all characters are the work of the wonderful Janet Evanovich
Stephanie's Accident
Kevin Mays ran out the door of his home down the steps and past my partner Lula he then headed up the street never breaking stride which was quite a feat since he had both of his hands cuffed behind him. I took off after him, I could hear Lula panting behind me for a second but figured she had given up when the sound disappeared. For about the three hundredth time this month I wished I was in better shape. Mays was forty years old per his file and I was several years his junior but he was in much better shape than me.
I was chasing Kevin Mays because he was FTA which stood for failure to appear. I worked for my cousin Vinnie who owned a bail bonds office in Trenton New Jersey, a while back I was desperate for a job so I blackmailed him into giving me one so now I chase down FTAs. I tried to run faster because I needed the money I would get bringing in Kevin Mays, I only got paid when I made a capture and I was currently flat broke and my rent was due and my fridge was empty.
Out of nowhere a black SUV pulls in front of Mays and he runs full force into it bouncing off of it, Ranger my mentor, friend and sometimes lover jumped out and grabbed Mays. Ranger was dressed in his usual Rangeman uniform of black boots, black cargo pants that fit him splendidly, a black tee shirt which I knew had Rangeman sewed in black thread on the left chest and a black windbreaker. A black Rangeman cap cover his dark perfect hair and shaded his eyes from the sun. Ranger looked me over while I panted trying to catch my breath.
"Babe" to Ranger this was an entire sentence. It could mean any number of things but this time meant did I need help with Mays.
"Thanks, can you give me a ride back to his house my car is parked out front and Lula is with it."
Ranger put leg shackles on Mays and chained him to the floor in the back of his SUV. I climbed into the passenger seat and breathed deeply taking in the new car smell. Ranger's cars were all black and were all new. He seemed to have an unending supply of them, which was good because every time he loaned me one I destroyed it. I currently was not using a Rangeman car I had a old Rav4 it was a good little car, the back seat was small but I only ever had one FTA at a time back there.
Lula was leaning against my red Rav4 when we pulled up.
"I see Mr. Tall, Dark and hot helped you out" Lula smiled at me. Everyone thought that Ranger was hot but most would not have said it to his face but Lula had no filter, one of the things that I loved and hated about her.
"Ranger if you could please transfer Mays into my backseat I will go up and lock up his house"
"Actually I was hoping to talk with you why don't you give Lula your keys and I will help you take Mays in and then we can talk after I will drop you buy the bond office."
"Sounds great to me I can stop by Cluck in a Bucket and get lunch for Connie and me. I don't mind this little car it's not my Firebird bit it's ok. I look good in red."
I tossed Lula the keys and started up the steps to Kevin Mays's house when I felt heat on my face and I was flying backwards, I heard a huge boom then I hit something hard and I only felt pain and then nothing.
Ranger watched in horror as the house blew up and Stephanie was launched into the air and into the side of his SUV breaking the driver's side front window with her arm. He had tried to move towards her as the explosion occurred but the force of the blast prevented him from any forward motion it almost knocked him on his ass and Lula was on her's.
He flipped his phone open and pressed a button that had him connected to Rangeman. "I need fire, rescue and the police to my location and roll every available man now. Also contact Joe Morelli tell him Stephanie has been injured." He was already surveying her injuries as he flipped his phone closed.
She had a compound fracture of her right arm and a probable right leg fracture. He hadn't seen her hit her head but she was unconscious and he had seen soldiers have head injuries from the concussive blast, when nothing ever touched their head. he was hoping she was out because of the pain and not a concussion or worse.
He flipped his eyes to Lula to make sure she was ok as he knelt beside Stephanie, Lula was sitting up and looked stunned but ok. His total focus switched to the broken body that lay in front of him. He felt her neck for a pulse, breathing a little easier when he felt a strong, steady thump against his two fingers. The army had trained him in first aid and he had seen many body more mangled than this but not had affected him the way her's had.
Sirens grew closer and he knew that they would be surrounded in a matter of seconds so he leaned and kissed her softly whispering "Babe you are going to be fine."
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED" Joe yelled as he arrived on the scene. "Manoso if I find out this was your fault I will kill you"
"Joe I arrived as she was chasing Kevin Mays up the street I pulled in front of him and helped her get him shackled in the back of my SUV I drove her back here to Lula she went up to the Mays house and it blew sending her back into my SUV. I tried to get her but couldn't move from the blast concussion." Ranger wanted to drive his fist into Morelli's face but she didn't want to cause any more pain for Steph. "The paramedics just left with her she was still unconscious, her right leg has a compound fracture, her right arm looked like it was also fractured. I was briefing my men and then planned to follow them to the hospital. I think one of us should contact her parents."
"Trust me they already know." with that his cell phone rung and he looked down to see the number of the Plum residence. "Hello, she is on her way to the hospital and I will meet you there."
Beep, Beep, Beep where was that sound coming from. I hurt all over. Why do I hurt so bad. I try to open my eyes I feel like I have the worst hangover ever. This felt worse than when Mary Lou and I had stolen the bottle of vodka from her dad and drank the entire thing. The beep, beep, beep was still going strong but coming a little faster. I opened my eyes to see a white ceiling that I knew was not my ceiling and not Joe's or Ranger's. Where was I. I slowly turned my head to the left and saw Ranger sitting in a chair with his laptop on his lap. He noticed me and smiled.
"Babe. Thank God you are awake. Your surgeon said you should be waking up soon. Let me call the nurse." Ranger brushed the hair out of my eyes and then pushed a button on the side of my bed.
Surgeon why did I need a surgeon? I tried to sit up but everything hurt to badly. I brought my right hand up and found it covered in a purple cast, that ran from the palm of my hand to my armpit it also covered my ring and little fingers. I rose my left arm and besides a few scabs and bruises it looked fine. I tried to move my left leg and it hurt but it moved but i could move my right and it felt like it was tied to the bed.
"What is the matter with my leg?"
"Babe you broke it along with your right arm. They had to do surgery on it so you are in a base that goes from your ankle to your hip. But the doctors say you are going to be fine."
"Ms. Plum so glad you are awake. How are you feeling?" this entirely too happy nurse enters my room with a voice that should only be coming off a movie screen that is showing a Disney princesses. She pulls the sheet down and my gown up showing Ranger more of me than he has seen in awhile, looks at my leg. She exams me a little more putting a thermometer under my tongue and taking my BP. "Your incisions are looking good. Are you hurting?" She hands me a button. "This is for your pain medicine if you are hurting you should push it and don't try to be a hero, it is better for healing if you are not in pain. You are not aloud to eat yet but if you would like some ice water I can get it for you. Dr. Walker will be in to see you when he does his rounds, one of his students may be in sooner." With that she turns and walks out of the room.
"What happened the last thing I remember is you putting Kevin Mays into the back of your SUV."
Ranger explained about the explosion and that it was probably a gas leak but it was still being investigated by his team, he just wanted to be sure. I was relieved that no one else was hurt. He told me that it was now Wednesday that the accident had happened on Monday. I asked what happened to Tuesday and found out I had been in and out of it since my surgery. I had had a bad reaction to the anesthesia they gave me when they put the metal plates and screws into my leg, so I had been in ICU overnight but they had moved me into this room a few hours ago. Joe and my parents along with Grandma Mauser had went home to shower and change, grab a bite to eat and planned to be back soon. Ranger had a rotation of Rangemen employees guarding the door since he wasn't convinced that the explosion was from a gas leak and it wasn't aimed at me.
"Babe I was never so scared in my life as I was when I saw that house explode and your body crash against my SUV." with that admission he leaned down and gently kissed my lips.
