The Morning After
Follows this.
Kim awakens sometime later; disoriented, she's not sure how long. It's dark and there is someone with her, someone hot and sticky. The bed is damp and her hair... but she's not disoriented for long and she sits upright with a gasp, the sheets falling away from her naked breasts. "Oh my God." She crosses her arms over them instantly.
Movement in the bed sends a message of alarm to Carter's brain and he sits up suddenly. He's aware just as suddenly that his head is pounding. The confusion clears within seconds and he looks at Kim, his eyes wide.
There's a stickiness and a throbbing between her thighs that only emphasizes the memories of... how long ago? A night of losing control. Of total foolishness. Of something that shouldn't have happened. She doesn't look at Carter. "Where are my clothes?" Her voice is shaking with unshed tears.
His eyes close, his mind struggles to remember. He doesn't remember. Shit. "Out by the pool, I think. Out back."
"Oh God." Her face drops into her hands, and for the moment she is too mortified to move.
"Kim..." He starts, but stops. What can he say? What can he possibly say? "Do you want...to shower? I'll go get your clothes and bring them back up here."
She lowers her hands. "No, that's okay. I think I should just go home." She feels sick, and the tears begin to trickle down her cheeks.
"We'll...have to call a cab anyway. I left the Jeep..." He swallows hard. "Kim, look. It was..."As many times as he's been in a situation like this, and he still doesn't know what to say. "We're both adults here. We should...talk about this."
"What do you want to say?" She picks at the sheet, not bothering to cover herself now. "We both know it was a mistake."
"Only because we haven't known each other very long. And we've both just been through some pretty rough times. But...you were one of the few people I could talk to after the baby died, and I was there with you when you were reunited with Leo. I'm not saying it wasn't a mistake, we both know it was. But...it's not...I mean...I care about you, Kim. I don't want to lose your friendship because we drank a little too much and lost our inhibitions."
She sighs. "I know. I know. But..." Something hits her, and she begins to cry for real. "God, John. We didn't use anything."
He blinks, fighting the tears that well up in his eyes and the nausea that rockets through him suddenly. Fuck. "Kim..."
"I should go." She slides from the bed and stands there, trying not to cry too hard. Her clothes are out by the pool and... "Shit."
He slips out of the bed and gets one of his shirts from the closet. "Put this on." He takes it to her and slips one on himself.
She does so, keeping her eyes turned away from him.
"I'll call a cab to come get you. And...Kim...I'm sorry."
"I don't want to be sorry, John. I don't want to be. I really like you and... God, I mean the sex... it was wonderful. It was. But... we.... I... everything..."
He nods. "I..I know. I really like you too, Kim. Really. And...yes. It was wonderful. Every moment. And...I don't think I've slept that well since...well, for a long time. And I really don't want you to leave right now."
She almost laughs through her tears, but it's a sad laugh. "I don't want to leave either."
"Then...don't. Not yet. I'll go get our clothes, you'd probably never find your way anyway. This house is like a big maze. I'll fix breakfast for us, and then we'll call a cab."
"What about... my mother and Leo?" She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'm sure your mother knows where you are. At least, that you're with me. You can call her while I go downstairs."
"Oh God." Now Kim blushes deeply. "She'll think I'm in college again or something. Or that I think I am."
"But you're not."
"No but I'm acting like I am. I wasn't in college but... how do you think I got Leo?"
He reaches up to brush the tears from her cheeks. Carelessness and stupidity. The same way I got Kem pregnant. "It's...If...We'll deal with it. But, we were drunk. That decreases the chances. And...I could see myself having babies with you and if you are, Kim, we'll deal with it. We can go to the hospital, I can run a blood test..."
"I'm not getting an abortion."
He shakes his head and his hands drop down to hers. "No. God. No. I'd never ask you to do that. After what I...I just lost a child, and he is still the most precious thing I've ever known. I meant we'd deal with it. Together."
She nods, but the fact that she can't believe this is happening, that no matter how much she likes him this still shouldn't have happened causes the tears to continue flowing silently, and all of her insides are tied in tight little knots.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a quick shower?" He asks, offering her the escape, a few minute alone.
"All right. I guess I should." She lifts her eyes to his now, even though it's still dark in the room. "What time is it?"
He glances at his watch. "Five thirty."
They've slept longer than she thought. "Oh God. I'll call my mother later. I'm not going to wake her up. She's going to know..."
"All right. I'll bring your clothes up and lay them on the bed."
"Okay." It's obvious that the closed door on the other side of the room is the bathroom. "Are there towels there already?"
"Should be. There's a linen closet behind the door. Everything you might need should be in there."
She nods and heads towards the door, feeling him watch her the whole time. She glances back once before closing herself inside.
Carter shuffles his feet out to the pool to retrieve their clothes. He takes Kim's up to the bedroom.
In the shower Kim just stands there for a while, a long while. She feels completely numb and isn't even crying anymore. Is this really happening? Did it really happen? Yes, and she knows it did and isn't a dream since she can feel the water finally starting to turn cold. It's only then that she gets out. John isn't in the room when she goes back into it, but her clothes are on the bed where he said they'd be.
Kim awakens sometime later; disoriented, she's not sure how long. It's dark and there is someone with her, someone hot and sticky. The bed is damp and her hair... but she's not disoriented for long and she sits upright with a gasp, the sheets falling away from her naked breasts. "Oh my God." She crosses her arms over them instantly.
Movement in the bed sends a message of alarm to Carter's brain and he sits up suddenly. He's aware just as suddenly that his head is pounding. The confusion clears within seconds and he looks at Kim, his eyes wide.
There's a stickiness and a throbbing between her thighs that only emphasizes the memories of... how long ago? A night of losing control. Of total foolishness. Of something that shouldn't have happened. She doesn't look at Carter. "Where are my clothes?" Her voice is shaking with unshed tears.
His eyes close, his mind struggles to remember. He doesn't remember. Shit. "Out by the pool, I think. Out back."
"Oh God." Her face drops into her hands, and for the moment she is too mortified to move.
"Kim..." He starts, but stops. What can he say? What can he possibly say? "Do you want...to shower? I'll go get your clothes and bring them back up here."
She lowers her hands. "No, that's okay. I think I should just go home." She feels sick, and the tears begin to trickle down her cheeks.
"We'll...have to call a cab anyway. I left the Jeep..." He swallows hard. "Kim, look. It was..."As many times as he's been in a situation like this, and he still doesn't know what to say. "We're both adults here. We should...talk about this."
"What do you want to say?" She picks at the sheet, not bothering to cover herself now. "We both know it was a mistake."
"Only because we haven't known each other very long. And we've both just been through some pretty rough times. But...you were one of the few people I could talk to after the baby died, and I was there with you when you were reunited with Leo. I'm not saying it wasn't a mistake, we both know it was. But...it's not...I mean...I care about you, Kim. I don't want to lose your friendship because we drank a little too much and lost our inhibitions."
She sighs. "I know. I know. But..." Something hits her, and she begins to cry for real. "God, John. We didn't use anything."
He blinks, fighting the tears that well up in his eyes and the nausea that rockets through him suddenly. Fuck. "Kim..."
"I should go." She slides from the bed and stands there, trying not to cry too hard. Her clothes are out by the pool and... "Shit."
He slips out of the bed and gets one of his shirts from the closet. "Put this on." He takes it to her and slips one on himself.
She does so, keeping her eyes turned away from him.
"I'll call a cab to come get you. And...Kim...I'm sorry."
"I don't want to be sorry, John. I don't want to be. I really like you and... God, I mean the sex... it was wonderful. It was. But... we.... I... everything..."
He nods. "I..I know. I really like you too, Kim. Really. And...yes. It was wonderful. Every moment. And...I don't think I've slept that well since...well, for a long time. And I really don't want you to leave right now."
She almost laughs through her tears, but it's a sad laugh. "I don't want to leave either."
"Then...don't. Not yet. I'll go get our clothes, you'd probably never find your way anyway. This house is like a big maze. I'll fix breakfast for us, and then we'll call a cab."
"What about... my mother and Leo?" She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand.
"I'm sure your mother knows where you are. At least, that you're with me. You can call her while I go downstairs."
"Oh God." Now Kim blushes deeply. "She'll think I'm in college again or something. Or that I think I am."
"But you're not."
"No but I'm acting like I am. I wasn't in college but... how do you think I got Leo?"
He reaches up to brush the tears from her cheeks. Carelessness and stupidity. The same way I got Kem pregnant. "It's...If...We'll deal with it. But, we were drunk. That decreases the chances. And...I could see myself having babies with you and if you are, Kim, we'll deal with it. We can go to the hospital, I can run a blood test..."
"I'm not getting an abortion."
He shakes his head and his hands drop down to hers. "No. God. No. I'd never ask you to do that. After what I...I just lost a child, and he is still the most precious thing I've ever known. I meant we'd deal with it. Together."
She nods, but the fact that she can't believe this is happening, that no matter how much she likes him this still shouldn't have happened causes the tears to continue flowing silently, and all of her insides are tied in tight little knots.
"Are you sure you don't want to take a quick shower?" He asks, offering her the escape, a few minute alone.
"All right. I guess I should." She lifts her eyes to his now, even though it's still dark in the room. "What time is it?"
He glances at his watch. "Five thirty."
They've slept longer than she thought. "Oh God. I'll call my mother later. I'm not going to wake her up. She's going to know..."
"All right. I'll bring your clothes up and lay them on the bed."
"Okay." It's obvious that the closed door on the other side of the room is the bathroom. "Are there towels there already?"
"Should be. There's a linen closet behind the door. Everything you might need should be in there."
She nods and heads towards the door, feeling him watch her the whole time. She glances back once before closing herself inside.
Carter shuffles his feet out to the pool to retrieve their clothes. He takes Kim's up to the bedroom.
In the shower Kim just stands there for a while, a long while. She feels completely numb and isn't even crying anymore. Is this really happening? Did it really happen? Yes, and she knows it did and isn't a dream since she can feel the water finally starting to turn cold. It's only then that she gets out. John isn't in the room when she goes back into it, but her clothes are on the bed where he said they'd be.