“Kit…what are you guys doing here?” Tina sat up and groaned. Her head felt heavy and her heart was broken. In truth, she was really glad to see her friends because she didn’t feel like being alone.

Kit got up and went to the kitchen. She returned shortly with a mug filled with hot fresh coffee and handed it to Tina. Tina’s hand accidently touched Alice’s foot as she took the mug. Alice mumbled something in her sleep but her eyes stayed closed.

Tina inhaled the aroma of coffee and took her first sip. “So good…thanks, Kit.” She looked around the room again. “So what are you guys doing here?”

“Alice called an emergency meeting last night after Bette…” Kit made a small choking sound and took a sip of her coffee to compose herself. “After what happened to Bette,” she finished a moment later.

Tina simply nodded, trying not to start crying again.

“How are you holding up?”

Tina shrugged, “Not sure yet. It just happened but I feel like last night I lived a whole decade…a decade without Bette. I don’t know what to do. I know I have no control over any of it. All I have is hope that she’s coming back to me but I…I…” the tears came and Tina couldn’t finish.

Kit sat down on the sofa and pulled Tina into a hug. Tina was sobbing and shaking and Kit held her tight, trying to control her own tears. Bette became like a real baby sister to her and the loss was tremendous.

Alice moved again and opened her eyes, “Earthquake? What…” she noticed crying Tina and sighed. “Oh…the sofa was shaking. I thought it was an earthquake,” she smiled sheepishly and rubbed Tina’s back. “Are you okay, TK?”

Tina shook her head, still clinging to Kit. “Why is this happening? Why? After all these years of searching and hoping I had finally found the girl of my dreams and now she’s gone. What was the universe’s purpose of making me happy only to take it away? Why?”

“I don’t know, Tina, honey. Nobody knows,” Kit replied and Alice added softly, “Everything happens for a reason. We might not know what that is but I’m sure everything is going to be okay. I’m sure of it.”