The week pass, the weekend came and gone. Tank, Lester and Bobby, followed me into Ranger's office after our morning meeting. It's been a few days and I miss talking to Ranger. But he has things to take care of.
"Alright what's up?" I asked them.
"You have an appointment to see the doctor today. I want to see how your healing."
"It's been a mouth don't you think I've healed?" I asked him.
"I still want to take a look." Bobby told me. My shoulders dropped.
"Fine, come get me when I need to go. Not a minute to soon." He nodded and got up. He pulled Lester out with him. Maybe now they'll stop babying me all the time.
"We all thought you would fight this a little more than what you did." Tank said.
"I'm thinking if I go to the doctor and he says everything is alright, you guys will stop acting like I'm made from glass. You all do know I've been shot before, right?" He smiled at me finely.
"But we weren't family then. We didn't even know you then. Now we do, if the doctor signs you off. They might." The computer beeped and he got up. "Tell Ranger I say hi." He said as he walked out. I turned towards the computer and saw the IM box there from Ranger.
'Sorry I couldn't talk to you this morning. I've been on screen all night. I just got back in the building.'
'Why are you talking to me and not getting some sleep?' I asked him.
'Because I miss you,' He told me after some time. I just looked at the screen.
'You miss me, really?'
'Babe,' was all he had to say to me. I wiped under my eyes.
'So, what happened to keep you so busy?' I asked him.
'Our systems have been going off without case, then there was a brake in and we were almost too late. Hector did send me a model of Angle Eye's, if that's what happens when you tinker around in Hector's shop. Go ahead and do it whenever you want. You're going to save me a lot of money Babe.' I smiled,
'I was just playing around. Why will that save you money?'
'It cost us every time we have to buy those cameras. Hector can now just make them himself. For someone who hasn't been in this business, you sure do know all the points.'
'Ranger I've been around you for years. I'm bound to pick thing up as I go. I also know what it's like to want to feel protected. Now I'm going to get off and get some work done, I want you to get some sleep. Don't make me call Tank.' I told him.
'Alright Babe,'
'Bye Ranger,'
'Talk to you later Babe.' He said and signed off. I grabbed a search and went to town on it. At 10 Bobby came in and told me it was time to go. I pulled on my jacket and followed him out. In the garage, Lester and Tank were waiting for us. I just shook my head and got in. They were quite the whole way to the hospital.
They got me right into a room and we only had to wait a few minutes for the doctor to come in. I took my jacket off and he felt around my back. Then turned on an ultrasound machine and started rubbing it over my back. He was talking about muscles and other things. I was just thinking about how cold it was. Then he stopped talking. I looked over at him. Something was on his face.
"I'll be back in one minute." He said and walked out. I was worried and looked over to the guys. They had the same face. Bobby came over and started moving the wand over my back.
"What's wrong?" I asked him.
"Mr. Brown, I believe we've talked to you about controlling the appointment before." The doctor said and moved aside for a younger lady to walked in.
"Miss, Plum will you please lay down." She asked me and sat down next to the bed. I did and watched her. She lifted my shirt and touched something in my pants and shirt. I looked down and saw she was covering them so I wouldn't get gel on them. Then she poured gel over my lower stomach. She grabbed the wand and moved it around. I was watching her face.
"Greg how could you miss something like this?" She asked, and then I heard some clicking. I looked over and saw her pushing some bottoms. The doctor didn't say anything. "Alright guys out," She said. Only the doctor walked out. She looked over to the guys and slowly everyone walked out. She smiled down at me when the door was finely closed.
"Don't look so worried. Your gunshot wound is healed, I'll leave that talk your doctor. Also, your about 8 weeks pregnant." She moved the wand and turned the screen to face me. She pointed out the baby in the black mess.
"Are you sure?" I asked her. She just smiled and put the wand back on my stomach and showed me that she was sure.
"And the doctor should have noticed this?"
"It could have been over looked. If I was the person I would have noticed right away. But Greg problem was more worried about getting the bullet out and patching you up, then looking at your uterus. We'll get you started on prenatal vitamins, I'll be more than welcome to be your OBGYN, but some woman would rather go to their own. I'll leave you with my card, let me get these pictures for you while you clean up." She smiled at me and handed me a paper towel.
"8 weeks, do you think you could give me a date?" I asked her. She thought about it and grabbed a calendar. Then pointed out seven days it could be. The first four I didn't have sex and the last three I was only with Ranger. She gave me some space. I just stared at the calendar thinking. How could I have a baby, how could I have Ranger's baby.
"Little Girl?" Tank said and sat down next to me. When I didn't say anything, he took the calendar from me and made me look at him. "You're not thinking about doing anything crazy, are you?" He asked me. He faces was clearly worried.
"Like never telling Ranger?" I saw a small smile and he shook his head no.
"Like getting rid of it?" That handed even came to mind, my eyes tear up and I shook my head no.
"I would never do that, but I really don't think I'll be able to tell Ranger." I moved on his lap and let him hold me.
"We won't tell him, if that's something you don't want us to. We were more worried you would want to get rid of it. Are you sure it's Rangers?" He asked me. I nodded and pointed to the calendar.
"There wasn't anyone else I was with before, during or after the time she gave me. A week later then I would say different." He didn't say anything, just held me.
"Everything will work it's self out," He said and kissed my head. Then sat me back on the bed. As he was wiping my face off the door opened. Both doctors walked in with Lester and Bobby. They took their turns talking to me. Melissa gave me a bag and a few pictures with her card. They walked out together.
"I don't think it was Ellea cooking that made me sick." I finely said. Lester laughed and hugged me.
"I think you should still stay away from what's making you sick. But this does account to why your sleeping so much and why your moody?"
"I'm not moody." All three of them just gave me a look.
"You sure have been crying a lot these days?" Tank said. I grabbed my coat and walked out of the room. They caught up with me before I got to the door. Lester put his arm around me.
"Ah crap, you're not going to stop treating me like glass, are you?" I asked all of them.
"Nope," Lester helped me into the SUV and got in also. He pulled me to him. "Rangerman is going to have a baby."
"Don't tell anyone, I'm not ready for anyone to know yet. I'm still trying to deal." They nodded to me.
"We won't tell anyone boomer, but even though your cleared to go out in the field. You're not going out in the field." Bobby told me.
"I haven't even thought about it. In the last mouth, I haven't given it much thought at all. I fought Joe to the bits about giving up my job, I guess all you had to do was put me at a desk and I would have given it up." I told them.
"He wouldn't have wanted you to work at Rangerman either." Lester told me. I leaned my head against his shoulder and smiled.
"It's going to much easier to lie to Ranger while he's gone." I told them when we pulled into the garage. The guys laughed and we got out.
"I guess we're going to have to work on that with you." Tank smiled at me. Lester and Bobby headed to an SUV and I walked with Tank. He walked me into Ranger's office.
"I think I'll tell Ellea." I told him when I sat down. He smiled at me and leaned back in his chair.
"I'm surprised she hasn't noticed, what about Hector?" I leaned back and thought about it.
"I think he already knows. The other days he pointed me right to the bathroom, before I even knew I was going to be sick. I'm going to work with him a little more this week and I think after that I'll be done. After lunch Gears is going to show up." He nodded and I think he already knew that.
"Don't overdo," He headed out to take care of his own things. I finished my search and headed down to Hectors work area. I sat down next to where he was working and looked over to him. After a few minutes, he looked over at me.
"You knew, didn't you?" He put his hand on my stomach. "How did you know?"
"Angle you glow." He said after some time thinking for the right word.
"You didn't tell anyone, you didn't even tell me." I asked him.
"You no believe," I nodded and know that was the truth. He pulled away from me when the door opened. I looked back and saw Gears walking in. He pulled off his sunglasses and put them on the work bench.
"Late night?" I asked him. He nodded and pulled off his hat, he brushed his hair back then put his hat back on.
"Some friends took me out last night for my birthday." I looked at him. "I have Sunday nights off, my birthday's Wednesday." He told me.
"See was that so hard, why do all you guys keep all this stuff to yourself?" I turned and asked Hector. He shrugged and was finishing up what he was working on. I turned back to Gears. "Why didn't you just ask for Wednesday off?"
"My mother would have my ass if I miss dinner Sunday night. Then she would call my uncials and have their ass also."
"Who are your uncials?" I asked him. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. I looked over to Hector. I could see a little smile. "So, I know them?" He nodded and was smiling for real. I looked back at Gears and waited.
"Well ones really a cousin. But he's always been uncial to us." I was just waiting for an answer. He looked up at me, and then walked away. I watched him walk into the back of the work area and was making himself busy. I just sat there watching Hector work. At 12 Lester walked in with lunch. I saw my chance.
"Whose Gears related to?" I asked him. He just smiled at me and looked back at the kids.
"Couldn't get it out of him, could you." He leaned against the table and pushed the plate towards me.
"Hector just smiles, now you just give me this look." He laughed at me, turned and headed to the door. "I'll find out."
"Do really have to." The kids asked and sat a box down next to me.
"You should just make it easy on yourself and tell me. Why don't you want me to know, so bad?" He shrugged and looked throw the box while I eat. I was just going to have to ask Ranger and I know he would tell me what I wanted to know.
When I was done eating Gears and I went throw the box. It was slow going now, but we got it done. At five, I headed back to Ranger's office. I logged on and didn't some of the paperwork that was waiting for me.
'What are you still doing in the office Babe?' Ranger IM me. I looked at the clock and saw it was past 6.
'Making up for time that was taken up going to the stupid Doctor. There wasn't anything he told me that I didn't know. How did you sleep?' I asked him.
'Could have been better, what did the doctor have to say?'
'That I'm healed, but there might still be pain if I ever do for a while. Bobby just wanted to make sure.'
'That's what he's good for. I'm glad you're better. Are you going to go back into the field?'
'I haven't given it much thought really, I've been kind of busy today. I might, but I think I like where I'm at a little better. Would you mind if I didn't go back?' I asked him.
'Babe,'
'Alright, I have a question for you.'
'Anything'
'Whose Gears related to?' He took a few minutes to get back to me.
'He's my nephew and Lester's cousin. He's my oldest sister oldest kid. Why are you asking?'
'This afternoon he came in and told me he went out with friends to do something for his birthday. I asked him why he didn't take off the night of his birthday. He told me his mother would have his ass if he didn't show up for dinner. Then she would have his uncial's ass also. I asked but no one would tell me.'
'Because he doesn't want people to think I just hired him because he was family and got himself into trouble. He had to prove himself for me to hire him. The core team knows he's family.'
'But why wouldn't he want me to know. It's not like I would care either way. The fact he wouldn't tell me is the reason I wanted to know.'
'He wouldn't want you to know that I'm his uncle because he knows he did something wrong. Most then once I put word out that your mine. I'm also very protected over you. He might only work nights and with Hector, but when I set down a law I expect it to be followed. Plus, you and Hector are close. I'm surprised one of you don't just give up and learn what the other is saying.' I made a face.
'I'm really thinking about it, I hate that all you guys talk and I can't understand.'
'Don't ask Lester to help you. If you really want to learn I would ask Vince. He might be quiet, but he's a good teacher.'
'I guess I'll have to talk to him. We haven't talked about it and I really don't want to bring it up, but I want to know what's happening with Julia?' I asked him.
'I talked with Hunter and told him what you said. He's siding with you, right now he's working towards pushing the fact that Julia is living in a house that isn't welcoming. It's going to take some time and he thinks if I'm at home it might look better. My life is stable now.' He told me.
'You're going to leave her?'
'I'll still going to be watching over her and Roesa will always be there to take care of her. But Friday I will be flying back home. I need to make things look like I'm stable and able to take care of my daughter. With you in the office, Tank can take care of the field more. I need it to look like I'm just the business part of Rangerman.'
'But you really are, you might still go out sometimes but not all that much. Don't forget that you and Tank are partners. Ranger do you even have room for Julia?' I asked him.
'Yes, babe I do. Someday I'll show you what I'm talking about.' I just looked at the screen. This wasn't the first time he's something about a someday.
'Alright, did Hunter give you a time line? Do you know how long this will take?' I asked him.
'No, but we're hoping the fact that Rebecca is shipping Julia to Roesa that it will help my case. Julia has been spending more time at Roesa that at home.' He told me.
'Why does your Roesa live down there?'
'When my grandfather passed away, Roesa moved up there to be with her family. I still have a lot of family down here also. Just on my grandfather's side. She spends half her time up there and half down here. But she's didn't come up for the summer to be here for Julia.'
'how big is your family.'
'I have five sisters and one bother. For of my sisters and my bother are married with kids. The youngest sister isn't even trying to get married. She's a Doctor, and wants to get her life in order before she finds someone. My mother has 10 brothers and sisters. My father has 3 brothers. I could go on.' I read what he said. 'Babe?'
'That's a lot, where dose Lester all in there?" I asked him.
'His mother is my mother's little sister. My father was Cubin and his is Italian. We didn't really know each other, till we were both sent to Roesa to grow up. Because Roesa is getting older, Marco was handed off to me to make him grow up.'
'How did that work when you really only say one word at a time?' I asked him.
'Have I only been saying on word at a time. Babe you understand me, so I don't need to talk. I think I took that for vantage. I sat Marco down and told him what was what. For about six weeks he lived in Rangerman housing having to take care of himself and worked. He was watched closely and I stopped him before he tried to take off. He hated that I was always right there when he tried to leave. That was a few years ago, he's still in Rangerman housing, but still working there is his chose. His mama still makes him come home for dinner. But that was passed down from our mama. Once a mouth I show up, or try to show up.'
'No wonder you never gave me a hard time when I went home.'
'Just wait babe, mama will make you come also. Most the guys have to go and we all talk about you. Now that you're really part of the Rangerman family, Mama will expect us to bring you.'
'That wasn't anywhere in the contact.'
'Wait till you meet my Mama, she'll love you and I know you'll love her.'
'Ranger,'
'Babe, I won't make you. But from the time the guys meet you. My family knows all about you. If you ever want to go I know my Mama will invite you right in.'
'It wasn't always my fraught. Things just blow up around me.'
'Babe,'
'That's what people always remember. Fine I'll think about it. Now what else is going on with you?'
'I'm done cleaning up the mess here, I also talked to the core team here, and said they need to keep on top of everything. I came down mostly to spend time with Julia. Then I saw what was happening here. I understand because it's been crazy around here. But If Tank and I can take care of things there, they should be able to take care of things here.'
'Do you do that kind of thing a lot?'
'Just here in Miami. There are four partners in Rangerman. Miami was support to be my office.'
'Why didn't you go back?'
'I went to help Tank set up his office. My office was one of the first to go up. I've worked part time in both office. But when my contact came up, I've moved into the Trenton office. I put together a good team here to be able to take care of everything. I don't like finding out there not cut out for it.'
'Why didn't you go back Ranger?' I asked him again.
'Babe,' was all he said.
'Ranger,' I said back, I wanted a real answer.
'I stayed because I met someone I liked to be around. The guys there we're a tight team. But you Babe, made me rethink what I wanted. I stayed because I liked to be around you babe.' He told me.
'You weren't always around though.'
'You might not have seen it, but I was around babe.'
"Little girl what are you still doing down here?" Tank asked walking into the office. Then he saw what I was doing.
'Tank's here, he says hi.'
'Babe why did you let me keep you so long. It's almost nine.'
'Ya so, I've been cleared from the doctor. Don't worry so much. I feel fine and you chair doesn't hurt my back and I've been getting the rest of my work done while we've been talking. Why did you let me keep you so long?' I asked him right back.
"Did someone bring you dinner?" Tank asked me.
"Tank stop worrying about me, I'm not even hungry." I said and my stomach made a sound. He just looked at me.
'I'm still going to let you go, don't make me call Tank.' He used my words against me.
'Fine, I'll talk to you later. Bye Ranger.'
'Talk to you later babe,' He said and signed out. I logged off the computer and sat back.
"Tank I'm not the first person to have a baby. Going a few hours without eating will be fine. But now that I'm done, come have dinner with me." He followed me out.
"From being hurt though, you lost a lot of weight. We're just worried about you." I nodded to him. My pants still weren't fighting.
"Sorry I'll try and remember to eat." He grabbed the food and sat down with me at the table. "Ranger is coming back Friday."
"I know little girl."
"I don't know what I'm going to do, I suck at lying to him. I took over his office and house. On top of that, I'm going to have his baby and I don't know how to tell him or if I want to tell him. He has enough to deal with, with Julia." I told him.
"There will always be room for you in his life. You two and fight over the office and I don't think he'll mind you staying here. The rest will be up to you to talk to him about. We'll stay in the background and still watch over you. But not enough for him to notice. Bobby will make sure you take care of everything else and Ellea will make sure you take those pills when you need to. There shouldn't be anything for you to worry about?"
"I'll only be able to hid this so long. I watched my sister. She was hug."
"But you have all of us to carry you to the gym and Ellea to cook for you. Do you know in the last mouth you haven't touched anything with sugar? Ellea has brought you things, but you never touched them. That might be why you lose so much weight."
"This sucks, why does Ranger have to be a health nut. The next thing I won't even like pineapple upside down cake. Or I'll ask to eat a slide." He pointed down to my plate. I looked down and saw I was eating a slide. I hate Ranger, why did he have to pass that to the baby.
"That might tip him off instead of anything else. Little Girl you fight against eating healthy. Now anything Ellea makes you, you love and can't put down till your full. I went up to talk to her and she's known. Slowly she's been making better food and even stopped bring you coffee. I don't think you've even noticed."
"I did notice the coffee was gone, but the tea she started bring just smells so good." He smiled at me. "Everything smells and tastes better. But if I don't like Pineapple upside down cake I'm going to kill Ranger."
"You do that, Little girl. How are you doing with Hector?"
"Gears has moved onto the harder things and it's getting slower. But we're moving along. I'm learning a lot, but I just know what everything dose. I don't know how everything works. But I don't think I want to know. I think that would be boring."
"Never came to mind to try and teach you that. Hector has his own team to do that and we leave it alone. He's teaching you that, so you can meet with clients and help them get what they want. He liked what you did for Mrs. Blake. How do you fell about all this?"
"I like knowing I can really help. But I really need to learn Spanish. Ranger told me to talk to Vince, but I don't think he'll want to?"
"Talk to him, he really is a good teacher. He'll be paten and help you learn. He's in charge of the range because of that reason. Ask him," He told me. We caught up with work then I walked him out when I started getting tired.