She whispered to ask, “Did you manage to get a cab?  Do you want me to call a car service to get you?” as she padded to the bathroom, and unhooked her robe that was hanging on wall studs next to the door. 

“Bette… ,” Alice sobbed into the phone. 

“Shh…shhh…sweetie, tell me.  What happened?” Bette asked worriedly, as she silently re-entered their room.  Tina had rolled to her back, one arm crooked over her forehead, her eyelids beginning to flutter open.

Bette walked to the bed, and bent over to give Tina a kiss.  She whispered, “Go back to sleep, T.  I’ll be right back, ok?”  Tina returned her kiss sleepily and nodded, then turned to her side again, hugging Bette’s pillow, and fell back to sleep.

With a smile, Bette pulled their door shut carefully.  Alice was mumbling incoherently, talking through her tears.  Somehow, Bette understood that Alice was already in a cab, and was on her way to their place.

Bette padded quietly to Angelica’s room, and opened it slowly, and peeked in.  The little girl was fast asleep.  She pulled the door shut again, then turned towards the staircase.

“Alice … Alice, I’m sorry sweetie.  I didn’t understand much of what you were saying.  Umm… must be the connection or signal of the call,” she said quietly, making excuses, cutting into Alice’s mumbling.

She heard Alice blow a breath out and blow her nose.  Her friend resumed her story, “Sorry, Bette.  I couldn’t understand what I was saying either.  Anyway … I was just saying that a really good friend of mine … well, she was my best friend growing up, anyway … umm… something happened to her yesterday afternoon, Bette.”

“What?”  Bette asked as she got to the landing.  She paused, her hand on her throat.  “What happened, Alice?  Did she have an accident or something?”

Alice burst into a fresh round of tears.  Bette let her cry it out, cradling the phone against her ear as she rummaged through the refrigerator, and then looked through their pantry, while offering soothing sounds from time to time.  Ten minutes later, upon deciding what she could prepare for breakfast for all of them, she prodded Alice gently, “Al … can you tell me any buildings or signs that you can see outside your window now?  Just to help me understand if you’re getting close.”