Ch 29
I woke up with my head on his chest and my arm resting on his hip. I looked up to his face and surprisingly he was still sleeping. I studied his face, he looked good and he was smiling a bit. I was happy not to see any worry or concern on his face. I reached up and rubbed his cheek with the back of my hand. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at my face and then closed them again. He let out a gentle sigh. "mmm Babe"
"You are beautiful." I told him
"If you think I am beautiful it's because I am filled with happiness. I have the most amazing woman in my bed." he smiled
"I don't know about that." I laughed and he pulled me tighter against him.
He opened his eyes and stared at my face. "Your bruises are looking better." he smiled at me
"Good, I am getting cabin fever!" I told him
"We'll fix that." he pulled me close.
"I love you." I told him
"No Babe, I love you. I love you more than you love donuts." he grinned
"Ranger!" I playfully smacked his chest.
The intercom buzzed "Ranger your mom is on her way up."
"Got it." Ranger told him
"Shit. What time is it?" I rolled over and laid on my back.
"It's almost ten. She called last night but you were already asleep. She wanted to take you to the city sooner. I told her you were recovering from some injuries. She insisted on coming." he explained.
"Ugh, I hate for her to see me like this. It's only Thursday. She wasn't supposed to come until Saturday."
"It's okay." he said as he went to get the door.
Mari walked into the room, her deep brown eyes immediately smiled at me and I felt the warmth from across the room. She was wearing jeans and a green sweater. Her hair was in a bob just reaching her shoulders. She always looked classy and put together even with no make-up. I expected her to gasp or run away. Instead she rushed to me and grabbed my hand "Oh Stephanie!" she had tears welling up in her eyes.
"It's okay." I told her. "Most of the bruises have faded." I smiled as she looked at my arm.
"Carlos." she turned and called out the door.
"Yes?" he popped his head in the door.
"Where were you? You should be here with her." she scolded him.
"Tank brought in all of your dishes and I was putting them in the refrigerator." he explained
She turned her back to me. "Did you eat breakfast yet?"
"No." I told her
She whipped her head back to Ranger and glared "I'm going to heat it up." he said raising his hands.
"I made you Huevos Habaneros." she smiled but I looked at her confused "Eggs, peppers, tomatoes you will love it."
"I know I look awful. Thank you for stopping by." I sighed
"You are always beautiful. I am not just stopping by, I want to spend the day with you. I want to look on-line for accessories for your dress or jewelry or even just more ideas." she smiled
"You don't have to." I told her but she shushed me.
"Here we are, my favorite breakfast growing up." he carried in three dishes. We sat there quietly and ate together. Mari and I sat on the bed as Ranger sat in the chair. The breakfast was amazing. I hoped there was more left so I could have it again tomorrow morning. When Ranger was done his mother reminded him to get the pills for me.
"Just some aspirin right now." I told him as he nodded
"Did you like it?" she asked
"Yes, it was delicious." I smiled
"Let me tell you about what else I brought. A beef stew called Ajiaco Cubano. Pan Cubano which is homemade Cuban bread. Cuban Paella is the last meal it has rice and chicken." Mari smiled as Ranger came back with the aspirin and some water.
"That all sounds delicious." I forced a smile.
"What's wrong are you in pain?" she asked
"No, I'm okay." I tried to hide my disappointment.
"Oh yeah, I also made Opera Cake." she winked and I gave a huge grin.
"Thank you so much!" I sat up more and she reached across and hugged me.
"Okay, we need to get you out of this bed." she turned around. "Carlos take her pillow and set it up on the couch. Get your desk and put it by the couch for your laptop."
He rolled his eyes but left the room. I smiled. "I am not used to anyone telling him what to do."
She simply laughed and walked around the bed to help me up. When I stood up I noticed her eyes fell to my thighs where I still had some small bruises. "Oh Stephanie, how could anyone hurt you like this? This is why Carlos has bruised and swollen knuckles? He defended your honor right?"
"Of course he did. It was the cop. Ranger took care of it." I assured her "Even though I asked him not to."
"I learned long ago there are some things about him you can't control." she laughed "Let's get you dressed. What are you in the mood to wear today?"
"Not shorts and a tank top and not pajamas." I told her as I sat on the edge of the bed. She was already digging around the closet.
"How's this?" she asked as she stepped out holding up a jean skirt and a pretty blue sweater.
"How did you find something in there that wasn't black?" I asked
"You do have a small section of colorful clothes. We will have to work on expanding your choices." she smiled "Just call me if you need something and I will go start the coffee." she smiled
I took a quick shower and got dressed. I didn't bother with my hair except for drying it with the towel. I swiped on some mascara and was already feeling human. She came back into the room to check up on me. "Do you need help?" she asked
"No, I'll just leave my hair. It's too hard to mess with." I explained as I lifted the sling over my neck.
"Sit down." she told me as she went into the bathroom. I sat back down on the bed.
She came out with a brush and some hair accessories. She brushed and played with my hair while I sat there trying to remember the last time my mother did my hair. I couldn't even remember. It was always left down to go wild. "There we go." she broke into my thoughts.
I stood up and went to the closest mirror. She had pulled up the hair on the sides and left pieces of curls hanging down around my face. "Thank you." I told her as my eyes got teary.
"You look beautiful as always." she smiled and hugged me.
I looked up when I heard some grunting in the next room. Tank and Ranger came from the hallway carrying Ranger's heavy office desk to the living room. "Couldn't we have just gotten a folding table?" Tank asked
"When mom asks for a desk, you bring her a desk." Ranger explained as Tank smiled.
I sat down on the couch as they placed the desk right in front of it. Ranger went back for his laptop and set that on the desk as well. "Do you ladies need anything else?" Tank asked as Mari brought coffee out from the kitchen.
"Not yet. Do you want some coffee?" she offered
"No thank you, I have to get back to work." Tank nodded at her and headed for the door but stopped to wait for Ranger.
"Carlos, get us some cream and sugar please." She smiled at him and sat next to me opening the laptop.
Ranger sighed but went to the kitchen to get everything she asked for. When he returned he noticed a big smile spread across Tank's face and he glared at him as it quickly disappeared. "I am going downstairs to work on some things since you are here to take care of her." he told his mom as he came to me and kissed my forehead. "Press one on the intercom if you need Ella and two for my office." he told us
"Don't work too hard Carlos." she told him as he walked over to Tank.
"Come on Carlos." Tank smiled and Ranger smacked him in the back of the head as they walked out the door.
"What shall we look for? How about Bridesmaids gifts? Do you have any ideas?" she asked me
I turned the laptop towards me and started searching for gifts for bridesmaids. I found bracelets, necklaces, earrings. Earrings! That was a great idea, and maybe I could find some for myself. I don't wear earrings often but for this special day I wanted to make myself look and feel beautiful. I found the perfect earrings for the girls. Round diamond earrings surrounded by little diamonds. The center diamond had a tone to it that seemed grey or almost black.
"What do you think of these?" I asked as Mari was coming back in from the kitchen.
"Let me see." she said as she placed a piece of cake in front of me and turned the laptop to face her. "Beautiful Stephanie, I know your bridesmaids will love them."
"Oh no! Forget it." I shook my head as I clicked on the picture.
"Why?" Mari asked
"They are expensive." I told her
"You are always worried about money, why?" she asked me
"I have always struggled with money since my divorce so I try to be careful." I admitted
"Why don't you ask Carlos if there is a budget or what he wants to spend." She suggested
"He will just tell me to do whatever, even if he doesn't mean it." I shrugged
"Let's find out." she patted my hand.
She reached over and hit the intercom button "Yes?" Ranger answered right away.
"Carlos, we need to know what the budget is for the wedding." she explained
"There is no budget." he told her
"Stephanie wants a number. She doesn't want to waste your money or spend too much." his mother told him
"I'll be right there." he said
"Oh great, he will be upset we interrupted his work." I worried
"It will be fine." she went back to the kitchen.
Mari came back with orange juice as Ranger came in the door. He came straight over to me and sat down beside me. He took my hand and looked into my eyes. "Babe, I know you worry about money and cars and rent and all of that. I know you keep working because you want to feel like you are contributing to our income." he kissed my hand.
I nodded "Ranger" I began but he put his finger to my lips.
"I save my money, I invest my money, I work hard for my money. The day I asked you to marry me it all became our money. You can spend whatever you want, I am only getting married once and I want it to be an incredible memory. If you want to elope, do a big wedding or a small one, I really don't care. I just want you beside me when we say I do. Don't ever think you are wasting our money Babe." he pulled my hand up and turned it around. He placed a Black American Express card in my hand. I turned it to face me and it said Stephanie Plum.
"What the?" I was confused
"We can change the name after we are married. This is a Centurion Card, there is no limit. Get whatever you want to make the day special. If you need any input about anything I will help, but I really want you to feel free to do whatever you want. With the help of your committee of course. " he smiled at his mother.
"Stephanie, you need to understand he doesn't care about the money. He can always do something to earn money. Think of the cars." she laughed "He told us about all of the cars." she took a drink of her orange juice and handed me a glass.
"Okay but still I am going to be careful. Thank you. Really, it's nice to feel trusted. It's nice to feel we are together already." I spoke to him quietly.
"We are Babe." he paused and then asked "Have I told you how beautiful you look today?" he brought my hand to his lips.
"Your mom did it." I told him as I took a drink. "This isn't orange juice."
"It's a mimosa." she smiled
"Oh boy."
"Mom, she's a lightweight be careful." he warned
"I got this." she winked "Do you want us to get your men cuff links that match the earrings for the bridesmaids?"
"That would be perfect." He smiled and kissed my hand before he got to his feet "I have to leave the building, I have a meeting with a new client."
I nodded and then he turned to his mother. "I am leaving you in charge, if you need to go get anything for Stephanie you can send Ram or he can take you."
"Go! You work. I got this." she got up to kiss him on the cheek. He started for the door.
"See you soon." he winked and then crossed the room to kiss me before he left.
"You have really changed him." Mari told me after Ranger had left. "I don't think I have heard him talk so much since he was a teenager." she laughed and we both finished off our drinks.
"That was really good." I smiled at her
"Order the earrings and cuff links and I will make us another round." she headed for the kitchen and I ordered the amazing earrings and the perfect matching cuff links."
"Now what?" I asked her.
"Now earrings for you and cuff links for Carlos." she smiled.
We looked for a while until we finally found Black hearts with diamonds all around. We had to call the jewelry maker to see if he would match the cuff links and he said yes. I was excited but also feeling guilty. I had just spent more money in an hour then my rent for six months would be. We had another mimosa and I was feeling happy and maybe even a little tipsy and Mari and I were laughing about the intercom system.
"Okay, so one is Ella and two is Carlos' office. What are the rest for?" she asked
"Let's find out." I raised my eyebrows and she leaned over and pressed three.
"What do you need?" It was Tanks voice.
"Sorry wrong button." Mari laughed
"No problem Ma'am. Do you two need anything?" he asked
"Nope" I told him as we clicked off "Try four." she leaned over and pressed it
"Control Room what do you need?" Cal asked
"Sorry Cal, wrong button." I laughed
"No problem Stephanie." he responded
"Now we have to try five." she giggled
"What's up boss?" it sounded like Lester
"Where are you?" I asked
"Gym" he answered
"Just checking." we disconnected and laughed like two little school girls
"Might as well finish it off. Wait we need one more round." she got up and filled our glasses. She handed me mine and we both took a big drink before pressing six.
"Rodriguez" the voice answered
"Do you need any searches?" I laughed before Mari disconnected. We were like kids making prank calls.
"Shooting range, what's up?" was the answer when she hit seven
"I don't think we should be using any guns right now." she told him before hanging up
"Two more." I laughed
"That's boring." she said when she hit eight and the intercom in Ranger's home office buzzed
"Do the last one." I told her laughing as I finished off my drink
"Ram" he answered
"Ram, get a car ready I need to take Stephanie somewhere." Mari told him
"Yes ma'am. I was told to drive you wherever you need to go." he answered
"We'll be right down." she told him as she finished her glass
"Where are we going?" I asked as I stood up and felt my balance was a little off.
"A quest for donuts!" she exclaimed
"Ranger might be mad." I smiled
"You have a sling for moving around right?" she asked
"Yes, Bobby gave it to me." I nodded
"Then it must be okay." she smiled
I went to the bedroom and threw on my sneakers. I had to call Mari for help with tying them. It took her a couple of tries and then we were ready to go. I grabbed the credit card and then we were in the elevator. We were still giggling and leaning on each other. I waved at the camera, and then Mari covered it and we played peek-a-boo with the camera.
"Where to?" Ram asked as he opened the back door to a black SUV. "Tasty Pastry." I ordered as we crawled in together.
"You two feeling okay?" Ram asked us as he got in and started the truck.
"Peachy!" Mari told him.
As we drove through the Burg, I pointed out places and told her all about the restaurants and houses. Then we drove by the Bonds Office. "You see that alley there? That's where Ranger and I would steal kisses." I told her and we both laughed. I pointed out different areas where cars had blown up and she laughed harder. We finally pulled up right in front of the bakery
"I will come in with you both." Ram said as he got out of the truck and walked around to open the door for us.
"Let's go." I told him as Mari and I leaned on each other and laughed as we walked in. We walked up to the glass counters and surveyed all of the donuts, cakes and cookies.
"What's your favorite doughnut?" she asked me
"She loves Boston Cream." came the voice from behind the counter "You look like shit Stephanie."
"This is Lorraine O'Donnell, we went to school together." I told Mari
"Hi Lorraine, Stephanie looks beautiful not like shit." Mari told her as she glared
"Sorry lady." Lorraine told her. Mari had Ranger's same mean look when she wanted to.
"We'll take two dozen Boston Cream and two dozen mixed." Mari laughed
"Okay." Lorraine began getting out boxes.
"That's a lot of donuts." Ram noticed.
"Sure is! Don't worry, we'll share." I laughed
"Stephanie Plum." I heard from behind my back and turned to see Joyce Barnhardt.
"What do you want?" I rolled my eyes
"Wanted to get a look at that ring you're wearing. I can spot a fake from miles away." she smirked
"You should know since you're the one with the fake boobs." I laughed as she glowered at me
She gathered herself together and spat out her next insult. "You look like shit. Let me guess, another failed apprehension? Another car blown up? Maybe you got kidnapped or found a new stalker?"
"Screw you." I told her
"Funny you should mention screwing. I was just going to ask you if Ranger was looking for a date. I've had Dickie and Morelli, so I figured I would go for the trifecta." she laughed
"Who is this whore?" Mari asked as Joyce's eyes bulged out of her head
"This is Joyce Barnhardt. She slept with my husband when we were married and my ex-boyfriend when we were together. She hates me for no reason and she is a cheap fake bitch." I laughed
"Who the hell are you?" Joyce looked at Mari
She laughed "I'm her future mother-in-law and let me tell you right now if you and my Carlos were alone on a deserted island he would be making fish babies rather than touch you."
Ram was trying to stifle a laugh but I didn't hold back at all. I looked at Joyce and she had an expression like someone had just slapped her in the face. I was laughing so hard I was bent over from the pain and Ram finally let it out.
"Whatever. Just get some more donuts fatso." Joyce shook her head at me.
"You are the one who should really lay off the donuts." Mari laughed as we grabbed our boxes and Ram carried them towards the door.
"Tell Ranger I said hello." Joyce called after us.
"If I did that his answer would be this." She flipped Joyce the bird before we walked out the door.
We were giggling and falling around on the sidewalk making our way to the SUV. "Where to next?" Ram asked as he held the door open.
"Giovichinnis." I answered him as I turned to Mari "They have the best deli meat."
We both climbed into the back laughing. "That woman was rude to you, the next time I might have to punch her in the face." Mari laughed
"I'll hold her." I exploded with laughter and Mari punched her fist into her other hand.
"I will teach her a lesson trying to mess with you." she leaned into me
"You're scary." more laughing
"I can be scary if you attack my family." she smiled
"You are so awesome, you are like Ranger but more fun." I smiled
"Where do you think Carlos gets it from? It's not all Army training." she smirked
"My arm is so numb." I noticed as I looked down at the sling
"That's a good thing." Mari smiled as I nodded
Ram pulled up outside of the deli. "Maybe I should call Ranger." he suggested
"You are really going to call my son on me?" Mari warned him
"No ma'am, I'm sorry." he apologized.
"You should be, now come and open my door please." she smiled at him as he looked at us through the rear view mirror.
"Oopsie." I laughed when I fell out of the truck and landed in Ram's arms
"Are you sure..." he began before I cut him off
"I'm fine." I smiled "You're a good friend." I slurred as I patted his chest still leaning against him.
Again he followed us inside. We went straight to the counter and started ordering a pound of everything that looked good. We kept asking the man behind the deli for samples of everything. I had ham, turkey and cheese in my hands and Mari had salami and pepperoni in hers. The bell rang on the door and I looked towards it and saw Angie Morelli coming in followed by Grandma Bella. "Oh no." I said a lot louder than I intended.
"YOU!" Grandma Bella came right over to me. "You put my grandson in the hospital. Your thug friend beat him up." she glared at me.
"He's my fiancee." I defended "And you don't know the whole story."
"We heard the story. You wanted to come back to Joseph and your friend found out and beat him up. You could have at least come to visit him, he's still in the hospital. This is the time he needs you the most, don't desert him" Angie pleaded
"I know what I need to know." Bella added
"That's not true!" Mari yelled "Your son did this to my daughter-in-law. Look at her beautiful face."
"She's not your daughter-in-law and she never will be." Angie Morelli looked angry, I never even realized she liked me so much. "She will be my daughter-in-law and she will give me grand babies. There is no way Joseph did that to her face, he loves her. They are going to be married. They always get back together and this time Joseph has a ring."
"She already has one on her finger in case you didn't notice." Mari smirked "I guess you also didn't notice her sprained arm, another nice gift from your son."
"Joseph has a better ring." Grandma Bella added
"Your son is an asshole." I told her and then I laughed and Mari did too.
"My grandson is a highly respected police officer." Grandma Bella told us
"She's never going to be your daughter-in-law, she loves my son." Mari rolled her eyes at Angie
"You're son is an ASSHOLE!" Angie said to Mari
"She is not worthy of my Joseph but he loves her anyway." Grandma Bella added "He is a saint."
"I am not listening to this crap anymore." Angie shook her head. "Stephanie, this woman is messing with your head. You aren't thinking right. I just can't believe it."
"Well, you better believe it!" I was loud "There is no one messing with my head."
"Joseph is too strong to let others get in his head." Grandma Bella added
"You just need to talk to him. I know you can work this out." Angie told me
"I am telling you the facts and talking to him won't change my mind about anything." I shook my head
"Joseph will make a good husband." Grandma Bella muttered.
"What are you babbling about old lady?" Mari asked finally looking at Bella
"You are not from here so you don't understand. When I speak everyone listens." Grandma Bella told her
"Maybe you should just shut your mouth." Mari warned her as I gasped
"What are you going to do about it?" Bella asked
"THIS!" Mari said as she threw the pepperoni she had at Bella. It hit her right on the forehead. Everyone froze and watched as the meat slowly slid down her forehead and fell on to the floor.
Grandma Bella looked at the meat on the ground and then her eyes flashed back to Mari. "You should learn better respect." then she turned to me "But you? I'll show you. You break his heart. I will put the eye on you." she stepped closer.
Mari jumped in front of me. "The eye is no match for the Cuban Curse, so bring it on old lady!" Mari stared down Grandma Bella and everyone in the deli gasped and watched the action. There was silence for a minute as the two women were staring each other down.
"Well fine, I will save it for when she is alone!" Grandma Bella backed off first but continued to glare at Mari
"You go anywhere near her and I will hunt you down and kick your ass." Mari told her as I burst out with laughter.
"And you!" Mari called Angie. "Your son IS an asshole, putting his hands on my Stephanie. You should teach him how to be a real man."
Everyone's eyes were on Angie Morelli "You bitch!" Angie stalked back towards Mari. When she reached her, she lifted her hand but she was too slow. Mari slapped her across the face. Angie recoiled from the pain and stood frozen.
Every mouth in the store was wide open in shock. Suddenly Angie lunged for Mari and both women went down to the floor. There was lots of cursing and hair pulling as they rolled around. I didn't know what to do and then Ram stepped in and pulled both women to their feet by their collars. They were still reaching for each other but he held them apart. I stepped towards Mari.
"She's not worth it." I told her as I put my hand on her shoulder.
She relaxed and Ram released her. She straightened out her clothes and turned to smile at me. "You're right." she nodded
"Let me go you thug." Angie told Ram as he gently released her. She smoothed the parts of her hair that were sticking out from being pulled. "I am a lady and will not sink down to your level."
"You can always go down to the level where your son is." Mari glared at her
"You are a thug just like your son and his friends." Angie told her.
"I don't need to defend my son, his friends or myself to a delusional person like you. You just stay away from Stephanie! And you better not go near her with either of our eyes!" she snarled as she glared at Grandma Bella. "And the asshole son of yours!" I stood there in shock until Mari flipped them off. Angie and Bella turned quickly and high tailed it out of there.
"I love you!" I told Mari as she turned to me and we both hugged each other.
"Maybe I should have stepped in sooner. But..."Ram looked completely confused.
"We had it." I smiled as I handed my credit card over to Mark Thomas who was behind the counter.
"Shit Stephanie, this is a Black American Express card!" He explained
"You don't take those?" I asked him
"We do, I just never saw one in person. Only in the movies." he kept staring at it.
"Well, now you have!" Mari laughed.
We were back in the truck with our lunch meats and our donuts. "I can't believe you slapped her. I was in shock, I should have helped you." I told her
"No, because then I would have worried about you." she took my hands in hers
"Just like Ranger." I shook my head
"But did you see her face?" she squeezed my hand
"When the pepperoni was sliding down I thought I was going to pee my pants I was laughing so hard." I started to giggle
"She deserved it!" she said and we both were rolling with laughter.
"Where to? Back to Rangeman?" Ram suggested.
"No, we need a bar. I want a fuzzy navel." Mari smiled
"I need a beer." I agreed
"Which one?" Ram asked quietly
"Whichever beer is on tap." I told him
"No which bar?" he asked as I watched him roll his eyes in the rear view mirror
"The closest one." I instructed.
"How's your arm?" she asked
"Numb." I laughed
"Is Jo-Jo' tavern okay?" he asked as he pulled up front.
"Hell yeah." I opened the door.
"WAIT!" Ram screamed as he got out and ran around the SUV
"I am good." I told him as I tripped out of the truck and he caught me just in time.
"Please Stephanie. If anything happens to you Ranger will kill me." he looked nervous
"Everyone is afraid of Carlos." Mari laughed as she jumped out of the truck and got off balance. I caught her and we both fell into Ram.
"Oops" I said with a giggle
We went in the tavern and straight to the bar. "One fuzzy navel and any beer you have on tap, keep a tab going." I told the bartender as I handed him my card. He looked at it twice and raised his eyebrows before he finally went over to make our drinks. "I'm sorry, did you want a drink?" I asked Ram
"On the job." he told me as he stood behind us.
"You're a good boy, your mother must be proud of you." she told him
"Go sit down and relax." I told him
"But..." he stammered
"Come over here and sit, we aren't going anywhere without you." Mari patted the bar stool on her other side.
"Thank you ma'am." he said as he took his seat. When the bartender came back Ram ordered a water.
"Are all of Carlos' men like this?" Mari leaned over and whispered to me
"Most are much more overprotective. He's afraid of you, I would think most of his men are." I smiled
"Little me?" she winked
"You are a mini Ranger but twice as deadly because you look so sweet and nice." I told her
"I am mostly nice." she looked at the ceiling with innocent eyes
"What is the Cuban Curse?" I asked her
"There is no such thing, I just wanted to scare her." she laughed and I joined her. We both nearly fell off of the stools, but Ram was on his feet quickly. He put his hands out and pushed both of us back up to a seated position.
"It worked. I'm going to use that. I will tell them I married a Cuban and now I know the Cuban Curse." I said in a scary voice.
"YES!" we were absolutely dying of laughter as the bartender brought us another round.
A guy came in the bar and sat right next to me, we looked at him and we giggled. "Hey pretty lady, what happened to you?" he asked me
"Raccoons!" Mari exclaimed
"Raccoons?" he asked
"Yeah, last night we were walking down an alley and we heard some noise by the dumpster. Of course we got closer to look and saw a raccoon. Well Stephanie here, she screamed." The guy was riveted to the story and so was I. "Suddenly the raccoon jumped at her. He climbed right up her body, grabbed her chin and started smashing his head against hers. Well, she batted him off of course. That raccoon must have been a baby, because all of the sudden a bigger one came out of no where and went after her arm. It started biting and scratching. It was scary. I helped her get that one off and we got her to the hospital. They still don't even know if they were rabid." Mari nodded as I stifled a laugh.
"Rabid?" he asked
"Yeah, she might have rabies." she told him
He shook his head, turned away and went back to his drink. I lifted my beer and drank making sure to get some of the head on my face. I opened my mouth and let it run down my chin and started moaning. When he saw me he fell off his stool "HOLY SHIT! RABIES!" he screamed
We watched him run towards the door. Someone was walking in and he crashed right into them and was on his ass. He scrambled to his feet and ran out the door as fast as he could. As soon as the door closed we both exploded with laughter. Ram was shaking his head and laughing louder than both of us. We snapped our heads to look at him"Hey you are human." she told him as he quickly resumed his normal expression
"I haven't had so much fun in a long time and my stomach hurts from laughing so hard. I love you." I told her
"Oh Stephanie, you're my daughter already." She pulled me into a big hug and this time Ram wasn't paying attention and we both fell off of our stools together.
"Oh my God!" Ram panicked as he pulled us up from the ground. "Did you hurt your arm?" he asked me
"No silly, it's numb." I laughed as we climbed back up to our seats.
Ram muttered to himself "He is definitely going to kill me now."
Mari suddenly turned to look at me. "Let's go to the hospital! Let's visit the cop." she sounded excited
"He might be angry." I told her as I made a mean face and pushed out my bottom lip.
"Then we will put the Cuban Curse on him." she laughed
"Okay. Ram, off to the hospital." I raised my and pointed toward the door.
"I don't know." he stammered "Ranger won't like this. Maybe I could give him a quick call."
"Ranger, Ranger" I slurred "He loves us, he could never be mad at his fiancee and mother." I told him as we got up and walked to the door.
"But he might be mad at me." he worried
"Don't worry. We will tell him we forced you at gunpoint." Mari laughed as we walked out the door.
"Bright light!" I screamed as we stepped into the sunlight.
"Good thing we're not vampires." she nodded
"Or gremlins." I added
We both exploded and she fell against the door laughing."You are so fun. Did I tell you I love you?" Mari smiled
"I love you." I told her as we hugged again.
"I would love you both a lot more if you got into the truck." Ram told us as we slid out of the way and he held the door open.
"Aww we love you." I told him as I gave him a big hug before pulling myself into the back seat.
"You're a good boy." Mari patted his shoulder as she made her way into the back.
Ram ran around the car and hopped in. "Back to Rangeman?" he asked
"No, to the hospital." Mari ordered
"St. Francis" I told him
"Turn on the radio please." I told him as he pulled away from the curb. He turned it on and we kept asking him to switch stations until we landed on a song we liked.
"TURN IT UP!" Mari yelled as he turned up the music.
We started moving back and forth bopping along and singing "Oh what a night do do do do do late December back in '63."
I saw Ram roll his eyes in the window. I know we sounded awful but we just kept singing louder as we swayed in our seats. " Maybe we can see if Ranger will let me hire Frankie Valli and the six seasons." I yelled at her over the music.
"Stephanie, it's five seasons." she corrected me
"Winter.." I began
"Spring" she helped me
"Summer" I smiled
"Fall" she added
"Sprinter." I added
"That's five." she added
"Sprummer. That's six." I nodded
"You're right, six seasons." we both laughed "Sprinter is my favorite."
Ram kept looking at us in the mirror and finally pulled up at the hospital. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we can come back tomorrow? Maybe if I could just call Ranger?" he asked
"NO!" we both said at the same time.
"Shit." he breathed out a sigh and then turned off the truck. He jumped out and walked around to get the door.
"Thank you kind sir." Mari stumbled out and I followed.
We all walked through to front door together. "Go ask which room." Mari whispered loudly to Ram.
He left us and went to the counter. He spoke to the information desk and then came back to us "407" he looked nervous.
"To the elevator." I announced and led the way. As we got closer, we noticed two wheel chairs in the hallway. "My feet are tired." I stopped and told Mari as I raised an eyebrows.
"Me too." Mari smiled as we went over and sat into the chairs. "You push Stephanie because if she tries she will just spin in circles."
"I am already spinning in circles." I admitted and we both laughed.
She wheeled herself into the elevator and I followed behind with Ram pushing me.
As soon as the elevator door opened up onto the fourth floor, she pushed out fast. "I'll race you." she laughed and started making her way down the hall.
"Come on Ram, don't let her beat me." I told him as I wiggled back and forth in the seat.
Soon he was pushing faster and we were neck and neck. I pulled ahead a little and looked back to her "I'm beating you." I laughed
Then suddenly Ram stopped. We were right in front of a wall. Mari didn't see it fast enough and went barreling in with enough force that when she hit it her wheelchair turned sideways. I gasped for a second and Ram ran over to her. He pulled her onto her feet. She looked up at me
"I WON!" she shouted as she was jumping up and down and I was laughing.
"Shhh!" said a nearby nurse.
We shushed each other as we laughed in whispers. "Come on Ram, help us find the room, is it four seasons or six?" I asked him
"407" he rolled his eyes. I climbed out of the chair and we left them in the hallway. We linked arms and skipped behind Ram.
"Follow the big scary guy." I whispered.
"Follow the big scary guy." she repeated in a sing song voice
Then we both sang together "We're off to see the Asshole, the Asshole of the Burg."
We had to stop because we were both laughing so hard.
"Here it is." Ram told us as he stopped in front of the door.
"You wait here." We ordered
I walked into the room first. The curtain was pulled but I could see feet at the bottom of the bed. We peeked around the curtain and Joe was sleeping. Mari looked over his face and the cast on his arm. "Oh, it makes a mother so proud when she gets to see her son's handy work." she slurred as she put her hand to her chest.
"I'm so proud of my future husband." we both did the whisper laughing. Joe stirred in his bed and we ducked back behind the curtain.
"What should I say?" I asked her
"Whatever you want to." she smiled "And then I will hit him with the Cuban curse." we both laughed
I stepped out from behind the curtain and Mari stayed hidden. His eyes were open and he looked at me and then glared. "Look what your thug did to me." he whined
"Look at what you did to me!" I screamed as I looked up at the ceiling so he could better see my chin.
"I didn't do that." he looked confused
"You did asshole. At the station, you twisted my arm, you turned me to kiss you." I reminded him.
"I'm sorry Cupcake. I didn't realize I was being so rough." he had tears in his eyes and he really looked like he meant it. "I love you, I would never try to hurt you."
"Well, I umm well I appreciate your apology but you are still an asshole." I slurred
"I was worried about you. I thought he hurt you when you went home to tell him we were going to get back together." he said as his voice cracked.
"It was you and not him that did this." I explained
"So you told him to hurt me? Your heart is that cold that you wanted me hurt?" he asked as I avoided his eyes.
I was speechless and was having a hard time standing still. I kept moving my feet around to keep myself steady. "No...I uhmmm. Yes! Well wait no I didn't ask him to do that but I am glad he did."
"Are you drunk?" he asked.
"Of course I am." I smiled
"Did you come to see me because you want me back? Do you feel bad about what Ranger did to me?" he asked as the pain on his face disappeared
"No." I told him as I swayed back and forth.
"My boys miss you, Bob misses you. I want you back in my life and my house and my bed." he wiggled his eyebrows.
"You're insane! First, I am engaged. Second, you helped that psycho bitch try to kill me. Third, you cheated on me. Fourth, I only see you in my nightmares right now and last you are an asshole." I exploded "A whole complete ass too." I added
He sat up and moved his legs to the side of the bed and stood up. He winced as he walked towards me. Mari stepped out from behind the curtains. "One more step and I will put the Cuban Curse on you." she warned. "If you thought the eye was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet." she glared at him.
"Who the hell is this?" he asked
"My future mother-in-law." I told him as I straightened my body up showing how proud I was to say that.
"Jeez. Please Mrs. Manoso let me speak to Cupcake, I mean Stephanie for just one minute." he pleaded.
"No" she carefully moved in front of me, staggering a bit.
"Please" he stepped forward.
"Cuatro estaciones."She pointed her hand at him and moved it with the words.
"What the hell? What did you just do to me?" he asked
"I put a curse for your balls to hurt. Your boys need to learn to shut the hell up." she nodded as I laughed
Morelli took another step towards me and Mari stepped directly in his path. Then with no warning she kneed him in the balls. He let out a groan and crumbled to the ground. He was moaning and rolling around "Told you so." Mari smiled at him and then grabbed my hand and we ran out of the room. We ran right into Ram and we both laughed and fell back. He reached out and caught each of us by the waist. "Come on." he pulled us toward the elevator.
"That was awesome." I told her once we were in the elevator.
"He needed it!" she laughed
"So what did you say to him in Spanish?" I asked
She started laughing right away. She was bent over and trying to get the words out "Four, Four, Four Seasons!" she exploded
"Oh my God! You didn't." I laughed
"Yes I did, I told him four seasons." she shouted out and pointed like there was a wand in her hand. We stumbled out of the elevator and headed for the exit. As soon as we walked out the door. We looked for the SUV. Some cars moved and then we saw it. Ranger's Porsche Cayenne, and he was leaning against it. He had his arms crossed over his chest and he was shaking his head.
"Uh oh, we're in trouble." Mari was speaking in a little kids voice.
"Rangey is angee" I sounded like a baby. I laughed hard and so did she. We were still laughing as we walked straight up to him.
"Boss..." Ram began as Ranger held up his hand to silence him.
"What in the hell are you two doing?" he asked us
"You're going to get grounded." Mari pointed at me and laughed
"No, it was your idea." I laughed and we both fell against the car.
"I can't believe this." he shook his head
"What? Did something happen?" Mari asked
"THIS! This happened." Ranger slightly raised his voice
"OH! Now he's really mad." I grabbed Mari's arm
"I'll protect you." she told me
Ranger rolled his eyes. "I think your little adventure is over."
"It wasn't an adventure." I corrected him
"It was a doughnut quest with bonus stops." Mari nodded
"Boss..." Ram began again but Ranger glared at him
"Don't be mad at him." I pouted as I leaned towards Ranger. I fell against his chest and then looked up. "There's twister brewing Aunty Em."
"Uh oh better get Toto." Mari smiled
"Twister?" Ranger asked
"Yep! The sky is spinning." I told him as he suddenly grabbed my good arm.
"Watch her." he told Ram as he pulled me around the car and toward the grass just in time for me to puke. He held my hair back and stayed at my side.
"I'm sorry." I apologized in between the heaving
"Babe." he told me as he rubbed my back
When I was done, he took my hand and walked me back over to the Cayenne. Ram was covered in puke and Mari was wiping her mouth. "I am so sorry." she told Ram.
"It's okay Mrs. Manoso, nothing that can't be cleaned." he nodded
"You go back to Rangeman and clean up. I will take care of the ladies." he told him
"What about my donuts?" I whined
"And my deli meat." Mari pouted
"Ram will bring them and make sure they get to the seventh floor." Ranger assured us as he opened the back door and pushed us in. He buckled us up before he jumped into the drivers seat. "I am very disappointed, you promised Steph."
"Oooh! He's disappointed with you." Mari pouted
"I'm sowee" I told him with a pout.
He shook his head and the corners of his mouth twitched. "Babe"
We had barely pulled out of the parking lot when I laid my head on Mari's shoulder. "I'm so tired Mom." I told her
"Me too daughter." she kissed my head and then laid hers on top of it.
I woke up smelling french fries. My head was pounding and my arm was killing me. I sat up and I realized I was in my bed. I looked beside me and Mari was sitting up against the pillows. "Carlos." she called.
Ranger came running into the room, and then stopped when he saw us with our eyes open. He turned around and left the room. I was confused until he quickly came back with his hands full. He handed me french fries and a diet coke. He left again and came back with black coffee for Mari. He sat down on the edge of the bed and said nothing. He just stared at the two of us shaking his head.
"Uhm Ranger. Remember the whole honest about the pain thing?" I asked
He shook his head again and got up. He came back with pills and ice. He handed me the pills and sat me up to take them. Next, he took my arm out of the sling and propped it up on a pillow before placing the ice underneath. He sat beside me resting his hand on my leg. He leaned in and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Babe." he gave out a sigh
"What?" I looked at him innocently as I batted my eyelashes.
"WHAT? What the hell were you thinking?" he raised his voice slightly.
"Don't blame her. We just wanted to have a little fun." Mari spoke up "We were bonding." she smiled
"Bonding? You are lucky I haven't called dad." He glared at her.
She gave out a laugh. "Really Carlos? What exactly will you say? Mom and Steph got drunk and had some fun. We're both adults."
"You could have been hurt. Stephanie is still recovering and there is a psycho out there trying to hurt her." he told her
"We had Ram!" she glared at him
"That's not the point." he shook his head.
"What time is it?" I interrupted
"Almost ten o'clock at night." Ranger answered me.
"So now we can have a sleepover." She smiled and I tried not to laugh but a giggle slipped out.
"What the heck is wrong with you two? Who gets drunk at noon?" he rolled his eyes
"No one got hurt." she shrugged "We had a great time."
"Oh really? No one got hurt?" he paused "And the puking?"
"It happens, but we still had fun." I smiled
"The singing? The food?" he raised his eyebrows
"Ram is a rat!" I growled
"It's his job, if he didn't tell me everything he would be fired. But if it makes you feel any better, he said it was one of the funniest days of his life." Ranger crossed his arms.
"It was pretty epic." I smiled and Mari and I both laughed
"You slapped Angie Morelli? Got into a physical fight with her?" he rolled his eyes at his mother.
"She defended her son and called me a bitch. Also, she was about to hit me. You can ask Stephanie." she protested
"It's true." I nodded as I shoved a french fry in my mouth. "She had no choice."
"You threatened to kick Bella Morelli's ass?" he asked
"She said she was going to put the eye on Stephanie when she caught her alone."
"What exactly is the Cuban Curse?" he asked her
"It's better than the eye." she winked
"She flipped off Joyce Barnhardt too. She told her you would have fish babies rather than sleep with her." I nodded
"Fish babies?" he asked as the corners of his mouth turned up.
"I understand the donuts, the lunch meat, and I guess the bar. But why the hell did you go to the hospital?" he looked both confused and aggravated.
"It's my fault. I wanted her to be able to tell the cop off without having to worry about him hurting her or you freaking out." Mari told him as she finished her coffee. He took her mug and left the room, he came back with a fresh cup of coffee for his mother.
"And? Ram didn't go in there, so tell me what happened in the room."
"Well, I went in to show him what he did to me." I explained.
"Can you believe even in there he was hitting on her? Talking about his boys. He is insane." Mari shook her head
"I am not surprised. It's who he is." he sighed "So everything was okay there? He didn't touch you?" Ranger moved over next to me and put his hand on my leg. I raised my eyebrows and looked at Mari.
"Well I was hiding behind the curtain like the wizard of Oz." she grinned and threw me a sideways glance. "I wanted her to have privacy so she could talk and I was still there to protect her. I heard him getting out of bed when he was saying she wanted him blah blah. So I came out and told him to stop or I would put the Cuban Curse on him. He stepped towards her and I jumped in front of her and put the Cuban Curse to hurt his balls." she explained
"And what exactly is that curse?" he raised his eyebrows
"Cuatro estaciones " she smiled
"FOUR SEASONS?" he yelled and then fell over laughing
"See? It was a funny day." I smiled at him.
"That explains so much more. Ram has been walking around singing and he told me about the extra seasons." he was still laughing at us.
"What are you talking about?" I asked him as I winked at Mari.
"What's your favorite season Ranger?" she asked him
"Sprinter or Sprummer?" I asked as all three of us were laughing.
"Did the curse work?" he asked Mari as he ignored the seasons question
"No, but my knee did." she smiled at him and he looked happy.
"Okay, okay that's enough. I need you both to shower and then you can eat something before bed." he told us
"Gee thanks dad." I laughed
"Hey cut that out! You two are lucky to have me around to take care of you." He was headed towards the door.
"Can you make us sandwiches? " Mari asked him
"And donuts?" I smiled
"Yes, just get showered please and brush your teeth!" he rolled his eyes. "We'll talk about the wheelchair races later." He turned around and walked towards the door before spinning around "And I am dying to hear about the raccoon." As soon as he left we both fell onto the bed laughing.
Mari went to the guest room to shower and get changed. I climbed out of the bed and went to brush my teeth and than started the water for the shower.
"Need help?" Ranger asked as he came into the bathroom.
"I need help washing my hair and stuff because it's hard to do everything with one hand." I told him "I don't want you to come in here naked because your mom is in the next room."
"Let me go get some shorts on." he sighed
"Thank you." I told him as I took the bandage off of my arm and climbed into the shower.
Soon he climbed in behind me and grabbed the shampoo. I stood still while he washed my hair and then turned to rinse. When I did he bent down and kissed my stomach. "Hey!"
"What? I can't kiss the stomach of my future wife?" he asked
"Not now. No more bending over at all!" I ordered him
"Babe."
He helped me do the conditioner next and while it was sitting in my hair he used a loofah to scrub my body. I coughed anytime he spent too long in one area. But I was smiling whenever he couldn't see my face. When I turned to rinse out the conditioner he leaned forward and kissed my breast. "Hey!"
"You told me don't bend over." He flashed me that smile and then stepped out of the shower waiting for me. "Are you all rinsed off?"
"Yes." I answered as he opened the door and turned off the faucet. I stepped out of the shower and he held out a towel and wrapped me in it. "Thank you."
"I am very happy you and my mom get along so well." he smiled as he leaned down and kissed me.
"Really?" I looked up at him
"Yes, just let's take it easy with you two drinking on our wedding day okay?" he suggested
"Okay." I hugged him
He pried my arm from around his neck. "Let me go make the sandwiches or I will never leave this room."
We all sat down at the table and ate our sandwiches. We followed them with donuts. Mari ate like I did but Ranger had a salad with no dessert "So tell me about these wheel chair races?" he asked a she leaned against the kitchen counter.
"We were just having fun, even Ram got into it." I laughed
"How did you? Ram!" Ranger rolled his eyes.
"I won." Mari told him "But I had a crash landing." she smiled as she showed him the bruise on her knee.
"Oh great both women I love have bruises." he sighed "What is up with the raccoons?"
"We can't tell you about the raccoons because it's classified." Mari teased him
"We could tell you but then we'd have to kill you." I agreed
"Nice" he shook his head
"I don't have cabin fever anymore." I smiled
"I bet." He stood and started cleaning up the table.
"How did you find us?" Mari asked him
"The guys in the control room kept updating me and I assumed things were okay until I saw the bar stop. I ended my meeting as quickly as I could and then called for another update. I was told you were at the hospital." he admitted
"I'm sorry for making you worry." I told him
"Did you think we were hurt?" Mari asked him as she stood to hug her son.
"I called and they had no record of either of you coming in. That's when I figured you went to see Morelli." He hugged her and then sat down with a sigh
"It wasn't her idea." Mari said seriously.
"I'm not upset even if it was. I learned a long time ago I can't make Stephanie do anything she doesn't want to do." he admitted
I stood up and went over to him. I held out my hand and he pulled me onto his lap. "I didn't feel sorry for him one bit." I leaned against him.
"I took great pride in seeing how you handled him." Mari gave a slight grin and the corners of his mouth raised
"Let me tell you about the raccoons." I smiled as I launched into the story.
