A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I really appreciate it. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"Ma, what really happened? Did you fall, or did someone else hurt you?" Miranda asked. The girl had started to piece things together. After hearing her Mom talk with Jo and Jessica the night before and hearing how angry her Mom was over her Ma being hurt, the only thing that made sense to her was that Mrs. Baldwin was responsible somehow.

Marissa was taken aback by the question, and had three pairs of eyes staring back at her intently. Something told her there was an underlying reason for Miranda to ask that, and she wondered what it was. "Let's wait until your Mom gets back, and then, we'll talk. I'm curious though, Mimo, what makes you ask that?"

Before Miranda could answer, Bianca returned with Danny. The tiny redhead was happy after getting a new diaper and now seeing his family.

"There's Mama."

Bianca placed Danny on Marissa's lap and joined her family on the bed.

"Good morning, Sparky. Someone's happy this morning." Marissa kissed the top of her youngest son's head as he jabbered away happily.

"So, what did I miss?" Bianca asked. She had caught the tail end of Marissa's question so she knew something was up.

"Miranda was just asking if I really fell or if someone else was behind it. I think that's a pretty interesting question, and I'm curious as to why she was asking it."

With both of her mothers staring at her in only the way a mother can when they want an answer and expect the truth, Miranda knew she had to come clean. The girl bowed her head and confessed. "I … I may have overheard Mom talking to Jo and Jessica last night about what happened, and I heard them talking about Mrs. Baldwin. Did she have something to do with it?"

AJ's ears perked up even more when he heard that name. "Amber's mom? Did she hurt you, Ma?"

Marissa glanced at Bianca who nodded. "It's complicated. An alarm sounded telling us that we needed to shelter in place. Sofia, another lawyer by the name of Jordan Carlson, and I were directing people to a conference room. Tammy, Mrs. Baldwin, got a little scared, and she didn't want to go into the conference room. She wanted to get out of there and started to head towards the exit. I couldn't let her do that because it wasn't safe, and those exit doors lock automatically once that alarm is sounded. I stood in front of her to stop her. She didn't like that, and so, she pushed me to get me out of the way. That's when I fell and landed a little funny on my wrist. I don't think she meant to hurt me. She was just scared, and it was an accident."

All three of the older Tasker-Montgomery children were skeptical, even Gabby who pretty much liked everybody and seemed to give them the benefit of the doubt. This time, however, the girl wasn't buying the explanation her redheaded mother gave them, and there would be no break given to Tammy. Something told Gabby as well as her older brother and sister that this was no accident. The other woman had meant to hurt their Ma, and that didn't sit right with Gabby, at all.

It was Miranda who voiced the kids' skepticism. "Seriously, Ma? We all know that she doesn't like you or Mom. You really believe it was an accident?"

Marissa paused for a moment. She knew Miranda had a very valid point, but she also noticed that AJ was very quiet. "Honestly, Miranda, I don't know exactly what she was thinking. I can tell you that she really was scared."

"You told us that you were scared, but you didn't hurt anybody." Miranda pointed out.

"No, I didn't, but people act differently when they're scared. Unless you're in that situation, it's hard to say how you'll react. Some react better than others. I want to think that she didn't do it on purpose, but I don't know. It's just really hard to say."

"Did she offer to help you after you were hurt?"

Marissa sighed. She knew that Miranda was going to be tough on cross-examinations if she did decide to become a lawyer one day. "No, she didn't. Jordan helped me. Mr. Baldwin got Tammy into the conference room though so she would be safe. Are you okay, AJ?"

The boy glanced up, his brow furrowed. "I'm worried about Amber."

"Why is that?" Bianca asked.

"I'm worried that you might blame her for what her mom did."

Bianca pulled AJ to her and did her best to reassure him. "Buddy, we don't blame Amber. She has nothing to do with what her mom did. Amber is not responsible for her mother's actions. Tammy is an adult." At least she's supposed to be. Bianca kept that thought to herself however and would only share it with certain people like Marissa and Kendall in private.

"Your Mom is right. Do you blame her?" Marissa asked.

AJ shook his head. "No, Amber's really nice and wouldn't do something like that. She'll be upset when she finds out what her mom did to you. Amber really likes you. She says you and Mom are always really nice to her."

"Your Mom and I like Amber a lot too. She's been a good friend to you and Miranda. We both hate that Amber will be upset by all of this because she really is a sweet girl."

"You really don't blame her?"

"We really don't blame her. She's innocent and has nothing whatsoever to do with what her mom did or does." Marissa reassured her oldest son.

"What about the two of you?" Bianca asked her daughters.

"I like Amber a whole bunch. She's always really nice to me. I don't blame her." Gabby said. Quite frankly, she didn't see how anyone could.

Miranda nodded. "Amber's one of my best friends. She's changed and stuck up for us. I know she wouldn't do anything to hurt someone now. Her parents' divorce has been really hard on her. Her mom says a lot of mean stuff about her dad, and it hurts Amber a lot. She's asked her mom to stop, but she won't. Amber says her mom keeps saying how Amber is going to live with her when the divorce is final."

"And Amber doesn't want to do that. She wants to live with her dad. They get along a lot better now that it's just the two of them in the house." AJ added.

Marissa knew that, while the issue of permanent custody of Amber had not been settled yet, temporary custody had been granted to Doug Baldwin. It was yet another perceived wrong that Tammy unjustly accused Marissa of committing against her. Granted, it was still a little unusual for primary custody to be denied to a mother, but Tammy's frequent outbursts in court hearings and subsequent unfavorable reports from court appointed social workers had left the judge really without any other choice. When you add in Amber's feelings on the matter, the current custody of the girl was not looking like it would be a temporary state. If Marissa had to guess, she would say that Amber would be staying with her dad.

"Would the judge make her go live with her mom?"

"That's really hard for me to say, Buddy. I can you though that the judge will take Amber's feelings into account when it's time to make a final decision on who she'll live with. The judge will look at her age along with how mature and smart she is. Amber can add a lot to the judge's decision, and I know the judge. She's very fair and very smart. She'll listen to everything before she decides."

AJ and Miranda sighed in relief. Being reassured that the judge will listen to Amber and what she wants helped ease their minds.

"Ma, are you going to do anything to Mrs. Baldwin for hurting you, like have her arrested?" Miranda asked.

Bianca shook her head. "There's our young legal eagle."

Marissa smiled proudly but quickly turned thoughtful. "No, I'm not. I can't prove that she intentionally tried to hurt me, and she could say that she did it because she was so scared. That would end up making me look bad. Plus, I need to consider Amber's feelings. Do you understand?"

Miranda thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, I think so. What about Grandma Erica, Aunt Kendall and Aunt Greenlee? Are they going to do anything?"

Bianca and Marissa glanced at each other and shook their heads somewhat amused. Miranda definitely knew her relatives.

It was Bianca who answered. "Well, the three of you know that we really can't control anything they do or say, but we also don't want them to get in trouble. We'll have to talk with them. There's someone else we need to talk to as well."

"Who?"

"You, young lady. You know that we don't like any of you to eavesdrop."

Miranda ducked her head and mumbled. "I was hoping you forgot about that."

"Hardly." Bianca was interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

Jessica opened the door and smiled seeing the Tasker-Montgomery family gathered on the couple's bed. "Good morning. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Nothing we can't pick up again later. What's up?"

"I'm guessing you didn't hear the door?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, we didn't. Is someone here?"

Jessica chuckled. "You could say that. Erica, Kendall, Greenlee, and Krystal are here, and they come bearing food, breakfast to be exact. Jo is helping them set things up in the kitchen."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised, huh?"

Bianca shook her head with a smile. "Nope. If anything, I'm surprised they waited this long. Who's hungry?"

Everyone's hand shot up in reply.

"That makes it unanimous. Let's go get some breakfast." Bianca took Danny from Marissa so the redhead could get up while the older kids scrambled out of bed. "Oh, Miranda, we will be talking again."

Miranda sighed and nodded sullenly and began to follow the others out of the room.

Marissa put her uninjured arm around her oldest daughter and winked. "Don't worry. You're going to be okay. We were going to talk with you guys about all of this anyway. Did you hear anything else you wanted to ask about?"

The girl sighed in relief when she found out she was only in a little trouble. Miranda nodded. "Yeah, but I can ask you after breakfast if that's okay."

"That sounds like a good idea. Come on. We better get to the kitchen before AJ eats everything."

Miranda giggled and hugged her redheaded mother back as they picked up their pace.

/

"Good morning, Marissa dear, how are you feeling?" Erica asked as greeted her daughter-in-law with a hug. The diva had been very worried about her when she found out that she had been trapped inside the courthouse. Then, she had been absolutely furious when she found out that Tammy had injured Marissa. Jack was afraid he was going to end up spending the evening bailing his wife out of jail if she managed to get her hands on Tammy. Then, Erica suddenly stopped her tirade and got eerily quiet. Jack could see her wheels turning and knew from past experience that that was when you really needed to be worried.

"Good morning, Erica. I'm doing okay."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive."

"We didn't wake you, did we?"

"No, you didn't. Bianca and I have been up for a while. We had a few things to discuss. Then, the kids came down to our bedroom, and we talked to them a little about what happened." Marissa glanced around at what could only be described as a feast the other women had provided for them. "Wow. This is amazing. I don't think you missed anything. You really didn't have to do this."

"Only the best for you, Red. Krystal deserves most of the credit for the food though." Kendall smiled and hugged her sister-in-law. "I'm glad you're okay. You had us a little worried."

"Sorry, Curly. It was kind of out of my hands."

"Speaking of hands, why did you get a green cast, Rocky?" Greenlee asked as she hugged Marissa next. She had a hunch what the answer would be.

"Bianca likes when I wear green." Marissa blushed at the admission.

"I do. It brings out the green in her eyes." Bianca smiled.

"Wow, just wow. The two of you are something else, and just so you know, I had a feeling that would be the answer." Greenlee smirked.

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Of course you did. Morning, Krystal. Thank you for all of this. You must have been up at the crack of dawn to make everything."

"Good morning, Marissa. I'm glad you're okay." Krystal hugged her daughter. "You are certainly welcome. I woke up early and found I couldn't get back to sleep so I went on in to the restaurant. Now, I have to admit that I was a little anxious and wanted to see you. It turns out I wasn't the only one feeling that way."

Greenlee nodded. "Kendall and I decided to grab some coffee on our way to Erica's. When we passed by Krystal's, we saw the lights were on inside. After a quick call to Erica, a plan was formed."

"We all pitched in. Now, have a seat, and we'll get you something before it gets cold." Krystal instructed.

"And then, you can tell us what happened." Kendall added as she went to get coffee for the adults.

"Mom and I can't wait to find out either." Jo said as she got drinks for the kids.

"You didn't talk last night?" Erica asked.

Jo grinned. "Nope. Someone was a little loopy when she got home."

"Ma was kinda funny." Gabby giggled.

"Hey, give me a break. I was on pain medication and hadn't eaten anything in a while."

"You're not loopy now, are you, Red? This could be an interesting breakfast if you are." Kendall grinned hopefully.

"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you, Kendall, but I'm sober as a judge which I need to be since I need to give Jesse a statement in a bit."

"Jack said to be sure to call him if you need anything."

"Thanks, Erica. I'm good right now, but I planned on calling him later just to check in."

"I'm glad you're not going into the office today. You definitely deserve to have the day off."

"I couldn't agree more, Mom. The same goes for Sofia." Bianca said as she lifted Danny to burp him after he had finished his bottle.

"She's the one who was at the hospital with you, correct?"

Marissa nodded. "Correct. That's her."

"Remind me to thank her the next time I see her." Erica stated. The diva was already thinking of a way to properly thank the other lawyer.

"I will." When Marissa and Bianca had talked earlier, they decided to do something to thank Sofia for everything she had done for them, but they hadn't decided exactly what yet.

/

When Marissa finished telling the women what had happened with Tammy, she started fielding questions from everyone as they ate. She had to admit that she was impressed with the restraint the women were exercising when it came to making comments and knew that it was due in large part to the kids' presence. Kendall was just getting ready to ask another question when she received a text notification. Greenlee received one at the same time as did Erica.

"Zach says we need to turn on the news."

"Ryan says the same thing."

"Jack makes it unanimous."

Bianca was confused by the text requests and couldn't think of anything that could be so important for all three men to text. Whatever it was though had to be something big. She quickly crossed the room and turned on the small television the family kept in the kitchen. The screen came to life, and everyone was shocked at what they saw.

Greenlee broke the silence and asked the one question they all had. "Why the … heck is Tammy on the news?"