After pacing back and forth in his room for nearly 30 minutes, debating the pros and cons of the notion thrashing about in his mind, Mark finally decided to suck it up, stick his tail in between his legs, and go apologize to Jenny one last time. Having been buoyed by her earlier happier and seemingly forgiving mood, the young filmmaker had decided that he wanted to fix things between them once and for all. As he paced, his sweaty hands absently toyed with the video tape in his hand. Hed been working on it all afternoon. Having seen her reaction to Shane and Carmens intimate discussion and having been told about her past with both men and women, Mark had come to understand just how vulnerable his emotionally unstable roommate must be. And therefore, hed spent the afternoon piecing together clips of Jenny that showcased just how important and special she was, in hopes that this peace offering would enable her to see that indeed some good had come out of his thoughtless voyeurism and that in the process of watching the tape and actually forgiving him, the gifted author might realize the true value of her self-worth.

Okay, I can do this, Mark whispered to himself, as he smoothed back his wild russet locks and prepared to leave the safe confines of his room. With his brow furrowed deep in thought, his scripted words running on a feedback loop in his mind, Mark marched through the darkness of the late evening, shoring up his courage with each step.

When he reached Jennys door, it was partially open and the young man hesitated briefly before knocking gently and awaiting a response. When there was no response, he knocked again, looking through the crack in the opened door and noticing Jennys pill bottle lying open on the floor, its figure visible in the moonlight. Turning his gaze further to the right, he could see his roommates stocking feet dangling off the edge of the bed.

This scene didnt feel right to him and he called out, Jenny! Jenny!

Again, there was no response. Her feet didnt even move and the panic that rushed through Marks veins forced him to open the door. He stepped into the darkened room and found Jenny sprawled out on her bed. After flipping on the light and trying to rouse his roommate from her deep slumber, Marks level of panic escalated. His heart was pounding in his chest and a light sweat broke out on his forehead. His scattered thoughts came together and he connected his roommates comatose state to the opened orange pill bottle lying on the floor.

The frantic filmmaker studied the bottle and realized it had been filled earlier in the day. The prescription had been for 30 pills and it was empty.

What the *****? She took all 30 of these?, he asked aloud, rubbing his free hand on the stubble on his chin.

Finally snapping out of his daze, Mark rushed to Jennys limp body and cradled her head in his lap as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tina had fallen asleep to the gentle timbre of her wifes voice as Bette relayed the tale of Monkeys on Strike. The caramel beauty hadnt been far behind and it wasnt until they heard the sirens of the ambulance that had come to save Jennys life, that the soul mates moved from their comfortable positions of rest. They were still too groggy to realize just how close the ambulance was to their home. Tina snuggled closer to her wife and rested for another half an hour or so before the pressure on her bladder became too much to bear. The sun-kissed beauty sighed deeply before forcing her eyes open and easing herself out of Bettes loving arms.

Bette immediately felt the departure of her lovers warm body and under her haze of sleep called out, T?

Tina gently stroked Bettes dark locks, her sleepy amber eyes studying her wifes closed eyelids and sultry pink lips as she whispered, Shhgo back to sleep, babe. Im just going to the bathroom.

The blonde beauty smiled as she watched her partner nod in response as the stealthy fingers of slumber wrapped themselves around Bette and lulled her back to sleep. Tina kissed her lovers forehead lightly before reaching over Bette and turning out the bedside lamp theyd left on earlier in the evening. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she let the moonlight illuminate her path to the bathroom. Once inside, she flicked on the light and eased the door shut behind her. As she made her way over to the toilet, Tina felt a sharp pain in her stomach and gripped onto the bathroom counter as she cried out softly, her voice bouncing off the white walls and glass shower door of the room.

Holding on to her protruding belly with one hand and the counter with the other, the frightened mother-to-be took several deep breaths, attempting to keep calm and intercept the anxiety attack she felt was imminent. Oh my God, Oh my God, she whispered. Please dont let anything happen to this baby. I cant take it if anything goes wrong with this one. Please God, let her be alright., she prayed silently.

Tina stood stock still, as if any movement would cause her further distress. After the initial pain passed and she didnt feel any more looming on the horizon, the worried, pregnant womans bladder began to scream at her again, demanding attention and a conveying its need to be emptied. Very carefully, she inched over to the toilet and proceeded to relieve herself. It was only after she wiped and turned to flush that she noticed she was bleeding.

The terrified blonde was now frozen in place. Her soft amber eyes wide in shock and confusion, her heart pounding loudly in her eardrums. Each breath came shorter than the one preceding it and Tina began to feel as if an elephant were trying to sit on her chest and squeeze every last drop of oxygen from her struggling lungs. She was so frightened, even her tears stood frozen in place, blurring her vision of the crimson color floating around in the white porcelain bowl. It was the arrival of another sharp, stabbing pain in her midsection that unglued her from where she stood and forced a moan from her trembling lips.

Bette!, she moaned, bending over as she held onto the baby growing inside her, grabbing on to the wall for support as the frozen liquid fear in her eyes unthawed and trickled down her tanned cheeks.

Bette was far from lucid, her mind still hovering between sleep and wakefulness, edging closer and closer to deep sleep with each passing second. However, her wifes moan tickled her ears and pulled her closer to wakefulness. The second moan sent her bolting upright in the length shirt and slacks shed fallen asleep in. Her dark brown eyes opened wide as she held her breath; afraid that breathing would prevent her from hearing what she couldnt quite discern was reality. Another one of Tinas low moans rolled from under the bathroom door and in seconds, Bette had bolted into the master bath and found her wife lying on the cold tile floor, clutching her midsection and convulsing in tears.

Dark brown eyes jumped around, hunting for clues as to the cause of her wifes distress. The blood in the toilet jumped out at her and her stomach dropped. Oh my God, she said.

T, baby?, Bette asked, moving to Tinas body, bending down searching the depths of her soul mates scared amber eyes, holding onto her wifes hand, her other hand gently stroking strands of silky, flaxen locks.

Tinas eyes met Bettes before another shot of pain hit and she closed them in agony, doubling over even more. It hurts so bad. Somethings wrong, Bette. Oh, God!, she screamed.

Inside, Bette was frantic. Her heart practically stopped when she heard her wifes sorrowful words. She wanted to collapse, curl up into a ball, and pretend as if this werent happening. Luckily, her brain switched over to automatic pilot and she responded without even thinking.

Her supple lips kissed her wifes forehead tenderly as she whispered, Everything is going to be fine. Dont worry, T. Ill be right back, baby. Im gonna call for help.

Bette started to pull away and Tina clutched her hand tighter. Dont leave me!, she shrieked.

Her words stabbed Bette right in the heart and the panicked partner swallowed her own tears and forced a thin smile. Ill be right back, T. I promise you, baby. Ill be right back., she said, before kissing her wifes clammy hand and literally running to grab the cordless phone and open the front door for the paramedics when they arrived.
Not more than 30 seconds had passed before she slid in next to her nearly inconsolable wife, holding Tinas head in her lap and gripping her lovers hand as her shaky fingers dialed 911 and prayed for a miracle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she heard her phone ringing, Alice smiled deeply, hoping it was her long-lost girlfriend. She dove for the phone and landed on her couch, her hip crashing into her television remote. The impact sent pain traveling up her side and she squelched her own outburst as she flipped open her phone and answered, Dana?. Her voice was filled with hope and expectation as she rubbed her hip and strained to hear the tear-filled voice on the other end of the line.

There was a series of sniffles followed by, No, Al..its me. The small, wilted voice sounded vaguely familiar and it wasnt Dana Fairbanks.

Bette? Whats wrong? Whats going on, Bette?, asked Alice. She forgot all about the pain in her side and sat up on the couch, intently listening to the words of the woman that was more like a sister than a friend.

Bette was pacing back and forth outside of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, each step taking with it a little more of her rapidly deteriorating sanity. The weight of her emotions was so heavy she could hardly speak and the fear, worry, and anxiety that coursed through her system seemed to congeal in a tight ball in the center of her chest that began to pulsate, sending out a painful, dull ache that reverberated throughout her tensed body.

Its TShe was bleedingSomethings wrong.Im at the hospital with her. Im so scared, Al, she managed to say before getting choked up again.

Oh no., said Alice. She could tell by Bettes grieved state that something was seriously wrong. Bette Porter was the queen of calm and control. If she was this upset, Tina must really be in dire straits.

I dont know what to do, Al. I.I cant.I cant fix this., Bette sobbed.

Calm down, Sweetie., Alice replied, rushing to her room to throw on some clothes. What hospital is she in?

Bette sniffled again and answered, Cedars. Im uh.Ive gotta go.They are taking her up to the OR.

Alice stood stock still, her eyes opened wide, a pair of jogging pants in her hand. The OR?, she asked.

The terrified mother-to-bes tear-filled voice replied weakly, Yeah, they are rushing her up there. They want to try and deliver the baby.

Bette, Ill be there as soon as I can. Dont worry, okay. Ill be right there.

It pained Alices heart to hear her strongest friend reply in a broken voice, Okay, Al.

Hey Bette?, said Alice.

Yeah?

I love you. Ill see you soon.

I love you, too., Bette replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Alices Mini flew into the parking lot of Cedars-Sinai, shed called Dana, Shane, and Kit. As her legs carried her through the parking lot and she approached the front door, the concerned friends dark eyes spotted her girlfriend crawling out of the front seat of an unfamiliar black SUV. Dana was still talking with the driver and it wasnt long before Alice spotted Lara Perkins behind the steering wheel. Deciding that Bettes pain and Tinas condition were more important, the witty reporter gave the love of her life one sad look as she passed by her and headed for the front doors.

Dana saw her girlfriends figure out of the corner of her eye and turned around, calling out Al, wait!

Alice shook her head, her legs still in motion. I cant. Ive gotta find Bette. Shes really upset right now. She needs me. Ill see you inside. With that, the blonde writer disappeared into Cedars, leaving Dana to stare after her and wonder how she would explain this situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The doctors grim mask of concern and medical jargon kept circling Bettes mind as she chewed nervously on her nails and tried in vain to keep the tears from falling.

Tina has suffered a placental abruption.

We have to perform an emergency C-section to try to save her and the baby.

Her condition is very grave. Were doing everything we can.

There is no guarantee they will both survive.

Like the wings of a precious, peaceful dove, Alices arms eased around Bettes trembling body and the caramel colored woman lost the tiny semblance of composure shed been struggling so hard to hold on to.

I cant lose her, Al. I cant lose her. Not like this. Not after all this time. I cant fix this. I cant make it better. I.I cant even.. see my wife. What am I going to do if they dont make it? I cant. survive.. without her. I cant. I need her, Al. I need her., Bette moaned, her body shaking with sobs, tears coursing down her cheeks, despair filling every pore of her being.

Alice gently rocked her friend and family member, Shh.shes going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay. Dont panic, Bette.

I love her so much. Shes everything to me.

I know, Sweetie. I know you do., said Alice.

Daddy just died. I cant lose her now. Not when everything is finally coming together., Bette moaned.

Dont think like that. We have to be strong. Just think positive. Believe its going to be okay. When you take your wife and your baby girl home, they are gonna need you to be strong, okay? Dont wear yourself out because they are going to need you., said Alice.

Thats all I want to do. Take them home. Take them both home., said Bette.

Another set of arms wrapped themselves around Bette and Alice. You will take them home. You have to believe that., said Dana, her dark brown eyes filling with tears.

Bettes response was another round of miserable sobs as both Dana and Alice joined her in shedding tears of worry and fear. They were sitting like that, sharing a group hug and cry, when a nurse came over to the trio and guided them to a family consultation room. Dana was the last to enter the room and as she slipped inside, Shane caught a glimpse of the thin tennis player. The brunette broke out into a full run with Carmen at her side, her long legs carrying her to the only family she had.

Wait, wait!, a nurse called after her.

There were already tears on Shanes pale face. I cant wait. Thats my family. Thats my family.!, she yelled in return.

When Shane reached the room, she stopped for a moment, staring through the rectangular glass window, studying her closest friends. They were oblivious to her presence. Bette was sitting a chair with Dana and Alice on either side of her; both women struggling to stay composed as they each rubbed the frantic womans back, trying to give her a sense of calm they did not possess. The bronzed womans head was bent low, her dark locks moving in time with each nerve-wracking sob, her grief raw and intense.

Carmen stepped up beside her, placing a comforting hand on the small of Shanes back. You can do this., Carmen whispered.

Shane nodded and swallowed over the lump in her throat before gazing into a pair of dark brown eyes and smiling weakly. I hope so., she whispered.

The once friendless young brunette walked into the room and kneeled down right in front of Bette; a woman whod been her sage, comrade, and mentor, a woman whod looked out for her like an older sister. Thin, ashen arms slid around Bettes wilted frame and hugged her tightly.

The mother-to-be didnt even have to look up to know her friends touch. She has to make it through, Shane. She has to make it through.

Shane spoke as the tears slipped from her eyes. Remember what you told me I lost my job at that coffee shop and then found out my father had been killed? I was so devastated and you were right there with me. You said, Have a little faith, Shane. Things arent always as dark as they seem. You never know when things are going to work out in the end. Then.. remember.. on my last day at the coffee shop, that guy came in and wanted to send me to hairdressing school? I thought he just wanted to pimp me out. I thought he just wanted to use me. You told me to just be patient and see where it took me.

You gotta remember that, Bette. You gotta be patient. You gotta know that things arent always what they seem. Tinas gonna be okay. Have a little faith, Bette. You taught me, remember?, said Shane, holding Bette even tighter.

I remember., Bette whispered into Shanes neck.

Good. Just hold on. Were all a family. Well get through this together., said Shane.

There wasnt a dry eye in the room. Even Carmen was crying as she moved closer and knelt by the woman shed fallen in love with, wrapping her arms around both Bette and Shane. Alice and Dana locked eyes and shared a sad smile before clasping hands across their kneeling friends and leaning in towards Bette.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outside of the Cedars Emergency Room entrance, Mark paced nervously as he called Shanes cell phone. In the chaos of the ambulance ride and helping the team of nurses and doctors understand what had transpired, the young man had forgotten to phone the woman that had become his new best friend. After leaving a message on Shanes voice mail, he sighed deeply before walking inside to waiting area and resuming the seat hed occupied since his arrival.

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In the backseat of her jeep, Shanes slender cell phone glowed and beeped, alerting the empty vehicle that she indeed had a an urgent message from Mark.

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In the triage room of the ER, a slim doctor crawled on top of Jennys limp, lifeless body, repeating chest compressions amidst the chaos around him as a resident bagged this nearly comatose patient.

A trickle of sweat rolled down the side of his tanned face as Dr. David Rodriguez pushed a few strands of dark brown hair out of his eyes and yelled out, Charge the paddles! Charge the paddles! Were losing her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The steady beep of the heart monitor served as the metronome for the doctors surgical chorus as they attempted to deliver Tinas child. Surgical nurse Monica Peters looked down at the closed eyes of this patient and sighed to herself, hoping that this severe case of placental abruption would not cause the death of the pretty blonde woman lying below her.

As the surgeons did their best to preserve her life and that of the baby girl shed fought so hard to conceive and carry, Tina Kennards mind floated through memories and dreams. She saw her first kiss with Bette at the old gallery, her first date with Bette at the Golden Palace Chinese restaurant, their first night living under the same roof, their commitment ceremony.

Tina could feel Bettes soft lips on hers as they kissed at the end of the ceremony. She could feel the bubbles of the champagne theyd toasted with at the reception tickle her tongue and slip down her throat. She could hear her wifes loving words echoing in her ears.

I vow to take you as my partner. I vow to spend the rest of my life loving you and today I feel whole, knowing I have finally found the other half of my heart. For without you, I am incomplete. I love you, T.

Tinas eyes had watered as she responded, I love you too.

In the real world, Tina Kennards blood pressure was dropping and her cardiac sinus rhythms relayed signs of distress. Nurse Monica Peters pursed her lips tightly, attentively awaiting the doctors orders as she joined the chorus of Tinas family members and prayed for a miracle.

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The End

At this point, the show would end and fade to black and this would end my S2 for the L-word. Granted this might be like 2 or more hours long. However, whos counting when we get to see our favorite girls on the screen. I gotta tell you.Im not. I hope you found it somewhat enjoyable and thanks for reading and following along.