Still kneeling in front of Tina, Bette buried her head in Tina’s lap and let her hand tangle itself in her hair. Bette reveled in the feel of Tina’s body against her skin and they way her hand rubbed her head just soothed her. Truth be told Bette was scared to but she needed someone to have the confidence in her that she hadn’t quite strengthened in herself yet. Tina knew Bette needed her to tell her it was going to be alright, but she couldn’t. Truth was Tina was scared and the idea that they needed guns to go and get Alicia made her even more scared for the outcome of this whole thing. But she put up the biggest front she could for Bette’s sake. “Baby I’m sure everything’s going to be alright.”

Toni walked outside and saw Bette’s head being cradled by Tina and she couldn’t bring herself to disrupt the moment, but she had to.

“Jo, sweetie it’s time.” Bette got up and nodded sorrowfully back at Toni.

Bette locked her eyes in on Tina’s again. Saying this to Tina wasn’t going to be easy. “Baby, you can’t stay here with me.” Tina’s face dropped. “And neither can Melito. I need you and Carmen to take him back home while Alicia is here.”

“Bette what is going on around here? What the hell are you going to do?” her heart was racing and she still had no idea what was going to happen.

“We’re going to detoxify her.”

“What?!”

“It’s the only thing I can think of Tina! I don’t know what else to do, she has to stop, she has to…”

Then Bette turned at the sound of the creaking screen door closing and Carmen was standing on the porch with Melito wrapped in his coat still asleep with his head on Carmen’s shoulder.

“Baby, how… do you… I …” Tina still couldn’t get her head around what was about to happen.

“I’ll be fine. Toni’s done this before. When the worst part is over we’ll take her to a rehab. But we have to do this first, it’s the only way Tina.”

Carmen approached the car slowly and Bette broke her gaze on Tina to take Melito in her arms. Carmen went back into the house to get the rest of his things and to gather some stuff for herself as well. Bette turned her attention back to Tina and saw that she was in disbelief that this was happening. Just then another car pulled up and two men got out and smiled at Bette as they walked toward them.