Toni was growing anxious, she hadn’t heard anything coming from the room in an hour. "I’m going in there." She declared jumping up from the couch. She could never forgive herself if she let something happen to Bett. Sergio took hold of Toni’s wrist as he spoke evenly "Toni," he looked up at her worried and sad "She’s fine."

Toni pulled away from him and proceeded towards the room, now angry at her husband for making her feel like she was wrong for wanting to protect her niece. Before she could get a hold of the handle, the door opened and Bette came out. looking emotionally beaten and drained of her energy.

Bette avoiding all eye contact walked past Toni and sat down on the couch, she leaned forward and placed her head in her hands breathing heavy slow breaths. Toni looked further and saw the scratches along Bette’s arms, some to small to bleed profusely but enough to protrude through the broken skin. Bette’s ponytail was loose and tousled, her shirt was torn and there spots of blood on her shrt. toni turned back and opened the door to the room and saw that Ali was asleep wrapped in a blanket holding herself in a fetal position.

Bette felt a cold glass tap the fingers on her head she looked up and saw her uncle holding an ice cold glass of rum for her. She accepted it and took a small sip not really feeling the burn run through her throat. Toni was standing against the door framewaiting for Bette to speak. Sergio returned to his chair by the window enjoying his coffee knowing that Bette would talk when and if she was ready.

Bette sat back, closed her eyes and roled the glass in between her fingers. Toni was impatient and spoke breaking the silencethat laid thick between them, "Well, what happened in there? Why do you have scratches all over you?"

"She’s asleep Toni." Bette answered softly with her eyes still closed. Bette wasn’t going to tell her that she held Alicia as she fought to get away from her. And she held her until she cried herself to sleep and the scratches were from holding Ali’s arms across her body as she cried and rocked her to sleep and felt the tremors leave her body. Toni stood waiting for more from Bette and when she didn’t receive it she got exasperated and gave up and went into the kitchen to cook them all some dinner. Bette sighed as she heard Sergio give a small chuckle, with his smile hidden behind his thick mustache. He knew there were few people who could leave his flustered and answerless to her questions, he smiled knowing that Bette was one of them.