Disclaimer: Not mine. I'm just using them for my own personal fun. JE owns them. Darn it!
Warnings: Possible mention of books 1-18
Author's Note: Thanks again to Cristi0819 for being my Beta. I so appreciate your time and efforts reviewing my chapters for me. You help keep me from looking like an idiot!
Previously: I finished off the water and slowly stood from the couch. I was still feeling a little weak, so I grabbed another bottle of water and a package of peanut butter crackers and headed to the bathroom to take my time getting ready. I knew this was going to be a long day.
Ch. 11
I took my time getting ready to go to my parents and sit with Ranger watching the monitors. I was still feeling pretty weak, and I'm sure making love earlier hadn't helped the situation, but it was oh so worth it.
I was thankful that Ranger's shower had a seat in it and I took advantage of it as my legs still felt unsteady under me. I had made sure to cover my stitches on my shoulder to avoid getting them wet and potentially causing more infection.
I had to take several breaks over the course of fixing my hair and makeup as it was exhausting me to be standing for long periods of time. I finally made it downstairs about two hours later. Ranger greeted me with a full grin and a soft kiss. He and I talked about the upcoming dinner with my parents. I explained my nerves and he encouraged me not to let my mother get to me. He also made me promise again to protect him from my Grandma Mazur. I always find it so funny that Ranger, the bad-ass mercenary who isn't afraid of anything gets nervous around my Grandma.
At 1:15, he headed upstairs to get ready and I manned the monitors until Les arrived at 1:30. "Hey, Beautiful," Les greeted me, planting a quick kiss on my cheek.
"Hey, Les! Merry Christmas!" I said smiling at him. "No big plans tonight?"
"Naw, I went out with Cindy last night and we spent the morning together." Cindy is a legal secretary for Ralston Banks, the RangeMan attorney. She and Lester met when Ralston was handling the negotiations for RangeMan to purchase another apartment building in Trenton. They immediately hit it off and have been seeing each other for about a month now.
"You two really seem to be hitting it off, huh Les? Are you serious about her?" I asked Lester.
"As serious as we can be right now. She just had a long-term relationship go belly up and I've never really been a relationship kind of guy. So, we're working on it, taking it a day at a time and just enjoying being together."
"I'm really happy for you, Les." Just then the elevator announced Ranger's arrival back on 5 and I went to join him so we could head to my parents. As I walked away, I yelled over my shoulder to Lester, "Wish me luck!"
"Luck" he yelled just as the elevator doors were closing. I took a deep breath, sighed and leaned into Ranger to absorb some of his infamous strength.
Ranger leaned his head down and kissed my forehead then reassured me, "It is all going to be ok, Babe". I hoped he was right.
The ride to my parent's house was made in a comfortable silence. When we arrived, my mother and grandmother held their normal spots right on the front porch watching and waiting. Ranger came around the car and helped me out. I hadn't eaten since my snack before my shower so my legs were started to get a little shaky again. With his arm around my waist, he guided me up the steps to greet my family.
"Baby Granddaughter, we heard you were sick. I wasn't sure you were going to make it over today. I'm so glad it wasn't too serious." Grandma Mazur said as she hugged me. I was a little thrown off, as we typically aren't a very affectionate family, but I recovered quickly and returned the hug.
"Thanks, Grandma. I'm ok. Just need to rest and keep hydrated and I'll be better in no time," I said to her, stealing a glance at my mother. Judging by the look on her face, I wasn't sure Ranger and I were going to be here long.
"Come inside Stephanie. The neighbors are watching and who knows what they'll think if we continue to stand out here," my mother said.
I took a deep breath and let a sigh slip from my lips. I went into the living room with Ranger behind me, to greet my Dad.
"Hi, Daddy. Merry Christmas."
"Hello, Pumpkin," he returned, standing up to give me a kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling? Your Grandmother mentioned you were in the hospital yesterday?"
"Yes, Daddy, but I'm ok. I just need to take it easy. You remember Carlos right," I said re-introducing Ranger to my Dad.
"Yes, of course. Welcome," Dad said extending his hand to shake Ranger's.
"Thank you for having me, Sir. Merry Christmas," Ranger said looking my Dad square in the eye.
"You can call me Frank." He said. I was a little shocked. He had never asked Joe to call him Frank. I couldn't help but smile.
My Grandma called us all to the table to eat, so I took Ranger's hand and led him to the dining room and motioned that he should sit in the chair beside me. My Dad sat in his normal spot at the head of the table. Ranger was to his left and I sat next to Ranger. My mother was on my left at the other end of the table and Grandma was across from us.
"I have the best view in the house," Grandma said winking at Ranger. His hand tightened around my thigh and I couldn't help but smile. So far, Grandma hadn't tried to pinch anything on Ranger, but I suppose the night was still young. I offered pleading eyes to her in hopes that she would behave but all she did was wink at me.
As we passed the dishes around, Grandma immediately jumped in telling me stories of things that occurred in the past few weeks that she thought I might have missed. I heard a lot of it from Connie and Lula, but there were a few things she surprised me with.
"Angie Morelli started dating." Grandma said with a wide grin. I choked on the piece of turkey I had put into my mouth, unable to fathom Joe's mom dating.
"Yep, she and Sal Darelis, the butcher, were out at Rossini's the other night and then Donna Barcelli saw them kissing on her front porch," Grandma continued on.
"Good for her." I added to the conversation.
My mother, who had been taking deep breaths the entire meal chimed in. "Good for her? Good for her? Stephanie, she is nearly 60, she shouldn't be dating. What will her poor children think?" It looked as though she might hyperventilate.
"I suppose they will be happy for her. I wouldn't want you or Daddy to be alone as long as she has been." I said hoping she saw my point. She didn't.
"I could never move on from your father. And I would hope he would respect me enough not to move on to some piece of scum if I died before he did." Mom said.
"Scum? Sal is a good Catholic, certainly better than I am. And his wife died nearly 20 years ago after she fought illness for years, and he never once gave up on her. He stayed with her to the end. Why isn't he good enough for Angie?" I asked my mother, truly baffled.
Thrown off by my defense of Sal, my mother quickly changed the subject to a topic that was easier for her to harp on…me. "And you, what are you doing still bounty hunting? From what I hear you nearly got yourself killed. Carmella Gioglio's daughter doesn't end up in the hospital two days before Christmas. Gladys Silva's daughter doesn't run around with thugs all day chasing down men twice her size getting herself stabbed and shot at."
That was it. That set me off. "Mother…do you ever listen to yourself? First, you call Sal scum and say he isn't worthy of Angie Morelli. Then you start comparing me to all the neighbor's daughters for the millionth time and then you call Ranger and his men thugs. Do you realize that Ranger saved my life for probably the 20th time since I've known him when he found me two days ago? If he hadn't gotten to my apartment when he did, I could have had a seizure from the high temperature I had." I paused for a breath and my mother started in again.
"If you weren't hanging around him and his band of thugs, you wouldn't need saving, Stephanie. Don't you realize that? Why can't you get a good job that doesn't put you in constant danger? Or better yet, settle down with Joseph and have a family and be a good wife?"
I jumped in to stop her, as I was not having this conversation with her again. "Mom, I love Carlos and he loves me. I don't want to be just a good wife and I may never want children. And if you can't accept my relationship with Carlos then I shouldn't be here," I said as I sat my napkin down on the table ready to stand and leave.
"There she goes again," my mother snarked. "Maggie Villamos doesn't run out on her mother every time she tries to have a conversation with her. Anabelle Gisepei doesn't snap at her mother when she offers her advice on her life."
"Margaret Francesco's mother doesn't constantly harp at her because she works at the bar on Stockton. Madison Vranken's mother doesn't constantly tell her what a disappointment she is because she is a lesbian and hasn't produced grandchildren. Angela Franelli's mother doesn't call her best friend a thug because he works as a bouncer and wears black. Their mother's support them. Why can't you be like their mothers?" I asked trying to get my mother to hear how she sounds.
"How dare you speak to me that way," Mom said, shock written across her face. "I only offer advice because I love you and know what is best for you. I am constantly worried about you. You obviously can't make important decisions like these on your own. Look at how you are leading your life. Every time the phone rings or someone knocks on the door I'm sure it is going to be bad news about you. You are going to end up dead before you are 40." My mother crossed herself after she said it and her face was red from the temper that was rushing through her.
I took a deep breath to calm myself before I said something I could never take back. "Mom, you and I will obviously never agree on what is best for me. Maybe it is best if I remove myself from your life so you won't have to worry about what trouble I'm getting into."
"That isn't what I mean, Stephanie. I just want you to see reason and settle down," Mom said trying to rectify the situation.
"I'm not saying I don't want to be a part of your life anymore, Mom, but until you can accept me for who I am, I can't keep doing this," I said, hearing the resigned tone of my own voice. "Daddy, Grandma," I said looking to each of them, "call me whenever you like. Thank you for supporting me and I wish today had turned out better. I love you. Merry Christmas. Carlos and I are leaving now."
Ranger stood and took my hand, leading me out the front door. He helped me into the Turbo and walked around to the driver's side. Once he was inside, he leaned over the console, wrapped his arms around my and said, "Proud of you Babe" in my ear. I couldn't contain the tears and began crying. This was certainly not how I hoped Christmas would go.
I felt the adrenaline leaving my body as Ranger drove through the streets of Trenton back toward Haywood. My body began to shake and I felt dizzy. I hadn't gotten to actually eat much of our meal. Ranger zipped into his designated parking spot and was opening my door before I could blink. He scooped me up and headed for the elevator.
"I can walk you know," I said as I cuddled my face into his neck. For once, I was actually really enjoying his take-charge attitude.
"I know you can, Babe, but you were looking a little shaky and I know you haven't eaten much today. I'm not chancing you falling down. Besides, I like the feel of you in my arms," he said as he stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for 7. I'm sure Les noticed our early return and I would get questioned about it later, but for now, I was just glad to be able to spend what was left of Christmas alone with Ranger.
He brought me into his apartment and sat me on the couch as he headed to the kitchen to prepare something for us to eat. Ella must have filled his fridge when she prepped the cinnamon rolls, because Ranger came back with a tray filled with meats and cheeses, two water bottles each, crackers and some apple slices. Without a word, Ranger popped It's A Wonderful Life into the DVD player and then cuddled up next to me on the couch. With a kiss on my forehead and a whispered Merry Christmas, we sat in each other's arms watching the movie and enjoying our dinner.
Even with all the stress of the day, I wouldn't have wanted my to spend Christmas night any other way.
TBC…
Author's Note: Well, what did you think? Please review and let me know. How will New Year's go with Ranger's family? Will there be drama like at the Plum's or will it be peaceful? Help me decide. Please!
