Disclaimer: I am just borrowing a few of JE's Merry Men for literary fun, not for profit. Wish they could stay, any of them. When it comes to the Merry Men, I wouldn't be picky. Some coarse language. I would appreciate any and all comments.

A/N: "Hooah" - military jargon indicating an affirmative response; 'HUA' as in "Heard, Understood and Acknowledged"

Lester's POV

I watched as Tank and Bobby nervously shuffled their feet as they stood on either side of her hospital bed, trying to avoid looking at her swollen blackened eyes and bruised face. Several butterfly bandages strained to hold closed a large gash above her left eyebrow. Her upper lip was swollen and split. Even in a drug-induced sleep, she seemed to be in pain.

The guys weren't looking too good either, but it was more from concern and worry rather than from their own injuries. We had been at the hospital since noon yesterday and now it was just before dawn. Stephanie had been out of surgery for over twelve hours, but her breathing was ragged and her blood pressure was still dangerously low.

I couldn't stop pacing at the end of the bed, feeling helpless and getting angrier and angrier. 'What was Ranger thinking?' That ultimatum he issued a few hours ago hadn't set well with any of us. "I don't care what Ranger says, I am not abandoning her," I barked out.

Dragging his hand over his bald head, Tank countered, "Lester, Ranger has a point, you know. That punk gang took her to get back at us for hauling their asses back to jail. They nearly killed her."

Bobby added, "If we hadn't received that tip about where they were holding her, she wouldn't have made it. She still isn't out of the woods. I won't leave her till I'm sure she's going to be OK."

I glared at Tank as he gave Bobby a tight grin and nodded. He looked back at me, "Ranger's just trying to protect her. If she's not 'one of us,' she won't be such a target for all the scumbags that want to get even with us and RangeMan."

I turned on him, frustrated, "But to just abandon her, stop seeing her, stop talking to her, stop being her friend, it's wrong. Ranger's f…ing wrong!"

From the shadows of the darkened doorway, I noticed a figure had stepped into the crowded room and heard him growl, "I'm…wrong?"

As one, we turned to face our friend and boss. Tension shimmered through the air between us. I couldn't let it go. I squared off directly in front of him and declared, " Ranger, when we get Bombshell out of here, we're sticking with her. She's like family and she needs us. She would never just walk away from one of us. She deserves our support and I can't—won't—just walk away and leave her. I won't hurt her like that. And I don't know how you can." I felt Tank and Bobby quietly move up behind me.

Ranger stiffened and glared at his friends, the recrimination hitting him like a physical blow. He had thought they understood. He had to find some way they would agree to his decision to back out of her life; to remove the threat they posed for her just by associating with them.

It had become obvious to anyone who cared to look, that all the men at RangeMan cared deeply for Stephanie Plum. It had got her kidnapped and badly beaten last night by one the nastier local gangs in retaliation for the constant pressure RangeMan had put on all the gangs lately by routing out any and all members who had skipped their court dates. The fact that his men had dragged in several of the punks to the police station with cracked ribs and a rash of cuts and bruises hadn't helped the situation.

Ranger stared over at the sleeping form of the woman he loved more than life. He had never told her how he felt; hell, he barely admitted it to himself. His heart tightened painfully as he took in her battered face and the tubes and wires looped over her still body, the steady soft 'beep' beep, beep' coming from the machine at the head of the bed.

He wanted nothing more than to go her, hold her in his arms and finally tell her how much he loved her, that she was his heart, his very soul. It had become an internal anguish not to confess it to her. Then he saw her shoulder twitch and heard a low moan of pain escape her swollen lips. His stomach clenched and it felt as if a knife tore through his heart.

Again, the realization that she was in such pain, that she had nearly died, all because of him hit him full on. His greatest fear had happened. Rage boiled up inside him and then it turned to hate, hate that turned inward.

His resolve strengthened. He'd made the right decision. He had to distance himself from his Babe. He had to protect her, no matter what the cost to him, and yes, the cost to her. Broken hearts can heal, he told himself.

Looking at the three large men looming before him, Ranger knew logical reasoning wasn't working. Desperate, he decided on a different tact. In a most disdainful disgusted voice, he uttered, "She's got you all pussy-whipped. Are you going to keep letting her drag you around by your balls?"

Tank, Bobby and I shot glances to each other, a little puzzled. 'Who's he kidding?' It didn't take me long to respond. I straightened up and locking my eyes on Ranger, belted out, "Hooah." Tank and Bobby came to attention by my side and immediately echoed, "Hooah."

Ranger just stood there, looking at us in disbelief. We were defying him again and, now, we were taking pride in it. A full minute passed and I saw his shoulders drop just a fraction. A small twitch played at the corners of his mouth and he let out a low breath that I thought sounded suspiciously like 'hooah.' Then he pivoted sharply and walked out of the room.