Learning Eight

by Aelinn

My continuation of Seven Up, so spoilers up until that book, and perhaps a few for others. Rating for sex.

4. Part 4

Chapter Fifteen

The guys all had satisfied expressions, I guess because I hadn't fought them on the issue of having a bodyguard. They knew me well enough to know that I would have had the circumstances been normal. But this was normal for me now. I would never have just myself to think of again. There would always be someone else, and my decisions now had to be made with that in mind.

Nature was calling and I made to get up off the couch, but collapsed back onto it as the pain from last night reasserted itself. I didn't hurt when I was still and I'd been way too panicked earlier to pay it any attention, but now that I was calmer it was definitely clamouring for some attention. I hissed and one hand flew to my abdomen, pressing slightly in a futile attempt to relieve the pain.

'Steph? What's wrong?' Bobby asked, half rising to his feet and watching me with a concerned expression. I took a few deep breaths until the pain receded a little more and looked up at Bobby.

'I don't know. Last night… it hurts.' I closed my eyes and just tried to breathe as the pain faded again. I wasn't in any hurry to move, but the Merry Men had other ideas, unfortunately.

'You need to get checked out, Steph,' Bobby said softly but firmly. I didn't think I'd be able to argue this one. 'I don't know exactly what happened but it's probably serious. I asked you last night if there was any chance the skip hurt your baby and I would say there is a chance. You need to tell someone what he did to you so that they can check you're not seriously hurt. We can take you to the hospital-'

'No! I hate hospitals. I'm going to be spending enough time there in the next eight months. I don't need to increase it any.' Bobby sighed and came over to sit next to me. He turned my head to look at him and there was a very serious expression in his eyes.

'Think about this, Stephanie. You've obviously been hurt. You're pregnant. Apply the same logic to this as you did to having a bodyguard or moving in here. You don't want anything to happen to your baby. I'm not saying it has, but there is a chance something already happened. If you get it checked out now probably it won't develop into anything serious. If you leave it, it might. Do you really want to take that chance?'

I looked steadily at Bobby but his expression didn't waver. 'No, I don't,' I said eventually, very quietly. 'But I still hate hospitals. I know enough people at all the local ones that the news of my pregnancy would be all over the Burg before I left it. I can't deal with that. I want to tell people in my own time and my own way.'

Bobby relaxed and nodded, smiling slightly at me, causing me to relax, too. 'I understand that. There's a private medical facility we use when we don't want people asking questions. It's completely confidential, no one would find anything out from anyone who works there. Will you let us take you there?' I sighed, but figured I really did need to get checked out. It had hurt when I tried to get up.

'Fine. Let me get dressed first, though.'

'Why?' Bobby asked. 'You'll only need to take your clothes off again once you get there and those are just as easy as the next thing to take off. Do you really want to put jeans on if it hurts?' I sighed and rolled my eyes.

'I guess not. But I need the bathroom.' Bobby and Tank stood and I moved to follow them, but the pain hit again before I could, worse this time. I rested against Lester's chest, gasping slightly. I wasn't quite used to feeling pain in this spot. Lester slid an arm under my knees and before I knew what was happening he'd swept me into his arms and was on his feet. I yelped and threw my arms around his neck, feeling his chuckle vibrate in his chest.

He helped me into and out of the bathroom and then I was carried out of the apartment and downstairs to the garage. Tank had to stay behind and work but the other two had the time to come with me. Bobby drove us and like last night, Lester held me in the back snuggled up to his chest.

He tried to hold me still and stop the car from jerking me around but he couldn't stop all the jolts, and I cried out each time I was jolted too much. There wasn't anything to take my mind off the pain anymore since I'd put the whole pregnancy thing to the back of it to return to later.

It was about a half hour drive, out of Trenton and into a large gated complex with lots of low, small buildings. It didn't look like a hospital. The grounds were beautifully landscaped with lots of trees and benches in the shady areas. It looked nice, like it wouldn't be too hard to spend some time here, if it weren't for the fact that it was basically a hospital.

Bobby pulled the car into a parking lot and opened the door for Lester to lift me out. We headed towards what might have been the largest building but it was kind of hard to tell. Inside there was a high desk along one wall and lots of chairs, only a few with people actually sitting in them. There was a café in one corner and a small shop in another.

The receptionist looked up at us and grinned. 'Well well, if it isn't Bobby Brown,' she said, sounding as if she was about to tease him. 'How's that wrist of yours doing?' If I didn't know better I would have said Bobby was blushing. I looked up at Lester when I heard him snicker and he was grinning.

'He broke it skydiving. He tried to land on his head,' he informed me. I glanced at Bobby, who shifted uncomfortably, and burst out laughing. I calmed down quite quickly since it hurt and the boys sobered and turned to the receptionist.

'What is it this time?' she asked with a long-suffering tone. 'At least the two of you are in one piece. I assume the patient is the lovely lady here?' She glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. How come everyone can do that except me?

'Steph had a little… run-in with a skip last night,' Lester began, sounding as if he wasn't quite sure how much he should say.

'She's pregnant, and we need to check that the baby is alright after last night,' Bobby said bluntly. I grimaced. It didn't sound too good when he put it like that. He gave her my details and the receptionist nodded, her expression now as serious as the guys', and picked up a phone, dialing a short extension number.

'Someone will be with you as quickly as they can.' Bobby nodded and we settled into chairs to wait. Lester didn't put me down so I stayed on his lap, listening to his heart beat. I was nervous about what was going to happen and the steady rhythm comforted me.

It wasn't long before we were approached by a woman in a long white coat. She was quite young, maybe late twenties, with shoulder length red hair tied back in a simple pony tail. Her eyes were a light grey, but warm, not cold. She smiled as she approached, and her eyes widened slightly as she got a good look at Lester and Bobby.

'Hi, my name is Dr. Delmar, but call me Nessa. Everyone does. Stephanie Plum, correct? Let's get you checked out, if you'll follow me.' I smiled back as Lester rose gracefully to his feet. Nessa gave him a doubtful look. 'Are you sure you want him to come with us?' she asked.

'Seeing as how it's painful to walk right now, yes,' I answered. Nessa's expression turned concerned and she turned and led us down a corridor, Bobby following us as well. I was lost about three turns in, but eventually we stopped in front of a door with her name on it. Lester set me gently down on the examining table and stepped back.

'You want me to stay, Steph?' he asked quietly. I smiled at him and shook my head. I was pretty sure this wasn't going to be pleasant and I didn't really want him to get that intimately acquainted with me. 'We'll be right outside if you need us,' he assured me, before leaving with Bobby and closing the door quietly.

Nessa took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as she watched them leave. I grinned at her when she turned around. 'You should see their Boss,' I told her.

'Any chance he'll get down here?' she asked hopefully.

'No. He's not around at the moment.' Even I could hear that my voice had gone blank. Well, as blank as I could do.

'You got a problem with their boss?' she asked kindly, looking for something in her desk. I snorted.

'You could say that. I'm a little pissed at him right now.' Nessa evidently found what she was looking for because she put a piece of paper covered in writing on her desk, sat down and looked at me.

'Now, why don't you tell me why you're here and then we'll see what I can do.' I took a deep breath. I hadn't talked about this yet and I wasn't sure I wanted to. Then I thought of what Bobby had said. I had to do this for my baby.

'I was working last night. I was supposed to distract this guy and lead him out of a bar so that the guys could take him down. Unfortunately, I distracted him too well and we didn't make it outside. He took me into a storeroom and… he tried to…' I trailed off. There were tears pooled along my lower lids and my voice was shaking. Not to mention the rest of me.

'It's ok, Steph. Take your time. I know this is hard.' I nodded again and took another deep breath. I had to do this.

'He… he tried to rape me. The guys broke in and managed to stop it going quite that far, but he still…' I stopped again. I was not in the habit of discussing sex. Not that this was sex as such, but it was kind of the same thing. I didn't even get into the nitty gritty details with Mary Lou. I waved my hand as if that could explain everything.

'Steph, I understand that this is hard for you, but I need you to tell me what he did so I know what to be looking for. The other option is to just give you a complete physical.' I shuddered. I hated them with a passion. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be any different, and I liked Nessa. I closed my eyes and decided to just spit the words out.

'He was groping me and I'm pretty sure he bruised my breasts. They hurt, but they hurt because of the pregnancy anyway. He was… biting me, my throat and my breasts. He… two fingers… inside me. It hurt. A lot. Still hurts. In… out. The guys, they stopped it.' I wasn't sure how helpful that had been, it hadn't sounded particularly coherent to me, but I wasn't sure I could do better yet.

I opened my eyes and Nessa was smiling reassuringly at me. 'It's ok, that's what I needed to know. You can relax now. How far along are you?' she asked.

'Um, a month and a half, I guess. Something like that,' I replied. Nessa nodded, wrote something down and then got up. She looked at me for a minute and I couldn't tell what she was thinking.

'I need you to put this on and then lie down for me. I can leave the room if you'd like.' She handed me a white robe from a cupboard.

'What's the point? You're going to see everything anyway.' She smiled and shrugged slightly, turning away to let me change. I slipped off the table and staggered as the pain returned. I reached for something, anything to hold onto and was caught by slender arms. Nessa helped me to her chair and I just sat and tried to regain my breath. Damn. The pain was getting worse each time I tried to move.

'Do you want me to get one of those men to help you?' Nessa asked after a moment. I nodded, still gasping for breath. Nessa opened the door and Lester followed her in, looking concerned. He glanced at me and shot Nessa a glare.

'Steph?' I looked up at him. He crouched by my chair and looked at me. 'Are you alright?'

'I don't think so, Lester. Can you help me get into this? Nessa needs to examine me but I can't even stand up anymore.' Lester nodded and rose to his feet. He pulled my shirt over my head, swallowing as he tried to direct his eyes away from my chest.

'Does she need to take her bra off?' he asked Nessa in a slightly strangled voice. Nessa just nodded. Lester closed his eyes for a second and his jaw clenched, and then he stepped around the chair and undid the clasp. I blushed furiously as he gently pulled the straps down my arms and then wrapped the robe around me.

Just the bottoms left now, then. Lester wrapped one arm around my shoulders and helped me stand. I couldn't stand up straight without whimpering. Somehow, between the three of us, we got the sweats and my panties off and me settled on the table. Lester slipped out the door with a blank expression firmly in place.

Chapter Sixteen

Nessa made a thorough examination of me, poking and prodding in places I didn't even know existed. She disappeared for a while when she was done and came back wheeling in a very hi-tech looking device.

'This is an ultra-sound machine. I just want to check on the embryo to make sure everything's fine and then you're all done,' she told me. 'You need to pull the robe up so I can get to your belly.' I did as requested and jumped as the cold gel hit my skin. 'Sorry.' She grinned at me and I grunted.

It seemed to take an awfully long time for her to do the scan. I'd gone with Mary Lou for one of hers one time when Lenny couldn't make it, and it had only taken a few minutes before the nurse had printed out a picture and we were on our way. Nessa was looking at mine for a good twenty minutes.

'I just need to get a second opinion on this, I'll be right back,' she told me, getting up and heading out the door. I started to panic. These things were routine, she should know what she's looking at. If she needs a second opinion, then something must be wrong.

I started to hyperventilate. I was petrified. I didn't think I'd ever been so scared in my life. Something was wrong with my baby, and it had to be serious. Nessa might be young, but she had to be well qualified if she was working unsupervised in a place like this.

Nessa came back in with an older doctor in tow and noticed my panic immediately. 'Steph, calm down. I don't think anything's wrong, I just want to get a second opinion before I tell you something that I could be wrong about. You're in the very early stages of pregnancy so being able to tell anything from an ultra-sound is hard. There's nothing to worry about.'

It was alright for her to say, she wasn't having Ranger's baby! The second doctor took over without a word and scanned me several times, or what felt like it. I was tense and worried the whole time, scenario after horrible scenario going through my head. What if there was something wrong with the baby? What if it had been hurt last night? After another good ten minutes, she turned to Nessa and nodded.

'I think you're right,' she said, then turned back to me. 'As Nessa said, it is very hard to tell anything at this stage, but Nessa and I are almost certain you're having twins. There are two distinct shapes, and while one might be something else, I doubt it.'

I lay there and stared at the doctor in shock. Twins. I was having twins. I was freaked out enough about having one baby and now they tell me there's two! I was seriously doubting my ability to take care of one baby. How was I supposed to take care of two? I was still trying to process this information as the second doctor left and Nessa started to clean up the mess the gel had made.

'Do you want me to get Lester in here to help you dress, and then I can tell all three of you what's going on? Or would you rather they not know?' she asked when she'd finished.

'Um… they'll both want to know. Bobby is some kind of medic, I guess he'll be taking care of me when we get back, so that sounds fine.' Nessa nodded, tossed the towels she'd been using in the trash and stuck her head out of the door.

Getting dressed was a long and painful experience, but it was over eventually. I was sitting in Lester's lap on the examining table and Bobby was leaning against the wall while Nessa sat in her chair and looked at me.

'Right, Steph. The damage feels a lot worse than it is. It's a very sensitive area, so even the smallest thing feels a lot more painful than the same thing elsewhere and you're extra sensitive at the moment anyway because of the pregnancy. You're quite torn up and stretched and you've pulled some of the muscles, but it should heal just fine on its own. Your pregnancy is progressing normally, but I would recommend you make your first appointment fairly soon just to be sure that there are no lasting effects.

'I'm going to put you on bed rest for the next two weeks. There is to be absolutely no movement more than is necessary; bathroom and showers are all that's acceptable and only if one of these guys isn't around to carry you. After that time you should be pretty much healed although you should still be careful. No sex for at least six weeks.'

'That would be hard,' I muttered under my breath. Nessa smiled and Bobby smirked. I could feel Lester silently laugh and jabbed his ribs with my elbow.

'Do you have any questions?'

'Yeah. Can I come here during my pregnancy? I like you and I know that things will be confidential here. I wouldn't have any secrets if I went to any other local hospital.' I could see that I'd startled Nessa because her eyes widened and she stared at me. Bobby was staring at me too, but his expression was slightly more controlled. I couldn't see Lester's face.

'Um, if you're sure that's what you want.' She sounded rather hesitant. 'I have to tell you though, we don't get that many pregnancies here and I've never taken a woman through one before. I know all the theory of course, and I have all the qualifications, but it's just not the same as experience. There will be people around here to help, so if you're comfortable with them seeing you as well… I see no problem.' She smiled at me so I smiled back.

'I'm sure that will be fine, won't it Lester?' I felt him nod. 'Then I guess I don't have any other questions, except when am I coming for my first appointment?'

'I suggest you come again in two or three weeks, when you've healed and we can check that everything has gone back to normal. You should be able to make an appointment on your way out,' Nessa said. 'If you have any problems, don't hesitate to call me.' She handed me her card.

'I won't.' Lester carried me back out to the car. I fell asleep on the way back and only woke up as Lester was lifting me out. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my head sleepily on his chest, happy to be carried.

Instead of going back to Lester's apartment like I had assumed we would, I was carried into a large sitting room with about five couches and twice as many armchairs. I looked around in awe. There was a widescreen TV on one wall and a large fireplace with a gas fire on another. Lester settled me on one of the couches while I gazed curiously at him.

'Since you aren't allowed to do anything for yourself, you need to be somewhere that everyone can get to so that they help you when I'm busy. The only people who have access to my apartment are you, Bobby, Tank and me, unless someone uses the emergency code to override everything,' he explained. I guess that made sense.

Lester gave me a quick lesson with the TV and I was left to my own devices for a little while, with instructions to call someone if I wanted anything and under pain of death to not move anywhere on my own.

After I'd watched a couple of movies I was literally starving. I'd noticed my appetite had picked up in the last couple of weeks and now I knew why. I was eating for two now… no, three. Can't forget that.

Just as I was about to call someone to come feed me the door burst open and five guys walked in, laughing and joking amongst themselves. They stopped dead when they saw me and stared, with me staring right back. I didn't recognise any of them.

'Who are you?' I asked, resisting the urge to twist slightly to see them better. I knew it would hurt.

'Shouldn't we be asking you that?' the one at the front asked with a hard voice. I narrowed my eyes at him and would have put my hands on my hips if I had been standing up. I opened my mouth to reply but Bobby burst in before I could. He noticed the obvious hostility in the guys I was still glaring at.

'Shit, I should have known this would happen. Guys, this is Steph, she's staying with us for a while.' One of the guys raised an eyebrow. 'Lester's apartment, and no, they're not involved,' Bobby replied. 'Steph, meet Luc, Finch, Slade, Ray and Archer.' He indicated each one in turn.

Archer and Slade were twins, identical ones. They had skin a few shades darker than Ranger's and dark brown hair with eyes the same colour. Luc was just a couple inches shorter than Tank and had wavy blonde hair slightly longer than a buzz cut and deep blue eyes. Finch was a red head, but not bright red, more a subdued ginger-brown colour with grey eyes. Ray had skin paler than mine, light brown hair and hazel eyes. They were all very built, but I'd expected that.

'Bobby?' He turned his eyes to me, waiting. 'Any chance of some food? I'm starving.' Bobby glanced at his watch before looking back at me apologetically.

'Oops, sorry Bombshell. We were working on a case and forgot the time. Guess you're even more hungry than normal now you're eating for two, huh?' he asked, heading towards the kitchen area that was in one corner of the room.

'Three,' I corrected, then could have slapped myself. They didn't know I was having twins yet. Bobby froze, as had the rest of the guys when they realised I was pregnant. He turned very slowly to look at me.

'There something you forgot to mention?' he asked carefully. I blushed and dropped his gaze.

'I guess. Nessa did an ultrasound while she was checking me over. That's what she brought the other doctor in for, she wasn't sure what she was seeing. But they're pretty sure. I'm having twins, Bobby. Ranger's twins.' I studied my hands. I hadn't really had a chance to sort through all the emotions of the past couple of weeks yet, everything had happened so fast.

I didn't hear Bobby move until he settled on the couch next to me. 'It'll be ok, Steph. We're all here for you. Ric has a lot of explaining to do when he gets back, but I don't think you'll have much of a problem. Tank, Lester and I are all on your side.' I nodded and tried to swallow the tears. Thankfully, I was successful. I hate crying, even more with an audience. 'Let me fix you something to eat.' He started to get up to head to the kitchen.

'I wouldn't let him do that if I were you,' one of the twins told me, stopping Bobby's movement.

'Why?' A slow smile spread over his face and I started to get a little warm.

'Because he can't cook for shit,' the other twin told me. 'We never let him be camp chef. Not after the first time.'

'What did he do?' I asked curiously. Bobby groaned and fell back against the cushions, his eyes shut.

'Don't tell her. Please don't tell her,' he said. Five smiles widened.

'He set fire to his eyebrows. And then he panicked, and set fire to all of our underwear, which was hanging over the fire to dry.' Bobby groaned again and I burst out laughing. I stopped quite quickly. It hurt. Bobby sat up and looked at me, concerned again.

'Steph?' he asked. I smiled tightly at him.

'I'm fine. Laughing just hurts a little, that's all. Guess I really do have to stay in bed, huh?' I asked, trying to joke. I hate being cooped up. Bobby smiled slightly but his eyes were still serious as he nodded. I sighed. 'Fine. So who can cook for shit around here? Because I am eating for three people and I'm about to eat the couch.'

There were a lot of chuckles for that, and Ray got up and headed to the small kitchenette. Not long after that delicious smells were emanating from it and I was even more hungry. Tank came in then and settled down on the other side of me from Bobby. The TV was on quietly, the guys were talking and I was feeling quite comfortable, apart from my stomach. It was still begging for food.

Lester came in with a duffel bag that he put at the end of the couch I was sitting on just as Ray served the food up. There was enough for everyone, and the room fell quiet except for the sounds of the TV while we ate. I asked for seconds and got them from a grinning Tank. I glared at him.

When I was finished, I stretched gingerly. I was exhausted, I needed the bathroom and I wasn't allowed to walk to it. 'Um, Lester,' I said quietly. He looked over at me, one eyebrow raised. 'I need the bathroom.' He just nodded with a blank expression and picked me up, carrying me to a door in the far corner of the room. He deposited me on the toilet and I did my business, managing to hobble the two feet to the sink and wash my hands.

I opened the door when I was finished and a grinning Lester was holding out a little strappy top and a pair of panties.

'Thought you'd be more comfortable sleeping in these than in what you're wearing now,' he told me. I blushed and took them from him, mumbling a thanks.

Lester carried me back out when I was changed and I stared. One of the couches had been pulled out into a sofa bed and was made up with sheets and pillows. All the guys except Bobby and Tank had disappeared. Lester placed me gently on one side of the sofa bed and began to strip. When he was down to his boxers – thank God he was wearing them – he climbed in the other side. I heard murmured voices but I was too close to sleep to understand.

Chapter Seventeen

When I woke I knew I was alone in the bed. There was a big, cold, empty gap next to me. I groaned and tried to roll over, giving up quickly when pain shot through my abdomen and lower. Memory returned and I gasped.

Images flashed before my eyes, quickly, but not so quickly that I couldn't see them properly. Ranger in my bed. Kinelli on top of me with his knife to my throat. Tank telling me to take Ranger's truck. Daniel punching me in the stomach. And then Mike. Everything he'd done to me. Every touch, every word. The absolute terror. Then taking the test. Mary Lou's. The guys. Nessa. Twins. Twins.

Someone touched my cheek gently, and I jumped. I opened my eyes and it was one of the twins from last night. I don't know which one. Probably I wouldn't be able to tell them apart even if I was told which was which now.

'It's ok, honey. Don't cry. Everything's gonna be ok.' I nodded absently and reached up to wipe the tears away. I needed to get some serious thinking done soon so that I could deal with everything that had happened and stuff couldn't sneak up on me like this. I had to get in some sort of control over my emotions. Denial's pretty great, but I had a feeling stuff this big would find some way of sneaking up on me when I wasn't expecting it.

'I'm all right,' I said, looking up into his dark eyes. 'Thanks.' He nodded at me and rose to his feet, turning to settle back into one of the chairs. 'Any chance of some food? I'm starving.' A slow smile curved his lips.

'Sure.' He disappeared from my view and returned with a familiar white pastry bag and a mug of coffee. 'Lester picked these up for you,' he said as he handed the bag to me. I opened it and there were several Boston Crèmes inside. I moaned as I tasted the first sugary goodness. They were gone in record time and I looked mournfully at the empty bag, wishing there were more.

Nature started to call as I drank the coffee. It was bad enough when Lester had to carry me to the bathroom but at least I knew him some and he'd seen me naked when he had to help me change. I didn't know whichever twin it was with me now at all and Lester wasn't around.

'Problem?' he asked as he sat back down after tossing the pastry bag away. I blushed bright red and hid in my coffee cup. 'Tell me. Tank told me to take care of you, get you anything you wanted and he'll have my ass if I don't.'

I glanced back up, slightly surprised. Anything I wanted? Hmm. I could use this… but right now I had more pressing issues. 'I, um… I need the bathroom,' I said in a very small voice. I wasn't looking directly at the guy but I swear he blushed too.

Without a word he picked me up and carried me towards the bathroom. He put me gently down on top of the toilet and walked out. As I had last night, I managed to hobble the two feet to the sink to wash my hands when I was done, and the movement wasn't quite as painful as it had been yesterday. It was still a bitch, but I noticed it had lessened somewhat.

I opened the door and the twin was waiting outside for me. 'Which one are you?' I asked, my voice a little exasperated. He flashed me a grin as he picked me up again.

'Slade. Archer's hair is longer, slightly.' I smiled. I think I like this guy. He set me back on the bed that was a couch again and picked up the remote to the TV.

We watched a couple of movies. Tank, Bobby and Lester came in several times to check on me and Slade was replaced with Luc for an hour or so while I ate lunch. Slade had told me he was going to the gym to kick his brother's ass. I zoned out halfway through the first movie and I don't even know what the second one was. I had some serious thinking to do.

There was a big mix of emotions when I thought about my baby. Well. Babies. Mostly, I was petrified. I found it hard to take care of a hamster, how the hell was I supposed to take care of a child? Much less two! I didn't know the first thing about caring for babies. They were cute when they weren't yours and they were asleep but I really didn't know much else.

But I wasn't just scared. There was a quiet but spreading sense of absolute joy. Joy that I was going to be a mother. In some part of my mind I'd always wanted to be, it had just been 'in a few years…' and now it was 'in a few months.' I guess the panic I'd felt when I'd thought there might be something wrong was a big clue to the happiness I felt.

I was hurt, too. Hurt because Ranger had slept with me and walked out, leaving me to deal with this on my own. Hurt because I wanted him with me, to help me through my pregnancy and to be by my side, just to experience it with me. I was sad that he wasn't going to be, although I supposed that for all I knew he could turn up tomorrow.

I looked up as the credits started to roll and knew that it was time to tell my family that I was pregnant. My emotions were still all over the place but hopefully now that I knew what most of them were they couldn't surprise me. I didn't like surprises. Lester came up just as I was thinking about asking to talk to him.

'How are you feeling now, Steph?' he asked, settling next to me on the couch. I turned and looked at him while I considered my answer. It was still painful when I moved but not quite so much and my emotions were somewhat more settled than they had been, or at least less unexpected now.

'Better, thanks.' Lester smiled. 'Uh… I don't know whether Bobby or someone else told you, but you should probably know…' I glanced away from him and trailed off. This was quite a big bombshell to drop but there wasn't really any way to do it gently.

'What is it, Steph?' Lester asked quietly. I glanced at him and quickly away. His expression was gentle.

'I, uh… I'm not just pregnant, Lester,' I managed to get out. 'I'm… I'm having twins.' I waited a moment and snuck another glance at Lester. If it had been anyone else I would have said he was shocked but the Merry Men don't really do shocked. Or at least, they don't show it.

'Twins,' Lester murmured. 'You're having twins.' It sounded like he couldn't quite believe it. I couldn't blame him. I wasn't sure the fact had really sunk into me yet either. And I was the one having them! 'I… I don't really know what to say, Bombshell. I don't have much experience with kids.'

'Suffice it to say that two are more than double the work of one,' I muttered. 'Especially when they're twins.' Lester put his arm around me.

'It'll all be ok, Steph,' he said. 'Besides, you've got a whole company of babysitters right here!'

'You volunteering for the four in the morning feed, then?' I asked. Lester shuddered.

'If that's what you need,' he said. I glanced up at him, surprised. He shrugged. 'They're going to be my nephews or nieces. I'll help however I can, especially since my brother's not here to do it.' I guess he was pretty close to Ranger. I wouldn't have done the same for Valerie. Or maybe I would. 'Is there anything you need at the moment?'

'Um, I need to tell my parents and a couple others that I'm pregnant. I can't go out, so… would they be able to come here?' I wasn't sure whether they would. I knew that security was important.

'I think that could probably be arranged. Let me check with Tank, ok?' I nodded and Lester left the room. He appeared with Tank a few minutes later. Slade turned the TV off as they sat down.

'Lester says you want some people to come here so that you can tell them you're pregnant,' Tank began. I nodded but didn't say anything. 'Who do you want to come, Bombshell?' he asked.

'My parents, Grandma Mazur,' Lester and Tank shuddered and I grinned, 'Mary Lou already knows so she doesn't need to come, I can tell Lula and Connie over the phone… but I want to tell Joe in person and before he can find out from someone else.' Tank's expression was dark but not quite as dark as Lester's. 'I know you probably don't like him but we were in a relationship for a couple of years and it only ended recently. It wouldn't be fair to him if he found out from anyone else. I'm not going to go back to him and I don't still love him that way. But he is a friend, and I do owe him this.'

'I suppose that's fair,' Tank said after a small silence. 'If everyone you want to come is free, can you do it this afternoon or do you want more time?'

'This afternoon should be fine. My mother will worry if I don't talk to her soon anyway. Could you phone them for me? I'll probably give away more information than I want to.' Tank nodded. 'Thanks.' He smiled at me and left, I guess to go phone people. I sighed and sat back to wait. This was going to be a fun afternoon.

Tank reappeared twenty minutes later with an unreadable expression. I wondered what had happened on the phone.

'Your family and Joe will be here in about an hour,' Tank said as he sat down.

'Do I have time to have a shower, then? It's been nearly two days. I think it's time I get clean. Especially if my mother is coming.' I muttered the last sentence under my breath but from Lester's snicker it wasn't quiet enough. I glared at him. 'You can help me shower for that, Santos,' I informed him. His blank face slammed down and cut his amusement off.

'Uh… is that really necessary?' he asked, shifting uncomfortably.

'Considering I can't stand up on my own, yes.' I was glad Lester had pissed me off. I could hide my embarrassment behind it, at least for a while. Lester shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. His blank face was still firmly in place as he nodded.

'Right. Let's go.' He picked me up and carried me out of the common room. I guessed we were going to his apartment since the bathroom in the common room didn't have a shower. We stopped outside his door. 'Can you put the code in?' he asked. I stared at him.

'Maybe if you tell me what it is,' I snapped. Lester blinked at me, then leant down and whispered the code in my ear. I put it in and pushed the door open for him and then wished I hadn't because it hurt.

Lester carried me straight into the bathroom and put me down on the toilet. 'I'll just grab some clothes for you,' he said as he disappeared again. I raised my eyebrows when he came back in. He was carrying about the only pair of sweats I owned, a big t-shirt and some of my sexier underwear, along with a bag that looked like it contained my toiletries.

'Did you have fun going through my underwear drawers?' I asked. I could have sworn he blushed but he didn't answer me. He put the clothes in a neat pile on the back of the toilet, the contents of the bag in the shower and helped me to stand up.

He helped me undress with brisk but gentle hands and carefully kept his eyes averted. He adjusted the water and I dug my heels in when he tried to get us both into the shower. 'Don't you think it would be fair if you were naked, too?' I asked. I was still hiding behind anger although it was fading rapidly.

Lester glanced at me. I don't know what he saw on my face but whatever it was made him put me back on the toilet and quickly strip his own clothes off. I wondered whether that had really been a good idea now that I could see him. I knew Lester was hot; his clothes didn't do a great job of hiding his body. But knowing that and seeing it were two totally different things.

Chapter Eighteen

I kept my mouth shut as we got in the shower this time. Luckily it was a double one and we both fit… just about. It might be double, but that's double for a normal person not double for a man with almost as many muscles as Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lester's not quite as broad-chested as Ranger but it's close.

Lester stood behind me with his hands on my hips as I braced myself against the wall. I stood for a minute and let the water pour over my body. It felt good to be clean, or on the way to clean. I grabbed the shower gel and washed the front of my body with one hand as Lester held me up.

'Could you wash my back?' I asked him. He took the shower gel and I braced my other hand against the wall as well. Leaving one hand on my hip Lester washed my back. It was almost a sensual experience, but he was just slightly too rough for that. 'I'm going to have to turn around to wash my hair, or you're going to get shampoo in your face,' I said when I'd rinsed the soap off.

Lester helped me carefully turn around. I saw him swallow when he looked down at me and he glanced quickly away. I kept my eyes very firmly fixed on his face. He handed me the shampoo and I put a healthy glob in my hand and dropped it again. 'Hold on tight,' I told him. He nodded sharply.

Blushing, I reached up and started to wash my hair. Lester closed his eyes as the blush rose up his neck and into his cheeks. When I was finished I took an automatic step back to wash the shampoo out and pulled myself out of Lester's hands. I cried out as I almost fell but Lester caught me, pulling me against his body as his arms wrapped around me. I swallowed as something hard poked into my belly.

'Ignore it, ciela,' he said softly. I swallowed again and we moved back together so I could rinse my hair. We repeated the process, minus the almost-fall, with the conditioner and I was almost done.

I wanted to shave but I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to. Not my legs, anyway. If Lester held me tight enough I might manage my armpits but there was no way I would be able to bend down and do my legs.

'Um,' I started, with no idea what I was going to say.

'What is it, Steph?' Lester asked quietly.

'I want to shave, but I can't bend down to my legs,' I said in a rush. There was silence for a moment.

'Do you want me to do it?'

'Uh… if you don't mind…'

'You'll have to tell me what to do, but I don't mind. I'm not used to shaving legs,' he told me. I almost giggled as a picture of Lester shaving his legs popped into my head. I was glad I didn't because I knew it would hurt.

I braced myself against the wall again as Lester got the appropriate things. I quickly shaved my armpits then told Lester what to do. Tentatively, he started spreading the shaving gel on my legs. I tried to ignore where his head was.

'Now just bring the razor up my legs. It needs a little pressure but not too much.' Lester did as told and I twisted my legs so he could reach the sides. He had to move around me to do the backs. 'Shit, Lester, that hurts! Please try and leave my skin intact.'

'Sorry Steph,' he mumbled.

'It's ok, even I cut my knees sometimes. They're the hardest part. Bleed like a bitch, too.' Lester chuckled and I was happy he'd finally relaxed. It had been the tensest shower I'd ever had.

Lester had to help wash the gel off. That was embarrassing. And then it was finally over. Lester helped me out of the shower and I started to drip all over his bathroom floor.

'Hold onto me so I can grab a towel,' he said in a low voice. I put my hands on his shoulders and tried not to giggle as he pointedly looked elsewhere than at me. We dried and dressed and Lester carried me out of the bathroom. I shut the apartment door behind us and we turned around to see my parents, Grandma Mazur – with a gleeful smile – and Joe being escorted into the common room.

'Stephanie Plum! Don't you have legs? Are you incapable of walking anywhere?' my mother demanded. I could tell she was working herself up to a good rant. I hadn't called her in a while and, except for when she'd dropped the test off, I hadn't seen her in a while either.

'At the moment, Mrs Plum, Stephanie is on complete bed rest and not allowed to walk anywhere, no,' Lester broke in with a firm voice. My mother nearly gaped at him but straightened her spine and marched through the door Tank was holding open. He had a blank face carefully in place though it flickered when my grandma walked past him.

Lester settled me into a corner of the couch and took the place next to me himself. I shot him a grateful look.

'Um, this is really something I need to tell Joe alone,' I started. I really didn't want an audience for this conversation. It wasn't going to be particularly pleasant. My mother sniffed and marched back out, my father dutifully following her. I gave Grandma a pointed look and she left reluctantly. 'It'll be fine, Lester, but I need to do this alone,' I said when he didn't move. He left grudgingly.

'Why are you on bed rest, Cupcake?' Joe asked, his concerned face making an appearance as he came to sit next to me. I waved a hand in the air.

'That's not important right now,' I said, dismissing it. 'I needed to tell you this in person, Joe. You're… not going to like it.' I stopped. I didn't really want to have this conversation but I knew it was necessary.

'What is it? It can't be that bad.' I nearly laughed but held it in.

'Uh, there's really no way to break this gently… Joe, I'm pregnant.' He just looked at me for a minute, completely stunned. 'With twins.' His jaw dropped. He shook his head a moment later and shut it, but he was still staring at me.

'Uh, I don't really know what to say. I wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't this. What do you want to do, Cupcake?'

'Do? I'm not going to do anything. There's nothing I can do.'

'But don't you want to get married? Make a proper family?' Oh crap. I looked away from him and he fell silent.

'Uh… they're um, they're not… not yours, Joe,' I whispered. I couldn't look at him so I watched out of the corner of my eye. He went white, then red, then leapt up off the couch.

'Then whose are they? You can't know yet unless it was while we were still together! How could you cheat on me?' His voice had steadily risen until he was yelling. The door burst open and Lester and Tank appeared. Joe was too wrapped up in his anger to see them. 'Who was it? I thought we had something! We were engaged, and you were out screwing around with some cornuto!'

'Careful who you insult, Morelli,' Lester said darkly. Morelli whirled to look at him. 'Ric's my brother and you'll find that I can defend him just as well as he can defend himself if you push me far enough.'

'It was Manoso? Even-'

'Shut up, Joe!' I yelled as loud as I could. He turned to stare at me. 'Just listen to me. I would never ever cheat on anyone. Not even the Dick, who cheated on me! I slept with Ranger after I broke up with you. Maybe not long after, but it was still after. I'm only a month and a half pregnant.

'And if you ever call Ranger something that dirty again you might find yourself on the wrong end of a Buick again… or something even worse. You know I have enough friends that I can make your life hell. Don't think I'll hesitate to do it. I thought that because of what we used to be to each other you deserved to hear this from me instead of the Burg, but I guess I was wrong. Tank, could you please ensure that he leaves the building and I don't want to see him again until he's calmed down.'

'Sure, Steph.' Morelli looked at Tank as though he thought about arguing about it, but you'd have to be a lot bigger than Morelli to seriously consider arguing with Tank. They left. I sighed and relaxed.

'Lester, could you ask my parents to come back in please?' I sounded tired and I closed my eyes for a moment.

'Stephanie, what were you arguing with Joe Morelli about? You know he's a very nice boy to put up with everything you put him through-'

'Mom, please. I have some news for you, maybe you should sit down.' I opened my eyes as my parents settled on the couch across from me. Grandma got swallowed up by one of the massive armchairs. My mother looked expectantly at me. I took a deep breath. 'I'm pregnant.'

'Well, you'll have to marry Joe now,' mom said. I glanced at Lester but he wasn't helpful. I looked back at my parents.

'They're not Joe's,' I said quietly. Grandma Mazur cackled. My mother made an impatient gesture.

'Well? Whose is it, then?' she demanded. I took a deep breath. I let the breath out again. I just couldn't say it.

'Whose is it, angel?' my dad asked. I turned to look at him. He was wearing a politely vacant expression, but I was beginning to think he used it somewhat like Ranger did his stone face.

'They're that hot bounty hunter's, aren't they?' Grandma demanded eagerly. I could see the glint in her eyes even from where I was sitting. I nodded slowly.

'Yes. They're Ranger's.'

'That's the second time you've said 'they', Stephanie,' my mom said.

'I know. I'm not having one baby. I'm having twins. Probably. I'm only a month and a half pregnant so it's very hard to tell. The doctor got a second opinion on it but they both think there's two.' I studied the floor. I didn't want to admit to anyone how scared I was of having twins. Especially since Ranger wasn't here.

'Are you pleased?' mom asked. I glanced at her.

'Of course she's pleased!' Grandma interjected. 'Anyone would be pleased if they'd slept with him! And just think how beautiful their babies will be!' Mom turned to glare at her, but actually Grandma was pretty right. Not that I was going to admit that to my mother, of course.

'Yeah, I think so. It was unexpected and I'm not really sure what to do, but I think I'm glad.' She smiled at me.

'You know where we are if you ever need any help,' she said. 'How about you tell us why you're on bed rest now?' I looked away again.

'I was… working,' I began. 'The skip got a little rough with me and I got hurt. It's not bad, but because of the pregnancy the doctor didn't want me doing anything until I've healed. It's only for two weeks, then I've got another check up to ensure that everything's still fine. She said there shouldn't be any ill effects once I've healed.'

'I'm glad you're going to be ok,' mom said after a moment. I smiled.

'We're all going to be fine. I've moved into this building but I still have my cell phone so you can call me on that.' I didn't want to explain that I was living with Lester. I thought that might be a bit much for my mother. I saw Lester's lips twitch but fortunately he didn't comment.

'We'll take good care of her, Mrs Plum. You don't need to worry about anything. The twins are going to be my nieces or nephews, so I have a bigger interest than the rest of the men in making sure Stephanie is fine,' Lester added to my parents.

'Thank you,' my mom said. 'Stephanie, we have to be going now. I'll call you tomorrow and you should come for dinner when you're off bed rest.'

'Sure mom.' Lester showed them out and I relaxed. I was glad that I'd told them. It hadn't gone as well as I'd hoped with Joe but at least my parents had been pretty accepting, even of the fact that they were Ranger's. All that was left now was for him to come back.

'Why are you crying, ciela?' I opened my eyes and looked up at Lester. He was blurry from the tears. He sat next to me and lifted me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

'I wish Ranger would come back,' I whispered against his neck. 'It's not right that he's not here for all of this. Even if he doesn't want them, even if he doesn't want me, he should be a part of this.'

'I know, and I can promise that he'll answer to me for not being here when he does get back. But I can't make him come back if he doesn't want to. I don't even have any idea where he is; neither does anyone else.' I let Lester hold me until my stomach rumbled and it was time to feed the hunger beast.

Chapter Nineteen

(Diego's POV)

'Is Cap always like this?' Ben asked me. I looked at him, across the table from me, and then over at Ric. He was sitting on his own, like he always did, and just looking at his food before occasionally forcing himself to eat a bite.

'No. He's always reserved but I've never known him to be like this before. He won't tell me what's wrong either, so I can't help him. But I do know that it won't affect the job, he's too much of a professional. You don't need to worry about him, that's my mother's job.' Ben chuckled, as I'd hoped he would, and left the subject alone.

It wasn't just my mother that was worried about Ric. I hadn't spoken to her since before I'd found him because I knew she'd want to talk to him and he wouldn't want to talk to her. But I was worried about him, as well. He never talked much, but he was completely silent now unless he was barking orders in the training.

The training was going well. We'd only been here for two weeks but I could already see that we had a good team. The chances of our success and survival scared me when I allowed myself to think about them, so I didn't, but I did think that we might be able to get out with most of us alive. Ric was a damn good Commander and we had a damn good team. I just had to hope it would be enough.

I'd tried a couple more times to get Ric to talk to me but he just ignored me. I had no idea what his problem was. I sighed as I watched him carry his less than half empty plate back to the hatch and walk out of the dining hall. He was barely keeping himself alive, it was like he just couldn't be bothered anymore and was only doing this because his sense of honour was so strong.

I finished the rest of my dinner and hurried after my brother, hoping that this time, he might open up to me. I had to keep trying. He'd kill himself sooner or later, and I suspected that that's what he really hoped for on the mission. He'd done plenty of reckless shit in his time in the Army but he'd never actually gone looking for death. I had a feeling that had changed and I wanted to know why.

I opened his door without knocking to find him lying on his bed, arms behind his head and his eyes closed.

'Go away, Diego,' he said without opening them. I ignored him and sat on the single chair in the room.

'I'm not going away until you tell me why you have death in your eyes,' I told him. He grunted. 'What the hell are you running from? A job gone wrong? Revenge against you? Something that happened to you? Something you feel responsible for? A woman?' Nothing got a reaction. 'Ric, you can't just go out into that jungle without caring whether you come back. There are too many people that care about you.'

I sat there for another few minutes but there was no response. I knew he wasn't asleep but he obviously didn't want to talk. I sighed and got up. 'I wish you'd tell me,' I murmured as I left the room. I closed the door softly behind me and walked down the corridor to my own room. My cell was lying on the table and I thought maybe I should tell my mother and Tank that I'd found him. Probably I could persuade them he didn't want to talk.

'Hola,' my mother said.

'Hola, mamá, he encontrado Ricardo.' As I knew it would, this statement set of a stream of rapid Spanish and yelling in the background.

'What happened? Is he all right? Where are you? Why hasn't he called us? When is he coming home, Diego? Tell him that I'm ashamed of him, just running off like that without telling his family. We've been worried sick about him and he didn't have five minutes to pick up the phone and tell us he's fine?'

'Mamá, hush,' I said. 'Nothing's happened to him, he's fine. I can't tell you where we are, one of his markers has been pulled in and we're training for a job. I'll only be able to call you for another few weeks and we'll be gone for several months.'

'And why hasn't he called to tell us himself?' she asked imperiously. I sighed again. She wasn't going to like this.

'He doesn't want to talk to anyone,' I told her. 'He won't even talk to me. I don't know why he left Trenton and he won't tell me. Something happened, something that made him get very drunk but even then he wouldn't tell me. I'm doing what I can, mamá, but he's not letting me help.'

'Hmph. I raised him better than that.'

'I know. I'm sure whatever it is will work itself out if we give him time. There's not much else we can do.'

'This isn't going to affect your job, is it?' she asked. I hesitated. I didn't want to tell her the truth, but I couldn't lie, either, and she spotted evasion miles away.

'Not his performance, no. He's fine with the training, that's the only time he says anything. I don't have any doubts about this distracting him.'

'What do you have doubts about?' Damnit, I was hoping she wouldn't ask that.

'His desire to come back alive,' I said quietly.

'Then you just make sure he does, Diego. I don't care if you have to drug him, drag him or even half-kill him but you make sure my baby comes back alive.' Her voice was determined but I could hear the tears in it. I took a deep breath.

'I will, mamá. I will.'

I called her for the last time about six weeks later, just before we were due to leave. Ric still hadn't opened up to me and hadn't changed at all. He did what was required and nothing more. He'd just walked out of the base four hours ago and I could only assume he'd be back in time to leave in another three.

'We're leaving in a few hours, mamá,' I said when she picked up. 'I won't be able to call again until we get back.'

'How long will you be?' she asked.

'A guess is four months, but it depends on the situation we find. It could be longer. I don't want you to worry about us.'

'I always worry, my son,' she said. 'Take care of Ricardo and bring him safely back.'

'I'll try, but mamá… there's only a ten percent chance we'll succeed, and only five percent chance that any of us will survive this.' She drew her breath in sharply and when she spoke again her voice was wobbly and I could hear the tears. I wished I didn't have to tell her this.

'I don't care. You just make sure he comes back, Diego. He's my first son. I want you both to come back.'

'I'll try, mamá. I'll try.'

I wiped the tear off my cheek and checked my gear, then headed over to Ric's room to check his. He still wasn't back. I wondered what he was doing. I'd just finished when he walked in. His eyes were red rimmed but I decided not to mention it. It might just spark the temper he usually kept under tight wraps but which had started to escape in the last few weeks.

'You're all set,' I told him quietly. I didn't mention my conversation to our mother for the same reasons. I didn't know what would set him off and I really didn't have the time to fight him right now.

He nodded his thanks and gathered up his kit. He waited outside my room while I gathered mine and we left the building in silence together. It was time to leave.