Dar’s lips tensed into a grim smile. “What were you going to do after you 428 Melissa Good knocked out Little Miss Sunshine out there?”

“Find a phone,” Kerry admitted, “and scream for help.” She plucked at her hospital gown. “After stealing some scrubs to wear.” Her brow creased.

“And, how did you know about this, Dar? How did you get here?”

The taller woman snorted. “They found your medical card in your wallet and figured they might as well bill us for your brainwashing.” She keyed the door open again and peeked out, seeing a quiet, empty hallway. “Let me go see if I can find your clothes and let Jack know what’s going on.”

“Jack?” Kerry queried.

“Gerald Easton’s son, he got me here,” Dar answered absently, peering at doors to try and figure out what was behind them.

“Got you here?” A pause. “I thought you were in Maryland with him, did you… No, you couldn’t have driven, it’s the middle of the night, there’s no planes!” Kerry stared at her in confusion.

“He’s a Navy pilot,” Dar replied offhandedly. “It pays to have old friends in fast places, Kerry. I’ll explain later.” She eased out. “Okay, I’ll be right back.

Just take it easy, okay?” She patted her pockets, then pulled out a slip of paper. “Just in case.” She handed it to Kerry. “It’s your lock code.”

“A Navy p…” Kerry took the paper mechanically, watching as Dar carefully closed the door and eased down the hall. She leaned against the wall again, her knees shaking so badly she could hardly stand. It was too much.

She slid down the wall and rested her head on her arms, wondering if it was all just another one of those strange dreams she’d soon wake up from.

OUTSIDE, AFTER SHIFTING her jacket so that the cut on her neck was covered, Dar padded quietly down the hallway and popped around the corner to see the nurse bending over some paperwork. She looked up as Dar sauntered closer, then smiled.

“Well, you certainly are the hero of the building.” She put down her clipboard and sighed. “You don’t know how many people there are here who can breathe now. For me, tomorrow is my kid’s birthday. It was gonna be a doughnut with a candle in it until you walked in.”

Dar smiled sincerely at her. “Glad I could help.” She leaned on the counter, checking her watch. “Not too much longer,” she commented, stifling a yawn. “Say, are those things really comfortable?”

The nurse looked down. “Oh, the scrubs? Yeah, they sure are. Beats the heck out of that starched polyester they used to make us wear, let me tell you.” She looked at Dar speculatively. “Hey, would you like a set to try? I could get you one, we’ve got thousands.”

This is too easy. “Could you?” Mild blue eyes blinked at her in gratitude.

“I’ve always wanted to try them.”

The nurse patted her hand. “Honey, for you, anything.” She ducked out from behind the desk and hurried off.

Dar smiled and regarded the nurse’s station, peering under the counter to see if she could spot any of Kerry’s belongings, without much success. “Hey, Jack, how’s it going in there?” she called in a normal tone of voice.

Jack’s blond head popped out, and he glanced at her. “Um, the red bar is Tropical Storm 429

about seventy five percent of the way across, is that what you’re asking?” She nodded. “Everything okay?” He looked closer. “Christ on a rudder, Dar, you’re bleeding.” He walked over to her and pulled her jacket collar back.

“What happened?” He asked in a lower voice. “Did you find Kerry?”

“Yes, I got hit with a stool, and yes,” Dar muttered. “Kerry was trying to make a break for it and thought I was a nurse.”

“God. Feisty thing, isn’t she?” Jack half laughed. “She okay?”

Dar nodded. “She’s fine, they hadn’t had time to do anything to her. That was scheduled for the morning.” She sighed. “But she’s pretty shook up.”

He digested this. “Why is she in here, Dar? She nuts?”

Dar shook her head. “No. Just gay.”

The shock showed in his face as he stared at her. “You’re not serious.”

She sighed tiredly, rubbing eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep and tension.

“Yeah, I’m serious.”

Dar looked up as the nurse returned, holding a package and smiling cheerfully. “Here you go, hope you enjoy them.” The woman handed it over, then gave Jack a smile as well. “Hello there. You want a set, too? My husband loves them.”

“Um, no thanks.” Jack mumbled. “Thanks anyway.”

“Thanks.” Dar took the scrubs and tried to figure out what to do next.

Her mind was slowing down, she realized, as the problems of getting Kerry out of the hospital safely weighed down on her shoulders.

She hadn’t really gotten past what to do after she got in here, mostly because she had no idea what the layout was, or the possibilities. Maybe she could pull the fire alarm…or, was that a water pressure pipe in that other alcove?

“Excuse me.” The nurse touched her arm. “Listen, can I ask you a big favor, since you’re stuck here for a little while anyway?”

“Huh?” Dar broke off her planning and turned to the woman. “Sorry, sure.”

“I’d like to run down and grab a sandwich from the cafeteria, can you just listen for this phone?” She pointed at it. “If it rings, just answer Third Floor and take a message.”

“Uh…well, sure, of course, no problem,” Dar assured her, working hard to keep an incredulous grin off her face. “Go on, we’ll be here another…uh, thirty minutes at least, that load’s taking longer than I thought.”

Nurse Archer beamed at her. “You’re the best.” She ducked out from behind the desk again. “Can I bring you back a sandwich? They have turkey on a croissant today and some tomato soup.”

“No, no, we’re fine. Thanks.” Dar waved at her. “Take your time.”

The doors to the elevator slid closed behind her white butt, and they looked at each other. “Well.” Dar rubbed her nose. “You stay here and listen for the phone, and I’ll go get Kerry.” Unable to quite believe her good luck, Dar trotted down the hallway to her lover’s door and punched in the code, having the handle practically taken out of her hand by an impatient blonde.

“Hey!”

“I was starting to get nervous,” Kerry whispered. “I thought maybe you got into trouble.”


430 Melissa Good Dar leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, letting her touch linger a bit. “I am trouble,” she purred into the shorter woman’s ear. “Here.” She handed Kerry the scrubs, which came complete with little booties. “It’s not chic, but it’ll get you the hell out of here.”

Kerry took the bundle and examined it with interest. “Hmm, I always wanted a set of these. This wasn’t the way I’d have chosen to get them, though.” She opened the packages and shook out the white garments, stripping off her uncomfortable hospital gown and slipping into the drawstring pants. “Yeesh.” She tugged on the waist strings to make them fit, and ended up tying a big bow, while Dar knelt and did the same for the ankles. “That’s better, at least I won’t trip on them,” Kerry muttered as she pulled on the shirt, settling it around her body. “Well, that’s not too bad.”

Dar smiled, then stood up and pulled a comb out of her pocket and ran it through Kerry’s disheveled hair. “So, other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was Thanksgiving?”

That got a weak laugh from the blonde woman. “Oh, lots of relatives, lots of bullshit. I got to make nice with Brian and see some of my uncles and aunts I haven’t seen in a while.” She paused. “Now I guess I won’t ever again,” she concluded softly. “Dar, he’s not going to just let go of this.”

“Leave that to me,” her partner responded in a crisp, no-nonsense voice.

Kerry looked at her. “What does that mean?”

Dar finished her task and turned her lover towards the light. “You’ll do,”

she concluded. “It means that I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and I’d like you to just trust me to handle the situation.”

Warily, Kerry gazed at her. “You’re not going to tell me what’s going on?”Serious blue eyes studied her face. “Not here, not now…and it’s easier if I show you. When we get home, I’ll lay it all out for you, I promise.” She paused. “Will you trust me?”

Kerry looked her right in the eye for a long silent moment. “I trust you,”

she stated quietly. “Just…remember, Dar, whatever else he may be, he is my father.”

Dar patted her cheek. “I know.” She took a breath. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m going to have you go downstairs with Jack. I’ll wait for the nurse to get back here, then join you. It would look strange if we left the floor unwatched, and I don’t want any alarms getting out.”

Kerry nodded. “Then what?”

Dar pondered. “Then I guess we go to your parents’ house to pick up your things,” she said.

“What? Dar, no, I don’t need that stuff. There is nothing there irreplaceable. I don’t want to go back there,” Kerry protested vehemently.

“Kerry…” Dar started to speak.

“No!” the green-eyed woman interrupted. “I can’t face them, not after this. Dar, don’t ask that of me, please.” She turned away, hugging herself.

“Can’t we just get out of here?” she whispered. “I’ll pay for the company laptop.”

Dar exhaled. “Okay, let’s go.” She walked forward and put an arm around Kerry’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, I’m so used to being so damn Tropical Storm 431

confrontational, I forget it’s not always the smartest thing to do.”

Kerry let herself be turned around, and they headed for the door. “What purpose would it serve anyway?”

“Just lets them know they didn’t beat you,” Dar replied quietly as she opened the door and gently ushered her lover out into the hall, checking first to make sure the coast was clear. “But that’s my pride speaking, and it’s kinda loud sometimes.”