Title: Constitution and Citizenship Day

Series: #17 in Holidays Series

Spoilers: 3.16 of Bad Girls

Disclaimer: Don't own most of the characters, ER or otherwise.

Kerry stared at the chart in front of her, but the letters looked more like Egyptian Hieroglyphs than English. Henry wasn't sleeping, she wasn't sleeping. The thing of it was that she'd always been able to get to sleep. Even during her break up with Kim, after the death of Sandy, the court case over Henry. She'd still been able to sleep at the drop of a hat.

"Doctor Weaver..." Di waited, "Doctor Weaver..." She waited some more. "Kerry?" There was no response from the red head. She seemed to be asleep with her eyes open. Di glanced around the Doctor's lounge before she spoke again, "Mom..."

Kerry's head snapped up and she locked gazes with Di. "What?"

"Sorry... you seemed out of it. We have a couple who were rundown coming in."

Kerry shook her head as she stood, "Right, of course." She paused as her hand hit the door handle. "Did you call me Mom just now?"

Di smirked just a bit, "Hey, it worked didn't it?" Kerry shook her head as Di continued, "I don't plan making it a regular occurrence."

"Good, it's, disconcerting... do you have something to do, or are you ready for the general horror of man versus car?"

Di nodded her head quickly as she followed Kerry out the Doctor's lounge door. "I am..."

Kerry spotted Donald at the Admit desk and stifled a groan. "I'll meet you outside." She continued to the desk. "Don."

"The staff dinner, it's your year..." There was no question in Donald's voice as he spoke the words, "We'll also be announcing the new Chief of Staff to everyone."

Kerry grabbed the edge of the Admit desk, mostly so that she wouldn't do something ill advised with her hands to Donald. "I don't... all my time."

Donald put a hand on Kerry's shoulder, "Maybe this'll be good for you, get your mind off things." He gave Kerry's shoulder a pat and walked away.

"Take my... take my mind..." She shook a breath and nearly hit the roof of the ER as a hand came down on her shoulder. She whirled, "What in blazes is... ah..." She mentally down shifted, "Sorry Susan... I've..."

A smirk came to Susan's face. "Been under a bit of stress?"

Kerry put a hand on her forehead, "You could say that. Oh, thank you for covering for me."

"What are friends for." Kerry and Susan's gazes met and both let out a laugh, "What are 'colleagues who don't want to kill each other anymore' for?"

"Sure... Thank you."

Two gurneys came rushing in, "You want me to take this?"

Kerry shook her head, "Nah. I have it."

Kim slammed her hand on the photo album, "Damnit..." She stood and ran a hand through her hair, "Why, damnit, why..."

"You've always believed everything happens for a reason."

Kim snorted a laugh at Rose, "Losing your whole life. There's no reason big enough for that. God..." Kim sank back down onto the couch and rubbed her left arm, which was still in a cast and sling. She was trying her best not to itch, but it was a losing battle. She looked back up at Rose. She could see her features in Rose, in Charles, even in her brothers and sisters, but she didn't know them. It was the most infuriating thing she had ever been through. At least, she guessed it was.

"I can see it in her eyes." She leaned her head back on the couch. "She's tryin' like hell to hide it, but she'll say something to me, I'll give the damn wrong answer, the wrong response, and poof, it's like I'm sticking pins in her heart."

Rose sat down and took Kim's good hand in both of hers. "That woman is the toughest woman I've ever met. She's gone through so much."

Kim let her breath snake out of her, "And Henry, he..." Kim swallowed. "He's... he keeps drawing me these pictures. I think they're of things we've done together."

Rose picked up one of the drawings, "What are you doing here?"

Kim stared at the picture, "I don't... I don't know..."

"So, how's sleeping beauty?"

"Kerry?"

Helen stood in surprise as Kerry picked up Nikki's chart, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Helen frowned, "Why do ya care?"

Kerry put down the chart and met Helen's eyes, "Truthfully?"

"Always the best way I've found."

Kerry stared at the dark haired woman in the bed. "Because there is absolutely nothing I can do about Kim's not knowing who the hell she is. Do you want to get some coffee?"

Helen shook her head, "No, I..."

Kerry smiled, "We'll just be on the floor. I know the best place to get coffee in this joint."

Helen finally nodded, "Tea." And followed Kerry out the door. "How is your Kim doin' now?"

Kerry took a deep breath, "Physically fine, well, aside from her broken arm, which, luckily for her isn't a problem since she's a head doctor. Now... her head. She still had no idea about her past, at all, and we're both living with her parents."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full."

Kerry pushed into the lounge. "Ah, Janet..."

Janet Coburn, OB-GYN extraordinaire, looked up with a smile, "Here for the coffee?"

"Best in the hospital."

Janet looked at Helen, "Helen, how are you?"

Helen took the mug that Kerry handed her to hold while the red head got water heating. "I'm soldierin on." Kerry gave Helen a questioning look, "I'm pregnant."

Kerry inclined her head, "That's what Janet does best." A half a smile came to Kerry's lips, "Is it Nikki's?"

A smile came to Helen's face, unbidden, "Ah, I thought you were the doctor."

Janet crossed her arms over her chest, rolling her eyes at the two similarly sized women, "So, when are you going to need my services Kerry? Hmmm?"

"At this rate, never Janet."

Janet winced as she changed the subject, she had realized what she was saying halfway through, but had plowed on none the less, "So, how's my party going?"

Kerry poured the hot water and handed it and the tea bag to Helen. "Oh, now it's your party?" Janet smirked. "So far, we'll be having it in the Trauma rooms."

Helen spoke up, "We have an... event room above the pub, the bar."

"Oh?"

"We do have a lot of gay and lesbian patrons, but fair few straight regulars. "

A twinkle appeared in Kerry's eyes, "But, it's a bar?"

Janet tilted her head to one side, "He'd probably never ask you to organize it again. Well..." She saluted Kerry with her mug, "See you at my shindig..."

Kerry shook her head as Janet left the room.

"You never did tell me how you met your Kim. And after I told ya all about me an Nikki."

Kerry took a sip of coffee. "Have you ever just forgotten how to think."

"On more than one occasion."

Kerry didn't look up from the paperwork she was working on at the table in the doctor's lounge. She heard the footsteps, the door, and then more footsteps that stopped next to the table. "Will Judy be alright?"

There was no answer and Kerry looked up, "I didn't..." She trailed off. The most gorgeous blonde haired, leggy, skinny as hell woman stood in front of her, her arms crossed over a clipboard that was clutched against her chest. Somehow Kerry managed to get a hold of her whirling thoughts, "Didn't mean it that way."

A gentle smile came to the woman's face, "I know what you meant. Psychiatrist right? In my professional opinion, she's coping, in my personal opinion, her partner's brother should be tied to four horses and quartered properly."

Kerry blinked in surprise, "I..." She took a deep breath and shook her head, "I didn't have a choice."

The woman shook her head quickly, "I wasn't blaming you Doctor Weaver. Just stating the facts."

Kerry stood, "You have me at a disadvantage."

The woman let go of the clipboard with one hand and held it to Kerry, "Kim Legaspi, Doctor of course, Psychiatrist. I'm new."

Kerry narrowed her eyes, and then smiled, "I got that."

Kim smirked right back, "Well, I still have all my appendages, and I'm not bleeding, I guess you're not as bad as you're rumored to be."

Kerry groaned, "If I had a penny for every time..." She shrugged and then it happened, it would change her life, forever and ever. "Do you want to get a cup of Coffee over at Doc Magoos, I'll give you the dirt on everyone else in this hospital."

She barely managed to stop her hand from coming up to her mouth in surprise. She had meant to say something much more acquaintance like. She made a mental note that maybe she needed to get herself an MRI or CAT scan.

Helen was bent at the waist, silently laughing and laughing. Kerry stood there, drinking her cooling coffee and waiting for Helen to say something instead of just laughing. "I'm glad I could be amusing."

Helen took a couple of deep breaths, "Reckon it's better than getting told off on Basic. In a nice blue hoodie I may add..."

Kerry chuckled. "Let's get you back to Nikki's room. Blue hoodie huh?"

"And a tragic set of circumstances."

Kim sat in her office in the hospital. She stared at the photos that stood on her desk. She picked up the one that sat almost in the middle. It was Kerry Weaver and her son Henry in full Cubs regalia, mugging for the camera. She frowned at the picture, staring at each part of Kerry's face, and then at Henry's. "C'mon. C'mon brain, remember, I want to remember, why won't you remember."

She carefully put it back and pinched the bridge of her nose.

There was a knock on the door and she looked up to meet a tall, wide in the shoulders man with a comforting smile on his face. "I'm Carl."

"Aren't you... retired... from County?" Kim trailed off, "How do I know that?"

Carl shrugged and closed the door, "Your brain that was coup-contrecoup'd."

Kim shook her head, "It's not like I'm missing a day, or year, but... Damnit."

Carl sat down and glanced around his former office. "Have you remembered anything else?"

Kim shook her head, "Nothing important."

"What do you think is important?"

Kim shrugged, "Friends, family."

"So, what have you remembered?"

Kim stared down at her hands, "The man's face."

"The one who hit you?" Kim nodded, "That's good..."

"And... I.. a blue shirt. No head, can't even tell White, Black, Hispanic, Middle Eastern... just, a blue shirt." She paused, "And this... black hole sucking me in, love."

Carl stood, "It's something. How 'bout Kerry? How are you and she doing?"

A laugh came from Kim. "How do you think? We're all living with my parents."

Carl shook his head, "You're avoiding them. You know..." He paused, "Of course, you don't know. Talk to them... talk to Henry if it's easier."

"Maybe."

Two brown eyes opened and blinked a couple of times. The head they were in turned to one side and a gentle smile came to the lips, laugh lines appearing around the eyes, and those narrowed, a scheme coming together behind them.

Kim's progress out of the hospital came to an abrupt halt. Kim didn't even think as she reached out and caught the woman she had bumped. She met Kerry's eyes. "Sorry..."

Kerry didn't move away and her mood was buoyed a bit when Kim didn't let go of her arm. When she looked up at the blonde again Kim had the most puzzled look she had ever seen on her. "What's wrong?"

Kim still didn't let go of Kerry. "You're supposed to have a crutch, or..." She frowned, "Aren't you. Please put me out of my misery thinking that I'm making up memories now."

Kerry couldn't seem to keep the smile off her face, "Well, I'm not supposed to anymore, but yes, I did, for most of my life as well as when we first met."

"Are you going home?"

"I have to pick up Henry."

Kim nodded as they both walked into the parking garage, "Is he always so... intense and frown-y?"

Kerry regarded Kim, "He was. For a long time. We've had fun times of course, I'm not an evil monster, but..." Kerry paused, "You, you put the permanent smile on his face, a light in his eyes unlike anyone else in his life, even me."

"Really?"

"You two..." Kerry rolled her eyes, "Sometimes... pow... to the moon. Carlos, Eddie, they're family, I'm his Mom, but you, you're his Kim."

Kim and Kerry stopped at the car, "It's like I'm just..."

Kerry unlocked the door as she interrupted Kim, "Would you do something for me Kim? I know you..."

"...have no frickin' clue who the hell you are or where you fit in whatever is left of my brain?"

"Just... talk to him? He won't bite, I promise. I... I understand what's going on, he... he just doesn't."

Kim let her breath out. "That's what Carl told me to do too."

"Did you..."

Kim shook her head, "Recognize him, no."

Helen smiled, she was having a good dream, a dream with Nikki awake and- Helen's eyes flew open and she spoke, "Nicola..."

Except the dark haired woman's name came out as an unintelligible mumble as Nikki's mouth devoured Helen's.

Finally Helen pushed Nikki on the chest, managing to get oxygen back into her lungs. "Nikki..."

"Love."

"You should be in bed."

Nikki looked into Helen's eyes, "Is that where you want me then?"

"Nikki..."

"I could stare into your eyes for, days, months, years Hel."

Helen pulled Nikki's head towards her own until their noses touched. "I thought I'd neva see them again."

"It'll take more than a bloody bullet to split us up darling."

Helen kissed Nikki.

Fin ~ April 8th, 2008