Title: Running At Night
A/N: Please keep in mind I have no earthly idea about any of the legal stuff, so I'm trying to be seriously vague as possible. Really, really vague... :)
Kim popped her head into the Doctor's lounge. "Kerry..."
"Kim..." Kim held up an envelope. "Is that what I think it is? Happy Saint Patrick's Day."
"You too. Now, either it is what you think it is, or I just won an Oscar... Of course, you know this means that..."
Kerry groaned, "People will have to be there."
Kim shrugged, "My mom, she has this... thing about weddings. She, she never thought that she'd ever see me settle down enough to have any sort of commitment ceremony. Hey, you like Star Trek, we could do it in... what is it, true Betazoid fashion." Kim shook her head, she was in a good mood, and was going to savor it while she could. "I always wished that they'd done that on the show, Marina Sirtis, yikes..."
"Not Gates McFadden?"
Kim shuddered, "You do know that she was, is... like almost Patrick Stewart's age, now he's a handsome devil wouldn't you say? Though, he reminds me a bit of Romano."
"Kimberly..."
Kim hurfed, "My sis says it's all there."
Kerry opened it and went through each piece of paper. When she finished she let out her breath. "It is. So... let's see, you're a Psychiatrist. Your oldest brother Craig, he's a Firefighter like your Dad was."
"Yep. They're like twins, well... Craig doesn't have gray."
"Mel is next?" Kim nodded, "Melissa's the lawyer."
"Yep."
"Three, so.. then it's Stewart and Lori."
Kim nodded, "Stewart's an accountant, and Lori... we really have no idea what Lori does, but she seems to have health insurance and money so..."
"36, 33, 30, 25..."
Kim gripped Kerry's shoulders, "Don't freak out about the adoption part of this okay? It'll happen."
Kerry nodded slowly, "Yes. I can do that. I think. Oh, tonight..."
"Mom, Dad, yeah."
Kerry took a step back, "Okay... I need to get back to work... so do you. How's Carl doing?"
Kim made a face, "Not coming back yet."
Kerry hid her smile as she turned away to get her coffee cup, "You're doing a good job Kim."
"Sure..."
Kerry bumped Kim's hip, "When in doubt, scowl at 'em and growl a little under your breath."
This made Kim crack a smile, "They already know me Kerry..."
Kerry shrugged, "Then they'll think you're PMSing... either way, they'll do what you want."
"Thank you."
Kerry rolled her eyes, stood on her tiptoes and gave Kim a kiss, "You'll repay me for all my years of wisdom when you kick out your parents..."
Kim chuckled.
"Hey, Ker, have you ever seen the Prime Suspects? Silent Witness?"
"Hmm?"
Kim shook her head, "Never mind."
"Kim...?"
Kim looked down, "Henry, what can I do for you kiddo?"
"What do I... what..."
Kim sat down on the floor and leaned back against the couch. Henry sat down at her side, "Call me?" Henry nodded, "Well, you call your Mama, Mama, you call your Mom, Mom... how 'bout Kim?"
Henry frowned, "But my Mom isn't... she's up there..." He pointed at the ceiling.
"She's still your Mom Hen-."
He fell silent, in thought, until the doorbell rang, at which point he stood, "I'll get it."
Kim closed her eyes. She was pooped, it felt like she had been moving in for days and days. She really needed to go through her things and give some of her stuff, clothes and things she didn't use or wear to charity. If she was truthful with herself she was quite surprised when she had managed to fit everything that she had wanted to fit into Kerry's house with some room to spare even.
"Kimberly Legaspi, you don't get up to say hello to your mother?"
Kim stood and on the way up gave Rose's cheek a kiss, "Hi Mom."
"Charles, Rose, you have good timing. Henry, wash your hands."
Kim lifted Henry with a spate of tickles and took him to the bathroom.
"No, no, no, no..."
"Mom... I... I thought you liked her."
"You will not break her heart young lady. Moving in... all this adopting Henry and... and... other legal things. No."
Kim let out a hurf, "Mom, you are aware that they're in the next room?"
Rose gripped Kim by the shoulder. "I asked Craig about what happened with Sandy. She has been through so much."
Kim was starting to get pissed off with her mother, and that rarely happened. She knocked her mother's hands off her shoulders. "I'm not a child, and I'm not a floozy Ma, get off my back." With that she stalked out of the kitchen and into the main bedroom. A few moments later she came out of the room, putting keys in her pocket and cinching her collar closed. She passed through the living room, leaning down and giving first Henry and then Kerry a kiss on the forehead. "I'm going for a run..."
Kerry was so stunned that she didn't make it to the front door until it was closing. She pulled it open, "Kim... Kim..."
Kerry closed the door and turned. "Charles, could you take Henry back to his room?"
Charles looked first at Kerry, then his wife, and decided to let them battle it out. "I bet you have a microscope back there."
Henry nodded enthusiastically, "I do... I do..."
The two short women stood there. "What did you say to her?"
Rose shook her head, "It doesn't matter..."
Kerry was used to working with Interns, Rose Legaspi would be easy. "Tell me what you said that made her lose all reason and go out running in the dark. Is it because Henry's not hers, not biologically mine? Or that he's Hispanic, or is it me?"
"Kerry... Kerry..." Kerry trailed off and Rose smiled, "I voiced my displeasure that she was moving so fast. That you two were already moving in together and that the adoption of Henry had been put into motion."
"But... why. I'm..."
Rose shook her head, "It's not you honey, it's my daughter. She doesn't have one bone in her body that is prone to commitment, she can't even commit to a toothpaste."
Kerry tilted her head to one side, "Oh," Kerry paused, "That does explain that..." Kerry shook her head, "She's a big girl Rose. And... I did not make this decision lightly. She..." Kerry smiled, "She was very convincing. You. I think you need to give your daughter more credit. Now, I need to go find her."
Kerry stalked towards the door and snagged her coat off the hook as she went out. Rose stared at the woman's back. "It's okay to come out now Chuck."
Charles came out of the hallway with Henry in his arms. "This child needs sports equipment Rose, sports equipment badly. A glove, a ball, a bat?"
"Chuck?"
Charles smiled, "What? No, not a bat, but maybe something Nerf. When is your birthday sport?"
"January 15th."
"Kim... Kim..."
Kerry nearly jumped out of her skin as a bench spoke, "Right here."
Kerry was over and on her knees in front of Kim, making sure that the blonde was okay before Kim could blink. She put a hand on Kerry's head, "I'm okay. After I... shot out the door, I walked here."
Kerry moved up to the bench and leaned back, "Oh Kim..."
"Feel free to yell. I... wasn't thinking, which is something... something you never do because you can't anymore, and I... I get that."
"I did."
"What?"
Kerry shook her head, "I wasn't thinking when I got back together with you. I should have been thinking of Henry, or even of me, but you... you and your bagels, and coffee, and the little crinkle that happens when you're happy." Kerry threaded her arm through Kim's, "No, no yelling. I think, your mother can be an idiot."
"But Kerry, she's right. How do you know that I won't bail... again."
"Because it wasn't just you who bailed last time. It take two to tango, or bail. So, now, all I have to do is convince you."
Kim shook her head, "This could explode so badly. We did once before."
"Because we let it..." Kim was silent, "No witty repartee, see, you know I'm right."
"Kerry Weaver, you're always right."
Kerry laughed, "See, commitment isn't so hard..."
Kim laughed as well, "Home?" Kim stood with Kerry still on her arm, "You know Hen- asked me what he should call me... He's a very astute four year old."
"And..."
"I said just Kim... I... I'm cool, but I'm not his Mom Ker."
"You said..."
Kim blindly put her hand over Kerry's mouth, "And I meant what I said. He... I... but... not Mom."
They fell silent while they walked back to the house, "Oh, Kerry, where did you put the stuff you moved?"
"Moved?" As they walked under a street light Kim saw that Kerry's face seemed genuinely puzzled. "I moved some things of Henry's around, but nothing of mine. Couldn't find the time." Kerry squeezed Kim's arm, "Guess we're just made for each other we fit together so well."
"Well, 'cept for your music collection, but... we'll work on that Ker." Laughter followed them into the night.
Fin ~ February 8th, 2008