“No,” Kerry agreed. “I used to save up my allowance and go out and get myself one thing, a toy or whatever, that I wanted.” She considered.
“I remember the year I got myself an Erector Set. My mother was so pissed off at me. She took it away and gave it to Mike, who turned around and gave it back to me, of course. I kept it under my bed and played with it when she was out shopping.”
“An Erector Set? What problem did she have with that?” Dar asked in a puzzled tone.
“It was a boy toy.”
“Your mother needs an injection of the late twentieth century.” Dar snorted. “I don’t want to tell you how many expansion sets I had for mine.”
Kerry smiled. “Did you make anything significant?”
Dar pulled into her parking spot and turned the Lexus off. “A mechanical system to turn off and on the lights, the stereo, and adjust the sound in my room.” She got out and popped the back hatch to retrieve Kerry’s gifts. “And a car that got my sneakers from my closet.”
Kerry giggled so hard she had to lean against the Lexus’ door.
“I did one that unloaded my mother’s acrylic paint tubes and moved them into the garage, but that didn’t last long.”
Kerry slid down to the ground, holding her sides.
“Then there was the dog,” Dar went on. “I gave up trying to get its tail to wag, though. The little motors just wouldn’t start and stop when I wanted them to.” She lifted the box out of the back, then paused, as her abused muscles protested. “Ow.”
“God, sorry.” Kerry hauled herself up off the ground and hurried over to help. “Sorry, sorry. I keep forgetting your back.”
“Me too,” Dar admitted, wincing.
“Well, the most extensive thing I made with mine was an amusement park,” Kerry told her, as they edged up the stairs with their burden. “A Ferris wheel and a merry go round. I even found little plastic horses for the carousel.” She keyed in her code, then grabbed the knob and pulled the door open. “Whoa, whoa. Easy, Chino.”
“Rooo!” The Labrador hurtled out, nearly knocking her owners over.
Eye of the Storm 457
“Easy, easy.” Dar laughed, as she maneuvered past the excited dog and got into the condo. They put the presents down on the dining room table, and Dar continued on into the kitchen. “I’m going to put some coffee up. Turn the TV on, willya?”
“Sure.” Kerry trotted to the TV and did just that, then sat down on the loveseat to pet Chino. “Hey, honey. How are you?”
“Agurff.” Chino mouthed Kerry’s hand enthusiastically.
“Here.” Dar returned from the kitchen, with a handful of mail.
“Looks like you got some cards.” She handed over five or six envelopes, then dropped down onto the couch to leaf through the remainder. Idly, she reached a hand out to scratch Kerry’s back, and the blonde woman leaned back, settling into the curve of her arm.
“Dar?”
“Yes?” Dar opened a letter one handed, scanning its contents. “Oh.
More stock options. Great.”
“Thanks.”
“For what?” Puzzled blue eyes gazed at her. “Getting you your mail?”
“Just thanks.” Kerry gave her a one armed hug, then stayed curled up where she was to open her cards. “Oh look. Baby pictures.” She showed one of Angie and the new baby. “He’s a lot less wrinkled now, huh?” She turned the picture over and drew in a surprised breath. “Oh, Dar. Look.”
“Hmm?” Dar inclined her head to read the black penned inscription.
“She named him Andrew?” Her voice rose.
“Yeah.” Kerry laughed in delighted. “Wow. That is so cool.” She put the picture down and opened the next one, a funny card from Michael.
“He’s so strange sometimes.” She lifted out a golden red leaf. “He sent this because we don’t have season changes.”
Dar snickered.
“What else? Oh, this must be from Aunt Penny.” Kerry smiled, seeing the creamy white, heavy paper. She opened the top and pulled out a card. “I sent her a picture of us, by the way.” She opened the card. “Oh, hey, she’s going to be here in Miami and she wants to come see us.”
“Huh.” Dar cocked her head. “Interesting handwriting.”
“She wants to meet you.” Kerry gave her a gentle elbow.
“Uh oh.” Dar stifled a yawn.
“Nah. She’s really nice. You’ll like her.” Kerry tucked the card away, then opened the last envelope, pulled the sedate, gold foil card out and opened it.
“I’m sure she is,” Dar answered absently. “You want to take her out on the boat?”
There was no answer.
“Ker?” Dar peered at her partner.
Kerry swallowed and tilted the card in shaking fingers so that Dar could see it. “It’s…it’s from my parents.”
Dar blinked. It was a simple card, with only “Happy Birthday” in 458 Melissa Good ornate script in the center, and “mom and dad” written in. “Huh. How d’you like that?” She smiled and gave Kerry a hug. “Does that make you feel better?”
Kerry just stared at the card, turning it over in her fingers and shaking her head. “I don’t know what I feel,” she answered softly. “Bewildered. Amazed.” She paused. “Relieved, maybe.” Kerry thought about that. “Yeah, relieved.”
Dar felt her partner’s body relax and she did as well. “I’m glad.” She nuzzled Kerry’s hair.
“Me too,” Kerry replied, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. She tipped her head back and caught Dar’s lips. “Now I can start to leave that behind. Who knows? Maybe one day we can all sit down and talk.” She regarded Dar’s face thoughtfully. “Maybe meeting your folks and seeing how accepting they were helped.”
Dar’s eyebrow lifted. “Could be.” She glanced at the television screen as she caught a familiar scene. “Hey.” She nudged Kerry, who turned the volume up.
“And this late breaking news bulletin. The FBI announced, just a few moments ago that it had concluded its investigation into the explosion at District Memorial Hospital. Here’s the announcement as it happened.”
“Oh. That’s the FBI guy Dad spoke to in the back there,” Kerry whispered, pointing.
“Hmm.” Dar nodded.
An older FBI agent stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat.
Behind him, an easel was set up with a diagram of the hospital on it. “Our investigators have searched thoroughly, and what they have determined was this.” He picked up a pointer. “The explosion started at this point, in the hospital kitchen. We’ve determined that the natural gas storage tanks ignited, and sent a firestorm through the pipes up the utility stack here.”
“Huh.” Dar blinked.
“Then, because these pipes run concurrently with the oxygen pipes, when the gas pipes overheated and blew, the oxygen lines went also. That sent off multiple explosions here.” He pointed. “Here, and here.”
Another tap. “Ending up igniting the gas storage areas right around the operating theatres.”
“Wow.” Kerry drew in a breath. “So it wasn’t a bomb.”
“The FBI is satisfied that, pending further investigation into what ignited the gas tank in the kitchen, that it appears to us that no criminal act has taken place here, beside the design flaw that allows the two types of gas pipes to exist in the same space.”
“How do you like that?” Dar murmured.
“Yeah.” Kerry exhaled. “I’m glad.”
“Mmm.” Dar studied the screen pensively, unable to disagree.
BUZZ.
Dar opened a sleep fogged blue eye and peered at the clock in out-Eye of the Storm 459
rage. “Who in the hell is calling here at three a.m.?”
Buzz.
Slap. “Hello?” Dar growled sleepily.
“Hey there, Dardar.”