*****

            “I’d like to make a withdrawal?”  Tina said; the young lady behind the counter smiled, remembering her from months before.

            “Marcus Allenwood right?”  Tina shook her head no, she didn’t want the person that Bette wanted, she then said.

            “An anonymous donor.  I don’t care what, or who, just anyone random.”  Tina said her voice calm and silky as she leaned casually on the counter of the sperm bank.  The young woman was stunned, but she hid it well.

            “All right, you’ll have to choose Ms. Kennard…”  She handed Tina the long list of potentials and Tina flipped the pages, and pointed to one.

            “That one.  1017. Nice number, it has a good ring to it.”  A smile from Tina, and with in the hour Tina had the only hope she needed in her hands, holding the small clear jar between her clenched hands, close to her heart.

*****

            Alice was frantic in her living room Tina was gone!  She’d disappeared and she wasn’t answering her cell phone.  She dialed it the second time, and still again, nothing.  

            Then the phone rang as Alice was about to pick it up to call Shane and Dana.  She jumped, grabbing the phone from the cradle, almost dropping it and stammering into the phone.

            “H… H… hello…”  Silence on the other end and Alice looked at the ID caller and said into the mouthpiece, seeing the cell phone number.  “Bette, say something.”  A soft sigh from Bette and Alice bit her lip.  Tina hadn’t told her why she’d been in her apartment, she just written C A on the board, and Alice hadn’t been able to get any more from her than that. 

            “Alice Hi.  Is Tee there?”  Bette‘s voice was filled with something that Alice couldn’t quite put a finger on.  Then she knew what it was, regret and guilt.  The realization hit Alice and it knocked the wind out of her.

            “No she’d not here, why isn’t she at home with you?”  The reporter in Alice shot forward, her teeth were clenched and she was ready to jump all over Bette.  The C A made sense to Alice now, Bette had cheated on Tina with someone else.