Chapter 9
Stephanie rubbed her hand across her abdomen, "Hey, baby. You've been growing a lot over the past few months." The baby bump appeared almost overnight. She checked the calendar to see it was June 27, 2015. She was supposed to marry Joseph Morelli today, according to her mother. Thank goodness she was so far away.
"Can I come in?" Carrie shouted from the front door.
She walked to the door and pulled it open. "Of course. You don't have to ask permission every time, you know. It's your home, and I knew you were visiting today," Stephanie reminded her.
"I know, but I always find it rude for people to enter without being invited inside. How are you feeling today?" Carrie asked. Stephanie experienced some morning sickness, and orange juice was the only thing to help it stop. Carrie tried to get a sonogram image for weeks, but Stephanie couldn't drink enough water to see the fetus.
"Much better. I drank the two litres of water you recommended. Can we do this soon? I really have to pee," Stephanie wondered.
Carrie smiled and followed her upstairs to the guest bedroom. The portable machine was in a large pack over her shoulder. It was heavy, but Carrie got used to lugging it around. "Lay on the bed and expose your stomach," Carrie directed.
Stephanie waited for her to get everything set up before pulling up her shirt and lowering the yoga pants. "Is it too early to determine the sex?" Stephanie asked.
"You're fifteen weeks. Sometimes you can see, but it's not always possible to tell," Carrie replied. Stephanie saw her baby on the screen and smiled. She loves her little one already. Carrie took a few measurements and recorded them in her spiral notebook. "Everything looks perfect, Steph," Carrie said as she handed her paper towels to clean her abdomen. "Go pee. I'll wait downstairs for you."
While waiting for Stephanie, Carrie printed the sonogram image. Carrie was pleased with Stephanie's progress. She noticed Stephanie was eating healthier foods. Stephanie's cooking improved too. Once Carrie cleaned and packed the machine, Stephanie descended the creaky stairs.
Morelli was on cloud nine. Joyce and Terry gave him another chance, and he was marrying Cupcake today. Leaky condoms became a thing of the past. He would not make that mistake again. Too much chaos got created during his quest to get Stephanie pregnant.
Edna Mazur sat in Stephanie's empty apartment with her friend Mabel. They laughed at the voice message recordings from Helen. Each message grew in desperation. "What happens if Stephanie doesn't show up for the wedding?" Mabel asked.
"Mabel, there is not going to be a wedding today. The only man Stephanie will marry is the hot Cuban," Edna reminded her friend. "Helen and Angie Morelli will get seen as fools."
"Have you seen her?" Angie asked when Helen answered the phone.
"Not yet. Don't worry, Angie. Everything will go according to plan," Helen replied. Helen was panicking. Stephanie never returned her calls. The wedding ceremony starts in three hours, and the bride is missing.
Joseph Morelli got ready for his wedding. He was ecstatic to get married to Stephanie. Helen mentioned not seeing her in months, but Morelli knew Stephanie would arrive in time to get married. Morelli couldn't see the writing on the wall.
Ranger and his men watched the church as the guests parked then entered the building. Nobody spotted Stephanie. Hector slipped into the vestibule to see if Stephanie was with her bridesmaids. He could tell the second he opened the door that Stephanie was not here. Hector sent Ranger a text to let him know.
Mary Lou retrieved the voice message Stephanie left late last night. She waited for the wedding mark to indicate their entrance. With a satisfied smirk, she stared Joe in the eyes. "Where's the bride?" several guests asked.
Lula ran into the church wearing a too short and tight wedding ensemble. She looked absolutely ridiculous but determined. Joe's eyes widened when he saw Lula approach. "No, no, no, no, no," Joe said as he backed away from Lula.
Frank burst into laughter and got quickly followed by his friends. Mary Lou approached the priest and asked for the microphone. "I have an announcement," she stated. "There will not be a wedding today between Joseph Morelli and Stephanie Plum. She left me a message to share."
Mary Lou replayed the message from her phone. "Hi everyone. I'm glad you could make it out for this celebration. Thank you for decorating the church, mom. I imagine it looks beautiful. Unfortunately, you wasted not only your time but daddy's money. Possibly Angie Morelli's money too. I'm going to say this once. Helen, Angie, do not ever plan a wedding between Joe and me again. Joe and I were never engaged. I did not consent to this wedding. I will never marry Joe, mom. If leaving town wasn't a good enough indication that I don't want to be with Joe Morelli, then you're more delusional than I thought. Stop trying to force something that should never occur," Stephanie announced.
Ranger could hear Mary Lou's announcement followed by Stephanie's words. His Babe does not want the cop. Their on-again, off-again dating cycle is finished. He couldn't stop the smile.
Frank exited the church and walked towards Ranger's 911 turbo. Ranger rolled down the window when Frank tapped on the glass. "We need to talk," Frank stated. Frank walked to the passenger side to sit inside the car. "Drive."
"Yes, Sir," Ranger said as he followed Frank's order.
"Do you love Stephanie?" Frank asked the difficult question first. He knew Manoso loved his daughter, but he needed to hear the words for himself.
"With all that I am," Ranger replied.
"When she asks you to bring her home?"
"I will go to her, marry her, then bring her back," Ranger answered. Frank smiled when Ranger said he'd marry Stephanie.
"Welcome to the family, son." He wanted to tell Manoso about his child, but it was Stephanie's news to share. Ranger drove Frank back to the church to pick up the car.
Detective Joseph Morelli was getting angry. He convinced himself that Ranger whisked her away to prevent their wedding from happening. Morelli reported Stephanie as missing two months after she left, on the day she should have married the man. Stephanie made it clear that she wasn't kidnapped or forced to leave Trenton. Joe was the new Mayor of Denial Land.
Hector got angry when he heard Morelli spread the lies. He caught the detective in compromising positions with prostitutes, Joyce Barnhardt and Terry Gilman. One of the times was the day he was supposedly marrying Stephanie.
Everyone at Rangeman knew Stephanie wouldn't marry Morelli. She didn't love the cop and broke up with him over four months earlier. They could see Stephanie loved the boss. Ranger was in love with Stephanie even if he refused to admit it to anyone other than Frank Plum.
"Have you heard anything, boss?" Tank asked nearly three months later.
"She emails frequently," Ranger replied as he ran his fingers through his hair. Stephanie was careful to avoid giving Ranger specifics of her location. Until he admitted his feelings to her, she was keeping her hiding place private.
"Little girl will tell you when it's time. Are you ready to settle down?"
"Not yet," Ranger answered honestly. He could have turned to other women for comfort, but after his first night with Stephanie, she was the only one for him. Babe owns his heart, body and soul. "The house won't be ready until Christmas."
Stephanie was twenty weeks pregnant. Her heart ached for Carlos. She thought he would ask her to come home already. Wiping the tears from her face, she walked through the patio door to the beach. Stephanie always felt the ocean waves to be calming. She sat on the wet sand, feeling the moisture dampen her dress where she sat. It was still warm enough outside to prevent freezing. The wind whipped her long curly hair around her face.
"Baby," Stephanie said as she rubbed small circles over her stomach. "Did I tell you about the day I met your daddy? No?" She sat on the beach to tell her baby all about Carlos.
Stephanie had to stop talking when the tears made it too difficult to speak. She could picture his gorgeous face. It's been too long since Stephanie had seen him, but only a few weeks since she emailed him. She closed her eyes as she pictured Ranger. "I love you, baby. I love you, Carlos. Please don't get shot. We need you."
It took a few more weeks for the baby to cooperate enough for Carrie to detect the gender. Stephanie compiled the sonogram images Carrie printed for her. She scanned them into her computer so she could give Carlos an accurate timeline. The boy kicked as Stephanie stroked her stomach. "Hey, Ricky. You're active today," Stephanie talked to her stomach.
Carrie couldn't believe Stephanie was already twenty-eight weeks pregnant. Stephanie wasn't showing too much. "Have you told the father?" Carrie asked.
"Not yet. I don't want Carlos to marry me to give our son a name," Stephanie replied.
"You want him to marry you because he loves you," Carrie added.
"Exactly."
Stephanie read the emails she received from Lester and Carlos. They stopped asking her where she was living. Ranger mentioned he got deployed and said, "Don't go crazy." She emailed back, asking him not to get shot.
Lester mentioned Hector was setting the Burg straight regarding her relationship with detective Morelli. Stephanie laughed and decided it was time to contact her Hermano.
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2015
From: Hermana
To: Hermano
Hector, mi Hermano, I miss you. I'm lonely here. If you haven't scheduled your vacation for the year, can you come to me?
Let me know soon.
Love always ~H
Hector replied within minutes.
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2015
From: Hermano
To: Hermana
I already know where you are, and I've known for months. I'm taking December 4th to December 19th. Tank already granted the request.
See you soon, Hermana.
Love you too.
Stephanie wasn't surprised that Hector uncovered her location. She was happy he kept the information to himself. Ranger holds the key to her return. He only has to say the word, and she'd go home. She read the date range Hector sent again. Hermano knows she's pregnant. He placed himself in the position to help if she goes into labour early.
Frank's cellphone rang. He noticed the blocked number. Only one person would be calling him. Speaking Italian, he answered, "Good afternoon, pumpkin."
"Hi, Daddy," Stephanie replied, continuing their conversation in Italian. "I'm having a boy."
"Thank you," Frank replied. He was stunned. Finally, he will get a grandson. "Valerie had another girl."
"I'm not surprised," Stephanie laughed. How are the other girls?" She listened as Frank gave her updates regarding Angie and Mary Alice. They were thriving but not particularly happy. Stephanie felt sad for her nieces.
Helen could hear Frank talk on the phone. He was speaking Italian and she couldn't understand a word. A few times, she attempted to record the conversation to get it interpreted, but Frank was always one step ahead.
Frank noticed Helen was listening to the conversation. He went into the garage and locked the doors. Helen couldn't access the garage from the house unless she had the key. Frank never left his keys unattended.
"Your mother's on the warpath. She's blaming you for making her look the fool," Frank stated.
"What would the neighbours think?" Stephanie mocked. They laughed at the absurdity of Helen's behaviour. "Was mom always this way?" Stephanie was curious. She only knew the mother that raised her. Helen was probably a different person when Frank met her.
"No. When we started dating, she was curious and adventurous, always looking for the next exciting adventure. She got pregnant with Valerie before my deployment. We got married a few hours before I left. I got home in time for Valerie's birth. At the time, we were living with my parents. After serving a few tours, we had enough money to buy a house. Helen was a few months pregnant with you when we moved into the Burg. My friend, Joe Juniak, owned a house in the Burg and warned me that the neighbours are judgemental and pretentious," Frank explained.
"So, when did her personality change? After moving into the Burg or later?" Stephanie asked.
"The day you started walking. You got curious about everything. There wasn't anything you couldn't climb. Even breaking your leg didn't stop you," he replied.
"My doctor said I had some remodelling on my left leg from an old fracture, but I don't remember breaking it," Stephanie wondered.
"You were two. Helen had to dress you in pants because you moved around doing the bum shuffle along the floor. Your dress kept riding up," Frank laughed as he remembered Helen's reaction. "From that day, you attracted dirt and mud, much to your mother's dismay."
Stephanie laughed. "Thanks for the story, dad. I miss you," she confessed.
"I miss you too, pumpkin. You need to tell Carlos," Frank added.
"I will, daddy. He left for another mission. I'll tell him when he gets home," Stephanie promised.
Helen Plum was furious that she spent thousands of dollars for no reason. Her worthless daughter left after miscarrying the child. All Stephanie had to do was show up at the church and marry Joseph Morelli. Proper Burg women got married to Burg men and produced children. It was that simple. Angie refused to take her calls since June. She said Stephanie was more trouble than she was worth.
Edna Mazur was proud of her favourite granddaughter. She was home when Stephanie called Helen. Stephanie claimed to have lost the baby, but Edna knew better. Her granddaughter was using it as an excuse to get Helen to back off. Unfortunately, Helen became more determined to get Stephanie to marry Joe. If they were supposed to get married, it would have happened naturally.
Once a week, Edna went to Stephanie's apartment to dust and vacuum. She didn't want Stephanie to return to a dirty house. The day after Stephanie left, Edna changed all the garbage bags to toss in the garbage bin. Edna emptied the refrigerator and had Dillon unplug it. Dillon gladly accepted the food.
Not much happened at Rangeman during the next few months. Ranger got back from one mission, stayed home for a few weeks before getting deployed again. Tank, Lester and Bobby were running the business in his absence.
Hector arrived on December 4, 2015, at 8 am. Stephanie knew Hector would arrive early in the morning and wouldn't want Rangeman to know his location. Hector borrowed his friend's car to make the trip.
"Hermano," Stephanie said as she opened the door.
"Hermana?" Hector asked as he pointed to her large stomach.
"I'm having a baby," she said. "Ricardo Carlos Manoso IV." Stephanie stroked her belly as the baby shifted. She winced from the movement. Little Ricky didn't have much space to move.
"Does Ranger know?" Hector asked. She shook her head. A tear dripped from her eye. Stephanie wanted Carlos to be with her when she gave birth. She refused to beg.
"I love him, but I'm not going to force him into a decision he doesn't want to make," Stephanie explained. They talked about the baby's due date. Stephanie had a feeling Hector already knew, and it's why he scheduled his vacation during the time he did. After scrutinizing him for a few minutes, she said, "Spill it."
"My friend, Devin, works for the witness protection service," Hector stated. "I taught him everything he knows."
"You found me through his friend Carrie Lockwood," Stephanie added. Hector nodded in agreement. "Did he tell you I was pregnant?"
"No. Carrie has to register all pregnancies in her care. I found you using her last name," Hector confessed. "If you keep emailing Ranger, he won't look for you."
Connie sat on the bench outside of the church. Her face was damp from her tears. Moving to Italy was the best decision, albeit a lonely one. Connie's aunt was accommodating to a degree. Not having children of her own, the woman was willing to help Connie. "I hope I can raise you right, Isabella," Connie said as she stroked her abdomen. She decided to name the girl after her paternal great-grandmother.