“Well, Aunt Barbara moved in with us. She was a widow with no kids of her own and she stayed with daddy until her death six years ago. I think she was secretly in love with him.”

“So, Melvin and Barbara had never…”

“No, never…when I was older, daddy told me that he believed in true love and in soulmates, that he loved my mother very much and she was the only woman he wanted to be with. She was the love of his life. I think I inherited that belief from him,” Bette suddenly felt really shy, disclosing something so personal to Tina.

“I believe in true love, too…” Tina replied as shyly and tried to control her intense desire to touch more of Bette, to kiss her, to make love to her. She knew this was not the right time or the place but the desire was so strong that Tina had to physically restrain herself as she clutched at the bed sheets. “Your father never remarried then…”

“When I was still living with him, I asked him why he never found someone else and he told me that he could still feel my mom’s spirit, he could still feel her and no one could ever replace Maxine,” Bette slowly got off the bed and walked around it to look at her father. “He’s a great dad. He spoiled me rotten and I couldn’t think of a better parent.”

“Do you remember much of your mom?” Tina sat on the bed as soon as Bette left her embrace, instantly feeling the loss.

“Not a lot. She liked to sing and she painted beautiful watercolor landscapes. I still have them…she taught me how to paint and that’s why I studied Art History in college.”

“Do you paint still?”

“Not for a long time…maybe one day,” Bette clearly wasn’t ready to talk more about it as she took a small photograph from Melvin’s wallet and showed it to Tina. “This is my favorite photo of mom.”

Tina took it carefully in her hands and looked at the picture of a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair holding Bette, who was about two years old, “She was really beautiful, Bette. I can see a lot of her in you.”

“What are you saying?” Bette asked casually, feeling better after telling Tina something so personal to her.

“You are beautiful, Bette,” Tina hold her breath, wondering if this admission will open up the possibility for the conversation she was longing to have with Bette.

Bette looked at her with unreadable expression. If she wanted to say something, Tina wouldn’t know because they both heard Melvin groaning with pain in his sleep and Bette sat down on the edge of his bed, taking his hand into hers, “I can’t face it…I just can’t face it.”

Tina stepped in front of the devastated brunette. She smoothed Bette’s hair back from her face and leaned down to kiss her softly on her forehead, “It will be okay, Bette…everything is going to be okay.”

Bette sobbed quietly, wrapping her arms around Tina’s waist and resting her cheek against her bosom. After she calmed down, Bette lifted her face and looked at Tina, “Can we just sleep?”

“Yes, please…I can hold you until you fall asleep, okay?”

Bette was too tired and too stressed to think of any other alternative and simply nodded, letting Tina to take her back to the spare bed. They lay down in their clothes, immediately embracing each other in the middle as if it was the most natural thing for them to do.

Tina held Bette tight through the rest of the night, rocking her to sleep, relieved that Bette was letting her to take care of her, to comfort her, to be the strong one.

When Tina awoke the next morning she realized that they turned around in their sleep and it was Bette holding her now.

‘I could wake up like this for the rest of my life,’ Tina thought as she stifled her moan when Bette’s hand cupped her breast. It felt so warm and so inviting through the fabric of her shirt that Tina didn’t want to move so she could stay like this for a very long time.

Suddenly, the hand moved away and Tina felt Bette shifting on the bad and moving away from her, “Oh, I’m sorry, Tina. I didn’t mean…I can’t believe we fell asleep like that.”

“We both were tired,” Tina replied, hiding her disappointment as she got off the bed and went to the bathroom. Bette checked on Melvin who was still sleeping and then went to get ready to face another day at the hospital.

Tina brought them breakfast from the cafeteria downstairs, hoping that later in the afternoon she could take Bette out for some real food. The time was moving fast. A few hours after Bette and Tina finished their breakfast and were sitting on the chairs and talking softly about Bette’s gallery, Melvin suddenly woke up and declared that he was feeling so much better and he wanted to go to the bathroom and take a shower to feel like a normal human being.

“Daddy, let me call the nurse,” Bette said gently, excited to see her father in such a good mood.

“Just help me to get to the bathroom. I’m perfectly capable of bathing myself…”

“Okay, just be careful, daddy,” Bette knew that the argument with her father was fruitless. Tina helped him from another side and they both slowly took him to the bathroom door.

“Alright…can a man have some privacy?” Melvin leaned on the door and winked at his daughter.

“Yes, daddy…are you going to be fine? Just call for me if you need anything,” Bette closed the door when Melvin was inside and leaned in to listen. She heard the water running and sighed happily, looking at Tina, “He feels so much better it seems. Maybe the medication is working.”

Just as they were about to turn around and go back to sit down, they heard a loud crash and sound of a fallen body inside the bathroom. Bette quickly opened the door and rushed to her father’s side, “Oh, daddy…daddy.”

Melvin had fallen down and was lying on his back, groaning with pain, “I…I can’t…” his eyes were closed and Tina noticed that he had problems breathing.

She ran outside to get the nurse and then was back at Bette’s side, kneeling beside Melvin. He was reaching his arm up toward Bette, trying to get up.

The doctor walked quickly inside and immediately issued orders to the nurses that came with him. Then he also kneeled by Melvin and said firmly, “Mr. Porter, don’t move…we will bring you back to your bed, you need to stay calm and try to relax.”

He looked at Bette and Tina and addressed them gently, “Ladies, I would ask you please leave the room for now while we are going to run some tests. I will talk to you as soon as I know what’s going on.”

They stayed outside the room while the nurses and doctors were assessing the situation. Finally, a nurse came out and informed them that it would be another hour before they would know anything definite.

Bette felt absolutely numb and indifferent when Tina asked for the keys to Melvin’s house and the directions so she could go there and also to her hotel to get a change of clothes while they were waiting. Bette replied as if she was on autopilot and Tina hurried to do the errands, asking another nurse to watch for Bette while she was gone.

When Tina returned, she found Bette in tears outside of Melvin’s room, “Bette, honey…what’s the matter? Is he…”

“No…but he’s suffering so much and the doctor says that he won’t make it,” Bette clung to Tina as her sobs intensified. She was so tired to be strong and she was physically and emotionally exhausted. She was extremely grateful that it was Tina who was there for her to give her support and comfort. For reasons that Bette could not yet reveal, Tina was the only person in her life that she allowed to see the vulnerable side of her and it always seemed so right.

Dr. Bergen finally emerged from the room and approached them, “Ms. Porter, unfortunately at this point we can’t do anything for your father. The medication keeps his pain away but soon it won’t be enough because the cancer is progressing fast. We can only wait now…I’m really sorry.”

Tina simply opened her arms and Bette stepped into her embrace, finding all the comfort she needed right there.

They spent the rest of the day in Melvin’s room, watching him sleep and Bette remained quiet and somewhat withdrawn. She and Tina placed a few family photos on the night stand by the bed so Melvin could enjoy the view the minute he would open his eyes.

It was close to midnight and Tina went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for another long night at the hospital. Bette moved her chair closer to Melvin’s bed and began humming ‘Rusty Old Halo’, her father’s favorite song.

Melvin suddenly opened his eyes and groaned, turning his head to look at his family photos by his bed. Bette could see that it took all his strength to move and she took his hand, squeezing it softly, “Daddy…you need to rest and you’ll be just fine.”

Melvin squeezed her hand back and took a deep breath, “I…love…you…my little…girl.” He slowly closed his eyes and took another long breath. Bette was staring at his chest, waiting for it to move but suddenly his body went still.

“Daddy?” Bette kneeled by the bed, looking at her father and then rested her hand on his chest. “Daddy? Daddy…” Her tears came and she called out for Tina, who ran into the room and stopped right behind Bette, fearing the worst.

Bette was oblivious to anything as she put her head on her father’s chest and began sobbing, whispering something that Tina couldn’t understand. She placed her hands on Bette’s shoulder, rubbing them, offering some comfort and mindless of her own tears.

Time stopped for them just as Melvin’s heart stopped beating.

TBC (Finale)......