Chapter 16

The air was surprisingly cool and dry for this time of year in Florida; usually summer's heat and humidity was firmly entrenched. The water crept up the sandy beach, foamed and then retreated only to be over taken by another wave. Endlessly this cycle continued has it had for eons, Poseidon's heartbeat. Ranger stood still and tried to time his breathing with the rhythmic cycle, breathing in the salty air. The air was rejuvenating as if returning mankind's' womb. Maybe man came from the sea and not from dirt as he had been taught in church.

A gull soaring effortlessly on the wind currents caught his eye and he lifted his eyes higher to the skies, into the heavens. If only he could see…. White fluffy clouds, the early tropical cumulus clouds dotted the horizon. As the day grew so would they growing into towering castles. He remembered the young boy in Newark looking for patterns in the while fluffy masses: dragons, horses, and knights. Later, here in Miami the clouds were not so magical to a hormonal, confused teenager. His abuela encouraged him to dream once again, but all he saw in the clouds was their storm potential. He had lost his innocence and imagination. He found it again when a blue eyed, curly brown haired beauty in a suit and heels sat down in the diner and asked him to teach her to be a bounty hunter. The transformation took several years. Lost time. Time they could have been together.

How many years did they lose? Government missions and a relationship didn't mix he told himself time and again. One loses their edge with love. He kept pushing her back to another telling himself it was for her own good. He was trying to keep her from being hurt but greatly wounded her with each rebuttal. He thought himself damaged, but he failed to see she was becoming more damaged than he. She wasn't looking for the diamonds, money, house and family, she was looking for what had been denied her all her life, denied her by her family, Dickie Orr, Joe Morelli, and the Burg; belief in her as an individual, respect, acceptance, and unconditional love.

He stared at the clouds; he could describe how they formed: warm moist air rises and condenses to water droplets releasing heat which keeps the interior warmer than the air around it. This instability allows the cloud to grow. The growth causes the cloud to constantly morph in appearance. Just for a moment he thought he saw a figure in the clouds. The long fluffy cloud reminded him of his Babe's hair and for a moment he thought he saw her face before the cloud changed. He smiled, "She is always with me."

He turned away from the ocean and began the slow lonely walk back. The barren sand gradually gave way to sea grass, long, slender, and delicate. A breeze sent the paspalum and dropseed grass blades swaying seductively. His heightened senses caught the movement in the grass, an animal using the cover for protection. The weathered grey board walk contrasted with the bright green dancing grass and the white sand. He usually wasn't so color conscious. Years of combat had heightened his awareness but dulled his appreciation of simple beauty until she came into his life.

His feet automatically began moving up the stairs, each step bringing him closer to the blue sky above. When he reached the first landing he paused and looked out at the ocean again, marveling how the sun shone off the water creating diamonds, none of which shone brighter than his love for her.

He returned to the stairs and looked up. The blue was above him, the bottomless blue where his mind and heart dwelt.

"Did you go for a run?" she asked.

He continued up the stairs mesmerized by her eyes. It was the first thing he noticed when they met in the diner years ago. As he rose up the stairs the blue orbs grew in size until they completely captured him. He could not look away nor did he want to.

"I ran at sunrise, came back and showered but you were still asleep. I didn't want to wake you so decided to walk for a while."

"I missed you when I woke up."

She had a silk robe wrapped around one of my t-shirts. Only the Babe would combine the two. I took her head into my hands and gently kissed her lips.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

She laid her head against my chest and she wrapped her arms around my waist. She was thinner than before, now delicate like a bird.

"You slept well last night." I whispered in her ear.

"Were you watching?"

"I'm always watching."

"I woke up only once but felt you beside me so I listened to the ocean waves. They calmed me enough I could get back to sleep."

"You should have waked me."

"No, it wasn't bad, the dreams are fading. I knew you were there."

They stood there embraced together, his warmth keeping her warm.

Turning together they walked into the house, "Babe, what do you want to eat?"

She smiled, "Pancakes or waffles, lots of syrup, whipped cream, bacon."

"I know, Babe, and doughnuts for dessert."

"Yum."

She sat down on the counter stool, "But I know I can't."

I nodded, "It is difficult, changing your diet."

She shrugged, "A small price to pay for life…. life with you."

"And allowing me to share my life with you Mrs. Manoso," I replied. Loosing several feet of intestine, her reproductive ability, a kidney, part of her liver and a damaged pancreas has forced her to be careful with her diet.

"I need to get to the office today. Maria and Benito will be by to take you to the grocery store if you want to go out; otherwise Maria will shop. I've got a list, mostly fresh produce. The guys' flight arrives in a few hours. I'll meet with them at the office then they will be here for dinner and spend the night."

"I assume I'm not cooking."

"No," I chuckled, "they are our friends. I'd rather not lose them."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," she pouted. "I've got brown rice down. It's harder than white."

"You boil water beautifully, Babe."

She shook her head in agreement. "I bet I could still do toasted cheese sandwiches but I can't eat them."

"I'll fire up the barbeque. With Tank, Les and Bobby, I'll probably have to cook half a steer. The two of us can have fish."

"Do the guys know we are getting a house up there?"

"Tank has been working with the realtor for the beach house. He's bringing papers for us to sign. They know we are not moving back permanently but will be dividing our time between here, Trenton, Atlanta, Boston, and wherever else you want to be. Your work, like my, need not be tied to one location, Mistress of Data Research."

"So how many houses do you own now Mr. Manoso?"

"We own Mrs. Manoso. Excluding safe houses….let's see, with the new one, five in this country plus the four Rangeman apartments. Foreign homes…two."

"Safe houses?"

"Too many."

"I hope I never have to visit any."

Coming over I kissed her temple, "Me too, Babe."

To télos.

(The end)

A/N: Thank you for riding along with me and not coming after me with pitch forks and burning torches at the end of Chapter 15. You assumed I wouldn't kill of Stephanie….actually I did the first time I wrote the chapter, but figured you'd roast me.

To those who corrected my naming of Valerie's girls…..yeah, I couldn't remember them except for Mary Alice, of course. I wasn't going through the books to find them. Maybe MomofPhoenix needs to provide us with a list of all characters. I've seen partial lists, but even they were not specific….like the coffeecake baking neighbor of the Plums. Don't tell me there's a list on social media…I don't do that stuff. This is as much personal exposure as I allow.

Eleni