Full Moon Friday Night

11:45pm, Cook County General Hospital

Kerry sighed as she looked up at the big, bright orb in the unusually clear Chicago night sky. Friday night. Gorgeous full moon in the sky. And how would she be spending her night off? Doing paperwork. She sighed again, clamped down firmly on her impulse to bolt and go do something--anything--else. But, she had a Finance Committee meeting the next day and with Romano recovering from his injury, she had to be prepared. She finally gave into her sense of duty and stepped through the ambulance bay doors.

She had almost used the hospital's main entrance, fearing that the ER would be busy and she'd get sucked in, somehow, but her feet had taken her to the ER entrance out of habit. Luckily, it seemed to be pretty dead. One or two people in chairs, Randi idly thumbing through some fashion magazine at the desk, a nurse walking through here and there, but not a doctor or resident in sight. Either they were all working, or maybe taking advantage of the lull to grab a short nap. She could have checked it out, but she wasn't in the mood to baby-sit her staff tonight.

She headed for the elevator to go up to Romano's office to grab the files she'd left behind and had almost slipped through unnoticed when she heard Pratt shout, "Where the hell is Lewis?! We need her in here!" Seeing no immediate movement, Kerry headed for Trauma One, where the noise had come from, hoping Lewis or someone would show up before she had to jump in and lend a hand.

Randi, who'd looked up at the noise, finally noticed Kerry. "Um, Dr. Weaver, you might not want..."

Kerry turned to look at her, muttering, "in a minute, Randi!" before backing through the doors of the trauma room. When she turned around what she saw made her stop cold. Pratt, Jerry, Malik, and Carter? were all standing there facing the opposite wall, bare-assed and bent over, pants hanging below their...cheeks.

"Well, gentlemen. That was far more information than I needed about any of you," Kerry smirked, shaking her head at them as they scrambled to cover themselves while they turned to look at her.

"Doc, um, Dr. Weaver," Carter stammered.

Kerry just held up a hand to silence him. "Don't even bother. I'm just gonna go...scrub my eyeballs... But I suggest you all find something more constructive to do with your time. If you need help finding work to do..."

She turned her back on the chorus of 'nos!' and walked out. Susan Lewis came stumbling out of the lounge, looking bleary-eyed, as Kerry walked toward the desk.

"Kerry? What's going on?"

She could've warned her, but what the hell. Chances were the guys had given up on the prank by then and there'd be nothing to see anyway. "Umm," she gestured vaguely at the room she'd just left, "Trauma one." Kerry kept walking over to the desk, muttering to Randi, "well, thanks for trying to warn me. Next time, try harder." She turned to watch Susan walk into the trauma room.

"Okay," Susan called out, "give me-- Oh, my God!"

Kerry and Randi shared a mischievous grin before Kerry decided to make a hasty retreat. "I'll be up in Romano's office working on a report, Randi. Don't call me and I won't call you."

"You got a deal," Randi replied as Kerry walked away and Susan Lewis came storming out, though she was grinning slightly. Kerry managed to slip into the elevators as Susan walked up to Randi.

"How long were they planning that?"

Randi shrugged. "Since about ten minutes after you went to take a nap."

"Well, gee, thanks for the warning."

Randi popped her gum. "Well, I'm as bored as the rest of you. Needed something to liven things up."

"Yeah. What should I do to get them back?"

"There's always turnabout..."

"Oh, yeah," Susan smirked, "they'd love that!"

"I've got an idea... If you're up for it?"

"Tell!" Susan leaned in to hear the details.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About an hour later, Kerry wandered down to the ER again in search of a cup of coffee. It was usually semi-lousy, but it was heaven compared to the brown water that passed for coffee in the vending machines, and there was no point in using the coffeemaker in Romano's outer office because she didn't intend to be there long enough to need more that a cup or two, at most.

And so it happened that Kerry stepped into the lounge to catch Abby on her knees in front of Susan, helping the doctor fasten a purple strap-on over her slacks. Payback for the guys' stunt, she supposed.

"I don't even want to know where Randi got..." Susan was saying until she looked and spotted Kerry. "Uh..."

Kerry felt the lecture bubbling up within her--hadn't she been there and done that before with these two? But then she thought about it. As far as blowing off steam usually went around the ER, this was downright tame. At least there wouldn't be any of their equipment damaged or destroyed, as had happened a few times with the impromptu wheelchair races and the indoor football, hockey, Frisbee.... What the hell? she thought.

"Please, just tell me that whatever's making you all behave like fourteen-year-olds is not in the coffee?"

Abby rose to her feet and ventured a tentative response. "Um...no?"

Kerry just nodded and stepped over to the coffee pot, grabbing her mug from the cabinet and filling it. "Good. But if I hear any complaints about this in the morning from anyone, don't expect me to defend you."

"Okay?" Susan replied dubiously as Kerry slipped out the side door.

Susan looked over at Abby while checking to make sure the harness was secure. "Well. Kerry's in an...interesting mood tonight."

"No kidding. I thought we were dead meat for sure."

Kerry again passed by the Admit desk, instructing Randi to "just make sure they don't tear up the place," on her way back upstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almost an hour and a half later, her report done, Kerry packed up and headed downstairs, opting again to pass through the ER, perhaps against her better judgment. 

She stepped off the elevator and noticed immediately that it was quiet. Too quiet. She glanced over at the Admit desk and saw...no one. Oh, hell, what were they up to now? The one bit of good news appeared to be that no one was waiting in chairs, so at least patient care wasn't suffering--or so she hoped.

She walked past Trauma One, nothing. Carter, Harkins, Malik and Chuny were working in Trauma Two on a white male who was drunk and combative and who had apparently had a run-in with his windshield, or maybe a plate-glass window. Lots of cuts to tend to, if they could get him to sit still, but apparently nothing life threatening. Lilly and one of the other nurses--that cute blonde one--were taking a break in the lounge. Where the hell were Pratt, Susan and Abby. And where was Randi, for that matter?

She looked around a few more minutes. No one in the drug lock-up. A couple of patients who seemed to be either resting comfortably or waiting for test results or to be released.

She noticed a light on in the suture room as she passed and she went to check it out. When she went in, she found Randi, who was crouched in front of a shelf. 

"So, you ready to help me with this inventory?" Randi rose and turned around. She was wearing a vest, and nothing under it, Kerry couldn't help but notice, as Randi brought her hands to her hips, pulling the vest open further. What is this, Kerry thought, 'Girls Gone Wild--Emergency Room?' Oh hell, was that a nipple ring?

Randi's attitude totally changed when she spotted Weaver, however. What had been flirtatious turned to panic. "Oh, shit," she muttered as she lunged at Kerry. Or, rather, not at Kerry but at the phone mounted on the wall to Kerry's left. Kerry swiveled to watch the desk clerk punch the 'speaker' button on the phone, turning it off. Only then did she take a step back. "Um... Dr. Weaver..." Randi mumbled, turning a lovely shade of pink as she wrapped her arms around her chest. "I didn't..." She started shaking her head. "That wasn't... You weren't..." She finally gave up and dropped her head to study her feet.

Kerry couldn't stop the laughter from escaping, the events of the night and the lateness of the hour taking their toll, finally. "It's okay, Randi," she said between chuckles, "I gotta say, of all the unexpected surprises I've had tonight, that was the most pleasant." She was smiling brightly at the young woman when Randi finally looked up.

"Really?" Randi asked, sounding shyly pleased and playfully seductive all at once.

Kerry laughed again. "Yeah."

"So, um..." Randi dropped her arms. "You're not gonna yell at us--I mean me?"

"Just tell me you weren't really planning to meet someone in here to have sex."

"No! Oh, God, no!" Randi denied quickly. There were alleyways she'd consider for a sexual liaison before she'd take the chance around here. Well, unless a certain ER Chief were game... "We were--I mean I was..." she got all shifty-eyed then and mumbled the rest, "setting Pratt up." 

That was the second time Randi had slipped and said 'we' before trying to cover it up, Kerry noted, but she didn't comment on it. "Well...I'm almost sorry I missed it then," she grinned. "Look, I don't know what the hell's gotten into people tonight, but...as long as I don't get any flak about it tomorrow, we can all just pretend I was never here tonight. I don't have the energy to lecture the entire night shift."

Randi braced one hand against the wall, leaning against it. She didn't even notice that the move had exposed a fair amount of skin until she caught Kerry trying not to look at her chest, not entirely successfully, she noted. She felt a spark of hope.

"So, Kerry. I get off in..." she brought her other arm up to check the time, exposing even more skin and causing the ER Chief to blush slightly. "Ooh, fifteen minutes." She smiled at Kerry. "You, uh, heading out?"

The invitation in the clerk's eyes was clear and Kerry normally could've come up with a hundred or more reasons why she should ignore it altogether. However, at the moment, she was having trouble coming up with even one. She was lonely, she'd had a long, strange night, and if she had to deal with the tantalizing hints of Randi's almost-naked torso much longer, she might just rip that damned vest off herself.

"Um...yeah. I, uh, finished what I was working on and I was gonna head home."

Randi stared at her intently. "Kerry? I, uh..." She took a step closer. "How tired are you, exactly?"

Kerry checked her watch, she probably wouldn't make it home before three a.m., but she didn't have to be in until ten. What the hell... The way this night was going, she might just be dreaming it all anyway--might as well have a really good dream, while she was at it. It was a flimsy rationalization, but she was feeling just goofy enough tonight to buy it. Almost.

Unsure where the impulse really came from, she told Randi to, "leave early if Jerry doesn't need your help with anything. Meet me at Magoo's and we'll...take it from there..." She turned to leave, but, before she could think better of it, she asked, "Randi... That strap-on Susan was...using?"

"Uh-huh," Randi breathed.

"Yours?"

"Mm-hmm."

"If you can get it back without being too obvious, bring it. And, um, put your shirt back on. For now." Kerry couldn't quite look at her as she said it, and she slipped out immediately afterward.

Randi couldn't believe Kerry had been so bold. Tonight could turn into one helluva night, if Kerry didn't lose her nerve again before she could catch up to the redhead. Randi scrambled to get her shirt. She had to get out of there, and fast!

Kerry spotted Pratt heading for the suture room as she left it.

"Randi still in there?" he asked. "I was supposed to help her with...inventory, or something."

"Um, it's okay, Pratt. I gave her a hand. It's taken care of. See you tomorrow."

"Oh, okay," he mumbled before wandering over to the desk, looking bored.

Kerry kept moving, heading for the door and over to the diner across the street, hoping no one from the hospital would be there at that late hour. Whatever she was going to do about--or with--Randi, she didn't need any witnesses to see them leave together. 

Kerry hadn't noticed when Susan and Abby peered out from the on-call room, watching as she and, soon after, Randi, came out of the suture room. They managed to contain their laughter until Kerry had made it out the ambulance bay doors, however.

"Poor Kerry," Susan giggled.

"Yeah. But Randi was smiling when she came out. Kerry must've gone easy on her."

"Maybe. She was in a pretty easy-going mood tonight." Susan pulled the door open and she and Abby headed for the time clock, hoping to get the scoop from Randi. "I mean, if she didn't read us the riot act... Let's just hope she's in as good a mood tomorrow."

Randi, who'd overheard the comment, muttered, "I'll do my best," under her breath.

"Did you say something, Randi?" Susan asked, trying to sound casual.

"Um, no, not really. I was just thinking about something else." Randi put her timecard back in its slot. "Did you, uh, put my...stuff back in my bag?"

"Yeah," Abby answered.

"Cool. Gotta get it back to my roommate," Randi lied, slipping past the other two women. 

"So, uh..." Susan tried again. "How'd it go with Weaver? She give you a hard time?"

"No, not really." Not yet, anyway. She almost smirked to herself but turned it into a full-blown grin to avoid suspicion. "She actually kinda laughed about it. She must be in a good mood." And, since Randi was intent on making Kerry's mood even better, she skirted around the other two women. "Gotta go." She headed for the desk, grabbed her oversized purse from the file cabinet drawer where she'd left it and all but raced out of the ER.

"What's up with her?" Susan asked.

"Who knows? It's Randi. Maybe she's got some party to get to that's just getting rolling." Abby shrugged.

"Yeah."

"Damn," Abby murmured. "I was hoping to hear Pratt squirm..."

Susan grinned down at the nurse. "Me, too. But maybe we can come up with something good for the next slow night."

Abby brightened at that. "Ooh, ya think?"

The end.

© November 2002