(Friday, 04 July, 2003. 0700 hours.)
"Ready to go?" Steve asked the sexy brunette as she approached his truck when he pulled up outside her apartment complex early Friday morning.
"Babe, I was born ready," Elaine Matthews replied with a saucy grin as she stuffed her duffel bag behind the seat. "I'm just sorry your dad and your friends couldn't join us."
"Me, too," Steve agreed with a frown as he and Elaine climbed into the truck. Then he grinned at his girlfriend and said, "but it's like Jesse said last night when they told me they had to cancel. You have to look on the bright side. They might not get to meet you this time, but it means you and I get three days alone together in a cabin in the mountains."
"Mmmm," Elaine sighed, snuggling as close to Steve as her seat belt would allow. "I think I'll really like Jesse when I finally meet him. He sounds like a pretty smart guy."
"He's very bright," Steve agreed, "but don't let him know I said so."
Elaine giggled and rested her head on Steve's shoulder. "My lips are sealed," she promised as he put the truck in gear and headed for the highway. Steve smiled indulgently down at the top of her head. Elaine often talked about things that gave her the 'warm fuzzies,' and when she curled up beside him and giggled like that, he knew just what she meant.
They rode for some time alternating companionable silence and casual conversation. To Steve, this relationship seemed to be starting out very well, but he was still being cautious. Elaine was a civilian police assistant, so she knew all about the risks associated with his job, and over the past three weeks, she had been very understanding about the demanding hours he sometimes had to work. Even so, for some reason, Steve felt himself holding back. In his experience, when something seemed too good to be true, it usually was, and while women often truly believed they were ok with the dangers of police work, usually, as soon as something scary happened, they ran for the hills.
This time, Steve was determined not to move too fast. He wasn't going to give too much of himself away. He would wait and see if she could accept the realities of his work before he surrendered his heart to her. He'd been hurt too many times. He would not let it happen again.
As the city rolled away behind them, Elaine rummaged behind the seat and pulled out a thermos.
"Coffee?" she asked.
"Sounds good to me. Dark and sweet?"
"Yep, or light, if you prefer. I brought some artificial creamer if you want it."
"Ok, great."
A few minutes later, she handed him the cup, only half full so it didn't spill, and Steve took a gulp. "Mmmm, that's good." He drained the cup in two swallows. "You make great coffee. Thanks."
"Flatterer," she said, taking the cup back and giving him a playful swat on the shoulder before she refilled it. "It's instant."
"It's still great. Can I have some more?"
"Sure." She handed him the cup, and he quickly emptied it on a short straight away.
"More?" Elaine asked.
"No, thanks, not right now."
She put the lid back on the thermos, and started asking about the cabin. "Have you been there before?"
"No, but one of Dad's patients recommended it. He says it's great. Rustic on the outside, fully furnished on the inside, right down to a wet bar and a hot tub."
"Sounds wonderful."
"Ohhhh, yeahhhh," Steve yawned. "Maybe I should have another cup of that coffee. All of a sudden, I feel real sleepy."
The truck drifted across the yellow line, and Steve jerked it back into his lane. "Man, what's wrong with me? I am so sleepy."
"Sweetheart, maybe you should let me drive," Elaine suggested, somewhat concerned.
Steve fought to keep his eyes open as he looked for a safe spot to pull over. He realized he was fading fast, and so, on the next straight stretch of road, he slowed to a stop, put on his hazard lights and said, "Sommmmmethinnnnggg'sss wronnnnnggggg. Fiiiinnnnd hosssspitallll and calllll myyyy daaaad." Then everything went black.
Elaine unbuckled Steve's seat belt and pulled him across to the passenger side where she buckled him in again. Then she ran around the truck, climbed in, cut off the hazard lights, and started driving.