“I don’t know what to say. I sort of already said it. I told her I was sorry, I told her that it didn’t mean anything. I told her why it happened.”

Bette walked over to Dana, “Listen, Dane, have you really figured out why? Are you ready to answer the hard questions about it? When she tells you she’s scared to trust you, do you trust yourself enough for the both of you? I wasn’t ready for any of that. I didn’t have those answers when I spoke to Tina. I just needed her to understand that I was sorry, like you feel right now.”

Bette tool a breath and looked at Dana to make sure she was ok with where she was going with this, “But Dana, what Alice needs isn’t what you need and you need to be prepared to give do whatever she needs and say what she needs to hear. And not just say it, but mean it.”

“How do I know if I’m ready for all of that Bette? I mean until the hard questions are asked, how am I supposed to know if I’m ready to answer them? I just need to know that we’ll be ok and then we can figure it all out together.”

“You lost that chance Dana. I know that sounds harsh, but its real. You don’t get to work it out together until you work it out for yourself. Maybe it’s good she’s given you some time. It gives you the opportunity to make sure you are prepared to be there and give Alice not just the answers she needs, but the confidence she’s going to need from you to know you believe it.”

“Hmph, confidence?” Dana laughed, “I’m so screwed, confidence…”

—

After rousing Alice out of bed, they ordered a pot of coffee from room service and she began to help Alice pack. After much finagling, Tina had managed to get them onto a flight that afternoon.  Alice had surprised them both when she decided the night before to head back to LA and finish her article from home. But the more their alcohol induced honest conversation continued, the more Alice saw the look of sadness in Tina’s eyes when she spoke of running away from Bette all those years ago and knowing now how that had sealed their fate, the more Alice realized that she needed to go home to Dana. She wasn’t sure what the end result was going to be, but she was sure that she wasn’t going to let herself have the regrets that plagued Tina in never trying. One way or another, she and Dana would come to some resolution.