Place: Los Angeles, CA

Year: April 19, 2006 – Wednesday morning

Tina and Bette’s House

Morning finally came and Tina felt utterly and completely exhausted. She hadn’t slept at all, and worrying about Bette all night didn’t help to ease her mind. She called the CAC and Franklin informed her that Bette called earlier and took some time off due to the family emergency.

“And you let her go? What about the current exhibit?” Tina asked with worry, hoping that Bette’s call won’t jeopardize her job.

“Oh, it’s all have been taken care of. Bette did a great job preparing everything she had to do, so I can handle the rest,” Franklin assured Tina. “Family is important so you can tell Bette that she can take all the time she needs.”

Tina was relieved that Franklin was very understanding but this information made her worry even more. Bette would never do something like that unless it was absolutely necessary. Taking time off work meant that Bette was planning to be absent for a while and that thought filled Tina’s heart with so much pain, she could barely breathe.

She checked the time and realized that she was getting late for work. In her state of mind Tina didn’t care if she will make it to the studio at all today but she had obligations to her crew and to their investors to make the documentary series. So Tina took a hot shower, poured more coffee into the travel mug, and headed to the Alphaville, hoping that the busy work will take her mind off of Bette.

Some Hotel in WeHo

Bette opened her eyes and let them readjust to her surroundings. Last thing she remembered was lying down on top of the covers and thinking about Tina. Apparently, she finally fell asleep but she was still in her clothes and she didn’t feel at all rested.

Bette stretched her arms and arched her body to get rid of the tension. The hot shower helped to wash away most of the fatigue but the physical discomfort was the least of her problems right now. She went down to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast and ordered coffee while perusing their breakfast menu.