Disclaimer still applies.
~oooOOOooo~
Chapter 29: April
Stephanie's POV
I woke from my nap and rolled over in the bed, feeling a muscle pull as I sat up. Immediately, I noticed a cramping in my abdomen, but I'd been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for a few weeks, so it didn't surprise me. I breathed through it and then carefully stood and waddled to the bathroom. When I came out, Ranger was sitting on the bed.
He smiled and asked, "Feel better after your nap, Babe?"
Moving to him, I looped my hands around his neck and leaned forward, arching my back slightly. When his hands began massaging my lower back, I moaned softly. "Mmm, feels good."
I felt him smile against my neck. "Good," he said. "When you're ready, we can go sit out in the living room and open all the gifts, okay?"
"Mkay," I murmured, still enjoying the feel of his hands on my sore back. Finally, I pulled away and stretched lightly. "Thank you."
"My pleasure," he said softly before standing and taking my hand.
He led me out to the living room and helped me get comfortable. There was already a bottle of water sitting on the table in front of me, and the gifts were arranged near the sofa.
"Santos said we can go ahead and open these. We have dinner reservations at Rossini's tonight as the last gift, if you're up for it," he said, sitting down on the floor beside the boxes.
"Oh yum! The pasta sounds good tonight." I licked my lips, grinning, and motioned for Ranger to go ahead and open them. I was too achy and tired to have the energy to do it myself, so I settled in and watched as he ripped the paper off the first box.
"Oh!" I gasped, my eyes widening in surprise as the first gift, the one from Mary Lou, was revealed.
The mamaRoo Infant Seat was black, with a removable toy mobile at the top, and in big letters, the box claimed the seat had five different motions and five different ways to soothe and entertain the baby. I also noticed a line about a connection for an mp3 player and five built-in nature sounds.
"That's so cute!" I said excitedly, pointing to the picture. "Get it out so we can see how it works?" I phrased it as a question, but my tone must have shown him how eager I was because he pulled out his pocket knife and slid it through the tape sealing the end.
Within minutes, he had it assembled and set up on the table in front of me. He reached over and turned the seat on, and it immediately began to sway slowly from side to side. He slowly moved through the different settings, including the default of Kangaroo, to Tree Swing, Rock-A-Bye, and Ocean Wave, but my favorite was the Car Ride. They were all very similar but different enough that you could tell you'd changed.
"I bet that's a second one," I said, pointing to the same sized box from Val.
After clearing away the first one, Ranger opened the second, and I'd been correct. It was an exact replica of the one from Mary Lou.
"That's great! One for each baby," I confirmed with a smile.
We opened Lula and Tank's car seat next and then the matching one from my parents. They were a combination of light and dark gray, with thick, padded inserts and padded straps for extra comfort. They each had a base to strap into the vehicle for easy in and out.
"Those are nice," Ranger said, pointing to the picture of the base on the box. "My nieces and nephews have all used ones with bases, which are much nicer than having to strap the seat itself in every time." He tensed almost imperceptibly, but I could see it in the tighting in the muscles of his jaw and around his eyes.
I nodded, wondering about his experience when Julie was a baby, but I didn't vocalize my thoughts because I knew that was still a touchy subject for him. Instead, I said, "I'm sure it'll be great. I think Mary Lou and Val have used them, too, if I remember right."
He smiled, the lines that had formed around his eyes lessening as he relaxed again. "Ready to look at the last one?" He motioned to the biggest box still sitting on the floor in front of the couch.
When Ranger unwrapped the last of the light yellow-striped pale green wrapping paper, my eyes grew wide. The stroller was the same brand and pattern as the car seats and could be used when the twins got older, or from the picture on the front, the infant car seats could clip on to the frame of the stroller now.
"That's so cool!" I exclaimed, sitting up as much as my big belly would allow. "Take it out, please?" I batted my eyelashes and gave him an innocent expression.
Ranger laughed and shook his head, before reaching for his knife again.
~oOo~
By the time we pulled up in front of Rossini's, we had a good idea we weren't just having dinner alone. Ranger had stopped by Tank's office on the way out, but he wasn't in. We couldn't find Les or Bobby, either. Cal and Hector were deliberately vague about their whereabouts, claiming they were all out of the office but they didn't know where.
True to RangeMan luck, Ranger was able to secure the first non-handicapped spot by the door. He parked and then ran around and helped me out. We made our way slowly into the restaurant and up to the hostess stand.
The woman behind the stand was young, pretty, and her smile never faded as she gave Ranger a glance before turning her attention to me. "Hi! Welcome to Rossini's. Do you have a reservation?"
I liked her immediately. Not many women could keep their eyes off my husband and make me feel like they were just as happy to see me.
"We do," I said, smiling at her in return. "Under the name Manoso."
"Oh! Yes, your table is ready. Follow me, please." She motioned to the left and then started walking. "When are you due?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at me.
I chuckled. "That obvious, huh?" At her smile, I laughed again. "A few weeks, but it could be anytime. We're having twins."
"Twins are great. My sister has a set of her own." We reached a set of doors, and she knocked once. "Here you are. Have a good evening!" she chirped before moving away back toward the front of the restaurant.
Ranger raised an eyebrow. "Should we see who's waiting on the other side?"
I grinned and nodded.
When he pulled the door open, I expected to hear a loud cheer of surprise. Instead, there were four tables full of our friends and family, all with innocent, happy expressions on their faces. The only one who didn't stay still and quiet was the beautiful young lady with long, dark brown hair who leapt out of her seat at the head table and flew over to us.
"Surprise!" Julie cried as she threw her arms around us both.
~oOo~
Three hours later, I needed to use the bathroom. Julie volunteered to go with me, so I kissed Ranger, who then stood to give me room to maneuver out of my seat. When I stood, my napkin fluttered to the floor. Without thinking, I bent to grab it and felt a sharp, shooting pain in my abdomen. I clutched at my stomach, the pain nearly bringing me to my knees as I heard Ranger say my name.
"Babe? Stephanie, what's wrong? Is it the babies?"
Moving slowly, I pulled myself up straight. "I-I'm okay," I said, arms still crossed protectively over me. "I think I pulled something when I bent over, though. Help me sit dow—"
The look on Julie's face as she stood in front of me shut me up. I looked down; the bottom of my dress was stained with blood, and there was more underneath my feet.
That was the last thing I saw before my eyes rolled back in my head and my vision went black.
