C3Kelly

A day off – an entire day with no limits, expectations, demands nor decisions to be made. Harvey stretched lazily in bed as he looked out the window. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and there was a slight breeze blowing. He was almost giddy, knowing that he didn’t need to go into the office today. In an unexpected move, Nash had told him last night that he was to take a day off after putting in all of that hard work and overtime on the Benson case.

Knowing it could be ages before he had the chance to do it again, Harvey had quickly agreed. While the idea of sleeping in appealed to him greatly, he decided that he was going to get out and do the things he always wished he had time off to do. Climbing out of bed, he made his way to the bathroom for a shower, careful to step over the sleeping Great Dane.

Once he was dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans, a tee shirt and his favorite tennis shoes, he pulled on his jacket ensuring his trademark armband was in place and grabbed his blue beret before going out the front door. As he made his way out to the PT Cruiser, Harvey made sure to move the beach ball that the neighborhood kids had been playing with the previous night out of the way.

The first stop on the agenda was to The Stonehouse Bakery. Harvey had discovered the little bakery and coffee shop during a recent stakeout. Today he was able to sit and relax – he had a latte and a banana muffin while he read the paper. It had been a long, long time since he’d had the luxury of sitting down and taking time to read the paper or to enjoy a quiet coffee.

Once he was finished, Harvey decided to take a little stroll. The street wasn’t terribly busy – most people were at work he thought to himself smiling. He took his time walking down the sidewalk looking into shop windows and watching the other people passing by. One of the first places that really caught his attention was a small second hand shop. Seeing a great looking vest in the window, Harvey went in to check it out. Not only was it the right size but it was also a terrific bargain. The sales clerk led the way, taking the vest over to the counter. While he was ringing up the purchase, Harvey noticed something in the showcase. He couldn’t believe it but there was a Grateful Dead bootleg tape in front of him. Trying not to get too carried away, he asked about it. The sales clerk took it out and gave it to Harvey to look over. He almost choked when he saw that it was a tape that he didn’t have and had been wanting to add to his collection for the longest time. When he inquired about the cost, he had the words “sold” almost out of his mouth before the clerk had finished telling him the ridiculously low price. His purchases bagged and in hand, Harvey headed out of the shop.

He began humming “Uncle John’s Band” as he made his way down the street. The smell of fresh flowers drew him around the corner. There was a quaint flower shop and they were receiving a new delivery. Harvey stood back and watched as the driver unloaded boxes of roses, carnations, baby’s breath, tulips and snapdragons. He was about to walk away when he saw someone from the shop come out. The petite brunette smiled at him and waved before she took the last box from the driver. Being the consummate gentleman, Harvey rushed over to open the door for her. “Here, let me get that for you.” The brunette smiled. “Thank you – that is very kind of you. And here I thought chivalry was dead.” “No, not dead, just wounded.” Laughing she looked up at him. “I’ll remember that the next time some jerk doesn’t hold a door open for me. “ She walked behind the counter and picked up a red rose. Swiftly snapping off the long stem, she walked back over and pinned the rose to his jacket. “That’s for being so nice.” “It was my pleasure.” Just then another customer came into the shop. Before rushing off, she placed a business card into Harvey’s hand. “My home number is on the back. I hope that our meeting was pleasure enough to get you to use it.”

Walking back out onto the street after waving goodbye, he looked at the card in his hand. A day off, a leisurely breakfast, a new vest and Grateful Dead tape and now a beautiful woman had given him her phone number. Harvey was beginning to wonder if this day could get any better.

All of a sudden he heard his name being called out. It took him a minute to determine where it was coming from. Further down the street, he could make out the figure of Nick Bridges coming towards him. “Well, you’re luck can only hold out for some long,” Harvey said to himself. “Harvey, am I glad to see you.” “Hi there, Nick. It’s nice to see you too. What’s up?” “Can you give me a ride? I was supposed to be out to the races half an hour ago. My buddy, JC, was going to give me a ride. But his youngest grandkid just got dropped off at his place and he has to take her to the zoo today. She’s supposed to do some stupid project on zebras.”

Driving out to Bay Meadows Racetrack wasn’t really want he had in mind but figuring that this was Nash’s father and it was his day off, Harvey agreed. Nick talked during the entire trip, leaving Harvey free to just listen and drive. Once they reached the track, Nick insisted that Harvey come in to watch Mr. Woody run. After finding out that the horse was in the second race, Harvey figured it couldn’t hurt. Leaving Nick to do whatever owner business he had to do, Harvey found a quiet seat in the stands and watched the horses going through their paces on the track. Just before the start of the second race, Nick returned. He was smiling broadly, waving to Harvey as he made his way down the stairs. Once he got joined Harvey, he handed him a ticket. “Here you are, my boy. A ticket on Mr. Woody to win.”   “Thanks Nick.” The older man reached into his jacket, pulled out a cigar, bit off one end and lit the other. Soon they were surrounded by their own little cloud of cigar smoke – Harvey waved a hand in front of himself as discreetly as he could, moving the smoke away so he could get some fresh air.

As the race started, Harvey surprised himself by getting completely involved in the race. He was shouting just as loud as Nick was and cheered just as much when Mr. Woody won. “That was great, Nick. I can see why you like this place.” “Yeah, it’s fun. And it gets me out of the house.” “You need a ride back?” “No thanks, Harvey. I saw one of my pals inside – he’ll take me home.” “Okay, if you’re sure. I’m gonna collect my winnings. See you later.”

Harvey headed up the stairs smiling. This really was a good day. He was surprised when he cashed in his ticket – he walked away with almost one hundred dollars. Tucking the money into his wallet, he headed back to his car. Deciding that he wasn’t going to get any luckier than this, Harvey decided it was time to head home and veg for the rest of the day. This was a day for the record books and he was going to enjoy it.

Nash was the first person he saw when he arrived the next day. Seeing the unusual look on Harvey’s face as he came into the SIU, he asked, “You okay, bubba?” “Oh yeah, Nash man. I’m fine.” “Good. Maybe you need a day like that more often.” “Whatever you say, boss. I’ll check my messages and you can bring me up to speed on what’s been happening.” Heading over to his desk, Harvey decided to keep the details of the day to himself. No one would believe him anyway. And if they did, maybe he’d never get a chance to have a day like that again. He could only hope that Nash meant that last comment. A day off like that would be very much to his liking. After checking his messages, Harvey put the business card of the florist next to his phone. He had a very important call to make later.

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