ALICE-  "Kit told me.  Apparently Porter's brain translates things a little differently from the rest of humankind.  Apparently, she thinks it's overit's over she saysit's over."

SHANE-  "What's over?"

ALICE-  "Her and Tina."

SHANE- (She looks at Bettebut addresses Alice)  "Well, I don't know Al."

ALICE-  "You don't KNOW?!!!  What do you NOT KNOW????  Has everybody just gone insane?"

SHANE-  "Alice, a lot has gone down tonight and a lot has happened in the past few months.  I had a feeling that Tina still loved Bette, I think maybe we all did.  But"

ALICE-  "NOShaneshe said she's still "IN-love" with her.that's 'IN-love' Shanenot just that she loves hershe's IN-love with her.  I wasn't there but that's what Kit saidis she wrong?  Did Tina not say that?"

SHANE-  "Yeah, she did."

ALICE-  (Getting anxious and a little intense)  "So what am I missing?  I know love sometimes isn't enough, but if you're IN-love, that's itthat's just itthere's no practical aspect here that just overrides everythingshe said IN-love.that's itthat settles it."   (She walks up to Bette, stands in front of her, then kneels and grasps her hands.  Her voice is cracking)  "Don't you dare give up.  You have this love and have the opportunity to fix itdon't wait, don't wait until it's too lateplease Bette"  (Bette puts her hands on Alice's face, knowing that Alice is thinking of the lover she lost recently, the friend they had all lost to illness.)  "I'm sorry, I know it's none of my business, but"

BETTE-  "Al, I know what you're saying.  But I can'tI just can'tI can't live like this anymore.  My heart belonged to her and her heart was mine, but things went horribly wrong and I lost her.  I didn't give up but in the end we got back together and it seems like it was only for me to lose her all over againnot because I betrayed her this time, but because her heart became lost to me, to us, and she fell out of love right before me, every day, little by little and there was nothing I could do.  If I hurt her once, as I did so terribly when I betrayed her, she proceeded after Angelica's birth to hurt me tenfold.  It would have been easier if she had betrayed me in the same way I had hurt her, because that was just a symptomI never fell in love with anyone else and though I had struggled with it at one time, I never really fell out of love with her.  I betrayed her that time, but her heart has betrayed me nowbefore tonight.  Everything we said today to each other was more than we have said in several months.  All the touching we did tonight was more than all the touches we shared these past months.  And all this, in this one span of time tonight, and then she hits her head and says while drifting in and out of consciousness the words I yearned to hear for months.  I don't knowI still don't know if I could live without her in my life.  Right now I justAl, it hurts so muchit's like I had to watch her walk out of my life, our life together, in slow motion.  And she was prepared to take Angelica away"

ALICE-  "Heyshe would never have done that ifyou do recall kidnapping the little tike don't you????  You know she was just reacting to what you did.  She gave birth to her and you were going to take her awayforget 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'you fuck with a mother's love for her child and there ain't nothing gonna save you from that kinda wrath!  Bettelisten to yourselfshe said the words to you that you yearned to hearthink about itall those doubts about how she felt for you are nothingtonight she basically told you to forget all that doubting.  Look, I dunno what's in her heart or her mind, but I justdon't give up.  Please Bette, at least just be open to it and see if what happened tonightwell, see what it all means when she's feeling betterof sound mind and all.  But whatever you do, do NOT sit there and say 'it's over'that's just wrong."

BETTE-  "Alice"  (She starts to sob)  "IShane" 

SHANE-  "Bette"  (Sitting next to her, she rubs her upper back to comfort her.)

BETTE-  "What have I done?"

ALICE-  "You did the right thingyou brought her back."

BETTE-  "I've lost her, I've lost them both."

SHANE-  "No, no Betteyou lost your life as you knew it before today.  Nownow Bette you have another chance.  It's not just for you to decide.  DON'T take the next step without her.  Figure it out together, and then whatever happens just face it together.  Stop waiting for her to ask for you, to let you in, to listen to you.  Don't whisper your thoughts, don't meditate, don't stand by and watch her walk away.  This isn't about youit's about you and Tina, it's about eight and a half years together, it's about Angelica.  So forget this fatalistic crap and deciding things sitting here with me and Al.  Go be with Tina when she's well and decide the rest of your life as you look straight into HER eyes and no one else's."

(The friends sit there with each other and comfort one another with their presence and touch, Alice and Shane holding Bette tenderly.  A while later the phone rings.  Alice instinctively runs to the phone in the bedroom.)

ALICE-  "Hello.  Yeah.  Uh huh.  Ok.  For sure?  Yeah.  No.  Ok.  Yes.  No, that's fine.  Thanks Kit.  Ok.  See you soon.  Bye."  (She turns to look at Bette and Shane, both of whom are standing now.  Alice is efficient in reporting what she heard)  "It's a concussion.  She's going to be fine.  She's going back to her place.  Kit's going to go with her and stay there until I arrive.  I'm going to go stay with her for the night.  Kit will come by here after I get to Tina's.  Shane, you stay put until Kit gets in."

SHANE-  "Got it.  So full recovery?"

ALICE-  "Yes."

SHANE-  "That's great."

ALICE-  "Porter"  (She goes up to her and kisses her on the cheek.)  "I think Shane's last words to you are ones you need to rememberlook straight into her eyes and let her look into your souldecide where this is going togetherdecide WITH her not FOR her.  I gotta go.  Shane, I gotta talk to you for a sec."

SHANE-  "Ok."

BETTE-  (She hugs her, but imparts no words, only the look in her eyes.  Alice smiles.)

SHANE-  (Before she goes out of the bedroom with Alice)  "Do you need anything?  Do you want me to make you some tea?"

BETTE-  "No thank you.  I should be making YOU somethingare you hungry?