Disclaimer: Everything recognizable belongs to Janet Evanovich. I am only borrowing them. Thank you for allowing us to use your amazing characters for fun!
-chapter-3
SPOV
When I wake up, it is daylight and I still felt very tired. My arms and leg don't want to move. I try to get up and stumble a bit, lightheadedness hits me hard. I don't even want to know what my hair looks like, so I concentrate on letting the dizziness pass and start crawling up the embankment. There's a rundown industrial park that looks abandoned. I need to find a phone. I walk through the dilapidated buildings and spot some cars parked by the nicest of all the buildings. It's a hot day, and I'm feeling it. The utilitarian structure is pretty basic but has a newer sign advertising a landscaping company. Hesitantly, I open the door and walk in. The office is very plain and there are a couple of women sitting at desks and several men standing around chatting in Spanish. As I step into the room, everyone turns to look at me and stare. It's so quiet, you'd be able to hear a pin drop.
Nervously, I asked if I can use the phone and the whole room erupts in rapid fire Spanish. Man, I really need to learn the language! I hold my hand up to my ear to simulate a phone and one is handed to me. I punch in Rangeman's main phone number and while waiting for the call to be picked up, I chance a glance at a mirror hanging on the wall. My reflection makes me wince, because, yep, my hair looks really bad and my clothes, although covering my important parts, are dirty and torn to shreds.
"Rangeman how can I help you?" the man answered.
"Manny? It's Steph." I say as I continued to gaze down the mirror at my body, stopping at the torn-up flesh that is hanging open along the left side of my body. I note the dried blood tinged oozing liquid that accentuates my paler than usual skin tone as my vision starts to tunnel and I feel myself sinking to the ground. "Help!" is all I get out before I drop the phone and darkness overwhelms me.
Ranger POV
After 12 hours of searching every property owned by Jack Frost and Alex Lopez, I was spent. My body has long since processed the adrenalin high and I was noticing the drop. I desperately need to eat and sleep but that was just not possible right now. I had every man and contract worker available out looking for Steph. I had to find her. I say a quick prayer, "Please God, don't let me lose her!" My phone buzzes. "Report!"
"All morgues and hospitals are clear, no one matching her description" Les states. "Hector is still trying to follow the car. We will let you know when we have more."
It is now lunchtime, and we're coming up empty. Stephanie has been gone for 15 hours. I make a quick stop at the break room to grab a sandwich and head back to the conference room on 5. It's the largest of all the conference rooms and the guys are busy filing in and out. The timeline has been updated and I'm just about to sit down and study the report on Alex for the third time when Cal yells.
"Steph just called our main phone line! Manny is talking to her now." Leaping out of my chair and sprinting to the control room, I get there in time to hear Manny speaking Spanish on the phone and asking for a location. He hands the phone to Zip and picks up the other phone line, punching in 911 and telling the dispatcher, "Thirty-four-year-old female with multiple lacerations, apparent blood loss, and loss of consciousness. She is at 56709 White Oak Parkway, unit 25." He covers the phone and tells me to head to the address and he will update me if the ambulance leaves the location before I get there.
Both Les and I fly down the stairs and head to the Turbo. We're about 20 minutes out and we've broken about every traffic law heading out of Trenton. The EMT's are wheeling Stephanie out of the office when we arrive. I note her muddy, disheveled appearance and pale complexion. She has an IV in her right arm, a blood pressure cuff attached to her left, and oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. There is a large blanket pressed into her left side. I follow her into the back of the ambulance and within minutes we're speeding off to the hospital, lights and siren blaring. I give the EMT more info and answer as many questions as I can on route. I'm holding her hand as the EMT monitors her vitals and pushes medications into her IV. As soon as we arrive, Steph is rolled down the hall and I'm stopped by the staff just before the restricted area and given insurance forms to sign. I hold her medical power of attorney and am familiar with her entire medical history so the forms are just a slight distraction. I can't help but let my mind wander on how many times her tracking devices have failed or been removed and wish she would consent to have one implanted. When I finished the forms, I pull out my phone and make a quick call to Tank.
Steph POV
Waking up to the beeps and buzzing of a hospital is well known to me. Why me? Shit, I sound like my mother! The antiseptic smell confirms that I'm definitely in a hospital. Opening my eyes and looking around leads to wincing at the brightness of the room. I turn to look at the man beside me and I'm met with warm chocolate eyes. I smile and say, "We have to stop meeting like this."
Ranger's blank face is replaced by a two-hundred-watt smile. Man, I love that smile. I start asking him the millions of questions that are racing through my head. "How long have I been here? What time is it? What day is it? What's wrong with me? When can I get out of here?"
Ranger closes his eyes and waits for me to finish speaking while pressing the call button to alert the staff that I'm awake. Before he can answer more than the time and date, a young nurse comes in.
"Hello, glad you are back with us," she states as she checks my vitals. She tells me all the results as she scribbles on her clip board. She's nervous and casts more than a few shy glances at Ranger. Ugh. I could be dying of thirst, and she'd probably go get him a glass of water. Speaking of water, I am very thirsty oh, and hungry, too. Yes, I could definitely use a doughnut. Ranger shakes his head and says, "No, no doughnuts" as he reaches over me to produce a cup of water with a bendy straw . Damn his ESP.
My injuries, I am told, are 2 large lacerations that needed over a hundred stitches inside and out, as well as massive blood loss that required multiple transfusions and a lot of minor scrapes and bruises. Since I was in the Delaware, the wound debridement required surgery and I am on a massive dose of IV antibiotics requiring a stay in the hospital until they deem me infection free. Now, how do I get my doughnuts?
I've been here three more days and am awaiting my marching orders later this afternoon. I was ready to yank the IV out of my arm two days ago but was threatened by Ranger and my Mother with handcuffs and no pineapple upside down cake for the rest of my life, respectively. I saw Joe a total of three times in the four days I was in the hospital and each visit was good, albeit a little awkward. We're currently in an "off period" of our on/off again revolving door relationship. A near death experience usually gets us back together, but this time I know deep down it won't. We have so much history and even though I love him, I just can't be what he wants, and I told him as much. It's better to end it with him now than torture ourselves anymore with our unhealthy and sometimes volatile relationship. It really shouldn't be this hard, right? If I'm being honest, he was always my second choice, my fall back so I wouldn't be alone. And that truly is not fair to either of us. He walked out of my room for the last time with his shoulders slumped. I need to put my big girl panties on and go for what I want; but first, I need to think about that for a bit. Am I willing to risk ruining the friendship I have with Ranger if I dare to tell him the truth? Can I truly risk that? The door opens and my thoughts are interrupted by my best friend Mary Lou. She is the perfect distraction so that I can contemplate my life choice later, much later.
