Kerry groaned and rolled over, patting at her night table for the incessantly ringing phone. "Weaver."

"I'm going to wager a guess that you didn't see it was me."

Kerry closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose to wake her herself up a bit. A smile appeared, "Courtney."

A sigh came through the line. "Yep, it's just me. Standing in the middle of a blocked off road, sweating to death in this horrible July heat, while, a woman who's not you reports on a fire that's not helping the heat index." Courtney paused on the other end for a second. "Are you okay Kerry?"

Kerry tried to blink away the sleep in her eyes and her brain. "Yes, yes, of course. Who wouldn't be, you need to remember to drink fluids."

Courtney chuckled, "And you remember to have fun?"

Kerry smiled into the phone. "I'll try, I'll see you early then?"

"Inside... with AC, lots and lots of AC. Tomorrow." There was a pause, and then Courtney hung up.

Kerry laid her head back down and put the phone against her forehead. She'd gotten no sleep, her hip throbbing all night. And then there was Courtney's pause.

With Sandy there was nothing assumed, Kerry could feel it when they were together. Sandy wanted a good time, happy times, she saw enough despair in her job, dealt with enough stress in her job that she said she didn't want it in her relationships.

With Courtney, Kerry could tell it was different, that she said she understood what Kerry was going through, but then, despite herself Courtney would pause or stumble when talking about them, talk about their future.

Kerry rolled out of bed, leaving her phone behind. She made her way from the bedroom to the bathroom without the aid of her crutch. She stared at herself in the mirror. She didn't look as tired as she had a year ago, but now she thought she saw something different in her reflection. She shook her head and got her morning stuff underway.

Kerry stepped into the Legaspi backyard and glanced around, Sandy had been right, everyone was there. She wandered a bit, saying hello to those she recognized, getting a bit of food and a soda.

And then she was descended upon. "Kerry Weaver."

Kerry turned and frowned, "Curtis Scott." Her eyes went to the two kids with him. They both looked like little clones of Curtis. The young girl's eyes seemed to be trying to pierce Kerry's skin.

Curtis gestured to the kids. "These are my kids. Emily and Tyson. Nine and Five. This is Kerry Weaver."

Kerry smiled, "Hey guys..."

Tyson shyly looked through his bangs. "Does that hurt?" He touched the crutch lightly and jerked his hand back when it made contact.

Emily gave her little brother a push. "Don't be a butthead. She doesn't want to talk about it."

Tyson looked about to tear up, "You don't know Em..."

Kerry smiled and by some miracle, without a groan, sat down in the grass. Tyson followed suit with much more grace and youth. "Did you mean your question in a mean way?"

Tyson shook his head enthusiastically. "No, no."

"That's good, because a real question is always an okay thing. No, it doesn't usually hurt, but sometimes it gets sore. Do you know the difference?"

Tyson nodded again, "Yes, sore is how my throat hurts, hurt is when I have an owie on my knee."

Kerry smiled, "That's exactly it. Think you can help me up?"

Tyson scrambled to his feet and held out a hand. Kerry mostly used her crutch, but Tyson didn't seem to notice or care. Once she was back up Tyson handed Kerry's plates to his father who quirked an eyebrow at Kerry. She started to speak, but before she could Tyson d id. Grabbing her free hand again he spoke, "Meet my friends, okay?"

Kerry blinked back at Curtis as she allowed herself to be pulled by the little Tyson Scott to his equally young friends.

Doris stopped by the admit desk. "You're working today?"

"Just got in. You're working too."

Doris inclined her head at the desk clerk, "True. Hey, how's the redheaded guy we brought in?"

"Do you remember his name?"

"Two first names I think. I could swear I knew him from somewhere."

Randi focused on her computer screen for a second, "Oh, Mike Leonard, wow. I just talked to him yesterday, he wanted to talk to Doctor Weaver. He's alive though."

Doris held a hand up, "That's all I wanted to know, we brought him in with quite a head injury. Stay cool if you can."

Randi sighed, "Now you've jinxed our poor AC system."

Doris tipped an imaginary hat at Randi, "Aim to please."

"Kim, look who came."

Kim looked over at her mother with a frown. Where Kim was tall, her mother Pamela Legaspi was short, but both had once been blonde with blue eyes and the same cheeky smirk. She followed Pam's gaze to where Kerry sat on the grass, surrounded by children.

Kim shook her head, "I never thought I'd see Kerry in that position."

"You still like her, huh?" Tom, her father stepped next to his daughter, putting an arm around her shoulders. They were the same height, though where she had a runner's build, Tom looked more like a linebacker. His hair was also blonde, but his eyes were a deep hazel green. "Grapevine says she's going with a TV Producer and a firefighter. One of the Lopezes."

"I know Dad."

"Tom, no meddling. Still, you should say hello."

Kim rolled her eyes at the two older Legaspis, "We haven't worked twice now Mom. Why would, why should I even try?"

Pam put an arm around Kim's waist and squeezed. "The first time it was all that Wallace child's fault. Putting Kerry in that position before she had even come out to herself. I remember you agonizing for a couple of years young lady."

"Mom. How?"

"A mother knows these things. Now, this second time I think she was just scared."

Kim looked over at her mother unbelieving. "I am anything but scary. A couple of people have even called me cute."

Tom spoke, "Not you Kimmy, commitment. No one has ever stayed around long in her life, so she cuts bait and runs first. Stick around, ask her out again."

Kim stared at Kerry, watching her with the little ones. "Lesbian relationship advice from my father."

Tom waggled a finger at his daughter, "Now, who is it that tells us that relationships are all just relationships, no matter the..."

Pam helped out her husband, "...private parts..."

"...of those in the relationship. Who is it?"

Kim sighed, "I get your point Dad."

"Good."

"Who's your favorite player?"

Tyson gave the question lots of thought as the other kids responded with A-Rods, Sosas, and Thomes. Finally he spoke, "Tim Wakefield."

A six or seven year old who seemed to be related to one of the firefighters at the party gave a snort. "He's stupid."

Tyson stood and the two boys faced off. "No he's not, he throws the buckleball."

"Knuckleball dummy."

"Hey." All the kids looked at Kerry. Her Chief voice had come in handy. She hadn't been sure if it would work on kids as well as it worked on Interns. "No names."

The other boy shook his head, "I'm gonna play Frisbee." He moved away and everyone but Tyson followed him.

"You don't want to play?"

Tyson shrugged and was silent for a minute before he spoke again, "Kerry who's your favorite player?"

"Trot Nixon."

Tyson's mouth dropped open, "Really?"

Kerry smiled, "Really. Now, do you just like Tim, or do you like the whole team? Did you see last night's game?"

Tyson nodded quickly, "Schilling pitched. And I like the whole team." Tyson looked one way, then the other after he spoke and leaned closer to Kerry.

Kerry smiled, "Me too. I bet your Dad isn't happy about that huh?"

A voice came from above both of them, "Neither is his godmother."

Tyson looked up and jumped up, "Auntie Kim." He pulled at her until she sat down next to him. "This is Kerry."

Kim smiled at the youngest Scott, "I know her."

Tyson frowned, "Really?"

Kim nodded, "We work together at the hospital."

"Oh..." The young boy looked from one woman to the other. He leaned towards Kim, "Do you..." His eyes moved towards Kerry and back to Kim. "Like her?"

Kim hid her smile and put her head down right next to his. "Do you?"

He nodded, "Can I get Ice Cream?"

Kim tilted her head, "You know you have to ask your Dad."

He sighed, but stood and turned to Kerry, "Bye Kerry," and he was off towards Curtis.

The two women stayed seated across from each other. Kim finally broke the silence. "How are you doing?"

Kerry shrugged, "Well, you?"

"Well? C'mon Ker, s'ok if you're deliriously happy and not dating me. You have to find you."

"I'm sorry." Kerry frowned, "For being so, all you've ever done is been there for me and all I've ever done is push you away."

"Kerry, it takes two for a break up. I..." Kim shook her head, "Maybe my... thing... is that I can't let you be, I'm a fixer. Always have been, ask my parents, probably why I'm a Psychiatrist."

"Never met your parents."

Kim stood and practically yanked Kerry to her feet. "C'mon then."

"Kim, I didn't mean, Kim..." Kerry shook off Kim's hand. "How, how are you?"

Kim raised an eyebrow, deciding whether or not to go with the flimsy change of subject. "Well, a couple of months ago I dated a nice woman, but, I haven't..." She gave Kerry a gentle shove in the shoulder. "...juggled two women at once recently. Not since college actually." Kim shook her head and stuck her hands in her pockets. "And back then. Someone always gets hurt Ker. Someone always cares too much..." Kim met Kerry's eyes. "Be car..." She trailed off, "And you already know who that's gonna be, don't you? Be careful Ker, love, love is like one gigantic mine field, and if you're not only trying to cross it, but juggle more than one mine as well... well..."

Kerry didn't get to respond as Kim gestured to her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Kerry Weaver. Kerry, my parents Pam and Tom Legaspi, and trust me, you don't want to be calling them Mr. and Mrs. Legaspi. I get my Psychiatry from my mom the Psychologist, everything else I get from Pops here..."

Kerry inclined her head, "It's nice to meet you Mrs., Mr. Legaspi."

Pam stared at Kerry for a moment before a smile appeared on her face, "I think I like you. Do you like to cook?"

"Ah, sure, yes."

Pam took a hold of Kerry's free hand and dragged her away from the taller Legaspis. Tom smirked at his daughter, "I think that if you're not going to get your Kerry back, your mother's going to do it for you kiddo."

Kerry frowned as she entered her ER. Pratt gave her a look. "Nice duds."

Kerry looked down at herself, she was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, nothing extraordinary. She gave Pratt a scathing look back, "It's my day off Greg..." She swung her gaze to Randi, "And I, for once, was actually having fun, so this had better be important Randi."

Randi nodded, "You know the card I gave you?"

"Mr. Leonard, Dr. Leonard, sure, haven't gotten around to him yet. Again, Day... off..."

"He's here."

"Miranda."

Randi held a hand up, "No, I mean, he's a patient here, upstairs. Head injury and a coma. They haven't been able to find any family."

Kerry cut off the clerk, "Randi, why did you call. Me. Here?"

"I think he might know you. I mean, when he came in... Look, it's a feeling Doctor Weaver."

Kerry glanced over her shoulder at the elevator. "You want me to check on him? Even though there are better docs here, you think... what?"

Randi shook her head and sighed, "I don't know Doctor Weaver. I don't do flights of fancy, you know that."

Kerry stared at Randi for a long time. "Well, it is my day off, but..." She took hold of Randi's arm. "Frank, Randi's taking her break."

"Wha..."

"Why am I here Doctor Weaver?"

Kerry flipped through Mike Leonard's chart. "It looks like we stabilized him, but hasn't woken up. They're watching him."

"Do you recognize him?"

Kerry glanced at the man and shook her head, "Never seen him. Do they have what he came in wearing?"

Randi grabbed the personal items bag and Kerry glanced through it. A wallet fell out. The clerk picked it up and opened it. "Ooh, not poor... and he seems to..." She trailed off, "Holy shit."

"Language Randi..."

Randi raised an eyebrow, "Practicing for children."

Kerry sighed, "What made you curse Randi?"

"His birth date... seems familiar."

She handed over the wallet and Kerry blinked, "Oh."

"See, I told you... you two are connected. Same birth date, and year right?"

Kerry shook her head and handed Randi back the wallet, "Do you know how many people have the same birthdays? Mine was the same as my adopted great grandmother, year aside. Millions of people are born on the same day. Thousands on the same day and year."

Randi held up a strand of the comatose man's hair. "How many have the same color hair and eyes too?"

"Hundreds Randi. And I haven't seen his eyes."

Randi stuck the license in front of Kerry. "Then look."

Kerry gently lowered Randi's arm. "Randi, what's wrong?"

"Channeling Kim now?" Kerry frowned at the clerk and Randi let her arms drop to her sides. "Sorry, that was uncalled for."

Kerry put a hand on Randi's arm again, "I know I'm not anywhere near everyone's friend, but if you need an ear, I happen to have two. Whatever it is."

They stood there in the unknown man named Mike's room for a few minutes before Randi blurted out her problem. "I'm... I'm just, it's like I'm floating out there and I have no idea who the hell I am, or what I want and..."

"Randi."

"And then this guy, there's something about him, and now he's in a coma, and he has no one, like me, and I..." Randi trailed off.

Kerry pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Well, the doctors think there's a chance he'll come out of it. He's not brain dead."

Randi seemed to regain some of herself. "I can deal with brain dead. You've never dated until you've dated brain dead."

Kerry put a hand on Randi's back and pushed her towards the door. "Let's leave him alone for now. Give him some silence to recuperate."

Randi looked in the window as Kerry closed the door. "I'm sorry, I... I may come back later." Kerry raised an eyebrow and this managed to pull a grin onto Randi's face, "...after my shift of course."

"Well..." A small smile came to Kerry's face as well, "If anyone can talk her way in, you can."

Kerry had just finished cleaning her kitchen when her doorbell rang. She was sorta sick of people for the day. She had found out when she was a child that she had a people quotient for each day, the number had gotten bigger since she had become a doctor, but on her days off it went down significantly.

She frowned when she looked through the peephole. It was Courtney and she didn't look too happy.

Kerry opened the door, "Court, you rang the bell."

Courtney stepped in and closed the door. "I know, we have something tomorrow, but... this can't wait. Come with me to Miami."

Kerry blinked in stunned silence. "What? Miami, Courtney..."

Courtney grabbed both of Kerry's hands, sending the redhead's crutch clattering to the ground. "I love you, it just, it snuck up on me like a Cottonwood and bit the hell outta me, but I do. There is an amazing opportunity for me in Miami, a giant step up."

"Court, my life is here."

"They'll take you too, I know it, you can be heard by thousands and thousands of people, talk about the things that matter to you, anything. Talk about changes that need to be made, new treatments that are promising. You can be Miami's Tim Johnson."

Kerry carefully extracted her hands from Courtney's. "I'm not a TV personality Courtney. I'm a teacher. I love seeing the looks on the Med Student's faces when a fact clicks into a permanent place, never to be forgotten, just shuffled. Or the amazement when an Intern realizes that he just did a procedure that before he'd only read about. Or the look on a Resident's face when she realizes for the first time that she just taught someone something, that she isn't just someone who can repair the broken parts, but can pass on that knowledge." Kerry trailed off, "I can't just leave that, I'm sorry."

Kerry stared at the ground as Courtney picked up Kerry's crutch and handed it to her. "I... I have to go Kerry. This. I love what I do too. I thought that I could be okay with half of you, but... it just makes me half of myself. I'm sorry."

Kerry looked up, "I'll miss you so much." She stepped forward and put her arms around Courtney's waist, "You..."

Courtney took Kerry's head in her hands as if it were a Faberge egg and kissed the redhead's lips with gentle sadness. She let go and cupped Kerry's cheek. "Mac is good. He'll take good care of your segments... and maybe one day we'll meet again. When we've both gone national."

Kerry could only stand there as Courtney beat a hasty retreat back out of Kerry's home. Kerry watched through her doorway as Courtney left. She didn't know how long she stood there before she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Kerry. Doctor Weaver?"

"What? Captain Scott?"

He glanced around the entry way quickly, as only a cop could do. "You shouldn't leave the door open like that. Are you alone?"

Kerry finally focused on Curtis. "Ah, yes. What can I do for you Captain?"

Curtis yanked a hand through his hair, "Look, this is an unfair thing to ask fo you. You and Kim aren't even going together anymore, but I have... I have no one else, my wife, Lois Scott, is at work, and I... will you look after Ty and Em?"

Kerry nodded, "Of course, yes... should I call Kim?"

Curtis paused, "Are you two speaking?" Kerry put her left hand on her hip and Curtis put his hands up, "I'll go get the kids."

He went back to his car and seemed to be explaining everything to them. He also seemed to be profusely apologizing to them. Soon they came running up to Kerry with giant smiles. "So... how are you two doing?"

She closed the door after they waved to their father and followed them into the living room. Emily carefully looked around before she sat down next to where Tyson had flopped on the floor already.

"May we color?" Emily leaned closer to Kerry, "I do it with him so that he doesn't feel left out."

Tyson stopped mid color and blinked up at Kerry, a guitly look on his face for starting to color his paper on her floor without asking first. "Oh..."

Kerry smiled, "Of course guys. Let me go get something too. You'll be okay?"

Emily kept coloring, but Tyson nodded his head enthusiastically. "I'm a big boy." Kerry smiled and went to find something that she hadn't thought about in ages.

She came back to the living room a few minutes later to the two children still with all their fingers and toes, and still coloring quietly. Emily's pictures were colored very realistically. The people were a yellowish pink, the sky blue, the sand yellow tan. Tyson on the other hand was going crazy with color, one half of a dinosaur was bright red, the other was dark green. Kerry chuckled and both kids looked up. Tyson spoke, "What's that?"

Kerry slowly lowered herself to the ground and put down the handmade box next to Tyson. "These Tyson, are crayons."

Tyson made a face at Kerry, "I know... why a lot?"

"They are from a lot of different boxes of crayons. No two colors alike. I spent a lot of time finding all these when I was a kid, when I was just a little bit older than your sister, I made the box too."

Tyson started to take one, then looked up at Kerry with furrowed eyebrows. "Can we use?"

Kerry ruffled Tyson's hair, "Of course you can bud... go crazy. I'll bet that you can make some really outrageous pictures with these colors huh?"

Tyson dove right in coloring with the crayons like he had never colored before. Emily on the other hand didn't start coloring again. Instead she watched Kerry closly. "Adults don't color, do they?"

Kerry took out her favorite sky blue in the box. "Anyone can color at any time they want to."

"When did you find these?"

Kerry put back the crayon. "I was just a little older than Ty when I started."

"You were?"

Kerry chuckled, "Oh, I was much more serious back then than I am now."

Emily stared at Kerry for a long time before a smile came to her face and she spoke quietly. "You can call me Em if you want Doctor Weaver."

"Only if you call me Kerry."

Emily nodded and started coloring.

Kerry slowly stood, "You guys want dinner?"

Emily nodded and Tyson totally ignored her.

Kerry's doorbell rang, again. She sighed and answered it. Hoping that it wasn't Sandy to break up with her too, or perhaps an IRS man to audit her.

It was Kim, and she dove into whatever it was that she was planning to say right away, but quickly got derailed. "Look, Kerry, I..." Kim trailed off. "Are you aware that Tyson and Emily Scott are in your living room?"

Kerry put a finger to her lips, "Shhh, they're finally asleep. What do you need Kim? I just got broken up with by Courtney, and then these two were dumped on me by a guy I barely know, so... I'm a little wiped out."

Kim rubbed the back of her neck, "It's... I can come back..."

Kerry shook her head, "No, it's okay, what do you need?"

"I..."

Kim's phone rang, and she ignored it. "Kim, it could be the hospital."

"I don't care."

The ringing stopped for a moment, and then started again. "Answer it, nothing is so important that it can't wait for five minutes."

Kim frowned at Kerry for a second before she answered the phone. "Legaspi." She was perfectly silent for a long time. Too long in Kerry's estimation. When she finally hung up she still didn't speak.

"Kim, are you okay?"

The blonde swallowed, as if trying to make room so that sound could come out. "Curtis, Curtis and Lois Scott, they're... they're dead. It was... Their house, it... it went up, a fire, it was so fast. It was practically over before..." She looked around, "I... I need somewhere to sit, please."

Kerry put an arm around Kim's waist and led her into the kitchen. She sank into a chair.

Kerry started to speak, but her phone rang first. She looked at the caller ID and groaned. She picked it up. "Weaver. Are you sure? Have you tried Carter? I can't really leave at the moment, no, that's not the reason Randi, and if you repeat that anywhere you're fired." Kerry trailed off, "No, okay, okay, I'll be there shortly." She hung up, "Kim, I need to go, you can stay here, all three of you if you'd like."

"Uh, yes, yeah, Thank you."

Kerry put a hand on Kim's shoulder, "I'll be back."

"I... I may take them home, to my home I mean."

Kerry nodded, "Just lock up if you do... and take the box of crayons too."

Kim frowned up at Kerry, "What?"

"Tyson and Em will know what I mean."

"All the docs are in exam one."

Kerry had been walking by Randi and turned back towards the clerk when she heard this. "Exam one?" Randi nodded. Kerry shrugged and changed her course to take her to Exam one instead of Trauma one. When she got inside there were many doctors standing around the bed. Kerry cleared her throat and they all moved to the side. Kerry bit back a gasp. Before her sat a boy somewhere near Emily's age, maybe a little younger with some sort of pole like object through what appeared to be his heart. "Whose patient is this?"

Everyone pointed to Dave. Doctor Malucci didn't seem to be his usual perky self. Kerry looked around the room. "If he's not your patient, leave. NOW."

The doctors and nurses cleared the room except for Abby, Chuny, Kerry and Dave. Kerry walked to the boy. She carefully placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What's your name son?"

He quietly spoke, "Richey ma'am. It really doesn't hurt ma'am."

Kerry looked around the pole. "You'll tell us if that changes Richey?"

He spoke even quieter this time. "I promise ma'am."

Kerry smiled what she hoped was a comforting smile, "I'm going to go talk to the doctor for a moment, okay. I'll be right back, but this is Chuny and she'll stay with you." She pulled Chuny to the side. "We have to make sure that bar doesn't move." Chuny nodded seriously and Kerry led Dave and Abby into the hallway.

"Are you okay with this David? I know you have a young son."

Dave looked up, surprised, "Oh, yes. Yeah, I'm fine. I called down Romano..." Kerry winced and Dave nodded, "I know, but he's the best..."

"Cardio as well?"

"Yes, yes..."

Kerry nodded, "You seem to have everything under control, do you know where his father, mother, guardian is?"

Dave shook his head, "His father brought him in, signed him in, then disappeared."

Kerry paused, "Call security and tell them to be on the lookout for him? Give 'em a description."

Dave gave a faux salute. "Will do Chief."

He went back into the room. Kim, of all people, came up behind Kerry. "What do you have for me?"

"Nothing Kimberly, you're going home." Kerry turned, "What the hell are you doing here Kim?"

"It's conference week. You have a child?"

Kerry stared at Kim, who stared right back, "He had a pole through his chest."

Kim stared through the window and finally spoke, "You're not going to ask me if I'm sure I can do it?"

Kerry pushed through the door and didn't look behind to see if Kim would follow. Both Chuny and Richey looked up. "Hey Richey, this is Kim, she's going to talk to you for a bit. Is that okay?"

Richey nodded slowly, "Okay, can Chuny stay?"

"Of course, and I'll be back soon."

Kerry left the room and nearly ran into Tyson and Emily. "Hey you two. You had to come in with Kim?"

Both nodded. Tyson's eyes were big as he watched all the bustle in the ER, and he had a death grip on his sister's hand. "You guys want to see something cool?"

Emily frowned, "Are you allowed to say cool Kerry?"

Kerry smiled softly, "Well, do you want to see something... neat-o?"

Both nodded. Kerry held out her hand and Tyson gripped onto it like a dingy at sea. And then Richey's father reappeared. He saw the children and something snapped. He took aim and everything slowed to a crawl. She fell forward, taking Emily and Tyson down with her as shots exploded.

And then Kim was there. "Oh, my God."