Ch 15
Two years later-
Kim sat on the couch in her two-story house reading a magazine. It was around nine-thirty at night and Joey and Charlie were sleeping upstairs. Her ears perked up when she heard footsteps on the wraparound porch. She'd just turned the page when one of the front doors opened.
Without looking up she said, "Hey Bobby. Dinner's in the oven. We had meatloaf."
"Good." Bobby nodded. "How was work?"
"Interesting."
"Hey Kim." Another voice said right before the door shut.
"Hey Billy." She said. "How's Maureen doing?"
"She's getting close. Really close." Billy Thompson, Bobby's partner, grinned. His wife was expecting their first child any day now and he could hardly wait.
Kim glanced over and smiled.
"So, how's your shiner?" Billy asked.
Kim cursed under her breath and looked fully at her friends. "Who told you?"
"Casey." Bobby said coming over to inspect his friend's face.
"I swear that woman has the biggest mouth." Kim muttered as she tilted her head to give Bobby a better view.
"C'mon Kim, you couldn't expect to hide it from us till it healed could you?" Billy asked with a smirk.
"Nice job. Did you get an x-ray?" Bobby asked as he gently pressed on Kim's bruised face.
"Yeah. Nothing's broken. Really, it's not as bad as it looks." She said right before she winced as Bobby hit a particularly sore spot.
"No offense or anything, but nothing could be as bad as this looks. You gotta stop trying to break up fights. That's what the hospital security is for." Bobby said as he dropped his hands and went over to help himself to some dinner.
"They were busy collecting artillery from some of our other patients. It was gang banger day in the E.R." Kim said. "I think I heard Joe say that he found a couple grams on one patient and two guns on another. But then everyone found some kind of weapon today. Oh before I forget, Bobby can you relieve my sitter next Friday? She has the SAT's on Saturday and her mom wants her in her own bed for at least part of the night."
"Sure. You're working a night shift on Friday the thirteenth? Last time you did that you got a rib cracked."
"No that was when I worked on Halloween. Friday the thirteenth, I just get thrown up on. Actually it's kind of fun. It's like Mardi gras. All the loonies come out to play."
Bobby just rolled his eyes.
hr
About an hour later Kim locked up the front doors and set the alarm before turning out the lights and going to her own room at the back of the house. She left the bedroom door partially open in case Joey came down in the middle of the night or Charlie called out for her. She changed into her pajamas and pulled back the covers before turning out the overhead and crawling into bed.
She stared at the ceiling for a while thinking about tomorrow. It was Charlie's second birthday. She had invited some kids from Charlie's daycare at the hospital and a few of the neighborhood kids and of course Bobby.
She closed her eyes and sighed a little as she thought of all she'd been through the last two years. Leaving New York, school, childbirth and the slow recovery when it hurt to move sometimes, the move to Chicago, and single parenthood.
She'd never regretted her choices but every now and again in the back of her mind she felt this little sensation of guilt when she thought of Jimmy and the hell he must have gone through after she'd left New York with Joey.
Melanie gave her a bit of news every now and again but for the most part Kim didn't know what was going on with her ex-husband.
Kim turned onto her side and relaxed as she drifted off. She needed her rest for tomorrow. Ten two-year-olds were going to invade her home in sixteen hours. She'd need all the sleep she could get.
Two years later-
Kim sat on the couch in her two-story house reading a magazine. It was around nine-thirty at night and Joey and Charlie were sleeping upstairs. Her ears perked up when she heard footsteps on the wraparound porch. She'd just turned the page when one of the front doors opened.
Without looking up she said, "Hey Bobby. Dinner's in the oven. We had meatloaf."
"Good." Bobby nodded. "How was work?"
"Interesting."
"Hey Kim." Another voice said right before the door shut.
"Hey Billy." She said. "How's Maureen doing?"
"She's getting close. Really close." Billy Thompson, Bobby's partner, grinned. His wife was expecting their first child any day now and he could hardly wait.
Kim glanced over and smiled.
"So, how's your shiner?" Billy asked.
Kim cursed under her breath and looked fully at her friends. "Who told you?"
"Casey." Bobby said coming over to inspect his friend's face.
"I swear that woman has the biggest mouth." Kim muttered as she tilted her head to give Bobby a better view.
"C'mon Kim, you couldn't expect to hide it from us till it healed could you?" Billy asked with a smirk.
"Nice job. Did you get an x-ray?" Bobby asked as he gently pressed on Kim's bruised face.
"Yeah. Nothing's broken. Really, it's not as bad as it looks." She said right before she winced as Bobby hit a particularly sore spot.
"No offense or anything, but nothing could be as bad as this looks. You gotta stop trying to break up fights. That's what the hospital security is for." Bobby said as he dropped his hands and went over to help himself to some dinner.
"They were busy collecting artillery from some of our other patients. It was gang banger day in the E.R." Kim said. "I think I heard Joe say that he found a couple grams on one patient and two guns on another. But then everyone found some kind of weapon today. Oh before I forget, Bobby can you relieve my sitter next Friday? She has the SAT's on Saturday and her mom wants her in her own bed for at least part of the night."
"Sure. You're working a night shift on Friday the thirteenth? Last time you did that you got a rib cracked."
"No that was when I worked on Halloween. Friday the thirteenth, I just get thrown up on. Actually it's kind of fun. It's like Mardi gras. All the loonies come out to play."
Bobby just rolled his eyes.
hr
About an hour later Kim locked up the front doors and set the alarm before turning out the lights and going to her own room at the back of the house. She left the bedroom door partially open in case Joey came down in the middle of the night or Charlie called out for her. She changed into her pajamas and pulled back the covers before turning out the overhead and crawling into bed.
She stared at the ceiling for a while thinking about tomorrow. It was Charlie's second birthday. She had invited some kids from Charlie's daycare at the hospital and a few of the neighborhood kids and of course Bobby.
She closed her eyes and sighed a little as she thought of all she'd been through the last two years. Leaving New York, school, childbirth and the slow recovery when it hurt to move sometimes, the move to Chicago, and single parenthood.
She'd never regretted her choices but every now and again in the back of her mind she felt this little sensation of guilt when she thought of Jimmy and the hell he must have gone through after she'd left New York with Joey.
Melanie gave her a bit of news every now and again but for the most part Kim didn't know what was going on with her ex-husband.
Kim turned onto her side and relaxed as she drifted off. She needed her rest for tomorrow. Ten two-year-olds were going to invade her home in sixteen hours. She'd need all the sleep she could get.