Don’t move too quickly." The pounding in Cora’s head agreed with Bette’s words and she lay back down. Her mind, still foggy, was overwhelmed with questions. In the orating of them they could be summed in two ways. "Who are you? What the hell is going on?"Tina handed a glass of water to Cora and gently urged her to a half seated/half laying position. "My name is Tina. Tina Kennard. And this is-"
"Bette", Cora finished. "I remember now." She closed her eyes as the memory of the last twenty minutes flooded her senses. The pepper spray. Her mother. And then darkness. Her mother. God her mother. Her reddened eyes looked to Tina and then to Bette, begging them to make it untrue. To make the awful truth go away. Their reddening eyes looked back at her and she knew they could not.
Tears escaped from their ducts and streamed down her cheeks. Tina gently yet swiftly nestled beside Cora and took her in her arms. Cora, having been deprived of the soft touch of another human being for so long, quickly broke down into sobs and buried her head in Tina’s shoulder. Tina held her and comforted her as only Tina could while Bette and Richard looked on. Helpless. But thankful for Tina.
Richard stood and cleared his throat. The offerings at the wetbar looking terribly inviting to him, he prepared himself a drink. He silently lifted a glass to Bette with raised eyebrows. Bette shook her head, declining his offer, and sat down in the chair opposite Tina and Cora. The tenderness Tina was showing Cora made Bette’s heart almost burst with pride and love. The child cried several years worth of tears. Her tough exterior now an afterthought. "I didn’t mean what I said about my mom", she sobbed. "I didn’t mean it."
"I know, Cora. I know", Tina whispered. "It’s ok." She smoothed Cora’s hair and let the tears soak her blouse. Tina’s own tears soon began to fall, breaking Bette’s heart. She stood and moved to Richard, deciding to accept his offer after all.
Richard neared Bette and whispered, "We have to tell her everything. Everything about her father. About the blackhats."
Bette responded, "Great idea, Richard. How about um, ‘Sorry that your mom’s dead but you also have to be on the lookout for your sleaze of a father’."
"Bad timing?", he hesitated.
"Bad timing", she agreed lifting the glass to her lips. Looking over to the couch she gazed upon Tina, still comforting but also whispering into Cora’s ear.
