19

Miranda could see Andrea in the distance. Her long body laying low against Gracie's back. The singer's body seemed to move as one with the horse. It would have been a very erotic sight in another situation. The ATV was gaining on her young lover but had not yet caught her as she passed a shaky Caroline. She rose up on her knees on Gracie's back as she approached the water.

The editor watched in utter amazement as the horse ran straight into the water and her beautiful lover dove in from the animal's back right next to where Mark had just surfaced.

"Dear God." The older woman muttered.

Amy just looked at her knowingly.

Miranda was climbing out of the vehicle before it stopped, running to grab up an inconsolable Caroline when Andy broke the surface of the lake carrying in her arms a lifeless, limp Cassidy.

"NO!" Miranda sobbed as she held Caroline to her chest. She watched, too terrified to move as Andy laid her baby on the ground and started CPR.

Mark knelt in the grass next to Andy's prone position, trying to catch his breath. Amy dropped down beside him, wrapping her arms around her husband and laying her head on his shoulder. The tears she had been holding finally fell as they watched and listened to Andy fight to revive the beautiful little girl.

As they approached the water, Andy spoke to her beloved horse. "Take me in girl." The horse moved right into the lake while Andy moved to her knees. When Gracie's legs hit the water, she pushed off of the animal's back and dove into the dark water right next to where Mark had just surfaced.

In the murky water of the lake, Andy could only make out shapes and movements. She filled her mind with only the vision of Cassidy, willing the girl to reach out to her in some way. To lead her through the dark water to where she was.

Suddenly, Andy felt her leg brush or bump, actually, against an object not meant to be at the bottom of a lake. Her mind screamed, "Cassidy!" The singer grabbed at the girl, finding her arm and pulled. She kicked her feet and swam toward the brightness in the water, pulling her precious cargo into her arms as they moved through the darkness.

When she broke the surface of the water, she gasped, filling her pained lungs with much needed air. Cassidy was cradled in her arms as she trudged through the water to the bank, only feet away. The rest of the world ceased to exist. It was only her and her beautiful baby. Her darling daughter. That was what she was in her heart. She felt as much love for the girls as she would if she had given birth to them herself. And she would be damned if she was going to lose one. NOT TODAY!

Andy dropped to her knees and laid the girl down. Cleared her mouth of any debris, tilted her head back, pinched her nose and began breathing into her mouth. One breath, two breaths, three breaths. Then traced her fingers along Cassidy's ribs to find the base of her breastbone, moved her palm into position and began to pump her chest. One, two, three, four, five. Then back to her mouth, one, two, three. "Come on baby. Come back to me." One, two, three, four, five. One, two, three. "Cassidy!" she yelled. One, two…then, water began to leak from the girls lips. She pulled back and turned her baby on her side.

Cassidy coughed, sputtered and emptied the liquid from her chest.

"That's it honey, get it all out."

Cassidy took a breath. Opened her blurry blue eyes and reached for the singer. "MA!" She croaked through her tears, wrapping her arms around Andy's neck.

"I've got you baby. Mamma's got you!"

Hearing Andy scream Cassidy's name pulled Miranda out of her fear induced daze. She rocked Caroline, chanting softly, "It'll be okay. It'll be okay," willing the words to be true. In the distance she could hear sirens and engines getting closer.

Then she heard it. The most glorious sound her ears ever registered, "Ma!" Oh God! She thought. The older woman stood pulling Caroline into her arms and ran to Andy and Cassidy. Dropping boneless to her knees, she wrapped her arms around them, covering both with kisses. Cassidy moved to her mother's arms, tears streaming down her wet face. "MOMMY."

The four of them sat holding one another. Miranda continued to kiss her daughter's matted hair. "Thank you. Thank you." She repeated as tears ran down her cheeks and she looked into her lovers beautiful brown eyes.

Andy cried silently, leaning her head against Miranda's, holding on to her family with all the strength she had left. Gracie trotted up to the huddled family and nudged Cassidy with her nose, breaking the somber mood, bringing a smile to each of their faces. Miranda reached up and scratched the horse's nose, "thank you Gracie."

Gracie bobbed her head. She backed away a few steps as EMTs, Nigel, Emily, Amelia and Serena closed in on the women.

As the medical team began to check over Cassidy and Mark, Andy stepped over to her beautiful Paint. She nuzzled the animal and hugged her neck. "I owe you my friend. Thank you." The horse rubbed her chin against Andy's back. "I love you too baby girl." She patted the mustang.

"How 'bout you take your brother and sisters home for me." She rubbed Gracie's nose. The horse threw her head back, whinnied and headed over to the other grazing horses. With a snort and a stomp of her hoof she gathered them like a herding dog. The four horses moved toward the house, back to the stables.

Andy moved back to her family. She helped an emotionally drained Miranda to her feet and the older woman fell into her arms, holding her tightly. In her lover's embrace the editor was finally able to calm her shaking body. Andy whispered to her, "Shhh. It's okay baby. She's okay." She held the woman tighter. "I've got you. I've got you." She kissed the top of the editor's head. "I'll never let anything happen to our girls if it's in my power. I'd die first."

Through the buzzing in her mind from the fear of losing one of her babies, she heard Andrea's words, "Our girls." Miranda lifted her head to meet the singers eyes, fresh tears streaming down her face and blue eyes glistening with those yet unshed.

"What?" Andy asked worried. "What is it sweetheart? Everything's okay now. Bach is fine." She smiled at the editor to try to calm her, "She has her mother's stubborn streak."

Miranda allowed a smile to tip her lips. 'Which mother?' she thought to herself. Andrea's love for her children went beyond that of even a devoted step parent. Would the size of this woman's heart ever cease to amaze her?

Suddenly the fashionista didn't care who was standing too close. She softly spoke as she held her lover's face in her hands. "I love you Andrea Sachs." Then kissed her on the lips gently.

Loyal to their friends/bosses, Nigel, Emily, Amelia and Serena all saw the direction the interaction between the two women was going when Miranda fell into the singer's arms. With out a moments hesitation, the four moved to either block or intercept anyone that might see the couple's activity. The women they cared about would not be outed due to a terrible accident. It was their decision to make. It was their lives to choose to change forever, not some Tennessee ya-hoo trying to make a quick buck, not caring who they hurt in the process.

A quick glance to meet a worried Emily's eyes confirmed in Nigel's mind it was time they sat down to discuss the direction the two women intended to take this relationship. The fallout from an unwelcome outing of their relationship could do serious damage. That made it Nigel's business. His life was RUNWAY, which meant his life was tied to the fashion diva's, because she was RUNWAY. He wanted only for her to be as happy, if not happier, as she had been since first meeting the attractive singer.

The younger woman had the ability to pull the long dormant creativity out of Miranda's spirit. The benefit to the magazine was already being seen and the 'Women of Country Music/Cancer Awareness' issue was not yet released. 'Andrea's issue' was without a doubt going to be the best issue in the history of RUNWAY.

An idea struck Nigel. Maybe they could time the announcement of their relationship to somehow coincide with the leaked, purposely of course, information about said issue. The press and public would undoubtedly devour the news, sending sales into the stratosphere. He needed to think about this a bit more, but his mouth was already watering at the prospect. Miranda could spin anything. Given the right incentive, this could be the best situation for everyone.

Nigel grinned to himself. He had been by Miranda's side almost as long as Andy had been alive. He had never seen his iconic boss and friend so completely happy and in love. 'How funny life is' he thought.

When everyone reached the house they were met by Andy's personal physician. He gave Cassidy a clean bill of health. "She'll probably have a headache for a little while, but I don't see any signs of serious problems. Her lungs sound clear. If she shows any signs of having trouble with anything or has any type of pain, call me." He looked at Cassidy and smiled, "You're one lucky lady." He turned to Miranda, "I see nothing to worry about, but please, feel free to call me if you need anything at all. Andy can always reach me." The doctor held out his hand to shake hers. "It was a true pleasure to meet you." He smiled, then turned to Andy who led him to the front door. Once there they shared a hug. "I'll see you this weekend," he smirked then winked, "it seems we have a few things to catch up on."

Andy blushed. "I'll see you then." As she walked back to Miranda and the girls she couldn't help but wonder how many people knew about her homosexuality when she thought she had been hiding it so well. She grunted a laugh to herself, so far, no one seemed to care. All that anyone cared about was her happiness.

Her eyes fell upon her girls as she entered the living area. God was she happy.

She was later ecstatic when she and Miranda went to bed. Sleep however didn't take them until the early hours of the morning and only because both were physically exhausted, sated, but exhausted.