The Best I Ever Had
Part One
By Aeris Jade Orion
aerisjade@worldnet.att.net

Rating: R
Pairing: KW/KL, KW/MW
Spoilers: Yes, lots of them. This is four months after this coming episode. So I'm making a few speculations. Just in case you don't get it, this starts four months after a walk through the woods.

Note: This story idea was actually Aviva's, she gave it to me to write as part of a deal we made. Not that I can remember what that deal was anymore. *sigh*

Disclaimer: All characters belong to that weird Jurassic Park dude and Warner Bros.... Who ever they are....*scratches head, then glances around nervously before brushing shoulder quickly* Wacko, Yacko, and dot....



She stared into the deep, sea-blue eyes that had become a part of her soul, feeling her anger starting to melt. Maybe she was overreacting to all of this.

"You can't keep hiding from reality."

.....and her anger flamed back to life. "What do you want me to do? Stand up in the middle of the ER and make an announcement?"

"I want you to stop lying to everyone. I want you to stop pushing me away."

"I just need some time. Kim, this is a big adjustment for me."

Kim slammed the knife down onto the countertop, sighing heavily. "I've been giving you time for the last four months."

She swallowed as the issue once again bared its teeth. To Out or not to Out, that is the question...

Her stomach seemed to drop as she imagined the reactions her co-workers would probably have if she told them. Oh, they were tolerant people, she'd seen them face patients in same-sex relationships, handicapped patients, and a multitude of other situations. But this was her, their boss, their co-worker.

She still remembered an incident a few years earlier, when she'd been in the locker room changing into scrubs. She was listening to the other women talk about Doyle, the new intern who'd come over from Southside after it closed. They were ranting about how uncomfortable they felt having to change in front of a lesbian. How they always felt like she was staring at them.

As always, she had remained quiet, simply listening to the laughing conversation, but it wasn't because she didn't have anything to say. Under other circumstances, if she'd overheard the exchange somewhere more public than the locker room - the admit desk, say - she would have lectured them on the hospital's policies of tolerance and respect for all employees, regardless of race, creed, or sexual orientation. She'd let it go at the time, feeling that such a lecture might not be well received if the recipients were half-naked at the time. Increasing their discomfort would do more to exacerbate the problem than to solve
it.

But it was more than that. At the time, she'd suddenly found herself feeling very self-conscious. There was this funny feeling in her heart, as though they were talking to her, about her.

"I need time," she whispered softly, unaware of the painful understanding that entered Kim's eyes. "I just need a little more
time."



Kim slumped down onto Kerry's sofa and let her head fall into her hands. She'd really done it this time. Kerry had been dealing with this transition better than she had originally thought, but it scared her. It scared her that one morning she'd wake up to find that it was over, that Kerry had suddenly decided that she couldn't handle it. That she couldn't handle being in a lesbian relationship, she couldn't handle society's judgments, she couldn't handle the feelings that seemed to always be lurking just beyond the corner.

That was the real reason why she'd snapped that morning. Fear, of losing the woman that completed her. She knew, somewhere beyond that fear, that she needed to trust Kerry. She needed to be supportive through this, not get angry. She was just so afraid of losing her.

She shuddered slightly. She had taken almost two years to come out herself, and she still didn't make her lesbianism public knowledge. She never lied about it, but she never volunteered the information either. Now, she was trying to push Kerry into being publicly gay. 'Hypocrite...'

The soft knocking at the door gently brought her back to the present. She wiped absently at the tears that had sprung up in her eyes, wondering idly if it could possibly be Kerry. 'Why would she knock at her own door...? Maybe she forgot her keys?'

Holding desperately onto that thought, she walked over to the door and opened it, not bothering to look through the peephole to see who it was. Her heart sank at the sight of the dark, lean man standing there. She eyed the single dark red rose in his hand and leaned into the frame so that the door opening was smaller.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for Kerry Weaver. I must have the wrong address..." The dark man frowned and studied the envelope in his hand. His elegantly-tailored suit outlined his handsome frame.

Kim gripped the doorknob tightly, trying to fight of the sudden urge to be jealous. "You just missed her. She...left for work about an hour ago."

He considered her for a long moment, his dark emerald eyes sweeping over her before brightening. "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"No. I'm afraid not. I could tell her you stopped by though, Mister...?"

"Doctor. Doctor Michael Weaver. Her husband."



"Dr. Weaver, you've got a phone call on two."

She glared over at Randi, trying to decide whether it was worth shoving her crutch down her throat or not.

The desk clerk eyed her warily and took a hesitant step back towards Benton. "It's Dr. Legaspi. She says it's an emergency..."

Her anger evaporated into concern. Kim never called her at work, if she needed to get hold of her, she usually paged her, or called her on her cell phone. "I'll take it in the lounge."

She walked the short distance to the lounge door and entered, grateful that it was empty for once. As she gripped the receiver, she briefly considered that Kim was calling to break up with her. Pushing those thoughts away, she picked up the receiver. "Kim? What's wrong?"

The voice at the other end sounded strangely drawn. "Listen, about this morning... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

Kerry frowned. Why would Kim be calling to apologize? It could have waited until she got home. "I'm sorry too. You were right, I need to start dealing with this. I can't keep pretending like it isn't there."

The silence at the other end of the phone was deafening. Kim softly cleared her throat. "The reason I'm calling is that you have a visitor."

"I wasn't expecting anyone." She started to mentally go over her schedule in her mind. Jeanie wasn't supposed to meet her for lunch until Friday. Jenny was out of town for the week...

"He says he's your husband."

......my HUSBAND is still in...?? Her mind screeched to a stop as it tried to grasp what Kim had just said. "My husband? Are you sure?"

"He says his name is Michael Weaver."

"...but why would he..?" She trailed off and mentally shook herself. "Where is he now?"

"In the kitchen, I made him a cup of my, ahh...special coffee."

Kerry grimaced at the tone in her lover's voice. Not quite jealous, but not very friendly either. She got the feeling that Michael wasn't getting a very warm welcome. "Should we stand by to have him arrive soon?" she asked, wryly, imagining the ambulance pulling up the ER doors, Doris giving her the bullet, Michael Weaver, 45, poisoned by wife's jealous girlfriend...

"Nah, cancel the stomach pump. I figured I should check with you before going there. He's just having French Roast."

Kerry was simultaneously relieved and disappointed. Then she ventured the next question. "What did you tell him about...?"

"My living here?" Kim's voice lowered. "Why, I gave him chapter and verse on our sex life, of course, silly! He's lying, panting on the floor, gasping for breath. I think he's having a heart attack, but he just keeps begging for more..."

"Kim...!" This wasn't helping the tightness in Kerry's chest.

"Don't panic." Her tone turned dry. "He seems to think that I'm your boarder."

Kerry closed her eyes, letting the bottom of the receiver swing down. She never dreamed that she'd have to deal with a situation like this. "All right, I'll be there as soon as I can. Just... Keep out of trouble."

"What kind of trouble could I possibly get into?"

"Are you kidding? The mind boggles..."

Kerry could just see the slow, sexy smirk of humor as Kim hung up. Kim had a mischievous strike a mile long. She clearly remembered the trouble that Kim had caused two months earlier. She had witnessed Corday's verbal attack against Kerry, and to say that she'd been angry would be an understatement. The blonde had been determined to defend her honor, one way or another. So determined that she'd put the surgical floor locker rooms under surveillance. The minute Corday had entered the woman's locker room, she'd switched the signs. Five minutes later, Romano had swaggered into the locker room. The high-pitched, English-accented scream that had followed could be heard two floors away.

Now, her husband was sitting in their kitchen with her lover, drinking Kim's special coffee...

Her mind skidded to a halt and backed up. 'He seems to think I'm your boarder,' Kim had said. 'He seems to think...' Not 'I told him...'

'Oh, god...'



Kim eyed the handsome man. He had rich, emerald eyes and pitch-black hair, long enough to be slightly wild, but short enough to be professional. His skin was slightly tanned, and his clothes... She felt her eyes narrow at the dark black, perfectly-pressed suit and the silk shirt.

When Kerry had told her about Michael she'd somehow pictured him as more... optically unpleasing. Not drop-dead gorgeous.

She glanced out the kitchen door as the front door opened and slammed shut. The familiar shock of red hair came into view as Kerry rushed into the kitchen. Her eyes slid over Michael, then glided over to Kim. She could see the nervous energy radiating off of Kerry.

"Kerry...my god, you look beautiful." Michael stood up and handed Kerry the single rose, then leaned in to kiss her.

Kerry turned her head away and took a step back. Kim let out the breath she'd been holding. She felt herself fighting off a glare as Michael glanced over at her with a statement that clearly said 'go away'. She smiled sweetly at him, leaned back and crossed her legs, taking a long sip of her coffee. Go away yourself, asshole, I live here.

Kerry gave her a knowing look as she walked over to Kim. She tensed slightly, and half-expected Kerry to ask her to leave. She had to respect Kerry's choice to remain in the closet, but nobody said she damn well had to like it.

Instead, to her surprise, the redhead leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry it took me so long, I had to get Kovac to cover for me."

Kim kissed the hand on her shoulder as Kerry sat next to her. Michael stared hard at her before he shifted his eyes over to Kerry. He was visibly struggling with shock, confusion, and uncertainty. It was all she could do not to laugh out loud as his mouth opened slightly then loudly popped shut again.

"Michael, I take it you've meet my lover, Kim?"



Aeris Jade Orion
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