The Next Morning

Kim stared up at the ceiling of her bedroom. Her quiet contemplation was rudely interrupted by the bed bouncing. A coffee cup was put in front of her face. "How's the hangover comin' babe?"

Kim groaned and pushed herself up into a sitting position and squinted at a fully dressed Kate. "You mean, for this raging headache I didn't even..."

"Nope, no women conquests last night. Just your best friend forever coming over with coffee to make sure that you didn't throw up during the night and choke to death."

Kim groaned again, "Do you have to be, quite, so loud?" Kate smirked, "Other than... the drinking, did I do anything..."

"Untoward last night? Well, there was this firefighter, whew. So... who is she?"

Kim took a long drink of the black brew. "I don't remember much of anything about last night."

Kate shook her head, "No... the hot woman's name was Sandy. I even got her number for you."

"For me huh?"

Kate gave Kim's shoulder a whack, "I meant, who's the woman you're in love with Kim. 'Cause the fact that I'm here and not a naked and beaming Sandy Lopez means you've got it bad friend... So, what's her name?"

Kim put a hand to her forehead, "And, what if it's a guy?"

The mattress shook so hard with laughter that Kim nearly spilled the coffee. "Sure..." Kate stood. "I'll let you get changed."

Kim groaned, "You're gonna make me do something... productive on my day off aren't you?"

Kate laughed as the bedroom door closed behind her.

Kim sat and stared around the room. Kate was a good friend. They had sucked in a relationship, though Kim had always wondered if that had
been because they had been in college.

But, as friends, they rocked, and neither woman wanted to risk that. She rolled out of bed and wondered if maybe one day she and Kerry could be friends like she and Kate. She shook her head and rolled her neck, "Probably not... The kiss sealed that."

oOOOOo

Dave blinked, he was not in his apartment, he didn't have a hangover, and he was definitely not lying on the sheets of any of his buddies. He sniffed the air, "Breakfast?"

oOOOOo

"So, what's her name?"

Kim sipped at her second cup of coffee. "Doctor Kerry Weaver, Chief of County's ER."

"Whoo..." Kate smirked, "You stepped in it Kimmy..."

"She's straight."

Kate groaned, "Kim. It's smelly and sticky. Why do you do this to yourself Kim?"

Kim put down her mug, "I don't do anything. She's smart, funny, gorgeous. She's not afraid of being... unpopular, and she's is an amazing doctor. She cares for her patients so much, but doesn't go overboard. She's... argh..."

Kate put an arm around Kim's shoulders. "Kim. How straight is she?"

"She was married."

Kate nodded slowly, "But now... she's divorced right?"

Kim nodded and picked back up her mug, but put it down again instead of taking a drink. "She said she missed me."

Kim jerked forward as Kate hit her on the back of the head. "What?"

"Have you not gone out with every straight and bi-curious woman in the Chicago area Kim, I miss you means, 'shag me baby and turn me gay if you can'."

"Katherine Porter-Senes." Kate shook her head and went back across the kitchen. "I deserve someone who knows who they are. I want someone who knows who they are. I want someone who doesn't have an ex-boyfriend to cheat on me. Someone who's... who's..."

"An advanced, or at least intermediate lesbian, not a beginner lesbian."

Kim nodded and Kate gave her a quick hug again. "You'll find her.. or maybe, she'll find you."

oOOOOo

Dave frowned as he entered Kerry Weaver's kitchen. Kerry moved around it without the aid of her crutch. "Uh..."

Kerry turned and met Dave's sleepy gaze straight on. "Here's how it is. This will never happen again. It was a moment of, it was a moment. It will not gain you anything, or have you penalized in any way, and if you tell anyone..."

Dave covered a yawn, "No one would believe me."

Kerry nodded and went back to her preparations, "Good, then we're clear?"

A smirk came to Dave's face, "I still get breakfast?"

Kerry rolled her eyes and went to the stove, "What are you, five? Yes, you get breakfast. You need to grow up Doctor Malucci."

Dave's smirk turned into a genuine smile. They went silent until Kerry put out the food and Dave had ingested half of it. "Doctor Weaver, are you really okay?"

"Another rule, this doesn't make us closer Doctor Malucci."

Dave held free hand up, "Hey, I get it. I'm young remember, carefree as a bird. Hell, I got a kid doin' what we did..."

"Oh?"

Dave shrugged and stalled by eating a bit more. Finally he caved, as if he had to get it off his chest. "Two years old. I either have very good luck, or very bad luck depending on your point of view."

"Mmm..." Kerry neither pushed the conversation forward or stopped it. She simply ate. Oh, she was curious about Dave's child, but there was no way in hell that she'd let Dave know that.

He kept talking. "Did all the right stuff..." Dave's cheeks colored a bit. "Preventative I mean, still, nine months later... like magic, little Dylan was born. Dylan David." Kerry nodded. Dave was silent for a couple of minutes, "I'm sorry..."

She glanced up, surprised, "What?"

He pushed away from the island, food still on his plate and disappeared from the kitchen. Kerry simply kept eating. She was off. She briefly considered moving, but decided that Dave would just freak out more. She wanted less drama, not more. Of course, she probably should have thought about that before sleeping with one of her junior residents.

Her cell phone rang, startling her out of her reverie. She glanced at the Caller ID and a smile came to her face. She heard her front door close as she answered. "LiLi, how are you?"