Bette awoke to the sound of the lock turning on Alice’s door. She disentangled herself from Alice’s slumbering form and padded into the hall in time to greet Helena and motion her to the living room. As she followed the ever-elegant Brit, Bette thought about how far she and Helena had come, thankful for the progress because it was responsible for Helena sending her to Alice.

“How is she?” Helena’s concern cut through any pretense.

“Exhausted. She’s barely slept for days,” Bette said as she rubbed her neck. “What time is it?”

“Half past eleven. When did you get her to sleep?”

“About five or so. I meant to call you, but I dropped off too.” Bette figured she’d try to get ahead of Helena’s wrath. To her surprise, there was none.

“I got your email just before I got on the plane. I wouldn’t have gotten anything else until after we landed,” Helena said, meaning it. “All that matters is that you were able to be with her.”

“How was the flight?”

“The only seat I could get on the first fight home was in coach.”

Bette’s gasp was involuntary.

“Now you know I meant it when I told you I’d do anything for her.” Helena’s expression was inscrutable. Changing the subject, she asked about the elephant in the room.

“What happened? She’s been doing so well.”

As they sat together in the shadow of the Chart, Bette laid it out….Alice’s last, loving, gift to Dana, her guilt over not being with Dana when she died, the haunting memory of Dana’s final words and her recurring dream of it all. Helena took it in, horrified that she’d done nothing to ease Alice’s pain, while recognizing the emotional toll the afternoon had also taken on Bette.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m fine. A little tired maybe,” Bette answered. “I just can’t begin to fathom how she put one foot in front of the other for so long before this caught up with her. I mean, I knew she had an inner strength, but this…I don’t have words.”

“I know,” Helena said softly. “She needs us now. All of us. Monday’s going to be tough for her.”

“We can talk about that later, but suffice it to say, ignorance has been bliss.” Bette nodded to the neatly stacked piles of unopened mail on Alice’s desk.