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Henry stretched under the covers and sniffed. His eyes closed as a smile came to his face. Then a frown followed the smile. He rolled out of bed and threw on his number 7 Blackhawks Jersey that went with the sleep pants that were covered with the Chicago Blackhawks logo.He was still rubbing his eyes as he came into the kitchen. “Whoa-- Mama-- I thought…” He trailed off.Kerry Weaver looked up from the stove, where she was stirring the cranberries. “Henry. Good sleep?”“Yes Mama. But, you didn’t wake me up. I would have helped.”Kerry leaned down, she was still taller than her ten year old son, barely, and kissed the top of Henry’s head. “I can handle the beginning of a simple Thanksgiving Day meal you know. I’m not old and feeble yet young man.”Henry laughed, grabbed a banana, and sat down at the peninsula. “Most of my friends Moms have been freaking out all week Mama.”Kerry put the cranberries down in the middle of the stove top to cool. “All you need is a plan. Will you help me with the stuffing?”Henry finished off his banana and tossed the skin into the compost container that was next to the back door. “Before or after I take out the compost? We’re about to have a spill I think.”“After.”Kerry went to the sink as Henry put on his boots and tromped across the fenced in back yard. She smiled to herself. He was only ten, but sometimes he seemed so much older.When he came back in they both got to work, Kerry elbow deep in the twenty pound turkey, and Henry toasting old cookie sheet after old cookie sheet of bread. Finally Henry broke the companionable silence that had descended on the kitchen. “Mama-- are you okay? I mean-- I thought that since everybody is down in Florida visiting Nanna and Papa for Thanksgiving and we’re here in Chicago that we weren’t doing all the big stuff. You know?”“We’re celebrating.”“Celebrating what?”Kerry smiled, “Other than being back in Chicago and being here with you my son? We’re celebrating something more.”Henry frowned, then looked up at his mother, “No way. Really? You got it? They called you today. I thought they’d wait until after the holidays to tell you.”“I did get it. Cate called me last night, and then your Uncle Don called me on behalf of the Board as well.” Kerry gave an ‘oof’ as her son wrapped his arms around her. “It’s only a job Henry.”“It’s Chief of the ER at County General…” He smirked just a little, “Again… And, I mean, you wanted it right?”“I did. Very much. Is the butter in the bread?” Henry nodded. Kerry reached to her left, snagging the biggest wooden spoon they had, and handed it to Henry, “Time to get smashin’.”He did. “So-- you’re starting next week?”“I am, though I do have--”Henry rolled his eyes, “A shift over the weekend. I know, I know--” He gestured with his chin towards the calendar on the fridge. “Does that mean that that thing gets less complicated Mama?”“It does, for the most part. Yes.”“Good… Good.” Henry smiled, “Awesomest Thanksgiving ever Mama.”
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Henry looked up from his book and blinked, “Oh, Mama, may I turn on the game?”Kerry nodded, “Of course. Once I get the foil on the turkey I’ll join you. Do you know who it is?”“Umm…” Henry smirked, “The Cowboys or Lions versus somebody else?”Kerry rolled her eyes, “Cute.”
oOOOOo
Kerry grumbled, “I’m pretty sure the Bears couldn’t be any worse.”Henry chuckled, “It’s only the first quarter Mama. Of course they could suck more.”Kerry narrowed her eyes at her son, “You know better than to use that language in my house young man.” The doorbell rang, cutting off whatever else Kerry was going to say. Henry started to stand, “Do you want me to get it Mama?”Kerry shook her head as she stood, “No, no. Perhaps if I leave they’ll get better.” Henry snorted a laugh, “I heard that Henry.” She opened the door and frowned, “Miranda?”Randi Fronczak rolled her eyes, “Hi-- I just-- this goes against everything my Grans ever taught me, and she’s probably rolling over in her grave right now because I’m doing it, but…”Kerry held the door open a bit wider and cut Randi’s rambling off, “Randi-- it’s okay. Come in, come in. And while your grandmother was mostly right-- Henry and I happen to have plenty of Turkey fixing to share this year.”Randi took a step forward, then paused, “I-- ah-- I also brought someone. Someones, some two I guess you could say-- with me.” She continued into Kerry’s house, revealing the someone she’d brought with her. Kerry was stunned, “Kim?”And then, just when Kerry thought that she couldn’t be more stunned, a young girl who looked to be about eight or so stepped out from behind Kim’s legs. Kerry barely even realized that she’d made a sound as an, “Oh,” came from her lips.
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No one spoke. It was Randi who physically yanked Kim into the house and shut the door, mumbling to herself, “Finally got my life right and now when I croak my Grans is gonna kill me for this.”Kerry just stared at Kim, then the young girl, and back to Kim. “Ah… dinner is soon. My son Henry’s in the den watching the Bears get trounced if you’d like to join him.”Randi held out her hand. “C’mon Ingrid, let me introduce you Henry. Leave your Mom and Kerry to say hello.”And with that Kim and Kerry were alone. Neither spoke for what felt like a long, long time. It was finally Kim who broke the silence, “You have a son, Henry?”Kerry nodded, “I do.” and her brain was so fried by the situation she found herself in that she nearly parroted back what Kim had asked, “You have a daughter, Ingrid?”“I-- yes.” Kim shook her head, “I’m sorry, we should go. We’ll go.”Kim started to turn towards the living room, but Kerry stopped her with a hand on the blonde’s arm. “No, wait.”They stared at each other for a long beat and then they laughed. And laughed, and laughed until Henry, Randi, and Ingrid all came back out into the entrance way of the house to make sure that they were both okay.Randi stood in the doorway to the den with her hands crossed over her chest, shaking her head. While Henry and Ingrid went to their respective mothers. “Mama, are you okay?”Kerry cleared her throat a couple of times and looked over her son’s head at Kim, “I-- yes.” She straightened up and turned Henry towards Kim and Ingrid. “Henry, this is an old… friend… Dr. Kim Legaspi. Kim, my son Henry Weaver.”Henry took a step forward and held out his hand, “Hi Dr. Legaspi, are you going to have dinner with us tonight?”Kim’s eyes twinkled as she shook Henry’s hand. “I believe we are Mr. Weaver…” Henry made a face and Kim chuckled, “You can call me Kim. And Kerry, I’d like you to meet my daughter. Ingrid Legaspi. Ingrid this is Dr. Kerry Weaver.”Ingrid looked up at her mother, “Mom, should I call her Dr. Weaver now?”Kim looked a little sheepish and it was Kerry’s turn to laugh, “No, that’s alright Ingrid. Feel free to call me Kerry. So…” She looked back towards the kitchen. “I need to go tend to the turkey, it’s not quite ready to eat, but, instead you can go watch the Bears getting creamed like turkey.” Everyone stared at Kerry, “What, it wasn’t that bad a joke.”Randi was pulled by Ingrid into the den, and after a quizzical look over his shoulder at Kerry, Henry followed them. Kerry walked into the kitchen, and after a moment, Kim followed. They were both silent as Kerry did this and that with the turkey, rearranging the foil, using the turkey baster to redistribute the broth. Adjusting the temperature.It was as Kerry was adjusting the temperature that Kim finally spoke up, “Laughter aside, on a scale of one to one hundred and twelve, how mad are you Ker.” Kim winced, “I mean Kerry. Sorry…”Kerry stared at the wall behind the stove for a long moment, then turned and shook her head, “I’m not mad Kim. We’ve both moved on. Obviously a lot.”“She’s dead.” Kim made a face again. “I am not my smooth self today. Ingrid’s mother, other mother Steph, she… she died when Ingrid was five. An aneurysm, she just…” Kim cleared her throat once, then again. “Ingrid’s eight.”Kerry was silent for longer than she should have been, she could see that in Kim’s eyes. Kim looked worried. Finally the red head spoke, “Henry was still a baby, he… he wasn’t even talking, walking, only barely sitting up, when Sandy, his mother died. She--” It was Kerry’s turn to take shallow breaths, “--she was a firefighter. She died saving a child.”A short laugh came from Kim, “Well, we’re the two huh. This is supposed to be Thanksgiving and here I come in, and suddenly…”Kerry shook her head, “No. It’s okay. Henry’s Ten. Every Thanksgiving we go around the table, give thanks for… well, anything. He usually mentions his Mom as something he’s thankful for. Her bravery.. that sort of thing. But… you’re a Bears fan, right?”“I am. Did I hear correctly, that they’re getting their asses kicked?”“They’ll come back.”Kim raised an eyebrow and gestured that Kerry should go through the doorway from the kitchen into the hallway that led to the den first, “Really?”Kerry sighed, “No. Probably not.”
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It was as the final whistle of the Bears Lions game was blown that Henry sniffed. “Mama…”Kerry was off like a Cheetah, and everyone else followed closely behind. They found Kerry lifting what could only be described as formerly a turkey out of the oven.“Ooh-- ohh… Mama..” Henry quickly joined his Mom at the oven. “It’s okay right, inside.” He winced as Kerry cut into the turkey. It wasn’t all right. Henry continued, “At least the smoke…” Before he could finish his sentence the alarm down the hall started going and going and going. Kim and Randi tried waving towels at it, Ingrid unhelpfully cracked up while watching them, Henry looked on worriedly the whole time, and it was finally Kerry who got to the step stool and pulled the alarm’s battery out. Blessed silence fell over the house.Henry put an arm around his mother, “Back up plan?”Kerry was still for another moment, then nodded, “Yes, yes of course. Would you get them out Henry?”“Yep.”He went back into the kitchen as Randi asked, “Back up plan?”
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“Das was mwery good.”Kim nodded and agreed with her daughter, though without food in her mouth, “It was definitely the best non-turkey back up plan I’ve ever had.”Henry looked a bit confused, “It’s just chicken.”Kim nodded, “Very, very good chicken.”Randi shook her head, “So, is anyone going to bring it up?”Kim and Kerry both looked at Randi, Kerry answered, “It?”Randi gave a half a hurf and shook her head, “FIne-- you’re making me say it. Then I’ll say it. New Chief of the Emergency Department, meet the new Chief of Psychiatry.”“Really?” Kim’s eyebrows furrowed just a bit.Kerry nodded, “I am, yes. Cate… ah, Dr. Banfield the Chief of Staff, she called me yesterday. Don today.” She stood and changed the subject, “Henry, were you going to watch Cowboys Eagles?”He looked up at the clock, “Oh--” Then at the dishes, “No, No I can help you Mama.”Kerry picked up two dishes, and on the way by her son kissed the top of his head, “Go-- go-- maybe the Cowboys will fare better than the Bears did.”Henry stood on his tiptoes and kissed Kerry’s cheek, “Thank you Mama-- I’ll do all the dishes tomorrow I promise.” He started towards the den, but then paused and looked back, “Ingrid, do you wanna watch with me too?”Ingrid looked up at Kim, “Can I Mom?”Kim nodded, “Yes.”Ingrid got up and started after Henry. “Henry, why do you call your Mom Mama?””Henry frowned, “Um… because she’s Mama?”Randi glanced between the two women and then stood as well. “I’m going to leave the dishes to you two.”She disappeared without another word. Leaving Kim and Kerry alone again. Kerry broke the silence, “Feel free to join them if you’d like Kim.”Kim picked up a couple of the plates as well, “Nope. So, you’re Chief of the ER again.”“I am-- and you’re in charge of those doctors up the clouds who never respond to anyone in the ER’s pages.”That got a chuckle from Kim, “I’ll try to train them better.” She paused, “I swear I didn’t know where Randi was taking us. She just said that she knew someone that wouldn’t mind us showing up unannounced.” She paused again, “This is weird, right?”“It is. And, for the record, I don’t mind you two showing up unannounced. Although…” She narrowed her eyes at Kim, “It is your fault that I burned the hell out of the turkey.”“My fault? What did I do?”Kerry turned away from Kim and towards the counter, loading the dishwasher. “You distract me.” She shook her head, “Which is just… an insane thing.”Kerry jumped as Kim’s voice came from right next to her ear, “Why?”Kerry turned and whacked Kim on the chest. “Not funny.”Kim inclined her head as if she agreed, but did keep smiling just a bit. Both the women fell silent as they cleared the table, Kerry loaded the dishwasher, and then Kerry washed and Kim dried everything else that wouldn’t fit into the machine.Kim finally broke the silence. “Do you have a shift tomorrow?”“No. Saturday.”“I’d…” Kim cleared her throat, “I’d like to thank you for taking us in today. Even with all we’ve been through, and…” Kim shook her head, “This will make me sound like a very, very bad mother, but this is the first time in three years that I’ve seen Ingrid eat with such… abandon.” Kim looked up again. “Ingrid and I were going to go out to lunch tomorrow. Join us.”Kerry shook her head, “No, no, that’s you and your daughter.”Kim glanced over her shoulder, “I think that Ingrid would love for Henry to be there too. But…”Kerry held up a hand, “If Henry wants to go… if you’re sure.”“I’m sure. So. You’ve basically raised him all by yourself all these years?”Kerry shook her head, “Not entirely. Sandy’s family… the Lopezes. They live in Chicago. I was here for the first few years of his life, then we moved down to Florida to…” She cleared her throat, “It doesn’t matter why. And now we’re back.”Kim smirked, “I bet that’s a story.”Kerry bantered back, “As is your Stephanie.”Kim nodded, “It is. We.. ah… we came back because my mother died, and so we’re living with my father for the moment. He’s…” Kim put a hand to her chest, “Sorry…” Kerry’s legs took a step towards Kim before the rest of her body knew what she was doing. “He has Alzheimers. Probably should be in a home, but… it’s hard.”Kerry met Kim’s gaze and didn’t let it go, “You’re a good daughter Kim. Don’t believe anything else.”Kim frowned, then understanding dawned on her face, “Right. At our second date.”Kerry cut Kim off with a small smile, “It wasn’t a date.”Kim scrunched her nose, “Yeah, it was totally a date. I’d forgotten that I told you the story of my brother at that date.”Kerry took Kim’s hand in her own, “You did not get your brother killed, no matter what your father thinks.”Kim looked down, then back up. Kerry dropped Kim’s hand. “Sometimes that’s where he is in time… if I’m there he’ll yell at me all over again. So… someone is watching him tonight and all of tomorrow. Which means that I want to have some fun.”Kerry looked a bit worried, “Kim, where are you planning on going.”Her trademark smirk came back to her lips, “Chuck E. Cheese’s.”Kerry just groaned as Kim laughed.
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“C’mon-- it isn’t that bad. Ingrid and Henry are having fun.”Kerry shook her head, “The things I do for my son.”Kim laughed at that. “So…”“So--”They both took their gazes from their children at the same time and glanced at the other and chuckled. Kim sighed, “Why was this easier ten years ago?”Kerry corrected her, “Fourteen actually, going on fifteen. but, I get your point. and I don’t know. More life experience?”“How long did it take before you could move on after Sandy?” Kim winced, “Totally inappropriate question. I’m sorry.”Kerry shook her head, “It’s okay. Two and a half years.”Kim blew out a breath, “It’s been three, and…” Kim shook her head. ““Tell me about her.”Kim was silent for a long time. “She was beautiful. She had the darkest black hair I’ve ever seen, and her eyes, I was with her for ten years, and I never really knew what she’d say or do next. Her eyes always twinkled with happiness. She was caring and wonderful and…” Kim cleared her throat, “She was a surgical nurse. I met her my first day at work in San Francisco. I think she stole my food from the fridge. Though she never admitted to it.” Kerry tried to stop it, but a laugh escaped anyway, “Yeah, yuk it up. I ranted at her-- she took me out to lunch.”Kerry shook her head, “You always were too smooth for your own good.”“Oh, and how did you meet your Sandy? Standing in line at the grocery store?”Kerry looked up and followed Henry’s movement as he went from one game to another, Ingrid trailing after him. “She tackled me when I was about to get electrocuted by a falling power line.”“Oh.”Kerry nodded, “She had hurt her hand earlier, didn’t like doctors. But, for whatever reason she trusted me. We had bumps, multiple bumps in our road, but-- we were happy for a good stretch there. And we had Henry too.”“So...we both sit here-- watching our kids and reminiscing, while avoiding the Pink Elephant.”“Years ago, it may have been a very big pink elephant. Today… it seems like a cute fluffy stuffed animal pink elephant. I’ve been through so much.” She glanced at Kim, “It sounds as though you have as well.” She paused, “And that’s how we always did things, isn’t it?”Ingrid lost at a game and let out a big sigh. Kim started to stand, but Kerry put a hand on her shoulder. “Wait.”Henry finished his game and went over to Ingrid. He handed her a token. She said something, trying to hand it back, but Henry just shook his head and gestured towards the game, pointing at a couple of things.Kim turned in her seat towards Kerry, “How did you know he was going to do that?”“Because a few years ago we were here on vacation. He went to one of Henry’s cousin’s birthday parties. He lost at that game with his last token, I wasn’t one of the chaperones, but his Uncle Carlos, Sandy’s little brother, said that Henry’s cousin Samuel had one token left, pushed Henry physically away from the game and won on it.” Kerry paused, “Carlos felt bad about that, but apparently he was dealing with another one of the cousin’s who was throwing up quite intensely. Oh, and, just to warn you-- Henry will probably give his tickets to Ingrid.”Kim frowned, “Why? He earned them.”“He’s done it before.”Kim smiled just a little, “Let me guess, with his cousin who couldn’t hold in her pizza?”Kerry nodded. “I believe he thinks that’s what his Mom-- Sandy I mean-- would do.”“Go out with me for real. Just one date, the two of us.”Kerry gave Kim a look, “Because my son will give your daughter his Chuck E. Cheese’s tickets?”Kim smiled, “No. For old time’s sake. Unless you’re seeing someone of course.”“I’m not. Just one--”“For old time’s sake.”Ingrid came running up to them, “Mom-- Mom-- Henry gave me his tickets. All of ‘em.”“Did you say thank you?” Henry stopped next to Ingrid, not having run over, “Thank you Henry.” She threw her arms around Henry, the tickets flopping around, “Thank you, thank you.”Henry cleared his throat and blushed very deeply, “You’re welcome. Do you wanna go pick something?”“Yes, yes.” She took his hand and pulled Henry after her.Kim shook her head, “I’ve never seen her like this.”Kerry smiled, “I have once with Henry. He’s the second oldest cousin in the Lopezes cousins. He helps out with Maria…”“...the puking cousin.”Kerry nodded, “...yes. But, other than that, he’s an only child so…”Kim smiled sadly, “He does seem to have taken to the older brother role with Ingrid.” Kerry put an arm over Kim’s shoulders. Kim put her hand over Kerry’s. “Everyone should have a big brother for at least a little while.”Kerry stood, pulling Kim up with her, “I think that maybe Ingrid has picked her own. Let’s go see what trouble they’re getting into while picking her prizes.”As they walked over to the prize shop Kim didn’t pull away and Kerry didn’t remove her hand, though she moved it down to Kim’s waist. Kim spoke, “I was wrong about what I was most thankful for this year. Yesterday, today, I didn’t realize how close to the end of my rope I was. You and Henry… thank you Ker.”“You’re welcome Kim, and… we’re never setting foot in this restaurant ever again.”Kim smirked and let out a little chuckle, “That’s what you think.”