Episode 1: Bianca
"Hey, how did PT go today?" Bianca asked, walking into the state-of-the-art physical therapy room they had constructed at Wildwind for Marissa's benefit.
Marissa Tasker's physical therapist, a tall, robust forty-something named Dot, who had come highly recommended to them, looked between Marissa and Bianca. "Do you want to tell her, or should I?" Dot asked Marissa.
Sitting in her wheelchair, a grimace on her full lips, Marissa's arms were defensively locked across her chest. "Don't-" Marissa started, but then shrugged, as if to say, do your worst.
"Tell me what?" Bianca asked warily.
Dot jabbed a large thumb in Marissa's direction. "This is the third time this week, Miss Thing here has given up after five minutes on the parallel bars. No matter how much I've cajoled and pushed, and hell, threatened her, she ignored me when I told her to keep going. Now, I'm twice her size - easily - so I could have just picked her up and heaved her across the room, but I thought that would be counterproductive. Plus, it would look bad on my resume, which I am going to need to update right now because, oh yeah, I quit!"
"No!" Bianca cried. "Oh no, Dot, please don't go. We need you. Marissa needs you. She's just-"
"A stubborn pain in the ass who would rather sit there and feel sorry for herself than try to better her situation. Yeah, I don't have the time for that crap. See ya!"
"Come back!" Bianca chased Dot out the front door, but Dot hopped on her Vespa and sped away from the estate.
"Good lord," Bianca muttered as she slipped back inside. She squared her shoulders as if preparing for battle. She reached the PT room just as Marissa was rolling over the threshold. She quickly moved to lock Marissa's brakes.
"Hey!" Marissa protested. "Don't, Bianca."
"Don't, Bianca, me. I want to know what is going on. Dot is the third physical therapist we've lost in the past month - the third one you have run off by being uncooperative or just rude and surly. Marissa, this attitude is so not you. You've never acted like this before. You're always sweet, and kind, and -"
"Bianca, in case you haven't noticed, things have changed." Marissa banged on the wheels of her chair pointedly. "I'm not that same, silly, happy-go-lucky girl you once knew." She grimaced. "I'm ... I'm half a woman."
"What? That is not true!"
"JR took everything away from me. Because he was drunk and belligerent and trigger-happy that night, I am stuck in this thing for the rest of my life. The best I can hope for with PT is to build up some upper-body strength, but we can't kid ourselves here. I won't ever walk again. I'll never chase the kids around the place playing hide and seek. I'll always need help getting into bed and dressing and bathing. I won't get to walk with you down the aisle when we get married. I can't make love to you the same way we used to."
"I know it's different, but I don't care, because at least you're alive, Marissa! God, at least you're here!" Bianca cried. "Other people at that horrible party went out in body bags. Someone else we love is in a coma that won't end..." Her eyes burned.
"I know, I know. But the truth is, this isn't exactly what I call living either."
"Marissa, you still have a home, you still have family and friends who love you. That's more than a lot of the world has."
"I know... but what if it's not enough anymore?"
Bianca grasped her chest. Her heart physically ached to hear Marissa's words. "That's depression talking," she said quietly. "If you would just see a counselor like we've talked about..."
"A counselor can't make me walk again."
"So, that's it then? You're just going to give up? Throw in the towel and choose to be miserable for the rest of your life?"
"Bianca, can we stop talking? I'm tired. I'm ... just tired... I'm going to go take a nap," Marissa sighed.
"Marissa-"
"Please, Bianca." She looked at Bianca sadly. "I don't want to hurt you. I really don't, but I'm being honest with you. The woman you fell in love with ... the sweet, spirited person with the hopeful smile and a bright future... She's gone. Bianca, she's gone. And she's not returning."
Bianca stepped back as Marissa wheeled herself around and rolled down the hall. She disappeared into the bedroom and the door closed soon after her. Bianca knew Marissa would page her nurse Audra and that Audra would be the one to help her get into bed. Bianca would be left out in the cold yet again.
Tears blurred Bianca's eyes. She loved her fiancé so much, but Marissa had changed into someone she almost didn't recognize. Since being confined to a wheelchair, she had become depressed, gloomy, and angry at the world. She was dismissive of Bianca and rarely spent time with the kids. She was choosing to push away everybody who cared about her.
Bianca knew the woman she loved was still in there somewhere deep down inside. Marissa was just hurting, and Bianca knew she had to help her.
It was time to call in reinforcements.
A/n: I didn't like that Prospect Park killed off Marissa and left Bianca all alone, so I wasn't going to kill her off in my series, but I do still think "Minx" need a challenge to overcome, which is why I gave them this particular one. I know it's sad so far, but hopefully, things will get brighter! The next part will feature Zach & the mysterious Desiree mentioned in the introduction. I have BIG plans for her!