Misunderstandings & Heartbreak

Chapter 10

Thank you for the reviews. Thank you for sticking with me, I know it's been a while, but I am working on my stories. I will get them all finished. Just keep bearing with me...

There were so many songs that fit this chapter, but I finally decided to go with one. "Whatever it Takes" by Lifehouse.

Previously:

He shook his head, acknowledging what she'd said. "I'll leave you two to talk," he stated before turning to leave the room.

Bobby kissed Steph's forehead. "I'll be back in a bit to check on you, Bombshell."

He followed the doctor out, leaving me alone with Stephanie.

Ranger's POV

"Babe, I've never hated you. I let my emotions get the better of me and hurt us both."

She scoffed at me. "I'm pretty sure that the destruction on seven told a completely different story. If that wasn't anger and hate, I'm not sure what

is."

"It was anger and hate, but it wasn't directed at you. It was directed at the fact that I'd screwed up the best thing that ever happened to me. I fucked up, and I owe you the biggest apology. I know that you have no reason to trust me."

She interrupted me. "Trust you? I've always trusted you. I've trusted you above all others, but you obviously don't have the same amount of faith in me."

"It kills me that I hurt you, Stephanie. I know that I let you down and that I screwed up everything. The worst part is that I was so blinded by my emotions because of what I thought happened inside Pino's that I couldn't even hear the words you told me that night. If I'd just given you a chance to talk, I could have saved us both so much heartbreak."

"I can't do this, Ranger." Tears pooled in her eyes. "It hurts too bad."

"I know that there are a million reasons to not trust me and a million and one to leave me. I know that I don't deserve a chance here, but I will do whatever it takes to fix this."

A single tear ran down her cheek. "I waited twelve months for you to come back to me, and when you finally did, you made your choice and walked away. You broke me."

I reached out and wiped the tear from her face, fighting my own. "Babe."

"I don't want to talk anymore." She rolled over in the bed, facing away from me.

I grabbed the chair Bobby had been sitting in and dragged it audibly across the floor before sitting down and propping my feet up on the end of the bed. "That's fine, Babe. We don't have to talk anymore right now. You rest, and we'll talk more later."

"No, Ranger. You can leave."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "I left a month ago and nearly lost you for good. I may have been a total dumbass then, but I guarantee I learn from my mistakes. I'm not leaving."

She reached out and hit the button for the nurse.

Within a few seconds, a voice rang out in the room. "How can I help you?"

Steph said, "Can someone please come help me?"

"I'll send your nurse."

The nurse walked in a couple minutes later. "How can I help you, Ms. Plum?"

"I really need to rest, and he won't leave."

The nurse glanced my way and gulped. "Sir, you heard her. You need to leave. Please don't make me call…"

Before she could she finish her sentence, I interrupted. "Fine, Babe. You win this round. But this discussion is far from over."

I walked out of the room and stopped, leaning back against the wall beside her door. She may have made me leave her room, but there was no way in hell that I was leaving this spot.

Bobby walked up a few seconds later. "I take it that didn't go very well."

My patience was running thin. "No shit, Sherlock."

The nurse walked out of her room and was exasperated to see me still standing there. "Sir, seriously. Do I need to call security? She asked you to leave."

Bobby intervened before I said something I would regret. "Excuse me, Nurse…" He glanced down at her name tag. "Nurse Tracy. Ms. Plum has a concussion. She was kidnapped and tortured. We are her security team, and I am sure if you check her chart, you will see that not only does Rangeman cover her insurance, but Mr. Manoso here carries her medical power of attorney. They are having a disagreement over a misunderstanding. But due to what recently happened to Ms. Plum, she will have round-the-clock security whether she likes it or not."

The nurse looked like she was going to still complain, so I shut that shit down.

"Let me put it to you this way. If you need me to, I'll call your boss's boss's boss…who will tell you to leave this be."

She walked away with a huff of indignation.

Bobby watched her leave before asking. "So…what are we going to do tomorrow if Steph is continuing to refuse your help?"

"I'll drag her kicking and screaming to Rangeman if I have to."

Bobby sighed. "I think that might cause more issues in the long run, but we can't let her go to her mother's house. Steph would end up with an aneurism with the amount of hovering and criticism from her mother and grandmother."

"You seem to think that I'm going to be giving her a choice here. I'll be damned if she leaves my sight anytime soon."

Bobby ran his hand through his hair in obvious frustration. "Look, man, this macho man routine isn't going to help you here. Why don't you let me talk to her? I will convince her to take the empty apartment on four next to mine."

I started to complain, but Bobby cut me off.

"You're going to have to choose, man. If you push too hard right now, you might as well make the decision to lose her forever. She's going to have to trust you again. You left her. I know you thought that what you were doing was what you needed to do. She's been kidnapped, tortured, and rescued. Give her a couple days to get back her wits back about her. She knows you came for her, but she isn't sure what that means exactly. You've told her, but now you've got to prove it."

I knew that what he was saying was true. I didn't like it, but I understood it.

"Fine."

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed before turning to walk into Steph's room.

TBC…