Chapter 6
Hector was waiting inside Stephanie's apartment when she returned. Over the weekend, he heard some disturbing news that could impact Stephanie. Morelli was talking to his cousin Mooch in the mall parking lot on Saturday afternoon. Joe bragged about swapping the birth control pack last month for placebos. He planned to repeat the process this month but couldn't find the pack in her apartment washroom. He needed Mooch to drop the fake pills into her purse if he got the chance.
Stephanie was still feeling a little high from her weekend with Ranger. They had sex on every surface in their hotel room. She even commented, "It's a good thing I'm taking birth control, or I'll get pregnant. We forgot to use condoms."
Ranger replied, "If you get pregnant, I'll marry you to give the child my name." It wasn't what she wanted. If she got married to Ranger, it would be out of love, not from necessity. Having sex without additional protection was always a risk. Neither Ranger nor Stephanie thought much about the probability of pregnancy.
She wasn't paying too much attention when she dragged her suitcase into her apartment. "Hermana," Hector said, grabbing her attention.
Her hand flew to her chest as she snapped, "Don't scare me like that."
"We need to talk." He grabbed her hand and sat on the couch, pulling her onto his lap. "Do you leave your birth control packs in the apartment?"
"Yes, but I had current pills with me since I picked it up from the pharmacy," Stephanie replied. "Why?"
Hector gave Stephanie his phone to watch the video. Stephanie's emotions went from surprised, to angry and ended with defeat. With the placebo pills, add the antibiotics and lack of protection, she may be pregnant. "Hermana, please tell me you and the boss used condoms."
She couldn't look him in the eyes to lie, "We used protection." Hector relaxed and rested his head on her shoulder. Stephanie felt terrible for lying to Hermano, but she didn't want him to know how scared she was. If Stephanie gets pregnant, she'll have to leave Trenton before Helen forces her to marry Joe. The euphoria of her weekend with Ranger quickly dissipated. "Thanks for telling me, Hector. If you don't mind, can I be alone for a while?" Hector kissed her cheek before leaving the apartment.
Stephanie dragged her suitcase into the bedroom and dumped the clothes into the hamper. She climbed under the blankets and covered her head with the pillow. Tears flowed as Stephanie muffled her screams by pressing the fabric into her mouth. Several hours later, she finished crying. Stephanie grabbed her phone to make a call. "Hey, pumpkin," Frank answered.
"Can you come over?" she asked.
"Sure thing. I'll be there in a few minutes," Frank replied. He knocked lightly on Stephanie's door, knowing she would be waiting on the other side.
"Daddy," she cried when she saw him. He pulled her tight against his chest as he maneuvered them to the couch after closing and locking the door.
Frank comforted his daughter as she told him everything that Morelli had done over the past month. He was furious the man tried to violate her right to choose. "Is there a chance you could be pregnant with Morelli's child?" Frank asked.
"Not at all. If I did get pregnant, Carlos would be the father. Joe and I haven't been together like that since Thanksgiving. We always used protection," Stephanie confessed. "Carlos and I didn't."
"In two weeks, I'm driving Juniak to the New York airport. I'll stop at the pharmacy to get a pregnancy test. We'll deal with your pregnancy together," Frank offered.
"Thanks, daddy. I love you," she cried into his shoulder.
"I love you too, pumpkin." Frank held his daughter for as long as she needed his comfort. He wasn't usually the hugging type, but he embraced his youngest daughter whenever she asked.
Stephanie laughed when she heard her dad's stomach grumble. "It's almost time for dinner, daddy. If you leave now, you'll get home before the roast dries out," she joked.
"Your mother's roast is always dry. Why else would I need gravy?" Frank said before closing the apartment door behind him. Stephanie shook her head. She thought her dad never noticed the dried out meat. Helen always followed the cooking times in the recipe books.
Frank passed Dougie Kruper on his way home. He pulled over and asked Dougie to get into the car. "Hey, Mr. P," Dougie greeted. Frank parked in a dark alley he knew didn't contain security cameras.
"I need a favour," Frank stated.
"Anything for Stephanie's father, man," Dougie agreed. He listened to Frank's request and concurred. Dougie vowed to keep an eye on his favourite bounty hunter. Frank said he'd send the word "affirmative" in a text so Dougie would know to put the plan in action.
Dougie couldn't believe what he heard. Morelli hit an all-time low. Placebos and punctured condoms were not a wise thing to try on Stephanie. The woman is too intelligent to get mixed up with Morelli again.
When Dougie got home, he made sure Mooner wasn't crashing in the house. Leaving his lights off, he contacted his cousin. After hearing the plan, she agreed to help the woman who saved Dougie's life. "Send me the letter "B" in a text. I'll get my friend to help hide her. Take care, Dougie," she said before hanging up.
Ranger arrived at the apartment a few hours after Frank left. He could tell something was wrong since Stephanie's eyes were red and swollen from crying. Knowing she wouldn't be coerced to talk, he tucked her into his side as he laid beside her on the bed.
Stephanie smiled when she saw Carlos lying beside her. "How did you get in? Hector said the lock couldn't get picked."
"Babe, Hector gave me a key," he replied. "I got the call."
"When do you leave?" Stephanie asked.
"Fifteen minutes," he sadly answered. Stephanie nodded as her tears returned. Ranger kissed Stephanie. It didn't take long for them to get carried away. Much too soon, Ranger had to leave.
"Don't get shot," Stephanie whispered. Stephanie wanted to tell Ranger about the high probability of getting pregnant, but she didn't want it to weigh heavily on him while he was gone.
"Don't go crazy," Ranger retorted. He kissed Stephanie one more time before leaving.
Tank checked his watch. Ranger was going to be late getting to the airport. Tank would need to speed to get Ranger there in time to catch his flight. Hopefully, the highway police would be asleep on the job or not patrolling the road.
When Ranger got into the car, Tank knew why he was late. Ranger smelled like Stephanie's freesia body lotion. There's only one way Ranger could pick up that much of her scent. He smirked and asked, "Is Little Girl alright?"
Ranger smiled, "Babe's good. Keep an eye on her."
"Yes, boss," Tank replied.
As Tank drove Ranger to the airport, he thought about the background check he ran on Stephanie before Ranger asked her to work at Rangeman.
Stephanie is a thirty-year-old Italian-Hungarian woman. Her eyes are turquoise blue, and her hair is curly and brown. She was born in St. Frances Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey. Her father, Frank Plum, is an ex-military man. He served in Vietnam and worked several special ops when Stephanie was in high school.
Frank Plum was a general in the Army. He still worked for the military without his wife's knowledge, although he suspected Stephanie knew. Helen Plum lived in a fantasy world where everything was primp and proper. After having Stephanie, she changed from an adventurous woman to a controlling, manipulative woman. Helen cared more about how other women in the neighbourhood viewed her as a proper Burg resident.
He smiled and shook his head. Stephanie was too good for the Burg. If Carlos would pull his head from his ass, he could live a happy life with Stephanie. Ranger wondered what thought crossed Tank's mind. Tank looked almost amused by his thoughts.
Stephanie laid low as much as possible for the following nine days. She worked her shifts at Rangeman and faked her happiness through the day. The closer it got to the day her period was due, the more agitated she became. Hector got suspicious, but he never confronted her. She was grateful for his silence.
Joe Juniak got called to his meeting a few days early. Frank arrived promptly at 0900 to pick him up for the long drive to New York. They talked about Morelli and everything he did to Stephanie. As Trenton's Mayor, Juniak had some pull with the police commissioner. He offered to take care of Morelli, but Frank told him to hold off for a while.
Before leaving New York, Frank stopped at a pharmacy to get a pregnancy test for Stephanie. The pharmacist gave him the early response kit that guaranteed an accurate result before a missed period. He contacted Stephanie to meet him at the lodge.
Frank parked beside Stephanie's car and gave her the test strip from the box. He was going to burn the cardboard inside the lodge's fireplace. "If your mother visits you, remember to empty the trash," Frank reminded her. "Take it in the morning to get an accurate result. Pee in a cup and dip the tip into the sample. Send me a text saying yes or no. I'll know what you mean."
"Thanks, daddy. I'm glad you're helping me," Stephanie said before rolling up her window. She drove home on autopilot. The pregnancy test was in the pocket of her jacket, clenched tight in her fist.
Stephanie grabbed her gun from the back of her pants. She searched her apartment to make sure it was secure. It took her long enough, but she finally understood the importance of watching her back. Stephanie hid the test between the mattress and boxspring.
She slept restlessly and finally took the test at 4 am. After five minutes, she had her answer. Stephanie was pregnant. She dropped the test into the garbage as she cried. Stripping off her panties and Ranger's shirt, Stephanie climbed into the tub and turned the water on as hot as she could stand. The water ran cold before she stopped bawling. Her hands shook as she sent her dad the text, "Yes."
Stephanie crawled back into bed to cry. She heard her phone chime. Through tear blurred vision, she read the message from her dad. He was coming to the apartment with donuts and coffee. Carlos and Stephanie made a mistake by not insisting on additional protection. She knew it was a risk. Now she has to deal with the consequences.
Frank saw his daughter's devastating look. He hugged his daughter and guided her to the couch. "Everything will be okay, pumpkin. Take the day off work to wrap your head around the idea. What are you going to do?" Frank was hoping she would keep the child even if Manoso were not in the picture.
"I'm keeping the baby," she whispered. "If mom finds out, she'll force me to marry Morelli. I can't let that happen to Carlos and our child."
"Would you marry Manoso if he asked?" Frank wondered.
"Only if he wants to marry for love, not to give the child a name," she quickly replied. Stephanie already had a loveless marriage. She didn't want to do that again.
"I have a plan in place. When the opportunity presents itself, do you promise to go along with the plan?" Frank asked.
"Yes, daddy. I promise," Stephanie quietly replied. "Can I have time alone now?"
"Sure, pumpkin. I love you. Take care of yourself and your pumpkin," Frank answered. She nodded. Frank left the coffee and donuts on her coffee table and exited the apartment. Stephanie locked the door behind him before sinking to the floor.
She woke up sprawled across the tile floor. Her shoulder hurt from sleeping on it awkwardly. Stephanie slowly stood up and walked to the washroom. She shoved the pregnancy stick into the garbage as far as it would go. Her dad said to take out the trash right away, but she was too emotionally drained at the moment.
Helen wondered why Stephanie hasn't come over lately. She was concerned something happened. Her friends didn't mention any cars blowing up or Stephanie rolling in the trash. Helen wanted to call Joseph Morelli, but he was working an undercover case. She'd have to go over to find out for herself.
Under the guise of taking her lunch, Helen went to Stephanie's house. Stephanie looked devastated. She couldn't understand why her daughter was so sad. Helen got annoyed when she caught Stephanie rolling her eyes as she opened the door. "Hey, mom. Why are you here?" Stephanie asked.
"I haven't heard from you in days. I've been worried," Helen replied.
Stephanie didn't buy her excuse for a minute. She knew Helen had an ulterior motive. "Why are you here?" Stephanie asked again.
"I have lunch," Helen stated as she gave Stephanie the bag.
"Thanks," Stephanie said while taking the food from her mom.
While Stephanie was in the kitchen, Helen went into the bathroom to snoop. Buried near the bottom of the trash, she found a positive pregnancy test result. She was ecstatic. Morelli would be her son-in-law. Helen wanted to call Angie to make wedding arrangements, but she didn't want Stephanie to know the plan until it was too late. For now, Helen was keeping the pregnancy secret to herself.
It was bad enough to have one pregnant, unmarried daughter. If the Burg discovers Stephanie fell into the same trap as Valerie, everyone would know she's an unfit mother. Stephanie used the bathroom after her mom left. The pregnancy test she buried got moved to the top. Fresh tears streamed down her swollen cheeks. There was no telling what Helen would do with the news.
Stephanie gathered the trash from the house and carried it to the dumpster. She kept her ear to the ground and was happy her mother didn't tell everyone in the Burg that she was pregnant. Helen and Angie Morelli, Joe's mom, planned a wedding for Stephanie and Joe. A few days after she heard the wedding rumour, Stephanie called her mom crying. "I lost the baby," she sobbed as she lied. Helen bought her performance hook line and sinker. All the distractions she worked for Rangeman improved her acting skills. However, Helen and Angie didn't stop their wedding plans.
She had several FTAs to capture. One of them was Dougie Kruper. When she picked up Dougie for missing his court date, they orchestrated her escape from Trenton. Dougie promised to keep the secret from his best friend, Mooner. If Mooner got high, he got chatty.
"Ranger asked us to watch over you, Little Girl," Tank said as Stephanie grabbed her purse from the desk drawer.
"I appreciate it. Do you mind if I take three weeks off?" Stephanie asked.
"No problem. I'll have the guys run patrols past your apartment," Tank added. Stephanie was annoyed. She loves Ranger but not his overprotective nature.
"Okay," she said, knowing the men would drive past her apartment with or without her permission. Tank had no clue that Stephanie planned to leave Trenton.