Disclaimer: All characters belong to Janet Evanovich with the exception of Nikolas Ramos, Stavros, Sophia, and Eleni.
Warnings: Minor angst (doesn't even really qualify), all 12 Books.
A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. Thank you to my fabulous Editor/Beta who walks on water! Smoochies, Karen! I love ya!
The Name Of The Game!
A cloth, smooth and cool, moved over her face, down her throat and over her shoulders. It came back again, cooler this time, and moved down her arms to her hands. Her eyelids were too heavy to lift, but she didn't need to see him. His strong arms sat her up, her head on his shoulder, face buried in his neck, and that wonderful, cool cloth moving over her neck and down her back, cooling her… putting out the fire that burned her skin. Those muscled arms that she loved so much lowered her back onto the pillows. He whispered, "Sleep, Babe, everything will be alright," his lips on her forehead and the long fingers tucked her hair behind her ear. He sat in the chair next to the bed and held her hand. She knew, to the bottom of her heart, that everything would be alright … because he said so.
The next time she woke her hand was still in his. Sunshine streamed into the room and she dragged her eyes open to look at him. She turned her head and looked into Bobby's smiling face. "Welcome back, Slugger. We almost lost you."
Chapter 6: Twister!
Steph's eyes widened as she stared at Bobby sitting in the chair next to the bed. She sat up, panicked, and looked around the room in confusion.
"What's the matter, Slugger? What's wrong?" He moved from the chair to the side of the bed and leaned over her.
"Where's… I thought that … I know he was here … Bobby? He was here … right? Please …" She grabbed onto his arm and looked up at him with such desperation that his heart broke for her.
"Oh, Steph …" Bobby looked at her sympathetically and shook his head. "Honey …" He didn't have to finish his thought.
Tears welled in her eyes as he lowered her back into the pillows. "He was so real, Bobby. I could feel his arms … he kissed my forehead, he called me Babe." She closed her eyes and turned her head away from him.
"Steph." He said softly, "Your fever was so high, you were hallucinating. You were rambling about Karvic and Stella and your necklace. You weren't making any sense. Slugger, you really were out of it; you had us all scared."
She knew that Bobby was trying to comfort her, so why were his words so painful?
Hal, standing in the doorway, overheard the exchange. His anger was written all over his face so he turned away before Steph could see him. When Bobby walked out of the bedroom, he found Hal leaning against the wall outside the door.
Bobby had learned a lot about Hal through this. He already knew that the younger man was good at his job and was a dependable employee, loyal almost to a fault. But he had found that Hal was a straight arrow and it bothered him to 'bend the rules.' That he has a soft spot for Stephanie came as no surprise. Every RangeMan was a little bit in love with her.
Bobby put his hand on Hal's shoulder, and Hal turned to him with a stricken look on his face. "How can you stand to her see like that?" he whispered.
Bobby shook his head sadly. "It's just as hard for me as it is for you. We both know what's going to happen. This is kinder than prolonging her agony."
"She's gonna hate us when she finds out, you know." Hal's voice cracked as he spoke.
"Yeah." Bobby replied wearily. "Yeah, she will," and he went down the stairs.
Hal blew out a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face. He went in and sat on the edge of the bed, careful to avoid the IV tube that snaked from the plastic bag of fluid, down into Steph's hand. "Brought you a visitor," he said with a smile, and took Rex out of his shirt pocket and put him onto Steph's lap.
She wiped her tears and stroked Rex with her index finger. "Hey Buddy, are the guys taking good care of you?" Rex sat up and twitched his whiskers at her by way of answering, before burrowing into the blankets on the bed.
"I think he's gained some weight," she said with a smile as she watched Rex exploring.
"Naaah!" Hal replied. "He's just buffing up with all the exercise on the wheels and stuff." He was rewarded by her small smile.
They sat and watched Rex meander all over the bed, then stop and yawn. "Guess he's had enough exploring," Hal quipped. "Come on Columbus, it's bedtime for you." He scooped up the creature and gently deposited him back into his shirt pocket.
"Hal," she said when he was almost out the door, "thank you for taking such good care of him. And me, too."
He gave her his full on smile. "My pleasure, Steph." He left before the guilt had a chance to creep into his face.
Steph eventually drifted off to sleep and woke to find a smiling Niko Ramos taking her pulse. "My favorite patient is finally awake. Tell me, how are you feeling, pretty lady?" He spoke in a light conversational manner while he examined her, checking her blood pressure and listening to her heart and lungs.
"Pretty lady?" She groaned. "I feel like I was hit by a bus and then run over by a garbage truck and I don't even want to think about what I look like." She tried to run her hand through her snarled hair, but gave up but gave up when her fingers got stuck, so she just sat back against the pillows.
"You look beautiful, Miss Plum, I'm sure you always do." He smiled and she rolled her eyes.
She had forgotten how handsome Nikolas Ramos was. He was tall and tanned, his dark lashes framing amazingly blue eyes that crinkled at the corners when he smiled. With an athletic body that he obviously took care of and unruly dark brown hair he was devastatingly handsome. His quick smile, complete with dimples, and expressive face was a very welcome difference from Morelli's cop face and the obligatory RangeMan blank mask. He had gentle hands, too, examining her still-sore head carefully.
"Your bedside manner is petty good, Doctor. Did you have to take classes for that or does it just come naturally?"
"Oh no. I paid big bucks for those lessons." He teased.
When he started to check the IV catheter, she turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't watch him check the needle in her hand. Just the thought that it was even there turned her stomach.
"All done, you can open your eyes now." He chuckled as she cracked one eye open and looked at him suspiciously.
"So, what are you doing here? I mean aside from the obvious, how did you get here?"
"I was on my way to St. Francis for a conference and the storm had caused some street flooding. I had to detour around it onto Haywood Street. I saw a young woman get hit by a skidding car and I had to stop and see if I could help. So here I am," he said squaring his shoulders as if reporting for duty jokingly, "until you're completely recovered or you decide you want a different physician." He sat, watching the emotions run across her expressive face.
"I don't remember getting hit or really much of anything except leaving RangeMan …" Her eyes lost focus and her voice drifted off as her memories took over. After a minute or so, she shook off the thoughts and looked at Niko rather sheepishly. "I'm sorry … still trying to figure out some stuff."
"It's not surprising that you have no memory of the accident. After all, you took quite a hit on the temple and probably have a concussion. You might wake up tomorrow remembering it all, or it may never come back. I wouldn't worry about it unless you start forgetting other things."
She just nodded at him, fiddling with the edge of the blanket that covered her and nervously chewed her bottom lip. There were a lot of things that I wish I could forget, she thought. He mistook her anxiety as being worry over the memory loss.
"On top of that, you were pretty damned sick for the last three days. You had an infection in your lungs and a very high fever. You responded well to intravenous antibiotics, but you're far from well."
"Was I hallucinating?" She had to find out whether or not Ranger had really been there.
"Think of it as having a nightmare. People who have very high fevers often have dreams and they can seem very real. You thought we were trying to kill Ranger; you were trying to save his life. You fought us tooth and nail. It took all three of us to hold you down so I could sedate you."
"Oh God, I'm so embarrassed." She put her hands over her bright red face.
Niko sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her hands away so he could look into her eyes. He reached out and started to tuck a curl behind her ear but Steph pulled away from him, his actions too heartbreakingly familiar for her. She put her hand up to ward his off. "Please don't do that." She took a breath to regain her composure. "I've never been a very good patient and I'm sor…," she stuttered, looking for something to say.
"You've been a great patient, Steph, really. After all, I'm used to much worse, most of mine bite me."
She looked at him, eyes wide. "What? Excuse me? Did I somehow get this wrong? Are you a Vet?" She looked up at the IV bag to see if there was a dog or a horse on it.
Niko threw back his head and laughed. "No Steph. Don't worry; I'm a 'people' doctor. I'm a plastic surgeon and I specialize in reconstructive surgery for children. I repair a lot of cleft palates and there are times that my little patients don't like my fingers in their mouths." He was still chuckling as he packed up his medical bag.
"That's even worse," she groaned. "So…what? Are you gonna make recommendations for improvements and 'enhancements' for my poor old thirty year old body?"
He gave her a flash of his perfect white teeth. "Your quite young thirty year old body is gorgeous and I wouldn't let you change anything about it, even if you wanted to."
"Oh, you are good. You got your money's worth with those bedside manner lessons." He winked at her and she wondered if this was his normal demeanor or if he was flirting.
"Listen. You eat a good lunch and dinner, and tonight I'll take out the IV, okay?"
"Oh, please, I need a shower in the worst way," she wheedled. "And I need to move around, I'm getting cabin fever. How about if I give you my solemn word to eat and you take it out now? Please!"
He studied her with a smile. "Well, okay, but you have to cross your heart," he said in mock seriousness.
Stephanie couldn't help but smile, as she made an X over her heart with one hand and held out the other to him.
"Okay Stephanie, I'm going to use Dr. Niko's Positively Prodigious Painless Procedure, so close your eyes and it'll all be over in a minute. I'm going to take the tape off now. So tell me, little girl, do you have any pets? You do! A giraffe, you say! Oh my goodness, do you have to get on a ladder to brush his teeth?" Steph giggled at his silly banter. He really was very nice, she decided, and she could see him working with small, frightened children, calming their fears. She was the worst possible patient and he had totally won her over.
"Alrighty! All done." Steph opened her eyes to find an Elmo band aid on the back of her hand and looked at Niko with raised eyebrows. "I'm conducting a seminar at St. Francis and I'm dealing with lots of kids." He shrugged," I came armed. Can I tempt you with a lollipop?" He held up a bag full and waggled his eyebrows at her. "I have them in all flavors, sugar free, guaranteed not to cause cavities?"
His efforts to cheer her up were rewarded with a real smile. "No thanks. Sugar free lollipops are just wrong on so many different levels." She said laughingly and he nodded in agreement as he got up to leave.
"All kidding aside, Steph, you're starting to feel better, but you're far from well. You're very weak and will be for quite a while. And you're going to have breathing problems. You'll need a lot of rest for at least a couple of weeks, and I'm sorry, but you'll have to severely limit your work schedule. You'll have to stay on the oral antibiotics and breathing treatments for at least another week... I don't know when Ranger gets back, should I talk to Bobby or Hal about the follow-up care?
He watched her as the smile faded from her face and she turned her head to look out the window. "I'm not trying to pry, Steph, but I obviously said something that ..." He came back to the bed and sat on the edge, close to her.
She didn't meet his eyes but held up her hand to stop him. "I know. I … I can't tell you what happened … I haven't figured it out myself yet. Let's just say that I don't have anyplace to go when I leave here."
He watched as her defenses cracked and tears welled up in her eyes, spilling over her too pale cheeks. She took a ragged breath that turned into a sob, choking her, and she started to cough painfully. Niko gently put his arms around her and held her against his shoulder while she battled the coughing spasm. When it finally played itself out, she was limp and exhausted. He laid her back against the pillows and put the oxygen mask over her face again and sat while she caught her breath. Finally, she dozed.
Hal and Bobby had come into the room during Steph's coughing fit. They stood quietly by the door, making sure that Niko had the situation under control. It wasn't that they didn't trust him; they knew he would take good care of her. But Steph was their girl, their little sister, part of their family and in both their minds, no one could take care of her as well as they could, because no one else loved her like they did.
Niko walked past the two men out into the hall and motioned for them to follow him and he positioned himself so that he could watch Steph. He stood with his hands on his hips and head lowered for a couple of seconds. Finally he looked at the men. "So who's going to tell me what the hell's going on? Where's Ranger? And why did she tell me that she doesn't have anyplace to go when she leaves here? If I'm going to get her well, I have to know what she's facing, emotionally as well as physically."
Hal and Bobby exchanged a look and each gave an almost imperceptible nod. Bobby acted as spokesman and chose his words carefully. "Steph and Ranger aren't together anymore. It happened suddenly and came as a real shock to her. She left RangeMan with her pride and nothing else.
"That's what was going on when she got hit by the car." Hal added.
Bobby's voice was pained as he spoke. "She has nothing now … no home, no car, no clothes, no phone, no credit cards, no nothing. Except Rex."
"And us." Hal added. "Ranger tried to give her cash to live on, but she wouldn't take it and we don't have any clue whether she has any savings. That's where things stand."
"So do you have any idea what she's gonna do?" Niko looked from one man to the other as they shook their heads.
"She can stay here as long as she wants. We'll make sure that she's taken care of."
Niko thought for a minute or two. "I might have a temporary solution," he said and walked back into the bedroom to talk to Steph.
Early the next morning, a black stretch limo pulled up in front of Bobby's house. The front doors opened and a deadpan Stavros Thermopolis, one of Alexander Ramos' personal bodyguards, stepped out and looked up and down the street. He opened the rear door and a smiling Sophia and Eleni climbed out and went to the trunk to collect a small case and a garment bag, then hurried inside.
An hour and a half later, a showered, shaved, buffed, and puffed, dressed, coiffed and made up Stephanie was carried downstairs by a grinning Hal. He didn't trust that she was strong enough to walk down the stairs by herself, so he swept her up and gave her a lift. He took her into the kitchen to see Rex and deposited her on a kitchen chair, standing back to look at her approvingly.
"Glad to see you looking like you again, Slugger." Bobby said, adding his approval.
Steph snorted. "Right! Like I always look like I just stepped out of a high fashion magazine." She looked down at the beautiful clothes she was wearing, provided through the courtesy of what she now thought of as Alexander Ramos' Magic Closet. She wore cream colored stovepipe slacks with a chocolate brown cashmere cowl neck sweater and butter soft, short brown suede boots with a stacked heel. In deference to her sore head, her hair was done in a loose French braid, the tail tucked under and held with a small jeweled clip.
"Slugger, you're always beautiful to us, even when you're covered in gunk and garbage."
"Thanks Bobby, and thank you for inviting all the girls over last night; I really needed that." Bobby had called Lula, Mary Lou, Connie, Val, and Christie to come and visit with Steph. He had only told them that Steph needed them and they showed up armed to the teeth with Ben & Jerry's, donuts, Cheese Doodles, and tissues. They all sat around and cried with her through three boxes of Puffs Plus and several gallons of ice cream while he and Hal had hidden out in the den. It was excellent therapy and Steph was feeling somewhat better.
"I need to thank you and Hal for everything you've done for me; I don't know how I'll ever repay you. I know you both took personal time off from RangeMan to stay home and take care of me and I hope that didn't cause problems with Ranger. I know how close you guys are, and I understand the loyalty you all have for each other …" She stood up and walked over to look at Rex in his new Habitrail.
Bobby walked up behind her and put his hand on her arm. "Steph, no matter what, you're part of the family too. Nothing will ever change that. Every guy at RangeMan has called and dropped by to find out how you are and if there's anything they can do for you, even the guys from Miami and Boston called." He put his arms around her gently and drew her back against his chest. She leaned her head back against his shoulder and he rocked her gently. "And when you give the go ahead," he told her softly, "the line will form at the door with each and every available RangeMan jockeying for position to ask you out." He planted a kiss on her uninjured temple and was rewarded with a sad smile.
It was true, her room upstairs was filled with flowers and plants and balloons and stuffed animals and funny cards and notes from all of the guys. They had called her and dropped by, most not knowing what to say, but nevertheless, they came.
"I just want you to know that I'd never do anything to make you choose between us, or ask you to do anything that would make Ranger doubt your loyalty to him. I'm so grateful for everything that you guys …" She broke off when tears started to pool in her eyes.
The kitchen door burst open and Cal came waltzing in. "Hey, there's my girl! Good to see you awake. Every time I've been here, you've been playing Sleeping Beauty. How are you feeling?" He gently pulled Steph into his arms and, hugging her to his chest, bent and kissed her on the cheek. "Here, I brought you your mail." He handed her a small stack of envelopes.
They stood around chatting while Steph waited for Sophia and Eleni to finish up her room. They had kindly offered to clean up so that Bobby wouldn't have to. They'd strip and remake the bed, clean the bathroom, vacuum and put in a load of laundry. Steph could hear the vacuuming running as the group talked.
Steph idly opened one of the envelopes and pulled out the papers inside and unfolded them. As she looked them over, a strangled noise escaped her and the men turned their full attention to her. She sat at the table doing a great impression of a goldfish, totally unable to speak. She turned wide eyes to the men and held out the papers.
Bobby took a look at them and his face broke into a huge grin. "Slugger! You're rich!" He showed the papers to Cal and Hal, who immediately high-fived one another and hugged her.
"Steph? Honey, aren't you happy? Steph? Yooo-hooo…" Cal snapped his fingers in front of Steph's face.
"You mean that's really mine?" She looked from one smiling, nodding face to the next.
Bobby pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, taking her hand in his. "Slugger, there was a reward for the arrest and conviction of Vincent Karvic. You captured him single-handedly. You testified at the trial and he was sentenced to life in prison. You get the entire reward. Direct deposit, it's already in your account."
"I can't believe it, twenty-five thousand dollars. I've never had that much in my whole life put together." She gave the guys a goofy smile. This meant that she could rent an apartment and a car, get a cell phone and buy some clothes. She couldn't go nuts, but she could start to get her life back. The excitement buzzed through her.
"Sweetie," Bobby's voice was laced with worry. "Honey, it isn't twenty-five thousand dollars," he held the paperwork up in front of her disappointed face, "it's two HUNDRED and fifty thousand dollars." He smiled and nodded at her as realization struck her. Cal, standing next to her chair, caught her as her eyes rolled back in her head and she slipped to the floor.
The ride to Deal should have been relaxing, but her mind was racing faster than the car speeding down the highway. Intellectually, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that there was reward money. But somehow, she had equated that reward with her old ten percent cut of a skip's bail. That she would receive this kind of money simply never crossed her mind. On top of that, this kind of money brought with it a whole new set of problems and responsibilities. If she was very careful, she could live off this for years. On the other hand, it could allow her to splurge for once in her life on something more that a pair of shoes that she really didn't need, or a fancy nightgown at Victoria's Secret.
By the time she arrived at the house in Deal, Steph was exhausted from her mental gymnastics. Alexander wasn't there yet, he was scheduled to arrive from New York in the morning. Sophia and Eleni played charades with Steph and she really hoped that she had just agreed to take a nap. Despite her protests, a blank faced Stavros lifted her effortlessly and carried her up to the beautiful boudoir at the top of the staircase. He deposited her in the dainty little chair by the flickering fireplace and quickly left the room.
Sophia helped Steph to undress and slip into pale aqua satin pajamas, trimmed with beautiful re-embroidered ivory lace and a floor-length matching robe. The beautiful pale aqua satin mules were trimmed in the same gorgeous lace and Steph swore that she had never worn dress clothes as beautifully made as this nightwear. She felt like Cinderella and Sophia was her Fairy Godmother. The only thing missing was the magic wand and the Bibbity-bobbity-boo. And the singing mice, of course.
Eleni set a little table in front of the beautiful French doors that opened onto a small private balcony overlooking the beach and ocean. The brilliant blue sky and bright sunshine made the beach look inviting and Steph couldn't wait to take a walk by the water. The ocean always calmed her and made her feel peaceful and content. Right now, though, she doubted that she would ever feel peaceful again, much less content. That walk would have to wait, she thought. She was so exhausted that she could barely keep her eyes open long enough to eat the delicious lunch that Eleni had brought her.
Sophia and Eleni helped her to the huge four-poster bed with its' miles of opulent gold silk fabric that draped over the top and down the beautifully carved bedposts to puddle dramatically on the floor. She slipped off the robe and the slippers and looking into one of the lovely gilt framed mirrors that lined the walls caught a glimpse of the pale young woman who was climbing into that wonderful bed. She didn't even recognize herself and couldn't meet the sad eyes that looked back at her.
She lay back, propped up by huge, fluffy pillows and Eleni pulled the satin comforter up over her, then she and Sophia quietly left the room. The lavish gold drapes over the French doors darkened the room and the soft light from the fireplace gave everything a soft golden glow. The dainty French provincial chairs and settee, the little tables with the lovely lamps, the carved fireplace surround, the delicate crystal chandeliers … she could tell that each piece in this room was chosen so carefully.
Looking around her, the memories came flooding back. The apartment at RangeMan looked so very different from this room, no delicate charming pieces there. Yet each and every piece of furniture had been chosen with so much thought and care. They had selected each thing together, snuggled on a hundred couches to find the one they both liked, looked at lamps and bookshelves and rugs. She thought that they had had a wonderful time, playfully arguing their preferences over each item. They had each bartered and bargained, usually promising sexual favors to get their own way. It had all resulted in a home that reflected both of them … or so she had thought.
Ranger would drag her into mattress showrooms to try out mattress after mattress. He'd pick her up and toss her, shrieking, onto one, then he would bounce down on top of her while she squealed and laughed, rolling her around on the mattress. He didn't care how many people were around or who was watching … and he showed her a silly side of himself that she never knew existed. Mattress shopping was like their own version of WWF, which Ranger dubbed the Wonder Woman Follies. When a salesperson would appear, he would pull her off the mattress and say, "Too hard!" or "Too soft!" or "Not enough bounce!" and they would dash out the door, hand in hand and laughing.
They both knew the right one when they landed on it. Ranger was lying between her thighs, hands fisted in her hair, kissing her neck when a saleswomen came bustling over to reprimand them for their antics. Her whole attitude changed when Ranger announced, "We'll take it!" just before his mouth came down on Steph's. The saleswoman, who worked on commission, had Steph and Ranger to thank for selling that same over-priced, top of the line set to every single wide-eyed customer who had witnessed the little exhibition and hoped to recreate the same scene in the privacy of their own homes.
Steph couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks and dripped off her chin or the thoughts that ran through her head. She had so many questions, and not a single answer. How could what they shared not have been love? How could this have happened to her… again? Why couldn't she see it coming? How could she have been so stupid? What was so wrong with her that no one could love her? She slept finally, and dreamed that Ranger was standing in the corner of the room, his expression cold and impersonal, his eyes boring into her.
She woke with a start to find Niko sitting in a chair by the side of the bed. She hated when people watched her sleep, she always drooled, so she cautiously wiped her mouth. As soon as he realized that she was awake he closed the medical journal he had been reading and smiled at her.
"You've been asleep for quite awhile. How do you feel?" He reached over and turned on the bedside lamp while she assessed her body.
"It still hurts a little when I breathe, but not as bad. I'm stiff and sore and my leg hurts like a bitch … I don't think I've ever seen a bruise that big. Leave it to me!" She shrugged in defeat.
Niko moved over and sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his stethoscope out of his bag. He raised her up off the pillows and she bent forward a little. He slid the stethoscope up under her pajama top and asked her to cough several times, then take the obligatory deep breaths. He listened carefully to both sides, front and back, before leaning her back against the pillows.
"I want you to have breathing treatments every four hours for the next couple of days. Lots of rest, eat well, let Eleni and Sophia pamper you. Then, if you're a very good patient, we'll see about springing you from your ivory tower. Maybe get you out for walks on the beach, that okay?"
"More than okay," she nodded gratefully. "I'm not real good at being alone with myself these days. I'm not very good company." She looked at him ruefully.
"Is there anything I can do to help, Steph? If nothing else, I'm a good listener." His genuine concern for her was apparent in his voice.
She moved slowly, trying to find a comfortable position, finally sitting Indian-fashion. Pulling one of the smaller pillows onto her lap, she hugged it to her chest in her classic defensive pose. Someday, she thought, she'd have to figure out why she did that. Maybe the pillow was a shield for her heart?
She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, carefully moving her sore body. "Lying around just gives me time to think. And I really don't want to think anymore, Niko. I swear my brain aches from it and all I'm doing is chasing my own tail. The more I think the more questions I come up with … and fewer answers."
"Have you had a chance to talk to him?" Niko asked cautiously, gauging her reaction.
Steph didn't raise her head, just studied the edge of the pillow that she was picking at and shook her head. She waited a minute, deciding how much to tell him, then took a deep breath. What the hell, she thought. If it wasn't already, pretty soon the news would be all over Trenton, and once it hit the 'Burg, the news would be all over the world. Niko might as well get it from the horse's mouth.
"There wasn't any discussion. We spent the whole night before mak… well … you know," her cheeks turned bright pink as she blushed, "and he was so …" she cleared her throat. "But in the morning it was like a different man walked in. He was cold and distant, told me it wasn't working for him anymore and that he had moved on and I should, too. He said that I could keep everything that he had given me then he threw some money on the dresser, told me to leave my keys, and he was gone."
She finally looked up at him, "I didn't take anything, you know. Not the money or the jewelry or the car … only what was mine. And everything I owned, fit in my purse. Pretty pathetic, isn't it?" She looked back down at her hands. "I usually learn from my mistakes, it just took me three tries to learn this lesson. I'm not real smart where my love life is involved. But I'm never gonna let this happen to me again. I'm never gonna depend on anybody like that … ever … just me. If you give everything you are to somebody, you don't have anything left for you."
Steph looked around at the room. It was a love nest. Fat, chubby-cheeked little cherubs with little white wings were flying over her head. Beautiful bluebirds, holding ribbons and garlands of flowers in their little golden beaks adorned the pale blue ceiling. The room was furnished with delicate, French provincial furniture, gilt mirrors and lavish draperies, all expensive appointments. Here she was, in a room designed for love, and she was determined that she was never going to let herself fall in love, ever again.
Niko watched her closely. Her eyes not focusing on anything, the far away quality of her voice, he knew she was reliving what had happened that day. Her pain was so raw, so visible, she was so vulnerable, and yet she was trying to be so brave. He realized that he was starting to fall, very hard and way too fast, for the sad-eyed lady who sat in front of him.
They shared dinner together, in front of the fireplace, and then played hand after hand of gin rummy. Steph won just about every hand, sometimes only drawing one card. "Lucky at cards, unlucky at love," she quipped when he commented on her good luck, and she just picked up the cards and shuffled again.
She tired quickly, though, and Sophia helped her get ready for bed, tucking her in. Steph's sleep was haunted by dreams of Ranger's voice telling her to leave, to move on, she saw him standing in the window watching her in the street below. She saw the brown bear cookie jar shatter over and over again.
At some point in the middle of the night, Steph woke up coughing and she couldn't catch her breath. Unable to call for help, her panic only made matters worse. She must have made more noise than she realized because Niko, hair tousled and wearing only sleep pants, came into the room and put the nebulizer mask over her nose and mouth. He climbed onto the bed behind her and pulled her back against his chest, holding her while the medicated mist helped to ease the cough, allowing her to breathe more easily. The whole time he whispered into her hair that everything would be alright and he let his hand drift hypnotically up and down her arm, calming her.
By the time the breathing treatment was finished, Steph had fallen into an exhausted sleep and Niko gently removed the mask from her face. She whimpered slightly and turned in his arms so that her face was pressed against him. Unwilling to risk waking her, he wrapped his arms around her, settling her head against his shoulder, her arm around his waist.
For the first time since she left RangeMan, Steph had a peaceful, dreamless sleep, and she woke the next morning wrapped in Niko's arms.
TBC …
A/N: So, do you think that Steph should turn to one of the Merry Men? Maybe Steph should turn to Niko? At least she's rich now … so what should she do? Travel? Start a business? Do you think that she'll ever fall in love again? She really needs your support, so leave her a review and let her know what you think her next move should be … Revenge, maybe? How?
