For DyanSwan. A Babe Squad challenge respose.

A Christmas Wish

Chapter 29

Ranger was down in the lobby and out the Rangeman front door when the control room buzzed him that Frank Plum's Buick pulled up.

"Where's Stephanie?" he asked seeing it was just her father. He came around to the rear of his car unhooking a bungee cord holding the trunk lid down. He was chuckling so the hearing must have gone well.

"She called her best friend Mary Lou for some mall time. We stopped at Morelli's house to get Delaney's bicycle and their rollerblades," he said lifting a pink two wheeler out with a pink and white checked helmet attached to the handle bars.

Ranger picked two pair of rollerblades out of the trunk amd a bag loaded with elbow and knee pads, then stood there waiting for Frank to tell him about the hearing.

He turned his smiling face the Cuban Man's way, "Oh, the hearing. Morelli got his ass thrown in jail for contempt before he could even get to the alcohol treatment center."

Ranger was chuckling, "You're kidding?"

"No, and by the way Stephanie's attorney described my daughter's heartfelt plea for the judge to approve the stint in rehab for Morelli so he could find a happy life, I think she set him up to get himself thrown in jail. Whatever she said got his Italian temper in full gear. I watched two deputies drag him down the hallway. That made my morning. Now, I'm sure Delaney gets her gumption from Stephanie. The judge warned him if he had another outburst in the hearing, she would throw him in jail. That ass wanted Stephanie to plan a wedding for them while he was in rehab. I hope he get's help because he's delusional," Frank was cracking up thinking about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Stephanie went around a display of stacked jeans searching for her size when she noticed a figure dressed in black coming her way.

"How did you know where I was?" she questioned.

"Babe."

"Ranger."

He growled at her, "I wanted to make sure you were safe so I dropped a tracker in your purse. Your father said you were shopping."

"Without asking or me knowing?"

Ranger gave her a sheepish, "Babe."

She huffed at him, but let it go for the minute not wanting to cause a scene. She had enough of that at the courthouse. "This is my best friend, Mary Lou. I'm not sure if you remember her."

"Yes, I do," Ranger shook her hand. 'It's nice to see you again."

Stephanie's friend was stunned. Her best friend had called her from Gatlinburg telling her how they met again and she and Delaney were staying in his fortress of a building when they returned to Trenton. Stephanie mentioned how handsome he was still, but he had only developed into 'Adonis' status over the years. "Uh huh," was all she could get out.

"Delaney and Lester went with Grandma to the beauty shop, so I needed some retail therapy with my best friend," the 'Burg' girl explained.

Ranger offered, "I'll buy lunch." Before he received an answer his cell phone rang. It was Lester's number he recognized and stiffened. "Yo." As he listened to his friend and employee as he directed Stephanie out of the store. "There's a problem at 'Cut n' Curl'. Delaney's fine."

"I thought she would be OK with Grandma and Lester," Stephanie said running to his black car she saw parked outside of Macy's. "Joe's in jail."

"I'm coming!" Mary Lou squeezed her form into the back of Ranger's Porsche with the shopping bags as Stephanie sunk down in the passenger seat hooking her seatbelt. Ranger had his on backing out of the space already.

"Oh God! Delaney!" Stephanie was crying imagining a thousand things going through her mind that could have happened. She was cursing at herself now for allowing her to go to the 'Cut n' Curl' when her daughter called. With the Rangeman with them and Joe being hauled off to a jail cell to warm up, she felt her little girl would be safe.

"What's that?" Mary Lou pointed to a red burst over a building top.

Stephanie looked at Ranger letting out, "Grandma's flare gun," causing him to floor it even more. After a few minutes that seemed liked eons, the sports car pulled up in front of the beauty shop. Women were standing on the sidewalk in front of it. One had curlers in her hair and another was waiting with coloring streaking her hair. Screams were coming from the inside.

They ran through them going in the glass door. "You're not going anywhere!" Edna Mazur's voice was heard but was lost in the sea of beauty shop patrons.

"Mom!" Delaney jumped in Stephanie arms. "We got Grandma and Grandma Bella. "

"Let me go!" Stephanie recognized Angie Morelli's voice making her way towards it.

"When the cops get here," Grandma said. "Baby Granddaughter, our plan worked! They tried to grab Delaney out of here but we were a step ahead of them."

"Babe?"

Stephanie's best friend was laughing at her side, "Oh my!"

There were Joe's mother and grandmother sitting in dryer chairs struggling to get up but they couldn't because their hands and arms wouldn't move off the arm rests.

"I used finger nail glue to keep them here," Delaney informed her mother with a big smile on her little girl face. "Lester blocked the door, Lula chased them,"she pointed to a woman in hot pink, "Grandma zapped them, and I glued them! It was just like chasing chickens on a farm. The plan was great!"

That explained the frazzled look of both older women. Stephanie could just imagine the scene with a large woman in pink spandex running after them in the beauty shop with Grandma trying to get her hands on her arsenal she carries and Delaney added to the mix. It would have been perfect reality TV.

"I knew Batman would get here," A big black woman in hot pink Zebra print spandex stepped forward. "They almost ruined my nails!" She waved around purple and pink striped nails. "And that ain't good!" she growled taking a step towards the glued women causing them to cower.

Ranger picked his head up from Stephanie's shoulder trying to catch his breath, "Stephanie, this is Lula. Tank's girlfriend."

"Hi. That's some little girlie you got there," Lula shook a pinkie finger with Stephanie. "They ain't all dry. Your Granny sure got a collection of protection."

"Thank you for helping," Stephanie shook fingers with the wildly dressed woman with a blonde Afro.

"What happened to you?" Ranger asked his friend standing by the door sporting dreadlocks and bare feet.

"I was trying to fit in while I was here," Lester explained wiggling his toes, "so I was getting a pedicure when Grandma told me to block the door after those two came in so they didn't get out," pointing to the two stuck woman who couldn't do much unless they were willing to lose some skin. "Once they got in here, the old one grabbed her, but I was blocking the door. The other ladies blocked that entrance to the back. Lula was in here because there was a nail special this week. She started chasing them by the dryers. They got zapped by Stephanie's grandmother. Lula got them in the chairs and Delaney glued the HELL out of the arms, so they're stuck." As he spoke the fake dreadlocks kept swishing behind him.

"I think those do something for Lester," Lula pointed to his long fake hair.

"Girls," Grandma walked over beside Ranger carrying a folding step stool which she opened and stepped up on so she was taller, "this is the one with the smooth voice I'm going to be dating if things don't work out this the trucker. I may date him and Slim Jim at the same time. We haven't worked out all the details."

"Edna, how could you be so lucky?" woman in a vinyl cape asked.

"We want some action, too!" other let out.

His face was stunned watching Stephanie's giving her a silent plea for 'HELP'.

Grandma grabbed his T-shirt which was difficult since it was so tight pulling him towards her, "Give Granny a smootchie! SMACK!" Her lips gave him a loud wet kiss on a Cuban cheek.

He jumped back, Stephanie had to grab her Grandmother Mazur so she didn't fall off the step stool. Ranger didn't know what to do but groaned when his eyes caught a photograph of the front of black pants on the bulletin board.

Lester stepped away from the front door when it opened and Stephanie's friend Eddie Gazarra and another cop ran into the beauty shop. Before they could say a word, the patrons and guests parted and the two policemen saw the struggling women.

At that moment Ranger saw an exit, "Babe, I'll be out here."

Announcing over all the raucous, the small woman said loudly pointing at the Morelli women, "Those two tried to kidnap by Baby Great-Granddaughter!"

Joe's grandmother was moving more now attempting to get free because she needed the bathroom.

"Get a Depends!" Grandma yelled at her. Someone else put a bucket under the chair.

"What happened, Grandma?" Eddie asked taking a notepad out of a pocket and a pen. He felt it was going to be a long afternoon.

"It's Thursday, my normal day, to get beautified so with our bodyguard, Lester here, Stephanie said it was OK for Delaney and me to come to 'Cut n' Curl'. I got my curls," touching her tight curls, "Delaney got her nails painted. Lester was getting some extensions to update his look and soaking his feet for a pedicure when Angie and Grandma Bella. Them!" pointing a bony finger at the dryers, but everyone knew Joe's family. "They're Tuesday regulars, so we knew something was up. They came in and hugged Delaney. Morellis aren't huggie feelie people like the Plums so that was another clue. I indicated for Lester to block the door because Grandma Bella was shuffling towards it with my Baby Great-Granddaughter trying to get away. I yelled for them to 'STOP!'. Lula, who came in for a nail special, began to chase them around the shop while I was getting my stun gun out of my bag. She sort of tackled them and as each fell down, I zapped them. We got them in the chairs where Delaney put nail glue on the arms to keep them until the law got here, but Stephanie and my date, Ranger, beat you."

Margie, the shop owner, was applying solvent to Grandma Bella's hands to unstick her so could hustle off to the bathroom with Carl the other Trenton police officer following not too close behind.

Fear that something had happened to her daughter gave away to a seething anger was now overtaking Stephanie, "How dare you!" she screamed in Angie Morelli's face. "You would use my little girl's safety against me when he's!"

She caught herself from blurting out 'not her father!" Her rage almost entirely consuming her and seeing Ranger step in the door catching her tirade caused her to think about her words carefully. "A drunk and a no good piece of SHIT sitting in a jail cell right now! He will be out of our lives for good soon!"

Both Grandma Bella and her daughter-in-law stepped back from the fury that was directed at them. They looked at each other wondering about their Joey in jail.

"And he's GAY!" Grandma Mazur yelled out.

"Steph," Eddie said hoping to calm his friend, "we'll take them to the Police Station."

"Why? I want to know why they would even do this," Stephanie was crying tears she couldn't hold back now.

"If we had Delaney, then maybe all this would stop and you and Joey would be a family again like he wants," Angie Morelli spoke quietly. "He has his job to think about."

She blinked trying to comprehend the words of the woman who was her 'mother-in-law' spoke.

"That's a crock!" Delaney marched up to the two women. "Mom and me are fine without Joe. And you old ladies hardly ever spent anytime with me. I wouldn't give two cents for the both of you. That's why I'm a Plum!

Here's some advice for your next crime spree, 'Never iron a four leaf clover, because you don't want to press your luck'. It ran out for you today!" Delaney cheered slapping Grandma Mazur's hand and Lula's with her small ones.

"Come on, Sweetheart," Stephanie held out her hand to her little girl.

Ranger held open the door for the two Plum girls, he was chuckling at Delaney's observance of things, "Take the Porsche, Rafiki," he said exchanging keys with Lester of the Caribbean.

Mary Lou followed her friend out to the sidewalk. Another police cruiser was pulling up to the curb as Eddie was bringing Angie and Grandma Bella out amid chants "He's Gay!"

Tank was outside standing with his girlfriend, Lula in spandex. "Thank you again for your help," a relieved Stephanie shook her hand. This time it was the entire hand and the large woman gave Delaney a hug.

"It broke up my day. And besides, we're almost family with me datin' Tank and," she looked at Ranger, "he's datin' a slew of your family's women from what I heard."

"I am not," Ranger said shaking his head.

The little girl clarified it, "Ranger wants to date my Mom, but if it doesn't work out, then Grandma is the back-up. We're keeping him in the family."

"Wow, I always knew he had to be kinky looking as fine as he does," Lula told the small group giving Tank wide eyes.

"Thanks, Lula." Ranger wasn't even going to go there but turned Stephanie, Delaney, and Mary Lou towards the black Rangeman Explorer in the parking lot.

Opening the door of the black SUV, Delaney and Mary Lou hopped in the back. Ranger brushed a tear still lingering on Stephanie's cheek. Even she gave a small giggle along with his smirk hearing 'He's Gay' continuing from inside and about his dating program that her daughter outlined.

They were almost at the mall to retrieve Mary Lou's car. Stephanie was calmer and it was just another adventure to Delaney with Grandma and her new friend, Lula, involved.

"Mom," Delaney said from the back seat, "Grandma and Ranger are going on vacation she said at the 'Cut n' Curl'."

He sucked in his breath hearing that. It was bad enough Edna Mazur kissed him and hung up a picture of his pants in the salon, but going away together. That was the straw that would break the camel's back forever. It wasn't happening in this life or the next three.

Stephanie was laughing at the ghastly pale face of the man driving, "They are?"

"Yeah, Grandma wants to visit the Promised Land with him. Is that near Disney?"

Good thing they were at a traffic light because Ranger banged his head off the steering wheel. "Babe!"