"What do you think?" said Adele as she entered the room again, after showing Darla and Zack out.

I was still staring down at my phone and reading the symptom sheet for MS. I looked up and smiled. "I think I'd like to do a full in-depth review on Darla and her brother. Something is a little hinky."

"What do you mean?" said Ranger.

"When Darla was leaving the room, you could tell that she wasn't comfortable using her wheelchair. She wasn't quite sure how to move the wheels to line her up properly with the door frame, but she said she has been using it for five years. For someone who has used it as long as she has, that should be second nature. Watch Noah or any of the other people in wheelchairs in the building, and they don't even have to think about it. It's natural and just happens, much like a person walking doesn't have to think about the process of moving their feet. She was thinking her way through the steps. Even I'm better than that, and I've only been in a wheelchair part time for the last month."

"What are you saying?" said Ranger.

"I'm saying that I don't think that she's disabled. I'm just looking up symptoms for MS. While I could not assess her without a doctor's degree, it still doesn't seem like a good fit to me. And even if she did have severe MS to the point where she needed a wheelchair, she would likely also suffer from debilitating fatigue and wouldn't be able to do the work associated with being a researcher."

Ranger picked up the phone and called security. He asked them to capture the tapes, save them, and stream them through to our phones. Minutes later, he was watching the video. "I'll be damned", he said softly. "You're right, babe. That was a good catch."

Adele looked up after watching the video herself. "I think we should involve the TPD and get her charged with fraud", she said. "This is ridiculous, and she is the kind of person to cause a problem hoping that we will pay the money to make her go away, rather than realizing that we are a good company, a responsible and inclusive company, and we pride ourselves on that. And because we pride ourselves on that, we aren't going to back down when we are accused of discrimination."

Ranger pulled out his phone and called Joe. He was our TPD liaison, a lieutenant with the Trenton Police Department. He was a good man and one of our best friends – and I knew already that he would be pissed to hear that someone was trying to sue us for discrimination.

I had known Joe since I was in diapers, and I had been friends with him just as long. At times, that friendship had delved into a relationship status and even into an engagement, but I had eventually realized that Joe would never make me happy as a romantic partner. Joe and I broke up, but we were luckily able to retain the friendship that was the underpinning of our relationship.

I started going out with Ranger and, because Joe was still an important friend in my life, Ranger worked hard to accept him. And because Ranger was my life partner, Joe worked hard to accept Ranger. What came out of it was a close friendship. And then when Joe met Tracy? He told me that he hadn't really understood before what happiness was. Now Tracy was our caregiver for the kids and a beloved aunt and godmother. Joe was a beloved godfather and uncle, and their son Eli was a beloved nephew and close cousin and friend to my kids. We spent a lot of time with them and regularly shared meals and had fun together. They were, in short, family.

Joe and Tracy were in our inner circle, and unlike most people they were privy to the inner workings of Rangeman. They were as proud to be associated with the company as I was, and they played an essential role in getting our time-sensitive projects done by looking after our kids and covering things at home. As I have frequently told Tracy, I would not be able to do what I do if I was worrying about the kids. She was, in fact, one of the most fundamental people involved in a rescue or other challenging mission. I think she was finally starting to believe me.

Ranger reached Joe and put him on speakerphone and told Joe that Adele and I were there. "Hey, cupcake", said Joe. "How did your first morning back go?"

I grinned. "They had a party for me. I got off the elevator and was trying to gather my courage, and when I finally went on the floor the team had made a banner welcoming me back and stuffed the conference room full of food and beverages, and everyone started clapping and giving me hugs. It was fucking awesome, and I'm going to be far less nervous to go into work tomorrow."

"That's fabulous."

"I got to meet the new people, and all the previous staff were surprised that I remembered details about them and their lives, like their kids' names and so on. I think every staff member hugged me and told me they were happy that I had come back. Miguel and Dirk and Nick looked so excited they could hardly sit still. I would never have imagined that I was as well liked, and that people cared as much as they did."

I could hear Joe smile. "It doesn't surprise me. You are one of the most well-liked people that I know."

Ranger laughed. "We just met one person who doesn't like Steph very much."

"And she is going to like me even less if I am right", I said with a laugh.

"What's going on?"

"We have a fraud charge that we'd like you to investigate."

"Sounds intriguing. Did I tell you how happy I am that you are back? My days get a lot more interesting with you here."

"If I had known that you were looking for interesting, I would have brought you over to Scotland and you could have dealt with my sister", I said.

"There is such a thing as too interesting ", said Joe with a laugh.

I giggled. "Are you coming over or what?"

"I'll be there in fifteen."

I smiled as Ranger hung up. "Darla has no idea of the firepower we have available to unleash on her."

"Hooah", said Ranger with a grin.

I sighed, but I was having trouble not smiling. "That's hooyah. I'm an honorary SEAL, not an honorary Ranger. My saying is hooyah."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm not an honorary anything. I actually am a Ranger, and my saying is hooah."

I sighed, bit back a smile, and shook my head. Ranger grinned and rubbed my back, then took my coffee cup, asked Adele whether she would like him to retrieve a coffee for her as well, and left the room.

"Could we require Darla to be assessed by an MS specialist?" I said to Adele when Ranger was gone.

"I think that is fair", said Adele. "There are a number of issues. First is the fraud charge. She should have to prove that she has MS and is actually disabled. Then there is the personal discrimination charge. To support our claims are the results of the psychological review. I have pulled her test answers and the results and have added that to our file. I have also written up our hiring policies and minimum test scores for hiring purposes. After that, there is the charge that our company is discriminatory. I have done an overview of our staff and the percentage representation of staff with challenges, and I have done an overview of our Medical Office and our Occupational Therapist and the other supports that we have put in place to allow people of all abilities to work in our company."

I smiled. "You've been busy."

"I'm pissed", said Adele. "One of the reasons I am so proud to work at Rangeman is because of their inclusive attitude. Yes, people have to be able to do the job and no one who isn't qualified would ever be hired. However, Rangeman looks at ability and knowledge and will go to the wall and back to support someone through their issues to enable them to be the best that they can be."

I smiled sadly. "A number of staff are supported by Ranger before they even get hired. Ranger has offered people places to live and therapy to support them while they heal. I know Noah the best, simply because I work closely with him and am good friends with him. He lost his legs on a battlefield, but he went back to school while he was healing and became a Doctor of Forensic Psychology. Ranger heard about him and was impressed with his perseverance and determination to not give up. Ranger interviewed him when Noah was still in the rehab hospital. When Ranger heard that Noah couldn't afford a comfortable wheelchair custom-made for him, Ranger bought him one. He helped him find a wheelchair-accessible apartment to stay in, and he paid for the first six months of rent. When he found out that Noah liked swimming but couldn't do it without help getting in and out of the pool, Ranger invited him to swim at the same time as we swim so that Ranger could lift him in and out. And like Ranger had expected, Noah is a strong member of the team. He has been promoted up a few times, is brilliant and easy-going and willing to do whatever is needed for the team, and he is an honestly nice person that people love to be around. Do Ranger and I care that he is in a wheelchair? Absolutely not. He is a good person, a solid employee, and is someone we are proud to have on staff simply because he is so talented at what he does. And that is all that matters."

"I didn't know that. That again makes me even more proud to work for Ranger."

I sighed. "Ranger doesn't like announcing all the help that he gives behind the scenes. He has helped numerous people before they even get hired, just because he heard about them and something impressed him – usually their determination to overcome. He puts them through their paces, but in his eyes if he buys a wheelchair for someone who doesn't make the grade, that's okay too. He'd rather take the chance on them than take the chance that we miss out on hiring a superstar."

"I know that, when I was hired, Ranger arranged for me to have a bigger office and a better chair for me, just so that I had a lot more room to move with my crutches and a more comfortable place to sit. I don't need a lot of supports, but my back is often sore. So when Ranger heard that? He arranged for me to have a chair that has heating and massage capabilities to ease the discomfort. And again, that thoughtfulness is something that I love about Rangeman."

I smiled. "Me too."

"That's why it's burning my britches that Ranger is being attacked. It's so incredibly unfair. He probably does more for people to help them work for him than anyone else in Trenton and maybe even the whole country."

I smiled slightly at her. "And that is why we are going to fight back."

"Damn right", said Adele with a determined smile.

Ranger and Joe walked in carrying the coffees, and they put them down in front of us. Joe gave me a hug and kissed my forehead. "Nice to see you", he said.

I laughed. "After spending the weekend with me, I thought you'd be sick of me."

Joe laughed. "Never. Trace and Eli and I are just glad you're back. We missed you."

I smiled. "I thought Alix was going to cry when she saw Eli. She had missed him so much, and she was so happy to see him again."

Joe laughed. "Eli kept mentioning it last night when we were home. He was thrilled to see everyone again, and he was so pleased to be able to show Alix his reading skills and how much they had improved."

"I noticed that", I said. "He has learned so much while we were gone. He's incredibly smart, and it's amazing to watch him learn."

"Why is that so amazing?" said Adele.

I smiled again. "Joe and Tracy adopted Eli almost two years ago. At the time, he was five years old, didn't know his letters, didn't know his numbers, and had never been in school. He had been abused repeatedly and to all intents and purposes, should be the most messed up kid that you have ever met. However, two years later and after being surrounded by Joe's and Tracy's love and steady support, he is getting the best marks in the class, is a voracious reader, is a whiz at math, and has one of the nicest personalities of any child that you could meet. He's got a fantastic smile, is always ready to help, loves people, and has an insane instinct of what to do to make people feel better. The amount that he has learned over a short period of time is unbelievable."

Adele smiled. "I love hearing stories like that."

I smiled. "Me too."

Joe took a sip of his coffee. "Tell me about the fraud case."

Adele went over the case and the three issues – the fraud case, the personal discrimination case, and the systemic discrimination case. She went over the hiring procedures and the interview results. She went over the claims for systemic discrimination in the company and the employee data that refuted that claim. And then she went over the case that Darla was bringing forward, and why we thought that Darla was trying to con us.

At the end of the overview, Joe sat back. "Cupcake, can you do an in-depth of Darla and her brother? Somehow, I think that information would be very interesting."

"I can", I said. "I think it would also be good to have Cal's team do some surveillance to see if her use of a wheelchair is consistent." Cal was my Executive Director of the Investigative Services Department. He was a great leader who had three private investigators working with him, and together they were a strong team who could find out just about anything.

Joe smiled. "That kind of information would be very interesting. It would also be interesting to see how long she has been using a wheelchair. Maybe talk to professors and other students?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay, so our plan of attack is for Adele to amalgamate the test results, the employee average test results, and an outline of the number of people at Rangeman who are disabled in one way or another."

"Already done", said Adele. "I've been working on this for the last week in preparation, and I was irritated about the issue just because, to me, it seems so unfair considering the extensive support that we offer staff. I've done all the background work and document preparation for the two discrimination cases. I didn't, however, know of the fraud case and I haven't done any work on it."

"That is actually a criminal matter", said Joe. "That will be something I will look into. I will contact her and tell her that we are looking into the discrimination issue and talk to her. At the time, I will request access to her doctors, ask her to see a MS specialist for an unbiased opinion, and get a complete medical history from her. Meanwhile, you'll put a surveillance team on her to see if she is fabricating the disability, ideally back up all claims with video, and you'll do in-depths to assess both her and her brother."

"That makes sense." I smiled. "I'm looking forward to getting started", I said.

Ranger frowned. "Tomorrow, babe. You are on half-days for a reason, and tomorrow is soon enough for you to look into this." I sighed and Ranger grinned. "You can't tell me that you aren't tired. You hardly slept last night because you were so anxious."

I sighed again. Ranger was right. I was exhausted and I felt like I had hit my wall, climbed over it, and continued along the path on the other side.

Ranger looked worried as he assessed my face. "If that is everything", he said, "I have a woman to take to bed."

Joe looked at us. "I'll stay here and get copies of all the work that Adele has put into the case so far."

"And I'll put Steph to bed, and then talk to Cal and his crew", said Ranger. "For some reason, I think moving quickly will be important."