Lester had awakened from his nightmare, screaming. His skin felt cold and clammy. He climbed out of bed to take a much-needed shower to wash away the images stuck inside his mind. The dream seemed too realistic. He checked the calendar and saw it was a few days before Thanksgiving Day. Lester washed away the stickiness as he turned the water on as hot as he could tolerate. It wasn't enough to warm him. Hot water beat against his shoulders as he worked the shampoo into a lather. Lester rinsed and repeated the process.
Parts of the dream had occurred in reality. Morelli had gone to Miami to assist on a case involving a man he arrested for assault early in his law enforcement career. During his absence, Joe fell in love with a nurse named Stella. He and Stephanie had ended their relationship before his departure. Stephanie moved into Rangeman a few days after picking up a new stalker.
Morelli's fiancée, Stella, and Stephanie became close friends. Whenever their schedules aligned, they took Bob running or to the park for him to chase squirrels. Lester shook his head of the thoughts, spraying the walls with water and soap. Comparing reality to the dream wasn't helping. He kept finding too many similarities, making him believe the dream was a premonition.
Lester turned off the water and reached for his towel. He ran it over his hair several times to dislodge the water droplets clinging to the blond locks before wrapping it around his waist. Stepping from the shower, Lester stared at his toes, needing to count them. "Ten," he mumbled. "All accounted for." He absentmindedly brushed his teeth and ran his tongue over them to ensure he removed the gunk he noticed when he woke up.
With knitted brows, Lester exited his bathroom. Wrappers and other trash littered the living room and his bedroom floor. "What the hell?" he asked. Lester was a neat freak. Everything had a place. The floor and other flat surfaces were not the place for the garbage.
Sighing, Lester went to his bedroom to get dressed. The coffee maker in the kitchen beeped, indicating his coffee was ready for consumption. He grabbed the broom and dustpan to clean the room. His Tia Ella would not appreciate the mess he left behind. Lester didn't recall making the mess.
The apartment door opened. "Hey, Lester. Are you okay? Binkie heard you scream and called me," Bobby asked. Despite the hot shower, Lester appeared pale. Bobby watched his friend clean the trash from the floor, concerned that something else was happening. Again, Bobby asked, "Are you okay?"
Lester shrugged and dumped the trash in the garbage can. "I had a bad dream," Lester confessed when he realized Bobby wouldn't let it rest.
"Oh. What did you dream?" Bobby asked, wondering how to help his best friend, assuming Lester's PTSD had resurfaced.
Bobby noticed Lester had picked at his cuticles. It was the first sign that he was coming down from a high. Lester chewed on his finger. Bobby gently pulled it from his mouth. "Drink your coffee," Bobby ordered.
"Shove it," Lester mumbled. He poured himself a cup and grabbed another for Bobby.
"Thanks," Bobby said when Lester handed him the coffee. Bobby took a sip, appreciating the flavour of the potent brew. "Now, what did you dream."
While they drank the coffee, Lester told Bobby the details of the dream that he could remember, which was a surprising amount. "It all seemed so real," Lester finished.
Bobby felt relieved Lester wasn't dreaming about the missions or demons of his past. His concern regarding Stephanie increased. Lester was bothered by something occurring in Stephanie's life.
"Are you worried about Stephanie meeting the extended family? That she won't live up to the tales you shared?" Bobby asked.
Lester raised a shoulder. "Maybe. I don't know. It's the first time she's joining us," Lester confessed. "Ranger took her to his parents' house a few years ago. It's different this time because they're officially dating." Bobby already knew about Stephanie's initial meeting with Ranger's family. The extended family wasn't at the house.
"What makes you think Ranger would cheat on Stephanie with Joyce?" Bobby asked.
"It's just a fear. Ranger's been sending Ram and me to pick up the Rangeman files from Vinnie's, and Joyce is always there. She seemed disappointed when we walked into the office. There's no love lost between Stephanie and Joyce. Everyone knows that Joyce would do anything to steal Ranger from Stephanie," Lester explained.
"So we keep an eye on Barnhardt," Bobby recommended. He never mentioned anything about the pregnancy portion of the dream. Stephanie wasn't pregnant.
Bobby returned the empty mug to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and shook his head. After checking the cupboards, Bobby concluded that Lester had nothing for breakfast. Bobby loaded the dishwasher with all the dirty dishes on the counter, stove, and sink. He grabbed the dishwasher soap, adding a sizeable amount to the dispensing tray. Bobby closed it and started the load. "What?" Lester asked when Bobby grabbed his arm.
"We're grabbing breakfast from the break room. You need to go shopping," Bobby stated.
"I kind of ate everything during the night," Lester confessed. "I was tossing the packaging when you arrived." Bobby checked the kitchen garbage and laughed. He assumed as much when he loaded the dishwasher.
They left Lester's apartment to grab some breakfast burritos from the break room. Ella raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had stocked her nephew's apartment with food a few days earlier.
The sound of Stephanie's laughter filled the control room. Bobby raised a brow when Lester fixed a cup of coffee for Stephanie and doctored it the way she liked. Stephanie accepted the coffee and smiled at Lester. "Ella made breakfast burritos. Have you eaten breakfast?" Lester asked.
"I have. Thanks for asking," Stephanie replied before walking out of the room. Lester never made her coffee unless they were in the field together. She was still contemplating the likely cause of his sudden concern.
Stephanie sat in her cubicle. She smiled when her ass touched the seat of the comfortable chair. Ranger had it replaced after Stephanie complained the other one made her butt fall asleep. She plugged two names into the research application. The first name yielded too many details. Stephanie printed the documents to highlight the essential facts.
A plate containing a single Boston Cream donut appeared at her elbow. She slowly looked up from the papers to see who delivered the snack. "Thanks, Les," Stephanie said, furrowing her brows. When he left, Stephanie asked herself, "What's bothering Santos?" He prepared her coffee and brought her a snack. It was out of character for him, especially since they weren't partners for the day.
Stephanie continued to work. Her stomach grumbled. The donut made her exceptionally hungry. After eating healthier for six months, food with concentrated sugar affected her in a way she never expected. Before she could push the chair back, a plate with a meatball sub from Pino's arrived. "Thanks, Les."
"No problem, Steph," Lester replied.
She dug into the details for Jose Ramirez and determined a distraction was the best option for capturing him. However, they needed a cross-dressing man for the job. Smiling, she sent her recommendation to Ranger. She heard him laughing in his office. Stephanie giggled when she heard the chairs move and imagined the men peeking over their cubical walls like the game Whack a Mole.
"Santos, Brown, Hector and Babe, meeting in five. My office," Ranger said over the intercom system, not wholly masking his amusement.
Stephanie pushed away from her desk, grabbing the documents she printed for the team. She walked into Ranger's office without knocking and sat in the visitor's chair across from his desk. Ranger pushed his chair back. Crooking a finger, he motioned for Stephanie to sit with him. She shrugged and did as asked. "Babe, you never disappoint," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist while pulling her closer. Lester entered the office a few minutes after Bobby and Hector. "Close the door, Santos."
Lester slumped his shoulders while he closed and locked the door. Stephanie covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. She couldn't wait to see Santos wearing a dress.
"We need to catch Jose Ramirez today," Ranger said, calling the meeting to order.
"When and where?" Lester asked, wanting to get it over with. He couldn't look at Ranger after his realistic dream. Ranger wondered what was bothering his cousin. Lester was acting strangely. It was unlike him to look at his hands during a brief. Stephanie noticed Lester's lack of engagement during the meeting. He was talking, but she thought his mind wasn't in their discussion.
"At the Diva Domain," Ranger replied, waiting for Lester to react.
Snapping his head to look at Ranger, Lester said, "But that's the Drag Queen bar."
"Yup," Stephanie said, popping the p. "How did you know it was the Drag Queen bar?"
Lester's face turned pink. "I was curious," Lester mumbled.
"Did you dress up?" Stephanie asked, tilting her head to the right. Most of the bar's patrons were men.
"No!" Lester snapped. Stephanie raised her hands in surrender. Ranger kissed the back of her neck as he gently lowered her arms.
"Guess what, Lester? You get to do that today," Stephanie laughed. "Ella's buying your dress. Don't shave. It's part of the attraction."
Ranger nodded in agreement. Lester knew it was inevitable once Ranger decided. "Are you having others in the bar?" Lester asked, resigned to wearing a dress for the capture.
"No. Jose isn't armed. Watch your drink. He likes to drug his victims," Ranger replied. He checked the time on his watch. "Santos, you have one hour to prepare." Ranger dismissed everyone except Stephanie. Tank flicked the lock before closing the door. He stood outside the room to prevent interruptions.
She turned sideways, tossing her legs over the armrest. "I've got to watch my back," Stephanie joked. "Lester's going to enjoy his payback." Her voice hitched as Ranger moved his hand beneath her shirt to touch her nipple.
"Babe," Ranger sighed. Stephanie initiated the kiss. She opened her mouth to Ranger. Their tongues fought for dominance. Stephanie moaned when Ranger gently sucked her tongue. She craved more than a passionate kiss.
Ranger stood with Stephanie in his arms. He moved to the couch and gently dropped her on the cushions. It took less than two minutes for him to strip Stephanie and make love to her. "Thanks, Carlos. I needed that," Stephanie purred. She needed to burn the excess sugar from the donut and sub.
"Me too, Babe," he replied. Ranger used the tissues from the box on the table to wipe himself. He disappeared into the washroom inside his office to grab a damp cloth and towels. Stephanie loved the care after making love to Carlos. He was gentle and thoughtful.
"I love you," Stephanie whispered as Carlos helped her dress.
"Te amo. Siempre," Carlos replied. Stephanie knew he returned the sentiment, adding "always" to his proclamation.
"Do you need me for the distraction?" Stephanie asked.
"I need you with me," Ranger replied, accentuating the words "you" and "me."
"They caught the stalker, Carlos," Stephanie reminded him.
"I'm certain another one is lurking in the shadows," Carlos joked. Stephanie rolled her eyes. The only person Stephanie caught following her was Hector. She knew he only revealed himself so she wouldn't worry.
The team met in the garage. Stephanie quickly fixed Lester's makeup to make him look the part. "I brought you some water," he whispered.
"Okay. Thank you?" Stephanie replied, making it sound like a question.
Stephanie climbed into the backseat of the SUV to continue helping Lester get ready. "Is there something you need to share?" Lester asked, thinking Stephanie was pregnant.
She knitted her brows and tried to figure out what Lester was thinking. "Um… no?" Stephanie replied, brushing him off.
Lester shrugged and let Stephanie fix the outrageous wig that Ella had purchased. "How do I look?" Lester asked. Stephanie took a selfie with Lester.
"You look sexy," she joked, showing him the photo. Lester groaned.
"You're going to share that with the guys, right?" Lester asked. "I'm begging you to keep it to yourself or delete it."
They arrived at the bar. Stephanie grabbed Bobby's arm after Lester exited the SUV. "What the hell is wrong with Santos?"
Bobby replied, "Lester thinks you're pregnant." Stephanie doubled over, laughing. It was hilarious because she was not pregnant.
