Disclaimer: See Part 1
Chapter Five
Jess slowly drifted up from sleep. Something felt very strange but she wasn’t awake enough to figure it out. She slowly opened her eyes, realizing there was a very warm, very naked woman in her bed. If that wasn’t disconcerting enough, she was spooned up behind the naked woman holding her tight. Now very awake, Jess’s mind was filled with the images of the night before. A big grin appeared on her face. She remembered cuddling with Kim after they made love but that was it, nothing after that. She was stunned to realize she had apparently slept through the night with Kim spooned against her body. The night had held several firsts for Jess. She still couldn’t believe she had allowed Kim to touch her so intimately and managed to climax. Then to top it off, sleeping cuddled up with her…that just didn’t happen. Myra had complained bitterly the rare times Jess allowed her to stay in her bed because she insisted she couldn’t sleep with someone touching her.
Jess looked down into Kim’s sleeping face and felt her chest grow tight with the feeling she had for this woman. She knew she should be scared by what was happening but right now she just felt at peace and content. Kim still slept soundly hugging Jess’s hand to her chest. Jess tried to slowly ease away from her without waking her. As Jess removed her arm from Kim’s grasp she awoke. She pulled Jess’s arm back into place snuggling closer to her.
"Good Morning. Sleep well?" Kim asked in a sleep-roughened voice.
Jess leaned down kissing her temple, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Yes, I sure did… thanks to you."
Kim laughed softly rolling over in Jess’s arms to face her. They kissed slowly, gently, just enjoying being in each other’s arms.
"Are you ok?" Kim asked.
Jess seemed unsure what Kim was talking about.
"I mean about last night… are you ok with what happened?" Kim questioned uncertainly.
Jess pulled Kim tighter into her arms. "I’m great with it," she whispered in Kim’s ear as she rolled her over onto her back.
Jess shifted her weight on top of Kim gently parting her thighs with her knee. She slid in between Kim’s spread legs positioning herself on top of her. Kim groaned at the contact between Jess’s hard stomach and her center. Jess lifted up, supporting her weight on her arms.
"Touch me." She encouraged Kim.
Kim didn’t have to be told twice. She caressed Jess’s breasts with both hands. Jess leaned down and kissed her deeply. The alarm rang, shattering the moment. Jess leaned across Kim slapping the snooze button. She settled her weight back down onto Kim grumbling in frustration.
"I’m sorry…I have to be in at 7:00 for a meeting," Jess explained with a pained expression.
Her body was throbbing and the last thing in the world she wanted was to leave this bed and the beautiful blond in it. She kissed Kim gently, loving the feel of her soft lips under hers. Forgetting about the alarm, she slowly pushed her tongue into Kim’s mouth. When Kim’s tongue entwined with hers, Jess moaned into her mouth. Jess forced herself away when the alarm shrilled again. She rolled off of Kim and sat up on the side of the bed turning off the alarm.
"I’m sorry," she repeated. "What time do you have to be in?"
"I’m sorry too. I don’t have to be in ‘til 9," Kim informed Jess.
"No reason for you to get up then. Relax and get some more sleep. I’ll reset the alarm for you."
Kim was afraid of pushing Jess too far, too soon. She pushed back the covers and sat up on the side of the bed next to Jess.
"No, that’s Ok. I’ll just leave with you and head home."
Jess had lost all interest in the conversation when Kim’s nude body emerged from under the covers. She leaned over kissing Kim’s neck. Her hand reached out of its own accord stroking a silky thigh. When Jess’s hand slid higher Kim reached out laying her hand on top of Jess’s, stopping her upward movement. Kim was already aroused from their earlier play and knew if Jess didn’t stop touching her they were both going to be late.
"Jess…Jess… shower…work…late." Kim forced the words out of her mouth past her mounting arousal.
Jess forced her hands away from the enticing blond. She looked over with passion filled eyes seeing her desire mirrored in Kim. She mentally shook herself calling on her ER Chief persona to get herself up and away from the bed.
"Right, I’ll grab a shower. Please relax, make yourself at home. You don’t have to run off." Jess smiled shyly at Kim.
Kim could see the sincerity in Jess’s eyes and her own fear of being hurt lessened just a little more.
They stared at each other for several moments each seeing what they’d hoped for in each other’s eyes.
Jess finally broke the stare as she walked away mumbling, "Shower…work…late."
Kim laughed, enjoying the view as Jess headed for the bathroom. As soon as Jess was gone Kim made her decision. She hopped out of bed looking around Jess’s room. She spotted an oversized tee shirt draped over a chair. Quickly sliding it over her head she inhaled deeply enjoying the scent, knowing it was Jess’s. She headed for the kitchen. Thor greeted her enthusiastically. She let the big dog out into the yard as she had seen Jess do previously. Kim knew she didn’t have much time. She searched Jess’s kitchen for what she needed. The coffee was brewed and the bagels hot when Jess stepped into the kitchen.
She took in the scene. Kim was behind the center island wrapping up a bagel. Thor had not greeted her when she came in which surprised her.
"You didn’t have to do that." Kim jumped when Jess spoke; she hadn’t heard her come into the room. Jess stood in the doorway with a bright smile on her face.
As Jess stepped closer to Kim her eyes drifted down to Kim’s attire. Her eyes skimmed over the tee shirt she was wearing. It barely covered past the tops of her thighs. Jess was nearly overcome by a flash of arousal when she realized it was ALL she was wearing. Trying to gain some control over her libido, Jess forced her ER Chief persona to the surface.
Kim was so focused on admiring Jess in her Dockers and shirt she missed the changed expression on Jess’s face. As she stepped forward to hug Jess she was shocked when Jess stepped back.
"Please don’t touch me." Jess spoke more harshly than intended.
To Kim, it was like a slap in the face. She immediately berated herself. You are so stupid. You just had to push too hard. She told you Myra pressured her to move in. What’s the first thing you do after your first night together… play Susie homemaker and make her think you want to move right in.
Kim tensed when Jess suddenly leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"If you touch me right now, I won’t be responsible for my actions. I’ve wanted to rip that tee shirt off of your body from the second I stepped into this room.
The breath whooshed out of Kim in relief. She looked up into Jess’s eyes, seeing the fire burning and her struggle to control it. She slowly stepped back so the counter again separated them.
"Have you seen Thor?" Jess asked suddenly, desperate to take her mind off the scantily clad woman in her kitchen.
"I let him out back. Was that ok?"
Kim was confused when Jess suddenly grinned.
"He went out when you told him… That’s great!"
Kim didn’t have a clue why Jess was so happy. The confusion must have shown on her face.
"He never obeys anyone but me. Myra used to get furious because he ignored her. He wouldn’t go out for her or let her into the house if I wasn’t here." Jess told her happily. "He knows you belong here." Jess blushed hotly when she realized what she’d just said.
Kim grinned at Jess’s red face. "I’m glad Jess. That makes me happy." She reassured the embarrassed woman.
Jess glanced at the clock knowing she’d be late if she didn’t get out of there. She walked over and started rummaging in a kitchen drawer. Finding what she wanted, she turned to Kim.
"I really have to go. Please make yourself at home. There are fresh towels in the bathroom." She handed Kim the object in her hand. "Please let Thor in and lock up before you go."
Kim stared at the keys resting in her hand. She couldn’t believe after all Jess told her that she was giving her a set of keys. Her more rational mind spoke up. No way. She’s going to want them back…just wait.
Jess was getting a little concerned about Kim’s lack of response. She relaxed when Kim looked up, smiling brightly.
"No problem. Now go to work!" Kim told her as she handed her a travel mug and a bagel.
Jess leaned over the counter, not trusting herself to get too close to Kim. Kim snickered at Jess’s caution. Jess kissed her softly on the lips, whispering as she pulled away, "See you at work."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess walked into the ER with a smile on her face. She greeted several of the Staff and the desk clerk Penny. She left a very amazed group in her wake as she headed for her office. Peter was the first to speak.
"There’s definitely something going on with her. Did you see that smile?"
"Maybe she was just in a good mood." One of the other Staff offered.
Several people laughed at that.
"This is Dr. I’m a Bitch McKenna we’re talking about." Penny snidely commented. She’d never forgiven the doctor for turning her down…repeatedly.
"That’s the second time I’ve seen her smile. Last week she smiled like that when Dr. Donovan came into the lounge. Maybe they’re together?" Damn, he thought to himself disgustedly, That’s just not right.
Penny felt a surge of jealously at Peter’s words. She wanted to date the beautiful blond psychiatrist and the thought of Dr. McKenna taking her away infuriated her.
"No way!" Penny told the group at the admit desk. "Dr. McKenna doesn’t date people she works with."
"I don’t care why she’s in a good mood. I just hope it lasts. We better get to work before she comes back," commented one of the nurses.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess was in her office unaware she’d been the topic of conversation at the admit desk. She was lost in thoughts of Kim, the night they’d spent together and the incredible feelings she stirred in her. Jess acknowledged to herself that she hadn’t felt this good in years. And it wasn’t just the sex, though it had been great sex. She marveled at the fact that seeing Kim in her kitchen hadn’t bothered her in the least. As a matter of fact, she’d liked it. She shook her head trying to force all the thoughts swirling around away. She remembered she had another week of Chris Roberts covering Psych consults for the ER. The man was an arrogant ass but today even the thought of having to put up with him couldn’t dampen her good mood.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim strolled into the ER just before 9am. She wondered what Jess’s reaction to working together would be now that they were lovers. She was pulled out of her thoughts by the desk clerk Penny.
"Hey Dr. Donovan, how are you this morning?" She asked smiling brightly at Kim.
"Good Penny. Thanks for asking."
"You have several charts to sign off. I kept them for you in case you came down."
Penny handed the charts to Kim keeping her hand in contact with Kim’s longer than necessary. When Kim drew back Penny rested her hand on top of Kim’s on the counter.
"So, I was wondering, are you free for lunch today?" Penny asked.
Kim pulled her hand out from under Penny’s and stepped back slightly from the counter.
"No. Sorry, I’m busy."
Jess walked up just in time to hear Penny ask Kim out. She felt a surge of jealousy at the idea of Kim dating someone else.
"Hi Kim." Jess greeted with a bright smile. "What brings you down to the pits?"
Before Kim had a chance to reply Jess leaned over placing a quick kiss on her cheek.
It was a toss up who was more shocked, Kim or Penny. Penny’s anger soared. How dare she take the woman I want! Dr. McKenna had turned her down numerous times saying she didn’t date women she worked with. Now she was trying to take the woman Penny wanted and a co-worker at that.
Kim was momentarily speechless. She glanced up at Jess seeing the mischievous sparkle in her eyes and half smirk on her face. Kim was willing to bet Jess had overheard Penny asking her out.
"I’m covering the ER this week." Kim informed Jess, finally regaining her voice.
"That’s great! Come on; let’s put your stuff away."
Jess happily led Kim down the hall to their office.
Penny watched them walk away. She was already plotting all the things she could do to separate them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess turned as soon as the office door closed, enveloping Kim in a tight hug. "I missed you." Jess told her, lowering her lips to meet Kim’s in a passionate kiss.
Her hands immediately begin to wander. When Jess pulled Kim’s shirt out of her pants, Kim stopped her.
"Jess, we can’t do this here." Kim groaned fighting her own arousal.
"I know." Jess said before kissing her again. When the need for air could no longer be ignored she pulled away somewhat breathless. Kim stepped away putting the desk between them.
"Think that’s gonna help?" Jess smirked.
"Probably not." Kim acknowledged.
Desperately needing to get her mind on something else besides the beautiful woman across the desk Kim pulled Jess’s keys out of her pocket.
"Here’s your keys. I let Thor in and locked up."
"Keep them. Never know when you might need them again." Jess told Kim grinning at her surprise.
Kim couldn’t believe it. She clutched the keys to her chest like she’d been given a precious gift. "Are you sure Jess?"
"Yep." Jess answered simply.
Jess’s pager went off sending her hurrying off into the ER.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From there the day just got busier. It was almost lunchtime and Kim hadn’t seen Jess except in passing. Several major trauma cases had come in keeping her busy. Kim had counseled several family members of the victims. Those, along with several run of the mill crazies, had kept her busy as well.
As she left the exam room of her last patient she overheard two nurses talking.
"Did you hear about McKenna and Donovan?" the first nurse asked.
"No. What about them?"
"When Donovan came in this morning she and McKenna locked lips at the admit desk!"
"You’ve got to be kidding, Ice Queen McKenna?" the second nurse responded incredulously.
"Yep." the first nurse continued, "Swept her into her arms and stuck her tongue down her throat!"
The two women walked away laughing before Kim could hear anymore of the conversation. She immediately thought of Jess and worried she would be upset by the gossip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jess had already heard the gossip, several times. She’d overheard a number of conversations about the events at the admit desk each one more outrageous than the last. She hoped Kim wouldn’t be upset by the gossip. Jess had long ago learned to ignore it. She made her way back to the admit desk hoping to have lunch with Kim.
Jess found Kim standing at the admit desk frowning in irritation.
"Hey what’s up Kim? How about lunch?"
Kim continued to frown as her eyes swept the counter again. She finally turned her attention to Jess.
"Several of the charts I was working on have disappeared. I need to complete them so the patients can be admitted."
Jess turned to the desk clerk. "Penny, have you seen Dr. Donovan’s charts?"
"No, Dr. McKenna. I sure haven’t." Penny replied innocently. She’d taken the charts while Kim was in an exam room.
"I’m sorry Jess; I can’t leave ‘til I find them. Guess I’ll have to pass on lunch." Kim told her with a disappointed sigh.
Neither woman saw the satisfied smirk on Penny’s face.
"I bet they got mixed in with the regular ER admit charts. Come on, I’ll help you find them."
Penny’s smirk quickly turned to an angry frown as the two women walked away together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The charts found, the two women were enjoying lunch together in the cafeteria. Kim noticed people kept staring at them and then looked away when she met their eyes. She watched to see if Jess had noticed as well. She had.
"Umm… Jess I think you need to know. There has been some gossip about us." Kim began hesitantly.
Jess decided to play innocent. "Really?"
Jess’s innocent act didn’t fool Kim for a second. She could see Jess’s eyes twinkling in amusement.
"I guess you heard it huh? I can’t believe they took an innocent little peck on the cheek and turned it into a passionate kiss." Kim groused.
"You heard the boring one. I heard the one where I ripped your clothes off and had you… right there on the admit desk."
"WHAT!!!" Kim shouted. Several heads turned to see what was going on.
Jess busted up laughing. "Just kidding, that’s what I heard too."
Kim reached out and playfully hit Jess on the arm.
"Careful." she warned Kim. "Next we’ll hear about you punching me out in the cafeteria."
"So you’re really not upset?" Kim questioned.
"Na… I’m just sorry we didn’t give them something to actually gossip about." Jess replied with a grin.
"Maybe now there will be less people asking you out at the admit desk." Jess added in a quiet voice.
The beeping of Jess’s pager interrupted their laughter. Jess checked the display.
"ER 911. Let’s go."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim sat at her desk signing off on her last charts for the week. Her thoughts turned to Jess. She and Jess had been dating for two weeks. All of her fears of working with Jess now that they were lovers had vanished. If anything, they worked better together. Her week back on the Psych floor had been miserable. She missed the challenges of the ER and working with Jess.
The last two weeks with Jess had been great. They had lunch together whenever possible and dinner after work. Because of the demanding schedule of the ER, they weren’t able to spend quality time together during the week away from work. Kim had spent the previous weekend at Jess’s house. It had been wonderful even with the restrictions Jess placed on their lovemaking. She had no trouble touching Kim; in fact at times she was insatiable. Kim felt she was slowly but surely breaking down Jess’s barriers, but it was slow going. If Kim forgot and pushed Jess to her back covering her she would immediately grow tense and unresponsive. Kim still wondered what trauma Jess’s past contained. She knew she would never totally let her in until she told Kim what haunted her.
Her charts complete, Kim headed for the ER to meet Jess. Jess had invited her for dinner after work and asked her to spend the night. Kim looked forward to their evening and their Saturday together. Jess was going to San Diego on Sunday to visit her sister. Kim had hoped Jess would invite her but that hadn’t happened. Jess had made great strides but Kim was afraid to push her too hard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim walked into the conference room on Monday morning. It was the quarterly staff meeting of the Psych Department. Philip had offered very little resistance to her plan and presented the proposal she had written up to the Executive committee, obtaining approval. She was scheduled to speak and outline the plan to the rest of the staff. She knew it would be greeted with enthusiasm. She nodded greetings to several people around the table before taking a seat next to Chris. Philip called the meeting to order and Kim sat back listening, waiting her turn.
"Now for the last item on our agenda, Kim has an announcement to make." Philip told the assembled group. "Kim..."
"As you all know, I am the Liaison with the ER. I’ve had numerous complaints about Psych coverage from the ER."
"That’s because they are totally unreasonable," piped up Chris.
Kim glared at the man before continuing. "When Staff is assigned to the ER they aren’t remaining in the department as they should. They are slow responding to pages." Kim held up her hand before anyone else could complain. "There is also the problem of there always being someone different supervising Psych residents on ER Rotation."
"There’s no office to use when assigned down there. McKenna treats us like residents. I personally prefer to work the Psych floor." One of the Staff complained.
"I understand everyone’s concerns, thus my plan. Starting this week there will be a new ER Psych Attending position in the ER. They’ll cover the ER and supervise the Psych residents assigned to the ER on a permanent basis. The only time you’ll be required to cover the ER is when you have duty. Someone needs to cover the Attending’s days off. There will be no more two-week rotations covering the ER."
Cheering broke out in the room.
Philip stood up. "All right people…settle down. I’ve received approval from the Hospital Executive committee for the creation of a permanent ER Psych Attending slot. There was some opposition from the Chief of Staff as to the need for the position."
Several people grimaced at the mention of Dr. Rodman.
"However," Philip continued, "he was overruled. So, meet your new ER Psych Attending, Dr. Kimberly Donovan."
Everyone cheered again. As the meeting ended, several people approached Kim offering their condolences.
"Who has the duty pager?" Kim asked the departing group.
One of the Staff pulled the pager off his belt and handed it to Kim.
"It’s turned off!" She complained.
"Well…yeah… we were in a meeting," The Staff arrogantly replied.
Kim just shook her head in disgust. No wonder the ER complained about Psych she thought as she headed for the ER.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Kim stepped off the elevator into the ER she could hear Jess yelling.
"Call Psych NOW! Tell them to get their asses down here!!!"
"I’m here." Kim could see how angry Jess was. She attempted to explain. "There was a meeting…"
Jess cut her off before she could continue. "I could care less about Psych meetings Dr. Donovan. When I page you, I expect you to show up!"
Kim felt her own anger rise. "I was just given the duty pager two minutes ago Dr. McKenna. It was turned off by the Staff on call." She responded angrily.
Jess blew out a breath trying to calm down. "We have a 25 year old male; diagnosed schizophrenic, off his meds. He was combative and paranoid. We sedated him but he’s still very agitated. He needs to be evaluated and admitted to Psych. He’s in exam two."
"Thank you, I’ll take care of it right away." Kim replied crisply as she walked away.
Peter had watched the confrontation from the doorway of the exam room. He scurried up to Kim figuring now was his chance. "I’ll help with him Kim. Don’t let that Bitch get you down." He smiled at Kim sympathetically. "When we’re done we can go get a cup of coffee."
Kim scowled at the resident before entering the exam room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim hadn’t seen Jess all day except in passing. She was in the lounge getting a cup of coffee when Jess came in. Kim could see Jess was uncomfortable. Wanting to let her know she wasn’t angry, Kim spoke softly to Jess.
"Hey Jess, sorry about this morning. I didn’t get the pager ‘til late and it was off. I headed down here as soon as I could."
Jess stepped over closer to Kim. "I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have blown my top like that without letting you explain. I really need to talk with Philip about his Staff’s behavior when assigned to the ER… Not you." Jess added quickly.
Kim laughed lightly. "I don’t think that’s going to be a problem anymore."
Jess looked at her questioningly.
"That’s what the meeting I was in was about. Meet your new permanent ER Psych Attending." Kim told her with a smile.
Jess pulled Kim into a hug. "That’s great! I’ve been trying to get the committee to approve that position for years, with no luck. Congratulations and welcome to the ER."
Forgetting where they were Jess kissed Kim’s lips in a soft congratulatory kiss. As it tended to happen with them, the kiss quickly got out of control. Jess slid her tongue into Kim’s mouth coaxing her tongue out to play. They never heard the door of the lounge opening.
"Hey Dr. McKenna…." Penny’s voice trailed off in shock at the sight of the two women locked in a passionate kiss. Her heart sank. She had tried everything to cause problems between the women. Not passing on messages, passing along made up gossip about Dr. McKenna to Kim. Anything she could think of to cause friction. Obviously it hadn’t worked. She sighed in resignation finally accepting she didn’t have a chance with the beautiful psychiatrist.
Jess released Kim’s lips but kept her arms around her. "What is it Penny?"
"We have a single vehicle accident coming in. Four passengers, all teens."
"Thanks. I’ll be right there."
Penny lingered until Jess’s pointed stare forced her out of the room.
"That should set the gossip flying again." Kim sighed as she laid her head on Jess’s shoulder.
"Don’t worry about it. Sooner they get used to you being my girlfriend, the better."
Kim looked up at Jess in surprise. "Your girlfriend?"
Jess looked shocked for a second then grinned broadly. "I did say that didn’t I? Yes, my girlfriend. If you’ll have me?"
Kim’s answer was a sizzling kiss that left Jess panting.
"I’ll take that as a yes." Jess said still trying to catch her breath.
A commotion in the hall interrupted. "That must be the trauma. I have to go."
Jess gave Kim one last squeeze and a peck on the lips before she left.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kim had been called in when one of the teens in the accident had accused the driver of intentionally wrecking the car. The girl and boy who had been riding in the back weren’t seriously hurt. The passenger in the front seat hadn’t been wearing a seatbelt and was seriously injured.
Kim talked to the young man for a long time. He had eventually confided the whole story to her. He’d been out with a girl and another couple. They had parked in a secluded area and started making out with the girls. When things had escalated and he attempted to have sex with the girl he’d been unable to. Finally he told Kim, he hadn’t gotten an erection. The girl had ridiculed him and the three teens began to torment him. As they were driving back the other boy had suggested maybe he was a queer. When thoughts of being humiliated at school filled his head, he just drove off the embankment.
Kim patiently explained to the boy that not having an erection with a girl didn’t make him gay. He then admitted that he’d been having feelings for other guys in his school. She told him he would need to be admitted as he had tried to harm himself and others. The girl in the front seat had a serious head injury.
"You can’t tell anybody what I told you... right?" the boy asked in panic.
"You did try to harm yourself and others got hurt. That has to be reported."
The boy became sullen and refused to speak to Kim. She admitted him to Psych on a suicide watch for further evaluation.