Author's note: Thanks to the guest who left the review regarding the Bianca del Rio reference. I'm glad you liked it. I love reviews and am especially pleased when one of my corny jokes actually get a laugh. I deeply apologize for the far too long gap in posting. I've been meaning to get back to this, but life and bipolar disorder got in the way. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I will attempt to be better to you guys in the future.

Chapter 25

Heather woke up a few hours later to an empty pint of ice cream and the cats helping themselves to a half-eaten roll of room temperature cookie dough. She groaned and picked herself up off the couch. Waving off the cats, she grabbed the ice cream carton, cookie dough, and empty wine glass and headed to the kitchen. Discarding the trash, she placed the wine glass in the sink and washed the stickiness off her hands. Calling for the dogs, she opened the back door and stepped outside with them. After relieving themselves and running around a bit, they trotted back up to her and sat at attention at her feet. Heather reached down and pet both of them. The trio re-entered the house and walked upstairs to Heather's bedroom. Heather left the bedroom door open behind her and the dogs walked in behind her. She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and took her medicine.

Crawling into bed, she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Jim to let him know that she was going to bed now, but to still call when they got home, despite the time difference. Heather felt a pang of sadness, knowing that Jim was so far away, but reminded herself that he was just a phone call away. She invited the dogs up on the bed with her, but they refused, instead laying down at the foot of the bed near the bedroom door. She heard Downey hiss as he walked into the room. She called him to her, but he ran off, his collar bell tinkling down the stairs. "Brat!" She thought to herself. "The dogs are staying, cat. Get used to it!" She called out after him. She rolled over and turned on the white noise machine to the thunderstorm setting, double-checked her morning alarm, and laid her head down on the soft pillow.

"Give me fuel, give me fire, give me that which I desire" screamed out from Heather's phone. Heather's alarm ringtone woke her with a start the next morning. She slapped her hand around blindly, searching for the phone to off button. She managed to knock her glasses off the bedside table, kick both of the cats, and pee her pants a tiny bit before finding the snooze button. Groaning, she pulled the covers off and crawled out of bed. She got down on the floor to hunt for her glasses, while the cats aggressively rubbed against her, singing their song of intense starvation and abandonment. She slid her glasses on and told the cats to cram it. Stumbling into the bathroom, she used the toilet and took a shower. After getting dressed, she followed the animals downstairs and fed the cats. She let the dogs out to run around in the yard for a bit. She poured the dogs food and placed down on the floor. Picking up her phone, she saw that she had a text message from Jim. She opened it and read it. He said that he and Bash had arrived safely, but he didn't want to wake her up by calling. He also told her that he loved her and that she should call when she got up. She smiled. Heather set the phone down and it immediately rang. She looked down and saw that it was Kate. "Hey, Kate! How are you?" she said by way of greeting. "I'm good. I'm just about to leave the house, so I should be there in about 20 minutes. Is that okay," replied Kate. "Um, yeah? Are we doing something today? Did we have something planned? My mind is drawing a total blank," questioned Heather. "Uh, yeah. You have an oil change and we're going shopping. You asked me to drive you like a month ago. Did you forget," laughed Kate.

"Oh, that's right. I did forget. Oh, what would I do without you, Katie? Yeah, 20 minutes is fine. I'm feeding the menagerie right now. I just have to throw some make up and shoes on. I better go finish getting ready. Thanks again," said Heather. "Bye, Heather." Kate laughed and hung up the phone. Heather called the dogs back inside and showed them their food. She ran upstairs and finished getting ready. She could get some breakfast after they dropped the car off. Kate called right as Heather was finishing applying her lipstick. She answered with a quick "I'll be down in a minute to unlock the gate" and hung up. She walked downstairs, unlocked the gate and the front door, and walked outside to greet her friend. Kate and Heather walked in the door and the dogs swarmed over to Kate. Heather called out the stand down commands and introduced them to Kate, indicating that she was a friend and okay. The dogs closely investigated her, and after finding her acceptable, sat flanking Heather. "So, Jim convinced you to get the dogs after all," said Kate. "Actually, it was more Bashie. He got quite stern with me and I decided that if he really felt that strongly about it, I would give in. They seem very nice and, as you can tell, are trained well, so we'll see how it goes. The cats are just thrilled about their new housemates. They have been so welcoming and kind. I'm glad that my cats have such great manners and are so flexible." Heather's voice dripped with sarcasm on that last bit.

The two women walked out the front door and got into their respective cars. Pulling out of the driveway and onto the road, they made their way to the auto dealer. After filling out the paperwork, Heather got into Kate's car and they headed into town. On the way, they caught each other up on their new romances. Kate couldn't stop gushing about Sebastian and his "tight ass and huge muscles."

"I know. I do have to admit he is quite something in the sack. Whoo, man!" Heather thought back to one particularly athletic session with the blonde and bit her lip. "Good times, very, very good times indeed." She smiled despite herself. Shaking the thought from her head, she asked, "Are you going to call him? The number he gave you is his private number. Only like 3 or 4 people have it. You're on a very select list, madam. Treasure it."

Kate looked impressed. "I want to, but I'm not sure. He's crazy hot and the sex was unbelievable, but he's in England and I'm here and long-distance relationships are hard. Tell me more about him. What does he do for a living? How long has he been single? Why is he still single? What is his weird thing? Is he a serial killer? That's it, isn't it? He's a 'Mummy's house basement dwelling serial killer with a huge dick, a killer smile, and a trail of baby mamas and kids. UGH! Why do I always fall for the fucked-up ones? Why, I ask you, WHY!?" She wailed and beat on the steering wheel. Heather gazed over at her friend. "Are you done now, Drama Queen? Or is there more of a traumatic scene to paint? Maybe you want to hear about his untreated herpes or his rampant erotic attraction to Scottish farm animals? Would you be pleased to hear about that, Princess Woe Is Me?" Kate glared at her. "No, go ahead. Tell me more about him."

"Thank you. First off, he doesn't even live in the same country as his parents, much less the same house. They are still in Ireland, a really pretty little village about 30 minutes south of Dublin. He is not close to either of them, because his dad has always been an absolute fucking asshole and his mom cares more about appearances than actual parenting. She completely hates the fuck out of me, while his dad adores me, but only because he's so primed and ready to get in my pants, it's pathetic. To the best of Sebastian and my knowledge, he has no children. Or pants pests. I was kidding about the herpes and the farm animals, by the way. His flat is lovely for a bachelor's pad. It's very modern, actually. I used some of the ideas from his place in decorating my house. He does work a lot. Too much in my opinion, but I'm not really one to talk I suppose. He's really a great guy. We met several years ago and were friends with benefits for a while. I wanted more. A real relationship, but he didn't or couldn't, so we just agreed to be friends. He's my best guy friend and easily one of my closest friends. He knows everything about me and I him. He heads security for Jim. Has since shortly after he got back from the service. Sometimes it seems like Jim can't fart without Bash knowing about it and planning out 15 different contingency plans for it beforehand." Heather paused. Kate didn't necessarily need to know all of the details of Sebastian's job. Besides, he didn't technically meet the legal definition for a "serial killer", so she wasn't even really lying by omission there. "And what's there to 'not know?' He likes you. You like him. There is obviously great sexual chemistry there. You are both smart, funny, successful people with active passports and loads of vacation time. Live a little. Have some fun. Is he Mr. Right? Maybe, maybe not, but he would at least be a great Mr. Right Now. You know he gets along with your best friend and her boyfriend. That's a big something right there. Hell, your best friend not only approves of him, she adores him. She knows his secrets, so if he hurts you, she can help you get him back in the most perfect way. It's a complete win-win situation.

Kate had to admit she made a great argument. "I know. I just having been thinking. Something just seemed slightly … I don't know … off about him. Like he was telling me 99% of the truth. Almost everything, except for one little tiny detail. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Maybe my therapist is right. I like to live in chaos, so I self-sabotage relationships. I just don't know if I want a Mr. Right Now. I think I want a Mr. Right. I kinda want to settle down and get married and have some kids now. Maybe. I mean, I find myself walking past the newborn nursery more and more now, even when it's way out of my way. I hear my sisters talk about their kids driving them nuts and get sorta jealous like 'That's so cute that Janie cut her own hair with the art scissors. I remember when Suzette was little and cut her own hair and now she's dealing with the same thing with her kid. I wouldn't mind freaking out a little over my kid getting ahold of the scissors and being creative. It could even be cute. I know what you're thinking. But, I could be a good mom, right? I'm already like a mom to my patients, sometimes. I could do that, but with my kid or two." Kate stared ahead with a panicked, nervous look on her face.

Heather was quiet for a minute, taking in the serious turn in the conversation. Softly, she placed her hand on her friend's arm. "Katherine Lucille Bringleman, you would be the greatest mom ever. You believe me there, young lady. If finding someone fantastic to marry and have a whole litter of kids is what you want, you have my full support. I didn't know that you were thinking this way. How long has that been going on?"

"Um … a while. I've been talking to Carole about it some. I've always wanted to have kids to some degree, but I kind of put other stuff before it because I figured I always had time. But some stuff has happened that made me realize that I don't have an infinite amount of time. I don't want to keep putting it off. There's no perfect time, but there is 'out of time.' I'm already two years away from being considered 'advanced maternal age.' I'm hoping I take after all the other women in my family who get pregnant thinking about their husbands, but you never know. It would be just my luck that all these years I've been so conscientious and paranoid about my birth control, then it turns out I'm as unfertile as a salted nuclear wasteland. I'm just … scared I guess. Scared that I won't be able to have a kid. That I screwed up and wasted my fertile years building a career and living it up and enjoying life. Plus, I don't … never mind."

"That's a lot of thinking without your best friend's support. I'm sorry if I haven't been available for you as much as I should have been. You gotta let me know when you need me for stuff like that. Those are big thoughts. I wish I had known so I could have pulled my head out of my ass to be there for you. I'm sorry, kiddo. I'll try to do better by ya." Heather stared out the window for a moment, trying not to cry. She felt terrible that she had failed her friend in such a big way.

Kate said, "No, I should have reached out. I should have told you what was brewing around in my brain. I kept it locked up. Please don't feel bad. You didn't know because I didn't tell you. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid of hurting you. You … well your cancer … it was one of the things that got me thinking. I'm a little afraid that they're going to find something wrong with me. Maybe not cancer, but something that will prevent me from having kids. I know it's dumb. As a nurse, I know it's dumb, but right now, I'm not a nurse. I'm a woman who wants to get pregnant and have kids and be a mom and I'm stressing. Stressing for probably no good reason but stressing." Kate smiled and pulled into a parking space. "I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. You are so important to me, but you being sick planted a seed of worry in my head. I know you are sensitive about it. I'm not trying to rub salt in your wounds. I know not being able to have kids hurts you. I didn't want to say anything to hurt you."

Heather shook her head and laughed a little. "We are quite a pair. Falling all over ourselves apologizing to the other one for imaginary hurts. How about we agree to be more open with each other and then go do some hardcore shopping? Deal?" Katie hugged her friend and agreed. "Let's go. Have you eaten? I could go for a Cinnabon. You?"

"You are reading my mind. I haven't eaten breakfast and I'm famished. I do have to call Jim quick. I was supposed to call him when I got up and I kind of forgot with trying to get ready. Oops. Should I convey any messages to Sebastian from you or are you handling that on your own?" Kate's phone dinged. "Well speak of the devil. That's Sebastian himself. Go and call Jim. I will call Sebastian for a few minutes. Take your time."

Heather walked off and sat down on a nearby bench. She pulled up Jim's mobile number and placed the call. His warm Irish tone filled the line almost immediately, warming Heather's heart and releasing a cascade of butterflies in her stomach. "Good morning, Dr. Weire. Up already? How did you sleep?" Heather blushed, "Well top of the morning to you Mr. Moriarty. I'm surprised to hear you awake. I would have thought you would be catching up on your beauty rest. I've been awake for about an hour or so. I forgot to call you in the rush of getting ready this morning. I forgot about my car appointment until Kate called me. Kate and I are out shopping now. I would have called you a while ago, but she and I got into an interesting conversation in the car. Girl talk, really, but important, so I couldn't interrupt to make a phone call. She's on the phone with him now. He called her."

"That naughty boy is not supposed to be on the phone. He is supposed to be planning something for me. Should I be evil and make him come in here right now, so I can yell at him? On second thought, if I do that then I can't talk to you. I would prefer talking to you. I'll yell at him later. By the way, never ever say 'Top of the Morning' to an Irish man. It's just not done. It's like asking us about our Lucky Charms cereal. But, I'll let it slide because you're so sexy."

"You're pretty sexy yourself there, sir. But note taken. Be nice to Sebastian. You did kind of hijack his holiday, so … you kind of owe him a little. Plus, and please don't say anything to him about this, but I'm not sure if he and Kate are completely on the same page. There's a lot to it, but they may be looking for two different kinds of relationships. There's a lot going on right now, but yeah. I didn't get a chance to really talk to him about her, so we'll see what develops. But, please don't talk to him about this unless he brings it up and even then, don't say anything about the stuff I tell you about. Listen, Kate's coming over and she looks kind of not great, so I should probably go. I love you so much and I can't wait to see you soon. I'll call you later."

"I love you too." Jim and Heather hung up the phones. Heather stood up and said, "So, are we eating happy Cinnabon or sad Cinnabon?"

"Conflicted Cinnabon. I didn't tell Sebastian about wanting marriage and kids and everything, but I did kind of hint about a more serious relationship than fuck friends. He seemed evasive on the idea. Kind of nervous and like he was suddenly in a hurry to get off the phone. I want to be hopeful, but it's kind of hard with that kind of reaction. You know him better than me. What is he thinking and feeling right now?"

Heather licked her lips quickly. "Well, um Jim did say that Bash was supposed to be busy with some big project, so maybe he legitimately was in a hurry. He did just get back from holiday, so there's probably plenty of work piled up for him. Plus, Sebastian is not the best at feelings. His dad and the army kind of squashed that out of him. He was a sniper in the army and those guys are generally better at their jobs when emotions don't factor in as much as facts. I wouldn't really overthink it too much if I were you. You know guys and feelings. They traditionally aren't the greatest mix. Hey, come on! Let's shop and be frivolous and worry about guys later. This is a day all about us! Let's go stuff our faces with too much sugar and fat and then bitch about how the girls who are skinnier than us must all be bulimic crack whores. You know, like old times." Heather laughed and winked at her friend.