A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review and follow! I appreciate it. Yeah, I know the car accident was foreshadowed, and it was intentional. I didn't want it to be completely out of the blue since Gabby was involved. I wanted to brace you all a little. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
The couple both nodded as they held each other, said a silent prayer for their daughter and began the hardest part, waiting.
Lisa carefully approached the couple with Jan by her side. "Is there you need us to do?"
Marissa glanced up. "Uh. Kendall and Erica. Could you call them? Their numbers are in my phone." The redhead handed her cellphone to Lisa.
"We'll take care of it." Jan assured the couple before she and Lisa went to make the requested calls.
Bianca let out a shuddering breath. She was hanging on by a thread. Everything she had gone through, all of those feelings she had experienced when she had been told Miranda was dead were now flooding back. The brunette kept trying to shake those thoughts away, to stop her mind from going to that dark place. Bianca had to believe the words Marissa kept whispering to her. Gabby would be okay. She may be little, but she was a fighter.
/
Ryan had just come to a stop and put the car in park in front of Minx manor when his cellphone rang. He glanced down and didn't recognize the number. "Why don't you girls go on inside? I'll be there in a minute."
The girls nodded, and Miranda led her friend inside the house.
"Hello?"
"Ryan, it's Joe Martin."
"Joe is everything alright?"
The doctor sighed slightly. "There has been an accident, and Greenlee's been injured."
"How bad, Joe?"
"Angie is examining her now, but her injuries don't look to be severe."
"Thank god. Was anyone else hurt?"
Joe paused. He had to very careful about what he told Ryan. "I'm not at liberty to give you any specific details, but I can tell you that the passenger in her car was also injured."
"Passenger?" Ryan paused a moment and remembered who else Greenlee was going to be driving today besides Miranda and Emma. "No, not Gabby." The doctor's silence confirmed Ryan's worst suspicions. "I just got to Bianca and Marissa's. Let me make sure that Carol is okay with watching them, and then, I'll be right there."
"Ryan, you have to be very careful what you say."
"I understand, Joe."
With the call disconnected, Ryan went inside the house. He found Carol and the kids in the kitchen having a snack.
"Carol, could I talk to you for a minute?"
"Of course, Ryan."
When the two were safely out of earshot of the kids, Carol began to question Ryan. She could easily tell something had happened. "What's wrong?"
"I just got a call from Joe Martin. Greenlee was involved in an accident."
"Is she okay?"
"He doesn't think her injuries are severe, but I want to get over there and see how she is."
"Of course. Emma can stay here for as long as you need. I know Marissa and Bianca won't mind."
"Thank you, but there's something else. Joe said a passenger in Greenlee's car was injured. While he couldn't confirm who it was …"
Carol put a hand over her mouth suddenly feeling ill hearing this latest information. "Oh no, Gabby was with her!"
"Exactly. If that's the case, Bianca and Marissa will be at the hospital, probably for some time. Are you okay watching all the kids for a while?"
"Yes, I am. They'll need me here, and I'll stay as long as they need me. The same goes for you. I'll call Sam and Gail, and ask them to come over and help. I won't say anything to the children."
"Thank you. I'm going to say goodbye to Emma and then head over to the hospital."
While Ryan was talking to his daughter, Carol made a quick call to her daughter-in-law.
/
As Ryan was getting ready to leave after telling Emma she was going to be staying there a little bit, Carol stopped him.
"Tell Marissa and Bianca that I love them and will be praying for Gabby and for them as well. If they need anything, they just have to ask. Also, tell them to try not to worry about things here. One more thing, I know Kendall is still on maternity leave with Lexie, but I have a feeling that she and Zach will be at the hospital as well before too long. If they need someone to watch Lexie, tell them they can drop her off here, and the boys can stay as long as they need. I called Gail, and she and Sam will be over in about twenty minutes to help."
"I will, and thank you again for everything."
/
Kendall had just gotten off the phone with Zach letting him know about Gabby and Greenlee. Unfortunately, she didn't have many details to give him because she really didn't have any. Her heart was breaking for Bianca and Marissa. Not knowing if your child was okay, how badly they were hurt, if they would survive, and feeling useless because there was not a damn thing about any of it. It was a parent's worst nightmare, and it was nothing short of torture. For Bianca to be going through this with Gabby after what she had gone through with Miranda was almost soul-crushing. Kendall thanked god that Bianca had Marissa and the kids now. She knew they would keep her sister from somehow slipping into the abyss if something did happen to Gabby. Kendall shook her head to clear those thoughts away. She couldn't let herself go there. Gabby would be okay just like Greenlee would be okay. Kendall couldn't imagine her life without either of them in it.
She was going to call her mother, but Lisa assured her that Jan was calling Erica, something she was grateful for. Given the connection he had with Gabby, telling Zach had been hard enough. Kendall couldn't imagine what telling her mother would've been like. She needed to get to the hospital, now. Kendall glanced around. Lexie was in her carrier, and Kendall had gathered everything she needed to take with her. She was hoping she wasn't presuming too much with what she had planned. It was a lot to ask, but something told her it would be alright. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone.
"Ryan."
"Hi, Kendall. Judging by your tone, I'm guessing you know what's happened."
"I do. I just got off the phone with Lisa. She told me that she and Marissa were in court when Joe called. Lisa drove her to the hospital, and Jan drove Bianca. Jan was also talking to Mom and letting her know what was going on."
"Did Lisa say how Gabby was? Joe couldn't tell me anything."
"All Lisa knew was that Gabby was in critical condition." Kendall's voice cracked with emotion thinking about her niece.
"Dammit."
"What about Greenlee? Lisa couldn't tell me anything about her."
"Joe said Angie was still examining her but that her injuries weren't severe. I'm on my way there now. I had picked up Miranda and Emma from the birthday party and took them back to Bianca and Marissa's. Carol's going to watch them. They don't know anything yet."
"That's good. There's no sense in getting them upset until we know something."
"I was thinking the same thing. Carol wanted me to tell you that she would watch Lexie if you wanted, and the boys can stay for as long as you need. Gail and Sam are going over to help her."
"Oh, that would be great. I was hoping she would do something like that. Okay, I'm going to head over there now. Tell Bianca and Marissa I'll be there as soon as I can. The same goes for Greenlee."
"I will. Drive safe."
/
To say Jesse Hubbard was pissed off would be a huge understatement. As Brot drove him to the hospital, Jesse was reading over the initial witness statements taken at the scene of the accident along with a preliminary report from the officers. The more he read, the angrier he got. Someone who couldn't wait a couple of minutes or just pull over to respond to a text put two people, one being a child, in the hospital. The fact that he knew them was beside the point. Jesse would have felt this anger no matter who had been involved. He was praying for their recovery as Brot navigated the police cruiser through the afternoon traffic. The suspect was being transported to the hospital to be checked out and have any injuries he might have received treated. Jesse had instructed the officers transporting Lawson to stay with him and not leave him for one second. The man had already tried to flee once, and the chief wouldn't put it past him to try something like that again. After reading the reports, Jesse was fairly certain he would be filing against Lawson very soon, but the chief needed to speak to the District Attorney first. There was another reason Jesse was having his officers watch the suspect before he was formally charged. As much as it pained him, he was doing it for the man's safety. Jesse knew that when Erica found out what happened, all bets would be off because god only knew what the diva would do.
"We're here, Jesse."
The chief glanced up and saw they had arrived at the hospital. "I'm going to see if I can get update on Gabby and Greenlee. Check on Lawson, make sure the officers don't leave him alone and read him his rights."
Brot nodded and followed Jesse inside.
/
Ryan arrived and quickly checked in with a nurse for a status on Greenlee. The nurse told him that she would tell his wife's doctor he was there and directed him to the waiting room. He nodded and headed to the waiting room where he found Bianca and Marissa.
"Hi. Is there any word on Gabby?"
Bianca shook her head. "Not yet. They're running several tests on her. It feels like we've been waiting forever, and we haven't even gotten a chance to see her yet."
"We will soon, B. You know that Dr. Parrish is one of the best there is and is taking good care of our little girl." Marissa was doing her best to reassure Bianca as well as herself. "What about Greenlee?"
"Joe wasn't able to tell me much when he called. A nurse is getting Angie for me. Oh, I dropped Emma and Miranda off at your house, and Carol said she will watch the kids for as long as you need her to."
"We need to call her. That's way too much for her." Bianca said.
"She told me to tell you not to worry about that because she had Gail and Sam coming over to help. She also wanted me to tell you that she's not going to say anything to the kids about what's happening. Most importantly, Carol wanted me to tell you both that she loves you."
"Thanks, Ryan."
A nurse came over. "Bianca and Marissa Tasker-Montgomery?"
"That's us."
"If you'll follow me please. Dr. Parrish has said you can see Gabby."
The women leapt to their feet and quickly followed the nurse.
/
"Ryan." The man jumped up hearing his name.
"Angie! How's Greenlee?"
"Have a seat." When Ryan was sitting back down, Angie continued. "Greenlee has a grade 3 or a severe concussion. She lost consciousness which is why we are listing it as severe, but she is awake now. It seems her head hit the driver's window pretty hard and shattered it. We've done a head CT, and have not found any bleeding or other injury. She is experiencing some confusion, but it is better than when she first woke up. Besides the confusion, she has some nausea and sensitivity to light which is common with concussions. Greenlee has some cuts and bruises as well and is going to be extremely sore for a few days, but that's pretty much the extent of her injuries."
"Thank god. Can I see her?"
"We're getting her settled in a room right now, but after that, you can see her. We want to keep her here a couple of days just to keep an eye on her. I want to make sure she's not showing any other symptoms and that she takes it easy. Greenlee's going to need to rest her brain so it can recover. I know she's not going to like it, but it's what she needs to do."
Ryan exhaled. "You're right, she's not going to like it, but I'll make sure she does it."
"I thought you would."
"Is there any word on Gabby?"
Angie shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know anything since I've been treating Greenlee. She was asking about Gabby as well."
/
Lisa hung back as Angie talked to Ryan. The lawyer was relieved that it sounded like Greenlee would be okay. Now, she just needed to hear how Gabby was. Lisa couldn't deny she was worried. She loved Gabby, everybody did. The little girl had to be okay. Lisa didn't know what the couple would do if she wasn't. The lawyer needed to do something that could help them out. She had an idea but wasn't sure if she should do it. Lisa glanced down at Marissa's cellphone, which she still had, and made up her mind. I'm going to do it. Bianca has her family around, and while they love Marissa and consider her family as well, it's just not quite the same. She scrolled through the contacts and found the one she was looking for.
"Hey, Marissa. How's it going? I was just thinking about you and was going to call tonight to see how court went."
"Hey, Jo. It's not Marissa. It's Lisa."
"Lisa? Why do you have Marissa's cellphone? What's wrong? What happened?"
"There's been an accident, and Gabby's been hurt."
Jo stumbled back to her chair. "Oh my god! How is she?"
"She's in critical condition."
"What happened?"
"I don't know all the details. There was a car accident. Gabby was with Greenlee, and someone hit them."
"How's Greenlee?"
"It sounds like she's going to be okay."
"But Gabby …" Jo's voice trailed off. She was already making plans. Jo could only imagine the hell her friend was going through right now. Not only was her daughter hurt, but she was injured in a car accident of all things. Marissa had lost her parents in one, and Jo knew that her friend would be reliving that nightmare.
"Yeah. Marissa and Bianca just went back to see her. I thought you would want to know."
"I do. Thank you for calling me. Look, I'm going to call my Mom and tell her. We'll be on the road in about an hour and there as soon as we can. You tell Marissa we're on our way, and that we love her. Tell Bianca that too. If anything changes, call me right away. Alright?"
"I will. You're driving?"
"Yeah, it will be the fastest for us. I don't know when we would be able to get a flight there."
"Alright, I'll call as soon as I hear something. Drive safely."
/
Jo grabbed her purse and computer bag before calling Jessica as she made her way to the parking lot.
"Hello, Jo. What's up?"
"Mom, I'm on my way home right now. I need you to pack us both a bag and be ready to leave as soon as I get there."
"What's going on, Josephine?" Jessica was on immediate alert just from the tone of her daughter's voice, but to hear her asking to pack them both a bag and that they would be going somewhere raised all kinds of alarm bells for her.
"I just got off the phone with Lisa Walsh."
"One of the lawyers that works for Marissa?"
"That's her. Gabby's been in a car accident and is in critical condition."
"Oh no. Marissa, Bianca, the other kids?"
"She wasn't with them. She was with Greenlee. She was hurt too but not as bad as Gabby."
"Lydia and Roy." Jessica whispered.
"Yeah. You know she's gotta be thinking of them right now."
"I do. I'll be ready. Be safe getting here, and Jo, I love you."
"I love you too, Mom." Jo reached her car just as the call finished.
/
There was one more call Lisa knew she had to make, and she wasn't looking for to it either. She knew that Marissa would want her to make it though.
"Marissa Tasker's office. How may I help you?"
"Hi, Ellie. It's Lisa."
"Hey, Lisa. What's up? How's court going?"
"The case was continued. Is anyone around?"
"Let's see. Brandon is taking a deposition. Claudia is with a client. Sofia and Brian are free."
"Can you have them go to Marissa's office and then put me on speaker with you and them?"
Ellie could tell something was up. "Sure. Is everything alright?"
"I'd rather tell the three of you at one time."
"Alright. I'll put you on hold while I get them."
Lisa waited patiently while she was hold. Jan had told her that Erica was going to call Jack so she didn't have to worry about him, but Marissa would want to make sure that her team was covered and didn't skip a beat in her absence. Work was the last thing Marissa needed to worry about right now. So, Lisa was going to do whatever she could to make sure things were taken care of so Marissa could devote her focus onto what was most important at this time, Gabby and her family.
"Alright, Lisa. I've got Sofia and Brian here, and no one else is listening."
"Thanks, Ellie. I'll get right to the point. While we were in court, Marissa got a call. There was a car accident involving Gabby and Greenlee. They were taken to the hospital. Greenlee's injuries weren't severe, but Gabby's in critical condition. Bianca and Marissa were finally able to go back and see her. I don't know anything else."
"No!"
"Son of a bitch."
"Dammit." Sofia struggled to think rationally. "Okay. What about your case?"
"Judge Taylor continued it."
"Alright. Ellie will go over Marissa's calendar and clear it for at least the rest of the week. When we know more about Gabby's condition, we'll regroup. Ellie, I'll need you to also set up an emergency staff meeting so we can sort through her cases and split them up as well as let the others know."
"I'd like to stay here at the hospital if it's alright. I want to be available for her if she needs anything, if either of them need anything."
"That's a good idea. We can catch you up tomorrow. I'm guessing Jack knows?"
"Erica was going to tell him."
"Okay. If anything changes …"
"I'll let you know."
"Tell Marissa we love them and are thinking of them." Brian added, his heart breaking for his friend.
"I will."
/
Dr. Parrish greeted Bianca and Marissa outside the door to Gabby's hospital room. There were a few things she needed to talk to them about before they saw their daughter.
"I want to go over a couple of things before you go in. She's still in critical condition, but her test results have me hopeful that I'll be able to upgrade it soon. First, her head CT came back clean. There is no sign of head trauma."
"Thank god."
"There is minimal fluid in her lungs, and I don't see any obstructions or other underlying problems. Blood results look good, and there are no signs of infections. As for her spleen, we see no signs of bleeding, and it appears to only be bruised."
"So, no surgery?" Bianca asked.
"No surgery, at this time. That could change if her condition does, but at this time, I see no need for surgery. I know in the past, her spleen would've been removed, but the thinking has changed on that. It's better, if possible, that we let it heal on its own. While she could be fine without it, the spleen plays an important role in fighting infections. So, it's better if she can keep it. The next 24 hours will be the most critical for her, and we're going to monitor it very closely."
"Okay, can we see her now?"
"There's one more thing. She's sedated, and I want to keep her that way for at least 24 hours. It's because I have her on oxygen. More precisely, she's on a ventilator."
"Oh …"
"Don't go there yet. She's on the ventilator so we can get her more oxygen, and that will help her lung heal faster. I've got her sedated because it can be frightening for anyone to wake up and having a tube help you breathe. For a child, it would be even more frightening, and she could try and take it out. That would not be good. Like I said, I only want to keep her on it for a short period of time. We are going to monitor that as well. I just want you to be prepared for when you see her. Are you ready?"
The couple glanced at each other and took several deep breaths to brace themselves before nodding.
/
Bianca's knees began to buckle when she first saw her youngest daughter. Only Marissa's strong arms around her prevented Bianca from collapsing onto the floor. Gabby looked so small and frail lying in the hospital bed. Besides the ventilator, the little girl was hooked up to various monitors as well as an IV. It cut both women to the core seeing her like this, and although Dr. Parrish had done her best to warn them, nothing could have prepared them enough to see Gabby like this. Gabby was always smiling and so full of life. Seeing her like this was heartrending. With Marissa steadying Bianca, the couple went to their daughter's bedside. Each placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. A nurse pulled up two chairs for them, and they took a seat with Bianca taking the one closest to the head of the bed and Marissa right beside her.
Dr. Parrish looked at the couple. "We'll give you some time alone with her." With that, the doctor and nurses left them alone.
/
The two women were sitting in silence for several minutes with only the sounds of the machines filling the room when a slight shiver ran through Bianca's body. Marissa pulled her wife close and wrapped her arms around her tightly. A small whimper followed by a stray tear escaped from Bianca, and then, the dam broke. Tears streamed down her face as soul-wrenching sobs racked her body. Marissa's heart broke seeing her wife like this, and the redhead did the only thing she could do at that moment, she held Bianca even tighter. Marissa knew Bianca was reliving the horror of what she had gone through with Miranda. The redhead was all too familiar with the nightmares Bianca had surrounding not only the time during which she thought Miranda was dead but also her rape. Bianca had told her that they weren't nearly as bad now as they used to be, but the smallest of things could still be a trigger for those memories even after all of these years. Seeing Gabby like this was most definitely one hell of a trigger. Marissa wanted nothing more in this moment than for Bianca's pain to be taken away and for Gabby to recover.
Marissa knew all too well about triggers having her own surrounding her parents' deaths. She had had nightmares for months following the car accident that had almost claimed her own life. It would have been so easy for her to never get behind the wheel of a car again after that, but knowing it wouldn't have solved anything, the redhead had done it, thanks in large part to Bianca's love and support. She was her rock during that time. Now, it was Marissa's turn to support her wife, to be her rock, and she was going to do it.
After several long minutes, Bianca's sobs began to subside. The brunette lifted her head, and just when Marissa thought her heart couldn't break anymore, she saw Bianca's tear-streaked face. The redhead gently wiped away her wife's tears.
"I'm sorry."
Marissa shook her head. "For what? You don't have anything to be sorry about, B."
"It doesn't do any good to break down like I just did."
"It doesn't do any good to keep it all in either. I think it's actually worse to bottle it up. Look, you don't have to be the strong one all the time. I'm here and not going anywhere. We'll get through this together, and Gabby's going to be alright."
Bianca knew Marissa was just as worried as she was about Gabby. Her wife adored their youngest daughter, and Gabby was just as much Marissa's daughter as she was Bianca's. Seeing her belief that their little girl was going to be okay buoyed Bianca and gave her the strength she needed. "You're right. She will be. She has to be."
/
A dopy smile crossed Greenlee's face when she first saw Ryan. The pain medication was definitely doing its job. "Hey."
"Hey." Ryan kissed her softly. "You had me worried."
"Sorry. I really don't know what happened."
"What do you remember?"
"Um … Gabby and I were going to get ice cream …" Greenlee's voice trailed off. "Oh no! Gabby! How is she? Was she hurt? Is she alright? Please tell me she's alright." Greenlee pleaded as she struggled to sit up.
"Greenlee, I need you to calm down, okay? Please?"
She sighed seeming to have lost all of her strength suddenly. "Please tell me how Gabby is."
"Gabby was hurt, but I don't know how badly. Bianca and Marissa are with her right now."
"This is my fault. This is all my fault. They must hate me, and I don't blame them one bit."
"Greenlee, none of this is your fault. Someone hit you. You didn't do anything wrong."
"It's still my fault. If something happens to Gabby, I'll never forgive myself."
/
"This is absolutely ridiculous! Is there anyone here who can tell me how my granddaughter is doing?!" Erica's voice had steadily gotten louder with each non-answer she was getting from the nurse. The diva was ready to throttle the woman.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but hospital policy states that …"
"I don't give a damn what hospital policy states! I demand someone tell me how she is! Do you know who I am?!"
The nurse cowered as she faced the woman's full wrath. The diva was small in stature, but damn if she wasn't more frightening than someone five times her size.
"I'll help Ms. Kane, Mary." Angie stepped in to save nurse who gave her an extremely grateful smile before rushing off.
Angie had only seen Erica this furious a handful of times before, and each time, it had to do with her family's well-being. Kendall was at her mother's side and could usually be expected to help rein her in. That wasn't the case this time though, and Angie knew it was because this time it involved one of the kids. The doctor couldn't really blame either of them.
"Erica, Kendall, please have a seat, and I'll tell you what I know." Angie had spoken with Erin Parrish not long ago for an update and felt comfortable talking to Erica and Kendall.
"How is she, Angie?" Erica asked the moment they had all sat down.
Angie then began to give them the details of Gabby's injuries. After that had sunken in, Kendall asked about Greenlee, and Angie detailed those injuries as well.
"How did this happen?" Kendall asked.
No sooner had her daughter asked that question than Erica spotted Pine Valley's Police Chief. "Jesse!"
The man in question cursed himself silently for not being fast enough to get out of the waiting room before Erica saw him. Jesse was hoping he would've had more time before having to speak with them, but it was too late for that now.