Romano walked out of the room, shocked like crazy. It wasn't hard to tell that when he called Kerry in for that meeting the last thing he'd expected to come out of her mouth was a declaration of love for Dr. Legaspi. He just closed the door behind him.
"I am going to expect Dr. Romano's full support on this matter." Said Dr. Anspaugh and gave Kerry a smile. He certainly hadn't expected that outcome himself either. He walked out, closed the door, and smiled.
"Kerry… I..." Kim almost beamed where she was standing, Kerry could tell she was happy, but also insanely shocked, not that Kerry could blame her, after all the time she had spent denying who she was, denying them, it was no wonder her girlfriend was a little taken back.
"You don't need to say anything, Kim. I did this as much for myself as I did for you. You know that night we had the fight about me adopting the lifestyle that was me being scared as hell. I've always known that I wasn't like everyone else. I was always different, but I hid it. I hid it from the world, and I hid it from myself. Then you came along and I couldn't hide anymore. You made me face up to something I've known practically my whole life. I was done hiding Kim."
Kim came closer; she hugged her so tight that Kerry wasn't sure she could continue breathing. But it didn't matter, cuz it felt good, it felt right, like it always had. The hug broke, and Kim smiled like an angel. The angel Kerry always knew she had been.
"Kerry, I know you think you did this only for yourself but you didn't. You might very well have saved my ass right now. I think you might be the only thing in this hospital that Romano actually fears, and you stood up to him, she told him that you believed me. That you believed in me. You told Romano that you loved me, something that if I am not wrong, you never even told me."
Kim smiled, and Kerry could tell that she was teasing, and she had to laugh a little, that kind of laugh that only Kim could bring out of her. She loved that. Kim knew her like no one else ever had.
"I never told you because I was scared; I was scared to give you all of me, even if I knew I loved already at Christmas, before you kissed me, before you told me we couldn't be friends. I knew I had falling for you, or was in the process of falling for you, and it scared me to pieces because Kim, you are the first person, man or woman, that I have ever truly loved, and it terrified me. So I hid, I pretended, and then you opened my eyes. No more blackness, only light."
Kim kissed her. Kim kissed her in a way Kerry never before had been kissed, and she knew someone could come in; she knew someone could see, but she didn't care anymore. No one could do anything about who she was. She was done hiding. They broke apart, and Kerry was literally breathless for the first time in her life.
"In case you didn't get what that means, I love you too, Kerry."
"I am sorry it took me so long to tell you, Kim. That it took me so long to accept it."
"Kerry, I said I love you. Which means I don't care how long it took, or how scared you might still be, cuz I know you are. I know this is terrifying Kerry, it changes everything, but know that no matter what, you can always count on me."
"I was going to say the same to you. I ain't going anywhere. If Romano still refuses to help, I'll leave with you. I used to think this hospital was my life, that this was all I was ever gonna get. That the closest thing I would come to family and friends were a bunch of doctors who doesn't even like me."
Kerry saw that Kim smiled at that, almost laughed, not because it was funny but because it sounded ridiculous when you thought about it.
"Hey... don't laugh. I am actually trying to say something important here."
She punched Kim in the arm, which somehow only got her to laugh even more.
"Kerry, I am sorry but…"
"Yeah, yeah... I know. But the point is... I am trying to say that all of that changed, County is no longer my life. I have something to come home to when my shift ends, something to look forward to when my day is over. I have you."
Kim kissed her again, more gently this time, more careful, more loving.
"Thank you, Kerry."
"For what? I didn't do anything…"
"For letting me love you. That takes more courage than anything…"
"Turns out, it was easier than I thought it would be."
They smiled at each other, and as Kerry was leaning in to kiss Kim again, her pager went off. 3 seconds later so did Kim's.
"The ER" Kim said.
"Let's go."
---
"Dr. Legaspi we need a psych consult in Curtain 2, a young girl shows sign of cutting but she won't admit to anything…" Abby told Kim just as they got of the elevator.
"Dr. Weaver, Dr. Weaver. Trauma 1, SGW to the abdomen, and chest. Need help!" Dr. Carter yelled out about the same second.
"I guess I should go..." Kim told Kerry and smiled.
"Yeah, me too... " Kerry turned to leave, before turning around again….
"Just one more thing."
Kerry planted a big kiss on Kim's lips, and suddenly the whole ER got quiet. It was not like they hadn't all suspected, especially after Dr. Malluchi had overheard them talking about Kerry waking Kim up when she finished her shift, but none of them had expected Kerry to plant one on Kim in front of everyone.
"No more secrets." Kerry told Kim before running after Dr. Carter.
"No more secrets..." Kim told herself before finding her way to Curtain 1.