“It’s funny how things work out, huh?” Alice asked Dana and Shane while she drove. They were heading back to the hospital where Bette had been taken after her accident. Kit was waiting for them with a new list of do’s and don’t’s, courtesy of the emergency room staff she had badgered incessantly. Alice just knew that in that list would be items such as “Don’t eat meat; No smoking; Keep off the grass…” The poor nurses probably told Kit anything to get her off their backs.

“What do you mean? There’s nothing funny about Bette getting hurt, you know.” Shane mumbled. “She could have been killed.”

“Yeah, I know! But she wasn’t. And now Tina’s forced to concentrate on her exclusively. I know she never said anything, but Bette really hated being lower than number 1 on Tina’s piorities list.”

The friends hummed their agreement. They had seen how Tina grew focused on school and her new school friends, to the detriment of her time with Bette. They’d been on hand to see Bette attending get-togethers alone, making excuses for the absent Tina. She smiled and laughed on the outside, but those who had known her for a long time could see that she was unhappy.

“You know, I told you about this premonition I had? Remember?” Alice continued.

“How could we forget. i still got scald marks on my chest.” Shane answered dryly.

Alice ignored her comment but tried to slow down her driving. She resisted the urge to overtake a crawling Porche and drove more conscientiously.

“We want to get there before Kit gets thrown out for harrassing the staff.” Dana reminded her. Alice quickly accelerated.

“Well so I had a premonition. It had something to do with Bette and Tina. I couldn’t figure it out at first. It was just some images, flashes of scenes, you know like in the TV shows?”

Dana pondered for a moment. “Like Phoebe did in Charmed?”

“It was Piper.” Shane corrected.

“No, it was Phoebe. Alyssa Milano. You know, the one who was…” Dana put both hands in front of her chest. “… bigger.”

“Oh yeahhhh.” Shane smirked when she finally placed the face on the body.

“Yeah yeah so anyway. In it, Bette was crying and Tina was crying… Everyone was crying. Then there was a car. I think it overturned coz the driver tried to avoid running over a turtle trying to cross the road.”

“Did they die?!” Dana asked, wide-eyed.

“No, it wasn’t Tina or Bette in the car. It was some young girl. A teen, I think. Only I couldn’t see the face. Well, her whole body was all bloody and gross…”

Shane put a finger to her lower lip, thinking. “Wait. Are you sure it’s a premonition? That’s heavy. We don’t know any teenaged girls, do we?”

“You’ve probably ‘known’ all of them by now!” Alice retorted.

“Yeah…” Shane’s brow furrowed as she tried to think. “So what did the girl look like?”

“She was covered in blood. I don’t know. But I don’t think it was about any girl. Or any accident. Oh! I forgot this detail. The moment when the rescue workers got her out of the car, she turned into a younger girl. Like a child.”

“A girl child.” Dana supplied.

“Yeah a girl child. Wait, what?”

“A child who’s a girl. Who’s not your daughter, niece, or anything. Girl child.” Dana explained.

“Whatever. And then when the girl was loaded into the ambulance, I distinctly heard a baby crying. A baby! So any idea what the premonition means?”

“It was probably a dream.”

“I was awake. I know that coz I had just finished washing my face.”

The three friends sat and wondered until they reached the hospital. They saw Kit sitting on a bench outside the emergency room. They stopped in front of Kit and Kit immediately got in.

“Drive!”

Alice’s eyes darted around, looking for security.

Kit flicked the back of her head. “I got away this time. Now hurry on and get this ass down to Bette and Tina’s. I have a list here,” Kit waved the piece of paper, “of what Tina should do to ensure my baby sister gets well soon.”

Alice, Shane, and Dana looked at each other goggle-eyed. “Baby!” They simultaneously mouthed at each other.

The mini cooper’s tires screeched as Alice made a sudden u-turn. She had to go warn Bette and Tina!

“Whoa! Slow down!” Shane shouted as she grabbed onto Dana, who had been flung against the door. The Anna Kournikova bobblehead doll made its second trip to the floor and bounced twice.

“Shit! Bette’s already been in an accident! What the hell can we do now? Get into an accident ourselves?!!” Dana shouted. Alice slowed down. Dana seldom ever shouted and when she did, Alice was in the doghouse. She hoped she would get to steal one last kiss before the moratorium on sex started.

*****

Tina decided that Bette would probably feel better out of the sleep shirt and flannel pajama bottoms she was still wearing. She stared down at Bette who still slept on, wondering how to get the sleeves of the shirt through the bulky splint on Bette’s arm, and how to pull down the bottoms over the large bandage on Bette’s left knee.

Tina remembered how she had driven like a wild woman to the hospital emergency room while Bette groaned piteously in the back seat. The blood was coming from a gash in her forehead. She was alternately cradling her injured left arm with her right and patting her left knee to make sure it was still there. When they got to the hospital and the nurses had given her a hospital gown to change into, but Bette was adamant that she would never ever wear paper, even if she was dying. So the doctor had to splint up her fractures while she tried to hold her tattered shirt together. The whole thing lasted two hours, from the tests and x-rays, to the splinting. In that time, Tina had only left Bette’s side to call Kit on the telephone in the reception area. When Kit arrived, she immediately determined from the doctor that Bette was fine to go home. Within thirty minutes, Bette and Tina were on their way. Kit stayed behind to get “more information.”

Eyeing the tattered clothes Bette was still wearing, Tina wished that Bette had worn the hospital gown instead. It would have been easier to tear off.

It had been an hour since they returned home. Tina had spent around thirty minutes jusy laying beside Bette, reliving the nightmare of Bette’s fall over and over again. Finally, the sound of Bette’s steady heartbeat against her ear convinced her that Bette was really going to be alright. She got up and went to eat the multi-grain biscuit and had a can of soda. She also called up the local grocery store and arranged for a delivery of food. She sent out an email to her professors to tell them that she would be absent for the whole week, citing a personal emergency. Then she went back to look at Bette and ponder the situation of getting her lover out of her clothes. She laughed a little when she remembered their beginnings, thinking that nearly two years into the relationship and she was back to when she was plotting and scheming just to get into Bette’s pants.

“Well baby, I don’t have a choice. I know you really love those pajamas, but I need to do this.” Tina told the unconscious Bette while retrieving a pair of scissors from the nightstand drawer.

*****

“No! You are not coming close to me with those scissors! I’m warning you Tina!”

The gang and Kit heard the scream all the way to where they were at the front door. They exchanged looks and Kit started knocking loudly. A minute later, Tina opened the door looking disheveled and frustrated. She wordlessly motioned for them to enter.

“What’s going on?” Kit questioned.

Tina held up the pair of scissors in her hand. “Bette won’t let me cut her clothes off.”

They all trooped back to the bedroom and were met with Bette’s icy glare. The effect was lost on them as it was ruined by the paleness of her face and the conspicuous bandage on her head.

“if you think that you are going to apply that instrument of torture on poor Batwoman,” Bette growled and pulled at her shirt, showing off the cartoon Batwoman on the front, “You had better think again!”

“The sleeves won’t fit over your cast!” Tina explained for the hundredth time.

“I don’t care! I’ll sleep in it. This is a sleep shirt. A sleep. Shirt. I’ll fucking sleep in it if I want to!” Bette crossed her arms over her chest. She yelped in pain when her injured arm protested mightily.

“For God’s sake!” Tina went into the bag from the hospital and retrieved a bottle of pain killers.

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No goddamnit!”

“Why the hell are you being so difficult? Look, Kit and the others are here.” Tina moved to the side, revealing the intrigued bunch.

“Oh shit.” Bette knew she was defeated. Five against one. Ah, once again, the odds are against me, she thought bleakly. “Fine, get it over with. But I don’t need a pain pill.”

“Are you sure Bette? The doctor said it’s okay to take one each time you’re feeling pain.” Kit came close and sat down on the bed.

“Kitttt…” Bette whined.

“Okay, okay. Just say when you want it. Are you okay baby girl?”

“My head hurts. And my arm. And my knee.” Bette confided to her sister, certain that if anyone, Kit could make it all better.

Kit held up a small white pill. Bette clamped her mouth shut and frowned.

In the background, Tina ground her teeth in frustration.

“Give me the scissors Tina.” Kit held out a hand.

Tina gave the scissors to Kit, feeling useless and helpless.

“Now okay baby girl, I just need to make a few cuts here and there, nothing drastic, see?” Kit carefully cut into the sleeve to make room for the cast. She did the same to one leg of the bottoms. Throughout the operation, Bette looked on with an enormous frown. The rest of the girls looked on intently, except Tina who was near tears once again.

“All done! See? That wasn’t so bad, was it? Now let’s pull these off you…”

“Wait! Can the rest of you leave the room?” Bette asked.

Alice, Shane, Dana, and Tina all turned to go.

“Tina,” Kit’s voice was quiet and firm. “Stay here and help me please.”

Tina turned back around and faced the sisters.

“Hold up her arm while I get this shirt off her, please. There we go.” Kit smoothly pulled off the shirt while Bette and Tina stared into each other’s eyes. They followed the same procedure to get the bottoms off Bette’s bottom. Tina’s eyes glanced down to see several hickeys on Bette’s inner thigh. OOps!

“Okay now you girls have been busy, I see.” Kit teased lightly. “Tina can you go get something else Bette can wear? A tank top maybe and well…” she pondered over what Bette could possibly wear over the large cast on her knee.

“I have that pair of shorts with the large leg holes.” Bette reminded Tina. “You know, the one that looks like,”

“Hawaii threw up all over it.” Tina finished Bette’s description. They both laughed. Tina went to the closet and retrieved the clothing. With Kit’s help, they managed to get it on Bette.

“Okay!” Kit got up and pretended to dust off her hands. “My work here is done. Here,” she handed Tina a piece of paper where a long list was printed out. “Some things that might help Bette get better sooner than later.”

“Thanks Kit.” Tina and Bette replied at the same time. They looked at each other and giggled.

“Oooh you’ve really been busy. I can still smell them pheromones in the air. Take it easy though, sex is not on the list. Although I think it should be, huh?” Kit waved and walked out of the room.

They were still giggling when Alice burst in, followed by Dana and Shane. “Bette! I need to tell you about a premonition I had!”

“Alice. Does it involve a long forced holiday with me on my back the whole time?” Bette asked, glad to see Alice. She hadn’t seen Alice since the whole gang took off for some wilderness bondage. She wondered how that would work and thought that leafy restraints and such probably figured largely into the scene.

“It might. See we haven’t really figured out what it all means.”

“Tell us.” Tina invited. Everyone found a place on the big bed and settled in.

As Alice retold her premonition, Tina’s hand found Bette’s uninjured one. Bette squeezed Tina’s hand as she pretended to listen. After she’d finished her narration, Alice waited for the reaction. When there was none, she snapped her fingers in front of Bette’s face.

“Wow you’re really high, aren’t you?” Alice wondered aloud. Bette, embarrassed to be caught daydreaming, just nodded.

Tina cleared her throat and gave Bette’s hand one last squeeze. Then she spoke for the both of them. “That’s really depressing, Alice. What could it be about?”

Dana stared pointedly at Bette’s bandages.

“No guys, I think I’ve figured it out.” Shane suddenly spoke. Everyone shifted to stare at Shane.

“I think… Hm… Okay guys I’m just guessing here. But I think it’s about you and Tina, not just you.”

“Continue please.” Bette prodded.

“Well, you and Tina haven’t been so close lately…” Shane trailed off.

“Wait, how the hell do you figure that?” Bette responded hotly.

“It’s on both your faces.” Shane answered. Alice and Dana nodded.

“My faltering relationship with Tina is on my face?” Bette realized what she said and quickly looked at Tina, who was looking down at her feet sadly.

“Whatever.” Shane was quick to introject. “The car. It’s the both of you. Your relationship. The accident is what could happen,”

“If we don’t fix it.” Tina finished another sentence within an hour. Boy, she’s turning into a regular mind reader. Too bad it just kicked in. That skill could have prevented her relationship with Bette from ‘faltering’.

Alice, Dana and Shane just nodded sagely. Bette bit her lip and tried to catch Tina’s eye.

“Well, guys, thanks for everything. The concern, and everything.” Tina’s tone informed everyone that it was time to leave. They quickly said their goodbyes and filed out of the room.

“I’ll be by tomorrow to bring you breakfast, ‘kay?” Dana asked and didn’t wait for an answer. She followed her friends out the door and into Alice’s car.

When everyone had left, Tina sat back down beside Bette and sighed. Bette grabbed her hand, suddenly desperate to hold on. Tina looked at her and smiled sadly.

“I guess we should talk.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Bette gulped.

TBC