Bette and Francesca were getting to know one another. Now that they’d had a chance to spend some time alone they found they had quite a bit in common and they really enjoyed each other’s company. Marcus called regularly to check in but they’d agreed that he would stay in New York for the duration of the pregnancy and wouldn’t come back to Los Angeles until after the baby was born.

Bette and Marcus had visited the Cryobank while he was in Los Angeles after Valerie’s show. He’d made the deposit and signed all the papers relinquishing parental rights to any children born of the frozen sperm. They also had a serious talk about the role he would play in the birth of the child that Francesca was carrying. He told Bette that he wanted her to take on the full responsibility of the primary parent and that he would step back.  Bette was happy to do it. She wanted to experience as much of the pregnancy as possible for this made her feel more a part of it.

Bette and Francesca settled into a routine where they would go to the gallery two days a week and work from home three days. Bette spent the weekends showing Francesca around Los Angeles and the neighboring cities. They visited most of the tourist attractions and spent a lot of time at Peggy’s so they could enjoy the private beach. Francesca loved the arts and cultural centers as much as Bette did so they spent time in galleries, museums, theatres, playhouses etc. Peggy accompanied them on many of their excursions. The three women shared a special bond as the baby Francesca was carrying would connect them for life.

Francesca really seemed to be enjoying the last couple months of her pregnancy despite the growing discomfort. She was in her seventh month when they visited Dr. Wilson for her routine monthly checkup. Dr. Wilson had explained that an ultrasound was optional because she didn’t detect any complications and Francesca’s doctor in New York had forwarded all of her medical records. She advised she would perform the ultrasound only if they wanted to know the gender of the fetus.

Up to this point Francesca didn’t want to know because it was her way of keeping distance from the baby but now that Bette had agreed to be the adoptive mother she wanted it to be Bette’s decision.