April Showers

Kerry found it slightly amusing that she was sitting in an airport bar, and yet it was still quieter than County.

"Shady." Kerry glanced up and behind her at the man who had spoken. She had forgotten that she'd been doing a crossword puzzle her mind had been wandering so much. "Five down."

She glanced up and back down, "Oh. Thank you." She wrote it in as he sidled up closer.

"On a layover?"

"No." She wrote in another answer, mostly to have something to do. It'd been awhile since she'd been hit on, not as long as most of her employees would guess, but it wasn't the most common of occurrences either. "My flight's delayed." She put down her pen and made eye contact with him.

"You mean cancelled."

Kerry leaned back and squinted at the board, pointing. "No, still says delayed."

"Ah, an optimist."

This brought a smile to Kerry's face.

"Where you tryin' to get to?"

Kerry brought her glass up to take a drink, but didn't drink. "Ah, Las Vegas."

"Oh." It could have been her imagination, but he was getting closer. "So, you're not an optimist, it's a compulsion."

Kerry winced inside and wondered if he'd thought that up himself. Still, she was a scientist, maybe an experiment was in order.

"What do you play?"

She kept on her smile, "Ah, I'm going there on business."

The bartender came back with the man's beer and the man spoke to him. "And whatever the lady's drinking."

Kerry put her hands up, "Oh no, thank you. I'm fine thanks." The bartender paused and then moved on, leaving Kerry and the man to decide who was paying for her drinks.

The man took out his money and started counting it out. "Either he's getting a very big tip, or, you're getting a free drink." He flashed his very best and charming smile for her, took his beer, and left.

The bartender appeared and Kerry put her hands up in a 'what can you do' pose, accepting the drink.

oOOOOo

"Lord it's empty of doctors and nurses down here. They're not going to make me suture or something?"

Randi rolled her eyes. "Doctor Greene is getting married to Doctor Corday today." Randi snapped her gum, "Wouldn't want to be someone with an exploding kidney or liver or whatever today."

"Appendix Randi, exploding appendix, and let's not jinx it. Have you seen Chen?"

Randi shook her head, "You mean for the oh so obvious thyroid problem in Exam three?"

Kim narrowed her eyes as the clerk, "You getting an MD on the sly Randi?"

Randi rolled her eyes, "As if. Just been watchin' y'all all these years. I'd check the suture room first."

Kim saluted Randi with the chart, "Thanks."

oOOOOo

She'd never been a day dreamer, but with the plane still delayed, or maybe it was the rain. Whatever the reason, her computer was open, her word processor as well, but she wasn't paying attention to any of it.

"How was that wine?"

She looked up. It was the guy from the bar. "Oh, it was very nice, thanks."

"I'm getting a refill, want one?"

She put on her smile and shook her head. "Oh, I really shouldn't."

"C'mon, you're not drivin'."

Did he truly think he was funny. "You're tenacious."

"Yes?"

Kerry nodded, "Okay, only if I buy this round."

"Even better. Excuse me, more please." Both handed their glasses to the waitress. "May I?" He gestured to the empty seat.

"Sure."

He introduced himself, "I'm Mike."

They shook hands, "Hi Mike, I'm Kerry."

"Workin' on your novel."

"Ah, no..." She closed the computer. "I was just writing... just organizing some thoughts."

He leaned back, "So, what do you do when you're not writing Kerry?"

"Uh, I'm, uh, I'm a doctor."

"Really."

Kerry nodded, "Emergency Medicine."

"Brains too. That's impressive."

She was starting to regret her little experiment. "Thanks."

oOOOOo

"Oh, Doctor Legaspi."

Kim stopped and took two steps backwards, "Yes Randi? And you can call me Kim if you want."

"Okay, Kim. Your mother called."

Kim winced, "Wait. Why'd she call down here?"

"Didn't, they transferred her hither and yon trying to find you."

Kim's wince intensified, "Did she have a message?"

Randi handed over a pink slip, "No dinner with the fam tonight."

Kim let her breath out. "Ah, good, I don't get guilt, I get to give it."

Randi held her hands up, "Whatever floats your boat Kim."

oOOOOo

"I always wanted to move to Florida, get away from the ice and snow." Kerry took a sip of her wine. It was official, she was probably tipsy.

"Why didn't you?"

Kerry shrugged, "I don't know, it just never worked out."

"I know what you mean. By this time I thought I'd be married with two kids and a dog."

"Well," she smiled, "you can always get the dog."

"How 'bout you. You don't live with like, fifty cats or anything?" Perhaps Kerry was more than tipsy, but Mike seemed to be getting a bit funnier.

Kerry chuckled, "No."

"I didn't think so. Too pretty to be one of those crazy cat ladies."

The smile dropped from Kerry's face as she put down her wine. "I should go." She stood. Mike stood as well and closed the distance between them. "You have a sister, mother, aunt who's a crazy cat lady?"

"No."

"Then."

Kerry reached up and grabbed the back of Mike's head, pulling him down for a crushing kiss. After a moment she let and they both moved a bit apart. "Thank you."

"You're gonna wind me up and leave?"

Kerry tilted her head to one side as her plane was called, "Sorry, you were my... final test. A test to prove that I was an idiot. I got an A+."

oOOOOo

"The jail ward. Hell, I think I'd rather have Romano's punishment instead of DeRaad's. I hate the jail ward."

The white ball flew towards the triangle of balls and they exploded in a rainbow of colors. "You'll live."

"You know, I'm only still friends with you because of your pool table."

Kate smirked, "Good to know, of course, how do you explain all those years when you didn't live in Chicago?"

"Can't." Kim lined up a shot and totally missed, though the ball stayed on the table. "That is my life. I can see what I want, I line it up, and poof, crap happens."

"She stood up for you, right, at the farce of a meeting?" Kim nodded, "You know if you get called in again, take Christy."

"No, I..."

"Take Christy. She's the lawyer in our little group of your exes..." Kim stuck out her tongue at Kate, who just smiled, "Promise you'll call her Kimmy..."

Kim missed another shot and hurfed, "Fine, fine, I promise."