Chapter 13
I followed Woody's instructions, and we landed safely. We quickly packed the parachutes and shoved them into the packs. I motioned to the east, indicating the path my spidey sense led me.
Tapping Tony's left shoulder, I directed him to stop. He tapped Leo's shoulder to halt his progress. I quietly spoke our plan in Italian. The earpiece receiver was sensitive, and the men could hear my instructions. We moved around to the back of the derelict shack as Ranger screamed. I grabbed Tony's arm and shook my head.
Tony realized he had nearly given away our position. I pulled my gun from my hip and quietly released the safety. Woody, Tony and Leo followed suit. Leo took the lead, and we quietly snuck into the building through the back. Counting down on my fingers, we aimed and fired. Luckily, the gunfire didn't bring more men running our way.
Ranger fought against his restraints. I kneeled in front of him and lifted his chin, forcing him to look into my eyes. As I had done many times before, I stroked his face and ran my fingers through his hair. His eyes snapped to mine. "Babe?" he whispered. "Are you real?"
I pressed my finger to my lips and nodded. Leaning close, I whispered, "Wonder Woman is here to rescue you, Batman."
His arms had partially healed cuts that got reopened by fresh marks. He would get scars from the torture. I touched his hands, seeing he was missing some fingernails. Using the lock pick from my pocket, I quickly unshackled his hands. Leo removed the chains from his waist and ankles. Tony grabbed the rags I packed to wrap Ranger's arms while Woody stood guard.
"Don't scream. Woody will carry you. It will hurt, but we need to get out of here," I whispered. "Woody, he has broken ribs on the left side of his body." I didn't have to tell my husband to be careful.
We got several miles away before I felt comfortable enough to take a break. I pulled the medic kit from Woody's pack to dress and bandage Ranger's arms. When Leo entered Ranger's peripheral vision, he started to get agitated. I placed my hands on Ranger's face and pulled his head to look at me. "Babe?" he whispered.
"Yes, Ranger. It's me. Leo was bringing you some water. Can you please take a drink?" I asked. He shook his head. I took the Nalgene bottle and took a large drink. "It's safe, Ranger."
He cautiously took a sip of water. When he didn't react negatively to the liquid, he took another drink. "Food?"
"Crackers," I whispered. Leo passed me the crackers. I opened the package and took a bite before giving it to Ranger. His lip curled slightly, causing me to smile. "We need to get out of here. It will get dark soon. Woody will carry you again."
"Babe," Ranger sighed. He was dehydrated and malnourished. I knew Ranger didn't have the strength to keep up with our pace. After I gave him an antibiotic injection, Woody carried Ranger using the fireman's hold.
I made sure I stayed within his line of vision. Ranger got agitated when Tony had to take a turn to carry him. We were getting closer to the coast, and Woody had to grab our boat.
"Tony, make sure he can see me," I whispered. My spidey sense was on high alert. The urge to bolt grew stronger as we walked through the area to get out of the hellhole. "Run." Leo, Tony and Woody followed my lead. I changed our direction, getting us out of range when gunfire erupted behind us.
We ran until we reached the coast. I relied on my spidey sense and legs to keep moving. It was time to get out of here while we still could. Woody inflated the flotation device before tossing it into the water. Tony jumped into the boat with Ranger still on his shoulders. Leo picked me up and jumped in. Woody pushed off the bank and dove inside.
Leo and Woody paddled the flotation device towards the seaplane, waiting several miles off the coast. "Ranger," I quietly said as I shuffled closer to him. Tony helped his brother sit up, getting Ranger to lean against his side.
"Babe. Are you really here?" Ranger asked.
I rolled my eyes and replied, "Yes, Ranger. I am really here. We came to bring you home." Ranger still looked confused. Tony helped me move Ranger so he could lean against me. I stroked his face and touched his hair to comfort him.
"You really are here, Babe," Ranger whispered, finally taking comfort in my touch. I quickly glanced at Woody to see how he was handling my display of affection to Ranger. He smiled, telling me he could cope with whatever I had to do to get Ranger back.
The boat bumped the floaters on the seaplane. I reached for the step to pull myself up, but I could get a grip. Tony lifted me enough to help me climb into the seaplane. He jumped in while Woody held the flotation boat steady. Leo gently lifted Ranger for us to grab him. Tony and I had to pull on his arms, but he was stoic and didn't scream. I maintained eye contact until I got him settled in the plane.
Leo climbed inside the plane while Woody stood on the floater to deflate the boat. He tugged the wet rubber into the small plane, soaking our pants. We had one change of clothes in our packs. Once we got to safety, we would shower and change. Ranger needed medical care. The seaplane rocked when I grabbed another syringe with antibiotics and injected it into Ranger's arm.
"I'm flying y'all to the Army base. Ranger can get medical attention," our pilot announced as he took off. Leo and Woody expertly folded the boat to stash. Woody would clean it when we got home.
"What did they do to you, Ranger?" I asked.
My stomach felt queasy as he talked. I made mental notes of his other injuries as he described where they kicked and stabbed him. The infirmary doctor would thoroughly examine Ranger. We didn't have much time to assess the contusions, cuts or broken bones. "If you didn't arrive when you did, I'd be dead," Ranger finished.
A team of soldiers waited as the plane landed near the dock. Woody jumped out to assist. I tripped over my untied shoelace, falling face-first into his chest. We straddled the gap between the plane and the dock to help Ranger. I waved to the pilot when the last person jumped onto the dock.
"I need to stay with him," I said as a young soldier guided me towards the next car. He turned to get approval from his CO.
"It's going to be a bit crowded, ma'am," he replied as he boosted me into the seat. I'd sit in the young soldier's lap if it meant riding with Ranger. He fought back a smile. "If it comes to that, I would gladly offer my lap."
Great. I'm amusing yet another soldier. I entwined Ranger's and my fingers. Ranger needed to stay grounded as we drove towards the infirmary building. "Um… officer," I started to ask.
"Lt. Hughes, ma'am," the young officer replied.
"Hughes, is there a shower I could use in the infirmary?" I asked.
"Sure is, ma'am," Hughes replied.
"Casey?" Ranger mumbled.
"Casey and Dani are at home with Ella," I answered.
"Your dad?"
"No, Ranger. Dani is short for Daniella. My daughter," I added before he could ask. Ranger mumbled something that sounded like mini-Babe.
"You have children with Manoso?" Hughes asked.
"I have children with Johnson, my husband," I corrected.
"Lucky bastard," Hughes mumbled. I rolled my eyes. I'm filthy, stinky, and in desperate need of a shower, yet the young lieutenant is flirting with me. I've got to be ten years older than Hughes.
"Still beautiful, Babe," Ranger whispered. I must have said my mental rant out loud.
Before I could die from embarrassment, we arrived at the Army base. Lt. Hughes helped me get Ranger into the building. He pointed out the room with the shower as we walked towards the medical examination room. I explained Ranger's injuries and gave him the empty syringes from the antibiotic. The label indicated the medicine type and dosage.
"Ranger, I'll come back after I take a shower," I said before I left the room. Tony stayed behind to watch over his brother.
"Are you decent, ma'am?" Hughes hollered into the room. "I grabbed soap and shampoo for you."
I walked barefoot back to the entrance to grab the items. "Thanks. Please call me Stephanie or Steph," I automatically said after I pulled the toothbrush from my mouth. He waved and left me to take a shower. A random person walking into the room while I was naked had me feeling anxious.
Woody entered the shower room to help. "Leo's guarding the door, Darlin'," Woody stated. He pulled my shirt over my head and helped me pull the sweat-dampened sports bra off. "It's been six weeks." Once I was bare, he stripped off his clothes.
"We've been gone four weeks?" I asked. I lost track of the days after the second week.
"Mmhm," Woody replied. His lips slammed against mine. He tasted of mint toothpaste. Woody placed his hands under my ass and lifted me onto his erection. I moaned his name as he quickened the pace. It didn't take long for me to explode. I gently bit his shoulder to prevent screaming. He emptied into me then pulled from my body. "We have to hurry." Ya, we should hurry, but we didn't. Woody had too much fun washing my body, and I had to reciprocate.
I used half of the shampoo to get the dirt, grime and oils out of my hair. When I rinsed the last of the bubbles from my hair, Woody passed me a towel to quickly dry. We returned to the examination room after getting dressed in clean clothes. "I miss our children. When can we go home?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. The general wants us to debrief first. Our departure date depends on how long the process takes," Woody explained.
Two weeks later, we got to leave the base. I had not seen my children in six weeks, and I missed them. Casey and Dani probably miss us too.
Ranger sat beside me on the flight back to Newark. I held his hand as the metal tube sliced through the sky. Woody smiled from across the aisle. He did not get jealous. I wonder how I got so lucky. "Did you contact Rangeman?" Tony asked.
"I called Tank, Ella and my dad when we arrived stateside, then again today before we left," I replied. "Tank will pick us up when we land."
"Carlos, should I call mama and papa?" Tony asked.
"No. Tank would handle the calls to our families," Ranger replied. Tony sighed in relief. He didn't feel like hearing a lecture from his mom. I could relate. Helen was never shy about making me feel stupid or inadequate.
I rested my head on Ranger's shoulder and asked, "How are you?"
"Improving every day, Babe," he answered. "Thank you for rescuing me."
"No problem, Batman. I'm glad I could save you for once. Please don't make it a habit. I don't want to leave my children again," I responded.
"Who does mini-Babe look like?" he asked, making small talk.
"Woody, but that could change, you know. She may look like me now." I was worried I wouldn't recognize my baby girl.
"Her looks may have changed, but her scent would be familiar," Ranger whispered as he stroked my fingers.
I fell asleep with my head on Ranger's shoulder. When I woke up, Woody had his head resting against mine. His arm was around my shoulders, providing support for my neck. "Darlin', we're getting ready to land."
"Where's Ranger?" I asked, looking around for our friend. He sat next to the window, in Leo's seat. His eyes were closed, but I knew he was awake. I saw his lip twitch in amusement.
Everyone relaxed once the plane landed. I was anxious to see my babies. Tank met us at the terminal exit to drive us home. When I got into the back seat, Casey screamed, "Mama." I pulled him from the car seat and hugged him. Woody reached for his son to hug.
"Casey, honey, I need to put you back into your seat so we can go home," Woody said as he pried the arms from around his neck. "I promise to hug you a lot, okay?" Casey pouted but let his dad buckle him back into the seat.
Tony and Leo climbed into the back row of seats, leaving Woody and me to sit in the middle with our son. Ranger climbed into the front passenger seat. He didn't like sitting in the back.
Our conversation on the trip back to Trenton centred around the changes I made at Rangeman. I could see Ranger's face in the rearview mirror. His eyes glimmered, and his lip lifted slightly into a smile. "Proud of you, Babe," Ranger said when Tank finished updating the boss.
"Does that make me part of the core team?" I joked.
"Babe," Ranger replied. I rolled my eyes because he was back to one-word answers.
Ella waited with Dani in the garage. She knew I'd want to see my daughter immediately. "Go," Woody said when I looked between my two children.
"Hey, Dani," I said when I approached. She smiled when I got close.
"You're the first person to see her beautiful smile," Ella said as she passed me Dani. I placed her in the crook of my arm, protecting her head. Her eyes were bright blue, and her dark hair had turned blond.
"Dani, you are a beautiful little girl." I carried my daughter into the elevator while Ella held the door open. We waited for everyone to enter before ascending to our apartments on the fourth floor. Ranger exited the elevator to spend time with his godson and meet my daughter.
Ella unlocked our door to let us into the apartment. Woody and I had left our keys behind. "Ranger, hold Dani for a few minutes," I said as I dumped her into his arms. She smiled at her new uncle. Casey squirmed out of Woody's arms to sit beside him on the chair. I excused myself to use the washroom.
When I returned, I heard Ranger, Bobby, Lester and Tank talking about my role in Rangeman. They were impressed by the changes I made company-wide. Ranger thought LA was the most logical location for a new branch. Lester and Bobby would leave in a few weeks to set up shop.
I sat on the couch beside Woody and rested my head on his shoulder. Dani and Casey were draped across Ranger's lap, asleep. "Babe, you took our vision and made our dreams come true. Without your help and brilliant mind, Rangeman never would have grown. There isn't enough money to repay you for your help."
"Ranger, you once told me that there is no price for what we give each other. You were right. There is no price. Rangeman is my family and I need the men in my life as much as they need me."