(Bobby's Pov)
After relieving myself and flushing, I thoroughly wash my hands before I returned to my patient. Taking the stethoscope off Lester's dresser, I lay it around my neck while I read over the last set of vitals that I took over an hour ago and start a new page in Stephanie's file on what I'm doing now. Laying her ever growing file down, I turn around and take a few moments to look over the woman that is asleep in Santos's bed. She has never had an easy go of it in life getting laid off from her job, going to work for Vinnie and, being thrown out to the wolves the first day she got there to grab the highest skip this town had, Morelli. I just thank God Connie had the good sense to call Ranger before Steph went out there alone and got herself killed. When Ranger and we saw she was not going to back down from this way of life and that she did eventually catch Morelli, Steph won the hearts of Ric and all of us and for life she would always have the backing of RangeMan.
"I don't know what you went through down south but in my book from what I know of you, you deserve a little rest" I said sitting down on the bed beside her placing the stethoscope buds into my ears.
I took the other end and held it in my hands so that it would be warm when I placed it on her chest, I didn't want to cause her any more stress than I had too. Placing the listening device on her chest, I heard the sound of a strong human heartbeat and smiled.
"That's my girl" I said sitting back and taking the buds out of my ears
I placed the stethoscope down beside me on the bed and took Stephanie's hand into mine. I slid my hand down to her wrist and felt for her heartbeat. Counting for the allotted time, I sat her hand back down to rest on top of the comforter Les had on his bed.
"You're so strong Steph, just rest" I told her satisfied that her last set of vitals showed she was still stable there had been no change.
I sat back on the bed and looked over her, I noticed that her hair was bunching up around her neck and took my hand to move it away so it wouldn't be hot on her, as I did so I saw the tip of a deep purple mark jutting out from the collar of her t-shirt.
"What the hell?" I said out loud moving up on my knees to see. I took my fingers and pulled the collar back and immediately knew what the mark was and what it had meant.
"You were to watch over her Santos not make the fucking moves on her" I said getting up from the bed and writing in her chart the numbers of her vitals before I forgot
"How is she?" I heard and looked over to see the man I was just cursing standing in his bedroom door way
"She's fine" I said writing down some notes in her file
"What's up you seem on edge, did something happen?" he asked making his way over to Steph and sitting in the spot I had vacated
"You tell me"
"What?"
"You know I'm a damn good medic" I said turning and crossing my arms across my chest
"Brown is this because I didn't want her to go with you?" he asked and I stopped him
"No but I now understand what got you so worked up"
"I don't understand?" Santos said locking eyes with me
"I'm good at what I do and I don't miss anything" I told him
"Bobby what the hell are you going on about? We all know your good and we all have the highest regards and respect for you"
"I found your mark" I said and his brows scrunched together
"My mark?"
I moved from the dresser where I had sat up my little medic's station and moved to the head of the bed. Lester watched me intently as I pulled the collar of Stephanie's shirt back to reveal the round dark purple mark.
"You couldn't help yourself could you? You were sent down to Tennessee to rest and help her, not play your games and sleep with her. She isn't ready for that kind of thing" I explained to him
"Brown you got it wrong" he said trying to defend himself
"You didn't do this?" I asked pointing my head over to the mark
"Yes, I didn't know I did but yes I did and for your information I did take care of her and she did me too" he said and I balked at him, I knew how Lester Santos took care of women and he has always had it bad for Steph "I did, I held her when she cried for Ric, I talked to her when she was so torn up, I got her to get up and go out, and we had good times and grew closer. One night we came back from a hay ride and we BOTH confessed to having feeling for each other. It was mutual thing, I didn't take advantage of her defenses being down it just happened and if you truly want to know it was her that came to me the night we were together" he said shifting his eyes to Steph and I saw a different look in his eyes than the ones he usually has reserved for the girls he wanted to get with.
(Lester's Pov)
I can't believe what's going on, Bobby is one of my best friends and I'm having to reveal my relationship with Steph in this setting to him and defend it after Tank just chewed my ass and gave me a lot to think about. I guess I really can't blame him for thinking what he does and it probably does look bad. I had told Steph that the guys wouldn't care that we were together as a couple so soon after Ric's death and I'm so glad she hopefully cant hear this spat going on with Bobby, because it would be bad.
"Brown" I said looking at Steph and then up to him. I wished Steph was well and able to stand by me when I tell him this so she could second everything I'm going to tell him. "Steph and I told each other how we felt about each other. It was a very hard struggle for her she battled it for a long time and it about ate her up inside. She often told me she didn't want to betray Ranger but that she also had love for me and she also worried about what everyone would think of her when she got back here and they saw she had moved on so quickly. I never pushed her; I knew this was something she had to figure out on her own. It has been a rough few weeks and she was doing well down South and then she announced she wanted to come home. I wanted us to have a little longer time to be more steady and stronger, but she said she wanted and needed to come back"
"You love her" he said
"Yes I do. I mean I've always loved her and you know I have, but this is more and I cant loose her and Ric too" I confessed
"You're not going to loose her. Her vitals are good, she has a strong heart beat"
"Good" I breathed out knowing at least Steph was ok and that she was just going to continue to sleep
"Are you going to hang around for a while?" I asked Bobby, my mind was filled with a lot of stuff and I needed to go clear it.
"Yea I check her vitals every hour and I want to hang around until she wakes up and I check her out and deem her stable" he said and I nodded my head
"I need to go somewhere for a while"
"Sure, I'll watch her; she'll be ok with me"
"I know she will" I said locking eyes with him telling him we were still friends and I believed in his abilities "Call me if she wakes up and I'm not back"
"10-4" he said and watched as I got up and came over to Steph. I bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
"Don't cause trouble for Bobby Beautiful I'll be back in a while" I said to her
I walked to my door and turned back and caught Bobby's eye once more before I left. I grabbed the set of keys that was lying on my coffee table, opened my apartment door, and took the stairs down to the garage.