“Nice. I’m glad Bette has you.” Julia says and smiles.

Tina smiles back.

Two hours later:

Tina has eaten and she has put the twins down for their afternoon nap. She quietly walks into the bedroom to check on Bette.

She walks over to the bedside and kneels down, she softly moves a few stray hairs away from Bette’s face. Bette stirs a little.

“Babe?” Tina whispers.

“Hmmm.” Bette says tiredly.

“You want to wake up? And join me out by the pool?” Tina asks.

“Hmmm.” Bette says as she opens her eyes.

Tina smiles at her and leans down and place a soft kiss on Bette’s lips.

“Hi Anything new on Dana?” Bette asks as she sits up against the headboard.

“No, Alice called an hour ago. She’s over at the hospital. She said she would call if her condition changes.” Tina says.

“Okay.” Bette says.

“So you want to join me out by the pool?” Tina asks.

“Sure. Where’s Jessie and Julia?” Bette asks as she gets out of bed.

“They took Matt and Will over to see Stephanie at the hospital.” Tina says.

“Okay, so we are alone?” Bette asks.

“Yep, except for the twins, who’s napping in their cribs.” Tina says and smiles.

“Ok. Give me a few minutes and I’ll come and join you.” Bette says and walks into the bathroom. Tina walks into the kitchen, makes some ice tea, and walks outside and takes a seat in one of the bed-chairs. Minutes later, Bette walks out. Tina holds out her hand, Bette takes it and joins Tina on her chair.

After a few minutes Bette speaks.

“This is nice and relaxing.” Bette says as she has her head on Tina’s shoulder.

“Yes, it is.” Tina replies.

There are a few more minutes of silence between them.

“What if she doesn’t wake up?” Bette asks.

“She will.” Tina replies.

“What kind of life will she have then? She’s paralyzed from the neck down. She can’t breathe on her own. She will need help with everything” Bette says as she starts to cry again.

“Babe, we will help her. She’ll be surrounded by people who love her. She’ll never be alone.” Tina says as she continues to run her fingers softly through Bette’s hair.