jesse. "Do you have someone on her?"
"Amelia Mears? Yes, I have an officer outside of her door. I put him in place so Brot could go back to the Center and question witnesses. We haven't filed any charges yet because …"
"File them. I want her arrested for assault. Bianca told me what happened. That woman attacked her, and it was unprovoked. I'm sure you have a number of witness statements backing that up by now. If you're worried about them being biased, pull the security tapes. I'm positive they'll corroborate Bianca's statement. In the meantime, I want that woman in handcuffs for as long as she's here. I won't have her hurting Bianca again." Marissa paused and sighed. "I really don't like doing this, but I'm going to contact Mike."
"You're going over my head and calling the D.A.?"
"I'm not going over your head, Jesse. Believe me when I say that I trust you to do your job and what's right. Who I don't trust is Amelia and her family. They have money, and I can see her trying to skip out on this. That's going to happen over my dead body. She's going to pay for what she did. By calling Mike, I'm just simply going to make him aware of a few things he may not know about her and her family. Mike's still going to do what he thinks is right because he doesn't trade favors. I wouldn't ask him to, but he does need to know certain details."
Marissa typed out a quick text while everyone mulled over what she said. They could hear a disturbance down the hall.
/
"Stop! Police! Stop! Ma'am, you have to stop!"
"What are you going to do? Arrest me? I dare you! I'm leaving, and you can't keep me here. So, get the hell away from me before I have your badge!"
Amelia, still wearing her hospital gown, rushed into the waiting room and smack into Jesse.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes, I am. I'm getting out of here and this backwater town. Now, whoever the hell you are, get your damn hands off me!"
Jesse glanced at Officer Turner, the officer who had been tasked with standing guard at her door, and made a mental note that he was wiping some blood away from his mouth. "Who I am is the chief of police of this 'backwater town'."
Amelia's attitude changed immediately as she tried to play victim. "Oh, I'm sorry, chief. Your officer over there was manhandling me, and after my assault from earlier, my nerves are pretty much shot."
Marissa raised an eyebrow and took a few steps toward the woman. Everyone was on guard. "Oh, you were assaulted earlier? Where?"
"At some so-called women's shelter. If you ask me, it's poorly run, and all they are doing is keeping families apart based on unfounded charges and allegations. The woman who runs that place is the worst. How she got that position is beyond me."
"That's interesting because the Miranda Center has won numerous awards and received countless praise not only through this state but across the country."
"Who are you, their PR director?" Amelia smirked.
Marissa's smile matched her glare in its steeliness. "I'm Marissa Tasker-Montgomery, and the 'director' of the Center is my wife. By the way, she founded the Center, and it's been used as a model for women's centers across the country. In case you need a reminder of who she is, she's the woman you assaulted. You're no victim. In fact, I'm going to make sure you go to jail for what you did. So, don't think for a second that any charges are going to be dropped."
"Oh please, I'm not scared of you. You don't know who my family is. There's no way I'm going to be arrested, and you can't touch me."
"You seem to forget where you are. You're not in Llanview. You're in Pine Valley, my turf, and no one here gives a damn who your parents are or their connections. You assaulted an innocent woman and are going to pay for it."
"Innocent woman?!" Amelia scoffed. "I hate to break it to you, especially in your delicate condition, but your wife is a slut. She's keeping my girlfriend away from me so she can toy with her and use her. She's abusing her authority, and I'm going to put a stop to it and her women's center."
Marissa's anger began to bubble over. There was a movement to her left that caught her eye, and it had her starting in Amelia's direction.
"Crap!" Brian saw the redhead's sudden movement, and he and the others moved to intercept Marissa from making what they saw as a huge mistake.
Suddenly, there was a loud thud that had everyone turning.
/
Amelia lie in a heap on the floor. Kendall and Greenlee were standing the closest, but the pair looked equally confused as to what had happened to her.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm good. Promise." Marissa said calmly as she eyed the groggy woman.
"Wha, what happened?" Amelia speech was slightly slurred.
Jesse shrugged. "I don't know. I'm hoping you can tell us."
Amelia struggled to her feet with the help of Officer Turner who she quickly tried, unsuccessfully, to swat away. She jabbed a finger in Marissa's direction and screamed. "It was her! She did it!"
"Did what? You don't even know what happened or else you wouldn't have asked so don't be pointing a finger at me. As much as I might want to, I didn't lay one finger on you, and I have a roomful of witnesses to back me up."
"She's right. Marissa didn't do anything to you because she never got close enough to." Jesse confirmed.
"I don't give a damn what you say. She did this, and I want to press charges."
Jesse sighed. Sometimes, it really felt like he was getting to old to deal with people like this. "That's not going to happen. The only thing that will, if you insist on pursuing that, is that you'll be charged with filing a false police report."
"Where is she? Where is my daughter? I demand to see her now!" Anthony Mears burst out of the elevator with his wife on his heels. He spotted his daughter and headed to the waiting room.
"Daddy!" Amelia cried out and struggled to get free of the grip Officer Turner had on her. "Let me go!"
"I can't do that, ma'am. You need to calm down or else we'll have to restrain you."
"You calm the fuck down!" Amelia shouted as she swung at the officer and clipped him.
"Dammit."
"That's it. You were warned." Jesse easily subdued the woman and clapped handcuffs on her.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing to my daughter?! Get those off of her now! You don't know who you're dealing with! I will slap a police brutality suit on you that will bankrupt you and this city."
Jesse sighed heavily. Yeah, he was definitely getting too old for these people. "And you are?"
"Anthony Mears." When the name didn't register with Jesse, he repeated it again. "I'm Anthony Mears, and I'm friends with the mayor of Llanview."
Pine Valley's police chief was not the least bit impressed. "Well, you're not in Llanview anymore. This is Pine Valley, and assaulting a police officer is frowned upon here. There's even a law against it in case you didn't know. Your daughter just broke that law so now she's under arrest. That's why she's in handcuffs and is going to stay that way. Turner, are you okay?"
The officer grimaced and wiped more blood from his lip. The cut on it was reopened by the woman's latest assault. "Yeah, I'll live."
"I didn't do anything. They're lying. They …"
"Be quiet! I'll handle this, Amelia, like I always do." Anthony turned back to Jesse. "I don't believe you, and why is my daughter in the hospital to begin with? It's obvious that she is a victim here."
Kendall, Marissa and Greenlee rolled their eyes while Erica kept her eyes on them. The three of them were up to something. Marissa had calmed down way too quickly before. Her outburst, while completely justified, was convenient in its timing to Amelia's collapse. Erica wasn't buying it as just a coincidence.
/
"Chief."
Jesse smiled seeing Mike Jensen arrive. "District Attorney Jensen. Good to see you. It didn't take you very long to get here."
"I was in the neighborhood when I got Marissa's text." He turned to the redhead. "How is Bianca?"
"She's resting now and is thankfully going to be okay."
"Why are you asking about some other woman? My daughter has been injured, and they have her in handcuffs. I demand that she be released this instant."
"And you are?"
"Anthony Mears."
"He knows the mayor of Llanview." Greenlee cracked with an impressive eye roll/smirk combination that caused Kendall to chuckle.
Mike furrowed his brow. I'm supposed to be impressed by that? "Okay. Jesse?"
"Amelia Mears is under arrest for assaulting Officer Turner. She is also under suspicion for the assault of Bianca Tasker-Montgomery."
"Who the hell is this Bianca?!" Anthony thundered.
"She's the whore who is hiding Kirsten, keeping her away from me. She's taking advantage of her and sleeping with her."
"I swear to god if you don't shut your mouth about my sister …"
Marissa pulled Kendall back with Greenlee's help.
Erica had somehow gotten right next to Amelia and whispered in her ear so that no one else could hear. "If you call my daughter something like that ever again, you will know what pain truly is. Do I make myself clear?"
Amelia's head snapped in the diva's direction. When her gaze was trapped in the Kane death glare, a shiver ran up her spine, and she visibly gulped. She nodded and shifted uncomfortably.
Erica deftly moved back with no one the wiser, with the exception of Marissa, Kendall and Greenlee. The three women smirked having a very good idea of what was said. Erica responded with her trademark hair flip before turning her attention to the others.
Brot and another officer appeared and walked over. A few words were exchanged.
"Murray, help Turner keep an eye on Ms. Mears. No matter what anybody else says, she is to stay handcuffed." Jesse advised before walking away with Brot and Mike.
After a minute, the district attorney summoned Marissa to join them.
/
"What do you think is going on?" Greenlee asked.
"No clue." Kendall sighed.
"My guess is that Brot found something, and they need Marissa's permission as Bianca's wife to deal with it." Jack stated.
When the four of them finished their conversation, they made their ways back to the others.
"Well, that didn't take long."
/
"Go ahead, Officer Monroe." Mike stated calmly.
"Amelia Mears, you are under arrest for the assault of Bianca Tasker-Montgomery and Officer John Turner. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"
"What? You're arresting my daughter?! What proof do you have of these charges? I insist on proof!"
"Chief Hubbard."
/
Jesse turned hearing his name and saw Bo and Nora Buchanan. "Hello. What's brings the Llanview Police Commissioner and District Attorney here? I could probably take a wild guess, but go ahead. Maybe, I'll be surprised."
Bo chuckled. "We were asked as a favor to the mayor to come and see if we could help."
It was pretty clear to most of those present that neither of them were happy about the request.
Nora nodded to Mike. The two lawyers knew each other fairly well and respected the other's work. "I have a feeling we missed something."
"Yeah, we just placed Ms. Mears under arrest."
"Couldn't you give me a heads up, Jesse? Did you have to arrest her?" Bo asked even though he knew the police chief would've only made the arrest with ample probable cause.
"Sorry, I would've if I could've, but things got out of hand quickly. And yeah, I did have to arrest her. She assaulted a police officer right in front of me after she had assaulted someone else."
"Who?"
"Bianca Tasker-Montgomery."
"Bianca?!" Nora glanced over to Marissa. "Is she alright?"
Marissa nodded. "She's going to be okay."
Nora was relieved to hear that. "Thank goodness. So, what happened?"
Jesse gave the visitors a quick rundown of everything that had occurred.
"Any witnesses?" Bo asked.
"For Bianca's assault, how about the entire staff of the Miranda Center, and for Officer Turner's, almost everyone here. We also have security footage from the Miranda Center showing the assault."
"If my daughter is so guilty, how is it that she herself is in the hospital?"
"The footage shows that your daughter had to be tased because she was going to attack Mrs. Tasker-Montgomery again. Witnesses state it was the only way to get her stop."
Anthony scoffed. "That footage can be doctored and witnesses bought. I'm going to call my friend, the mayor. A well-placed call from him to the mayor here, and I'll have your badges, my daughter released and her girlfriend returned. Oh, you can expect a hefty lawsuit filed against all of you as well."
"Go ahead."
"Excuse me?" Anthony Mears turned to Marissa. He would've thought his threat would be met with fear and compliance. Instead, there was no fear in the redhead's eyes, only defiance.
"You heard me. Go ahead and call your 'friend, the mayor of Llanview'. I dare you. You see, as it's been pointed out several times, this is Pine Valley and not Llanview. Your 'friendship' with the mayor of your city means squat here. So, go ahead and call. I have to admit that I am curious to hear how you spin this to him."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I want to hear how you justify your daughter attacking a woman known for her charitable work throughout this country, a woman who has made it her life's work to help others who are in abusive relationships rebuild their lives and regain the dignity stripped from them by those who feel entitled to berate, belittle and abuse them. People like your daughter. Her ex-girlfriend, Kirsten, is in hiding because she was beaten by your daughter and feared for her life if she stayed with her. When her aunt came to help her, your daughter attacked her too. She had to be treated for several injuries once she was here. Yeah, I want to hear you explain all of that to your 'good friend' and see how just how long he sticks around, especially when this gets out. Oh, and it will get out. I'll make sure of it. That's a promise. You won't be shutting me up or sweeping any of this under the rug. The press will love this story, especially when my mother-in-law steps forward and throws her clout behind it. You have heard of my mother-in-law, Erica Kane, haven't you?"
Erica smiled with pride at her daughter-in-law. "You just tell me what you need, Marissa dear, and I'll take care of it."
Rage started to build up in Anthony Mears. He was not used to being spoken to in such a disrespectful way. "You need to be taught some manners. I will not be spoken to like this."
"Anthony, she's pregnant." Julia Mears finally spoke. You could hear the fear in her voice for what her husband might do to the redhead.
His eyes flashed to his wife. "She still needs to be taught manners. Obviously, you need a refresher as well. I'll take care of you later. Now, it's time to take care of her."
Brian moved quickly to get Marissa out of the way when he realized what the man was going to do.
Anthony raised his hand to strike Marissa, but the blow never came. His forearm was caught mid-motion in a vice-like grip.
"That's not going to happen." Bo quickly wrenched Anthony's arm behind his back, causing the man to cry out. "Jesse, you have some cuffs I can borrow?"
Jesse nodded and took a pair quickly produced by Brot and handed them to Bo. "Good reflexes for an old man."
Bo shook his head and smiled while placing the handcuffs on Anthony. "I'd watch it if I were you. You're not that far behind me. I'll let you do the honors of placing him under arrest."
"Arrest? For what?"
"Attempted assault." Bo and Jesse offered at the same time.
Anthony looked at Nora. "Do something!"
Nora shook her head. "Sorry, you're on your own. I don't work for you. Besides, I'm a witness so I can't help you. I wouldn't if I could anyway." She turned to the other district attorney. "Mike, Bo and I will make ourselves available for whenever you need us."
"The mayor's not going to be happy about that."
"Screw the mayor. We're only here so he would shut up about us coming."
Mike laughed. "I have a feeling my morning is going to be busy. How's tomorrow afternoon sound?"
Nora looked at Bo who nodded. "Sounds good to us. I'll give the Yacht Club a call and get us a room."
"Oh, there you are Ms. Mears. You're free to go." Jake noted the handcuffs on his now former patient and another man as well as the crowd in the waiting room.
Greenlee noted the doctor's confused expression. "I'll explain everything to you later. It's really too long of a story to into now."
Jake simply nodded and left.
"Since we've been given the all clear from the hospital, I'll get a female officer over here to help Ms. Mears get dressed. Then, we'll take her down to the station and book her. Murray, you're babysitting her. Brot, Turner, take Mr. Mears down to the station."
Brot and Turner towed a sputtering Anthony away. "Julia, do something right for a change and call my lawyer. Tell him to get here now."
Julia Mears nodded weakly, but the only move she made was to sit down in the farthest corner of the waiting room.
With father and daughter no longer present, the room was now quiet.
"Marissa, if Bianca's up to it, I'd like to get her statement tomorrow. I don't want to bother her tonight. I'll get yours tomorrow too."
"Thanks, Jesse. I'll let you know how she's feeling. If you don't need anything else right now, I really want to get back to Bianca."
Jesse nodded. "Go ahead. Tell her I said 'hi' and that I'm glad she's okay."
"I will." Marissa turned to her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
Kendall grabbed her purse. "I'm definitely coming."
"Yes, I need to see Bianca." Erica nodded.
"Could I come?" Greenlee asked.
Marissa smiled. "Of course. Brian, could I ask a huge favor?"
"Name it."
"I know people are going to want to come and visit today, but …"
"You don't have to say anything else. I'll make a couple of calls, fill them in on everything and ask if they'll wait a day or two. They'll understand. Everyone just wants Bianca to be okay. Don't worry. I got this. Tell Bianca I said 'hey'. I'll check in with you tomorrow. If you need anything else in the meantime though, don't hesitate to call."
The friends hugged.
"Thank you, for everything."
"You're welcome."
"Are you coming, Jack?"
"The four of you go ahead. I'll help Brian with those calls and be back in a few minutes."
Erica gave Jack a quick kiss before following the three younger women down the hall. The diva was just able to overhear their whispered conversation.
/
"How's the hand, Curly?"
"Not too bad, Red."
"You should put some ice on it as soon as you can. I can ask Jake for an ice pack if you want."
"Thanks, Greenlee. That's probably a good idea."
"That was so slick of the two of you. It was a nice punch, Curly, and Greenlee, way to cover it up. I really owe you for shutting her up. She was really pissing me off."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. You almost had me thinking you were going to attack her, Red. You provided a nice diversion for us. I'm really glad you didn't get hurt. Binx would skin me alive if either you or Sparky got hurt on my watch. I gotta tell you, it felt really good to punch that bitch and shut her up."
"I bet it did. I'm just upset about two things."
"What's that, Greenlee?" Marissa asked.
"That I didn't get a turn to punch her myself, and that I didn't get a chance to record Kendall doing it. It would've been a great addition to the DVD I'm making, Greatest Hits of the Kane Women." Greenlee grinned.
The three cracked up. No one, with the exception of Erica, saw the fist bumps they gave each other as they continued down the hall. It was just as Erica had thought, and she had to admit that she was impressed. As she watched the three younger women laugh, Erica noted the unspoken decision not to mention what happened with Anthony Mears until Bianca was home and better. She had to agree with them on that. Knowing that if Bianca knew that the man almost assaulted Marissa, the only thing it would do is upset her, and she did not need that now.
/
They paused outside Bianca's room to gather themselves. Marissa carefully opened the door and smiled when she saw that Bianca was still asleep. The redhead placed a finger to her lips signaling for the others to keep their voices down before she led them inside.