After the disorder at the courthouse it was quite late when Bianca and Marissa got back to their hotel.
They had an important job to do though. So while Marissa used the hotel phone to call room service to order their supper Bianca was dialling her cell and hoping they were in time.
"Reggie!" Bianca exclaimedwhen the phone was finally answered. "Are we too late?"
"Not at all," said Reggie. "They've been waiting up for you."
She could hear him moving through the house as he spoke.
"Here you go."
There was a rustling as the phone was passed over.
"Mommy!" came the excited voice at the end of the line.
"Hi sweetheart! Are you all ready for bed?"
"Yeah…" said Miranda. "Teeth cleaned and everything!"
"I'm glad to hear it!"
There was a brief pause at the other end of the line.
"Mom, do you feel different?" Miranda said after the moment.
"Different… no? Well I miss you. Is that what you mean?"
"No we…" began Miranda but then Bianca could hear AJ shushing her in the background.
"The magic might not work if she knows!" it sounded like he whispered.
"Is that AJ?" Bianca asked.
"Yeah."
"Is he taking good care of you?"
"Yeah. We're all ready for bed and everything. I was just waiting for your call."
"Well, have you got my picture by your bed?"
"Right by my pillow." said Miranda.
"Marissa has left you a little something as well. It's under your bed. Take good care of it though because it's very precious."
"I'll get it." AJ called in the background and then she heard a muffled grunt. "Got it!"
"The music box!" Miranda gasped.
"Yeah. So if you feel lonely in the night you just have to open it up and you'll know we are always with you."
"Thank you mommy… thank you R'issa!"
Bianca covered the phone receiver with her hand and called across to Marissa.
"Miranda said thanks for the music box."
"I'm glad." said Marissa, putting down the hotel room phone, her sandwich ordering done.
Bianca got back on the phone to Miranda.
"Sweetie I'm just going to put you on speaker-phone so that Marissa can hear you too… there!"
"I'm glad you like the music box." Marissa said, scooting closer to Bianca. "I hope it helps you sleep tonight. But if you need to call at any time in the night, just do it. We don't mind you waking us if you need us."
"Don't worry mom, I'm going to take care of her really good." It was AJ answering instead of Miranda.
"I bet you will, buddy!" said Bianca.
"And Gabby gave me strawberry bear to cuddle tonight too." said Miranda taking back the phone from AJ. In the background they could hear that she had set the music box playing.
"You are honoured." said Marissa with a smile. Bianca looked relived that Gabby was looking after her sister too.
"Well sleep well both of you." said Bianca. "Our thoughts are with you all and we send you all our love."
"Sleep tight!" Marissa echoed.
Bianca and Marissa shared a look and with a silent consensus they joined in with the music box tinkling in the background and sang their kids a lullaby.
…
All through the night
Near and far
We will be together.
So hush don't you cry
You will be
In my arms forever more…
…
After their late supper Bianca was already yawning. Too many disturbed nights were taking their toll.
"Bedtime." said Marissa, loading their sandwich plates back into the tray and carrying it across to the door to place out in the hallway for collection.
"It's too early." said Bianca, although she did get up from her chair to limp across to the bed. She picked up the TV remote and switched on the news…
Marissa however was quick to step into her view and confiscated the remote, turning off the television without even looking at it.
"No arguments." she said firmly. "You need your strength."
She crossed to Bianca's suitcase and pulled out a pair of pyjamas, throwing them into her girlfriend's lap.
"Ooh you're in a bossy mood tonight." said Bianca, although she had a smile on her lips.
"I'm taking care of you." said Marissa smiling back.
"Are you coming to bed too?"
"I am." said Marissa, pulling her own nightshirt from her case.
Bianca surrendered to the request and reached for the zipper on her dress.
"So, you don't want to talk about JR?" she asked in a conversational tone as she began undressing.
"I wouldn't know what to say." admitted Marissa as she pulled her feet out of the legs of her tight jeans, holding onto the nightstand in order to keep her balance. "He admitted he shot me which is more than I hoped would happen… but he is clearly still not himself… I think it's going to be more likely that he will be going back to hospital before he goes to jail."
"And how do you feel about that?" Bianca asked, pulling apart the Velcro straps that held her brace in place and freeing her left leg.
"Have you been taking lessons from Doc Stanhope?" Marissa asked.
Bianca laughed lightly at the joke.
"No, I was just curious. Now you have your memories back, how do you feel about JR?"
"I feel guilty that I couldn't do more to help him… but we tried. Honestly I don't know how I feel. He became someone I didn't recognise. When I think of JR now, it is mainly a hope that he doesn't find a way to hurt AJ more…"
Bianca nodded her head in understanding.
Marissa smiled at her.
"… and I hope that he doesn't hurt anyone I care about ever again."
"Ditto." said Bianca smiling back. Then a yawn caught her unawares again.
"You take the bathroom first." said Marissa, getting back to the business at hand, namely getting Bianca to sleep. "We can talk about this more in the morning."
Bianca didn't protest, just hopped the short distance from her side of the bed to the bathroom.
…
Her breath now minty fresh, Marissa turned out the bathroom light and crossed to her side of the bed in the already darkened bedroom.
She climbed under the duvet carefully; the soft rumbling breaths coming from Bianca's side of the bed indicating that her girlfriend was already fast asleep.
Bianca was curled up facing her and Marissa took a moment to examine Bianca's sleeping features in the dark as she nestled into her own pillow. The moonlight that crept around the edge of the curtain seemed to shine like a halo around her. Her soft skin seemed to glow as the pale light accentuated the smooth curve of her cheek and the small smile at the corner of her lips. She looked so perfectly beautiful.
Marissa caught herself sighing at the sight. This was the woman she loved. To a part of her it was as inevitable as the sunrise; to the newly discovered part of her memories it was terrifying and fabulous all at once… It as all the more incredible because the new emotions that were added to the mix only made her love her more.
"You're starring!" Bianca muttered and then opened her eyes.
Marissa laughed at being caught out.
"I thought you were asleep."
"I was… resting." Bianca said coyly… unable to fight the following yawn. She knew full well she had dozed off, if only for a moment. She shifted closer to Marissa until their noses were almost touching "But I wasn't going to sleep without my good night kiss."
"Oh sorry." said Marissa and closed the gap from quick peck on the lips.
Bianca remained starring at Marissa.
"You call that a kiss!" she said with an amused snort. Her arm snaked around Marissa's waist as she lifted herself up from her pillow and tipped her head to share a longer sweeter kiss.
"That's a kiss!" she said when she eventually pulled away.
"Mmm." Marissa sighed in agreement.
"Goodnight." said Bianca, settling back and closing her eyes unable to fight the exhaustion any more.
"Goodnight." echoed Marissa.
"And before you say it," Bianca muttered into her pillow. "I love you more!"
…
The phone rang at 3:33 precisely.
Bianca was awake in a moment, scrabbling at the nightstand for her cell-phone. Marissa woke with a groan beside her and switching on her bedside light.
"Sweetie is that you?" Bianca answered hurriedly.
"Mommy." was Miranda's quiet reply. She sounded like she had been crying.
Bianca instantly wanted to leap out of bed and run to her daughter but it would take her hours before she could be home… instead all she could do was talk.
"Sweetheart, I'm here. Did you have another dream?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, can you get Reggie to give you a big cuddle from me."
"Reggie's asleep. So is AJ. I didn't want to wake them up."
"But Angel if you've had a bad dream…"
"No," said Miranda, her voice catching in a sob. "I don't want them, I want you."
"Oh baby!" sighed Marissa, she was leaning in close to Bianca so she could hear both sides of the conversation.
"I wish I could be there…" said Bianca. "But you can hear my voice. Are you in bed?"
"I'm in the bathroom. I didn't want to wake AJ."
"Well I want you to take the phone back to bed and lay it on your pillow and… and I'll tell you a bedtime story, would that help."
"Maybe." said Miranda with a sniff.
There was the sound of muffled movement as Miranda shuffled back to AJ's room.
"Are you in bed now?" Bianca asked.
"Yeah." Miranda whispered.
"Well I want you to give Strawberry bear a great big hug and then I want you to pull your covers right under your chin… and now I'm going to send you a magic goodnight kiss right across state." Bianca blew her a kiss down the phone. "Did you feel it?" she asked.
"Maybe." was Miranda's reply.
"Now I want you to close your eyes and snuggle into your bed while I tell you a story. Okay?"
"Okay."
" So… Once upon a time there was a… a…"
"Horse?" suggested Marissa.
"…A horse called…"
"Howard?"
"…Howa…" Bianca gave Marissa a sceptical look when she caught what she was saying. "…a horse called Howard… He was very sad because he wasn't as sleek and beautiful as the other horses in the field. He had huge hooves and a very shaggy mane…"
Bianca, with occasional prompts from Marissa, managed to weave a strange tale, about magic wishing horseshoes that only fitted Howard's enormous feet – but could only grant wishes for other people. She was very happy with the ending of her tale when another horse, jealous of Howard's magical powers wished to wear the wishing horseshoes, and swapped bodies with Howard so Howard's dream did come true and he turned into a beautiful stallion.
"Miranda." Bianca called softly once her tale was done. "Miranda are you sleeping?"
There was no reply.
"I think that's a yes." said Marissa.
"What do we do now?" Bianca asked. It was clear Miranda wasn't going to hang up on her end.
"Just leave it for now." said Marissa taking the phone from Bianca's hands. "I'll listen in in case she wakes again, and you go back to sleep."
"You don't have to stay up!" protested Bianca.
"You need to sleep." Marissa insisted, gently pushing Bianca back down into the bed. "Let me do this okay."
"I won't sleep." said Bianca stubbornly even though her head was now resting on her pillow.
"I bet you will," said Marissa reaching across to gently stroke her forehead. Then she began to sing again her special lullaby.
…
Please have no fear
For you know
I will leave you never
You're not alone
You are home
In my arms forever more…
…