Part Five
"Two coffees and an order of fries, please." Kerry smiled up at the waitress then turned back to face Kim, who was just sitting across from Kerry, still silent.
"Kim, what are you doing here? I thought you lived in San Francisco now." Kerry asked the question gently, trying not to sound accusatory or bitter. In reality, she wanted to scream at the blonde, shake her, ask 'Why now? Why two exes in one day? Why do I only have to see you and fall in love again?' But she restrained herself, and merely sat, patiently awaiting a response.
"Kerry, I...I had to." Kim spoke haltingly, unsure how to express the battle that raged inside of her. She knew what she and Kerry'd had was still there, somewhere - she'd seen the redhead's eyes light up on seeing Kim, and she knew she still felt incredibly attracted to the older woman. She was sure anyone who looked would see a neon sign over her: 'I want this woman. Now.' But she was also scared. It was easy to cry over a photo in a California apartment, and to race to the airport, but painful to sit across from a woman who ignited so much in her...memories, hurt, love, desire, lust.
Eventually she gave up, and reached into her bag, pulling out a photo. Sliding it across the table, she simply said, "This is why I had to, Kerry. Do you remember this?"
"How could I forget?", chuckled Kerry, as she also fought off tears. "The first photo, and the perfect Sunday morning..." Kerry's voice trailed off, then returned, stronger. "I'd had the worst week ever in the ER. Double shifts. I could barely walk by the time we got home, and you nearly had to carry me up your front steps. Then I just stayed on the sofa all weekend. Well, mostly the sofa. I seem to remember the kitchen counter featuring at some point." Kerry paused and grinned at Kim, who blushed slightly, then looked away as she remembered Kerry naked, spread across the counter, begging Kim to make her cum.
It was Kim who continued. "I walked into the living room Sunday morning, and you were there, buried in some journal, a blanket covering your legs. You looked like an angel, and for a moment everything felt perfect. There it was, exactly how I'd always imagined my life, sharing it with the most beautiful woman on earth. Just in that instant, everything fit. It made sense. I had to try and capture it, somehow, in case it never happened again. God Kerry, what happened?"
"Shannon Wallace came into the ER." Kerry's voice was harsh and blunt, more than she'd intended. She'd been overwhelmed by Kim's description, and wasn't sure how much more she could have taken before bursting into tears. "I always wondered what would have happened if you hadn't been called in on your day off, y'know? How different do you think our lives would be now?"
"Why don't we find out?" Kim finally voiced her only thought, her only wish. And looked over at Kerry, barely even trying to hide the want in her eyes.
Kerry was speechless. For months she'd dreamed of this, then along had come Sandy, and she'd finally forced herself to move on, to stop hoping for the impossible. And here it was. Here *she* was, offering Kerry the chance she'd longed for. "Kim, I...". Then Kerry's defences crumbled as she realised she could never, would never want to, resist this woman. "Why not indeed. Umm, you look as if you hadn't exactly planned this." That was an understatement. The blonde's hair was all over the place, she looked exhausted and seemed to have no more luggage with her than the briefcase she'd pulled the photo from.
"You could say that." Kim giggled as she realised the lunacy of the situation. Her, here in Chicago, with precisely $25.46, and no more clothes than what she was wearing.
"Well, how would you like the basement apartment for a few days? There's no one down there right now. You can even have it rent-free". Kerry smiled, but shot Kim a look that left her in no doubt that her room was certainly not an option.
beep_beep_beep
The harsh sound of Kerry's pager broke the silence that had filled the air. She tilted her head down, and read '911' on the display. Cursing under her breath she looked back at Kim and said, "Sorry, but I really have to go. If I miss another one, Romano'll have my carcass. Here, take my key." Kerry slipped the key off her key ring, and placed in Kim's hand. Kim was about to ask what Kerry meant, 'have my carcass', but before she could open her mouth the older woman had stood up, slipped her arm through her crutch and sped off to meet the ambulance now pulling up.
As she disappeared into the ER, Kerry turned and waved, then left the psychiatrist with an uneaten plate of chips and a cold cup of coffee.
back to fanfiction.... forward to part six....