I am on vacation and so iI have free time. This popped into my head. Hope you enjoy.-chloewren
Steph's POV
I ran out of Ranger's office, taking deep breaths to try to hold back the tears. Don't you dare cry, Don't you dare cry, I told myself. At least until I get to the car. As soon as I opened the door from his office, all the guys in the control room were staring at me. The room was as quiet as a tomb. No one said anything; they just stared at me, while trying to pretend that they weren't. I made for the elevator as fast as I could, eyes on the floor, looking at no one. " Gotta go, guys," I managed to croak out in what I hoped was a normal tone of voice. The fucking elevator was taking forever. Geezus. Goddamn elevator. The elevator door closed behind me and I kept taking deep breaths. Ok, almost there Steph. Just don't cry. They can see you. I tried to look normal as I knew the elevator and garage at Rangeman had cameras. Finally, I got to the garage and threw my car door open. I needed to get the hell out of here. Now. I fumbled with the keys, trying to get them into the ignition. Thank God it was my car and not one of his. He couldn't track me. I started the engine and backed out of the garage. I put the car in drive and the tires squealed as I slammed on the gas; speeding away from Ranger.
Tank's POV
The door to Ranger's office opened and Steph appeared in the doorway. We all knew about Ranger and Steph's history and we could only guess about the argument that had just occurred. Steph appeared in the doorway and Lester, Bobby, Hal, Ram, and I could do nothing but stare. It was awkward. Step looked terrible. She was trying to look normal but she was shaking and her eyes were red and brimming with tears that she'd rather die than spill in front of us. She looked very uncomfortable and took exaggeratingly deep breaths, probably trying not to cry. Shit. I hated it when she cried.
She fumbled in her bag for her keys. None of us spoke, and she didn't look at any of us. She looked like she wanted to get the hell out of here so she could cry. I met Lester, Bobby, and
Hal 's eyes. None of us had ever seen her so visibly upset. She made a beeline for the elevator, looking at the floor. She said, Gotta go, guys, in a shaky voice. She tapped her foot in impatience blinking hard and trying not to let the tears spill. We were all shocked. Ranger and Steph have a turbulent history; but he'd never hurt her- not physically. Who knew what had happened. But Steph was in bad shape.
None of us said anything as we watched her in the elevator. She wouldn't look up and was taking very deep breaths, obviously trying to calm herself. Her mouth was beginning to tremble in the effort to hold back tears, knowing she was on camera. She reached the garage and fumbled a minute with her keys in the ignition. She had lost the battle with the tears and they were streaming down her face. She wasn't really in good shape to be driving. She backed out of the garage and then the tires squealed as she sped away.
Bobby, ever the concerned medic, snapped out of his reverie. Damn. She's really upset . Probably not safe for her to be driving. Might want to follow her and make sure she gets home ok. I nodded and directed him to follow her. I knew she was upset and women crying and driving was never a good combination. People who are upset get in accidents or do stupid things. I didn't know what the hell happened in Ranger's office but I knew he loved her and wouldn't want her in an accident because she was upset. Fuck! What the hell had just happened.
Bobby's POV
Steph had several minutes head start on me and if it weren't for the tracker in her purse, I wouldn't have been able to catch up with her. She wasn't driving a Rangeman vehicle, so there was no tracking device on the car. She was so upset that she probably forgot about the one in her purse. The bleeping of the GPS let me know that I was right behind her .Shit. She was driving adown the 206 at about 90 MPH. This late at night there was very little traffic. I knew she saw me behind her because she changed lanes erratically and sped up. Ok, I backed off a bit. She was very upset and obviously didn't want to be caught. I had no idea what the hell was going on but if Steph went around driving this erratically , she was going to get arrested- or worse.
She was going about 90 MPH and I was two cars lengths behind her, not wanting to spook her. In the meantime, I was in contact with Rangeman on the radio. Maybe I could convince her to slow down or pull over and talk to me. Since I wasn't Ranger, and she seemed to like me, maybe she would. But she knew I 'd have to tell Ranger all about it, so maybe she wouldn't. There was so little traffic that I could actually see the light on her phone go on as it rang. She didn't answer, though. She passed the exit for her apartment, then the one for her parents', then Lula's, and finally, the one for Morelli's. Shit. Those were the place I thought it most likely she would go. Where the hell was she going?
Hal's POV
What the fuck had just happened? Ranger and Steph have had a lot of disagreements but never anything like this. This was fucking bad. And it was probably Ranger's fault. He could be unreasonable sometimes regarding Steph. They were both so damn stubborn. Bobby just ran down the stairs and got into an Explorer to trail Steph. I looked at the tracking monitor. Shit. She was doing like 90 mph. And in the state she was in? I watched the Bobby blip chase and almost catch the Steph blip.
I looked at Tank, and then over at Ranger's office door. It was still closed, as it had been since Stephanie stormed out. Ranger was in there. He didn't seem to even care that Steph was so upset. He hadn't asked where she was or told anyone to go after her. My eyes slid over to Tank, and then back to Ranger's door. Tank shook his head slightly. Whatever the hell had happened, Ranger would hand us our heads if we went in there now. Steph's response to pain and anger was to run, Ranger's was to close up. Well, even more than usual. Tank might be able to get info out of him later. But now, anyone who approached him would get annihilated.
I watched the Steph blip speed up as the Bobby blip came up behind it. She was hauling, and I was relieved that Bobby backed off to give her some space. I could hear him on the radio talking to Tank. Steph had been completely out of control when she stormed out. In the two years I had been working at Rangeman, I had never seen her cry. Not even when she was injured. I liked Steph and I was worried about her. It really worried all of us. And Bobby said she was driving so crazily- shit. She could get hurt being so upset. I hoped she didn't get pulled over or arrested. Ranger hadn't told anyone to follow Steph, but he always had in the past. We knew that even if he was angry with her for some unknown reason, he would still want her protected. She had blown past all the exits for her usual destinations. Where was she going?
Bobby's POV
Steph was hauling about 90 mph and I was following about 2 car lengths behind. I had no idea where she was going. I was pretty sure by the erratic way she was driving, she didn't either. I suspected she just wanted to get as far from Ranger as she could. I was on the radio with Tank. He had tried calling her too, but she wasn't answering.
Steph sped up and rounded a curve, then darted off a highway exit. Where the hell was she going? This was the middle of nowhere. She accelerated hard at the light and sped another few miles down the street. I followed, wondering what the fuck was happening. I had been on the radio with Tank, and I knew that as long as she had her bag with her, Rangeman could track her. If she didn't get herself killed first. OR arrested.
Steph was driving fast and changing lanes erratically and I was afraid to get too close and have her bolt. Shit. I definitely had no idea how to handle this situation. I had no idea where we were, except in the boondocks, and I didn't think Steph knew, either.
Steph's car jerked and skidded to the shoulder of the road, as she stomped on the brakes without slowing down. Her car jolted to a stop so fast that I had to brake hard to keep from hitting her. Her car just sat on the shoulder, engine and headlights on. I was just behind her in the Explorer, letting Rangeman know where we had stopped. Tank wanted to know what was going on. I had no fucking idea. Steph's car just sat on the side of the road for five minutes, and I started to wonder what the fuck was happening. I got out of the Explorer and slowly approached her car. I was alert, in battle mode, ready for anything.
I looked through the tinted window of the car and saw Steph, with her head against the steering wheel, her body shaking. She appeared to be crying. I knocked gently on the window so I wouldn't scare her. She didn't even seem to notice that I was there. She was just shaking. I tried the door handle and it was locked. Well, at least she was thinking somewhat of safety. Especially in the middle of nowhere.
I tried her cellphone again and this time she opened it, but didn't say anything. " Steph, honey, its Bobby. I'm right outside the door. Open the door for me. Its ok." I just tried to speak softly into the phone. I crouched next to the door and tapped softly, trying to get her to open the door. I didn't want to have to smash the window or break in, that would scare her more. "Steph, its ok. Just open the door, sweetie."
After another minute or so, Steph opened the door and just about fell into my arms. She was crying uncontrollably, her entire body shaking. She was gasping for breath in between sobs and just managed to squeak out 'Bobby" between tears. I grabbed her as she fell into my arms, and reached around her to shut off the car's engine. She fell into my arms and I just knelt there holding her, her body wracked with sobbing. I had never seen her like this, and I didn't know what the problem was, so I wasn't sure what to do. I just held her tightly, let her tears soak my shirt, and whispered softly to try to calm her.
Tank's POV
Ranger was still in his office with his door closed, apparently not even caring that Steph was just driving out there, so upset. Bobby had been keeping us informed, but we hadn't heard anything from him for awhile. The GPS blips showed them both on a rural highway in the middle of nowhere. I had sent Lester out after them, in case Bobby needed help with her. I didn't know what had just happened between them, but I knew Ranger loved Stephanie, and he wouldn't want her out there upset and alone. We had to take care of her. Ranger would want us to, he just didn't realize it yet. I stared at the door, tempted to barge in and confront him to find out whatthe hell had happened, and maybe kick his ass.
Hal, what is up with the GPS? "They're still in the same place, Tank." I hadn't heard from Bobby since they stopped, so I didn't know what was going on. Maybe he had his hands full and couldn't get on the radio. What the fuck was happening?
Bobby's POV
I was holding Steph tightly and she was sobbing uncontrollably in my arms, my shirt wet with her tears. She was gasping for breath in between sobs, and her entire body was shaking, partially from the cold. I was kneeling next to her car , holding her . I didn't know what to say since I had no idea what the hell the problem was. I just rocked her a little and stroked her hair, "shh..shh.. Steph. it'll be ok. shh." She just cried into my shoulder while I whispered words to try to calm her. I was rubbing my hands up and down her body, trying to warm her. She was gulping in air and trying to talk, but her sobs made her words unintelligible. I didn't know what the hell else to do but let her cry. "Shh…Steph, its ok. Shh…" I kept whispering over and over. I was starting to get cold, so I knew she had to be freezing. I was a bit scared since I had never been in a situation like this before. Certainly never with Steph. She was tough and she NEVER cried.
I was still holding her, rocking her, trying to soothe her while she cried into my shoulder, when I saw another set of headlights pull up behind us.
Lester's POV
I had followed the GPS signal to the road in the middle of nowhere and I saw Steph's car and the Rangeman SUV were parked on the shoulder. As I pulled up, I saw Steph, half out of her car, and Bobby kneeling next to her car, holding her. Oh, shit. That couldn't be good. I radioed Tank that I had found them.
I approached Steph's car and saw her half out of it, in Bobby's arms, sobbing hysterically. Bobby was kneeling holding her, trying to get her to stop crying. Damn, I had never seen Steph like this. That must have been a hell of a fight to have her this upset. Steph usually would rather die than shed a tear,especially in front of us.
I got on the radio to Tank. " Bobby has her at these coordinates. She appears to be safe. "
I walked up to them and made eye contact with Bobby . I raised my eyebrow to ask, " What the hell is going on?" He made a face that said, "I don't know. But it's bad." Steph was shaking in his arms, sobbing into his shirt. She was saying things in between sobs, but I couldn't tell what she was saying. Her breathing was ragged and she gasped for air between sobs. I could hear Bobby whispering to her. Bobby was picking her up and carrying her to his car. I grabbed her purse- I knew she'd want it later.
Bobby's POV
She had been crying in my arms for about ten minutes, shivering hard from her sobs and the cold. I reached into the car and shut off the headlights. I reached in and grabbed Steph off the seat. " Comeon Sweetie. Lets get you out of here." I picked her up but she seemed oblivious, her head still buried in my shoulder. I heard her mumble something, but I couldn't tell what.
I heard Lester on the radio to tank, " Ok, Bobby has her. He'll take her home. Send someone here for her car." I locked the doors to her car and walked back to the SUV.
I put her in the passenger seat and had to disengage her arms from around my neck. Steph's crying had quieted some, but she was still shaking with sobs. Her face was red and splotchy and she was gasping for breath and had hiccups. I was still whispering quietly to her as I buckled her in. Lester put her purse on the floor of the passenger seat so she'd have it when she needed it. I got in, turned on the heat, and looked at Steph, who was now quieting down. " I want to go home, " she whispered. I knew she wasn't talking about Ranger's home. She wanted to go to her apartment. I got on the radio and told Tank, "I have Steph. I'm going to take her to her apartment. Send someone for her car. And someone should probably be with her at her place. "
I drove through the night, listening to Steph's now quiet sobbing, which soon quieted into the occasional hiccup and then silence. She had fallen asleep, obviously exhausted from the argument and her flight and crying jag. Her face was red and her breathing was even with sleep. Shit. What the hell just happened? And why? I 'd never seen Steph- or anyone melt down like that. I wondered what the hell she and Ranger had argued about to cause this type of reaction. It didn't matter though, he loved her, and so did we, and even if he was mad at her, we were still going to take care of her.
She didn't wake up when I stopped the car and unbuckled her, and lifted her into my arms. I slung her purse into my shoulder and carried her upstairs. I gently took her to bed, took off her shoes and put her under the covers. She would be more comfortable without her clothes on, but I wasn't going there. I stayed next to her bed for a minute, making sure she was sleeping soundly.
I went into the living room and found Lester there. We were both surprised and clueless about what had happened but we knew Steph probably shouldn't be alone. Lester fed her hamster, then sat down and turned the TV on low. He would stay with her. I left to go back to Rangeman to try to figure out what happened and what to do about it. As I left, I saw Lester on the couch still but completely alert, in his zone, guarding Steph. From what, we didn't know.