Several weeks had gone by since I'd slept with Lester. Everything seemed to be going back to normal, we laughed and flirted like we used to and squabbled like two kids. I wasn't on edge like I was being around the two of them and Les had kept his word about not lording it over my head and telling Ranger about what we had done. I'd never ever forget what happened but everything was heading towards normal again.

"Babe" Carlos said waking me up as the clock rang out "I'm going for my work out, it's time to get up"

"K, I'll be up and ready when you come back" I said my head under my pillow

When I heard my Husband leave our apartment, I began thinking about what Dr. Masso suggested about Carlos and it just made no since to me. He lived right, no drugs, no heavy drinking, he eats right, and exercises religiously how could there be anything wrong with him? She has seen him the first few times he had gone with me to my appointments, she knows he is a fine specimen of a man. I threw the cover off me with all intentions of getting up and rolled onto my back, that's how I was found when Carlos came back from his workout.

"Babe?" I heard and then felt myself being shaken "Stephanie come on wake up"

I don't know why I did this or what came over me but when Carlos woke me the second time I jumped out of bed, pushed him aside, and stomped all the way into the bathroom.

"I can never sleep in this damn building" I yelled slamming the door behind me leaving a bewildered Husband looking at me

"Babe you always get up to shower and get ready for work while I go to the gym" he called to me

"Yea well it's not a crime to go back to sleep" I called back in my bitchy voice

"Babe I never said it was I was just surprised is all and I'm not understanding what the big deal is here. Why are you so upset?"

"Just leave me alone" I said through tears.

God why was I being so bitchy and emotional? Then it hit me what it could be and I cried even harder, because if it was what I was thinking it was then it would mean I'm not pregnant again and I would have slept with Lester and cheated for nothing.

"Shhh Babe" I heard and felt two strong arms turn me and bring me to their warm chest. I hadn't even heard the bathroom door open or heard Ranger come into the bathroom.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to snap at you like that"

"It's ok; I just don't understand what upset you. This is our normal routine"

"I know and I think I also know what's going on and if so then we aren't pregnant gain" I told him burrowing my head into his chest

"What?" he asked confusion etched on his face "ohhhh" he said when I looked up to him "so you've started then?"

"No not yet but it will probably be here soon"

We stood holding each other cocooned in our own little world. No one knew the hell we were going through as Husband and Wife. On the outside we looked put together and united but on the inside we were broken and sad. All we wanted was to have a baby but that didn't seem to be in our cards. I even went outside my marriage and still nothing happened. I was at a loss I didn't know what to say, think, or do anymore.

"Steph if you want you can stay up here in the apartment today "Carlos said rubbing my back

"No I don't want to sit here and just dwell on a another pregnancy chance lost" I told him pulling away from him and walking into the dressing room

"Babe if you need some time I'll understand"

"No Carlos I want to go to work, I don't want to think about it anymore"

"Ok Babe what every you need and want to do" he said leaning over on the door jamb watching me getting dressed

"Am I still with Hal today looking for some skips?" I asked placing my hair into a simple pony tail and grabbing on of Ranger's RangeMan ball caps

"Yes"

"Excellent" I said placing the hat on my head, pulling my pony tail thru the back of the hat, and walking out the door

My grief and anguish had turned to anger. I was angry, I was angry about my period seeming that was coming, I was angry about not able to be pregnant and for trying for so long. I was angry that the plan I thought of for trying to get pregnant didn't work and I did the unthinkable to my marriage and to my friend. Most of all I was angry at myself.

"Hey, Morning Bomber ready to roll?" Hal asked when I came onto the floor

"Yes let's go kick some ass" I said directing the anger to the job I had at hand. Hal looked at me and grinned and I grinned at him in return.

Riding around town with Hal was fun. He is all RangeMan but he also likes to indulge in some of my favorite things like burgers and donuts. We were currently sitting outside our last skip of the day's house waiting for him to come home for lunch while we were scarfing down ours.

"Gahhh what's taking so long here?" I whined

"Informant said he comes home every day for lunch" Hal said slurping some coke through his straw

"Well he better get his no good for nothing sorry ass here or we'll just pay him a visit at work and drag him out kicking and screaming by his balls" I said and Hal looked at me like I had just grown three heads

"What?"

"Nothing just all day there has been this edge about you and I've never heard you talk like that before"

"Sorry, I'm just cranky and tired still. I just can't wake up for some reason today" I gave as my explanation. When I thought of the real reason for my crankiness I felt a sharp stab to my heart.

I drank the rest of my coke and laid back in my chair to wait on Mr. Drug Problem. The next thing I remember was being shaken awake again.

"Why does everyone want to shake me today?" I grumbled sitting up trying to focus my eyes to see that we were still in the truck but we weren't on the street outside the skips house

"Sorry Bomber but we are home" Hal said and my eyes really shot open then

"HOME!"

"Yea" he said and I looked around and saw I was in fact in the underground garage with our car fleet all around us

"Oh my God I fell asleep on a bust" I said closing my eyes "oh Hal I'm so sorry I forced us not to catch our guy" I said because I knew my husband was going to be pissed when he heard about this but he wasn't going to take it out on me, he would on Hal on the mats and it wasn't his fault.

"Relax its ok the skip never showed I think he was tipped off, so I let you sleep"

"I promise ill fix it with Ranger so you won't get in trouble" I said opening the door to our truck

"Steph" he called and I stopped my decent and looked back at him "I'm not going to mention to the Boss man that you fell asleep staking out the skip"

"You're not?" I asked

"Nope" he said "now come on"

I watched as Hal jumped out of the truck and round to my side. I looked up at him and he looked down at me and grinned.

"It didn't hurt anything that you went to sleep and you seemed to be needing the rest"

"But this goes against the rules and you'll be lying on your report"

"No I'm not going to lie. We had a really good morning rounding up a few skips. This last one just didn't show up. That's right, right?"

"I owe you" I told him as we walked over to the elevator

When the elevator came and walked into it I got this odd feeling that washed over me. I got real hot and everything in the car got really fuzzy. I turned to look at Hal but he was fading in and out of blackness and I couldn't focus on him. Getting scared I reached out to Hal and felt him turn to look at me.

"Bomber you ok? You're looking a little green"

"Hal" I said or hoped I said as I placed my hand onto my eyes and then my world went dark

"OH GOD BOMBER, BOMBER COME ON COME BACK TO ME" I heard Hal's worried voice screaming at me. I tried to open my eyes but everything was so fuzzy and unfocused

"Hal?"

"That's it come one shhhhh"

"Hal what's going on? I asked squinting up at him. I was trying to remember but the only thing I remembered was feeling weird and then nothing

"Oh Thank God your back. Shit Stephanie you just scared the hell out of me"

"Sorry what's going on?" I asked looking around realizing I was on the elevator car's floor

"Just lie still" when Hal saw me starting to move around

"What happened" I said getting agitated that he wouldn't tell me

"You fainted Steph" he finally told me as the door dinged above me

When the elevator opened I saw we were on the lobby's floor. I don't visit this floor a lot but I knew what it looked like. Hal scooped me up in his arms and ran us over to the lobby's leather couch as I was protesting that I was ok and tried to get out of his arms. Placing me down onto it he looked over and started ordering a guy around that I didn't really know all that well.

"CALL BROWN DOWN HERE NOW AND GET RANGER ALSO"

"NO!" I screamed "don't call I'm fine" I yelled back at the guy

"DO IT" Hal commanded and the guy picked up the in house phone and started pressing numbers. He knew Hal was not to be messed with.

Hal crouched down in front of me carefully watching over me, there was nothing I could do now the alarm had been sounded. Soon all of RangeMan will be thundering down here to see what I had done now. Hal studied me closely and I glared up at my used to be burger buddy, if he noticed it never registered on his face. The elevator dinged again and I heard the stairwell door crash open, I closed my eyes and stilled myself for what was to come.