JE created these characters, she gets all the credit (and the money too!)
Fredda (Rangergirl1234) thank you for patiently working through each chapter as the beta on this story.
Chapter 14 – Taking a Break
Stephanie's POV
I couldn't sleep. There was no reason for it. I wasn't having troubling dreams, but my mind wouldn't settle. Ranger got called for a late night break in at a client's office and had to leave. My heart told me he'd be okay so I wasn't worried about him. Finally unable to handle just laying awake in bed I got up and went into the bathroom.
I had my last radiation treatment this morning and was glad to have it behind me. I had been a little more tired this week, but it wasn't overwhelming so I tried to just push through it, knowing worse days were probably ahead of me. I undid the sash on the plush white robe I'd slipped on and stood in front of the mirror to examine the changes in my chest.
I'd never spent as much time looking at my body as I had the last month. The side of my breast had two small dots that had been tattooed on by the radiologist to mark the position for the treatments. They were just small dark circles hardly more noticeable than a freckle. I ran my hands over them knowing I wouldn't feel a thing but unable to keep from trying. To someone seeing me for the first time they wouldn't ever register as significant, but when I looked at myself they were like huge beacons drawing my attention to the damage on this side of my body.
The skin on the side of my breast and under my arm was a little darker. It almost had a red tint to it as though I'd spent too much time in the sun without sunscreen. If I got the water in the shower too hot it felt like sunburn too. It looked like the side of my breast had shrunk in some. Dr. M had said it was possible since the radiation killed some of the healthy cells too, but that they would regenerate and the cancerous ones would not so any shrinkage from this treatment should reverse itself over time.
I heard the door open and then silence followed. Ranger was trying to keep from waking me. I knew the moment he saw the light in the bathroom was on because I could suddenly hear his footsteps on the floor. I had stopped trying to hide from him the fact that I was looking at my body in the mirror. Sometimes he would join me and we would look together and sometimes he would pull me away as though he thought it wasn't a good idea for me to stay focused on it.
He stopped at the sink and washed his hands but said nothing. Once he was satisfied they were clean he stepped behind me and looked at my chest. "You made it through the radiation, Babe. In a couple more months you'll be done with all the treatments and we can celebrate you beating this."
I loved that he kept such an optimistic outlook about the future. I tried not to dwell on the negative but I wasn't convinced I would be totally finished battling this in eight weeks. And even if I was I didn't know what kind of shape I'd be in after the treatments were done. I could see the changes in myself and wondered how much more haggard I would be after chemo.
Ranger moved me so that he could lean against the vanity blocking my view of the mirror and breaking the trance of staring at the reflection there. "Babe, one step at the time, one day at the time. Okay?"
Anytime I got overwhelmed that was his assurance to me. Just break this down into manageable chunks and get through that without worrying about what's next. I only had to face each day as it came.
I put my hands on his chest and leaned into him between his legs so that I could rest my head on his shoulder. "You didn't sign up for this," I said as a passing thought.
"Yes, I did," he disagreed. "I knew I loved you for a long time before I told you. When I said it to you I was signing up for the chance to be with you through whatever came our way. I wasn't just volunteering for the good stuff, I wanted it all and this is part of it."
I rolled my eyes but I didn't pick up my head to keep him from seeing my honest reaction.
"I felt that," he said busting me anyway. "What's going on, Babe?" He asked, realizing I was in a bit of a funk.
I kept my face on his shoulder and shrugged. Nothing was going on, I was just worried. There was no new reason for me to be worried; I just couldn't shake it tonight for some reason.
He held me for a moment before pulling back so that I would stand up. He gathered my robe where I'd let it fall open and tied it shut around my waist. The he took my hand firmly in his and led us through the bedroom where he grabbed the comforter from the bed and on the way out the door of the apartment he grabbed his keys from the dish on the table in the entranceway.
I didn't ask where we were going, figuring he would have told me if he wanted me to know. When he led us to the stairs instead of the elevator I knew we were headed to the roof. He unclipped his cell phone and hit a speed dial number before saying, "Cut the feed to the roof until further notice." He only hesitated a moment before saying, "Affirmative" and then hanging up.
Just as I thought, we were going to the roof. It was nice to know the radiation hadn't done anything to my brain cells. I hadn't been up here since I'd followed Lester a few weeks ago and heard the tragic story of how he lost his mother. Since I reappeared after my surgery he'd made it a point to go out of his way to see me everyday. He'd brought me bite size pieces of chocolate and one day he even brought me a huge mum that had been given a smiling face made out of felt. He said he'd seen it in the window of a florist and thought of me. All the guys had been great, but Lester had gone above and beyond to try and give me a reason to smile every day. I could so easily picture him doing the exact same things for his mother years ago.
When the door closed behind us Ranger dropped my hand and did something to the lock on our side. I didn't ask, for some reason it just didn't peak my interest enough to bring it up. Taking my hand once more we walked over to the picnic table Louis had put up here during the summer. He climbed up and sat on the top holding out his arms for me to sit in front of him and lean against his chest. Once I relaxed against him he unrolled the blanket and wrapped it around me. I had to admit it was cozy and the stars were out tonight with the moon sitting about half way up in the sky. It was hard to remember we were in the middle of a city when I was cocooned in Ranger's arms like this.
We sat in silence for what felt like a long time. Slowly I began to relax and just enjoy the feel of being surrounded by such loving arms. I let out a soft sigh and Ranger took that subtle sound as his cue and he gathered my hair in his hand, pushing it to the side to expose one side of my neck. Gently he brushed his lips across my neck placing lazy kisses in no apparent order. I shut my eyes and concentrated on the feel of it and let out a long breath.
Encouraged by my response, he rolled my head to the other side, shifting the hair back and duplicating his attention on the opposite side of my neck. My head rolled back on his shoulder and Ranger took my relaxation to another level by moving my torso down and cradling my head in the crook of his elbow. With his free hand he roamed my stomach, my arms, my hips…I no longer needed the blanket despite it being an October evening. Every place he touched was warmed and a heat began to blaze in places that were not yet fortunate enough to be caressed.
His hand passed over my stomach, undoing the belt on my robe and leaving me exposed to the night sky. Rubbing his palm over my belly button he then headed down and ran his fingers between my legs, taking a breath at how my body had already begun to respond to him. He eased a single finger in me and we both took a quick breath from the sensation. My eyes opened and focused on his, rich with desire for me.
Lifting a hand to stroke his face, I was acutely aware of the fact that he was still fully clothed. Using all the willpower I had, I forced myself to sit up interrupting the wonderful things his hands were capable of. But tonight at least, I didn't want his hands there. I needed to have a greater connection; I needed to be filled with him. Understanding my needs even without me speaking them he pulled the comforter off of us and stood me up to drape the blanket on the table top.
Taking me by the hips he lifted me to sit on the end of the table. Then he backed up a single step taking off his utility belt and sitting it aside gently before rushing through the removal of all his other clothes. The fact that I still had the robe on my shoulders made me the more clothed right now but since my body was completely exposed, with the belt undone and the front gapping open, I didn't bother to slip my arms out.
Ranger moved slowly to me as though rushing would scare me away. When our legs were touching he placed his warm hands on my legs and stroked them again leaving a wake of goose bumps behind. "Cold?" he asked, but a quick shake of my head made it clear that wasn't why I had shivered.
He placed his hands on my shoulders and guided me back to lie on the table with my legs hanging off the edge. He bent over and ran his fingers through my hair, arranging it around my head with such tenderness.
Ranger pulled my body down slightly so that my rear end was barely on the table and then he leaned down and kissed me with such tenderness I hardly knew how to respond. My heart was beating faster and my body was screaming to be touched, yet I didn't want to rush this moment either. Ranger traced my lips with his tongue and then kissed down my neck paying special attention to my collarbone.
The feeling of his body pressing against mine and the cool breeze touching my sensitive skin was quickly becoming more than I could stand. I made a sound that I hoped indicated I needed more and soon because trying to come up with those exact words at this moment wasn't with in my power.
Proving his ESP was alive and well he lifted both my calves and propped my feet up on the table in order to position a very impressive erection at my opening. His hand passed over my clit and I nearly screamed out just from a passing touch. I looked down and watched as he used his own hand to guide himself into me, slowly pushing his way into my oh so willing body.
Once his thighs were firmly pressed against my ass he stilled, taking some long deep breaths as though trying to get control of his own reaction to how wonderful it felt to be connected like this. His hands were on my hips keeping me in place and I put my fingers on top of his hands. Joined as one we stayed perfectly still looking into each other's eyes. In his I saw only love and understanding, unconditional support, and a desire to care for me. I hoped he could see my heart as well to know of the depths of my love for him and how I clung to him as my anchor when I felt like the storm I was in was tossing me about beyond my control.
Ranger moved his hand to rest over my heart and said only, "I know, Babe," before slowly moving within me beginning with torturous strokes designed to make me lose my mind. I found the ability to move and began to meet him stroke for stroke clenching my walls around him as though I could somehow pull him into my body.
With one hand on my chest and his other still griping my hip tightly, our bodies moved in concert with one another until I could no longer hold back. As if he had reached the end of his control as well his hand moved from my hip to the bundle of nerves between us and I screamed his name into the darkness. I felt the warmth of Ranger's release as his voice echoed above me, growling my name.
He moved his hands to rest on the table on either side of my ribs as though he needed help supporting his weight. I understood the feeling completely. I didn't have it within me to move at all at the moment so how he was managing to stay upright was a complete mystery.
After a few minutes he pulled out of me and the loss of the heat from our connection left me suddenly cold. Ranger pulled my robe together, tying the belt with a simple slip knot over my stomach. He lifted me effortlessly, proving once again how much stamina he had, and swept up the blanket as well.
"Do we have to go downstairs now?" I asked, wanting to be under the stars a little longer.
"Of course not, Quierda," he replied moving us instead to the wall beside the door. He sat on the rooftop and motioned for me to sit between his legs. I relaxed against him immediately and when he threw the blanket over us to hold our body heat in I sighed my complete contentment.
It felt sleep pulling at me and in Ranger's arms with the sounds of cars driving past the building below I gave in to the need for sleep.
Tanks' POV
I finished my workout without seeing the first sign of Ranger. It was odd that by 0630 he hadn't come downstairs yet. After I showered I went up to the control room and relieved Binkie a half hour early to search through all the camera angles to see if something happened. His car was still in the garage and his trackers showed him in the building, so I continued to look through each floor systematically. When I reached the roof I saw it had been turned off. I flipped it back on, irritated that we obviously hadn't been monitoring a vulnerable point of our own building. When the screen came to life, I saw Ranger leaning against the wall with Stephanie in his arms, both appearing to be asleep.
I looked at them for a moment until I realized they probably wouldn't appreciate having their privacy invaded like this. I was just glad to see the two peopled I cared most about obviously so happy together. The contrast of her light skin against his dark was beautiful. When I heard Vince enter the control room I realized it was 0700 so I flipped the roof switch and told him to leave it off until I called with further instructions and then went upstairs to wake up the lovebirds in order to protect their privacy.
I turned the handle of the roof and saw the door had been locked to block an interior exit so I used my key to get access to the top of building and quietly let myself out. I stood in the sun blocking it from Ranger's face and wasn't the least bit surprised when his eye bolted open without a single other muscle in his body moving.
Steph had an unmistakable glow about her and Ranger looked pretty smug too, so I had no doubts about what had happened up here last night. It was none of my business if they got their freak on in the moonlight but I didn't think he'd want the whole building to know so I said, "You need help getting her downstairs?" I knew he didn't but it was a nice way of suggesting they do their cuddling out of the public eye.
Instead he surprised me by saying, "She's not sleeping lately and when she finally relaxed up here this morning, I couldn't stand to wake her. What time is it?"
"0730. I told the new shift not to turn on the roof top camera until I specifically called with instructions." I told him.
"Thanks," he said which was a big acknowledgement for him. "She's holding up so well during the day, but the nights are getting harder."
It was then that I saw his eyes were a little strained too. There is nothing harder than to see someone you love suffering and not be able to do anything about it. This illness was beginning to take a toll on Ranger. He was worried about her and nothing was as frustrating to us tough guys as feeling helpless. We were trained to find solutions to problems and keep moving forward at all cost. But this was out of his hands. Nothing in the Rangers had trained us for fighting cancer.
I saw her begin to move and raised an eyebrow at Ranger wondering if I needed to disappear. He shook his head no and sure enough she settled down again. "Just a dream," he told me, proving how well he knew the woman in his arms.
"She's got an appointment with Dr. M at 10:00. I think we'll get the prescription for chemo and go over what to expect for the next few weeks. After we finish up there I want to get her out of the office for a while. I think she needs a change of scenery. Can you hold down the fort for the day?" He asked, giving me more details than usual. Normally he would just say he was going offline and leave it at that.
"I can handle it without you, it's her being gone that will be hard. The clients are beginning to ask for her directly with questions and concerns." I explained, marveling at how quickly she'd organized the office and gained the confidence of even our toughest clients.
Ranger looked down with unmasked pride on his face. Obviously he felt the same way about her contributions to RangeMan. She started to move once more and this time he nodded for me to leave. Without another word I let myself inside, silencing the door behind me.
I went back down to five and Lester was waiting outside my office. "When's Steph coming down?"
"She's got a doctor's appointment this morning; I guess she'll be in the garage about 0930. Why?" I asked, unsure why Santos wanted her calendar. "No reason, I just wanted to see her before I left to round up some skips since I was going to be out most of the day." Since Ranger explained how Lester lost his mother to cancer I'd seen the way he treated Steph had shifted. He was still the loud obnoxious playboy around us, but around her he was different. He brought her gifts; little pieces of chocolate or a single flower. One day he brought her a cartoon he'd torn out of the newspaper. I didn't know which was more surprising – that Lester would think to bring her these gifts or that he read the newspaper. Either way she smiled every time she saw him which was exactly the response he was going after.
He was still hanging around the office an hour later when I walked past his cubicle and my cell phone rang. "Yo," I answered already knowing who it was.
"You can resume monitoring the roof again," Ranger instructed.
"On it," I told him shutting my phone when I head the click telling me he was gone.
I turned around and walked back to the control room reaching over Vince to hit the switch for the roof top camera. He looked at me but when I offered no explanation he asked no questions. There were times when working with a bunch of guys was a relief. If it had been a girl sitting there she wouldn't have let it go until I told her why it had been off in the first place.
Stephanie's POV
I stepped out of the shower feeling much better than I had the last couple of days. I had a slight kink in my neck from sleeping with it bent to the side for so long, but other than that I felt like I'd really slept; something I hadn't been doing as much of lately.
After drying off and putting on some of the special moisturizer Dr. M suggested, I walked to the closet to pick out an outfit. Since I had announced that my change of attitude about going out last week had been brought on by magic shoes, I couldn't help but notice the presence of several new pairs of shoes in various designs and colors. To the side was a lovely pair of boots that definitely hadn't been in the closet yesterday morning. I knew this as a fact because had they been there I would have worn them because they were irresistible.
I picked them up and thought of things that were irresistible and my thoughts were drawn to last night on the roof. I knew my face was every possible shade of red but I still smiled at the picture we must have made. Thank goodness Ranger was always so in control to remember the cameras or someone on the late shift would have had a much easier time staying awake.
I didn't hear Ranger step in behind me but I felt his arms slip around my waist and the vibration in his chest on my back when he groaned. "You're going to wear those today?"
I looked at the boots in my hand once more. They had four inch heels and the soft leather would probably stop just above my knees. They appeared to have a little give to them so I knew they'd fit snug on my calves. The toes came to a point, but not in a witch shoe way, just in a kickass sexy woman way. Thank goodness I wasn't in fashion design. I didn't know any of the right words to describe things, but I knew Ranger would love these boots because I already did. I nodded that I was going to build my outfit around these boots and he groaned looking at his watch.
"Are we late?" I asked, unsure of why he was checking the time.
"No, but we don't have enough time for you to model them just for me so I was checking how long it would be before I could see them privately again," he explained.
He stepped away, grabbing his own clothes and leaving me in the closet alone to pull something together. Hanging with the dresses, above where the boots had been on the floor, was a skirt that I knew had been purchased specifically to show off these shoes. It was a faded black, almost suede looking material that fell mid-calf. It wasn't pencil tight but it wasn't exactly full either. Running up the right side on top of where my leg would be was a slit that began at the bottom and stopped mid-thigh. Every step would produce a glimpse of my boot clad leg, giving me a chance to show off the sexy footwear. I saw a white button up blouse next to it and assumed they were meant to be worn together. A silver chain belt hung on the hanger of the skirt and I could picture that around my waist, so I brought out all my new finds and began pulling the outfit together, excited to see how it turned out.
Zipping up the boots I was done, so I used my hands to smooth everything out and then walked over to the full length mirror to check out the overall effect. I only had time for a quick look, but I was very happy with the outfit.
When I stepped out of the bedroom Ranger's eye got wider and I was even more pleased with the combo I'd pulled together. "I'm going to give Ella a raise," he announced closing the distance between us.
I let him pull me to his chest and then asked, "Why is Ella buying me new clothes? It's like everyday there's something new in there waiting on me."
Ranger seemed uncertain if he wanted to answer my question but he confessed, "She wanted to know what she could do for you and I suggested you might like some new clothes and shoes since you hadn't been shopping in a while. When you seemed to come alive the day you found the black heels I told Ella and she just took off with it, determined to give you more magic shoes and clothes."
I thought that was the sweetest thing I'd ever heard. But then I thought about how soft and comfortable those shoes were and these boots too for that matter. They had to cost a fortune. Before I could complain about Ella spending so much money on me, he interrupted. "Relax, Babe. I gave her a RangeMan charge card and we're putting it in the budget as a uniform expense for you. I would imagine any client that saw you right now would gladly sign a contract extension just to get a glimpse of those boots peaking out through the split on that skirt." His hand caressed my thigh taking full advantage of the skirt's split.
He began to nuzzle my neck and just before I begged him for a repeat of last night he seemed to become aware of the time and pulled back, announcing we needed to go to make it to Dr. M's in time.
Reluctantly I let him lead me to the garage. When we stepped out of the elevator Lester was bouncing on the balls of his feet looking at his watch. His whole face lit up when I stepped toward him but as he watched me walk his boyish grin faded and was replaced by something more wolf like. Ranger must have seen it too because when Lester's eyes stayed focused on my legs I head him bark, "Santos!"
Les shook his head and pulled me to him for a quick hug. After our initial good morning greetings he pulled something from the pocket of his cargoes and handed it to me. It was a prescription bottle that was rather large and it had an official looking label that a quick glance showed me had my name printed on it.
I didn't even both trying to lift an eyebrow to ask about it. I just looked at him waiting for an explanation. He smiled as though he was very clever and explained, "I know you're supposed to get your chemo pills today and get all set up for that to start soon. I didn't want you to worry about it so I got you a little medicine to help if you started to get worked up over what was to come."
He pointed to the label and rolled it so I could read the information printed there more clearly. Aside from the pharmacy name and my contact information, the prescribing doctor's name was Dr. Love and the pills were called, 'happy pills'. The instructions told me to take two every morning followed by additional pills as need to maintain appropriate level of happiness. The refills were unlimited. I started to laugh at the jokes he had worked so hard on so he took the bottle from my hands and removed the childproof lid, pointing for me to look inside. They were little yellow pills, which I hadn't expected. "Lester, what are those?" I asked, concerned about the drugs he was trying to give me.
"Hold out your hand," he instructed so I did as requested and he poured out a couple in my palm, pointing to the little 'm' stamped on each one.
"These are yellow M&Ms?" I asked him. When he nodded I was right, I threw the whole handful in my mouth and then grabbed his head to hold it still and placed a kiss on his cheek. I could have sworn he blushed, which just made me love the little boy trapped in this grown body all the more. I used my thumb to wipe off the red lipstick from his cheek and took the bottle from his hand. "I'll put these to good use," I promised before thanking him and walking over to the Turbo where Ranger was waiting with his eyes narrowed trying to see every nuance of our interaction.
"Candy?" Ranger asked with a single raised eyebrow. I nodded, slipping the bottle into my purse. I was learning to be better prepared these days and one never knew when an emergency stash of chocolate was going to come in handy.
Amazingly when I checked in at the doctor's office, the receptionist said we could go on back because Dr. M was ready for me. I had never had that happen before so I followed the nurse back to the exam room indicated and smiled when I heard Bobby's voice talking with my oncologist. He had continued to come to each appointment for the sake of helping me get all the information I needed, but I knew he was really coming to visit with the good doctor too. I slowed down my steps and Ranger raised an eyebrow at me, asking if everything was alright.
I put up a finger indicating we should wait and stood just outside the door listening. Our timing was perfect because as we began to eavesdrop we heard Bobby ask her out for Saturday night. Dr. M didn't even hesitate before saying yes. It seemed that whatever little childhood crushes had existed as kids were growing into something more as reunited adults.
"Now," I whispered to a smiling Ranger. Just because I was sick didn't mean I couldn't help one of the guys with their love life. Ranger laughed at what I had assumed was my private thought but I now presumed was said aloud.
Dr. M reviewed my chart and then had me unbutton my shirt and remove my bra so she could do an exam. She looked at the skin closely and did a thorough breast exam on both sides moving her hands in little circles, feeling for any changes on either side. Then we talked about side effects other than the burned tissue on the top layer of skin. I admitted to being a little tired and we discussed the shrunken tissue- which she didn't think was as noticeable as I felt it was. I told her that was all but Ranger spoke up, which was strange. For the most part he sat quietly to the side during my visits here.
"She isn't sleeping well. Because she's tired, she goes to sleep easy enough but she'll wake up or sleep fitfully, so that it isn't restful. Is that from the radiation?" He asked.
I wanted to be angry at him discussing the trouble I had night, but he was right about how I'd been resting. Maybe there was a medical reason for it. I decided to hold off judgment until she replied so I'd know how to respond.
"Restlessness isn't exactly a side effect of radiation, but it is common among people being treated for cancer. You're probably so busy during the day, trying not to think about it, that when your mind is finally still at night it begins to worry and dwell on what's happening. It's perfectly normal. If it become too much of a problem I can give you some sleeping pills that would help, but I'd prefer to hold off unless it's a real problem and the lack of rest is making it hard for you to function during the day. Beginning next week there will be new medications in your body and I don't want to overwhelm your system with too many chemicals." She explained.
So it was normal, but in essence I was doing this to myself – great.
Before I could get too far gone into my own little world she began talking to me about the chemo process. I'd be taking a pill every Sunday night and coming in the office for infusions on Tuesday and Thursday mornings followed by another pill on Friday night. She warned that the effects of chemo are often slow building. I may not feel anything at first and then gradually I might begin to feel exhausted or find eating to be a chore. A small percentage of patients begin getting side effects from the first dose, but that was very unusual. I tried not to roll my eyes at her announcement of something being usual because in my life that only made it more likely because of my luck.
She gave me a set of pamphlets on what to expect and coping tips and I couldn't help but notice when she gave an identical set to Bobby her hands clasped around his briefly.
She wanted me to go to the lab for some blood work, reminding me this would be a weekly thing from now on. Fortunately Bobby told her he could do the draws at RangeMan and send the vials to the hospital. Apparently he had a relationship with the pathology department there and they had a system for receiving work from our office. I was sure that system also included a hefty bonus for privacy and rushed results. Still I was glad when Dr. M agreed that was fine handing him the slip for the pathology tests necessary and telling him I needed to have it done before I took the first pill on Sunday and then weekly after that point. I was comfortable with Bobby sticking me with a needle because he always did it so gently and he talked to keep me distracted so that it was over before I could get too worked up.
We talked for a few more minutes before saying goodbye with an appointment card for Tuesday at 10:00. Whether I was ready for it or not, it was time to move onto the hard part.
When we got to the parking lot Bobby gave me a hug, assured me he'd read over everything, and made me promise to call him if I had any concerns or questions. He also slipped the prescription from my fingers saying he'd get it filled on the way back and would have it ready for me on Sunday night and we could touch base sometime that day too about the blood work. Personally, I liked Lester's prescription better, but I knew I needed this one too so I thanked him for taking care of it for me.
We got in the Turbo and I took a deep breath wondering how Ranger got the new car and luscious leather smell to stay in this car all the time. "Where to?" he asked, interrupting my air freshener monologue.
I guessed I would be working today so told him back to the office to see who needed a call. But I was surprised when he didn't put it into gear right away.
"Can I make a suggestion?" He asked.
I nodded yes and he continued, "Let's take today off. Hell, let's take a couple days off and just do something alone. Let's go down to the beach and spend a few days in my house there…"
I interrupted him immediately without even apologizing for my poor manners. "Wait! You have a house on the beach?"
He looked down, showing the good sense to be slightly embarrassed for not giving that little detail to me sooner. "I have a house at the beach. I bought it for a safe house a few years ago, but I've never used it for that purpose. Mainly I go there when I'm returning from rough missions to relax and get back in touch with my humanity. I guess I use it as my own personal safe house."
Hearing him freely give up so much personal information at once was a rare treat. "We don't have any bags," I said trying to subtly point out that we'd need to at least pick up some clothes from Haywood before going.
He grinned once more and I could see traces of the little boy he once was. I could only imagine how impossible it must have been for his mother to stay mad at him if he flashed her that smile. "Actually, I have some clothes there for us both already, and the bathroom is fully stocked."
"Were you planning this little get away?" I wondered.
"No, it's all been there for a couple of years in case I ever needed a place to take you for us to escape," he offered. Now I was completely curious and definitely wanted to go.
"Alright," I agreed allowing him to at least put the car in first gear. As we moved out of the parking lot I decided to throw him a bit of a curve and added, "Can we call in an order to Shorty's to pick up for lunch on the way? Maybe he'll give us some more of that cobbler. I'll bet it would taste great…" I paused slightly to let his mind run back to the last time he ate Shorty's dessert off my finger, my palm, and much later that night, off of…I interrupted my own memory to finish teasing him, "I'll bet it would taste great at the beach."
He gunned the accelerator, handed me his cell phone to place the order, and growled all without taking his eyes from the road. Yea, I think a couple of days away would do us both some good. Besides, if I was going to begin getting sick from the chemo I needed a few days worth of time away with Ranger to tide me over.