«So my mother adopted me ?», Bette asked. Tina saw Mrs Stone cringed when Bette referred to Angela as her mother.

«Angela was a very kind and understanding woman… When I gave birth to you, I kept you for almost six weeks before I drove you to the Porter’s house for the last time… In was during that time that your father took the picture I showed you the other day. It broke my heart to let you go, but I knew deep down it was the right thing to do… I signed an agreement that I would not get in contact with you and never tell you about this… After that, I moved to New York and stayed there until I learned about my medical condition. That’s when I decided to contact you… Melvin and Angela are both gone, you’re an adult, so I figured I could break my agreement before I go too…», Mrs Stone added. She pulled a paper from her purse and handed it to Bette. It was from a lawyer’s firm. Bette read all about her adoption and the blood drained from her face when she recognized her father’s and mother’s signature at the bottom. The paper looked very authentic. The room started to spin around her.

«We asked a friend of my father to draw this», Mrs Stone explained to Bette.

«I have to get out of here…», Bette suddenly said, standing up. Tina tried to hold her back, but Bette was too quick leaving the table. Tina turned to Mrs Stone who’s face was ashen. «Are you OK?», she asked, concerned. The woman smiled weakly… «I’ll be all right, don’t worry about me… You should go after your partner… Here’s my number, I’m sure Bette already threw it away the first time I gave it to her», Mrs Stone told her, giving her her cell number and the number of the hotel she was staying at.

«We’ll be in touch…», Tina just said before running after Bette. She found her leaning against her car, staring into empty space. Tina walked up to her and took her in her arms. «I know how you must feel, baby, but we’ll get through this, I promise…», Tina whispered in her ear.

«Do you think she’s telling the truth, that this paper is real?», Bette asked.

Tina was now stroking her back very lovingly. She wished she had a magic wand so she could take her pain away… «I don’t know… Let’s go home and we can talk about it if you want. Do you think you’ll be able to drive, baby ?», Tina asked.

Bette shook her head yes. «I’ll be fine…», she said, opening her car door. She was about to get in when Tina put her hand on her shoulder. «I love you baby…», was all she said. Bette smiled. «I love you too… Thank you for being here with me».

Tina leaned closer and kissed her. «There’s no other place I would be babe… »

Bette got into her car and Tina watched her drive away. She would have to be very strong to get Bette through this… She sighed and walked to her own car. She noticed Mrs Stone leaving the coffee shop and wondered what she was feeling right now… When she was pregnant with hers and Bette’s baby, there no way on Earth she would have been able to give her baby away. It must have taken Mrs Stone a lot of courage to do this… and mostly an unconditional love for the child she was caring.

Tina finally got into her car and drove home to care for the woman she loved…