"Ric, you're jeopardizing the entire mission. Three months of work, down the drain. At least ask her!" Tank didn't seem too happy at Ranger, but he kept his voice quiet so that he wouldn't wake Steph.
"Tank, you just don't seem to get it." Ranger face was tense as he said it.
"What don't I get?" Tank straddled the nearest chair backwards, so he could lean on the headrest.
Ranger shook his head. Stephanie looked peaceful asleep in his lap. Her face was battered, and there were stitches just about everywhere, but she looked safe. Looked like she felt safe.
"Ric, what don't I get?" Tank asked again with an amused smile across his chin.
Ranger was caught between a stone and a hard place. Tank figured as much. Stephanie, would once again, be in danger again if Ric went through with this. If he didn't, he would have slaved for three months for nothing.
"I don't think she can handle it." Ranger stated finally to cut through the silence.
"Can't handle it, or you won't let her?" Tank kept pressing questions into Ranger that he didn't want to answer.
"What does it matter? She's not doing it." Ranger's temper was rising quickly, and Tank backed off before Ranger threatened his pay check.
Tank left the room, and stood be Bobby and Lester, who were by the window looking in. The blinds were pulled, but you could hear pretty well through the cheep glass. "He won't do it." Tank muttered and flew out of the hospital.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I woke up with another headache. They were actually becoming common. The machines were beeping again. I opened one eye, and looked for Ranger. In my line of vision, I couldn't see him. I groaned and rolled my head over to the other side. Ranger was there, staring out at Trenton through the window. He turned and smiled softly.
"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately aware that there was a problem.
"I need to ask you something." He said, and slowly came back towards the bed.
"Ric?" I said in a very tiny, scared wavering voice.
"Shhh." He said. "Babe, I have a job for you."
"I'm not sure I'd be a good distraction." I said.
"Not distraction. Major drug and counterfeit bust." He smiled.
"What would I need to do?" I asked and sat up, whining through the searing pain in my forehead.
"Wear these and pretend to be my wife." Ranger sat on the bed by my feet and pulled out a jewelry box.
I lost all rational thought. The rings were beautiful. The engagement ring had no rocks sticking out of the top. Rather, it had little diamonds in the band itself, which was only about three millimeters thick. There was a plain platinum wedding band that followed. I looked up at Ranger, and he smiled. He reached out and pushed my jaws together.
"Why do you need me?" I asked, feeling like I was floating hundreds of feet off the ground in a dream.
"It's the women who are passing these things out like candy. You'll need to make friends with them, blow up a car, and then we fight about money. They'll pass money and drugs off to you to make you feel better." Ranger was still smiling.
"Then yes, I'll take it."
"Babe, for this to work, were really going to have to get married. I can't just slip a band on your finger. The leader in all of this checks everyone out carefully. We'll assume a fake I.D. once we get into the whole thing, but we are really, really going to have to say our vows."
My heart started beating fast. I was trying to hide it, but the damn machine kept beeping and updating Ranger on my stats. Ranger reached behind me and shut it off, and tucked my hair behind my ear on its return. "You still sure you want to do this?"
I leaned over and I was feeling rather brave. I licked the inside of Ranger's ear, then whispered, "Yes."