There was a knock on Kim's office door, which was almost never closed. "Come in."

Cassie did and did a double take. Kim didn't look at all like her normal self, and she was one of the few in the hospital who always managed to look awake, perky, and refreshed. "Long night last night? You look like crap."

Kim sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It was back to bouncy and curly. "Was there something you wanted Cassie?"

"Yes. You know about the Jane Doe you came in with?"

"I didn't actually."

"What?"

Kim put down her pen and shook her head, "I got the call, got down to street level and they were rolling in with her already."

"Would... would you come take a look at her? Please?"

Kim frowned at the second year resident. "What's her name Cassie?"

"I'll explain everything, well, most things. Please."

Kim stood. "Lead the way."


Doris knocked on the Chief of Surgery's office door and got a come in. Erica looked up with a smile, which morphed into confusion as two other women entered, one very pregnant. "Hello."

"These are my... friends?" The pregnant one smiled and the other woman gave a short laugh, "From Springfield. Natalia and Olivia, this is Doctor Erica Hahn. We're..."

Erica shook Natalia's hand, then Olivia's. "Totally indefinable. How far along are you?"

"Too far along. We didn't believe Doris when she said she was moving from Springfield. She gave up her Mayoral post and everything."

Doris spoke up, "Chose not to seek re-election and to work on projects that mean something to me."

Olivia chuckled, "Still Doris though. What happened to Jamanda?"

Erica mouthed 'Jamanda' and shook her head, "Did she get escorted to the loony bin for not changing her name when she hit eighteen?"

Doris wasn't finding any of the conversation funny, "Jamanda stayed in Springfield. How's Rafe?"

"Still alive."

Erica stood, "So, since I don't want to do paperwork or deal with Residents or Interns today. How about a tour from a couple of people who barely know the place."


Cassie entered the room first, followed closely by Kim. Cassie started to speak but didn't even get in a word as Kim exclaimed, "Holy shit. Janet."

Cassie's jaw dropped to the floor as she quickly shut the door. "How do you know her name?"

Kim took her hand, "She's my aunt, i was born when she was only four. We.. both our middle names are Nicole after our grandma Fr... Wait." Kim let go and turned, "Fraiser." Kim stared at Cassie, "You're her daughter. God, she never told me she had a daughter, after all the crap with that jerk off Abe Simm, is... oh..."

Cassie shook her head and went to the other side of Janet Frasier's bed. "I'm adopted. I don't know my father... and you, she never talked about her family. Just that she had a sister and two brothers."

Kim squeezed Janet's unresponsive hand, "Nancy, her sister, is my mother, and she... my grandma and grandpa didn't want her to join the Air Force, Grandpa died soon after she did join. They... all of my family were free spirit types, even after the sixties and seventies ended. Janet wasn't."

A gurgle of laughter escaped from Cassie, who shook her head, "Sorry."

"What is it?"

"She's gay Doctor Legaspi."

Kim looked back down at the Aunt that was only four years her senior, "Two different things, haven' you met Kerry. Would you call her a free spirit?"

"Oh, right, I guess you have a point." She sighed, "What... what am I supposed to do now?"

Kim let go of Janet's hand, "The Air Force said she was KIA."

Cassie nodded, "They... but they never recovered her body."

Kim shook her head, "But the Air Force doesn't usually say KIA unless they're sure, right?"

Cassie pushed a lock of hair from Janet's forehead, "That's my problem."

Kim thought for a moment, "Ask Kerry."

Cassie frowned, "Doctor Weaver?"

"We need the name of a DNA lab or someone she knows at one. I'll get my grandmother's DNA. Janet's mother's. We'll send it in, get an answer." Kim looked back down at Janet. "When we were growing up she was like the sister I wouldn't have for years." Kim shook her head, "Then she moved to Colorado Springs and it was as if she'd fallen off the end of the Earth. I trust Kerry."

Cassie quietly thought for a moment, "Okay. I'll talk to her."

Kim came around and put a hand on Cassie's shoulder, "I know she's Janet Fraiser. The one I grew up with... at least in body. But..."

Cassie finished Kim's sentence, "...it's better to have facts to go in with than to come out empty handed. Mom said that."

"So does her mother, my grandma Nicole Fraiser. We'll figure this out together Cassie. Okay?"

"Right."


"And this is the ER. We're not gonna go any farther than this, the admit desk, because Doctor Weaver would be less than happy."

Kerry looked up, "Hello." She didn't anything else as her phone rang. "Weaver." She was silent for a long time before some of the tension on her face left it. "I will tell everyone the good news Abby. Take your time and don't slip in any puddles."

Erica groaned as Kerry hung up. "Are you going to stop with the bad Seattle jokes? It's an amazing city. It's not just coffee and rain."

"Of course, but it's fun to be able to actually pull someone else's chain in this hospital instead of always being the butt of the jokes. So get used to it Doctor Hahn. That was Abby by the way, Maggie's through the surgery and Doctor Shepard thinks he got it all."

Erica let out a slow breath, "That's good. So..." Erica looked down at her shoes and back up at Natalia, "I do believe your water just broke Natalia."

Kerry glanced around, "Tony. You're up and page..."

"OB. Got it Chief."

Tony let Natalia and Olivia away. Doris watched the go and Kerry spoke, "If you're their friend, you're also the Chief of Staff. The last two Chiefs of Staff, excluding Anspaugh, well, they just did what they wanted when it came to rules here and there. Such as the family only one. If you want to go with them, just go with them."

Doris squeezed Erica's hand and followed after them.

Erica gave Kerry a curious look, "Weren't you one of the previous Chief's of Staff?"

Kerry just smiled.


Abby dialed another number and waited. Finally there was a voice on the other end. "I'm flying out there."

"No, we're coming back soon enough. Stay in Chicago."

There was silence, "Is that a stay, stay in Chicago, or a, come even though I say not to, sort of stay?"

Abby stared down at her mother, "I saved a life today, uh... I guess it was yesterday. One of the doctors here got shot. It... it's a come even though you shouldn't sort of stay."

"You sure?"

Abby took her mother's hand in her own, "I'm pretty sure of nothing right now."

"I'm already on my way."

Abby closed her phone and swallowed back her tears. She felt her hand squeezed and looked at Maggie. "You're awake."

"Who?"

Abby shook her head, "Just calling Chicago Maggie."

Maggie narrowed her eyes, but didn't have the strength to argue and closed her eyes once again, letting unconsciousness take her.


"Sam." Cassie didn't know what to say and trailed off.

But Sam knew Cassie. "What's wrong, what happened, Cass?"

Cassie swallowed and closed her eyes. "Look, it's all too... Here. You need to get here, Chicago, now, okay."

"Cassie, you're scaring me, are you..."

"I'm fine, but I need you. I know that you have but..."

Sam cut Cassie off. "I'm on my way, give me a day, okay? Is..." Cassie could practically hear Sam swallowing back the fear. She felt guilty for causing the fear, but she had to Samantha Carter to Chicago without the Air Force or IOA, or anyone realizing why. "Is that soon enough?"

Cassie looked up as Kerry entered the doctor's lounge. "That's fine Sam. Thank you."

"Take care Cassandra. I love you."

"I love you too Sam. Bye."


Kerry sat. "You wanted to talk to me. That you need something?"

"A DNA test."

Kerry sat there for a moment with a frown on her face, "I'm going to assume that this involves our Jane Doe?"

"Jane... yes, she's, she's..." Cassie leaned her arms against the table and put her head in them. "I don't know what to do."

"That's because you're a resident Doctor Fraiser, just start from the beginning and we'll see what we can do together."

Cassie looked up, "Kim trusts you." Kerry didn't move. "Okay, look, I can't tell you why, or, or... anything. I know her, she's, she's..." Cassie looked around a nd whispered, "She's my mother."

Kerry's face went white, but she didn't speak, just listened and Cassie rambled a bit more. "I don't really know what it is with you and Kim, I don't care, I just need this. Please Doctor Weaver. I promise, it's nothing illegal. Really. I just need proof."

Kerry stared at Cassie for a long two minutes before she finally shook her head, "Fine, fine. Have both for me by later tonight."

Cassie nodded quickly, "Thank you, thank you. She..."

Kerry held a hand up, "You're right. I don't need to know, I don't want to know."

Cassie left Kerry alone.


Doris stood in the corner of the birthing room. She hadn't spoken since she appeared and she was pretty sure no one even knew that she was there. It had been one of her special abilities as a kid. Of course, when she'd hit puberty the ability hadn't been a boon anymore and she hadn't shut up since.

It had been an easy birth, Doris smiled to herself, unlike her own daughter's. Of course, they were gonna saddle a perfectly cute and beautiful little girl with the name Francesca after Frank Cooper. Doris shuddered. She left the two new parents alone with t heir little girl and called her own little girl. "Ash, it's your Mom... Healthy, Happy six pounds seven ounces." Doris smiled, "Yep, they went through with it, Francesca Emily. So, did I beat the Cooper news service?" Doris paused as Ashlee answered on the other end, "Good. I love you."

As she hung up she glanced through the exam room door's window, "Family."


"Kim, what are you doing here?"

Kim looked up, "I could ask the same of you."

Kerry didn't move towards the bed, just stayed by the door. "Cassie asked me her favor. Janet Fraiser. We went to school together."

"Oh..." Kerry waited in silence for Kim to continue, and the blonde did, "She's my aunt technically, sister in my heart." Kim smiled to herself, "Tried like hell for the entirety of our teen years to get me to kiss a boy. Even tryin' to trick me into it."

"She didn't approve?"

"What?" Kim shook her head, "No, no, it was a joke between us. I was always trying to trick her into kissing a girl. Neither of us succeeded... well..." A sad smile came to Kim's face, "Apparently I did succeed, she just never told me about it. I guess she's, she was in a relationship with a woman before she... I guess before she was MIA. But before today, I hadn't seen her or talked to her in thirteen years."

"I'm so sorry Kim."

Kim shrugged, "Not your fault Kerry."

Kerry opened and closed her mouth, once, then again. "I, uh, I saw her about six years ago at a conference. She looked happy. I know that doesn't help any."

"Thank you."

"Kim..."

Kim nodded, "I know she's supposed to be dead, but, but..., they never had a body. Maybe, maybe this is the universe's way of making amends for Trip?"

"The cousin you told me about our during our first Thanksgiving, our second date? The cousin you watched die?" Kim nodded, "Maybe the universe is good like that. I don't know. Has she woken up?" Kim shook her head negatively, "Uh, and in semi-related news. Maggie's surgery went well and Randi's on her way to Seattle right now."

Kim couldn't help herself. Kerry frowned, "What?"

"You know, you're just such a spoil sport, did your parents ever give you a successful surprise birthday party?"

Kerry turned a bit pink, "Well.. no... what does that have to do with Abby and Randi. They're good for each other, though it's a little unexpected. Abby needs someone who isn't her, in male or female form, a doctor, nurse, whatever, and Randi needs someone who is a stable influence. What?"

"They thought they would surprise you, maybe throw in a Malucci red herring for you."

"So, I should act surprised when they do their big reveal?"

Kim shrugged, "That all depends on how Maggie takes it when Randi gets there."

"Ah. Right. I guess I never had to do the parent thing, not really."

"Hey, Kerry, your mother counts. You have your very own 'my parent shunned me when I came out' story."

Kerry shook her head, "I always wonder, what my father especially would have said if they'd have known. Maybe they did know. They never seemed surprised by me." Kerry paused, "Look, on..."

"...last night."

Kerry nodded, "I'm sorry, I know that we..."

Kim joined Kerry at the door, "You know that I'll give you time. I meant no kissing last night, when you were wound tighter than a Rolex. Not forever and ever and ever."

"But we didn't work Kim, and now it's bad enough I put Henry through losing Courtney. When a relationship goes south, it's not just me who gets hurt anymore."

Kim was silent for a moment, "Who are you Kerry Weaver?"

"What?"

"You were a workaholic alpha bitch who had only dated men and maybe really loved one of them. The only time you seemed human was with your patients, and you shared absolutely nothing of yourself with your staff. At work you were an automaton. Your biggest goal seemed to be advancement. People didn't want to be your friend, very few ever tried to get to know you and so, you took out the hard part and rejected them before they could reject you."

Kerry stood there, stunned, "A-and, now?"

Kim cupped Kerry's cheek in her hand, "Well, you're not a gimp anymore."

"Kimberly..."

Kim smiled, "You're still a borderline workaholic, you've truly loved, Courtney and Sandy and maybe others that Abby didn't pass along the names of. You let your staff and co-workers know a little bit of you. You've become human to them. Not to mention, you hired back Malucci."

Kerry frowned, "What does Dave have to do with this?"

"Ask yourself. Would 2001 Kerry have hired him back? Ever? There's the chance that he could do it all again. Nazi Dyke nickname and all. That was getting rejected by the way, as a boos, but still."

Kerry put a hand on Kim's chest, right above her breasts, and Kim swallowed. "And you. Have you changed Kim?"

Kim put her own hand over Kerry's. "It wasn't my fault. It was never my fault yo know. You weren't the first, and you weren't the last. If I kept dating women who were experimenting, who were straight, then it wasn't my fault. They'd break up with me because they couldn't come out, and I couldn't be in, or because they weren't gay, or whatever, and it was never my fault. Then there was you... and you did the same thing, or that's what I told myself. But that letter, that damn letter."

Kim shook her head and stepped back, breaking contact with Kerry. "'Dear Kim, I'll get it out of the way first. I'm sorry. Those two words aren't enough to convey my feelings, but they're all the English Language has, so they'll have to do. I've been handicapped all my life. Not because I use a crutch, but because I never felt as though I could tell if someone liked me for me or because they pitied me and my crutch. That's not an excuse, just a fact. Did you know that you were one of four people who didn't blink when they first saw the crutch? My mother, father, Mlungisi and you. When I was in that room with you Robert and Donald, it all came flooding back. The doubts from the playground, from the school halls, even from the hospital halls. Perhaps you were just using me, that somehow you would pin it all on me like the kids used to, because they knew the cripple wouldn't get punished as badly. I had worked so hard to get that far, and all I could see was it being flushed down a toilet."

Kim paused, cleared her throat, "And then... and then you..." She close her eyes and opened them a second later. She continued reciting the letter from memory, "'It was never about being a lesbian Kim, or about my love for you. And I love you more than I ever imagined I could love anyone. Even now, after we've broken up, whenever we're in the same room all I can think about is..."

Kerry cleared her throat and blushed a bit, she knew what came after that in the letter since she'd written it, "Uh... she's not dead Kim, just in a coma, and we don't know how deep a coma."

Kim smiled and relaxed a bit, "Okay. Just the last line then. 'All I need is a little time. Please trust me Kim, I will come out, not for you, but for me, because you make me want to be more than I am. Love, Kerry Weaver."

Kerry shook her head, "I think I plagiarized the last part from somewhere or something, but I can't recall what. But, you remember it, word for word?"

Kim nodded, "When I read it the first time it just sounded like excuses. If I'd take you back then, I would have had to take some responsibility in the relationship. It would suddenly be a two way street. But over the years... I can't go back and go through what you've been through, but I've learned that I don't need to. Ironic huh, the Psychiatrist who has to learn how to simply say 'I understand'." Kim sighed, "Instead of 'I appreciate the sentiment'."

Kerry made a face and Kim winced, "I know, I know, I should have said. 'Let's talk', or 'When do you think you'll be ready', or 'Let's take this in steps. Family... Friends...'"

Kerry raised an eyebrow and Kim revived her words, "Friends who aren't named Christy. Uh..." A slight smile came to Kim's lips, "You know, you could call my most recent Ex."

The other eyebrow joined the first, "For what, a reference?" Kerry shook her head as her phone went off. She looked at the message, "It's the ER. Way too many car MVA. Kim..."

Kim shook her head, "Go... go, just. Think about everything. I wouldn't be saying any of this unless I wanted something real and..." Kerry glanced to the door, "Go, before Chaz and the rest of the bunch kill someone."