22. Turkey-lurkey Time

It was the morning of Thanksgiving, and Lil was very tired, but also excited. She and Ella had been working hard the past few days to make sure all of Rangeman had a good holiday. Ram made it home from the hospital the same night he was shot. Luckily, he was no longer drugged up. The 'magic boobs' story spread like proverbial wildfire, much to Lil's distaste. Lester was really enjoying his attempt to give her a new nickname. He had already tried 'charmed ta-tas', 'sorceress knockers', and 'supernatural muchachas'. His current favorite was 'wizard melons'. Lil had to admit, the last one made her giggle. The men hadn't been too cruel though, they were more impressed by her quick thinking and ability to cut Morelli down like the dumb-shit that he is. Lester was the only one stupid enough to use those names, at least in front of her. He had also spent the last five mornings meeting Ranger on the mats. Men. For the record, Lil's bra was in Ranger's nightstand drawer. The one time she had asked him about it, he mysteriously became busy with a phone call…

Lil stepped onto the fifth floor, bright and early with Tilde on her hip. She checked the posted holiday schedule to review who was working and when. Lil was adamant that everyone got to partake in their festivities. Four of the men had worked overnight, between the control room and patrols. Their shifts were ending now, they would sleep a while before joining the fun. Not surprisingly, Ranger and Tank were scheduled to work the entire day. Seven a.m. until eleven p.m. on the monitors. Hmmm. Lil would have to figure something out. Certainly they would get a break.

The women had been directing Rangeman volunteers the last two days to set the largest conference room in the style of a buffet. They placed fall colored linens over the large central table. The decorations that Tilde made were hung with care. Every inch of the room was covered in fall leaves, turkeys, and multicolored feathers. It was a sight. Chaffing dishes and crock-pots were lined up and ready to receive the hot foods. Places were left for trays of cold dishes. Four side tables were smartly placed to offer a drink station, a dessert spread, all the needed plates and silverware, and a place for their rubbish when they were done eating. Four large turkeys and two hams were taking up oven space in multiple apartments. A Thanksgiving dinner for twenty-one people was an undertaking unto itself. When seventeen of those guests were Rangemen, their food needs were massive.

The plan was to have all of the foods set up and ready by 1400. The dishes would be refreshed again at 1800 to insure that everyone had a plate that was hot and fresh. Lil and Ella would stay busy for a good portion of the day. Cal, Binkie, Manny, Zip, and Vince were off duty. Ram was still on medical leave. They all volunteered to help get the foods from the fourth and sixth floors to the first when needed. Thank goodness. Lil pulled Cal and Vince aside. "Can I ask you guys a big favor?" They gave her smiles and nods. "Carlos and Tank are on monitors all day. Do you think you could watch the control room for an hour this evening, so they can at least have their Thanksgiving in the break room?" Cal chuckled, "Of course Lilly-pad, we can cover them later. Do you want it to be a surprise?" Lil's eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously. So their plan was set.

At 1325, a food migration of epic proportions began. It would have been misery if the elevator was smaller, or if there were less helping hands. Every conceivable dish was brought out, from turkey and ham to mashed potatoes and yams. The traditional offerings were there, stuffing, gravy, homemade cranberries, and green beans. There were non-traditional options too, three different green salads, wild rice with pecans, roasted brussel sprouts, fruit salad, and braised mushrooms. The men would be offered all kinds of nibbles too. Smoked fish dip with crackers, assorted veggies with dip, cheese fondue, and deviled eggs. Drink options were kept to a minimum, only water, iced tea, and fresh lemonade. If they made it that far, there were twelve pies divided between apple, pumpkin, and pecan. If anyone at Rangeman was hungry by the evening, it was their own fault.

Ranger had pulled up the camera on the conference room, leaving it visible on one of his screens. He normally didn't mind working holidays. As the boss, he figured it was his job. This year, he felt a small pang of remorse that he wasn't downstairs when the first group arrived to dig in. The nine or so men, who were either off or not working on patrols until the evening, descended on the buffet without prejudice. Ranger watched the monitor with a smirk. Lil and Tilde stood to the side, directing traffic and answering questions. Damn his men could eat. Through some unspoken agreement, Ella and Luis also joined in. Lil and Tilde were apparently waiting until later. Distracted by movement at a home they were watching, Ranger missed Lil place appetizers on a small tray with accompaniments. When his eyes returned to the group, the girls were no where to be seen. The elevator dinged open on five. Lil and Tilde stepped out, carrying their little tray. They silently sat their offering in front of Tank and Ranger on the long desk. Tilde hugged both men on the arm, before Tank or Ranger could comment, they were gone. Tank looked at the food and smiled. He shoved a deviled egg into his mouth. "I love those two", his statement was muddled by the chewing. Hmmm, maybe not being down there wasn't so bad.

Tank watched as Lil, Ella, and a few of the men kept a steady flow of hot and cold dishes moving through the building. The industrial freezer on six was providing all their ice. Luis and the others kept the trash to a minimum. Dirty dishes were already being tended mechanically upstairs. Overall, it was going well. If the women ever wanted a new career, they would make a killing in catering. Tank and Ranger had stayed relatively busy for a monitor shift. Holiday's were a blessing and a curse. Often, crime was less common as even the criminals of New Jersey enjoyed merrymaking, but the homeowner's were more likely to trip their own alarms. Alcohol had that effect. They had already responded to three forgotten sensors, two shit-faced relatives causing a ruckus, and one nearly catastrophic fried turkey incident. Between watching the fun on the first floor and the occasional person across town acting a fool, they were surprised when the 1800 food placement started. Only five more hours. Dios, even Ranger was getting stiff from sitting so long.

As the last few Rangemen started filling their plates, some of the guys from the afternoon returned for seconds. Lil had been counting on it. By her estimation, there wouldn't be very many leftovers at all. She borrowed one of Ella's serving carts and quickly started filling plates with an assortment of each food. By the time she was done, the cart was fifteen pounds heavier, at least. Tilde helped to carry the napkins and silverware. Lil sent a text to Cal who responded with a smiley face. On five, Ranger and Tank were busy staring at their monitors. Cal and Vince walked in to stand behind their chairs. Cal cleared his throat, "The boss says we're supposed to relieve you for an hour." Cal made a valiant effort to keep a straight face. Ranger turned his chair to face his men, eyebrow raised, "As far as I know, you're only bosses are sitting right here." Vince chuckled, "Not the Rangeman boss, the Thanksgiving boss!" He pointed to the elevator as it dinged open. Perfect timing.

Lil and Tilde waved as they pushed their trolley of goodness into the break room. Tank took the hint real fast. He stood and offered his seat to either man. "I'm hungry! Been watching you jokers eat all damn day!" He marched toward the break room with a distinct purpose, Ranger on his heels. They could hear Cal laughing behind them. As the men entered, Lil was just getting the various dishes set out on the counter. She even placed some nice beige linens on the table where they would sit. Tilde skipped to Tank and raised her arms. The two chatted quietly, their bright smiles matching. Ranger watched Lil lovingly set everything in place for them. "What's all this Lil?" There was warmness in his voice. "This is our Thanksgiving Carlos. You didn't really think we were going to let you two miss out did you?" She gave him a smile and an eye roll. From Tank's arms Tilde chimed in, "we waited to eat with you!"

Minutes later the foursome was happily digging into the best Thanksgiving dinner they'd had in many years. Once again, the food was delicious and the company was even better. Ranger watched the others eat and interact. He found himself wishing that Thanksgiving next year could be the same. Whoa. Their time together was only for an hour, but it was enjoyable. During their chats, Lil got to hear a little more about the business side of Rangeman, including the dreaded paperwork. It seemed that every one of the men hated reports, especially Tank. Lil offered to come to his office the next day to look over his software and systems. Tank was a little too excited by her offer. That should have been a red-flag, but she was enjoying her evening too much to pick up on it. Ranger just sat back and smirked.

Tilde and Ranger finished eating first, Tank was having thirds. The little girl scooched over into Ranger's lap and curled up. Holding Tilde was becoming second-nature to him. Strange how not long ago, she would barely acknowledge his presence. They had somehow formed their own little bond. The trust she showed him was enormous, breathtaking. He found it calming to just sit quietly with Tilde, twirling one of her curls. If anyone would have told him he would be sitting like this six months ago, he wouldn't have believed it for the world. Before Lil, he had very strict, self-imposed rules about his life and relationships of any kind. What had changed? Were his rules still in place? He couldn't very well claim that his life didn't lend itself to relationships anymore, not with Tilde sitting in his lap. He was slowly realizing that he did have a 'relationship' with them. It was a friendship. Ranger hadn't had a non-work, non-military, non-family related FRIEND in a long time. Oddly enough, the realization didn't freak him out. It was… nice.

Lil watched the two interact as she poured more lemonade for Tank. Yup, there would be very little leftovers indeed. In fact, most of it would probably fit in the break room fridge and be gone by the next night. Ranger and Tilde were having a whispered conversation of their own. Not secretive, just subdued. He gave the beautiful little girl a two-hundred watt smile, his attractiveness was impossible to ignore. Lil caught his eye, "Happy Thanksgiving Carlos."