Bette blinked. “Tee, you make me feel like I can do anything…” she whispered softly.

“You can. You can, Baby. You didn’t answer me earlier so I will say it again, both of us were to blame in our separation, both of us. You aren’t destroying us, Honey… you are building us. Every day with you I am prouder, honored and thrilled to be at your side, to be your wife. The good and the bad, ok?”

“Tee…”

“I am going to keep saying it until you believe it Bette. We were both to blame. That’s not who we are now. We are talking, Baby. Talking about things we never even touched on before. And I love you…ok?”

“Ok” Bette nodded.

They lay facing each other, neither really ready for sleep but enjoying the opportunity to lay down together. Their hands moved in the air as one, and their legs tangled up under the covers. The window was open, and a cool breeze blew in, enough to make them notice it but not enough to make them chilly. “Bette?” Tina asked, quietly. She kissed her wife’s forehead.

“Yes, Tee?” Bette had been looking down at their hands as they moved slowly from side to side, palm to palm. She looked up into Tina’s eyes.

“Your mom? When she hit you…” Tina asked as softly as she could, as kindly as she could. There was no judgement in her tone, and she kept her emotions in check. She didn’t want to scare Bette away, but they had turned a corner tonight and she wanted to keep the momentum going, keep the conversation open.

Bette looked down again and moved her palm so that her fingers closed around Tina’s as she brought both hands up to tuck under her chin. She looked at Tina and swallowed.

“She hit me hard, Tee. It knocked me down and my shoes came off. There was ringing in my ears so I didn’t hear what Kit said to her but there was blood in my mouth, under my nose. I think I bit my tongue. She…she fell down next to me and picked me up in her arms and wailed. They had to pry me out of her arms when Daddy got home. I remember I threw up, on the kitchen floor. I don’t remember much after that except that she left us… me… not soon after…”.