A/N: As always, thanks for reading, reviewing and following! I appreciate it. I thought you might not be too happy with me because of that cliffhanger, but as some of you said, you knew it was coming. My evil side can only be held down for so long. I have to say this. I'm not a doctor. Anything medical related that you read here is the result of Google. It makes you wonder what we did before it was around. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
Gabby beamed. "Aunt G?"
"What, Sweetie?"
"Could I get a sundae?"
Greenlee laughed. "Sure. Why not? That's sounds really good. You know, I think I'm going to get one ..."
She saw a flash on the right in her peripheral vision, but it was too late for Greenlee to react. A car ran through the light and slammed into the side of the car flipping it over once before it skidded across the road and into ditch where it came to a rest on its side.
Witnesses watched in horror as one car rolled and finally came to a stop while the other stopped short of hitting a telephone pole. Suddenly, they sprang into action. Cellphones were pulled out and calls frantically placed to 911 desperately pleading for help. People raced towards the cars to offer assistance to the victims with the majority running to help the car in the ditch. Inside the car near the telephone pole was a man who looked to be in his late 20's or early 30's. He was slowly looking around and gaining his bearings, and he didn't appear to be seriously hurt. As for the other group of people, their hearts sunk when they looked inside the car and found a woman and a young girl, both unconscious and trapped. The side the girl was on looked to have suffered the brunt of the damage, and it was her side that was on the bottom. The driver's window had been shattered by the woman's head hitting it. From what they could tell, it could have been worse had she not been wearing her seatbelt and had the airbag not deployed. Someone tried to open the door and soon found that it wouldn't budge. It would have to be pried open.
"Hey! Where are you going?!" A woman shouted when she saw the other driver trying to leave the scene on foot.
"I … I uh was going to get some help."
She saw the look in his eyes and wasn't buying his explanation for one second. He looked like he was going to run. "People have already called for help, and it's on the way. You should probably get checked out. Plus, you'll need to talk to the police."
"Oh, I don't think …"
One of the burly looking men who had tried to pry open the door to Greenlee's car stepped in. "The lady's right. You shouldn't be going anywhere. The police are going to want to talk to you."
"Yeah, but …"
"That wasn't a question or even a suggestion. You're staying."
The driver gulped. He desperately wanted to get out of there but could tell the other man wasn't going to budge. He could hear sirens approaching at breakneck speed, and he knew he was stuck so he simply gave up and nodded.
Police dispersed and began taking statements from witnesses and were soon pointed in the direction of the other driver. An officer walked over to him accompanied by a paramedic who began to check the man out. While this was going on, firefighters began working on freeing Greenlee and Gabby with paramedics standing by so they could begin administering aid as soon as possible.
/
"Hey, Lisa." Marissa glanced around the courtroom and saw no sign of her client. "Holly's not here yet?"
"Hey. No, not yet. Do you still want to talk to her?" Lisa asked. She was assisting Marissa in court today and was really looking forward to it.
"Yes, I want to give it one more shot. Hopefully, I can get her to calm down some and see another side to this. I know Dana is going to try the same with Vince. The only ones who are going to get hurt if they continue with what they're doing are the kids."
"You're right. There she is now."
"Hi, Holly."
"Hello, Marissa."
"Have you had a chance to think about what we discussed Friday?" Marissa asked.
Lisa couldn't help but admire her boss. She wasn't afraid to call clients out if she disagreed with them or their behavior. This was one of those times. Their client's husband had been having an affair for a couple of years when Holly had found out about it. She was understandably hurt and angry, and had every right to be. The problem was that the couple's children were in the middle of this conflict and were the ones being hurt the most from the implosion of their parents' marriage. This was something both parents were responsible for. There was no doubt that they both loved their children. Unfortunately, this didn't prevent them from unintentionally using the kids to hurt the other. This was something all too familiar in divorce cases. So while Holly and Vince Donaldson were successful in causing each other pain, they were blind to the fact that their children were actually the ones being hurt the most. Marissa saw this and was trying to get through to their client, have her realize what they were doing and hopefully put a stop to it. Lisa knew Marissa had spoken to the opposing counsel off the record. Dana agreed with her and was trying to talk some sense into Vince as well.
/
"Hi, Jan."
"Hi, Bianca. I've got everything set up in the conference room for your meeting."
"Great. Thank you for taking care of all of that. I'm going to go on in. I want to read through my notes again."
"I'll let you know when they are here."
"Perfect, and please …"
"I know. Hold all of your calls, unless it's an emergency." Jan smiled. She knew her boss's routine down pat.
"Thank you." Bianca chuckled. It was force of habit to add the last part. She trusted Jan to handle whatever might come up. Bianca pulled out her cellphone and fired off a quick text to Marissa to wish her good luck in court today.
/
Marissa glanced down at her cellphone and smiled as she read Bianca's text. She then put the device on silent and handed it to Lisa. The young lawyer would monitor it while court was in session. Marissa didn't like to be disturbed by it going off while in court. Plus, judges frowned on cellphones in their courtroom, especially those belonging to the lawyers arguing before them. Marissa then returned her focus to their client.
/
Brot pulled up to the accident scene. He was already on his way there when he'd heard that a child was involved. There was nothing he hated more than an accident involving a child. As he got out of his cruiser, Brot spotted firefighters attaching the 'jaws of life' to pry open the driver's side door. He started to make his way over to get an update on the victims and the progress being made to free them when he heard someone calling him.
"Sarge."
"Johnson. What do you got?"
"Witnesses are all saying that car ran the light and plowed into the one in the ditch. According to those two, the driver of that car, one Neil Lawson, was trying to leave before anyone got here. They were able to stop him. Oh, and he hasn't bothered asking about the woman and child that are injured."
"Could be in shock. What's that?" Brot noted the evidence bag Officer Johnson was holding.
"It's Lawson's cellphone."
Brot started to shake his head. "Don't tell me."
"Sorry, Sarge, but it looks like Lawson was texting while he was driving. We found a partial text on the phone that wasn't sent. According to the witnesses, it fits the timeframe."
"Dammit all to hell. Have the paramedics checked him out yet?"
"Yeah, they have. He just has some bruises, nothing serious."
"Of course he does."
A firefighter could be heard shouting. "Someone get a gurney and a backboard over here! We're ready to remove the woman."
Brot turned his attention to the other vehicle and watched as the injured woman was slowly removed. It was then he caught sight of her, and his stomach sunk. He approached a paramedic standing nearby. "I know her. Her name is Greenlee Lavery. Husband's name is Ryan Lavery."
The paramedic nodded and jotted the information down. "What about the girl?"
"My guess is that it's her step-daughter Emma Lavery. How is she?"
"Hard to say at this point. She's lucky she was in her booster seat."
"Wait! Booster seat? Emma's too big for that. How old is the girl? What's she look like?"
"A brunette, about five or six years old."
"No! Oh no! It can't be."
"Okay, we're ready for the girl!" Another firefighter could be heard shouting.
Brot closed his eyes and took a deep breath to compose himself after seeing the girl being rushed to the ambulance. "She's Gabby Tasker-Montgomery. Her mothers are Bianca and Marissa Tasker-Montgomery. The hospital will know how to get in touch with her parents as well as Greenlee's husband."
Nodding, the paramedic made a note of the information before climbing into the driver's seat of the ambulance carrying Gabby. With their patients on board, the ambulances raced off to the hospital.
"Johnson!" Brot barked out.
"Yeah, Sarge?"
"Get the Chief. He needs to know about this." Brot then pointed to Lawson. "And cuff that son of a bitch. He better pray that they make it. Because if they don't, he's going to wish he was never born."
/
"Good afternoon, Joe."
"Good afternoon, Angie. How's your day going so far?"
"I can't complain. How are y …"
"Dr. Hubbard, we have two coming in, a woman in her 30's and a girl around six. Car accident. The girl is critical, and the woman is stable. ETA is five minutes." An ER nurse informed the doctor.
Angie nodded. "Page Dr. Parrish for the girl, and I'll take the woman."
"Do you want a hand?"
"If you're offering, Joe, I'll definitely take it. I don't think there is anything I hate more than critical cases involving children."
"That makes two of us."
The doctors proceeded to grab a surgical gown and prep for their patients' arrival. Dr. Erin Parrish quickly joined them.
"What do we have, Angie?"
"Good to have you here, Erin. We have a six year girl involved in a car accident in critical condition." Before she could continue, two ambulances pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance.
A paramedic jumped out of the first one and started giving his patient's vital signs. "Six year old, breathing is shallow, and she's been unconscious since we arrived on the scene." He completed his rundown as they wheeled the girl into the hospital.
Erin stopped when she saw who the girl was, her heart breaking seeing the little girl like this. "Dammit. I know who she is."
"Officer on the scene said she was …"
"Gabby Tasker-Montgomery. She's one of my patients. Let's move people! I am not losing her."
Angie and Joe glanced at each other overhearing the other doctor as she passed them. Neither was sure who the other victim was but thought it could be one of Gabby's mothers. When the other victim was unloaded from the ambulance, they were shocked to see who it actually was.
"Greenlee." Joe looked at Angie again.
She seemed to know what he was thinking. "Go ahead. It's better if they hear this from you than anyone else. I'll take care of Greenlee."
Joe nodded and watched as Angie led Greenlee's gurney to a curtained area to begin her examination. He dreaded having to make either of these calls and said a silent prayer that Gabby and Greenlee would be okay before walking over to the nurses' station. Joe knew which call needed to be made first. As he looked up the numbers he needed, Joe overheard a conversation between two of the paramedics and a nurse.
"The girl was trapped inside because the car was flipped on its side. Thank god she was in the backseat and strapped into her booster seat. Otherwise, who knows? As it was, they had to cut them out of the car."
"It looked ugly."
"What happened?"
"I heard an officer say that the son of a bitch that hit them ran straight through a red light. It looked like that he was texting and driving."
"Yeah, and there's barely a scratch on him. Isn't that usually the case? He tried to leave the scene before the police got there, but some witnesses stopped him. He'll be here soon. The police are bringing him over."
/
"Did you girls have a good time?" Ryan asked as Miranda and Gabby settled in the backseat of the car and fastened their seatbelts.
"Yeah, we did." Emma smiled at her father before glancing at her friend.
Miranda got the hint. "Ryan, do you think Emma could stay at my house for a little while and go swimming?"
Ryan shook his head. He should have seen this coming. "Well, Miranda, we'll need to ask your moms if it's okay with them. I'll also need to check with Greenlee to see what plans she might have made for later. Okay?"
Both girls sighed and nodded, expecting no less of an answer.
"Okay."
/
"The Miranda Center, Bianca Montgomery's office. This is Jan. How many I help you?"
"Hello, Jan. This is Joe Martin."
"Oh, hello, Dr. Martin. What can I do for you?"
"I need to speak with Bianca."
"I'm sorry, but she's in a meeting right now and has asked not to be disturbed unless …" A horrible feeling struck Jan immediately. There was something in the kindly doctor's tone that told her something had happened, something bad.
"I need you to get her for me and have her take this call in private."
"I'll get her right now."
"And Jan."
"Yes?"
"Have someone drive her."
"Yes, sir."
/
Jan hurried down the hallway that led to the conference room where Bianca was. She took a breath and knocked on the door before entering. All eyes were immediately on her, but her focus was only on her boss. Jan bent down and whispered to Bianca.
"You have a call from Joe Martin."
Bianca's head snapped up. "I'm sorry, but I need to take this. I'll be back as soon as I can." The brunette swiftly walked out of the room with Jan right behind her.
"Did he give you any details?"
"No. He only said that he needed to talk to you and that you would want to take the call in private. He's on line 1."
Bianca nodded and increased her pace.
Aya had witnessed the exchange and approached Jan. "What's up?"
"I don't know exactly, but I'm going to need you to cover for Bianca and me."
/
Alone in her office, every possible worst case scenario swirled in Bianca's head. With a shaky hand, she picked up her office phone. "Joe, what's happened?"
Joe knew Bianca well. She was one of the strongest people that he knew, and he knew she wouldn't want him to sugarcoat anything or beat around the bush. "There's been an accident, and Gabby's been hurt."
Bianca inhaled sharply, and her knees almost gave out on her. Her baby girl was hurt. She couldn't break down. She had to be strong. "How … how is she?"
"It's honestly too soon to say for sure. She was just brought in, and Dr. Parrish is examining her right now."
"Okay. I'm on my way. I need to call Marissa."
"That's being taken care of as we speak."
"Thank you. Make sure someone drives her to the hos … hospital."
"I can do that."
"Thank … thank … you. Tell Gabby I love her, and I'll be there as soon as I can."
"I will." With that, the call ended.
/
Bianca raced out of her office and found Jan waiting for her.
"What happened?" One look at Bianca's face told Jane that whatever emergency has arisen was bad.
"It's … it's Gabby. She's been in an accident. I need to get to the hospital." Bianca was barely able to speak.
"I'm driving you, and Aya will cover everything here."
Bianca merely nodded as she wiped away a few tears that had escaped and followed her assistant out the door. The brunette was grateful Jan was driving. With everything she was thinking and feeling in that moment, there was not a chance in hell Bianca would've been able to focus on the road. Gabby had to be okay. She couldn't lose her baby girl. She just couldn't.
/
Joe was able to quickly find Marissa's cellphone number and placed the next call.
/
Lisa watched as her boss led Holly through her testimony. Marissa seemed to have made some progress with their client in getting her to see that her children were the ones being hurt the most right now. Lisa couldn't tell if Dana had been as successful with her client. Marissa made the call to proceed with their case and talk to opposing counsel during a recess. Lisa was making a note when she heard Marissa's cellphone buzz. She glanced at the display and didn't recognize the number. The blonde considered ignoring it for a moment but something was telling her not to do that. Lisa picked up the phone and walked out of the courtroom as discreetly as possible.
"Hello?"
"Yes, this is Dr. Joe Martin at Pine Valley Hospital. Who am I speaking with?"
"This is Lisa Walsh. Are you looking for Marissa Tasker?"
"Yes, I am. I need to speak with her."
"She's in court right now. Is this an emergency?" Lisa asked dreading the answer.
"I'm afraid it is."
"Alright. Hold on a moment, and I'll get her."
"Ms. Walsh?"
"Yes, doctor."
"Is there someone there that would be able to drive her to the hospital?"
"I can do it." Lisa knew better than to ask the doctor for details.
"Good."
"Let me get her."
/
When she walked back into the courtroom, Lisa motioned for Marissa to come over to her.
"Your honor, if I could have just a moment please?"
Judge Nathan Taylor nodded. "Go ahead."
"What is it, Lisa?"
Lowering her voice and holding out the cellphone for her boss, Lisa answered. "It's the hospital. A Dr. Joe Martin said he needs to talk with you."
Marissa felt a chill run down her spine. Taking the cellphone, the redhead turned to the judge. "Your honor, could I have a brief recess? It seems that something has come up."
The judge sighed. He did not like trials interrupted. Most of the time, the 'emergencies' were anything but that. There was something in the redhead's expression though that told him that this wasn't the case. Something was indeed wrong. "Make it quick, counselor."
Marissa nodded and exited the courtroom. "Joe? What's wrong?"
"There's been an accident, and Gabby's been hurt."
Choking back a sob, Marissa braced herself against a wall. "How is she?"
"It's too soon to know for sure. She was just brought in, and Dr. Parrish is examining her now."
"Have … have you called Bianca?"
"I have, and she is on her way here. Jan is driving her."
"Good. Good. She shouldn't be driving. I'm on my way. Tell Gabby I love her."
"I will."
Marissa tried to pull herself together as best and as quickly as she could before going back inside the courtroom.
/
"Your honor, I … I apologize, but I need to re … request a continuance."
Everyone present could tell something was wrong. The poker face Marissa had sported only minutes before was gone. Now, she was pale, her eyes red-rimmed, looked to be holding back tears, and struggling to maintain her composure.
Judge Taylor knew the lawyer and had never seen her like this in a courtroom. "Is everything alright, Ms. Tasker?"
"My youngest daugh … daughter has been in an accident and has been taken to the hospital."
Dammit. Lisa knew it was bad, but she was not expecting this.
The judge turned to the other lawyer who was already standing. "Any objection, Ms. Reeves?"
"No, your honor." Dana hated to see Marissa like this. While they might be adversaries in the courtroom, the two were friendly outside.
"I will look for a new date on the court docket. Ms. Walsh …"
Lisa nodded and briefly paused in her gathering of their things. She knew what the judge would be asking. "I'm driving her, your honor."
"Good. My thoughts are with you and your family, Ms. Tasker."
"Thank you, your honor." Marissa turned to her client. "Holly …"
"Go. Let me know how she is."
Dana glanced at Marissa as she passed her. "Please let me know if you need anything."
Marissa simply nodded as she quickly left with Lisa right behind her.
The Donaldsons looked at each other and knew the redhead was experiencing their worst nightmare.
Holly was the first to speak. "Vince, we need to talk."
He nodded. "You're right, we do."
/
Jan pulled up to the Emergency Room entrance. The car barely came to a stop before Bianca jumped out and raced inside. In her rearview mirror, Jan could see Marissa arriving just after them, quickly following suit and darting inside the hospital.
Lisa saw Jan in the car ahead of her and nodded in acknowledgement before both women went to find a place to park. While Bianca and Marissa would have each other to lean on right now, neither Jan nor Lisa were going anywhere anytime soon. They had made up their minds as soon they had found out about Gabby to be there for however long they would be needed and to do whatever the couple might need done.
/
Bianca had caught a glimpse of her wife in her periphery and held out a hand which was immediately grasped. Their eyes scanned the room until they saw Joe Martin. They ran over to him just as he was finishing up a call.
"I'll see you soon, Ryan." Joe hung up and was met by the two near-frantic mothers.
"Joe, where's Gabby?"
"How is she? Can we see her?"
"If you go to the waiting room, I'll go check on her."
The couple nodded numbly and did as asked.
/
"Rissa, she has to be okay. We can't lose her. Oh god, I don't think I can go through this again." Bianca took a shaky breath.
Marissa wrapped her arms around Bianca. She knew her wife was reliving the nightmare of when she had thought she had lost Miranda. As for Marissa, she was being plagued by the memories of when she had lost her parents. The redhead shook those thoughts from her mind. She had to be there for Bianca. "Don't go there, B. You have to believe that she's going to be okay. Gabby is a fighter and is tough. After all, she's a Kane woman."
Bianca gave her wife a weak smile. She knew exactly what Marissa was doing and loved her even more for it.
/
"Alright. Let's get that blood tested. I want an arterial blood gas test, a chest X-ray, a head CT and one of her abdomen." Dr. Parrish barked out the orders as the others rushed to take care of them. She glanced over and saw Joe.
"Erin, her mothers are here and are in the waiting room."
"I'll go talk to them." The doctor turned to a nurse. "Page me as soon as you get those results."
"Yes, doctor."
/
Erin Parrish found the couple right away. They were huddled together in the waiting room, drawing strength and comfort from each other.
"Bianca, Marissa."
Both women jumped hearing their names, worry was etched on their faces.
"Dr. Parrish, how's Gabby?"
"Please have a seat." When they were all settled, she continued. "Gabby is in critical but stable condition."
"What … what are her injuries?"
"The impact of the car hitting the one she was in." The doctor saw the puzzled expressions on the couple's faces.
"It was a car accident?"
"You didn't know."
"No, we were just told she was in an accident and got here as fast as we could."
"From what I've been told, a car ran a red light and hit the one Gabby was in. The car flipped, and Gabby's side was on the bottom. She had to be cut from the car. As to her injuries, Gabby has a punctured lung and an injury to her spleen. I don't believe she suffered a head injury, but I'm getting a scan to be positive that everything is okay. I'm also getting a scan of her abdomen to determine the severity of the injury to her spleen. We're running some tests on her lung to see if there is any fluid or obstruction."
Bianca squeezed Marissa's hand hearing the litany of their daughter's injuries. It took every ounce of strength she had not to break down, and she knew the same was true for her wife.
"Fortunately, Gabby was in her booster seat. While her injuries are severe, they could have been worse. I believe that seat saved her life."
"Is she awake? Can we see her?"
"Is she in any pain? What about surgery?"
"She is unconscious, but given the trauma she's suffered, that's understandable. The head CT will tell me if it's anything more. As for pain, I don't believe she is in any, but we will give her something to help with any pain she may have when she wakes. I'm sorry, but you can't see her just yet. They've taken her for those tests. We need those run as soon as possible so we can determine the best course of treatment which may or may not include surgery. I'll have someone come get you the second you can see her. I'm going to see how those tests are going right now. Please know that I'm going to do everything I can for her."
"Thank you." Bianca swallowed thickly.
Something clicked in Marissa's head. She remembered hearing Joe talking on the phone to someone named Ryan when she and Bianca had gotten there. It was too much of a coincidence. "Dr. Parrish, was the driver of Gabby's car hurt?"
"Oh my god, Greenlee!"
"I can't speak to her injuries, but I believe they are not as severe as Gabby's. Angie Hubbard was treating her. Let me go check on Gabby."
The couple both nodded as they held each other, said a silent prayer for their daughter and began the hardest part, waiting.
/
A/N: Sorry, but I had to end it there if it you wanted a post for today. See you soon!