Not mine, not making any money.
All of a sudden I became aware of the all too familiar incessant beeping. Damn it, I'm in the hospital again. My head was full of fog and it seemed to be dragging me down, darkness seeping at the edges of my consciousness. Just when I was about to let the darkness drag me under completely, I felt someone squeezing my hand.
You can get through it Steph, don't give in.
I knew that voice and I knew that touch. Unfortunately, my memory couldn't come up with a name at the moment and after a few seconds I stopped trying to remember. It was giving me a headache. I had just enough energy to hold on to my consciousness and do as the voice asked. It seemed important somehow. There were other voices in the room, but I couldn't make them out. I was focusing with all my might on the warm feeling radiating from my hand.
Jesus Christ, Manoso, she can't hear you. Stop crowding her.
Ranger didn't react to the words. He was intently studying Stephanie's face, looking for any sign. He just knew she could hear him and it was vital that she got through the induced coma the doctors had put her in after her car crash.
Come on, babe. Fight through it. I know you can hear me. Come back to me, he whispered in her ear, too low for the other man to hear him.
I'm trying. It's just so damn hard and I'm so tired, she thought. It took all her remaining energy to try to squeeze his hand and let him know she was trying. Her fingers barely twitched but it was enough for him. If Morelli would have been looking, he would have seen the relief on his face.
That's it babe, take your time. Just come back to me. He settled in for the wait, knowing it would be a while until she managed to get herself out of the coma.
Morelli was pacing the room, shooting glances every once in a while at the woman on the bed. One of these days, she'll be the death of him. He couldn't even blame it on her this time around. She was driving through the intersection, when a truck t-boned her, throwing her into an electricity pole. It took five hours for the rescue team to cut her out of the remains of her car. I guess he should be grateful the damn thing didn't explode like her cars usually did. Every near miss was eating a new hole into his stomach and he was surprised he hadn't gotten an ulcer yet. As usual when he got scared, his temper ignited, looking for something or someone he could unload some of his fear and frustration onto. Too bad Ranger was ignoring him, he would give an arm and a leg to punch him right about now.
He looked at the other man again, studying the way he was holding on to Steph's hand. He looked pretty calm right now, but a few hours ago he could read the tension in him when he saw her laying motionless in the hospital bed. He hadn't moved an inch since then, staring intently at her face, speaking to her from time to time. Morelli wasn't sure if the guy was completely off his game thinking she could hear him or if he was trying to goad him by playing the concerned boyfriend's role.
Christ, he should be there holding her hand, not Manoso. He just couldn't get a handle on his temper and stop pacing. Dear God, let her pull through this one. I'll tie her to my water heater in my basement to keep her safe. Yeah, better rethink that one. She'll no doubt kick me in the boys if she knew what I was planning. Not that she could do any kicking for a while. He looked back at her, taking in all the bruises and cuts, the matted curls and the tubes and wires she was connected to.
She could feel the tubes and wires connected to her, but she could do nothing to remove them. It seemed her energy was coming and going in waves, leaving her drained with every ebb. The fog had cleared just a little and she could just make out a sniff of Bulgari. Ranger. Somehow, she knew he was the one holding her hand, asking her to fight, the knowledge coming from somewhere deep inside her. Holding strong to the thought of Ranger asking her to pull through, she gathered all her energy and tried to crack her eyes open. She could just make out the dim room and his face.
Ranger, she breathed, too low for anyone except him to hear her.
I'm here babe. Proud of you, he whispered back.
Stay with me, she managed to get out before sleep dragged her under again. She didn't hear his promise and she didn't hear him calling for the nurse, letting the doctors know she woke up for just a while.
Christ, you're losing your marbles, Manoso. I was right here and I didn't hear a thing. Are you sure you didn't imagine it?
Ranger just starred hard at the other man, not deigning to answer him. It was time to call reinforcements. He hoped by now Bobby had managed to hunt down the best possible doctors for Stephanie. He would make sure she had all the help she needed to recover completely.
Time passed slowly, the beeping of the monitors counting away the minutes. The night shift ended and new nurses came in to check on Stephanie and still the two men stood guard close to her. The only difference in the picture was Morelli slumped down in one of the visitor chairs. The adrenaline rush and his temper had finally burned out, leaving him exhausted. Ranger was impressed to see he was still holding strong, fighting sleep. He looked like crap, his face shadowed by his beard, dark circles under his eyes and his skin the color of plaster.
Morelli looked across the bed at Ranger for what seemed like the millionth time in the last few hours. The man was a freaking robot. He hadn't moved since Stephanie woke up, no bathroom breaks, not food and no water. The Batman impersonation was still going strong and he had to work hard to keep in the snort that threatened to come out. Jesus, but he was tired. He wasn't going to sleep though. He felt like shit he hadn't noticed Stephanie waking up the first time. He'd tried to convince himself that Manoso had imagined it, but deep down he knew the truth. He was just so consumed by stress and fear, he hadn't noticed. He'll notice the second time around.
Just then Ranger's phone beeped and he unclipped it from his belt and read the message. He glanced at Morelli, for the first time indecision clear on his face. The team of doctors would be arriving in five minutes and he had to go meet with them before they checked on Steph. He just didn't know how to do that without leaving her side. Praying that she wouldn't wake up while he was gone, he addressed Morelli.
I have a team of doctors coming to check Steph. They'll be here in about five minutes. I have to go meet with them before they come to check her.
Morelli nodded. I'll stay with her.
Ranger hesitated again for just a second before he got up and left the room. He would try to wrap things up as fast as possible. For the first time since getting to the hospital, Morelli was alone with Stephanie.
Come on, Cupcake. I'll buy you Pino's if you open your eyes. Hell, I'll keep you in Pino's and birthday cake for a month if you wake up, he joked and looked at her face, looking for any sign of consciousness. Finding none, he sighed deeply and rested his head on the edge of the bed. Before he could fall asleep, he felt Stephanie's hand twitch and looked up to see her looking at him. She didn't seem fully aware, her vision slightly clouded.
Ranger, she whispered, her dry lips barely forming the word.
Of course the first thing she asks for after coming out of a coma was the nutcase, Morelli thought. He could feel the anger coming back full force. He's gone downstairs to talk to the doctors. Christ Cupcake, you scared the crap out of everyone.
She didn't hear everything he told her. She felt dread and desperation gathering in her stomach as soon as she heard Ranger was gone, her brain tuning out the rest of the sentence. She wasn't even entirely sure she had woken up, she felt so tired and confused. But she couldn't sense him anywhere near her, no Bulgari and no warm hand squeezing hers reassuringly. He was gone. As soon as the thought formed, blackness moved in and she could feel herself slipping further and further. Thank God, the annoying beeping was fading too.
Morelli knew the exact moment she crashed. He saw it on her face. One second she was asking for Ranger and the next blankness took over and her body went completely still. If that wasn't enough, the beeping increased and the nurse ran in, asking the doctors to answer to a code blue. He watched in terror as they pushed him aside and began resuscitating her. Paddles, new tubes and new medicine inserted into her IV. His brain had shorted out, refusing to take in the meaning of what was happening. A sharp bark brought him out of his stupor.
What happened, Morelli?
Great, the nutcase's back, was the first thought he was aware of. Nothing happened, Manoso. She woke up, asked for you and then she crashed.
What exactly did you tell her?
I told her you'd gone to meet the doctors.
Anger and something else was rolling off of Ranger in waves. If Morelli didn't know better, he would have said there was remorse in Ranger's face. Right along with a big dose of fear. He watched as Ranger stepped closer to Steph's bed, the doctors working around him. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, lightly tracing her knuckles. He bent down to whisper in her ear, the noises in the room drowning out his words.
Babe, come back. I'm right here. Don't leave me. Bile was rising in his throat at the thought he could lose her. He kept asking her to come back, lightly stroking her hair and brushing her knuckles with his lips. He took no notice of what was going on around them, as he was intently watching her face.
She was so small and the mountain pressing in on her so heavy. She wasn't sure how long she could hold on or why was she struggling to do so. And then she felt it. The warmth, the perfume, the voice beckoning to her. She felt the mountain shifting, the load getting easier by increments. And then it came to her. She was in the hospital and Ranger had asked her to hold on and not give up. She pushed and struggled and fought her body's weakness and the darkness seemed to lighten with each passing second, until she felt like she was swimming right under the surface of the water. One slight breath and she would wake up. She took the breath and pushed through, her eyes opening again, looking into the warm, brown ones before her, reading the relief and happiness there.
