45 mins after Bette had gone to the shop a familiar face arrived and Alice caught a glimpse of her in the window to her room.

“Dane?”

“Yeh Al?” Dana replied suddenly snapped out of her daydream

“Your lift home is here.”

Dana looked up a little confused to see her mother smiling warmly at her on the other side of the window.

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter Alice. I said I didn’t want to go home and I don’t.”

Sensing the sudden change in mood and knowing that their friends needed a moment, Tina and Bette excused themselves and slipped out into the corridor where Sharon was waiting.

“Dane you need to go home and sleep in our bed and tomorrow you need to get up and come back here and sit and have your treatment.”

“You think I don’t fucking know that? Seriously Al why are you bringing it up like I need a fucking nurse 24/7 and how the fuck did she know to come anyway? You and Bette got some sort of secret fucking code thing?”

“Why are you shouting at me Dane?”

“Because this is shit and I’m fed of feeling like shit and I just want to take you home and crawl into our bed and hold onto you and never have to get up again” Dana exhaled and the tears flowed freely.

“Dana life doesn’t work like that, sure all this shit sucks but right now we take it a day at a time and we’ll be home and in our bed in no time. Ok?”

Dana was not entirely convinced but Alice always knew how to make her feel a little better and she nodded in agreement.

“Ok so go home and get some sleep and I’ll see you either before or after your treatment ok?”

Dana stood and gave her lover a long, passionate kiss that they’d both missed.

They exchanged I love yous and Dana left feeling that although she had to be back early in the morning to spend 6 hours hooked up to chemo, at least she got to see Alice and that did what it always did, brought a smile to her face.