Chapter 39: Stephanie's POV

When Bobby finished wrapping my knees, he nodded to Ranger. Bobby picked me up in his arms and Ranger jumped out of the SUV. He climbed into the backseat and Bobby handed me up to him. Ranger sat me in his lap and wrapped his arms around me. It wasn't quite worth getting shot, but it was a nice consolation prize if I had to get shot.

Bobby jumped in the front seat and drove through a sea of police. We pulled into the ER about 10 minutes later and the guys reversed the process. Ranger handed me out to Bobby, and then Bobby handed me back to Ranger once he had gotten out of the car. Ranger walked through the ER and sat me on an empty gurney.

Julie Whinseky wandered over. "Stephanie! I haven't seen you in a while." She'd been a few years ahead of me in high school and was an ER nurse.

"Haven't been shot in a while. How's Whiskey?" That's her husband's nickname. With a last name like Whinesky, he should be grateful that his nickname was Whiskey instead of something like Whiney.

"He's good. What's wrong with you?"

"Gunshot graze and smashed up knees," Bobby reported. Julie nodded. Ranger and Bobby stayed with me until the doctor came in to check me over. He was a new guy.

Bobby stepped out but Ranger stayed by my side. "Husband?" the doctor asked me.

"Nope," I replied.

"Well, only family is allowed back here with patients." He must be really new. Ranger shot him a glare and the doctor very wisely dropped it.

He poked and prodded my arm and knees and I was envisioning stabbing him with a scalpel, repeatedly, when I felt Ranger squeeze my hand. "Scary look there, Babe."

I just nodded. The doctor poked some more and I fantasized some more. He'd finally poked enough, or he'd seen from my expression that he'd poked enough, and he said that I'd need stitches. Duh. Bobby had already told me that. Then he said he wanted to get an x-ray of my left knee just to make sure I didn't fracture the kneecap. He glanced at Ranger and then at me.

"Um, any possibility that you're pregnant? We have to know for the x-ray."

"Nope."

"Are you sure there's no possible way? We can do a test first if you like."

"Nope."

"You sure."

"Yes, doctor, I passed biology class and I know about the birds and the bees. It's fine." Argh. I so didn't want to be discussing my sex life, or the lack thereof, in front of Ranger of all people.

I must have had the stabbing him with a scalpel look on my face again because he finally dropped it. Smart man. I still had one semi-functional knee and I wasn't afraid to use it.

"Looking scary again, Babe." Then I started thinking about stabbing Ranger with a scalpel. He shook his head and looked like he was thinking about smiling. "Babe."

I got the x-ray and my kneecap wasn't broken but I had sprained it pretty badly in the fall. I was given a couple more painkillers. Had I told them that Bobby had already given me two of something? I'm pretty sure I had.

By the time the doctor came back to stitch up my arm and knee, I was feeling goooooood. No pain, nothing. I was high as a kite but I was enjoying it. I don't really remember what happened after that.