"B...? Kerry got up and chased after her. "Dar! Wait a minute?" She caught up to her at the inner door and gently took hold of her arm. "Hey, hey...hey--"
Dar stopped, but there was a perceptible pause before she turned, and when she did, her expression was dour. "What?"
As their relationship progressed, Kerry had learned bit by bit just what worked with Dar and what didn't. She had no idea what the heck was going on with her, but she knew enough to know that attempting to placate her at this point would do exactly jack squat. "Okay."
"Okay what?" Dar repeated, but in a slightly modified tone.
"Okay, we've both already cycled this month, and it's not a full moon. So let's blow this office and get some lunch." Kerry said. "Somewhere outside this building."
Dar hesitated, then she wrinkled her nose up and clucked her tongue. "I'm in a really pissy mood. You don't want to have lunch with me. Maybe I should just go to the corner and get a hot dog." She said. "Last person I want to wrangle with is you."
Kerry bumped her gently. "C'mon." She replied softly. "We'll talk about the new fish tank." She looked up into Dar's eyes, watching the strong planes of her partner's face shift a little as some of the storm clouds faded. "I'm sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way, I didn't mean to."
Dar scowled, but it was one of her more engaging ones. "S'allright. I didn't mean to be a touchy, whiny ass this morning." She eased closer, exhaling as her body relaxed. "Lunch sounds great. You can try and talk me into those boxing crabs." She gave Kerry a gentle pat on the side. "Let me go close my machine down and we can take off."
Kerry stepped back and watched as she left, her own body relaxing from the tension she always felt in the times when they disagreed. "Thank god it doesn't happen often." She turned and went back to her desk hitting her intercom button as she sat down. "Mayte? Was that anything critical? C'mon in."
After a moment, the outer door opened, and Mayte poked her head in and entered, crossing over to Kerry's desk. "It was Mr. Jose. He has a gigantic problem with something in Los Angeles." She handed over a piece of paper with some notes. "I wrote down what it is he said, but he wants to talk to you."
Kerry reviewed the notes. "Well, he's going to have to wait until after lunch." She decided. "Dar's in a mood, and I'm going to work on getting her out of it. Let him know I'll be up to his office when I get back."
Mayte blinked at her. "Si." She agreed softly. "I will do that. And thank you before, Kerry, for your advice. It is appreciated."
"No problem." Kerry smiled. "Good luck."
Mayte smiled back, then left.
Kerry leaned back and studied the closed door. "Nah." She shook her head. "It's not me." With a click, she locked her computer screen, and headed off to wrangle fish.
Chapter Five
"OH, SHIT!"
It was like something exploding against her head. One moment she was spinning into a defensive kick block and the next the world was turning over around her and the floor was coming up way too fast at a very wrong angle.
"Ker!" Dar dropped her hands and bolted ducking under the arm of her startled sparring partner. Kerry's body had barely hit the mat before she was dropping to a knee at her side, reaching for the arm Kerry had curled around her head.
"Jesus! I'm really sorry!" Kerry's sparring partner also knelt, looking mortified. "Man, I didn't mean to kick you like that!"
"Ow...not your fault." Kerry hissed. "I stepped into it. Damn...that hurt." She half rolled over, recognizing the arms closing around her. "I'm used to someone taller."
"Easy." Dar pulled her hand away. "Let me see."
"Ahh, Dr. Dar." Kerry turned her head slightly, her face only half visible under her foam protective gear. "I think his boot..."
"Got you right in the eye." Dar winced.
Several other students gathered around with concerned expressions. The teacher came over, crouching down next to them with a frown. "What happened?"
Dar eased the head protector off, pushing Kerry's sweaty blond locks back to reveal an angry, red patch starting above her right eyebrow and extending across her eye to her cheek bone The eye itself was closed, moisture leaking from the inside corner. "Oh, boy."
Kerry reached up, then let her hand fall when Dar gently took hold of her face. "We were going through that new roundhouse kick, and I turned the wrong way," she said. "Ow."
"That's gonna bruise." One of the other students said sympathetically. "You should get some ice on it."
"Yeah." The instructor agreed. "I think you should, too." He glanced across the training room. "We're done here, anyway. I was about to call practice."
"Me, three." Dar responded promptly. "C'mon, Ker."
Not really wanting to be picked up and carried, Kerry carefully rolled onto her side, then got her knees under her. She was glad of Dar's steadying hand, though, because when she tried to open her eye, the stinging tears made her promptly shut it again.
It hurt like hell. She got to her feet, with Dar's hands firmly grasping her wrist and upper arm and stood a moment, getting her balance. "Jesus, that hurts."
Dar made a small noise, which Kerry recognized immediately. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, straightening up and giving her partner a pat on the side. "Okay, give me a second to catch my breath, then we can head for the icebox."
"I think we should detour." Dar said, tilting Kerry's head up to the light and looking at the forming bruise. "I'd like Dr. Steve to take a look at that."
"Dar..."
"That's a very good idea." Don, the instructor, interjected. "I think Dar is right."
"God, I'm so sorry." Kerry's sparring partner repeated. "Kerry, I don't think you moved wrong, I think I did. I was supposed to go right."
Kerry felt a headache coming on, and her eye was stinging badly now. She didn't want to have to go to the doctor, but she didn't want to stand there arguing either. "Okay." She nodded. "Let's go." She let Dar guide her to the locker room, and sat quietly as her partner unlaced her gloves and removed them.
"That's gonna hurt." Dar muttered. "Son of a bitch."
"He didn't do it on purpose, hon." Kerry felt the headache getting worse, and she didn't object when Dar took her by the shoulders and eased her up onto her feet, so she could strip the workout gear off her body. "I'm going to have a black eye, aren't I?"
Dar cupped her face in both hands. "Oh yeah." She informed her regretfully. "Can you open that eye?" She watched as a sliver of very bloodshot white and a bit of green appeared. "Can you see?"
Kerry closed her other eye and blinked a few times, then nodded. "Yeah, it just hurts." She reassured Dar. "I think I just need a cold compress." She paused. "Or maybe the old fashioned cure--a chilled piece of roast beef."
Dar managed a short laugh. "I think it's supposed to be raw sirloin." She tossed Kerry's gear into her locker, and handed her a t-shirt. "Slip that on. Let me get this junk off me."
Kerry eased the shirt over her head as Dar stripped out of her own gear and rid herself of her sweat drenched shirt, pulling a gray heather tank top over her sports bra. "Hey, Dar?"
Dar turned and faced her. "Hmm?"
"You're really sexy when you're grubby. How do you do that?"
Dar carefully looked around and then back at her. "Are you trying to distract me from taking you to the doctor?"
"Me?" Kerry eased her small duffel over her shoulder. "Would I do that? No. I was just making an observation." She meekly followed Dar from the locker room, tangling her fingers in the waistband of Dar's shorts as the throbbing in her head intensified.