Her Portrait Is Black and White

Arrangements

Bette sat writing a lengthy email to the company that provided the nurses that they were currently employing to help with Xavier. She wanted to make sure that the nurses would be okay with Tina being here alone with them. she wanted to explain what they wanted to do. She had decided that Monday to Wednesday she wanted to be at the gallery, Thursday and Friday she would be at home giving Tina time to paint or do whatever and then they would have a 'normal' weekend.

Tina lightly knocked on the door of Bette's office and poked her head around, Bette looked up as Tina offer a mug of coffee.

"I brought you this,"

"Thank you babe," Bette said taking it and sitting back in her chair.

"Busy?"

"I'm making arrangements with the nursing company for me to return to the gallery."

"You're completely in your element there. You need to be around your clients more."

"You and Xavier are still my number priority right now,"

Tina nodded knowing she couldn't argue with that at any point. She knew where Bette's priorities were.

"I want you to be happy and fulfilled. You've worked so hard to get your career to a place where you don't have to be there but I know you miss being in the middle of it all. You're a great sales woman and you know it. Porter LA is your baby and you need to be back in the thick of it. You can't hide here,"

"You can," Bette smiled

"I've always hidden from view. You know that baby, I try so had to be social for you,"

"I know, I feel like I push you too far sometimes,"

"No, you don't, we need to put everything in place for you to be able to go back, I know trust may be an issue,"

"It's not," Bette said

"It is, Bette, I know you're worries. I hear you on the phone to Kit, you know."

Bette looked down.

"B, don't be ashamed of that. I get it, okay. I'm mentally ill. My pervious actions will mean that trust is hard, I know that. You know that. We can't sweep it under the carpet."

"I'm not going to,"

"Good, because even if you call us four, five, six, ten times a day. I want you to return to some sort of normal. I mean B, you're not used to be so far away from LA all the time. You should enjoy it, go back to work, be work Bette, instead of mom Bette, wife Bette, carer Bette. What was it Shakespeare said. 'All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts,' In your case a woman not a man. It's time for you to be Businesswoman Bette okay?"

"It's hard to argue with someone who quotes Shakespeare at you,"

"What can I say? I'm a woman of many talents."

Bette grinned.

"Let me send this email then we can have lunch okay?" Bette said softly

"Sure, I'm just going to take my meds,"

"Okay baby," Bette watched her wife leave the room. She was happy that Tina was becoming more and more like herself, she knew that the woman she had married had problems but she also knew she was deeply in love with her.

Bette shook her head before returning to her email.

****

Tina sat at the side of the pool, her feet in it as she watched the sun setting over the hills behind the house. She was taking in the colours. Letting her mind wonder, not to far, but she was thinking about her wife, her son, their life.

Bette walked out of the house holding her glass of wine, she walked down to her wife and sat next too her, gently lowering her own feet into the water.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, did Xavier go down okay?"

"Yeah, the baby Monitor is there." Bette pointed to the table behind them. "He was out like a light."

"He had fun rolling around the living room today."

"I could hear you both laughing." Bette admitted. "Felt guilty for missing it,"

"You were busy and working it's fine," Tina smiled

"That sun set never gets old does it?"

"No," Tina smiled.

"I love living out here. You can look up at the sky and see the stars, in the city you just see the lights of the city reflected back."

"When I first moved out here I would lay on the lawn and look up a them for hours. Claire and I would drink into the night,"

"You don't mention her very often."

"She did try to kill me,"

"I know but she was also your friend for a long time, before she lost it." Bette said.

"She wasn't mentally ill, she was driven by jealously. Looking back I should have seen it. The moment I started dating you she lost it. I remember losing my virginity to you in New York and when she found out she burnt my studio down."

"Do you regret it?"

"What?" Tina looked at her wife and licked her lips.

"Losing your virginity to me," Bette asked softly

"No, you were worth waiting for. I remember that first orgasm. I thought my world had shattered. I remember the colours behind my eyelids. You've changed my world. I'm not lonely now."

"Good, you've changed me too."

"I hope not too much," Tina laughed.

"Enough, the nurses company emailed me back,"

"And?"

"They are fine with everything, there will be a nurse here from the moment I leave to the moment I get back, you won't be alone. Okay?"

"Okay,"

"They are not here to spy on you, they are here to help and support you with Xavier."

"I know baby, I know. I get why we are doing this. It's best for us too,"

"It is, I agree. I love you Tina," Bette said suddenly.

Tina smiled and moved forward and kissed her wife's lips lightly, tasting the wine on her lips.

"I love you too Bette Porter you amazing woman."

Bette slowly got up listening to her knees crack,

"God I'm old."

Tina started laughing as she got up herself,

"How about I run you a bath old lady and I'll wash your back."

"That actually sounds nice."

"I've got some new bath bombs from that place you love,"

"Really. Yes please." Bette smiled.

Tina took her wife's hand and they walked towards the house, Tina picking up the baby monitor before heading into the house and upstairs to their private bathroom.

Bette checked her phone seeing a couple of texts from Shane, one from Peggy and one from Alice. She decided not to open any of them. she wanted to enjoy her bath and relax. She headed upstairs for an evening with her wife.