Today...is my 24th Birthday! 8D and what better way to celebrate than by putting up a new chapter :3 Here you go, ENJOY

Disclaimer is in the first chapter, ain't no body got time for that

WARNING: Emotional chapter, I had to wipe some tears off my screen and mild drug use.

ENJOY!

A Healing Hand

The Hospital

"I had a wonderful day, Ranger," Stephanie said softly, grabbing Ranger's hand, "Thank you for taking me to Point Pleasant."

"Anything for you, Babe," Ranger said as the couple walked down the beach, the sun setting over the beach, "I just want it to be a day we both remember."

Stephanie leaned against Ranger and said in a weak voice, "Ranger, I'm not dying tonight, I mean, we're all dying, it's just, I'm just dying at a quicker pace."

Ranger tried to see the humor in Stephanie's joke, but he couldn't. It was true, the cancer inside of Stephanie was killing her quickly. Ranger had obtained her doctor's phone number and had asked her how long Stephanie had, if she didn't get the cancer treated.

She had told him less than four months.

It had felt as though Ranger had swallowed a heavy stone. Four months of life left, if they couldn't get rid of the cancer that was ravaging his Babe's body. It might be even less than that. Ranger wanted to make sure that Stephanie got the best treatment. He wouldn't leave her bedside, he'd work from a laptop, or make Tank run Rangeman. it was just a business, all the men knew that Stephanie came before anything.

Ranger didn't want Stephanie to dwell on the fact that she would be spending a long period of time in the hospital. He wanted to make sure that she had good memories, before she went in. They woke up early, lounging in the bed until around 10. Ranger got up and then made her chocolate chip pancakes and chocolate milk shakes. A breakfast Ranger would never make, but he'd do anything for Stephanie.

After breakfast they lounged in the bed for a bit. Before Ranger and Stephanie got ready for the day and spent a half hour deciding what the two would do for the day. Stephanie said she wanted to spend her last day of no hospitals at Point Pleasant. Ranger obliged and together they spent the day at the beach, riding the rides on the boardwalk, eating junk food, (For Stephanie, he's burn down the temple,) And then spent the day playing in the waves and having a intimate dinner on the beach.

Ranger turned to Stephanie and said softly, "Don't say that Babe, we'll find a way, I know we will, you can beat this-"

"That's what you all keep saying," Stephanie said turning to Ranger, "I'll beat it! You don't know that, with only a five percent chance of survival?! It hurts, Ranger, I'm taking four horse pills just to function at 50 percent, I'm so tired, Ranger, I just want to fall on the beach right now, and go to sleep. I loved what you cooked me, but I couldn't keep it down. You heard me, in the restroom. Please, please, just stop saying I'll beat it, I-I'm really getting sick and tired of that mantra, it's not nice to place false hope into anyone, me included."

Ranger's mouthed tightened with emotion and he said, in a tight voice, "It's not false hope, Stephanie, I know you have it in you, I know you do."

"Please," Stephanie said with a sob, "Please, Ranger, it's my last night, before I go off to Princeton, I don't want to think about cancer, death, any of it, I just want to enjoy it with you, please, stop talking about it."

Stephanie gripped Ranger's hand and said, "Besides, why think about something so bleak, when the Atalantic ocean is calling our name. and it's only three feet away from where we stand?"

Ranger nodded his head and said, "Come on Babe, let's go play in the waves, one more time."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie turned on her side, watching Ranger dry his wet hair, a small black towel wrapped around his waist. She really shouldn't be surprised that Ranger had a beach house here at Point Pleasant, she would have been surprised if he didn't have one. It was a small house, with only three bedrooms and three bathrooms, which were all situated on the second floor. The main floor was an open floor plan with the kitchen, living room and dining room all in one big area. It was furnished in the standard Ranger color scheme; black, but to Stephanie, it felt like another home. It really didn't matter where they were, as long as Ranger was with her, anywhere could be her home.

Stephanie paused in her thinking, feeling finger tug at her curly locks. Ranger leaned over her and said, "You look like you're having deep thoughts."

"I was just thinking," Stephanie said softly, looking up at Ranger, "About how nice it is to be with you, no matter where we are."

"You know what they say, Babe," Ranger said, sliding into bed beside Stephanie, who curled into his embrace, "Home is where the heart is, and I want you to know, Stephanie, that where your heart it, that's where my home is at."

Ranger ran his fingers over Stephanie cheek and whispered, "You look so beautiful, lying here, in my arms, Stephanie, I know you don't want to talk about it but-"

Stephanie placed a finger over Ranger's lips and said in a soft voice, "No, please, don't say anything about it, let's just savoir what we have now."

"Carlos," Stephanie said softly, pulling Ranger's face down, "Please, for tonight, before it all changes for us, let's be together, as one."

"I don't want to hurt you, Stephanie," Ranger said softly, kissing Stephanie's neck, "I could hurt you if we do this."

"I don't care," Stephanie said, tears welling up in her eyes, "I don't care Carlos, just one last time, if that's all we have."

"I'll be gentle," Ranger said softly, laying Stephanie on her back, looming over her form, "I'll be gentle, Stephanie."

Ranger took his time preparing her, lavishing kisses up and down her body, caressing her gently, mindful of the fact that her limbs were much more brittle, that she was prone to bruising now. They had no need to confess their true feelings, because it was written on their faces, the love the devotion, the admiration. Both of them had their strength in their own different ways. Each completing the other one like puzzle pieces.

Stephanie let out a soft moan, as Ranger entered her. this was how she wanted to be with Ranger. To be wrapped around his presence, his scent, his everything. The emotions she felt, bought tears to her eyes. Ranger looked up at her face and asked, "Are you in pain?" wiping tears from her cheek.

"No, just so happy," Stephanie said, as they moved as one, slowly, "Happy to be with you, to have you in my life."

"So am I, Babe," Ranger said leaning his head down, "I'm so proud of you Babe, for everything that you do, for the life you live, everything."

They kissed slowly, their lips barely touching at first, before they deepened the kiss. Their tongues swept through each other's mouths, and their hands went through thick locks. Mapping each other's body as if it would be the last time they would be together. The moved as one, communicated as one and when it was all over, they fell asleep wrapped in one another, not knowing where they ended or began.

The last conscious thought on Ranger's mind was that he never wanted to let his Stephanie go.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

It was a silent ride from Point Pleasant to the University of Princeton Medical School. Ranger woke Stephanie up at around 5, bundled her up in the Cayenne and was on the interstate. For most of the ride, Stephanie was fast asleep, leaning against the window of the Cayenne. Ranger could see the pain etched on her face, and it had him aching, he wanted to get rid of all the pain she was in. Even if it was only a little bit that he could take, he would gladly accept it. it wasn't fair, why did it have to be his Babe, his Stephanie to deal with something like this?

Ranger hoped that Stephanie would be strong enough to fight this cancer, she had to be, if not for herself, she had to be strong for Ranger.

Stephanie's check in time was 8:30 in the morning. Ranger pulled up to the entrance of the hospital at 8:20. Tank and Lester were waiting at the entrance as Ranger pulled the black Cayenne on the curb of the entrance way. He woke Stephanie up saying , in a soft voice, "Babe, we're at the hospital, time to wake up."

Stephanie let out a tiny groan, but woke up, nonetheless, letting Ranger help her out the Cayenne and over to Where Lester waited for them, with a wheelchair.

"Here is your chariot," Lester said with wink, helping Stephanie sit down in it, "We're rooting for you, Beautiful, you have a huge cheering squad behind you."

Stephanie gave Lester a tired smile as he moved out the way so Ranger could wheel her into the hospital, "Thanks Lester, it means a lot coming from you."

"You won't have to worry about be alone either," Lester said, "Every Rangeman will come and see you, we'll smuggle in sweets for you."

"Don't encourage him by saying anything," Tank said earning a laugh from Stephanie, "Come on, Steph, let's go get you settled in.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Your vacation is on the horizon, Jeanne," The woman said to the blond woman, who was busy writing something down in a notebook, "Where will you be spending it?"

Jeanne shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, I was thinking Germany, or Finland, but I got a call from some family in New Jersey, family function or some shit."

The two women were in a small green house, tending to five rows of potted plants. The plants were flourishing, with leaves of a deep red-ish purplish color. The woman was plucking leaves from the stems, sniffing at them and then writing something down in a notebook.

"Oh, well, family is quite important," The woman said turning to Jeanne, "Please write down that the THC levels of this plant is twice the normal level of a regular cannabis plant. It would seem I have almost perfected this strand of cannabis."

"I'll say, the contact highs I get from it, when you smoke it," Jeanne said, narrowing her eyes at the woman, "I feel like I'm back in college again."

"Oh, I hope you have wonderful memories from your young adulthood," The woman said, plucking a dried bud from inside a jar, "That is an important time, in a person's development."

Jeanne watched the woman take out her favorite long stemmed pip and pack it. She dodged the purple smoke that came from the woman's mouth as she inhaled from the pipe she lit. The woman turned to Jeanne and said, "Hmm….smooth fruity flavor, almost like apples and spices. Brain reaction to the THC is almost instantaneous, note that this would aid in pain treatment for people with debilitating aliments, illnesses and etcetera."

"The second hit Is not for science, now it's just for recreational use," Jeanne said, watching the woman take another puff from the pipe.

"It is all for science, and if I happen to get some enjoyment out of it, well, that means I have done something right," The woman teased, walking out the greenhouse, puffing on the pipe blowing purple smoke in the air, "Pardon me, I have to finish getting this tattoo colored in."

"Pothead," Jeanne hissed writing down what the woman told her to write down, before she left the greenhouse as well.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"We want to make you time here at the Edward & Marie Matthews Center for Cancer Care as stress free as possible," A nurse told Stephanie as they went down the hallway of the cancer center, "We have the latest state of the art equipment that specializes in the shrinkage and removal of cancerous tumors."

Stephanie nodded her head dazed, as she was given the tour of where she would stay until further notice. It was a nice area, just newly built. The medical school had to add this unit on for cancer patients, due to the rising demand for their advanced services. Stephanie and Ranger hoped that they would be able to do something about the cancers she had growing in her.

"Now, there is a nurses station for every three rooms, we now how hard it is on many cancer patients, so we assign a nurse to each patient, instead of having many patients to one nurse. It makes it easier for the staff, and easier on the patient, many of the staff in this unit, have battled cancer, or had loved ones who battled cancer, so they understand the patient's emotions."

"Did you have cancer?" Stephanie asked the older woman, earning a nod, "What kind? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh not at all, honey," The nurse said with a kind smile, looking at Ranger and Stephanie, "I had cervical cancer, I had to get my uterus and ovaries removed, but I beat my cancer."

The nurse led Stephanie and Ranger into a large area that was U-shaped around a vast large outdoor garden. There were windows everywhere, letting in natural sunlight. In the large area, 19 private pods filled it out. The nurse turned to Stephanie and said, "Your medic recommended that you be booked in the JoAnn Heffernan-Heisen Infusion Therapy Suite. It's semi-private, for you and a guest, and yet, it's opened, so you can connect with other patients, so you're not confide to just a hospital room, we will be going over, in depth, about your treatment plans, with your team."

"My team?" Stephanie asked looking over to the nurse who smiled and nodded her head.

"Yes, you have a doctor, a nurse, nutritionist, counselor and if you need it, spiritual guidance," The nurse said, leading Stephanie and Ranger down the hall to the patient rooms, "These services are also for your family and friends as well, and if you want to, we can sign you up for enrichment treatment as wells, such as art classes, yoga, pet therapy and aqua therapy, this center has its own indoor pool, and many patients enjoy the weightlessness that accompanies them, as they swim."

"These services are offered to friends and families as well, because, you too are also going through this as well, even if it is not you who has the cancer, cancer affects everyone, so we want you all to know that we support you and your family Stephanie." The nurse said stopping in front of room 516, "Here's your room, Ms. Plum, we'll get you settled in and then we'll get you ready for tests, and then we'll talk about your treatment regime."

The nurse opened the door to reveal a large hospital room. It was huge, it had a advanced hospital bed close to the large floor to ceiling windows, which overlooked the garden that could be seen in the U-shaped area. There was a small sitting area for guests and family, and a door led into a nice size bathroom, with had a stand up shower, a jetted tub, and a sink and toilet. Stephanie had never seen a jetted tube in a hospital.

"It's for when you're in pain, or for stiff muscles," The woman said with a smile, as Ranger and Stephanie entered the hospital room, "Your room is a suite, since your medic said you'd be having several visitors.

The nurse pointed to two black suitcases, which sat close by to a set of dressers, "Your bags are right there, why don't you change into something comfortable, and then we'll get you settled, in, I have to tell you that before your test, we'll be putting an IV into you, but we have medicine that we put on the skin to numb it, so you won't feel the needle prince you. I'll be back in about 45 minutes, we have to get testing done quickly so we can start treating you."

The nurse smiled at the two, and then left the room, closing the door with a soft click. Stephanie turned to Ranger and said, "Ranger this sounds so expensive, I don't have health insurance."

"Yes you do, you're still on Rangeman payroll," Ranger said to Stephanie, as he unpacked her bags, "So that means you still get benefits, and anyways, even if you weren't on Rangeman's insurance, I would have taken care of it, you don't need to worry about your bills, they'll be taken care of."

"Ranger, I don't want-" Stephanie started but Ranger shushed her with a kiss.

"DO a foolish man in a favor, and just get ready to take your tests," Ranger said softly. Letting go of Stephanie's face and smiling, "Ella packed you some comfortable clothes."

Stephanie nodded her head softly, and grabbed the pair of sweatpants and a white shirt. She got dressed and together the two waited for the nurse. Stephanie grabbed Ranger's hand and said softly, "Thank you, Carlos, for everything," earning a soft, "My, pleasure, Babe."

TBC…..

I love reviews! Thank you for the ones for the last chapters, your feedback is wonderful -Squee!- anyways, enjoy your day! :D