Bette leapt from her seat when she heard her name called.

I am . .. How is Tina??

Ms. Porter, I am Dr. Richardson, please sit down

Bette prepared herself for the worse as Alice, Dana and Shane each took a position near her to hear what the doctor had to say and also to provide Bette with any support that she may need.

Ms. Porter, Ms. Kennard is currently in recovery. She is in critical but stable condition. We had to do a lot of work on her. She has suffered second and third degree burns over 30 percent of her body which is our biggest concern at this time. She suffered major trauma to her lower body. When she arrived, she had lost a lot of blood and when we got her into surgery we could not stop the bleeding without performing a hysterectomy. She also suffered a broken right leg and broken left ankle. As I stated, our biggest concern right now are the burns. She is very susceptible to infection right now. We will be performing a first of what will probably be several skin grafts in the next 24 hours. For now, we are trying to keep Ms. Kennard as comfortable as possible by placing her in a drug induced coma. The next several days will be critical if she is going to pull through this

Bette sat quietly during the doctors explanation. She was overwhelmed by emotions. The news from the doctor was shocking.

Tina is alive!! That was all the mattered she thought. We can get through this. Tina is going to be ok. I know she is. It is going to take some time, but she is going to be just fine.

Ms. Porter do you have any questions for me?

Bette didnt realize that she had not said anything to the doctor because she was so lost in her own thoughts.

When can I see Tina?

She will be in recovery for at least another hour. After that she will be moved to ICU. You will be able to see her then. Have me paged if you need anything.

They all stood around for several minutes without anyone saying a word. They each were trying to absorb everything that the doctor had told them. Tina was alive but she was a long way from being out of the woods. If she did manage to survive, she would not longer be able to have children. Bette and Tina spent the last year focused on trying to get Tina pregnant. All Tina wanted to do was to become a mother now that was gone.

The silence was broken by Bettes sobs.

Bette, Are you ok? Alice asked as she put her arms around Bette.

Bette placed her head on Alices shoulder, I just want Tina to be ok. I love her so much Alice and I dont know what I would do without her. I cant imagine my life without Tina. She has always done everything she could to take care of me and now I am completely helpless. If it wasnt for me she wouldnt be here.

Hey guys, lets get some air Shane requested through her own tears as she headed for the door.

tbc