Ranger was short-breathed when he rounded the corner into my room. I imagined him running up the some-odd amount of stairs to the ICU floor. Looking at him, I had the sudden urge to cry again. He nodded to Tank, and Tank left. Then from there, he took careful steps towards the bed. I was sitting up with my feet wrapped tightly with a blanket. You can't trust these hospital gowns.

He placed his hand on my foot, and kept waling foreward. His hand drug with each step. Up my thigh, and stopped on my stomach. That was just about the only part of my body that didn't hurt. I slid over just enough to give him an edge of the bed to sit on.

The silence was unerving. I didn't know exactly what to say. What could have been said?

"You eaten yet?" He asked.

Well, we had to start somewhere. "Tank already fed me."

"Good." Ranger chuckled and moved his hand from my stomach to my head, where he began to brush his thumb against my stitches.

I scooted over even more, and Ranger leaned back against the wall. I dropped my head onto his shoulder, like I could no longer hold it up. I never realized how much I missed the Ranger smell until it was gone, eh? The door opened, and I heard the nurse make a comment on how much I slept.

"When can she be discharged?" Ranger asked softly before she left.

"She's perfectly stable, so I don't see why if can't be today or tomorrow. You'll have to talk to a doctor though." She closed the door behind her.

I lifted my head, and Ranger cooed, "It's ok Babe. Get some sleep."

So I did.

He was still there when I woke up. I was now curled on his chest, confortably. He was snoozing too, and the shades were shut tight so I had no clue weither it was day or night.

"It's a quarter till four." Ranger grumbled.

"I really, really hate that." I said in a matching voice, raspy and sore from that damned tube.

"And that's my problem?" He asked sarcastically, fully awake now.

"Should be." I said, and nussled his chest.

He snaked his arm around my back and held it at my waist. Two grown human beings, on one teensy-weensy little hospital bed. Cute. He took a deep breath, and I could tell he was about to say something, but he didn't.

My stomach beat him to it. I hadn't eaten since earlier this afternoon.

"I thought you said Tank fed you." Ranger joked.

"He did. Fourteen hours ago. Meatball sub's only last so long." I said.

"I don't know why the doctors even bother..." He began. I had gotten the 'it'll kill you' lecture before, so I tuned him out.

"I wanna go home." I whined when I realised he had stopped talking.

"I know, Babe, I know." He said sofly. Cocky to lovey in 2.5 seconds. That must be a record. Wait... Ranger, lovey?

"You know Batman," I said slowly. "You haven't been yourself since you got here."

"Whad'ya mean?"

"You've been, like uh, how can I put this, caring. Like boyfriend caring."

"Loosing you can do that." He whispered.

"Ok, I'm confused now." I said, suddenly jerking up from his chest.

He claped his arm on my shoulder and pulled me back to him. "It was my fault babe. If I had done a better job at keeping you safe, Morelli would have never made it up the lattice."

"Ranger, none of that was your fault! You shouldn't have to be the one watching over me every moment of every day. I should take care of myself, and call you when I need help. I keep using you like a third leg." I insisted. "Besides, Joe always said I'm a walking disaster."

"Babe. Since when had it ever mattered what Joe said?" Ranger was asking a true question.

It took me a minute. "I guess... I guess it never has."

"Babe, if you think you're "using" me, you've got it backwards. You don't ever ask for protection. I always provide it. It's there weither you lik it or not." He gave me a protective hug, and use down-to-earth tones.

There was a long silence. "That makes me seem more like Joe than I'd like." Ranger finnally said.

"Huh?"

"Everytime you two fight its about safety, or me. Joe always wants to hole you up in a castle and toss the key. You'd never know it, but I can know where you are, any minute of the day."

"Ric?" Shit...he was scaring me!

"There's a sensor on the Buick, and all the Rangeman car's you have ever driven. One quick call, and I'll know where you're at. Yet, you get pissed at Joe, and not me." He did have a point there.

"You did it to protect me. Joe did it so he's still have a quick fuck after work." I was getting it now.

When Ranger had said that there was no attatchments, he ment it. We were still friends, and anything he did for me was just as a friend.

"You're being really open about all of this." I said and snuggled once more into his chest.

"I'm losing my mind." He said, and ended the conversation.

I could see light cracking under the blinds. Where did all the night go?