Live – Lightning Crashes
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"Lightning crashes, a new mother cries"

Somewhere on the road…not far from home…

She’s had this feeling before as she drives down the highway.  The last time she felt it, she was on a bus full of strangers, retreating from a retreat itself.  When she made it home, she realized why she had that feeling.  Now she feels it again, only worse and now Bette finds herself pulling the car over to the side of the road.  Bette looks at her sleeping baby, Angelica.

Bette: I’ll be right back…Mommy doesn’t feel too good.

Bette checks to make sure that it’s okay to exit the car before doing so and walking away from the vehicle several yards.  She crouches down and the overwhelming feeling erupts from her mouth in the form of vomit.  As she finishes, the fear sets in.  Something’s wrong.  The last time Bette had this feeling, she learned of her friend, Dana’s death soon after.  Knowing that her friends and loved ones were supposed to be up in the sky somewhere, Bette immediately fears the worst.  Bette stands up and makes it back to her car, shutting the door and reapplying her seatbelt.  She pulls out her cellphone and calls her sister, Kit.  Maybe the jet hasn’t taken off yet.  Maybe she’s just being paranoid.  If nothing else, she should at least get the voicemail.  Bette gets only a disconnected message.

Bette: Fuck…

Bette takes a deep breath and turns the ignition on her car, starting it up once again to continue the trip back home.

Cherie Peroni’s Residence…

Shane never imagined she could do so much drugs again.  She never imagined she’d be this wasted right now.  Just days ago, she was preparing to wed Carmen and yet here she is, nosed up in cocaine.  She’s not married and instead of being with Carmen, she finds herself getting high with a woman she once had feelings for in Cherie.  What Cherie feels and provides is of little comfort, but it’s something to make Shane try and forget.  Shane’s having a hard time forgetting.  Cheries laughs as she watches Shane stumble to her feet.  There is noise in another room and it’s driving her crazy.  Shane only has enough sensibility to retain just enough about what is going on around her.  It’s just enough to remind her that she’s getting wasted.  Shane makes her way to a bedroom where a television has been left on a news channel.