A little further insight into Ranger's though-processes. And a big thank you to all of you who read and reviewed Chapter 7. Your reviews propel me forward! And speaking of propelling, I know this story isn't getting down on virtual paper as fast as I would like it to, but at least we are making progress. I'm in the middle of a TV commercial, a brand re-launch and a global initiative right now at work—so I am totally crazed. Hope to spend more time with my stories soon, though. Thank you for your patience.

Chapter 8

Another Ranger POV

"Babe?"

"Ranger! You weren't supposed to hear that..."

"But I did. And I don't ever want you doubting yourself again. Doctor, can we have a minute?"

"Of course. I'll be in my office, knock when you're done."

"Stephanie," I told her, walking over and taking her hand. "You do know that you are the most stunning, precious and sexiest woman I have ever met. I don't know what you see when you look in a mirror, but you are beautiful inside and out. People in your life have clearly done a number on you and that makes me angry. What do I have to do to convince you otherwise? I've already asked you to be my wife," I reminded her, rubbing my thumb over the ring on her finger.

"Ranger..."

"Carlos."

"Carlos. I can see things pretty clearly. I don't need glasses and what I see when I look at myself is a mass of out of control curls and a disaster waiting to happen. I blow up cars at an alarming rate. Why would you want to attach yourself to me?"

"Because I love you. And I see a beautiful, tenacious woman who will stop at nothing to get her man. It's admirable. And as I've told you before, cars are replaceable but you aren't. Marry me, Babe."

"Why the rush?"

"Because I want you and I want the world to know that you're my woman."

"I think they already do. You seemed to have spread the word on Stark Street a long time ago."

"That's the underbelly of Trenton. You needed the protection my name would offer you there. I knew I couldn't keep you away, nor would I want to, so I did the next best thing. Not too many people would be brave enough to disrespect you knowing I'd be coming for them. But that has nothing to do with now. Marry me, Stephanie."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Um...ok."

"Just ok, Babe?"

"No, more than ok. Yes, Carlos. I love you and want to marry you."

"You just made me one happy man," I told her, the smile on my face growing by the second. Only Stephanie could answer a marriage proposal with 'ok'.

"I'm going to get the doctor. The faster we get out of here, the faster I can show you how happy you made me," I told her after giving her a kiss designed to make her dizzy.

"Give me a sec. I've got to get myself under control."

"A sec is up. I'm going next door. We'll be right back."

I knocked on the doctor's door, even though it was open.

"Dr. Greig. Thank you for the moment. We're good now, can you finish up with her leg so we can get home?"

"She said yes?"

"She said yes." I wasn't going to get into semantics.

"Congratulations," he told me, getting up to shake my hand.

We had two hours before we needed to leave for Princeton, where I had made reservations at a Mediterranean place I knew to be quiet and intimate. I wanted Steph to have a memorable engagement dinner or I would have simply canceled...to spend the time naked in bed. I knew we'd get to the naked part anyway, so a slight detour wasn't really too disturbing. In fact, I saw us prone and sweaty about twenty minutes from now. We'd just have to set a time limit, but later on tonight, all bets were off.

In the car on the way back to Rangeman I told her about my Aunt Marta's diagnosis.

"She's my mother's sister so I need to make a couple of calls. The first, obviously, to my mother. I also have connections at Walter Reed with connections to Sloane Kettering. Three calls max and then I'm all yours."

"You seem to be all mine anyway," she told me flashing her ring in my face.

"Not yet. But we can make that happen as soon as you're ready," I told her as anxiety began to harden her features. "Take as long as you need, Babe. There's no rush. I'm not going anywhere," I added to dispel her budding panic attack. "And breathe."

This was going to be a long journey.

I called my mother from the car and relayed my conversation with Bonnie. Now was not the time to tell her that Steph had agreed to marry me. That could wait until we had a proper diagnosis on my aunt.

"I'm glad you called. Although this is not the best news," she told be after hearing what I had to say. "Is Stephanie with you?"

"Yes she is. We just had her cast removed. Would you like to say hi?"

"Please."

"My mom, Babe," I told her although my phone was on speaker.

"Mrs. Manoso?"

"Gloria. I thought we settled that the other night."

"Sorry, Gloria. You wanted to talk to me?"

"I just wanted to say hello. Carlos got some bad news and I wanted to make sure you were there with him. He pretends that nothing effects him but I know differently."

Steph looked over at me. A smile beginning to form. "Yeah. I know that too."

"Well that's all. Just wanted to say hi. Am I on speaker?"

"Yes you are," she told my mother, smiling broadly now.

"Ok. Since I've got the both of you at once, I'm giving you an open invitation to come here for dinner. Any night, just call first to make sure Ricardo and I haven't gone out. Ok? And we are all on for Easter dinner. Julie will be here. I can call my other sisters, Carlos. No need for you to break the news."

"Thanks mom."

"I'll see you before Easter?"

"We'll call you. Send my regards." It was the all in her prior sentence that had me worried. In my family all was close to sixty people.

"Ok, bye now. Bye, Steph."

"Bye, Gloria," she said to a dead line.

"Jeez, now I know where you get it from."

"Get what, Babe?"

"The bad phone manners. Your mother just hung up on you."

"She did not. She said goodbye. When I hang up on someone, there's no goodbye. There are usually no further hellos either."

"You hang up on Tank all the time."

"We have an understanding. We don't need words, Babe."

"Jeez, Louise," she mumbled under her breath. "And 'yo' isn't hello," she added.

"Since I usually answer with 'report', in my book it is," I told her truthfully, feeling my smile form. The 'yos' were reserved for people I liked.

I called my connection at Walter Reed. He's the head of the Robotic Prosthetics Department (think Bionic Man), but he knows everyone.

"Ranger. To what do I owe this honor?" he asked when I got through all the guard dogs to finally speak to him.

"Favor..."

"Anything."

"An introduction to the best oncologist for breast cancer at Sloan Kettering, New York."

"That would be Dr. Norton. Hold on while I call him from my cell. I'm assuming this is for someone in your family?"

"My aunt. Marta Menendes."

"Hold on."

He was back on the line a few minutes later.

"Here's his number," he told me rattling off a bunch of numbers I hoped Steph or Siri caught.

"I take it you're driving. Do you need that again?"

I looked over at Steph who had written it down on a tissue. "Dr Norton's phone number, Siri."

Her voice came back with a series of numbers, which thankfully she didn't call for me. Steph confirmed the number with a nod.

"Nope. We're good."

"Next time you're in DC, stop by. It's been a long time. Do you know how Gutierrez is doing with his arm? Is he still active?"

"To my knowledge, yes. I haven't seen him in a while but I would have heard otherwise. Your arm made him feel human again. Brilliant piece of robotics."

"Thank you. And I hope to see you soon."

I'm sure Steph was cringing since neither one of us said goodbye as the call dropped off.

We pulled into the Rangeman garage. "Gutierrez? Robotic arm?" she asked looking at me sideways.

"He was under my command when he met with a booby trap that decimated his right arm. Last year he was the first recipient of a LUKE arm. I believe it's a nod to Luke Skywalker's cybernetic appendage, capable of doing almost anything a human arm can do. Very dexterous. There are future plans to tie it into the human nervous system. Right now it's battery powered."

"How do you know all this?"

"I keep up. I recommended Gutierrez for the arm when I read about it coming to Walter Reed. Dr. Sanchez, who we just spoke with, was more than happy to have a willing recipient. Not too many people want to be guinea pigs."

"Yeah. I would guess not. How come he doesn't work at Rangeman?"

"Gutierrez? He's still in the military."

"One-armed?

"He has two now. And I heard he's volunteered for active duty again."

"I guess that's pretty cool. Although, I don't know if I would take my chances after just being given another lease on life."

"He's a very determined man...like some woman I know," I told her glancing at her with a raised eyebrow.

We were still sitting in the Cayenne which was not where I wanted to be at the moment. I wanted my woman in my arms...and my dick had additional thoughts. We hadn't had actual sex these last few weeks while she was casted to mid thigh and I was definitely feeling the ramifications. Dios, I wanted her.

"Let's go upstairs, Babe. Everything else can wait."

"Yeah, I guess it can," she told me, her eyes undressing me while she licked her lips.

I scrambled the camera in the elevator as we entered. I wasn't eager to have my men watch my amorous affections towards my woman. Once that was taken care of I backed her into a corner and proceeded to kiss her. When the elevator dinged its arrival on seven, Steph was wrapped around my waist, breathing hard.

"Babe, were here," I told her softly.

"Where?" she muttered back. I always loved watching her responses when our lips met. She got so completely involved in the connection that regular thought processes failed her.

"Let's go inside."

"Inside?" she asked, seemingly unaware of anything around her.

"Our home, Babe," I told her to reset her parameters.

"Ranger?"

"Unless you want to live elsewhere? As husband and wife we should live in the same place."

She was still acting bewildered. If I could attribute this perplexed state to a kiss, I really would be a superhero. Instead, I believed it to be an effect of the animal magnetism that exists between us. I've felt it from day one and Steph has unknowingly mentioned the neck tingles she gets when I'm around. My neck doesn't tingle but my dick does. And it was tingling now.

"Let's go inside," I told her again, taking her hand and leading her through the front door.

"It's been a long time," I whispered into her ear as I brushed her neck with my lips.

"Oh God, Carlos," she moaned. A response that let me know she was onboard with my thinking, whether or not she was able to express anything more at the moment.

And truthfully, no further words were needed.