Author: Moon Roses or Moony
Rating: R for language
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Feedback: Not necessary but greatly appreciated.
Recap: Sliding behind the wheel she pulled her sunglasses over her eyes and peeled out of the back alley. The fastest way out of California by car was the I15 N and she instantly turned her car towards the highway. Shorty refused to look back at the city she adored and the family she cherished but continued on the highway until the signs above the road reminded her she needed to make a decision. She followed that through Nevada heading towards Barstow and crossed into the I15 express lane. As Nevada gave way to Arizona she decided to continue driving until she needed sleep.

Chapter Thirty One

Twenty three hours after leaving Los Angeles she was paying for a hotel room in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Crossing the border had been easy with her fake passport; however, the Canadian weather almost sent her scurrying back to California with her tail tucked between her legs. But as soon as she was in her hotel room and lying naked under the covers she knew there was no turning back.

By now it was likely both teams were scouring the streets looking for her. Possibly they had even recruited Edwin's team as well. They knew she'd left of her own free will but that wouldn't stop them from searching. More than anything she wanted to dial Hector's number and explain herself. She wanted to hear Leon and Vince's voices once more and realizing she would never hear them again crushed her fragile heart.

Turning on the television she settled on sports highlights and succumbed to exhaustion. She had a big day tomorrow; she'd need to pick up her prescription for prenatal vitamins, a laptop, and a warmer jacket. It was the first time she'd been in Canada and it was excruciatingly cold even near the end of March. Perhaps a cold streak had blown in with her; after all it would only be fitting. Besides she definitely deserved whatever was thrown at her.

A few days spent in Medicine Hat were enough for her. The city, if it could be considered that, was tiny compared to Los Angeles or New York and she'd come to appreciate the hustle and bustle of megacities. On her way out of town she stopped at the world's largest Tepee and took a picture to show her child, one day, of the journey they had taken together before birth.

Shorty drove through Saskatchewan and into Manitoba before cutting south again and stopping in another small town in North Dakota. She hadn't checked her email but she was sure Letty hadn't found the letter she'd left yet. However, she was desperate for news and once she had settled into the bed and breakfast that night she paid the innkeeper for twenty minutes of internet. She plugged the internet cable into the side of laptop and waited impatiently for the annoying sound of connection. When she finally signed into her inbox she found it as empty as she'd expected and couldn't help but feel a deep loneliness.

She harboured an unrealistic fear that maybe life had already moved on back home. That maybe Leon had shrugged and said, ""fuck it". The more she wondered what Leon thought of the situation the more her heart shattered into miniscule pieces. He was such a strong willed man; he wouldn't let some notch on his belt ruin his week. Of course, he loved her, but that didn't mean he'd play the weak soul who couldn't live without her. He'd always had woman fawning over him, he was incredibly gorgeous and the kindest man she'd even met. She didn't doubt that he'd have another girl within a few weeks and she'd still be stuck on him even when they were miles apart.

Running away from things made it difficult to find a moment of rest and she felt uncomfortable staying in one place too long. The nagging feeling that Hector had placed spies all around the world in hopes of finding her became overwhelming after a few days. Shorty understood how difficult it would be to find her, because she had always been fairly good at hiding. But money could buy a lot of things and she wanted to get settled somewhere comfortable before she explained everything to her brother and team.

By the fourth morning in North Dakota she was growing restless for the road and packed up shortly after dawn. The road stretching before her was beautiful and although it was nothing like the ocean or mysterious night sky it still calmed her down. She could trust the road to keep her secret and lead her into her new life without trying to trip her up.

Crossing into Minnesota left Shorty feeling that the state was as good as any to spend a few days. She'd left Los Angeles eleven days earlier and in that time she had come to terms with her pregnancy. Without realizing it she'd even become happy for her misfortune. She'd lost an incredible amount in such a short time, but she'd gained so much more. She found herself wondering what the child would look like, what kind of personality they'd have, whether they'd love her even though she'd be a single parent.

When she rolled into Coon Rapids, Minnesota on a cool but bright night she checked into a small hotel across the street from Wal-Mart. After dropping her things off she crossed the street and searched the store until she found a large photo album with stiff black pages. She hadn't thought to purchase one when she had stopped to buy a cheap laptop in Medicine Hat, but now the need for one was overwhelming.

Shorty had pulled to the side of the road to capture a gorgeous sunset on her way into Coon Rapids and the idea had taken hold of her. The child growing inside her deserved to know everything about her, so she decided to start a photo album chronicling the baby's road to birth. All the photos she had taken since leaving Los Angeles would find a place in the album, and once her child was born she'd start a new one.

Grabbing both silver and a gold tipped Sharpie markers she made her way to the till to pay for her goods. As she pushed into her room she tossed her purchases on the bed next to her duffle bag and started the shower. She'd come to enjoy cooler showers now that her body temperature was through the roof. Well, perhaps not through the roof, but it sure felt like hell had lit a fire under her ass lately.

After her shower she ordered room service and dug in with fervour. If she was going to do this, she figured she ought to do it right. Worrying about baby weight was the farthest thing from her mind, as any expectant mother could attest. She had eyes only for a healthy baby with all its fingers and toes. Although if she had to choose she'd admit she wanted a boy with all its appendages. And even though she wanted to be surprised she felt with all her heart that she was going to have a son.

Wiping her mouth with her napkin she placed her meal tray on the small table in the corner of her room and pulled the markers and photo album towards her. On the first page she wrote across the top The road to you, my love. She had a few pictures on her camera that she had already taken and she flipped through them, labeling the pages in the book as she went. Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada's giant tepee and Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada's huge steel flowers along the highway, and The Narrows, Manitoba, Canada's gorgeous sunset, all marked the beginning of her journey.

North Dakota and Minnesota would follow but she needed to add pictures of herself as well. What better way to chronicle her babies growth but by her own? She set the timer on her camera and placed it on the bedside table, aiming it at the door. She stepped in front of the lens and smiled until the flash blinded her and she moved forward to make sure the picture was worthy. Not that it showed anything but a smiling woman. Her belly wasn't showing at all, unlike Letty's. Just thinking of Letty hurt and she wondered again how her people were doing.

By now Letty must know how far along she was, and Shorty wished she had her to share this with. Both of them could be snarling mothers to be together, experiencing bloat, gas, hormone changes and baby shopping side by side.

Wiping the unexpected tears from her cheeks she shook the thoughts from her head. Shorty knew it wouldn't do to dwell on her wishes because they would never come true. She was on a lonely road with only the occasional fart to remind her she wasn't completely alone.

With that last thought she instantly knew how she would survive an unknown future. She'd noticed since her world came crashing down that her thoughts had become jumbled. They'd often hitch on the bumper of another and she'd be led down an entirely different path, as was the case that instant. Thinking of Letty and her own lonely travels she decided the best thing to do was to get herself a companion. And not just any companion, one who couldn't convince her she'd made a mistake, one who couldn't speak at all. She needed a dog, a positive companion to save her from herself.

She pulled the newspaper off the small table and into her lap flipping to the classified section and scanning until she found the pet section. The list of animals for sale spanned four columns and she snatched a pen from the table to circle prospective purchases. When she'd gone through them all, Shorty picked up her cell phone and made enquiries into the puppies. With an appointment set for eleven the next morning to meet a breeder she slid down under the covers feeling content for the first time since her doctor's appointment.

Dawn broke a little earlier than she'd experienced in months and she was thankful that summer would be approaching soon. Not that she'd really be that comfortably in the heat with an extra twenty or so pounds. She lay in bed for another hour before slipping into the shower and towel drying her hair when she was finished. She grabbed the directions to the farm and shoved them into her purse. It was almost nine thirty and with a fairly long drive to the farm she pulled her coat on and left the hotel.

Shorty stopped at a small pancake shack and ordered an order of blueberry flapjacks with a side of bacon. It didn't take her long to eat and she was soon back on the road heading out of town to the breeders. The quaint farmhouse was sixty two kilometers passed the end of the city and the closer she got she began to feel a slight excitement building. She'd never owned an animal before; she was usually too busy running around with other hood rats to have time to care for something. However, now that she was going to have a baby in a scant seven and a half months she needed to grow up; and quickly. Taking care of a puppy would give her a chance to practice her mothering skills before she was officially a mother.

Lounging on the deck were two full grown dogs and they stood to attention when she stepped from the car. A robust man with a shaggy beard and a rugged build pushed through the screen door and smiled at her, waving her over.

"Hi there, Shorty, was it?" he called, as she walked towards the porch.

The two huge dogs bounded down the steps, tongues lolling from their giant muzzles, trailing a line of slobber as they rushed towards her. Unable to contain herself any longer she dropped to one knee and attempted to catch them as they leapt at her. "Yeah it is," she answered, as the bigger of the two dogs licked her from chin to forehead.

Shorty laughed as she rubbed the wetness from her cheek with her sleeve and stood to greet the owner. She shook his hand when he offered it and laughed when the dogs nuzzled against her legs. "This here is Lady," he said, rubbing the ears of the smaller Rottweiler. "And this is Prince. Why don't you follow me to the kennel? These two are the parents of this litter."

He led her around the side of the house to a large barn behind it. She almost cried in delight when they stepped through the doors and she saw a litter of six puppies. "They're so big," she said, climbing into the pen. The puppies crawled all over each other to reach her and one in particular tugged at the hem of her jeans.

"They're nine weeks old today, do you have a preference for male or female?" he asked.

"Not really," she said, and dropped to the ground to absorb as much puppy love as possible.

"Do you have any questions?"

"What are their temperaments like?" she asked.

"This litter is a little more playful then the previous one. Both the bitch and the dog are well behaved and docile, although the male is a little more rambunctious."

Shorty picked up a puppy and rubbed her face along its soft fur. She didn't care whether she bought a female or a male as long as they were easy to train and weren't rabid beasts liable to attack passerby's. "Are they good with children?"

"The adults are, but the pups must be trained and socialized. As long as you put in the necessary effort, they'll be fine around anyone. They are protective of their owners, so that socialization is very important," he answered.

She sat amongst the pups for another thirty minutes asking questions of the farmer before she stood and looked down at the litter. She picked up the largest bundle of squirming energy and cradled it to her chest. "I'll take this one."

"Excellent choice, he'll be a big boy once he's fully grown. Now he's had his first sets of shots, the last two are your responsibility. He'll also need rabies and parvo virus vaccines," he said, and helped her over the pen.

The pup in her arms devoured her face and tried to scramble his way up her chest. She clutched him against her breast and looked down into the brilliant brown eyes of her new companion. He stared back up at her and moaned gleefully as she scratched behind his ears.

Shorty paid cash and thanked the farmer. She placed the dog in the back of her car and rejoined the traffic on the highway. The pup fought his way into the passenger seat and settled down peacefully, his trusting eyes turned up at her. She looked down at the large puppy that would soon outgrow the bucket seat. "Well pup, it's just you, me, and this baby," she said, patting her flat stomach.

The city loomed ahead of her and she pulled to a stop at the first pet shop she found. Shorty bought all the things she would need to care for a puppy and approached the till. The associate behind the counter rang up her purchases while she decided on a green bone shaped name tag to attach to the brown leather collar she had chosen.

"What would you like on the tag?" he asked her.

Shorty opened her mouth but shut it quickly before opening it again, "Uh, who knew it would be so hard to name a dog?" She should have thought about a name before she'd pulled into the pet shop parking lot but it hadn't even crossed her mind. "How about Banjo?" she asked, looking down at the puppy who was sniffing a shelf of bones.

She nodded at the man behind the counter and he typed in the name followed by her cell phone number. She paid for her purchases and took the dog tag she was handed before leading her pup back to the car, her arms laden with purchases.

The next few days were spent house breaking, teaching Banjo his name, and to sit and lay down. She had thought it was going to be an excruciatingly hard process but surprisingly her pup learned very quickly. Within days he had learned the simplest of tasks and she was thankful she could move on from Minnesota.

Upon her eighth day she packed up her belongings, checked out of the hotel and loaded Banjo into the passenger seat of her car. She took the highway due south and let the road guide her.

When she next settled down for a night she pulled into a tiny bed and breakfast in a miniscule town in Indiana. She'd never in her life traveled as much as she had in the past two and a half weeks. And although she shouldn't feel grateful for the experience she couldn't help herself. She'd set out on her own, something she'd never done before. In Los Angeles she'd had her team, in New York she'd had her boys. She'd never truly been alone and now that she was she found that sometimes solitude was just as soothing as her beautiful ocean.

Dumping her duffle and purse on the floor she climbed onto the bed and cuddled with Banjo while she thought of the phone call she knew it was time to make. It was going to be the most difficult conversation she'd ever have. Hector was going to be thankful she'd finally called home, but livid that she had left without explanation.

On the second ring Hector's tired voice answered, "Hello?"

"Hola Hector," she responded a little sullenly. Just the sound of his voice cut straight through her heart until she was shaking with longing. She would give almost anything to be home and happy.

"Shorty? God, where are you? I've been so worried. We spent the last two weeks looking for you," he cried anxiously.

"I can't tell you why I left, but I swear I did it for all the right reasons. Please don't be mad. How's the team?"

"They're pissed. Are you okay? Get your ass home, baby girl."

Shorty sighed deeply, "I can't come home Hector. I just can't. I only called to tell you I'm safe. How's Vince? And Leon?"

A desolate sigh blossomed in her ear and her heart tore in two. She knew he was trying his hardest to maintain his cool but he wanted answers she couldn't give him. Shorty wanted to tell him he was going to be an uncle, but he'd never understand why she left. He'd never accept that it was something she had to do for the good of not only Leon, but also for herself and the baby. The child deserved more than an absent and neglectful father, which is what it would have gotten had she stayed. Leon was bound to leave her, perhaps he himself would have disappeared once he found out she was pregnant.

"Leon is hurt, obviously, and Vince is furious. They're been here almost every night looking for news."

"Promise me you won't tell them you heard from me. This is something I need to do. If you have to tell them something, tell them not to bother looking. Tell them to stop."

"When are you coming back, hermana?"

"I'm not, Hector."

"What? You have to come back. You're place is with the team."

"I love you, Hector. I'll call you when I'm settled," she answered and ended the call. She knew if she talked much longer she'd likely cave and give him her location.

She lay on her back and let Banjo crawl on top of her and stretch out on her stomach. He cuddled into her neck in the same spot that Leon used to and snuffled against her skin, making her laugh. She had to admit buying a dog might not have been the best idea but her precious Banjo was likely going to be the only thing getting her through the next few months.