Goodbye 2021 and Hello 2022. This year has been pretty rough for me, but at least it's ending on a slight positive note. One of the biggest hits I've had throughout my sick time has been my appetite (I've lost so much weight that all my clothes are extremely baggy). Last night I had a mulita (it's like a quesadilla; google it), a taco and a sope for dinner. That's huge! And today I had a burger, like a regular sized one (normally I could only handle a kid burger and not even finish it). My 32nd B-Day is on the 13th, so pretty excited to be able to enjoy some cake.
Sorry for the long wait on the continuation of this story. Most of you wanted to see Ranger's reaction to Lisa's announcement and boy was he giving me a hard time. Luckily, I think I got it just right.
Let me know your thoughts on this continuation from Ranger's POV. Most of you enjoyed seeing Ranger with the girls in his more domestic role. This story is close to the end. Some of you have already guessed why the title is 'Ready or Not', hehe. Also, melyons said Val's fourth kid is actually a boy named Bert (thank you!). Oops! I thought it was girl, so we're rolling with it.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Mistakes are mine (oops).
Ranger's POV
Watching the girls and Babe interact last night felt different. She regularly spends time with her nieces, but somehow getting a message from Mary Alice asking for an escape had Stephanie on edge more than usual. She has suffered years of Burg bullshit for not conforming to their standards, so when her nieces need an out from a situation Stephanie has already agonizingly lived through she will be a getaway for them. Babe wishes she'd had someone like her growing up, despite having Grandma Mazur be a sort of temporary escape.
The girls seemed to adjust well to the change in plans and sleeping arrangements. Helping them built a fort was fun. Once I did my part, I left them to bond and chat as they binged movies and gorged pizza. When Babe finally joined me in bed, we didn't get more than five minutes of alone time before a little tiny someone crashed our party. Since Lisa hogged most of the bed Babe ended up sleeping almost on top of me, which I didn't mind in the least bit. But it did made me think what life could be like if we had a child.
Right now as I watch Babe cut up a pancake for her youngest niece to enjoy, I continue to wonder if this could someday be our life. The older girls were chatting amongst themselves as they filled their plates, which prompted me to think about Julie. She's an experienced older sister. How would she react if Steph and I had a child? Would she be happy or jealous?
Snapping out of my musings, I watched as Ella poured glasses of milk for all the girls and Babe. I served myself coffee and sipped as I tracked Babe's movements as she placed the plate in front of Lisa for her to finally dig in.
"What about the baby?" Lisa blurted out before she even reached for her fork.
"What baby?" Babe asked distractedly,her fingers closing around her glass. "Is your mom having another baby?" She asked the older girls. Both Angie and Mary Alice did a palms up gesture. Neither girl knew.
"No." Lisa shook her head as Babe brought the glass of milk to her lips. As if in slow motion I watched Lisa place her hand flatly on Babe's abdomen before specifying. "Your baby."
Babe coughed, choked and proceeded to spew milk all over her breakfast once her niece's words sunk in.
"What? You're having a baby?" Mary Alice was the first to react to her younger sister's words.
Stephanie was still coughing, using a finger shaking motion to negate the inquiry.
"Drink some water, dear." Ella offered Babe a bottle of water, but Babe was coughing herself into a frenzy.
"Babe." I called out to her so she could look at me. It didn't work. Babe's coughing fit had intensified to the point that her blue eyes bugged out as her hands cupped her mouth. Before I could ask what was wrong, Babe bolted towards the bedroom. "Enjoy your breakfast. I'll check on Stephanie." I told the girls even as I turned to follow Babe.
As soon as I cleared the bedroom door I could hear the sound of Babe vomiting.
"Babe." I placed my hand on her back to give a soothing massage to let her know I was right by her side.
"Here." Ella's voice registered beside me as she passed Babe a bottle of water. Ella and I shared a quick glance as Babe used the water to rinse her mouth.
"Babe, don't." I warned as I watched her crumple to the bathroom floor and place her bruised cheek against the tiles. "Get up, Babe." I used my warning tone. I will pick her up and carry her if I have to.
"No, I like it here." Was her mumbled reply.
"It's dirty down there. Come on." Ella tried in her genuinely sweet voice.
Babe snorted. "No it's not. You clean this apartment every day. I bet you even wiped off my ass print from the sideboard." Babe grumbled.
Ella gave me a mortified look before returning her gaze to Babe. I motioned for Ella to leave us alone, hoping the privacy could help me get through to Stephanie.
"Babe." I tried. No response. Damn it. She's freaking out. "Stephanie."
"Uh oh my actual name." Babe mumbled as she briefly closed her eyes.
"Talk to me, Babe." I felt helpless, knowing that she's quickly spiraling.
"No." She choked out on a half sob, keeping her eyes squeezed shut as the tears erupted.
"Stephanie." I knelt beside her, gently stroking her curls off her face as I wiped her tears with the other. "Look at me." The door opened and tiny feet rushed towards us.
"Auntie Stephie." Lisa's arrival gave Babe a slight pause. "I'm sorry." She squeezed between us before leaning down to place a kiss on Stephanie's forehead. "Don't cry." Her small arms snaked around Babe's neck as she leaned down to hug Stephanie's head.
"You didn't make me cry." Babe assured between sniffles.
"Lisa." Angie called for her little sister behind me.
"Go eat your breakfast." I said to Lisa, gently setting her back on her feet. "I'll stay with your Auntie Stephie. She's feeling a little sick."
"Okay." Lisa replied before slipping her hand into her older sister's larger one.
"Babe." I tried again when we were left alone once more. When there was no response, I mirrored her pose so that I could lock eyes with her. "What is it?" Did the talk of a baby really freak her out or was it the reminder of a child that transported Babe back to the horrific murder scene? Either way I need to get through to her suffocating thoughts. "Stephanie." I passed my hand up and down her spine, hoping the physical contact would help snap her out of the trance.
Long minutes ticked by without change. I was seriously contemplating calling for backup when I heard the bathroom door inch open.
"Steph. Ranger." Without glancing up I knew it was Valerie who had just joined us. When I was helping the girls bring down the fort they slept in, Valerie called Angie. I'd cleared her entrance with the control room and lobby before we resumed our task. Babe joined us with Lisa not long after. Ella then brought our breakfast and well, here we are.
"Val." Babe sniffled.
"So I heard about Lisa blurting a little something out." Valerie's teasing tone prompted Babe's waterworks to spill once again. "Oh, Stephanie. She's a kid. She can't know something like that." Valerie patted my arm to get me to scoot over. I did, but quickly regretted it when Babe's sobs wracked her frame. "Lisa probably noted how stressed you were last night." Valerie shrugged, telling Babe the only time's she's that visibly stressed is during a pregnancy scare.
"Oh my god!" Babe wailed. "How often do you think you're pregnant?"
Valerie grimaced, choosing not to answer. "Look, if it'll help obliterating the doubt, let's find out." Babe's tear filled eyes widened when she saw her sister pull out a rectangular box.
"Do you always carry a pregnancy test in your purse?!" Babe's hoarse screech caused me to refocus my attention to her. She hasn't moved, still slumped against the cold tiles.
"Give us a few minutes." Valerie made a shooing motion with her hands, indicating she wanted me to exit my own bathroom. I glared at her while I crossed my arms over my chest, intent on standing my ground. "That's not going to work." She said on a chuckle, once again pointing to the door behind me.
"Babe." I glanced at Stephanie, silently asking if she wanted me to step out.
"Ranger." Her small head nod as she closed her eyes was answer enough. Fine. I'll give them some space.
I paced the bedroom as I waited for a positive outcome. As my thoughts took over, I briefly wondered if it could be possible. Considering how active and enthusiastic our sex life is, there's a big possibility. Once we became exclusive, and even before she moved in with me, condoms haven't been such a strict necessity as before. We've used other contraceptives knowing that we're both clean and only sleeping with each other. My heart hammered in my chest and my plans became sweaty at the thought. Maybe we are having a baby?
My racing thoughts and stomps were interrupted when Mary Alice rapped softly against the partially open bedroom door. I had to blink several times to snap myself out of my musings. It was a little surreal to see a miniature version of Stephanie standing before me. I've seen pictures of Babe when she was around her niece's age and the likeness is uncanny.
"Uhm, is Aunt Stephanie okay?" The shy question shocked me. From the little interaction I've had with her and all that Babe's shared, Mary Alice is anything but shy.
"She will be."
"Uhm, are you guys really having a baby?" The way she shuffled her feet was very Stephanie like. She does that too whenever she's nervous.
"I don't know." I said truthfully.
"Oh."
We stood in silence for several beats until I heard the distinctive sound of the shower running. Minutes later the door to the en suite opened and Valerie stepped out.
"Stephanie's in the shower." She said to me, affectionately patting me on the shoulder as she walked past me. "Come on. Let's check on your sisters." Valerie said to her daughter, ushering her out of the bedroom and closing the door behind them.
I closed and locked the bathroom door, because I didn't want any interruptions on my quest to get Stephanie to talk. As I bypassed the sink, I noted the white and blue stick sitting on top of its opened box. Taking a deep breath, I yanked off my T-shirt. I didn't want to look at the results. I wanted Babe to tell me.
Getting undress in record speed, I joined Babe in the shower. I found her in a similar state to last time. She wasn't outright crying, but the lost look in her eyes told me enough.
"Stephanie." My voice caused her gorgeous blue eyes to focus on mine.
"Ranger." Her choked sob felt like a painful punch to my gut.
"Oh, Babe." I wrapped a arm around her waist, pressing her flush against my front. My right hand landed on the back of her head as I pressed my lips to her right temple. "It's alright." I soothed as we stood holding each other under the multiple water sprays.
When her arms closed around my torso I felt myself start to relax. Her opening up isn't such a distant reality now. "I haven't checked the results." Her mumbled confession against my throat prompted me to squeeze her tighter in comfort.
"We can do it together." I wanted her to remember that we decided to blend our lives together way before she permanently changed her residency. "What's scaring you?" My question caused her head to pull back so she could look at me. Last night when Lisa joined us in bed, I noticed how Babe ran her fingers through her niece's soft hair as she watched the little girl sleep. Her touch was soft, almost reverent. When I probed, Babe confessed to not understanding how someone could kill such an innocent being.
"If by some fluke Lisa's right, then I've already done everything wrong." Her whispered admission had my arms tightening around her slightly shaking form.
"Babe…" She didn't let me say more before she squirmed out of my hold.
"I've been going after FTAs!" She hid her face behind her cupped hands, head hanging low as water cascaded over her hair. Her curls plastered against her neck and hands as she continued to hide from me. "I got slammed against a patrol car. I…" It was my turn to cut her off, carefully removing her hands to uncover her beautiful face.
"That wasn't your fault, Stephanie." We locked eyes as my thumbs graced her cheeks. "Morelli was out of line."
"But it still happened." She breathed out, slowly working on calming her breaths. My lips pressed against hers, resting my forehead against hers in reassurance. I told her our first step was to check out the results of the pregnancy test.
"We'll go from there." I promised, reaching for her sponge and my shower gel.
"Okay." She agreed, allowing me to lather her up to wash away her fears along with her tears.
Shutting off the water, I opened the glass door to reach for a towel. I dried myself roughly, hastily wrapping the towel around my waist. My movements were a lot softer as I dried off Babe's body. She wrapped the towel around herself, tucking the knot between her breasts as I helped wrap her curls.
"Okay. Let's do this." Babe announced as she reached for me. Hand in hand we ambled over to the sink to find out if Lisa's prediction was correct.
I stood behind Babe and smiled when she automatically leaned back against me. My arms slipped around her body, my fingers intertwining as my hands rested on her towel covered stomach. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the stick with surprisingly steady hands.
Her soft gasp made my eyes snap up to the mirror in front of us. Our eyes locked through our reflection as realization washed over us.
After taking time to process the news in our shared intimacy, we exited the bathroom in search of clothes. I tracked her movements in the walk in closet as I reached for a T-shirt. Babe dropped the towel and stood in front of the full length mirror, silently inspecting her body. As I watched her hands cup her breasts, feeling their weight, a groan escaped me. Babe's eyes found my heated stare in the mirror, giving me an apologetic smile even as she trailed a hand down her abdomen.
"I don't feel any different." She voiced as she rummaged inside her underwear drawer.
"Babe." My smile rivaled her sheepish grin.
S&R
Stephanie's POV
A bit of Ranger's zen transferred over to me during our time in the shower. Knowing that he had my back, both figuratively and literally, helped re-ground me. I have no idea how Lisa knew that I was pregnant even before I knew, but I was curious to find out. With Ranger beside me, we joined the others in the kitchen. Despite the five sets of expectant eyes focused on us, weirdly enough I didn't feel overwhelmed. Ranger's hand landed on the small of my back as we neared the others, which made me realize the reason I was no longer freaking out was because I had him on my team.
"Auntie Stephie!" Lisa hollered excitedly as she squirmed out of Val's grasp, running straight to me.
Bracing for impact, I partially leaned against Ranger's big body as I waited for Lisa to fill my outstretch arms. "How did you know?" I asked as I raised her up to put as at eye level.
My niece shrugged as her fingers played with a curly strand that escaped my ponytail. "I had a dream." That was all the explanation she gave before she wiggled against my hold, straining against me to reach for Ranger. Yeah, I get it girl. Ranger gives the best hugs.
Val's shriek made me shift my eyes away form the sight of Lisa looking very tiny enveloped in Ranger's muscly arms.
"You're having a baby!" My sister's excitement imitated Ella's.
"What are you doing?!" I shrieked as I watched Val stalking towards me. We've never been a very touchy feely family.
"I'm going to hug you even if you hide behind Ranger." She warned, embracing me tightly seconds later. "I'm really happy for you two." She whispered the congratulation against my ear, giving me one last squeeze before stepping back and letting me go.
"We're going to have a cousin." Mary Alice grinned before she too hugged me. "It's going to be really fun." She said in excitement.
"You're going to be a great mom." Angie added, crushing me in yet another embrace.
"Yes, dear." Ella agreed with my oldest niece, curving her lips so wide that I was afraid she'd hurt her cheeks.
Glancing back at Ranger when I felt his hand on my shoulder, warmth spread through me. Uncertainty and fear diminished as I looked into his dark eyes. We are in this together.
Ready or not we're having a baby.