A/N: I HAD to share this guest review with everyone bc it cracked me up so much I had tears in my eyes ::$50 and a bag of chips that there was NO meeting. Ranger made that up to block Lester didn't he? So slimy if he did. But if he didn't make it up, he can have the $ and chip lolYou guys is that not hilarious?! LOL!!! I wish I could respond directly to you about this, thank you for making my afternoon! So I hadn't even thought about that actually… he was going to take Bobby and Lester to the mats for the way the were ogling Steph in the break room, but I thought that was kind hypocritical of him. So instead they changed to just having a powwow LOL.

2 chapters in one day?! Can y'all handle it???

Chapter 10

Stephanie's POV

I made it all the way to the garage before I remembered Lester had driven me that morning so I had no way to get home. "Shit!" I cursed and looked around hoping a savior would magically appear, rescuing me from the weirdness (and hotness) of the last 5 minutes. When I heard the doors open and I saw the faces streaming out at me I thanked my lucky stars for about 2 seconds, until I actually saw their faces. They all ignored me , rushing to their vehicles until I saw Bobby rush past with his medical bag and I grabbed his arm. "Bobby! What's going on?"

He looked surprised to see me in the garage, but just took a hold of my hand and drug me to one of the vehicles. He picked me up and tossed me into the passenger seat before getting in the back. I looked over at the driver and it was Cal with a very un blank look on his normally blank face. I gripped the "Oh shit!" handle tightly as we sped out of the garage , trying to buckle my seat belt one handed as he dodged and sped around cars. "Cal? Bobby?" I felt my stomach drop as I heard Bobby's voice come from behind me, close to my ear so I knew he was leaning in.

"Manny's been shot."

Shot?? "Oh my God! Do you know how he's doing? What happened? Where was he transported to?" I felt my heart beating a mile a minute as Bobby placed a hand on my shoulder and Cal took his right hand off the wheel and linked it with my left hand, both of them squeezing.

"We don't know much yet, it was a skip gone bad and he got a lucky shot off. His partner Zip got hurt too but not as severe, I don't think he was hit with the bullets. More likely injuries from diving to the ground or something. They were taken to St. Francis." Bobby let go of my shoulder and when I looked back I could see him rubbing his hands over his face. I looked over at Cal who still had my hand in his, the look on his face hadn't changed. I turned my head towards the window and stared at the scenery flashing by.

We made it to the hospital quickly. Bobby barely let the car stop before jumping out and running into the building. Cal still had a hold on my hand so I leaned over the console and kissed him on the cheek. It broke him from his stupor as the blank face showed back up and he let go of my hand and got out of the car. I was a little shocked he didn't respond or acknowledge me, but then the passenger door opened and he was there. He placed his hands on my waist and pulled me down out of the massive vehicle before walking away. I followed him through the sliding doors and was met with that familiar wall of black. I didn't see Bobby but most of the other men were there, standing around with extremely tight jaws and wrinkled foreheads. I heard Bobby yelling at someone behind the second set of doors that led into the emergency department , and I realized what was going on. I saw Lester standing off to the side with Ranger so I made my way to them. "Guys, what is Manny's full name?"

"Babe?"

"Beautiful? What are you doing here?"

"Bobby grabbed me on his way out of the garage. Lester what is his full name?"

They shared a look as he responded "Manuel Alexander Ramos. Why?" I turned and made my way through the sliding doors, and slammed my hands on the counter, making Bobby stop yelling and turn towards me.

"My husband! I need to know what happened to him!" I shouted at the desk clerk, who looked confused.

"Miss? I'm sorry who-"

"Manuel Ramos! I need to see him immediately! Where is he?" I turned on the tears , which got the woman to jump to action.

"Oh Mrs. Ramos I'm so sorry! Yes of course, he's in room 315. Come on, I'll take you." She came around from the desk and put her arm around me, leading me towards the room. I caught Bobby's eye and almost laughed at his shocked look. I saw him turn around and walk back through the doors to join the rest of Rangeman in the waiting room.

The nurse brought me to Manny's room , letting me know the doctor would be in shortly to fill me in. I glanced at Manny laying in the bed and genuine tears filled my eyes. He looked so pale , white gauze covering his left shoulder, so I pulled a chair next to his right side and grabbed his hand, running my thumb over his knuckles. I'm not a super religious person, but I said a prayer for my new friends. I felt a slight squeeze on my hand and I opened my eyes to see bright blue eyes staring back at me. "Miss Plum? What are you doing here?"

Before I could answer the doctor came in. "Mrs. Ramos, Mr. Ramos, my name is Doctor Barnes and I'm here to give you an update." He turned towards me as he was taking. "Your husband had a gunshot to his left shoulder. It didn't hit any major arteries, but it did break his clavicle when it entered which caused a bit of damage that we had to go in and repair." He turned towards Manny "I estimate a recovery time of around 4 weeks, and you should be back to full use of your arm and shoulder in a little more." Manny didn't say a word, his eyes moving back and forth between the doctor and myself. "Any questions from either of you?"

"Yes, when can I take him home?" I ignored Manny's confused stare for a minute as the doctor checked his chart and stated he would be released in the morning. He then left, leaving Manny and I alone again. I took a deep breath, let it out and turned back towards him. "I'm so sorry Bobby told me you were shot and basically threw me into the car. When I walked in I heard him yelling at the desk clerk wanting answers of how you were doing and what was going on, and they were refusing because of HIPAA. I said the first thing that came to my mind, that we were married so I could give the guys an update." I hung my head in embarrassment what if he has an actual wife or girlfriend who is gonna bust in here at any second and beat the shit out of me?? This was a stupid idea Steph. When I heard him chuckle I looked up at him and he was smiling.

"First off, no wife or girlfriend so you're safe there. Second, thank you Miss. Plum."

I smiled back and winked at him "I think you can call me Stephanie, being as we're married and all."

He laughed and grimaced when it caused him to move his shoulder wrong , so I glared at him. I leaned across him to grab the call button for pain medicine for him when he pulled my hand down towards his face, kissing the back of it, his eyes never leaving mine. "Stephanie, thank you. This is the first time I've woken up in the hospital after being injured where I haven't felt like I was a burden."

He scooted over, laid on his right side and patted the bed next to him, indicating he wanted me to lay with him, so I kicked off my shoes and laid down facing him. He couldn't move his left shoulder or hand but I moved mine so I had a hold of his fingers. Our faces were close, and I could smell the cologne he was wearing, along with the antiseptic smell I always associate with hospitals. He leaned his forehead forward against mine, and we laid there in silence for a good amount of time until I had to ask. "Manny, why did you feel like a burden when you were injured previously?"

"Ranger takes really good care of us guys." He started "but the last few times I've been injured, I would wake up to him giving orders to the men, who would be covering for me while I was out, and it made me feel like…"

"Like you were a problem that needed to be taken care of?" I let go of his fingers and pushed his hair out of his eyes that had fallen forward .

He nodded. "Don't get me wrong, Bobby's a great medic and I trust him with my life, it was just really nice to see your beautiful eyes instead of his ugly mug when I woke up." I blushed and started to say something when I heard my phone go off. Shit! Joey is probably wondering where the hell I am… I slipped off the bed to grab it "Don't move husband, I'll be right back!"

He grinned at me and winked. "No problem wifey, I'm not going anywhere."

I padded into the hallway and answered on the 4th ring. "Hello?"

"Cupcake? I thought we had a date? I'm at your apartment are you okay?"

"Yes I'm so sorry Joe! After I hung up with you I was rushed to the hospital-" I heard a crash and what sounded like him running.

"What?? What hospital Stephanie? What happened?"

Oh good lord. "Joe! Calm down before you have a coronary! I'm fine, one of my coworkers was shot and we all kind of made a mad dash here. I'm at St. Francis if you want to come pick me up. Give me 30 minutes okay?" I heard him let out the breath I guess he had been holding.

"Jesus Steph! Way to give me a panic attack!" I heard his breathing start to regulate. "I'm sorry about your friend, I'll be by to get you in just a bit. Love you Cupcake."

"Love you Joey." I said before disconnecting and walking back into the room. Manny's eyes were shut and his breathing was even, making me assume he had fallen asleep. I sent a text to Ranger to let him know I had an update and would be out shortly. Slipping my shoes back on I leaned over and brushed my lips over his cheek, whispering that I would be back in the morning to see him. I met a nurse outside his door and let her know he was asleep, gave her my number and told her to call me if his condition changed in the night otherwise I would be there in the morning. I also let her know to allow Bobby access to Manny's medical information, I figured Manny would want that anyway for when he was released, and that he could get updates about his condition. She agreed and said she would make sure he was notified, so I thanked her and walked out to the waiting room. I counted no less than 15 guys jump up out of their seats as I walked through the doors and they rushed me. I was bombarded with questions until I heard a loud whistle that caused me to cringe. The noises stopped and I looked for the origin of the sharp sound, finding Tank standing there. When I glanced around the waiting room I didn't see Ranger which surprised me since I knew he had been there earlier, and didn't think he would just leave his man. Tank must have sensed my confusion, he walked over to me, splitting the circle of men that had been hovering and putting his massive arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.

"Ranger will be back soon, he and Lester needed to take a ride Little Girl."

I felt Bobby's presence next to us as soon as he walked up. "How is he?" I relayed the news from the doctor on Manny's condition, and his expected recovery time. The men all seemed to relate somehow, because they all just nodded. "That was some seriously quick thinking sweetheart." He pulled me from Tanks embrace into one with himself before letting me go. "I would have eventually gotten an update, but it could have taken hours. This reminds me, I need to get your paperwork updated tomorrow when we get to work. Come see me first thing when I get back from here okay?"

I had no idea what paperwork he was referring to, but I didn't care. "Oh, I… I was hoping I could come here in the morning, so I'm here for Manny when he's released…" I kicked an imaginary spot on the floor, nervous he would tell me no. When I looked up all the guys were staring at me with admiration.

Bobby's voice came out thick when he answered "Of course sweetheart. I'm sure he would much rather see your face than mine tomorrow morning. I'll pick you up at 7 okay? We can work on the paperwork while we wait for him to be ready." I nodded, not even registering the early time. At that moment I heard Joe's voice call out to me, and I stepped his way.

He grabbed me tight, squeezing me against his chest. I felt the tension rolling off of him in waves, and just let him hug me until I couldn't breathe. Then I smacked him on his arm , so he let go. I heard growls and grumbles all around us, but he ignored them. "Cupcake thank God you're okay!" he pulled me close again, more gentle this time and kissed me on the temple.

I rolled my eyes "Joey I told you I was fine. One of my coworkers got shot, I needed to be here." I grabbed Joe's hand and walked him over to the guys milling around. "Joey, these are two of the men in charge at Rangeman. Tank, Bobby, this is my best friend Joe Morelli." The guys did some sort of cavemanish grunting at each other, which caused me to roll my eyes again. Surprisingly Cal came over to stand next to me and spoke.

"Morelli, do you have any idea how special this woman is? When she found out one of us had been shot her first reaction wasn't to run screaming in the other direction, it was to check on his well being. Then, as if her asking about him wasn't enough, she took it upon herself to get access to him and his doctor by claiming to be his wife so that we could get an update on our friend and colleague." I glanced up at Cal, open mouthed. I thought he was mad at me about something…

Cal glanced down at me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders pulling me into his side. "Why would I be mad at you Angel?" He leaned down and whispered in my ear , his breath tickling my cheek. "You will be our saving grace, I can tell. " I moved away from his side and grabbed his face with both my hands, pulling it down to my level.

"I will always, and I mean ALWAYS be here for you guys. You aren't getting rid of me, now you're stuck with me. You are great men, and I'm lucky to have you guys in my life." Tears rolled down my cheeks as I kissed him on his flaming skull tattoo and then the tip of his nose before letting go and turning to Bobby. "Please tell my husband if he wakes up tonight that I will be here first thing in the AM." Bobby smiled and nodded at me just as the nurse walked through the doors and called to him to provide the update I told her to give . He smiled at me again and gave me a quick hug and kiss before joining her. I did a round of hugs and kisses with each man in the waiting room before following Joe outside. Once we were in the car and driving back to my apartment he broke the silence.

"So, where was Ranger?"

I did a mental head slap. Tank had said that he and Lester had taken a ride, I hoped to GOD they weren't discussing me. That's narcissistic Stephanie, they probably aren't talking about you at all!" "I'm not sure, he was there when I got to the hospital but gone when I left Manny's room to provide them with an update." By the time we got back to my apartment I was ready for bed. "Sorry Joey, can our talk wait til tomorrow ? I had a hell of a first day, and I just want to sink into bed."

He unlocked my door and ushered me into my bedroom. My eyes felt like they were going to fall out I was so tired, and he could tell. He gently removed my clothes, changed me into pajamas, laid me down and covered me up. Last thing I remembered before I slipped off into sleep was him kissing my forehead and telling me he loved me.

A/N2: Please be advised, I am most definitely NOT a medical professional. I have no idea how long a gunshot wound/broken collarbone takes to heal. Please indulge my version of the time frame.