A/N: Again, thank you for your reviews! Please continue reading and leaving feedback so I know people are reading and more importantly, enjoying this! This chapter was a tough one, so I hope it reads okay. I had a tough time putting my thoughts into words! If it's no good, please let me know!

Lena sat very late one ,night or very early one morning, at her computer, searching the internet for answers. She tapped the keys as gently as possible, hoping to go unnoticed. She winced as her bruised shin bumped into a bar under the desk.

"How'd that get there?" She wondered aloud to herself, trying to rub the pain away. She saw a bracelet on her right wrist but it wasn't hers, it was Carmen's. She looked to her feet and saw she was wearing a pair of Bridget's shoes. Seeing these items made her realize the bruises weren't hers either. Well, they weren't caused by anything she'd done anyway. She'd simply been a victim of Tibby's heel banging while watching a particularly frightening film the night before. That's what she loved about her friends. Not much had changed since high school. They were still so connected that, at times, it was nearly impossible to determine where one began and the other one ended. She smiled as she looked at Bridget's shoes on her feet. Sharing their belongings was nothing new. When the girls were about six, Lena remembered their mothers had to label all their clothes so that, eventually, the outfit would find its way back to its rightful owner. Lena glanced at the screen and smiled to herself.

"Found it." She whispered, writing something down on a Post-it note. She felt a chin on her shoulder and turned her head to see who it was. Teeth clacked in her ear and she knew it was Bridget.

"Found what?" Bridget asked, pulling up a seat beside her friend.

"Ummmm…" Lena crinkled up her nose as she considered what to say.

"Eric's number…" Bridget stated, looking at the screen.

Lena nodded, "I'm sorry, I know you said you'd call when you're ready, I just thought I'd find his number for you."

"It's okay Lenny. Thank you." Bridget said smiling as she took the Post-It note. Bridget couldn't be upset with her; she knew Lena always had her best interest at heart.

"What are you doing up anyway? Couldn't sleep?"

Bridget smiled and nodded. "The baby had the hiccups." She rested her hand lovingly on her once flat abdomen that had recently developed into a small, round baby bump. Bridget's old pants still fit nicely just under the bump, and her shirts still covered it for the most part. "It's hard to sleep when you feel like you've swallowed a Mexican Jumping Bean."

Lena smiled, "I'd imagine it is. Does it feel weird?"

"A little, but it's a really good weird! She's kicking, do you want to feel?" Bridget still wasn't a hundred percent sure of the sex of the baby, but had decided it would be safe to call 'it' 'she' until they knew for sure. The baby had only started to really kick a few days before and so they were all still pretty amazed when she did. Bridget took Lena's hand and placed it on her belly.

"I can't even think of the right words to describe how amazing that is…" Lena said smiling. Lena and Bridget turned as they heard someone shuffling into the kitchen.

"Hey Tibs!" Bridget greeted Tibby before she'd even seen her face. She always knew when Tibby was coming because Tibby always shuffled her feet.

"What are you two doing up?"

"The baby won't stop moving long enough for Bee to get any sleep."

"Is she kicking right now?" Tibby asked, running to place her hand on Bridget's belly. As soon as she did, the baby went still. "Okay, I swear Bee, your kid is screwing with me!"

"Poor Tibs…." Lena said, trying not to laugh. It never failed, any time Tibby came to feel the baby kick, the baby stopped.

"Sorry Tibby," Bridget smiled "You'll catch her eventually. I guess she's just playing a little game with her Aunt Tibby."

"Hey you in there," Tibby said as she gently poked Bridget's stomach, "this is cute and all but the games have to stop. You're driving me crazy."

"Now Tibby, play nice!" Bridget teased.

"Hey," Tibby said with a laugh, holding up her hands in defense, "it's the one who's playing games with me." Bridget looked at Tibby and Tibby rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'll play nice." She said, gently rubbing Bridget's baby bump, "Hi little one in there, this is your Auntie Tibby and I would really, really appreciate it if you could give me just a little kick." Tibby said in the sweetest voice she could manage. "I got nothing!" Tibby sounded exasperated as she flopped down into a chair. As Tibby sat, a light in the kitchen came on.

"Hey!" Carmen squealed. "Imagine running into you three here." She said with a wink.

"It never fails, if one of us can't sleep, none of us can!" Lena was right; they always seemed to find each other on sleepless nights.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Tibby could practically see the wheels turning in Carmen's head.

"I'll grab the pillows. Meet you in the living room." Tibby said as she exited the room.

"I'll get the photo albums!" Lena said turning to follow Tibby.

"And I'll get the cookie dough." Bridget pulled open the refrigerator and grabbed a large tub of chocolate chip cookie dough.

"All settled?" Lena asked once they were all cuddled up on the couch.

"Here, I got spoons." Bridget said as she handed each of her three friends a spoon and promptly dug into the raw cookie dough.

"Yeah, cause otherwise, this would be disgusting." Tibby said with just a hint of sarcasm

"Totally!" Lena mumbled in agreement, her mouth full of cookie dough.

"Alright…open it already." Carmen said as she tapped her leg in anticipation. As much as Gilda's was a beloved tradition among the friends, they also loved when they got a chance to sit down and reflect on their childhoods.

"Calm down there Carma, give me a minute!" Tibby said seconds before she flipped open the album.

"Aww, we were so cute!" Lena said, as her three friends cooed at the baby picture staring up at them. In it, four perfect newborn girls lay side by side in a crib, wrapped up like little pink bundles.

"Ha, look at your little bald head Bee!" Tibby nudged her friend as she pointed to another picture of the girls. They were a little bit older, and coming into their own looks. Bridget may have been bald, but she was as cute as a button.

"No fair! All my hair fell out after I was born. How can you tease poor bald little me?" Bridget pretended to be hurt by Tibby's teasing, but it was true. Bridget had been born with a head of soft brown hair that promptly fell out. She spent the early half of her infancy bald until her hair started to grow back in white blonde wisps.

Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget smiled and laughed and even cried as they soaked up the memories of their childhood. There was one of them napping together when they were about one. Bridget and Lena were asleep, noses touching. Carmen's little hand was holding onto one of Lena's curls like it was her security blanket. Tibby was draped across them all, her diapered bottom sticking up in the air. Another one of them from later in their toddler years showed Tibby and Carmen trying to boost Bridget up onto the counter where a cookie jar sat waiting. A tiny Lena looked on worriedly.

There was another one of them at the pool when they were a little older. Lena sat on the side of the pool watching, her eyes as blue as the water. Carmen swam around with the help of her pink arm floaties, while Tibby clung to a fearless Bridget who swam unassisted. There were pictures of them on the first day of school, pictures from their birthdays, from holidays, and from play dates. They all laughed when they came to one of their favorites. The girls were about seven and were all wearing the same pair of blue jeans. Tibby turned the page and looked at Bridget. Staring back at them was a picture of all four girls cuddled safely in their mothers' laps. Marly died not too long after the picture was taken.

"You look like her Bee." Carmen whispered. Bridget nodded and gave a slight smile. The room was quiet and Tibby didn't make any move to turn the page. She was waiting for Bridget's permission. Bridget looked at Tibby and winked. When Tibby turned the page, they were faced with a picture from one of the saddest times of their lives. They were all wearing black dresses and sitting on a couch at Bridget's house, and they all looked empty. Lena reached out to turn the page.

"No, it's okay Lenny." Bridget said, stopping her friends' hand. "I need to do this."

Lena looked at the pictures and shook her head. "I don't understand why our moms went so camera happy in the weeks after…..well…..you know." In the weeks and even months following her mothers' death, Bridget spent days at a time at her friends' houses. Her father had completely involved himself at work and had no time for his little girl. Lena had never mentioned it to Bridget, but she figured that when Bridget's father looked at her, all he could see was Marly.

"Me either."

"They probably just didn't know what else to do. They must have just wanted to capture as many moments as they could." Lena could hear the filmmaker in Tibby's voice. She could also hear the understanding that only came with watching someone you love die.

"I'm glad they did." Bridget swallowed hard and pointed to a picture. The girls were all cuddled together in Lena's bed asleep. Bridget remembered that night vividly. She remembered Lena's feet pressing into her spine, and Carmen's elbow bumping her in the nose. And she remembered that it was the best nights sleep she'd gotten in days.

"God, how did we ever manage to sleep like that? We were squished!"

"That's the only way I could sleep." Bridget had felt so lost and alone after her mothers' death that when she wasn't with someone, she feared that the sadness would literally swallow her whole. Being wrapped up in her friends limbs had been her anchor to the world. She knew they would keep her there with them where she safe and loved.

"Bee…" Lena cooed, pushing a strand of long blonde hair out of her face. "Are you sure you want to keep looking at these?"

Bridget nodded with determination, "If I want to be a good mother to this little baby, I have to forgive my mother. I've been angry at her for leaving me for a long time, and I just can't do it anymore. I can't hate her." Bridget turned the page and smiled, "I remember when your mom took that picture Lena."

"So do I." Carmen smiled as she looked at the picture. They were sitting under the Christmas tree all dressed in red as lights twinkled above their heads. Bridget was wrapped in the loving arms of all three of her friends. Any stranger looking at the picture would have thought it was from a professional photo shoot for a family Christmas card. The girls however, knew the truth. The picture was taken just a week after Marly died. They were smiling, but sadness hung all around them. It looked like the girls were trying to drown Bridget's sadness in their unconditional love for her.

"Thanks." Bridget said through her tears. They knew Bridget so well, they didn't have to ask why she was thanking them, they just knew. And Bridget knew that as long as she had them, she would always be okay.

"You're welcome Bee." Tibby said squeezing her friends' hand. Bridget squeezed back and smiled.