Lara ”Remember what I told you.”

Carmen ”…I know.”

Lara stands up from the couch, now face to face with Shane, whose tears begin to once again form.

Lara ”There’s been enough hurt.  It ends…now.”

Shane ”…This is all my fault.  …I wish I could…could just take it all back.  Carmen, I’m…”

Carmen slowly gets to her feet and walks over to Shane, a tear rolling down her right cheek.

Carmen ”I wanna slap you.  I wanna cuss you out.  I want to.  But Lara’s right.  …If what they’re sayin’ on the news is true…”

Shane ”Let’s just hope it’s not true.”

Lara ”I was supposed to be in San Francisco tomorrow.  I’m not going.  Right now…I see two friends…who are gonna need somebody.  …That somebody might as well be me.  Because we’re all…gonna suffer through this.  And we’ve got to do it together.  Not alone.”

Shane ”Jenny…Al…”

Lara feels a lump in her throat at the mention of Alice.  She places her left hand on Shane’s right shoulder and her right hand on Carmen’s left shoulder.

Just outside Los Angeles.

Bette is fortunate to have not received a speeding ticket this evening.  She will not allow herself to fall asleep.  She is going home.

Jenny’s.

Lara sits between them, her hands on the back of both Shane and Carmen.  The three of them are tied and emotionally wore out.  Shane stands up from the couch.

Shane ”I gotta get some air.”

Lara ”Need me to come with you?”

Shane ”Stay with Carmen.  I just…gotta get out.  I don’t have a cellphone so I can’t call anybody.”

Carmen ”…”

Shane opens the door and sees a familiar vehicle pass by, settling into its usual parking spot next door.

Shane ”Oh shit.”

Lara ”What?”

Shane exits immediately without another word.  Carmen and Lara look at one another and then stand up.  Carmen wipes away her tears as they walk toward the door.  As they exit, they look next door and see Shane and Bette, with Bette collapsing into Shane’s arms and sobbing loudly.  Lara and Carmen rush over.  They see Angelica crying in the car.  Lara opens the door and gets Angelica out.  Angelica is so young, but can still sense the anguish on Mama Bee’s face, causing anguish of her own as Lara holds her.

Together they grieve.

”Lightning crashes, a new mother cries.”