Ram was waiting for her in the garage the next morning, bags packed and sitting on the ground next to him. She came shooting into the garage and squealed the brakes as she stopped. He shook his head at her and grabbed his bags. He threw them in the back seat and then walked over to the driver's door. He opened it and pulled her out and jumped in before she could react. "Get in kid, I'm driving today. I'd like to get there in one piece." She started to argue with him, but he put a look on his face that could rival one of Ranger's so she got in the passenger side and slammed the door. He drove to the airport and they were silent most of the way. She only corrected his driving once, when he was in the wrong lane that she knew was closed due to upcoming construction. He parked at the airport and they got out. He grabbed his bags and then they headed inside. He had told her that she didn't have to stay, he was a big boy and could wait for his flight alone, but she insisted. "I'd rather not be home right now so I'll stay until you leave." He got checked in and they got something to drink and sat down. "How did last night go after you got home?" Ram asked. Julie was quiet for a minute and then said, "Everyone was in bed when I got home. I think once they knew where I was and was on my way home, they were able to relax and go to bed. It's going to be hard for a while, but hopefully things will improve. I talked to dad this morning and he said the papers you are taking to Ranger could help. Ranger's looking for someone who specializes in this kind and see if there's anything else that can be done." He reached over and wiped her tears away and said, "I'm sorry you're hurting kiddo. I went through this a few years ago and know exactly how you feel. Give me your phone." She handed over her phone and he added his contact information and then handed it back to her. "I added myself to your contact list, so feel free to text or call anytime. I'll be here for you and if you want to talk about things you can't talk to any of your parents about, I'll be there for you and I'll keep it to myself." She nodded and he continued, "I will only get Ranger or Steph involved if I feel that you are in trouble or need the more help than I can give you, okay?" She through her arms around him and hugged him. "Thank you Ramsey. You're a great friend to have and a great guy too."
Once his flight took off, he leaned his head back and tried to sleep. After Julie left him last night, he didn't get much sleep. He kept thinking about how upset she was and how hard she had cried. He hoped that Ranger would be picking him up at the airport because he wanted to talk to him about Julie. She needed to have someone to talk to and help her deal with everything and be there for her. He wanted to let Ranger know that he told her to call him, and he wanted to make sure Ranger understood why he was doing it. When he got off the plane and walked into the terminal, he didn't see Ranger, but instead he saw Steph and Rosie. When he walked over to them, Rosie reached her arms out to him, wanting him to hold her. He looked shocked and Steph just laughed and told him to drop his bags. She put Rosie in his arms and the little girl snuggled into him and closing his eyes for a moment, he let out a big sigh. Steph looked at him and said, "How was Miami?" He opened his eyes and looked at her. "The office is fine. A couple of the new guys are really good and I went over some training that they can do to help any new hires before I get back down there again." Steph shook her head and said, "Tell all of that to Ranger. I want to know about Julie. I know that Ron called in a panic last night trying to track her down. Anything you know?" He dropped a kiss on Rosie's head and handed her back to Steph. Reaching down to pick up his bags, he said, "Let's go and I'll tell you what I know."
Ram talked to Steph on the ride home and by the time she pulled into the garage at RangeMan, she was wiping at tears on her face. She got out and by the time she got Rosie out of the back seat, Ranger was coming out of the stairwell. "What's wrong? Hal is on monitors and saw you wiping away tears. Did something happen?" Steph shook her head and kissed his cheek. "I'll take Rosie upstairs and let Ram talk to you." She grabbed the diaper back and headed upstairs in the elevator. Ranger looked at Ram and said, "What's going on?" Ram grabbed his bags and said, "Let me put drop these off at my apartment and then I'll come to your office." Ranger nodded and they both headed up the stairs. Ten minutes later, Ram was knocking on Ranger's office door, holding the envelope that Silvio had given to him. Ranger called him in and he walked in and handed the envelope over and then sat down in one of the chairs. Ram talked for about ten minutes without any interruption from Ranger. He told him about Julie's visit the night before and how they talked and he shared his own story. Ranger looked at him and said, "Do you think what we're going to try is something that we should or are we just prolonging the pain?" Ram said, "I can't say. I know what my mom wanted and it was to go on her own terms. The doctor's had no more options, it was too far advanced and spread throughout her body and to be honest, I think mom was tired. She was tired of all of the surgeries, the treatments, the feeling of being sick all of the time. She sat me down the one time I was home and told me she wanted to end it because it wasn't working. I was selfish and told her to fight harder, that she could beat it, but she shook her head and told me to think like a grown man and not a little boy. I needed to grow up and accept her decision and spend the rest of her remaining time with her doing what she wanted and not arguing all the time."
Ram paused and Ranger said, "How did you handle it all?" "I was only 22 when she died and I had to grow up fast. I had to deal with the house and her finances, things I had no clue how to handle. Thankfully, a good friend of hers was an attorney so she helped me. Mom had planned her own funeral so that was at least taken care of, but it was still hard. I was her only child, her parents were already gone, she had no siblings and we hadn't heard anything from my dad for almost 20 years. He just up and left one day and never came home." Ranger asked a few more questions and then Ram said, "Ranger, I gave Julie my phone number and told her to text or call whenever she wants to talk. I hope that's okay with you, I don't want to do anything you don't agree with, but shit, you should have seen her last night. She couldn't stop crying once she got to RangeMan." They talked for a few more minutes before Ram left Ranger's office. He was off duty until the next day so he headed back to his apartment and once there he found a text from Julie. "Thanks for last night. I've never had a friend like you that I can talk about anything with, I hope you don't get tired of hearing from me." He smiled and replied, "Anything for you kiddo."
