Chapter 7
Frank got annoyed upon hearing the rumours. He needed to handle his wife's meddling. Helen and Angie planned a wedding between Joe Morelli and Stephanie. The announcement of Stephanie miscarrying the baby got perfectly timed. Frank knew his daughter was still pregnant, and Stephanie was attempting to kibosh the wedding plans.
Unfortunately, it didn't work. The wedding was still moving forward as planned. Frank contacted the vendors and explained the situation. His friend at the Polish club did not like Helen.
Karl Nowak found Helen and Angie to be exhausting. They planned a wedding without input from the bride. Frank mentioned Stephanie had left the city for parts unknown. Karl suspected Frank knew but wanted to give him plausible deniability. He promised Frank he'd go along with the plan but not complete the terms of the agreement. Frank didn't want to tip his hand to Helen.
Angie waited patiently for Helen to return her call. She was concerned by the lack of updates regarding Stephanie. Usually, news of Stephanie's BEA exploits gets back to her within hours, but for the past few weeks, it was quiet. The only rumours Angie heard were regarding Joseph. Women bragged about getting into bed with the Italian Stallion. She knew Joseph had a plan to get Stephanie pregnant. However, he never provided the details.
Dougie received a message from Frank a few weeks ago. He had to find a way to talk to Stephanie without anyone knowing. An idea popped into his head. Dougie got caught getting high in a public place. At least standing outside of TPD's main doors was bound to get you arrested. He resisted the urge to smile. His court date got set for the following week, and Dougie had no intention of attending. It was time to help Stephanie escape.
Stephanie got knocked over by old man Barty Chin-chi. He was a Trenton transplant from Hawaii. Why the man relocated to a colder climate was beyond her comprehension. Most octogenarians migrate south, not north. She got cut on the arm and needed stitches.
Charmaine saw Stephanie enter the emergency department. She waited for Stephanie to approach to get through the triage process. "How may I help you today?" Charmaine asked. Charmaine liked Stephanie. She was always kind to her. For a minute, she felt bad for sleeping with Stephanie's boyfriend.
"Oh, I got cut on the arm, and the bleeding won't stop," Stephanie replied. Stephanie let Charmaine examine her arm. She assessed Charmaine as the bandana got removed from her arm. Stephanie knew the woman slept with Joe over a month ago, around the time Joe tampered with the condoms.
A sudden wave of nausea whipped through Charmaine. She grabbed the garbage can near her feet and threw up inside it. Stephanie smiled. It seems detective Morelli will get his child after all. "Are you okay? Should I get another triage nurse to help me?" Stephanie asked. Stephanie resisted the urge to rub her abdomen.
"No. I've been feeling a little off for weeks. It's probably something I ate and not the flu," Charmaine replied.
"I know it's none of my business but have you slept with Joe Morelli since Valentine's Day? If you did, you should know he punctured all the condoms. I would also recommend getting tests done," Stephanie whispered.
Charmaine's face blanched. She never considered a pregnancy since Joe always used a condom. "Are you serious?" Charmaine asked. "I'm allergic to the pill. Please tell me you're joking."
"Positive. He was trying to get me pregnant without my knowledge. Pass along the message to the others," Stephanie answered. Charmaine couldn't believe Morelli would be that manipulative. Stephanie was wise to break up with him.
She directed Stephanie to an empty pod to wait for stitches. The doctor arrived to examine Stephanie's arm. He was the same doctor as the time she cut her leg. "You should find another job," the doctor joked. Stephanie was not impressed. She was tired of people telling her what to do. "Remember to keep the stitches dry for the next few days."
"Thanks," Stephanie stated before leaving. When she saw Morelli enter the area, she ducked into the supply closet to listen to his conversation with Charmaine.
"I'm pregnant, asshole," Charmaine growled.
"How can that be? We used condoms," Joe stated.
"We used the ones you poked holes into," she snapped. Stephanie suppressed a laugh as she imagined the look on Joe's face.
"Fuck," Joe groaned. Stephanie heard the conversation move farther away. She left the closet and ran through the hospital towards the exit. Once she drove away, Stephanie laughed. Hopefully, Morelli learned his lesson.
Joe was furious. The only condoms he punctured were in Stephanie's apartment. She must have discovered what he did and took them to his house. He called Terry, "Hey, blondie," he greeted.
"What do you want now?" Terry snapped.
"Um. I was wondering… are you pregnant?" Joe asked.
"Nope. I noticed your semen running down my leg last month and took the morning after pill. If we hook up again, I'm bringing the condoms. I can't trust the ones in your home," Terry replied. Terry didn't mention the sores from syphilis. The bastard could find out the hard way.
"What the fuck?" Joyce answered when she saw Joe's name on the caller ID. "You are truly a dumb fuck. Did you know that Morelli?" Joyce never allowed Morelli to reply. She hung up and blocked his number so he couldn't call for a quickie.
"You need to take these prenatal vitamins," Dr. Carter stated. "If you didn't want to carry the child, you could get an abortion."
"How much time do I have to decide?" Joyce asked.
"A few more weeks. Why don't we schedule an appointment for next week? If you decide to keep the fetus, don't show up," she kindly replied.
Joyce was angry. Having a child was not in her plans. If Morelli had money, she'd use it to her advantage. Morelli was nearly as broke as Stephanie. Joyce reminded herself to warn Connie. She left the doctor's office, leaving the prenatal vitamin prescription behind. Joyce will not be giving birth to a Morelli spawn.
Connie was hiding in the bathroom at the office. She was staring at the pregnancy test. The doctor told Connie that she couldn't conceive. Here she is, sitting on the toilet at work, staring at the plus sign on the test. Connie Rosolli was pregnant. There was only one man who could be the father.
"Is anybody in here?" Morelli called out from the entrance. Connie pulled herself together and deposited the test into her purse. Speak of the devil.
"Hey, Joe. How can I help?" Connie asked.
"I'm not sure how to tell you. It got brought to my attention that the condoms we used last month had holes in them," Morelli confessed.
"Huh," she reached into her purse to remove the negative pregnancy test from a few weeks earlier. "I'm not pregnant. Here's the test from yesterday. See for yourself," Connie lied.
"Thank God," Morelli sighed. Supporting one child was going to be hard enough to do.
The following day, Eddie Gazarra was laughing after talking to Lula. Morelli got himself into a lot of trouble. If Eddie understood correctly, Morelli gets four kids within a year. Connie, Joyce, Charmaine and Sandy got pregnant since Valentine's Day. Joe poked holes in his condoms, hoping to trap Stephanie into marrying him. Eddie wanted to shake the hand of the man responsible for swapping the condoms.
Frank called his military contacts. They said Manoso would be away for several more months. The plan hatched with Dougie would keep his favourite daughter safe and away from the mess Morelli created.
Stephanie went shopping for new clothes a few days before her planned escape from Trenton. She packed the new items into her suitcase before having second thoughts. She decided to place them in a paper grocery bag instead. Knowing Ranger, he placed trackers on her luggage.
At 1 am, Stephanie left her apartment. She dressed in the recently purchased clothes and shoes. Stephanie left all of her jewelry and toiletries in the apartment. When she got into Dougie's car, he gave her a wig and contacts. She used the bobby pins Dougie provided to tuck her hair beneath the long, red and curly wig.
Dougie drove her towards West Ocean City, Maryland. His cousin, Carrie Lockwood, owned the vacation home where Stephanie would reside. Carrie said Stephanie could stay as long as she wanted.
Once they crossed the Maryland border, Dougie stopped at a post office box to grab the ID that Carrie's friend left for her to use. Her ID indicated her name is Stephanie Michelle Lockwood.
"I need to grow my hair longer," Stephanie said as she examined the photo. Her hair grows fast, so it would only take a few months to grow down to the middle of her back.
"Take these," Dougie said as he passed her the bank book and debit card. "They're listed under Stephanie Lockwood. Carrie set up the accounts. Your dad I provided the cash."
"I can't accept this, Dougie," Stephanie said as she pushed the bank book back into his hand.
"Stephie, let me do this for you. I want to repay you for rescuing Mooner and me from Sophia DiStephano. We nearly died," Dougie begged.
"Okay. Thank you," Stephanie stated. She rubbed a tear from her eye. The contacts irritated her eyes. Thankfully, she only had to wear the contacts until she reached her destination.
"Carrie will bring you groceries weekly. She's a midwife and will get you through the pregnancy. You can trust her," Dougie said. He was worried about his friend. She's a kind woman and genuinely cared about the people she returned to the system.
Stephanie pulled an envelope containing cheques from her pocket. "Give these to Dillon Ruddick. It's my rent for the next few years," Stephanie said as she passed him the envelope. "There's enough money in my Trenton account to cover the expenses."
"Right. I'll drop it off in a few days," Dougie stated. Carrie was waiting at the house for them to arrive. "Take care of my girl."
"Doug, I've got it. Stephanie's in good hands," Carrie said as she pushed her cousin from the house. "Drive safe." Carrie has red, curly hair and beautiful amber eyes. She's the same height as Stephanie but a little on the heavier side.
Stephanie wondered how long it would take for everyone to discover she was missing. Carrie gave Stephanie a burner phone and laptop courtesy of her dad, Frank. She got Stephanie to set up a new email to communicate with other people. "Rangeman will find me if I send emails," Stephanie told Carrie.
"Steph, the IP address will ping to Seattle. Don't change your location on the laptop. Most importantly, be careful what you say. Mind the time zone and send emails in the acceptable timeframe," Carrie explained.
"Are you friends to any ex-military?" Stephanie wondered, suspiciously eyeing Carrie.
The woman laughed and replied, "No. I'm a midwife. My best friend, Devin, works for the witness protection program. He knows how to keep women hidden."
Stephanie laughed and said, "I should never have asked. Thank you for helping me." She relaxed for the first time since she left Trenton.
"You saved Dougie's life, and you're his friend. He loves you, and I would do anything for the woman who cares for my cousin," Carrie quietly said. "The cupboards and fridge are full. I'll bring more groceries next week. Remember to take the prenatal vitamins."
She looked through the patio window of the beach house where she lived. The ocean and sky were so blue that it was difficult to determine the division between the two. "We're going to be fine," Stephanie whispered. "One day, I will contact your daddy."
Stephanie toured the beach house. There wasn't a basement, so the laundry room and mudroom got combined. She was pleased to see the washer and dryer were the front load types. It would be easier to remove the laundry once her abdomen expands.
The master bedroom had a king bed and pale blue dresser. Both were a little worse for wear but sturdy. Stephanie noticed the mattress was new. She was relieved that she could at least get quality sleep. After unpacking her clothes, she laid on the bed to rest.
Nearly eight hours later, Stephanie woke up from her nap, starving. She didn't eat anything since the previous day at lunch. "I'm sorry, baby. I should remember to give you nourishment," she mumbled while rubbing small circles on her abdomen. Stephanie knew a baby was growing inside her, but she still had problems believing it was there.
She walked down the creaking, carpeted stairs, through the living and room to the kitchen. Stephanie wasn't much of a cook. She needed to learn to feed herself. The only meal she could make without burning was spaghetti. Stephanie opened the refrigerator to check her options. A repeatable container was on the top shelf beside the milk. She smiled when she read, "Doug asked me to make this for you. He said it would make you smile. I left the recipe in the binder on top of the fridge with other easy to make recipes. Carrie."
Dougie was right. It did make her smile. While she reheated the food in the microwave, Stephanie grabbed the binder. Carrie had it divided into three separate groups. Food Exercise and Troubleshooting. Stephanie opened the binder to read the foods recommended. Carrie had subdivisions for mains, snacks, desserts and comfort.
Mains were all healthy foods like the food Carlos eats. Desserts were baby safe and low sugar. They got sweetened using honey instead of sugar. Comfort foods included lasagna, macaroni and cheese, tacos and a few more of her favourites.
Carrie left a note in front of the Exercise and Troubleshooting sections. For exercises, she insisted Stephanie never go swimming in the ocean alone. Stephanie shrugged when reading the message. She preferred watching the waves to swimming in them. Carrie warned to exercise in moderation. Stephanie hated exercising, so it didn't bother her much. Although doing squats, lunges, and walking would be acceptable activities.
Stephanie laughed when she read the Troubleshooting note. Carrie wrote the symptoms in alphabetical order with a description of how to fix the issue. For example, if she gets constipated, she needs to eat grapes and more foods containing psyllium fibre. Nausea had a list of questions. Depending on how she answered, it led her to a different remedy. Unfortunately, none of the remedies included extra desserts. Beside loneliness and stir crazy, Carrie said, "Call Me!" and recorded her phone number.