He picked up the flight bag, set it on the bed and rifled through it once more to make sure he had all he needed. After the requisite hemming and hawing, Captain Devitt had given him permission to head down to Palm Springs to follow up on the possible connection to the Goodman case. He would drive there today, spend Friday going over everything the PSPD had put together and come back Saturday.

By then, he hoped, it would have come to a decision regarding his future with Mel.

He did up the top zipper on his flight bag, picked up his keys and jacket and left the apartment, locking the door and jogging down the steps and across the street to the tan LTD. He opened the back door and tossed the bag on the seat then opened the driver's door. He was almost all the way in when a very familiar voice said, "Good morning," and he jumped, surprised, his head spinning towards the passenger seat.

Mike, dressed in khakis and a light blue dress shirt with a buttoned-down collar, was sitting in the passenger seat, beaming. "You know, you really shouldn't leave the car unlocked like that."

Staring wide-eyed at the unexpected sight, Steve allowed himself to get all the way in behind the wheel before asking, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Me?" the older man replied, with wide-eyed innocence. "Oh, uh, I'm coming along to keep you company."

"You're coming along?"

Mike nodded enthusiastically. "Umh-humh."

Steve shook his head slowly in confusion, his brow furrowed. "Mike… you're still on sick leave… you –"

"Oh, I'm not coming along in any official capacity. You don't have to worry about that." He shrugged with a goofy grin. "I'm getting kinda bored sitting around the house and I thought, 'Hey, Steve's going on a road trip. I can go with him, maybe do a little driving… it'll give me something to do…'"

"You're still recovering, remember?"

"I know," the older man agreed with a vigorous nod "but I'm doing great, as you well know, and I talked to my doctor –"

"You did?"

"Yes, I did. Honestly."

Steve stared at him.

Mike tilted his head, narrowed his eyes and harrumphed. "If you don't believe me, give him a call." After a short pause, he continued, "As a matter of fact, he said a little exercise would do me some good."

"Exercise…? Sitting in a car all day…?"

"I mean following you around Palm Springs all day tomorrow."

"Oh, I see…" Steve said slowly, warming to the idea but still feeling the need to put up some kind of roadblock just to make it interesting. "Does Roy know you're doing this?" he asked suspiciously, knowing the captain was the one who most likely told Mike about the road trip in the first place.

"Roy who?" Mike responded with knit eyebrows, pretending to look confused.

Tongue planted firmly in cheek, Steve suppressed a smirk. "Roy Devitt, remember him?"

"Oh that Roy. Oh yeah, he knows. He thinks it's a good idea too."

"Hunh… funny that…" Steve looked in the back seat; Mike's overnight bag was near the passenger side door, a garment bag draped overtop and the fedora sitting on top of that. "You, ah, you brought a suit…?"

Mike glanced over his shoulder. "That? Oh, ah, yeah… well, you know, I figured if I'm going to be, you know, accompanying you tomorrow with the Palm Springs PD, well, maybe I'd better look the part, you know…?"

"Umh-hunh. Okay… So, ah, so where are you going to sleep for the next couple of nights?"

"Sleep…? Umh, well, ah, Roy suggested – and I agreed, of course – that it wouldn't cost too much more for a double room instead of, you know, a single… and I sorta thought that… you know, maybe… it wouldn't be too big of an… inconvenience…" He grinned optimistically.

Steve stared at him without expression, and the hopeful grin began to waver slightly. After several seconds, taking pity, the younger man smiled warmly, shaking his head slowly as he chuckled. "It won't be an… inconvenience at all… and I, ah… I'd love the company…"

"Really?" Mike eyebrows rose quickly and the grin returned. He chuckled as he turned in the seat to look out the windshield. "Great. Well, ah," he glanced across the seat and gestured out the front window, "shall we go? Time's a-wastin'."

With a dry chuckle, and under his breath, Steve muttered, "It is, is it?" as he turned the key and the engine roared to life. As he pulled the large sedan away from the curb, he shook his head, unable to stop a grin from emerging.

# # # # #

Wearing sunglasses, Mike was staring out the open side window as the tan LTD flew down the 5 through the San Joaquin Valley. They had just passed Bakersfield, with its farmland spreading out on both sides of the highway, and were approaching The Grapevine.

"Jeez, I haven't been down this way in a long time!" he yelled over the roar of the wind and Steve nodded.

"Me neither! I usually always go north!"

Conversation had been at a premium since they had left The City, both of them enjoying the open road and the company, feeling no need to fill in the silences. Steve knew Mike would want to go over the facts of the Goodman case at some point before tomorrow, to make sure they were both on top of their game, but that would most likely be the dinnertime topic.

For now they were both content to just revel in the freedom of the day, the beautiful cloudless sky, and the knowledge that whatever either of them was facing, whether in the present or in the future, they were always going to face it together. It gave both of them an inner peace that neither of them would deny or easily give up.

Closing up the window so he could be heard, Mike nodded. "Say, ah, at the rate we're going, we're gonna be in Palm Springs around dinnertime. I did a little digging last night when I found out about this little, ah, road trip. And there's a restaurant just south of the Springs in Indian Wells… it's called The Nest, and they say it's a real hot spot."

"A hot spot, hunh?" Steve asked, deadpan. "Who told you that?"

Mike swallowed heavily. "Well, ah, there's only one person I know that's been to Palm Springs and, ah, and he told me about it…"

"Okay… and, ah, just who would this person be?" Steve persisted.

"Well, ah," the older man cleared his throat, "well, that would be Rudy."

Steve glanced across the front seat, frowning. "Rudy…?"

Nodding, Mike smiled uneasily, anticipating the grief he knew would be coming.

"Rudy… Not quite the oracle of… the current restaurant scene in Southern California I wouldn't think…" He saw Mike's smile beginning to fade. "But I could be wrong… Sure, let's give it a try," he chuckled warmly, taking his partner off the hook.

Looking very relieved, Mike's smile turned into a grin and he laughed. "Oh, and, ah, it's on me tonight, Smiley."

"No…" Steve started to shake his head.

"No no no, I want it to be on me tonight. My treat. Okay?"

Glancing across the front seat again, the younger man was struck by the unconcealed affection he could see in his partner's face and his voice caught in his throat. He coughed slightly, struggling to smile, and he nodded. "Okay… your treat."

"Great," Mike punctuated the word with a sharp nod, turning to look out the side window, opening it again. "Good…"

Grateful he was wearing his dark glasses, it took Steve several long moments and lots of blinks to clear the moisture from his eyes.

# # # # #

"So, ah, do you think you might owe Rudy at least a mental apology?" Mike asked innocently, looking down at his plate as he sliced off another small piece of his filet mignon and trying not to grin. They were sitting on the burgundy leather banquette of the plush booth in the red brick walled main dining room of The Nest. Almost every table was occupied.

"What?" Steve asked around his mouthful of lamb, his fork in midair and his brow furrowed.

Mike popped the piece of steak into his mouth, smiling as he chewed, his eyebrows raised. Waiting till he swallowed, he said with a chuckle, "You gotta admit, this is a nice place, isn't it? And I know you thought, well, maybe… I mean, Rudy…"

"I know, I know," the younger man admitted with a bobble of his head and sheepish grin. "I apologize to the… ether," he chuckled, twirling his empty fork in midair, "for my lack of confidence in his… taste in restaurants…"

Laughing under his breath, Mike speared the last of his filet. "So, ah, what do you and Bill hope to get out of this little trip?"

Steve shrugged. "Well, if this Trammel guy ends up being our Mr. Goodman, that's going to open a lot of doors, I think. This guy is a triple threat – and I don't mean running, passing and kicking. We're gonna have to eliminate everyone in all three aspects of his life – and that is going to take some time, that's for sure. Have you ever had a case where your victim lived in another city and that's where all the suspects were?"

Mike shrugged. "A couple, but nothing like this. From what you say, it sounds like maybe half of Palm Springs wanted to off this guy."

The waiter approached their table and discreetly picked up the empty plates and used cutlery and quietly disappeared after taking their coffee orders. As Mike sat back, picking up the napkin from his lap and placing it on the table, he tried to mask a wince.

Steve watched him with a frown. "Are you okay?"

"Humh?" Mike grunted, looking up. "Oh yeah, I'm fine… just a little stiff…" He punctuated his words with a reassuring smile.

"Listen, uh, why don't we get outa here after we have our coffee. Get to the motel and you can lie down and get a good night's sleep. How does that sound?"

Mike's brow knit. "Don't you want any dessert?"

Knowing how much the evening was already going to cost the older man, Steve shook his head. "I'm full, I don't need any. I'm good."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. You?"

"No, I'm good too," Mike admitted. He knew what his partner was doing and he was grateful. And, if he was honest with himself, the long drive had taken a lot out of him. The ache in his chest was getting a little harder to ignore. He had brought his bottle of painkillers with him and was hoping to take a pill or two without Steve knowing; he didn't want the younger man to worry.

He really had spoken to his doctor, who told him he could make the trip but that he would probably experience some discomfort. He was also told that he was healing very well and any pain he would feel would be temporary, muscular in nature, and not to worry about it.

That was all fine and good for him to know but trying to convince his young friend that he was all right would be a challenge he really wasn't up to at the moment, so discretion was to become his watchword tonight. He only hoped he could pull it off.

# # # # #

The bathroom door opened and Mike emerged in his pajamas. He had managed to down two pills in the restaurant without the younger man seeing him and thankfully they were starting to take effect.

He crossed to his bag to put his clothes away when he glanced at the single bed and stopped, then dropped his head and chuckled. The bed he was using was piled high with pillows. He turned his questioning eyes on his grinning partner, who was about to take his toiletries bag into the bathroom.

"I went to the office and asked them for some more pillows. It's easier on you right now if you sleep sitting up, isn't it?"

Mike was gently shaking his head, smiling. "Yes, it is," he admitted self-consciously.

"Knock yourself out," Steve chuckled, gesturing at the pillows as he disappeared into the bathroom.

With an affectionate sigh, Mike crossed to the bed and rearranged the pillows, then carefully got in and leaned back. It didn't take long to find a comfortable position and the ache, thankfully, was almost gone. He took a deep breath and tried to relax.

He stared at the ceiling as he heard the faint sounds coming from the bathroom. He was well aware of the guilt the younger man still felt about what had happened, and no amount of talking would take that away, he knew. What Steve needed was his partner at his side – and that was why Mike wanted to come along on this trip. They were a team, they are a team, he thought, and he wasn't going to let anything, even his health, keep them apart right now. He closed his eyes. He was tired, he admitted to himself, and he was sound asleep well before Steve re-entered the room.

He stood near the bathroom door, watching his sleeping partner with a soft smile. He knew why Mike was here and he was grateful, more grateful than he could put into words. He slid into the other bed and turned off the light but it would be a couple of hours before he would finally drift off to sleep. He had hoped to concentrate on the case he would be investigating in the morning… but his thoughts kept returning to Mel.