Ch. 11

Seeing Joe had been just what I needed. I can't remember the last time I had smiled for this long. He actually had a plan for getting me out of here. On top of that, I was lying on my bed bathing in sweet memories of being with Joe, under Joe, the feel of his hands and mouth everywhere. I couldn't have been happier. I was grateful to Ranger for arranging it, and grateful to Joe for agreeing to come. And even more grateful for everything he had done once he'd gotten here. A knock sounded on my door, jarring me out of my reverie. I blew out a huffy breath, rolled off the bed, and walked to the door. I yanked the door open and found Ranger standing with his shoulder against the jamb, a brown paper bag dangling mysteriously in his hand.

"Hey Ranger!" I said as cheerfully as I could manage after being disturbed from my erotic reminiscing.

"Hey Steph, uh, can I come in?" Ranger asked.

Ranger nervous. That was new. And although I'd rather have remained alone to continue thinking about Joe, how could I say no to Ranger? He had brought Joe to me. He had also gone against Joe earlier by telling me about Leslie's challenge. An idea I also suspected he was in favor of and argued for. "Sure," I said, stepping out of the doorway so Ranger could pass through.

I closed the door and found myself staring at Ranger's back. I waited for him to say why he was here. Finally, he turned to face me and I saw the worry etched on his face.

"What is it Ranger?" I inquired.

Ranger hesitated briefly before saying, "It's been a couple hours since Morelli left, and I just wanted to stop by and let you know that you don't have to go through with Leslie's demand. If you've been having second thoughts and you want to change your mind, I can contact Morelli and let him know. We just have to do it before he hears from Leslie again."

I drew my brows together, totally confused by what Ranger said. Ranger had backed me up this morning in the kitchen, what reason could he have for saying these things now?

"Why are you doing this, Ranger? I thought you were on my side. At least you seemed to be this morning when you stood with me against Joe."

"I stood with you against Morelli because I think it's our best chance to nail this guy and I think you're up to the challenge. But the final decision is yours."

"And I've made it," I said with conviction.

Ranger's eyes darkened, shrouded with worry. "You may not have made it with all the facts, though."

Ranger handed me the brown paper bag he'd been holding. I opened the bag and peered inside, then quickly closed it again. I opened my mouth to protest, but anecdotal evidence pointing to the possibility flashed through my mind and froze the words in my mouth. I was still staring at the bag, pondering this evidence, when I heard the click of the door closing. Ranger had left me to my thoughts and to what I knew had to be done. With much apprehension, I dragged myself into the bathroom. And five minutes after that, all doubt had been erased and I felt shaken to my very core. I moved to the bed in a trance and sat down. How did I miss the signs? How could I be that dense? To be fair, my mind has been preoccupied with being hunted by a psychopath and stashed in a safehouse.

I thought about the last few weeks, of all the time I had missed with Joe and I felt indignant. Then I thought about the baby I now knew I was carrying, and how Joe had a right to know about it, and I became incensed. What right did this Leslie have to take this time away from us? I wanted Joe to know about his child, and to share this exciting time with him. Joe and I had been kids together and now we were having a kid together. The thought was scary, and mind-boggling…and completely heartwarming. The path between then and now had been filled with many ups and downs. But we had made it, and we would make it through this too. I couldn't let the fact of my pregnancy stop me from doing the one thing that would make this pregnancy a joyful experience. I wanted to go home and have some quiet, peaceful time with Joe and our baby. Meeting Leslie while I was pregnant was risky, but then again, how could I go through this pregnancy locked up and away from Joe. There really seemed to be no choice. Meeting Leslie was still the fastest way back to Joe. And being together as a family was the best thing for my baby. Already, I was feeling fiercely protective toward the baby. It's amazing how quickly that happened, yet its how I knew nothing would happen to my baby if I went through with this.

I slowly rose from the bed, and left my apartment to find Ranger. On my way, I ran into Hal who told me that Ranger was in the control room watching video surveillance. I took a short detour into the kitchen, then found Ranger sitting in front of the bank of monitors.

Nudging him on the shoulder, I took a seat a seat next to him. "Boss doing surveillance now?"

Ranger threw me an amused glance. "I sent Jimmy home sick, so I thought I'd fill in for him."

"Nice of you," I said, as I handed him a carton of unappealing yogurt. "I thought I'd bring you a snack to help keep you going."

Ranger flashed me a smile filled with warmth, gratitude, caring and concern. On a face accustomed to hiding most emotion, it unnerved me a bit to see so much now. Feeling like I needed to lighten the mood a bit, I blurted, "Well, I'm knocked up alright!"

In a flash, Ranger fixed his expression to conceal all emotion. "Does that surprise you?"

Surprise, excitement, joy. I was feeling them all. And smack dab in the middle of all of it was fear. I felt like I was just starting to get a handle on my own life. How would I do being completely responsible for someone else's? Since fear is something I'm uncomfortable confronting in any situation, I resorted to sarcasm to mask the undesirable emotion.

"I suppose not," I answered with a shrug. "After all, I am a married woman, Ranger. I do have sex. Or, maybe you thought sex stopped after marriage and that's why you're so reluctant to take the plunge?"

Ranger narrowed his eyes and glowered at me. "I asked you if you were surprised. I didn't say that I was."

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. Hormones and all that," I joked, waving my hand in a dismissive gesture. Ranger kept his glare trained on me. Apparently, he wasn't letting me off that easy. I blew out a long breath. "Yes, alright, I am somewhat surprised. The truth is that Joe and I have never really discussed starting a family and what the right time for it would be. Still, ever since we got married we're not always as careful as we used to be when it comes to…" I cut myself off and glanced over at Ranger. "Should I be talking about this with you?"

Ranger flashed me a huge grin, putting me a little more at ease. What happened between Ranger and I was like a different lifetime, and had no bearing now. Now what I needed was a friend, and Ranger was that. It might help for me to admit the truth to him. I lowered my eyes to my hands fidgeting in my lap. "Ranger, the truth is I'm scared. Although I think Joe will be thrilled, I'm not sure I'm ready for this."

"You'll be fine, Steph. I think you'll make a great mother." Grateful for the reassurance, and touched by the sentiment, I smiled at Ranger and placed my hand over his. The lump that had formed in my throat prevented me from saying any actual words.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about meeting with Leslie?" Ranger asked, coming to my rescue.

Ranger's tone was somber, and I knew my decision, especially in light of my news, must be weighing on his mind. I swallowed around the lump in my throat so I could answer his question and hopefully ease his mind somewhat.

"Actually, I have. I hope you understand, but I think we need to go through with the plan we outlined this morning with Joe despite the baby, and mostly because of the baby. I want to be home with Joe, with our baby. I don't want to waste another day."

Ranger held my gaze. "I understand Steph. Morelli will call when he has the details on the meet. I'll have to let him know then."

Alarm skittered through me. "You can't tell him about the baby," I cried, gripping onto Ranger's arm.

"Steph, don't you think he has a right to know?"

"Of course I do Ranger. That's what I was trying to tell you, why I want this mess over with now. But I want to be the one to give him the news. And for God's sake, we have to consider that there's no way he'd let me do this if he knew I was pregnant. Hell, he doesn't want me doing it in the first place."

Ranger stole a glance at my hand, still gripping his shirt so tightly it depicted my desperation and emphatic stance on the matter.

Raising his eyes to meet mine, he said, "Fine. I won't tell him."

"Thank You. I mean that. I really appreciate it." I finally released Ranger's shirt, smoothing it out for him apologetically. "Everything is going to be fine, Ranger. Joe isn't going to let anything happen to me. And that means my baby is safe too. And when this is over, I'll be able to tell Joe the wonderful news."

"You already seem to be warming to the idea."

Grateful for the diversion in topic that signaled Ranger really was through arguing with me about telling Joe my news, I relaxed, smiled and reveled in the chance to share my newfound excitement with Ranger, talking long into the night with him.

The next morning at the station, Joe was sitting with his feet up on a desk, feeling somewhat more relaxed than he had in a long time. He was still concerned about the meeting with Leslie, but seeing Steph the day before definitely did a lot to bolster his spirit. He was glad that he'd taken the chance on going to Ranger's. Chuckling to himself, Joe remembered that Ranger hadn't left him with much of a choice. But, Ranger had been right. He had needed that chance to be with Steph, to hold her and see she was alright, and to remind himself that she was made of strong stuff. She may have been unhappy with being sequestered at Ranger's, but she did it. And she showed even more grit when she argued with him about accepting Leslie's ultimatum and ending her confinement. The way she went toe-to-toe with him was one of the things he loved most about her. Joe didn't even hear the approach of the officer coming to tell him there was a call for him. Dropping his legs from the desk, he picked up the phone. The call he'd been anticipating had come. Leslie told Joe to meet him in a deserted alley across town. With old buildings and a lot of trees around, there were plenty of places to hide. The muscles in Joe's jaw twitched from being clenched tightly as he listened quietly to Leslie's demands. When Leslie finished his instructions he issued a warning.

"Just make sure your wife comes, Morelli. If I don't see her, you'll never see me, and this separation of yours will go on indefinitely."

Up to that point, Joe figured anything he had to say to Leslie could wait until he saw him tomorrow. Now, however, he wasn't going to let the warning pass without one of his own. Through his clenched teeth, Joe spat, "Come and get her old man, because when you do, I'll take you to see your son." Slamming the phone down and disconnecting the call, Joe took a couple deep breaths then picked the phone back up and called Ranger. After advising him of the time and location for the meeting, Joe ended the call and breathed a sigh of relief. Tomorrow he was going to get his wife back.