A small one shot.. I heard this song and thought of Ranger and Steph. Song is by Miley Cyrus, the characters belong to Janet Evanovich, and the story is all mine.
When I Look At You
"Status," Ranger said in low tones.
His receiver crackled in his ear and one of his team responded immediately. But it wasn't the team he was use to working with. No, they were safely at home in Trenton working at RangeMan.
"No shot yet. Repeat, no clear shot. Give me two minutes to reposition. I'll get him."
Ranger's gaze swept the guard towers and simmered with impatience. They were twenty minutes past go time and the extrication chopper would land in fifty. Which gave them almost no time to get in, eliminate their target, and get out.
"Make it quick, Private." Ranger growled. "We're on a timetable here and it's getting shorter."
"Cool your jets, boss man," Another voice drawled over the radio. "He'll get the job done. He always does." Another Santos.
Ranger ignored him and asked again for the status. He got the same reply. This mission had been fucked up since day one but that didn't surprise him. No, he knew going in that this would be his last mission. Either by death or the ending of his contract. He was warned going in and he warned them when he got out, he would not be re-upping anymore. He was done. His heart was no longer in it. He loved being in the Army, getting his feet wet and his hands dirty. In the beginning, he didn't need any inspiration to get ready for the mission. He was ready as soon as his phone went off –signaling one more time. Now, it took every amount of energy he had to get up the motivation as to not get himself killed. He was good and he never made mistakes, but lately it just seemed as if everything that could go wrong, did.
Everybody needs inspiration
Everybody needs a song
A beautiful melody when the night's so long
'Cause there is no guarantee that this life is easy
"Any sign of our target?" A quiet voice broke through the radio, pulling Ranger from his thoughts. "I haven't seen him in over half an hour. Which isn't normal for him. Any chance we've been discovered?" The voice Ranger didn't recognize held a hint of fear. Understandable as the man they were trying to kill was as evil as they came. He got off on torture and violence. He had been known to enjoy killing American soldiers, so they definitely didn't want to be discovered.
Several different voices broke out over the radio. "Quiet!" Ranger ordered. "I want complete silence until I say different. Now let's get this damn shot."
Affirmatives rang forced and low and once again the radio went silent. Ranger breathed a sigh of relief and focused his attention back on the task at hand. He searched the darkness for their target, quiet and sure. When he finally spotted him, it wasn't good. The man in questioned pointed Ranger out to his men and Ranger could barely make out what he had said by reading his lips. 'American soldiers, bring them back and we shall have some fun'. Ranger watched in horror as a group that outnumbered theirs by at least twenty came charging their way.
"We've been spotted. Get out! Get out! NOW! That's an order!" Ranger ordered via the radio.
"Wait! I got the shot!"
"Take it and get out. Get out!"
He heard the crack of gun shot before everyone ran towards their exit, where they knew the helicopter was waiting. He heard the enemy running behind them, catching up to them before an explosion hit and he was thrown through the air. They must have tossed a grenade. He hit a tree and then landed hard on rock and soil. He could still hear them coming closer and he tried to get up but his left leg collapsed underneath him. His leg was broken, the bone jutting out through calf muscle and skin. He couldn't feel it… yet, but he knew he would. He could still hear them coming and he did all he could do. He pulled himself up using the tree that he hit and then quickly climbed up its large limbs with only one good leg.
There was nothing he could do but wait for the area to clear and hopefully he could get himself and his team out before they were located. If the others were still alive. This mission was officially FUBAR. He looked down at his leg and shook his head. He would be lucky to get out of this godforsaken jungle alive without the enemy killing him or an infection doing that for them.
He shouldn't have re-upped two years ago. He should have stopped, but he couldn't. He was struggling with his fucked up feelings for Stephanie and he felt like he was drowning. He needed an escape so he took the only one he could find. Now here he was in this hot as hell jungle, close to dying. Why did he do it? He loved her. There was no doubting that. She was his. There was no doubting that. He pulled out the picture he kept with him at all times and actually smiled.
Yeah, when my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break up the dark
That's when I, I, I look at you
When the waves are flooding the shore
And I can't find my way home anymore
That's when I, I, I look at you
He would get out of this hell hole and he would tell her the truth. He would tell her that he loved her, he always had. Probably since their first meeting in that diner. He chuckled softly. Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle does Trenton. That pretty much summed it up, but he wouldn't have it any other way. She completed him.
He never worried about his past when with his babe. She didn't care about that. She didn't care that he was a ruthless soldier and he had killed people because it was his job and he didn't have a choice. She didn't care that sometimes he enjoyed killing that person. She knew he had a reason to feel that way and even if he didn't, he knew his Babe didn't give a shit. She loved him unconditionally and he always felt at peace with her.
When I look at you, I see forgiveness, I see the truth
You love me for who I am like the stars hold the moon
Right there where they belong
And I know I'm not alone
Suddenly a group of men, Ranger didn't recognize broke through the clearing and he held his breath. They didn't have any of his team so he held his hopes up that none of them were captured. They stopped right below him and he held his rifle and his personal hand gun that he always carried at the ready. If he needed to fight to survive, he would go down swinging. He would do everything in his power to go back to Steph so he could finally tell her.
His stomach flipped when two of them looked up and spotted him straight away. They began to shout and Ranger went down fighting. Killing at least ten of them, he was shot several times as he fell out of the tree. He hit the ground hard, but kept on shooting until he blacked out from the overwhelming pain in his leg and his back.
Yeah, when my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break up the dark
That's when I, I, I look at you
When the waves are flooding the shore
And I can't find my way home anymore
That's when I, I, I look at you
"Carlos?" She called in a sing-song way.
Ranger opened his eyes to find his Babe standing over him with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes.
"Babe?" He blinked several times and realized he wasn't hurting. Fuck, he was dead.
"You're not dead, Carlos. You're dreaming." She whispered in his ear.
"Dreaming?" He wasn't so sure he wasn't dead. Shouldn't he be hurting?
Steph's lips whispered across his cheek and she giggled. "I love you, Carlos." She loved him. Dios, she was so beautiful. She looked like an angel, with the sun around her face and her eyes shining with love.
You appear just like a dream to me
Just like kaleidoscope colors that prove to me
All I need, every breath that I breathe
Don't ya know, you're beautiful
His Babe loved him. He just needed to get out of this godforsaken jungle. He opened his eyes or he tried to open his eyes but they just wouldn't cooperate with him. It hurt… wait, he was hurting. His chest was hurting, his back and his legs too. He was hurting all over. That was a good sign, right? He was alive and he could feel his legs. He finally managed to open his eyes and a sea of white was all he could see. He was in the hospital. Dios Mio, he was a damn hospital. He was going to be okay.
"Sir, are you with us?" A woman asked him. But it wasn't his Babe.
He nodded, but he was unable to talk.
"You've been shot six times. Two of those pierced your Kevlar vest, but the other four were not so lucky. One of the bullets hit your collarbone which is now shattered. One of the bullets nicked your voice box, but don't worry it will heal once repaired. The third bullet hit your right shoulder and the last one went in right underneath your left arm pit, missing anything major. Your back is broken in two places, but that will also heal. Your leg is broken in four separate places."
Ranger nodded his understanding. He hurt all over, but he was okay.
The nurse smiled at him. "You went down fighting, Sir."
He nodded again. He had to fight. He had someone waiting at home for him.
She touched his forehead and he brought his eyes back to hers. "Your team made it out alive as well." She told him.
He felt relief course through his body and he nodded again.
"We're getting ready to take you into surgery, okay?"
Again he nodded.
She gave him another smile. "I need the picture in your hand, but I promise you can have it back as soon as you're out of surgery." She told him softly.
His brows furrowed in confusion and he tried to bring his hand up but he couldn't move.
"Relax. We've got you tied down because one wrong move and you could become paralyze. I just need you to relax your hand so I can remove the picture. Please. I'll let you look at it one more time. I promise."
He nodded and relaxed his hand. He didn't even realize he had it clenched.
The nurse took it gently from his hand and brought it to his eyes so he could see. It was his picture of Steph. His Babe, his light, his world, his everything. The woman that saved his life all by a picture. All by being her.
His lips twitched and he nodded. He watched the nurse put the picture of his Babe into her pocket and then he was wheeled into surgery.
When the waves are flooding the shore
And I can't find my way home anymore
That's when I, I, I look at youI look at you