Disclaimer: I don't own the ER characters. Also, apologies for any mistakes in medical language, ER timeline, Chicago general knowledge or any British English which I've got in here. I'm just having fun with these great characters.

The traffic headed back into Chicago was gridlocked. Kerry leaned back in the car seat, trying to ease the ache in her hip from sitting still for too long. It was nearly 10 at night and a light rain rattled off the roof of the car and blurred the red stream of taillights stretching down the freeway. She flicked on the radio and whiled away a few minutes, hunting for something worth listening to. Mozart's 5th? She listened for a few bars before the familiarity seemed unbearably tedious and somehow on a level with the crawling traffic. She killed the radio and the plinking noise of the rain returned. Underneath it, there was a faint rumble which might have been from the freeway or from an unwelcome vibration in her old car. It made her nervous that a tyre was about to blow out. I have got to get off this freeway. She was on the edge of the city. Would it be better to pull off at the nearest exit and pick her way in through the suburbs? She calculated it. Might be the only way. When the traffic inched past the next exit, Kerry swung off, too.

Safely off the freeway and moving again, things looked up and she allowed herself to believe she might make it home, maybe even by eleven and get six- or seven-hours' sleep before the next day's shift. The traffic had fanned out through the suburbs and only a few cars sped through the quiet streets. She debated whether or not to pull over in the dark and rain and check out the vibration in the car or hope to make it back home. The bone in her bad hip ached and she drove on.

When the car went, it went quickly. Something clunked and ground badly and the engine choked and died. The car fell into a powerless glide, throwing Kerry against her seat belt. An SUV behind slid to a stop with a screeching of brakes and barely avoided running into the trunk of her car. Too shocked to move at first, she sat frozen, trying to get her breath back. The driver of the SUV blared a furious horn crescendo before falling ominously silent. She heard a car door slam. Struggling out of her car with a dim sense of taking responsibility and making sure that nobody had been hurt in the accident, she found herself shaking and forced to lean against the car while she reached back in her for her crutch. The SUV driver squared up to her.

"What you think you were doing, bitch? You trying to get us killed, huh?"

Kerry barely heard him through the blood pounding in her ears. She noted quite clinically that it was a reaction to the shock, even as she couldn't stop herself from shaking. Fortunately, the streets weren't as empty as they seemed. Another man, short and stocky with a large dog on a leash, materialised from behind her and edged the angry driver away, talking all the time.

"C'mon now, you can see it was an accident…"

There was something familiar in the voice and, but she couldn't place it. She listened vaguely and jumped when someone put a hand on her shoulder. A friendly face in late-middle age, blinking away the rain.

"Are you okay, Ma'am? You didn't get hurt in that?"

She shook her head. "I'm not hurt, thank you. Just a little shaken up." She managed to get her cane out and get a firm balance again.

"Are you sure? Can I call someone for you?"

"No, no thanks. No, I'll ah, call triple A. Get them to sort out my car. Just hoping I didn't cause any trouble there."

The kindly gentleman nodded. "Well, if you're sure now, Ma'am…Hey fellas!" He looked at the SUV driver and the dog walker. "Bit of help here, one of you? Let's get this car off the road…make sure no-one hits it."

The SUV driver had apparently been argued into submission by the voluble dog walker because he retreated to his car and pulled away to give them room, gunning the engine as he headed onto the road again. The man with the dog turned back towards her.

"Hey Kerry? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Oh god…Robert Romano. There he was, standing a little too close as usual and staring into her eyes intently.

'Turn this way', he indicated brusquely.

'Robert, what…? Robert, if you're looking for pupil response, I'm fine, honestly. Don't even think about doing follow the finger.' She took a deep breath. 'I didn't hit my head; I'm not hurt.'

He transferred his gaze to her body, clinically rather than lasciviously, following the line where the seat belt would have dug in. She read his mind.

'Robert, there wasn't a crash of any sort or high-speed stop. You saw the cars didn't even touch so could you please stop evaluating me?'

He pulled a doubtful expression. 'How fast were you going, Kerry?'

'For the third time, I'm fine.'

The older man leaned in. 'Hey, Ma'am? Everything OK here?'

Kerry could see him looking between them, trying to figure things out. She forced herself to relax and smile at him. He was kind to stop on a damp night to try and help her and her car.

'Yes, thank you.' She felt compelled to explain Robert. 'He's my colleague; we're both doctors at County.'

'Oh, well!' His face lit up. 'You're in good hands, then.'

Yes, great hands! How the hell did I stuck with Romano in the few hours I'm not at work? She managed a polite smile which was entirely feigned.

'Hey Frankie! Come here a minute, I got a job for you.' Overriding Kerry's protests, the good-natured man called a young teenager out of his car and ordered him to take the wheel to turn it in towards the sidewalk. Kerry stepped away from the car, still a little shaky.

'Kerry!' It was Romano again. 'Hold Gretel for me, will you? Gretel, sit…that's a good girl. Now wait.' He passed Kerry the leash without waiting for her answer and crouched in front of the dog to stroke the dark furry head. 'Who's my good girl?', he crooned.

Kerry blinked several times. Robert Romano softly telling a big dog that she was his good girl was definitely not within her experience.

'Ah, Robert…She's a big dog.'

He looked up at her with a more familiar get to the point expression.

'I mean, if she takes off, I don't think I can hold her.'

He jumped up, apparently as full of energy last thing at night as he was all day.

'Don't worry', he threw over his shoulder as he headed to her car. 'She won't give you any trouble.'

She watched the two men lean into the car, pushing off hard from the damp road, silent except for the scrunch of their sneakers on the damp road. She hoped Robert was taking most of the strain. The helpful stranger was an older man, and she didn't want to him to suffer any heart problems. She suspected he was; she could see the broad shoulders braced under the dark jacket. Doctors usually built up a wiry resistance from lifting patients and pulling gurneys around through long shifts and most surgeons at County were just as hands on. A few minutes later, the car was safely off road and Kerry was caught up in a flurry of thanking her helpers, including the shy Frankie who scuttled back to his car, and gathering up licence and insurance documents. Robert retrieved his dog who stood next to him, wagging her tail gently.

The older man looked over the car one last time. 'Is there anything else I can do for you, Ma'am?'

'No, nothing at all, thank you. You've been very kind. I'll stay with the car and call Triple A.'

'They could be hours.' That was Romano, jumping into other people's conversations as usual. 'I live a few blocks away. Come and call from mine.'

'No, there's no need, thanks. I've got my phone.' I really do not want to go to Robert's. She thought about that a bit more. She didn't want to sit in the car for hours either. Before she could think of another option, Romano pushed again.

'No, seriously, Kerry. You can't sit in a dead car for hours at this time of night. I'm offering.'

I could always get a cab if it gets too bad, she mused. Sitting in a dark and broken-down car didn't sound like a great option. 'Well, if you're sure, Robert, thank you.' She turned to the older man who looked relieved for her.

'I'll say goodnight then.' He smiled at them both. 'Safe journey back when you get things sorted!'

'Yes, thank you, goodnight!'

'Take care!'