May 1990

This morning I woke up in bed, when I knew I fell asleep on the couch the night before. I always tell Tom that he doesn't need to carry me to bed when I fall asleep during our movie nights, but he does it anyway. Tom told me last night that Fuller wanted him to come to work early, so he let me sleep in. He was long gone before I woke up.

I received a call while I was still in bed so I quickly got up and headed to the phone with Swayze right on my heels. I gently pat his fluffy head when I answered, "Michelle Gregg."

"Good morning, Gregg, it's Fuller. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, how are you?" I asked. I quickly glanced at my watch to make sure I didn't accidentally sleep in too late and Fuller was calling me because I wasn't at work.

"I figured I'd give you a ring now so you could run to your case, because it's not in Metropolis."

"Oh? Where is it?" I asked. My heart stopped thumping out of my chest at the thought of accidentally sleeping in.

"It's in Greenville. I'm sorry to be sending you, but they asked for you specifically. You'll be going to Cedar Ridge Ranch, going in undercover as a patient."

"What's the Cedar Ridge Ranch?" I asked. I twisted the curly phone cord around my finger and sneered at my chipping nail polish.

"It is a place where troubled teens are sent to in order to correct their behavior. Kids have been coming forward recently about abuse that they suffer there, so we need you to figure out what is going on."

"I'm guessing that this is an overnight case?" I said. I began to imagine everything that I had in my go-bag, and if I needed to pack more things. I usually have enough stuff to last me for an entire week ready to go. Swayze started pushing his nose into my knee, so I leaned down to scratch his back.

"Yeah. You will be living at the Cedar Ridge Ranch for the duration of the assignment, so you'll be searched when you first arrive. According to the file, you'll have a roommate named Rebecca Winters. Looks like she has a history of fighting at school and shoplifting. I can't imagine that it would take more than a week to gather information if the program needs to be shut down."

"All right. Is Tom there?" I asked.

"No, he should be back soon though. He is just finishing up his case. By the way, they'll be expecting you to check-in by noon."

I checked my watch again and saw that it was almost eight o'clock, and it takes a few hours to drive down there. My eyes widened at the small amount of time I had, and I straightened up. I would have began running around, but the phone was connected to a cord that kept me in place.

"I'll be there," I promised.

"Great, thanks. Talk later."

"Bye," I said and hung up. I gave Swayze one last pet before I ran around the apartment, getting myself ready for the next week. A week is a long time for a travel-case, they're usually not that long.

I spent the entire drive over to Greenville by listening to the radio and going over my game plan for the week. I knew I had to tell Tom that I wouldn't be coming home for a week, so I stopped for an early lunch when I realized that I had a little extra time.

I found a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in town, just a few minutes from Cedar Ridge Ranch. I ordered a soda and a burger and asked the waitress if I could borrow their phone. She told me it was in the back, so I grabbed some change and headed over there.

I assumed that Tom would be at the chapel by now so I called them. It was too early to call home, he wouldn't be there yet.

"Fuller," Fuller answered.

"Hey, it's Gregg. Can I talk to Hanson?"

"Yeah," he said. It sounded like he put the receiver to his chest because I heard a muffled, "Hanson! Line one!"

His voice was replaced with Tom's as he said, "it's Hanson."

"Hey, it's Mick. I'm in Greenville," I told him.

"What are you doing all the way over there?" He asked.

"On a case," I said and leaned against the wall, "I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home for a week. I probably won't have phone privileges when I'm in there so I wanted to call you before I checked-in."

"A week? Geez, I don't know if I can go a day without seeing you, let alone a week."

"Just more to look forward to when I get home," I smiled into the phone.

"Are you coming home next Thursday?" He asked.

"It's a three hour drive, and I probably won't be able to leave very early on Thursday so I think I'll stay another night at a hotel." I had an idea pop into my head and I suggested to Tom, "maybe you can come. When I graduated high school, I took a weekend trip down here with some friends and we had a lot of fun, we could spent next Friday here in town."

He sighed and said glumly, "babe, I wish. But I've exhausted all my vacation days for the quarter."

My tendency to be a bad influence caused me to say, "I think you should come anyway. There's a diner I've been dying to go back to. They make the best burgers I've ever had, I'll probably go next Thursday after my case. You'll love it, because they grill it with cheese inside the burger instead of over it."

"What's it called?" He asked.

"Bob's Diner," I answered dreamily. I haven't had it in years, and the interior is so adorable and retro. My mouth was watering at the thought of their food. I should have gone there for lunch, but it's not a quick-stop type of restaurant.

"I wish I could but I really can't leave. I'll see you when you get back though, all right?"

I gave up and sighed, "all right."

"I love you. Be safe."

"I love you too, bye," I hung up.

I ate my lunch quickly and finally drove myself to the Cedar Ridge Ranch. I was not allowed to bring my badge or gun inside with me because I had to be searched before I went in. My job was to spend a week there and make my report.

The first thing I noticed was the military aspect that this facility had. This behavioral boot camp was a literal boot camp for minors. They had a structured schedule and approach that was very similar to a military boot camp in regards to lingo and rankings. It featured an intense fitness component and drill sergeants, along with poor therapy and harsh activities. If I was a poorly behaved child, I'd definitely lash out at a place like this.

It was the longest week of my life. I wasn't able to call Fuller or Tom or anyone while I was locked in there. My heart yearned for Tom, but luckily I was pretty distracted. My body ached, and I was tired and exhausted all the time. I had my roommate, Becca, who gave me information about the abuse that they endure on a daily basis. I suffered it myself and saw it with my own two eyes. There was no way I was going to let this facility stay open a day longer.

Once Thursday rolled around, Fuller must have been coordinating with the Greenville Police Department to get me taken out of the program. One of their officers came in undercover as my father to bail me out. I met with their detectives and showed them my report and the proof I obtained from the claims of abuse, and they invited me to assist on their bust.

After busting the Cedar Ridge Ranch, I took my go-bag and got checked into a hotel. I had only been eating bland, boring, and unfulfilling foods for the past week from the camp's cafeteria so I was very excited to finally go to Bob's Diner. First, I gave Tom a quick call to let him know that I was out of the Ranch, but he didn't answer the phone. I tried calling again just in case he missed it, but he still didn't answer. I assumed he was either out getting dinner, or taking a shower because he is usually home from work by now.

I took a long hot shower, because every shower I took all week was short and with ice cold water, and I braided my hair back before I put on a pair of mom-jeans and a light gray crew-neck sweater to keep me warm in the chilly spring evening. This sweater was Tom's before I accidentally adopted it by keeping it in my car. It's big and warm, and still soft on the inside. I remember him wearing it on his first day back at work after Doug shot him in the ass. It was so late that the sun was long gone, but the diner was still open. I parked in the nearly empty parking lot and walked into the quiet diner.

It was just how I remembered it from the last time I ate there. There were bright red and chrome stools in front of a bar counter that had a black and white checkered floor. Booths ran along the entire wall, each one had their own window that showed off the bare street. Vintage tin bar signs littered the empty space on the walls, along with some neon ones. I admired the retro 1950's aesthetic of the diner.

There was a waitress who saw me from behind the bar and she greeted me with a nice smile. She wore a yellow dress with a white apron, and her dark skin was glowing. Her curly hair was pulled back in a low bun, and she looked like a very kind woman. She also wore a name tag that said, "Flo". She came to over to me while holding a menu and asked, "hey, honey, how are we doing today?"

"I'm good, how are you?" I asked. I looked around the restaurant and saw a couple of people sitting on stools at the counter, but there were more people in booths. There was a guy with his hat over his eyes in the corner who was flipping through a menu, and I saw a young couple on a date, and an older couple also sitting in their own booth.

"I'm doing great, thank you. How many?"

"Just one, please," I said.

She squinted her eyes at me softly with her big smile and asked, "are you Mickey?"

"Um, yeah, I am," I said. I was very confused about how she would know me because I did not recognize her.

"I've got someone waiting for you," she said.

I could feel my face grow pale in confusion and a little bit of fear. Who knew I was going to be here? Who was waiting for me? I finally asked, "who?"

She didn't answer, but instead she said, "follow me."

I hesitated before I followed her. I kept a safe distance and darted my eyes around the restaurant, constantly looking over my shoulder. I had not felt this paranoid in a long time, but I didn't particularly enjoy being left in the dark. I don't think my week at Cedar Ridge Ranch helped either, because I was constantly looking over my shoulder while I was there. Not because of the kids, but because of the employees.

We passed a couple of booths and I tried to look at the faces of the people who sat in them, but I didn't recognize anyone. I was still on edge. It wasn't until we reached the last booth when Flo stopped. The man in the booth stood up and lifted his hat over his head and beamed up at me. He held a flower up at his chest, and his lips slid into a smirk.

"Tom! Oh my god!" I exclaimed and I jumped into his arms. I could hear Flo chuckle softly at our reunion and she walked away. I hugged Tom's neck and asked, "what are you doing here?"

"Wanted to surprise my beautiful girlfriend," he said and pulled away to kiss me.

"What about Fuller and your days off?" I asked. I kept my hands on his shoulders but I was far enough away to see his face.

"What about him? What's he gonna do, fire me?" He chuckled. He handed me the rose and I took it and gave it a soft sniff.

"Who is watching Swayze?" I asked.

"Doug is watching him. Don't worry," he reassured.

We slid into the booth and I asked, "when did you get here?"

"Just a couple hours ago. I drove around for a while, but this place was hard to find."

"Yeah, I don't think a lot of people know about it. If it was closer, I'd say that it is my favorite restaurant."

"That's a pretty high honor," Tom said, "I hope they live up to it."

"They will, I promise," I said. Tom thinks that boxed Kraft Macaroni and Cheese should be considered gourmet, so I knew that he would love this place.

I did not eat my burger until Tom had his first bite. Almost immediately, he agreed that nothing could top Bob's Diner burgers and that we needed to try to come here as often as we could.

We spent the evening blowing straw wrappers at each other and we ate our delicious dinner. I felt like we were being watched, but I always have that feeling so I pushed it to the side.

I took a big bite of my burger and I chewed gently as Tom looked at me with an irresistible smile. I covered my mouth with my hand so he didn't have to see the food in my mouth and asked, "what?"

"I'm in love with you, I've been in love with you forever," he said, barely stumbling over his words.

I looked back at him with admiration and love. He really is the man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I leaned over the table and Tom met me halfway to give me a kiss. Then, he took a napkin and dabbed some sauce off the corner of my lip which made me laugh.

When we were finished with our dinners, we weren't ready to leave so Tom suggested that we check out their dessert menu. They have classic flavors of malts and milkshakes, but they also offered a special peach pie that's only available during their anniversary month of May. Tom and I decided to order that, because we liked how it was a limited time dessert.

As we were sharing the pie, Tom took a bite before he said to me in a soft whisper, "look... ten o'clock," and subtly nodded his head to the side and masked it by cracking his neck.

I followed his direction and looked to the side to see a man sitting at the bar on one of the red stools with a small canvas in his hand, darting his eyes between us and the canvas. He had long blonde hair and a black jacket on. Tom and I both were confused, but tried to just mind our own business.

I asked Tom while balancing a warmed peach slice on my fork, "anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

Tom hesitated for a moment before he answered, "no, not really. Wait, no, actually, we had a group assignment just the other day. We all had to protect the senator from an assassination during his speech at Truman High School and we were almost caught."

I put the fork in my mouth before any of the pie could fall off and swallowed before I asked, "what do you mean?"

"I mean, an investigative reporter came into the squadroom and tried to put us on the news."

"No way," I nearly gasped. Undercover cops broadcasted on the media, whether it be on the news or the newspaper, is a big issue at Jump Street. We have to stay as anonymous as possible, or we would all lose our jobs.

"Fuller put a stop to it almost immediately, but boy, we were all terrified," Tom chuckled.

"No kidding," I said. I don't know what I would do if Tom left Jump Street. I love being able to see him every day at work, and wake up to him every morning. I get the best of both worlds.

Out of the corner of my eye, the blonde guy who was sitting at the stool stood up and began walking over to us. Tom looked up at him and the guy said nervously, "hi, my name is Peter. I don't mean to be a bother but I'm studying art at the Greenville Art Institution and my homework was to paint strangers to help me improve."

Peter held out the canvas that he had been working on ever since I sat down and Tom grabbed it. He held it out so we could both see, and I was flabbergasted at how beautiful it was. It was very realistic looking painting of me and Tom sitting at the booth together.

"I'm sorry if this is weird, but I was wondering if you guys wanted it," he said.

"This looks incredible," I told him and studied the painting.

Tom reached into his pocket for his wallet and Peter shook his head, "no, no charge. I'm just practicing."

"Thanks, man," Tom said and Peter left the diner.

We admired the painting a little closer and saw how detailed it was. He captured the neon fluorescence of the diner, along with details outside of our window. He painted the shadows on my gray sweater, and even managed to make my hair look braided. He put so much emotion into our eyes and faces, I could see the love that Tom and I have for each other through the painting. It looked amazing.

"We should make this a tradition. Every May, we will eat right here," Tom said and placed his fingertips on the table. "To enjoy this anniversary pie... and forget about the world."

"Agreed," I said and took another bite of the pie.

The waitress came by with the bill so I grabbed my purse so fast and with so much strength that I accidentally knocked into the plate and sent the plate flying off the table. The pie fell to the floor and splattered on the ground, surrounded by the shattered plate.

Tom was laughing as I profusely apologized to the waitress. "Oh, damn, I'm so sorry. I'll help."

"It's okay, Peaches," she said, which earned me the affectionate nickname.

I looked over at Tom and said with wide eyes, "I can't believe I just did that."

"I don't even know how that was possible," he laughed.

I stood up and tip toed around the mess and grabbed some napkins from another table. Tom made me hand him some, and we both helped clean the floor while the waitress went off to get a mop.

When she came back and said, "Peaches, you didn't have to do that."

"It was my mess," I said. I gathered all the sticky and dirty napkins and threw them away in a nearby garbage can. She thanked us for helping and mopped the floor to get rid of the rest of the sticky residue. I left to wash my hands, and I came back to see another slice of pie on the table.

"She said it's on the house," Tom said.

"She didn't have to do that," I said and slid back to the booth.

"That means we gotta eat it," Tom said and handed me a clean fork.

"I guess so," I chuckled and dug in. I quickly remembered the bill and realized that it was missing so I asked, "where's the bill?"

"I took care of it," Tom said.

I sighed and said, "Tom. It was my turn."

He laughed and just said, "no."

I shook my head at him with a smile, "I hate you."

He smiled back, "you love me," and ate another bite of the pie, without breaking our eye contact. Even after all these years, he still gives me butterflies.

We took advantage of the rest of our little vacation, enjoying each other's company and forgetting the rest of the world, even for just a few hours. I didn't want a few more hours with him. I want a lifetime.

Thanks for reading! Next chapter is Tom and Mickey talk about their future! 🥰