I sat comfortably in a chaise lounge chair by the pool, sipping a margarita and flipping through a magazine. For the first time in months, I felt absolutely relaxed. The turmoil from my break-up with Bette had driven me out of West Hollywood and into the suburban beachside town of San Marino, a peaceful and quiet community that had acted as my safe haven since last winter. I still drove into the city to visit the girls every now and then, but I hadn’t run into Bette since the day I left and I actually felt relieved every time we managed to miss each other.

The more time that passed, however, the harder I knew it would be to face her again. I knew that running out on our marriage without a word of explanation wasn’t necessarily the most mature way to deal with our problems, but she had done it long before with her affair with Candace. I felt so overwhelmed when I found out about Bette’s secret relationship with the carpenter that the only thing I could do was leave. Everywhere I went in West Hollywood, I felt smothered with memories of Bette. Here, in San Marino, I had created my own memories, and I felt like I had finally taken control of my life. Somehow, I had found the strength to go back and face her.

But that trip, that first meeting since I left, wasn’t for a few more days so I decided to take the week off of work and relax at my apartment to prepare myself. I had gone over and over in my head a million times what I would say to her, and I prayed to God she would listen. I sighed, knowing that only time would tell, and I walked back into my apartment.

Right as I stepped through the door, my cell phone rang. I jumped at the noise, not expecting anyone to call me at 1:30 in the afternoon, but was relaxed when I saw that it was just Alice. I smiled and flipped the phone open, greeting her with a cheerful hello.

“Tina,” Alice said in a flat and emotionless voice.

“Al? Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned by the tone of Alice’s voice.

“It’s Bette…” Alice managed to choke out after a long silence.

“What – what happened?” I somehow stuttered, my mind reeling immediately to the worst.

“She was in a car accident, T,” Alice told me. “She’s in a coma here at Mercy.”

Without another word from Alice, I simply told her, “I’m coming,” and hung up the phone. I grabbed my purse and car keys and flew down the steps to my car. As I revved the engine and tore out of my apartment complex, I found myself praying silently that Bette would be alright.

(TBC…)