“”You broke it baby…” Tina murmured, “you broke it good.””

“She was beautiful, everything about Tina was beautiful.”

“”Tell me the story Mummy!” Angelica demanded…”

“
“Fuck.” Tina whispered as she walked back to her waiting family…”

“Welcome home Bette.” She laughed.”

“
Even in moments of light, Bette was reminded of the darkness that pressed at the edges of her existence. It was only that now no one wanted to hear it as she was getting better.”

“Yes. If we are going to work together I need to know the answer to this question.”

Groundhog Day – kind of.

We don’t always understand a persons motives… especially not our families.

“What are you talking about?” Tina asked again, carefully.”

“
I lay still for a few more moments, enjoying the sun and my unexpected moment of solitude. Daddy was coming to town, I had to slap myself to make sure I was awake.”

“Did she get Aliennapped?” Shaking her head, she corrects herself, “Did they take her back home?”

“
There was a coldness to their tears, a bleak numbness that that fingered at her, filling her. There was no way to sate her pain, the humiliation of having the people who she tried to care for visiting her. Waiting for her.”

“I rested the phone against my chest and let the tears come. I was alone, in one of the most beautiful places I knew… I was safe to cry.”

Just a bit before some action.

“I am Bette Porter.”

“Is she still?” Tina queried, dragging herself wearily to the bedroom, needing to make sure that the girl was okay for both her and Bette.”

“
“Aunt Helena.” Angie called her, distracting her from the sounds in the bathroom that made her stomach clench in sympathy and her throat burn. “Mama B sick,” she informed her aunt.”

The night continues.

“
To face the phone call with a Ms Tina Kennard. I need to get a start on this book before I couldn’t work anymore and I wanted to do it without telling Tina.”

Angelica’s arms wrap tightly around Bette’s neck, knowing that sometimes her Mama’s like to be held when they were sad. She didn’t know what made her Mama B so sad, or why people were over, that wasn’t important to her right now; her Mama B needed her, that’s all the mattered.

“Is it a party yet?” Alice whined

“
I am human. I like to walk before I run, and run before I solve. I would rather be miles away, with a camera photographing anything that was living, rather then sit here waiting.”

“Tina heard the hysterical words, and she knew that at that moment they were all very much like Lady MacBeth. Out Damned spot. Out.”

What we didn’t see in 602

” “Bette darling, it’ll be okay.” Peggy, it was Peggy who was holding me. The closest woman to a mother I had ever had. ”

“0.11 calories per ascending stair; 2.75 calories per flight’ 22 calories all the way up.”

What we didn’t see in 601.

“”Fuck.” Alice cried, whipping around her head, sending her blonde hair in a haphazard arch as she found a likely target, a trash can and kicked it.”

“Tina caught my eye before bursting into laughter. For the second time in 48 hours, there was laughter in the house.”

“I missed diving already, I think I missed everything that wasn’t here this very second. Stupid I know, but true all the same.”

The Authors Cut/Reposted and Rewritten (with new content)

“If only I didn’t realise how cruel it was.”

“Make it so we don’t have to be here lady. That’s the only way you can help us.”

“She raged, jabbing her finger into my chest. “Who the fuck are you?””