Tina sighed … “Oh God babe … I’m sorry” Tina covered the receiver, mouthing to Lottie, “One of the displays fell down and clobbered someone!”

Lottie grimaced, that wasn’t good …

“So …” continued Bette, “I won’t be able to get Angie … and I can’t spare anyone here to do it …” she said, rushing on, “I called Kit but she can’t leave … Lara’s gone for the afternoon, she and Dana have an appointment at Dr Wilson’s office …” Bette continued on, barely pausing for breath … “can you do it?”

Tina sat at her desk, opening up her appointments diary, she was chock full right through until the evening, “Babe I can’t … can’t Ben get her?”

Bette sighed, “No … he’s babysitting Erin Becker until I can get away …”

Lottie caught Tina’s eye, asking her, “Angie?”

Tina nodded,

“I can get her …” said Lottie reluctantly, thinking about her date later that evening that she needed to ‘prepare’ for, “I was just doing paperwork anyway”

“Lottie says she’ll get her …” said Tina to a relieved Bette, she handed Lottie the phone so Bette could relay her instructions directly …

“Thank you *so* much” said Bette, “you can just pick her up and take her straight to The Planet, I’ll call Kit and tell her,”

“Okay …”

“Oh … wait …” said Bette, “you need to pick up her friend Stacie too, and drop her at her house … her Mom broke her foot …”

“I heard …” said Lottie chuckling,

“Is that okay?” asked Bette, not waiting around for an affirmative response, “Tina can give you the address …” she added, waiting for Lottie to hand her back to Tina,

Lottie sat and watched them finish up their conversation, realising she was now in a different world where straight couples weren’t the norm anymore,

Here were Bette and Tina solving their midday problems on childcare, Shane was at The Planet the day before asking Helena if she thought her daughter Li-li was old enough to start babysitting yet … moaning about how difficult it was to find a babysitter that didn’t give her the willies. Helena was suffering the embarrassment of having her relationship break-up publicly plastered in the press, on top of struggling with the recent loss of her kids ‘other mother’, Alice was playing the field after falling for ‘the straight girl’ and Lara and Dana were finding out the sex of their baby …