Chapter 13
I woke up to wrapped around a familiar warm body. Kisses were placed along my hairline, down my jaw and finally settled on my lips. A warm tingle passed through my body as the amazing smell of Bulgari finally registered. "Mmmm... Carlos," I mumbled. "When did you get back? How did you know I was here?" I was sitting on his lap in Manny's hospital room. Manny was still sleeping and Dad was nowhere to be found. He must have gone home for the night. Either home or he went to the hospital cafeteria shortly after Carlos arrived.
"Last night. Tank left a message," he answered before placing another kiss on my lips. I leaned back to look at him. He felt slightly skinnier and his hair was cut very short. Of course he was freshly showered and was wearing his standard black uniform. Carlos, although slightly slimmer, was still very attractive. "You two finally met." I looked towards Manny to ensure our quiet conversation didn't wake him up. It was almost time for his next pain medication dose.
"We did. He was my last platonic soulmate too." I was watching Manny's lip turn up into a smile. He's such a little faker. "You can open your eyes Manny. I know you're not sleeping." I waited for his eyes to flutter open before asking, "How are you feeling today?"
He was still a bit loopy from the pain medication. "A little better but my leg feels like it's stuck in a vice." I wasn't surprised. It was a very painful injury. He would be required to stay off his leg for the next few weeks.
The day shift nurse entered the room a few minutes later to administer the pain meds. "Do you have another type of pain medication?" he asked.
"What's wrong with the one your surgeon prescribed?" She couldn't understand why he would want another medication when this one was most effective for this type of injury.
"I have a low tolerance for Vicodin. If it's possible, I would like a different one," he insisted. I completely understood what he was saying. Both Dad and I have a low tolerance to Vicodin as well. We do much better with morphine or Tylenol with codeine.
"How about Percocet or Tramadol?" He was shaking his head as soon as she mentioned the names.
"No opioids. Tylenol 3 would be ideal," he suggested. The nurse looked as though he was crazy. Manny was in obvious pain and needed pain relief.
"We have a low tolerance to certain pain medications," I explained. "If we take those medications for an extended period of time, it causes insomnia, paranoia and jitters. Not to mention inhibiting our natural filters. Everybody would hear all our thoughts all the time. With his job, he can't risk the negative effects of those medications." I could see the pride on Manny's face as I explained the necessity of changing prescriptions. He was very surprised, but also proud I was sticking up for my older brother. "It's a genetic problem. Dad and I have the same medical interaction with those prescriptions. We can handle morphine, but anything stronger is out of the question," I told Manny.
"Okay. I understand," the nurse finally caved. "I'll need to contact Dr Phillips for a new prescription. For now I can administer an emergency dose of morphine. Would that be alright?" she asked Manny. He was in too much pain to respond, so he nodded. She left the room to grab the necessary medication from the locked medicine cart. When she returned, she injected it into his IV port. "You should start feeling better soon, Mr Ramos." He cringed from the name.
"Thank you," he growled out. I shifted off Ranger's lap to use the washroom. While I was in there, I grabbed a wash cloth and ran it under cool water. I also grabbed a clean hand towel to bring with me.
Using the wet wash cloth, I wiped the stickiness off Manny's face and neck. "Do you feel any better?" I asked. It always made me feel better to have my face and neck wiped off after sweating from pain.
"Much. Thanks sis." He took a drink of ice water before closing his eyes to sleep. The meds obviously kicked in. He needs his sleep to heal.
I started telling Carlos everything I learned last night from Manny and Dad's conversation. It was surprising to learn he thought Javier and Silvia Garcia were his great aunt and great uncle. He never realized or suspected they were his maternal grandparents. They never took the time to get to know him either. It was as though spending time with him caused them great pain. Manny now understood why they felt that way. Discovering Nissa and Juan Ramos was not his biological parents didn't really surprise him. He did have words written on his body about having a sister after all.
When he donated blood for the first time, he discovered it wasn't possible to be their son. Unless Nissa had an affair with a man who happened to share his blood type. Nissa and Juan were very much in love, so he knew that wasn't a possibility. They didn't have any other children either. He wasn't remotely upset for joining the Army to get away from his family's way of life. Not being told about his real family was unforgivable.
Manny found his dad, sister, his family. Finally having Manny in my life was amazing. He was a very kind, gentle and patient man... just like Dad. Mom was not going to be happy. Pilar gave Dad the one thing she couldn't... a son. I could almost hear her ire.
I spent as much time as I could in the hospital room keeping Manny company over the next few days. It was hours until he would be released when the paternity results finally arrived, several days earlier than we expected. Dad was irrefutably Manny's biological father. It's not like we needed this proof, yet it was nice to have it all the same. Of course Dad started planning a celebration to welcome his son home. Manny was planning to confront his 'parents' regarding the proof he now holds in his hands. I tried to tell him nothing good will come from showing them proof, but he insistent to claim his birthright. He wanted his last name to legally be Plum, not Ramos. After he explained the importance of the name change, I understood. I will support whatever decision my brother makes.
As predicted, Mom was furious to learn Dad had a living son with his first wife. She started the whole 'why me' speech whenever she talked to me or Valerie. If she ever wished he wasn't born, she was smart enough not to voice her opinion. I guess she was happy Dad finally got his son, but she felt as though she wasn't good enough. Neither Valerie nor I were interested in listening to her bitch about me being a disappointment for not being the boy she promised Dad. Fate intervened and I was a girl. I have my romantic mate, all my platonic mates and the brother I always wanted. Eventually she'll come around. I could already see Manny breaking down that icy wall she constructed around her heart.
My Merry Men were a bit disappointed after learning Manny was my half brother. They always saw me as their sister by choice. Valerie has also been made their honorary sister; Angie and Mary Alice's became their nieces. Personally, it doesn't matter to me if we're related by blood or not, they are still my honorary brothers. I saw them as my brothers and I never want that to change. So what if Manny has a legitimate claim to being my brother... they are my chosen family and I love them all.
Valerie started working at Rangeman the following day. She was exactly what we needed in the office. Never let anyone tell you my sister didn't have a backbone. The number of women who appeared in the lobby asking for Lester or one of the other single men was laughable. As if they could get past my pit bull sister. It didn't take long for them to realize there was no way to evade her. She sat at the desk in the lobby answering the phone and handling the walk-in guests. A few women attempted to bypass her to use the elevator or stairs, but Valerie was wise to their intent and used her fob to block access.
One woman claimed to be Lester's romantic soulmate, but Rangeman had detailed records indicating platonic and romantic soulmates of Rangeman staff. It was a security protocol I insisted on creating to protect my brothers from these vipers. Not to mention it kept them away from the control room on the fifth floor. We couldn't afford to have someone breach our security, potentially discovering our weaknesses. Once the men met their romantic soulmate, they were required to register her with Rangeman.
We were impressed with Valerie's skills. Dad spent many days visiting Manny at Rangeman as he healed. Carlos and Tank approached Daddy to offer him a job. He now mans the lobby desk or works in the control room watching monitors. Nobody enjoys watching monitors, but we all had to take a 4 hour shift at least once per week. Manny was cleared to watch monitors, but not much else. He still needs to go through physiotherapy and pass the recertification required for field work. Bobby also needs to sign off on his recovery. Valerie was still responsible for redirecting calls received from clients but she was given other responsibilities.
During the next few months, Tank and I trained Valerie to handle scheduling and paperwork required for payroll. She was very adept and kept a very detailed record on the men's sick days, personal day, injuries, reduced workloads and training schedules. Basically anything involving the men, she managed. It reduced the amount of stress on Tank and Carlos. Tank or Ranger still handled the paperwork regarding our special contracts with the military. Ranger was working to obtain security clearance for Valerie. I received my clearance a few weeks ago. I'm now authorized to research intel on some of their special ops missions. Mind you I had to practically sign away my life to ensure I'll maintain secrecy.
It didn't take long for Vince to move into the townhouse with Valerie and the girls. I was relieved Valerie readily agreed to installing a Rangeman security system. It put her mind at ease knowing they were being protected. With her training, she's more than capable of protecting them, but she was happy to have someone watch her back. The girls love their new Dad, yes, they started calling him Dad. In fact, he started the process to legally adopt them. Vince is very attentive and spends time with them whenever his schedule permits.
Mary Alice joined a soccer team. She's making new friends and loves running around on the soccer field. Angie wanted to continue taking dance lessons. Instead of the ballet she took in California, she wanted to learn modern dance. Whenever Mary Alice and Angie's events overlapped, Vince had Binkie, Ram or Cal attend in his absence. They would video the event for Vince to watch later. He would alternate between the girls so neither felt neglected. The girls were more than happy to have a lot of uncles. It was very amusing to watch these badass men fight for their attention.
Manny was finally cleared for physiotherapy. He was working hard to be cleared to return to the field. Valerie and I trained together during Manny's sessions. We wanted to be near our brother as much as possible. Mom finally came around as I knew she would. There's something about Manny to make you instantly love him. He claims Valerie and I also have that trait, but I'm not convinced.
Valerie was excelling at sparring. I never would have guessed she'd enjoy hand to hand combat. It really shouldn't surprise me considering how much she loved kickboxing. I was proud when she passed her Rangeman tests. She hugged me when I passed my final tests, solidifying my job at Rangeman. I promised to help her train for the final tests she completes in a few months.
"Proud of you Babe," Carlos whispered as he pulled me into his arms. I successfully took him to the mats. The final test stipulates you either have to take Ranger to the mats once, or last 45 minutes. It was a combination move Valerie, Vince, Lester and I practiced repeatedly which helped me achieve this feat. It knocked him off balance just enough for me to sweep his legs from underneath him.
"Val and Vince are going to Vegas this weekend with the girls and Binkie. They invited us along to be witnesses. We leave in a few hours," I told him as we walked into our apartment on the seventh floor. I knew it was practically last minute, but Valerie said they just finalized the plans. They were using the private Rangeman jet for the trip.
"I'm available," he replied as his eyes darkened. My spidey sense was humming, indicating he had something up his sleeve. He lifted me into his arms and carried me to the shower. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling his erection pressed against me. He gently set me on the floor outside the shower to remove our clothes. After removing both our clothes, he dumped me under the hot water.
Carlos carefully soaped my body, setting every nerve on fire. As he ran his fingers through my hair, massaging the shampoo through the locks, he pressed his lips against mine. The kiss held so many promises of love, devotion and something else I couldn't put my finger on. I slightly lifted my leg to wrap around his waist, craving more than his touch. He needed to relieve the pressure building within my core.
Shifting his hands to my thighs, he lifted me before plunging his long, thick penis into me. "Carlos," I screamed into his mouth.
He broke the kiss to talk against my lips. "Babe, I love you more than I thought was possible. I want you to be mine in every way." My heart thudded against my chest. I was fairly certain I knew where this conversation was headed. We talked about getting married after he finished his government contract.
"I love you too Carlos, more than I could ever find the words to say," I gasped against his lips. My speech was choppy from my building orgasm.
He continued pumping into me. As I was reaching my climax, he asked, "Marry me."
I was overwhelmed by his question. There was absolutely nothing I wanted more. "Yes," I screamed as the orgasm ripped through my body. "I will marry you."
"Babe," he shouted as he released into me. Given our current location, I knew he didn't have a ring on him. I wouldn't doubt he had one in his cargo pants, waiting for the right moment to ask.
We rinsed our bodies before finally leaving the shower. As I suspected, he grabbed a gorgeous emerald cut blue diamond ring from his cargo pants. "Tonight?" he asked, placing the gorgeous ring on my finger.
"Yes, tonight," I said before pulling his head to mine and giving him another passionate kiss. I wanted to drag him to our bed for another round, but out flight was scheduled to leave in a few hours. We only needed to drive to the small private airfield near Newark, but it would still take nearly an hour to arrive.
