"Mama- you need to get a girlfriend."

Kerry winced. The last time that Henry had gone there they'd been alone. This time, Carlos smirked and a small chuckle escaped his lips. Kerry shot him a look. "Or... I could just marry your Uncle Carlos..."

Henry's face contorted into a face that made him look as though he'd just eaten a particularly sour blueberry. "Maammaa... eww..."

Carlos looked a bit put out. "Hey now. I am a catch I'll have you know pipsqueak."

Leonora didn't like that. "No. I'm pipsqueak."

Carlos ruffled Leonora's hair, "Sorry pipsqueak. Your brother can be kiddo. That sound better?" She smiled and held her hand up towards Carlos. He did pick her up and she squealed. "You're my only pipsqueak. Wanna go watch some baseball?" She nodded and snuggled into Carlos' shoulder, "Henry?"

Henry nodded. "Okay. Sure." He glanced back at Kerry, then followed Carlos into the living room. Kerry pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She checked on the chicken in the oven, and then went back to the box that had been packed in such haste that she really had no idea what was in it.

She whistled as she did it, as she got near the bottom she realized that she must have simply dumped one of her desk drawers into the box.

Kerry nearly jumped out of her skin as Carlos spoke from right next to her ear, she had not heard him come into the kitchen, "Oh my God, she's the blonde. She's the blonde that you have a picture of."

Kerry frowned, "Carlos, what are... what the hell are you talking about?"

Carlos picked the unframed picture up out of the box. "This woman. Something with a K..."

"Kim... Kim Legaspi."

Carlos snapped, "Right. Legaspi's Garage. She saved Mama."

"Florina?"

Carlos tilted his head to one side, a bit of his bangs flopping over one of his eyes, "Well, I only have one Mom... yes Florina. Something happened to her car outside the garage, Legaspi helped her, and then Mama had a heart attack and she... she knew that it was happening even though Mama said that symptoms weren't like when Pops had his, and saved her life."

"She... she was a doctor."

Carlos handed Kerry the photo, "Yep, that makes more sense."

"Hey... I don't ask what someone does before I date them."

Carlos chuckled, "I agree, of course, that's helped 'cause, you know, you don't date."

"Carlos Lopez."

"Florian... you'd sound much more like Mama if you knew my middle name. Carlos Florian Lopez."

"After your mother?"

Carlos chuckled, "After the saint. I'm the black sheep remember, the only non-firefighter in the family."

"Ah... right."

"So..."

Kerry frowned, "So what?"

Carlos laughed and put an arm around the woman he thought of as a sister. "So. You're unattached, you liked her once upon a time, she's in Chicago right?"

"Yes."

"So..."

"Carlos..."

Carlos kissed the side of Kerry's head, "Sandy would want you to be as happy as you can. Not just with your two, but with someone to spend the rest of your life with."

Kerry cleared her throat a couple of times. "I... I don't think that would be how Kim and I would end up."

Carlos just barely prevented his eyes from rolling. "Uh huh... but, it's like the lottery. You don't win 'less you buy the ticket right?"

"And where's your wife Mr. Lopez?"

Carlos raised an eyebrow, "You're just so hetero-normative Kerry Weaver."

"No, but I've met a couple of your more serious girlfriends there... player..." Both Kerry and Carlos winced at that. "Ooh, I apologize."

Carlos smiled, "Yep, stick with your uppity, multi-syllabic lingo and I'll do the swearin' and cussin' and such, 'kay?"

Kerry put her arm around Carlos, "I love you Carlos. I know that... Nine years ago I wouldn't have gotten through Sandy's death without you. I... I never had a brother, well, not one that I knew existed, but you..."

Carlos coughed once, then again, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Ditto. Except sister instead of brother, you know. Have you seen -Helen-." He overdramatized her name as he spoke it. Sandy would do the same thing when she was trying to change subjects, trying to redirect a conversation to lighter topics.

Kerry went with it. "I haven't, but... when I was waiting to come up here for the interview a few weeks back I somehow ran into Bridget Williams. Now Nelson."

"Williams?"

"Daughter of Helen Kingsley, formerly Helen Williams."

Carlos was silent for a bit, "Oh, wow."

"Yes. They live here."

"You've visited her, them?"

Kerry gave a short shake of her head, "No."

"Kerry..."

Kerry shook her head, "Don't start Carlos. I have enough on my plate right now, getting enmeshed in yet another family drama. I can't take it."

Carlos smirked, "The Lopez family drama is enough for you?"

"Something like that, I do... Will you watch Lee and Henry for a little bit, there is one thing that I need to do."

"Of course. I'm not on until tomorrow night. Go crazy."

"Lopez."

Carlos just smirked, "Have fun."

Kerry shook her head with a sigh, "I'm not going for fun."

oOOOOo

"I beg you Mom. Don't do this. Please. I live here now, I want to... please..."

"You were here last time I was."

Abby looked up and blinked in surprise. Standing in front of her was Helen Kingsley and another young woman who looked quite like Helen. "Ah, yes, I think I was Ms. Kingsley, how may I help you?"

"My daughter. I need to see her now."

Abby shook her head, "Doctor Weaver is not on Ms. Kingsley. I'm sorry. She's not on for- awhile. Is there something I can do for you?"

"No. I'll wait."

Abby frowned as Helen went back into chairs and sat down. She turned to the other woman, "Ah, that's..."

The woman stuck a hand out. "Bridget Nelson. Daughter of Helen. Half sister of Kerry."

"Oh. Right. Okay, but, your mother understands..."

Bridget sighed, "Yes, yes she does, and I apologize for her, it's just..." Bridget looked down at the ground with a sigh, "Ah, she just... I... I guess that she's." Bridget stopped talking. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't even be..."

Abby came around the desk and put a hand on Bridget's shoulder, "It's okay. I'm Kerry's friend. There's something wrong with her mother?" Bridget nodded. "Let me guess. Bridget needs a part of Kerry." Bridget nodded again. "Here's what you do. Get her to leave. I'm not lying when I say that Kerry's not going to be here for hours. I'll give Kerry a call, give her a heads up, and you and your mother can come back when she's actually here."

Bridget blew out a breath, "Thank you. You're a good friend."

She went towards chairs and Abby mumbled under her breath, "Kerry, you're soo gonna owe me for that." She took out her phone and found Kerry's cell number.

oOOOOo

"Thank you."

"Gahhhh..." Kim nearly jumped half a foot into the air as she turned and blinked, "Kerry?"

"Thank you."

Kim frowned, "Kerry, what are you? How did you..." Kim narrowed her eyes and shot a glance towards the door to the garage's office, "Roberta..." Kim cleared her throat and turned to face Kerry. "What are you doing here?"

"Standing."

Kim shot Kerry a look. "You damn well know what I mean Kerry. Why are you here?"

Kerry was silent for a moment, "I came to say thank you for saving my mother in law's life."

"Mother in law?"

"Florina Lopez."

Kim threw a hand up, "Yeah. Okay. You've done that. You're welcome."

Kerry studied Kim as the blonde worked on the car that sat with its hood open. "What happened to you Kim?"

Kim didn't look up from the car, just shook her head, "Doesn't matter."

"Please."

Kim cleared her throat, "My father died."

Kerry came closer to Kim and the car, right next to the front windows. "Let me get this right. You survived your mother's death when you were six, your brother's death when you were eleven. And, hell, you witnessed that one. You survived my shredding everything in your life, but your father's death. That makes you quit being a Psychiatrist, something I thought you loved more than almost anything."

Kim stared past Kerry, not even bothering to ask how Kerry knew all that, "You don't know me. You never knew me. Just... leave me be. Let me go."

Kerry put her finger under Kim's chin and made the blonde look her in the eyes. "I did Kim. I had three glorious years with Sandy before she died. I have two amazing children, and, if for the rest of my life all I had was them, I'd be okay. But I want more. Tell me you didn't feel anything. Tell me that, and I'll move on again, I'll go help Henry become the gentleman. He practically already is. Help Lee become a lady, I'll watch as their Uncle Carlos falls in love, has his own family. As Dave and Abby manage to turn their rocky relationship into something lasting. As their kids grow and flourish. I will be content." She paused, "It's you who has to let go Kim."

Kim pulled away from Kerry and went over to her workbench at the back of the garage. She put down her tools and stood there with her back to Kerry for a long moment. Without turning she spoke, "I thought that you were simply here to say thank you."

Kerry joined Kim at the workbench, next to Kim, but facing out towards the rest of the garage, her back against the workbench. "You know. I was. And, I really should get back to Henry and Lee, but, I just..." Kerry trailed off. Kim was staring at her as if the redhead had grown a second head. "What?"

"You're..."

Before Kim could finish her thought the world seemed to turn upside down and inside out. Kerry could see white, and felt heat like she'd never felt before, and then, nothing.