Thanks for the support on this one. Here's the next update. This short has one to two chaps left, which I want to knock out as I wrap up Sexified and Ready or Not.
Glad you liked the insight into Julie's struggles after Scrog. I felt like it would be very plausible for her to still need that extra comfort in the middle of the night after a nightmare. And of course Babe and Ranger would be supportive. They get it.
Let me know your thoughts.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. The typos are mine.
Lester's POV
The drive back to Rangeman felt eternal. I wanted to comfort Julie, but there wasn't much I could do while I was behind the wheel. The number one priority was getting her into lock down per Ranger's policy. After Scrog, Ranger spent a lot of time and effort updating safety protocols, especially those that revolved around his daughter.
Once inside the underground garage, I parked in the space Ranger had vacated. It'll be a long while before he's back at Rangeman and this way Julie will have a shorter trek to the elevator.
Without speaking, we unloaded from the fleet SUV and flanked Julie all the way up to the seventh floor. Well, I basically carried her up to the penthouse for fear that the extra seconds could somehow further endanger her.
"It's not your fault." Zip reassured once we were inside of the penthouse and settled ourselves in the living room.
"It sure feels like it." Julie sniffled, trying to contain her tears.
I made a quick trip to the kitchen and returned with a bottle of water in hopes that the hydration would help. I'm really out of my depth here.
"I just..." She shook her head as she took a big gulp of water. "I had a nightmare last night." Julie went on to share through sniffles that she had to climb into bed with Ranger and Stephanie because of it. "I know I'm too old for that, but..." She tried to defend her vulnerability, but thankfully Zip was able to come to the rescue.
"No, you're not." He stated. "We all have nights like that." A small smile graced his golden boy looks. "I need some company after a nasty nightmare too, but somehow I don't see your dad letting me crash in his bed."
As expected, that got a small chuckle out of Julie. "Nope." She agreed, shaking her head at his silly suggestion.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Zip got serious after several beats. "Cartoons help." He made sure to follow up by sharing that it always helps to talk about what's causing the nightmares, even if it's not always easy.
"But I didn't." Julie's long hair whipped across her face as she shook her head. "My dad asked if I wanted to talk about it, but I didn't want to." Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes.
"Do you want to talk about it now?" I found myself asking. Zip cast a shocked glance my way. Guess he also knew that this wasn't my strong suit.
"For what?" Julie asked bitterly, clenching her teeth as she adjusted her position on the couch. "It already happened. Maybe if I'd said something earlier..." Her eyes filled with unshed tears and I braced for another crying episode.
Perhaps we needed reinforcements. I thought before Zip interrupted, saving the day once more.
"There's no point in torturing yourself with 'what ifs'." His big hand gave Julie's left shoulder a squeeze in obvious support. "What happened wasn't your fault. It wasn't something any of us could have prevented, because we couldn't have known it was going to happen."
"But I did!" Julie bit her bottom lip to keep herself from breaking down once again. "I had a nightmare and that's why we were there at the bakery..."
It was my turn to step in. "Stop." I raised my hand to halt her dark train of thought. "First off, Stephanie is a regular at that bakery. Hell, she worked there when she was your age."
"What Les is trying to say is that being at the Tasty Pastry today doesn't make what happened your fault." Zip has more tact than I'll ever have. He went on to talk some more and eventually Julie began to visually relax.
"Not my fault." Julie whispered, mostly to herself, as she ran a hand through her hair. It was then that I noticed the angry red scrape just below her left elbow.
"Let's get that cleaned up." I suggested, pointing at what I was focused on to get Julie to notice. "Then we can see if there's anything the control room needs help with." Keeping her mind and body active will help keep the darkness at bay. At least until we get a better handle on the situation.
"Oh." She frowned as she noticed the caked blood for the first time. "Okay." After quickly agreeing, Julie shot to her feet and off the couch. "Oww!" After only one step, pain flashed across her young face before she tumbled back on the couch.
"What's wrong?" I asked at the same time as Zip asked if she'd twisted her ankle during the commotion.
"I don't know." Her confusion was expected. With her adrenaline tanking, Julie's going to finally feel every little ache she sustained when diving for cover.
"Let's take a look." I offered as I knelt before her. When my hand found wet dark denim while reaching for her left sneaker, worry tightening its hold. My chest felt heavy as I struggled to suck in air, anticipation of what I was about to uncover threatening to derail my already fragile control.
"Ah!" Julie bit the couch cushion when I removed her shoe.
"Oh no." Zip muttered from somewhere behind me when he saw the soaked sock.
"Wh-what?" Julie's big brown eyes darted between Zip and I. When neither of us said anything, Julie leaned forward to get a look herself. "Oh fuck!" I've never heard her curse, but it felt appropriate.
"You didn't feel anything?" I asked as I pealed off her sock with trembling hands, revealing an unmistakable gunshot wound.
"No." She croaked out as shock washed over her. "I didn't. How come?" Julie looked to me and then to Zip for answers.
"I don't know." I lied so as not to spook her, reaching into a side pocket in my cargoes to pull out the bandana I keep with me at all times.
"Zip basically carted me off to the SUV, but I still don't remember feeling anything strike my foot." Julie gritted out as I wrapped her ankle.
"You're going to be fine." I promised after clearing my throat to keep my voice from breaking.
Can this day get any worse? I mentally cursed as I scooped her up, quickly carrying her out of the apartment to get her medical attention.
S&R
Stephanie's POV
Something I couldn't quite pinpoint pulled me back from the darkness previously encompassing my consciousness. Everything was dark and silent one moment only to swim back into partial focus the next. There was movement around me along with voices, but I couldn't make sense of them. My eyes were unseeing, unable to focus as I struggled to suck in breath after breath. I closed my eyes, in hopes that it would help. I've been under threatening situations before, but I still found it difficult to hold on.
Breathe, Stephanie. Breathe.
I mentally recited the order as I continued to struggle with playing catch-up.
My chest burned and something trickled down my heated skin. That's when I knew I wasn't dead. The pain was too real. Too physical. I wanted to scream, but only managed to let out a choked whimper. I opened my eyes, desperate to regain some control of my body.
"Get Julie!" Ranger's voice penetrated through the haze, causing me to dart my gaze around until I found his handsome face.
Powerful memories came rushing back in rapid succession. Being awoken in the middle of the night, Julie's nightmare, our daughter to stepmother chat, our Tasty Pasty trip, flirting with Ranger was I munched on my treat, the gunshot... and then falling unceremoniously on the asphalt before darkness took over.
"Stephanie!" The call jerked me out of my memories. I stared up at Ranger, trying to push aside the haze of unconsciousness threatening to overtake me once again. He continued to bark out orders to someone, his handsome face contorted with worry. He said something to me, but I couldn't find the strength to answer him.
Unfamiliar faces replaced Ranger. I ignored the strangers, my eyes tracking Ranger as he was shoved aside. Two sets of hands began working on me before I was loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled over to the waiting ambulance.
I kept my eyes locked on Ranger as the ambulance sped towards the hospital. An oxygen mask was placed over my nose and mouth, which thankfully made it a bit easier to breathe. Unfortunately, it partially obstructed my view of Ranger even before a male EMT completely occluded him. When I couldn't see Ranger anymore, I stopped fighting the current and allowed my eyes to close.
Movement jolted me out of my temporary incognizant state. The motion was constant, yet the effort wasn't mine. I blinked and saw a very bright light overhead.
On my next blink, my vision flashed with different faces, mostly unfamiliar. A blur of colors and movement caught my wandering attention amidst the painful haze. There were hands touching me everywhere, each set focusing on a different task. A jolt cursed through me when one of the hands landed on my chest.
A distorted voice rose above the confusion, saying something about surgery.
Can't be sure of what came next, because the effort to stay awake was draining. Utter darkness took over anew, transporting me to a place where nothing existed. There were no dreams or images whatsoever; just nothing.
S&R
Ranger's POV
I was pacing in the semi-busy ER waiting room when Valerie came rushing in.
"Ranger." She made a beeline for me, firing rapid questions I had no answers for.
The ambulance ride was thankfully short since we were already in the Burg. Babe was strong, holding onto her alertness until we arrived at St. Francis. Tank descended at the Tasty Pastry as Babe was being loaded onto the ambulance, promising to get answers. It was imperative to find the shooter and know how serious the threat will continue to be.
"Stephanie was taken into surgery." It was as much as I knew. Bobby arrived literally seconds after Babe was unloaded, quickly disappearing into the bowels of the hospital to get more intel. He has more access than I do, which should give me some slight relief but it doesn't. I won't have peace until I know Babe's going to make it out of this one.
"I called my parents. Eddie's sending someone to escort mom and grandma over since they're on their way back from Newark." Valerie said Frank was also outside of the Burg and it would take him some time to get back.
"How did you find out?" I asked, knowing I didn't have the mental clarity to inform Babe's family of the situation. Getting Stephanie to the hospital was as much a priority as getting Julie back to the safety of Rangeman. Once those two tasks were taken care of, I was no longer in the right head space to do anything aside from filing out the necessary hospital forms only to then be forced to wait for good news.
"Your guy Tank called me and sent the big guy with the skull tattoo to drive me. The one that fainted when I went into labor. Cal I think is his name..." She was ranting nervously, mirroring my previous pacing.
I nodded somewhat distractedly, ignoring the rest of her ramblings when I spotted familiar faces rushing past the sliding glass doors.
"Julie?" My feet propelled me forward, intercepting the newcomers as they reached the triage sign in area.
"Dad!" My daughter reached for me, much like she did when she was a toddler. Without hesitation, I took her from Lester.
My pulse quickened and my chest tightened as I heard Lester say that Julie had also been hit.
"What?" Instinctively, I tightened my hold on my daughter as she tucked her head against the side of my neck. "How? Where?" Guilt washed over me in wave after wave, hating that I failed both of my girls. Babe is currently in surgery and now Julie...
Julie told me as much as she knew as we were fast tracked, instantly guided to a bed.
"I didn't feel anything." She swore she didn't realize she'd been hit until she tried to stand after sitting on the living room couch for several minutes.
"I believe you." I struggled to say as I placed her on the gurney bed so the medical staff could check her wound. Closing my eyes and stepping aside, I worked on regulating my breathing to help regain my control. Breaking down just wasn't an option. I can't be with Babe right now, but I can be here for my daughter.
Things moved quickly, thankfully, and an X-ray was ordered to get the full scope of the damage.
"Any chance of pregnancy?" The nurse asked.
"Uh, no." Julie blushed in horror as she flicked her gaze towards me. "No, I haven't... uhm ... no." She was mortified, so I reached for her hand to offer silent support.
"Okay." The nurse nodded in understanding as well before proceeding to explain to Julie she needed to run some labs.
When the tech came to wheel my daughter to radiology a short time later, I took a moment to compose myself since I wasn't allowed to go with them for the short distance. The dried blood caking my hands and arms needed addressing first, so I detoured to the restroom while I awaited for Julie's return.
I scrubbed until my hands and arms were raw. As the reddish water swirled on its way down the drain, I felt tears threatening to escape. Jerking my head up to look at myself in the mirror was a bad idea, showing me a failure of a man. I couldn't protect my daughter, not once but twice! And my wife? I couldn't protect her either.
The buzzing in my pocket prompted me to stop feeling sorry for myself and get a move on it. I splashed cold water on my face, slamming my best blank face into place.
On my way back to Julie's assigned bed, I opened Lester's text message.
No news on Stephanie yet. How's Julie?
I wanted to be angry, mostly at myself, for not realizing Julie was hurt sooner. But as hard as I wanted to be on myself, I also knew that we couldn't have known in the moment. Not when the scene was unsecured and I was providing first aid for my wife. Instead of replaying the series of events in my head, I sent Lester a quick reply telling him that Julie was in radiology and that thankfully they'd quickly stopped the bleeding.
"Okay, we're back." The tech said a little too cheerfully to get Julie in better spirits.
"Thanks." She said to both of us as I scooped her out of the wheelchair and placed her back on the hospital bed.
"The doctor will be in to go over the results. I'm going to give you something for the pain, okay?" The nurse said to Julie as she began setting out what she would need to start an IV and give Julie some pain relief.
When the doctor returned, I made sure to ask as many questions as I could think of. The more I could pass on to Bobby, the better Julie's recovery will be. As we inspected the wound closer, I noted that I'd seen this exact scenario multiple times out in the field. Relief washed over me at the realization that Julie's wound was the product of a ricochet instead of a direct hit. Most ricochets are caused by accident, which eased my fear of Julie being targeted because of my past. Having a better understanding of the situation made sense for why my daughter didn't even register the impact. Julie's definitely not the first one to miss that type of GSW amidst mayhem.
Despite the deceleration of the projectile minimizing the damage sustained, the process still took hours. I had to speak with the police, because the medical staff are mandated reporters. Thankfully, it was Officer Constanza who was sent to make a report. He'd heard about the Tasty Pastry incident and so the conversation was a lot smoother than it would have been otherwise.
"I'm sorry." Julie mumbled as she turned to look at me. She'd been mostly quiet throughout the whole ordeal, no doubt thanks to the pain medication.
"There's nothing for you to be sorry for. You don't have to apologize because you didn't do anything wrong." I enforced my words by placing a kiss on her forehead. We were currently waiting for her discharge paperwork and follow up instructions. We definitely had time for a father/daughter chat.
"My nightmare was about Steph getting shot. And I..." She shrugged as she averted her eyes. "I didn't say anything and I thought it was my fault because of that."
"Julie..." I hooked a finger under chin and raised her head so she could look at me. "No one could have known what was going to happen at the bakery today." I rested my forehead with hers to prolong our connection. "Not even I could do anything to stop it." I admitted.
"It wasn't your fault either, dad." Julie was quick to come to my defense, tugging a smile out of my tired body.
"See. It's not our fault." I agreed, wanting to take away even the last bit of doubt from her worried features. The rest we could work on once Babe was out of the woods.
"Not our fault." She chanted before closing her eyes. "Zip says that bad things just happen to good people for no reason." Julie's words slurred slightly. "It sucks." She huffed as she reached for my hand.
"It does." I agreed, knowing all too well how unfair life can be.
"Zip says we have to let go of what we have no control over." Julie's drowsy eyes were a harsh contrast to her wise words. "I think together we can move forward and kick ass!" Her eyes bugged out as her free hand flew to cover her mouth. "Sorry. I'm not supposed to cuss." I found her loopy grimace adorable. It gave me hope that not all of her innocence has been stripped away.
Just as the nurse rejoined us with the docs needed for the discharge, Julie began to giggle.
"Someone's feeling good." The nurse joked as she handed me the necessary paperwork. She quickly went over the at-home care instructions as Julie's merriment grew from giggles to full blown laughs.
"Julie?" I looked at the nurse in confusion as Julie continued to chuckle. The nurse didn't look phased.
Julie waved me over as she wiped her laugh tears from her eyes with her other hand. "You and Steph are going to match even under your Rangeman uniforms." Her snort as she tried to control her laughter tugged a smile out of me. There wasn't anything wrong, except I wasn't really following her line of thinking.
"How so?" I asked, giving my daughter my undivided attention.
"This outta be good." The nurse, who is obviously from the Burg, hung back to catch the explanation.
"You'll have matching scars right here." Julie's fingers poked my chest, just below my clavicle, where Scrog shot me. "And you and I will match with these!" She pointed at her wrapped foot and then to my boot clad one.
"Oh kid." I couldn't fight the smile, because Julie's resiliency allows me to aspire for a healing future.
"Hey! I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen!" She proudly reminded.
"Okay, daddy/daughter. Get some rest." With a grin, the nurse bid us goodbye.
As I wheeled Julie down a hallway, my phone buzzed in my pocket. When I saw it was a message from Lester, I walked faster as I redirected our course to take a shorter path.
"Report." I ordered when I joined the others in the waiting room. Ignoring the heated look Helen shot me, my attention zeroed in on Lester.
"Stephanie's out of surgery." He beamed as he ambled over to pat Julie's right knee. He shook his head before I could ask when I could see her. Apparently not yet.
"The doctor will be out to speak with us soon." Valerie helpfully added.
I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful to be able to be present to get news on my wife's condition straight from the official source.
But of course the surprises kept on coming. The incessant buzzing of my phone told me I had an incoming call. Tank's name flashed across the screen, which caused my heart to beat faster. He had emergent news to be calling me.
"Report." My clipped tone urged Julie to reach back to touch my forearm. I could feel several sets of eyes on me that I expertly ignored.
"We have the culprit." Tank's voice sounded odd, as if knowing who the miscreant was did nothing to ease his fury. "You're not going to like it." He muttered something unintelligible, blowing out a series of ragged breaths.
"Why?" It was my turn to grind my teeth. I just knew what he was about to tell me wasn't going to easy my rage.
"It was a six year old boy." Tank ground out the bombshell news, causing my stomach to clench with the knowledge that this could have all been avoided. Due to someone's irresponsibility I could have lost the two most important people in my life. That's unacceptable in my book.