Title - Chapter 7 a Kerry Weaver/John Carter fanfic Content: Pg13 Author - Cimerene e-mail address - cimerene1@gci.net Editor and Official Title Giver: Cathy!!! Beta reader: Jim and Cathy Spoilers - Not to my knowledge, but then you never know! *************************************** John unlocked the door and pushed it open. He flipped the light switch and entered the room, then gestured for Millicent and Kerry to enter. The empty room smelled dusty and had an unoccupied look to it. Its bare walls cried out for decorations, the carpeted area stained and torn. John watched as his grandmother silently went from room to room, examining every feature. Occasionally asking questions on the lighting, and if they had spotted the small hole in the carpet here, or the faded outline of a nonexistant painting in this room or that. Sniffing at the peeling paint and the musty odors. Kerry walked silently behind John and his grandmother, answering all of Millicent's questions fully, yet carefully, as if the wrong word could potentially set off a nuclear bomb. Her face was a mixture of concern and stress. John felt the urge to hug her and tell her everything was going to be okay, yet he merely followed behind. When the tour was completed, they entered the main room. The largest room in the building, it was coincidently the room that needed the most work. He frowned at the spots on the carpet and the faded peeling paint on the walls. This room was not a great room for showing off the potential of the building. In his mind he could see a restful place, cheerfully painted with sturdy colors that would stand up to little kids fingerprints, and a rainbow arching across the wall, with a small children's table in the corner. Silence filled the room for several moments before Kerry finally spoke. "Do you think our plan is feasible?" Nervously, she tightened her grip on the briefcase she held. Millicent silently perused the room they were standing in before turning to the eager, yet nervous, faces before her. "Before I come to a decision, I must ask a few questions," she stated. Watching Kerry closely, she calmly went on. "I know my grandson, and when he does something he does it with all his heart. Now, I know from things he's been telling me that he's very serious about this. " She paused to gather her thoughts a bit before she went on. "All I really want to know, Dr. Weaver, is if you're as committed to this plan as he is?" Kerry felt John's hand on the small of her back, as if to give her silent courage. She spoke softly. "Mrs. Carter, I've never been more serious about anything in my life." Millicent smiled then, a real smile, not the business-like one she had been wearing all day. "Well then, that's settled. I think that with a little paint, new carpeting and some general upgrades all around, this could be a feasible investment. I think however," She paused as she looked around the building. "That we had better buy instead of rent; it's always more practical when fixing things up when you don't have a landlord watching your every move." She grumbled slightly on an afterthought. "The family had better get discounts at this children's clinic of yours." John's smile lit up his face, and giving Kerry a slight squeeze, he went on to hug his grandmother. His eyes twinkling at Kerry and their mutual success. ***** Two Weeks Later ****** "Dr. Weaver, exactly what are you trying to pull?" Romano's irritating voice carried into the small room. Kerry pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose and peered at him from over a mound of papers. "Since my crystal ball is conveniently broken, care to enlighten me as to what you're upset about." Kerry replied casually. Glancing briefly at the papers in his hand, she knew what he was on a rampage about. Very carefully she managed to keep the smile off her face. In answer to her question, he all but threw a small folder on the desk in front of her. Kerry opened it and allowed a small smile to grace her face. She sorted the papers methodically, mechanically placing them in order. "Ah," she thought to herself. "Just as I thought." "Looks pretty clear cut to me," she replied, and sat back in her seat to wait him out. The tension was thick in the room by the time Romano finally spoke. "May I remind you, Dr. Weaver, that most employees do not receive raises by turning in their letters of resignation?" Kerry smiled slightly, then replied. "A raise was the last thing on my mind when I faxed that to you, Robert. Since my current contract is up, I've decided that it's time for me to use my new skills elsewhere. Romano glared at her for several moments. "Care to enlighten me?" He tapped the folder slightly; his movements making the other names on the papers she had so carefully straightened stand out. "It seems that not only you and our young Dr. Carter have resigned, but also the nursing supervisor has informed me that she will be leaving." Kerry smiled and remembered the gossip she had overhead that morning. Haleh's exact words hadn't been phrased that politely, the rumor she had was that the nursing supervisor had succinctly said "Take this job and shove it up your ass." "Robert," she said softly. "I'd like to say that it's a coincidence, but we both know it's not. I, however, have not been recruiting amongst the staff." She waited expectantly for him to acknowledge her choice of words. "However, Dr. Carter and I have carefully considered all the applications we received and we chose the best for our new clinic." "Have we named our newest little venture in the private sector yet?" He growled at her impatiently. Kerry took a small business card out of her desk; glad they had arrived just that morning. It gave her great pleasure to give the first one to Robert Romano. Perusing the card slowly, Romano handed it back after several moments. "It appears that I won't be able to talk either of you out of this little venture, will I?" Kerry said softly, "Considering the circumstances, Robert, no." She paused slightly, and then went on. "Now if you'd like me to get evaluations done before the new replacement starts..." she drifted off, her intent apparent. "I am presuming you're replacing me, yes?" Romano stared at her for several long moments before he picked up the file on her desk and stormed out of her office. "Don't worry, Kerry," he almost growled at her, "Everyone's replaceable, even you!" Kerry chuckled as she picked up the next evaluation before her and returned to her work. *****That night. ***** Kerry dropped her purse onto the table and stetched slightly, her posture showing the effects of tiredness and lateness of the hour. She leaned heavily on her cane, and limped more then normal into the kitchen. John frowned as he looked up from the paper he was reading. "I thought you were coming home a few hours ago?" His voice was slightly testy. Kerry's irritation started rising, she reached for a glass and accidentally knocked it to the ground. She frowned as she watched it shatter all over the floor. Kerry glared as she saw John's hand reach for the broom just as she reached for it. "I can do that you know!" She snapped. "I"m not an invalid" John counted to ten, and then slapped the broom into her hand. "I never said you were, forgive me for trying to help." He turned his back on her, his irritation rising as he stomped into the living room, his back rigid with frustration. Kerry sighed as she cleaned up the mess she had created. She knew that the clinic would be opening in just a few weeks, and she was placing more hours than she had in a day just trying to get everything ready and orderly and completed in time. She walked into the living room and watched John warily. "Why are we snapping at each other?" John looked up from the easy chair he had collapsed in. He held his hand out to Kerry in silent apology, and then pulled her silently to him. "We're both tired and overworked, I suppose," he mused, his face nestled into her soft hair, as she sat down on his lap, her head pressed against his chest. Kerry sighed to herself; she hated arguing with John, she hated it more when she started the argument. "I tried to leave about an hour ago, but one of the painters spilled a gallon of paint into the hallway." John grimaced, the only hallway he knew in the building had carpeting from one door to the next, and when he had left that morning it was definitely not in the process of being covered with a plastic sheet. "Took me almost an hour to locate a steam cleaner and get it back to the office so that it wouldn't stain," she sighed and snuggled closer. "You should have called," he said quietly, "I could have helped." "You worked your last shift at the hospital last night, and came straight to the clinic and was there for over six hours today. You needed time off more then I did." She told him with a laugh. John laughed slightly, his hands caressing the back of her hair. "Next time," he paused to make sure she was listening, "Call." Kerry nodded her head slightly, and John knew it was her way of agreeing with him. John pulled Kerry closer to him, his hands tipping her face towards him as he kissed her seriously, his hands tangled into her hair, pulling her closer. He stared deeply into her eyes, mutely telling her how much he cared for and respected her. "I love you, you know," he whispered into the silence of the room. Kerry smiled at him, letting her eyes talk for her, telling him how much she loved him, how much she adored his words...and touch. "If I asked you to marry me, would you?" He bluntly asked. Kerry's mind temporarily stumbled. Marriage The word shocked her, her mind wandered in confusion as she stared mutely at him for several moments. "You don't like the idea?" John said nervously. "I think," Kerry stumbled on the words. "I think that we are both temporarily insane." John started at her choice of words, a look of indignation overcoming him, and the arguments readily came to his lips. Just as he was about to speak, Kerry kissed him. In her kiss she placed all the love and tenderness that she'd saved up for so many long years. She tenderly told John how much she loved him, and it was in Kerry's kiss that John received his answer. ******Later that week**** Kerry picked up her bouquet; nervously she fingered the petals on the flowers. She paced around the room, her gown not quite reaching the floor. It was a bit more practical than she wanted, but with so little time to get one, she had resigned herself to the style. The material was cream colored, a fact that she was pleased with. She looked into the mirror again and proceeded to place another coat of lipstick on, then switched to her compact... Jeanie took the compact out of her hand slowly, as if afraid to startle her, laughter evident on her cheerful face. "You look beautiful, just a few more minutes and then you can go in." Kerry laughed nervously. "I don't know what I'd do without you here," she said softly. "You don't think he'll regret this do you?" she stated bluntly, her confidence again taking a nosedive. Jeanie smiled and gave Kerry a soft, but heartfelt, hug. Kerry watched as Jeanie went to her purse and pulled out a picture. She had taken it a week before and it showed a proud Kerry showing off her latest medical journal article, with her name in brazen bold print, and a glowing John in the background, his eyes on Kerry and not her article. "Look at this. Every time I look at this picture, I see how happy you two are, every time I see the two of you together, I can see how much in love you are." She smiled at Kerry, "How right you two are together." "I didn't expect to see him that night you know," Kerry said softly, referring back to the night she and John had gotten together initially. "I remember thinking that he was too good-looking and I needed to keep my mind on my own date and not someone I've seen through internship, drug addiction and just general bad work days." Jeanie smiled softly. "Last week when you told me you two were getting married, I thought you had gone slightly insane, but now, after seeing you two together..." She chuckled slightly. "You, the girl I have to push to get a date, went from not dating at all to marriage, and all within a month." She pushed Kerry towards the mirror and straightened her veil out slightly. "Anyone else I'd council to wait longer, but you two..." she sighed softly. "You two were made for each other. I gotta admit girl, you've picked a definitely winner!" Kerry smiled at Jeanie's words, her face beginning to soften as she thought of all Jeannie said and how important John was to her. That was until the familiar strains were heard on the piano in the room next door. ****** John twisted his necktie nervously, his hands for the first time in years muffing up what should have been an easy and effortless job. He glared at the mirror in front of him and almost tore off his necktie in his impatience. Millicent quietly took his tie out of his hands and gave him a stern look. "Young man, if you don't let me tie that thing, you're going to ruin it and look mussed at your own wedding!" She calmly and efficiently twisted his tie into a semblance of its normal self, and as she did so, she mused slightly. "I remember doing this for your father the night he married your mother...never thought I'd be doing that for you." She was quiet for a few minutes, then reached into her purse. "There's something I'd like you to wear." She pulled out a small set of cufflinks; they were plain and nondescript, hardly the expensive kind he'd have expected his grandmother to pick out. "Your grandfather and I loved each other very much. When we got married we were just starting out, just like you two are." She twisted the cufflinks in her hand before taking his wrist firmly in her elderly hands. "Your father refused to wear these, he wanted a pair that had more oomph to them, now look at all the bad luck he's had in his marriage." Millicent glared at John, "So don't you be making his mistake." She took his silence as consent and placed the first cufflink on his left wrist sleeve. "That young lady in there is a pistol," Millicent paused before continuing, "meaning she has a very hot temper, young man, but eventually, you'll learn to manage her, just remember..." Her words became muffled, as she switched to his right wrist to place the next cufflink. "Lovers never go to bed angry, and a hug goes a long way to patching things up." John hugged his grandmother closely to him. "I love her a lot you know, Gamma." Millicent smiled affectionately at him. "Of course you do young man." The familiar strains of the wedding march played softly in the background, and John's face both looked eager and nervous at the same time. "Now you just march right in there and get married." She pushed him slightly, then smiled as he stopped at the door to escort her to her place. "I love you too, Gamma," he said softly, his nervous smile lighting up his face. ***** 5 years later ***** Kerry kicked off her shoes at the doorway of their bedroom. She smiled thinking how their daughter had asked about how her parent's had gotten together, yet had fallen asleep during her mother's recital of her parent's disastrous double dates. Quietly, she undressed in the dark, not wishing to awaken her husband. She leaned her crutch against the nightstand and slipped into bed. As she pulled the covers up, John's hands pulled her into a warm embrace. "I thought you were asleep?" she sighed happily. "Not really, I was just waiting for you. What took you so long? Tara couldn't sleep?" he muttered sleepily. "I was just remembering." Kerry stated as she stroked his arms, her body molding itself to his. "Hmm, what?" he asked curiously as his hands began tormenting her with light caresses. "Just...oh...us." Kerry turned to meet him halfway, intent on getting as close to John as possible. Even after five years, she thought hazily, as he tormented her willing body, she still couldn't get enough of him. Silence reigned supreme in the bedroom, only to be broken by the knocking of the door. "MOMMY?" a little voice could be heard from the hallway. Kerry hit the back of the bed in frustration, hearing an equally frustrated John mutter. "Not now!" "DADDY? Can I come in?" John sighed and pulled Kerry closer to him. "Later" he whispered in her ear before yelling grumpily at the door, "Yeah." A small and adorable sleeper clad body, clutching a large brown and white spotted Teddy Bear, came into the room. "I couldn't sleep." Kerry shook her head at her daughter, "Hop in." She opened the covers nearest her, to have her daughter zoom up the middle of the bed, forcing them to move aside for her. Kerry looked over at John just in time to see him smile at her, his promise of later still in his eyes. "Well," he muttered as he tucked his daughter in the middle. "Why not?" He ruffled his daughter's hair slightly, and then leaned back against the pillows waiting for her answer. "I had a bad dream." Tara said in her piping voice. "What of sweetie?" Her mom asked quietly. "King Kong was trying to get me, I ranned and ranned, but he didn't catch me." She rattled off. Kerry muttered quietly, unconsciously correcting her daughter's English usage. "Ran, not ranned." Thinking back to everything her daughter had seen on TV that day. Kerry remembered a new King Kong movie was out in the theaters, but it was rated PG and she knew her daughter had yet to see it. Finally, she decided that Tara must have seen a commercial for it. While it hadn't made much of an impression on her at the time, evidently Tara's subconscious had taken it in, and worried about it. "You do know that it's just a movie don't you? It's make believe, not real." Kerry began, only to notice that her daughter had already fallen back asleep. Kerry's eyes went from her sleeping daughter to her slightly snoring husband. Sighing, she snuggled closer; togetherness with John would just have to wait. Sleepily, she settled down, her last thought as she drifted off to sleep that this was the paradise she'd always wanted. * * * * * * * * *Authors note With this, I end my foray into Fan fiction. I had intended to finish CAUGHT several months ago, but I think in my heart I knew it would be my last, so I put it off as long as I subconsciously could. It has been a very fun, sometimes sad, ride at times, but always extremely worthwhile. The friends I've met will last me a lifetime. My stories belong to me only in the sense that I've created them, but they truly belong to those of you out there who like them and took the time to read them. My only thought, is that you enjoyed them and for a brief time they allowed you to step outside your world and escape for a moment. **************************************