Race Against Time

It had been nearly three months since I'd been to New York. I was one of the fortunate ones to get two and a half weeks off for Christmas. I smiled to myself as I walked into the lab. My partner, Aria De Luca walked in, a broad smile on her face.
"You're so lucky to get to go to New York for Christmas! I'd always wanted to go, but Bruno wanted to go to Italy", she said, blushing. Bruno Rossi, the attractive transfer from St. Louis, and Aria had been together for a year now.
"Yeah, but I'm taking Ian and Mackenzie along. We're visiting Levi and Sarah", I replied. I looked down at my personal cell and saw I had a text from Don. I smiled to myself and set it in my pocket.
"Is it that cop you met in New York?" Aria asked, her eyebrow raising.
"No!" I lied, my face turning red. My father, the Chief of Police, limped out of his office.
"What cop? Did you do something illegal while you were there?" he asked. I rolled my eyes.
"No, Daddy, I still keep in contact with some of the people I worked with when I went to New York", I replied. I had to talk fast, otherwise my dad would want to go with me, Mackenzie, and Ian to New York. Mama had wanted to stay home and have a quiet holiday with Ethan, so there was no way he'd even go.
"Mhm, and is one of them a man?" he asked sternly. I rolled my eyes again.
"Daddy, don't stress or your leg will act up", I scolded him.
"It's already acting up, so don't change the subject", Daddy retorted. I got my temper from him, that was for sure.
"So what if they are? I turn thirty in January, not thirteen", I said. I dreaded that day.
"Just be careful, angelo. I don't want you getting hurt", Daddy replied, kissing my forehead and calling me angel. My father was your basic Italian. Tall, tan-skinned, dark hair, brown eyes, protective of his daughters, no one messed with him. He had become Chief after I'd already made it into the crime lab.

"Go on home and pack. You've got a long drive with Ian and Mackenzie. I suggest you bring earplugs", Daddy teased. His warm Italian accent always soothed me and I always loved hearing it.
"It'll be fine. If either one make me mad, I'll stick them in the tailgate with Boomer and Brewster", I replied, smiling. I had gotten a truck to replace my beloved Camaro that had gotten tragically wrecked and had nearly taken my brother's life. I was glad to trade my car for my brother. I walked out, hearing my phone ring. I answered it with a smile.

"Hey", I greeted. It was Don.
"You driving or flying to New York?" he asked.
"Driving. Plane tickets are so flipping expensive and it would be cheaper if I was going by myself", I replied.
"Oh boy, who's going with you?" he asked. I giggled.
"My brother Ian and my sister Mackenzie. Levi thought it would be lovely to have all the adult children at his place, plus two dogs", I replied. I heard Don wince.
"Try not to kill everyone", he teased. I laughed.
"I dunno, I have to somehow keep switching Ian and Mackenzie from passenger seat to backseat. Otherwise, I'll run them over", I replied. He chuckled.
"What time are you leaving?" he asked.
"Tonight, we're driving straight up. Only stopping for necessities", I replied.
"So tomorrow afternoon would be around the time you'd be arriving?" Don asked.
"I don't wanna jinx it, but that's the plan", I replied. I got into my truck and started to drive home.
"Let me know when you're on your way, kay?" he said. I smiled.
"Okay", I agreed. When I told him I was coming to New York sooner than planned, he was excited. I said my goodbye and hung up the phone. I couldn't deny that I was excited as well to see him again. My sister Mackenzie, of course, was going nowhere near him. I pulled up to my apartment and walked up the stairs to my floor. I unlocked it and walked in, my one-year old Labrador, Boomer nearly tackling me down with excited licks. I rubbed his sides, cooing to him.

"Hey, pretty boy. You ready to go for a ride?" I said. His ears perked, his tail wagging furiously. He loved going for rides in the truck. I motioned him to the bedroom to get his stuff together. I grabbed several Ziploc bags and marked them each day of the week. I filled them with two scoops of food each and set them into a Wal-Mart bag. I picked up his dishes and set them into the bag as well. Also into the bag went his favorite toys, his doggy sweater, and his favorite blanket. I rubbed Boomer's ears and set the bag onto the counter.
Now time to get my stuff together. I grabbed two suitcases and grabbed my necessities. Clothes, three pairs of shoes, toiletries, my favorite books, my phone charger, my backup phone charger, my iPod charger, and backup headphones all went into them.

I set my suitcases on the ground. Almost time to go. All that was left to do was change into my traveling clothes. I tossed my clothes into the hamper and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. I pulled them on and slid my shoes on again. I picked up my purse, running through my checklist. I flipped off lights and walked around, making sure everything was shut off properly. I let Boomer out onto the balcony and lugged my suitcases downstairs. I tossed them onto the floorboards in the back. I was thankful that my insurance company had given me money for my car that enabled me to get a really nice Toyota Tundra, brand new. I had gotten a lift kit on it.

I ran upstairs and got Boomer's supplies and set them on the passenger seat. Time to get Boomer and get him into the truck. I put his sweater on him and walked him down to the truck. He hopped into the tailgate obediently. I got into the truck, driving towards Mackenzie and Ian's apartment building. They lived on the same floor, luckily. Mackenzie was sitting on her suitcase, looking more like a model than a traveler.
"C'mon, let's just get this over with", she said, tossing her stuff into the back. Brewster hopped into the tailgate with Boomer, the two of them sniffing each other and wagging their tails. Ian hopped into the passenger seat, keeping his backpack in front with him. Mackenzie hopped into the backseat.

"Let's go!" I said, backing up and going onto the highway. It was going to be a long drive. An hour later, my phone buzzed. I looked down at the name and saw 'Don'. I smiled and answered it.
"I was just about to call you, I'm on my way", I said.
"Just checking on you. Be safe, Rambo", he replied.
"I will. We're about an hour out, so that leaves about eleven hours left", I said.
"Yikes. Try to get some sleep here and there", he replied. I rolled my eyes.
"Don't you roll your eyes at me, missy", he said. I laughed.
"How'd you know? Get out from my backseat", I teased.
"Because after a comment like that, you usually roll your eyes", he replied.
"Yep, just what I thought", I said, smiling.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Detective work is your field", I replied. He laughed.
"I gotta go, Danny asked me to watch Lucy and baby-sitting duty calls", he said.
"Tell everyone I said hi", I replied, hanging up.