I hope this chapter answers some of your questions of 'who done it'.

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CHAPTER 8

Before I was released from the hospital, the doctor explained why I was sedated. I had a severe reaction to the Sulpha based antibiotics and went into anaphylactic shock. Having just received a blood transfusion, they wanted my body to rest providing me time to heal. I was discharged from the hospital on Sunday wearing a boot cast. The doctors didn't want to cover the incision so they could watch for signs of infection. They would have put a cast on my leg, but with the allergic reaction, they decided against one. I was started on a heavy dose of penicillin to reduce the risk of infection. Bobby promised the doctor to monitor my condition and keep him updated. Ranger grabbed my bag, passed it to Bobby and held out his arms for me. I reached up, wrapped my arms around his neck, allowing him to pick me up. He held me close and kissed me. "I know you don't like wheelchairs, but hospital policy says you have to use it." Sighing, I nodded and allowed him to place me in the chair. Carefully, he lifted my feet to place them on the footplates. I noticed his car was parked outside the hospital door in a 'no parking' zone. Tank quickly hopped out and opened the passenger side for me.

Ranger lifted me from the wheelchair and placed me in the car. "You don't need to be that gentle with me Ranger. I won't break."

His lip curled slightly then said, "You are precious cargo." My heart rate increased and I blushed. Ranger leaned across me to attach my seat belt and lightly kissed my lips.

"Where are we going?" I asked breathlessly.

"I'm taking you home," he said in between kisses.

Walking into the Rangeman building, I noticed all the Merry Men were standing in a line, waiting for me. They needed to see for themselves that I was okay. Passing me from one to the next, they hugged me and told me they are happy to see me. Ranger grabbed my hand and helped me walk to the elevator. The boot cast made me slightly unbalanced. He used his fob and pressed seven for his apartment. Once we entered his apartment, he pulled me onto his lap and sat on the couch. "Babe, I have some good news and bad news to tell you. Which do you want first?"

I could see anger, grief and relief flash across his face. Not being sure what caused the emotions, I decided, "Good news first. I need some happy before you upset me."

He briefly smiled before answering, "Joyce has been charged with attempted murder. She is in jail, being held without bail. During her arraignment, she admitted the intent to kill Morelli, but her shot went wide, ricocheted and hit you accidentally. Since she confessed to attempted murder in the first degree, she will spend many years in jail and you don't need to testify."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for telling me Ranger. I saw her car at the scene, but I was hoping someone else witnessed her involvement too."

He lightly sighed before saying, "Babe, now for the bad news. We need to discuss your living arrangements."

"What do you mean? I have my apartment and that's where I live," I said out of confusion. Ranger lowered his head, unsure how to tell me the bad news. "Just tell me, I can handle it," I groaned.

"Steph, the day you were shot, someone disabled the security cameras and destroyed your apartment that night. The apartments above and below yours and your apartment are uninhabitable at the moment. It was lucky no one was living in the one above you. Mr Holstein in the apartment below you was visiting his daughter in New York."

My face turn white as I asked, "What do you mean inhabitable?" I was starting to shake.

"It means your apartment has a huge hole in your floor and ceiling. We don't know who destroyed your apartment, that's why you were admitted into the hospital under a false name. It was the only way we thought to protect you." He pulled me closer as I cried. I was homeless. In five days, my life has been turned completely upside down. I'll need to see Sophia again.

I woke up feeling disoriented. Looking around, I realized I was laying in Ranger's bed fully clothed and it was dark outside. Carefully I crawled out of bed. I slowly walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water as I checked emails on my phone. Ranger was sitting at the dining room table with papers spread around his laptop. He asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be okay Ranger. Can I stay here until I find a new apartment? I just received my eviction notice." Thankfully I had apartment insurance. The insurance company will pay for all damages to the apartments, but only if I was evicted or agreed to move out. Apparently the property owner agreed with the insurance company and issued the eviction notice.

"The police are expecting your statement and want to know where you were during that time. Obviously you were in the hospital, but they still need your statement," he said while watching a video on his laptop. I really didn't want to visit the police station. There wasn't anything I could offer regarding my apartment. I leaned over Ranger's shoulder to see what he was viewing. He pointed to the video and said, "I keep watching this surveillance footage, but I seem to be missing something. Can you watch it and see if you can find something I'm missing?"

Sighing, I said, "Sure." I watched the video a few times. "Huh... that's really strange. I can see a brief shadow, but then the camera gets blurry, almost as if something is coving the lens," I said while tilting my head.

"What else can you see?"

Taking another look, I gasp. "Is that the camera inside my apartment foyer?"

He nodded as he answered, "Yes. We received notification there was a breach to your apartment, but when my team arrived, the apartment was already engulfed in flames so the building was evacuated. Everyone made it safely outside without injuries."

I was thankful my neighbours were safe, but I needed to see more, so I asked, "Can I see footage from the fire escape camera?" Ranger showed me the video. "It looks like the camera is covered with something," I muttered as I rewatched the video. I wondered what was covering the camera lenses.

Ranger's phone rang, "Yo". Someone was talking to him, he glanced over at me then hung up his phone.

"What's going on Ranger?"

He reluctantly said, "Test results came back from the substance on the cameras. They used Vaseline to disable your cameras. How they managed to get close enough without being seen is confusing us. They knew your camera surveillance was no longer live." I was confused how they would know.

My appearance at the apartment was sporadic and I never slept there. I probably should have given it up months ago, but my rent was already paid for those months. "How would they know that?" I asked.

He quickly replied, "When we searched through the tapes, someone was tampering with your door. Since a Rangeman team wasn't immediately deployed, they realized your cameras were no longer sending a live feed." I realized this was my fault. After months of no one attempting to break into my apartment and me living with Ranger, I had the monitoring scaled back to tape loop. The tapes were only viewed if the door sensor was breached. If I left the live feed, maybe we could have saw the person responsible. "Babe, it's not your fault. I would have made the same recommendation." Ranger walked to the kitchen, opened the oven and pulled out a casserole dish of macaroni and cheese. "Ella left this for dinner. She assumed you would request comfort food for your first day home." Home... it feels like I'm home, but what does that mean for me and Ranger? Does he feel the same way I do? Ranger grabbed plates from the cupboard and dished food for both of us.

We ate in comfortable silence... mostly. Ranger raised his eyebrow as I was finishing the last of my dinner. "Babe, you're moaning."

"What? Ella makes the best mac and cheese," I stated between bites.

Ranger shifted in his seat, his eyes darkening as he said, "I could tell." The heat from his glare warmed my body all the way to my core. Oh boy!

I looked at the clock and noticed the time. "Ranger, I have an appointment with Sophia tonight. She says I need to talk about the shooting incident and I agree with her."

He almost seemed surprised. "Okay. I'll be here if you need me." I took the elevator to the third floor and knocked on Bobby's office door.

After hearing a muffled, "Come in", I opened the door. Sophia sat across from Bobby while he relayed the latest incident to her. Bobby stood and gestured for me to take his chair.

Once I was comfortable in the chair, Sophia asked, "How are you feeling today?"

I told her the truth instead of downplaying my injuries. "My leg aches but I'm refusing to take pain meds. I'm confused why Joe keeps showing up. He knows we won't get back together, but it doesn't stop him from trying. Every time he appears, I'm injured in some manner, usually by the hands of Joyce or Terry." I lower my head thinking about my destroyed apartment and the eviction notice. Tears stream down my face and I hastily wipe them away. Sitting up, I square my shoulders and say, "My apartment has been destroyed and I have officially been evicted. I know I can get through this, I need to get through this. In the meantime, Ranger is allowing me to stay with him. It's a good thing we've been living together for the last month, or it would be really awkward."

"Steph, are you sure you're alright? In the last week, you've experienced trauma and the loss of your home. Most people would have problems functioning, but you seem to be handling yourself quite well."

I thought about what she just said. She's right, a few months ago I would have bought all the candy bars and Tastykakes I could carry, then stuff my face until I got sick. "Sure, it's the first time I've been evicted, but it isn't the first time I've been displaced from my home. I have a safe place to stay. Technically, I've been living here for the last few months. My main focus is to discover who destroyed my apartment."

Sophia smiled and said, "You've come a long way Stephanie. I think we're done for now." Handing me a card, she said, "You already have my office number, but my personal mobile number is on the back. Call whenever you need to talk."

I took her card and said, "Thank you Sophia, you've made a huge difference in my life." With a final hug, I left Bobby's office.

Though I was wearing a boot cast, I headed to the gym to work out. I bandaged and wrapped my hands. I walked over to the punching bag. Planted my feet in front of the bag and punched it, mimicking Tank movements from earlier. "Little girl, what are you doing?"

Speaking between punches I said, "Hi Tank. I'm trying... to get rid... of all my... anger. I talked... to Sophia... but when... she left... I suddenly felt... very ANGRY."

Tank laughed but waited until I was finished punching the bag. "Is it working?"

"Yes. I feel much better."

He pulled me away from the punching bag and into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you."

"Thank you Tank. I'm going back upstairs, see you tomorrow."

"Wait a minute," he said as he grabbed my hands and unwrapped them. I knew he was really checking to make sure I wasn't injured. This was the first time I used the punching bag. Leaving the gym, I finger waved to Tank and the security camera.

Arriving in Ranger's apartment, I bit my bottom lip wondering who was teaching my self defence and kickboxing classes. "Jeanne Ellen is still teaching your self defence class. Hal is teaching your kickboxing class," Ranger answered my silent question. How does he do that crazy ESP thing? "Babe, no ESP needed, you were talking."

I groaned, "I really need to stop doing that." Ranger laughed and pulled me into his arms.

He easily lifted me and carefully set me on the couch before sitting on the coffee table in front of me. "Stephanie, I have a very important question to ask you." My heart was thumping in my chest, scared he would propose. I'm not ready for that yet. He put his finger under my chin, lifting my head to look in my eyes he asked, "Stephanie, would you like to move in with me permanently?"

I was nodding before I could verbalize my answer. "Yes Carlos, I would love to move in with you. We were practically already living together."

He gave me a 200 watt smile then said, "Mi amor, I love it when you say my name."

"I love you Carlos."

"Te quiero," he whispered. I knew he was saying 'I love you'. Grabbing his hand, I led him to the bedroom.

I woke early the next morning wrapped around Ranger. The pain in my leg was a lot worse today. I wasn't sure if it was from our lovemaking last night or because I wasn't taking any more pain medication. "It's not a sign of weakness to take pain medication," Ranger said as he pulled me closer.

"I know, but I just don't like how it makes my brain go fuzzy. If you don't mind, can I use your laptop to review the videos and do research?"

As he looked into my eyes he said, "You don't need to ask, Babe. Just let me know if you find anything I missed." I kissed Ranger and carefully got out of bed. Hopping on one foot, I made my way towards the bathroom. Before I was halfway there, Ranger scooped me in his arms, carrying me the rest of the way. He carefully set me down and closed the door so I could continue my morning ritual. When I turned off the shower, Ranger opened the door and wrapped me in a towel. He chuckled when he nuzzled my neck. I have my own toiletries, but I opted to use his Bulgari Green shower gel. "Ella sent us breakfast. It's on the kitchen counter," he said as I towel dried my hair. Ranger stripped to enter the shower. That man is so hot and I couldn't stop watching him. "Like what you see?" he asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Always Carlos, always."

Ranger left me shorts and a tank-top on the bathroom counter. He normally doesn't select my clothes for me, but there was likely a logical reason. Before I could ask, Ranger's ESP kicked in. "Bobby needs to check the incision and change your bandages before you wear your cast." His eyes darkened as he added, "I like that tank top on you. Wait for me to finish and I'll help you move to the kitchen." Unable to resist myself, I sat on the counter and watched him shower. When he moved the loofa to wash his abdomen I moaned. Ranger quickly rinsed and turned off the shower. He opened the door, grabbed his towel and slowly dried his body, my eyes following his movement. Oh Boy! He really knows how to torture me. Smiling, he left the bathroom to get dressed, leaving me on the counter. I was too stuck in my sexy thoughts to move.

Ranger walked into the bathroom a few minutes later wearing black cargo pants, black Rangeman t-shirt and black combat boots. Picking me up, he gave me a chaste kiss. He carried me to the kitchen, setting me down on the bar stool at the counter. Ella provided bagels, salmon, cream cheese and a covered dish. Her covered dishes were usually a surprise for me. I quickly lifted the covered dish and squealed in delight, she made me chocolate chip pancakes. "Don't get used to having all your comfort foods all the time. Ella wanted to make you happy."

"She's succeeding. I wonder if she'll adopt me," I questioned again.

Ranger's phone chimed, indicating a text. "Bobby says he's outside the door. Should I let him in?"

I shoved a forkful of pancake in my mouth then muttered, "Yes, let's get this over with so I can start my research."

Ranger opened the door for Bobby, who was carrying a medical bag. I leaned over and yelled, "Bobby, do you need me to sit on the couch?"

"No Stephanie, I can examine your leg where you are." He carefully unwrapped the waterproof bandages to inspect the incision. "There's still a bit of swelling and it looks a little red. Are you taking your antibiotics?"

"Yes DOCTOR," I say sarcastically. "I'm taking them. Why is my leg so red?" I asked while looking at the angry red mark on my leg.

"That can happen when it starts to heal," he promptly replied.

There was something in his expression that made me ask, "What aren't you saying Bobby?"

Resigned he said, "It could also be a sign of infection. But if you're taking the antibiotics properly, we can rule that out. I would like you to take Advil to help reduce the swelling."

I really hated taking pills, but I still agreed. "Okay. Advil will also help with the pain right?" I asked, trying to find an alternative option.

"Yes, but if the pain is unbearable, you should take your prescription pain medication," he said, knowing that taking the prescription meds was not going to work for me. They made me see weird things and I didn't like what I saw.

I quietly said, "I'll pass. I do have a higher pain tolerance, so I should be fine with the Advil."

Bobby glanced over to Ranger before saying, "I was monitoring the cameras last night and saw you in the gym. You were told to refrain from all exercise until I clear you." I thought 'all exercise? We really had a workout in bed last night'. Oh... he meant the punching bag.

I looked at Ranger and saw the smile in his eyes. "Ya, I know. But I really needed to hit something," I said with a smirk.

"The only reason no one stopped you was because you were only moving your upper body. If you were bouncing on your feet, Tank would have stopped you," Bobby logically stated. He applied antibiotic lotion to the incision and re-wrapped my leg with waterproof bandages. Ranger grabbed my boot cast, passed it to Bobby and watched as he snapped it onto my leg.

I walked Bobby to the door and hugged him before he left. "Thank you Bobby. I'll try to be a better patient." Bobby laughed and walked to the elevator. He knew that wasn't likely.