Part 3 of The Merry Man Series Bobby and Elle

by rangeman girl

Tragedy strikes...Can Elle keep it together for the man she loves?

Bobby & Elle

By: Amanda Cosentino

This is just a continuance of Bobby. Wanted everyone to have an ending! You guys know me; you know it will be a happy one! Special thanks to Tammi for her medical knowledge, and as always Heidi, for helping me when I am blocked. Thanks, Babes.

Warning- Some angst, and of course some smut……

Giselle's POV

3 months after last story…..

Do you ever stop and look at your life and wonder how in the hell everything has ended up the way that it has? That has been me recently. Alberto and I just opened our second restaurant. Things are good.

Bobby and I have a good relationship. I can't believe how much I have come to rely on him in such a short period of time. After Lester and Marisa's wedding Bobby came out with some kind of fucked up proposal. I laughed it off and things have continued as before.

I don't know if I am ready to get married. Why fuck up what we have? I thought as I drove to my condo. I hadn't seen Bobby in a week. He's been 'on assignment'. I still can't get used to his job. I haven't slept worth a shit since he left. It's weird how quickly you get used to sleeping with someone.

I pulled into my garage. No Bobby. I trudged through the door and headed directly upstairs. I peeled off my grubby chef clothes and ran a hot bath. I had just sat down in the tub when my cell phone rang. I started to just let it ring. It might be Bobby, I thought as I hopped out of the tub and fumbled over to the vanity.

"Hello."

"Elle, it's Tank."

"Hey Tank, what's up?"

"Uh, Elle something has happened."

Oh God!! Oh God please no!!!! Please let him be ok. Please. Please…my mind screamed.

"Oh God, is he ok?"

"Um, I'm on my way over. I'm coming to get you. Bobby was shot. He's in the hospital. He needs surgery. I will see you in 10."

I dropped the phone. This isn't happening. This is NOT happening. I sank down on the bathroom floor. Tears stung my eyes. A sob tore through me and black dots swam in front of my eyes.

You have to get up and get moving. You have to get to Bobby, my mind chanted over and over. I pulled myself up from the floor and flew into my bedroom. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. I slipped on my shoes and ran downstairs.

I grabbed my purse in the kitchen and ran out the front door. I saw Tank's black Expedition pull up out front. I ran and hopped in before he even stopped.

"What happened?" I said grasping my hands together to keep them from shaking.

"It was a standard take down."

"Standard my fucking ass! Is it standard that someone gets shot!"

"Elle, calm down."

"Don't fucking tell me to calm down!"

"He is going to be ok Sugar," Tank said reaching over and taking my hand. I looked down at his enormous hand swallowing mine. I squeezed it tight and took a few calming breaths.

"How bad is it?"

"He took three hits, one in the leg, one in the shoulder and one in the side, which punctured his lung. That is why they need to do surgery," Tank explained as he drove toward the hospital.

"Oh my god," I whispered. I was trying hard to keep it together. I couldn't stop the tears. I love him so much; please don't take him away I prayed over and over. A sob tore through me and I pulled my knees up to my chest. Tank concentrated on the road and let me have my break down.

We pulled up and parked at the hospital. I noticed three other large black SUV's parked also. I was trying to get myself to calm down.

"I'm sorry," I said wiping my eyes. I looked over at Tank.

"Sugar, it's ok. He's going to be ok. You have to believe that. There is nothing to be sorry for."

"He's going to be ok," I whispered. I took a deep breath and hopped out of the Expedition. Tank came around and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. We walked into the hospital and got into the elevator. Tank punched the 6th floor. As we exited the elevator I saw Lester, Ranger, Cal, and Vince. They were all dressed in their Rambo gear and stood as they saw us approach.

Lester came up to me first. He wrapped his arms around me in a huge bear hug.

"Have you heard anything yet?" I said my voice cracking.

"He's in surgery now. Shouldn't be much longer," Lester said pulling away and looking down at me. "You ok Elle?"

"No," I said walking over and sitting down. I felt numb. My whole world had just been turned upside down. I looked up at Ranger. "How did this happen?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Ranger came over and sat down next to me. "Bobby had just gotten back to RangeMan. We were getting a team together to go out to capture a FTA. Bobby volunteered to come along. It was a standard take down………"

"Don't give me that standard take down shit," I said cutting my eyes at him. Ranger took a deep breath and continued.

"Bobby, Lester and Cal came in from the back of the house. Tank, Vince and I came in from the front. We detained the FTA but didn't know that his girlfriend was in the house. She came out of nowhere and started shooting. Bobby took three hits before Lester took her down."

I looked over at Lester. "Is she dead?" Lester nodded yes. "Good," I said sitting back and pulling my knees up to my chest. "Hope the fucking bitch rots in hell." I started to rock back and forth. Tank came over and sat on the other side of me.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Sugar he is going to be ok," he repeated.

"You don't know that," I spat. I was angry. I was angry that this happened, angry that some crazy bitch had tried to kill the man that I love, angry that this was his job.

"Elle," Ranger said. "This is part of the job….."

"Part of the job? Part of the fucking job? Getting shot and having a collapsed lung is part of the job? Is that part of your recruitment statement Ranger?" I said standing up and stalking down the hallway.

I needed to get away from them for a moment before I had another melt down. My mind was reeling. I found the coffee machine and decided that maybe some caffeine would help. The damn machine wouldn't take my dollar. I let out a cry of frustration and kicked the machine.

I felt a wave of nausea sweep over me and I closed my eyes. OMG! Please let him be ok I continued to pray. I felt an arm come around my shoulder. I looked up at Lester.

"I don't think kicking the shit out of it is going to work," he said with a small smile. He took the dollar from me and fed it into the machine. Of course, the damn thing took it. Lester took the coffee and led me over to a separate waiting area.

I sat down and Lester sat next to me. "Elle, I know that you are upset. You have every right to be. But you have to calm down. You aren't doing yourself or Bobby any good by being this worked up."

I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I know," I said. Lester put his arm around me and we sat in silence.

I let my mind wonder. I tried to think about anything else other than the fact that I was sitting here hoping that Bobby would make it out alive. I thought about the previous Sunday. We had a cookout over at my condo. Lester, Marisa, Tank, Ranger and Steph had all been there. It was an awesome day. We had laughed and ate, drank and hung out.

It was the best day I could remember in a long time. We were all so relaxed and it had been wonderful to just be with everyone. I looked up at Lester.

"How's Marisa?"

"She's ok. We went for her OB appointment the other day. She's only a few weeks away."

"Have you two decided on a name yet?"

"She is still pushing for Ashley. I'm still saying Marina. We can't decide."

"Ashley Santos. Marina Santos. I think I like Ashley too."

"Of course you would. You women stick together," Lester said with a chuckle.

"You could always name her Giselle," I said with a small grin.

"Shit Elle, one of you is all we can handle. I don't think that I could take two," he said flashing me a blinding smile. He stood up and pulled me to my feet. "Let's head back to the others. Maybe they have heard something."

I stood up and followed. "Lester thanks," I said as we walked back.

"For what?"

"Being such a good friend."

"Shit Elle, Bobby is my best friend. I think of you as my little sister. It's nothing," he said with a smile.

We walked back into the O.R. waiting area. A few other RangeMen had joined the crowd already there. I recognized Woody, but didn't know the others. Ranger and Tank stood as they saw Lester and I approach.

I walked up to Ranger. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was upset and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault Elle. My team, my responsibility," he said looking down at me. I shook my head.

"It isn't your fault. You are right. This is part of his job. I know that. I knew that when we got involved and I accepted it. This is what he loves to do. I can't expect him to change for me," I said walking over and taking a seat. Lester sat beside me, and Tank next to him. Ranger took the other seat next to me.

We all sat there in silence. It felt like an eternity. Finally a doctor came into the waiting area. My heart stopped and I tried to prepare myself. I slowly stood up.

"Mrs. Brown?" the doctor asked.

"Close enough," I replied.

"I'm sorry…….." was all I heard and then my world faded to black.

Tank POV

I didn't want to have to make that call. I knew Elle would freak out. I was right. She was angry, hurt and scared. It's a good thing that I changed shirts before I came to pick her up. She didn't need to see me covered in Bobby's blood.

I'm not really good in these types of situations. Put me in the middle of some third world country with nothing but a gun and knife and I can survive for weeks. Put me in a SUV with a crying woman and I go to shit.

I was trying to concentrate on driving as Elle had her break down. She had every right to have one. Things did not look good.

It had really been a standard take down. We entered the house and detained the FTA with little to no struggle. We never even heard his crazy bitch girlfriend as she burst out of the pantry in the kitchen. She just opened fire.

She shot Bobby in the back. He was wearing his flak vest but she had hit him in the ribs. I'm not a doctor, but I know a bad looking wound when I see it. Bobby went down and Lester opened fire on her. She caught two in the chest and went down like a sack of potatoes.

When Elle finally composed herself, I tried to reassure her that he would be ok. That was what she needed to hear. As we got to the OR waiting room, I was surprised that she went straight to Ranger and asked what happened.

Ranger tried to explain. I knew that he felt horrible about what had happened. He always does if something goes wrong. When he tried to explain that it was part of the job, I thought Elle was going to explode.

"Elle," Ranger said. "This is part of the job….."

"Part of the job? Part of the fucking job? Getting shot and having a collapsed lung is part of the job? Is that part of your recruitment statement Ranger?" Elle stood up and stalked down the hallway.

"Fuck," Ranger said.

"I'll go," Lester said standing.

"She just needs to calm down," I told Ranger. "This is a lot for her to take in. She is already better than when I picked her up. She had a break down in the SUV on the way over. She knows that she has to be strong."

"She blames me."

"She doesn't blame you. She just wants to understand why."

Ranger, Vince, Cal and myself sat in silence. This is the worst part. The sitting and waiting. I looked up as Woody, Hal, Zero and Manny came walking down the hall. Vince and Cal updated them on what we knew and they all crowded into the small cramped area. I glanced up and saw Lester leading Elle back down the hall.

She walked up to Ranger. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I was upset and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault Elle. My team, my responsibility," Ranger said looking down at her. She shook her head.

"It isn't your fault. You are right. This is part of his job. I know that. I knew that when we got involved and I accepted it. This is what he loves to do. I can't expect him to change for me," she said walking over and taking a seat. Lester sat beside her and I sat next to Lester. Ranger came over and sat on the other side of her.

She was surrounded. She was safe.

We sat there forever. No one said anything. The doctor came into the small room. Elle slowly stood up. I could see her shaking. Lester and I both stood up behind her.

"Mrs. Brown?"

"Close enough," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry….." the doctor started and Elle collapsed. Lester caught her as she fell. Ranger was immediately to his feet. All of the RangeMen moved in and formed a protective barrier around her. Lester picked Elle up and was cradling her.

"Doctor," Ranger said approaching. "What is the status?"

"I was going to tell her that I was sorry that she had to go through this. We were able to repair his lung. The bullet lodged in his rib cracking it and the rib punctured his lung. As far as the shoulder and leg, they were both mostly flesh wounds. No major artery or bone damage. Mr. Brown is going to have a long recovery. The next 24-48 hours are critical. He has a chest tube to re-expand his lung. He will have to keep this for about a week. He will be transferred to the ICU for monitoring," the doctor finished.

I didn't know if I wanted to hug him or punch him. I looked over at Lester holding Elle. I walked over. "Elle, sugar wake up," I said gently brushing her brow. Elle stirred and opened her eyes. She blinked a few times.

"Oh God," she whispered and broke into tears.

"Elle, he's going to be ok. They were able to repair his lung. He's going to have some recovery time but he will be ok," Ranger said looking down at her.

"He's alive?" she whispered. She looked up at Lester and then to me.

"He's alive Sugar," I said grinning.

"OH Thank GOD!" she struggled to get out of Lester's grasp. He sat her down and she pushed past Ranger and approached the doctor. "Where in the hell did you learn your bedside manor?"

"I was attempting to explain," he stuttered.

"You don't start any sentence with I'm sorry, especially if you are addressing someone's family that you are operating on. Are you crazy?" Elle spat at him.

I had to grin. Her Italian/Irish temper was certainly flaring now. She said exactly what we were all thinking.

"I apologize Mrs. Brown; I was trying to apologize for you having to go through this ordeal. As I explained to the others, he is going to be ok. The next 24-48 hours are critical. We were able to repair the lung but he will have a long recovery time. We will keep him under close watch, we are going to transfer him to the ICU for the next couple of days," the doctor explained.

"Where is he? Can I see him?"

"He's just been taken to the recovery room. You can see him, but I want to prepare you. It isn't pretty Mrs. Brown. He has been through a very serious procedure. He is on oxygen but should be able to speak when he wakes up."

"Take me to him," Elle said.

"Mrs. Brown…"

"Now," she said staring the doctor down. I walked up and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Doctor, she needs to see him," I explained.

"Follow me," the doctor said and we all followed down the hall. "You won't all be able to see him. He needs to rest." He led us to another waiting room. There were glass partitions so you could see into the rooms. Elle spotted Bobby and froze.

"Elle," I whispered. She nodded her head.

"I'm ok," she said.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Yes," she nodded. I followed her into the room.

Giselle's POV

I was trying to control the shaking. I was relieved that he was alive, but when I saw him through the glass, I couldn't understand how he could be. He looked horrible. He was a pale gray color and was heavily bandaged around his shoulder and ribs. Tubes, I.V's, and all sorts of monitors were hooked up to him.

He didn't look like my Bobby.

"You want me to come with you?" Tank asked.

"Yes." I needed someone with me. I didn't think that I could do it alone. I walked into the room and went directly to his left side. I pulled up a chair and took his hand. I leaned up and placed a light kiss on his forehead. "I'm here baby," I whispered. "I'm here and you're going to be ok." I felt tears stinging my eyes again. I slowly sank down into the chair and held his hand gently stroking the back of it.

I sat watching the rise and fall of his chest. His breathing was very labored. Even with all the drugs he was on he was still having a hard time. The machines he was hooked up too were making all kinds of noises. I looked at the tube coming from the side of his chest. Each time he took a breath a bubbling sound filled the room. OMG, I thought trying to pull myself together.

The doctor, Dr. Spangler, entered the room and explained everything. After he finished all of the terms were whirling around in my head. Chest tube, PCA pump, pulse ox…….. Tank thanked the doctor as he was leaving.

I turned to Tank. "Can you please call Alberto? Can you tell him that I will be here and that I won't be in for a few days?"

"Of course, Elle. I'll take care of it," Tank responded with a small grin.

"Thank you," I said turning back to Bobby. I raised his hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. I held it to my chest never taking my eyes off of him. The rest of the RangeMan crew all came in one at a time and paid their respects. Lester was the last one to come in. He moved close to me and placed his arm around my shoulders.

"Elle, if you need anything at all don't hesitate to call me or Marisa ok? Do you want me to stay with you?"

"No, you should go home and be with Marisa. I will call you if there is any change," I said looking up at him giving him a weak smile.

"Ok sweetie," he said and kissed my forehead. "Hang in there and call me as soon as you hear something." I nodded and he left the room.

I sat there for a long time just watching him breathe. It was a miracle that he was even alive. From what I had gathered from the guys the ambulance took way to long to get there. So they loaded him into one of the SUV's and Ranger drove him here. Bobby had been conscious most of the way and had told them what to do. He lost consciousness about five minutes out.

A nurse came in to check his I.V. bag. "Hello, I am Jenna. I am the ICU nurse on duty tonight."

I gave her a slight smile. "Giselle Campagna."

"If there is anything that I can get for you, please let me know," she said with a polite smile as she walked out of the room.

I laid my head down on the bed next to him. Please God, please let him be ok. Thank you for letting him live. Please let him make it through this. Please don't take him away……I recited my mantra over and over. I sat there for hours. I must have dozed off at some point. I awoke to someone stroking my hair. I instantly sat up. Bobby was looking at me and attempting to smile.

"Hey," he whispered. His voice was scratchy.

"Hey," I said trying to smile. Tears were coursing down my cheeks. I didn't think that I had stopped crying since Tank had told me the news. "You are going to be ok. They were able to repair your lung, but you are going to have some recovery time." I raised his hand and kissed the back of it. "You scared the life out of me," I whispered.

I looked up into his bright blue eyes. They were glazed over from all the drugs. "Sorry," he whispered with a grin. "Water," he croaked. I instantly got to my feet and headed toward the door. I called for the nurse. She came into the room.

"Can he have some water?"

"He can have a few ice chips," she said handing me a cup with ice and a plastic spoon. She walked over to Bobby and began checking the output from all of the tubes coming out of him and checked his vital signs.

"Hi Mr. Brown, I am Jenna and I will be your nurse for tonight. I will call and let Dr. Spangler know that you are awake. He will come to see you soon. You are hooked up to a patient controlled anesthesia pump; it is a device that continually delivers pain medication to you. It also has a patient controlled feature that you control. When you have pain, push the button and medication will be released through your I.V. to make you more comfortable. Please let me know if you are having pain that it doesn't control. We want you to be comfortable," she said smiling at him.

"Thank you," he rasped. I fed him a few ice chips and he rested back on the bed wincing in pain. He nodded his thanks.

"If there is anything that you need, just let me know," Jenna said leaving the room.

"Glad you're here," he whispered as he squeezed my hand.

"Where else would I be?" I answered as fresh tears made their way down my cheeks. Bobby reached up and brushed them away with his thumb.

"Don't cry. Love you," he rasped.

"I love you," I said placing a kiss in his palm. I looked at his face and gave him the best smile I could muster.

"Marry me," he whispered.

"Is this another one of your shitty proposals?" I said with a weak laugh.

Bobby gave me a weak smile. "Playing the sympathy card."

"We'll worry about that later. You need to get better first baby," I said leaning up and kissed him on the forehead. "Tank called your parents they should be here in a few hours."

Bobby nodded and hit a button on the side of his bed and slipped back to sleep. I sat there the rest of the night, just stroking his hand and thanking God that he was ok. I stood up about 6 am and took a small walk. I was so stiff from sitting all night. I came back to the room to find Lester, Ranger and Tank.

"Hey Sugar," Tank said as I approached. I looked into the room and saw an older man and woman inside. They had to be Bobby's parents. Great the first time that I meet them and I look like crap.

"You want me to give you a lift home Elle?" Lester asked. I turned and looked at him. "I can take you home and you can grab a few hours of sleep and take a shower. Ranger, Tank and Bobby's parents will be here with him."

"Ok, but I want to meet them first," I said. Lester nodded and turned back toward the room.

"Any change?" Ranger asked. I filled them in on the night's events. In a few moments Bobby's parents came back out of the room. I ran a hand over my hair and gave them both a smile.

"You must be Elle," the short lady said walking up to me. She had the same brilliant blue eyes as Bobby. "I am Caroline Brown, Bobby's mother and this is my husband Robert Brown, Bobby's father," she said motioning toward the dark haired man standing beside her.

"It's nice to finally meet you both. I wish that it were under better circumstances," I said with a grim smile.

"So do I dear," she said hugging me. "He's asking for you," she said pulling away and smiling at me. I nodded and headed into the room.

Bobby was sitting at a slight incline and gave me a weak smile as I entered.

"Hey baby, you need anything?" I asked taking the seat next to his bed that I had occupied for the last eight hours.

"Just you," he whispered. I smiled and kissed him lightly.

"Lester is going to give me a ride home and I am going to take a nap and a shower and I will be back in a few hours ok? Your parents, Tank and Ranger will be here. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

Bobby shook his head no. "Want to go home," he rasped.

"You can't yet. You are going to be in here a few days at least. Then you aren't going home your coming to my house," I said stroking his forehead.

"Your house is home," he breathed and gave me a huge smile. I leaned down and kissed him lightly.

"I will see you in a couple of hours," I said squeezing his hand. I walked towards the door.

"Elle," he rasped. I turned and looked at him. "Love you."

"I love you too," I said and walked back out to where the others were standing. Caroline had a huge smile on her face. Guess she heard our little exchange. "I'll be back in a few hours," I said walking toward the elevator with Lester following me.

"Take your time dear, we'll be here," Robert said flashing me a blinding smile. Bobby's smile. I nodded and let Lester drive me home.

Bobby's POV

When I got back to RangeMan, I was exhausted. I ran into Ranger, Tank, Cal, Vince and Lester on the 5th floor. They were headed out to take in a FTA. What the hell, I thought as I decided to tag along.

I had been out of town for a week. I got stuck with a babysitting job up in Boston. Fun fun. I really wanted to go and see Elle first thing, but this FTA was bad news and we had been after him for a few weeks.

When we got to the house everything was going as planned. We rolled in through the back door and Ranger and Tank had the FTA in custody. Then all hell broke loose. I felt the first shot hit my shoulder and the second my side, then the third my leg. Hell I was numb after the second one. I saw Lester turn and return fire as I fell.

I couldn't breathe. I was taking mental inventory of my injuries and I heard Vince on the phone with 911. Lester was bent over me holding pressure on my shoulder and side.

"Fuck, don't press my side," I ground out. I quickly instructed him to hold pressure on my leg and shoulder. Damn there was a lot of blood. I was trying like hell to keep my focus. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"They are 15 minutes out," Vince said snapping his phone shut.

"Won't make it 15, get me out of here," I ground out. If I am going to die, it isn't going to be on this nasty kitchen floor, I thought.

Tank came over and he and Lester lifted me and carried me out to the SUV. Pain seared through my shoulder and leg. Strangely my side didn't hurt so much. But I knew it was the worst. I was going back over my entire medic training in my head.

Probably have a cracked rib, I coughed and spat out blood. Shit, it hit my lung. Lester had a horrified look on his face. "Hang in there man, we're almost there," he said continuing to apply pressure to my shoulder and leg.

"Take care of Elle," I gasped. Each breath was like a hot poker being jammed into me.

"Don't say that shit, your going to take care of her. You have to I can't handle her," Lester said at a vain attempt at humor. I gave a weak smile, and that was when I started to pray. I could hear myself wheezing as I tried to take a breath. It's bad. I knew that much.

"Bobby, stay with us. Were five minutes out," I heard Tank call from the front. I felt light-headed and knew that I wouldn't stay conscious for long.

Please God take care of her. Let her know how much I love her. Watch over her. Keep her safe, was my last conscious thought.

When I awoke I felt horrible. I felt like I had been plowed over by a freight train. Even my teeth hurt. I slowly opened my eyes. I blinked a few times. The antiseptic smell assaulted my senses. Hospital. I began taking inventory of my body. Shoulder burning like fire, leg throbbing, chest excruciating. I could hear the bubbling noise each time I took a breath, chest tube I thought.

I felt something gently stroking my hand. I turned my head slightly and spotted Elle sleeping with her head next to me on the bed. She was stroking my hand in her sleep.

Thank you God, went through my head. I tried to raise my left hand, but even that hurt. I clenched my teeth and gently pulled my hand away. I began stroking her hair and the side of her face.

How did I ever get this lucky? I thought looking down at her. Elle looked rough. Her olive complexion was pale and her face was blotchy. Her long dark hair lay tangled around her. She's been crying. This was to close of a call. I had never given it any thought before, but then I never had anyone this close to me before. I needed to make sure that if something happened to me, that Elle was taken care of.

She stirred and opened her eyes. Her gorgeous green eyes were red rimmed. She sat up.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey. You are going to be ok. They were able to repair your lung, but you are going to have some recovery time." she raised my hand and kissed the back of it. "You scared the life out of me," she whispered as fresh tears rolled down her face.

"Sorry," I said giving her a weak grin. "Water," I croaked. Elle instantly got to her feet and called the nurse into the room

"Can he have some water?"

"He can have a few ice chips," she answered getting some in a small plastic cup. Elle scooped up a few and gave them to me. Just trying to move hurt. I nodded my thanks and attempted to take a deep breath. The nurse explained about the pain medication.

"If there is anything that you need, please let me know," Jenna said leaving the room. I looked back at Elle sitting beside me.

"Glad you're here," I whispered squeezing her hand.

"Where else would I be?" she said. I watched as fresh tears streamed down her face. I reached up and brushed one away with my thumb.

"Don't cry. Love you."

"I love you too," she said giving me a brilliant smile. I was overcome by the emotion on her face. She was scared, hurt, worried and angry all at the same time. But she loved me.

"Marry me," I whispered.

"Is this another one of your shitty proposals?" Elle said with a weak laugh.

"Playing the sympathy card."

"We'll worry about that later. You need to get better first baby," she said leaning up and kissed me on the forehead. "Tank called your parents they should be here in a few hours."

I nodded. So they would finally get to meet her, I thought. I had no doubt that they would love her. The pain was starting to get very uncomfortable. I pressed the morphine button and I slipped back into a restless sleep.

When I awoke again I saw my Mom and Dad sitting next to me. "Hi honey. How do you feel?" my mom asked.

"Shitty," I croaked and motioned for more ice. Mom scooped up a few pieces and gave them to me. "You guys didn't have to come."

"Of course we did," Dad said. I looked around the room.

"Where's Elle?"

"She wasn't here when we got here. Lester said that she was here all night. She probably went to get coffee or something," Mom said stroking my forehead. I nodded and laid back.

"You will love her," I said.

"I'm sure that we will," Mom said smiling. "Sarah will be getting here later today. She couldn't get an earlier flight out of Dallas."

"Not necessary." Just what I need my baby sister hovering over me I thought.

"You knew that she would come. Don't even suggest that she shouldn't," Dad said taking the seat next to Mom. "I spoke with one of the nurses. She said that the doctor would be around to check you out shortly."

I nodded and started to drift back out again. I looked through the glass partitions and saw Elle outside talking to Lester, Tank and Ranger. I instantly smiled. Mom looked over and spotted her.

"She's beautiful," Mom whispered.

"Yes she is," I grinned.

"We are going to go out and introduce ourselves. We will be back shortly." Mom and Dad both got up and went outside. I saw Mom hug Elle and within a few moments she came into the room.

"Hey baby, you need anything?" she asked taking the seat by the bed.

"Just you," I whispered. She leaned up and kissed me lightly.

"Lester is going to give me a ride home and I am going to take a nap and a shower and I will be back in a few hours ok? Your parents, Tank and Ranger will be here. Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"Want to go home."

"You can't yet. You are going to be in here a while. Then you aren't going home your coming to my house."

"Your house is home," I said giving her the best smile I could manage.

"I will see you in a couple of hours," she said squeezing my hand then getting up and walking toward the door.

"Elle," I called out. She turned and looked at me. "Love you."

"I love you too," she said and walked back out to where the others were standing.

My eyes were getting heavy again. Damn I wanted to stay awake. I was trying not to use the morphine button. Sometimes it hurt to bad though. Mom and Dad came back into the room and resumed their positions. I was dozing when the doctor came in. He introduced himself as Dr. Spangler and informed my parents of my injuries.

He checked out my bandages and the amount of fluid from my chest tube and said that everything was looking good. They should be able to move me out of ICU in a few days.

"Are you having much discomfort?" Dr. Spangler asked me.

"I cut back on the morphine," I rasped. The doctor looked at me in surprise.

"He was a medic," my Mom said proudly. "If he could have I'm sure he would have stitched himself," she said frowning.

"Anyone in the health care field make the worst patients," Dr. Spangler laughed. "Making things to fuzzy?" he asked. I nodded yes. "It is there for a reason. Use it. You need to rest. You have a tough road ahead of you. You are going to need your strength."

Dr. Spangler left and I decided to take his advice. I hit the button and waited for it to carry me into sleep.

Giselle's POV

Lester drove me back to my condo and followed me inside. "When do you think that you are going to head back over?" he asked.

"In a few hours. I want to catch a nap and get a shower. I need to call Alberto and clear some things up there, then I will go back," I said walking into the kitchen. Lester had informed me that Bobby's sister was flying in this afternoon. "I'm anxious to meet his sister."

"You'll like Sarah, she's just like Bobby," Lester said with a grin. "You want me to hang out with you?"

"No, go and be with Marisa. I'm sure that she is worried sick."

"I called her from the hospital this morning. She wants to come, but I want her to stay home. She doesn't need this kind of stress right now. You know where we are if you need anything," Lester said hugging me. They only lived a few miles away. It was nice having them close. I think that is one of the reasons that Bobby had pushed for this condo.

"Thanks. I will call you if anything changes," I said walking him to the door. He called his goodbye as he hopped into his Range Rover and drove off. I walked upstairs and took a hot shower. I was so glad that he was going to be ok. Still the thought of how close I came to loosing him shook me to my very core.

I knew that this was always a possibility. Bobby had been very honest with me about his job. Not at first, but he eventually told me everything. In all honesty, I hate his job. I love the fact that when I am with him, I know that I will be safe. That doesn't change the fact that he almost died.

I climbed out of the shower and called Alberto.

"Elle, everything ok?"

"Hey, Berto. They were able to repair his lung. He is going to be ok. He has a long recovery ahead of him. I just came home to grab a nap and shower and I am going back over there."

"Damn Elle. I'm so sorry. Is there anything that you need?"

"Bobby to have never gotten hurt?" I said with a tired laugh.

"Wish I could help with that. Don't worry about anything here. I have it covered. Tank called me late last night and told us. Shit Elle, this is all crazy."

"Don't I know it."

"I'm going to swing by after lunch and see if I can visit him."

"Thanks Berto. I will call you if anything changes."

"Elle, get some sleep. You sound like shit. You aren't going to be able to help him if you run yourself down."

"I know," I said with tears welling in my eyes. "I know that I have to be there for him. I will talk to you soon," I said hanging up the phone. I set my clock to alarm in 2 hours and lay back on the bed. I couldn't seem to get my mind to shut down. This was all too scary. What would I do if something did happen to him? I shuddered at the thought. But it was soon becoming a grim reality that I was going to have to deal with. I finally closed my eyes and fell into a restless sleep.

I awoke two hours later to the alarm clock. I hauled myself out of bed and got dressed. I grabbed a granola bar on the way out the door. I hadn't eaten anything in, well hell I wasn't sure the last time that I ate something. I wasn't really hungry though. Just worried.

When I got to the hospital and up to ICU, I saw Ranger, Tank and Bobby's parents sitting in the waiting room. I looked through the glass and saw a gorgeous woman sitting next to Bobby. She had dark, brown hair, and even from here I could see her blue eyes. I walked over to everyone in the waiting room.

"Feeling better?" Tank asked with a grin.

"A little more human," I answered with a smile.

"Dr. Spangler came by and checked Bobby. He said that everything was looking good and that he could be moved from ICU in a couple of days," Caroline said smiling.

"That's very good news. He's already asked me to take him home," I said with a small grin.

"He's a terrible patient," Robert laughed.

"Where are you guys staying while you're here?" I asked.

"We have an apartment for them at RangeMan," Ranger answered. I nodded.

"When he gets out, he is coming to my house. You are welcome to stay there if you want. I have two extra bedrooms. Sarah is welcome to stay too."

"That is so sweet, Elle. Thank you very much," Caroline said smiling.

"It's not a problem. I'm sure that Bobby would want you close by."

We turned and looked as the beautiful woman came out of Bobby's room. She flashed me a bright smile. "You must be Elle," she said walking towards me. I stood up and returned her smile.

"Sarah?"

"It's so nice to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you," she said hugging me. Boy, this is one affectionate family I thought. You could defiantly tell that they were related. Sarah looked like she had just stepped off of a magazine cover. Her chestnut colored hair hung half way down her back, perfectly straight. I could never get my hair that straight, I thought.

"I'm going to go in and see him," I said heading toward the room. As I walked in Bobby was sitting up and he immediately smiled at me. I walked over and sat next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty, but better now," he said flashing another one of his blinding smiles.

"Good. You still look like shit."

"Thanks, Elle. You know just what to say," he said teasingly. "Alberto came by."

"He said he was going too."

"That was nice of him."

"He's a nice guy."

"How are you doing?" he asked studying me.

"I'm good."

"Liar."

"No really, all I needed was a nap."

"Look Elle, I really do appreciate everything that you have done. I'm worried about you though. You sure your ok?"

"Bobby, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. I met Sarah."

"Yeah," he said with a grin. "She was playing 20 questions before you came back. She wanted to know all about you," he said with a chuckle. He instantly winced in pain.

"You ok?" I asked concerned. He nodded him head and took a deep breath and laid back. "Why don't you get some more rest," I said stroking his hand. He nodded and pressed the button. I watched as he drifted off to sleep.

I sat there for a long time and just watched him sleep. I never thought this would happen. I mean I knew that it could, I guess that I just didn't ever expect it too. This had caused me to do some serious thinking. I love him. There was no doubting that. I just don't know if I can put up with this.

What if this happens again? What if he isn't so lucky next time? Do I really want to sit and worry every time that he goes to work if he is going to come back?

These were all of the thoughts that were running through my head. Bobby was resting peacefully and had been for a few hours. I decided to get up and take a walk. Maybe get some coffee. When I went back out into the waiting room I saw Marisa sitting with Tank and Sarah. Marisa instantly tried to stand when she saw me. That is not an easy feat when you are eight months pregnant.

"Hey Elle," she said walking toward me. I hugged her.

"If Lester finds out you're here he will have a fit," I joked.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," she said flashing me a grin.

"I was just going to get some coffee, wanna walk with me?"

"Yeah, I'll walk with you," she turned and looked at Tank and Sarah. "You guys want anything?"

"No, I'm good. Do you think that you could give me a ride over to RangeMan, Tank? I need to catch some sleep. I didn't sleep at all last night," Sarah said. Tank nodded and stood. "I will be back later Elle. It was nice to meet you Marisa," she said walking to the elevator.

Marisa and I walked down the hallway. "Can I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure."

"How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You know, how do you deal with Lester's job?"

"He's good at what he does. So is Bobby. They watch each others back."

"But don't you worry that something like this will happen?"

"Yes. More so now," she said rubbing her stomach. "Elle, I can't even begin to imagine what you have been through. I know that it has to be tough. This is what they do. This is what they love to do. I would never dream of asking Les to give up his job. Could you see Les or Bobby working a 'normal' job?"

I stopped and thought for a moment. I tried to imagine him doing anything else. For some reason the thought of used car salesman popped into my head and I began to laugh.

"No I guess not."

"Exactly. It isn't easy. I know that they are both good at what they do. They do not take unnecessary risks. They have enough training to do the job safely. I just know that he is going to come home safe. Shit is going to happen. It is your job to be there if it does," she said with a smile.

"I don't know if I can do it."

"That's a load of bullshit if I ever heard it."

I looked at her and laughed. She never ceased to surprise me. Here she is, this little blonde, stomach about to explode, waddling as she walks and you would never expect her to come out with some of the things that she does. She just says what she thinks. Screw everyone else. I think that is one of the reasons that I liked her instantly.

I got my coffee and we walked back to the waiting area. Lester was sitting there when we got back. He saw Marisa and hopped to his feet.

"Sweetie," he said shaking his head.

"Oh, sit down. I'm pregnant not helpless. And if I am going to go into labor, this is the place to be," she said laughing.

"She's got you there," I said grinning. Lester shook his head and kissed her.

"Come on sweetie, let's grab some food. I was just coming by to see if you needed anything Elle?" Lester said turning towards me.

"No, I'm good. Thank you both," I said squeezing Marisa's hand.

"I'll call you later," she said smiling. "And remember what we talked about." I nodded and watched them walk away. I went back into Bobby's room. He was still asleep. I sat down and thought about what Marisa had said.

She was right. I love him, I trust him, and it is my job to be there for him. We just needed to get him better, and then we could discuss everything. I leaned back in the horribly uncomfortable chair and dozed off.

Bobby's POV

Two weeks later…..

"Elle, I can walk," I said grinning at her.

"I know, I'm just helping you," she said placing her arm around my waist. We walked into her kitchen. God it was so good to be here. The past two weeks had been hell. I don't think that I could have stayed in that fucking hospital a minute more.

I walked into the living room and lay down on the sofa. This was good. Damn it's good to be home, I thought with a grin. It's weird how I equate Elle's house with home.

"You want me to get you anything?" Elle asked hovering. She had been a hell of a trooper the past few weeks. She almost never left my side at the hospital. She even convinced the nurses to let her sleep in the other bed in the room, with the help of some muffins. I could tell that the past few weeks had taken a toll on her. Her olive skin looked pale and she had dark circles under her gorgeous green eyes.

"No, Elle I'm fine. Why don't you sit for a minute? You look exhausted," I sat up and patted the spot next to me. She sat down next to me and I pulled her close. She laid her head on my shoulder.

"I'm not hurting you am I?" she asked concerned.

"Not in the least," I said kissing the top of her head. I was still sore, but not as bad. I knew that I had a lot of therapy to go through until I am 100 again. A lot I could do at home. I had gotten started in the hospital, but I had to go three times a week for the next four weeks. Then it was only light duty for a while.

"You Mom should be back within the hour," Elle said yawning. She curled closer to me. I could tell she was exhausted.

"Baby, why don't you take a nap?"

"What if you need something?" she asked sitting up.

"I'm going to take one too. I'll be right here," I said leaning down and kissing her lightly. I pulled her back to me and began stroking her back. She curled up next to me and within a few moments she was snoring lightly.

I couldn't believe that she had invited my folks to stay with her. She always amazed me. Sarah had flown home last week, and Dad had gone back to Nebraska when he saw that I was going to be ok. Mom had stayed, 'just to be sure' she had said. I knew that she worried, but I was honestly looking forward to being alone with Elle.

I had been doing a lot of thinking while I was in the hospital. I wanted her to be a permanent part of my life. I decided that there was no way that I could let her slip away. I needed her to be with me.

God, I love her so much, I thought looking down at her. I ran my fingers through her silky dark hair. I wanted to marry her. I know that I have asked a few times, but Elle just played it off as a joke. Sometimes I wondered if it was something that she really wanted. I decided to up with a plan to do it right.

I heard my Mom come in through the garage. "Elle, Bobby?" she called out.

"In here," I whispered loudly as to not wake Elle. Mom came into the living room. She looked down at Elle sleeping curled up next to me and grinned. She leaned down and kissed me on the forehead and took a seat in the chair next to the sofa.

"She's wiped out," Mom whispered.

"She shouldn't let herself get this run down."

"I told her that same thing. She keeps insisting that she is fine. Maybe now that you are home, she will get some much needed rest."

"I think I know of a few ways to get her to rest," I said with a grin.

"I don't even want to know what you are implying Robert Matthew Brown," Mom said frowning. "I'm going to start dinner," she said standing up. "Do you need anything?"

"No I'm good Mom. When are you heading back to Nebraska?"

"Trying to get rid of me," she said laughing.

"No, there just isn't any need for you to take anymore time from work. I'm going to be fine," I said giving her my best smile.

"I know, but I'm allowed to worry about my baby," she said walking into the kitchen. I laid my head back on the sofa and dozed off too.

I awoke an hour or so later. Elle was missing and I could smell food coming from the kitchen. I managed to get to my feet and walked into the kitchen. I saw Mom and Elle working in the kitchen. I knew that Elle wouldn't let her cook dinner, I thought with a chuckle. Mom looked up and saw me.

"Hey there, why don't you have a seat? Dinner will be ready shortly," Mom said. I nodded and sat down at the kitchen table and sat back and watched Elle. She moved so gracefully in the kitchen. I love to watch her cook. She turned and flashed me a brilliant smile and shooed Mom over to sit next to me.

Within a few moments Elle brought over two plates to the table. It looked amazing. Roasted asparagus, pan seared chicken cutlet, roasted garlic mashed potatoes. It looked like it came out of a restaurant. I looked up at her and smiled.

"This looks amazing," I said taking her hand.

"Wow, you keep feeding me like this and I won't leave," Mom said with a laugh.

"Eat," she said smiling.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Mom asked.

"No I'm ok," she said and sat down at the table.

"Elle, you need to eat," I said frowning at her.

"I'm fine. Enjoy your food. I think that I am going to go and take a shower," she said standing. She leaned down and kissed me lightly and headed up the stairs.

"Poor thing," Mom said after she left the room. "She hasn't stopped since your accident. I'm a little worried about her. Does she always burn her candle at both ends?"

"Not always. She works a lot. I'm worried about her too. She doesn't look good. I know that she's tired, but she hasn't been acting like herself," I said taking a bite of my food.

"I didn't want to say anything," Mom said looking at me.

"But."

"I heard her crying in the bathroom yesterday morning. I knocked on the door and asked her if she was ok. She said that she was, but I know what I heard."

"She's been under a lot of stress. Her and Alberto just opened another restaurant and I know that has been worrying her. Plus me being in the hospital hasn't helped."

"I'm sure that things will get back to normal soon."

"I hope so," I said looking toward the stairs. We finished our dinner and Mom cleaned up. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 7:30.

"I'm going to go and check on Elle. I think I might just call it a night," I said. I was tired and Elle hadn't come back downstairs. I hoped that she was sleeping. I slowly walked up the stairs and opened her bedroom. Elle was lying asleep on the bed in nothing but a t-shirt and a small pair of panties. I felt myself instantly go hard.

Damn, I thought as I walked over next to the bed. Her dark hair was still wet from the shower and spread out behind her. She was lying on her side and she drew her long, tan legs up closer to her. I slowly undressed and slipped into bed next to her. I pulled the covers up around her and kissed her on the forehead.

Elle shifted and moved closer to me in her sleep. I lay on my left side facing her. "Elle," I whispered.

"Hmmmm."

"I love you."

"Love you too," she whispered. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. "Why didn't you have me help you up the stairs?"

"You were sleeping, and I didn't want to bother you. Besides I can do it."

"I shouldn't sleep in here with you," she said sitting up.

"Why not?"

"I don't want to take the chance of rolling over and hurting you."

"You won't. Please stay here with me."

"You're sure?" she asked looking at me doubtfully. I nodded my head. "No funny business. You aren't cleared for that," she said with a giggle. She settled back down and I tried to pull her close to me. This is what I needed more so than the painkillers. I had missed holding her. I nuzzled her hair and breathed in her scent.

"Bobby?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad your home."

"Me too."

Elle rolled over and faced me. "I was really scared," she admitted in a quiet voice.

"I'm fine, baby. I'm not going anywhere," I said hugging her to my chest.

"What if you aren't so lucky next time?"

"Elle," I said shifting so that I could look down at her. "What happened was a freak thing. Nothing is going to happen to me."

"You don't know that," she whispered. I saw tears gathering in her eyes.

"No one knows what is going to happen. Elle, what is really going on with you? You haven't been yourself in a while. What's up?"

She looked up at me and I could see the wheels turning. "I'm fine. I've just been worried."

"You don't eat, you haven't been sleeping, and you just seem to be run down. Are you feeling ok? Do you need to see a doctor?"

"I've just been really busy. Between staying with you, and trying to jump back and forth between the restaurants, I am just tired. I'm going to be fine. You shouldn't be worrying about me. You need to concentrate on feeling better," she said glancing down at my chest.

We lay there for a long while. I just couldn't get over the nagging feeling that Elle wasn't telling me everything. Something is up and I need to get to the bottom of it. She wasn't being her normal carefree self. Elle curled closer to me and I could tell by her breathing that she was asleep.

I had just dozed off when I heard Elle's cell phone ring. She grumbled and rolled over reaching for it on the nightstand.

"Yeah," she answered groggily. "Oh My GOD! I'll be there in 10!" she shouted into the phone. She hopped out of bed and began looking for her clothes.

"What's going on?"

"Marisa went into labor. Lester is totally freaking out. I need to get to the hospital," she said pulling on her jeans. I rolled out of bed slowly.

"I'll come too."

"No, you stay here. You need to rest. It could take hours, and you just left the hospital. So anxious to go back?"

"No, but that is my God daughter being born. I'm going to be there," I said picking up my pants.

"Ok, if you insist," she said coming over to help me get dressed. It took a few minutes, but soon I was dressed and Elle was helping me down the stairs.

"Mom," I called into the living room. "We have to go to the hospital. Marisa is in labor."

"Oh my," Mom said coming into the kitchen. "Do you want me to come too?"

"No, we'll call with updates," Elle said heading toward the garage. I followed and she helped me climb up into her SUV.

Giselle's POV

I was so happy to have him home. The past few weeks have defiantly taken their toll on me. But now that I know Bobby is going to be ok things will get better. I had made it though Bobby's parents staying with me. Not that they aren't nice people, they are great, but it was really just added stress that I didn't need.

I knew that I needed to pull myself together. Bobby was starting to get curious about what was going on with me. That just wasn't a conversation that I was ready to have. I knew that it was going to have to be addressed, but I wanted things to get back to being semi-normal first.

I curled up next to his strong, warm body. God I have missed this, I thought. When my cell rang I just automatically picked it up. Good thing too. Lester sounded horrible. He was a mess.

After I got Bobby loaded into my SUV, we made it to the hospital about 20 minutes later. The ride over was quiet. I parked and helped Bobby out and we made our way to the maternity ward.

As we walked down the hall I saw Marisa's Mom and sister sitting in a small waiting area. We joined them and chatted for a while. Lester came out of the delivery room. He looked like hell.

"Oh, man," he said walking toward us.

"Calm down Lester," I said grinning.

"Damn this is a lot worse than I thought it would be," he said pacing.

"You didn't think that it was going to be a picnic did you?" Bobby asked jokingly. "Man calm down. Everything is going to be fine."

"Huh, you haven't been in there," Lester said cutting his eyes at Bobby. "My sweet Marisa is gone. She's been replaced by some kind of devil. She's called me every profane thing that I can possibly think of and a few others that I've never heard," he said shaking his head.

I had to stifle a giggle. I looked over at Marisa's sister Jen and she was doing the same. "I'm sure she is in a lot of pain," I said trying not to laugh.

"She wanted to do this naturally. I'm all for the drugs. Maybe if she won't take them I can," Lester said pacing. I looked over at Bobby and saw him snickering too.

"Santos, get your ass back in there. You helped to get her in this position, you should be there," Bobby said trying to contain his laughter. Just then a nurse poked her head out of the delivery room.

"Mr. Santos, your wife has just begun to push. She won't be long now," the nurse said with a smile. Lester looked over at us wide eyed.

"Get in there Daddy," Jen laughed. Lester took off back inside. Jessica, Marisa's mom began to laugh.

"Marisa has always been creative, especially in the swearing department," she laughed. "I can only imagine what she has said to him." We all broke into laughter.

Within 20 minutes we heard an unmistakable cry. We all jumped to our feet in anticipation. A couple of minutes later Lester came out with tears in his eyes. "He's beautiful," he said looking at us.

I rushed over and hugged him. I stopped and pulled away. "Wait a minute, did you say he?"

Lester nodded. "It's a boy."

"But I thought….." Jessica said.

"We all did," Lester said.

After we all got over the initial shock of the sex of the baby and a couple of rounds of congratulations, Lester, Jen, and Jessica went inside to meet the newest addition to their family.

Bobby and I sat patiently in the small waiting room. "Wow," Bobby said taking my hand.

"Yeah," I said and then started to giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"He's going to have to wear pink. Marisa has everything pink."

Bobby looked at me and burst out laughing. "Oh man that's priceless," he said getting his laughter under control. We looked up and saw Jen come walking out of the room.

"Come meet him," she said motioning us inside. We both stood and entered the room. 45 minutes later we said goodbye to everyone, including Cayden Matthew Santos, and headed back to my house.

The ride home was quiet. I stole a glance at Bobby sitting next to me. He looked so tired. I knew that he seriously needed some sleep. We pulled into my garage and I came over to help him out.

"I've got it Elle," he said gently. I stepped back and let him climb out of the SUV. I followed him into the house. Caroline was in the kitchen having a cup of tea when we came in.

"Well?" she asked excitedly.

"It's a boy," Bobby said grinning. "Cayden Matthew Santos."

"Oh, such a nice name. I thought they were having a girl?"

"So did they," I giggled. Caroline broke into a full laugh.

"God always has a surprise around every corner," she said.

If she only knew how true that is, I thought. I looked at my watch it was almost midnight. "Come on, I'll help you get to bed," I said to Bobby. He nodded and we walked toward the stairs. "Night," I called to Caroline.

"Goodnight. If you need anything let me know. Both of you," she said looking at me and smiling. I nodded my thanks and followed Bobby up the stairs. I helped Bobby get undressed and into bed.

"God I'm exhausted," he said rolling back onto the bed. I did a quick check of his bandages, and determined that everything looked ok. I slipped off my jeans and bra and crawled into bed next to him. I set the clock for four a.m. and shut the light. "Why so early?" he asked.

"I need to go over to Azul in the morning. Alberto needs my help," I said quietly. That much was true. Since we had opened Azul, Alberto had pretty much been on his own. Our other restaurant The Alcove could pretty much run itself by now, but Azul needed a lot more attention. And besides that, I really needed to talk to Alberto.

"When will you be back?"

"Before lunch. I want to go with you to therapy," I yawned. I cuddled up closer to Bobby's warm body and he kissed me on the forehead. He wrapped his arm around me and I drifted off.

I was startled by the alarm. I instantly jerked awake and realized that Bobby was with me. He awoke also, and I kissed him lightly before disentangling my body from his. I quietly went into the bathroom and took care of natures call, and dressed. I slipped back into the bedroom and saw that he had fallen back to sleep.

The drive to Azul didn't take long. There isn't much traffic at 4:20 a.m. I pulled up and headed in through the back door. Alberto was sitting on a stool sipping his coffee looking like shit. I felt horrible knowing that I was part of the reason that he looked so bad.

He never complained, and he always took care of everything. I am damn lucky to have him. Not just as an employee, but as a friend.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked turning to look at me.

"Hey. Thought I would come and help out."

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? Damn Elle, you look like shit," he pulled up another stool and motioned for me to sit down. I had a seat and Alberto handed me a cup of coffee. I sipped the steaming liquid and looked over at him. "How's Bobby?"

"He's doing ok. He came home yesterday. He seems to be getting around pretty well. He still has a long way to go yet, but we'll get there."

"He's tough, he'll be back up and running in no time," Berto said with a grin.

"Yeah," I said yawning.

"So how are you?" he asked studying me.

"Fine."

"Bullshit."

"What?"

"Elle, you look like hell. You look like you haven't slept in years and you've lost weight. What's going on?"

I sat and thought for a moment. Alberto is my best friend. I've known him for years. I share everything with him. I took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Everything is not ok."

"Yeah, no shit. Care to fill me in?"

"I'm three weeks late."

"Late? As in LATE, late?"

"Yeah," I said with a sigh. I looked over at him. He was still wearing the shocked look on his face.

"Well you have been under a shit load of stress lately. That can affect that sort of thing."

"True."

"Have you taken a test?"

"No."

"Don't you think that you should?"

"I'm getting to that."

"Have you told Bobby? It is Bobby's right?"

"What kind of fucked up question is that? Of course it's his," I said shooting him the death ray.

"Hey, just checking," he said laughing. "Have you told him?" I shook my head no. "And why the hell not? Planning on hiding it until it's born?"

"No, I just wanted things to settle down some before we have this conversation. He has enough shit to worry about. He doesn't need this on top of everything else."

"Elle, come on. He's a smart man. I know that he has to suspect that something is going on with you. I thought something was up when I talked to you the other day. You sounded distant. Not at all like you."

I bit my lip and tried to fight back the tears. I had suspected this for a week or so, and every time I thought about it I started to cry.

"Come on, Elle," Alberto said standing and pulling me to my feet. He hugged me and I sobbed against his chest. "This is a good thing Elle. You will make a hell of a mother," he said smoothing my hair.

"I don't know if I want to be a mother," I sobbed. Alberto pulled away and looked down at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know if I want to be a mother. Remember the goldfish? I managed to kill it in a week. I don't even think that Bobby wants kids. Hell he didn't even want to have a relationship. I'm sure that kids aren't on his agenda. They sure as hell aren't on mine," I choked out wiping my eyes.

"Look, Bobby is crazy about you. He's even asked you to marry him a couple of times. A man doesn't just do that if he doesn't care about someone. He loves you Elle. Give him the benefit of a doubt before you go and jump to conclusions. You need to be telling him this. And by the way, a child isn't anything like a goldfish," he said grinning.

I looked up at Alberto. He was right, as usual. I needed to just come clean with Bobby and tell him everything. I just wished that I could come to terms with it before I told him.

"First things first. You need to go and get a test. Find out for sure. This may all be stress related," he said smiling down at me. "Want me to go buy you one?"

I chuckled at the thought of Alberto rolling into the local CVS and buying a home pregnancy test. Not that he wouldn't do it, but just the thought was pretty funny.

"No, I will go and get one. You're right, I am just getting myself worked up over nothing," I said standing up and grabbing my purse. "I'll be back."

"Ok," he said heading toward the walk-in to get started on the daily prep.

I hopped into my SUV and headed toward the nearest drugstore. I parked and trudged inside. I walked to the back and quickly found the 'feminine isle'. I stood staring at all of the choices. Who in the hell knew there were so many?

I opted to go with the digital readout one. Fuck all these pink lines. Give me yes or no any day. I was walking toward the front when I saw a very large man dressed in black. I turned in his direction. OMG! TANK! What the fuck is he doing here?

Of course at that precise moment he turned toward me. A huge grin broke out on his face. "Hey Sugar," he called walking toward me.

Christ! Just what I need, I thought. "Hey," I said plastering a grin on my face and discreetly shoving the test behind my back. "What are you doing here?"

Tank stood before me and studied me. "We just finished surveillance. Needed something to drink," he said holding up two bottled waters. Some how I didn't buy this. Knowing these guys, I'm betting they saw my SUV and stopped to see what was going on.

"Really?"

"Yeah. So what are you doing here?" he asked looking at his watch. "At 0510, anyway?"

"Oh, I um…I was helping Alberto and he cut himself. I needed to get some band-aids. We were out," I stuttered. Tank looked at me suspiciously. He gave me a slow nod.

"Did you find everything you needed?"

"What do you work here now?" I asked sarcastically. Tank was the last person that I needed to see right now. He looked at me with a slight smirk on his face.

"I'll walk you out to your car. You don't need to be walking around in the dark," he said. Damn these overprotective bastards!

"I'll be fine."

"Oh, I'm sure you will. It's no problem really," he said looking down at me.

I sighed and walked up toward the counter. I quickly placed the test on the counter. Tank was about five steps behind me. I looked at the girl behind the counter, pleadingly. Please just hurry the fuck up I thought. She picked up the test and rang it up. I handed her some cash and she gave me my change.

"Make sure you take that first thing in the morning. If you don't it may not be accurate," she said innocently. "I should know. It happened to me." I gave her a tight smile.

"Thanks," I grumbled and grabbed the bag off of the counter. I stepped aside and started toward the door.

"Hold up Sugar," Tank called. I turned to look at him. He had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face. Dammit! Could this be any worse?

Tank paid for his drinks and quickly joined me. We exited out the door and he walked me to my SUV. I noticed a huge black Expedition parked behind me. I looked through the windshield. Ranger gave me a barely there nod.

"Well thanks," I said beeping open my SUV. I opened the door and started to jump in.

"Hang on, Sugar," Tank said holding my door open. I looked up at him.

"Tank, please don't say a word," I pleaded. Tank gave me a full on smile.

"Have you told him?"

"I don't know if there is anything to tell." Tears were welling in my eyes. This was all too much. I don't need this shit!

"Elle," Tank said leaning down and looking me in the eye. "Everything will be ok."

I stopped and looked up at him. Somehow just then that was exactly what I needed to hear. I burst into tears. Not the crocodile kind, the full out sobbing kind. I placed my head on the steering wheel as the sobs racked through me. Tank rubbed his hand on my back to calm me.

"What's wrong?" I heard and lifted my head to see Ranger standing beside my SUV. Great, as if things aren't bad enough.

"Nothing, I'm fine," I said getting myself under control.

"Obviously not," Ranger replied looking at me. He and Tank exchanged looks and Ranger looked back at me. "Why don't you come with us? You are in no condition to be driving right now."

"Really, I'm fine. I need to get back to the restaurant. Alberto is waiting for me. I have a lot I need to get done. No time to do it. Thank you both for your concern, but I am perfectly fine."

"Elle," Ranger said giving one of his piercing stares.

"Ranger," I retorted and shut my door. I started my SUV and pulled away from the curb.

Ok that was rude, but I just don't need to deal with them right now. I have enough to worry about without the RangeMen fucking following me around.

I drove back to the restaurant and dashed in the back door.

"You ok?" Alberto called.

"No," I said dashing to the bathroom. I pulled out the test and quickly read the instructions. How hard can this be? Piss on the stick and wait. Simple enough. I quickly peed on the stick and waited. And waited. And waited. Damn three minutes takes forever!

Finally the reading flashed up on the screen. I picked up the test and walked back into the kitchen. Alberto was standing there, and behind him Ranger and Tank. Alberto looked at me expectantly and I burst into tears.

Bobby's POV

I couldn't be happier for Lester and Marisa. I have known Lester for years, and I never thought that I would see the day that he would become a Dad. They were so good together. It seemed like with the addition of Cayden, their lives were on the way to being complete.

The ride home from the hospital was quiet. It gave me some time to think. Something was up with Elle. Why couldn't she just tell me? We have always had an open and honest relationship. I don't understand why she can't just tell me what is wrong? Doesn't she trust me?

When we got home, I was surprised that Elle set the clock for so early. I didn't think that Alberto really needed her that much, and I can almost guarantee that when he gets a look at her he will send her home. She instantly fell asleep when her head hit the pillow. I lay there for a long time just holding her. I drifted off finally, trying to come up with a plan to help her.

After Elle left I dozed for a few moments and then got up. I headed downstairs and started the coffee pot. I flipped on the TV to catch the news. Mom joined me about 45 minutes later.

We had breakfast and chatted for a little while.

"Where's Elle?"

"She went in to help Alberto."

"Oh. Look Bobby, I know that this is none of my business and that I don't know Elle very well, but I am really becoming concerned about her."

"Yeah, me too. I don't understand it Mom. There is something going on with her and she just doesn't want to talk about it. I know that she's been really stressed, and I know that she is tired, but I just can't shake the feeling that there is something bigger going on here," I said sitting back and taking a sip of my coffee.

"I think that you two just need some time alone together. I booked a flight back to Nebraska for this afternoon."

"Mom, you aren't imposing. I don't want you to feel like you need to leave."

"Oh, it's not that. You are doing much better. And besides that I need to get home. I love to come and visit, but it's been almost three weeks, and I am ready to go home," she said taking my hand. "Just promise me something?"

"What's that?"

"That you will help her any way that you can. I really like Giselle, and I know that she loves you. She is good for you. I don't think that I can remember a time that you have been so happy."

"She does make me happy. You know that strange part? When I first met her it wasn't easy. I gave up on her a few times. It just seemed like our lives simply didn't fit. It was such a surprise when I realized that I do love her. I want her to be a permanent part of my life. I know that she loves me. I have asked her a few times to marry me, and she just laughs it off. I wonder if it is something that she even wants," I said with a sigh.

"Give it some time."

"Oh, I'll wait forever. That isn't the problem. I just don't know if it is something that Elle will ever come to terms with. She always has her life planned to a T. I just need to convince her that she needs to work marriage into her master plan," I said with a laugh.

I heard the garage door open and I glanced at my watch. 0930. Elle must have finished up early, and came back to go to therapy with me. Mom and I both looked toward the door as Elle walked though.

She looked like a mess.

Her beautiful green eyes were red rimmed like she had been crying. I stood up and hobbled to her. "Elle, baby what's wrong?" I asked pulling her against me. She instantly burst into tears.

"Elle, honey come sit down," she said pulling her from my grasp and over to the kitchen table. Elle sat down with a thud and dropped her head to the table, sobs wracking though her. My heart clenched. I hated to see her like this. It made me feel so helpless. I walked back over and took a seat next to her.

"Baby, tell me what's wrong," I said soothing her hair.

"I don't know how this happened," she sobbed. She sat up and looked at me. My heart almost broke.

"What happened?" Mom said taking her hand.

"I don't know where to start," she said wiping her eyes. "It's all just so fucked up. Oh God, I'm sorry Mrs. Brown."

Mom smiled at her and stroked the back of her hand. "Elle, it's ok. I've heard a lot worse than that before. And I told you to call me Caroline or Mom. Take a deep breath honey and start from the beginning."

Elle took a deep breath as Mom handed her a tissue. She looked over at me and I could see her lip quivering. She looked so helpless, and not at all like my Elle. My Elle is strong and fearless. The apprehension that I saw on her face was beginning to scare me.

"Baby, you know that you can tell me anything," I said reaching out and wiping a tear from her cheek.

"I don't want to upset you."

"You could never upset me. I will always be here for you. Start from the beginning," I said gently squeezing her hand.

"I have been under a lot of pressure lately, opening a new restaurant and trying to keep the other one running too. Making Alberto a full partner has helped out immensely. Then you got shot. My whole world almost fell apart. I didn't know what I would do if you didn't make it. It was the worst time of my life," she sniffed. My grip on her hand tightened.

"I'm sorry that you were so worried. If I could go back and change it I would," I said with regret in my voice. I knew that Elle had a really rough couple of weeks. I knew that she was dealing with me almost dying and I didn't know what to do to make everything ok.

"And now this," she said with another sob.

"What honey?" Mom said rubbing her shoulder. She looked over at me in concern.

"I have been feeling run down. I haven't been sleeping and I thought that it was just from being stressed. And then I didn't have a period," she said stopping to look at me.

My heart began to pound. My mind was racing. She isn't. There is no way. We were careful. I heard Mom's sharp intake of breath but I couldn't take my eyes off of Elle.

"So I went this morning and got a test," she said staring me in the eye.

"And?" I said holding my breath. Elle shook her head yes and broke out into a fresh set of tears. "You are pregnant?" I asked in disbelief. Elle's sobs grew louder. I took her face in between my hands and looked into her eyes.

"Yes, I'm pregnant," she sobbed. I grabbed her and crushed my lips to hers. I didn't know what else to do. This was not something that I was expecting. I thought maybe she was depressed. I know how to deal with that. I have no idea how to deal with a baby.

Elle broke the kiss and looked up at me. "I'm so sorry," she said wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"For what?" I asked. I glanced over at Mom. She was crying too, but wearing a huge smile on her face.

"I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm not sure how it did. I can't be a mother. I killed my fucking goldfish! What the hell am I going to do with a kid?!" Elle cried.

Mom grabbed her and hugged her. "Elle, you are going to be a wonderful mother, don't you ever doubt that. You are warm, caring, smart and funny. You have all of the traits of a fantastic mother. And it isn't like you are going to do it on your own," she said winking at me over Elle's shoulder. She pulled away and looked at Elle. Elle turned and looked at me.

I didn't even realize that I was standing, and I had no idea what to say. So I held my arms out to her. Elle walked over and gently wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my chest. I hugged her to me tight. Not ever wanting to let her go. Elle pulled away and looked up at me.

"So your ok with this?" she said doubtfully. I looked down at her and smiled.

"I'm more than ok with this. I love you Elle. This isn't what I expected but it doesn't matter. It only makes things better."

Elle gave me a dazzling smile. "So you aren't disappointed?"

"Hell no! I'm…..I'm…..hell I don't know what I am but disappointed isn't even on the chart. Oh my God Elle! We're going to have a baby!" I yelled pulling her close to me and claiming her lips. Elle wrapped her arms around my shoulders gently and kissed me. I broke the kiss and looked down at her.

The emotion that washed over me rocked me to my core. I had never felt this strongly about anything in my life. "Elle, marry me. Please," I said looking down at her.

"Let's deal with one thing at a time," she said grinning up at me.

Giselle's POV

One Year Later……

Ok, so maybe I am finally starting to get the hang of this parenting stuff, I thought as I stood looking down at the dark haired, sleeping baby. Cassandra Renee Brown had been a holy terror the night before, and I sure as hell hadn't gotten much sleep. Bobby had walked her around the house almost all night, trying to get her to calm down.

Finally I took over and got her settled. I walked out of the nursery and padded down the hall. I went into our bedroom. Bobby was sitting on the bed propped up against the headboard.

"Is she sleeping?" he asked.

"Finally," I said flopping down on the bed next to him. Bobby rolled over on top of me.

"About damn time. Christ, that kid has a set of lungs on her," he said grinning down at me. "Just like her mother."

"Ha! Wait until she's 16," I said with a smile.

"Oh God, I don't even want to think about it," he said placing his forehead against mine. He lightly kissed me lips and gave me a lop-sided grin.

"What?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking how lucky I am."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I was thinking that my life is just about perfect."

"Just about?"

"Yeah, I'm still missing one big piece though."

"Which would be?"

"You."

"You have me," I snorted.

"I'm serious Elle."

"So am I. Why is this so important to you? We are together. We have a beautiful daughter together. Why do you feel the need to have a piece of paper that says that we love each other?"

It's not that I didn't love him. I do. I just don't understand why it was such a big deal that we get married. I have never been your conventional kind of girl. My parents of course had a fit when I told them that we weren't going to get married. But they came around, even though I know that they didn't approve.

Bobby had been wonderful through my whole pregnancy. He cut back some at work, and tried to be with me as much as possible. I couldn't ever ask for more than that. He had finally given up the apartment at RangeMan and moved in with me. We had thought about buying a house, but I like this condo.

"Because it's important to me," he said starting to kiss down my neck. "You know that I love you," he said as he slid his hand down my pajama pants. "You know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You know that I want to raise our daughter together, and hell maybe have a few more…"

"Whoa, mister. I think that one is all you're going to get," I said with a giggle. Bobby gave me a grin and slipped my shirt up over my head. He took my nipple into his mouth and I gasped. He began to kiss down my stomach, and slid my pajama pants and panties off as he went. Bobby sat back and looked at me lying naked on the bed.

"God, you are so damn beautiful. Elle, I want you to marry me. I want this to be official."

I looked up into his sparkling blue eyes and couldn't believe the love that I saw there. I knew in that instant that I couldn't deny him anything. My heart soared as I realized that this was it.

"Yes," I said sitting up and running my hands under his t-shirt. I quickly pulled it off and scraped my nails across his hard eight-pack abs.

"Yes? Seriously? You'll marry me?"

"Yes," I said grinning. Bobby gave me a blinding smile and crushed his lips to mine. Desire shot through me. He tangled his hands into my hair and pulled my head back, licking and sucking on my neck. I moaned as he moved one of his hands down to grasp my breast.

He pushed me back onto the bed and I could feel his hard erection against my stomach. I arched up against him as he continued his assault on my breasts. He alternated licking and nipping each nipple before dipping lower. He placed hot open-mouthed kisses across my stomach. He quickly parted my thighs and circled my clit with his tongue. I whimpered and pressed against him.

Bobby moved down to slip his tongue into my wet folds. He brought up his hand and began massaging my clit with his thumb. I bit my lip and tried to stifle and cry as a powerful orgasm coursed through me. Bobby kissed his way back up my body and placed a feather light kiss on my lips.

I pushed his boxer shorts down over his hips and he quickly cast them aside. He settled in between my thighs. I could feel his hard cock pressing against my opening. I pressed down against him. Bobby raised himself up on his forearms and stared down at me.

"Do you know how happy you have finally made me?" he asked smiling down at me.

"Why don't you show me," I said huskily. Bobby laughed and plunged into me filling me completely. I bit down on his shoulder to keep from crying out. He began to thrust in and out of me slowly at first. I thrashed against him. "Harder," I gasped. I heard Bobby chest rumble with laughter and he quickly rolled over and I was straddling him.

"As hard as you want baby," he said grinning up at me. I sat back grinding my hips against him. I clenched my inner muscled down on him and heard his gasp. "That's it Elle. Fuck me, baby. I want to see you come," he ground out as he reached up and grasped my breasts, tweaking my already hard nipples.

I rocked back and forth on him hard and fast. He sat up and grasped my hair pulling my head back as he thrust up into me. Bobby began sucking where my neck meets my shoulder as I felt myself begin to tighten. Bobby quickly slipped his hand in between our bodies and pressed his thumb against my clit rubbing in circles. I felt the orgasms crash through me one on top of the other and I screamed his name as I felt him shudder his own release.

We both collapsed back on the bed covered in sweat, panting as if we had both run 10 miles. I slowly slid off of him, trying to get my breathing settled. We lay there for a few moments, both quiet. The only sound in the room was our breathing returning to normal.

"That was one hell of a way to say yes," Bobby laughed as he pulled me against him.

"Figured I would make it worth the wait," I giggled.

"That you did," he said kissing my neck. "I love you so much Elle."

"I love you too." Just then we heard a wale come from down the hall. I groaned and Bobby rolled off the bed and slipped on his boxers.

"Guess we awoke the little princess Cassie," he chuckled. "I'll get her. You rest." He walked over to the bed and leaned down and kissed me lightly. "Make sure you rest up. I've still got a few more ways to show you how happy I am," he smiled against my lips.

"Damn, your happiness may kill me," I giggled.

"I can think of worse ways of dying," he chuckled as he walked out of the bedroom.

I lay there for a long while. I can't believe how I ended up here. I had to be the luckiest woman in the world. I have a drop dead gorgeous man, who adores me, a beautiful daughter, with her father's sparkling blue eyes, and two successful restaurants. Yeah, life doesn't get much better than this.

I never thought this would be where I would end up.

Guess God does have surprises around every corner.

The End

A/N: I had started on another story, but I wanted to give this one and ending. Hope that you all enjoy.