"What? What do you mean heading back to New York? I thought you were staying for another week?”

“I’ve been thinking and decided it would be best if I went back today…”

“But Tina, you said I’d get a chance to get to know Cara.”

“Bette, let me finish, please.” Tina took a sip of her coffee and waited for Bette to nod her agreement that Tina should finish. She still knew Bette. “As I was saying, I thought it would be best if I went back to New York today and ask for a leave of absence. I’m not sure for how long. All I’m sure of is that if we move forward in letting you have time to get to know Cara, then the week isn’t enough and it won’t be fair to her. It will only confuse her. At this point, I think it needs to be one or the other, you’re in her life or you aren’t. I think the in-between will be too hard.”

She looked up to see Bette’s reaction, the smile forming told her that she was making the right choice. Bette needs to be in Cara’s life fully or not at all. To force a bi-coastal, part-time relationship would just be wrong to do to either of them. When it comes down to it, Cara was just a child who didn’t understand who Bette was in her life, so to force a new parental figure on her, only to take it away a week later is just cruel.

“So, I’m going to take a leave of absence and spend some time here. I don’t know for how long or what my long term plans are for us, but for now, Cara and I will be here.”

Bette’s smile was beaming now. “Tina, thank you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

“Bette, it’s the right thing to do. We’ve let enough time go. I asked Julia to join us because I’m not taking Cara home with me today. Since Cara loves and trusts Julia, I’ve asked her to watch her for me while I’m gone.” She looked up at Bette and continued before she had a chance to interrupt, “I’m not saying that she can’t spend time with you while I’m gone, but it has to be up to Julia and Cara. I want her to spend time with you, but we need to do it slowly. I do have one thing to ask of you though.”