"You can't have all of these," Megan smiled at her daughter. "Some of these have to go back in your toy chest before Tina gets here." Megan kicked some of the plastic Tupperware to the side that Sarah liked to bang on during the day. Megan's mother came out to check on them, hearing the noise of Tupperware containers banging against one another.
"Is her fever any better?"
"I gave her Tylenol," Megan said as she struggled to pick up the measuring cups Sarah had thrown around the room earlier. "We really need to make a practice out of cleaning up at night when she goes to bed."
"It never bothered you before," Megan's mother sat down on the rocker watching Megan work to clean the room. "She only drags them back out in the morning and nobody ever comes over so what's the point?"
"Tina is coming over," Megan said nervously as she sat down with Sarah in her arms.
"Bette's Tina?" Megan's mother sounded shocked. "At this late hour?"
"It's the only time we can meet with her job and me working with Bette on the show."
"Do you know why she's coming over?"
"I think it's because she wants to tell Bette and I asked her not to without talking to me first."
"You put her in a bad spot," Megan's mother quickly said. "She should share with her wife what's going on, especially with something this big."
"She put herself in a bad spot by researching me," Megan said slightly annoyed. "I wasn't ready to put anyone in any spot, but she left me no choice."
Megan turned and faced the door when she heard the quiet knock. She looked at her mother with a smile adorning her face.
"Did you see how she knocked quietly?" Megan was proud of Tina. "She knows what to do Mom when it comes to kids. She didn't want to disturb Sarah if she had fallen asleep."
Megan walked to the door and opened it seeing a different Tina than the one she met with earlier. Instead of wearing an intimidating power suit, Tina was dressed very casual. Her hair was swept up drawing attention to her blue eyes that seemed to now have a softness that couldn't be denied.
"Thanks for coming over," Megan stepped to the side to allow Tina to walk through the door. "I just gave her Tylenol for her fever so I'm sure she'll go down soon and we can talk uninterrupted."
Tina stepped into the house, but didn't take her eyes off the little girl in Megan's arms. She was holding a baby doll close and snuggling her head into Megan's neck trying to avoid Tina's gaze.
"She's a little shy," Megan offered as an excuse for Sarah avoiding Tina's smile.
"She's adorable," Tina said softly. "I'm sorry to intrude since you have your hands full, but I thought we should talk soon rather then later."
"It's really no problem," Megan said as she led Tina to the living room and motioned for her to sit. "This is my mother Sandra."
"Nice to meet you," Tina extended her hand and shook the old woman's offering her a genuine smile that caused Sandra to smile back.
"Can I get you something?"
"No thanks," Tina sat down across from Sandra and Megan, as Megan just sat down with Sarah on her lap playing with her baby doll. "I wanted to tell you to your face that I plan on talking to Bette this morning about what we discussed."
"Have you thought about what we discussed?" Megan pressed Tina.
"It's all I've thought about since I left the gallery. But me keeping this from Bette has no purpose. It's not a decision I can make on my own without her input."
"I didn't want you to make a decision as much as I wanted you to at least consider it and be comfortable with the idea."
"I can't get comfortable with an idea that I know is as big as this one," Tina began to explain her mindset. "I can't keep it from Bette and be comfortable with it."
"I can understand that," Megan said sheepishly.
"I think I'll leave you two alone to talk," Sandra rose from the couch and smiled at Tina. "It was very nice meeting you and I hope it won't be the last time."
Sandra excused herself and disappeared down a long hallway out of sight before the conversation, once again, commenced.
"I'm sorry I can't just take my time and get used to an idea this big without Bette at least knowing."
"I knew when I asked you to think about it before you talked to Bette it would be hard," Megan began to speak. "I'm not looking for a commitment as much as I am looking for you to wrap your mind around it so that when you discuss it with Bette you both aren't freaking out."
"Oh she'll freak."
"You know her better than I do," Megan said softly as Sarah began to whimper.
Megan held her close and felt her fever spike, causing her concern.
"Her fever just spiked," Megan announced. "It's too early to give her more medicine so I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way."
Megan got up and grabbed a washcloth from the kitchen as she balanced the tired girl on her hip.
"Can you hold her while I get a bowl of cool water to rub her down?" Megan asked hopeful that Tina would help.
"Sure," Tina got up and took Sarah from her mother's arms. "Her fever is high."
Tina laid her cheek against the little girl's head that rested on Tina's shoulder. Tina took a deep breath and smiled at the scent of baby lotion that invaded her senses. Sarah's hair was soft and smelled of baby shampoo causing Tina to inhale once more.
"I forgot how special babies smell when they're this age," Tina said softly as Sarah snuggled comfortably into the crook of Tina's neck.
"You're a natural," Megan pulled a large bowl out and began to fill it with cool water. "I'm not sure if I should be thankful or jealous."
"I'm sure it's not easy for you," Tina couldn't even image the position Megan was in regarding her future. "I'm not sure how you have the strength to do what you're doing."
"I have no choice."
"You do, you can fight and take treatment."
"It's too late for that," Megan simply said. "I made my decision about that already. The tough part is knowing another woman will be the mother to my child. It's likely I won't survive Tina, my mother is old and ill herself, I can't just leave my child without a future."
"How do you do it?" Tina asked amazed at Megan's strength.
"How do I do what? Hate you for having a possible future with my daughter but love you for being her family and knowing she'll have an amazing life with you and Bette?"
Megan motioned for Tina to sit on the couch with Sarah and she quickly followed with the bowl of water and washcloth. She stripped the little girl of her pajama top and dunked the cloth in the cool water while Tina held Sarah on her lap.
"Dying isn't the hard part of all of this," Megan began to speak through tears as she began to wipe down Sarah to cool her off. "The tough part is knowing that the one person I love with all my heart will be someone else's daughter after I'm gone. I want to make sure she's well taken care of, that's my job as her mother."
"What about Janet's family?"
"They disowned her when she came out to them," Megan sadly said. "She hadn't spoken to them for years before she died. I tried to contact them to tell them that she had died, but I wasn't successful. I suspect it wouldn't have mattered much to them if they didn't want anything to do with her when she was alive."
"That's pathetic," Tina said in anger. "As a mother I resent someone that would turn their back on their child because of the love they've found in their life. They should have just been happy she found love and rejoiced for her."
"Not everyone is as open as you are."
"Oh believe me I know," Tina chuckled. "Melvin Porter being one of them."
