Chapter 9

September 3, 2004

Claire Brooks received a call from Helen Plum. She said that Stephanie passed away as her child was born. It was tragic. Claire had interviewed Stephanie to ensure adoption was the best decision for her child. She had the form Stephanie signed that she'd resume her parental rights if an adoptive family couldn't be matched or in the event of their death.

Nobody had considered where the child would go if the adoption fell through and the mother passed away. "The child goes to her family," she thought. Considering Stephanie's mom had called, Claire assumed that Helen didn't want to raise her grandchild. Helen drove to Newark to sign the required paperwork on Stephanie's behalf.

She entered the hospital and went to the nursery. The boy she'd come to see was in the neonatal ward on the maternity floor. "You are a handsome boy. I should have no problems finding a home for you," Claire told the boy.

Paul and Mary Costello met Claire at the hospital. They spoke to the nurses in the neonatal ward about the boy. "Your son needs to stay at the hospital for a couple of weeks. His lungs require at least another week to develop. He's on steroids to speed up the process," the nurse explained.

"How much would this cost?" Mary asked.

"Around 3000 per day," Claire replied. "If he stays for ten days, including the maternity, labs and other medical test expenses, you should expect to pay between 55000 and 75000 before adoption fees."

"Oh. Um. May Paul and I take a few days to think about our decision?" Mary asked.

"Sure," Claire replied. She had a feeling the Costellos would not be adopting the infant. A few hours later, Claire received the call to confirm her impression. Claire needed to find another family for the child. The adoption agency couldn't afford to cover the hospital expenses.

After a week, Claire decided to place the child into foster care. The CPS used donations and government grants to pay the medical expenses. Claire met with Mrs. Marjorie Sumner at Child Protective Services in the neonatal wing. "Have you contacted the boy's mother or father?" Marjorie asked.

"The mother didn't have his last name and passed away shortly after the child's birth. She got pregnant from a one-night stand. I only know his first name was Rick. I've checked the number of Ricardo, Richard, and Ricks at Rutgers and Douglass College. There are hundreds on both campuses. I can't guarantee he provided his real name," Claire explained.

Majorie wasn't surprised the woman didn't know the man's last name. She'd seen too many cases where a college girl got pregnant from carelessness or faulty birth control. Few women knew the father's name. Most college women gave up their children to adoption or lost them to CPS through neglect. "We'll take the boy when he gets released from medical care. Does he have a name?" Marjorie asked.

"I've named him Rafael," the nurse confessed.

Claire smiled. "The Costellos planned to name him Pablo," she stated. "We should name him Rafael Pablo Castillo."

Marjorie recorded the name on her paperwork. She couldn't accept a child without a legal name. Claire had mentioned in her call that the grandmother authorized the placement into foster care. It was a shame the woman wanted her grandson placed into the system. There were too many children and not enough decent homes. Marjorie prayed that Rafael wouldn't fall through the cracks.

September 15, 2004

Aria and Jose Cortez received a call from the hospital. "Hi, may I please speak to Aria Cortez?" the man asked.

"Aria, speaking," she replied.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Ben McKittricks at Newark Hospital. Are you and Jose still considering becoming foster parents?" Ben asked.

"Yes. We picked up an application and filled out our information. Jose was going to mail it tomorrow," Aria replied.

"I have an infant boy in the neonatal ward ready to go home with a foster family. Mrs. Sumner will be dropping into the hospital at 2 pm. Could you and your husband meet us today?" Ben asked.

"Sure. We'll bring the application form," Aria said before ending the call.

Aria and Jose went to the hospital to meet with the CPS caseworker and doctor. Her older children were still in school, and Aria's mom promised to pick them up when school concluded for the day.

Majorie reviewed the application for the child. They indicated an interest in fostering the child with the option to adopt in four years. The boy would have older siblings, and Marjorie liked the parents. Rafael would fit in perfectly. By 8 pm, Aria and Jose got to take their foster son home.

June 20, 2015

Stephanie woke up in the morning, worried that last night was a dream. She entered her living room to find Rafael sound asleep on her sofa. Stephanie sighed in relief when her drug-addled mind had not played tricks on her last night. She sat on the floor in front of the couch and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Morning, Steph," Rafael said, his voice rough from sleep.

"Hey, sweetie. Did you sleep okay?" Stephanie asked.

"Better than I have in a long time," Rafael confessed.

"We didn't get much time to talk last night. I want to know about your foster parents," she said. "Did they treat you right?"

Rafael told Stephanie about the homes where he lived. Stephanie cried when she realized he didn't have a happy life. It broke her heart. Rafael said Camila Rodriguez had sold the new coat he received for Christmas. "Juanita's mom said I should have told Mrs. Manoso," Rafael stated.

Stephanie froze for a minute. "What was her first name?" she asked, whispering.

"Maria. Her husband's name is Ricardo," Rafael replied. "Stephanie, what's wrong?"

Wiping tears from her face, she asked, "Did the Manosos treat you well?"

"Yes. The Manosos were like grandparents to me. I stayed with them during the weekends," Rafael stated. "I slept in their oldest son's bedroom. His name was Ricardo too, but they called him Ric."

Stephanie cried. Not dainty cries, gut-wrenching sobs. Rafael hugged her until her tears started to subside. "Do you know them?" Rafael asked.

"I know their son, and I had dinner at their home last summer. It was after their granddaughter Julie got kidnapped," Stephanie replied.

Rafael raised an eyebrow. Stephanie wasn't telling him something important. "What aren't you telling me?" he asked.

"Sweetie, if I am your biological mother, which I believe I am, then your father is Ricardo Carlos Manoso," Stephanie honestly replied.

"And the Manosos are my grandparents," he added.

Stephanie felt her phone chime in her pocket. She retrieved it to read the message. "Rafie, we're moving in with Hector for a few months."

"Why?"

"Hector got the results. I'm your biological mother. If I want the CPS to release you into my custody, I need to provide you with a bedroom," Stephanie replied. "As you can see, this apartment only has one bedroom."

"Did you ever want to keep me?" Rafael asked.

"I had a family ready to adopt you. If they changed their mind and the agency couldn't find a suitable home or if your adopted family passed away, I would resume custody. I never wanted you in the foster care system," Stephanie replied.

"You didn't?" Rafael asked.

"No, sweetie. I would never have done that to you," Stephanie replied. "I wanted you to have a stable, happy home."

Within a few hours, Hector arrived to collect Stephanie's belongings. She left the furniture behind for her Grandma Mazur to use when she moved in. "I'll need clothes, mom. I only have the stuff in my pack," Rafael said.

"I can't promise to be the best mother, but I'll try my best," Stephanie promised.

Stephanie was furious with her mother. How dare she permit her son to enter the foster care system? She had FTAs that shared stories of unspeakable things they had endured as children. Thankfully, her son didn't get physically abused or worse. She shuddered at the thought. Rafael was too skinny, and his clothes were threadbare, but Hector had reassured her that he had it covered.

When she got to Hector's home, she called her dad to invite him over. He arrived within minutes, having been in the area.

Frank got angry as Stephanie told him the story. He couldn't believe Helen had given his grandson to the CPS. She should have moved heaven and earth to keep him in the family. Frank knew she followed Stephanie's instructions, but to say the child was a girl and died? That was unforgivable. Had she followed Stephanie's instructions for the adoption agency, the child should have come home. His loving, generous and kind daughter endured over ten years of heartache over her child.

July 5, 2015

Ranger returned home from his mission. He visited Stephanie's apartment at 0100 hours but found Edna Mazur in the bedroom. Ranger exited the apartment before he woke up the woman.

He called his right-hand man, Tank, to locate his Babe. "Yo," Tank answered. He was at Rangeman working the monitor shift.

"Where's Stephanie?" Ranger asked.

Tank sighed. "She temporarily moved into Hector's home until she can find a two-bedroom apartment," he replied. Tank wondered why Ranger didn't listen to his voice message on his cellphone.

"I got back in town and checked her apartment," Ranger stated.

"Ah. Little red riding hood got replaced by the grandmother," Tank said, laughing.

"Tank!" Ranger snarled.

"Check your voice mail, Batman." Tank laughed before he hung up. Stephanie had to Tank to pass along the message if he called.

Ranger sighed and dialled the number to retrieve his calls. "Hey, Batman. We need to talk. I'm begging you to call me before you come to the house. Please call soon," Stephanie said.

He checked the other messages. There was a frantic one from his mom, "Carlos, please call. We need to talk."

"Why does everyone need to talk to me?" Ranger wondered. He'd have to call Babe and mama later in the day.

~~~

Stephanie woke up at 7 am. She had to get to Vinnie's Bail bond office when it opened to collect her files. Salvatore Sunucchi, Uncle Sunny to Joe Morelli, was the current FTA that Stephanie was attempting to capture. Stephanie had gone to Angie Morelli's house yesterday, but Bella cursed her. She rolled her eyes and decided to ask Connie for help.

On her way to the bonds office, Stephanie got kidnapped. Stephanie screamed and fought her captors, but they tied her arms behind her back. Sunny's men said they were tossing her off the Delaware bridge. She pressed the panic button in her pocket, having grabbed the item Ranger gave her months earlier.

Rangeman received an alert when Stephanie's panic button got activated. The men got organized to send a team when Ranger entered the floor. "Lester, Bobby, Tank, you're with me. Cal, Hal, send us updates on her coordinates," Ranger barked before his team ran down the stairs.

Ranger jumped into his Porsche Cayenne. The other men jumped into another Rangeman SUV and followed behind. "Report!" Ranger ordered when Cal answered the phone.

"Her signal stopped on the Delaware bridge," Cal replied. Cal listened to Stephanie's panicked words as she begged the men to let her go.

"Damn it!" Ranger screamed. "Call Hector. Stephanie lives at his house."

"HUA," Cal said and hung up. He dialled Hector's number to provide an update.

"Yo," Hector answered.

Talking in rapid Spanish, Cal explained that Stephanie got kidnapped and her signal stopped on the Delaware bridge. Hector hung up and got Rafael ready to leave. "We have to go now. Your mom is in trouble," Hector said.

Rafael's eyes opened wide, and he quickly pulled on his shoes. He ran to the car behind Hector. As he fastened the seatbelt, Hector raced towards the bridge. When they arrived, Rafael screamed, "Mom."

Stephanie looked up to see Ranger standing on the rail. "Stop moving, Babe. I'll pull you up," Ranger said. He started tugging on the rope, but it began to unravel at her ankle. She could see Ranger's decision a second before the knot let loose. When she plummeted towards the river, Ranger dove in to rescue her.

Rafael jumped from the car before Hector stopped. He raced to the rail and screamed, "Mom. No. Please, don't take my mom away from me. I just found her," Rafael cried. Hector wrapped his arms around Rafael and pulled him away from the rail. He noticed Ranger swimming to the bank below.

"Rafie, come with me," Hector said, tugging the boy to the hill leading down to the water.

When they climbed down the steep slope, Ranger pulled Stephanie from the river. She sputtered and coughed to clear her mouth. "Mom," Rafael called. He threw his arms around Stephanie and sobbed into her neck.

"I'm fine, Rafie," Stephanie said before tugging on his arms. She unwrapped her son's arms from her neck then placed her hands on his cheeks to look at his tear-stained face.

"Mom, Babe?" Ranger asked.

"Yes. Rafael is our son, Rick," Stephanie whispered, using the name he'd given her years ago.

Ranger leaned into Stephanie to quietly ask, "When is his birthday?"

"September 3, 2004. He was born three weeks early," Stephanie answered.

He kneeled beside Stephanie and Rafael. "We have a child?" Ranger asked again. Stephanie nodded.

Bobby interrupted their family reunion to examine Stephanie. "Did the boy call you mom?" he asked as he listened to Stephanie's chest with the stethoscope.

"Yes. I got told my child had died, but he got moved to the foster care system. CPS just granted me custody," Stephanie answered.

"Ranger's the father?" he asked. Stephanie nodded. "He'll want a paternity test."

"It's fine. I expected Ranger would want to handle it for himself." Bobby nodded. He knew from experience that he'd arrange the test.

Rafael stared at Ranger. He heard his mom call him Ric. His father had jumped off the bridge to save his mother. Rafael stepped back from his parents, giving them time to talk. He smiled, knowing his dad loved his mother. "He loves her," Rafael whispered.

"Yes, but he refuses to admit it," Hector stated. Rafael rolled his eyes.

Ranger waited until Bobby nodded before approaching Stephanie. "Babe, I love you," Ranger said.

"In your own way," she automatically replied.