Love, Loss and Living

Crossroads Part 7

Day after the election...

Dani had come to Bette's home after helping Bette with the clean up after election night. They had gathered boxes of stuff that Bette had wanted as the clean up crew had already started dealing with the mess. Bette was trying to decide what to do with the boxes when Dani causally asked her what was next for her. Bette unbeknownst to Dani had been offered a job by the knew mayor to head up a task force to spearhead the Opioid crisis in Los Angeles. To Bette's surprise, Dani flagged her off, telling her that Dani's father, who ran a big Pharm corporation had silently funded the new mayor's campaign and that they were using Bette for political reasons.

'Wow!" Bette said with a devastated look on her face. "Was it worth it, was anything fucking worth it?" Bette said in a crushed voice.  But there was more behind that statement then just a response to Dani's revelation. All these weeks later, Bette had still been processing the conversation she had with Tina.  Even before she devastated Bette with announcing her engagement, Tina had stated that Bette wasn't capable of looking beyond her own needs and wants.  She basically insinuated that it was Bette that drove her away.

Dani looked at Bette, trying to read in her eyes what this powerful and amazing woman was feeling while trying to decide how to respond.  "Yes, yes I think it was," Dani said reassuring her. 

"I don't know anymore," Bette said wearily.

Bette looked away and then stared down as she thought about the turn of events that led to her deciding to run for Mayor of Los Angeles.  Tina had already filed for divorce a few months before Kit had been in an car accident and was taken to the hospital. Kit wasn't asked about her history of addiction and was given a strong opioid for her pain. That was the beginning of a downward spiral that ended nine months later with Bette finding her sister dead in her office at the Planet. Bette had arrived at the hospital the morning after the accident as she had been out of town, and immediately had advised the doctors of Kit's addiction problems. Bette was informed by the treating doctor that Kit's injuries from the accident were severe.  Kit experienced excruciating pain, therefore she was administered pain killers. Bette realized at that moment that this medication could have caused her sister to relapse. After Kit was released from the hospital, Bette's worst fears were realized.  Bette started noticing behaviors that were familiar to her during the height of Kit's addiction problems. Bette had confronted Kit and tried to get her help, but Kit was already deep into her relapse. It was shortly after this that Bette found Kit.

"I'm sorry Bette." Dani said disconsolately not knowing what else to say.

What a fucking mess this whole thing turned out to be Bette fell into deep thought. "What next, fucking, what next". She shook her head despondently. Bette had held off depression with the focus on the campaign.  Now that it was over, the gates opened and all the emotions she had contained in a place she could manage began to flood over her.  The feelings of loss and abandonment from Kit and Tina were now unavoidable. Her inadequacies looking her in the face and taunting her.

Dani could see the distress on Bette's face and in a lighthearted effort to change the subject, she asked again,  "So, what are you going to do now? I mean, you don't have to work if you don't want to, but you don't strike me as someone who lies around eating Bon Bons."

"What?" Bette said snapping out of her thought. "I'm not sure, I thought about opening another gallery before this offer came up. I miss the art community and all that goes with it. When I think about it," she hesitated for a moment, "I was at my happiest when I had a gallery to focus on. But I don't know. The last time I was involved with a gallery it ended up badly and there is Angie to think about. It comes down to who I am working with. I am not the easiest person to work with," she smiled acceptingly, while fanning herself.