Disclaimer: Not mine, Dangnabbit! But I did save enough in my piggy bank to buy the next book, does that count? :P
Notes: HolyHector! (I couldn't resist LOL) 700+ reviews? you guys are amazing! Short chapter this morning, but I hope it flows well, I'm working on Steph's next bit here... might go up tonight or tomorrow. We'll see how long it takes to get right! :)
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ranger's POV
(previously…)
"Julie, mi tesoro… Cómo podría odiarte? Yo nunca podría, eres la mejor cosa en mi vida…" (my treasure, how could I hate you? I could never, you're the best thing in my life…)
"Pues, por favor, recuerde que después te digo esto..." she hesitates again her eyes drifting away into the dark. (Well, please, remember that after I tell you this…)
This is already the worst night of his life, and now there's more…he can't imagine what could be worse then what has already happened tonight.
"Nina? What is it, what is wrong? Please do not tell me you are responsible for Stephanie's death…you are not, you must believe that." He reaches for her salt clumped dry strands of hair catching on his hands cradling her face. "I love you mi tesoro, mi nina, mi vida. I should say it every hour, every day; and it would not be enough. I'm sorry, I let you down—I let you both down."
"Dad," She stopped blowing out a breath chewing her bottom lip before meeting his eyes.
"Dad, Stephanie's alive."
It took him a full thirty seconds to process the words. He sat frozen in shock, still as stone, his heart racing in his chest, pulse hammering in his ears wondering if he'd imagined them. Staring at his blank face, expression growing more worried Julie continued. "Dad…I'm sorry, you promised not to hate me, we planned the whole chase; all the way to the bridge—we had to make it believable. I couldn't tell you anything, people were watching and if they find out too soon that Ste—"
The name morphs into a startled squeak when his arms wrap around her again, yanking her forward up off the floor in front of him and into his lap. He hugs her firmly his embrace so tight for a brief moment all she can do is wheeze and gasp struggling against the iron grip of his arms before he tempers his hold she can just barely breathe again,. "—Dad, Dad! Auhgk, you're crushing me!" He softens his grip again still without letting her go his forehead pressed to her back his body shaking again.
"Dad…God, I'm so sorry, please…"
She trails off the sound he's making registering slowly in her brain. She twists, blinks, gaping at him in the near blackness of the room so far from the windows. She takes in the shake of his shoulders, the vibrations coming off of him in continuous waves, her mind telling her exhausted and over-taxed thought process that whatever she thinks she's seeing is wrong, this can't be right. It can't be real. Just, No.
He releases his hold on her completely just as suddenly as he snatched her up, flopping sideway into the armrest of the couch like his spine has given out, his hands raised to cover his face and his shaking only gets worse. He's practically convulsing against the side of the couch writhing and twisting, one heavy booted foot kicking at the floor hard enough to splash Whiskey farther around the house.
Julie slides farther into the cushion seat beside him, turning to watch in growing disbelief; of all the things she's seen in her lifetime this might be the craziest. Scratch that, this is insane.
It looks like Ranger is laughing.
Not just laughing, Julie changes her assessment a moment later, he's completely losing it.
She blinks. And a moment later there's no doubt when his hands fall away from his face to lie at his side and another bark of laughter bursts from his mouth, loud and hoarse and undeniable as anything else. His eyes are squeezed shut, whole body quaking and what looks like tears sliding out to cover his cheeks.
It's the most surreal thing she's ever seen in her life, her Dad, the Big Bad Man in Black, Trenton's Biggest Baddass is laughing himself to the point of tears with great whooping outbursts that he cant seem to stop.
She lifts one hand between them tentatively; uncertain if she should risk breaking this bizarre spell enthralling him before she moves forward poking him in the shoulder with one finger on her hand trying to making sure this is real. If he notices her prodding he says nothing, if anything her movement only sets him to laughing harder, if that's possible, she's already waiting for the top of his head to come off. Julie's abruptly struck wondering if he needs medication or some sort of intervention, and how exactly she'd explain this...
She sits in shock just taking it in, trying to decide if she should call Tank or Hell maybe an ambulance, and how upset is Stephanie's going to be when she finds out Julie's last plan broke Batman? "Uh, Dad?" She ventures hoping for some kind of response she can understand. She'd thought about how he might react many times when they were planning this; but this had certainly never been what she'd expected!
Ranger pushes up from the sofa's armrest wrapping her in a breath-halting bear-hug once again the laughter is still there, his chest shakes with it but he manages to squeeze words out now around the sudden uncharacteristic merriment still making him wheeze. "Mi Nina, mi Tesoro, she is alive?"
"Yes," His daughter is staring at him more wide eyed then she was even in the parking lot. This sets him off rumbling again, great big heaving belly laughs that move both of them.
"Why is that Funny?!" Julie says a small niggle of annoyance creeping into her tone again.
"Juro, ustedes dos será la muerte de mí ..." he manages to gasp out. (I swear, you two will be the death of me…)
Julie huffs glaring at him exactly the way Stephanie would which merely sets the whole process off again. She finally gets up from the couch leaving him collapsed against the seat cushions fighting for air with panting gasps before snorting and flying off the handle again.
She moves into the kitchen banging around opening cabinets and closing them again, finally finding what she seeks. The faucet over the sink turns on for a few moments and then she's moving to stand in front of him again, a glass of water in her hand. "Drink this, you're going to give yourself an aneurism." She says offering him the glass.
Ranger takes it, still gasping, his hands shaking slightly, he feels like his head is going to burst. His chest feels like a superheated over inflated balloon—too full but not painful, not this time it's the best feeling in the world. The relief of Julie's words is still pouring through him. He feels giddy as a kid at Christmas, flooded with relief so concentrated and intense the endorphin rush is like being high. The heavy amount of alcohol in his veins probably not doing much to help him maintain a level thought process about this entire day.
"Nina, sit with me." She does curling her legs up under her on the sofa cushion to avoid the puddle still coating his floor. He'll clean it up later, right now he could give a shit. He reaches to the side one arm coming up to the end table beside the couch flicking on the lamp there. They both squint and blink painfully at the sudden light despite the normally soft glow of the watt. He pulls the envelope from the side table setting it in his lap and pulling back the flap—if she recognizes it she doesn't say anything at first. Not until he's pulled the photos out and handed her half. He sets the envelope back down, sliding it half between the edge cushion and the armrest so it's not in danger of falling down, ruining it's precious contents with the Whiskey soaking into his floor.
"You have our photos?" She asks staring at him, her face pale from stress, emotion and now most certainly a lack of sleep.
"Si, mi Corazón. Tell me about them."
Her eyes flick to the top photo on the stacked in her hand. "What do you want to know?" He slides his arm around her shoulders tucking her into his side and pressing his lips to the top of her head briefly before resting his cheek against her hair. "I want to know where you were, what was said—I wish I could have been with you mi Tesoro, this is the next best thing."
"You're not going to ask me where Stephanie is?"
He doesn't lift his head, "Are you going to tell me mi Nina?"
"No," Julie said slowly shaking her head slowly, not enough dislodge his cheek. "I can't, not yet."
Ranger waved one hand in a small gesture before them like he'd expected this. "Then tell me about your trip. What is this picture here?"
"You haven't looked at them?"
"I have, Nina several times—I want to hear about them now,"
Julie's eyes drop to the photo in her hands. "Escambron beach, in San Juan." The photo of them both wearing bikini's and smiling on the beach with oversized Jersey-style sunglasses had been taken by a fellow 'tourist'. She flips the deck to the next photo explaining, "This was the day we hiked to San Cristóbal Canyon, there's this beautiful waterfall Its so big, almost as tall as this building. We stopped to rest and I was sitting down on the edge of the trail and we see this sign," she grins the sign clearly in the photo next to where she's sitting stating 'Stay off the rocks' in Spanish—and her expression and raised arms clearly stating 'Who me?' to the lens. "and Stephanie starts laughing…instead of telling me to get down, she took this." She flips to the next one telling him all about the day that goes with each one and how the photo came about.
The sun is well up by the time they start on the second half of the stack waiting in the envelope, Julie's head now leaned against his chest her eyes drooping closed, her breathing slow and even her sleep slurred words against his shirt coming slower and slower until she stops responding. He shuffles through a few more of the bright colorful happy portraits in his hands, his thumb sliding reverently over the last photo in the stack, Julie standing on a beach—Stephanie behind her in sunglasses and a straw cowboy hat her arms wrapped around Julie's shoulders, his daughters arms thrown wide encompassing the beautiful beach, the sunset over the rocks behind them her grin so wide it makes his own lips twitch.
It's almost ten am when he sets the photos down, scooping her sleeping form from the couch and carrying her back into his bedroom. This afternoon he'll have to clear out his office—move his desk and get her room set up, he'll have Ella hang curtains over the glass in the French doors until they can be replaced with something more appropriate, until then he'll take the couch. She doesn't' stir when he sets her down, her eyelids barely flutter completely exhausted and dead to the world as only a child can be.
He quietly shuts the bedroom door behind him. Retrieves hand towels from the kitchen and sops up the mess his bottle upended onto the living room floor. He rinses the most of the pungent smell of whiskey from the clothes before wringing them dry and leaving them in the sink for Ella to find later. Next he sweeps up the glass scattered around the room, careful to move the sofa and the chair and roll up the high pile area rug shoving it into the corner to clean later-he'd hate for Julie to awaken and tread barefoot out of his bedroom and cut her feet.
By eleven he's polished off two cups of water and a sandwich before falling asleep stretched out on the living room couch his boot still on the last photo of the beach in his hand, pressed over his heart. His watch set to wake him in two hours so he can return to five where his men are no doubt morning her loss. He'll tell them his news, wait while they rejoice then tell them to it keep quiet and they'll start their searching again.
Julie might not be ready to tell him, his girls have made their plans. Now Ranger's making some of his own.
He's bringing his Babe home.
TBC...