Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Forty One

Katherine's eyes fluttered open when Rafael's phone rang. The grogginess from being abruptly woken seeming to effect both of them as he didn't reach for the phone before it stopped ringing. Her eyes started to droop when it rang again, his hand ending the noise almost immediately after it began.

"Barba." His voice was husky, forcing him to clear his throat before speaking again. "Wait, what happened?"

He was still talking, the sound pulling Katherine from the sleep she desperately wanted more of. Her eyes blinked open a few times glancing up at him as he sat up next to her, only to find concerned eyes staring back at her.

"What?" She was awake now, the troubled look on his face pulling the word from her mouth despite the phone to his ear.

Rafael looked at her, nodding to whoever was on the other end of the phone. "Ok... yeah, I can do that." He ended the call, setting the phone on the bed, his gaze never leaving hers.

"Raf?"

"Amber Stacker was attacked... she's in surgery... they don't know if she'll make it."

"And MJ?" Her voice shook as she thought about how she had failed to push for more information on MJ's home life the week before. Kicking herself for not trusting her gut.

"She's at the hospital. Liv said she sustained a few bruises, but is physically ok. She's shut down though... Liv was hoping you might be able to get her to talk about what happened."

Katherine climbed out of bed, quickly dressing as Rafael did the same.

"You're putting on a suit?"

"It's four thirty... I'd be getting dressed for work soon anyway." He shrugged, quickly guiding her towards their front door.

"Don't you need to send for your car?"

"Rollins is on her way." Rafael stated, pulling her closer in an effort to settle her nerves.

The area just outside the hospital room was empty except for Liv and a lady Katherine didn't recognize. The three of them approached much slower than seemed possible, like the hallway somehow lengthened with each step they took. Katherine's gaze fell from the brunette to the red head, waiting for one of them to speak in hopes of someone telling her what to do.

"Pippa." Rafael nodded in greeting to the woman Katherine didn't know, breaking the silence that had formed.

"Katherine this is Pippa Cox," Liv spoke, "she's a prosecutor... works on cases involving minors."

Katherine's brow furrowed. Her understanding had been that MJ hadn't been injured to some extent, and if she had the perpetrator would have been an adult... She couldn't wrap her mind around a prosecutor for crimes involving minors being there. When it did finally register, her eyes widened.

"Considering the number he did on her mother it's a clear case of self defense. I'm only here because his lawyer is insisting he was trying to defend himself when MJ and her mother attacked him."

"MJ wouldn't attack anyone." Katherine defended the child with more force behind her words than she'd intended.

"That may be, but she did manage to knock a man at least three times her size out cold." Pippa's spoke sternly, lessening the her tone when Liv stepped closer. "I don't doubt it was self defense, but I need to hear her side of things."

Katherine chewed on her lower lip. "She doesn't respond well to new people... can I have a few minutes alone with her?"

Pippa nodded.