Author's note:
Thank you all for reading along.
I am sorry about the late update this week, I was on holiday, with spotty WiFi. So as an apology, you will get two chapters today.
Enjoy!
"Babe, wake up" Ranger's sweet voice breaks through the fog of sleep, making me smile. I love waking up next to him. "Babe, we are here." Here, where? Confused I open my eyes and find him leaning over me from the driver's side of my car. That is when it all comes rushing back to me and once I remember the pain also returns or, maybe, I just blocked it out while I was sleeping.
"I am gonna help you out, stay put." he urges, then shoves open the car door. A few seconds later my door opens and his handsome face comes back into view. "I am gonna bring up the seat slowly, okay?" When I nod, he presses the button to raise the seat and then assists me with getting out of the car.
If I remember correctly we left the Motel at two PM and the sun is on its way down now, which makes me guess it is late afternoon. I look around while Ranger closes the door and discover that we are in a parking lot in front of a non descriptive warehouse. A female in scrubs, with her blonde hair tied into a bun, is waiting with a smile on her face in the open door a few feet away. "I am going to carry you, Babe" Ranger warns, before he carefully picks me up. Despite his gentleness, I bite down on my lip again while a new wave of pain assaults my nervous system.
"Hi, come in." The woman ushers us inside and once we pass, she closes and locks the door. My eyes take a moment to adjust, only to find that the inside is completely empty. She must have seen the bewilderment on my face, because her smile gets wider and she adds "I will explain everything shortly." Then no other word is spoken while she guides us across the empty warehouse floor, down a set of stairs and through a labyrinth of underground tunnels before we arrive in a massive room filled with all sorts of medical equipment. At first glance I would call this place a miniature hospital. "Put her down over there" The woman says and points at one of the five hospital beds set up along the wall. One of the curtains is already drawn, which I suppose means someone else must be here or the staff is napping.
"I am Amy, a nurse, Doctor Gerald will be back in just a minute." The woman introduces herself. "I am sorry for the cloak and dagger, but given the nature of our business, we cannot be too careful."
"That's okay" I smile at her gratefully over Ranger's shoulder as he sets me down.
"Do you want to be examined in front of him or have some privacy?" Amy questions while drawing the curtain around us.
"He can stay."
It takes Amy and Doctor Gerald, a French Canadian man in his fifties with grey hair and plenty of wrinkles on his face, two hours to examine me, run a CT scan and take an X-ray.
"You have a mild concussion, so you will have to be observed for the next twelve hours."
"I am not staying" I say instantly, only to be on the receiving end of Ranger's scowl.
"She is staying and so am I." He tells the Doctor in a tone that tells me not to argue with him.
"Ranger…" I try, but he just shoots me another pointed look which makes me shut up.
"You have three broken ribs and a broken collarbone. They will all heal on their own, which can take up to twelve weeks. So no heavy lifting and no contact sports. But I will give you some painkillers if you need to relieve the pain."
"Okay." I nod. I already know that I will take the pills, since my body is hurting all over. We discovered that I had a large bruise on my hip as well and now that I know about it, that part of my body throbs like hell.
"We stitched up your head and the stitches will dissolve on their own within fourteen days. After forty eight hours you cannot wet your hair, but don't soak it" The Doctor warns "And the good news is, that as bad as everything looks, the bruises will fade."
"Small miracles" I mumble, making the Doctor smile.
"Will she have any lasting damage from the strangulation?" Ranger queries from his spot in the chair next to me. When the nurse undressed me earlier, his face, like now, was blank and void of any emotion, but his eyes showed his anger. Whether that anger is directed at me, the nurse or himself, I have yet to ask.
"No." The doctor shakes his head.
"Can I talk to you outside for a moment?" Ranger asks the Doctor, who just answers with a nod.
"Rest up" Dr Gerald tells me before stepping outside of the curtain.
"I will be right back." Ranger squeezes my hand and follows the Doctor out.
"Now that we are alone" Nurse Amy starts and comes to sit next to my bed. "Do you need any help?"
I am about to ask 'With what?' but then it dawns on me what this all must look like to her. "No" I answer and smile at her reassuringly.
"Stephanie… while we make our business helping people who, for the most part, stay firmly on the wrong side of the law, we have a strict policy for abused victims. We offer help, always, and are not above seeking the help of the police."
"The cops know about this place?" I question surprised.
"Very few. We choose carefully who we let in. If it hadn't been for Bobby's call, Ranger would have not made it through those doors." Amy explains. "And while I know Bobby to be a good person, I know his job mostly falls into the legally gray area."
"The...uhm" I start. I need to choose my words carefully. "The situation is complicated, but it is not what it looks like" mostly, "but I appreciate you looking out for me."
"If you change your mind in the next twelve hours let me know." And with that Amy gets up and leaves as well.
A few minutes later Ranger comes back with a pill bottle in one hand and some water in the other. "You changed Minnie Mouse" I comment on his new butterfly band aids.
"I was sad to see her go" he quips back with a straight face, making me smile. "Take two of these and then rest." I do as I am told and then lean back against the pillow. With a sigh, he sits down on the chair Amy just vacated and scrubs his palms over his face and head. When his eyes meet mine again, they look troubled. When I am just about to ask what is going on in his head, he surprises me by saying "We will leave once you are over the twelve hour mark."
"Okay." I sigh in resignation. "Seems like Rex doesn't have to be looked after, after all."
"We are going to Alaska, so your little rat will just have to get comfortable at Rangemen."
I am not going to ask, yet, how he knows where our intended destination was going to be. He is Batman. You cannot keep anything from him.
