Chapter 2

Through the mirror, Ranger watched Stephanie finish toweling off as he lathered his face with shaving cream. He couldn't help himself. It was one of the few times she was distracted enough not to be so self conscious about being naked in front of him. Now he had a full view of her stomach. He was fascinated with her little baby bump. He shifted his gaze upward to see that Stephanie caught him in the act. She hastily wrapped herself back up as she rolled her eyes.

"You're obstructing my view," he joked. She snatched the towel from her head and flicked him in the behind.

"Yeah, well I don't see you standing around naked," she shot back.

Ranger opened his towel and quickly flashed her. She just huffed towards the dressing room. Ranger laughed as he readjusted his towel before he turned back to the sink. A few minutes later, an ear-piercing scream resonated throughout the apartment.

He jerked his hand, and the blade nicked his chin. Dropping the razor, he ran to the dressing room as he left a trail of blood droplets. He skidded a bit on one of Stephanie's wet foot prints and jammed his hip into the door frame. The now loosened towel fell to the floor and tangled up Ranger's feet. He fell head long, scraping his favorite body part on the Berber carpet.

"Carlos?"

Groaning, he snaked one hand down to his groin as he slowly pulled himself up with the other. Stephanie looked down at him frowning. She appeared to be okay.

"What are you doing?"

"You screamed, Babe," he forced out through gritted teeth. Rug burns hurt like hell…and this one was in the worst place imaginable. "I thought you hurt yourself, or something was wrong with the babies."

"I thought you were kidding around." Stephanie snorted then covered her mouth with her hand. "I mean…you came running in here naked." Ranger eased himself down gently on the leather bench. "Are you all right? You're bleeding." Stephanie picked up the towel and dabbed his chin.

"That's not what hurts," he grumbled. He looked her up and down again. She was in her bra and unzipped cargo pants. "So…why did you scream? What's wrong?"

"I couldn't zip up my pants," Steph whined. "Look." She tried to pull the zipper up, but the edges wouldn't even meet to close around her belly. "I'm so fat!"

Ranger dropped his face into his hands. He almost became a eunuch because her pants didn't fit. Blowing out a huge sigh, he pulled her close and kissed her belly.

"You're not fat…you're beautiful," he told her. They both glanced down at the little strawberry on the tip of his penis.

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Ranger smirked. "No. Swelling is the last thing I need right now." He rewrapped his towel around his waist as he stood. "I've got to finish getting ready." He padded back to the bathroom to look for the antibiotic ointment.

Stephanie was still pawing through her wardrobe when he returned. "None of my uniforms fit," she cried.

He wasn't surprised because it had been a month since she last wore one. "Ella can order you some new uniforms," he explained as he finished getting dressed.

She was still in her bra and panties. The offending pair of pants had been discarded and tossed into the corner. Her swelling breasts bulged over the top of her bra cups. She was going to need new everything. They both glanced at the clock.

"You'd better get downstairs. I'll be down as soon as I can find something that doesn't make me look like a whale." Ranger gave her a quick peck on the cheek and headed down to 5.

As the team gathered in the conference room, Ranger ducked into his office first. He placed a call to Ella to ask about new uniforms for Steph.

"Don't worry," Ella assured him. "I'll put a spandex panel in the front of her cargos and order her some maternity shirts."

"Thanks Ella. She wasn't too thrilled this morning when she couldn't zip her pants. Maybe a chocolate cake will cheer her up?" Ella laughed into the phone.

"I'll make a special dinner to go with it. Don't worry. I know this has been really hard on her, but she is strong. We'll have the old Stephanie back before you know it," she replied.

"I hope so. I'm getting concerned. I just wish she would argue with me about something. Anything!"

"Just keep giving her your love and support," Ella told him. "You'll both get through this."

Ranger disconnected the call and grabbed the files for the meeting. He was disappointed that Stephanie still hadn't come down yet. She had tons of clothes that she could wear. Maybe she was using this as another excuse to stay in the apartment?

Valerie passed out the meeting agenda as Lester came barreling inside. A wistful smile played on his lips. He took his normal seat and grabbed the agenda. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Ram asked him. Lester broke into his full, lopsided grin.

"He must have dropped the soap in the shower and hit his head when he bent over," Woody joked. They broke out laughing.

"Nah…he's just retarded," Ram added. Lester just shook his head but didn't say a word. He crossed his arms and eased back into his chair.

"Well?" Tank broke in. "Are you going to tell us why you're grinnin' like one of those flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz?"

"I got a date Saturday," he proudly announced. There were groans, eye rolls, and lips smacking.

"Pfft…so what else is new? You're getting laid. It's about damn time," Woody said.

Lester sat upright. The smile disappeared, and he looked genuinely offended. "It's not like that!" he insisted. "Xylia is a nice girl. I met her in a book store at the mall."

The room became silent, and jaws dropped all around. It took a few moments for the initial shock to wear off everyone.

"I don't know what's more unbelievable…" Ranger began, "…you meeting a nice girl, or you actually in a book store." The men howled in laughter.

Lester became more indignant. "No…I really met her at the book store. I wasn't looking for books. Well…there was a really hot sex book with pictures and everything. But, I went into the book store to get away from the gay guy who was checking out my kangaroo." More laugher.

Lester turned crimson. "Fine…you assholes can laugh all you want, but I'll be taking out a hot little red head on Saturday while you are all choking your chickens!"

The room grew quiet. Lester followed everyone's gaze to the doorway. Stephanie nervously shifted from one foot to the other with her arms crossed.

"Come on in, Babe," Ranger urged. She finally had settled on one of his black Rangeman shirts and her yoga pants. Before she even got two feet inside the room, Bobby jumped up and hugged her.

"Welcome back, Steph," he told her. Each of the Merry Men took their turns as they passed her along to her usual seat. A seat that had been empty for far too long.

Stephanie was grateful for their love and support. She knew her anxiety was unwarranted. Especially in the safe cocoon of the Rangeman building. Even Valerie was excited to see her out of the apartment. She started back towards her desk, but Stephanie detained her.

"Stay for a minute, I have something that I want to talk to everyone about, and that includes you, too." Valerie nodded.

"You have the floor, Babe," Ranger said as he gestured around the table with his hand.

"Well, first…" She paused, took a deep breath, and slowly blew it out. "I just wanted to say thank you to everyone again…for being so good to me. I love you all for that, and I'm trying to get things back….to normal." She looked around at their faces, nodding for her to continue. "Well, what I wanted to talk to you about is…um…if you had decided what to do with the money in the Swear Jar yet."

Valerie shook her head. "No…it's still there," she replied. "I counted it a while back, and it had over $4000.00 in there." The room erupted in gasps and low whistles. "Uh…I told you the language in here was pretty bad."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Well, if it's okay with all of you, I would like to donate that money to the women's shelter where I used to volunteer. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have known about being able to call 911 on all cell phones thing. Even if the service is cancelled. It's still a good cause, but what I learned there saved me from…"

She swallowed hard. She felt the comfort of Ranger's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. She didn't know if it was Lester or Tank first, but they all started clapping in support. Ranger kissed the back of her hand.

"Proud of you, Babe," he mouthed to her.

Valerie grabbed her in a vice-like hug. "I think that would be perfect!" she agreed, tears in her eyes. The applause died down.

"One more thing," Stephanie announced. "As much as I hate that thing, I'd like to suggest that we keep it, but make it voluntary. Helping others in need is really a good thing. But Val, if I see you shake that damn thing again, I swear I will beat the living shit out of you."

Amidst the snorts and snickers, Ranger stood up and hugged Stephanie.

"That's the best idea I've heard in a while," he told her. "Val? Let me know what the final total is, and I will double it."

Valerie nodded before going back to her desk. Ranger held out Stephanie's chair, but she declined to sit.

"I'm going to head back upstairs. I just wanted to talk about the charity thing," she explained without looking him in the eye.

He was glad she didn't because it was hard to hide his disappointment. At least this was a start. "Okay," he replied. "I'll talk to you later. Call me if you need me."

She kissed his cheek and waved goodbye to the others as she walked to the door. She didn't stop until she was back inside the apartment.

Stephanie was on a mission. She wanted to go through all her clothes to see what still fit. Ivy greeted her at the door and trotted behind her as Stephanie headed to the closet. She was surprised to find Ella gathering all her cargo pants. Caught in the act, Ella looked like a deer in the head lights.

"He called you…didn't he?"

Ella shrugged her shoulders before nodding. "We knew this day would come, honey," Ella told her gently.

Stephanie flopped onto the leather bench with a groan. "I know," she sighed. "It's hard to try to get back to normal when you can't even get into your normal clothes."

Ella sat beside her and held up one of the cargo pants. "I thought that I could put in a spandex panel here," she explained as she pointed out what she planned to do. "These will be pull-on-pants, but at least you'll still get some use out of them for a little bit. I ordered you some maternity tops. They are just plain Rangeman shirts but longer than what you had before."

She paused to give Stephanie a knowing smile. Stephanie smirked. Ranger picked out her current work shirts. He probably ordered them from the same place Mattel got their Barbie clothes.

"And, they are fuller around the middle," Ella added.

Stephanie hugged her. "Thanks, Ella. You always know how to help me." She rubbed her little bump. "But, I'm going to need more clothes. I'm spilling out of my bras. And, I don't want to sit around here wearing Carlos' shirts and stretch pants either. I need to go to the mall…but I'm still scared." Stephanie gave her a sad smile. "That's stupid, isn't it?"

Ella kissed her cheek. "It's not stupid. You went through a horrible ordeal, Stephanie. It takes time to get over something like that. It's only been a month. Besides, you don't have to go alone. Ranger or any of the boys will take you."

Stephanie let out a sarcastic laugh. "Now this will be a switch," she began but paused to giggle. "The guys will be more excited to take me shopping at the mall than I am!"

Ella joined her laughter. "I'll have this pair ready for tomorrow," she told her as gathered Stephanie's cargos. "The new shirts will be ready in a couple days." Ella turned to face her. "Do you want anything special for lunch?"

Stephanie shook her head. "Whatever you make will be fine," she replied with a smile. "Ella? What would I do without you?"

"It's my pleasure to take care of you and the boys," Ella explained. "And, I can't wait to take care of those babies." She started for the door.

"Ella?" She paused and looked back at Stephanie over her shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, dear. You can ask me anything."

Stephanie bit her lower lip. "Um…why didn't you and Luis have children?"

Ella gave her a sad smile. "We would have liked to have children. After we got married, we tried for years, but I never got pregnant. So when I went to be evaluated, it was discovered that I had ovarian cancer."

Stephanie gasped. "Oh my God, Ella!"

"I was lucky it was only stage 2. But that was at a time when they took everything to be sure." Ella sat back down next to Stephanie. "I had a hard time dealing with losing my uterus at such an early age. Unfortunately, we were doing okay but not as well as the adoption agencies would like. We did take in foster children which I absolutely loved. By the time we were financially stable, we were considered too old. We didn't have enough money to adopt an overseas child either."

"I'm really sorry, Ella," Stephanie apologized as tears welled up in her eyes. "And all those times I complained about getting pregnant and not wanting children in front of you…." She broke off to sniffle. "I'm so sorry!"

Ella pulled her into a hug. "Having children is a personal choice. It's not wrong to not want children. But it is wrong to not appreciate the gifts you have been given." She kissed Stephanie's temple. "I have no doubt that you will love and cherish you children and will make a fine mother. You just don't give yourself enough credit."

She hugged Ella back then watched her leave. That much was true. Stephanie never gave herself enough credit for anything.

Ranger finished up the last of the reports that were stacked in his inbox. He wanted to start getting back into the field, but his concern for Stephanie kept him grounded. She didn't come out and admit it, but she almost had a panic attack the other day when she found out he'd left the building on a site visit. He probably should have let her know where he was going, but she always called his cell. He didn't expect her to come down to his office looking for him. Hal and Woody sat with her until he was able to get back to the office.

Ranger felt that if Stephanie could get back into a routine, she would be able to join the Land of the Living again. He also thought about bringing her down to Miami. His grandmother's birthday was coming up. Unless he was deployed or on a government assignment, Ranger always made it to Miami to put flowers on his grandmother's grave every year. His grandmother was such an important person in his life. She helped him turn around and make something of himself. This little custom was something he had kept private all these years. Never shared it with anyone. He wanted to share this with Stephanie. Maybe getting Stephanie out of Trenton for a short trip would help her take her mind off her demons. If he used his grandmother as an excuse, Stephanie would never question it.

Just as Ranger rose from his chair, the phone rang. Valerie informed him Mr. Rasmussen was calling for him. Rasmussen? Christ. He hoped it wasn't anything about Henried.

"Manoso," he answered quickly.

Stephanie looked at the pile of clothes on the leather bench. There sure wasn't much left, but they fit. Well, she was able to get in them. She couldn't put it off any longer. She needed to get out and go shopping. That's what her mind told her. Now to just be able to tell Ranger that she needed to be taken to the mall. As she was formulating her plan, the ringing of the phone made her jump.

"Hello?"

"Babe…you okay?"

"Uh…yeah. Just startled by the phone. What's up?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I have to go out for a while. I have to check on some properties for a client, and I'll be gone for a couple of hours. You can still reach me on my cell. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine." She smiled. "Thanks for letting me know."

"I'll see you later, Babe."

He disconnected without letting her say goodbye. Ranger had really been working hard on trying to change. He was more open about his feelings. He tried to keep her posted on where he was at all times. But, his phone manners still sucked.

Ranger felt like a kid on Christmas morning as he pulled into the Rangeman garage. He wracked his brain trying to think of something special to do for Stephanie. This opportunity fell right into his lap. As he stopped off on 5 to give the Control Room the codes, he sensed something was wrong.

"Steph's been up on the roof for the last hour," Hal explained.

"With her guitar?" Ranger asked in surprise. She hadn't played at all since the kidnapping.

Hal shook his head. "No. She's just been standing by the edge staring into space."

Ranger nodded then ran up the stairs.

Just as Hal said, Stephanie was standing on the north side of the building looking down on Trenton. She must have heard the sound on his boots on the gravel because she turned and smiled.

"I saw you pull in," she told him. "Did everything go okay?"

He nodded then wrapped his arms around her middle pulling her close. He rubbed the baby bump as he kissed her temple. "Went better than expected. How about you? Everything okay?"

Biting her lower lip, she shook her head no. Her gaze dropped towards her feet as she lowered her head. Ranger tilted her chin up to regain their eye contact.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

She nodded and turned to face him. She took a deep breath and slowly blew it out before taking his hands in hers. "I'm sorry," she began.

Ranger frowned. "Sorry? Sorry for what, Babe? I don't understand."

"I've been too scared to leave the building. Everyone's been bending over backwards for me. Everyone's worried about me. All because of me being afraid. It's so dumb. I'm sorry," she explained as a single tear rolled down her face.

"It's not dumb. You've been through a lot. I'm surprised that you're not hiding in the closet."

Stephanie snorted. "The thought crossed my mind, but you don't have a TV in there," she joked. He wiped the tear from her face with his thumb. She took another deep breath and exhaled. "I…I need to go to the mall tomorrow. Nothing fits. Would it be okay if one of the guys takes me shopping tomorrow?"

"I'll take you…"

She cut him off. "It can't be you, Carlos. I need to be able to leave the building without you. It's not fair to you to have to rearrange your schedule all the time to accommodate me. I have to do this. If I don't do this tomorrow, I don't think I'll ever get over this stupid fear."

Ranger understood exactly what she meant. "Your fear is not stupid, Stephanie. But…I understand what you are saying. I'll check the schedule to see who is available tomorrow. I'm proud of you, Babe. It takes a lot of courage to overcome your fear instead of giving in to it."

Stephanie looked like the weight of the world had just been removed from her shoulders. "Thanks for understanding, Carlos." She leaned in and kissed him. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss. He couldn't wait for her to see the surprise he had for her. He broke the contact and took her hand, leading her towards the stairs.

"Come on," he told her. "We're going for a ride."

"A ride? Where to?"

He looked back and saw the panic on her face. He tucked a stray curl behind one ear and kissed the tip of her nose. "It's going to be okay. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" she insisted.

"Okay then…let's go."

He led her back to the apartment. A large duffel bag sat in the hall. He picked up the kitchen phone and buzzed Ella. She assured him the car was packed and the duffel had everything they needed. He thanked her and disconnected.

"We'll be on the road for about an hour and a half, so hit the bathroom now," he instructed. She started to open her mouth but he cut her off. "Trust me?"

Nodding, she did as she was told. He grabbed a jacket for each of them. After helping her on with hers, he donned his own jacket and hoisted the duffel over one shoulder.

"Where's Ivy?" she asked as he took her hand.

"Ella and Luis have her." Stephanie just nodded and let him lead her to the garage. She didn't speak again until he steered her towards the Mustang. She looked at him questioningly.

"I think it's about time we take her for a ride. Don't you, Babe?"

The Mustang he bought for her had been sitting in the garage for about a month. It had never been driven. Not by her…or anyone. Another thing she was afraid of…driving the Mustang. The white convertible with black twin stripes was an amazing car. She really did love it. The beautiful Mustang made the #2 Mobile all the more ugly. But what if something happened to it? She knew Ranger wouldn't care as long as she was safe, but he spent so much money on it. She didn't want him throwing money away on cars for her.

Ranger angled into the driver's seat and cranked over the engine. The powerful eight cylinder motor roared to life as if no time had passed. He released the latches to the rag top and lowered the roof. Then he hopped out and grabbed the duffel bag to throw in the trunk. Stephanie stood there like a statue, her feet rooted in place.

"Ready?"

She looked from Ranger to the car and then back to Ranger. Uncertainty was written all over her face, but she nodded. The fear had pushed her heart rate up, but the desire to break free of the confines of Rangeman won. She opened the door and found a Rangeman hat on the passenger seat. Of course, she told herself, he thinks of everything. Pushing the fear away, she slid into the seat and buckled her seatbelt. She pulled her hair through the small hole at the back of the cap and adjusted it.

"I'm ready," she finally replied giving him her heart melting smile. This time, the smile reached her eyes.

The first thing that Lester did after getting out of the shower was call Xylia. He couldn't stop thinking about her. The guys rode him all day about his upcoming date. Screw those jerks. They were just jealous. He reached for his phone on the night stand and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Xylia. It's me…Lester."

"I'm so glad you called. I was just thinking about you," she cooed into the phone. Lester beamed.

"You were? What were you thinking about?" If he couldn't be with her having sex, he might as well have the next best thing…phone sex.

"I was thinking about our date. We're going to have so much fun," she explained. Oh yeah, we are going to have a great time, Lester mused.

"Have you thought about where you want to go to dinner?" He would take her where ever she wanted to go.

"Actually, I do have an idea. My church is having a Fish Fry. We're trying to raise money for a new organ." Lester flopped onto his back and mentally groaned. Not at all what he had in mind. And sure as hell not the organ he was thinking about either. She must have picked up on his displeasure because of the long silence.

"Is that okay? We could do something else. It's just we always have so much fun at our church dinners…." He jerked himself upright.

"NO…uh…no, Xylia. That's fine. If you want to go to the Fish Fry, that's what we'll do. I was….uh…just thinking about taking you some place fancy. That's all." He held his breath and hoped she bought that.

"I don't need fancy restaurants, Lester," she giggled. "I'm a very simple and low maintenance kind of girl. All I need is a good book and the Lord."

The Lord? What the hell? He heard her giggle again, and he laughed along with her. What a great sense of humor, he thought. After all, he wanted a nice girl. He was done with those empty one night stands. Yeah, the sex was great, but he wanted more now. He wanted what Stephanie and Ranger had. The church thing threw him a little bit, but good girls went to church, right? Nothing wrong with that.

"I really can't wait to see you again," he said.

"Me, too. Look, I have to go now, Lester. I have a customer. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night."

Lester said his goodbyes then snapped his phone shut. A first date at a church fish fry. Not usually his typical first date, but Lester was sure it would go well. Xylia was active in her church, so he would to have to support that. Besides, it wouldn't matter if he made her scream Oh God or Oh Lester…as long as she screamed something. He finished getting dressed then went to the Rec Room to see what Ella left out for dinner.