Saying Goodbye
It wasn't often that most of the guys from RangeMan hung out together, but tonight was a special occasion. They were together that night to celebrate Hal getting engaged. He had met a woman who had a small child and it turned out Hal was great with kids. He had just proposed and the guys threw this party when they found out she accepted. Sarah was a wonderful woman and everyone loved her. Her son, Dylan, was a hit around the office the few times he had been by.
"Babe, will you dance with me?" Ranger stood in front of Steph with his hand held out. She looked up and smiled at him and reached for his hand. He led her to the middle of the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her. She smiled up at him and he kissed her on the forehead.
"Babe, I got a call today. I need to head out in the morning and I don't know when I'll be back. Hopefully, it will be just a few months, but it could be longer."
Steph looked at him and tears started falling down her cheeks. She didn't say anything, just held onto him and rested her head on his chest.
Lester looked at them and nodded to Bobby, who was taking care of the music for the night. When the current song ended, Bobby was ready to put on a special song that he and Lester had thought of for an occasion just like tonight. Lester gave a loud whistle and started speaking.
"Attention men, and the few brave women who are here, tonight we are here to celebrate the fact that Hal finally found a woman who will put up with him and we love Sarah just like she was our sister. Welcome to the RangeMan family Sarah and Dylan. We are happy to have you with us. Also, in case you weren't aware, Ranger will be heading out in the morning and we wanted to let you know that we will be on Bomber duty until you return. Please make it a quick trip, Bomber drives us crazy when you are gone!"
Everyone laughed, except Ranger and Stephanie. They were still wrapped around each other, but were shooting glares at Bobby. They all knew with Ranger heading out in the morning, it would be hard for Stephanie. She had finally moved into the apartment with Ranger a few months ago and was working in the office full-time. She did help with the occasion skip, but her research skills were too good for them to waste with her chasing the skips.
"We have a special song that we thought would be perfect for them to dance to before they sneak out for the night. Bobby, hit it please!"
Saying goodbye
Is never an easy thing
But you never said
That you'd stay forever
So if you must go
Oh, darling I set you free
But I know in time
That we'll be together
I won't try
To stop you now from leaving
'Cause in my heart I know
Love will lead you back
Someday I just know that
Love will lead you back to my arms
Where you belong
I'm sure, sure as stars are shining
One day you will find me again, it won't be long
One of these days our love will lead you back
Steph was flat out crying by the time the song was over and Ranger wiped her tears off her cheeks. He pulled her hand and they went over to the table to grab her bag. He nodded to the guys and then pulled her out the door. They were quiet on the ride back to the building and in the elevator. Once they got in the apartment, it was a different story. It was full out desperation on both of their parts. Hands were reaching and pulling off clothes. Lips were all over each other's mouths, faces and necks. Ranger pulled Steph towards the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes in their wake. They fell into bed and by the time the sun was starting to come up, they had made love more times than they had ever done in the past. Stephanie fell asleep about an hour before the sun came up and Ranger just laid with her in his arms and watched her sleep. He was trying to memorize every detail about her to help keep him sane on this trip. It wasn't going to be any easy trip, but he didn't want Stephanie to know he might not make it back from this one. He wished they had gotten married before now, but neither one was too quick to jump to marriage. They had both been through a bad marriage before and didn't want to rush into another one.
Once Steph was in a deep sleep, he slipped out of bed and took a quick shower. He was tired, but knew he could catch a few hours on the plane ride. He got dressed, grabbed his bag and dropped a kiss on Steph's head. He left a note on the nightstand where she would see it and turned around and walked out of the apartment. He met Tank in the garage and they drove to the airport in silence. Tank parked the car and looked at Ranger. He was staring out the window, still not saying anything.
"Carlos, we'll take care of her. Don't worry about her or anything here. Just concentrate on the job and get it done quickly so you can get back here."
"Tank, please don't let anything happen to her. This is not going to be an easy one so I have to know she'll be taken care of here. I've updated my will and left her my part of the company. She'll do a great job in my place someday."
"Carlos, stop talking like you're not coming back. You know that you're too damn stubborn to die, so just get the job done and get back."
Ranger gave him a half smile and got out of the car. He started to walk into the airport but then came back and stuck his head in the window. "She'll be up in a few hours and I left her a note. Have Lester get her donuts and pizza and spend the day with her. She won't want to be alone and Lester is the best one to handle her in this condition."
"Carlos, get going, don't worry, we've got your back here."
Before Tank drove off, he sent Lester a text and passed on Ranger's instructions. By the time he was pulling into the garage, Lester was getting out of his car and had two bags full of junk food and a couple pizza boxes. They nodded to each other and they both got in the elevator. They went to Ranger's apartment and knocked on the door. Steph quietly opened the door and looked at them. She had tears still coming down and was holding Ranger's note. She left the door open and just turned around and walked into the living room. She wrapped up in a blanket on the couch and just stared at them. She still had a hold of the note.
"This is a bad one, isn't it? He thinks he's not coming home from this one. I know that's what he's thinking. He left while I was still sleeping, which he's never done before. Even when we weren't together, he would stop by my apartment to tell me he was going out of town. He always told me goodbye to my face, not in a god damned noted. He's preparing to die, isn't he?"
"Little girl, he'll be back. I'll tell you what I told him when I dropped him off at the airport. He's too damned stubborn to die over there. He'll come back to you. You have to believe this or these next few months will be horrible to deal with for you. He'll be back, I promise." Tank pulled Steph into his arms and gave her a hug, wiped her tears and dropped a kiss on her cheek. Lester reached over and pulled her onto his lap.
"Beautiful, he left you in our care and knows that we will take care of you while he's gone. He's been gone before and I know this one is different because you are finally together and finally admitted your love for each other. I'm here for the rest of the day to pamper you and feed your junk food habit. But, today is the only day you get to feel this horrible. Starting tomorrow, you're back to being a RangeMan woman, which means good diet and exercise, and gun range practice!"
Stephanie gave him a hug and kiss on his cheek. "You're right. I need to have today and get back to as normal of a normal as I can be tomorrow. What did you bring me?"
"I brought two bags of junk and pizza so we should have enough to get through the rest of the day."
Tank said his goodbyes and headed down to his office. "Damn it Carlos, you better bring your ass back here and soon."
The next two months went by quicker than Stephanie had expected. The guys kept her busy in the office and with her training. She was getting better with her gun, even if she still didn't like it. Sarah stopped by a few times a week in the evenings and together they started planning her wedding to Hal. Hal wasn't good at making decisions with the wedding planning and finally Sarah gave him the chance to step away and let Stephanie help her, for which they were all happier.
One night while they were sitting in the kitchen working on the flower arrangements, Steph went to stand up and felt a wave of dizziness come over her. She had to reach out and grab the chair. Sarah looked up and noticed that Steph had gone deathly pale and was shaking a bit. She walked over and pushed Steph back into her chair and pushed her head between her legs. She grabbed her phone and sent Hal a text to bring Bobby up to the apartment.
The guys burst into the apartment and found the girls in the kitchen. Sarah was knelt down by Stephanie's legs and was rubbing her back reassuring her that she'll be okay. Bobby walked over and knelt down in front of Steph. "Hey baby, what's going on?"
Stephanie looked up at him and he could see how pale she looked. He reached up and helped her sit upright and saw the color in her face turn from ghostly pale to a sickly green. He quickly pulled her up and pushed her head into the sink a mere second before she started throwing up. Sarah pulled Hal into the living room to get him out of the way. Hal didn't do well with vomiting. She learned that the hard way a few months ago when Dylan had a stomach flu and she ended up cleaning after Dylan and Hal. He might be able to deal with stabbings and gunshots, but seeing a little vomit caused him to vomit as well. She hoped that when they decided to have a baby, she wouldn't have morning sickness too bad.
Bobby helped Steph get cleaned up once she was done and sat her back in the chair. "Hey, feel better now?"
Steph gave him a half smile and said, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I've been really tired and sick feeling for a few weeks. I stood up too fast and then the nausea hit me hard."
Bobby stood there staring at her, thinking. "Steph, when was the last time you had your monthly visitor?"
Steph looked at him and started laughing. "Bobby, you're a doctor and we're both adults. You can say it, say "period". It won't be that bad, I swear. To answer your question, I don't have regular monthly visitors. I've always had problems and can sometimes go 4 or 5 months in between visits."
Bobby looked embarrassed but was smiling. "Steph, would you humor me and take a pregnancy test? We'll have to go get some, it's not an item I stock in my office."
Steph agreed and called Ella to ask if she could go get a box for her. Ella came to the apartment five minutes later and had a couple boxes. "I've been prepared ever since you moved into the building."
Steph stood up and Bobby helped her walk into the bathroom. He started to follow her in and she stopped and pushed him out. "I can do this part myself."
About five minutes later, she came out with a blank look on her face. She was holding the test stick and looked at Bobby. "Well?" "I don't have the box so I don't know what the lines mean."
"Two lines? We're going to have a baby!"
Steph leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor. "Oh god, what have we done?"
Ella and Bobby came over and sat on either side of her. "Baby, it's going to be okay. You have all of us and Ranger should be coming home soon. You won't be alone."
"Stephanie, Carlos will be so excited when he finds out. Do you have a doctor or should I find one for you? Carlos's sister works at the hospital so I can talk to her for a recommendation."
Before Steph could say anything, Tank came busting into the apartment. "Little girl, get up, you only have a minute before it's too late." He grabbed her hand and drug her out of the apartment and down to his office. He sat her down in his chair and pushed his phone into her hand. "Hello?"
"Babe, is that you?"
"Oh my god, Ranger, is that you? Where are you? Are you coming home soon? I miss you so much."
"Babe, slow down, I only have a few minutes and can only answer a couple questions. It's me on the phone. I can't tell you where I am, but I'm safe. I don't know when I'll get home, but it shouldn't be too much longer. I miss you too Babe. I think of you every day and hope you are doing well with the guys."
"Oh Ranger, I miss you so much. I love you. Please stay safe and hurry home to us."
"Babe, I've got to go. I'll try to call again when I can. I love you so very much, please stay safe."
With that, the line when dead. Steph didn't even know that she was crying until Tank reached over and wiped her tears. "He said he's safe Tank. I've been so worried about him."
One of these nights
Ooh, I'll hear your voice again
You're gonna say
Ooh, how much you missed me
You'll walk out this door
But someday you'll walk back in
And darling I know, ooh
I know this will be
Bobby and Ella had followed them down into Tank's office. Bobby looked at her and said, "You didn't tell him, did you?"
"No, he doesn't need to worry about that right now. I'll tell him when he gets home."
Tank looked at them and said, "Tell him what?"
Bobby looked at her and she nodded her head and said, "Might as well tell them all, it's not going to be a secret." Bobby told Tank to get the guys all together in the control room and they would be out in a minute.
"Once we are done out there, I want you in my office to get checked over." "Sure, Bobby, I guess you better learn how to deliver a baby, because you know that nothing about this pregnancy will be normal and I'll probably give birth in your office."
Bobby led her out on the floor and yelled at the guys to quiet down. He nodded to Stephanie and she said, "I just got a phone call from Ranger, he's safe and hopes to be home soon." The guys all cheered and Bobby had to yell at them again, "She's got more news."
"Well, in about 7 months, there will be a new addition to the RangeMan family."
There was silence in the office. Bobby chuckled and Ella stood with a smile on her face. "Nothing? Silence? I thought they would be more excited that I was pregnant."
Once she said that, the roar that went through the office probably would have broken the windows, if they weren't the super duper heavy duty ones. She was swarmed and hugged and kissed and passed from one guy to the next. She ended up with Hector last and needed Lester to translate what Hector had said. "He says this baby will be beautiful because you are beautiful. This baby will be brave and strong because of his father and this baby will be our niece or nephew and we already love it, just as we love you."
Steph gave Hector a kiss and then went with Bobby to his office. He took her blood pressure and asked some general health questions. Ella came back after talking with Ranger's sister. She just asked for OB/GYN recommendations for Steph now that she was a full time employee and on the RangeMan insurance. They had laughed about not needing it before and Ella ended up with a couple of good choices for Stephanie to pick.
She was feeling better by the time they were done so Bobby let her go back to the apartment. She walked in and looked around. "Well, things are going to have to change around here, huh, peanut? We need to make a room for you and find a way to tell your daddy when he gets back."
Six months later, life at RangeMan had changed for the better. The guys took care of the overhaul of the apartment. In addition to the existing bedroom and office, they had added two new bedrooms and another bathroom. The kitchen had been expanded and everything was painted new colors. Every time Stephanie made another change, she prayed that Ranger would like it. The core team put together the nursery. She never found out what sex the baby was, so they painted the walls a pale yellow and the room was decorated in Winnie the Pooh. Lester reminded her of Tigger, so every time she saw him, she had a small chuckle to herself.
The baby was doing well, everything was progressing on time and so far, there were no major Bomber incidents with the pregnancy. Bobby made sure the guys were all versed on what to do when Stephanie went into labor and had even trained the core team on childbirth in case she pulled a Bomber and had the baby in the building. Bobby and Lester had gone to Lamaze classes with her and after the first class, Lester declared he's going to get snipped so nothing that like that ever happened to him. The guys all laughed at him and for a while, every time they walked by his office, they would cry like a baby.
Ranger was able to call one other time. Stephanie had been out with Sarah finishing up some baby shopping and was not able to talk to him. Tank got the details from him and passed along the news when she returned. She was upset she wasn't there, but Tank assured her that he sounded well and thought the job was going to be done in the next few weeks. That was almost a month ago and her due date was getting closer and closer.
Steph kept up with her exercise during the entire pregnancy and was currently walking on the treadmill at a comfortable pace. Cal was hovering nearby, waiting for something to happen. "Cal, if you don't stop staring at me, I'm going to come over and punch you in the eye. I'm not going to go into labor right now, so just relax."
Before Cal could respond, Steph gave a gasp and then looked down. She had reached up and turned off the treadmill before looking at Cal. "Ok, forget what I said, go get Bobby now."
Cal ran out of the gym faster than Steph had ever seen him run before. "Shit, of course my water would have to break while I'm in the gym. The guys will never left me live this down." She got off the treadmill, grabbed a couple towels and threw them on the puddle she had made. She grabbed a towel for herself and was walking towards the door when the dynamic duo came running in. Lester had her bag in his hand and Bobby reached out and scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the car. Tank was already in the car and was waiting for them. They put her in the back seat with Bobby sitting with her. Lester jumped into the front next to Tank and they took off.
"Um, guys, I'm not having any contractions yet, so I don't think we need to break the sound barrier getting there."
Tank pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and was out of the car opening her door before she could even realize they were already there. They helped her out of the car and Lester led the way yelling at everyone to "get out of the way, pregnant lady coming through." Steph got taken to a labor and delivery room while the guys handled the paperwork. The caught up to her once she was changed and put in a bed. She was finally starting to have contractions and said, "These aren't so bad, I've had worse monthly cramps." The guys looked like they were going to throw up but the nurse just chuckled at her. "It will get worse Steph, so just let me know when you want some medicine."
The next 18 hours passed slowly. Steph's family had shown up and were taking turns being in the room with her, helping her through the contractions. They had gotten more painful, but she was determined to do this without drugs. Sometime around hour 15, Tank got a text that made him smile. He showed it to Lester and said he'd be back in a few hours.
By the time hour 19 arrived, the contractions were almost on top of each other and the doctor came in for one more check. "Ok, it's time to start pushing Stephanie. On the next contraction, push."
Bobby and Lester were on either side of her, each holding a hand. She squeezed their hands hard and pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed. As hour 20 rolled around, the doctor was starting to see the baby's hair. Bobby went down for a look and came back and told Steph that it wouldn't be much longer. He grabbed one of her legs and helped hold it while Lester kept a hold of her hand. She was squeezing his hand so hard, he was sure he would need x-rays once she was done. She was pushing and the doctor was almost ready to deliver the baby's head, when the door to the room burst open and Ranger came running into it.
"Oh god, Ranger, you're here. And just in time."
"Babe, oh god, I love you."
"Ranger, come take my place and help bring your child into the world." Lester said. He walked over to Bobby's side, flexing his hand. Bobby looked it over quickly and said he could wait until this was over.
"Ok, Stephanie, the head is almost out. A couple more pushes and your baby will be here."
Two pushes later, the head was out. Bobby looked a saw a head full of dark brown hair. He told Steph to look in the mirror and both her and Ranger looked up and were amazed by what they saw. Another few pushes and the rest of the baby was delivered. "It's a boy! Congratulations! He's looks good, a big baby, and probably about 10 pounds." The doctor placed the baby on Stephanie and grabbed a towel to start cleaning him off.
"Babe, thank you. I love you so much. We have lots to talk about, don't we?" He gave her a kiss and reached down to stroke his finger down the baby's face.
"Oh Carlos, I'm so happy you made it home in time to see our baby being born. I missed you so much."
They both stared at the baby in awe and weren't even aware that Bobby had pulled out his phone and was taking pictures.
Ranger turned and pulled Bobby into a hug and thanked him for taking care of Stephanie while he was gone. He reached out and grabbed Lester's hand before Lester could stop him. Lester let out a small scream and pulled his hand away. "Lester?" "I think Beautiful broke my hand squeezing it so hard before you got here. I'm going to go get it checked." He pulled Ranger into a manly one armed hug and then leaned over the kiss Stephanie and the baby.
"Hey, got a name for the new RangeMan yet?"
"Babe, did you pick out a name yet?"
"No, I was hoping and praying that you were here to help me. You cut it kind of close, you know."
He leaned over and kissed her. The doctor came over and took the baby over to get weighed and clean up. The doctor came back in a few minutes and handed Ranger the baby. He was cleaned up, diapered and dressed. "He weighs 9 pounds, 8 ounces and is 22 inches long. He's a big boy and should be a good eater. Let the nurse know when you're ready to try to feed him. I'll be back in a bit to check on you."
"Babe, we need to name our boy."
"I've had a name in mind and hope you agree. How about Cameron Carlos Roberto Manoso?"
"It's perfect, right Cameron?"
Ranger handed Cameron over to Steph and pulled out his phone. He took a picture and sent it off to the RangeMan staff. There was a knock on the door and Steph's mom poked her head in. "Can we come in?"
Ranger walked over and opened the door and greeted everyone as they came in the door. He got hugs from the women and a handshake from Steph's dad. "Welcome home Ranger. Looks like you arrived just in time."
"Yes, sir. Quite a surprise to be driven here from the airport instead of the apartment. Tank wouldn't tell me what was going on, just that Steph was here and needed me. Sir, I'd like to talk to you later, privately, if that's okay with you."
"Son, if it's what I think it's about, you have my permission. Welcome to the family."
"Thank you sir. Let's go introduce you to your grandson."
"A boy, it's a boy? No one told us before we came in."
Steph wasn't letting go of the baby yet and her mom and grandma were crowded around her trying to get a peek at the baby. Steph's dad walked over, and said, "Give me my grandson."
Steph laughed and handed over the baby. "Everyone, meet Cameron Carlos Roberto Manoso. He's a big boy, almost 10 pounds."
Steph's family stayed about 30 minutes before Cameron started to get fussy. He was handed back to her and they promised to come by the apartment in a few days once they got home and got settled. The nurse came in and helped Stephanie get situated to try to feed Cameron. He took to it with no problems, which prompted a chuckle from Ranger. Steph looked at him, "Like father, like son, it seems. I still can't believe you're here. Are you hurt, I didn't even think to ask you?"
"I'm okay, just a few scratches. I'm sorry it took so long. It was a bad one and it was my last one. I knew that going in and knew that there was a chance I wouldn't make it home. I'm so sorry for the way I left you, but I knew that if I didn't leave while you were still sleeping, I wouldn't have gone and would have been in a mess with the government. The past few days I spent getting out of the rest of my contract and getting everything wrapped up. Now, I have an even bigger reason to give it up."
"I love you Carlos, and I forgive you now for how you left. It really upset me what you did, but I understand. The guys were great throughout all of this and hopefully Hector has put together a video montage of everything while you were gone. He was obsessed with recording my pregnancy so you wouldn't miss out on any of it."
There was a knock at the door and Lester and Bobby stuck their heads in and asked if they could come in. Ranger looked at Steph, who was still feeding Cameron. She shrugged and said, "Might as well get them used to it, because they're probably going to see it again."
They came in and as soon as they saw what Stephanie was doing, they both turned around and faced the other direction. Ranger and Steph started laughing. He helped her cover up some and then told the guys to turn around. They walked over to the bed and looked at the baby.
"Guys, meet the newest RangeMan, Cameron Carlos Roberto Manoso. He'll be ready for training soon." Bobby teared up when he heard his name included. Ranger pulled him aside and told him how much he appreciated all he did for Stephanie while he was gone and keeping her and Cameron healthy and safe. It was the least they could do to repay him for this work.
Steph looked over and noticed Lester's hand was in a cast. "Oh god, what happened to your hand?"
Lester looked at her and laughed. "Beautiful, you squeezed my hand so hard while you were pushing, you cracked two bones and I'll be in this cast for about a month."
Steph teared up and right away Lester started talking again. "Don't worry, I've had worse injuries. No, don't, please don't cry. I can't deal with your crying anymore. Ranger, you can't leave ever again. She was a blubbering mess with her pregnancy hormones."
"Lester, he's not leaving again, his contract is done. I am so sorry for your hand."
"Don't feel bad about it. This cast is already a chick magnet. I've only had it an hour, and already have two phone numbers of the nurses written on it."
The guys headed out and Ranger took Cameron and put him in the baby bed they had in the room. He pushed it next to Stephanie's bed and climbed in and pulled her into his arms. They all fell asleep and were still sleeping when the doctor came back in a few hours later. He checked over them and left them to sleep. Ranger woke up when he heard Cameron start to stir. He got up and checked his diaper first. "You have a full tummy and your diaper is not wet so you shouldn't be fussy."
He walked him over to the window and stood with him in his arms and started swaying back and forth. He was murmuring to him in Spanish. Steph woke up and looked at her guys. They were her guys and she was so lucky to have them.
Sometimes it takes
Sometime out on your own now
To find your way back home
The first few days…
Once Stephanie and Cameron were discharged from the hospital, Cameron had met just about every RangeMan from the Newark office, all of Stephanie's family and most of her friends, as well as most of Ranger's family that lived in the area. There were still a handful of his family that lived in Miami that they would meet when they went to visit Julie. Julie was beyond excited about the baby. Stephanie had told her about the baby while Ranger was gone, but she hadn't had a chance to visit them yet. She was hoping that she could come up during her summer break from school.
They pulled into the parking garage at the RangeMan building and found a sign and bunch of blue balloons waiting for them at the elevator. The rode up to the 7th floor and found more balloons tied to their apartment door. Ranger cut them loose and pulled them in the apartment, where he found more balloons and many flower arrangements. They had sent home the many arrangements from the hospital earlier that day with Lester and Bobby, but it looked like they had double the amount now. There were so many balloons, it looked like the circus was in town. Someone had some explaining to do.
Ranger set down Steph's bag from the hospital and the diaper bag and then helped Stephanie get Cameron out of his car seat. He was still sleeping for his last feeding before they left the hospital, as well as the car ride. Steph asked Ranger to follow him and she led him around the apartment showing him all of the changes she had made while he was gone. She looked at him a bit sheepishly and asked if he liked everything. "Babe, it's perfect. It would have been exactly what I would have done had I been here. I'm glad you had two bedrooms added, just not the baby's room. I hope that now Julie will be able to come and stay with us more often."
He followed her into the nursery and he walked around and touched some of the things the guys had helped her get to decorate the room. She noticed that Ella had added some boy items now that they knew that the baby was a boy. She gave Cameron a kiss and set him down in his crib. She stood with a hand on his back, gently patting him and he settled down and he stayed sleeping. Ranger walked over and pulled her by the hand out of the nursery. He led her to their bedroom and put her to bed. He turned on the baby monitor, crawled into bed and pulled Steph into his arms. She gave him a kiss and promptly fell asleep. He soon followed and they were awakened about an hour later when Cameron let out a loud cry on the monitor.
Steph crawled out of bed and headed into the nursery. Ranger headed to the kitchen and made a pot of coffee. It was going to be a long day. Steph walked out into the kitchen holding Cameron. "He's got a clean diaper on and still is crying. I'm going to try to feed him again."
She walked out into the living room and sat down on the couch. She got situated with a pillow under her arm and settled Cameron in for a feeding. He latched on immediately and was soon eating. Ranger sat next to her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's only been about two hours since he last ate, should it be this often?"
"Ranger, the nurse said he would probably need to eat every couple hours at first and then when my milk comes in, it will fill him up more so he'll go longer between the feedings. If you can handle the diaper changes, I'll do the feedings."
Ranger chuckled and gave her a kiss. "I'll take over the feedings once he's in a high chair, okay Babe?"
The rest of the day and night continued in this manner. Feedings, diaper changes and short spurts of sleep. By the next morning, Steph looked like the walking dead and Ranger wasn't much better. Usually when he came back from a job like he'd been on, he'd sleep for about 48 hours and then would be in a better state of mind. He knew that he couldn't do that to Steph, but he knew that they needed help. He made the call while Steph was in the other room and in about an hour there was a knock on his door. He walked over and opened it to find his mother. She pulled him into her arms and started murmuring to him in Spanish. He kissed her on the forehead and walked her into the living room.
Steph was sitting in the rocking chair feeding Cameron when Ranger walked into the room with his mom. He walked over and murmured to Steph. She handed Cameron over to him and smiled at his mother. Ranger carried the baby over to his mother and put the baby in her arms. "I am going to bring Steph and the baby to see you and Papa over the weekend. I was hoping by then we'd have a bit of a schedule put together, but after one day home, I knew we needed help, so I called you. Can you stay and help us?"
"Of course I'll stay and help. I'll call your father and have him bring over a bag of my things so I can stay a few days. Why do you two go shower and take a nap and I'll take care of this darling for a bit. You'll see him when he's hungry again."
Ranger grabbed Stephanie's hand and pulled her into the bedroom. He closed the door, but didn't miss the sad look on her face. He put his hands on her face and made her look up at him. "Babe, you need to shower and sleep. Cameron will be fine with mama for a little bit. They will be out in the living room and she'll get us if something comes up she can't handle. Come on." He pulled her into the bathroom and started the shower. He missed showering with her while he was gone, hell, he missed showering in general. It wasn't until he got back to the states that he had his first decent shower since he left town. The jungle didn't exactly provide luxury accommodations and he had to make do with the occasion wash down in a stream.
After their shower, he pulled a shirt on Steph and pushed her into bed. He poked his head out at the living room and was shooed away. He chuckled, closed the door and crawled into bed with Steph. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Steph rolled over and snuggled up on his side and was fast asleep.
The knock on the bedroom door came about 2 hours later and his mother cracked the door. "Are you decent?"
Ranger chuckled and looked over at her. "Yes, we're decent. Just waking up. We'll be out in a minute."
He woke Steph up and she threw on some yoga pants and headed out to get her baby. He was very hungry and wasted no time getting down to eating once she was settled on the couch. Ranger hugged his mother and thanked her for letting them nap. She went out to fix something to eat for all of them.
Marie stayed with them for about a week before Ranger and Steph decided they had everything under control. It was time for them to manage on their own and get settled into a routine. They both hugged, kissed and thanked her for her help. "It was nothing I hadn't done for any of your brothers and sisters Carlos. It's what a grandmother does. Please bring Cameron to our house soon for a visit."
Steph looked at him and said, "She made it look so easy and I'm struggling with every diaper change."
"Babe, she raised six kids of her own, plus a gaggle of grandkids my siblings have created. She's got 50 years of experience, you've had a week. Give it time and pretty soon, you'll be able to do these things in your sleep." He leaned over and gave her and Cameron a kiss. "Do you mind if I run down to my office and check on things that happened while I was gone?"
"No, that's fine. You can send up one of the dynamic duo if they are begging to come up. I'm surprised they held off this long." She laughed and took Cameron into the nursery to change his diaper. By the time she got back to the living room, Lester, Bobby and Hector were all sitting on the couch anxious looking. She laughed when she saw them. "You look like your 5 years old waiting for Santa to arrive."
She walked over and handed Cameron to Hector. Hector gathered him into his arms and started murmuring in Spanish to him. Cameron had his eyes wide open and looked like he was taking in everything Hector was telling him. Steph grabbed the camera and started taking shots of the baby with the guys. Hector finally passed him onto Bobby and at that point, Lester started to pout. "I'm the one with the broken hand, I should have gotten him first."
Steph went over and plopped down on Lester's lap with a thunk. He groaned and mumbled something about losing baby weight. She said, "With a comment like that, you'll never get to hold my baby." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and made Bobby hand over the baby to Lester. She got off his lap and Hector pulled her into his lap. They all sat and just watched the baby. It was amazing how hypnotic a baby could be. They all jumped when there was a knock on the door. Steph got up and opened the door to find Tank standing there with an extremely large truck. It looked like the kind a 5 year old would be playing with on the sidewalk.
"Tank, what have you done?"
"Little girl, you can't deny me the right to give my nephew presents. You can put it away until he can play with it."
She turned around and looked at the three sitting on the couch. "Don't get any ideas, you have all given Cameron enough stuff already."
"But that was when we didn't know what he was so now we can give him boy things." Said Bobby. Steph shot him a glare that made him sit back on the couch. "Wow, she's already has the angry mom look down pat." They all laughed and Tank came over and took Cameron away from Lester. He sat down in the rocking chair and promptly rocked Cameron to sleep. Steph took him and put him in his crib and then went out to the guys. Ranger had returned by then and they were all examining the toy truck. Steph rolled her eyes and went into the kitchen for something to eat. She got spoiled by Marie living with them and always have a wonderful meal planned. Tonight was pizza night. She called Pino's and placed the order, deciding to order enough for the building.
"Ranger, can you send someone to Pino's to pick up some pizzas? I ordered enough for all of the guys. Have them come up to eat and see Cameron once their shift is done. Someone can got get some drinks too while they are out."
Lester and Bobby got up to go get the food and drinks, while Tank headed downstairs to pass the word to the rest of the guys. Hector went and got his laptop and a projector. He came back and turned the blank living room wall into a movie screen and pulled up the videos he'd put together for Ranger of what happened during his time away.
The rest of the night passed quickly. Cameron was passed around until he got smelly or hungry and then he made his way back to Stephanie. She took him in the bedroom to feed him, she wasn't ready to traumatize all the guys yet. The video montage was very funny and it ended with the gym video of her water breaking all over the treadmill. They all laughed at Cal and how fast he ran out of the room!
After everyone left and Cameron was down for a bit, Ranger and Steph were in bed, snuggling. "Sleep Babe, he'll be up soon." With a kiss to her forehead, Ranger turned off the lights and they fell asleep instantly. Welcome to parenthood!