Dr Stanhope was finishing early today but he had one last look through his schedule for tomorrow before he left the office. The meeting booked with Bianca and Miranda Montgomery had been underlined and he had allowed a buffer of an hour either side just in case it was needed.

There was a knock of his office door and his assistant poked her head around the doorframe.

"There is a Miss Montgomery here to see you. She said it was important."

"Which Miss Montgomery?"

"The mother." said his assistant.

"Well send her in then." said the Doctor closing his diary.

If there was one client he would be willing to drop everything for it would be Bianca and if Bianca was here it could only be for one reason; she needed to talk.

…

"I'm sorry I didn't call ahead." said Bianca, as she manoeuvred her way into his office.

"Not at all." said the doctor, holding the door open for her. "I can guess why you're here."

Bianca nodded, and made her way over to the couch.

"Do you have time to talk?"

"Of course," said the doctor indicating for her to sit, "Because we've got a lot to talk about."

Gratefully Bianca took a seat.

There was a pregnant pause as Bianca gathered herself, trying to work out what exactly she wanted to say.

"I don't know what I'm doing," she said, fidgeting uncomfortably in her chair. "But I know I need to do this for Miranda's sake."

"Have you thought about what you want to say?" Doctor Stanhope asked.

Bianca closed her eyes.

"I don't want to say anything." she said sadly.

"But you have a plan." prompted Doctor Stanhope.

"Kendall has offered to talk to Miranda, she's been through it all herself, although she was a lot older."

"And?"

"…And Marissa suggested it might help Miranda separate what she saw on the film from what happened to me if she met the actors, maybe visit a set of the film… They're still doing reshoot in LA and I don't think Kit would dare say no…"

"And what are you going to do?"

Bianca sighed and looked down.

"I'm going to have to tell her the truth. I'll have to soften it, but I have to tell her."

Dr Stanhope had to resist the urge to reach across and take her hand.

"Well I'm here to help facilitate that. If there is anything you need from me?"

Bianca gave him a grateful smile.

"Tell me how I do this!" pleaded Bianca.

"The thing you need to do is listen to Miranda; listen to her questions and answer them the best you can. It might not be as bad as you fear. Her questions may be simple but then again they may be quite reaching, it all depends on how much of that film she really saw and how much she understood."

Bianca nodded.

"I watched the clip." said Bianca, her voice catching her throat. "It's on-line. Type in my name and it's the first thing that pops up! There's not much to misinterpret… if she saw even a few seconds of it…"

"But the trauma she is experiencing is as much tied to her lack of understanding over what she saw as to the violence of the act itself. Marissa's suggestion about meeting the actors could help her establish what she saw as a fiction but that won't take away her knowledge that her daddy hurt you to make her. I know she's still young, but even a conversation about the facts of life will help her put what she saw into context."

Bianca bit her lip.

"I guess it all depends on her questions." she said softly. "I mean I have tried to answer them as best I can. I even turned it into a fairy story to try and explain it…"

"What you need to understand is that Miranda is very protective of you. I'm sure there are questions that she is afraid to ask in fear of upsetting you. We need to create an environment that allows her to feel confident enough to ask all her questions… allow her the knowledge that it's alright to ask whatever she needs to ask. And I know it will be a lie, but you need to let Miranda believe that you want to answer every question."

"I do want to." said Bianca, before realising she had just contradicted her earlier words.

"You're afraid, Bianca. You're afraid of passing on your trauma to your child. It's perfectly understandable. You don't want to hurt her and your words will hurt. But the damage is already done. It is our job now to help her overcome it and learn to accept it and move on from it. She has your strength to draw from. She is your daughter after all. And when the time comes I know you will do magnificently. But that doesn't stop this from being a painful process. It won't be a quick fix. It will take time and patience and understanding and strength and courage and an iron will to get her through. All of which you have in spades."

The small smile reappeared on Bianca's lips.

"What I'm trying to say." continued Doctor Stanhope. "Is that you can do this Bianca, and I'm here to help you succeed."

"Thank you." said Bianca softly. "If it was anyone else I'm not sure I would believe I could…"

"Believe me." the doctor replied. "You can… and you will..."

…