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“What?”  Tina breathlessly pulled away from Bette. She wasn’t sure what she heard exactly, but she knew she heard the word ‘baby.’

“I said, do you think Angie should have a baby brother or baby sister?” Bette repeated with a small smile beginning to take shape.   Angelica’s birth had been playing on Bette’s mind since their official reunion, and even a little bit before.  She had missed so many milestones, so many important life changing moments. Now, as she rebuilt her life, working toward standing on firm ground with the love of her life, Bette wanted to recapture, relive and repeat the best moments of pregnancy.

“A baby?” Tina raised her eyebrows at Bette and leaned back against the cushions. They had been reunited for such a short time that the last word playing on Tina’s lips was ‘baby.’  Tina could feel her heart begin to beat a little faster. She loved Angelica deeply and loved the family she had created, but the negative circumstances surrounding her pregnancy had left her afraid of trying again.

“Yeah.”  Bette’s smile faded, as she reached for Tina’s hand.  

“You’re thinking about a baby?”  Tina stared at their entwined fingers. The rhythmic motions of Bette’s thumb hypnotized her.  

“Yeah.” Bette attempted to pull Tina’s gaze from their hands by titling her chin. Afraid of what she might see, Tina shut her eyes and searched for answers.

“Bette –“

“Tee,” Bette waited for Tina to look at her before continuing, “I don’t mean right now, but at some point in the future, yes, I’d like to think about another baby. Wouldn’t you?”

[i]Wouldn’t I?[/i]

“Oh, Bette, I don’t know.  I loved being pregnant with Angie, but god, it was so hard.  . .” She drifted back to the day Dr. Wilson told her the fetus was no longer viable.  [i] Fucking medical bullshit. [/i]  She thought of how her heart raced as it took longer and longer to find the baby’s heartbeat. She thought of the moment she truly understood the meaning of a ‘broken heart’.   She watched as Dr. Wilson maneuvered the ultrasound over her son’s image; the image that, at one point, had a strong heart, a strong presence; the image that now remained still.  She begged for her eyes to be playing tricks on her. She prayed for his heart to beat.