Chapter 11

I printed Valerie's resume when the guys started arriving. Ella followed the group into the apartment with a cart full of covered dishes. So many delicious aromas filled the apartment. Valerie and I added a leaf to the large dining room table before setting the table. After telling her how many oversized men were coming, she decided we should ensure the guests are comfortable. I couldn't resist rolling my eyes. After living in California for the last 10 years, she was still a typical Burg woman. Ella allowed us to set the table, but drew the line on letting us set out the food. We attempted to coax her into joining us, but she was insistent her help was required elsewhere. I watched her place a few containers of food in the fridge. She placed the cake on the counter.

Pulling Tank aside, I explained the situation with Valerie and her hunt for a job. Since she arrived in Trenton, she had just as poor of luck as I had finding adequate employment. She was under qualified for most jobs advertised. The companies hiring secretaries or receptionists were asking for a minimum of 5 years experience. According to Valerie's resume, she barely had 2 years. He wanted to take some time to observe her interaction with the men. "I need to be sure she isn't afraid of the guys. If she's too skittish, she just won't fit in. Let's see how tonight goes first, okay Little Girl?"

"Thank you Tank. All I ask is for you to give her a chance. So far, she's been alright meeting the guys." I did notice her initial fear when the 5 large men entered the apartment.

She relaxed once I introduced her to the men. I was shocked when Binkie, Cal and Ram were her platonic soulmates. "Didn't you already meet your platonic mates?" I asked.

"Nope," she said popping the p. "Not a single one until today. Binkie's mark showed up the same day as my new romantic one," she whispered.

We led the guys to the table and took our places. I sat at one end and Tank sat at the opposite end. Valerie was seated between Cal and Ram. Binkie sat across from her. I laughed when they fought over who she would sit beside. Binkie, ever the peacemaker raised his hands to remove himself from their squabble. Valerie had a huge grin pasted on her pretty face. We paused our conversation long enough to pass around the food. Ella prepared sausage Alfredo, salad, grilled chicken, seasoned rice, roasted vegetables and chocolate cake. My stomach growled in anticipation. Valerie started laughing, "Some things just never change."

"Nope. Ella is the best cook ever. She's even better than Mom." I moaned my way through dinner. Valerie could barely eat. She was too busy laughing at the responses I caused from moaning. When she caught my attention, I winked before moaning louder.

I heard a crash. Valerie literally fell out of her chair from laughing. "OMG! You are so mean Steph. The guys were already getting worked up. I thought they were about to cream themselves from that last moan."

Ram and Cal looked between Valerie on the floor and me. They couldn't believe I was purposely winding them up. Cal helped Valerie get back into her chair. "Thank you big guy." He held her chair until she sat down. 'If you weren't my platonic, I would be willing to take that for a ride,' she mumbled and I started laughing. "Did I say that out loud?" she asked.

"Yes Val. I'm extremely happy to know I'm not the only Plum to unknowingly speak my mind."

"Daddy does that too," she added. I was aware Dad mumbled his thoughts. Most times you could barely catch more that a word. Valerie and I apparently had the misfortune of mumbling loud enough for everyone to catch every word we say. She managed to eat her dinner without laughing. "You're right Steph. Ella's cooking is so much better than Mom's."

"Healthier too. You'll need to be more careful what you say around this crowd," I advised. "They'll never let you live it down, especially Lester. You will understand when you meet him," I explained. The guys took turns telling Valerie all about Lester. She was excited to meet this modern day lothario.

It didn't take too long for Valerie to feel comfortable around the guys. I guess it helps when 3 of them are your platonic soulmates. Hopefully I was right about her romantic. He was close friends to her platonic mates who were also his platonic mates. It would be logical to have her paired with him.

At 8:05, Vince and Hal entered my apartment. Ella must have known they were arriving after their shift. She had a labeled container in the refrigerator for them. I decided to feed them before their introduction to Valerie. She was currently in my bedroom changing into more comfortable clothes. I gave her a pair of my sweatpants and sweatshirt. She wasn't comfortable wearing yoga pants because they revealed too much. They finished eating by the time Valerie was changed. I noticed she washed her face, giving herself a more natural look.

Her eyes instantly connected to her romantic soulmate's eyes. I was more than thrilled. "Hal, this is my sister Valerie. Val, this is Hal."

"Nice to meet you," she quietly said.

"It's my pleasure," he replied as his face turned bright red.

Valerie started getting impatient. She didn't like being distracted from the man she wanted to meet. I took her hand and led her to our next guest.

"Valerie, this is my partner Vince Holman. Vince, this is my sister Valerie."

"Why didn't Steph introduce us sooner?" Valerie's eyes opened wider than I thought was possible.

She stammered, "Not sure. You're Italian." He nodded as he rubbed his romantic soulmate's words.

I leaned closer to Vince and Val to whisper, "Do you two need a few minutes to show each other your words?"

"Please," Val said. Vince nodded his head as he took her hand in his. I led them to my bedroom for privacy.

"The sheets are clean, but I would really prefer you not have sex in my bed tonight. Thank you for understanding," I joked before I joined the group in the living room. A few minutes later, they rejoined our group.

Ram and Cal cleared a space in the living room to play poker. As previously agreed, we split the group into 2 teams of 5. I had a feeling the guys were going to take full advantage of Vince's lack of attention span. He seemed to be having problems keeping his eyes off Valerie.

When Valerie moved back to Trenton, I told Vince all about her and the girls. He didn't seem to be all that interested in meeting her. If I had known she was his romantic mate, I would have insisted. However, this was the best way for them to meet. It was when Valerie was truly ready to move on from Steve.

Tank and I talked throughout the game. We were on opposite teams so it made our conversation easier. Valerie was teamed with Tank, Ram, Cal and Vince. The other men were on my team. Halfway through the next round, Bobby received a call. Manny was injured during his surveillance shift. They were taking him to St Francis for treatment.

"I called the hospital, since Ranger has power of attorney for his medical care, only a family member can receive information," he explained to me. I knew how important it was to ensure the men received proper medical attention.

"Val, I'm so sorry, but I need to leave. Will you stay here until I return?" I asked.

She looked at Vince before replying, "If you don't mind, I would like to go with Vince to his apartment. I want to get to know him better." Her face blushed bright red. I had a feeling she wanted to get horizontal with her new man. She was hoping her request wouldn't offend me.

"I'm not offended, Val. You're welcome to return later, but I think I'll be gone most of the night." I gave her a hug and whispered, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

She laughed and whispered back, "That leaves lots for me to explore. Thank you Steph." I wasn't sure why she was thanking me. We spent most of the day together and I introduced her to Vince. I only did what any other normal human being would do for their family.

"Thanks for coming over guys. You know the drill. Bobby and I need to check on Manny." I gave each of my Merry Men a hug and kiss goodnight. A few had early morning shifts and retired to their rooms. Tank and Ram accompanied Bobby and me to the hospital. I really needed to ensure Manny was alright. My heart was beating loud and fast in my chest. I was in a hurry to get to the hospital that I never gave Bobby a second to prepare.

Tank left Bobby and me in the Emergency room while he and Ram parked the car. Bobby filled out the insurance form as I approached the nurse's desk. Before I could say anything, she asked, "Are you here to see your husband?" I nodded without thinking. It was my automatic response to her question. I realized Janet was the nurse on duty.

"I'll be right back Bobby. I'm going to check on Manny before they take him for surgery." He waved his hand letting me know he heard me. I followed Janet into the room where Manny was attached to an IV. We've been working in the same building for several months and never crossed paths until now. He was either away on a mission or working a different shift from me. I couldn't help but take in his features. His wavy brown hair and brown eyes were in contrast to his pasty skin.

He opened his eyes as I touched his hand. "Are you my wifey today?" he joked. I was surprised by his words. The Merry Men loved being my temporary husband. In this case it really wasn't appropriate.

"No, but I'm your sister. You look just like our Daddy," I replied. He tried to sit up. "You can show me later. Do you want to see your words?"

"Yes, please," he whispered. I was wearing one of Ranger's shirts so it was easy for me to show him my left shoulder. "You're my sister? I was wondering when I would meet you."

"I'm your sister. I was looking forward to meeting you too. You have another sister too. Her name is Valerie. She's 2 years older than me which is 2 years younger than you. Would you like proof? I can ask Daddy for a sample or you can compare it to mine."

"Sure. I would like to have proof before I confront my great uncle."

"How are you feeling?" I was concerned when he paled.

"Like I've been through a meat grinder," he said as he pointed to his leg. I carefully uncovered his leg to assess the injury. Bandages covered his left thigh. From the blood pooling onto the bandage, the injury appeared to be critical.

"What happened?" I knew Tank would need to hear the story.

"Danny, the contract guy, and I were watching the warehouse near Stark St. Bart LaRouche was seen in the area. He's a gun runner selling to the gangs. His bond expires next week. When he saw the Rangeman car, he immediately opened fire. Where's Danny?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Would you like me to ask around?"

"If you have time. He's been my friend for a long time. I'm glad you found me sis."

"Me too Manny," I whispered. The door banged open. An attractive man and nurse Janet entered the room.

"Are you his wife?" Dr Morton asked. I could see the Janet nodding in the background. She must have told him I was married to Manny.

"No. It was a misunderstanding. I'm his sister, not his wife," I explained. I was thankful this wonderful nurse never participated in the Burg's gossip.

"Steph has my permission to make medical decisions on my behalf," Manny told the doctor and Janet. I watched the doctor make a note on the chart and asked Manny for his signature. Janet and I also added our signatures. I officially had medical power of attorney for Manuel Ramos.

The doctor explained the reason for Manny's surgery. A bullet was lodged in his femur. It needed to be surgically removed. I stopped the doctor from explaining in more detail, "Excuse me, do you mind if the company medic enters the room? It would be easier for him to hear the information first hand. I'm having problems remembering everything you said."

"We need to get him into surgery immediately. I'll have the nurse update your medic," he tersely replied.

"Okay, that would help. Thank you. Please take good care of my brother." I leaned over to kiss Manny's forehead and whispered, "I just found you. Please don't leave me. I'll call Daddy."

He squeezed my hand and I noticed he was getting weaker. The orderly and more nurses arrived to take him to the operating room. I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Nurse Janet pulled me into her arms. "I'm sorry Steph. I thought you were pretending to be his wife. I had no idea you were his sister."

"He just found out today. Please don't tell anyone," I begged.

"Steph, have I ever told anyone about your visits?"

"No. You've been really great keeping the Burg gossips in line. I really appreciate it."

"Any chance you can introduce me to the tall blond guy with blue eyes? He's really hot." We returned to the waiting room. I noticed Hal had arrived while I was in the room with Manny. She pointed and whispered, "Him."

"Hal? The guy almost the size of Tank?" I asked to confirm.

"Yes. Hal," she purred. I couldn't stop the laughter.

"He's very shy. Give me a few minutes to talk you up to him. How old are you? You really don't have to answer if you don't want, but you don't look older than 24."

She laughed and answered, "I hear that all the time. I'm 28. My birthday was last month."

"Okay, I had to ask. Hal's 27. His birthday isn't until November." I could tell she was pleased with my answer. "Alright, here I go... wish me luck," I said with a wink.

I sat on Hal's lap when I reached him. Janet's chin dropped. She was obviously surprised I was being bold. I threw her a wink over my shoulder, causing her to smile. "Hal sweetie, you know you're my favourite Merry Man right?" His face turned bright red.

"Steph, I like you but I don't think Ranger would like you sitting in my lap," he quietly said. I loved teasing my guys. Hal was particularly fun to tease. All his reactions were varying shades of blush on his face.

"I like you too, but that's not what I meant. Will you do me a favour?" I asked. I gave him my wide puppy eyes. He could never resist giving me anything I wanted with this look.

"Sure. What do I need to do?"

"My friend, nurse Janet, would like an introduction. She's not asking for a date, just an introduction. Will you please let me introduce you to her?" I wasn't below begging to get my own way.

"I guess. You know I can't say no to those puppy eyes." I gave him a kiss on his cheek, causing his face to turn a deeper shade of red. This guy was so cute. It was so easy getting him to blush. I also knew he was incredibly shy around women.

Waving Janet over, I shifted off Hal's lap. "Hey Janet. I would like to introduce you to my friend Hal Williams. We work together at Rangeman." Janet was familiar with Rangeman. It was refreshing not having to explain these gentle military men to civilians. "Hal, this is Nurse Janet Turner." I watched as they greeted each other. They both gasped and looked at me.

"Did you know?" Hal asked. I was confused. What was I supposed to know?

"I don't think she knew Hal," Janet answered for me. Okay, now I was really confused.

"What was I supposed to not know that I was supposed to know?" I shook my head. That was a confusing question. Luckily Hal understood what I was asking.

"Did you know Janet was my romantic soulmate?" he slowly asked.

"No. I absolutely did not know. We've been visiting this hospital periodically over the last few months. You never talk to the female nurses Hal. When do you have your break Janet? You and Hal need to see the marks." I was anxious for them to confirm their connection.

"In 30 minutes. Can you wait that long big guy?" she asked.

He blushed before replying, "I can wait. You know where to find me." His eyes followed her as she slowly approached Bobby.

"Mr Brown?" she asked. Bobby turned to face her.

"It's Bobby. Are you here to update me about Manuel Ramos?" She ran through the injury and surgery required. He stopped her from running through after care instructions. "I'm a medic, I know everything else. I just needed the medical information to update his chart."

"If you require more information, ask his sister for permission," Janet added.

"His sister? He has a sister?" Bobby seemed confused.

"Stephanie Plum is Manuel's sister. She can sign a form granting you permission to receive medical updates."

I quickly signed the document for Bobby. It was unnecessary since Bobby's name was on the Rangeman medical document in Ranger's absence. In our rush to get to the hospital, we forgot to grab his paperwork. Janet was quick to update Manny's file when I gave her the signed document.