A/N: Jez, calm down! You all wanted me to bring him home and I did! Evil Grin

Discalimer: Ranger isn't mine, drat it all. Max and Yoshi are mine, the rest belong to JE. I'm just playing with them…

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

I protested that I had nothing to do with it and that earned me a round of teasing, too. Ella came out of the break-room and Tank came out of his office to see what was going on.

Then from behind me a voice said, "Babe, what happened to Santos?"

Chapter 37

I was starting to turn with a laughing protest on my lips when the voice registered, and I finished the turn with a gasp. "Ranger!"

The Merry Men fell silent as all eyes turned to the stairwell door.

Time seemed to pause as I stared at him. He looked thin and exhausted but he was still a sight for sore eyes. He was dressed in black jeans and a black turtleneck with an Army-green all-weather jacket over it. His hair hung oddly loose around his shoulders, and something around his eyes made me wonder if he was in pain. A moment later I noticed white gauze peeking out of the sleeve on his left wrist.

Lester broke the silence first, stepping forward with a grin and his arms outstretched like he was going to hug Ranger. "Boss-man, you're home!"

He stopped dead when Ranger pointed a threatening finger at him, but then Ranger's lips twitched up and everyone laughed. Then they all seemed to speak at once, welcoming him home, congratulating him on his mission… Everyone but me, and I seemed to have been struck dumb. My feet worked, though, because I was moving closer, never taking my eyes off him even as his men surrounded him.

I was within touching distance when his eyes found mine, and he smiled.

"Babe."

My answering smile trembled and I had to blink back tears. He reached for my hand and pulled me closer, his eyes never leaving mine. I wanted to tell him how much I missed him, how proud I was of him, how his men had looked out for me in his absence, and I had questions -- so many things were tumbling around in my brain and only one made it out, just above a whisper. "Are you okay?"

He squeezed my hand gently. "Just got a few dents and dings."

My eyes fell to the gauze at his wrist. He held his arm up and looked at it as if he'd forgotten it, then shook his head slightly. "I'm not going to miss the damned snakes."

Tank's low chuckle rolled out and Lester muttered something under his breath. I saw Bobby shudder and the other guys either laughed or nodded.

Ranger turned his attention back to his men then, his face serious, but he kept a firm grip on my hand.

"I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that our contract" he made eye contact with Tank, Lester, and Bobby, "is now considered completely fulfilled."

"What's the bad news?" Bobby asked tersely.

Ranger's lips quirked. "DC insists on a formal retirement ceremony. One month from now, full dress uniforms."

The guys groaned and Ranger chuckled. "What's the matter, boys? You've got a month to make them fit."

Bobby had a pithy reply to that, then the guys started heading back to their workstations. Lester said something about getting cleaned up and took off. Tank gently thunked Ranger on the shoulder.

"Glad to have you back in one piece, man. I'm guessing you'll be taking some time off?"

"Yeah. It may be a few days before I'm up to speed."

"Take your time. See you later, Steph."

Ranger picked up a small duffel bag that had been on the floor behind his feet, then led me slowly toward the elevator. "I need a shower and a nap," he said as we waited for the doors to open. "Want to come up and keep me company?"

The elevator doors opened, and I smiled and led him inside.

He hit the remote for the seventh floor and leaned against the wall. He tugged a curl escaping from my bun, ran assessing eyes over my old clothes, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Norvil Thompsen," I said simply, and his lips curved.

"Ahh. Lester?"

"He was riding with me. I talked him into staying downstairs, but when I knocked on the door Norvil chucked a full garbage bag out the window at Les. I think Norvil mistook him for you."

"And you stayed clean." Ranger chuckled and pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my temple. "I missed you, Babe."

I slipped my arms around him under his jacket. He was so thin I could feel his ribs, and his skin felt too warm. "I missed you, too." Despite my best efforts my voice wobbled. Ranger's arms tightened and I curled against him, fighting tears.

The elevator dinged. Ranger kept one arm around me as we stepped into the familiar tiled corridor. Ella was coming out of the apartment with a small cart and held the door open for us with a smile.

"I stocked some things in the kitchen, but if you want anything just call," she said, and with a smile she pushed the empty cart into the elevator.

We went inside. Two seconds after the door closed behind us Ranger dropped the duffel bag and pulled me into a slow, deep kiss. There was no pressure behind it and little heat, just reassurance and comfort. When he reluctantly pulled back I smiled against his lips. "Welcome home."

"I like the way that sounds," he murmured, and gave me another kiss before pulling back with a faint groan. "I'm going to take a shower, okay?"

"Okay." He sounded so tired and I wasn't sure what he needed, so I asked, "Do you want company?"

He hesitated, then said, "Not in the shower, but I'd like to hold you while I sleep."

"Okay," I agreed easily and gave him a smile.

He headed for the bathroom. I noticed his forgotten bag and carried it into the bedroom, wondering why it was so heavy as I hefted it onto the bed. I heard the shower come on and eyed the bag curiously. Should I unpack it? I unzipped it and peeked inside. On the top were the cargoes and t-shirt he'd worn the day he left, the faint scent of Bulgari still clinging to them. Beneath them there was a sealed manila envelope, the two guns and knife he normally carried …and a prescription bottle. I read the label and it confirmed my earlier suspicion. They were pain pills.

I put the envelope and the prescription bottle on the nightstand by the bed. The clothes I carried to the laundry basket in the closet, and I put the knife and unloaded guns on top of the weapons safe because I didn't know the combination. Then I went to the kitchen to get something to drink -- and some water for Ranger. I poked my head in the fridge and found a treasure trove. Ella had left all kinds of finger-foods, pre-made snacks, and a couple of heat-and-eat meals besides drinks and fresh fruit. I pulled out a couple of bottles of water, a bottle of Gatorade, and a plate of pinwheel sandwiches made with meat and cheese rolled in a flour tortilla and cut into sections. I cored and sliced an Asian pear onto another plate and made two trips to get it all to the bedroom.

The shower had stopped by the time I ducked into the closet again. I toed off my shoes and shucked all but my panties before putting on one of Ranger's t-shirts. Then I turned back the covers and climbed onto the bed with my booty. I no more than got my legs crossed comfortably before Ranger came in wearing only the black silk boxers.

I had to fight not to gape. Ranger's body has always been ripped, but now there was no padding left on his body. His skin was stretched tight directly over the muscles and with every move I could see them ripple. His 'dents and dings' were apparent, too -- bruises on one shoulder and along one side of his ribs, bruises and shallow cuts along his lower legs. His left wrist and forearm was swollen, and when he reached up to push his hair back I could see where he'd been bitten.

He sat down on the bed and shifted until he was leaning against the headboard. I heard a faint sigh and he turned his head to take in the picnic I'd laid out on the bed. One side of his lips quirked up.

"What's all this?"

I smiled and offered him the plate of pinwheels. "Lunch? I'm hungry, and you ought to eat something."

"Why is that?" he teased with a faint smile.

"Fuel for later," I said, dragging a fingertip along one of his ribs. "You seem to have burned off your reserve."

Ranger captured my hand, pulled it to his lips and nipped me, then chuckled when I jumped. Then he took a sandwich.

I ate a pinwheel, drank some water, and nibbled on a couple of slices of pear. Ranger worked his way through the pear, most of the sandwiches, the Gatorade, and took a pain pill with the last of his water. I ran the dishes back to the kitchen and brought back more water. Ranger had slid under the covers and pulled me down into his arms.

I settled carefully against his side, still unsure as to the extent of his injuries. He pulled me closer, hauling me up until I was sprawled half over his chest, and his hand slid up to tangle in my hair.

"Is this going to hurt you?" I asked softly.

"No. And I wouldn't care if it did - I've thought about sleeping with you like this for the last five weeks."

"And five days," I added, sliding my hand up his chest.

I felt his lips move against my forehead as he smiled. "You were counting?"

"Not on purpose… I couldn't help it." I felt him chuckle and tried to pinch him, and the chuckle turned into soft laughter. His hand caught my chin and turned my face up for his kiss.

Several long moments later he murmured, "I love you, Babe."

"I love you, too," I said softly. "Now shut up and go to sleep."

Ranger laughed, then shifted and sighed, relaxing. And was out like a light.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

I woke slowly some time later. We were still in pretty much the same positions we'd gone to sleep in, although Ranger's arms had loosened. His breathing was slow and even -- he was still asleep, and probably would be for a while. I thought about getting up. I could probably slip out of bed without waking him… or maybe not. I remembered a conversation with Bobby about combat situations, how some men seemed to kick into a hyper-aware state where they were always alert, even when sleeping. He'd said a lot of the best special-forces guys were that way -- and Ranger was one of the best. I didn't think it would be a good idea to startle him awake right now. Besides, I didn't want to leave him. I settled back against him and sighed, breathing in his scent, and went back to sleep.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

The next time I woke my shirt was missing, and Ranger's mouth and hands were sliding up my ribs towards my breasts…

TBC…

Don't shoot! I'm typing as fast as I can! LOL, I'll post more very soon, I promise! In the meantime I've got a poll up on my profile page - where do YOU want this story to go from here?