Author's Note: Janet Evanovich owns the characters. I'm just obsessed with them. This is more ansty than I normally write.
Heaven on the 7th Floor
Joe Morelli and I were in his new SUV on our way to his uncle's house for a family dinner. Uncle Vito lived close to Point Pleasant, so we had the time on our hands to check out his new satellite radio stations. I'm more into hard rock, but we were having fun checking out the different stations, especially the decade stations - 60's, 70's & 80's music.
As we sang along with Madonna's "Like A Virgin" on the 80's channel, I couldn't help but give a glancing thought to the moment at the Tasty Pastry where Joe took my virginity. I still had some lingering resentment about Joe walking away afterwards to write about it on the bathroom walls at Mario's Sub Shop and the stadium, then leaving for the Navy two days later. But, Morelli matured, and I had forgiven him.
We crooned to "Unchained Melody" on the 50's channel. Then, we laughed as we sang along with the Beatles in "Yellow Submarine" on the 60's channel. We skipped over to the 90's channel and heard Michael Bolton belting out "When A Man Loves A Woman". Joe looked over at me, and I blushed, knowing what he wanted to do with me when we came back home, if I let him.
We finally turned the station to the 70's channel and caught the tail end of "Disco Inferno". "Burn, Baby, Burn" played over and over. The next song was one I'd never really thought about before. "Heaven on the 7th Floor."
Going up, she said, uh, huh
Just as we had started
To climb together, hoo, hoo
Looking up, I said
Hey, look, umm
Maybe I could see you tonight
And she said, never
Thought I was out of luck
But ten seconds later
Somehow we got stuck
In that elevator, woo
Heaven on the 7th floor
(Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha)
Heaven on the 7th floor
(I wanna tell you)
I've never been so high before
So don't you rescue me
Never set me free
Hey, hey, hey
We're alone, I said, oh yeah
Looks like we could
Be here all night together
Hoo, hoo
There's a phone, she said, uh huh
You'd better have us out
In five minutes time, whatever
Please could you make it ten
I told the operator
I'm having so much fun
In this elevator
Heaven on the 7th floor
Heaven on the 7th floor
(I'm up in Heaven and I)
I've never been so high before
So don't you rescue me
Never set me free
Hey, hey, hey
I'm in Heaven
I'm in Heaven
Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo
Heaven, hoo, hoo, hoo
And as the Muzak played
Sooner or later I knew
We'd fall in love in the elevator
Heaven on the 7th floor
Heaven on the 7th floor
Heaven on the 7th floor
Heaven on the 7th floor
I've never been so high before
So don't you rescue me
Never set me free
Hey, hey, hey
Heaven on the 7th floor
Heaven on the 7th floor...
I turned the radio off and Joe pulled over to the side of the road. He pulled me to his chest as my tears fell. All that I could think about was the empty 7th floor apartment back in Trenton. The one that I had lived in for a year with Ranger, my Carlos Manoso, after he had decided that we were already in a relationship. He wanted to take it to the next step with me, but wanted to discuss things over with his daughter, Julie, before he felt he could propose. I found this out later after finding the ring in his safe and talking to Tank about it a month after the funeral. Of all the things that could have happened to my Batman, who would have thought he would have been killed by a drunk driver? But, he was, on the way back from the airport. Some college kid who had too much to drink had swerved into Ranger's car without any warning. Carlos had kept his car from ramming into the car in the next lane, but even the Porsche couldn't withstand a head on collision with a Hummer at 60 miles per hour.
Morelli had been the one to tell me the news. He may not have wanted to lose me to Ranger, but we had remained friends. He stayed my friend and let me cry on his shoulder. I was still close to my friends at Rangeman, Ranger's company, but it was too hard for me to stay in the penthouse or walk into the offices of Rangeman without feeling Ranger's presence. I couldn't stop grieving for him. We may have only lived together for a short time, but our love was for eternity. In his will, he wrote that he didn't want me to grieve for long over him and to not wait as long as we had before loving again.
Six months after the funeral, Joe found me sitting next to Ranger's grave in the snow. I couldn't move on. I also couldn't move. Joe picked me up, carried me to his car and then to the emergency room. After being discharged for mild hypothermia, he brought me back to his home, put me into a warm bath, gave me hot chocolate to drink, and tucked me into his guest bedroom. The next morning, I found a Boston creme and a jelly donut, along with coffee on the nightstand. I got up and dressed, went down the stairs and spent most of my day on the couch curled up next to Bob, the dog.
This was my schedule for the next week, sleeping in Joe's guest bedroom and spending most of my day with Bob. Then, one evening, Joe was watching the Ranger's game and I started to pay attention. By the end of the game, I was groaning and cheering along with Joe. Not exuberantly. But, I was involved. When I looked over at Joe after the game ended, he was smiling at me. "I thought I'd lost you," he said.
I blinked the tears away from my eyes. I knew he wasn't referring to losing me to Ranger, but finding me frozen in the snow. "I was lost. Thanks for finding me."
He came over and hugged me. "Anytime. Just don't do it again."
I smiled for the first time in months. "Okay."
After that, I started living again. I never stopped loving Ranger. I stayed with his company, but worked in sales, out of the office. He left me enough money to live on comfortably for the rest of my life. I purchased a condo and brought a couple of pieces from his/our apartment. I went out for lunch with friends, including Morelli at least once a week. Now, almost a year after Joe finding me at Ranger's grave, we were dating, but not yet sleeping together. I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. It was hard enough without my Carlos.
Joe hugged me when I stopped crying. "Do you want to go back home?"
"No, we need to go to your uncle's." I looked into his whiskey colored eyes. "I need to do this. For us."
"Steph, I love you. I know that you're still grieving, but I just want you to know that I love you. There's no rush to prove anything to my family."
"I know. I was just caught by surprise."
Joe held my face between his hands, wiping the remaining tears away with his thumbs. "That's going to happen."
I rested my head on his broad shoulder. "Thanks for understanding."
"I know what it's like to lose someone." He kissed my head. "But, I got you back, and I'm not going to lose you again. Especially by doing something stupid, like not waiting for you to be ready for anything else."
I looked up at him and kissed him lightly on the lips. He responded to that and then kissed me again with more passion. I was surprised at my response.
He was here. He was alive. He loved me. And, I loved him. And, told him so.
He smiled. And, then kissed me again. "So, what do you want to do?"
I sat up straight. "First, let's go see your uncle. After that, I could use some more of your kisses." I grinned at him. "Let's go with that first."
"Okay. I can handle that." He held my hand and rubbed his thumb over mine. "I can handle that," he repeated.
After he started the car and drove back onto the highway, he held onto my hand. He needed this contact. I had been so wrapped up in my grief that I had forgotten about his. I may have lost my Batman, but Superman was waiting for me, in the role of Clark Kent for the past year. I was one blessed girl, to have both men in my life and to be loved by both.
I leaned over and turned the radio back on. "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees was playing. I just rolled my eyes at Joe. He grinned and changed the channel to news.