Chapter 22

Bob loved having Mary Alice chasing him around the yard. At night, he would sleep in Willie's room beside the crib. I guess he felt the need to protect my little man. He'll be a very good guard dog for Morelli's child.

We expected Bob to chew on the furniture, but he was a very well behaved dog. It was as though he was a completely different dog. I guess having Penny around made all the difference. She moved in with Joe recently. Having a baby obviously moved up their timeline.

Joe arrived late Sunday night to pick up Bob. Mary Alice was really sad to see him go. I was holding Willie when Bob's leash caught around Joe's legs, causing him to stumble. My little man started laughing. We've been trying to get him to laugh for days. Penny's eyes opened wide as she reached for my boy. "Did you find that funny Will?" she cooed. He smiled as she talked to him. "I thought Bob tripping uncle Joe really was funny too." He giggled when she rubbed her nose against his.

"See Joe? I told you Penny's going to be a wonderful mom. Anytime you need someone to watch Bob, we'll take him. He was a very good boy," I say helping Joe free himself from Bob. "He's excited to go home."

"Thank you for watching him Steph. You were literally my last choice," Joe stated. Penny passed me Willie and gave me a quick hug.

"I hope you ask us first next time," Mary Alice decided to chime in. "I'm going to miss you Bob." She gave the dog one last hug before they left.

Mary Alice gave us hugs and went to bed. She was exhausted from running around with Bob. The key to avoid having Bob destroy everything in sight was to keep him active. I gave Willie his last bottle for the night. He recently started sleeping through the night which was such a relief.

"We should get her a dog," Hal stated as he climbed into bed completely naked.

I stripped and climbed in beside him. "I agree. She did all the work herself. Did you know she wants to be a vet when she grows up?"

"She would make an excellent vet," he replied before making the moment all about us.

Hal kissed his way down my body, stopping at the obvious baby bump that appeared this morning. We weren't trying to have another child, but neither of us remembered to use protection. I was planning to take birth control, but I seemed to be too busy to bother. "I'll have to tell the core team," I said on a sigh.

"Sweetheart, the men already know. In fact they already have betting pools when you'd start showing," he said.

"Really?" I groaned.

"I win the bet," he said as he continued his way down my body. I'm already close to the edge when he gently slid two fingers into me. After a few pumps, I was screaming his name.

He kissed his way back up my body and slowly entered me. We stayed in the position, not moving. I used my muscles to clench him. Without any other motion, we stared into each other's eyes as we climaxed together. "I love you," I say with a kiss.

"I love you too Steph." I moaned when he pulled from my body. He grabbed a washcloth to clean me before pulling his shirt over my head. I love sleeping in his clothes.

"I love when you sleep in my clothes." I obvious spoke my thoughts again. "I hope this time we're having a girl.

"Me too," I mumbled before falling asleep.

The entire time Ranger was away, I kept dreaming about him. Not sexual dreams, but dreams revolving around his safety. Everyone promised me this mission wasn't too dangerous, but I didn't believe them. I felt they were downplaying just how dangerous it actually was.

A few weeks after he left, my dream was filled with visions of seeing Ranger running for his life. He was in the jungles of Colombia when his team was ambushed. I caught his attention and directed him to a small shelter within the dense trees. You wouldn't be able to find this shelter unless you knew it was here. His team quickly followed him. "Babe?" he whispered.

"Shhh Ranger. Your team needs to stay very quiet. Don't leave until I tell you it's safe," I whispered directly into his ear. The guerrillas moved around them, trying to detect their hiding spot. Knowing I was invisible to everyone except Ranger, I left the shelter to find an escape route. Leaving the way they came into the jungle would mean instant death.

A mile to the east, there was a fallen tree spanning the distance over the deep creek. If the guys could get to the other side, they would be safe. Once they reach the other side, Ranger would need to shift the tree. They wouldn't be able to return that way, but it was best to keep moving east. I returned to the men's hiding spot and asked, "Did you neutralize your target?"

"We did. It will take a few weeks to hike to our extraction site," he replied.

"Any injuries?" I asked a follow up question.

"Nothing a bandaid can't fix," he quietly joked. I looked around and took in the injuries. One man had a bandage covering his arm. The medic was checking another man's shoulder wound.

"Just the shoulder and arm?" I asked. He nodded. "I'll be right back." I left the shelter and located the enemy. They were far enough away for Ranger and his men to escape. "You need to leave before they circle back," I told Ranger. "Do you have enough antibiotics?"

"No. We'll need more when we're extracted," he whispered. I promised to have some waiting on the extraction helicopter. An IV bag wouldn't hurt either.

I watched them leave the shelter and quietly head east as I recommended. When I woke from my dream, I grabbed my phone to call Tank. He answered on the second ring, "Are you alright Little girl?"

"I'm fine. It's Ranger's team. One man has an arm injury, another the shoulder. There isn't enough antibiotics. It would break my heart if they survive the jungle but die from infection," I replied. I decided to explain my dream. If he was surprised by the details I shared, he didn't indicate it.

"What do they need?" he asked after I told him my all too realistic dream. Something in his tone indicated I hit the nail on the head. Tank obviously knew where Ranger's team was deployed.

"Antibiotics, bandages and IVs. I have a feeling both men would need them," I answered.

"Done. Thank you," he said before hanging up. I couldn't get mad at him because he would need to contact the necessary people. Bringing the men home safely was Ranger's primary concern.

When Ranger returns, he will need to see a therapist. It was Rangeman protocol and Ranger was the first to abide by his rules. If he expected his men to follow them, he had to live by example.

Hal and I were at my appointment when Ranger returned state side. He was in DC for debriefing. "Ranger will be back soon," Hal reminded me. "Debriefing should only take a few days. He'll need to pass the psych eval before returning to Rangeman. After a tough mission, the men take two weeks to relax." I already knew all of this, but it was nice to have the reminder.

"How far along am I?" I asked the doctor.

"Sixteen weeks. Would you like to know what you're having?" she asked.

"Yes," Hal answered.

She moved the wand over my abdomen before announcing, "It's a girl. We can check again in a few months to be sure. Based off her heart rate alone, I still say it's a girl."

Mary Alice readily accepted her brother, but I was worried about her reaction to having a sister. My mind kept focussing on how my oldest daughter would react. How do you know she won't be angry? I asked myself.

"Steph, Mary Alice is an amazing girl. She will love her sister as much as she loves her brother," Hal reassured me.

"We should tell her when she's home from school," I suggested. "I don't want to keep this from her."

"I wasn't suggesting we should," he joked. "Seriously Steph, she'll be very happy." It seems my husband knows something I don't know.

"What do you know?" I asked when we left the doctor's office.

He smiled sheepishly before replying, "She wants you to have a girl." Hearing those words made me very happy.

"She already chose a name, didn't she?" I asked him with narrowed eyes.

"I'll let her have the honour of telling you," he grabbed my hand and lifted it to his lips. We were silent for the remaining portion of our trip. I could hardly wait to tell the men about our little girl.

Instead of returning home after school, Mary Alice was waiting for us at Rangeman. She had Alex, Manny and Ella decorate the largest conference room. Banners taped to the walls said 'It's a girl' in large pink letters. Anyone watching the monitors would know our news.

I was surprised when Ranger entered the room. He was supposed to be debriefing or relaxing or getting therapy. "Babe," he held his arms open and raised an eyebrow. I readily moved into his embrace. Ranger's hugs always centred me. Part of my heart will always belong to him. It's fortunate my husband is very understanding and doesn't feel the least bit threatened by Ranger.

If Ranger and I were meant to be together, we would already be together. I love my husband Hal more than I love Ranger and both men know this. "A girl?" he whispered in my ear. I nodded. "I hope she looks just like you," he said before releasing me. Hal was smiling from our exchange. Ranger approached him to offer his congratulations.

Mary Alice turned around and saw her uncle. "Ranger!" she shouted before launching herself into his arms. He caught her with a small 'oomph'. She held him tight. I could tell he needed the comfort.

"You should round up the men," Ranger told my daughter. She reluctantly released him before running from the room. Less than a minute later I heard her voice over the intercom system requesting the men meet in the conference room. He approached me again to say, "Thank you for rescuing us. If you didn't show us that shelter, I doubt any of my men would have survived."

"No problem Ranger. I'll always watch out for you," I replied. We never discussed the logic of me appearing before him as though I was a ghost. Our connection was obviously stronger than either of us realized.

One by one, the men entered the room and cheered. They reluctantly handed Hal cash. Not only did they bet how soon I would show, but how far along I was. My amazing husband was right on both accounts. As our celebration progressed, Ranger gave me a parting wave and left. He needs to take care of himself right now.

Several months later…

I felt the contraction move across my stomach. Bethanne and Tiffany were visiting me. "Are you in labour?" Tiffany asked.

"I think so. Contractions are only ten minutes apart. I still have lots of time," I answered.

"What if your contractions are four minutes apart?" Bethanne asked.

"If my contractions are that close together, I would be heading for the hospital," I joked.

She removed her phone from her purse and dialled a number. "Hey Manny, it's time." I was surprised.

"You're already four minutes apart? Why didn't you say something?" I asked.

"For the same reason I didn't say anything," Tiffany replied. "My contractions are around six minutes apart."

"We're all in labour?" I squeaked completely surprised by her admission.

"It seems so," Bethanne managed to say through a contraction.

Within a few minutes, Manny, Cal and Hal entered my house. They carefully guided each of us to the waiting SUV. It seems we're all making this trip together.

Bethanne and Manny's little boy, Manuel Junior, arrived an hour before Tiffany and Cal's little boy, Tomas. In the early hours of the following day, my little girl Kyla Helen was born. We were placed in the same room as we requested. It was easier for the men to visit all of us at the same time. They passed our babies around the room. Bethanne and Tiffany looked slightly panicked.

"Ladies, your sons are safe. These men won't hurt the boys. I completely trust them with my Kyla. They men passed around my William when he was only a few hours old," I added. Both women relaxed after I ensured them our children were safe with these gentle giants.

William was spending the night at grandma and grandpa Plum's house. Mom was so happy to be spending time with her grandson. It took several months for us to build our relationship. I was happy to have my mom in Willie's life.