Previously…

When Alice finally called it a night and fell into bed, I settled into the couch for the night and looked up at the ceiling. I still couldn’t believe the events that had transpired over the past twenty-four hours, but I knew — despite the change that would surely come from the revelation of Alice and Dana’s relationship and the recommitment that Bette and I were making towards each other — that everything was going to be okay again. Tomorrow, as the sun rose and brought a brand new day, everything else would be brand new as well, and I couldn’t wait for it.

* * * * * * * * * *

As the morning sun crept through the wide windows in Alice’s front room, I stirred slightly and stretched out. My legs were cramped from sleeping on the couch, but I had a pretty good night’s sleep despite that. I had beautiful dreams of my beautiful Bette, and I awoke with a smile on my face. I sighed deeply and sat up to get ready for the day.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I heard from the kitchen.

I turned towards the voice and saw Dana standing over the stove, spatula in one hand and a carton of eggs in the other.

“What… when… ” I stuttered, confused and half-asleep.

“She came last night,” Alice spoke up as she entered the kitchen, “while you were snoring on the couch.”

“Ah,” I said, nodding.

Alice walked up behind Dana and wrapped her arms around the tennis player’s waist, kissing her neck and nuzzling into Dana’s long dark hair. Dana glanced over at me with a nervous look on her face, and I grinned and rolled my eyes at her to ease her nerves. Dana smiled back at me before relaxing into Alice’s embrace.

“Too cute,” I said to them as I stood up and walked towards the kitchen. “What are you cooking, Dane?”

“Well,” Dana said as she pulled away from Alice, “Al likes her omelets in the morning, so I could throw one on for you if you want.”

“Sounds good,” I replied. “I’ll go take a shower while you two… um… cook.”

I winked at them and heard their soft laughter as I left the room. They really were adorable together, and I was overjoyed for them. As I hopped in the shower to freshen up for the day, I realized that I couldn’t stop smiling. Between the joy of Bette’s recovery, the hope for our future together as a couple, and the excitement over Alice and Dana’s new relationship, I truly did have many things to be thankful for.

After getting ready for the day, I walked back out into the kitchen and interrupted a gentle and tender kiss between the two new lovebirds. I cleared my throat to make my presence known, which made both of them jump nervously. I smiled at them and sat down at the table.

“You guys really are pretty cute together,” I told them as they served breakfast.

“Nah,” Alice joked with a wave of her hand.

“Not really,” Dana said sarcastically, joining in Alice’s playful jab at their relationship.

“Are you gonna tell the rest of the girls?” I asked, digging into the omelet.

“Well,” Alice began, looking over at Dana, “we think that Shane already knows. I mean, come on, she’s like Yoda, she’s got a sixth sense or something.”

“That’s true,” I conceded, nodding in agreement. “What about Kit and Bette?”

“Bette has so much on her plate right now,” Dana said. “Between her recovery and, well, you… and her… which, by the way, is so wonderful, T.”

I smiled again, my face starting to hurt from the permagrin plastered to my cheeks.

“What’s going on with that, anyway?” Alice asked, pulling me back from my daydream.

“I honestly have no idea,” I admitted, shrugging. “I mean, Bette is the love of my life, I can’t deny that. As much as she hurt me, as much as we hurt each other, all of that is in the past. We’ve wasted enough time being apart, and I really want to be there for her now.”

“So are you gonna move back home?” Dana asked excitedly.

“We’ll see,” I said, smiling and raising an eyebrow.

We finished our breakfast and I watched Alice and Dana maneuver around the kitchen as they cleaned up. They worked as one, as if they did this every morning and being together had become routine. Not monotonously routine, but perfect, knowing-each-other-like-the-back-of-your-hand routine. I realized how much I missed that with Bette, and I made the silent decision right then and there to terminate my lease in San Marino and move back to West Hollywood.

~~~~~~~~~~

An hour later, I strolled through the lobby at Mercy Hospital with Alice and Dana in tow. Kit said she would meet us at Bette’s room a little later after opening up The Planet for the day, and Shane had clients until noon so it was just me and the girls for now. I walked into Bette’s room and stopped in my tracks when I saw her.

The light was shining in through her window and her face was turned towards the sunlight, casting beautiful shadows on her olive skin. At some point during the night, one of the nurses must have removed the bandages from her head because her beautiful dark curls were spilling onto the pillow around her face. She was sleeping peacefully, the gentle rise and fall of her chest proof of her deep slumber. Her lips were begging for mine, her arms at her sides as if waiting for me to fall into them.

I moved quietly around to the side of the bed, pulling a chair up next to it as I watched her sleep. Alice and Dana motioned silently that they were going to get a cup of coffee and left me alone with my sleeping beauty. I couldn’t resist reaching out to touch her. I gently pushed a stray curl of hair away from her face and let my hand linger softly on her cheek. Even with this, the slightest of touches, Bette roused from her sleep and knew I was there. She hadn’t even opened her eyes when a slight smile crept across her face.

“T,” she whispered, her eyes still closed.

“I’m here,” I whispered back, amazed that after all this time Bette still knew my touch so well.

She slowly opened her eyes and adjusted to the morning light, focusing on me. Her deep brown eyes portrayed every inner emotion, and I swore I saw the depths of her soul laid bare for me and me alone. I leaned over to her and kissed her softly before settling back into the chair next to her bed.

“Lay with me,” she said, a gentle request rather than a sharp command.

I helped her adjust herself carefully in the bed so that there was room for me next to her. Softly, slowly, and with the utmost ease as to prevent from jarring her, I crawled into the bed and lay down on my side, facing her. She turned her face towards mine and our eyes met.

“I’m so sorry, Tina,” Bette said softly, her eyes still locked with mine.

“Shh,” I comforted her, stroking her cheek. “We don’t have to talk about this now, baby.”

“I want to,” Bette said, a crack in her voice. “I know it’s painful for both of us, but I want to be able to close that chapter in our lives and move forward with you. I want that more than anything, Tina. I want you back.”

“You have me back, Bette,” I told her as I kissed her forehead.

The tears slipped down Bette’s cheeks and I wrapped my arms around her, allowing her to break down in my arms. She sobbed, pouring all of her emotion into me and letting it break free from the depths where she had it buried. The tears slowly subsided and Bette breathed deeply, tilting her head to look up at me.

“I was such an *****,” she said, looking into my eyes.

“You were,” I agreed with a smile, lightening the mood. “But it’s in the past. All of that is in the past, Bette. We were both wrong, and we both hurt each other. But if we dwell on that, we’ll never be able to move forward. And that’s what I want, baby. The past is the past, but you… you, Bette, are my future. We have to be able to forgive ourselves, to forgive each other, so we can focus on the things that are really important.”

“You are so amazing,” Bette said, her eyes reflecting the love in her heart. “I never knew how strong you were, Tina. I think that was part of our problem, part of my problem. I felt like I had to be the strong one for you, but you have always been strong on your own. You have this beautiful spirit that is so real, so true, so unlike anyone I have ever known, and I feel like a better person just for knowing you.”

We kissed softly, holding each other as close as we could without hurting Bette’s broken ribs. As I ran my fingers through her hair, her head on my chest and her hand in mine, I finally felt whole again. I had the other piece of my soul back, and I wasn’t ever going to let her go again.

(TBC…)