A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I really appreciate it. I apologize for the late post, but this chapter was a little difficult for me to write for two reasons. The first, I'll tell you now. The second, I'll tell you at the end of this chapter because it's personal, so please make sure you read the Author's Notes at the end.

There was another mass shooting in the United States this past week. This one happened in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio on Fountain Square. It happened about 5 miles from where I currently live and a little less from where I grew up. I used to work downtown. In fact, I worked one block from where this happened. I've been in that building, walked around that area. I know people that work in that area. So, this hit really close to home. Three people just going about their days were killed, and two others were injured. The woman who was injured was shot 12 times and is in fair condition which is amazing to me. The police responded in less than five minutes and killed the shooter whose motive is still unknown. Their actions saved countless lives, and the community is grateful to the police and other first responders. I didn't know any of the victims, and those who I know that work downtown were safe. As you can probably guess, it's been a little hard to focus in the wake of that incident, but it won't break us. I'll be back on Fountain Square and will visit those businesses again as will countless others in this area. Like I said, we won't let this break us. These shootings need to stop. I wish I had a solution that could stop them, but sadly, I don't. Thanks for "listening" and letting me get that off my chest.

Back to this story. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Brandon took a drink and started. "I know you've been worried about me for a little while, and I'm sorry for that. I also know that I should have talked to you before now. Lisa has been trying to get me to open up. I just couldn't tell anyone though, not even Lisa. Yesterday, something happened to change things, and I know I can't keep this to myself anymore. I need to tell you." Brandon took a deep breath before he continued. "You know about my family and our history."

Marissa nodded. "I do."

The two had talked before about their families. Brandon had two sisters, Lana and Nicole, and if you were to ask Brandon, his father had nothing to do with their upbringing, and he and his sisters was raised by his single mother Lea with a great deal of help from her mother Rosemarie Celis. His childhood was far from ideal. Brandon's mother grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and her father worked on the nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base while her mother was a secretary. Lea met Roger Casanas and soon fell for the dashing Airman. When he was discharged, the two married and moved to Pine Valley. Brandon and his sisters soon followed. From the start, their marriage was rocky with Roger being quick to anger and having a jealous streak a mile wide when it came to any man talking to Lea. It was after the birth of Nicole, the couple's third child, that Roger began to abuse Lea, physically and verbally.

One day, a young Brandon had had enough and stepped in to defend his mother, something his father didn't like at all. He waited until he and Brandon were alone, and then, he beat the boy severely. When Brandon's mother returned home and found her son, she called the police and then took Brandon and his sisters and left. Money was tight, and there was also concern that Brandon's father would come after them. They stayed in a few shelters to hide and to get their feet under them. Things changed when Rosemarie, Brandon's grandmother, who was still living in Ohio after the death of her husband, found out what happened and moved to Pine Valley to help support her daughter and grandchildren. She combined her income along with that of her daughter who worked multiple jobs at the time. With that, they were able to get a small home of their own. While his mother worked, Rosemarie watched Brandon and his sisters. Her strong yet calming influence along with having a home of their own provided the family the stability they needed, and the family thrived. Brandon and his sisters worked hard, and as a result, they received college scholarships and had graduated with honors. Eventually, his mother found a good paying job which allowed her to pare down to only that one job and his grandmother was able to retire. It was around this time that they found out that Roger had died, and the family felt a collective weight lifted from their shoulders. The last few years had been good for their family.

"In last the couple of years, we've noticed some changes in grandma. She's been … slipping. At first, it was just forgetting small details of things that had happened in the past. Then, dates and names. Not ours, but others. You could see her struggle to remember them. After that, it was more general confusion. Lately, she's seemed more lost, and more and more forgetful. She tried to put a metal pot in the microwave, and she's left the burner on the stove on a few times and just walked away. We were lucky one of us caught what she did before a fire started. Mom took her to her doctor, and they've run all kinds of tests." Brandon paused, grateful that Marissa remained silent and let him get this out at one time. This part was the toughest. "The doctor said grandma has … Alzheimer's. We were all pretty devastated when we heard that. We all talked about it and decided for grandma to stay home and for us to take care of her."

As Marissa listened to Brandon, things started to make sense. She understood why he would come into the office exhausted.

"There have been other incidents that have caused concerns, and the frequency of them has increased. Last night was the worst though. Grandma wandered off, and we couldn't find her for a couple of hours. I don't know that I've ever been so scared in my life. Nicole finally found her. Grandma had walked to the park we used to go to when we were little. She got confused and couldn't find her way back home. She was just so … lost. None of us had ever seen her like that. Mom was able to calm her down, and once grandma was asleep, the four of us sat down and talked. Really talked. It was gut-wrenching. We know we can't go on the way we have been. Grandma needs 24/7 care, and it's becoming impossible for us to provide that care. While we're doing much better financially than we did while we were growing up, we don't have the money for one of us to quit and take care of her full-time, and give her the care she deserves, the care she needs. We also can't afford to hire someone to come in and take care of her. That pretty much leaves us with one option. We have to find a place for her. It's all so overwhelming, and we don't know quite where to start."

Marissa waited a moment to see if Brandon would continue. When he didn't, she broke her silence. "May I?" Brandon nodded.

"I'm glad you were able to find her, and I can only imagine how terrifying that was for your family. I'm also sad to hear about her diagnosis. I remember your family, particularly your grandma. She is a pretty amazing woman." Marissa had met Brandon's family on a few occasions and really did like them, and they felt the same way about her.

Brandon smiled softly. "Yeah, she is. I don't know what we would've done without her. Mom's always said that it was her strength that held us together."

"When your grandma and I talked, she told me that she was very proud of you, your sisters and your mother, and rightfully so in my opinion. When you look at where you started to where you are now, it's nothing short of inspiring."

"We couldn't have done any of this without her, and that … that's what makes this so hard. We know what we need to do, but …" Brandon choked up.

"You feel guilty?"

Brandon nodded. "Yeah, we do."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I know how close you are to your grandma. Did you ever talk with her about something like this happening?"

"I did. A few years ago, a family friend went through almost the same thing."

"Almost?"

"They didn't have a will or power of attorney."

Marissa nodded. "And you have taken care of that."

"I have. I wouldn't be a good lawyer if I didn't. The whole family had them drawn up. We also discussed our wishes for medical care if something happened."

"What did your grandma say she wanted?" Marissa asked.

If Brandon hadn't been so exhausted, he would've seen where Marissa was steering the conversation. The light finally came on though. "Grandma said she didn't want to be a burden to us, and if something like that happened to her, she wanted to go to a home."

"So, she clearly stated her wishes."

"Yeah, she did, and before you ask, there are witnesses to that conversation." Brandon shook his head. "I know what you're doing."

"And what would that be?"

"Trying to ease the guilt that I have. Thank you. It helps, some. I still feel a little guilty though."

"I think that's understandable. I think you also know that you should follow her wishes."

Brandon sighed. "You're right. I do. It's just really hard. I also don't even know where to start."

"I know someone that can help with that. We have someone at the firm that helps guide people through the process of dealing with Medicare and Medicaid as well as finding a facility that will meet your grandma's needs. Working at a law firm has its advantages sometimes."

"Really? Who?"

Marissa frowned when she realized that Brandon didn't have this information. That would be something she and the other partners would have to rectify. Their employees needed to know that this benefit was available to them. "Her name is Melony Edwards. I'll get you her information, and you can contact her on Monday."

"Thank you. That helps a lot. I know Mom and my sisters will be grateful for the help. It's daunting, everything that's associated with this."

"Yes, it is. You might want to consider contacting our Employee Assistance Program as well to help you deal with the emotional aspect of this. It's just a suggestion, but there is absolutely no shame in talking to someone. That also includes your mom and sisters."

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask. I want to make sure you're okay in all of this as well. So, if you need to take some time off to check out places for your grandma or to meet with the appropriate agencies, just let me know, and we can shift things around and make sure your cases are covered. Family comes first."

Brandon closed his eyes and released a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, and I'm sorry. I know I should've talked to you earlier."

"I understand. I do hope you know that my door is always open though."

"I do, and I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me today. I should get going. After this conversation, I have a few things to talk with my family about."

Marissa walked with Brandon to the front door, and he turned to her.

"Thank you again, Marissa. Talking with you really has helped."

"You're welcome."

"Oh, it's okay if you let Bianca know what's going on. She's helped Mom a lot in the past, and they still talk from time to time."

Marissa nodded. "I'll let her know, and if your family needs anything, please let us know. Please drive safely and try and get some rest."

Brandon smiled. "I will. I'll see you on Monday.

/

Bianca found Marissa sitting on the sofa deep in thought when she went to see if her wife or Brandon needed anything.

"Hey."

Her wife's voice snapped Marissa out of her thoughts. She smiled when she saw Bianca who was carrying Danny. "Hey."

"Is Brandon gone?"

"Yeah, he left a few minutes ago."

"Is everything okay?"

"That's not an easy question to answer. He told me what's been going on, and I'm trying to think of the best way that I can maybe help him." Before Marissa could continue, Gabby joined them.

Gabby didn't see Brandon when she glanced around the room. "Hi, Moms."

"Hi, Monkey."

"Hi, Gabby." Bianca checked the time and knew the reason behind her youngest daughter's appearance. She had been designated to see if the coast was clear, and if it was, whether or not they could leave soon. "I didn't realize the time, Rissa, did you?"

Marissa knew immediately what her wife was doing. "No, I didn't either. I guess we should get everybody and head out, huh?"

"I think you're right. Gabby, do you think you could tell your brother and sister to get ready and that we'll leave in a few minutes?"

Gabby grinned and nodded. "Yep! I'll go get them!"

"Thank you." Bianca turned to Marissa. "I'm going to go change this one. Are you okay?"

Marissa nodded. "I am. We'll talk later. Brandon gave me permission to tell you what's been going on with him. Right now, I could use a break, and spending time with my family is just what I need."

"Okay." Bianca leaned in for a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

/

A/N: As I said at the beginning, this chapter was personal. My Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a couple of years ago. My sisters and I made the difficult decision to have her go to a secure facility because we could no longer provide her the care she needs. While she hasn't experienced some of things that Brandon's grandma has, she has experienced some, and at the same time, there are others that I know who have had family members experience those things. Right now, our Mom remembers who we are, but I know that could change at any time. She tells us things that we know didn't happen, but we just go with it because it's not worth arguing over it with her. She is safe and well taken care of, and that is really the best that we can ask for right now. I will not go into a lot of detail with this storyline for reasons I'm sure you can guess, but I won't just be leaving it there either. Since this chapter was a little heavy, I need to shift to something light. I think I need to update "Kegs & Eggs". It's long overdue. I'll see you soon.