Title: The City Between Us
Chapter 12 – Getting Back on Track?
"So happy to get out of here and get home…I forget what my place looks like."
"Messy."
"Funny," Erin deadpanned to her partner as Jay handed her her jacket. She stared at the door and then at him and couldn't help but frown.
"What? Is it Kelly? Everything okay?"
But before she could offer a word her mind was whisked back in time a few hours to when she and Kelly had just started to wake from a somewhat restful night of sleep.
'After being a week in the boonies even this crappy hospital bed feels like I'm sleeping on stuffed velvet,' Kelly smiled as she looked at him with a sleepy smile and nodded. 'Sleep okay?'
'Better than in the bush. Course my leg stopped throbbing a day ago. You know…Will said you did a pretty good job with the bindings and you made the right call in me not taking my boot off.'
'I'm glad it worked. So…'
'So…'
'Back to reality now,' he commented as his hand still had hers in his grasp.
'How do you want to play this?'
'Well you gotta drop by and see Buddy.'
'Is 51 his permanent home now?'
'Probably. That's okay at least he'll get attention all day long,' Kelly replied with a smile. 'Unless 21 needs a mascot?'
'Trudy would take him home and we'd never see him again. Course…he'd be very spoiled with her and Mouch.'
'True. And…us?'
'Yeah no I think you were right…give it a few days, back to reality…or as close to reality as we can come being out of commission right now and then…'
'Meet up at…Molly's?' Kelly interjected and then shook his head. 'Maybe too personal? Too much pressure. How about the Bizzaro Molly's?'
'What's that?' Erin asked with a laugh.
'The opposite of Molly's,' he smiled warmly as he reached out and tucked a stray strand behind her ear. 'No friends, no work…no pressure.'
'No pressure.'
"Erin?"
"Yeah…right…back to reality," Erin stated with a small huff. "Reality is good though right?"
"Course. You going to see Kelly again?"
"We…have a plan. I need to say bye to him. Meet me downstairs," she stated more than questioned as he nodded and took her small duffle bag as she grabbed the lone crutch and started to slowly make her way down the hallway toward his room. She reached the doorway and then stopped and just looked at his back as he packed up his few belongings and couldn't help but smile.
"Knock knock," she said rather than did which prompted him to turn around and greet her with a warm smile. "Checking out?"
"My place probably has roaches by now," he grumbled as she offered a small laugh. He looked at her with a serious expression before he reached out and pulled her jacket all the way up onto her shoulder and but let his hand linger on her shoulder before it finally dropped. "We both need to get home."
"Yeah get settled and then…just a few days of reality right? Bizarro Molly's?" She smirked.
"Right," he smiled. "But you can always come to 51 and visit Buddy. Think he'd like that."
"Think I would too."
"Come on…let's go. You got a ride home?" Kelly asked as the two of them slowly left his room and limped toward the waiting elevator.
"Jay. You?"
"Matt."
"Not your dad?"
"It's…complicated," Kelly sighed as his mind also drifted back in time to the night before, when he and his father shared a few moments before Benny took his leave.
'So you've been off all day…what's up?' Kelly prodded his father for an answer.
Benny looked at his son and then slightly turned away before he turned back and Kelly could see his father's eyes rimmed with a few surprised tears.
'What's…going on?' Kelly asked in haste as Benny nodded and then grabbed his son and held him close. 'My God…I almost lost my boy,' he whispered in torment before he pulled back and placed both hands on his stubbled cheeks and smiled. 'When Hank said that plane was missing I thought…Kelly will make it and then the hours turned to days and…and I thought I'd have lost you without having to say…say I'm sorry for all the wrongs that I did in your life and then when I saw you in the hospital I thought…yeah I knew it and…and I felt ashamed. So that's why I pulled back yesterday.'
'Why are you ashamed? I get it.'
'No son you don't. I've never told you how proud I am of you and…and how much I love you. Figured there'd always be time and then with this…then I thought I didn't have time. When you came into Med I thought…course he'd make it and I felt ashamed. So I'll say it now. I'm proud of you Kelly. I just had to tell you that. And this Erin…seems like a hell of a woman.'
'She is that.'
'Then take her and live your life Kelly. Don't have any regrets like I have. I have too many. A lifetime of regrets. These past two days…I've never seen you happier. No regrets son. No regrets,' Benny said seriously. 'No regrets.'
"Kelly?"
"Yeah sorry…just sometimes he says things that are surprising. But he had to finish up a case today. I'll see him later."
As they exited onto the main floor, both were aware of a few stares that came in their direction but after what they had endured and the fact their friends knew, they weren't surprised.
"Okay…see you…later," Kelly offered softly as they paused outside the entrance to Chicago Med for a few moments before they knew it was time to part ways and get back to their perspective homes. Erin gave him a warm hug and then slowly limped toward her waiting ride.
Kelly watched her ease herself into the car before he turned and slowly headed toward Matt's truck.
"Ready?"
"I can't wait to just get home and…and just do nothing for a few hours. No bugs…no cat jerky," he smirked as they headed toward his place; Matt not telling him about the waiting surprise.
"Whole house was on edge this past week. Had to bring in relief's…just wasn't the same."
"Hey man…sorry."
"Are you really?"
"I am for getting on that plane," Kelly huffed as he looked out the window. "Maybe that old man would still be alive. We were so insistent. If he…if he was on the ground then maybe he'd have gotten help and he'd be alive."
"Then you wouldn't have met Erin," Matt reminded him as they neared his apartment.
"True. She is…I can't stop thinking about her but I think a few days apart is gonna be good. But then…she was right last night. After a week of having her next to me…it's odd now being apart."
"Then ask her out."
"I want more…but…"
"Then…get married," Matt chuckled as they reached his apartment.
"But don't want to move too fast," he deadpanned as Matt smiled and slapped him on the back.
"See you tomorrow."
"Okay."
Kelly got out of the truck, thanked his friend and then slowly headed for the front door and inside. His mind was glum because of leaving Erin after a week of seeing her every second of every day and he just felt…empty. But as he neared his apartment and then slowly opened the door, he was greeted by someone he didn't expect. "Katie? Hey!"
"Surprise big brother," she greeted him with a warm hug and happy smile.
"What…are you doing here?"
"I couldn't come to the hospital. Med…has too many bad memories for me."
"I get it," he acknowledged as he took his jacket off. "Something….smells good."
"Hungry?"
"Starved. What is it?"
"Mountain man hash," she winked as he shook his head. "Matt's idea. Come on and sit down and tell me about your week alone in the woods with a hot woman."
"What else did Matt tell you?"
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"Home sweet home," Erin whispered to herself as she entered her quiet apartment. Unlike Kelly she had no one waiting for her with a yummy meal already on the table or a worried sibling with whom to share her last week's somewhat harrowing ordeal.
"You gonna be okay here?"
"I am going to have a real nap and take a shower and then just sit down on a real couch and be happy that I'm alive to do so."
"Want me to stay?" Jay offered as Erin offered him a strained smile. "I know last few days couldn't have been easy. You survive hell and then come back to face Jake and then Kelly…just saying. I'll stay if you need me to."
"No big plans tonight?"
"Jenny and I are going for dinner. You can join us. You know she wouldn't mind."
"Think I'm just gonna take it easy in my own place tonight. Order in Chinese," she smiled as she gave her partner a hug and then pulled back with tightly drawn lips.
"Erin…"
"When that plane was about to go down…just put things into perspective. I need some time to myself. I'll be fine," she assured him as he gave her one more hug and then headed for the door. Once he was gone, she locked the door and then leaned against it for a while as the quiet started to assault her from every angle.
She finally pulled away and headed for the living room to turn on the TV. She didn't care what was on, she just wanted another voice to fill the silent space instead of her tormented thoughts. I was set to marry Jake…I'm not afraid of marriage just…marriage to someone I don't love. Could you see yourself spending the rest of your life with Kelly? Her brain pondered as she grabbed the remote and started to mindlessly flip through the channels.
"I miss Kelly…and Buddy," she mused as she pulled her phone and looked at the picture of Buddy at 51 that Otis had sent Kelly that he had in turn sent her. "Silly dog…" she smiled as she scrolled to the small video clip and watched as Buddy barked at the silly antics of Otis and Cruz. "Miss him…" she flipped back to a picture of Kelly and let her eyes linger on his handsome face.
"Back to reality…right," Erin groaned as she got up from the couch, turned the volume to low and then headed toward her bedroom to get some rest. But as she lay down on the large bed, her heart instantly started to ache for the one person in the world who had now cemented himself into her soul. But will he want the same in a few days? Will I?
XXXXXXXX
"Well sounds like you two really needed each other to survive," Katie smiled as she squeezed her brother's shoulder as she neared the table and filled his glass with another pour of wine which he accepted and then leaned back in his chair and nodded in agreement.
"We did. I'm glad you're here. Not sure I wanted to come back to an empty house."
"Think Erin will have someone with her?"
"Oh yeah I'm sure she will. Unless she doesn't want them. No arguing with her," he mused with a happy smile as his sister Katie arched her brows. "What? I spent every second with her for an entire week. I got to know a few things."
"And now?"
"And now…it just feels odd without her here."
"Why not call her to come over? We have lots of food. Besides…I'd like to meet the woman who captured my big brother's heart," Katie tossed at him with a grin that he couldn't help but chuckle at. "Well on a more serious note…you miss her. I can tell. You gonna go out on a few dates?"
"Feel like I already know her. We were like dating every second of every day for an entire week."
"Then just get married," Katie challenged as Kelly's brows arched. "What? You said you already know everything about her?"
"Can we change the subject away from me? How was grand opening?"
"Funny."
But as he listened to his sister talk about her latest culinary adventure, his heart felt Erin's absence and his mind couldn't help but wonder if she was having a good night. Did she let Jay stay with her or did she push him away in favor of some solitude in her own place. Jay didn't worry him as Erin told him he was in a committee relationship. Jake on the other hand did worry him.
"Kelly?"
"Yeah…sorry…"
"You're still back on that mountain aren't you?"
"In the cabin I think. She nearly died and I…I was scared to lose her but as much as I saved her life…she saved mine also," he huffed as he rubbed his face and then took another sip of his wine. "She's pretty amazing but after that week…I want more than a one night or two night stand…more than just a few hookups here and there."
"She might want that also."
"She pulled back a few times," Kelly mused seriously.
"She was probably nervous. The situation wasn't that ideal for future planning," Katie reminded him thoughtfully.
"I know," he agreed as he leaned back and offered his sister a sleepy glance.
"You need rest. I'll clean up and we'll talk later and remember…we have lots for dinner so if you wanna add another seat…you know I'd be okay with that."
Kelly watched her head into the kitchen and then finished the last of his wine and slowly wandered into his bedroom and lay down on the top of the down comforter. He tried to get his mind to focus on anything other than her but he couldn't – Erin Lindsay was firmly cemented inside his heart and mind.
'No regrets son…no regrets.'
XXXXXXXX
"KELLY!" Erin shouted as she bolted upright in bed; her mind having pulled her from another horrific nightmare of Kelly's final demise.
She slumped back into bed and looked at the picture on her phone before she pressed it to her chest and closed her eyes shut.
But just before she could fall back asleep, a knock was heard at the door and she hurried to open it. "What…are you doing here?"
A/N: hehe you know I like my cliffy's….hope you all liked Kelly's surprise a few little heart to heart's with our couple but now who is at the door? Please do review before you go with your thoughts and guesses and thanks so much!