Ch 7
"Something smells good." Alex said as she walked into the kitchen. "Who's the chef?"
"Me." Jimmy answered.
"Your eye looks better."
"Thanks Alex." He looked over her shoulder. "Hi." He said to the man he didn't know who was following Alex into the room.
Alex looked. "Oh Jimmy, this is Dan Anderson from the 5-3. He's filling in for Bobby for a couple of weeks. Dan this is Jimmy Doherty, one of the firefighters."
"Hey." Dan said. "I'll be right back Alex. Gotta hit the head."
"Have fun." Alex took a seat at the round table and opened the paper.
"Alex?"
"Yeah?" She looked up. "What Jimmy?"
"Where's Bobby?"
"Doc said he had some kind of family emergency. One of his uncles or something out of state."
"Really?" Jimmy said, a note of doubt creeping into his voice.
"Yeah. Jimmy, what?" Alex said.
"Nothing. He'd tell me if he had a lead as to where Kim and Joey are, right?"
"You've known him longer then I have."
"You've spent the past month or so riding with him. He hasn't said anything?"
"No. But then I haven't been in a real hurry to bring it up." Alex admitted.
"Right." Jimmy nodded. "I better go make my daily call to Melanie and Catherine."
"Good luck." Alex said.
"Thanks." Jimmy nodded as he left the room.
Hr
"Oh my God." Kim said.
"Hi Kim." Bobby smiled.
"Oh my God." She repeated.
"How are you?"
"Oh my God."
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"Oh my God." She said as she moved away from the door.
Bobby took that as an invitation and stepped inside the small apartment. He recognized the clutter as Kim and Joey's belongings from the apartment in New York. As he closed the door Kim turned around. He stepped over the broken dish and stood still as she stared at him.
"You're real right? I'm not having some kind of stress and exhaustion induced hallucination, am I?"
"I could ask you the same question." Bobby said nodding towards her stomach.
Kim nodded. "You're not."
"Neither are you."
"Right. So, who gave me up? Mom or Mel?"
"Neither."
"Then how?"
"Wasn't easy. I had to get Melanie drunk and then I had to sleep with her. She gets rather amorous when she's drunk and she wasn't taking no for an answer. Anyway the next morning while she was asleep I went through her things and found the number for you."
"What?" Kim stared at him.
Bobby had to laugh. "I'm kidding. I went over to Mel's one morning and she had bought bagels in anticipation of Jimmy or me showing up. Anyway while she was in her room getting dressed I was looking for a knife for the cream cheese. I opened a drawer and her phone book was open to the K's. I saw an entry for K.Z. and I took a shot. I had Faith trace it for me."
"Faith? Faith Yokas? The cop?"
"Yeah. Look she won't go spreading the news around."
"What about Bosco?"
"He thinks the number was a lead on my brother."
"Oh." Kim nodded.
"So do I get some answers now?"
"About what?" Kim stalled for time.
"Kim."
"Well as you can plainly see I'm pregnant."
"Yeah now that you mentioned it, I thought you'd put on some weight. Wanna tell me about it?"
"It's Jimmy's."
"I figured. If it was mine you'd be in labor and delivery already."
"And I wouldn't have left New York."
"So why did you?"
"Leave?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't want to wreck Jimmy's marriage. He deserves the chance to make a go of it with Brooke without having the problems that come along with getting a woman other then your wife pregnant."
"You could've told me."
"Almost did. I spent three hours crying my eyes out after I got a positive sign on that test. Then I picked up the phone and then I put it down and then I picked it up and then I put it down again. Then I got the mail. That's when I saw the notice."
"Right." Bobby nodded. "Yeah, Jimmy didn't take the news too well. We had to get a new punching bag at the house."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So then what happened?"
"I took that notice as a sign. A sign that it was time to go." Kim sat down in a chair and Bobby took the couch. "To be honest I was this close to calling Jimmy in the Bahamas to tell him before I saw that envelope."
"You could've at least said good-bye or given Doc some notice."
"No I couldn't. Saying good-bye would've been too hard and I couldn't be there when Jimmy got back. He knows me better then I'd like to admit. He'd know something was up. He's seen me pregnant before. Come to think of it so have you. I cried at the drop of a hat with Joey, you know that."
"So is this permanent?"
"No. This is just for school. Remember Maggie Simons?"
"Sure. She was a nurse at Mercy."
"I called her when I decided to leave New York. After I finish school she's gonna help me get a job in an ER in Chicago."
"As?"
"A nurse."
"You went back to that?" Bobby asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Its hours are a little better and they have a daycare at the hospital."
"So you finish school and get a job and then what?"
"Live my life."
"In Chicago?"
"Yeah."
Bobby nodded. "Okay."
"Okay." Kim said. "What?"
"I'm just thinking."
"About?"
"What happens now?"
"You go back to New York and we keep in touch?" Kim smiled.
"Or.."
"Or what?"
"We could get married."
"Married? You and me?"
"Yeah why not?"
"Because it's not your baby. It's not fair to either of us to do something like that." Kim said quietly. "But I love you for asking."
"Had to try, right?"
"No, you didn't." Kim smiled.
"Okay, I have another idea."
"Okay."
"I stay here. I get a job. I'll be your best friend just like always but in Ohio instead of New York."
"What about your mom?"
"She's got my sisters. She'll be okay."
"Bobby you don't have to."
"I want to." He looked her in the eye. "You don't have to be alone in this Kim. I'll be here."
Kim leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you."
"Anytime." Bobby whispered.
"Something smells good." Alex said as she walked into the kitchen. "Who's the chef?"
"Me." Jimmy answered.
"Your eye looks better."
"Thanks Alex." He looked over her shoulder. "Hi." He said to the man he didn't know who was following Alex into the room.
Alex looked. "Oh Jimmy, this is Dan Anderson from the 5-3. He's filling in for Bobby for a couple of weeks. Dan this is Jimmy Doherty, one of the firefighters."
"Hey." Dan said. "I'll be right back Alex. Gotta hit the head."
"Have fun." Alex took a seat at the round table and opened the paper.
"Alex?"
"Yeah?" She looked up. "What Jimmy?"
"Where's Bobby?"
"Doc said he had some kind of family emergency. One of his uncles or something out of state."
"Really?" Jimmy said, a note of doubt creeping into his voice.
"Yeah. Jimmy, what?" Alex said.
"Nothing. He'd tell me if he had a lead as to where Kim and Joey are, right?"
"You've known him longer then I have."
"You've spent the past month or so riding with him. He hasn't said anything?"
"No. But then I haven't been in a real hurry to bring it up." Alex admitted.
"Right." Jimmy nodded. "I better go make my daily call to Melanie and Catherine."
"Good luck." Alex said.
"Thanks." Jimmy nodded as he left the room.
Hr
"Oh my God." Kim said.
"Hi Kim." Bobby smiled.
"Oh my God." She repeated.
"How are you?"
"Oh my God."
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"Oh my God." She said as she moved away from the door.
Bobby took that as an invitation and stepped inside the small apartment. He recognized the clutter as Kim and Joey's belongings from the apartment in New York. As he closed the door Kim turned around. He stepped over the broken dish and stood still as she stared at him.
"You're real right? I'm not having some kind of stress and exhaustion induced hallucination, am I?"
"I could ask you the same question." Bobby said nodding towards her stomach.
Kim nodded. "You're not."
"Neither are you."
"Right. So, who gave me up? Mom or Mel?"
"Neither."
"Then how?"
"Wasn't easy. I had to get Melanie drunk and then I had to sleep with her. She gets rather amorous when she's drunk and she wasn't taking no for an answer. Anyway the next morning while she was asleep I went through her things and found the number for you."
"What?" Kim stared at him.
Bobby had to laugh. "I'm kidding. I went over to Mel's one morning and she had bought bagels in anticipation of Jimmy or me showing up. Anyway while she was in her room getting dressed I was looking for a knife for the cream cheese. I opened a drawer and her phone book was open to the K's. I saw an entry for K.Z. and I took a shot. I had Faith trace it for me."
"Faith? Faith Yokas? The cop?"
"Yeah. Look she won't go spreading the news around."
"What about Bosco?"
"He thinks the number was a lead on my brother."
"Oh." Kim nodded.
"So do I get some answers now?"
"About what?" Kim stalled for time.
"Kim."
"Well as you can plainly see I'm pregnant."
"Yeah now that you mentioned it, I thought you'd put on some weight. Wanna tell me about it?"
"It's Jimmy's."
"I figured. If it was mine you'd be in labor and delivery already."
"And I wouldn't have left New York."
"So why did you?"
"Leave?"
"Yeah."
"I didn't want to wreck Jimmy's marriage. He deserves the chance to make a go of it with Brooke without having the problems that come along with getting a woman other then your wife pregnant."
"You could've told me."
"Almost did. I spent three hours crying my eyes out after I got a positive sign on that test. Then I picked up the phone and then I put it down and then I picked it up and then I put it down again. Then I got the mail. That's when I saw the notice."
"Right." Bobby nodded. "Yeah, Jimmy didn't take the news too well. We had to get a new punching bag at the house."
"Really?"
"Yeah. So then what happened?"
"I took that notice as a sign. A sign that it was time to go." Kim sat down in a chair and Bobby took the couch. "To be honest I was this close to calling Jimmy in the Bahamas to tell him before I saw that envelope."
"You could've at least said good-bye or given Doc some notice."
"No I couldn't. Saying good-bye would've been too hard and I couldn't be there when Jimmy got back. He knows me better then I'd like to admit. He'd know something was up. He's seen me pregnant before. Come to think of it so have you. I cried at the drop of a hat with Joey, you know that."
"So is this permanent?"
"No. This is just for school. Remember Maggie Simons?"
"Sure. She was a nurse at Mercy."
"I called her when I decided to leave New York. After I finish school she's gonna help me get a job in an ER in Chicago."
"As?"
"A nurse."
"You went back to that?" Bobby asked, surprised.
"Yeah. Its hours are a little better and they have a daycare at the hospital."
"So you finish school and get a job and then what?"
"Live my life."
"In Chicago?"
"Yeah."
Bobby nodded. "Okay."
"Okay." Kim said. "What?"
"I'm just thinking."
"About?"
"What happens now?"
"You go back to New York and we keep in touch?" Kim smiled.
"Or.."
"Or what?"
"We could get married."
"Married? You and me?"
"Yeah why not?"
"Because it's not your baby. It's not fair to either of us to do something like that." Kim said quietly. "But I love you for asking."
"Had to try, right?"
"No, you didn't." Kim smiled.
"Okay, I have another idea."
"Okay."
"I stay here. I get a job. I'll be your best friend just like always but in Ohio instead of New York."
"What about your mom?"
"She's got my sisters. She'll be okay."
"Bobby you don't have to."
"I want to." He looked her in the eye. "You don't have to be alone in this Kim. I'll be here."
Kim leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you."
"Anytime." Bobby whispered.