***

That night Bette had a panic attack as she lay in bed beside Tina who had Angie cradled in her arms.

Bette: Tina?

Tina: Uh?

Bette: Are you awake?

Tina mumbled something. Bette took it as affirmation that she was listening.

Bette: I’m scared

Tina: It’s OK Baby

Bette: What if I can’t adopt her … what if I can’t find a job that I really love?

Bette is in tears as she’s talking to Tina’s back; not realizing that Tina had fallen into a deep sleep.

Bette: It’s just I feel like … like I don’t have any control over anything … I mean I don’t know what’s going on with us … I mean I don’t know if it’s just all the changes… Tina? Tina? Tina?

Her partner hadn’t heard any of what she was saying as the poured her heart out.

***

Present day …

Just as Bette is loading their luggage in the car Tina walks out with Angie to put her in the car seat. They were leaving for Vermont later that afternoon but first making a stop to drop Angie off at the recording studio where Kit was laying new tracks for her comeback CD with her friend Nona Hendrix and the Betty Band.

The entire gang was invited to hang out with them so Angus and the aunties would take care of Angie while Kit worked. Since Alice was keeping Dana’s company Angie would be staying with Kit. Angus would help out as needed while her parents were out of town.

***

Bette and Tina were talking as they got Angie and the luggage situated when they heard someone clearing their throat. They were both surprised to see Roberta wheeling herself up their driveway.

“What is she doing here?” Bette asked between clenched teeth.

It had been a couple of months since the second home visit but they hadn’t heard anything back as yet about the adoption. Bette suspected Roberta was holding up the proceedings so she’d contacted her lawyer about it. The lawyer had assured her that even though the home visits hadn’t gone well it wasn’t anything that they couldn’t fix and they probably had enough evidence that Roberta had been antagonistic against them even before the review.