Tina lay on her side, her body almost curled up into itself she was in pain, she felt drained and the chemo was starting to take rather drastic affect on her body. she was wrapped in a large blanket. In the middle of her and Bette's large bed. She had her eyes closed trying to get her body to relax. She wanted to forget the pain. Physical pain was worse than the mental pain she had bore for so long.
Bette walked in, she hated seeing her wife like this. It felt like she couldn't help her. she walked over and sat on the bed, she gently ran the back of her fingers along her wife's cheek. Feeling that she was warm enough. She reached down and kissed her wife's forehead.
"You're stronger than you know," Bette whispered. Her lips still on her wife's forehead.
Tina slowly opened her eyes and looked at her wife. she smiled softly. She wanted to reach out and touch her but she couldn't. she didn't have the energy too.
"What can I do for you?" Bette asked,
"Some fresh water, would be great," Tina whispered.
"That can be arranged, I'll be back,"
"Never say that in a horror film,"
Bette laughed as she went to get her wife a bottle of water.
Tina smiled to herself, as she closed her eyes again,
Bette got her water and came back.
"Where are the kids?" Tina ask softly, not bothering to open her eyes.
Bette got onto the bed and put the water to one side before she rubbed her wife's shoulders.
"Kit has taken them out, they will be home soon,"
"Mmm, good, I like them close,"
"I can get that." Bette rubbed Tina's shoulder, she knew that Tina had been losing weight and the weight loss was making her cold. "How are you feeling?"
"I've lived with mental pain for a very long time, but I'm not sure I can cope with this physical pain." Tina admitted.
"I hate seeing you in pain,"
"it won't last long a few more weeks of chemo, hopefully we can then have some good news."
"I think you'll be happier when you can draw and paint,"
"Yeah the thought of it right now takes up too much energy." Tina admitted. "This is the longest I've ever gone without working on anything. I would love to be in the studio but I don't think I've got the energy to get downstairs never mind outside."
"You will get your energy back and we will get you healthy again,"
"You're very sure of that,"
"Of course I am," Bette smiled.
"How is the gallery?" Tina said wanting some normal in her life.
"Good, we've four new artist in this week, James sent me some photos and I've asked him to move six pieces around to make it flow more. Also got the sample leaflets for the show and they are going to have to change them as well,"
"Why?"
"Because Xavier could have done a better job,"
Tina laughed softly.
"It can't be that bad,"
"Babe, seriously it was terrible."
"James didn't do it to your standards you mean,"
"Correct and now they will be to my standard as when you were napping I saw and redid it."
"You're a control freak sometimes you know that right B?"
Bette looked at Tina who had slowly opened her eyes to look at her.
"Yes, when it comes to the gallery and how I want things to be, it has to be Bette perfect,"
"Bette Perfect you should copyright that,"
"I might, I'll call it Bette Porter Perfect."
"Porter Perfect,"
"Oh that's even better."
"Crazy lady," Tina rolled onto her back. She took a deep breath. "babe,"
"Mmm,"
"Can you help me shower, I don't smell good."
"Sure," Bette shook her head and smiled.
She was just glad that Tina was asking for help.
****
Kit smiled as her sister held a sleeping Angie in her arms. Xavier was sat on the sofa watching TV, holding his new teddy which they had bought from build a bear.
"How is Tina?"
"She's okay, she's sleeping after her shower."
"Still not got much energy?"
"She's doing a little better, the treatment is doing well. The doctors are happy with her. I'm hoping that when they do the scan next week it's going to show little to no cancer and they can declare she's in remission with regular checks."
"Because they cannot remove it all,"
"yeah it's just a case of us waiting. She's doing brilliantly. But I hate seeing her so sick. She hasn't even go the energy to draw at the moment."
"Give it time,"
"Once the treatment ends, it's going to be another six weeks before it leaves her system."
"You been reading again baby girl,"
"Yeah, I need to know where we stand and what we are doing."
"Ever prepared."
"I have to be, Tina's being stronger than even she thought she could be. I just want us back to normal,"
"I don't mean to be rude but you two have never been normal."
"No, that's very true." Bette laughed. Shaking her head, "Okay I want to get back to our kind of normal."
"That sounds perfect." Kit laughed. Knowing that this family needed a lucky break.
****
Six months of hell and it seemed like they were coming out of the other side. It was happening. Tina had been given the news that had all hoped for and she was in remission. Within a matter of weeks she had been painting again. Bette's galleries were going from strength to strength and they had finally found a level field. Tina was managing to keep her physical and mental health steady. They children were every growing and become the unique people both their parents expected them to be.
Tina would always be grateful that all those years ago she had taken that studio visit from Bette. she had never expected that her life would fall so perfectly well. She had love, she was completely and utterly surrounded by it. Even in her darkest shadows and her lightest of moments she felt that love. she knew that she was going to live with mental illness for the rest of her life. She had also leant how to cope with it. She was doing better daily.
Bette never saw herself as a married woman, never mind a mother. But she was doing great at both. Her wife is her world and she now knows thought their pain and happiness that love was really worth fighting for. Her business was doing amazingly and she didn't have to be an overbearing boss. She loved her kids. Her kids are her world. she never saw herself as mother but now she was twice over she wanted the best for them. She knew she would do the best for them and they would want for nothing.
Tina and Bette had found a love, support and family they had both craved and now had.
THE END