Disclaimer: See Part 1
Chapter Three
Kim returned to the ER after her weekend off. She couldn’t help but speculate on her reception. She and Jess hadn’t spoken after the kiss outside the diner other than to say goodbye. Would Jess retreat from her again, becoming the Ice Queen or would she be the funny charming woman she had dinner with? Kim was tense as she opened the door to their office not knowing what waited her on the other side. Jess was, as usual, working on charts.
"Hey Kim." She smiled, "How was your weekend?"
"Good, got some laundry done, shopping, that kind of thing, pretty boring actually."
"Except for that really erotic dream you had about her!" piped up Kim's little voice. She quickly thrust that thought away. Allowing herself to remember those images with the object of her fantasy in the room with her was a VERY bad idea.
"How about you?" Kim asked.
"Didn't do much either, household chores, played with the dog, nothing exciting."
They stared at each other for several moments, neither speaking, both smiling.
"Well, I guess we should get out there. Ready to face another week of ER madness?"
Kim smiled in response.
"Try not to let any patients throw you around this week, OK?" teased Jess.
Both women were laughing as they headed for the admit desk.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The week so far had been hectic. The ER was much busier than the previous week. Kim had been happy to note that Jess was no longer avoiding her and actually seeking her out. They hadn’t had much time together so far this week except for consults about patients. It took Kim until mid-week to realize what Jess was doing. She called Kim in on almost every patient asking her opinion and advice. Kim couldn’t help laughing to herself when Jess called her into a room with a patient complaining of belly pain. She wanted her to evaluate him for pain management counseling. Kim might’ve gone for it except after talking to the patient he stated he’d only had the pain for two days.
As they left the room Kim turned to Jess and smirked, "Pain management counseling?"
Jess blushed. "Well, you never know. He might have an ulcer. They hurt."
Kim laughed, "Sure Jess, whatever you say."
"So how about some lunch?" Jess asked, deftly changing the subject. "It’s settled down quite a bit."
"Cafeteria?" Kim suggested.
Jess looked suddenly uncomfortable and Kim couldn’t help wondering why.
"I was thinking more along the lines of Charlie's, less Staff to deal with."
Now Kim was the uncomfortable one, thinking Jess didn’t want to be seen with her in the hospital. Before Kim could say anything else, Jess continued.
"You’re right; the cafeteria is probably a better idea. We don't really have time for Charlie's. We’ll just have to grab a small table and tell anyone who interrupts us to get lost."
Kim realized Jess wasn’t uncomfortable being seen with her, she just wanted to spend some time alone together.
"Let's go!" Kim smiled brightly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim sighed as she sank down into a chair by the admit desk. The pace in the ER had been frantic since she walked in the door that morning. It was afternoon already and she was exhausted. This had been the busiest day of her two-week rotation. Another day like this and she’d be more than happy to return to Psych. She didn’t know how Jess and the other doctors did it day after day. She felt someone standing close behind her chair almost brushing against her back. She knew who it was before she even looked up.
"Hey Jess, what happened with that last trauma?"
"There is a good possibility the kid is going to be permanently paralyzed. He's up in surgery now having his spine stabilized. I will never understand how a parent could buy their child a quad runner. Don't these people have a clue how badly you could be hurt on those damn things? The father was asking me how soon I thought he and his son could go back out to the desert again. I had to tell him there’s a good possibility his son will never walk again!" Jess ranted.
"Do you want me to talk with him?"
"No, probably won't do any good. He's already talking about transferring the kid to another hospital to get a second opinion."
Kim could tell Jess was upset by the situation. She reached out, laying her hand on Jess’s forearm. She gently squeezed her arm offering what comfort she could.
"You did the best you could under the circumstances Jess. Sometimes people make bad decisions and have to live with the consequences."
Kim felt Jess's arm suddenly tense under her hand. She looked up. Jess's face was hard, cold. Her eyes had turned flat emotionless silver.
"Yeah, you’re right. Shit happens and you deal with it." With those harsh words Jess turned and walked away.
For the life of her, Kim couldn’t figure out what had just happened. She went back over the conversation in her head trying to figure out what she’d said to cause such a reaction in Jess. She couldn’t help analyzing the strange dichotomy of Jess's behavior. One minute warm, caring, concerned about her patient, the next cold, emotionally distant. Kim knew there had to be a reason for the emotionally repressed behavior Jess displayed. Something in Jess's past must have hurt her deeply, some trauma. It was very common for people who had been physically and emotionally abused as children to close themselves off emotionally. Kim's heart ached for the woman. Was that what had happened to Jess? Kim wanted so much to talk to Jess, encourage her to open up. But she knew Jess would immediately retreat again. Kim hoped in time Jess would come to trust her enough to confide in her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim hadn’t seen Jess since their conversation at the admit desk. Things had calmed down so she was back at the desk with some of the Staff. People were talking about their weekend plans. Kim half listened, preoccupied with wondering if Jess was OK and where she disappeared to.
"What about you Dr. Donovan, what are you up to this weekend?" asked Peter.
Kim turned to face the group.
"Oh not much, still settling in."
"A few of us are getting together tonight after work for a drink. Want to join us?" he asked hopefully.
"Maybe some other time. I just want to get home tonight and crash."
Kim had no interest in going out drinking with the group. Though she wouldn't mind going out with a certain raven-haired woman.
"How about this weekend?" Peter persisted. "We could go out for a drink and dinner. I could show you around."
Kim heard several people snicker. Peter glared at them. Kim eyed the handsome blond resident. With his bushy sun bleached hair and deep tan he looked like he belonged on a beach somewhere, not an inner city ER.
"No thanks." Kim responded realizing this guy must’ve missed the hospital gossip about her. "I used to live around here so I'm familiar with the area. Plus, I don’t date guys."
Peter looked confused, like he was trying to figure out what Kim just said. Jess had been watching all this from the hallway. When Peter asked Kim out Jess felt a sudden stab of jealousy. She knew it was ridiculous. Conceited jerk didn't have a chance in hell with Kim and was just too stupid to see it. Still the longer she watched, the more pissed off she got. She stormed up to the desk.
"Don't you people have something to do? There are patients to be seen!"
Everyone scattered except for Peter and Kim. Peter opened his mouth to speak to Kim but Jess cut him off.
"Dr. Blankenship don't you have patients to see?" Jess almost snarled.
"I’m waiting for labs to come back on the guy in curtain two." Peter replied. He turned his back on Jess. "So Dr. Donovan, maybe we could get together some other time?" He smiled at Kim, knowing women couldn’t resist his blond surfer good looks.
Jess quickly scanned the waiting charts picking up one with an evil smile. She walked over to Peter and shoved the chart into his hands before Kim could respond.
"Great." she smirked. "You can take the guy in curtain three. He's impacted and needs to be cleaned out."
Peter started to protest but one look at Jess's face convinced him otherwise and he hurried away.
Jess turned to face Kim. "That was so mean," Kim laughed.
Jess chuckled, "Yeah, but he deserved it. Some people just don't know how to take no for an answer."
Kim wasn’t sure what Jess meant until she realized she had overheard Peter asking her out.
"Oh, he’ll eventually figure out he doesn't have a chance. Sometimes it just takes them a while."
"So, he doesn't have a chance huh? What about me?" Jess purred, "Do I have a chance?"
"You definitely have a chance!" Kim answered saucily winking at Jess as she walked away. Jess grinned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday at last!" Kim thought happily as she stood at the admit desk going over a patient’s chart. This guy had been one for the books. The police had picked him up after numerous complaints. Seems he frequented a local park following people around meowing at them and trying to rub himself up against them. For the first several hours he was there he refused to speak. He had purred loudly non-stop trying to rub up against anyone who came near. Other patients complained, the Staff complained. Kim tried everything to get the guy to shut up. She didn’t want to sedate him, as it would make it impossible to evaluate him. She had at one point given him a glass of milk, which he refused. Finally in desperation she’d gotten a saucer and poured the milk into it. He finally shut up but only long enough lap it up.
Jess was the one who found the solution to not only shutting the guy up but also getting him to speak. Kim was at her wit’s end with the patient when Jess strolled into the room.
"Having a problem Dr. Donovan?"
Kim looked over at Jess’s grinning face and growled. Both women jumped when cat guy suddenly hissed.
"Oh, Dr. McKenna, I don’t think he likes you." Kim laughed.
"Well that’s ok, I heard the way to get them to stop purring like that is to neuter them! Let’s see if that works."
The purring stopped momentarily then started right up again seemingly louder.
"You know Dr. Donovan; since he’s a cat and not a human I don’t even need consent. It’s too bad he can’t speak and refuse the procedure."
Jess walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a scalpel kit and gloves. Kim watched as Jess gloved up and opened the kit laying the instruments out on the tray. Kim could see the guy was starting to get nervous. Beads of perspiration were forming on his upper lip. When Jess pulled back the sheet covering the patient even Kim began to wonder how far she was going to go with it. The purring now had an almost stuttering quality to it. As Jess reached down to pull up the patient’s gown….
"Stop! Don’t do that! You can’t do that!" he shrieked.
Jess immediately dropped the patient’s gown, stepping back quickly. She turned her back on the patient so he couldn’t see her huge grin. As she walked past Kim to leave the room she leaned over and whispered in Kim’s ear "I’m really much more of a dog person myself."
After that, things went very smoothly, the patient was very cooperative. There was really nothing wrong with him. He was just lonely and wanted attention. Kim counseled him on more appropriate ways of seeking attention. She offered to set him up for outpatient counseling but knew it was a waste of time. Guys like that were harmless but would never stay with any counseling that could help them. They preferred to fall back into comfortable behavior patterns.
Kim couldn’t help laughing as she finished up the chart just remembering the look on the guy’s face when Jess started to lift his gown. Kim suddenly felt someone press close against her back. They leaned into her pressing her against the counter trying to look over her shoulder. Kim knew the second the other body touched her it wasn’t Jess. She immediately moved away. After backing up several feet she met the leering gaze of Dr. Richard Rodman. He stepped forward again into Kim’s personal space.
"So, how are things going? Everyone treating you all right?"
The whole time Rodman was speaking, he leered at Kim, stripping her with his eyes. Kim backed up again. Rodman followed, almost trapping her in the corner between the two counters.
"If there is anything I can do for you, just let me know. I want you to be happy here." Rodman reached out running his hand lightly down Kim’s arm.
"Everything is fine, thanks." Kim retreated again.
Jess had been watching them from across the room. Her temper had reached the boiling point. She picked up a huge armload of charts and headed quickly toward the two. Kim and Rodman were standing several feet apart as Jess approached. Jess walked right into Rodman knocking him into the counter, the charts hitting him in the face.
Jess acted surprised and apologized. "Gee, sorry, didn’t see you there." She said, standing to her full height and looking down at the much shorter man.
Rodman’s face went red, the veins in his neck started to pulse. Kim could see he was about to explode. She stepped up to Jess.
"Let me give you a hand with those." She lifted some of the charts out of Jess’s arms putting them on the counter.
When their eyes met, Kim saw the mischievous sparkle. Jess ran into Rodman on purpose. Rodman watched, noticing how close together they were standing, how their arms and hands brush as they handled the charts. His eyes narrowed. With the charts on the desk Jess leaned her back on the counter. She stood between Kim and Rodman who were still facing each other. Kim and Jess were only inches apart, almost touching.
Jess was pissed. "What do you want Dr. Rodman?" She asked in a condescending tone.
"As usual, the quarterly budgets from the ER are late, Dr. McKenna," Rodman sneered. "Maybe it’s time for a new ER Chief, one who can actually do the job."
"They were delivered to your office last week. Maybe you need to replace your secretary." Jess responded angrily.
"Good, make sure they’re on time next quarter."
Totally ignoring the fact that Jess had just told him they were in his office a week ago, Rodman continued to stand there for several moments looking, noting again how close together the two women stood.
"Ladies?" Making it sound like a question before he turned to walk away. He mumbled loud enough for both of them to hear "Great, just what we need, another queer doc. Like there aren't enough of them around already."
Jess was furious but Kim put her hand on Jess's arm, stopping her from going after Rodman. She could sense the anger coming off Jess in waves and worried what she might do.
"Let him go Jess. We can file a complaint if you want but you know nothing will come of it. He’d just say you misunderstood him."
"I know. You’re right. The little homophobic jerk just makes me want to scream. We shouldn't have to put up with that crap!"
"Forget him. Isn't it time to get out of here?"
"Yeah, let's go." They headed for their office together.
Kim gathered up her briefcase and jacket. She was stalling, trying to think of how to ask Jess out. Jess was doing the same, trying to think of an excuse to see the blond outside the hospital. As Jess leaned over to pick up her backpack, the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood up. Still bent over, she glanced behind her to find Kim’s eyes locked on her butt. Deciding to give Kim a show, Jess stretched forward a little farther flexing her gluts. She heard Kim groan softly behind her. A smirk spread across her face as she quickly stood up turning to face Kim before she could look away. Kim blushed a bright red realizing she’d been caught ogling Jess’s ass.
"Sorry," She looked down at the floor embarrassed.
"Don’t be," Jess laughed. "I’m not."
Kim’s head popped up at Jess’s laughter. She wasn’t the least bit upset and was enjoying Kim’s embarrassment. Deciding two could play that game….
"Well in that case."
Kim blatantly ran her eyes down Jess’s body then up again before meeting her eyes. This time Jess was the one who blushed. Both women smiled.
Jess decided a change of subject would be a really good idea.
"So what do you have planned for this weekend?"
"No real definite plans. I need to find a nice park or track so I can start jogging again. I haven’t kept up since I arrived in California."
"Oh, there’s a real nice park not far from where I live. I’d be happy to show it to you. I take my dog there to play in the dog park on the weekends. There are even some nice jogging paths to use." Jess offered. "Do you like dogs?"
"Yeah, I sure do, I am much more a dog person than a cat person."
Both women laughed, remembering the cat guy earlier in the day.
"Well, in that case, how do you feel about big dogs? I have a kinda big dog."
"I like big dogs best. We had a lab when I was a kid and he was the greatest." Kim enthused.
Jess debated with herself Should I tell her just how big a dog I have or let it be a surprise? Ah, what the heck, she decided. She’d find out soon enough what a big dog really was."
"So, would you like to go with us to the park? We could meet at the dog park then go for a short jog and some lunch later. What do you say?" Jess asked smiling.
Kim decided to be direct. She didn’t want any misunderstandings. She was still a little unsure where she stood with Jess since no mention had been made all week about their dinner at the diner or the kiss.
"So this would be our second date Dr. McKenna?" Kim questioned with a smile.
"Yes, Dr. Donovan, this would be our second date." Jess confirmed.
They decided that since Jess was transporting her dog they would meet at the dog park the following morning. Jess provided directions and they both headed home looking forward to their date the next day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim walked around the park looking for the dog run area. Finally spotting a sign she headed for the large fenced in area. There were several dogs of all sizes running and playing. She easily spotted Jess leaning against the fence near the gate leading into the dog run. Kim stopped for a minute to admire the woman. Instead of the Dockers and shirt or scrubs she was used to seeing Jess wear, she was dressed in Lycra shorts and a tee shirt. Kim’s gaze ran appreciatively over the well-muscled body. The broad muscular shoulders, biceps and a flat stomach with trim hips that led down to heavily muscled legs. Kim knew that Jess was a beautiful woman but now dressed like this… well; it made Kim wet just looking at her. She forced her libido back down before heading over to Jess.
"Hey Jess. Good morning."
"Hi Kim, glad you could make it."
Jess allowed her eyes to run over Kim’s body taking in the slender figure before her. Kim was tall for a woman at 5’8" but Jess still topped her by several inches at just over 6 feet. Kim had on short nylon running shorts and a tee shirt. She was nowhere near as muscular as Jess. She had nice well-defined arms and legs, a flat stomach with slim hips and legs that seem to go on forever. Her tight tee shirt hugged breasts Jess knew were much larger than her own. Jess’s libido immediately flared to life and she restrained it with difficulty.
Kim peered into the dog run noting several benches inside, as well as an assortment of toys being played with by the dogs.
"Ready to go in and meet my dog?"
"Which one is he?"
Jess quickly scanned the area, not seeing Thor.
"He must be down at the other end. See where those trees are? He’ll come when I call."
That’s when Kim noticed just how large the fenced area really was.
"OK let’s go. I’m ready to meet him."
Kim looked up at Jess. She couldn’t help but notice the half smirk on Jess’s face, the one that always meant trouble. She wondered what the other woman was up to. As they reached one of the benches Jess let out a piercing whistle causing Kim to jump slightly.
"Sorry about that, should’ve warned you. Oh, here he comes. Come on boy, come here!"
Kim followed Jess’s line of sight and nearly fainted. Charging straight at them was the biggest animal Kim had ever seen.
"Oh my God Jess, that’s not a dog, that’s a horse!"
Jess just laughed as the big dog trotted up. Kim took a step back slightly behind Jess.
"I thought you said you liked big dogs?" Jess teased.
Kim embarrassed that her bravado had slipped so badly stuck her tongue out at Jess. Before Jess even thought about what she was doing and all the people standing around, she leaned over capturing Kim’s tongue in her mouth. Both women leaned into the contact. Before things could get out of hand, Thor interrupted; bumping his master’s hip to get her attention. Jess forced herself away from Kim. They were both breathing hard. Putting her arm around Kim’s waist and bringing her close to her side she addressed the dog.
"Thor, this is Kim. Kim, this is my Great Dane, Thor."
Thor took a step forward, checking out Kim. Kim’s eyes widened when she realized the dog’s head was as high as her chest. He decided he liked what he saw as he pushed between Jess and Kim. He laid his head on Kim’s chest looking into her eyes and letting out a sigh. Jess was amazed. Thor was usually very standoffish with people. He wasn’t unfriendly, just aloof like his master. That was one of the things Myra complained bitterly about. The big dog wanted nothing to do with her and ignored her. He wouldn’t respond to any of her commands. If she attempted to pet him, he would simply get up and walk away. Kim quickly saw what a gentle giant the big dog really was and began to stroke his head and ears. Thor leaned harder into Kim, forcing her to step back several times as his weight against her increased. Finally, he managed to push her into a sitting position on one of the benches and immediately laid his big head in her lap. Closing his eyes, he sighed contentedly. Jess reached for Thor’s collar intending to pull the big dog off of Kim’s lap. Kim stopped her.
"No, he’s fine. Have a seat and tell me about him. I’ve never seen a Great Dane this color before."
Jess was more than happy to talk about her favorite subject, Thor.
"He’s what’s called a Mantle Great Dane." Jess began. "They only make up a small portion of the breed, most are fawn or brindle. Harlequins and Mantles come from the same breeding. The Mantles are like Thor. Basically a white dog with a black head and what appears to be a black blanket extending over their body and part way down their legs, white chest and neck with a white tip on their tail. Some have blazes on their face or a partial white muzzle. They used to be referred to as Boston because of the similarity in markings to a Boston terrier. Some of the other dogs in his litter looked like Thor’s dad, a Harlequin. A white dog with black torn patches randomly spaced over their body. Thor’s dad was the number one winning Great Dane in the country the year Thor was born."
"Do you show or breed him?" Kim was busy stroking the beautiful dog.
"No. I bought him as a companion. I’ll leave the breeding to the professionals, like Thor’s breeder."
Jess sent Thor back to play. The two women sat enjoying each other’s company. Eventually they headed out for a leisurely jog.
Having finished their jog they were relaxing on the grass when Kim’s stomach growled. Kim blushed. Jess raised an eyebrow when Kim’s stomach growled again even louder.
"I think we better feed that beast before someone gets hurt." She teased. "I need to get Thor some water and drop him off before we go to lunch. How about you follow me home and we can go from there?"
"Sounds like a plan."
Kim got to her feet, offering Jess her hand to help her up. Jess gazed at Kim with that little half smirk Kim was already wary of. She took Kim’s hand but when Kim pulled Jess made no effort to help. There was no way Kim could pull Jess’s larger frame off the ground.
"Alright smart ass, see if I offer you a hand again."
Jess quickly jumped to her feet, never releasing Kim’s hand. She brought Kim’s hand to her lips kissing the back.
"You can offer me a hand any time," She purred, then quickly licked the back of Kim’s hand with the flat of her tongue. She grinned; dodging Kim’s playful slap to her belly.
Kim’s stomach growled again. She turned to Jess.
"Feed me woman!" She demanded playfully.
They quickly headed back to Jess’s Durango to load up Thor. Kim’s Jeep was parked a short distance way.
"Follow me back to the house. It’s not far, and then we’ll head out to feed the beast."
Kim pulled up in front of Jess’s house. Jess parked in the drive. The house was a small Craftsman Bungalow with steps leading up to a good sized covered porch. Kim got out and leaned against her Jeep while Jess unloaded Thor. As soon as the dog was out of the vehicle he ran up to Kim leaning against her to be petted.
"Come on in Kim," Jess called from the porch.
Kim headed for the porch, the big dog right at her side.
"Make yourself at home. I need to get Thor some water and let him out in the back for a quick break. Then we’ll be ready to go."
Once Jess and Thor were gone, Kim gazed around the room. It was beautiful. There was oak woodwork around all the windows and doors. A light shined into the room from a stained glass window set high in one wall. A Fieldstone fireplace with a deep stone hearth dominated the far wall. On either side of the fireplace were built-in oak bookcases with leaded glass doors. Kim sat down on a large overstuffed brown leather sofa, sinking into the comfortable cushions. The rest of the furniture was all mission oak with slat side tables, all in solid oak. Kim was particular fascinated by what appeared to be a very old Morris chair and ottoman with an Indian blanket thrown over the arm.
"Comfortable isn’t it?"
Kim hadn’t heard Jess come back into the room.
"You have a beautiful home Jess."
"Thanks. It’s not very big but plenty of room for Thor and me."
Jess came over to sit on the arm of the sofa looking down at Kim. As she talked she was drawn in leaning down to Kim’s inviting lips. With one hand on the back of the sofa she kissed her gently, unhurried. Leaving her lips she began trailing light kisses along her jaw line and down her neck. Kim’s stomach growled loudly. Jess rested her forehead against Kim’s laughing softly.
"I guess we better feed that beast," she patted Kim’s stomach affectionately.
Jess had added sweatpants to her outfit and offered a pair to Kim.
"I noticed it was clouding up when we came in. Temperature has dropped a bit and I thought you might be cold."
"Thanks Jess. I think I still have pretty thick blood from living in Detroit." She took the sweats from Jess putting them on. They were long and baggy but not too bad.
As soon as Jess picked up her keys, Thor ran into the room wagging his tail excitedly.
"Sorry boy, not this time," Jess told him. He continued to bounce around almost knocking Kim over. "Thor!" Once she had the big dog’s attention she reached over and removed his collar. "You’re not going," Jess told him firmly.
His demeanor immediately changed. He stood still with his head hanging down looking at the floor. Kim looked concerned. Jess just laughed.
"Don’t mind him. He thinks if he acts pitiful enough I’ll change my mind and take him." She affectionately patted the dog hugging him. "Be a good boy while I’m gone and I’ll bring you something back." Thor wagged his tail at that.
Lunch was enjoyable. They talked and laughed comfortably just as they had at the diner. After what happened at the diner, Kim made sure to keep the conversation light, telling stories of her family and work. Jess was less forthcoming but Kim managed to find out that she was the oldest of three children and her parents resided in Northern California. Her face became animated as she talked about Thor, telling stories of him growing up. It was obvious how much she loved the big dog. Kim couldn’t help but compare her warm loving manner today to the cold emotionally distant woman she was in the ER.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They were back at Jess’s sitting in her driveway, neither woman wanting the day to end.
"Do you have time to come in for a cup of coffee?" Jess asked hopefully.
"Sure, I really don’t have any other plans for today."
Kim was thinking of ways to prolong the day. Should she suggest renting a movie or going to dinner later? She decided to play it by ear and see what happened not wanting to push Jess. As they approached the front door Kim could hear Thor barking on the other side.
"I guess you don’t worry too much about burglars huh?"
Jess laughed, "Actually he knows it’s us. That’s just his play bark. You should hear him when he really barks!"
Jess wasn’t even in the door yet and Thor was pushing against her sniffing the bag in her hand.
"Back up you big moose," she laughingly told him. "Just let me get him settled and give him his treat. I’ll make us some coffee and be right back."
"Need any help?"
"No, just relax. I’ll be right back."
Kim was lounging on the sofa when Jess came back. Her shoes were off and her feet were tucked up under her.
"Hope you don’t mind?" Kim questioned softly, indicating her position.
Jess set two coffee cups down and flopped down on the cushion next to Kim.
"No, it’s good; I want you to be comfortable here."
The women continued their conversation from the restaurant. They laughed, relaxing with each other as they drank their coffee. The conversation trailed off. Kim felt her attraction to the incredible woman surface again. She couldn’t resist leaning over and gently kissing Jess. As it had outside the diner, it quickly escalated into something much more as both women became aroused. Jess opened her mouth as Kim’s tongue gently slid in, moaning at the contact. The kiss deepened, their tongues moving together in an increasingly erotic dance. Kim shifted position, pressing her chest into Jess’s, pressing their breasts together. Finally forced to come up for air, both women were breathing heavily. They remained pressed together in a tight hug. They kissed again deeply. Kim slowly shifted her weight onto her knees, pressing harder against Jess lowering her down onto the couch. They were still kissing hungrily as Kim got Jess flat on her back under her and allowed her body to settle on top of Jess’s.
As soon as Kim’s weight settled on top of Jess she felt the body under her suddenly go stiff and taunt with tension. Before she could react, Jess wrenched her mouth away pushing Kim back into a sitting position and jumping off the couch. Kim could see Jess was shaking. Going to her, she was shocked when Jess stepped back away from her touch.
"Jess? Are you alright? What’s wrong?" Kim asked her concern obvious.
Jess refused to meet her eyes. "Nothing, it’s just getting late. You should probably get going."
"Jess, that was not nothing! Please tell me what happened. What did I do wrong?" Kim pleaded.
Jess could tell Kim was hurt, worried. She knew she couldn’t tell her the truth so she settled for part of the truth.
"I don’t like to be on my back. I just don’t like it." Jess stated emphatically
"I’m sorry. I didn’t know that." Kim soothed.
This time when she stepped forward Jess allowed her touch. Kim pulled Jess into her arms hugging her.
"No, it’s not your fault. I should’ve told you. You just took me by surprise." Jess assured Kim.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kim questioned gently.
Kim knew there was much more to Jess’s reaction than she was admitting. She felt her panic when she jumped off the couch. This was much more than simply disliking being on her back.
"NO!" Jess blurted out much more harshly than she meant to. "There’s nothing to talk about," Jess said in a much more subdued tone.
Kim knew her well enough by now to know if she pushed, Jess would retreat.
"How about another cup of coffee?" Kim inquired.
"It’s getting late," Jess said again, though they both knew it wasn’t true.
"I guess I should go then." She was sad and frustrated. The day that had been so wonderful was ending so badly. Kim decided to try again. "How about tomorrow, we could have dinner at my place?"
"Sorry, I already have plans for tomorrow."
She could see the concern on Kim’s face. She knew she was hurt by her refusal to continue the day or to meet again. Jess couldn’t help it; she needed time to be alone and think.
With a sigh Jess finally admitted, "I go down to San Diego on the Sundays my sister doesn’t work and spend the day with her."
Kim felt reassured that Jess really did have plans and wasn’t just brushing her off.
As they stood together at the front door Kim hesitated. "I really am sorry I did something to make you uncomfortable Jess."
Jess had finally managed to regain control. She leaned forward placing her hands on Kim’s cheeks cupping her face.
"It’s OK really. I should’ve told you. I was just so caught up in the kiss I didn’t realize what was happening ‘til it was too late."
She could still see the worry in Kim’s blue eyes. Wanting to let her know it really was OK, she softly kissed her lips lingering gently before pulling back.
"I know you’re back on the Psych floor on Monday. Maybe we could get together for lunch if things aren’t too hectic in the ER?"
Kim sighed with relief. She was afraid Jess would retreat again and all the ground they had gained would be lost.
"That sounds great Jess. I’ll see you at work."
Jess leaned forward once more for one last gentle kiss. "See you on Monday."