Dear Lester,

I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to receive your last letter. It was so sweet of you to suggest a day at the beach. I love the idea and wish we could somehow make it happen. It's sad that I'm not allowed any visitors that aren't family. Or to have the ability to leave the facility for the day. From the complaints I've overheard from others here, it isn't normal not to be allowed day passes once a patient has move to the transitional housing.

While I so very much enjoy getting to know you through our letters, it would be lovely to be able to talk face to face. Sadly, I'm not sure we'll ever get the chance.

You see, the counseling team is beginning to talk about what will happen when it's time for me to leave. They're telling me that when I do leave, I will be going home. I told them what I told you. That my family is extremely religious. It won't matter that I was forced to do the things I did. They will shun me.

My counselor flat out doesn't believe that my family will not accept me back. None of the rest of my team seem to be listening either. They refuse to try and understand that I'm going to be alone when I leave here.

I have to admit, that fact scares me, a lot. I've spent so much of my early life sheltered from the outside world. Then when I was with Blackmore, he dragged me into the dark and seedy parts of life. I've been forced to learn a lot about people and behaviors. Because of that, I've come to trust virtually no one.

Worse, I don't know what I'm supposed to do when I leave here. I have no skills, no formal education beyond eighth grade and no money. Yet I'm going to have no choice but to try and figure out where I fit between the two extremes.

I don't know. Maybe they really don't care what happens to us patients. Maybe I am just a number to them. You're the only one who really seems to care. For that I thank you. I will always cherish the letters I've received from you and the way you befriended me when I needed someone. I will always look at the teddy bear you sent me with affection and good memories. Writing to you has given me something positive to focus on, and receiving your letters was something to look forward to.

I hope this won't be the last letter I send, but if it is, please know that no matter what happens to me, it was meant to be. I'll always be grateful to you, Stephanie and the others who saved, me, Isabella, and Maddie that night. Please have a good life and think of me fondly.

Your friend,

Casey

I re-read the last paragraph, then set the paper down, leaned back in my chair and scrubbed my hands over my face. She fucking knew. Whether it was purely instinct talking, or they'd already told her she was leaving, she knew it would be the last letter I'd get from her.

Receiving it after she'd left was one thing but receiving it after getting a visit from the facility director was something totally different. They'd flat out lied to me. What was worse is that they intentionally threw her out, like yesterday's garbage. I just wish I could have done something before now.

Once Stephanie was settled and rested maybe we could pull her into the investigation too. When it came to a good mystery and digging for information, Steph was like a dog with a bone. It's entirely possible she might be able to find Maddie and Izzy when we hadn't. If we're really lucky, maybe she'd be able to locate Pfeiffer and Kowalski.

"Good morning." Speaking of Beautiful…. At the sound of Steph's voice, I jumped in surprise. Way to be aware of your surroundings, Santos. I quickly folded Casey's letter and slid it under my blotter, then turned to look at Steph.

"Good morning, Beautiful. How does it feel to be back from your honeymoon?"

She shifted and leaned heavily against her cane. "I think I need a vacation from my vacation," she replied.

My attention cut from the cane to her face and back. "You hurting?"

She gave a nod. "I want to say no, but I promised Carlos that I'd be honest about how I was feeling. Both mentally and physically."

Her admission had me pushing up from my chair to attend to her. "Where does it hurt?"

She motioned to her back. "My lower back and hip. It's my own fault. I did too much walking and not enough resting while we were away."

"Bobby warned you to take it easy."

My scolding tone earned me one of Beautiful's patented eyerolls. "I know, but there were so many wonderful things to see and experience. Before we left Bermuda, I wanted to go on the cave tour. After all the walking, snorkeling, and just general sight-seeing we've done over the last month, I'm pretty sure all the stairs were just a bit too much."

"I'm kinda surprised that Ranger let you out of Seven, if you're hurting."

"Ranger didn't," he said as he walked up on us and placed his hands on Beautiful's shoulders. "Babe, I thought I told you to stay in bed and rest."

"I can prop my feet up under my desk while I work," Steph argued. "We've been gone for a month. There is plenty of work that needs to be done."

The look in his eyes remained soft, despite the rest of his facial expression growing stern. "Babe. The work will be there. You need to rest."

"I can work, Ranger," she argued.

"I hate seeing you in pain. Please, for me, will you go back upstairs and rest?"

Knowing she could never resist him when he said please, I totally expected her to cave. Slowly she turned to face him. "What if we grab what I need to work on and your laptop? Then I can work from the bed or the couch on Seven?"

For a moment, he appeared to consider her counteroffer, before arching a brow at her. "Will you actually stay off your feet?" How in the hell had he managed to work it, so she thought the idea was hers? Damn he was good.

She nodded, "I promise."

It was time for me to stop being a spectator and get my ass to work. "How about I help her carry everything back up to the penthouse?"

Ranger shifted his attention between us. "I suppose that will work," he said. Then he leaned in and planted a kiss on her that screamed newlywed. Though, I'd bet he'd still be kissing her like that when they're old and grey.

When he pulled away, he looked down at her. "Remember. You promised."

"I remember."

"Tank and I have meetings out of the office this morning. If you need help, call Lester. If it's an emergency, call me."

"I will," Steph said. He gave her a quick second kiss, then headed for Tank's office.

"Well, Beautiful. Let's get what you need and get you settled back on Seven."

Ten minutes later, I had her propped on the couch, with a heating pad on her lower back and a warm blanket over her legs. I pulled the coffee table closer to her, so she could use it as an extension of her lap desk. "You want a water bottle?"

She nodded as she opened the laptop and logged on.

When I returned with the bottle and set it on the table, she looked up and smiled. "Thank you, Les. Now. Why don't you plant yourself in that chair and keep me company for a little bit?"

Thoughts of all the work on my desk raced through my head, even as I slid into the empty chair. No way would any of us ever deny Steph a request, so long as it wouldn't harm her. "I know we were talking about it earlier, but I didn't ask you if you actually enjoyed your trip." I said.

She grinned. "I did. It was amazing."

"I'm shocked to hear you two even made it out of the hotel to go sightseeing."

She rolled her eyes and her grin turned wry. "The first couple of days we really didn't, but I told Carlos that it wasn't every day we went on our honeymoon. As amazing as he is in bed-"

Oh no. No way was I interested in hearing about what a stud my cousin was in bed. "Stop, right there," I cut her off, even as I lifted my hands to cover my ears. "The last thing I want to hear about is my cousin's sexual prowess."

She giggled. "If you let me finish my sentence, I was going to say as amazing as he is in bed, it's not every day we're in all these beautiful places." She shrugged. "I wanted to see everything. So, we spent a lot more time sightseeing. Though, the tradeoff was less sleep." She shifted and adjusted the heating pad on her back. "Of course, I think I'm paying for it now."

"You need to rest, get a good massage, and loosen up those muscles. Then get back to the gym," I said.

"I'm afraid you're right," she said. "Though I am kinda looking forward to getting back to the pool."

"You're gonna return to the aqua therapy? I thought Bobby said you were done with that."

She shook her head. "I don't have to go as often, but I'm not done." For a split second her expression turned sad before morphing into more of a neutral tone. "It could be a long time before therapy is really done for me. Still, I'm grateful to be walking and nearly fully functional again. So, I guess the physical therapy isn't really so bad."

She sighed, then closed the laptop. "So, tell me about what's going on between you and Casey."