Previously:
Tank leveled a long stare at Ranger. "I just got back. Lester and Bobby and I were out trying to find Abruzzi." There was a tone in his voice that made Ranger instantly feel guilty. They had been out trying to catch the enemy and he had been at home, drowning his sorrows in brandy.
Chapter Eight
The doctor walked into the room at precisely seven forty-five. Everybody that had been there the last time was back. Stephanie's parents, both clothed in black for mourning, stood on one side of the bed. Lulu and Connie were at the foot of the bed, weeping and hugging each other close. Lulu had a bag from McDonalds next to her, which she claimed was going to be her comfort food.
Ranger stood on the remaining side of the bed, watching the doctor's every move as tests were made and Stephanie was prepared. The nurses did their best to make Stephanie look nice, but it was difficult when she was clothed in a hospital-issued robe and had numerous tubes in her arms and face.
As the doctor made his final adjustments, Ranger glanced at the clock on the wall. It was seven fifty-two. He dreaded the moment that would come when the remaining eight minutes were up. He looked back down at Stephanie, his gaze traveling across the various bandages on her body. The side wound has almost completely healed, leaving behind a small red scar. The bruises had yet to fade; they were still a nasty yellowish green color.
Ranger reached for the hand that lay limp in front of him. The nurses had placed a few small white daisies on the bed in the center of Stephanie's chest. They stood out from the pale blue of the blanket that covered her body.
Ranger rubbed his thumbs over his Babe's pale knuckles, wishing that he could do something – anything – to make this nightmare end. He regretted that he had never really opened up with her. He'd always thought that there would be more time. And now that time had come to an end.
His thoughts were interrupted when the doctor cleared his throat, getting everybody's attention. "Does anybody wish to say anything?" he asked quietly.
Stephanie's mother nodded and stepped up to the bed, taking hold of Stephanie's other hand. Her voice cracked when she began to speak, "I'm sorry," she said, "For everything. I know that I never treated you like I should have. You just scared me sometimes. I was always scared that something like this would happen." She closed her eyes, breathing deeply as tears streamed down her face. "I really hope that you know how much I love you." She carefully put Stephanie's hand back on the bed and stepped back into her husband's embrace.
Stephanie's father cleared his throat. "Pumpkin, I just want you to know that I love you and I was always proud of you." He nodded slowly and looked down at the floor.
Lulu was next. "Damn, girl," she said quietly, "You just had to go and get yourself all messed up like this." She gave a loud sniffle, "And now I'm going to have to cancel that shopping date we had planned on Friday. It just won't be the same without you."
Connie lifted her head and looked at Stephanie. "I'm really going to miss you," she said, then gave a watery smile. "How am I supposed to work with Vinnie without you around to help?" The smile faded and she wiped a hand roughly over her face. "You were a good friend, Steph."
That left Ranger. He looked down at Stephanie's pale face and lifted a shaking hand to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. He pulled his hand back slowly, clenching it into a tight fist. Everybody was silent as he knelt next to the bed and bent over to give her a quick kiss. "I love you," he whispered in her ear. He spent another moment just staring at her face before he stood up again. He let out a shaky breath and nodded to the doctor.
"Before I start, I would like you thank you all for being here," he said. "Sometimes people are forgotten and uncared for when they are in conditions similar to MS. Plum's. It's good to know how much you all cared about her." He gave everybody a small smile before returning his attention to Stephanie. He sighed at turned towards the life support machines. "After the plug is pulled, her heart will slowly shut down, followed by the rest of her body."
He motioned to a nurse to assist Stephanie's mother in case she broke down. Then he reached out and, with one last sigh, flipped the switch that closed the machine's connection to Stephanie's body.
Ranger closed his eyes, waiting for the dreadful moment when the machine that measured Stephanie's heart rate would stop beeping and become that long, pain-filled note. He kept on waiting, only it never happened. He opened his eyes and looked at the doctor, who, live everybody else in the room, looked very surprised.
They all waited silently for a minute. The beeping never stopped. The doctor's face creased into a wide smile. "Well," he said, "It would seem that Ms. Plum has decided to join us in the conscious world. She breathing and functioning without the life support.
Stephanie's mother feinted, thankfully into the arms of the ready nurse. Lulu and Connie both screamed.
Ranger heard a roaring in his ears and gripped the edge of the bed tightly. She was alive.
She was alive.
Alive.
He couldn't prevent to shudder of relief that went through his body. His knees were weak, but he didn't care. Because she was alive.
Stephanie's mother was taken into a nearby room, accompanied by her husband.
The doctor, still bearing a cheerful smile, asked Lulu and Connie to leave, which they did happily, saying that they were going to need more comfort food than they thought.
After they left the doctor looked at Ranger. "Seeing as you seem to be—" he searched for the right word "—stable, I'll tell you what can be expected after what has happened. After we take a few tests, we will be able to determine just how Ms. Plum is doing. It's quite obvious that she can function without the life support, which means that her body has come out of the coma. She is merely sleeping. It will take a while for her body to get enough energy to wake up, maybe a day or two."
Ranger nodded, unable to speak.
The doctor continued, "If all goes well, she should be able to go home in about a week."
Ranger still didn't respond.
She was alive.
