The next day at work the guys avoided Julie. She had red rimmed eyes and was constantly sniffing. Steph finally came out of her office and asked Julie to come upstairs with her at lunch. They walked into the apartment and found Ranger in the kitchen fixing lunch. Julie sat down at the table and Steph brought her a bottle of water, while Ranger brought their lunch out. They sat down with her and for a minute, no one said anything. Julie sniffled a few times before Ranger set down his water and looked at her. "Julie, are you okay?" She started to nod, but broke down and started to cry. He looked over at Steph for help and she sat down next to Julie and pulled the girl into her arms. She let her cry for a few minutes and then lifted her face, looking at her. "Julie, I know it's hard, believe me, I know how hard these missions are for those left behind at home, but you have to be strong. Take today and cry and feel sorry for yourself, get it out of your system, but starting tomorrow, be the strong woman your dad and I, and Ram, know that you are."
Julie didn't say anything but wiped her face. She looked across the table at her dad and said, "How much do you know about where he's going?" Ranger sat quietly for a few minutes before saying, "Enough to know that he's going to be safe and shouldn't be gone more than a few months. I can't tell you where he's gone so don't even think of asking me." She nodded and sat for a few minutes. She looked over at Steph and asked, "Any suggestions about how to deal with this? I know he was gone for over a year last time, but we weren't together then like now."
Steph sighed and looking at Ranger said, "Well, I guess it's time that you all learn my secret on how I got through your dad's deployments." She looked at them and said, "If you tell anyone, I'll deny it to the day I die." They both nodded and waited for her to continue. "I would come up here when your dad was gone and hug his pillow and smell it, just to get a whiff of him. I made a deal with Ella to not wash his bedding until after I told her, which was usually a few months after he'd leave. By then the smell was faded enough." Ranger had a smirk on his face, but his eyes were twinkling at the thought of Steph smelling his pillow.
Julie nodded and said, "After the helicopter left, I went to Ram's apartment and slept in his bed. Is that all that helped?" Steph let out another sigh and said, "No. I would sneak up here and shower, just so I could smell the shower gel that your dad uses." Ranger laughed and said, "You weren't as sneaky as you thought. Tank kept a log of all your visits to the apartment, but he couldn't figure out what you were doing, since you were never here for more than an hour. It's been a running mystery with the guys since we first got together." Steph shook her head and said, "Seriously, don't they have enough other things to worry about? Anyway, I would suggest keeping a journal. I did that as well after things got more serious between me and your dad. It helped to write down how I was feeling each day, whether we heard from him or if Tank got notification that he make his check-ins. Sometimes I would just doddle his name, just like in junior high when I was lost in thoughts about the cute boy in my class." Ranger looked at her, "Where are these journals and why haven't I seen or even heard about them?" Julie looked shocked and said, "Daddy, you can't read Steph's journals. They are her private thoughts. I suppose you read Aunt Cecilia's diary when you were little." Ranger said, "But they are about me, so why can't I see them?" Julie sighed and got up from the table, kissing both of them and headed back downstairs to work. As she shut the apartment door, she could hear them arguing playfully over Steph's journals.
At the end of her shift, she headed into Lester's office. "Uncle Lester?" He looked up and smiled. "Hey, there's my girl. What can Uncle Lester do for you?" She grimaced, "That sounds creepy. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall with me. I wanted to get a few things and don't feel like being alone." He agreed and said he'd meet her in the garage in a few minutes. She stopped by Ranger's office and told him good-bye. He was on a call, but waved at her, smiling at how much better she looked since lunch.
The ride to the mall was fun, with the radio blasting and both of them singing along. They had a fun time together shopping. Lester helped pick out some clothes for her to wear on dates with Ram when he got back and she helped him find a gift for his current girlfriend. They hit up the food court and ate a bunch of junk food that they would both running extra for in the morning. They stopped at the arcade where she kicked him in skeet-ball, which earned her an ice cream on the way back to RangeMan. They pulled in the garage and she gave him a hug, thanking him for the great time. He said, "Anything for you kiddo." When he said that, her eyes filled up with tears. "Hey, Julie, are you okay?" She sniffled and said, "Ram called me kiddo before we started dating. It just hit me that he's gone. It sucks, you know?" He pulled her in for another hug and kissed the top of her head. "I know it does, but you'll get through it. We won't let you stay sad for too long. Now, how about you come upstairs and help me wrap this gift. I wrap like a 10 year old boy." She laughed and agreed, following him up the stairs to his apartment. She stayed for about an hour, helping him wrap the gift and watching the end of a baseball game with him. She gave him a kiss and left, getting almost to the garage when she realized she didn't have her car. Ram had driven his car to RangeMan when he left and she had stayed in his apartment before coming to work. She started to head back up to the control room when Hector came out of the stairwell. "What's up chica?" "I forgot I don't have my car here and have no way to get home." He smiled and said, "No worry, I drive you home." She gave him a hug and followed him to his car. He pulled out of the garage and while driving her towards her house, she asked, "Does it hurt much to get a tattoo?"
