Chapter 19
SPOV
I was hurting and I didn't know why. My shoulder and head were the worst, what the hell had happened to me? As my mind began to recount my last memories, I felt a panic sweep through me. Oh god where was I? I couldn't move my left arm and my right arm seemed to be tied down, had someone found me after shooting Mr Buckley. Mr Buckley, oh god I had watched him as he'd died, was I now being held again in that small room? I felt the movement on my right hand and there was the feeling of circles being rubbed over it. I only knew of one person who would ever do that, did that mean Ranger had found me. If he found me would he be annoyed with me, would he think I had disappeared on purpose? Maybe staying asleep was better than facing Ranger and seeing anger across his face directed at me.
"Babe, you're safe here, open those eyes for me"
I tried so hard to open them, but underneath, the feelings of being afraid of what Ranger might say still plagued me.
"Babe, I need you to wake up, come on Steph, let me see that you're okay"
His voice was soft and even gentle as he tried to coax me into acknowledging my waking state. As my eyelids began to move and my blurry vision adjusted, I could see him looking down at me. I felt a straw at my mouth and took a few sips. The cool water felt wonderful on my dry, sore throat, I knew I needed to talk but couldn't look at his face.
"I'm sorry"
I whispered.
"What for"
"Disappearing"
"Babe did you intend to disappear?"
That had me looking up at his face, I wasn't sure if he actually thought I'd left Safenet on purpose, that he would actually think I would do something like that and not let him know. But his face didn't look annoyed if anything he looked concerned. Come on Stephanie, pull yourself together and stop trying to second guess his intentions.
"No"
I answered shaking my head.
"How were you with Buckley?"
At the mention of his name the image of him dying came back into my mind and I knew tears were falling down my face. I felt his hands on my cheeks and his thumbs wiping them away.
"Babe, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you"
"S'okay"
I knew my eyes were beginning to get heavy and as his thumbs gently rubbed my cheeks my eyes started to close until I was no longer aware of where I was or who was with me.
The next time I came awake I felt more solid mentally. The pain I'd experienced before was a dull throb now and I was so surprised to see Ranger sat beside me, had he been here all the time? As I tried to sit up, he raised the bed for me and placed a pillow behind me to lean on.
"How long have I been here?"
"Since you last woke up or since coming here?"
"Both"
"I brought you here a day ago and you've been asleep for almost 5 hours"
I couldn't get my head around that! What the hell had happened to me to be unconscious for that long?
"Babe, you were shot but you also gave your head a hell of a bang"
"Oh god Ranger, they shot Buckley when it should have been me"
"Babe you need to calm down and rest, we can talk through what happened when you're feeling better"
He moved toward me and sitting on the bed beside me held my head in one arm while the other was tucked around my shoulder, I felt his head next to mine almost as if he was breathing through my hair. He held on to me for a few minutes then pulled back his head until his forehead was touching mine.
"I was so worried about you"
"I'm sorry"
"No, don't say that, because none of it was your fault"
I felt him pull away and watched as he walked toward the door, I felt a pang go through me, he'd stayed until I was awake and was leaving now, maybe that was for the best.
"The doctor wanted to know when you woke up again, so I need to go find him, okay?"
I nodded my head then leaned back into the pillow watching him as he left, feeling quite vulnerable on my own. When the door next opened to my surprise Ranger came back in with the doctor who I must admit put me at ease with his smile.
He spent the next thirty minutes asking questions and making me do little tasks, but I had to admit I was getting a bit fed up with it. He left the room at one stage and brought in a nurse who basically pushed Ranger out of the door. Once alone they removed the needle form my hand and the monitors from my chest then pulled out the catheter. Sheesh it felt so good to be clear of all the wires and tubes. The nurse left allowing Ranger back into the room and he stood by the door watching what was happening. As the doctor stepped back and started to write on the chart, I had to ask him the one question I needed an answer to.
"When can I leave?"
I'm sure I saw Ranger's lips tilt up and the doctor definitely frowned.
"Maybe tomorrow, late morning, but only if you rest until then and only if you continue to rest when you leave. You will need to be back here in a week for a checkup. I'll hand your medication and instructions to Mr Brown, he said he would be with you to keep an eye on you"
Okay I could manage another day, then wondered who else was here.
"Ranger do my parents know I'm here?"
"No, they think you're working out of town. I didn't want word of where you were to get out. Babe only the core team and the men closest to you know"
"Why?"
"Because you said they were shooting at you, not Buckley"
"He saw a red dot on my chest and moved in front of me"
"Babe?"
"He said it was for the best, that he didn't want to cooperate"
"Did he say why?"
"He said, Pandora's box, it was too powerful in the wrong hands"
"Babe do you feel up to telling me what happened?"
"Yes, I want to do that"
"Start from where we got separated"
"I ended up in a storeroom that had boxes in, there were two different types of packaging but inside the boxes were the same detectors but with a different name. I took photos"
"Hector found them Babe"
"I was just looking to see if the numbers matched those reference numbers I found when the alarms started to go off. I panicked thinking I'd done something to set them off and when I opened the door there was a man stood there, he used a stun gun, I just never saw it"
"Did you see who it was?"
"No, his face was covered up. When I woke up, I was in a small room in the cellar of a house. Mr Buckley came and got me out"
"Did he say why he was there?"
"He said he was watching the house, he said it tied in to Herichlon"
"What was he looking for?"
"He said they had something of his, a microchip and that they burnt his house down so he assumed they'd taken it"
"Did he say what was so important about it?"
"He said it was his lifes work, but wasn't sure what they'd try to do with it, that in the wrong hands, he hoped they'd have no idea how to activate it"
"What would it do?"
"Open up Pandora's box"
"So how did you get to that house out in the country?"
"We walked"
"Can you remember where the house was where Buckley found you?"
"Not really, we just seemed to walk across fields and through trees. Then it was getting dark when we reached his parent's house"
"You okay?"
I wasn't sure what to say to that, all I was doing was trying to find a skip and suddenly I'm in a whole heap of trouble and the man was dead with people wanting to kill me. I looked up at Ranger and just hoped he was prepared to do what I was about to ask of him.
"Will you just hold me?"
"I thought you'd never ask"
He sat on the bed next to me then toed off his shoes bringing his legs next to mine, as an arm came around my shoulder, I turned on my side with my head on his chest and his other hand resting on my hip.
True to his word I was released the following afternoon into the care of Bobby, I hated having to be pushed out of the place in a wheelchair, but the doctor had threatened me, no wheelchair then no release. I hadn't even asked where we were and was surprised as we travelled as the houses disappeared and open fields appeared. But with the motion of the car, the warmth and the hold that Ranger had on me I soon fell asleep.
I must have been totally out of it because the next time I woke I was in a comfortable bed with smooth soft sheets that reminded me of Ranger's bed. Opening my eyes, I saw that was exactly where I was. I couldn't understand that because I just assumed I'd be staying in the apartment on four. I felt rested and except for the ache in my head and shoulder, wanted to move, preferably into the bathroom. I used my good arm to push myself up and then pulling back the cover was just moving my legs from the bed to the floor when I jumped at the sound of a voice. Looking at me was Ranger, who was lent against the door.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Bathroom"
Before I even had chance to move, he was by my side and lifting me up taking me into the bathroom and standing me next to the toilet.
"I'll be outside, shout when you've finished"
I still had on the joggers and a T-shirt that Ranger had brought for me in the hospital, but I had mastered the art of pulling down my trousers one handed and pulling them back up. The sling that was round my arm holding it to my body was annoying, but Bobby had said it needed to stay on until the wound in my shoulder had had a chance to heal.
Washing the one hand I returned to the door to find Ranger waiting to once again lift me up.
"Bed or couch?"
"Couch"
At least there I could watch TV and feel less like an invalid. Once propped up on the couch he returned with a blanket that he tucked around me then walked into the kitchen returning with a glass of orange juice and a tray with nachos and a couple of dips on. I hadn't eaten much in the hospital, maybe the aftereffects of being hurt or more likely the hospital food being to blame.
"I'm working up here today, so if you need me shout out"
Yeah like that was going to happen, he had work to do for Rangeman and I'm sure with me getting hurt and ending up in the hospital he would have a lot to get caught up with. I spent the remainder of the day laid on the couch watching some TV but sleeping a lot. I was surprised when Ella came in just after 7 bringing in a trolley and depositing a large pot on top of the work surface. Once she'd finished in the kitchen she came through to the lounge.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Better, still a bit sore but I seem to want to sleep all of the time"
"That's expected, your body needs to heal. Make sure you eat, you need to keep up your energy. How are you managing with the shower?"
"I haven't even tried yet, I don't think I could move my arm enough for that"
"I'll run some water in the tub, just keep the wound dry and then later I'll help you with your hair"
"I can do that Ella"
Both of us turned to see Ranger stood in the doorway. To be honest I think I would have preferred for Ella to help me out, but no way was I going to let Ranger think that. Since he'd offered, he might be a little annoyed if I refused his help. I saw Ella raise her eyebrows at Ranger as if questioning him but nothing more was said, and Ella left the room and exited from the apartment with her trolley.
"Babe do you want to eat first or get clean?"
"I think freshen up, but I'm sure if I put a waterproof bandage over my wound, I'll manage okay"
I slowly got onto my feet and made first for the bedroom to fetch some clean clothes and then headed for the bathroom surprised to see that Ranger was already in there and the tub was filling up with water. Shit how do I do this without him getting me all worked up, I should have undressed in the bedroom first. I pulled my joggers down and wrapped the towel round my waist and then pulled my panties down but then was stood wondering how the hell to get the T-shirt off. The sling came off first giving me a little more flexibility but then I felt the hem of my T-shirt being lifted from behind.
"I'm not going to attack you and I'm pretty sure I've seen it all before"
I know my cheeks turned red at that thought, but not looking at his face I allowed him to lift my T-shirt up and then carefully ease it over my sore shoulder. Then he removed the bandage that was on. I was surprised that it wasn't just a hole from where the bullet had gone in but was a cut about an inch long.
"Why is there a cut?"
"The doctors had to do some repair work"
I guess no one had actually said what the doctors had done and like an idiot I'd never asked, maybe Bobby would tell me when he came to see me. Ranger placed the waterproof bandage over the wound. I dropped the towel and felt Ranger holding my waist as I stepped over and into the hot water. Then he held me as I sank down into the water. Instinctively I pulled my knees up to my chest playing with the bubbles by my feet.
I felt warm water falling down my back and then the soft play of a soapy sponge across my skin as it moved over my back and then down each arm. I sat up and started to rinse my legs, hell I was so embarrassed that they needed a shave, maybe that was something I could do later. As Ranger moved the sponge over my right shoulder it came down and began to rub around my breasts, hell this was not good, because I was feeling so emotional. As the sponge washed up and down my stomach and then my legs, I couldn't look at Ranger's face because I was trying really hard for the tears that were forming in my eyes not to flow down my cheeks, but of course he noticed.
"Babe, what's wrong, did I hurt you?"
I shook my head not really knowing how to explain myself.
"Babe?"
"No one's ever done that before, it just felt so caring, sorry I don't know what came over me"
I felt his hand on my cheek as he turned my face toward him, his expression softer than it usually was.
"You deserve to be taken care of. Now I'm going to hold you while I wash your hair"
The moment was broken as he held me by my shoulders and poured warm water from a jug over my head. He sat me back up and washed my hair then repeated the process to rinse out the soap. I felt a towel being wrapped around my head and he helped me step out into a towel that he wrapped around my body, he pulled me to him, his arms coming around me gently.
"Babe I was so worried about you when we couldn't find you"
I didn't know where that had come from, but he let go before I could say anything and turned me toward the bedroom bringing the clean clothes I'd decided on dressing in. Once dressed in another T-shirt and shorts I looked at the sling.
"Do I have to wear the sling?"
"Probably not, but if your shoulder starts aching put it back on"
The pot that Ella had brought up was a type of casserole with small pieces of chicken and lots of vegetables in a spicy sauce. It was delicious especially with the fresh bread to wipe up the juices from my plate. While Ranger tidied away, I took my tablets with some water and went back to the couch to sit down, surprised when Ranger followed me and sat down next to me. He was going to say something that maybe I wouldn't like, I just knew it by the way he draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me toward him.
"Hector and I have put a report together detailing the carbon monoxide detectors and how they fail. We're sending it to the TCT along with where they are manufactured"
"Do Safenet know?"
"Not yet, I'm meeting with one of the directors tomorrow morning and giving him a copy of the report and telling him that we will no longer provide their security"
"I thought they were one of your bigger clients?"
"I don't care about that, but I do care that they are responsible for the deaths of people"
"What about Joules?"
"Tank's meeting them and giving them a copy of the report as well. If they can show us that they are buying responsibly then I have no issue with continuing to provide their security"
"Do you think Buckley was responsible, you know to try and get someone to take notice?"
"Maybe, but we'll never really know now"
"What happened to him?"
"Ram checked him over to make sure he wasn't carrying anything and then we took him to the coroners"
"He doesn't have anyone"
"What do you mean?"
"There'll be no one to claim the body or make sure he's buried"
"Do I get the feeling you want to do that?"
Did I, I think the answer was yes, because I hated the idea of no one being there for him and he'd been there for me and at the end he'd been the one who'd died, not me.
"Yes, I owe him to do that"
"Okay, do you want Ram to help?"
"Please. How would we know if he had a lawyer?"
"Probably the same one he used for his parents"
"Okay I'll start on that in the morning"
"Babe, please keep it low key, we still don't know if there's any more danger out there"
I could work with that; I didn't want to have to organize anything where lots of people would be involved. I stayed where I was whilst I thought that through and was surprised when Ranger stayed as well. He leaned over to the coffee table and then pointed the remote to switch on the TV. As he settled to watching a film he leaned sideways against the armrest and pulled me to lay between his legs so that my back was resting against his chest.
It was one of those Fast and Furious films, with hot guys and even hotter cars but to be honest whilst I watched the action I hadn't a clue what the plot was about. I was totally distracted by the way Rangers fingers were fingering the curls of my hair and one hand sweeping up and down my arm. As the credits rolled, I knew I was ready for bed, I yawned and started to move.
"You heading to bed Babe?"
"Yeah, I feel really tired. Thanks for sitting with me"
"I enjoyed it. I'm gonna finish some work, I'll catch up with you later"
I walked into the bedroom as he left the apartment and once in bed, I was fast asleep.
