Chapter two

Ranger

Ranger pulled Steph to her feet, grateful that she was able to stand on her own without wobbling. Part of him had been afraid she'd be in shock. Steph was highly adaptable, but it would be hard to blame her if the sudden course correction didn't jar her at least a little. He'd prepared himself for the possibility that she was pregnant, and even he was a little thrown. Enough that the word girlfriend had slipped right out of his subconscious and out into the open. It wasn't something he'd intended to broach. He knew that his hold on Steph was tenuous at best. Seemed he'd thought it so much in the last few days that when the moment came and he finally knew with certainty that he could take sole responsibility for her, the relief had made him stupid.

At least she hadn't freaked. Steph had always been gun shy when it came to him. Rightly so. She'd been trying desperately to protect herself all these years. Just went to prove she was smarter than he was. Because while he was focusing on the searing sexual attraction between them, she'd been holding him at arm's length with that cute little smile. The one that warmed his heart and slipped under his guard until he not only loved her. He needed her.

Thank god she was pregnant.

Ranger didn't bother suggesting she change her clothes, since the blood and soot would help get them in a room quicker. Not that she didn't have clothes in his closet. A few token offerings from her previous stays. He'd been careful to make sure there were always at least a couple days worth for her. Ever hopeful that one thing or another would lead her to sleep in his bed. Even without sex.

Though, obviously, he preferred it when they had sex.

He called Tank on the walk to the elevator. His friend answered in that hard, deep voice of his. "What's your ETA?" Ranger asked him.

"We're nearly through here. What's up?"

"I finally convinced Steph to let me take her in. I'll probably be offline for about an hour."

"You need me to handle the afternoon client meetings? Or clear your schedule and back you up, since there's a price on both your heads."

"The latter. See we're covered on all bases. I don't want to take any chances."

"Copy that."

Ranger slid the phone back into his pocket. Knowing that there would be four men on their six the moment they left the garage. Hanging back so Steph wouldn't notice. She wouldn't understand the necessity. She'd dealt with her share of psychopaths before, but they'd been lone wolfs. Outliers. Her closest experience was being hunted by the Slayers. They were small time compared to this.

It took ten minutes to drive to the office. Lucky for him, his personal physician owned a private practice with several other specialists, including an obstetrician. The building was state of the art and secure, thanks to Rangeman. With a special talent for discretion and more firewalls than the Whitehouse. Even Tank would assume he was taking her to his primary care.

As he'd expected, their appearance got an instant response. The nurses were wide eyed. Didn't hesitate to show them to a private room. It would speed up the doctor's appearance too. Blood always did.

Steph was very nervous. Sitting on the edge of the patient bed in her linen hospital gown with her feet dangling. The paper crinkling when she shifted. Ranger was able to fill out most of the paperwork for her so she wouldn't have to stress. Including insurance. It was probably better that way, given her delicate shade of green. He doubted she even realized she was still covered as a Rangeman employee. For now, at least. Adding her to his private insurance was one of those variables that needed settling.

The doctor came in a few minutes later and offered Ranger a hand. "Mr. Manoso. I was quite surprised to hear you were coming in. Even more surprised to hear why. This is your girlfriend?"

"Stephanie Plum," he said. Careful to be non-committal. Labeling her his girlfriend had helped get her in right away, considering his relationship with the practice. Still, best to tread lightly. Steph wasn't exactly conventional. It was hard to predict her reaction. He moved from between them so they could shake hands. "Steph, this is Doctor Weston. He's the best OBGYN in the city."

Doctor Weston grinned. "Baseless flattery, but I'll take it. So, we're here to make sure everybody's in good health, huh? You've confirmed the pregnancy?"

"Yes. The digital test said 1-2 weeks. According to her math, we're figuring she's between 5 and 6 weeks gestation." He looked at Steph to confirm that, but she was sitting pretty still. Only half listening. He was almost afraid to hear what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. Whatever it was, he was betting it wasn't in his favor.

"Well, let's just get a look, shall we?" Doctor Weston said. It took Steph a second to respond when he asked her to lie down. Ranger took her hand. Hoping it would give her some comfort. He should have felt guilty. She was struggling with this, half in shock, and yet here he was. Grateful. He was such an ass.

Steph winced when the probe went in. Gave his hand a squeeze. He lifted it to his lips and she relaxed just a little. They all watched the screen. Ranger didn't have a lot of experience reading ultrasounds, but he recognized the black cavity Doctor Weston was searching. Then he saw the fuzzy white lump on the edge of the pool.

God. It really was true.

Stephanie Plum was having his baby.

ooo

Steph

"Yep. There it is," the doctor said. "About the size of a grain of rice, but it's definitely in there."

Oh god. There went any hope I might have had that it wasn't true. I was trying to read the screen. See what both he and Ranger seemed to be seeing. But it was all just lumpy, indistinct fuzz to me. Maybe I wasn't smart enough to read it. Which would mean the baby might not be smart. And what about luck? I wouldn't wish my luck on anybody, especially a baby. My baby. Oh god. Reality was swirling around my head like a dream. Too surreal to hold onto. Then I felt Ranger's lips on my ear. "Deep breaths, Babe. Just focus on one thing at a time."

I nodded and drew in a slow breath. All I managed to do was make myself sick. Ranger gave my hand a squeeze. Pressing a kiss to my cheek.

"It's hard to see much this early, but there it is." The doctor pointed out a white shadow in the pocket of black. "Everything looks just as it's supposed to. Textbook, actually. No bleeding. No anomalies. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

There was a little relief mixed in with the nervous terror. It didn't help with the sick feeling. The doctor started asking questions, but I could hardly keep my thoughts straight. It was a good thing Ranger wasn't as freaked out as I was. In fact, he didn't seem fazed at all. Dr. Weston caught my eye. His expression somewhere between concern and amusement. "I'm guessing this wasn't a planned pregnancy."

"Not nearly," Ranger answered. I could hear his smile. Jerk. He must have thought my grimace was cute because he laughed softly, kissing my hand again.

"Could I speak with Ms. Plum for a moment?" the doctor asked.

Ranger nodded. And then he was gone and I was feeling very alone. Staring at the doctor I didn't know.

"Ms. Plum, I just have a couple questions. Pretty standard," he assured me when the sick feeling squirmed deeper into my stomach. "What's you're living situation? Do you live with Mr. Manoso? Or on your own?"

"I don't know. I mean, I have my own apartment. But I think Ranger wanted me to stay with him for a little while."

"And do you feel safe?"

I just blinked at him. Did I feel safe? After someone just tried to blow me up? "I don't know how to answer that. The not feeling safe thing is kind of why he wants me to stay with him. My life is…complicated."

He seemed to realize what I meant and clarified. "Do you feel safe with Mr. Manoso?"

That had to run through a filter in my head for a second. Right. The whole big bad wolf thing. "Truth is, the only time I always feel safe is when I'm with him." It suddenly hit me how terrifying it was that that was true. Ranger inspired trust. Complete and total. I might have to worry about my heart, but the rest of me was definitely safe with Ranger. "I know he looks scary—"

"He is scary," Doctor Weston said with a smile. "But I know what you mean. It's not personal. It's a standard question we have to ask every patient. I actually have quite a bit of respect for Mr. Manoso. He's a good man. And surprisingly gentle, it seems. I wouldn't have expected that. Is it safe to assume you've weighted your options?" I nodded. "Alright. I've gone over most of the early prenatal instructions with your boyfriend, but since it looked like you were still sort of checked out I'll give you a brief run down. No undercooked meats or dairy. No smoking or alcohol, and very limited caffeine intake, if any. Moderate exercise is okay, but nothing too strenuous." I must have made a face because he smiled. "Some exercise is important. It will make things easier later on. No heavy lifting, though. And no full contact sports, if you know what I mean. Your boyfriend said you're a bounty hunter."

"On my good days."

"Well. You'll probably be alright for a while, as long as you're careful. We can discuss it further once you enter your second trimester. The further you get in your pregnancy, the more difficult it will be to do the active parts of your job. Most women in law enforcement go to light duty once they hit four or five months. We'll see how you feel and play it by ear."

"I don't have to quit?"

"You can if you want to, but it's not necessary. Think of your uterus as a little pocket filled with water, tucked deep in your body. It's pretty protected. Anything that would hurt the baby would likely hurt you first. As long as you avoid trauma, I don't see why you'd have to worry too much."

"You've clearly never seen me on my not so good days."

He chuckled. "Well. When in doubt, call in the big guns. From what Mr. Manoso said, you'll have a small army at your disposal. Guess there are some benefits to being with the owner of an elite security firm, right?"

"Right."

Dr. Weston gave me an indulgent smile. "You'll be fine," he said with a wink. "You know, it's usually the father that gets dadshock."

I shrugged. "It's not my fault. Ranger's good at everything."

He laughed again. "Well. You'll get there. If anything comes up, come in and see me right away. Some women experience fatigue, nausea, mood swings. That's all normal. But if you have any bleeding or symptoms like dizziness, call me. It might indicate there's a problem. We'll have Emily make you an appointment for when you reach twelve weeks. In the meantime, you'll need to start prenatal vitamins. And no more explosions, alright?"

"Funny."

"I try."

Ranger was waiting for me when I came back out, dressed again in my dirty jeans and ruined t-shirt. He was standing with the nurses. They were all watching him like he was an exotic, dangerous animal. He smiled when he saw me. Slipping an arm around my waist. I caught a few looks of envy.

"Everything alright?"

"Yep. He just had to make sure you didn't plan on swallowing me whole, red cape and all."

The grin widened.

We made an appointment for the twelve week mark. Seven weeks felt like a lifetime away from this end. It was hard to believe there was something growing inside of me. A part of Ranger, no less. I didn't really feel any different. You know, aside from the sense of impending doom.

I wonder if carrying a Batbaby will give me superpowers.

Ranger didn't say anything until we were in the Turbo again. He checked the time. "If we head back to Rangeman, we can still make the meeting with Carson. I can have one of my men pick up Rex and some essentials from your apartment. Is there anything specific you want him to grab?"

I bit my lip. I wasn't ready to make any major decisions yet. And moving in with Ranger was pretty major. I was still adjusting to the idea that we were now connected in a very weird and permanent way. He seemed to sense that.

"It's just a temporary measure, Babe. You can do whatever you need to after the danger's passed. I just figured between the price on our heads and the very high likelihood Morelli will show up at your apartment tonight, we would both be better off at Rangeman."

That was a good point. Normally I would like seeing Morelli. He was handsome and funny and cuddly as hell. But that seemed like a lifetime away now too. It was like I was standing on an island. Disconnected from both past and future. Unable to see anything around me but vast, empty ocean.

Ranger's hand closed around mine. "What's going through your head, Steph?"

I honestly didn't know what to tell him. And that was when my vision blurred. My eyes stinging with tears. Everything hit all at once. "Morelli's going to hate me."

"I doubt it," Ranger said. "He'll be pissed, but he's smart enough to recognize this isn't a choice you'd make. I'll be the one to take the heat and I'm good with that. But it's not something either of us should have to worry about right now. Which is why I want you to stay with me."

The tears rolled down my face, but I nodded anyway. That made sense. It didn't stop life as I knew it from ending, but it did make sense. Ranger pulled into the underground garage and turned to me, wiping the shining trail away. Then he leaned over and kissed me. It was gentle at first. The kind of kiss meant to show he cared. But then it deepened all on its own. My fingers curled into his shirt and for just a minute none of it mattered. He pulled back too soon. Letting the last kiss be sweet and lingering.

"We can take this one day at a time. Today isn't any different than yesterday. And tomorrow won't be any different from today."

"Accept everything has changed."

His eyes crinkled at the edges a little as they searched my face. "Not as much as you might think."

I didn't get a chance to ask what that meant. Ranger angled out of the car and came around to open my door. His arm moved around my waist on our way to the elevator. "I still have to meet with Carson about Alvarez. Are you sitting in?"

"No. I'm exhausted. Is it okay if I go upstairs and take a nap?"

I felt him laugh against me. He leaned over and kissed my ear. "You never needed permission to be in my bed, Babe."