As far back as he could remember, barring some momentary crisis or other, he'd always been a happy person. It was a natural state of being, coupled with the optimism that seemed a given within most of his family, immediate and extended. But he'd never been happy, reallyhappywith a capitalHbefore. It was as if wild bursts of sunshine went off in his bloodstream at unannounced moments and all he could do was sit back in awe of it, never knowing when the next one would hit. He was powerless to divert it, powerless to initiate it. But he could enjoy it. And make love with Brenda again. Which he did. With all the passion and tenderness he could muster. After the euphoria had settled deep into his bones the second time, Dax struggled to rouse himself rather than to give in to the very real temptation of staying the night with Brenda, holding her in his arms. The struggle was made more intense by the fact that his cell phone hadn't rung, which meant that none of the people working on the task force under him had anything they thought important enough to share with him.
