Disclaimer: If you recognize the character as a J.E. character, they are hers. The original characters are mine and I take full credit for them. They are part of my imagination.

Spoiler Alert: I could use anything from the 18 books that are out.

Chapter 2: Being Numb

Stephanie's POV:

I spent the next day in bed recovering from my hangover. The one good thing that came out of it all was that I was numb. I couldn't feel anything. When I woke up the following day, the numbness still remained. I was happy to have the reprieve. I went by the bonds office and picked up the files Connie had for me. Apparently there were a lot of people not wanting to go back to jail and skipping out on their court dates. Lula and I managed to collar three of the skips before the day was out. I dropped her back by the bonds office and headed by my apartment on the way to my parent's house. When I got there it was 2 minutes before 6. My mom and grandma were at the door. I made my way to the door and followed them inside. I could smell the pineapple upside down cake as I first entered. We headed to the kitchen and I helped get everything on the table. At 6 we were sitting down ready to eat.

I did my best to keep up with the conversation. When dessert was over I made my excuses and headed home. Mom made sure I had plenty of leftovers. I figured I had enough for a couple of meals. Except of course for dessert, I planned on finishing that off once I got home. When I walked into my apartment, I dropped a couple scrapes in Rex's cage and set the food in the fridge. I took the leftover cake and sat down at the table to dig in. While I was sitting there eating cake I noticed the mail I must have sat on the table at some point. I frowned and pulled the envelopes over so I could go through them

I set the usual bills off to the side and opened the first of three envelopes that were left. After opening the first, I took out the papers that were inside and my eyes widened. There were two tickets to Seattle, Washington. I frowned wondering why anyone would send me tickets to Seattle, Washington. I set them down and lifted the second envelope. Inside was a VISA card. I put it on top the tickets and opened the third envelope. Inside there was a note that read:

Pumpkin,

I know you are going through a tough time right now. You have finally seen that Joe isn't the right person for you. I am afraid that soon you will know Ranger won't be able to give you what you need either. I think its time for you to do something just for you. I've paid for 2 tickets to take you and anyone you choose to a place that means a lot to me. I like to think of you walking through the city I often visited when I had leave from the army. I am offering you this trip out of my love for you. I am hoping it will give you the peace you deserve. I have reserved a suite for you and it has been paid for as well. The money on the credit card is for you to spend while you are out there. Enjoy. The tickets are open ended so stay as long as you want to. Be happy Pumpkin and know that I love you very much.

Daddy

I felt the tear slide down my cheek and wiped it away. I pulled out my phone and called my dad. "Hello?"

"Daddy?"

"Pumpkin…I take it you got your mail."

"Yeah….thanks daddy."

"You're welcome Pumpkin. I love you."

"Love you too daddy. Are you sure this is okay? I mean it must have cost you a lot of money."

"I want to do this for you Pumpkin. Please."

"Thanks. Any suggestions on places to visit?"

He laughed, "There is a letter waiting for you at the hotel. It will tell you all you need to know."

"Thanks daddy."

"You're welcome Pumpkin."

I disconnected the call and sat there for several moments thinking about all the people I knew and who I might want to take with me on this trip. I pulled over a yellow, legal pad and wrote down all the names I could think of. I started crossing off names as I thought of the reason they wouldn't work. When I was finished, there were still three names on the paper and of those three names, I knew just the person I wanted to go with me. I smiled and decided I would ask him the next day when I was at Rangeman. It would depend on if he could get vacation time. I knew I'd be okay with sharing a suite with him. As a matter of fact I would feel infinitely safer with him by my side. I stood and headed into my bedroom and slipped into my pajamas and then returned to the living room and turned on the TV. I watched the last half of the Ranger's game before shutting the TV off and heading to bed.

The next morning I woke when my alarm went off and I got up to get ready. Fortunately for me there was an exception made for me so I didn't have to report to work at Rangeman before 9 a.m. Some days even that was too early. I parked in my usual spot and made my way to the elevator. I waved to the guys on monitor duty as I rode to the 5th floor. When the elevator doors opened, I headed for my cubicle and got started on the searches in the in basket. Once I got the first one running, I decided to make my way to the electronics department.

I saw Hector as I entered his work space. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Hola Angel. What can I do for you?"

I smiled, "I received two tickets to fly to Seattle, Washington. I can stay for as long as I want and there is a suite already paid for. Would you consider going with me?"

He looked stunned that I'd asked him. "Why me?"

"I consider you my friend. I know you won't misunderstand my intentions because we both know you would be more interested in the guys I might date than me as potential partners. And, I would feel infinitely safer with you by my side than Lula or someone else. I need to get away for a while and I need someone I can trust to watch my back."

Hector put his hand on my cheek, "You honor me. Si, I go with you. When we go?"

"I thought I'd talk to Tank after I found out if you'd go with me."

"Si. I go too."

With that we headed up to five to talk to Tank. When we got to his office, I opened the door and walked in. Hector only paused momentarily before joining me. Tank looked up and when he saw me he smiled. "Hey little girl, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering about taking some time off."

Tank's expression turned grim. "Are you having problems little girl?"

I shook my head and told him, "My dad gave me 2 tickets, a paid suite, and a credit card. The tickets and suite are open ended so I can stay as long as I want to. I'd like to use them and I asked Hector to go with me. He can use one of the tickets and share the suite, plus I'll cover all his meals."

Tank looked into my eyes and held them for several minutes and then he turned to Hector. He must have seen what he wanted because he smiled and said, "Have a great vacation you two. Can I know where you are going?"

I smiled, "Seattle, Washington. My dad said it was a favorite place of his to go on leave from the army."

Tank nodded and said, "When will you be leaving?"

I turned and looked at Hector, "Would day after tomorrow be okay? That way we have time to pack and take care of any last minute details." I had a sudden thought and said, "Oh! I almost forgot about Rex."

Tank chuckled and said, "Bring him here and we'll take care of him for you."

I smiled, "Thanks Tank."

With that Hector and I left Tank's office and went on our way. I continued with the searches, managing to get my in box cleaned out before leaving for the day. I had sent an email to Rodriquez to let him know I was going on vacation so wouldn't be available for any searches for a while. I didn't feel like fixing anything for supper so decided to go with left-overs. When I reached my apartment I heated up the left-overs my mom sent home with me the night before and after eating I sat on the sofa with my tablet to make a list of everything I needed to do before heading to the airport. I pulled out my phone and called my mother to let her know I would be out of town for a while. She just laughed and wished me a safe and happy trip. I pulled the phone away from my ear and thought, 'Who are you and what have you done with my mother?' But to her I only said thank you. That done I finished my list and headed off to bed.

The next morning I woke and after showering I dressed and headed to the bonds office. I took the girls doughnuts…one of these days I was tempted to tell Lula if she wanted doughnuts to stop and get her own before going into work, but I knew I could never actually tell her that and hurt her feelings. When I got to the bonds office, I barely got the door open before she was descending on me to grab the box out of my hands. Geez. I gave a mental shrug and managed to get out, "That Boston Cream is mine so you better not touch it."

Luckily she and Connie grabbed different ones. I lifted the Boston Cream and took a bite before telling Connie, "I just stopped by to let you guys know I'm going on vacation starting tomorrow."

Both women stopped in their tracks. Vinnie's door slammed open and he practically screamed, "What do you mean you're going on vacation? You can't just drop everything and go off whenever you like. I have skips that have to be picked up. Who's going to go get them while you're off getting your jollies?"

The main office door slammed and Vinnie jumped about a foot in the air and the three of us couldn't help but laugh at the sudden terror on his face. I turned to see my dad standing there and my eyes widen in stunned surprise. The look on his face promised someone was going to be miserable in about 5 seconds. Vinnie visibly paled and stuttered, "Uh….u.u..uncle F.F….F….Frank, w..w.w.w.w.. are y..y..y.y. doing here?"

"I thought some garbage might need taking out. I knew Stephanie would be telling you about taking a vacation and wanted to make sure you didn't give her any problems. She's worked for you for nearly four years without any real vacations and its high time she takes one."

Vinnie swallowed and said, "Uh sure Steph…take all the time you need. No worries. Your job will be here whenever you get back." He smiled in a sick kind of way.

I smiled and said, "Gee thanks Vinnie."

I turned and left with my dad right behind me. Once we were outside I turned and wrapped my arms around him and gave him a hug. "You take care of yourself Pumpkin."

"I will daddy. Hector from Rangeman is going with me."

My dad's eyes narrowed on me as if he were looking for something. He gave a nod and said, "I know you'll be safe then. Isn't he the gay one?"

I nodded. "He's a good friend."

He kissed my forehead and said, "I just want you to enjoy yourself."

With that he went over and got in his cab. I waved as he pulled out and then went to my car and headed home to pack. I was actually looking forward to this vacation. It didn't take long to go through my clothes and find the right clothes, shoes and accessories to take with. The problem was where to put them. I decided I needed some luggage so I made a trip to Quaker Bridge Mall and purchased a set of luggage. I dropped Rex off at Haywood on my way to the mall. I checked out the regular stores and found the most beautiful dress at Macy's marked at 75% off. I bit my lip and decided to go ahead and get the dress. I was sure Hector and I would be going to a nice restaurant and I wanted to look my best. Of course, having the dress, I needed to add shoes so I went in search of the perfect pair and found them on the sale rack. That done, I snuck into Victoria Secrets for the rest. I knew Hector wouldn't be interested but I didn't want him to feel slighted that I didn't dress my best. Yeah, yeah, but its my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Once I had what I needed I headed back home and in no time had everything packed.

Surprisingly enough I slept well. I was up and dressed and had everything set out ready to go when Hector arrived a little before 9. We headed for the airport and in no time we were on our way west. Somehow Hector picked up on my nervousness when we took off and he took my hand in his and squeezed gently. He held my hand the whole time we were taking off and when I relaxed he smiled and kissed my hand before releasing it. When we were landing, he made sure to take my hand in his once more and distracted me with conversation. When we finally touched down I was surprised. Once our luggage was collected we made our way out to the taxi stand and in no time we were headed for the Edgewater Hotel where we had a luxury suite. I was stunned at the beauty of the hotel. Our suite was even more beautiful if that were possible. There were two bedrooms and a sitting room, plus a dining area with a fridge and bar. It was perfect and I could tell Hector was impressed as well.

We spent some time unpacking and met back in the sitting room. I smiled at Hector and asked, "You ready to get some exercise? I don't know about you but I need to move around. Plus I can't wait to explore all the marvelous places."

"Si. We explore."

With that we made our way to the street outside our hotel and started looking around.