Standard Disclaimer
March 2012
Established Relationships
Chapter 2
Mona Schiller was stunned. Nothing like this had ever happened before. She worked at the Waterfront Stadium as the receptionist for the Trenton Thunder. Things were usually pretty low key around the office. Her job was to man the office, year round, even during the slow off season. Mona found it to be a great situation, it was nice and quiet. So quiet, in fact, that she frequently had quite a bit of time on her hands.
Not a woman to waste away her life, Mona came to work prepared with things to read. She brought in a huge canvas bag filled with her favorite mystery romance novels. And she looked forward to reading the newspaper that was delivered to the office door, each morning. Mona would read the paper first, all laid out across her big circular desk. She liked to keep up with the news of the greater Trenton area.
Her quiet day was interrupted when Stephanie Plum walked into the office. When Mona looked up, she recognized her right away. You could have knocked her over with a feather. She was looking at the Bombshell Bounty Hunter! Seriously, this was one of the most exciting moments she had ever experienced. "Things like this just never happen to me," she thought. It was a lot better than the last commotion that they had had several weeks ago, when a fight broke out after one of the Thunder's games. So much better!
Mona had read all about Stephanie. Stories about her were in the paper so often that she was practically a celebrity around Trenton. Mona had a hard time resisting the urge to ask her for an autograph.
"Hi, can I help you?" Mona said with a friendly smile.
Stephanie was looking for Stanley Worneki. Mona immediately knew what this was about. Stanley had been arrested for being involved in the fight. She was excited to think that she was going to be able to see Stephanie the bounty hunter in action. Suddenly, both women heard noises coming from the office behind them. The door burst open and Stanley rushed out. He headed straight toward Stephanie, and then he tackled the poor girl. Mona was shocked. She stared at him. "Stanley has gone and lost his freaking mind," she was thinking.
Since the day he had been hired, Stanley had been quiet, efficient, and very personable. Mona considered herself to be a good judge of character and she liked Stanley. He was a good guy. He was a good guy. Up until a few weeks ago, when he started getting all of those annoying phone calls. Next thing she knew, he was getting involved in fights. And now this. It didn't surprise her at all that he had forgotten to keep his court date. Stanley was obviously losing it.
Mona was not about to take any chances. Stanley was acting crazy. She picked up the phone and called security. By then Stanley had grabbed Stephanie and shoved her into her car. They drove off before security could get there. So Mona picked up the phone, once again, and called the police. She did not like what she had just seen. Not one bit.
Hank parked his Black Ford F-150 just out of view of the office doors. He was on 'Babe' duty, and he was good at it. Stephanie never saw him when he followed her, even with him being in one of the most recognizable RangeMan trucks. Right now he was parked in the shade of the only tree in the parking lot that was close enough to offer any cover. Hank was just getting into his zone, when he saw Stephanie's car race out of the parking lot.
"What the hell," he thought. Hank knew trouble when he saw it, and this had trouble with a capital 'T' written all over it. There was no thought of trying not be seen now. Hank quickly followed Stephanie. They were speeding down the road and Hank knew there was something very wrong. He pulled out his phone and called RangeMan. He reported where they were and what was happening. He watched as the car in front of him jumped the curb and headed straight toward the river.
"Shit," he said under his breath as he watched the car slam through the guardrail. "Call the cops and an ambulance," he said to the man on the other end of the line. "Steph's car just took a nose dive into the Delaware river."
The truck screeched to a halt, as Hank shoved it into 'park' before jumping out and running to the river. He threw off his boots and dropped his guns, and jumped into the water. There was no way in hell he would let Stephanie get hurt on his watch!
The minute the call went out, Joe Morelli was contacted over and over. Everyone was letting him know that Stephanie had gotten herself in trouble. Again. He shook his head. "How many times have I asked Stephanie to quit that stupid job," he asked himself. She would always be running into crazy people as long as she insisted on being a Bounty Hunter. Why couldn't she see that it nearly kills him each time she gets hurt. He pointed his truck in the direction of the Waterfront Stadium and rushed to see what was happening around her this time.
Stephanie's luck was holding out again. Hank was watching her today. If you are going to fall into a river, Hank is the one to have around. He had been with the Navy Seals on the water rescue teams, and he was one of the best. His skills included an expanded lung capacity that allowed him to hold his breath for incredibly long periods of time.
Hank jumped into the river feet first and plunged deep into the water, following the path of Stephanie's car. The car was totally submerged now, and the murky water was hard to see through. Hank got a glimpse of Stephanie through the dark water. She was trying to get out of the car window. Suddenly the car turned and started falling on top of her.
He knew time was running out. Hank pulled himself down to reach her. Stephanie was still partially stuck in the car. Quickly but gently he untangled her legs, and pulled her through the window. He swiftly brought her up to the surface. Stephanie had lost consciousness by now, and he needed to make sure that she could start breathing again. Fast.
Just as soon as they broke through the water he started checking Stephanie. She had started breathing on her own. She had a good pulse. But she was still unconscious, and that worried him.
When he reached the river bank, paramedics and the rescue team were waiting for him. They quickly secured Stephanie to a stretcher and pulled her up to safety. She was taken directly to the ambulance. Hank followed. He kept close, he wanted to see that she was going to be alright.
Morelli arrived at the scene and made his way to the edge of the river. He decided to check out the progress of securing the car so that it could be lifted out of the water. He knew that Worneki was presumed dead and his body still needed to be removed from the car. The cops at the scene told him that plowing through the guard rail had completely smashed the front end of the car. Add water damage and they were considering the car a total loss.
Ranger arrived only moments after Morelli. He went straight to the ambulance. Hank met him there and gave a brief report on her condition. Ranger nodded and turned his attention to Stephanie. He climbed into the ambulance and sat close to her. The EMT
told him that they didn't know how long she had been without oxygen. They explained that her unconsciousness could be an indication of brain damage, but there was no way to be certain.
Ranger took Stephanie's hand in his. "Babe," he said softly. He rested his head on their clasped hands. She squeezed his hand. So slightly that he almost missed it. He looked at her, and squeezed back with a gentle pressure.
Slowly Stephanie opened her eyes. "Ranger" she said, her voice rough and weak.
"Are you alright?" he asked, staring into her eyes. She gave him a small smile, and nodded carefully. Her head was still pounding. She was shivering so Ranger gathered her up in his arms and held her against him, sharing his warmth with her. The EMT handed him another blanket and Ranger carefully wrapped it around her. His mouth was near her ear and he was making soothing sounds. He was speaking in Spanish to her. Stephanie loved the sound of his deep, rich voice. She didn't understand the words, but she definitely liked the way they sounded. And she relaxed into his embrace.
"What happened to Stanley?' she whispered. Ranger told her that he had been killed in the accident. He also told her that the car was totaled.
"At least you didn't blow up another car," he teased. She looked at him. Very seriously.
"I think I like it better when they explode." She replied.
"Babe," he smiled. "You never disappoint." Ranger laughed and pulled her back into his arms.
That is where Joe found them. He looked into the ambulance and watched them. Usually this would be the moment that Ranger would walk away. But this time he couldn't make himself let her go. He held her until the EMTs told them they needed to go. Ranger kissed Stephanie and climbed down. He went directly to his car. He called Bobby, and headed to the hospital as quickly as he could.
To say that Joe was annoyed would be an understatement. He hated seeing Ranger any where near Stephanie. She was his. And Ranger needed to leave her alone. Joe climbed up to sit next to her. And no matter how concerned he was about her, the only vibe that Stephanie got from him now was irritation. She took that to mean that he was mad at her. Mad at what had happened today. Mad about her job. And yes, she admitted, he was probably mad about Ranger being here too.
Joe sat by her, but he didn't speak. In a few moments the EMTs were ready to leave. He gave her a quick kiss and stepped down from the ambulance. As it drove off, Joe called Stephanie's family. They would want to know where she was being taken this time.
Ranger had Bobby meet him at the hospital. He knew that Stephanie would want to have him there so that he could interpret what the doctors would tell her. He knew that she didn't trust anyone at the hospital unless Bobby told her it was okay. They found her in the emergency room. It seemed that she was not cooperating with the nurse. Ranger walked toward her, Bobby right behind him. Once she saw Bobby, Stephanie allowed the nurse to examine her. Bobby gave her a nod, and a small smile. "She really does hate hospitals," he thought. The cut in her side looked a lot worse than it was. Now that the bleeding had stopped, they could see that it wasn't as deep as they had feared. Fortunately it only needed a few stitches. Her arm was broken, but it was a clean break and would be simple to set.
While she was down the hall getting the cast on, Bobby and Ranger went to talk with the Rangemen who were there waiting to hear how Stephanie was doing. Especially Hank, he needed to know that she was going to be okay. Ranger walked up to him and clasped his hand.
"Thank you Hank," he said. Hank just nodded. He wasn't prepared to let anyone know how scared he had been. But the truth was, he was more than relieved that she was okay, it would have killed him to know that he didn't save her.
"Why don't you go in and see her when they get her settled into her room," Ranger said. Hank gave him a look of gratitude, and nodded.
Stephanie was helped to her room. Once she was settled in, she took a good look at her cast. It was below her elbow, so she would have a decent amount of mobility while it healed. Of course it would still make it difficult to do her job. She thought about it for a while. She knew that she had two choices. Give up her apartment and move in with Morelli, or take the job at RangeMan that Ranger always offered to her.
She knew what she wanted to do. She also knew how that decision would be received by Joe. Just then, as if on cue, Joe walked in, interrupting her thoughts.
"How are you feeling Cupcake?" he asked with a smile. Stephanie was relieved to see that he had let go of his anger. Joe moved over to the bed and sat next to her. He hugged her tight. She had some things to say to him. Not the least of which was that she would need to be working at RangeMan now. She would have talked to him, but his pager went off. He kissed the top of her head as he moved out into the hall to make the phone call. Moments later he opened the door.
"Gotta go Steph," he said. "I'll check in with you later." He waved and was gone.
Hank left Bobby and Ranger talking to Stephanie's doctor. He walked down the hall toward her room. He was surprised how nervous he was to see her. Stopping outside her door, he took a deep breath. Then he tapped on the door, opening it slowly as he heard her voice tell him to come in.
"Hey, Steph," he said as he walked in.
Stephanie's face lit up. "Hank, I'm so glad you came to see me!" she said. She motioned for him to move closer to her. Hank walked up to her bed and she grabbed his hand, pulling him into a hug. "I don't know how to thank you," she said into his neck." He felt her tears and he pulled back to see her face. Her eyes glistened with more tears. But she looked him in his eyes. "Thank you," she said again. She could still remember the relief that she felt when she saw him through the dark water. The sun shining on him from above, as he came around the side of the car. She knew she would be okay, it was her last thought before she passed out. "You saved my life Hank." She hugged him tight again.
"I'm just glad I was there," he told her. He could tell that she was fighting to keep her emotions under control, so he held her and ran his hand in soothing circles on her back.
Finally she pulled back a little and smiled at him.
"At first I thought you were an angel," she said, smiling when she saw the look on his face. "Then I knew that you were my angel"
She kissed his cheek, "you will always be my angel Hank," she told him. He couldn't hide his big grin. He took her hand in his and he sat in the chair next to her bed.
They talked for a while. Hank was telling her about how bad her car looked when they pulled it out of the river. "If I had seen the car first, I would have thought for sure that no one could have survived," he said. "Maybe I wasn't the only guardian angel there today," he said with a smile.
By the time Ranger and Bobby came back, Stephanie was feeling ready to get out of there. She was all patched up now, and wanted to leave. She started to say she was ready to go when the doctor walked in. He explained that they would like to keep her for another 24 to 48 hours for observation. Stephanie waited for Bobby to argue that it wasn't necessary, but instead he agreed with the doctor.
"Sorry Steph, but the doctor is right, you could still get an infection from being in the river. And the trauma of being trapped under water can't be dismissed. You need to let your body heal properly." Bobby tried to reassure her that he would be stopping by frequently to check in on her. He kissed her on her forehead, and stepped out again with the doctor. Hank left too with a quick kiss on her cheek, turning to smile at her one more time as he went through the door.
Stephanie knew that Ranger would have to leave soon too. She didn't want him to go, and it wasn't because she didn't want to be left alone. She wanted him there because she was beginning to understand that he was the only one that she wanted to be with.
