A story about a little baggage mix-up that reunites Kerry with someone she thought she'd never see again. Or maybe just a random story that, by publishing, makes me feel productive.

So the timing's a little weird...you know that period in season 13 where Kerry is demoted, then comes back as an attending but it seems like WEEKS have passed? Well, take those weeks, subtract the demotion fiasco, add the new haircut (out of the gazillion haircuts Kerry Weaver- or Laura Innes, I guess- had over those, like, 12 years, that one was my favorite) and this is what you get.

"…and thank you for flying with Southwest." The annoying flight attendant's voice finally ceased and the 'fasten your seatbelt' light above Kerry Weaver's seat finally dimmed. As the person next to her, Kerry undid her seatbelt and readjusted her position to stand. Thankful that the seat she had occupied for the past three and a half hours had been first class, she stretched out only a bit before filing out into the isle.

Walking down the raised corridor from plane to terminal, Kerry pulled out her cell phone and turned it on. She wasn't expecting any calls from the Lopez's, but it never hurt to check. Her missed call list was empty and she closed her phone, readjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, and continued towards O'Hare's baggage claim. Smiling slightly to herself, Kerry realized for the second time- the first being her actual trip out to San Francisco- just how much she enjoyed traveling without her crutch.

Coming up to baggage claim, she sighed internally when she saw the large crowd and even larger amount of black suitcases that looked exactly like her own; she really just wanted to get her stuff, get in her car, and go pick up her son. Her pessimism demised for a second when she spotted a suitcase that looked precisely like her own, silver ribbon tied around the handle and all. Moving quickly, Kerry snatched the suitcase off the conveyer belt before it went around the loop again. Setting it down, Kerry pulled it along and headed out towards the exit nearest the lot her car was parked in.

*

"And how was San Francisco?" Florina asked as she handed off one of Henry's bags to Kerry.

"Fine…" Kerry smiled, "hot. Not that it mattered much…it seemed as if I was in conference rooms and lecture halls all day, every day." It was true; she had stayed in San Francisco for nearly a week and had spent more than what she figured to be half of the time either in conferences or attending seminars. Though she hadn't particularly liked being cooped up inside for all that time, the air conditioning certainly beat the hot, summer air outside.

"That's good…" Florina said in all geniality. Kerry's smile grew as the woman handed her Henry's backpack and a flashed her a warm smile. Kerry was beginning to really like the rest of the Lopez family; she and Sandy's two closest brothers, Eddie and Carlos, had been relatively close and on good terms from the get go, but it had been a much longer and harder fight for acceptance when it came to Sandy's parents. In the past few months, however, they seemed to have opened up a bit.

The two women walked from the guest bedroom where Henry had spent the week and headed for the living room where the three year old was watching baseball with his grandfather, Luis. They sat in content, though when Kerry walked in, Henry's face, once again, lit up. Upon her arrival to the Lopez's, she had been bombarded with a running hug from her son. She hadn't minded, though. She'd missed him.

"Alright, bud, you ready to go home?" Before she could finish her sentence, Henry was off the couch and heading towards Kerry and his grandmother. Stopping him, Kerry held out her hand, "Say goodbye to Abuelo and Abuelita." He nodded, turned on his heel, and wrapped his arms around Luis. Once he was released from the embrace, Henry headed back towards the two women and held his arms out towards his grandmother.

"Bye, mijo. Be good for mommy." She released her grandson and smiled at him before sending the same facial expression Kerry's way.

"Thank you again." Kerry grinned warmly to her in-laws. "Alright, ready?" Kerry held out her right hand for Henry's left and headed for the door.

*

"And we went to the zoo yesterday!" Henry exclaimed from where he sat in the bathtub, surrounded by foam, bubbles, and a few toys. Kerry nodded at her son from where she sat on the bathroom floor, filled an old plastic cup with water, and held it over his sud-covered head.

"Shut your eyes," his hands playfully flew over his large eyes and Kerry tilted the cup, allowing the water to wash the shampoo out of his thick, brown hair. "So, did you have fun while I was gone?" Kerry asked, rinsing the last of the suds from his hair. He nodded, accidentally knocking his head into the cup Kerry still held. Giggling, he replied,

"Yep! But I missed you lots and lots, mommy." Kerry smiled, somewhat of a guilty feeling running through her.

"I missed you too, buddy." She set the cup down and reached around her son. Sinking her hand deep in the water, she reached for the drain and pulled at the plug. "Time for you to get ready for bed," she answered the questioning look Henry gave her.

Standing up from the awkward position with only a slight grimace, Kerry grabbed Henry's hooded ducky towel and wrapped it around him, rubbing the terry cloth against his soft, tanned arms. When the toddler was completely dried and clean, Kerry carried him back to his bedroom and tucked him into bed.

Retreating back into the kitchen, Kerry checked her voicemail and sorted through the mail she had picked up from the post office on her way to pick Henry up. Deciding she could deal with the numerous bills in the morning, Kerry headed for her own bedroom, flicking the lights off on her way.

Though it was only eight o'clock, she figured it couldn't hurt to sort through her suitcase and begin unpacking. After changing into pajamas and washing up for bed, Kerry retreated into her room and hoisted her black suitcase onto her bed. Unzipping it, she peered into it and began to pull at the clothing. First grabbing a plain, white tee shirt, Kerry yanked it out and set on her bed, beginning a pile for her dirty clothing. Reaching into her suitcase for another item of clothing, she was surprised when she pulled out a silky blouse similar to nothing she had packed. Looking deeper into the depths of the luggage, she grabbed a pair of jeans and held them out. The inseam looked to be a good four inches too long and the waist was definitely too narrow. Now moving frantically, Kerry dug deeper into the suitcase until she confirmed the thought that was floating in her mind; this was not her luggage.

Looking around the perimeter of the suitcase, Kerry finally found an address card on the outside of the luggage. Grabbing her cell phone, she quickly dialed the number and held the phone to her ear. After a mere two rings, the person on the other line answered,

"Hello?" A woman answered. Kerry sighed internally as a wave of relief washed over her.

"Hi…um, I think that our luggage…um, did you fly into O'Hare, today?" Kerry had called so quickly that she hadn't figured exactly what the etiquette was for calling about a luggae mix up.

"Yeah, I did…do you have my suitcase?" The woman on the other line sounded hopeful. Yet another wave of relief washed over Kerry. She nodded to no one in particular,

"I think so. Are you a size four tall in jeans from Gap?" The woman on the end chuckled.

"That's me. Are you still in Chicago?"

Kerry nodded, once again, to herself. "I am…are you?"

"Sure am. Is there any way we could meet up, say, tomorrow? Those are the only clothes I've got here."

Kerry smiled. "That sounds good…any place in particular?" Kerry wasn't sure where the woman was, never mind how well she knew her way around Chicago.

"Does the Starbucks on Lincoln work for you? Around noon?" The woman asked, a tone more rhetorical than not but still with a healthy amount of warmth.

"Sounds good. I'm sure we'll find each other…with the suitcases and all." Kerry chuckled lightly.

"Right," the other woman laughed as well, "so, I'll see you then?"

"Yep…see you then." Kerry finished off their awkward goodbye and waited for the other phone to be hung up. When the click came, Kerry ended the call on her own cell phone and set it back on the
bed.

Kerry went about putting the suitcase back together, carefully folding the pieces she had pulled out, and zipped it closed. Taking the small, index-sized card that had the woman's number on it in her hands, Kerry read over it again and found a name; Kimberly. No last name- probably, she figured, for security- and no address- again, probably for safety. Setting it down on the suitcase that was now resting on the floor, Kerry climbed into bed and soon fell asleep.

Thanks for reading.