The earthy smell of vegetation was thick at mid-day, and her lungs burned. Mountain air was cooler and thinner than the Miami swelter she had been used to her entire life, although the humidity of the Pacific Northwest had helped ease the transition some.
As she huffed her way to the top of the trail, she breathed a sigh of relief when the station came into view. The trek was getting harder and harder to make each day.
Sliding her way down the hill hanging onto various branches along the way, she allowed the momentum to carry her up into the porch and into the back door of the station.
Hearing the door slam closed the receptionist turned around in her chair, greeting Debra with a warm smile.
"The whole six miles," she said shaking her head, "You're an inspiration to us all."
Grumbling inwardly about the fact that she made that same comment everyday, Debra walked over to open the mailbox.
"Any calls?" Deb asked making it clear the subject was to be changed.
"Oh yes, the court date came through on that poaching case back in November. They warned you'd probably be subpoenaed to testify," she answered giving Debra a sympathetic look, "Also your sister-in-law called."
Debra pulled her attention away from the stack of mail. "Really?" she asked, not bothering to correct her assumption that Dexter and Rita were married.
"She said that their flight is scheduled to arrive tomorrow at 6 o'clock, and she wanted to know if Frank could still them up from the airport."
After a moment of contemplation Debra nodded, "Okay thanks."
"Family's getting together for the 4th of July weekend?"
"Yeah," Deb answered, "the kids are out of school so they figured it'd be nice to come up here for a summer vacation."
"Oh certainly! My daughter went down to Daytona in March for her spring break, and she said it was already nearly in the 80s!" she persisted in trying to make conversation.
"Yeah well, I'm going to head back to the house for the evening. If you need anything, call me on the radio."
With that Debra stuck the mail under her arm, and headed out the front door. After climbing into her truck, and the engine roaring to life she backed out of the parking area and onto the road.
Her half-conversation with the receptionist lingered with her, bringing her mind back to Miami and her previous life there. She'd long ago learned not to mention that the heat was the one thing she'd never stop missing. Everyone in the north thought that a Florida summer was a crazy thing to miss.
She smirked to herself. The old saying about the mark of a true southerner…feel cold once the temperature is low enough you stop sweating.
Not that she regretted leaving. She had been ready for the change, more so than she'd realized even at the time. At first it had just been a fleeting frustration with her life in general. The ultimate decision, she'd been spurred to suddenly.
She realized that one of her hands had drifted off the steering wheel, and was wrapped around her abdomen protectively. She'd never believed before that women actually did that.
Pushing aside memories aside, she stopped at the end of the drive to add the mail from the home mailbox to the pile.
At the top of the drive she parked in front of the ranger's residence house, and made her way inside. She'd ended up at the ranger's service after being unable to find a job with a police department. In truth she hadn't actually tried very hard. Leaving behind police departments was yet another change she'd decided to make when she moved.
It had ended up being fortuitous now since the job was a little safer, and the hours more flexible.
When she got home she dumped the mail onto large desk her and Frank shared at home. Her half was always in a state of chaotic, disorder.
As she stepped into the kitchen she was greeted with a squawk.
"Heya, Birdbrain," she greeted back reaching up into the cabinet to pull out a bag of seed, which she poured into a plastic dish and brought over to the cage. Birdbrain jumped down from his post and hopped over to the dish which he began devouring. She gave his head a quick stroke before pushing the cage door closed.
The Quaker Parrot had been a rather sarcastic Valentine's Day gift from Frank earlier that year. He bought him with the explanation that he was to help her learn to watch her language since after the baby came it would eventually learn to talk and repeat everything she said.
She hadn't been amused, and, to get back at him, had given Birdbrain his unflattering name. However, she'd never said so but she had slowly become attached to the little animal, and, even though she would rather die than admit it, he had helped her learn to watch her mouth. She was now aware of the curse words which used to come effortlessly because the bird repeated every damn thing she said! It was awkward hearing a bird say "motherfucker" which she'd yelled out after burning herself on the stove, so she could imagine what it would be like having a kid do it…
Debra pulled a chair out from the kitchen table, and let out a breath of relief at sitting down. Even though she toughed it out in spite of, or maybe because of, her friendly receptionist's attempts to befriend her with pregnancy war stories, she was discovering that the back aches and swollen ankles were not at all a myth.
Gathering her thoughts it occurred to her that she should make out a shopping list so that they'd be prepared for Dexter, Rita, and the kids arrival tomorrow.
Dexter. It wasn't the first time he'd come to visit, but it was always awkward. For several reasons. One was the fact that being apart for months on end was still relatively new for her. They'd been together most of their lives. Even when he was starting college and she was finishing up high school he was around most of the time. Then they both went to work at the Miami-Dade PD. She was glad she'd distanced herself from him, but she still found that she missed him.
With a sigh she placed her hand against her belly again wondering if that would change in the future.
Somehow she didn't think so though. In spite of everything she missed being around him, so she didn't think anything would change that now.
No, things were the way things were.
With that she pulled out her note pad to begin making up the shopping list. One delightful weekend reunion with Dexter and Debra et. al coming right up.