Friends and Family

Looking around the barge while he listened to a Musak version of "Let It Be", Harvey shifted the phone to his other ear.  He'd been on hold for ten minutes and he was starting to get ticked off.  Leaning back in his chair, he propped his feet up on his desk and waited.  As his eyes roved the desks and oddments scattered around the lower level of the one-time rave club, he began to smile.  The holidays were quickly approaching and people had begun to bring in little items to celebrate them and to bring a little cheer to the place. 

A few desks had small Christmas trees, snowmen dotted the filing cabinets and a menorah sat proudly on a desk in the corner.  There were also symbols of Kwanzaa here and there.  Harvey loved the diversity of it.  He'd always been fascinated by different cultures, and San Francisco was certainly a place to enjoy that difference.

His roving eyes rested on the slumped form of his partner, sitting at the desk opposite his own.  Evan had been like that for several days.  The closer it got to Christmas, the more depressed he became. 

Looking at Evan, Harvey decided it was time to find out what was bothering his younger partner.  With his dark eyes and his forehead wrinkled the way it was, Evan reminded Harvey of a Basset hound.   

With a sigh, Harvey switched the phone back to his other ear as the Musak switched to "Sound of Silence".  He'd have gotten the information he needed faster, if he'd driven downtown to get it.  A sudden click, followed by a dial tone, had Harvey sitting there for a moment with his mouth hanging open.  "Son of a…I can't believe I got disconnected."  Mumbling curses, he hit redial.  As soon as he got a human voice, he opened up with both barrels.

Getting what he needed from the harried clerk, Harvey slammed the phone down, still muttering to himself.  Taking his frustration out on the keyboard, he pounded the information into the file on the screen.  Hitting save, he turned around to see his boss standing behind him.

"Good to see you so full of that Christmas spirit there, Harv."  Nash smiled as he headed over to his own desk.  Gesturing Harvey over, Nash sat down and started glancing over the paperwork on his desk.  "Bubba, you have any idea what's bothering Evan?"

With a sigh, Harvey fidgeted with his ear and shook his head.  "No, boss.  I planned to talk to him today to find out, though.  Something's obviously got him down.  He's been like that for about a week.  I was hoping whatever it was, would work itself out, but it hasn't.  You know, he usually tells me what's bugging him."  Harvey shrugged, at a loss to explain Evan's mood.

"Is it affecting his performance?"  Nash couldn't let Evan stay out in the field if his mind wasn't on business.

"No, he's fine when we're on the job; it's just when we're not doing anything that he gets like that."  Harvey resolved to find out what was wrong with Evan.  If Nash was worried about Evan's ability to do his job, his partner was close to a forced vacation.

"Okay, but keep me in the loop."  Making eye contact, Nash made sure Harvey knew he meant what he said.

Nodding that he understood, Harvey went back to his own desk.  Glancing at his watch, he figured it was close enough to lunchtime.  "Hey, Evan, time for lunch.  I'll buy."

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Having watched Evan pick at his food for the last ten minutes, Harvey sighed and dropped his fork onto his plate.  "Okay, Ev, what's bothering you?  I can't take this anymore."

Looking up in surprise, Evan was confused by Harvey's sudden outburst.  "What are you talking about?"

Harvey rolled his eyes at his partner's obtuseness.  "Evan, you've been walking around the SIU for the past couple of weeks like a man who's just been told he has six months to live.  What gives?"

Pushing his peas around on his plate, Evan shrugged.  He hadn't realized he was letting his emotions show at work.  He was just so depressed about the holidays.

"C'mon, Ev.  That's not gonna work.  Nash is starting to worry about you, too, so if you don't talk to me, you'll have to deal with him."

"It's not any big deal, really.  It's just that I won't be seeing my family this Christmas, and it'll be the first time I haven't gone back to Chicago for the holidays."

Knowing how important family was to Evan, Harvey knew it was a very big deal.  "How come you can't go home for Christmas?"

Resuming his torture of the innocent peas, Evan sighed.  "First of all, I drew on-call duty for Christmas Eve this year.  Plus, after flying home when my sister had the baby, and buying all those baby gifts, I don't have the money for the tickets.  Having to buy new tires for the truck didn't help any, either."

Even though he no longer had any family, Harvey knew how important it was.  Especially for Evan, having grown up in a large extended family.  Those kind of ties were strong…the roots keeping you tethered to the past.

A sudden inspiration struck and his mind raced, ticking off the steps he needed to take to make everything happen.  He fought to keep a smile of satisfaction off his face, knowing Evan wouldn't understand what he was smiling about.  He had to keep this a secret.  Evan would never let him do it if he knew.

Offering Evan a few platitudes and some encouragement, he did his best to cheer his partner up.  By the time they left to return to the SIU, Evan did seem a little more upbeat.  As he steered the Ranchero toward the barge, Harvey realized he only had two weeks to do what he needed to do.  He hoped it was enough.

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Looking up as the pair returned from lunch, Nash waved Harvey over.  "How'd it go?"

Glancing back at his partner, Harvey gestured for Nash to follow him topside.  Once they were outside where Evan couldn't overhear, Harvey stopped and leaned against the railing.  "He's upset about not being able to go home for Christmas.  He pulled on-call duty this year."

Nodding in sudden understanding, Nash slipped his hands in his pockets and hunched against the wind.  "I understand that.  I hate that he can't go home, but it was his turn for the duty."

Harvey squinted from the sudden gust that blew in across the water.  "Boss, can I ask for a couple of favors?"

Knowing Harvey didn't often ask for anything, Nash nodded his assent.  "What do you need, Harv?"

"I'd like to take Evan's on-call shift.  I don't have any family, so it's no big deal for me to work Christmas.  But, don't tell him.  I want it to be a surprise."  Harvey didn't want to mention the other reason Evan couldn't make the trip home.  He wasn't sure his partner wanted Nash knowing about his financial situation.  "I was also wondering if I could pull some overtime.  I…uh…have some work that needs to be done on the Ranchero and you know how expensive that can get on an older car."

The last repair bill for the 'Cuda still fresh in his mind, Nash chuckled.  "Oh, I understand perfectly, bubba.  I'll see what I can do.  How much overtime do you want?"

Smiling sheepishly, Harvey shrugged.  "As much as the budget can stand, boss."

Nash wondered if there was another reason for Harvey's sudden need for extra money.  He knew Harv was paying alimony for Bonnie and, having two ex-wives himself, knew how expensive that could get.  Still, it wasn't his business to pry into his friends' financial affairs. 

Satisfied that everything was under control, the two headed back inside.  Harvey could hardly keep from smiling as he walked back to his desk.  He couldn't wait to see the look on Evan's face.

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True to his word, Nash had given Harvey all the overtime he could stand.  After almost two weeks he was exhausted, but he was close to having the money he needed.  He just wished he'd known what was bugging Evan before he's done his Christmas shopping.  He wouldn't have spent so much on presents if he'd known he would need the money for Evan.  He could take the gifts back, but he'd feel guilty if he did that. 

Adding up his hours, Harvey smiled broadly.  He had enough extra to do it.  Checking the calendar, he decided it was time to make the reservations.  Picking up the phone and dialing the number he'd written down, he couldn't resist looking across at Evan's desk with a smile.

Glancing up, Evan noticed his partner was staring at him with a goofy grin plastered across his face.  When Harvey noticed he'd been spotted, he wiped the smile from his face and hunched over the phone, practically whispering.  As if Evan could hear his phone conversation over the din of the SIU.

Evan had no idea what had gotten into Harvey the past couple of weeks.  He kept sneaking around to make strange phone calls, worked insane hours and Evan was constantly catching him staring off into space, smiling about something.  If he didn't know any better, he'd swear Harvey had a woman.

Signing his name to the bottom of a report form, Evan slapped the file closed and stood to take it over to Nash.  Evan frowned when Harvey gave him a funny look then turned his chair around so his back was to his partner.  Shaking his head, he walked over and handed the file to Nash.  Sitting on the corner of the desk, he shot his boss a puzzled look.

"Hey, Nash, Harvey's been acting kind of weird lately."

Opening the new file, Nash chuckled quietly.  "Bubba, I'm afraid with Harvey you're gonna have to be a little more specific."

"True."  Evan smiled, glancing back at his partner.  "He's been making strange phone calls, he keeps looking at me funny, and what's with all the overtime?"

"I approved the overtime, so don't worry about that.  As for the phone calls, I don't have a clue."  Dropping the file into his box, Nash leaned back in his chair.  "I could tell you why he keeps grinning like an idiot, but I promised to keep it a secret.  You'll just have to wait for Santa."

"Oh, ha-ha, Nash.  Very funny."

"I thought it was funny.  Don't worry, you'll find out what it is tomorrow night at the Christmas party."  Nash laughed as Evan gave him a look of disgust and returned to his desk.

Dropping into his chair with a sigh, Evan wasn't sure he could wait until the Christmas party to find out what Harvey was up to.  His curiosity was definitely getting the upper hand.

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The next day went by so slowly, that Evan thought for sure they'd entered some sort of time warp.  He tried dropping hints to see if Harvey would spill the beans.  He tried begging, demanding and had almost resorted to threats, when the time for the party finally arrived.

The lights on the station tree twinkled in bright colors, and carols were playing on a portable stereo that Ronnie had brought in.  Even the phantom disco kept hidden so as not to interrupt the celebrations.  Santa made his appearance, everyone wished each other a happy holiday and finally began to drift outside to go home.

Then only Nash, Joe, Harvey and Evan remained.  Now it was time for them to exchange gifts.  Joe went first, passing out his gifts to the others, then it was Evan's turn.  Nash went next then turned to Harvey expectantly. 

Still admiring his new Grateful Dead tie, Harvey took a moment to realize everyone was waiting for him.  "Oh, sorry.  Guess it's my turn."

He passed two brightly wrapped boxes to Nash and Joe then waited while they opened the gifts.  Harvey could see Evan practically dancing in his effort to keep from asking for his.  After the others had opened their presents, Harvey reached under the tree and picked up a box wrapped in shiny blue paper.  With a smug smile, he passed it to Evan.  "Here, Ev.  Merry Christmas."

Tearing off the paper, Evan struggled with the tape on the box.  He practically ripped the package in half in his effort to get to the prize inside.  From Harvey's actions the last two weeks, it must be one heck of a gift.  He stared at the present, wrapped in tissue, in consternation.  All that subterfuge for a sweater? 

Struggling to keep his disappointment off his face, Evan cleared his throat.  "Uh, that's a really great sweater, Harv, thanks."

Also finding it hard to keep a straight face, Harvey coughed to keep from laughing.  "Oh, by the way…I'm taking your on-call shift tomorrow.  You don't have to work Christmas Eve."

"Oh, uh, thanks Harvey.  That's nice."  Truth be known, Evan was disappointed.  At least if he'd been working, it would have given him something to do besides brood over the fact that he was spending the holidays away from family.

Deciding to let his friend off the hook, Harvey pulled an envelope from his pocket.  "Hey, Ev, I almost forgot this.  I got you a little something extra to go with the sweater."

Curious, Evan opened the envelope and pulled out a pair of tickets.  He shot Harvey a puzzled look.  "What's this?"

"I thought it would be obvious.  Round trip tickets to Chicago.  You leave first thing in the morning."  Harvey smiled in triumph at the stunned look on his young partner's face.

"What?  How?  When did you…?"  Evan couldn't believe it.  He knew how expensive the tickets he held in his hand were.  Suddenly, he understood why Harvey had taken on so much overtime.  It also explained the funny looks.  He was still curious about the phone calls.  "Harv, what was with all those secretive phone calls?"

"Well, there were calls to check out different flights, plus I had to call your parents to arrange for someone to pick you up from the airport.  We played phone tag for a while, but your sister will meet you at the gate."  Harvey was happy he'd been able to keep it a secret.  It had just about killed him, not being able to tell anyone what he was up to.

Looking at the tickets once more, Evan swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat.  "Harvey, brother, I can't believe you'd do something like this.  How can I ever thank you for such a gift?"

Shrugging it off, Harvey smiled.  "You just did."

Not knowing what else to say, Evan embraced his friend and slapped him on the back.  Stepping back, he slipped the tickets in his jacket pocket.  "Wait a minute.  What're you going to be doing for Christmas, Harv?"

"Working probably.  I've got the on-call shift."  It didn't much matter to Harvey. 

Seeing the look that crossed Evan's face, Nash dropped a hand on Harvey's shoulder.  "Don't worry about Harv.  He'll be spending Christmas with family."  Seeing the confused looks of the others, Nash laughed.  "Well, somebody's gotta help me find all the presents that Nick hid somewhere then forgot where he put them."

Relieved that Harvey wouldn't be spending Christmas alone, Evan listened to the banter between Joe and Harvey who were arguing over the best places to look for hidden gifts.  Thanks to his partner, he was going home to be with his family for Christmas.  Smiling as Nash tried to referee the growing argument, Evan realized he would also be leaving family behind.

Standing next to his surrogate family, the lights from the tree casting a multi-colored glow, Evan felt like the happiest man on earth, thinking Tiny Tim had said it best.  God bless us, every one.

END