Tina was laid out on the floor…
“Tina………Tina……wake up…..” screamed Bette.
After a few minutes, Tina stirred awake. “Oh, god Tina…You scared the ***** out of me….”
Tina sat up…”*****..another Panic Attack.” she sighed and put her hand up to her face.
“How many have you been having?” asked Bette.
“A few last night…”
“*****, this is all my fault..I put you under all this stress….come on, come get in bed…”
“No, Bette…”
“Tina, all I’m gonna do is tuck you in…..and then I will leave you alone…you need the rest…”
“I know I do…but I need to clean up that mess in the living room.” said Tina as she started to stand…
“No…I made the mess, and I’ll clean it up…………..ALL OF IT!!!” Bette knew what she was talking about but she wasn’t so sure that Tina would catch it. “Now, I insist that you come lay down and take a nap…”
“I can’t sleep in that bedroom Bette…” said Tina with a pained look on her face…
“I meant the spare bedroom…I’m gonna hang out on the sofa…”
“Why don’t you sleep in the bed?” asked Tina.
“Not without you…..” said Bette as she walked Tina into the spare bedroom….
Tina laid down on the bed, and Bette stood next to her…”You are so beautiful…I don’t know what the ***** I was thinking….breaking your heart that way..”
“So, u were only with me for my looks?” asked Tina.
“No..but that was one of the things…the other was love….something that I will never lose for you….no matter what happens…”
“Bette……………………..” Tina started to say something but quickly stopped….
“What, Tina?” asked Bette
Tina rolled over onto her side, and sobbed into the sheets…..
“Tina, what is it?” Bette sat on the bed and softly whispered…”I am so sorry, T….I swear I would do anything to change things…I really would….please don’t hate me…..I love you soo much..” and she began to cry… Slowly, she looked over to Tina and placed her hand on Tina’s hip……….
The feel of Bette’s hand touching her skin, burning like fire…she quickly rolled over into Bette’s arms….Bette was surprised by this but held her nonetheless.
“Why? Why did you do this? Was I not enough for you? The ***** wasn’t good?” asked Tina as she sobbed…
“No……No……….Baby, I don’t know why I did this……..I fucked up sooo bad…and I am so sorry….from the bottom of my heart.” Tina laid there for a few minutes….
“Bette, I need to be alone now……I have to think about things…..”
“I understand…but let me just say that I love you and again….I am so sorry….” With that, Tina rolled over onto her side, and Bette stood, slowly walking to the door.
She got there and turned around looking at Tina…with tears rolling down her cheeks, she walked out and closed the door.
Tina bursted into tears….and Bette, standing at the door, heard her..She wanted to go back in and pull Tina into her arms, but she knew she couldn’t do that because she was the very reason Tina was in so much pain.
After a few minutes, Bette walked away from the door, and went to the living room…………………..she was sitting there on the couch crying when the phone rang…..
“Hello?” she answered sniffling…
“Bette?” asked Alice…
“Hey, Al…”
“Hey…Is Tina there with you?”
“Yea…..sort of….”
“Then you worked things out?”
“Not exactly….I don’t know what to do to fix this.” said Bette as she started to cry.
“Just give her time, Bette….she will come around….The love that you guys share is a hard bond…….and nothing will break it…”
“Yea, well, I sure don’t feel that way…”
“You will see, babe…just take it one day at a time…I’ve gotta go.”
“k…call me later.” said Bette before she hung up the phone…
Tina walked out of the spare bedroom as Bette hung the phone up….”Who the ***** was that?” she said angrily…
“Alice…”
Tina looked at Bette with an unbelieving face…….
“Tina, I swear…it was Alice….” said Bette as she picked the phone up…..”Do you want to call her and see for yourself?”
“*****…” said Tina as she turned, cried, and walked back into the bedroom..
Bette followed…..”Tina, I am so sorry about everything.” she said to a closed door.
“Please, Bette….just go away….”
“Tina, I can’t leave you like this….”
“*****…Just go to work or something Bette.”
“I don’t want to.” said Bette.
“Why not?”
“Because I am afraid that I will come back and you won’t be here….”
“I’ll be here, Bette…This is my home too…” said Tina as she sobbed louder..
“Yes it is, baby………………………………okay……I’m gonna go to work….”
“Candace gonna be there?” asked Tina just as Bette started to walk away. Bette stopped dead in her tracks……
“I don’t know….” said Bette…”She shouldn’t be…her work is done with the Provocations show being over….”
“I’ll bet her work is done…” said Tina lightly….so that Bette didn’t hear her.
“I’ll be here………..or outside by the pool when you get here…” said Tina…
“Can we talk then?” asked Bette through the door.
“I don’t know if I am ready for that yet….” said Tina
“Please baby…I can’t keep doing this…………………………….all I want to do is hold you and make love to you….”
“I said…….that I didn’t know if I was ready for that yet.”
“Okay.” said Bette sighing….She leaned her head against the door……’I love you so much, T.’
Bette got ready for work and left without saying goodbye to Tina……
She arrived at the CAC and walked into the office…”Thought you were taking today off….”
“I was going to but I decided to come on in….Any messages?”
“Yea…about 10 of them from Candace…guess she wants to get paid.”
“Guess.” said Bette as she shuffled the papers around on her desk…She sat in her chair and leaned back…….looking at the door….remembering what had happened not so long ago…..how Candace had ravished her….took advantage of her…..and how she liked every minute of it…..
Knock.Knock.Knock….
“In.” yelled Bette.
Candace walked in and stood in front of Bette’s desk……
“*****, Candace….are you okay……….I am really sorry.” said Bette as she studied the bruises along Candace’s face….
“Yea, just my pride that hurts…..How are you?”
“I am fine….considering….”
“I just stopped by to say a few things and then I will be on my way….I know you may not want to hear anything from me right now…….but I need you to hear this…………”
Candace started……”In the last few weeks that I have known you…I have grown to love you….and I ruined your relationship with Tina in the process….I don’t know exactly how to tell you how sorry I am…….but, I just wanted to stop by on my way out of town to wish you luck……I can’t stay here with you around….or Tina…………….I love you too much to hurt myself like this……………………………so I must go…..”
“Where will you go?” asked Bette
“I don’t know yet….I just know that I have to leave…”
“I’m also sorry Candace….I never meant to hurt you…..but I love my wife……Tina is my life and I intend to commit my entire time to making it up to her……she is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with……..I just can’t believe that I have done this to her…..to myself…..and to you…..I, too am sorry.”
Candace went to turn around to leave……opened the door…and there stood Tina………….in tears……………………..
Candace flinched back in fear that she would be pounded on again…………………………
“Hey, Tina…” said Bette…
“Hey…” said Tina eyeballing Candace…..
“I am really sorry, Tina….” said Candace..
“I know….but……………………”

TBC…………………………………………………………………….