I want to first say the reception this story has received has blown me away! I love that you all are excited the journey has begun and it is my deepest hope that you all continue to enjoy the story as it unfolds!

I do have some very important people to thank. One Margaret, you have always been my biggest fan, from the very beginning. You took me in under your wing and supported my story, supported my crazy ideas, and even batted around ideas with me when I felt stuck. I can't tell you enough how much that meant to me as a new author (yeah I am giving myself a lot of leeway in that title) here on fanfiction. In addition to that your friendship has meant the world to me. Barbara and Karrie you both are great friends ones I am so glad to say I have met because of fanfiction. My life is richer because of you two.

My beta, Angela, this wouldn't be what it is without you. Your edits, ideas, and suggestions have been wonderful! I know I am hopeless when it comes to grammar, your patience is much appreciated! Finally my fans who have sent me private messages, left reviews you completely make my day!

Chapter 7:

BPOV

Finally! I am anxious, nervous and twitchy, but at least I no longer feel lost. My girl pulled through. She is a fighter, I had always known that, but the surgeons were able to repair her lung, her heart and her collarbone while keeping her heart beating.

She wasn't out of the woods yet, there were still a lot of unknowns. We had no idea if she would wake up, and if she were to wake up, what state her mind would be in. We had no idea how much damage her brain may have suffered from lack of oxygen. We had no idea how the damage to her heart and lungs would affect her. Oddly, the two that should be the most severe were taking a back burner to other unknowns.

If she were to wake now, the level of pain she would be in would be high. There was a debate amongst the doctors about putting her in an induced comma to allow her body to heal more before allowing her to wake up.

In the end, the argument for leaving her in a medically-induced comma won. I wasn't sure which side I was on as there were advantages and disadvantages to both. Allowing her to wake up would at least tell us if she was going to wake up and what state her mind was in, which would set some of my fears to rest.

However, having her awake and seeing her in pain was something that none of us would be able to handle well. Ranger would lose his shit if he saw her in that amount of pain and we had to tell him that the doctors couldn't do anything to help her. Those two facts alone had me voting for the induced coma.

I knew explaining this to Ranger and the guys was going to be complicated. They would have questions that we aren't able to answer right now. They would demand answers, and they wouldn't tolerate the fact that we didn't know and would have to wait for the answers.

I scrubbed my hand over my face. To say I was exhausted wasn't even close to how I was feeling. I would be here as long as she needed me, but I was spent. I was crashing from the adrenaline rush and the emotional roller coaster ride of a lifetime. I knew these feelings, it wasn't the first time I had felt this, but it was the first time I had felt them this intensely.

I watched as the surgeon placed the last of the stitches on the inside of her skin, layered the skin back in place and then applied the glue. I knew that would help with scaring but I also knew that she would forever have a scar. I just hoped it would be the only scar left as a reminder of the day. It's not like any of us needed a reminder of this fucking day, we would never forget it.

Fuck, most of us would have nightmares about this fucking day for months, if not years. I knew Ranger had already had nightmares about it prior to this day ever happening. He had told us. Well, he told Tank, who then told us. It was one of only a couple times Tank went outside of what Ranger would have considered his confidence. In the end, it didn't matter because before we could intervene, Ranger had already come around to making Stephanie a part of our lives.

She had adapted to our lives and she had become one of us long before Ranger ever claimed her. I had patched her up more times that I could count, the guys had bailed her out of one trouble or another, and we even tailed her and tried to keep her safe even when our help wasn't wanted.

Images of every close call flashed through my mind. The sight of her lying on her back or stomach at one of many car explosions, the sight of her bleeding where she fell or some son of a bitch cut her, I could see it all in my mind's eye. I had to shake my head to clear those images, and sent a thank you to God for keeping her safe in all those times.

I was so happy the day she decided she wanted training. I am so proud of how hard she worked, how dedicated she was and how determined she was to be better. She was determined she was going to be Rangeman good. Just the thought of that made my chest swell with pride.

I wanted to tell her. I wanted to be able to tell her how proud I was of her the day she climbed that fucking wall all on her own, the day she swung across the mud puddle and landed on her feet on the other side, and the day she took out her targets on the firing range. I wanted to tell her how proud I was of her on the day she missed all the innocents and tagged all the bad guys. The list was endless of all the moments that I was so proud of her for.

In the final test we put her through, she was able to rescue Ranger, eliminate any threats and get to her destination. She used her training and her knowledge of us, and she had been completely successful in her mission.

In the paintball exercise, she used her knowledge of each of us to our disadvantage to take us out one at a time. I had to smile at the reminder that the men of Rangeman need additional training. We had become predictable. Predictable would get us killed. It took a beautiful woman who didn't know how to lose to show us just how predictable we were and just how good she was.

If she could find our vulnerability, then surely so could our enemies. The only advantage we had was the fact that or enemies didn't live long enough to understand our movements or tell tales about the battlefield. They never got a chance to use our weaknesses against us.

"We are ready to move her to recovery," one of the surgeons said, bringing me out of my thoughts and back to the operating room. I nodded my head, letting him know I am ready. I would go with her, get her settled and then go back for Ranger. I felt bad leaving her, but I also felt bad leaving Ranger wondering any longer than necessary.

"Let me be the one that tells the guys about her status. They won't understand your reasoning, they will have questions and they won't be so easy going to accept a 'we don't know' for some of the questions," I stated to everyone in the room, yet no one person in particular.

I saw relief wash over at least a couple of the people and I almost smiled. I wouldn't get any complaints from any of them. "I will go get Ranger and let him sit with her in Recovery while I fill the guys in," I told them.

I wondered if I would get any push back with Ranger joining us in the recovery room, but no one spoke up. He would be happy to be beside her. Being able to see her would calm him and allow him to control the rage within.

I walked beside her to the recovery room and waited, watching carefully while they got her hooked up to the necessary monitors. Even though they are going to keep her in a coma, she still needed to come to recovery before going to the ICU, where she would stay until they woke her up and for at least a while after she woke.

I knew it was something they would agree to, but I needed to clear a guard at her door. We would never leave her in the hospital, including the more restrictive ICU area, unprotected. I would ask the unit manager as soon as the nurses were done getting her settled. However, first, I would go get Ranger to have him sit with her.

"She is going to be okay," one of the nurses spoke up trying to calm me down. I look at her, accessing her. I didn't need her telling me that she was going to be okay, something she couldn't promise, but I appreciated her failed attempt to make me feel better. I nodded and gave her a tight lip smile that said thanks but I know you can't promise me that.

She continued checking her and taking note of her vitals. Everything looked as good as it could considering what she had been through. I sent a small prayer up hoping they would continue to be answered. I yearned to see those eyes and hear her voice, and I could only pray that I would sooner rather than later get the chance.

"I am going to go get her fiancé so he can sit with her while I get some other things in place," I tell her and she nods at me, letting me know she heard me.

"Please do not leave this room until one of us has returned. I don't want her by herself, not for a second," I added, letting her hear the seriousness in my voice. She pauses and looks up at me so I can see her answer in her eyes.

"I am not going to leave her," she said. I nod, letting her know I got her message loud and clear. I turn and head off in search of Ranger.

RPOV

I felt as if I had been standing in this hallway forever but I knew exactly how long I had been standing here. I knew I had been standing in this position exactly three hours, twenty-two minutes, and fifty-two seconds give or take a second or two on either side.

I also knew that in that time, twenty-two people had passed down the hall. I knew that three of them had passed me two times, and one of them had been up and down the hall a total of five times. I also knew that there were five nurses who passed me, three doctors, and two people who were medical students.

I also knew that ten of the people had either been crying or were crying out loud. I watched three husbands or significant others attempt to console their women.

I didn't need my watch to know the time. It was just something I knew, courtesy of Uncle Sam. If I was a man of less control, I would have worn a hole in the floor; as is, I just stood here in on spot looking stoic. Inside, I was anxious for news on how she was doing and when I could see her, but on the outside I was solid as stone.

Slyder had been standing across the hall from me, but had gotten called away to donate blood for my Babe. Those were the only words that passed between us. My emotions were so torn, and I wanted it to be my blood her body needed. Fuck, I would have given her every God damn drop I had, but my type wasn't the type she needed.

Slyder was O negative, like my Babe, so he was able to donate his blood. I was grateful he was here to give, but, being truthful, I was a little jealous it wasn't mine. He came back after his donation and had taken up his stance across from me. He didn't stare at me, he just made a habit of keeping his eyes on other things in the hallway. On the occasion when someone walked up the hallway, I sensed him going on alert.

I wasn't sure if it was in a response to my body hardening, but my mind also sharpened to the point of a fine blade upon their approach. I sensed his body coiling for action, but I wasn't sure if it was in attempt to protect me or protect whoever it was walking up the hallway towards me, but regardless of reason, I appreciated the thought. My thoughts had gone back to my Babe when the doors opened and Brown walked out.

At first glance, I felt as though my knees were going to give and I would crumple to the ground, but I held tight and remained upright. I didn't say anything, and I didn't move other than the turn of my head. If I allowed my legs to move, I knew I would no longer be standing.

Seeing the lightness in his eyes, which I knew wouldn't be there if the news was bad, gave me the ability to allow air in through my nose to fill my lungs. It also gave me the ability to push out the old used air through my mouth. I felt my eyelids briefly close and I felt the weight slightly lift off my shoulders.

"Ranger, she is in recovery. I know you are going to have lots of questions, but for now, just know that they are keeping her in a medically-induced comma at least for a few days. We don't know right now what the full extent of her injuries are. The bullet that hit her iPod shattered it in pieces, some of the pieces hit her lungs, and a piece hit her heart. That is why she wasn't breathing and her heart had stopped at the scene. All of the damage has been repaired. Her lung had collapsed, but that too has been repaired. She is still in critical condition, so she will be moved to the Intensive Care Unit when she leaves recovery," Bobby stated while my mind was reeling hard to keep up and understand everything he was saying.

"You can go back and sit with her in recovery so long as you promise to stay out of the way of the nurses that are caring for her. It is important that they keep monitor of her vitals. Tracking her vitals will tell us if there is a problem with the surgery and if she is bleeding internally," he continued, and I nodded letting him know I understood. However, I was ready to move as soon as I heard I could sit with her.

"They will force you out if you get in their way. Let them care for her the way they can. I will be back there as soon as I can. I am going to go fill in the guys and get her the protection she needs setup with the hospital. I guess it goes without saying that the guys will be standing outside her door," I looked at him, holding back the comment that was on the tip of my tongue.

I didn't have the strength to tell him what I wanted and I feared the way my voice would sound. Right now, I needed to remain in control, and the only way to do that was by remaining quiet.

He motioned for me to follow him and I prayed my legs would allow me to walk. The moment I willed my legs to move, I felt the ache of every muscle that had held me upright, straight, and still. I wanted to cave to the ache, but my Babe needed me and I would never let her down by not being beside her when I could.

The thought of seeing her had my legs surging forward, my stride elongating with every step closer. I had questions, but I didn't trust my voice enough to ask. Regardless of the answers, I would be there for her, so right now, the questions could wait. The most important thing was for me to get to my Babe.

When I came into the recovery area and made my way to her alcove, I couldn't wait to be beside her. My stomach fluttered with nerves the closer I got. I could tell by the way my skin tingled and the hairs on my neck stood as if to get my attention that she was near me. I welcomed the feeling of her as it caressed my body in a familiar tickle.

Stepping behind the curtained area, I couldn't help the feeling of relief along with the feeling of disappointment that her eyes weren't open and that she wasn't smiling at me and telling me that it had taken me long enough. Looking at her lying in that hospital bed, she looked so small, helpless, and defenseless, but I knew better. I knew how strong she was, I knew how hard she had fought. I could feel it. She had fought hard to come back to me.

A picture flashed in my head of her standing in front of a heavenly figure, her strong hands on her hips, her teeth gritted, and her head tilted in that little way that spoke to her level of commitment to the decision she had made. I had seen that look from her enough to know that she would win regardless of who she faced. I found myself almost chuckling at the picture and my heart jumped within my chest.

My vision focused back on her small frame lying so still. I wasn't sure if it was the bed and the tubes sticking in her that dwarfed her size, but I couldn't get over how small she appeared to me. I registered the nurse sitting in the corner with a tablet in her hand. She was keying information into a program.

I instinctively went to the opposite side of her bed and pulled the chair closer. I grabbed her hand as I sat down beside her. Careful not to disturb any of the tubing, I held her hand, stroking the backside of her hand with my thumb. There was so much I wanted to tell her, so much she needed to hear from me, but I couldn't speak, at least not right now.

I couldn't say anything while the nurse could overhear and not while my throat was so tight air was barely making it through. She needed to be able to hear me when I told her what I needed to tell her. She needed to be able to look in my eyes and hear me.

A calming sigh left my lips as I registered the beat of her heart through one of the machine and the sounds of her breathing. She looked as though she was just sleeping, and that brought a sense of calm. For the first time since her panic button had gone off, I was able to relax slightly.

"Ranger, I am going to go and tell the guys how she is doing and fill them in on what we know at this point. Do you want me to tell them anything for you?" Bobby asked me and I shook my head no. I really didn't have anything to tell them. They would carry on with what was needed. They would do their jobs, they would watch over her, and I could concentrate on the most important thing in my life, my Babe.

I pushed her hair back from her face and ran my fingers down her cheek and across her jaw line. I felt the tears well up, but they didn't fall. I couldn't help but think how close I had come to losing her. The thoughts came crashing through me like a bad nightmare, only this nightmare was one that you weren't able to wake up from and realize it hadn't actually happened, that it was just a dream. This nightmare was real.

I was no stranger to nightmares or PTSD. Fuck, if you were in the military, you knew about this shit and how real it was, but this was probably the first time in my life that something would give me nightmares for years to come that didn't happen during a mission in some fucked up hell hole on earth.

I wondered if I was really cut out for this. Was I strong enough to withstand a relationship where I couldn't bear to lose my other half? Was I able to withstand watching her live a dangerous life without becoming insane to the point of locking her up and never letting her out of my sight? She would never agree to live that life. She would never want that life for herself. Would I be brave enough to allow her to live the life she wanted the way she wanted?

I couldn't answer the questions that my brain was firing at me faster than I could process. I shook my head to clear it as I tried to refocus on her, but every time I looked at her, I could only hear the questions echoing in my head.

Could I be the man she needed me to be?

I already knew what I wanted to do and I wondered how long it would be that I could hold these feelings, wants and desires back to allow her the life she wanted. She wanted to be a Rangeman, to work beside us with us, and I wanted her safe, secure, and protected. I couldn't see a way to have both, especially not after today.

I wasn't ready to allow her life to be in danger again ever, yet I couldn't take her happiness and dreams from her by locking her up to keep her safe. I couldn't help but feel that in this situation, I was totally fucked.

I held tight to her hand as a placed my forehead against our joined hands. I still wasn't able to speak, my throat shaking from the inside as I felt my lip quiver once again. I was lost to the possibilities, the 'what ifs' and the 'could bes', and I was in a place I never wanted to be with my thoughts.

Prior to having her in my life, my life made sense, it was predictable, it was rational, and it was without fear. But, it was without her. Fuck, I wanted to scream. Every turn felt as though it was a fucking dead-end. There was always that catch.

Now, with Stephanie in my life, it would never be that way again. I would fear for her safety, for her. I would make decisions that went against my core wishes, I would do things that went against my rational mind all for her, just to keep her in my life, to keep her happy, and to fulfill the her dreams. My life would no longer make sense, it would no longer be predictable or rational, and I would learn to be okay with it just to have her.

The alternative wasn't something I could handle, it wasn't something I could withstand. Without her, I may as well not have a life, be it rational or predictable. I am not certain when Stephanie became the Alpha and Omega in my life, but she had, and that was the most important piece to understand.

I rubbed my cheek along-side her hand, feeling her hand pressing into my cheek even if it was by the strength of my own hand; this calming touch allowed me find my center and calmed my terrors. I closed my eyes and savored the moment for as long as I could.

I wanted to breathe her in, but I knew I wouldn't smell her. I would smell the operating room, the hospital, the dirty curb of the street, none of which was my Babe: peaches and cream and a summer's rain.

Feeling the need to talk to her, I opened and closed my mouth several times as if trying to work my jaw and mouth in a way to form words, but nothing came. After a few failed attempts, I was finally able to make a sound.

"B….," I started to say but my voice croaked as if I was afraid, and the sound died on a wobble before I cleared my throat as best I could to make a second attempt.

"Babe, I am here. I have you. You are safe. I have you. I don't know if you can hear me, but I am here beside you and I am not going to leave your side until I can take you home with me. I need you to fight, I need you to heal, I need you to wake up and come back to me," I said as I found myself on the verge of begging her.

I cleared my voice again and with a voice barely above the level of a silent whisper, spoke again. "I love you, Babe. I need you, you need to wake up and come back to me," I told her. I felt my lip quiver and I knew talking would become even harder as I felt my cheek become damp from the tears that leaked out. I quickly wiped it away with her hand as I moved my forehead against her hand to further inhale her essence. I needed her touch. I needed her hand, the feeling of me holding her.

"Sir," I heard the voice before I registered the woman had moved from her chair. My body went on instant alert and I had to talk myself down from sudden movements that would have the nurse on the ground with me holding her throat in my hand.

I looked up at her and I saw the hesitation in her eyes, the fear of uncertainty. I raised my eyebrow as I tried to soften some of my facial expressions.

"I…uhm….I need to get a reading off of the machine behind you," she pointed to the machine behind me and I quickly looked to where she pointed before I stood and pushed the chair out of her way. I didn't leave my Babe's side, but I gave her enough room to walk behind me and get the reading she needed.

She was cautious, but she must have decided she was safe and decided to cross behind me to get the reading. She didn't linger, she got her reading and returned to her side of the room. I would have smiled under different circumstances, but today wasn't the day to smile. I could hear Stephanie's voice in my head telling me that I should apologize for intimidating her and my lip twitched.

Again, I would have smiled if I had been anywhere else. I pushed my lips to her hand to let her know I had heard her loud and clear even though I know she couldn't have seen what happened or spoken those words.

Once the nurse retreated back to her seat to record her vitals, I pulled the seat closer to the bed and once again sat down holding her hand to my slightly damp cheek.

LPOV

I had been standing in this fucking waiting room longer than I wanted. I felt like a caged animal. Between the feelings of guilt, the worry, and the hatred for that fucking prick of a cop who had to come in here running is mouth, I was ready to hit the fucking roof.

I feel the itch as my skin crawled. I want to leave the room. I want to get away from the stares of friends who I know are just waiting to hear the story. They need to know why, but the words wouldn't come. I had told them she took the bullet meant for me, but I couldn't come up with any other words. Words would invade my mind, but then just die before they could come out.

There were no good explanations and I knew it. I wanted to chase that fucking prick cop, Morelli, down and kill him. I wanted to rip his head from shoulders, scream at him about what a liar he was, but it was the truth. Because of me, she was in here. Because she wanted to protect me instead of allowing me to protect her, she was hurt.

More than anything, I hated that her actions had made him right. Anger boiled through me, all centered on the fact that her actions had made him right. I couldn't blame him, I couldn't accuse him of the liar I knew him to be, the asshole I knew him to be, the fucking coward he was, because she had gotten hurt because of me.

It should have been me, that bullet was meant for me, not her. Why couldn't she had just stayed behind me, stayed safe and let me take the fucking bullet? The guilt and the rage wash over me and I briefly wonder if I would ever get over being mad at her.

More guilt flooded my system with my dark thoughts. I was ready to lash out again when the doors opened and Bobby walked through. At the first sight of him, my heart stopped. Why would he leave her? Had something happened to her? I felt my head moving side to side as if on its own, the panic rising in my chest as the voice in my head was screaming no.

The room became blurry as my head moved faster and faster. With each swipe it got faster and faster. I felt the sweat break out all over at once across my face, forehead, back, hands and arms, all at the sight of him. Fear chocked me as I waited for what he was going to say.

I saw the look of pity, I saw the look of caution, I saw the look of concern and I felt myself further losing control. I heard the word 'no' over and over, but I couldn't figure out who was talking. Bobby's lips had not yet moved.

He raised his hands to me and his mouth opened and closed, he was saying something, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. The blood pumping in my ears was too loud because I knew he was going to say: she was gone. I had lost my best friend, the only woman I would ever love even though she wasn't mine to love. I knew that my Beautiful was gone.

Bobby's hands moved up and down against my arms in the universal attempt to calm me down and my body calmed slightly at this. I found myself breathing in deep, holding for a few seconds, and breathing out slowly, further calming my reactions, and then I was able to take in sounds of the room around me.

Slyder walked in the door a few seconds behind Bobby. Jealousy slammed into me with the thought of him being able to see her before me, and I wanted to take my frustration out on his face. It was only when I looked at him and I could see the concern and the attention he was showing Bobby that it registered he hadn't seen her. He didn't know how she was, he was waiting just as we were.

I was just about to shift my frustration to Bobby and tell him to stop fucking stalling when he began talking.

"She is out of surgery. Right now she is in recovery. She suffered damage to her heart, lungs, and collar bone," he said, taking a moment to take a breath and let his words wash over us and filter through our thick skulls.

"The bullet hit her iPod, shattering it however shards from the iPod lodged in her lung and heart. The bullet shattered her collar bone and also hit her lung. The damage has been repaired and her heart is beating on its own. They have a machine that is helping her breathing while her lung starts to heal. Because of the pain and how uncomfortable the tubing is, it was decided to keep her in a medically-induced coma. I am not certain how long, but it could be up to two weeks," he said and then paused again for the information to filter through.

I closed my eyes at the thoughts of what she had gone through and all she will have to go through because of me. I would have gladly died to prevent every second of the pain she will have to endure.

Before I opened my eyes, he continued, "they are going to be moving her to the Intensive care unit. We will have at least one person and probably two standing at her door. No one gets in unless they are approved. Right now, the approved will be those providing her care, her doctors, and Rangeman," he states and I nodded in full agreement.

She wouldn't want her family or anyone else from the burg gaining access to her room. I hate it that the nurses giving her care have the potential to gossip about her, but at least there are laws that are supposed to prevent that from happening.

Not that I am dumb enough to believe everyone follows the laws at all times, because I know they don't. I know they will talk, if they get a chance, but it is our job to ensure they don't, and if they do, they are taken care of according to the law starting with them losing their job.

"What we don't know is the long-term effects of her injuries. We don't know if she suffered brain damage, we don't even know once we stop the medically-induced coma she will wake up," he stated and my heart jumped with fear in my chest. My feet felt the need to move, but I remained rigid, straight, standing with my feet glued to the floor.

"We will know more in time, but right now, it is important to know that she is fighting, she is living and hopefully she will recover from this and be home with us soon," he continued, and I knew it was for the benefit of everyone standing in this room waiting on any information concerning her well-being.

The atmosphere in the waiting room slightly lifted with the new information, giving us additional hope, but it still felt tight and closed with worry of the unknown. There had yet to be the sigh of relief wash through the room, and I doubted it will come until Beautiful opened her eyes and spoke to us.

Before Bobby left, I find my voice. I am not sure I am able, but I can't seem to not ask the question I am desperate to know the answer to. "Can we see her?" I asked.

He nods his head, but he added a caveat quickly. "Once she has been moved to ICU, we will be able to see her. No more than two in the room at any given time, and no more than twenty minutes at any one time," he tells us. We all nod, feeling glad that we will be able to see her and possibly touch her.

I know for me it is an affirmation that she is in fact okay, that she is going to be okay, or at least we hope she will be when she wakes up. I still question if I will be able to step in her room when the time comes, but for now I will take comfort in the fact that I know she is living and recovering from the surgery.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Let me know your thoughts, leave a review!