DISCLAIMER: All "ER" characters and institutions are the property of Warner Bros., ConstantC Productions and Amblin Television. This is written strictly for entertainment value, no infringement of copyright or ownership is intended, and nobody is making a profit on this piece. As always, any errors in continuity, characterization, or common sense are entirely my own fault.
SPOILERS: None (takes shortly after Season 5 finale)
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.

Hormones
By Scott J Welles

Part One...

Carol regarded her caffeine-free soda without enthusiasm. Then she glanced enviously at the steaming cup in Kerry's hands as the attending sipped from it. "Arrgghhh... coffee..." she groaned.

Kerry set the coffee cup down on the table, realizing abruptly that the nurse had probably given up coffee recently. "I'm sorry, Carol, does it bother you?"

"No, but you're lucky it's not a cappuccino. Then I'd have no choice but to pull a Jamie Buchman and suck the last drops right out of your mouth."

Kerry felt a twinge at the image. A nervous little thrill.

Doc Magoo's was crowded, but Kerry was happy to share a booth with Carol. They'd been growing closer in the last few months, perhaps because the presence of Doug Ross no longer stood between them. "You're not going to have anything else?" she asked, nodding at the untouched soda on the table in front of her companion.

"No, thanks. Nothing on the menu appeals to me right now."

"You really should eat something, Carol."

"Why? You're not eating anything."

"No, but I'm not eating for three." Kerry smiled disarmingly.

Carol gave her a rueful grin in reply. "Don't remind me, please. I'm still reeling from the revelation that I've got two people growing inside me. And I'd barely adjusted to the idea of one." She let out a breath. "Naturally, now that I need him most, Doug's not here for me."

Kerry felt the slight cooling inside that she felt whenever the subject of her least favorite pediatrician came up. "You really do love him, don't you?" she asked, gently.

"Well, yeah, but it's not just that, right now. You know what they say about a pregnant woman's sex drive?'

Kerry arched a brow. "So it's true, then?"

"Right now it is. Doesn't even have to be Doug, really, I just wish I had SOMEone. Doug, Tag, Shep, whoever! Lately, it's all I can do to avoid just tackling Mark, or Carter, or Malik, or even Jerry, just someone who'll fuck me already!"

Kerry blushed a little.

Carol noticed. "Sorry, I guess that was a little inappropriate. I know I'm not usually given to that kind of talk, but..."

"No, it's not that, really. You just mentioned...well, let me just warn you, Jerry Markovic's really not someone you want to wake up next to."

"How do you kn-" Carol bit off her own question, her jaw dropping and her eyes going wide. "Jesus, you can't be serious?!"

The blush deepened.

"Kerry Almighty Weaver, tell me everything!" Carol leaned forward, her eyes aglow.

"Well, you know, he'd been really kind of sniffing around me for a while, commenting on my 'ferociously red hair,' like that. Little things. At first, I thought he was just sucking up to the boss, but eventually I began to realize he was, y'know, IN-terested in me. And, I realized I was kind of flattered by the attention. We were working the late shift one night, and we got off at the same time, and well, one thing led to another and we..." she trailed off.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Actually, yes I am." Kerry smiled, suddenly.

"Ohhh, you are an absolute bitch, leading me on like that!" Carol's face was bright with pleasure. They laughed together, and then Carol regarded Kerry thoughtfully. "Kerry, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why haven't we ever had coffee together like this?"

Kerry nodded at Carol's untouched soft drink. "We're not having coffee together now, either."

"You know what I mean! We've always worked together pretty well, but...well, we've really been getting to be friends lately, haven't we?"

Kerry nodded. "I'd really like to think so," she said. "Is that so surprising?"

"No, I guess not. I mean, we never really connected much on a personal level before. But now, it feels like...I don't know. Like we're closer, you know?"

She nodded again. Privately, she wished that they could be even closer. But how to go about saying so without driving her friend away...?

"I'm sorry, I'm not making much sense," Carol said. "It's these damn hormones, I've been getting emotional at the drop of a hat lately. It's a hazard."

"That's okay," Kerry said quietly. "I understand."

"But I want you to know," Carol added, putting her hand over Kerry's, "that I've felt very close to you lately, Kerry. I mean, when you opened up to me about your mother..." She broke off, suddenly looking abashed. "Sorry, you probably want that kept private."

Kerry nodded. "I'd appreciate it."

"So, I mean, why, if we're friends, is this the first time we've acted like it?"

Kerry regarded the open, earnest quality on Carol's lovely face. She couldn't count the times she'd wanted to be closer to the nurse... "I don't know," she replied.

"Was it Doug?"

Caught in mid-sip, Kerry had to force herself to swallow without spluttering. "I'm sorry?"

"Was it because I was with Doug? Is that why we haven't been closer?"

Kerry thought about denying it, then nodded mutely. The warmth of Carol's hand seemed to burn into her own.

"I always tried not to take sides between you two, professionally," Carol was saying. "I'm sorry if you felt you couldn't approach me because of him."

Kerry knew she should have let it go, but instead she found herself saying, "It wasn't just our professional differences."

"Oh?"

"It..." A little voice screamed at her to shut up before it was too late. But, of course, it was too late already. "I don't apologize for any of my official actions regarding Doug," Kerry said, "but I must admit my view of him was often colored by my personal feelings. Mainly while the two of you were together."

"Why then?"

"Well, it...it provoked a reaction in me, seeing you with him."

"What kind of reaction?"

"Jealousy." The word came out before she could stop it.

"You had feelings for him? I never knew..."

"No." Her mouth had taken on a life of its own, now. "Not for him."

Carol looked puzzled. "But you just said you..."

Kerry returned the grip on Carol's hand, her eyes boring into the nurse's.

Carol's eyes widened as she realized what Kerry meant. "Oh, my..."

With a jolt, Kerry's conscious control reasserted itself, and she pulled her hand away. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." She picked up her handbag and stood.

Carol's gaze followed her, still in shock.

"Look, I'll see you later," Kerry babbled, not looking at her. She dumped some loose bills on the table, for the coffee. "I..."

Carol still stared at her.

Kerry fled without another word.


What were you thinking? What were you thinking? What the fuck were you thinking?

Each step she took repeated the refrain in her head.

Carol's not interested in women, she told herself, let alone a broken, bitter shrew like you. What in the hell made you think, even for a moment, that she might respond to you that way?

She unlocked her front door and went inside. When the door was locked again, and she was effectively barricaded against the world, she let herself slump. How will I ever face her again?

She hung up her coat, then poured herself a drink, thankful that Carter was working the late shift tonight, and she'd have the place all to herself. She could get stinking blotto, play the saddest music she could find, and try to dig herself a hole to crawl into so she'd never have to deal with Carol Hathaway's scornful reaction. Carol would be too polite to ever say anything, of course. But it would always be there, in her eyes whenever she looked at Kerry. YOU wanted ME? You thought you were good enough for me? After who I've been with? Hah!!

Kerry took her first slug of the drink, choosing not to put on any music yet. The silence suited her better. The emptiness in her ears echoed that in her heart.

She threw back the rest of the drink, then let her head fall back against the backrest of the sofa, remembering their first encounter, when Carol brought in a patient by ambulance. Kerry had mistaken her for a paramedic at first; she was doing a ride-along with that loudmouthed guy she'd ended up seeing, and poor, doomed Raul. Carol had been lovely in her jeans and sleeveless tee shirt; beautiful, healthy, and vibrant, despite the circumstances. Then, as now, Carol looked better working than most people did when having fun.

As her early days at County consisted mostly of conflicts and arguments with Mark, Doug, and Susan, Kerry was gratified to find that Carol not merely accepted her ideas, but often helped implement them. It was a relief to find someone there who was more interested in working to improve patient care than indulge in ego clashes.

As Carol's responsibilities developed, Kerry admired the way she took them in stride; despite her grumbles, she got the job done, always. As much as it burdened her, she always got things done. Even when the nurses went on strike - excuse me, when they all conveniently 'got sick' at the same time - Carol tried to uphold their duties single-handedly. Kerry leant a hand where she could, glad to be working alongside her, and did her best to be supportive when Carol's mistake cost a man his life. She would have covered it up for Carol, and dismissed it as an unfortunate, but unavoidable, occurrence...but Carol wouldn't let her do so. She accepted the consequences of her actions without hesitation, and Kerry's admiration for the woman grew tenfold.

But the moment that would live in Kerry's memory forever was the day Carol survived her hostage situation. It was all Kerry could do to maintain control when she asked if Carol was all right, afterwards, showing nothing more than the façade of a concerned colleague. And Carol - beautiful, brave Carol, who had fought valiantly to save the life of her own captor; who might have been forgiven for breaking down in tears under the stress and the fear - just looked at her, her soft smile glowing with inner radiance, and said, "I love my job, Kerry."

And Kerry, for once, couldn't think about her courage, her dedication, or any of the other reasons to admire Carol on a professional level. All she could think was, My God, she's so lovely...

Kerry couldn't have admitted the depth of her feelings toward Carol, even then. To call it respect, even affection, was one thing. But attraction? No. That was unacceptable.

Wasn't it...?

She'd fought it, taking refuge in her comfortable, in-control persona. She didn't allow herself to behave any differently toward Carol than anyone else...except when Carol was accepted to medical school. Then, when she made extra effort to help Carol enter her world, she justified it as professional courtesy. And she didn't let herself feel rejected when Carol declined med school to remain in nursing. It wasn't about her. It wasn't personal.

And then Carol revealed that she was involved with HIM.

Ross.

It figured, Kerry thought bitterly. Doug and Carol were a matched pair even before they were together. The one woman Kerry had ever felt anything for, and naturally she was meant for someone who was Kerry's opposite in every way. Male, not female. Impulsive, not rational. Popular, not resented. Athletic, not...

He had charm and he had charisma...and he had Carol. Kerry could never be friends with her under those circumstances, and so her distaste for Doug Ross grew deeper.

But then Ross was gone. And Carol was alone, and in pain.

It was all Kerry could do to refrain from stepping forward and declaring how she felt. The fact that Doug was no longer in Chicago didn't mean he wasn't still a presence in Carol's heart. But it seemed that every time Kerry turned around, there was Carol with a void to be filled. And no one was stepping forward to fill it.

When she told Carol to use her judgment about traumas during her pregnancy, Kerry wanted to do more...

When Carol confronted her about Mrs. Brennan, Kerry's defenses crumbled, and she told Carol things she'd never told anyone...

When they helped that boy together, Kerry knew she couldn't hide from Carol much longer...

And then there was today.

Four years they'd worked together, building a foundation of mutual trust and respect. And she'd thrown it away in four minutes. How could I be so stupid...?

The doorbell rang.

Kerry considered ignoring it, but reasoned she'd have to get up to refill her drink anyway - should have brought the bottle over to the sofa as well, but she hadn't been thinking clearly. Might as well answer the door while she was up, and tell the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Girl Scout selling cookies, or whoever it was to go to hell.

She unlocked the door, then froze in shock. "Car-"

"Don't say a word." Carol held up a hand, as if shielding herself against Kerry's explanations. Her expression was unreadable.

Kerry complied.

They stared at each other, silently. Carol's eyes drilled intently into hers. She's trying to find ways to tell me how hurt and upset she is, Kerry told herself. And I deserve every word...

To her stunned surprise, Carol stepped forward, took Kerry's face in her hands, and kissed her firmly.

Kerry had often been captivated by those dark lips, wondering what lips that color, almost a smoky gray, might taste like? A fine red wine, she had thought. Now, pressed against her own, they had a flavor almost like black cherries.

Her eyes, which had widened with the initial shock, quickly closed as she gave herself in to the kiss.

Then they parted. It was a tough call, which of them was more surprised.

"I would never have imagined myself doing that," Carol said.

"It's all right," Kerry got out. "I didn't mind."

"I wasn't apologizing."

Kerry's next words were swallowed as Carol kissed her again. A faint, whispery breath parted her lips, and she felt Carol's tongue slide quickly between them to dart lightly against her own. Carol's foot shoved the door shut behind her.

The voltage in the kiss alone, apart from any upcoming activity, was stunning and electric. She had enjoyed some truly fine kisses in the past - gestures of cherishing, promises of future pleasures, echoes of fading love. But this one... The oral contact was a moment of magic in and of itself. Damnation, Doug, she thought, you were a lucky S.O.B. to have a woman who could do this!

They parted again, more slowly this time, almost reluctantly. Carol's eyes, up close, were even deeper than Kerry had imagined.

She felt Carol's hand gently unwrapping her own fingers from the crutch's grip, then sliding her forearm out of the brace. Removing the crutch and setting it aside, leaning it against the wall. The familiarity of the gesture was a presumption she wouldn't have allowed anyone else. It was tantamount to taking away her strength and solidity, but now she surrendered it without pause.

None of her previous lovers, few though they were, had ever touched the crutch if it could be avoided. At best, they pretended not to notice it, as though it were the cause of her disability, rather than a reaction to it. Trusting Carol enough to let her remove it made Kerry feel more naked than actual nudity would have. It was like being accepted, undressed, and treasured, all at once. Like the metal object was a piece of her, as beautiful as any other.

Carol turned and leaned the crutch against the wall by the front door, then took Kerry in her arms. "Carter's working the late shift," she said.

"I know," Kerry said, her arms about Carol's neck.

"There are no promises about tomorrow," Carol said. "Whatever you think of him, Doug Ross is the one true love of my life. If there is a way we can be together again, I will let nothing and no one stand between us. Can you accept that?"

"Yes. I'm not asking you for anything you can't give me."

"Why didn't you ever tell me how you felt about me...?" There was no accusation in the question, just honest curiosity.

"Would you have reacted this way if I had?" Kerry almost didn't want to hear the answer to that.

Carol ventured a small, almost nervous smile. "I don't know," she said. "And this may just be the hormones talking, now. I don't know how I'm going to feel about this in the morning..."

Kerry returned the smile. "Don't worry, I'll still respect you."

They laughed, and the last barriers evaporated.

They returned to each other's mouths, the kiss deepening as they held each other tighter. Kerry buried her hands in the mass of black hair, almost swimming in its scent. Carol's arms, about her back and hips, held her closely against the other woman's body, and their heartbeats were a sweet counterpoint.

When the kiss finally ended, Carol turned, one arm still around Kerry's waist, and led her inside.

In the bedroom, they undressed quietly, not looking at each other, and then faced each other across the bed. Kerry resisted the urge to hide from Carol's sight, instead letting the other woman see her the way she was. Carol, for her part, was visibly pregnant, not yet so large as to be obvious when dressed, but there was no mistaking her condition when nude.

Carol read her thoughts. "I'm not made of glass," she said. "I won't break."

"Neither will I." Kerry slipped under the covers, then gestured for Carol to join her.

The nurse's skin was like warm silk against hers as she put her arms around Kerry. "Will you tell me something, truthfully?" she said.

"Yes."

"You wrote that novel, didn't you?"

Kerry sighed. "Of course I did."

"I knew you were a romantic, under it all." A warm smile grew on her lips.

Kerry returned it. "And only you could see me that way..."

Carol pulled her into another kiss, and Kerry lost herself in it. The sensation of being in bed with another woman was different from anything she'd felt before.

She thought, I don't believe this is happening.

She thought, There are a dozen reasons we shouldn't do this.

She thought, I don't care.

She thought, I'm damned if I'm going to stop now.

Part Two...

Kerry pressed gently against Carol's shoulders until the nurse lay on her back. She ran a hand lightly down the length of Carol's body, her palm tingling as it glided over her skin. Reaching the wetness between her legs, she slid her fingers in, and Carol moaned into Kerry's mouth in response.

Kerry pulled her lips away from Carol's with difficulty, the nurse trying to retain a suction hold on her tongue, and then used them to follow the trail blazed by her hand. The faint saltiness of perspiration on Carol's neck just increased her desire as she nipped gently at the hollow of Carol's shoulder. The brunette's muscles seemed to undulate under her skin, rolling like the surface of the ocean.

Reaching Carol's breasts, Kerry slowed her progress, focusing her attention upon them with hands and mouth alike. They were larger than Kerry had imagined, already swollen from the pregnancy, and the sensitivity of the erect nipples was clearly enhanced. Kerry took one in her mouth, savoring its taste and texture, and Carol's back arched in delight as she gasped. Kerry bit gently, just enough to stimulate her friend's desire, and sucked as eagerly as a newborn. Get used to this, she thought, 'cause you'll be feeling it a lot more in the next year or so...

Yielding at last to the insistence of Carol's hands, pushing her head downward, Kerry descended further, until Carol's thighs rubbed against her shoulders. The ease with which Carol opened herself surprised Kerry, perhaps more than it should have. She herself was often timid with new lovers, at first, but she'd never been with another woman before. Maybe it was just her.

The task at hand demanded her attention, precluding other thoughts. Although she had never made love to a woman before, Kerry was determined to achieve the same levels of success that she usually did when learning a new skill. Calling upon the memories of her previous sex life, she imagined how other lovers had done the same to her. Mlungisi was particularly memorable in his technique, and Kerry did her best to do to Carol what he had done so exquisitely to her.

It was so different from performing oral sex on a man. Beyond the obvious differences in mass and contour, there was a greater sense of intimacy, of connection...reaching inside someone on more levels than the physical. What it reminded Kerry most of, strangely, was the first time she'd reached her hand inside a patient's chest cavity. The same fascinating sense of touching a living, beating heart, and knowing that that person would walk out of the hospital alive and well, gave her a feeling of having touched something primal and vital in the universe's life-force. It made her feel connected to things beyond herself in ways that few things had before.

Of course, in that case she had only used her gloved hand, while now she was as naked as she'd ever been, applying not merely fingers but lips and tongue...and this was far more pleasant. Plus, the results were more readily apparent.

If Carol was aware of Kerry's lack of experience, her reaction sure didn't show it. Her breath came in deep sighs and she moaned with delight under Kerry's attention. "Jesus Christ, Kerry...where were you when I...ohhh, God, yes..."

Carol came more quickly than Kerry anticipated, but didn't relinquish her hold on Kerry's head. "Don't stop, please...more..."

Greatly encouraged, Kerry redoubled her efforts. She realized she didn't want to stop anyway. I love this, she thought. The taste of her, the scent of her, the feel of her skin, the sound of her voice...

They lost track of time as Carol's protracted pleasure consumed them both entirely.

Finally, her voice escalated, her muscles tensed, and Carol climaxed again, this one dwarfing the first. She cried out inarticulately, clutching at Kerry's hair, and released her orgasm, letting it explode from every pore. Kerry was glad she kept her hair cut short or Carol might now be clutching two loose red handfuls, ripped out by the roots.

Carol sagged on the bed, collapsing inside and out. "Oh, fuck, yes..." she whispered.

Kerry remained where she was, gently kissing and caressing the inside of her thigh. She couldn't remember when anything she'd done had thrilled her so.

"Oh, God, Kerry, thank you so much," Carol gasped at last, "I don't care what Doug said about you, I think you're terrific. First you bring me chicken when I need it, now this!" She looked at her stomach. "Kids, I'm sure you felt that, so let me reassure you, it was a good thing. A really good thing. Believe me, when you grow up, you're gonna love the whole sex thing. Just make sure you find someone who can do THAT to you!"

Kerry had to laugh. "That's not something you hear many mothers tell their children."

"I'm trying not to learn too much from my mother's example," Carol replied, absently. Then, as if remembering that Kerry was there, she focused her attention on the redhead again. "C'mere," she said.

Kerry crawled back up to her side, and Carol kissed her deeply again, holding her close against herself. I could probably die happy right here, she thought as the kiss lasted.

When Carol finally relinquished her hold on Kerry's lips, she said, "An experience like that has to be shared," and rolled on top of the doctor. "Allow me..."

Suddenly shy about her imperfect body, Kerry said, "It's okay, Carol, I don't need..."

"Yes you do. Trust me." Carol held her down gently, and Kerry found it hard to protest too much.

Carol's hands pinned hers easily against the mattress, their fingers entwining, as the nurse's mouth described a line of fire down over her chin to her neck. She felt Carol kissing tenderly at the scarring she found there, and shivered in a mixture of shame and delight.

Then, her nerve failing, she pulled her hands free. "Carol, wait," she said, hating herself for it. "I'm not... I mean, I want to, but I don't know if I can..."

"Kerry..." Carol took her face in her hands. "I want to do this. Please, let someone be good to you."

Unable to resist the longing in those moist eyes, Kerry surrendered, accepting another kiss before Carol resumed her attentions.

The nurse's hands and mouth ventured to Kerry's breasts, smaller than Carol's even before the pregnancy, and roamed over, across, and around them. She felt the nipples hardening even more as Carol sucked at them, as though drawing all of Kerry's life force into the two points. Kerry filled her hands with dark hair, holding Carol's head against her chest. Carol was making her feel alive in ways she'd almost never felt. I'm not her first, she realized abruptly. She knows what she's doing.

Carol kissed her way downward, but surprised Kerry by detouring to the outer edge of her hip. Those talented lips found the old scars, the ones time would never erase, and kissed them, as though she could drink away the hurt. This was something Kerry had never experienced before. Other lovers accepted the scars without acknowledging them, as though such attention might reopen them. Or, worse, as though the scars were a disease, infectious to the touch.

But Carol, the hands-on nurse who dealt with other people's pain and injury daily, had no compunctions about touching her that way. I'm not afraid of this part of you, she seemed to say. You are beautiful to me.

She continued kissing, occasionally licking gently, down the length of Kerry's infirm leg, lifting it as she sat back, and applied the same oral love to her foot. The heel, the arch, the delicate toes...and then she retraced the same path, up the inner edge of the leg, toward the juncture of her thighs. Kerry had never felt so completely loved and embraced before.

And then she was there, raven-black hair spreading over Kerry's thighs, and her tongue was inside her...and the world around Kerry began to melt. "Good God, Carol..."

Carol didn't pause to respond, but continued to stimulate her hostess, her actions obviously a blend of practice and confidence. Carol clearly knew her way around a woman's body. The incredible bursts of pleasure detonating within Kerry's body were proof of that.

Again, as if in a dream, time slowed to a crawl as Kerry, unable to do anything else, let the maddening, magnificent sensations wash over her, through her, inside her. She'd thought she'd known what making love was, but now she decided she'd have to revise her definition.

She was vaguely aware of someone screaming, off in the distance, and some dim part of her conscience said they should go find who it was, and make certain no one was suffering some sort of injury. Then she realized the voice was hers, and she certainly wasn't suffering.

When Kerry finally climaxed, it was as though some irresistible magnetic energy had gathered her consciousness into a tight ball between her hips, packed it tight, then cause it to burst apart like the creation of a new sun. Awareness of concepts like Up or Down faded, and for a long moment, she couldn't tell what part of her skin rested against the mattress, and what was exposed to air. Her limbs and organs seemed to liquefy together, and she imagined herself as a small, shapeless blob of protoplasm...then she seemed to re-evolve, gradually reforming her familiar body as equilibrium reasserted itself.

Carol still lay between her legs, her chin resting gently on Kerry's stomach as she watched the other woman regain her senses. "You awake?" she asked quietly.

Kerry found her voice with effort. "You've done that before," she stated. "I know you have. You're too good at it."

Carol nodded, a little embarrassed.

"Anyone I know?"

"Susan Lewis," she admitted.

"SUS-?!" Kerry stopped herself from yelling; it didn't help her head stop spinning. Then, calm again, she asked, "Carol, did you fuck anybody who didn't hate me?"

Carol giggled as she slid up to the pillows and held Kerry in her arms. They kissed again, but it was more afterglow than passion, at this point.

They lay together, on their backs, and Carol took Kerry's hand in hers. "Thank you for this," she said. "There's been no one since Doug left, and I really needed it."

Doug again, Kerry thought wryly. He'll always be a presence in her life. Trying to keep the bitter disappointment out of her voice, she said, "I hope I wasn't too much of a comedown from him."

"I hate to break it to you, Kerry," Carol replied easily, "but there are some things that he could do to me that you simply can't. At least, not without some kind of prosthetic enhancement."

"Sorry."

"But, as for the things you can both do, well..." Carol propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at Kerry. "You've got nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," Kerry whispered, deeply flattered.

Carol kissed her cheek, then lay back.

Kerry thought for a moment. "Uh, just to make sure...we are talking about oral sex, right?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks. I was afraid I'd be no good at it with a woman. I've only done it with men, and that didn't seem like much use now. Different mechanics, and all that."

"Yeah, I always hated giving blowjobs. They make me gag." Carol's nose wrinkled.

"Really? Never had a problem with them, myself..."

"Shep and Tag used to want them all the time, but Doug was pretty good about it. He enjoyed it as much as the next man, of course, but he could tell I didn't like it, and he never insisted. He could be very sweet that way. Sometimes, I'd do it anyway, on special occasions. Like if he'd behaved himself during dinner with my mother."

"Kinda like a carrot for the donkey, huh?"

Carol threw her head back and cackled fiendishly.

Kerry looked at her in surprise. "I didn't think it was that funny."

"No, I was just reminded of Lucy's face as she tried to figure out how a guy could swallow a whole carrot." Off Kerry's blank look, she added, "Never mind, you had to be there."

There was a growling sound nearby.

"Was that your stomach?" Kerry asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Are you hungry, or are you gestating a wolverine?"

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe. That's the other thing about being pregnant - you're always hungry for the weirdest things."

"I told you to eat something!"

"I just did," Carol said with a wicked grin.

Kerry ignored the pun. "Let's go to the kitchen. I've got all kinds of leftovers..." She reached for the bedside where she kept her crutch, remembering abruptly that it was still by the front door. She shook her head in momentary annoyance, then reached for her robe instead.

"No," said Carol, stopping her. "Let's cook naked."

Kerry blinked in surprise from the normally-reserved nurse's suggestion, then smiled. "Wow, you get pregnant, and suddenly your wild streak is unleashed!"

They made their way to the kitchen, Carol half-supporting, half-embracing Kerry.

True to her word, Kerry had plenty of food available, probably more than she needed for the week's meals. They didn't end up doing much in the way of actual cooking, as Carol found she was craving cold foods for some reason. By the time they were fed, Kerry's supply of leftovers was somewhat diminished - and in some rather odd patterns. "Ooh, Cheese Whiz! I LOVE Cheese Whiz!"

They ate, still nude, at the counter, glancing at each other from time to time without talking, but often smiling. Kerry ate some, more to replenish the reserves her body had lost in lovemaking than from actual appetite. Carol wolfed it down like there was no tomorrow, which just made Kerry smile more.

Afterward, they brought their dishes to the sink, Kerry washing them, then passing them to Carol to load into the dishwasher. She felt strangely comfortable in her friend's presence, even under the unusual circumstances.

After they were done, Carol used a dishtowel to carefully dry Kerry's hands, then her own. She hung the towel on its rack, then turned to face Kerry again.

"Now what?" Kerry said.

The dark-haired nurse arched an eyebrow. "What do you think?" She slid her arms around Kerry's waist, pulling her closer.

The feeling of Carol's breasts against her own, and the sensation of Carol's breath tickling her ear, triggered an immediate response in Kerry's body. "Mmm," she moaned, as Carol nuzzled her neck. "Don't we have to wait half an hour?"

"That's swimming," the nurse said, impatiently, then brought her mouth to Kerry's again...

Kerry soon found herself lying on her living room sofa, Carol's mouth finding its way between her legs again. Carol shifted, rotating so her own thighs straddled Kerry's face. Kerry pulled her hips down until she could reach Carol with her own mouth, and the cycle of lovemaking was completed, like a living yin-yang symbol.

Carol's weight above her was a warm mass, not resting fully upon her so much as covering her. The impromptu meal seemed to have reinvigorated both women, and they went at each other with renewed enthusiasm.

Kerry, less experienced in such matters, was rendered helpless by her climax first, and she relished the experience nearly as much as the first time. But, recovering faster, she concentrated her efforts on pleasuring Carol in turn. Carol's body vibrated and shook as Kerry's tongue reached all her most sensitive spots - made all the more sensitive by the rampant hormones. She cried out Kerry's name as her juices flowed again.

Spent again, they curled together on the sofa, kissing languidly and caressing each other.

"Do you think..."

Carol looked at her. "What?"

"No, it's nothing," Kerry said.

"Kerry, you said something. What is it?"

She knew she'd regret asking the question, but she couldn't help herself. "Do you think we would ever have done this if you weren't in this condition?"

"What, you mean horny and heartbroken?" Carol gave a wry smile. "I don't know, Kerry. I've never thought about you this way before. And, frankly, I don't know how I'll feel about it tomorrow."

Kerry nodded, her eyes falling.

Carol brushed the short hair back from her temples. "Don't feel rejected by that. I'll never regret spending this night with you. But I don't think of it as the beginning of any deeper relationship between us. I have to be honest with you about that."

"That's all right," Kerry assured her. "I didn't expect you to move in with me or anything."

"I still love Doug completely, you know."

"I know. If I never get anything more than tonight, I'll still consider myself lucky for what we've just had."

Carol kissed her forehead. "Thanks for understanding."

"Sure. What are friends for?"

"Well, I think what we just did went a little beyond what friends are-" Carol broke off, abruptly. "Was that the front door unlocking?"

Kerry sat up. "Can't be. Carter's not off until-" Her eyes widened as they fell on the clock. "Oh, shit..."

"Dr. Weaver? You still up?" The voice, familiar to both women, preceded the young doctor's appearance. "You left your crutch by the front d-"

Carter broke off in astonishment as he caught sight of two of his colleagues holding each other, naked.

There was a moment of panic shared by all three.

Carol recovered first. "What are you looking at, Carter?" she asked him, coolly.

"Nothing!" He dropped the crutch and threw a hand over his eyes. "I didn't see anything! I swear!" He fumbled his way to the basement door and descended hurriedly, his voice still floating back to them. "This isn't happening, it's all a dream, I'm asleep in bed..."

Once he was gone, Kerry regained control of her dropped jaw, and buried her face in her hands, blushing furiously. "Oh no, oh my god, I don't believe that just happened," she groaned. "How am I ever going to face him ag-what are you laughing about?"

It was a moment before Carol could answer through her hysterical laughter. "Could have been worse," she gasped.

"How?"

"Could have been Doug who found us."

For once, the mention of Ross's name inspired not distaste but hilarity in Kerry, and she laughed even louder than Carol, imagining the look on Doug's face...

The End

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