Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize from the Stephanie Plum books belong to Janet Evanovich.

A/N: This story isn't beta'ed. Any grammar faults or spelling errors are not to be considered flaws or defects but enhance the individual beauty : )

Geez ... I didn't expect you to be THAT mad at me :) On the other hand your reactions show me that the story really enchains you and that conjures a BIG smile on my face. Remember: a true growing needs setbacks at times...

Chapter 21 - In Pain And Happy

At the scene of the assault

The swooshing in Steph's ears became deafening as she stumbled backwards and helplessly had to watch the EMTs hectically work on her unconscious man. An ET tube was pushed down Hal's throat and someone started to ventilate him. Commands were shouted to and fro; his oxygen levels were alarming low and falling, his lungs appeared to be collapsed and unresponsive, and his heart tachycardic. There was no doubt the severity of the situation as one of the EMTs inserted two chest tubes between the ribs and attached them to suction devices. Just as the world started to keel over, Steph felt strong arms encircling her and Bobby's face appeared in her sight. His mouth was moving; but she couldn't hear him. Turning her head in a daze, she saw Les standing behind her, holding her.

"Steph," Bobby smacked her cheek gently, trying to get her to focus on him. "Steph, you need to keep it together; for Hal."

Taking some deep breaths, Steph grabbed Les' arms and steadied herself, already feeling the fog in her mind recede. Looking around Bobby's shoulder she saw an EMT inserting something in Hal's I/V, watching the monitor, while the other kept ventilating him.

"Look at me," she felt her head being turned around by Bobby's hand and focused on him. "Before Hal passed out he told the EMT that he had no feelings below his chin. I know this must break your heart; but there's the risk of another spinal injury. In addition both his lungs collapsed and they need to get him to a level one trauma unit asap. Philly's too far away, even with the MedEvac, so the chopper will bring him to Princeton. Lester and I will accompany you. We'll take an SUV as soon as the chopper is in the air. Do you understand?"

Steph nodded and felt herself being pulled into Bobby's arms.

"Whatever happens, Bomber, I'm by your side every step of the way," he spoke in her ear and held her tight. If it hadn't been for his yearlong training in the army, he would have freaked right beside her. Hal, who had become a true brother, could well come out on the other side of this afternoon as quadriplegic, leaving him unable to move below his chin. All because he wanted to prove his independence. As it was, Bobby's body and mind functioned on auto-pilot, his injured friend and the woman in his arms the only thing of importance right now. The telltale motor drone of an approaching chopper made him squeeze Steph a last time before giving her over into Lester's capable arms.

"I'll make sure everything's fine while they move Hal to the chopper," he cupped Steph's face. "Stay with Les, I'll meet you at the car."

Steph nodded and Bobby bumped fists with his friend before rushing off toward Hal and the EMTs.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

University Medical Center of Princeton…

Tank entered the waiting area and was greeted by a sea of black. Well, perhaps not a sea; but every Rangeman healthy was present leaving Trenton in the hands of contract workers. He didn't feel good about that; but he couldn't tell his men to stay at work when one of their colleagues was victim of an assault and severely injured. Looking around, he saw Lester standing with Junior and Zero and walked over to them.

"Report," he greeted the men with a nod.

"No word so far," Lester answered him. "Bobby just stuck his head out for a second to tell us that both lungs are pierced and collapsed and they'd go in to repair the damage. That was four hours ago."

Tank cussed and rubbed his hands over his bald head and face.

"What about Binkie?" Lester asked.

"Arrested by Big Dog and Costanza for assault with excessive force. I sent our lawyer to the TPD to bail him out."

"Shit, he went totally berserk on that kid. I tried to restrain him; but he was like pure rage unleashed."

"There wasn't anything you could do. They brought the kid to St. Francis. Costanza will call me when they have word whether he'll survive."

Les cussed, pushed his hands in the pockets of his cargoes and stared at the floor. He couldn't believe that Binkie had totally lost it. If the kid died… He didn't want to think about it.

"How is Steph holding up?"

Tank's question brought him out of his musing. "She's amazing," he answered, finding the big man's eyes. "It's as though there's a different Steph sitting in front of us from the one we know. No trip to denial land, no uncalled stubbornness, no sleep. There's nothing weak about her. She's in full control of herself, worried; but keeps a cool head. Absolutely professional."

"She's amazing every one of us," Junior nodded in agreement.

Tank smiled, lifted his chin in goodbye and ventured over to where Steph was sitting next to Cal.

"Hey little girl," he smiled down at her and opened his arms. Steph immediately straightened up and stepped into his embrace.

"Hey big guy," she greeted him and squeezed his middle before taking a step back again. "Thanks for letting all the guys be here and thanks for coming yourself," she looked up into his eyes and Tank could see what Lester had told him just a moment before. There was a resolve and serenity in Steph's baby blues that he'd never seen there before.

"I couldn't have stopped the men from coming if I'd wanted to. They are here as support for you and Hal and so am I. Don't worry about Trenton or anything else."

"Good," Steph nodded. "Not much room in my head to worry about anything besides Hal."

Just as Tank wanted to say something the doors behind them opened and Bobby stepped out still in scrubs. There was a moist gleam in his eyes as he ignored everyone else and hurriedly walked over to Steph, pulled her into a fierce hug and twirled her around before whispering in her ear, "He will live, Steph, and there's no additional spinal injury. In a few weeks he'll be his old self."

Bobby was surprised by the force with which Steph hugged him back, hanging onto his neck. "Thank you, Bobby," she said quietly. "Thank you for personally making sure that he got the best treatment possible."

Half an hour later, Steph sat next to Hal's bed in the ICU and caressed his hand, stroking each finger, entwining their hands. He looked pale and the beeping monitors attached to him as well as the ventilator pushing air into his lungs were intimidating; but he'd be okay. That was all that mattered. The doctors had decided to keep him severely sedated for the next 48 hours to give his body a head-start in healing. No problem. She wouldn't leave his side.

"Steph?" Bobby stepped through the door and closed it quietly. "How is our patient doing?" He walked over to Hal's bed and checked the monitors.

"I think he's okay," Steph smiled as she stroked Hal's cheek with her fingertips. "As you said, he'll be his old self in a few weeks."

"Listen, Steph," Bobby pulled a chair over to her. "I have to go back to Trenton to look after the sick guys; but I'll be back in a couple hours to stay overnight with you. I just checked in with the doctor and they don't expect any complications with Hal. His blood pressure and heart rate are stable, his oxygen concentration sats are good. Are you okay with being alone for the time being?"

Steph smiled at him and nodded. "Go Bobby, I'm fine. I have my gun right here," she patted the cargoes' waistband at her back, "and I suggest nobody comes between me and my man or I'll have to let out the lioness in me."

That comment made Bobby smile. Steph had changed tremendously over the last few months and it filled his heart with pride to see her so strong and confident. "I'm proud of you, Bomber; unbelievably proud of you. I know for sure that the way you handled this day has blown a lot of the guys out of their socks." He leaned over, pressed a loving kiss on her cheek and stood up to leave. "I'll bring you something to eat when I come back along with a couple snuggly blankets."

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

The third day in Princeton, Hal was finally ready to wake up and open his eyes. The night before, the doctors removed the ventilator and now, with a wonderful wintry sun shining through the window into his room, his eyelids fluttered and he finally blinked against the sunlight flooding the space.

"Hey Baby," Steph moved from the chair onto the bed and smiled down at him. Her hand found his face and brushed over his brow, down his temple and then his cheeks. "I'm glad to see your icy blues again. There was just something missing between all those brown, grey and hazel eyes from the guys."

Hal opened his mouth and closed it again, swallowing dry.

"Water?" Steph watched his face and leaned over to the little bed side table when he nodded. Lifting his head and supporting it with her hand, she guided the Styrofoam cup to his lips and let him sip at the water. "Better?" She asked when he placed his head back onto the pillow.

"Yes, much," Hal's voice was tired and croaky.

Looking into his eyes, Steph let all the love she was feeling pour into her gaze. There was no need to talk; their look conveyed all that needed to be said. Suddenly, Hal frowned.

"What's up, Baby?"

"I'm in pain," he smiled at her. "My chest and my breathing aches," his smile grew even bigger.

"You have a grade three concussion, some cuts, a ton of bruises plus a few broken ribs that punctured your lungs and caused them to collapse. They needed to do surgery or you would have died," Steph watched him while caressing his face. "Do you want me to call the nurse for more pain killer?"

"No," Hal smiling closed his eyes and Steph saw him taking some extra deep breaths. "Let me enjoy the pain a little longer."

That caused her to involuntarily chuckle. "You're giving information to the enemy, Baby," she leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss on his lips. They were silent for a while. Hal with his eyes closed, just breathing and relishing the moment; Steph looking at him with love in her eyes while rubbing soft circles on the back of their joined hands.

"I remember lying on the frozen ground and thinking I'd never be able to move again," Hal finally whispered in the silence. "I was so scared."

"I know baby. The doctors say your brain sent your body into shock when they started kicking you. That was the reason why you didn't feel anything."

"I guess you won't let me out alone anytime soon, huh?" Hal opened his eyes and looked directly into Steph's, searching for the truth in them.

Steph lifted their joined hands and leaned her cheek into his warm palm. "I'll be the first to admit that the thought of you out there alone scares me shitless; but I also want you to be independent; to be free and fly," she pressed a kiss into his palm, then on the pad of each finger. "We'll find a way, together."

Hal thought about her words and realized that that was all she'd ever wanted from the other men in her life; that they supported her yearning for independence. Now, she was pledging to give the same to him even if that meant facing her own fears. His Angel, she had become so strong thanks to Ram and Cal and, perhaps, also a little because of him and their love.

"I thought you'd pull away from me after this," Steph's quiet voice brought him out of his musings. "I was sure you'd withdraw from me, convinced that the events were the final proof that you aren't worth it."

Hal turned his head to the side and found her eyes moist with unshed tears. "Never, Angel. I love you more than my own life. I'm past the point of pushing you away. You are stuck with me."

Hearing that caused Steph's face to light up with the most beautiful smile. She wiped at her eyes, kicked of her shoes and cautiously stretched out next to him, nuzzling his cheek and ear. "I wouldn't want it any other way."

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

After the doctor had checked him out and was satisfied with what he found, the nurse finally convinced Hal to take some pain medication. The drug immediately pulled him under and soon he was fast asleep while they moved him from the ICU to a private room. It pointed southward and again the sun gave the place a homey feeling. A little after lunch, Bobby stepped into the room with a Styrofoam box in his hands.

"With the best wishes from Cal," he smiled and took in her condition. "You need to get a good night's sleep, Bomber. You look positively exhausted."

"I know. I feel like shit, too; but I can sleep when I'm dead," Steph answered with a shrug and took a seat on the small couch in the room to eat the yumminess Cal had cooked for her.

"Let me check you out," Bobby came over and sat down next to her. He felt her brow, it was a little warm. Her eyes were dry and blood-shot. "Any sign of the flu? Headache? Stuffed nose? Coughing?" He pulled the stethoscope from under his Rangeman hoodie. "Breathe for me; in through the nose, out through the mouth."

Steph did as told before studiously returning to her lunch.

"Bomber, you need to take better care of yourself. I want you to go back to Rangeman and do nothing but sleep and eat for 24 hours. Don't make me call Cal to get you."

Steph lifted her eyes from her plate and regarded Bobby for a minute. "I won't leave him, Bobby. Period."

"You will," came a croaky voice from the bed.

Steph put the box with the plate to the side and stood up to walk over to Hal.

"Baby…,"

"No," he croaked causing Steph to fill a new cup with water, lift his head and help him to drink. "It's okay, Angel," Hal continued once he lay back on the pillow. "I want you to go back to Rangeman. You need rest. I bet you haven't left my side since I came here?" Steph shook her head as answer. "Then do me the favor and go home. I'll be fine until you come back tomorrow. Perhaps I will be ready to eat something then and we can have lunch together. Please, love, for me."

Steph sighed and finally nodded her head. How was she supposed to say no to him. That wasn't possible. Pressing a kiss on Hal's forehead she went back to the sofa and resumed her meal while listening to Bobby calling Cal and informing him that he was sending her back and she'd need some TLC and sleep.