Disclaimer: I am not making any money from this, I promise.
My grateful thanks to JE for her wonderful characters, which I hope I haven't damaged too much.
I hope you enjoy these three moments of complete daftness. I am not sure where they came from, but I do so enjoy writing about Ricki from Tank's POV. I know that the silent man mountain from the books is an enigma and this is my attempt to explain the riddle that is Tank.
Let me know what you think.
Valzie.
All from Tank's POV
A moment of panic and horror leaves Tank with an important task that even his extensive training hasn't prepared him for.
Deviation from the Rangeman dress code.
Lester's voice booms out "Ranger's down, single GSW left shoulder." I can hear the panic in his usually unflappable voice. "Bobby has him stabilised and they are en route to the emergency room."
I can feel the silence as it falls over the control room, the sensation of anxiety is like a thick duvet, smothering all of us and as I make eye contact with Ram our eyes drift upwards to the ceiling and I nod as I acknowledge that this duty is mine. "I'll get the car." he mouths and I give him another nod.
The lift seems to take forever, but at the same time it seems like a heartbeat since the doors last opened before me. I knock at the door and let myself in calling out "Steph?" as I look around.
"Hey." she greets me with a smile as she comes out of the bedroom, the baby in her arms wearing only a diaper "It's Uncle Tank." she tells him with a smile as she cradles him in her arms.
I was sure that I had my blank face in place, but I suppose that proximity and time have given her the chance to learn to read me. "What's wrong?" she holds him a little closer to her body, biting her bottom lip.
"He's been shot in the shoulder; but he's stable. He and Bobby are on their way to the hospital now."
It was as if I'd punched her in the gut, like she couldn't get a breath, she looked down at her half dressed son and up at me in sheer panic, torn between the needs of both of the men she loved. Without thinking I reached out and took Ricki from her. "Go to him, he needs you." I bent forward and kissed her forehead "Ram is waiting for you in the garage."
"But Ricki." she gasped tears forming in her blue eyes.
"I have him and Ella should be back any second, we'll manage fine." I looked into her face and lied. I had no idea what to do with the smallest member of Rangeman, but his Daddy needed her and I had to get her to him "Go." I urged her.
She took off like a startled rabbit barely stopping to collect her coat, shoes and purse on the way. "Thanks." she told me as she flew through the door.
Ella was on her monthly shopping run and she had just left so I knew she wasn't going to be back anytime soon. So that left me with the little man and for the moment he seemed fine, if wearing slightly less than specified in the Rangeman dress code. This was where I felt I should begin and carried him through to the bedroom to find a damp towel and a changing mat with a pile of clothes that had obviously been set out for him to wear. I laid him down and picked up a onesie which had been designed by a sadist as I couldn't quite figure out which end to put on first. Giving up on that for a moment I collected a dry towel and wrapped him in it and picked him up again. He looked up at me with sleepy brown eyes and yawned. Knowing there was no-one here to see it and being fairly sure that he wouldn't tell on me, I lowered my head to his and kissed his tousled hair. With a snuffle and a sigh he wriggled and shifted against me until his cheek rested on my pectoral and he just seemed to snuggle in and I felt my heart shift in my chest until it felt as if it had moved to just under the skin where his warm softness rested. My phone chirped for my attention, but I had to ignore it as my hands were full, to be honest I was happy to let it rattle on, content to share this awesome moment with the newest member of our family.
"Hey little Man, I think we have to go back to work." I told him and stole another kiss. I breathed him in, he smelled of innocence, of baby powder and sunshine and the weight of his little body against mine felt oddly comforting. As we went down in the elevator, I wondered if he'd be warm enough and stopped in at my apartment for a zip up sweatshirt. I struggle into it, trying not to move him and somehow managed to get us both into it. Folding back the metal of the zipper so it doesn't touch him, I have him once again snuggled in next to my heart and he seems to like it there. It also means that he's better supported against me and I now have a spare hand to get some work done with.
We are settled into my office chair, my mobile out of my pocket and placed on my desk.
Lester comes in and I see his eyes soften as he looks at my charge. "He asleep?" he asks.
"I think so." I tell him, "Have a look and see."
"Yep he's out" he presses his fingers to his lips and then touches them lightly to Ricki's head "You OK with him?" he asks me.
I blow out a breath "For the moment, I think we're fine."
"I'll run interference and try to keep as much from your door as I can." he scooped up my mobile from the desk.
I sighed "I appreciate it."
"You have a much more important job right now." he tells me with a genuine smile on his face "I'll keep you updated about Ranger."
"Thanks."
"Keep this one warm and safe." he presses another gentle kiss to his fingers and transfers it to Ricki's cheek.
"I will." I whisper.
I try to look at some of the spreadsheets I am supposed to be working on, but I keep coming back to the child in my arms.
Les appeared at the door "Bobby." he held out my mobile to me and I took it "Talk" I told him softly.
"Ranger is out of surgery and is going to be fine; they are keeping him in for observation."
"Great, how's Steph?"
"She wants to stay for a little longer, if you have everything under control?"
I glance down "We are OK for the moment, but I'd be happier if you were here to help."
"Understood" I heard a muffled conversation and he was back "I'll head back shortly, Ram will wait and bring Steph back if you'll send another guard?"
"I'll send Hal out to you now and Cal will be on standby to relieve Ram." I tell him and look up at as Lester nods to let me know that he understands. I hand back the phone to him. As he leaves he closes the door behind him.
I lean back in my chair a little and look down at this sleeping miracle. I was the first one outside of his parents to hold him and that meant a lot to me. I'm not sure if I'll ever hold a child of my own, I can hope that I do, but if I don't then I can take comfort in the fact that this little man will always have a very special place in my heart. I feel my own eyes grow heavy, just listening to his steady breathing and feeling him against me. I must have nodded off for a little while, as the noise of soft laughter made me jerk awake.
Bobby, his eyes full of the amusement that had barely died away "It suits you, do you know that, you are a natural." he tells me with a grin.
I check on Ricki, who is still sound asleep "Yeah, if Steph catches me with him like this."
"Like what?" she asked from the open door.
"I thought you were staying at the hospital for a while?" I asked stalling for time as I slowly straightened up.
"The drugs knocked him right out, Hal and Ram are stationed outside his door, so I came back with Bobby. "I'll get a sitter organised and head back out later."
I stood up "Let's get this one upstairs." I told her "It's OK I got him." as she held out her arms for him
"Tank, what are you hiding from me?" she asked suddenly suspicious.
"Wait till we get upstairs please, before you shout at me." I asked her.
Her eyes widened in alarm "Yeah sure."
The front door closed behind me and it clanged in my mind like a prison cell.
"OK, spill it." she ordered and I fished her son out of my sweatshirt and handed him over. She checked him over a puzzled expression on her face.
I started to explain. "Ranger needed you and I had to let you go to him. I lied when I said I knew what I was doing, just to reassure you. Ella isn't even back yet and I was left on my own with Ricki and I just couldn't figure out how to get him into his clothes." I admitted. My head hanging in shame "So I wrapped him in a dry towel and put him in my sweatshirt, I'm sorry."
"Oh Tank" I could hear the tears in her voice and I drew my courage together and stopped gazing at my boots and met her eyes. "I'm sorry, I should have thought." she told me.
"I shouldn't have lied to you; I could have hurt him or put him in danger."
"He's fine."
"But he isn't dressed."
She laughed "Babies won't sleep if they don't completely trust the person that holds them." A single tear slipped down her face "You kept him warm and secure and that was all he needed." she was smiling through her tears "You are the best friend we could ask for." she took two steps and flung her free arm around me and held on tight.
I returned the hug. "Steph?"
"Yeah."
"Gonna show me how?"
Her laugh is like warm sunshine "Sure." she hands him over "In fact you can dress him and I'll supervise."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet, you get to change his diaper."
I groaned which caused another peal of soft laughter.
Somehow he's worth it.
Dentition difficulties.
I made the mistake of taking the little man during the morning briefing. Lester was desperate to have him; I should have let him as Ricki's currently gnawing on my thumb. I can feel the pinpricks of emerging teeth as he chows down on my opposable digit. Man those things are sharp. I should check to see if they aren't actually fangs and he's drinking my blood. Could it be that the son of Batman and Wonder Woman is actually a vampire?
I am also aware of the river of drool that is slowly oozing down my hand and any minute will drip down on to my pants. Thank goodness Rangeman black hides a multitude of sins as a large wet stain at the top of my thigh would certainly mean a ribbing from the men, no matter what the cause.
"You OK there?" Steph asks as the flood finally reaches my leg and the now cool slobber soaks in to my leg and I can't keep the grimace in any more.
"Oh Tank, you should have said." she sighs and disentangles me from the child who is slowly but surely chewing my hand down to a stump. He only gives it up with bad grace. "You should have called him Hannibal." I muttered staring down at the gnawed remains of my hand.
"His teeth hurt, have some sympathy for the poor child." Ram tells me as he takes a now wiped Ricki from his mother and settles him down on his knee. I stifle a grin at the suddenly suppressed swear word as Ricki chows down on Ram's thumb. He turned up today wearing jeans as he's on a distraction later, so any second now he's going to have a lovely wet patch too and what's more, his will be very visible. You chow down there my lovely little man.
Poetry in motion
He's playing on the floor of my office as we have our weekly meeting. Steph had to run out for a few errands and Ranger brought Ricki with him and put him on the floor with a basket full of toys. He's quite mobile now, at least as on all fours, but he can't quite seem to get the hang of walking. He's great at guiding himself along the furniture hanging on, but as soon as he lets go, he's right down on his ass with a puzzled look on his face.
Dios, it's cute to watch and I know I should just enjoy these last few days of relative peace because I know that just as soon as he gets his feet under him, Ricki is going to be unstoppable and into everything. Ella spent last week installing all the childproof stuff, making sure all the sockets are covered and that he can't get into or out of places without help. The last thing we need is him loose in the building.
Babies are the epitome of the adage 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again' I watch him as he holds on to the table and pulls himself up and gets to the edge and tries to find his elusive balance. He holds steady for maybe half a second and just as he's considering moving his foot, down he goes. But he isn't daunted, no not this boy, instead he starts all over again, hauling himself up and getting his balance. I'm so absorbed that I hadn't realised that Ranger had stopped talking and was watching Ricki as well.
With a sigh, I pulled my attention away from the show and turned my attention back to the schedule we had been working on.
Ricki started to call my name, something he did when he wanted me to take him out and around the control room so that he could spend time with the men, but I asked him to wait until we finished up, that we would just be a minute.
I saved the worksheet and shut down the computer and closed it. He was standing holding on to the table and I clapped my hands to get his attention and walked towards him. I held out my hands to him as I planned to snatch him up the second he was in range when the everyday miracle happened.
He let go and took his first and then his second shaky step and held out his arms to me. His balance fled and before he was even able to hit the floor I had him lifted into my arms. I turned back to face his Dad "Did you see that?" I asked and saw a shimmer of moisture in his eyes. I knew that mine were no different.
"I did." He grinned "First steps, I have to call his Mom." He pulled out his phone and dialled her.
He's unimpressed by his newest skill, he's shouting at me now and it's time to make our way out into the control room. We have some important news to share.
Author's Note
This story is dedicated to Scrappy, my beautiful and much loved cat who died April 11th 2011 aged 14.
These are just some of the things about you I miss;
The way you liked to come for a cuddle as I sat at the computer and then I'd find you streaked out asleep just behind my chair.
The warm, comfortable weight of your body against mine as I slept.
Your gentle purr to let me know that all was right with your world, which meant that all was right with mine too.
Most of all I miss my furry alarm clock telling me that the birds are up and I should be too. It's no fun getting up without you.
Thank you for choosing to share your life with me. I don't know how hard the first four years of your life were, but I know that the ten you spent with me were the best I could make them. I hope they were fantastic.
I must go on without you, but you will never be forgotten. Sleep well, Mon Ange.
Valzie
X-X