Hector was pacing the length of the waiting room while Bobby spoke to the nurse. Tank was standing next to me while Lester was sitting in a chair by the door. "What's going on and who is this girl, and who would do this to her?" Tank asks. "I don't know, but whoever it is will definitely pay for this." I say with certainty. Walking over to Lester, "Santos, report!" I bark. He scrubs his face with his hands and nods.
"About two months ago Hector and I were on patrol for the McDonald case. Anyhow we hadn't eaten that day so we stopped at an all- night diner on our way back into town. The place was full of truckers, and stuff. Anyhow it was packed, like booming. There was one waitress and two cooks. Jessica was running that whole place by herself and not showing a bit of stress. No one was bitching, hell we sat down and almost instantly she had taken our drink orders and handed us some menus while she cashed out a few of the guests. We told her we just wanted some coffee first and that we would call her when we were ready to eat, but honestly, we just wanted to watch her. She had one of those enigmatic personalities. Like no matter how busy it was, she was totally calm and the whole place was calm. We sat and observed for about twenty minutes or so, and then ordered our food and she let us eat in peace. The coolest part was when it was time to pay, she discounted my food. Military discount, wrote "Thank you for your service" on my ticket. I didn't tell her I served, but she just knew. So, the next few weeks we went in a couple of times a week, and got to know her pretty well. She's amazing man, the stuff she has had to deal with would knock any man on his ass but not her. She has strength like no one I have ever met. Anyway, over the last week we noticed that she was off. So, Hector and I waited till she was off her shift and "accidentally" bumped into her at the store. We chatted a few minutes then helped her out to her truck. Once she was loaded in, we told her we were waiting till she was on her way before we left and she just nodded. Once she started her truck we knew why. It was knocking and rumbling, but when she put it in gear and started to go off it made a loud squeaking noise. So, we followed her home and helped her get the groceries inside. Hector and I sat off to get the parts to fix it. When we got back there was a guy storming off from her front door. He looked familiar, but he sped away before we could get a real look. We knocked on the door, and man her face was swollen. It was obvious what just happened. She refused to call the police, and said that it wouldn't help. He was a cop and he would get away with it. So, Hector and I fixed her truck and then installed a camera above her door and setup some alarms on her home. We gave her our personal numbers and told her that if he comes back to call us. Then we took turns patrolling her home. Man, we should have been there." he says putting his head back into his hands.
"No, you should have told me what was going on. We would have helped you, hell we would have put her under surveillance, or found out who it was. We are a team; you should have trusted us with this!" I argued. He nods. "Hello I am Ms. White's doctor. I understand you are her family." The doctor says as he walks out. We all nod and approach the doctor. Bobby and Dr. Robert Monroe have been friends since their army days. "Robert" Bobby says as he shakes his hand. "Ms. White is conscious and alert, but she has suffered a concussion, two broken ribs, and her arm is broken. We noticed that there was skin under her fingernails so we pulled that out to hand over to the police for evidence. I also ran a rape kit, and it came back negative. She has refused pain killers and is already asking to leave. " he smiles. Nodding Bobby and he starts speaking doctor talk. "Can we see her?" Hector asks. "Yes, but please be aware that she is in a lot of pain and not too happy right now." he says as he leads us to her room.
As we approach her room we can hear her, "Look I understand the concern and I appreciate it, but I need to leave." she says. As we make our way around the corner Hector rushes in. Her smile was small but sincere. "Hector, Lester. " she says. "Angelito, I am so sorry." Hector says as he rushes in to her bedside. "Shhh, it's ok. I don't blame you." she says as she reaches for his hand. "Lester, please tell him that it's not his fault." she says. "I can't gorgeous. I'm sorry too." he says coming up to the other side of her bed. "Guys, please. It's not your fault. You didn't do this to me. You are not to blame. I refuse to let you blame yourselves for this." she says.
"Ms. White, my name is Bobby Brown. I am a doctor for Rangman. Can I ask how you are feeling?" Bobby says coming up to the end of her bed. "Hello sir. I am ok. My head hurts and my hand, but I'm alright. I would like to go home please. I can rest better in my own bed." she says pleadingly. "I understand, but you can't be alone right now and I think it would be best if you stayed her tonight." he answers. Her eyes bulge, and she looks to Hector and Lester. "Please let me go home. I don't feel safe here."she pleads.
"She can come back to Haywood with us. Bobby will monitor her recovery and she can stay on four in an empty apartment." I say from the door. Bobby nods at me and turns to Dr. Monroe. " I will sign off on all of the paperwork needed to have her released into my care." " Um excuse me. But I don't know who you are." she says. " Angelito, we all live at Haywood. You can have an apartment between mine and Lester's. It is secured, and you will have your privacy." Hector says. She finally looks back to me. Her emerald eyes holding me in place. "Who are you?" she asks. "Ma'am my name is Carlos Monoso, I also go by Ranger. I am the owner of Rangmen Security where Lester and Hector work. We are a close family at Haywood." I say. "How long would I have to be there?" she asks. "Just as long as it takes for you to recover. It could be a week or more based on how well you rest and limit your movements." Bobby answers. "I can't be out of work that long. I have responsibilities. " she says. "Don't worry, we will help you. " I say. Taking a deep breath, she looks me up and down. "You're not a man that takes no for an answer, are you?" she asks. I smile, "Yeah, that doesn't happen often." I reply.
"Well that just leaves you big guy. What is your name?" she asks Tank. "My name is Tank ma'am." he responds. She begins to giggle and break out to a full belly laugh before stopping from the pain. "You know as far as nicknames goes that's pretty obvious, but kinda sucks. I mean I know good and well that your parents didn't actually name you Tank, but no one could have been original when picking your nickname. I would have named you Tiny or something to throw people off. Ya know?" she smiles. Tank returns the smile. " Yeah I guess that makes sense." he says. "Ok fine, if I get a choice between here or there, I'll pick there. When can we leave?" she asks the doctor. "I'll get the paperwork together and you guys can leave soon. The police will still want to speak to you." he says. Her heart rate starts to increase so I step in. "We will only speak to officer Eddie Gazarra." I say trying to calm her down. The doctor nods and Jessica start to relax. "I can't wait to get out of here."she says to no one in particular.