I did not create the Plum world below, nor any of the characters depicted.

Jenny (JenRar) thank you so much for your hard work as the beta on this story. Start to finish, you have made a difference in how this turned out, and I can't thank you enough for all you've done.

Chapter 21 – And They Lived Happily Ever After

"Hey, boss." Bobby came in and sat in the guest chair without an invitation.

"Was it time for my annual physical?" I asked, trying to point out that was the only time each year when he held the upper hand.

"Nope," he responded with a smile, telling me he understood what I was insinuating, but wasn't sufficiently intimidated enough to leave. "I thought you might want to know that the Joyce threat had been handled."

"What do you mean, 'handled'?" I asked, not sure I wanted to hear this.

Bobby explained, "I ran into Hector and Steph at the dinner on Fourth Street and had lunch with them. While we were eating, Joyce Barnhardt came strolling in and walked right over to Stephanie, yelling like a banshee about how Stephanie had ruined her life."

I didn't like the ways this could go wrong. If Steph lost her temper and began yelling back at Joyce in a public place, a lot of courtroom defenses had just gone out the window.

Unphased by my side thoughts, Bobby kept talking. "Steph pulled a tablet from her bag and started writing away, before handing it to Joyce to read. They swapped the pencil back and forth for a while, and finally, Joyce shrugged her shoulder and sat beside Stephanie, giving her the chance to look in her ear. They passed a few more notes around, and then Steph dug out some tweezers and went after the wax she'd stuffed in Joyce's ear before her car went to its great reward. She repeated the process on the other side, and then asked Joyce how she felt. Joyce burst into tears, asking what Stephanie had done."

At least I knew the way she'd dealt with the situation was to make it right. As much fun as I know it had been to see how poorly Joyce had handled the situation, it wasn't right to leave her without her hearing, either. This was another example of how Stephanie was a gracious woman to handle the wrath of someone like Barnhardt and still find enough kindness to help her.

"Then Stephanie laid out some kind of shit story about how when your ears are exposed to a really loud sound like an explosion, as a defense mechanism, they will sometimes drop a wax guard to protect the ear from additional damage, and that as long as a person cleans it out right away, there are no issues. But since Joyce didn't get it out, it hardened and set in, blocking her hearing for the last week. Now that Stephanie had cleaned her ears, Joyce could hear, and all would be well. Then she made some offhanded comments about how people would probably be really grossed out to hear that it was just a wax build up that caused her hearing to go away, so she might not want to share that around town. Joyce seemed thrilled to have her hearing back, agreed that she didn't want people to know what had really happened, and ran out with a smile on her face. I'm pretty sure Steph just cleared her name, healed Joyce miraculously, and covered her tracks all at once."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at how Stephanie's quick thinking to make up a reason of why Joyce had lost her hearing and how she was able to bring it back sitting in a dinner was bought so easily. None of us considered Stephanie to be a decent liar, but I guess when you're as desperate as Joyce was, you'll grasp at anything to make yourself feel better.

"I'm glad she managed to clear that up before the ball tonight. I was afraid Joyce might be there, and with the police force present, I didn't want any accusations to start flying that might cause trouble for Stephanie," I told him.

"I still can't believe Joyce bought everything Stephanie told her, but I'm glad that's been handled so we don't have to look out for her anymore," Bobby agreed, summing up the same thing I felt.

Without another word, he jumped up and left, prompting me to look at the clock. I'd finished the paperwork on the takedowns I'd done this afternoon and knew I should head upstairs to check on Stephanie and see where she wanted me to get ready for tonight. I wasn't sure if she needed to commandeer the bathroom for the next two hours, or if I would be allowed fifteen minutes for a shower and shave or not.

I found Stephanie standing in front of the closet in just a matching bra and panty set, with a garter belt holding up some black stockings. I gave myself a minute to enjoy the view, before realizing I either needed to really enjoy it, or leave the room, because standing here wasn't helping me to get ready for the night.

I moved behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, enjoying the warm feel of her back against my body. She melted against me, and I took a minute to hold her, loving the way she made me feel when we were this close.

She was the one that found the strength to pull away first in order to look at me and ask, "Are you sure this dress is the right one for tonight?"

"I'm sure," I replied, wanting her to see nothing but certainty on my face. While she was still absorbing my reply, I asked if I could use the shower, and she motioned for me to go ahead.

I could tell her hair hadn't been fixed, so I knew she was probably hoping I would get out quickly, motivating me to move as efficiently as possible. When I stepped out of the shower and reached for my towel, Stephanie put it in my hand, not bothering to hide her appreciation for the brief glimpse of me freshly showered and still uncovered.

I slowly brought the towel behind me to cover my hips and smiled when she licked her lips, staring at me the whole time.

After I tied the towel around my waist, I waited for her to gather herself before she could speak.

"Umm…"

I couldn't deny how cute I found her distracted state to be.

"I wanted to work on my hair, and I know you need to shave, so can we share the counter?" A quick shake of her head brought her focus back up to my face to see how I responded.

I grasped the towel, as though checking to see that it was secured, and laughed when her eyes followed my hands, instead of staying up on my face to wait on a response.

When she brought her gaze back to my mouth, I nodded that it was fine with me. I watched her pull out the caddy with all the tools she claimed to need to get ready. Personally, I couldn't think of anything more beautiful than Stephanie just as she was, but I wasn't going to stand in the way of the work she wanted to do to feel more confident going out tonight.

I did find it distracting to have her sharing the mirror beside me. I didn't mind it, but I found myself watching her apply all kinds of lotions and gels, instead of paying attention to what I was doing. Fortunately, I managed to get rid of my stubble without slicing my face, keeping me from having to defend my distracted state to the guys who would be there tonight.

After I finished, I leaned against the wall and watched her, responding when she'd ask a question, but mainly just taking a moment to sit back and enjoy the fact that we'd managed to survive what would have ruined some couples, and in the midst of it, establishing ourselves in a comfortable relationship, overcoming hurtles that I thought were insurmountable a year ago. I couldn't really pinpoint when it happened, but the fullness in my chest made me glad it had.

Slipping on the diamond earrings I'd had made especially for her, she looked up at me as I finished tying the bowtie to my tux and asked, "Can I make a suggestion?"

I looked down to be sure I hadn't forgotten anything and was glad to see I was still capable of pulling myself together. I thought I looked good, so I was curious as to what she wanted to change, "What?"

She moved to stand in front of me and reached behind my head to pull out the tie I'd just put in my hair, running her fingers through it to pull it back down around my face, resting on my shoulders. "Wear your hair down tonight."

Of course I'd do it – I'd do so much more than that if she ever asked – but I was still curious, "Why?"

"I like it that way," she confessed, looking slightly embarrassed. "A lot." Then she seemed to find that storeroom of confidence and added, "And I'm feeling a little nervous about dancing there, since I know it won't be the same as it was in the club. With your hair down, everyone will be staring at you and ignoring me, so the pressure won't be as great to not embarrass myself."

I put my hands on her hips and pulled her even closer to tell her, "I hate to break it to you, Babe, but the way you look in that dress, every male eye is going to be focused on you and unable to look away."

She blushed at my words, only enhancing her beauty. I let her go and held out my elbow as an invitation to go downstairs.

We took her Pilot, because she said she didn't want to ride in a work truck, and I didn't want her to have to get in and out of the Porsche. I knew she loved the Turbo, but it seemed unfair to ask her to try and get in and out of it in that dress, since it rode so low to the ground.

I allowed the valet to park the car, since it was Stephanie's and it didn't have any weapons in it, other than the hidden well in the trunk that only Stephanie, Hector, and I had keys to. I did glare at the valet driver, who had the poor judgment to stare at Stephanie when she stepped out of the SUV. The split up the side of her dress promised a view that would make his night, but she put her hand on her thigh before the dress could ride up far enough to deliver.

As we walked away, Stephanie leaned toward me and said, "You should be ashamed of yourself for scaring that kid. He's probably trying to get his heart started after the way you glared at him."

I turned so she could see me and replied, "He's lucky all I did was glare. If you hadn't stopped the show he was hoping for and he'd gotten an eye full, I was going to have to knock him out to erase the memory."

She laughed as though she thought I were kidding, and I decided it was best to let her carry that assumption into the ball.

As soon as we walked in, I was hit with the sound of smooth jazz from a live band in the corner. I knew the level was too low for Stephanie to feel the sound the way she had at Intensity, but I still felt like we could dance to it with no problems.

I had to chuckle at our different approaches to taking in the room. As I was scanning the crowd and checking out the music level, Stephanie was breathing deeply, before guessing, "Oh, there's chicken, and the sauce smells great. I can't wait to taste it."

She never disappointed with her ability to find fun wherever she went. I led her to the area where the guys and their dates were currently sitting, and all of them stood as we approached the tables.

Stephanie joked, "Geez, guys, we aren't at the office, and this isn't a military base. You don't have to acknowledge that Ranger is the ranking officer every time he enters the room."

I knew their standing had nothing to do with me, but it was Lester that got her attention to correct her. "Beautiful, we aren't standing for Ranger. We stood for you. Damn, you look good."

I noticed his date glare up at him briefly, but he wasn't going to be deterred from what he wanted Stephanie to understand. One could say a lot of things about my cousin, but I had to admit that he didn't let anything stand in the way of what he felt, and whoever the flavor of the night was beside him wasn't going to get in the way of his friendship with the woman next to me.

I pulled out Stephanie's chair and waited as each of the guys introduced Stephanie to their dates for the evening. I could have been offended that they were going out of their way to introduce them to her and not me, or I could have thrown it off as their hope that Stephanie, being a female, would smile and say hello, making them feel welcome, but I knew neither of them were right. These men loved Stephanie, and since she was the glue that held us together, she also acted as the head of our unlikely family. Even if it had never been acknowledged, they wanted her approval and were basically presenting their dates to her in the hope that she would give them an opinion of the woman they were spending time with.

We arrived at the ideal time to be served dinner and ate easily with the guys. Stephanie had spent enough time with the men in the break room that they knew how to make a motion, usually putting their hand on the table above their plate, to get her attention before talking so that she would know to look at them. Some of their dates jumped right in and seemed to find a rhythm in the conversation. Those, I knew, would probably make it to another night out with the guys. The two that were quiet and seemed uncertain, I had a feeling wouldn't get another date, and before dinner was finished, I could tell that the daggers from Lester's date might end up causing him to send her home before the evening was even over.

After some well intentioned, but entirely too long, speeches, they opened the dance floor. The band was impressive for such a small group, and I looked at Steph, and then tilted my head toward the dance floor. She looked completely uncertain and commented, "I can't feel the music the way I could at Intensity. I'm not sure I can do this tonight with so many people who I know would just love to have another reason to laugh at me."

I hated to see that hint of fear holding her back from doing something I knew she wanted to do. I pushed a little more, hoping to find the words to help her get over the dread of whispers. "It's slow jazz, nothing fancy. Just put your arms around me and feel my rhythm." Then I winked at her. "You already know you can do that all night long."

She blushed, but nodded that she would do it. I pulled her chair back, and then held out my hand for hers. I couldn't stop the smile that came over my usually blank face as I felt every eye in the packed ballroom on us making our way to the edge of the dance floor.

Stephanie put her left arm around my shoulder, but put her right hand flat over my chest. I understood the position and covered her hand with mine, slipping my other hand to her hips to guide her to me. I began with a simple sway, letting her feel the rhythm in my legs and follow it without fear of messing up. Once I knew she had it, I spun her out, and then brought her back to me, even closer this time, moving us in more than just a circular pattern, forcing her to concentrate on me to follow my lead, instead of worrying over the people watching us. As the song ended, I dipped her over my arm and slowly brought her back up to me. With her nearly back upright, I kissed her, wanting to be sure that every person in this room understood. Stephanie and I were together, and nothing would interfere with that.

The song changed to something a little faster. I knew we could easily dance to this, as well, but decided to back off, giving her a chance to sit down and have some coffee at the table.

As soon as we sat down, I saw Morelli coming over and pointed him out so that Steph could turn to see him. He bent down and kissed her check, lingering a little longer than I thought was necessary, but I managed to hold back from pointing that out in order to keep the peace in a room full of cops.

Stephanie reached back and took my hand in hers. I appreciated it on several levels. Anytime she was touching me, I found it so much easier to stay calm and in control. Plus, Morelli noticed it, too, so I knew she was sending him a message as well, and it gave me a brief temptation to bang my fists on my chest and announce that the better man had won and that he could just take that piece of news and back the hell off.

"Where's your wife?" Stephanie asked, looking around.

Morelli rubbed his neck and looked down, giving away just how nervous that question made him. I couldn't imagine her leaving him, so I wondered why she wasn't here. Finally, he found the balls to look up and confess, "We found out the other day that she's pregnant, and she's been sick pretty much all day, so coming tonight wasn't possible."

"Oh Joe, I'm so excited for you," Stephanie exclaimed, beaming as she jumped up to hug him. Fortunately, she kept it short and didn't allow him to keep his hands on her. "Please tell her congratulations from all of us. Your mother must be thrilled."

Again, he lifted his hand, as though tempted to rub his neck again, but realized what he was doing and forced it down to his side quickly. "Oh yeah, Grandma Bella and Mama are at the house all the time, doting on her. They threw me out and told me to put in an appearance here. I felt like I was only needed for command performances while we were trying for a baby, and now that we've succeeded, I feel even less useful."

I looked at Tank, who was hiding his grin behind his water glass at the unintentional confession that the stud horse he had been was being let out to pasture now that his services were no longer required.

They talked for a few more minutes, before it began to get awkwardly quiet and Joe had the good sense to excuse himself, wishing us all a good night. There were a lot of eyes glancing from one person to the next, trying to be sure Joe was far enough away that he couldn't hear us responding to his current situation. Finally, it was Stephanie that couldn't take the suspense any longer and blurted out, "Is it just me, or does it seem like Joe getting everything he said he wanted with me hasn't made him happy at all?"

That was all it took for us to all burst out laughing.

I leaned closer to get her attention on me and say, "I think what he failed to understand is that it requires the right woman to make you happy, and forcing what you think you want, instead of letting your desires just happen naturally, isn't the same thing as your dreams coming true. If anything, it's the exact opposite."

She leaned forward and kissed me. It was light and soft, but it conveyed so much.

When we pulled back, Lester was the one that broke the silence and said, "Damn," except he drew it out to be at least two full syllables. "I don't care if it does mean the mats in the morning, you two are hot."

Tank helped me out by smacking the back of Lester's head. His date got up and stormed off, getting a chuckle from Stephanie, and I decided not to fully take the bait. Instead, I stood up and held out my hand to pull Stephanie back to the dance floor, since the band was playing something I liked.

Before we walked away, I informed my cousin, "Better make that appointment for the mats in a couple of days. I think I might not have enough energy for it in the morning, because I'm expecting this to be a long night."

Lester's face fell, as he fully understood what I was insinuating. The other guys were stuck between wanting to respond to the fact that I'd basically said I was going to be having hot, draining sex all night, and not wanting to disrespect Stephanie like that.

As we walked away, I heard Tank jumping on Lester again. "Man, you'd better get that image out of your head. Just because the boss man isn't up to a round on the mats tomorrow doesn't mean I won't do it to teach you a thing or two about how you should be thinking about Stephanie."

I guess it was time to think about a bonus for the big guy. He was an excellent second-in-command, and that was just one more piece of evidence about how he had my back.

"Do I want to know what you just said to Lester?" Stephanie asked as I pulled her tightly against me.

"Probably not," I admitted, not really wanting to confess to outing the fact that I was planning on us being so exhausted after tonight that I wasn't going to have the energy for a trip to the gym at my normal time.

"Probably not, that I don't want to know, or probably not, that you don't want to tell me you just announced to the guys that we were going to be having hot sex all night long?" she challenged.

I hoped that my ability to control my reactions was still intact, because I knew if I didn't keep a tight hold on my emotions right now, I was definitely going to start blushing, and then I'd be totally busted.

She touched my face with her hands and grinned at me. "I'll be damned... You can blush."

If anything, her pointing out my failure only made the reaction that much more pronounced.

"That's got to be the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

I decided to try for a distraction and dipped her back far enough that she couldn't get up without my assistance. I held her there, bent back and vulnerable in front of me, long enough to take in the sight of her loose curls hanging down behind her and her breasts rising and falling from the increased breaths she was taking.

"You want to talk sexy?" I challenged.

She shook her head no, so I brought her back up to stand in front of me. "I don't want to talk. I want to dance with you until I'm tired of wearing shoes, and then I want you to take us back home and make love to me until we simply can't move anymore."

My body instantly responded to her confident words and standing so close together. There was no way to hide that fact from her.

She smiled slightly and added, "I said I wanted to dance first," and then her eyes dropped between us, and she added, "That part isn't until later tonight."

I pulled her to me and let her drop her head to my shoulder. It minimized the movements we could make, but I loved having her that close, so I definitely wasn't complaining.

I couldn't stop the habit of checking out the crowd around us, always looking for a threat, and noticed Joe was staring at us. I lifted my head to acknowledge him and couldn't help but think about his life. I looked down at Stephanie leaning against me with her eyes shut, sharing our space so easily.

I spent so much time running away from Stephanie and putting up walls to keep her out that I almost missed out on the woman that was perfectly made to share my life. We'd come together at a time when we both felt broken, and we'd decided to step outside our comfort zone and admit that we wanted to see what would happen if we dropped our walls and came together.

The hell that had exploded around us then would have torn most people apart, but we'd turned inward and come together, instead. I was convinced we were stronger because of the time we'd spent together. I had fought relationships for years, thinking they would weaken me, while the opposite had turned out to be true. Letting this miracle into my life had made me a better boss, a better son, and a better friend to the men I worked with.

I tightened my arms around Stephanie, and her head popped up. She looked at me without speaking, causing me to ask, "Are you tired? Are you ready to go home?"

I was up for whatever she wanted, but I remembered she wanted to stay until her feet were so tired, she wanted to take off her shoes. I knew she prided herself on her ability to function in her ridiculously sexy and impractical shoes, so I doubted we'd reached that point yet.

"I'm not tired, but I'm definitely ready to go home," she admitted, maintaining eye contact, but tilting her head down slightly in an alluring way. I doubted she realized what an effect it had on me, but it was immediate.

I moved my hand to grip her and spun her around to walk in front of me. We needed to get her purse, and I needed her to block the guys' view of my pants. The tux I was wearing was fitted and didn't leave much room for the response Stephanie could get out of my body without even trying.

We made our excuses and left, despite the complaints from the guys. The ride may have been made in silence, but I could feel it only building up the tension of what was yet to come.

We managed to make it to the elevator at RangeMan without touching, but as soon as the door closed, she spun to me and kissed me. I wasn't sure if I hit the button for seven, but when the elevator began to move, I decided we'd get there eventually.

I knew the doors opened, but before I could move us out, I heard Cal's voice say, "Damn it, man. Hit seven and stop staring. Ranger will kick your ass if he thinks you were watching them like that."

I couldn't tell who he was talking to and decided I didn't care. I could continue trying to teach a lesson to every man that looked at my woman, or I could just accept that she was impossible to resist and despite them knowing better, some people were just too weak to look away.

Four hours later, I put a bottle of water in Stephanie's hands and laughed as she moaned from her first sip, as though the beverage were the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted. I could understand the sentiment. When you were exhausted and dehydrated, cold water was the best thing in your mouth.

I took the bottle from her after she draped herself back over me when I laid down.

"I had a good time with you tonight," she confessed softly.

I hummed my agreement, since her eyes were shut, knowing she would get the message from the rumbling of my chest. I watched her smile in understanding as to what I meant.

Her eyes opened so unexpectedly that I was instantly on edge, wondering what had alarmed her enough to jar her awake like that. "Do you wish I could still hear?"

This was a dangerous question, and I knew I had to answer it, but I needed to be careful about what I said. "I don't feel like we're missing out on anything because you can't hear. If anything, I think it makes us even more compatible, because you are so much better at reading me that my lack of conversation isn't an impediment. But if you wish you could hear, then I wish there were a way to give that to you."

She seemed to think through that for a while, and then said, "If I stop and think about it, I wish I could hear so that I wouldn't forget the sound of your voice, or some of the softer things that I miss. But unless I pause and let it come up in my mind, I don't think I miss it anymore."

"Good," I replied, meaning it. "That means you've accepted what you have and aren't pining away, wishing for what can't be. It's a sign of maturity."

"No, it's a sign that I'm so happy with the other elements of my life that I don't have time to think about what I'm missing," she corrected me. "I think that's better than maturity."

I had to agree with that. "What elements are making you that happy?"

She ran her index finger down my chest and said, "You."

I hummed again so she would feel my approval of her response.

"And there's Hector—"

I forced myself not to react to her mentioning another man as an element of her joy.

"You suggested us working together, and he's gone out of his way to make me feel like I'm contributing. He lets me provide the people skills when he makes service calls, and I let him provide the intimidation when we pick up skips. It's fun going out, and I don't feel like a failure at my job."

I was going to tell her that she was never a failure at her job, but she jumped in again.

"You know, when I first lost my hearing, I think a lot of people assumed I would have to stop working entirely, or at the very least, stop working with people. But I'm actually working more with people and doing a better job at it than I did with my hearing."

I wanted to tell her that she always had this potential, but the time she was spending on prep work and planning was why she felt so much more successful now, but again, she continued before I could speak.

"And the guys have been so great. I used to think most of them just put up with me because you made them, but they've all gone out of their way to make me feel a part of RangeMan since I moved in, and I don't think they would do that if they thought of me as just the woman that was screwing their boss."

I grimaced at her description of what we were to each other. I may blanch at the title boyfriend, but she was not just the woman I was screwing. We were so much more than that. I hated that there wasn't a title that truly fit us.

"I guess I'm happy because I've let go of the feeling that I have to try and make everybody else happy. Getting rid of that pressure has done wonders for how I feel," she concluded, really seeing her current situation in the right light.

I pushed her hair back, using the conversation as an excuse to bury my hand in her curls. "I've never been this happy, either."

"Really?" She seemed surprised by my statement.

"Really," I assured her. "When I came back from my mission, things were different around here. The guys were a little more relaxed, Tank wasn't holding anything back, and I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Looking back on it now, I can't believe I seriously considered trying to use force and discipline to get the guys back in line after my absence.

"But when I decided that I was tired of fighting to keep you at arm's length, and then I started looking at everything differently. I remembered that a lot of these guys were my friends before they were my employees, and I've begun to act that way again."

I ran my hand down her cheek, before laying it all out there, "But the most important reason that I'm happy is because of you. You love me, you call me on my shit when I'm wrong, you share in the business that means so much to me, and you even like spending time with my crazy family. You accepted me and let me love you. How could I not be happy?"

"I think the same thing could be said about me," she said, turning it on me. Thinking about it, she was probably right. We both needed to be accepted for who we were, not changed into something different.

"I love you, Babe," I told her, wanting to be sure she understood what all the rambling I'd just done really boiled down to.

"I love you, too, Carlos," she returned, running her fingers softly across my chest.

We sat there in silence, totally comfortable wrapped around each other, and I sighed. Damn, Stephanie had worn off on me in the strangest ways. A year ago, I could only see the signs of how my life could ruin Stephanie's if I let her get too close, and in focusing only on that, I'd missed all the ways us being together would make our lives better.

Thank God Tank had hung up on me, forcing me to sit in silence and figure out how I felt about this woman in my arms, or I might have missed my chance to have her at all.

I looked at Stephanie and saw my fingers were absentmindedly tracing the ring finger on her left hand. How strange... I didn't usually go for her hands when I was touching her. Then the significance of the finger I was still rubbing hit me, and I smiled. Maybe it was a sign that I needed to put something on this finger – something sparkly and big. Not too big, I didn't think that would be her style.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was exactly what I wanted to do. It seemed my life was being led by signs in more ways than just how Stephanie communicated. I shut my eyes and began to fall asleep, envisioning popping the question that would finally give me a relationship title I would be proud to have – husband.

Despite my claim that I was going to be too exhausted to get up early, I knew that I would be leaving as soon as Rodriguez Jewelry store opened. This would be the last night we spent without an official recognition of who we were to each other.

I could be called stubborn, hard, and even tough, but I wasn't stupid. I knew this time, I'd read the signs right, and I couldn't wait for tomorrow to act on it.

THE END!

A/N: Wow, I can't believe we've brought Ranger and Stephanie to the end of their journey. I felt like this was a good place to leave them, as it is clear they will have a wonderful future and are solid in how they feel for each other.

I have to say thank you to a few people who have been extraordinarily helpful throughout this story. First, to Jenny (JenRar), who has been the beta for Warning Signs. Thank you for signing on for another of my adventures and sticking with each chapter until it seemed right.

For Maggie (Vulcan Rider), for sharing your own journey of loving someone who experienced the loss of their hearing and being honest and open about the changes you saw in him and in yourself from that unexpected change.

And for ZKS, who has been the technical advisor for a lot of the fundamentals of Stephanie's journey for this story by sharing of her own hearing loss. Thank you for patiently answering my questions, and volunteering information about the medical/physical elements that I had not fully considered. But mostly, thank you for continuing to encourage me in writing this story, even when some very opinionated readers seemed to think allowing Stephanie to live her "normal" life without her hearing wasn't possible. I'm stealing your quote from the former president of Gallaudet University (I. King Jordan): "Deaf people can do anything except hear." Hopefully, I've given a little glimpse of that.

And to all of you who read along and took the time to leave a review – thank you. Hearing from you always keeps me motivated to open a blank page and start typing on the next update. This story had a great deal of interruptions with my job and real life, but you didn't give up on me, and that meant so much. I'll be taking my customary break to clear my head, and then will be back in a few weeks with something new. I hope you'll join me on whatever crazy adventure I come up with for Stephanie next.