Previous Chapter: "I-it's just that..." he paused and the blurted out, "I love you, Alyssa."
I froze for a few seconds registering the words that slipped out of Joe's mouth. I turned my head slowly to where Ranger had been standing but like a thief in the night, he was gone.
My heart ached. I looked back at Joe's warm pleading eyes. Little black spots started dancing around as I fainted in his arms.
CHAPTER 26
I slowly opened my eyes.
"She's awake!" I heard Misty squeal as she squeezed my hands.
I smiled as a swarm of large men in black surrounded my bed looking anxious.
"Hi," I croaked out looking around the room. "It looks like a Florist threw up in here," I commented on the dozens of flowers, balloons and stuffed animals filling the room.
This brought a smile to the men's eyes as they all began attacking me with kisses and hugs.
"Ranger?"
"You know I'm hurt that you are always looking for my cousin and not me," Lester feigned hurt.
"He's covering back at Rangeman so that all of us could be here to watch over you," Bobby explained.
My heart sunk a little disappointed that Ranger had not been there when I woke up.
"Ok, I'm going to need everyone to leave unless you're family," a voice commanded from the doorway.
"We are family!" everyone barked in unison.
"Ok," the doctor surrendered seeing that he wasn't going to want to start a fight with the overbearing men in black. I didn't blame him, they looked like a scary bunch.
"Ms. Chau, you're a very lucky lady. You lost quite a deal of blood. You're fortunate so many people volunteered to be a donor."
"Beautiful, you have my blood coursing through your veins now. You're stuck with me for life," Lester grinned wildly.
"God, why didn't you just let me die?" I groaned jokingly.
"Don't say things like that!" Misty exclaimed.
"I was just kidding, Mis."
"You don't know how scared I was. What am I supposed to do without you?" she cried squeezing my hand.
"I'm sorry, Misty. I promise I won't ever do that to you again," I said sarcastically.
"You better not!" she exclaimed flipping her long beautiful wavy hair.
"Uh, Mis. Last I saw you, your hair was short as the dickens. How'd your hair grow back so fast?"
"It just happens to be the best hair extension money can buy," she grinned snapping the hair clip off her head.
"Really? You're wearing your own hair as a hair extension?"
"Yup! So now I can be spunky fun short-haired bobcat or sexy long-haired vixen."
I smiled shaking my head and turned back to the doctor, "When can I get out of here, doc?"
"Ms. Chau, you lost a great deal of blood. We're going to have to keep you here at least overnight for observation. I do have a bit of bad news for you."
I gulped.
"Due to the number of times you've torn the stitches in your stomach. It's going to leave a pretty ugly scar once it's healed."
I sighed in relief, "That, I can handle, doctor. But staying in this bed is another story."
A handsome male nurse walked into the room and injected something into my IV. "This is something to help you with the pain," he explained and nodded at the doctor before leaving.
"But I'm feeling much better, honestly. I want to go home—" I stopped mid-sentence remembering I didn't have a home to go to. My apartment was blown up. "I-I don't have a home," I stuttered blankly.
"Oh, Alyssa. You can stay with me while your apartment is being worked on," Misty expressed.
"Beautiful, you're welcome to stay with me and Bobby."
"Little Girl, we can clear an apartment at Rangeman for you."
Everyone started chiding in at once.
"Like I said, Ms. Chau, you're one lucky girl. I've seen people come in here with nothing and even those who have loved ones. But none of them as dedicated as these people. You have all these big lugs that wouldn't even leave your side the entire night. You'd think you were the daughter of the President of the United States the way they guarded your bed. And this one," he pointed at Bobby, "was threatening me the entire time we operated on you seeing to that we made sure to take good care of you. I hope you realize how incredibly fortunate you are. I'll leave you to rest."
"Thank you doctor but before you leave, you have to promise to get me out of here as soon as possible."
"I promise, Ms. Chau, but being in the hospital can't be that bad of a place."
"I have my reasons for hating hospitals, doctor. No offense."
"None taken. Make sure she gets some rest," he instructed the men.
"I'm serious, Little Girl. You have a place to go if you choose."
"I couldn't impose, Tank. I'll be fine."
"Don't be stubborn, Little Girl. We will take care of you regardless of whether you want it or not."
"She's staying with me," a voice said from the doorway.
Joe stepped through the wall of men in black and leaned over to kiss me on the lips.
"My cue to go," Misty said standing up. "I'm going to go talk to that nurse from earlier to make sure you have everything you need," she grinned.
"Misty, please make sure he finishes his shift before you take him home, ok?"
"Oh you know you always come first in my book," she kissed me on the cheek and bounded out the door.
"You guys can go now. I can take it from here," Joe stated.
Tank shot me a look as if to ask if I was ok.
"Thank you all for everything. I'll be ok."
"Ok then we'll leave you to rest. Do not hesitate to call if you need anything," Tank said firmly.
I nodded.
Bobby leaned over and kissed me on the forehead and whispered, "You were right, I would've killed Junkman. But not simply for tearing your stitches. It was too bad Ramirez beat me to it."
"We're your family now," Lester said kissing my head. "Just try getting rid of us now."
Hal awkwardly touched my knee, "I'm glad you're ok, Bomber."
I smiled at him.
After all of the men filed out of the room another set of men piled into the room.
"Alyssa, it's never a dull day with you," Carl chuckled.
"Well, you know Costanza, I live to entertain you," I joked.
"Seriously, Alyssa, I'm glad that you're ok," he ruffled my hair.
"Thanks, Carl," I smiled warmly.
"You'll be glad to know that Ramirez is locked away behind bars. And Lula has agreed to testify against him along with the other women he attacked. He'll be going away for a long time. And because of you one of the largest drug gang syndicates has been taken out of commission. We made twenty-seven arrests associated to the gang. Just so you know, you have the entire Trenton P.D. behind you whenever you need."
The men saluted me.
"You're a hero, Cupcake," Joe said warmly sliding into the bed next to me kissing me passionately on the lips.
"Joe," I whispered pulling back, "there are people in the room."
"I don't care. I want everyone to know how incredibly in love I am," he pulled me into his arms and kissed me once again.
"Geez, get a room you guys," Carl joked.
"We have a room," Joe growled. "You just happen to be crowding it, Costanza."
"Hey, we care about her too, you know," he said defensively.
"Yes, you've seen her and she's ok. So why don't you get out of here so that I can spend some time with my girlfriend?"
"Roger that," Carl did a half-assed salute and pushed the other men out of the room and shut the door.
"Girlfriend?" I questioned him.
"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" he kissed me warmly.
"No…" I melted into his arms.
"I love you, Alyssa," he breathed into my mouth.
"I-I…" I pulled him into me and kissing him hard on the lips.
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"Cupcake," Joe whispered in my ear waking me from my slumber.
The room was pitch black.
"I'm sorry but I have to go into the station and take care of another case I'm working on."
"Ok," I murmured.
"Sorry I woke you," he kissed my lips softly. "I didn't want you to panic when you woke up and I wasn't here. I'll be back in the morning in time to take you home. I love you, Cupcake."
"I…" I drifted back to sleep.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Ranger!" I gasped sitting up as I clutched the blanket.
Sweat was dripping down my face as I grabbed my stomach wincing in pain and tears instantly spilled from my eyes. I opened my eyes and looked at the bed, it was covered in blood. Throwing the blankets off of me, I started trying to rub the blood off.
"Babe, relax," a pair of arms gently laid me back in the bed and pulled the blanket back around me. The blood had disappeared. My breathing slowed.
"Ranger?" I whispered.
It was so dark that all I could see was his silhouette.
"I'm here, Babe."
"It's about time," I pulled him down into the bed with me.
He slid in beside me and wrapped his strong arms around me kissing my head. He held me silently.
"Ranger?"
"Babe."
"I'm sorry about Salt 'n' Pepa — I mean your car. I'll pay you back."
"It's just a car — written off as a business expense. And the bad music can be easily replaced."
"Great music," I corrected him. "Ranger?"
"Babe."
"I'm sorry for breaking Hal's nose. I thought he was trying to kill me."
I could feel the soft rumble in his chest as he held in a chuckle, "Hal's ok. What concerns me is that you threw your gun at him instead of trying to use it."
"Throwing it at him was using it," I protested. "And it worked. Hal's nose is evidence of that."
"Babe," he said disapprovingly. "You should keep the gun loaded and on you at all times."
I puffed out and replied dismissively, "Tank's such a tattle tale."
He let out a soft chuckle this time. It was like music to my ears.
"Ranger?"
"Babe."
"I'm sorry for stabbing, Lester in the arm. I thought he was Ramirez."
"It was time he was put in his place anyways. He's getting too cocky."
I frowned, "Ranger? I'm sorry for tasering the man with the flaming skull tattoo. I hope he wasn't hurt."
His chest rumbled again, "Cal. He's fine. You hurt mostly his pride. You've always been resourceful and cunning."
I beamed at his compliment. "Ranger?" I whispered loudly.
"Yes, Babe?"
"I'm sorry for listing you as my emergency contact. I can change it if it makes you uncomfortable."
"Babe, you trust me that much?" he tilted my head up.
I nodded, "Of course. I trust you with my life."
"I am honored to be your emergency contact. And stop apologizing. You've done nothing wrong."
I settled into the nook of his arm and thought about the kiss in the alley and him telling me that he'd miss me…
"Ranger, I—"
"—Morelli's a good man," Ranger interrupted me.
My heart sank. He said he didn't do relationships and they say people do and say extreme things during extenuating situations.
"I care for you, Babe."
I gripped his shirt.
"In my own way," he continued.
"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" I screamed in my head.
"It means that I don't do relationships. I care for you and I care about you in my own way. Morelli loves you. He's a good man."
"I know," I replied pressing my face into his side.
He lifted my face and kissed me slowly and it grew hungrier as he pressed on. Confused I pulled back, "But you just said—"
"I respect Morelli, but it doesn't mean I won't partake in the occasional stolen kisses. And if there's an open window of opportunity, I will move in swiftly."
"What's that supposed to mean—"
He shut me up with another sensuous kiss, "Babe, like promised, I will always be there for you — forever."
A tear fell from my eye now understanding what Ranger meant by caring about me in his own way. I would be his friend for life no matter what and he was mine.
"Ranger?"
"Yes, Babe."
"I missed you."
He kissed my head in response.
I wrapped my arm around him, "Ranger, your cousin's hot."
I felt his muscles tense up causing me to giggle. "But he's no Batman," I crooned drifting into Slumberland.
