TITLE: Morelli

AUTHOR: dasame

DISCLAIMER: Okay here is your WARNING READ IT. This is not your ordinary story it's different. No one was injured in the writing of this story and all characters will be returned unhurt. It has character death if this bother's you don't read it. It is not anti Joe but it's not friendly either. Okay that's it for the disclaimer which is now longer then this short, so please read it and review it. Thank you.

Morelli

Stephanie sat in a chair one eye on the patient in the bed and the other on the woman sitting in the chair across from her. Steph was ready to jump up and run from the room. In the last week she had spent way too much time in this damn room with this woman. She squirmed as Angie Morelli started talking again and her mind drifted.

One Week earlier:

"Cupcake I can't believe what this guy did to Ranger's man. This guy is really one sick fuck."

Joe and I were outside the door looking in as Ranger sat staring at his man in the bed. Freddy had been my muscle of the day since Scooter Mackenzie had been after me, the Merry Men had been taking turns on guard duty. After Freddy's shift was over, somehow Scooter had tracked him home, breaking in and knocking him out. It was what he had done to the man once he'd knocked him out that had the Trenton Police Department, Ranger and his men and Joe up in arms.

Like Joe said, he was one sick fuck. And I had no doubt that he now had a very short life expectancy.

Joe looked at me and I swear he was pale. "Steph, promise me if that ever happens to me you'll pull the plug."

I looked at Joe and felt dizzy. He grabbed me and steadied me as Ranger walked from the room.

I could hear the concern in Ranger's voice. "She okay?"

"Yeah, just the shock of what happened." And Joe nodded toward the room.

Joe pushed me into Ranger's waiting arms. "Your turn to keep watch." Joe planted a kiss on my head. "Don't get dead and listen to Manoso."

I wanted to say something but wasn't sure what I should say. At present it looked like those around me were in more danger than I was.

Present:

"Stephanie Plum, are you listening to me?" Angie Morelli's angry voice shook me from my reverie.

I looked at her and gave her a little smile. "Uh, sorry no. What?"

I looked at Joe lying in the bed and I knew it had something to do with Joe and his present condition. I looked at him, his face had fresh bruises from the beating Freddy had given him and as I looked farther south I couldn't help smiling a little as I settled on the reason Angie Morelli was currently so undone. The sheet was tenting over Joe's lower regions. Joe was sporting a world class woody. The doctor's had done all they could and Angie was determined that her son wouldn't go into the ground with his dick in the air.

"Now Stephanie, we talked about this possibility yesterday when the doctor said there was no hope for my poor Joseph."

I looked at her and tried to remember yesterday. So much had happened in the last week.

"Sorry, could you refresh my memory?"

Angie let out an exasperated sigh. "In Joey's will he said that if he …well if he died before…" She scowled at me. I knew that she had always hoped that Joe would find a nice 'burg girl' to marry and forget about me. "He wanted you to have his child."

It finally sank in what she was suggesting. I looked from Joe's woody to her. No fucking way! I started to stand and she placed a hand on my knee.

"Now you listen here! It's your fault my Joey is in that bed. The doctor said it would work. Now I want you to do what is right…"

She stood and walked from the room.

I was sitting there staring at Joe when Ranger walked into the room..

"Babe, you holding up okay?"

I nodded. Then spoke in a low voice. "You know what Mrs. Morelli wants' me to do?"

He nodded of course, he knew he knew everything.

"Ranger what am I going to do?"

His almost smile came onto his face. "Ride um cowboy?"

I gave him my burg death glare. Damn thing didn't work and his smile got bigger.

"What's the problem Steph, maybe if we talked it out?"

I couldn't believe what he was saying. I knew my voice was a little loud, okay they could probably hear me in D.C.

"I don't want to have a baby!"

"You could …you know?"

"No way! It would just be… creepy. I mean he's …no. I can't do it."

"Babe, what are you going to do? The plug get's pulled at midnight."

"Uh, do you know anyone who might, well, you know?"

Ranger gave the barest of nods before he spoke. "Hector always wanted to. He really had a thing for Joe but him being a cop and everything he thought he should leave it alone."

My jaw fell and Ranger used a finger to close it. I thought for a minute. "Call him."

"Babe, are you sure?"

"Well there's no way in hell I'm going to and if Hector is interested. Well this is his chance."

Twenty minutes later Hector walked into the room. He talked to Ranger and smiled.

"Babe, we can wait in the bathroom."

"Bathroom?"

"Unless you want Mrs. Morelli to question why you're out there instead of in here servicing her son."

"Yeah right… bathroom." At that minute the bathroom sounded like my best choice.

Sometime later there was a tap at the bathroom door and Ranger and I walked back into the room. I glanced at Joe and was relieved to see that his tenting problem had been taken care of.

Three day later:

I was in Ranger's arms crying my eyes out when Angie Morelli walked up. She glared at Ranger.

"Now Stephanie, I expect you to move into Joey's house once you start showing."

Uncertain what to say, I decided to go with the lie. I settled a hand on my empty and barren belly. I crossed my fingers and sent a silent pray to god to forgive me for the lie I was about to tell.

"You know, I may not get pregnant. What with only the one time."

She patted my hand. "The whole family has been praying on this. I'm sure you're pregnant as we speak."

After she had left, Ranger whispered into my ear.

"Babe, if you're worried about god striking you down, I could get you pregnant."