A/N: The story line will flip between the past and present. Each occurrence is signified by a specific date. Memories are italicized.
Chapter 2
September 22, 2014
Stephanie checked the date on her phone. As she did every year for the past ten years, she went to church to light a candle. Her mother went with her to church on September 3rd to light a candle for the girl that died. She went alone on September 22nd to honour her daughter on her due date. It was her time to grieve her death.
Ranger entered the church and kneeled beside her, lighting a candle for the loved ones he lost. Stephanie turned away from Ranger, hiding her tears. It was a private moment for her, and she didn't know why he was there.
She had felt Ranger before he entered the church. Stephanie grabbed her phone from her pocket and shoved it in the space beneath the candle altar. After she said a prayer, she got to her feet and exited the building. Before Ranger could catch up to her, she sped off into the night.
He shook his head as Stephanie sped from the church parking lot. Ranger pulled up her trackers to find they were still at the church. Silently he cursed and searched for the devices. Stephanie had removed them and stuck them underneath the church pews.
"Yo," Cal answered.
"Trace Stephanie's phone," Ranger ordered.
"Sir, the phone is in your location," Cal replied.
Ranger looked around the church. He found Stephanie's phone tucked beneath the candle altar. She must have put it there when he arrived. "Are any of her trackers moving?" Ranger impatiently asked.
"No, sir. All trackers are in your current location," Cal answered. "Would you like me to send out a team?"
"Three teams of two to check her usual hangouts," Ranger ordered.
"Yes, sir." Cal ended the call to dispatch the men.
Stephanie knew Ranger or his men would look for her in Point Pleasant. It was her place to escape the confines of Trenton or work through her emotions. She had filled her car with gas before visiting the church. Her trackers got removed within a few minutes of her arrival. Ranger knew something was bothering Stephanie and had asked. Of course, Stephanie refused to give him a satisfactory answer.
She needed time to grieve the loss of her daughter. Stephanie took the highway leading towards Atlantic City. She carefully avoided all traffic cameras. Lula gave her a plate cover that obscured her licence plates at night. She was thankful for her friend's foresight. Then again, Lula didn't like Ranger keeping tabs on her friend.
Ranger looked like the man who fathered her child. He's more muscular, but Stephanie felt the familiarity when they had sex. If Ranger recognized her, he never said anything. She thought there was a spark of memory when they met in the diner. He slammed down his blank face before she could decipher the expression.
The casino parking lots were packed, so she parked in the lot furthest from the building. Stephanie grabbed her purse and walked towards the boardwalk. Once she was alone, she pulled an oversized brown sweatshirt over her head, obscuring her face and hair. "Thank you, Sally Sweet," Stephanie muttered. She purchased a burner phone from the booth near the boardwalk, using the cash from her wallet. "Thanks, buddy," she said when he answered.
"No problem," Sally Sweet replied. "Batman was here looking for you."
"I needed to be alone. When he showed up at the church, I got mad and left," Stephanie confessed.
"He's wondering why you were there," Sally stated.
"What did you say?" Stephanie asked.
"The truth. I don't know. It isn't something you talk about," Sally replied. She wondered if Sally figured out her secret.
"Do you know?"
"No. I have a list of theories, but I won't ask you to confirm," Sally explained.
"I appreciate that you respect my privacy," Stephanie said. "I'll call when I get to the hotel."
"Use cash. Stay safe, my friend," Sally said before hanging up.
Stephanie met Salvatore Sweet when she needed help to solve puzzles for a case. She caught her FTA and uncovered a counterfeit money scheme. During another case involving the red devil, Sally saved her from the Comstock Slayers. She got kidnapped at Valerie's bridal shower.
She strolled past the boardwalk and noticed the lack of tourists outside on the beach. Stephanie found a secluded place to sit in the sand. The cold wind whipped around her, but she huddled further into the sweat clothes she borrowed from Sally. She pulled her legs under the sweater and thought back to the day she lost her daughter.
Stephanie and her mother unloaded the boxes of clothes from the car. The women walked on the sidewalk along the side of the busy street in front of Douglass College's dorm buildings. "Why are you wearing such baggy clothes? Why me? Why couldn't my daughter dress appropriately?" Helen asked.
"Mom, I'm comfortable wearing these clothes. Nobody except you cares what I wear," Stephanie replied.
"You need to show off your figure if you want to get a husband," Helen added.
Before Stephanie could respond, a car sped around the curve and jumped the curb. Helen stepped back as the vehicle careened towards Stephanie, who had moved out of the direct line of impact. But the car slid, clipping her in the side. Stephanie fell to the ground, landing on her stomach. "My baby," Stephanie cried.
"Baby? You're pregnant?" Helen screeched.
"Yes. I've contacted an adoption agency," Stephanie replied. The family Stephanie had selected wanted to adopt her mixed-race child. She wasn't sure if they'd take the infant if she gave birth early. They had stressed that they didn't have the money to raise a medically demanding child. It was only September 3rd. The child wasn't due for another three weeks.
The campus emergency crew arrived within minutes, taking Stephanie to the hospital located a few minutes off campus. "Miss Plum, do you give your mother permission to make medical decisions for you and your baby?" a doctor asked.
"Yes," Stephanie groaned. She would never know the problems that a single word would cause.
Stephanie didn't remember anything past the doctors rushing her to the procedure room. The room contained everything required for an emergency c-section. From the lack of an incision, Stephanie knew her child got delivered vaginally. Her mother asked the doctors to release Stephanie into her care. "Where's the baby?" Stephanie had asked.
Helen cued the tears to fall from her eyes. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. She didn't make it," Helen said. Stephanie had no clue that she delivered a boy, not a girl.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, princess," Stephanie whispered to the sky as tears ran down her face.
~~~
Maria Manoso took Rafael's toothbrush and Ricardo's baby tooth to a private lab. She wanted the samples tested for a comparison match. Something in Rafael's expression was eerily similar to her son, Ricardo. Her husband supported her decision to get the DNA paternity test.
"When will the results be ready?" Maria asked the technician. He was around forty-years-old, brown hair and pale skin.
"A few hours to ten business days. It depends on the sample size," the man answered honestly. "Do you want names associated with the test?"
"No, thank you. The toothbrush belongs to the child, and the tooth to the potential father," Maria replied. "I just want to know if the child belongs to the man." Maria mentally blessed herself before adding, "My daughter's friend got forced to pay support for the child without proof of paternity."
"Unfortunately, it happens all the time. I'll call you when the results are available."
Maria was preparing dinner when she received the call. "May I speak to Mrs. Manoso?"
"Speaking," Maria replied.
"Hi, my name is Rochelle White from Whitmore labs. Stu asked me to call you. I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news. The man is the child's biological father," she stated.
Maria sat on the chair with the phone clutched in her hand. "Can you please repeat that?" Rochelle repeated that the DNA sample from the tooth was a 99.9 percent match to the DNA sample on the toothbrush.
Ricardo Sr sat beside his wife at the table. "Did the lab call?" he asked.
"Yes," Maria replied. She told her husband the results of the paternity test. The Manosos held each other and cried.
December 31, 2003
"I don't know, Bailey. A party and dance for singles on New Year's Eve? Does that not scream desperate to you?" Stephanie asked.
"Nope. I heard some guys from Rutgers would be there too," Bailey replied. "It was hard to get the tickets. Please come with me, Steph." Bailey gave Stephanie the puppy dog eyes, and she couldn't say no. "I'll tell your mom that you didn't have a paper due in the new year."
"Fine, Bailey. I'll go to the party," Stephanie said, caving. Going to the party with Bailey was better than getting set up with the random man her mother selected.
"Yay! We're going to have so much fun," Bailey squealed. She linked her arm with Stephanie and dragged her towards the closet. "I have the perfect dress for you to wear." The dress wasn't so perfect. It was too baggy in the chest. Bailey's breast size was significantly larger than Stephanie's 36B.
Bailey French braided her hair and wore a tiny black dress. She applied smoky eyeshadow to make her grey eyes more prevalent on her pale face. The dress accentuated her ample bosom.
Stephanie wore a tight red leather skirt that barely covered her ass. Her top was black and lacy, showing hints of her red bra. "I couldn't wear panties under the skirt," Stephanie whispered as they exited their room. Stephanie wore eyeliner and mascara. Bailey helped Stephanie straighten her hair.
"Don't you have any thongs?" Bailey asked. Stephanie shook her head. "I have a brand new pair with the tags. Do you want them?"
"Sure. I feel naked," Stephanie replied. Bailey dragged Stephanie back into their room to grab underwear.
Their dorm room fit two beds, two dressers, two desks and a small closet. The window didn't close fully. A rolled-up towel got shoved in the opening to prevent the room from getting cold. They had to use the women's communal shower down the hall.
Stephanie pulled off the tags and pulled the nude underwear up her legs. "When you bend over, people are going to think you're commando," Bailey stated.
"Let's go," Stephanie said with a nervous giggle. Neither woman grabbed a coat to wear.
They took a cab to Desire, the Newark club that was hosting the event. The women ran to the entrance, showed their fake IDs and gave the guard the tickets. He smiled and let them into the building.
"Wow," Stephanie said as she entered the club. Red, blue and green lights flashed around the room. "Come on, Lee. We should grab a drink." Stephanie dragged Bailey to the bar.
"You don't need to pull so hard, Shelly," Bailey replied, calling her by the name on her fake ID.
Stephanie bought one drink and quickly drank it before going onto the dance floor. Bailey followed suit. The two women danced together until large hands grabbed Stephanie's hips. "Dance with me," the sexy voice whispered.
She turned around and stared into the warm, brown eyes of the man. "Sure. I hope you can dance," she purred. Her straightened hair hung down to her waist.
"I'm Rick," the man stated.
"Shelly," Stephanie replied. They danced to a few songs before getting another drink from the bar. Stephanie knew she had low tolerance to alcohol, but it didn't stop her from drinking. Halfway through the night, Rick slipped his thigh between her legs and pulled her body against him.
Rick dragged Stephanie towards the washroom when she moaned from the pressure his leg provided. He pressed her against the door of the men's room stall and lifted her. "Wrap your legs around me," he growled.
Stephanie did as asked. Rick pushed her underwear to the side and slid into her. He pressed his lip against her mouth, preventing her from screaming his name. They returned to the dance floor as though nothing had happened.
The bartender yelled, "Last call."
Rick offered to buy her another drink. "No, thank you," she replied.
"Come home with me," Rick countered. Stephanie nodded her head.
"Where are we?" Stephanie asked.
"Frat house," he announced. "Nobody will pay attention to you."
The house was huge. It was painted pale blue. The porch had chairs, small tables, and it wrapped along the side. Inside was open but reeked of testosterone. Several doors on the main floor and second level were closed.
"My room is over here," Rick said, pulling Stephanie towards the only open door on the first floor. He quietly shut and locked the door. Rick lifted Stephanie, carrying her to the bed. He dropped her in the middle before stripping off her clothes.
Stephanie writhed beneath Rick's attention. He licked, kissed, nibbled and sucked every inch of her body before pressing into her again. "Feels good," Stephanie moaned. Rick and Stephanie woke up a few times during the night to repeat the process.
At 5 am, Stephanie woke up, realizing she had made an epic mistake. She wasn't on birth control, and they didn't use protection. Stephanie pulled on her clothes, minus the underwear that Rick tore from her body. She used the main floor washroom to clean.
The phone sat on a table near the staircase. Stephanie borrowed the phone to call a cab. "Address?" the woman asked.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know it," Stephanie confessed. "It's the light blue fraternity house near Rutgers."
"I know the place. The cab should arrive in a few minutes," the woman replied.
Stephanie left the house to sit on one of the porch chairs. Her cab arrived a few minutes later. "Where am I taking you?" the cab driver asked.
"Carson hall at Douglass college," Stephanie replied. "Can you stop at McDonald's on the way?" As her cab pulled away from the house, Rick woke up.
"Shelly?" he asked. He checked the washroom, kitchen, game room and living room.
"Who are you looking for?" Bobby asked.
"Shelly, the woman I brought home last night. Long brown hair, blue eyes and beautiful. She wore a see-through lace top and red leather skirt," Rick replied.
"Nope. Sorry, buddy," Bobby said before leaving.
Rick returned to his room to toss the condoms into the trash. He looked around his bedroom but did not find any. When he pulled back the sheets, he groaned. They forgot to use condoms.