“Here you are, Ms. Porter. I hope that you find your accommodations are more than adequate. If you have any bags that need to be taken to your room…”

“Uh, no. I won’t be needing any help. Thank you anyway.” Bette’s mind was spinning.

She kept replaying the events of the last twenty-four or so hours over and over in her head. Hearing Tina say that she was not going to allow her to adopt Angelica. That Tina and Henry were talking about starting a family. Her ruse to fool the babysitter into leaving. Leaving with Angelica. What was she thinking? ‘I wasn’t,’ she answered under her breath. As she fought back tears, Bette remembers thinking as she left with Angelica ‘I can’t lose her, I just can’t.’

Then reality set in as she drove away with her little girl. As she looked back into the back seat to calm Angelica down, Bette saw Tina’s face in the face of their daughter. She couldn’t take Angelica from her mother, no matter what the consequences were for Bette. It was as if she flashed back to her own childhood when she realized that her own mother was gone. All of those emotions came rushing back to Bette. “I can’t do this. I can’t do this to Angel or Tina.” She took Angelica, who was now crying strongly for her mother, back to Tina’s room. She doesn’t even remember what Tina said. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Bette said with tears running down her face. She kissed Angelica. “You will always be my angel, boo,” and turned to run down the hallway to the elevator.

As the elevator reached the first floor, Bette rushed off, never seeing or hearing Kit call out to her. “Bette! Baby girl, where are you going?? Come back here. Bette!” With emotions rushing out uncontrollably, Bette runs out and gets into her rental. As she turns the key she whispers, “I love you, I always will,” and drives off as Angus tries to catch her in the parking lot.

————–

Tina stands in the entryway of her room stunned. She looks Angelica over, who is still crying and upset. “Is she okay?” Henry asks.

“I think that she’s fine, Henry.” Tina undresses her daughter and gives her a sippy cup and hands her her favorite bear. “She’s confused, I’m sure. But she’s not hurt.”

“Where is Bette? I need to call the police to deal with this.” Henry reaches for the phone.

“No, Henry. She brought Angelica back. Let it be for now.” Tina runs her hand through her hair as she tries to process the events of the past evening.

“Let it be? Tina, she will do this again if you let her! She is crazy, leaving like that with your child! We have to call the police to file charges, or get a restraining order, or whatever!” Henry is starting to shout.

“Lower your voice! Angelica is upset enough without you screaming your head off. The authorities here will be useless when we return to LA later. I will figure out what to do then about Bette.” What was she going to do about Bette? Obviously she had intended to leave with Angel, but she brought her back. Tina suddenly wanted to know if anyone knew of Bette’s whereabouts. As she thought of who to call, there is a knock on the door.

“Tina, I just saw Bette fly out of here on a tear. What’s going on? Is something wrong?” Kit looks around anxiously for her niece. She releases a sigh of relief when she sees Angelica laying on the bed surrounded by a nest of pillows.

“Is something wrong? IS SOMETHING WRONG?? Your sister just tried to kidnap Tina’s child!” Henry said.

“Kidnap? How can she kidnap her own daughter?” Kit looked at Henry as if he were speaking a foreign language.

“She’s not her daughter. Angelica belongs to Tina and Tina only. At least for now. I will make sure that your crazy sister never gets close to the two of them again!”

“Henry…” Tina starts.

“Hold on there mister. Let me tell you something. I don’t know who in the hell you think you are, but that child is Bette’s daughter. She would not hurt a hair on that child’s head. And if you think that you can just stand there and threaten my sister, then let me tell you…”

“Kit…” Tina is starting to feel really anxious now. “Bette did take Angelica when it was not her time to be with her and did not let me know. But she brought Angel back and the baby is fine. Did Bette say anything to you when you saw her?”

“No. She looked a thousand miles away. I don’t know if she heard me calling her or not. I bet I know why she was so upset, though.” Kit stares angrily at Henry.

“Don’t look at me! I’m not the one taking children away without permission. Enough of this. I’m calling the authorities.” Again Henry walks to the phone. “Hello? Yes, I need to report a kidnapping.”

Tina grabs the phone from Henry and places it on the receiver. “STOP IT HENRY! I said that I didn’t want the authorities involved!”

“Why not? Still protecting your precious Bette? SHE STOLE YOUR CHILD! Do you hear me Tina? She was going to leave with her and never come back. Do you hear me?
What is it about her? She tried to take your daughter! Call the police!”

With all of the commotion, there is another knock on the door. Tina walks past Henry and Kit to open it. Alice is standing there.

“Holy hell, what is going on in here? It sounds like somebody is losing their mind in here.” Alice steps into the room. “What’s wrong? Everybody looks so serious.”

“Bette left with Angelica.” Tina said with a sigh.

Alice looks to the bed. “But Angelica is right there. Where’s the joke?”

“She came and got Angelica from the sitter without my permission and left with her. She brought her back a little while ago.” Tina was hoping that everyone would calm down now.

“And?” Alice tilted her head as she looked at Tina as if she just couldn’t get it.

“Bette tried to kidnap Angelica and she needs to be prosecuted for it.” Henry blew out.

“But Angelica is right here” Alice tried again.

“SHE TRIED TO KIDNAP HER!” Henry shouted.

“But…”Alice opened her mouth to speak and was interrupted by a wail.

“See? You’ve upset Angelica now! That’s enough, all of you! Please leave and let me have some time with her.” Tina was on the edge of tears.

“Okay, okay. I’ll try to see if I can find Bette.” Kit started for the door. “Alice, can you help me?”

“Sure Kit. I’ll help.” Alice placed her hand on Kit’s shoulder and opened the door. “TK, if you need us…”

“I’ll call you Alice. Don’t worry about me.” Tina picks up her crying daughter and hugs her close. “We’re okay.”

Henry closes the door behind Kit and Alice. “Tina, really we need to…”

“Henry, when I said I wanted time with my little girl, I meant alone.”

“What? You’re kidding, right?”

“No. Please give me some time with Angelica right now.”

“Fine. If that’s what you want.” Henry snorted and opened the door. “I’ll be at the bar downstairs.” The door slammed behind him.

“What’s wrong Angel? Did all of that noise upset you?” Tina walked back and forth, cradling her crying daughter. “It’s okay. It’s just me and you now.” Tina thought to herself, ‘I guess now it really is me and you.’