Meena walked away from me and into the kitchen. She picked up the phone and dialed on speaker. Her call was answered on the first ring.

"Hey munchkin, is this what you call sleeping in? It's barely 9:00," Bobby yawned in a sleepy voice.

"Bobby your boss is here. He broke into my apartment. You need to come get him now."

"So you are telling me you shot him?"

"No."

"I am disappointed in you Meena."

"Yeah keep joking now, but it won't be funny when you have to patch him up. How long is it going to take you to get up here?"

"I'm putting my clothes on as we speak."

"See you when you get here."

"Well, are you just going to stand there in the foyer staring? Come in or let yourself out that door you broke into. If you come in, don't you dare wear your boots in my apartment."

I looked at Meena, her hair was still mussed from sleep. She had her nightgown tucked into her jeans and under her eyes were dark bags. I had woken her yet again. From what little I did know about her, I remembered she worked long sometimes late hours. Suddenly I felt bad about disturbing her rest. I understood what sleep deprivation felt like.

Meena walked over to the coffee maker and started a pot brewing.

"I'm going to go tell her that it's you and she can relax and go back to sleep. You can have a seat over there," Meena said as she pointed to her breakfast bar.

Meena padded back into the kitchen. She took two mugs from the cabinet then filled them with coffee. Meena slid a mug in my direction and waited for me to accept it.

I was completely taken back by her behavior. The fact was, I had not been exactly nice to Meena. I was being an ass too and I knew it. My behavior had been way out of line every since Stephanie had been kidnapped. I had always been Mister cool calm and collected. Now I was behaving in a way that was unproductive and fueled by emotions. I knew my reactions were off and I was acting out, but I could not seem to stop myself.

"Earth to Ranger," Meena sang interrupting my thoughts.

"Yes."

"You know your social skills could really use some work."

"So I have been told."

I sipped my coffee and looked at the woman standing across from me. I thought about what she had done to me at the hospital and this morning when I tried to disarm her.

"Who are you?"

"Meena Patel, remember we met like a week ago at the hospital," She said with a smirk.

"That is not what I was asking you Meena."

"Yeah, I know."

After we finished our coffee Meena left me sitting at the breakfast bar. Then she took a seat on the couch as she turned on CNN.

I focused on the door to Meena's bedroom where I knew Babe was sleeping.

Without looking up from the television, Meena shook her head "no" at me.

"She sleeping right now let her rest while she can. The I.V. painkillers are going to be out of her system soon. If she still won't eat, I can't give her the pills on an empty stomach," Meena explained.

We sat in silence for about forty-five minutes until the doorbell rang. Meena picked up her phone and checked the time. She eyed the door suspiciously as she got up taking her gun from the small of her back. I was got up and stood behind the door with my own weapon drawn.

"Who is it?" she asked nervously.

"It's me Munchkin."

"Bobby ?"

"How many other men you got showing up to your place girl?"

Meena lowered her gun and opened the door. She stepped aside to let Bobby and Lester into her apartment.

"You are not supposed to be yet", Meena complained."Bobby, you can't be driving like a maniac! I know how long it take to drive from Trenton to The Bronx and it is not forty-five minutes."

"An hour, it took me an hour to get here," Bobby said.

"Not funny , you know it takes more than an hour."

"Stop yelling at me woman," Bobby teased.

"Stop laughing at me Bobby, I am serious."

Bobby put one are around Meena's waist and lifted her onto the coffee. Then he leaned in for a long kiss and backed away slightly.

"You done with your lecture?" he joked.

Meena slumped against him breathlessly.

"I only lecture you because care."

He looked Meena over carefully.

"Are you alright?" Bobby asked, his voice was overflowing with concern.

"Come on man you know I wouldn't hurt her."

"Nobody is talking to you Ranger," Bobby snapped at me.

"I'm fine really, it's alright," Meena assured him.

"No, it's not!"

Bobby turned his attention from Meena to me.

"Outside now Ranger!"

"I don't take orders from you, Brown"

"You are going outside to meet me in the parking lot, or me, Lester and Meena are going to play a little game called who shot Ranger," Bobby growled.

I looked around the room. Meena still had her weapon, Lester had his gun drawn and Bobby had his hand on his holster at his waist.

"You are not in charge here. We are not on the Range man clock right now. If one of us has to put a bullet in you, it will be personal not business," Lester said.

The entire way down the stair Bobby was right on my heels. As soon as we got outside and I had one foot off the curb, Bobby shoved me hard from behind. My body hit the ground hard and rolled.

Bobby glared down at me as I shot him a lethal glare.

"Come on Ranger get up, you feel froggy leap. I'm right here!" he shouted.

"If you ever do that again!... How do you think that made her feel? She had no idea who was coming through her door! You don't do that man! You don't come into her apartment uninvited! I'm sick of you disrespecting my Munchkin. It's going to stop Ranger !"

I had never seen Bobby so angry. He was yelling at the top of his voice flapping his arms and kicking up dirt and gravel from the parking lot. I sat there on the ground in shock. I watched Tank drive up and get out of the SUV . Then he walked up behind Brown. Bobby had become so agitated with me and my behavior that he did not even notice Tank arriving.

"You are not going continue to mistreat my Munchkin anymore," Bobby hissed.

"Munchkin, did you get a cat too Bobby, what kind? Calm down man Ranger is not nice to my babies either. Some people are just are dog lovers."

Bobby stopped yelling and looked at me we both looked at Tank and shook or heads.

"What are doing here Tank?"

"Ella gave me these to give to Stephanie," he said holding up a bag of clothes. "I texted Lester but he said you two were already headed up so he gave me the directions."

Bobby looked down at me and offered me a hand off the ground.

"No Tank I 'm talking about Meena, you have not met her yet. Ranger thought it would bee a good idea to drive up here and let himself into my woman's apartment while she was sleeping."

"You need help man, that is not normal," Tank said.

"I'm going to text Meena to let her know you are on your way up. Lester will introduce you," Bobby said.

"You left Santos alone with your woman ?"

"She can take care of herself, if he takes his flirting too far she will let him know."

"Yeah Polly pocket is tough," I said with a smirk.

"Enough, her name is Meena, Ranger !" "Get in the truck we are going for a ride."

Bobby was being bossy and demanding, normally I would have set him straight. But since I had been doing the same thing, I let him slide and got in his truck.

Bobby drove quietly for few minutes.

Bomber has got you all up in your feelings and you don't know how to handle it. Bobby said shaking his head.

"Excuse me ?"

"What happened to focusing on the goal and not letting emotions get in the way? Do you even remember what the goal is Ranger? It was supposed to be keeping Stephanie safe," Bobby reminded me.

"Tell me something I don't know Brown."

"Don't worry I'm getting to that. But if you were keeping her safe,why would you leave her alone at the hospital ?"

"She didn't want me there," I mumbled.

"She didn't want me there", Brown repeated in a high pitched whiny voice. That's bull and you know it man, since when has that ever stopped you before? It has never stopped you from tracking her phone or car, from putting a tail or a man on her. Your leaving was about you!

"Shut up Bobby you don't understand! I was supposed to protect I promised her and look what happened!"

"I get it, man, I really do."

"Sure you do Bobby, you get what it is like to watch the woman you care about be hurt and suffer and then withdraw from you and everything and everyone. You know how it is to feel responsible for not only being unable to protect her, but not knowing how to help her?" I vented.

"Yes I do", Bobby said quietly.

"What are talking about ,when .. are you talking about Meena? What happened to her?" I ask

"Not my business to tell, but if you really want to know I 'm sure she will tell you. But we are talking about you right now. You are lashing out at people who are here to help you and her. Ranger, you said that you don't know how to help Stephanie. How about asking us to help? You could do that, but you have to put your ego aside for her sake. What you are doing is NOT helping anyone. None of us are going to sit back and watch you allow her to self-destruct.

Bobby parked then got out and went into a diner.

He was right, Stephanie had made feel again. She had awakened emotions I had shut down many Black-Ops missions ago. I was having a hard time dealing with the fact that some man had hurt her while I was away. Then I promised her that we would keep her her safe and that did not happen. She would not talk to me about it and I wondered if she knew this was all my fault. I should have had a man on her while I was out of town and trusting Ram with her safety had proved to be a mistake. I needed to make this right, but the way I was going about it had been all wrong. My ego had not allowed me to enlist anyone else for help. I was making a big mess that was not helping her at all. I knew I needed to get a grip and I was going to start by trusting the people around me. Trying to do it the Ranger way had not been working. I now knew it was time to try someone else's way.

Bobby came back to the truck with several bags of food and placed them on the back seat.

"I'm sorry, for the way I treated Meena. I know I would not like if anyone did that to Babe. Meena has been really helpful to Stephanie, and I guess ...

"You were jealous that someone else could provide something for your woman that you could not," Bobby offered.

"I won't confirm or deny that statement Brown."

"You don't have to, I am satisfied with the fact that I have just received an apology from Ranger Manoso."

"Enjoy it, man, I don't issue too many", I told him.

When we got back to Meena's place Bobby let himself in with a key.

"If you have key why did you knock before?" I asked.

"Because I thought she had enough people walk into her apartment unannounced for one day," Bobby said.

After Bobby opened the door I got inside and I sat next to Meena on the couch.

"Look I'm sorry. I was wrong for my breaking and entering and trying to disarm you. I should not have yelled at you at the hospital. Thank you for everything you have done for Stephanie."

"You did what?" Bobby said frowning at me.

"You didn't tell him?"

Meena shook her head yes "I accept your apology. I guess I'm sorry I punched you in the nuts ... the second time," she laughed.

"Wait, what?" Lester said?