Previously…

“Al? Is everything okay?” I asked, concerned by the tone of Alice’s voice.

“It’s Bette…” Alice managed to choke out after a long silence.

“What – what happened?” I somehow stuttered, my mind reeling immediately to the worst.

“She was in a car accident, T,” Alice told me. “She’s in a coma here at Mercy.”

Without another word from Alice, I simply told her, “I’m coming,” and hung up the phone. I grabbed my purse and car keys and flew down the steps to my car. As I revved the engine and tore out of my apartment complex, I found myself praying silently that Bette would be alright.

* * * * * * * * * *

I parked in the lot outside Mercy Hospital and all but galloped into the emergency room. I saw Alice’s tear-stained face first, and she opened her arms to me as I walked up to her. Dana was right behind, wrapping her arms around the both of us. Shane stood off to the side, not quite knowing what to do or say. I pulled away from the hug and looked around at the girls, bewildered and overwhelmed and unsure of my place in this whole mess.

“So, what have the doctor’s said?” I asked as we sat down in the waiting room chairs.

“Well, Kit’s in with the doc right now,” Alice explained.

“Oh, God,” I said, suddenly remembering Bette’s sister. “How’s Kit doing?”

“She’s a mess,” Dana replied absently. “We all are.”

“Oh, here comes the doctor and Kit right now,” Shane said.

I looked up and saw Kit walking towards us with a young-looking doctor in a white lab coat. Kit feigned a weak smile when she saw me and we collapsed into a hug. I rubbed her back, feeling her ease into my arms as the tension left her body. I knew that I had to be the strong one now, and it was Kit’s turn to fall apart.

“You got here fast, girl,” Kit said after we pulled away from each other.

“And you are?” the doctor asked, breaking up our reunion.

“Tina,” I said, “Tina Kennard. I’m… I’m Bette’s… um… “

“She is Bette’s wife,” Alice interjected.

The doctor looked over at Kit, who nodded in agreement.

“Well,” he said, sighing, “then I need to fill you in. Why don’t you come with me and I can –”

“Wait,” I said, interrupting him. “Wait, these girls, they are Bette’s family, too. Even more than I am. So, anything you have to say to me, you can say to them, too.”

Alice came up behind me and grabbed my hand, squeezing it with gratitude and pulling me to sit back down. We all looked up at the doctor with eager impatience, waiting for the news. I was preparing for the worst, a million different emotions running through me at once.

“Bette is in a light coma,” he stated matter-of-factly, looking directly at me but addressing our group as a whole. “She had some internal bleeding, which we controlled with immediate surgery when she was wheeled in. Right now, she’s stable, but we’ll have to wait and see how she’ll recover when she wakes up. We’re keeping an IV in her to keep her hydrated and nourished, and we’re monitoring her brain activity. Everything looks good so far, though, and we have the best hopes that she’ll pull out of this.”

“Well, that’s good news, right?” Alice asked, looking at me.

“Can I see her?” I asked in a soft voice.

“Yes,” the doctor said, “but, since you and Kit are her only actual relatives, I’m afraid I’m going to have to limit the visitors to just the two of you for now.”

Alice, Dana, and Shane nodded slightly, acquiescing to the doctor’s commands. I stood up and looked at Kit, who smiled again.

“Go on, baby girl,” she prodded. “She’ll want to hear your voice.”

I looked at the girls and swallowed hard.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, choking on the lump in my throat. “I should have been here, I shouldn’t have just run away… I don’t know if I can see her…”

“This isn’t your fault, Tina,” Alice told me, cutting off my insecure rambling.

“I know,” I said, looking at the ground.

“But you have to go and see her,” Kit said. “The doctors said that your name was all she said when she was conscious, before the surgery. She needs you, Tina.”

A tear rolled down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly, resolving to be strong. I took a deep breath and hugged each of the girls. “I’ll be back soon to tell you how she is,” I said as I followed the doctor down the hall.

(TBC…)