A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing and following! It's appreciated! So, why did I have Sparky be a boy? It's something I've had in my mind for quite some time. It's just when I tried to picture what they would have, I kept seeing Ron Howard (the actor/director) when he was in 'The Music Man'. He's really adorable. That image just stuck in my head and wouldn't leave. I know some were hoping for a girl so I hope you don't hate me too much. It took me a while to figure out the name. I wanted the baby to have a connection to the Taskers but just wasn't sold on the name Roy. So, I created the middle name of Daniel. Now, Danny's middle name was a whole other story. It was almost Travis, in honor of Bianca's dad, but then, I got to thinking. Would it bother Jack? Probably not, but again, I wasn't sold on it. Then, it hit me! Christopher! With Bianca's middle name being Christine, it just fit. It gave her another connection to him that couldn't be broken, and it showed yet again Marissa's commitment. I figured Erica and Kendall would be extremely touched by the gesture as well. I'm not even going to talk about what it would mean to Bianca.
Now, let's talk this chapter. It takes place right after the other one. I'm also just going to say that I'm not a lawyer. You'll understand as you read this. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
"Stef! Come here! Stef!"
The woman in question rushed into the living room to see what had her husband so excited. Brian had taken Jamie outside some time ago to build a snowman. The toddler had been anxious to play in the snow from the moment he saw the blanket of white that morning. Stef had joined them for a little while before ducking back inside to fix the three of them lunch. The father and son had apparently just come back in.
"Is everything alright?"
Brian smiled brightly as he held out his cellphone. "Oh yeah, everything is definitely alright. Marissa had the baby!"
"She did?! Sparky's here?! Oh my gosh! Let me see!" Steff grabbed the cellphone from her husband. As she was gushing over the baby picture that was sent along with his vital statistics, Brian's cellphone rang. "It's Lisa."
"Gee, I wonder why she's calling." Brian smirked. "Go ahead and answer it. I'll get Jamie into some dry clothes."
"Hi, Lisa."
"Stef! Tell me you just got a text!"
"From Kendall? Yes, we did. He's adorable."
"He's definitely going to be a heartbreaker, just like Jamie."
"I think you might be right. Hey, I just thought of something. They probably had to drive through that snowstorm to get to the hospital."
"Oh wow. You're probably right. That had to be scary."
"Definitely, but everyone seems to be doing great judging by Kendall's text. They have to be so happy."
"Yeah, I know Marissa was anxious about the baby being healthy and how much she was looking forward to finally knowing what she having."
"You always worry about that. I can't wait to meet this little guy."
"Me too! So, I was thinking we probably need to let the rest of the team know."
"That's a good idea. Let me know who you want to contact, and I'll have Brian text the others. I know Jack will take care of letting the partners know."
"I'll let Ellie, Mark, Robin and Riley know."
"Alright, I have him text Claudia, Sofia, and Brandon. I'll tell him to let Mitch know too. I think I'll text Marissa and Bianca in a day or two to see if they might be up for a visit."
"Let me know if you want some company because I am definitely up for that."
"I will."
"Okay, I better go. We've got people to give the good news to!"
/
Sam bolted down the steps with cellphone in hand. "Grandma! Gail! Alex!"
The adults in question hurried to see if everything was okay.
Carol got to her granddaughter first. "Sam, is everything alright?"
"Oh, it's great! You all haven't checked your cellphones recently, have you?" The teen knew the answer. While her cellphone was like another appendage to her, the same could not be said for the others in their family.
Gail walked over to retrieve her phone from the charger. "I haven't. Why?"
"Marissa had the baby!"
"Really?! How do you know? Are they alright? What did she have?"
Sam laughed at Carol's excitement and handed over her phone to her grandmother. "Kendall sent a mass text out."
"They had a boy!" Alex grinned. "Daniel Christopher. That's a good, strong name. I wonder how they came up with it."
"AJ will be happy. He won't be the only boy in the house now, if you don't count Max." Gail laughed.
"Isn't he cute?" Sam asked, knowing that they would all agree.
"He is, and look at that red hair. I'm so happy for them." Carol smiled as she continued to look at the picture.
"When do you think we can visit them?" Sam asked excitedly.
"Well, Kendall's text says that she had him early this morning. So, I'm guessing they'll keep her overnight which means she and Danny will go home tomorrow." Gail reasoned.
"Maybe we can go visit them in a couple of days." Seeing the disappointed look on her granddaughter's face and knowing that she was just as anxious to see the baby, Carol continued. "I don't see why we couldn't give them a call later today or tomorrow though. Oh, I have an idea. Marissa's birthday is in two days. I'm sure they won't have a chance to do too much to celebrate it. So, why don't we make them a cake?"
Sam smiled brightly. "I like it! Need some help?"
"Most definitely."
/
"Well if this isn't the best news, I don't know what is!"
Tad looked up from his paper at Opal who was grinning widely and holding her cellphone. "What news is that?"
"Marissa and Bianca's new baby is here."
"So that's where Krystal went this morning. What'd they have?"
Opal handed over her phone. "A bouncing baby boy! I do like that name. Just look at him! He's a mighty handsome little fellow. Wait, Krystal knew and didn't say anything? You knew and didn't say anything? Erica didn't call me either." Her hurt from being excluded was clearly evident.
Tad rolled his eyes and knew he had to help diffuse the situation before his ex-wife got back. Plus, he'd help Erica at the same time. "I really didn't know anything. Krystal came into my room in the middle of the night, and said she had to go somewhere. I was half asleep and didn't ask any for details. I also figured if it was something serious she'd let me know so I just told her to be careful driving." Tad suddenly noticed something that had him smiling. "Uh, did you happen to notice that you have two missed calls?"
"I what?!"
"You have two missed calls. Oh look, one is from Erica and the other is from Krystal. You should probably check your voicemail." Tad grinned and handed the cellphone back to Opal. "Their baby's pretty cute."
Opal scowled at her son's smug expression but quickly checked her voicemail, happy that she hadn't been forgotten. Once she had all the details, she started making her own calls. News this good had to be shared.
/
Scott smiled brightly as he read the text. "Good for them."
"Good for who?" Madison asked.
"Marissa had the baby this morning, a boy."
"He's a cutie. I bet they are so happy." Madison sighed.
"What do think of having one of our own?"
Scott's question was met with the biggest smile he had seen since the night he had proposed to her.
"I love that idea."
/
"Yes! I have to call Aya!"
"What's going on Jan?"
Jan smiled at her fiancée. "Bianca and Marissa's baby is here, Kevin."
"That's great. What'd they have?"
"A boy! Daniel Christopher Tasker-Montgomery." Jan answered as she dialed her friend and co-worker.
Aya answered the phone laughing. As soon as she had gotten the text, she had told her fiancée Kate that she needed to call Jan. It seems she had been beaten to the punch. "Hey, Jan! I'm guessing you just got the text from Kendall."
"Yep! This is just the best news. You realize they had to drive through that snowstorm?"
"You're right, on both counts. I bet Bianca was a nervous wreck driving in that while Marissa was in labor, but you know she held it together."
"Oh yeah, she definitely did. I can't wait to see them. Damn, he's so cute."
"Yeah, I'm sure he's already gotten them all wrapped around this little finger. We're definitely going to need to go shopping now that we know what they had."
"Duh! Of course we are. You know that Kendall and Greenlee are already doing that. Do you think they will call him Danny or Daniel?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. I'm guessing they'll call him Danny."
"So, Bianca will be starting her leave immediately which means we'll have to rearrange her schedule on Monday."
"Yep, and implement 'Operation Baby Mama'."
Jan snorted. "It's a good thing Bianca doesn't know about that name. I'm thinking letting Kendall and Greenlee help you name the plan wasn't the best of ideas."
"Eh, maybe not, but it's fun and has a ring to it."
"True. Okay, you call the folks on your list, and I'll call the ones on mine. I'll move her early meeting."
"Sounds good. I'm thinking maybe we can go visit them at lunch on Monday?"
"I like how you think! Alright, I'll see you bright and early Monday. Tell Kate I said 'hi'."
"Tell Kevin the same for me. See ya!"
/
"What are you doing?" Marissa asked as she watched her wife moving around.
Bianca looked up from the chair she was getting ready to settle into. Both women were exhausted and hoping to catch a nap now that all of their visitors had left and Danny had been changed, fed and was fast asleep.
"I was just getting this ready to sleep in. Did you need something?"
"No, I'm fine. I know that chair isn't going to be comfortable for you."
"I'll be fine." Bianca saw her wife raise an eyebrow. "I will be. Don't worry. You need to be comfortable and have been through way more than me."
Marissa rolled her eyes. "Would you please get in this bed? There's more than enough room for both of us, and I'm not the only one who needs rest. Besides, I always sleep better with you next to me. It's also not nice to argue with a woman who's just given birth." Marissa winked.
Bianca rewarded her wife with the goofy grin the redhead loved and slipped off her shoes before climbing into the hospital bed with Marissa. "Better?"
Marissa moved into her wife's arms and sighed happily. "Much."
"Seriously, how are you feeling?"
"I am a little sore, but for the most part, pretty good. What about you?"
"I think I bruised my shin somewhere along the way."
Marissa chuckled. "I'm not surprised with how you were racing around. You know, you're pretty adorable when you're flustered."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "I think we need to get your eyes checked, but I've been told it's not nice to argue with a woman who's just given birth."
"Darn straight."
The couple's gaze fell on their little boy who was sleeping peacefully in the bassinette next to their bed.
"I still can't get over how beautiful he is."
Bianca nodded. "I know. He really is, and yes, I'm completely and utterly biased."
Marissa laughed softly. "That makes two of us. Are we making guesses as to how much of Pine Valley knows about Danny by now?"
"Knowing Kendall and Greenlee, I'm going to say it's at least half by now." Bianca chuckled.
"You forget that Opal's on their list so I'm going to guess the whole town is covered or well on its way."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Bianca glanced down and saw Marissa's eyes fluttering. She knew her wife was fighting sleep as much as she was, and that they both needed the rest. "Close your eyes and get some sleep. We won't be any good to Danny if we're beyond exhausted."
Marissa nodded and closed her eyes. "Okay. You too."
Bianca sighed and soon was fast asleep just like her wife and new son.
/
Caleb poked his head inside Marissa's hospital room hearing Bianca giving him the all clear. "Hello, and congratulations!" He presented them with a handful of blue balloons with one mylar balloon in the middle of them reading 'It's a boy!'
"Thanks, Caleb. I love it! We haven't gotten any balloons yet." Bianca smiled as she placed the balloons in a corner where they could see them but not have them in the way of everything.
"That's probably because some of them were here before anything was open. I can only imagine what Erica and Kendall would've brought if something had been open." Marissa joked. "Thanks, Caleb. The balloons are great."
"You're welcome. How are the two of you doing?"
"Not bad. We all had a nice nap not too long ago which all of us needed."
"Rissa's right. We were all exhausted, even Danny."
Caleb craned his neck to look at the newborn in Marissa's arms. "So, this is the little guy. He's a handsome fellow."
"Would you like to hold him?"
"I … I … I don't … um want to do something that would hurt him. I mean I don't even know the last time I held a baby."
Marissa smiled. Caleb stood toe to toe with anyone and never backed down, but now, he was intimidated by her 7 pound son. "Caleb, it's fine. We trust you, but you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No! I really would like to hold him."
Bianca winked at her wife as she took their son. "Are you comfortable?"
"Hold on!" Caleb handed Marissa a file he had been carrying and shucked off his coat. "Alright."
"Make sure you support his head." Bianca noted as she place Danny in her friend's arms.
Danny tried to focus on the person holding him now, and Caleb grinned.
"You're a natural. What's in the file?" Marissa asked.
"That's what we've been working on."
Marissa grinned and opened up the file.
"You're not seriously going to talk about work, are you?" Bianca scowled.
"This is something way too important to ignore. Trust me. You'll be happy about this, B." Marissa was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Dr. Abbott popped her head inside. "I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"Not at all. In fact, you have perfect timing. Dr. Maura Abbott, I'd like to introduce you to Caleb Cortlandt."
Caleb, who had been making faces at Danny, glanced up. "It's nice to meet you, doctor."
"Ah, Mr. Cortlandt, it's nice to meet you too, finally."
Bianca looked at the others slightly confused. They all seemed to know something that she didn't. "What's going on?"
"We'll need another witness. Think you could help us out?" Caleb asked the doctor.
"Give me one second." Maura opened the door and motioned for someone to come in.
"Rissa?"
"It will all become clear in just a few minutes, I promise."
Kelly walked in and joined them. "Is there something that you need?"
Caleb looked at Marissa. "The floor is yours."
"Bianca, do you remember me telling you about a case I was following?"
"Yeah, you were talking with Sofia about it at the shower, right?"
"That's the one. The case is Samuels vs the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In short, a woman by the name of Klisa Samuels brought suit against the state to have herself recognized as one of the mothers of her newborn daughter."
"One of the mothers?"
"Yes, Klisa's wife Anna gave birth, but she was the only one the state recognized as their daughter's mother. As such, only Anna's name could appear on the birth certificate. Klisa, along with Anna, filed suit to change that."
"I vaguely remember something about that, but the state legislature was fighting it."
"True, they were. The governor, however, was in favor of overturning it. Fast forward a bit. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the law was unconstitutional. That ruling was handed down just after our baby shower. There's a group that has asked that that ruling be stayed while they appeal. That request has been denied. This means that you can be listed on Danny's birth certificate as his mother too."
Bianca's eyes grew wide and began to fill with tears as Marissa's words sank in. "Seriously? I … I … I can?!"
"Yep." Marissa grinned happily.
Bianca surged forward and kissed her wife. "This … this … I … I can't believe you didn't tell me!"
"I wanted to surprise you. Caleb contacted Dr. Abbott and told her about the change."
"One that I'm more than happy to comply with. That law should have been overturned a long time ago, in my opinion." Maura added. "Now that we have Danny's name, we can fill out his birth certificate completely, with both of your names on it."
Bianca smiled brightly. "I can't believe this! This is incredible! Wait, what are the papers that Caleb brought and why do we need witnesses?"
Caleb chuckled. "You know your wife. She's got a backup plan just in case an appeal of the court's ruling is granted. I brought adoption papers per her request. I just need your signature as well as theirs as witnesses, and I'll file the papers on Monday."
Bianca gazed at her wife in slight wonderment. Marissa had said from the beginning that she wanted Bianca to have equal rights concerning their baby because she believed without a doubt that their little one was just as much Bianca's as hers. To do this, they had agreed that Bianca would adopt the baby after he was born. Marissa had set about working with Caleb on what needed to be done to accomplish that. Bianca believed in and trusted her wife and had no reason not to so she knew this would happen. What she found so surprising, besides the birth certificate, was that it was happening now with Danny only hours old. Bianca had assumed this would happen a few days after they had gotten home. Marissa, however, had other plans and Bianca loved her all the more for it. "You're incredible."
"You're as much Danny's mother as I am, and I want you recognized as such and to have your rights protected." Marissa stated sincerely.
"Like I said, incredible. So, does anyone have a pen?" Bianca grinned.
Once signatures were added to the legal documents and Dr. Abbott and Kelly had taken their leave, Caleb handed Danny back to Bianca. "I'll file these with the clerk's office first thing Monday."
"Thanks, Caleb. Marissa and I appreciate this more than you'll ever know."
"You're welcome. Oh, hold on one minute." Caleb pulled out his cellphone to check a text he had just received. A huge grin spread across his face when he saw a picture of him and Danny. Caleb glanced up and saw a smiling Marissa holding a cellphone. He knew instantly that she was behind it. "Well, I think this is the best payment I've ever received. Thank you. I'm going to go, and let you get some rest." He kissed both women on the cheek and grabbed his coat and the papers. "I'll drop your copies off once everything has been finalized. Congratulations again, and Danny, be good for your mothers."
/
"Opal? Um, hi." Bianca was a little surprised to see her mother's 'best gal pal' at the door of the hospital room holding a large bag from Krystal's.
Marissa was just as stunned. She had been expecting Krystal to drop off their dinner order from the restaurant. "Hi, Opal."
"Surprise! There was a problem at the restaurant at the last minute, and Krystal needed to stay behind to take care of it. I volunteered to drop this off for you. It gives me a chance to see this handsome little fellow."
It was clear to the couple that Opal was just itching to hold their son. Marissa picked Danny up and looked at the older woman. "Would you like to hold him?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Opal carefully took the little boy and began gushing. "Oh my, he is handsome. That picture Kendall sent out doesn't do him justice. You're going to be a heartbreaker, aren't you, Danny?"
Bianca and Marissa ate while they watched as Opal rocked their son and continued to talk to him. Danny's brow was furrowed as he was trying to focus on the older woman. To his amused mothers, it looked like he was trying to figure out the eccentric woman holding him, a common occurrence in Pine Valley when it came to Opal.
"Oh, I talked with Erica earlier, and she was gushing over this handsome little guy. I have to say that she was right. How are the two of you doing? If I didn't know better, I wouldn't guess that you just had a baby, Marissa. You look really good."
"Thank you, but I'm sure that's not true though. Thanks also for bringing over dinner for us."
"It's my pleasure. I couldn't in good conscience let you eat hospital food. Besides, I was just aching to see Danny here, and bringing you over dinner was the perfect excuse."
"You know you don't need an excuse, Opal." Bianca said.
"Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way. Oh, Jenny and Kathy are looking forward to meeting Danny. Krystal told them all about him when she got home this morning. She told them they would have to wait a few days though, until you all got settled."
The couple sighed in relief. They knew they would be having visitors. Their friends and family were almost as anxious as the couple was for the baby to get here, almost. So, they knew people would be coming to see him. And while they understood this and wanted all of them in Danny's life and to share this special time with them, the couple wanted and needed some time to themselves with Danny and their other three children. Not having everyone rush over at once would definitely help.
/
"So, are you ready to get out of here?" Kelly asked as she brought a wheelchair into Marissa's room.
"Definitely. It's not that we don't like you, but …"
The nurse laughed. "I get it, Marissa. Trust me, I get it. You can't wait to get home and in your own bed. Plus, you'll be able to really enjoy Danny once you're all home. You'll be happy to know that the roads are all clear so you shouldn't have quite the adventure going home as you did getting here."
Bianca smiled. "That's good to here. Okay, I'll go get the car and be right back." She kissed both Marissa and Danny before grabbing Marissa's bag and the balloons Caleb had brought and hurrying to the car.
Marissa took a seat in the wheelchair while Kelly removed Danny's monitor and then handed him to her.
"Let's bust you out of here." Kelly smiled as she wheeled Marissa and Danny towards the hospital exit.
/