Bette rolled her eyes, mainly to herself because nobody else could see. And when she cocked her head, her nostrils flared, sensing something familiar in the air. “Good girl.” She suppressed a grin. “Will you call Sarah Schuster? If you call her you’ll know there’s no reason to freeze me and wait for me to unravel.” She said out loud.

Morris made an attempt to shut her up, “quiet.”

Robinson impatiently shoved her forward, “We checked, nobody turned up. Now move.”

Tina was out of sight, but she heard her, loud and clear. Sarah Schuster, she repeated to herself and hurried off. There was a million questions on her mind, and she didn’t know what was really going on. But she knew one thing, Bette was alive, injured but alive. 

She witnessed the brunette’s resolution today. It gave her strength that she craved, prayed for over the expanse of the last few months.

——

Back in her cell, Bette slumped to the corner and held her arm. The pain wouldn’t ease after this day of torment. The drive had been unnecessarily long, which was meant to throw her off track and confuse her. But hearing the train every now and then, and with her extensive knowledge of every corner of the city, Bette knew exactly where she was, and after some research she’d done during her run, she also knew it was Tina’s precinct.

She didn’t get to see her. Yet she was smiling like a fool. Just hearing the several words she spoke through a door was enough to set her heart going off rail. Tina, her Tina, who cared for her, watched out for her, who she loved with all she was, who she swore to keep safe from harms way. It killed her to be away all these months with absolutely no words, but things needed to be done. And for a while, she was scared that the woman might have given up on her, moved on.  

Tina didn’t. Her thought was interrupted with a scratchy sound of her cell door.

“Knock knock.” In came Helena with a tray of goo that was supposed to be her dinner. She observed the odd expression on Bette’s face, it was a half grimace and half smile. “Someone’s in a good mood?”

“Helena.” She acknowledged the Brit. “You were right. They sent me back.”

“Excellent.”

“I uh, I need a favor.” Bette accepted her tray and dumped the substance in the toilet. “Could you call someone for me?”