Ranger sat there, his fingers running over the marble, tracing the letters and numbers. He couldn't believe the date had come. "I'm here, Babe," he quietly whispered. "It's been a year, but I still can't believe you're gone. I find myself thinking that you're going to walk into my office at any moment."
Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me
She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good
So I can see my baby when I leave this world
Ranger and Stephanie had finally gotten their acts together. They had admitted what everyone else saw; they loved each other and there was no one else for either of them. She'd left Joe for good and Ranger had finally opened his heart and let her in.
They were on their way to celebrate their love at Rossini's. Ranger had stolen a moment to glace at Stephanie as she smiled at him. When he looked back, he saw the stalled car in the middle of the road.
We were out on a date in my daddy's car
We hadn't driven very far
There in the road, straight ahead
A car was stalled, the engine was dead
Knowing there was no time for stopping, Ranger sharply turned the wheel to the right. He tried to correct, but it was useless. The tires screamed as they left the pavement. The glass shattered as the car swiped the tree. He heard Stephanie scream as the car went airborne and flipped over. He wanted to yell that it would be okay, but he couldn't get the words out.
I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right
I'll never forget the sound that night
The screamin' tires, the bustin' glass
The painful scream that I heard last
Tears rolled down Ranger's face as he sat on the grass. Forced back to the present for a moment, he saw some of his men standing off to the side of the cemetery. They were there to "visit" with their friend and sister as well.
Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me
She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good
So I can see my baby when I leave this world
Ranger opened his eyes and looked for Stephanie. Seeing the rain hit the ground, he noticed she wasn't in the car. His heart began to race and he couldn't breathe. Crawling from the wreckage, he noticed a crowd gathering. Wiping his eyes, he saw the blood on his hand, but he didn't have time to worry where it was coming from; his only thought was finding his Babe.
When I woke up the rain was pourin' down
There were people standing all around
Something warm goin' through my eyes
But somehow I found my baby that night
Laying in the grass, thirty-five feet from the smashed vehicle, he saw the motionless form of his love. When he reached her, he saw her eyes were open and staring at him. Sliding down next to her, he took her head in his hands and tried to speak but she interrupted him.
"Hold me, Ranger, just for a little while. I'm so cold."
He held her close and tight, knowing she was slipping from him. Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and finally her lips. He knew he'd been stupid for pushing her away for so long. He'd been planning on saying those three words, without qualifiers, while they were at dinner. Looking down at her lifeless body, he whispered, "I love you."
I lifted her head, she looked at me and said
"Hold me darling, just a little while"
I held her close, I kissed her our last kiss
I found the love that I knew I had missed
The paramedics came to take her away, but Ranger's grip on her made that impossible. When one of the EMTs tried to unwrap his arms, he growled at him, forcing the man to back away. Ranger held Stephanie until he felt a hand on his arm. Looking up, he saw Tank kneeling beside him, "It's time, RangeMan. She's gone. Let them take her and get you cleaned up." Ranger leaned down, kissed her one last time, and nodded.
Well now she's gone
Even though I hold her tight
I lost my love, my life, that night
Stephanie's funeral was a few days later. Everyone in Trenton showed up. No one said a word to Ranger; no one knew what to say. They all knew he loved her and would have given his life for her. The Merry Men were keeping a close eye on him; worried that he'd take his own life to be with her again.
Ranger had thought about it, but he knew that she'd not want that. So, he tried to go on with his life. He'd reverted back to his life before she came into it. He was quiet, a loner, and doing more dangerous missions. He hoped each mission would be his last and he'd see his Babe again soon.
Oh where, oh where, can my baby be?
The Lord took her away from me
She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good
So I can see my baby when I leave this world
Looking up, Ranger saw Tank, Lester, and Bobby had joined him by Stephanie's grave. They each placed a flower on the stone and said a few words to her. Ranger never heard what they were saying; he was too busy focusing on the apparition standing just beyond the stone. Long curly brown hair, startling blue eyes, and a smile that always melted him. He saw a hand reach out towards him and saw the mouth whisper, "Soon, Batman. I'll see you soon."