“Kerry had a tough day.” Dar broke the silence. “I walked out and she had to clean up the mess I left behind.”

“That’s not really true.” Kerry offered Andrew a burger and fries on a plate, and handed Dar one just like it. “I left too.” She put a hand on her own plate. “Why don’t I, um...” She started to get up and move towards the kitchen.

“Sit down.” Dar grabbed the back of her waistband and yanked her backwards onto the loveseat without ceremony. “I thought you got lost in there. I was going to send Chino after you.”

“Um, okay. I guess I will.” Kerry pulled her plate over and settled it onto her knees, keeping a little distance between herself and Dar and taking her fork to her broiled salmon. “I thought maybe you two would want to talk,” she said. “Alone, I mean.”

Andrew looked up from his plate. “Ah look like the kind of man who’d chase a gal from her own place and make her chow by herself?”

Kerry blinked at him. “Um.” She cleared her throat gently. “I just met you.” She glanced at Dar for support, but her partner had her eyes firmly fixed on her fries. “But if you’re half as chivalrous as your daughter, no.”

Dar blushed visibly. Andrew smiled, as much as his scars would allow.

A silence fell, as they concentrated on eating, and keeping their plates out of Chino’s range.

KERRY EMPTIED THE remains of their dinner into the trash, setting the plates into the sink for later washing. She turned as she heard a sound behind her to find Dar entering on her crutches, a tired but happy look on her face. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Dar moved forward and stopped next to her. “What a night.”

Kerry leaned over and gave Dar a kiss on the arm. “Incredible.”

Dar fiddled with her crutch grips. “It’s late,” she said. “I’m going to see if he wants to stay over.” Her eyes lifted to Kerry’s. “If that’s okay with you.”


136

Melissa Good

“Dar.” Kerry looked at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me if you’re seriously asking me that.”

Her partner shrugged. “I’m too tired to think straight,” she admitted. “I need to take a few aspirin and sack out.” She leaned against the counter. “Brain overload.”

“Yeah.” Bed sounded almost impossibly good. Kerry hesitated though. “Listen.” She glanced past Dar, then up at her face. “Want me to sleep upstairs?”

Dar’s brows creased. “Huh?”

“I know you said your folks were okay with you being gay, Dar, but...you know.” Kerry hesitated. “Saying something and being hit in the face with it are two different things.”

Dar started chuckling. “Uh, no. It’s okay,” she said. “He knows you live here...with me.”

“Well, sure but...” She glanced at the floor. “We could be roommates.”

“My father’s...” Dar paused, shaking her head a little. “Talking about him in the present again. Damn. “ A gentle smile appeared. “This is so incredible.”

Kerry leaned against her and grinned. “I am so happy for you,” she whispered.

“Anyway.” Dar cleared he throat. “My father’s definitely a man of the world.” She gave her partner a kiss on the head. “He saw the picture on the TV stand,” she said. “Honest, Ker, it doesn’t matter to him. Never did.”

Kerry felt a little foolish. “Oh. Right.” She rubbed her temple. “I think I’m a little overtired too,” she murmured, “and after everything that happened today, I’m on spin cycle. I don’t know what to feel or think right now.”

Dar kissed the top of her head. “C’mon,” she said. “I think this just put tomorrow into perspective.”

True, Kerry had to admit, finding herself almost at the point where she’d stopped caring. “If I quit tomorrow, can we go somewhere?” she asked. “Camping or something?”

“Hell yeah.” Dar followed her out into the living room. “Anywhere you want.”

DAR SAT DOWN on the edge of the waterbed, studying the bruised flesh under her just removed brace. She rested both hands on the rail and exhaled, listening to Kerry puttering around in the bathroom, getting ready for bed.

The bedroom was dim and she slowly swung her legs over and laid down flat, resting her head on the pillow and letting her body relax at last, with a tiny groan as her muscles unlocked and she could close her eyes.

It felt unspeakably good to be lying still, with her weight off her leg Hurricane Watch

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and her mind able to step back from all that had happened and just think for a little while.

A swirl of emotion went through her and she rested her arm over her eyes as she felt the bed move a little, and then the space next to her warmed up with Kerry’s presence. “Ugh.”

“Ugh,” Kerry repeated. “How are you doing?” She rubbed Dar’s belly lightly.

Dar let her arm drop and she turned her head, studying Kerry’s dimly lit profile. “Damned if I know,” she sighed.

“Likewise,” her partner admitted. “But at least we had a fantastic night.”

“Yeah,” Dar whispered, after a pause. “It’s so damn hard to believe.”

Kerry propped her head up on one hand and reached over to run her fingers through Dar’s hair with the other. “I like your father.” She watched Dar’s lips twitch into a smile. “He reminds me a lot of you.”

Dar nodded slowly. “Everyone always said that,” she murmured.

“It was hard when he...” She fell silent. “I felt like I lost the only person who ever really understood me.”

Kerry laid her hand along Dar’s cheek.

“Just figures the day he shows up I walk out on my job huh?” Dar reached up and rubbed her eyes impatiently. “Nice.”

Kerry could hear the pain in her voice. “Hey, sweetie. I’m sure he doesn’t give a damn.”

“I give a damn,” Dar admitted softly. “I feel like such a jerk.”

Kerry squirmed a little closer and put her arm around her lover, hugging her. “Honey you’re not a jerk. There were a lot of other people in that whole thing that were jerks. Not you. Me maybe.”

Dar buried her face against Kerry’s neck, turning onto her side and returning the hug.

Kerry could feel her shaking, a little. She put further words aside and just gave what comfort she could, rubbing Dar’s back with light fingers.

With a faint sniffle, Dar shifted and wrapped herself around Kerry.

“You’re not a damn jerk.”

Kerry sighed.

“Just an impulsive hothead.”

Kerry’s brows twitched. She was momentarily silent, then she cleared her throat. “I’m pretty sure no one’s ever said that about me before,” she admitted. “Is that good or bad?”

“I like impulsive hotheads.” Dar seemed to have regained a bit of her humor. “In fact, I love them.”

Kerry nuzzled her ear, then blew lightly in it. “I love you too,” she said, as they both smiled and exhaled, at the same time.

The darkness of the room settled over them, and the fractious day finally came to its end.


138

Melissa Good

KERRY BEAT THE clock awake, and she carefully reached over and turned the alarm off before she half turned and regarded her lover. Dar was normally a very light sleeper, but this morning she was still deeply asleep, her face totally relaxed and unresponsive. It had been the same the day before and Kerry wondered if her injury had anything to do with it.

Or, maybe all the stress. Kerry eased back down into the waterbed and admitted to feeling pretty stressed herself, the specter of the coming day making her want to burrow back under the covers and stay there.

She had a few minutes, so she indulged herself in merely watching Dar doze peacefully, her face outlined faintly in the early morning gloom, only a faint, irregular twitching moving the soft, tanned skin.

Kerry twirled a lock of dark hair idly around her fingers and brushed it against her lips, absorbing the peace of the moment.

Finally she sighed and edged carefully out of bed, tucking the comforter back around Dar’s body before she padded out into the living room, heading for her bedroom upstairs. She stopped short when she almost collided with a seated form on the floor. ”Oh.”

Despite Dar’s reassurance, she felt awkward getting caught coming out of the bedroom, and she felt a blush warming her skin as she backed up a step. “I...hi. Good morning.”

”Hey there, Kerry,” Andrew Roberts uttered, in a low voice. He had Chino between his knees and was playing with her, the delighted puppy rolling around on her back as he rubbed her belly. ”Thought I’d catch a ride out early with ya.”

Kerry collected her wits and settled herself cross legged on the cold tiles next to him, pushing her hair back behind one ear absently. ”Um, I don’t suppose I could convince you to stick around here today, huh?”

He glanced up and studied her face. ”Why?” He asked, warily.

“Something wrong with Dar?”

Kerry exhaled. ”Well, I have to go into work,” she stated quietly. ”I don’t want to. It's going to be a mess. I’d rather stay here and keep Dar company, but I can’t.”

”Uh huh.”

”And if I leave Dar here all alone, she’s going to go crazy between being bored, and wondering what’s going on,” Kerry continued. ”I think she’s pretty shook up about all of this, and...” She peeked at him.

“Seeing you again.”

”Uh huh.” Andrew glanced away. “Lot to get used to.”

“Yeah,” Kerry murmured.

He looked back at her, and in his expression she saw Dar so clearly it was almost startling.

“Listen,” he started, then hesitated.

”And I’ll be a nervous wreck all day, wondering what’s going on with her,” came the soft words. ”But if you’re here, she won’t be bored, and I won’t have to worry.” Kerry finished, her eyes settling on him in Hurricane Watch

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silent appeal. “Please?”

”Ya ever think of going into diplomacy, young lady?” Andrew Roberts queried wryly.

Kerry tasted the irony. “Last thing I’d ever do,” she replied. “But it’s the truth, isn’t it? You know Dar better than I do.”

Andrew’s scarred lips twitched a trifle. “Lay yer a bet on that one,”

he said. “All right, young lady. I’ll do yer baby sitting.” He relented.

“Got me a few things to say to her anyhow.”

Kerry squeezed his hand. ”Thank you. I won’t be all day. I promise.”

He nodded and tickled the puppy. ”She’s a cute little thing,” he commented.

”Mm, yes, she is,” Kerry replied. ”I think she likes you.” She laughed softly as the puppy squirmed happily against his foot.

He scowled at her. ”Don’t you have to get dressed to go on into that place, or do you work in yer jammies?”

Kerry stood up and grinned at him. ”I get the hint.” She trotted towards the stairs, trying to psych herself up for the day to come.

A HAND ON her shoulder. Dar felt the shake, but her body didn’t want to budge.

”Dar.”

Part of her brain acknowledged the deep, raspy voice and recognized it, but there was still a dark, heavy pall over her consciousness, and she fought the desire to slip back down into peaceful oblivion.

”Paladar, get yer butt up or I’m gonna slap it.”

Uh oh. One blue eye slid open in startlement, and regarded him, then the other joined it as Dar rolled half onto her back, her heart pumping in erratic rhythm. ”Dad?” She cleared her throat of its hoarseness, and rubbed her eyes, trying to push the fog back. ”Wh...”

”C’mon now, it’s past ten hundred, and I’ve about cleaned every inch of this place.” Andrew reached out a hand and gently tipped her chin back, regarding her face intently. “You hit your head or your laig?”

Dar felt her thoughts go skittering off and she took several deep breaths. ”Both,” she admitted, lifting her hand to touch the lump behind her ear. “Didn’t mention that part to the doc.”

Andrew managed a wry chuckle. “Lord you ain’t changed.”

Dar gazed up at him. “You like doctors now?”

“Hell no.”

His daughter shrugged a little. “You didn’t change. Why should I have?”

Andrew’s battered face twitched into a painful smile. “All right,”

he said. “Got me there, Dardar,” he conceded. “You getting out of that there bed?”


140

Melissa Good

”Urmph.” Dar struggled to sit up. ”What are you doing here? I thought you were going to get a ride out this morning?”

Andrew sat down on the waterbed railing and folded his arms across his chest. ”I was until your little kumquat turned those pretty eyes of hers on me and asked me to stick around for a bit,” he snorted. ”Damn tricky kid.”Dar grinned a little, as she stifled a yawn. ”Yeah, well, she has the same effect on me. Don’t feel bad.”