Title: Trick or Treat?
Series: #19 in Holidays Series
Spoilers: 3.16 of Bad Girls
Disclaimer: Don't own most of the characters, ER or otherwise.
"What, you're not wearing a costume?"
Randi stared at Kerry, "But, you, and before, but..."
It started as a chuckle, and dissolved into a full blown laugh attack. Finally Kerry held her belly as she got her breath back, "Sorry... just... the look on your face."
Randi wasn't amused, "Do not tell me that I could have worn a costume."
Kerry patted Randi on the shoulder, "Thank you for not wearing one Randi."
The clerk shook her head, "I guess it's good that you're in a good mood."
Kerry looked one way, then the other. "I've been... courting... Kim, flowers, chocolates..."
"Reacquainting her with her favorites?"
"Of course, a couple of Clowns."
Randi shook her head, "Oh, incoming."
Kerry turned and wished she hadn't. A Bobby was walking down the hall. He came up to Kerry and tipped his hat. "Doctor Weaver."
"Mr. Johnson. I'm not a fan of costumes in my ER."
"I can see that." Kerry glanced around, she was minorly proud that other than a few pins here, and what looked like a fake mustache (at least, she hoped it was fake) her staff didn't have on costumes, it had only taken twelve or thirteen years.
Kerry bit her tongue to stop herself from biting back at Wallace. The same refrain kept running through her head. 'This is a good day, this is a good day...' Even Wallace Johnson couldn't spoil the day. "How long have you been in the US Mr. Johnson?"
"Twenty years, give or take. Doctor Weaver, it may be well forward of me, but would you accompany me to dinner tonight?"
Kerry put what she hoped was a suitable 'let him down easy' smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sorry, I have plans tonight."
This gave Wallace pause, but he recovered with a smile, "Rain check then." He tapped his hat and strolled down the hall, whistling.
Kerry winced, and a voice came from behind her. "He likes you, a lot."
Kerry groaned and closed her eyes, "He's too old, he's smarmy in a way I can't quite explain, and he's... well... a he." Kerry turned and met Kim's eyes, "What do you need?"
She had her arms crossed over her chest, "Was it, is it you?" Kerry didn't speak, "I'm remembering more everyday. Some days, it's like a crashing wave, others it's like a spring trickle. But always, you are like this... word that I swear starts with a 'b', but when someone tells me that the word is 'fabric', it makes perfect sense."
Kerry frowned, "Kim, are you okay?"
Kim shook her head, "Kate, Doreen, Smash, Coral, Liz, I guess Liz-es.. I could go on." She gripped Kerry by the shoulders, "Why are you a damn black hole?"
Kerry shrugged, no emotions, positive or negative showing on her face. Her control mask was firmly in place, "I don't know Kim."
Kim took a step back, "Did you send the flowers, clowns, chocolate, food, everything?"
Kerry had an internal debate with herself for a moment, "Yes... I did. But, I... I shouldn't have..."
Kim blinked and asked, "So are you really doing anything tonight?"
Kerry nodded, "I am"
"Taking Henry out?" Kerry nodded, "Then, I'll see you tomorrow." Kerry blinked as Kim leaned down and kissed Kerry on the cheek. "I hope you two have a good Halloween."
"Th-thank you..." Kerry frowned at Kim's back.
Randi put the phone handset in front of Kerry's face. "Big boss lady..."
Kerry looked puzzled as she took the phone from Randi and spoke into it, "Janet?"
"Big Boss Lady?"
Kerry shot Randi a look, "She'll have her degree soon and move onto bigger and better things..." Randi's jaw dropped as she whirled to face Kerry. The Chief kept talking to Janet. "What can I do for you today Janet?"
"I just need to see you."
Kerry smirked to herself, "A visit to the old office, sure."
A chuckle came from the other end of the phone before it was hung up.
Randi still stood where she'd stopped moving, her mouth attracting flies. "How, how'd you know about... Lori told you."
Kerry walked over to Randi. "I'm sorry, but no, Lori didn't tell me."
Randi shook her head, "No, I'm sorry, I just thought..." Randi shrugged, "I'm... no spring chicken, most of the people here have MDs, , Masters Degrees, Bachelors Degrees. I have a High School Diploma."
Kerry smiled and without looking, opened a cabinet under the admit desk, letting the door swing. "They're just pieces of paper in the end. And..." She stepped away from the cabinet. "You have 'til I get back down from Coburn's office to put on your costume."
With that Kerry strode to and stared up the stairs.
Morris sidled up to Randi, "What's making you all prickly?"
She shook her head, "She knows everything about this place, it's like she's... telepathic or psychic or something."
"I'm your father, but you won't let me see your costume?"
Kim wrapped her black fall coat around her and buttoned it closed. "No..."
Rose whacked Charles on the shoulder, "Leave Kimberly alone." She adjusted Kim's coat collar, unfolding it and then putting it back down. "Have fun Kim." She kissed her daughter on the cheek and patted it. "Don't obsess over not remembering, just... be."
Henry tilted his head to one side, then the other. Kerry had to stifle a laugh as the younger Joe copied Henry's motions exactly. "Not a costume Mama..."
Abby chimed in, "He's right Kerry."
Kerry frowned at Abby, "Weren't you and Joe heading to Minnesota?"
Abby smirked, "Yes, yes... c'mon Joey."
Henry wasn't done, "But, you're... Mama... just pants and a shirt?" The four year old was quite confused. Halloween was supposed to be about cool costumes, Star Wars guys, animals, sports guys, and princesses.
Kerry picked up Henry, still in his lion costume. "It's... me, but if I traveled back in time to 2000."
Henry gave a hurf, "That's dumb."
Kerry laughed and ruffled her lion's mane, which he promptly put back into its correct place. "Let's get you to your Grandmother's."
"Bloody hell." Helen looked up at Nikki's exclamation as did some of the customers around them.
Kim had just walked into the main part of the bar in her 'costume'. She could have killed sixty year old men, maybe even a few fifty year olds with what she had on. It could loosely be called a dress. It was a rich, dark royal blue just long enough to make sure all of Kim's more private areas were covered. It had spaghetti straps and a neckline that seemed to be trying to escape from her neck. Her hair was its usually wavy self and hung down free around her shoulders, moving as she approached the bar.
"If either of you make a crack I'll... I'll..."
A woman infringed on Kim's personal space, "You must be the angel of death, because I think you may have stopped my heart."
Kim stifled a groan, "I'm going to kill you Helen..." She turned to the woman, "Sorry, I'm waiting for someone, who I don't plan to piss off again if I can help it." She mumbled, "Not that I know how, not, to piss her off..."
The woman shrugged and moved on. Kim shook her head, took what Nikki had put on the bar for her and waded into the crowd. Nikki frowned, "I, uh, I think I'm going to go... chaperone her... What the hell were we thinkin Helen?" Nikki made a beeline in the direction that Kim had gone.
Helen rolled her eyes and she nearly jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Helen?"
Helen's face lit up, "Dominic. How are you?"
"Well, well... I don't have ta ask you, now do I?" The young man had a few more age lines here and there. His hair was still militarily short, but he had something that if one squinted could be called a soul patch on his chin and much more of a smile than he had ever exhibited while working at the women's prison.
Helen looked around at the party. There were a significant number of the ladies gathered in one corner, but the entire place was jumping with activity.
Helen smiled, "It is good to see you Dom."
He brought her in for a hug and then did something that was such a small thing. He kissed her on the lips. It was short. To Helen it was as chaste a kiss as any she had ever had, and of course...
"Helen?"
...Nikki had come back and saw it.
Helen blinked and colored. "Nikki, look who it..."
Before anyone could blink the co-owner of her bar named Larkhall had decked the former Screw, blood flew everywhere as Dominic held his nose. "Leave..."
Helen moved between the two, and stood to her full height. "Stop it Nikki, he's..."
"Always had a thing for you, just get out." Her voice rose to nearly a scream, "Get OUT."
Dominic frowned and started to move, but Helen put a hand on his arm. "No. You're staying. What's gotten into you Nik, I thought we were done with all that? It's been seven years Nikki."
Nikki's face was perfectly still, but her eyes were darting everywhere it seemed. She looked like a trapped wild animal, it was something that Helen hadn't seen since Nikki had gained her freedom. Helen put a gentle hand on Nikki's arm, barely touching her, but the taller woman shook it off, "Nik, Nikki, what's wrong, Nicola..."
She turned on her heel and was out the door before anyone could blink. Kim approached Helen and Dominic. "Are you okay? What happened?"
Helen frowned after Nikki, "She... it's complicated." She turned to Dominic, "Dominic, this is Kim, Kim, Dominic."
"Helen..." Dominic frowned, "Shouldn't you go after her?"
Helen took a deep breath, "Right now, that would only make things worse. Sorry 'bout the nose."
"Especially since it was entirely unwarranted."
"Hmm?"
"Helen... When I stayed in Greece, it was for a man, not a woman..."
Helen looked at the back door to the club where Nikki had exited. "Ah, hell."
"Did you see her, damn, hot, hot as hell girl, and definitely looking to get laid."
"Did you see how she was looking at the bartender? I wasn't going to try for anything with the looks those two were throwing each other."
Both women laughed as they walked past Kerry. She was frozen in place, all her worst fears coming to fruition. She stared at the door to the club and took long, deep breaths. Kerry knew that her costume was stupid, she hadn't needed her son to tell her that. It was a shirt, hell, it was Kim's own shirt, a shirt that the Psychiatrist probably wouldn't even remember if she had all her memories back. When she and Kim had split Kerry had, 'forgotten' to return the blue, uh, blouse that Kim had loaned her after their first night of lovemaking.
She pulled at the collar. It was stupid, the brain didn't really work like in the movies, Kim wouldn't suddenly remember Kerry and how she was head over heels in love with the red head. And Kerry didn't know if Kim had been really in love with her. After all, people said that they loved each other every day. She was a formerly crippled, alpha bitch on wheels with a 4 year old kid and more baggage than O'Hare. And, if she went by what people were saying. Kerry had no doubt that the hot as hell woman in Larkhall was Kim. How could Kerry compete with that?
Kerry stared at the door for another moment before she turned and started down the sidewalk, to find another bar, to find a hole to crawl into, she didn't know where she would go, what she would do next. She had just gotten to the corner of the building when it was like a tank hit her, a skinny, tall tank. She went down in a heap with her collide-e.
"Sorry love, sorry 'b... ah, Kerry..."
Kerry didn't know why she did it, couldn't have told anyone years later, under oath, under hypnosis. Maybe she did it for revenge, or because she was hurt. Later she knew that she shouldn't have, and on any other night she told herself she wouldn't have, but she did. She kissed Nikki. Kerry crushed their lips together, there was very little romantic about the kiss, it was all passion, hate, love, hurt, and maybe even a little depression in it.
There was surprise as Nikki kissed the red headed doctor, but it too changed to something else with much haste. She could give it as good as she got it. With one move she pulled Kerry from the ground and they were up against the wall exploring each other's mouths.
When they pulled apart for a mere second Nikki gasped out, "We shouldn't..."
"I don't care..." Kerry pulled Nikki's head back to her own.
Fin ~ April 29th, 2008