As ever, thanks to all who read and especially to those who review. Thanks for your kind thoughts and well-wishes. I am feeling better; I think the new treatment is working, so happy about that. Enjoy the new chapter!

Shook Up

The next Wednesday morning, I was driving Carlos to Newark again for his monthly trip to Miami. I always missed him, but I knew he needed to spend time with his therapist in person, and he liked to keep things up to date with Miami Rangeman as well. While I was in Newark, I dropped off a contract at the main office of the Trenton building contractors. I decided to head to a small restaurant near EE Martin's old building that I used to like for lunch, before heading back to Trenton. I was eating my lunch and looking over some catalogues of furniture and equipment for the building, when a voice startled me, "Miss Plum?"

I looked up and saw Raoul Rodriguez standing beside me. He was dressed casually and had one forearm and hand in a cast, while the other was covered with a glove. "Officer Rodriguez!" I exclaimed and stood to greet him. I felt strange about offering my hand, wondering if it would be appropriate, when he reached out his gloved left hand to me. I shook it, trying to be firm but gentle. It felt awkward to shake hands with my left hand, but I tried not to show any discomfort.

"Please, just call me Raoul," he told me.

I smiled, "Steph," I agreed. I motioned to the empty seat opposite me, "Would you like to join me?"

He agreed, and sat somewhat hesitantly, "I've just finished my lunch, but I'm glad I ran into you. I've been wanting a chance to thank you Steph, both you and Mr Manoso, for what you did that day. Helping me."

I shook my head, "No thanks are necessary. But you are welcome." I hesitated, but then ventured, "How are you going? How are your hands?"

He sighed, "Ok, I guess. My left hand," he held up the gloved hand, "is recovering pretty well. I have a lot of scars from the injuries and surgeries and will probably have to have two more surgeries in future to release the scar tissue. But the physical and occupational therapy on that hand is going well, and they are teaching me to write with it and start to use it more." He paused and grimaced, seeming resigned, "But the right hand is not good. Looks like I won't get much function back. They had to amputate the pinkie finger and the tips of the next two fingers. I can't move it much."

I hardly knew what to say to that. It seemed so harsh for someone who I was sure was not yet thirty. A terrible accident with lifelong consequences. Plus, it would have obviously put paid to his firefighting career. I asked tentatively, "What are you doing now?"

He considered his reply, "Well, I've just come from a final interview with the department. As of today, I'm officially medically retired," I could feel the sadness emanating from him. I was a little horrified that I had run into him today of all days when he had received such devastating news. I must be a reminder of possibly the worst day of his life. He went on, "My medical bills and ongoing recovery are all covered, and the settlement from the building owners means I don't have to look for work immediately." I nodded. It might be small compensation, but at least it gave him the space and time he needed to sort out his future. He looked at me, "Captain Pearse said you got a settlement too?"

I smiled slightly, "Yes. The settlement wasn't large, but Carlos and I did not suffer too much from the accident, so we were satisfied." I hesitated but then continued, "Carlos, Mr Manoso, is opening a branch of his business in Trenton, where we live now. I work for the company and am using my settlement to invest in the business expansion. His original office is in Miami, and he just flew back down for a monthly visit this morning. That's why I'm here in Newark."

Raoul looked slightly intrigued, "What sort of business?" he asked. I wondered if he was looking for any kind of distraction today.

"Personal and commercial security, mainly. Plus, fugitive apprehension. We've bought a building in Trenton and having it renovated. So, we're mainly doing the fugitive apprehension out of a temporary office until the new building is ready."

Raoul looked a little surprised and I could see something burning in his eyes, "Wow, that sounds impressive. What's the company called?"

"Rangeman. Like I said, Carlos and his cousin Marco started it in Miami, so that's where most of the business is at the moment."

Raoul shook his head dazedly, "Really?" he exclaimed. "Wow! Small world!" I didn't really understand what he meant.

"Why? What do you mean?"

He grinned a little, "My cousin, Silvio Diaz, works for Rangeman."

"You're kidding? You're Silvio's cousin? Really?"

He nodded, "Well, second cousin really. Or maybe third cousin; I could never keep those things straight. But my mom and Silvio's mom are cousins. But they were really close growing up, and stayed close, even after the Diaz's moved to Miami. So, we kind of grew up like first cousins."

"Wow," I shook my own head, "that really is a small world. Well, Carlos is one of the co-owners and CEO. When we met in the elevator, he was scouting in Newark for business opportunities, and I was looking for a job. Somehow, it all kind of snowballed from there. Next thing you know, I convinced Carlos to set up in Trenton instead of Newark, and I'm working for his company!"

He looked at me in surprise, "You mean you met that day? In the elevator? You guys seemed like you were already a couple."

I blushed slightly, "No, we just met that day. I guess the situation in the elevator kind of broke down a lot of barriers. And we liked each other immediately. We started dating the next day." When I said it like that, I could see the fairy-tale aspect of the story. Looking back, it did seem like a series of huge life changes over just a few days. But they had ultimately been good changes. At least for me and Carlos. Not so much for Raoul, I remembered. I looked back at him, wanting to say something comforting, but not knowing what. Instead, I said, "What do you think you might do in future? Do you have any plans for a new career?"

He shook his head, "Not really. I'm pretty good with computers, that's something that bonded Silvio and me. So maybe I'll look to do something in computers. I worked sales to pay my way through college, so I could do something there, I guess. I don't have any concrete plans." He started to sound a little depressed again, and I scrambled to find a way to cheer him up.

Suddenly a thought hit me. "Raoul, you might be interested in working for Rangeman yourself in future? You could work in the electronic security like Silvio or work in sales? Like I said, we are going to be selling commercial and personal security services. So, we will need experienced salespeople. And so much of security is being affected by electronics and the internet. I finished a course a few months ago on business computing applications and travelled down to train the Miami staff. I'm probably going back soon to help Silvio plan his training in more specialised stuff. There would be lots of opportunities in the business, and Trenton is close enough to commute, if you need to stay living in Newark. I used to commute from Trenton to Newark."

He looked taken aback, "Are you offering me a job?"

I hesitated, "Not exactly, although I'm pretty sure Carlos would be willing to offer you a job. As long as it's something you're qualified and capable to do. I just thought there might be opportunities in the business you could consider. And, since you already know Silvio, you could talk to him about it and explore the idea. Like I told you, we're a way off still in opening the Trenton office, so there's no urgency."

He looked thoughtful, "Thank you. As you say, there might be opportunities. And it might give me some direction for figuring out how I want my life to go now." He met my eyes, "I'll talk to Silvio and think about it." He looked back down at the table, before lifting his eyes back to mine. "Thanks, Steph," he said quietly, "today had been rough. Facing the fact my career was over was hard. And I was feeling pretty down about it. But running into you has turned out to be a blessing. You've given me some new ideas."

I couldn't help reaching over to lightly press my hand onto his gloved left hand, "I'm glad I ran into you as well, Raoul. I know there's not much I can say that will make up for everything you have suffered, but I'm glad I was able to help a little." He smiled at me shyly. I dug through my bag and found a business card, "Give me a call, whether you decide you want to work for Rangeman or not. Please stay in touch."

He agreed, "I will Steph. And thanks again." We shook hands more warmly this time, and he made his way out of the restaurant. I paid my check and left a nice tip for the waiter, before making my way back to my car.

Life moved in funny ways.

I spent the next three days looking at furniture options. Furniture for offices, cubicles, workrooms. Furniture for apartments. Furniture for conference rooms and lobbies. My list was long and still growing! It was a bit overwhelming, and interior design was not my forte; you only needed to look at my apartment to know that! I wondered if we should look to employ an interior designer? I made a note to discuss it with Carlos. Then there was the equipment; gym equipment, gun range equipment, storage equipment… Most of these needed specialist suppliers, so I had set up a spreadsheet of equipment, suppliers, options, and contacts. I was working with Silvio, Tank, and Hector to also identify local suppliers and contacts for the electronic equipment and security equipment we would need. Luckily, they would not rely on me to identify the actual equipment we needed; they just sent me lists and brochures and the suppliers they used in Miami as starting points for this research.

I was amassing quite a number of impressive lists.

Carlos had selected the Otis Europa 2000 elevator. Otis was a classic elevator company, and I was happy that it was rated as one of the most reliable brands. I suspected that had been a consideration for Carlos, if not an actual criterion. The excavating for the elevator to the lower ground floor was complete, and they had moved up to work on the roof to open it up for the elevator to go to the roof as well. They were installing roof access within a small concrete shed housing the stairwell and elevator, and that would have very strong security access. It would also require a key-fob access for the elevator to the roof from within the building, as well as the sub-basement, and the seventh floor to our apartment. There would be strict security on all external stairway doors, including fire doors. One of the new research projects I had just commenced was to identify all relevant fire safety regulations, so Carlos and Hector could plan the security for all the entry and exit points, so it complied with the law.

The entire building was gutted now, and the construction crew was starting to frame up for the fittings on the basement and sub-basement levels. The concrete for the new ramp to the basement carpark and minor changes to the sub-basement was being poured next week. We all just hoped these major construction jobs could be completed before the first major snowstorm. Once the snow started in earnest, the construction crews could work on the building interior, but working on the roof and outside of the building might become unsafe.

I had been surprised at how quickly we had been able to arrange everything, but with Carlos negotiating, and backed by substantial funding from Ramon and the rest of us, everything seemed to be full steam ahead. Rangeman Trenton should be up and running before the end of the first quarter of next year.

Connie phoned the next day to say she had another file for us. It was a minor pickup, a white-collar criminal who was suspected of laundering mob money. He was arrested for fraud, embezzlement, and carrying concealed without a license. The reason for the high bond was he was considered a high flight risk, and the high-dollar amounts involved; over three million dollars. His passport had been confiscated as well.

I drove over to the office to pick up the file. I walked in with donuts and Lula pounced on me almost instantly. "White girl" she exclaimed, "you musta heard my thoughts. I was just thinkin' I needed a donut!" She came over to the box I slid onto Connie's desk and peered in before selecting two donuts. She leaned her hip against Connie's desk and looked at me as she began munching. Today's outfit was bright poison green, a fluffy sweater trimmed in fake feathers, skin-tight green pants, and gold boots. She had her hair in braids, trimmed with gold beads and matching green feathers. Honestly the look was outrageous, but very well done. She looked fantastic, although I was again worried about those pants splitting at any moment.

Connie handed me the file and I picked up one of the Boston creams as I flicked through it. Lula peered over as I was examining his mugshots. "Hey! I seen him! I seen him comin' outta the blue apartment building on Comstock yesterday! The one with the pawn shop out front. He was carryin' this huge box and the lid flew off in the wind. Papers swirlin' around everywhere, so I noticed, ya know? Took him ages to pick everything up."

I looked up at her, surprised and interested, "Really? That's a great lead. Thanks Lula."

Her eyes lit up, "Ya want me to show ya? I can do that, no problem. I can do the bounty-huntin' shit! I even got me this baby!" To my horror, she pulled out the biggest hand canon I had even seen and started waving it about. From what I could see, it looked like a Magnum. I hoped to God it wasn't loaded. The first rule Carlos had taught me was gun safety, and that thing looked like it might blast a hole through space. Before I could think of a way to tell her no to accompanying me without offending her, she reached back into the donut box with the hand holding the gun. As she picked up another donut, the gun fired. We all jumped a mile in the air and Connie and I went white in shock. Lula just looked down and said, "Huh. I shot the donut. Guess I better eat that one too." She reached out and picked up the hole-blasted donut and stuffed the intact half into her mouth.

I looked over at Connie, my eyes wide and my ears ringing. I reached up to rub my right ear which was closest to the box, hoping I wouldn't be deaf, and Connie leaned forward to push the box aside and stare dumbfounded at the bullet hole in her desk. I asked, "Did it hit anything? I didn't hit you, did it?"

She shook her head, still a bit dazed, and then turned a glare at Lula, "Put that damn thing away, you maniac! You could've shot me, or Steph. And put the safety on!"

Lula looked at the gun while she rubbed her own ear with her other hand, "Not sure how, to be honest. I got this off old Nimbo, he was sellin' out the back of his truck. Dunno if it has a safety."

Connie reached over and gingerly took the gun off Lula. She emptied it and showed Lula the safety switch. She reluctantly handed it back to Lula and Lula stuffed the gun and ammunition back into her purse. I breathed a slight sigh of relief as I leaned a hand against Connie's desk and took several deep breaths. "Um, thanks for the offer, Lula, but I think I'll hand this one off to the guys. Comstock isn't the best place for us to be wandering about. I'm just going to head back to Rangeman to start some research."

Lula looked disappointed, and seemed like she was about to argue the point, so I added, "Sorry girls, but I need to get going. I have a phone meeting in half an hour." I thought about taking another donut, but decided I didn't want to risk it. I waved goodbye to Connie and Lula and hastily made my way out to my car. I sat for a couple of minutes, the ringing in my ears and the blood pumping in my chest slowly dying down, before headed out. My meeting was actually not for another two hours, but it made a good excuse to leave.

I hoped Lula wouldn't be the death of us all.

Please review if you can. I thought it wasn't realistic for Lula not to be reckless – let's face it, it is one of her defining characteristics in canon. But Steph is in a different place, so hopefully will not be dragged into Lula's madness…

I have never lived where there is snow. Only one area of the state I live in (Queensland) ever gets snow, maybe once every ten years or so. Does it shut down construction? I wasn't sure, but it seemed logical. Let me know if you know. :)