Anita and Tiffany sat on the two single sofas in Bernice's private hospital room as they watched her unconscious form, with an oxygen mask over her face.
She seemed pale and nothing like the gracious hostess she had been when she welcomed them into her home just the previous day.
Neither of them had said a word to each other since Anita joined Tiffany in the room after Adam and Jackson had been escorted out of the hospital by the guards.
Tiffany still looked visibly shaken and pale as she sat there, holding onto Bernice's hand. She had a lot on her mind and was feeling different emotions, but what she desired most was for Bernice to open her eyes.
She would worry about everything else later. She would worry about why Jack had seemed so upset to the point of fighting with Adam over Benny later.
She had turned off her phone after Adam and Jack were thrown out of the hospital because Jack had kept calling to find out Bernice's state. She didn't want to wonder why her husband seemed so concerned about Bernice. She knew it wasn't because he was being a dutiful brother-in-law.
Tiffany sighed as she shook the thought out of her head. She needed to think about something else. Anything else other than Bernice and her husband.
Her thoughts returned to their mother, and she sighed, "How? How could mother do such a thing?" Tiffany asked after some time, breaking the silence in the room.
Anita, who had been busy on her phone, looked up when she heard Tiffany's voice, "I kept asking myself the same question yesterday. All my life I wanted to be like her, and now…. Now I feel lost. I don't want to be anything like her," Anita said with a shake of her head as she rose when she started feeling cramped.
"I need to move around for a bit. Do you need me to get you something to eat or drink?" Anita offered, and when Tiffany only gave her a noncommittal grunt, she placed a hand on Tiffany's shoulder. This time Tiffany looked at her.
"I asked if you wanted me to get you anything," Anita repeated, realizing now that Tiffany hadn't been listening to her and had most likely unintentionally asked the question on her mind out loud.
"No. You should go get some rest. I will stay with Benny," Tiffany said with a sigh when she glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was past 6 PM already.
"I told you already. I'm not leaving. Stop asking me to leave as though Bernice is not my sister, too," Anita snapped at her irritably.
"I'm sorry. You don't have to leave if you don't want to. Everything is just so messed up. Our lives are messed up. Our family is messed up," Tiffany cried, and her voice hitched as she broke into a sob.
Anita moved close to her and placed her arm around her, "I'm sorry I snapped at you. I'm just really short on temper right now," Anita said contritely, and Tiffany nodded.
"I understand. I wish I could snap at someone too," Tiffany said as she brushed her tears away and returned her gaze to Bernice.
"What do you think would happen when she regains consciousness? Do you think she will want to go back home to her husband and kids?" Tiffany asked thoughtfully.
"I hope not. I won't be a part of that. I'm hoping you won't support that either. She had no business staying married to Adam. She has to get a divorce and leave that marriage…."
"It's not like I don't agree with you. I do. But what else can she do? Even if she files for a divorce, she won't gain anything. Adam is a lawyer, and his father is the chief judge. The case will always go in his favor, especially now that he knows she cheated too. Benny will lose the boys to Adam, and he won't pay her a dime. I don't think she has much money, and she can't move in with mother. I can't let her move in with me, you know, not after her affair with Jack. Where will she go? What will she do?" Tiffany asked, and even as the words left her lips, it occurred to her that Bernice must have thought of all these hence she decided to take her life.
"She can live in my house. It's our family home, after all. She will work! She is educated. Bernice is very intelligent and can get a job with her degree. You should divorce Jack as well," Anita said, and she moved away from Tiffany when she shook her head.
"I'm not doing that. I'm not leaving my marriage," Tiffany said, making Anita frown.
"Why not? What is so special about your marriage with Jack that you can't leave? Is it the money? Is it mother? Are you still scared of her despite all you've seen and heard?" Anita asked incredulously.
"It's not any of that. My marriage affords me the freedom I want and everything I need…."
"Freedom? To do what?" Anita asked in confusion.
Tiffany rose and turned to face Anita, "I am a lesbian, okay?"
"A what?" Anita asked in surprise as she looked at Tiffany like she had just sprouted another head.
"You heard me. I'm not attracted to men. I'm not sexually interested in Jack. I tried my best to be, but I'm not. I thought maybe I could be bisexual, but I'm not. You can judge me all you want, but it's who I am. That's my sexual orientation," Tiffany said with a defiant look in her eyes as she watched Anita stumble backward and lower herself back on the couch.
"How long have you been interested in ladies?" Anita asked, wondering if she truly knew anyone in her family.
Every one of them seemed to be hiding something. First, it was her mother and Bernice, and then it was Lisa telling her about what she knew about their parent's marriage, and now it was Tiffany telling her this.
"For as long as I can remember."
"Then why? Why did you marry Jack? Why didn't you say anything this whole time? Was mother aware? Is Bernice aware?" Anita asked, not knowing what to think.
"Was I supposed to announce it to everyone? Why did I marry Jack? Knowing mother, do you think she will ever let me get married to a lady or come out publicly as a lesbian? I once tried to talk to mother about it when I was seventeen, and she told me never to think about it or talk about it. My arrangement with Jack works perfectly for me. Staying married to him allows me to have access to his money, and I can be with any lady I want without being suspected of anything," Tiffany explained, and Anita shook her head.
"I can't believe any of this. I'm sure this is all a nightmare, and I will wake…."
"It's not a nightmare, Anita. Deal with it. We all have stuff going on with us. We are human," Tiffany said as she returned to her seat and faced Bernice once again.
They both turned when the door opened, and Lisa walked in.
"Lisa! You should be resting. You shouldn't have come," Anita said as she rose to meet Lisa.
"I'm okay. Ron is with me. I had to come and see Bernice," Lisa said as she approached the bed while Ron embraced Anita and gave a reassuring look to let her know everything was okay.
"Hello, Tiffany!" Ron greeted, and Tiffany responded noncommittally.
"What did the doctor say?" Lisa asked Tiffany and Anita.
"I told you already. He said she might be unconscious for some time, but she will be fine," Anita supplied.
"Darling, can you excuse us for a moment?" Lisa asked her husband, and he pecked her cheek before excusing them.
Once he left, Lisa turned to Tiffany and Anita, "Have you both decided on what we are to do?" Lisa asked, and they looked at her in confusion.
"What we are to do about what?" Tiffany asked, setting aside her grudge against Lisa for the time being.
"About mother. Bernice. Our family. We can't just pretend like mother didn't have an affair with Benny's husband or that nothing happened between Benny and your husband…."
"Whatever happened between Benny and my husband is none of your business. This is between Benny, Jack, and I, so you both should stay out of it," Tiffany said, and Lisa turned to Anita, who shook her head.
"And mother? What about mother? Are you going to also turn a blind eye to her action?" Lisa asked, and Tiffany sighed.
"I don't know. I don't think I can forgive her yet. You can do whatever you want to mother. All I want is for Benny to recover," Tiffany said, and Anita signaled to Lisa to step out of the room with her.
"Did you know that Tiffany is a lesbian?" Anita asked the moment they walked out of the room.
"She is?" Lisa asked, not sounding completely surprised.
"Why don't you sound surprised?" Anita asked, and Lisa shrugged.
"Dad always suspected it," Lisa said, and Anita sighed.
"She doesn't love Jack. She says their marriage is convenient as it lets her be herself. If dysfunctional were a family name, it would be ours," Anita said, and Lisa smiled.
"Every family has their secrets…."
"Not like ours, Lisa, and you know it! Our family is all shades of screwed up. I won't be surprised if Benny wakes up and decides she still wants Adam or decides to forgive mother. I'm exhausted. Since you are here and have seen her for yourself, I don't have to stay here anymore. Tiffany can stick to her side like the dutiful sister she is. I don't think I understand anything or anyone anymore. I'm overwhelmed. Do to mother whatever you please. I'm out of here," Anita said, but Lisa held her hand before she could leave.
"Where are you going?" Lisa asked, and Anita shook her head.
"I don't know. Home or anywhere that is not near here, I suppose. I would have really loved to be by your side when the baby comes, but I'm not so sure I am in the best state of mind right now. I might have to leave sooner than I planned. I will keep in touch with you. I love you," Anita said as she embraced Lisa, and Lisa patted Anita's back as she hugged her.
"I love you too, hon. But what about all that you need to do? Mother's plan for Lucy, and your apology...."
"Don't worry. I intend to do all of that. I'm still trying to come up with the best way to go about it all. Thank you, Lisa. Thank you for being different. I can dare to do things differently now only because you were beside me and kept pushing me," Anita said as she pulled away, and Lisa gave her a proud smile.
"Be fine, Annie. Although I will miss you sorely, I believe this is probably for the best. Come back better. We will be waiting for you," Lisa said as Anita pulled away from her.
Lisa watched Anita walk away until she disappeared from view, and then she turned when she felt her husband beside her.
"Is everything alright?" Ron asked as he placed his arm around his wife's waist.
"Everything will be alright. I need to have a word with Tiffany, and then we can leave," Lisa said before returning to the room to join Tiffany.
"Tiffany," Lisa called softly as she lowered herself to the seat which Anita had earlier occupied.
"What else do you want to say? I have told you to do whatever you want. Can you just let me be?" Tiffany asked impatiently as she turned to look at Lisa.
"No, I can't. I promised dad I was going to look out for my sisters, and I intend to do just that whether you want me to or not," Lisa said softly.
"Are you here to look out for us, or do you just want to gloat?"
"Gloat? About what?" Lisa asked incredulously.
"I don't know. You tell me. Maybe you want to show us you have a perfect life and the perfect husband…."
"My life is not perfect, and this is not about me. It's about you and what you're doing with your life," Lisa cut in patiently.
"Your life is not perfect, yet you want to tell me how to run my life?" Tiffany asked incredulously, and Lisa drew in a deep breath to control her temper.
"You are beginning to get on my nerves, Tiffany," Lisa said irritably.
"You always get on mine.…." Tiffany rose immediately as she felt Bernice's fingers move.
"Benny? Benny, are you awake?" Tiffany asked when she noticed the flutter of Benny's lashes, and Lisa rose immediately and went to the door.
"Ron, please get the doctor," Lisa called to her husband, who was seated some feet away from the door, before returning to join her sisters.
Tears gathered in Bernice's eyes when she opened her eyes and saw Tiffany standing over her with concerned eyes.
Bernice shut her eyes and turned her face away so she wouldn't face Tiffany. She couldn't face her, not after what she had done.
"How are you feeling, Benny? You scared us," Lisa said softly.
A doctor came in with some nurses and asked Tiffany and Lisa to excuse them while they checked on Bernice to see how she was doing.
After some minutes the doctor and the nurses left the room after reassuring them that Bernice was fine.
"Benny," Tiffany called softly as she approached Bernice, and tears dropped from her eyes when Bernice broke into a sob.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Bernice cried with her hands over her face, unable to bring herself to look at Tiffany.
Lisa sighed as she watched Tiffany embrace Bernice as they wept together. She was glad that Anita had decided to take a different path, but she had no idea what to do to help these two or how to punish their mother.
One thing she knew for sure was that Rebekah had to pay for her immorality, greed, and wickedness.
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