Spov

Alarm clocks are the absolute worst when you've got a hangover from hell. My eyes feel so heavy and it must have been a real doozy of a night for me to feel this horrible.

What the hell Plum…get your ass out of bed and see what the damage is…I hope to hell you didn't end up in bed with Morelli again…

I heard the alarm again, but realized it wasn't an alarm, but beeping, and the beeping was getting quicker and it made my head feel like it was going to be split in half. That had nothing on me compared to the panic I felt settling in though.

Why weren't my arms moving to push myself out of bed. And I am NOT a back sleeper, even drunk I'm always thrown out on my side or stomach. That's why I always think Ranger is psycho for constantly sleeping on his back….

Ranger….

Everything started flashing through me again, and I felt my whole body start to convulse with the awareness of my own tragedy that had been life as of late…

My baby…Ranger...gunshots hurt like a bitch but why didn't that one…am I dead? Oh god I'm dead and I must be stuck in purgatory, my mother was right, I should have prayed more in life….

"Nurse! NURSE!"

I kept hearing a warm familiar voice coming in and out…and it felt so good. I couldn't stop shaking though. It was so cold.

"Sir, step aside...make room the doctor is coming…"

"She was just fine what the hell is going on?"

"Mr. Manoso, come, lets give her some room…come take the nino and lets step back…"

Nino?...Why was that voice so familiar too…Why can't I move…Jesus it's so damn cold… I think I'll just sleep a little longer…

Rpov

It feels like it had been months since I felt my life ending…But Steph had only been in the hospital for a week. I stopped breathing when I saw the bullet hit her. And I still didn't feel like I could take a breath without being excruciatingly aware of being the reason she was laying there in this hospital bed with wires and tubes coming out of her from every direction.

The doctors had told me to brace for the worst. She had hemorrhaged from too much strenuous activity after giving birth, and the gunshot wound hadn't helped with her blood loss. But she fought, and kept fighting, and had stayed with me another day longer. And the days turned into a week…but now it felt like my life was ending all over again as they wheeled her bed out and I watched her seizing and heard the beeping of her heartbeat monitor getting more and more sporadic…

Spov

"I told her to run, why didn't she just go…I'm so sorry Ranger…"

Who is this? Why does their voice sound so horrible? They either need a cough drop, or to kick their nicotine habit.

"Because you know that's not what she's about Tank. She would never have been ok with herself had she of just left you there."

Tank! Tank's alive! He's ok!

"But still, if I hadn't of let my guard down she wouldn't be laying here right now and you would be home with your woman and your child all together."

My baby…Please let me just open my eyes…I want to see my son…oh God, he's ok…Maria got him to Ranger.

"We all fucked up some way or another, me more than anyone Tank. So if anyone has to answer for it, it'll be me. I'm the main reason she is here. So go ahead and head out and check on the guys for me. I know they're all wanting to know how she is after this last scare."

Ranger, no. Don't blame yourself…

I just need to get up. I need to see him and tell him it's not on him. Damn any other time I would have welcomed the lazing about in bed, surgery exhausts you apparently. But Ranger needed to see me up and awake and knowing it wasn't his fault. I had so much to say to him. And Tank…I wouldn't have to answer to Lula later, because her man was ok. I could have sworn he was going to be a goner when I saw him laying there clutching his neck. This shit never makes me want to see another gory, or violent movie ever again. Comedies and chick flicks are it from here on out, no doubt about it.

"Steph…Babe…if you can hear me…I'm so sorry. I love you. Please just wake up. I just need to see you open your eyes and I'll step out of your life forever. You'll never have to experience any of this shit ever again. I need you to see our son. He's perfect. You made us the perfect baby and brought him into this world, so you deserve to see him and love on him after all of that hard work. Dios mio, woman….I love you so damn much…"

I noticed now I was was gaining back some of my senses. I could feel the weight and warmth of his hand on mine and he was squeezing it. I pushed myself so hard to just move my hands. I wanted to hold his back. He couldn't leave me, us, we had a baby now and I wanted him in our lives.

I love you too Ranger…

"Steph? Did you just hear me?"

Yea idiot, I've been hearing you. How dare you say you're going to leave us. Hmmph…

"Oh Babe…please…move your hand again…show me you're here…I swear I'll leave if you're just ok, you won't have to worry about me ever again but please just show me you can come back to me first."

What the fuck Ranger…quit saying you're going to leave!

It took everything I had in me, and even then I felt like I was pulling from an empty tank but I opened my eyes into tiny slits and it felt like I was peeping at a blurry version of this infuriating man through window blinds.

"You…"

I felt him jerk and jump to his feet.

"Ass…hole…"

"Babe! Oh Dios mio…NURSE! She's awake!"

I grunted because words were proving really difficult and my throat felt like I had been hiking through a desert with no water for days…

"Yes babe, I'm an asshole…I'm not going to ever going to give you another excuse for not being one. I know you probably hate me, I hope you hate me. I'm going to get you where you need to be and I'm gone, I'll never cause you another day of pain or sacrifice…"

I didn't know if my facial muscles were listening to my brain but your girl was PISSED to say the least and I severely hoped it was showing.

"Ass…hole"

Blurry Ranger just hung his head low and didn't say another word.

"For…leave…ing. You…can't…."

Rpov

I was staring at my woman in disbelief…but I wasn't shocked…Stephanie Plum had been a firecracker since the moment she'd come into my life, so I wasn't surprised when she was still being one after coming back from Death's door…

"Ok Babe, I'm not leaving. You're stuck with me."

I could see her whole body relax then, and I couldn't lie and say I wasn't relieved myself. I didn't want to leave her, but it had felt like the right thing to do knowing I was the reason she was laying there. I wanted my life filled with her and our son…

Our son…

Maria had been sitting in the waiting area with him while I sat with Steph. I pecked a few words into my phone to send off to get someone to bring her in with him. Steph had waited long enough for this moment and now that I knew she was conscious I wanted her to see him. She risked her life for him and deserved nothing but a life of ease from here on out.

"I have someone you need to see Babe…"

She just moved her head a fraction and I knew she was waiting on me to see who it was. Maria entered the door at that moment and Stephanie's eyes stuck to her like glue and followed her into the room.

Little Ricardo chose then to make his presence known and started cooing. Steph's eyes became big orbs and I could tell she wanted to see him as badly as I had wanted to see her open her eyes just a short time earlier.

"Ric..ardo…"

I nodded to Maria and saw she had been nearly tearing up staring at my woman in bed, knowing that she was finally coming to and ok. She finally looked at me and brought my son over. I grabbed him as gently as I had remembered grabbing Julie as a newborn and walked over to his mother and sat down on the chair beside her bedside.

"He's a little spitfire himself…just like his mother. He has your eyes, and he's as beautiful as you are mi amor."

She couldn't pull her eyes away from him and I saw sweat beads forming at her temple as she lifted her hand up to touch his face, and finally rest it on his chest.

"We've had him checked out by all of the doctors here and I flew in a pediatric specialist to make sure whatever you were given didn't affect him. He's perfectly healthy and is growing exactly as he should be. You did so well Steph…he's everything and more than I could have ever hoped."

She closed her eyes and I saw tears start to stream down her cheeks and my guilt ate at my gut. I wiped them away and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't cry. Everything from here on out is going to be ok, only think about getting better. Little Ricardo will be here when you wake up, but you need to get more rest. The doctor is going to come check you over and I'm going to make some phone calls back home to let everyone know you've woken up. Grandma Mazur flies in tomorrow."

"Oh Je…sus…help…you"

I couldn't help but laugh. Grandma Mazur was exactly what my Babe needed to get some spunk back in her and get the fire going in her again to get better. We wouldn't be permitted to go home until she was more stable but for now I couldn't help but be content with the fact that she had opened her eyes.

Did you all really believe I could do Stephanie and Tank dirty like that lol. I could NEVER. There is more to come but everyone is definitely going to get there happy endings. Thank you so much for reading along and following through with my story.