Disclaimer: Everything familiar belongs to JE.
Warning: Adult Situations
Chapter 19: Sunday, August 21st, 1800-2200
Miami Rangeman/Hospital
Ranger's POV
Today was a long day. The FBI doesn't have any solid leads yet. There are too many clients so far who crossover between all the victims. I only hope that one or two will ring a bell tomorrow. Agent Prentiss doesn't seem to fully trust me yet, not that I can blame her. With our similar histories, I'm not sure if I could trust her so easily yet. Overall, she has a strong team. Alvez is doing great. I'm glad he's found his niche, though I'd be happy to hire him. Rossi is old school. Even though he's not the unit chief, he carries as much of the burden as Agent Prentiss does, and has also earned the respect of his team. From what I've learned, he was one of the original profilers for the BAU and was a Marine.
Lester and I pull into Rangeman's garage moments before Stephanie arrives with Javier. I look at the amount of bags Stephanie has in the trunk and can't help but smile. When I ask her if she bought anything for herself, I'm disappointed to find out she didn't buy much. I don't think Stephanie understands that everything I have is hers, at her disposal and available for her to use and enjoy. I want to spoil her, to give her everything she wants, but she is too stubborn for her good.
When we get in the elevator, I need to touch her, so I put down the bags I'm holding while wrapping my arm around her. She leans into me. Dios, Steph standing next to me, leaning on me, feels so right. I want to feel this way every day. But how do I tell Stephanie?
All too quickly, we arrive at the penthouse. Steph opens the door for us. I bring Julie's bags into her bedroom while Stephanie follows, prepared to help put the clothes away.
"Leave the clothes, Babe. Maggie will pack them so that we can bring them to the house with Julie tomorrow."
"I want to get out what a purchased for her to wear out of the hospital tomorrow. I got a dress and a short and shirt combination, depending on what she wants to wear. But I'm thinking, with the broken arm and ribs, the dress might be easier for her, but I want to give her a choice."
I watch as she deftly goes through the bags, finding the two outfits. Then, she goes in that Aerie bag, takes out a bra and panty set. I'm glad that they are nothing like what Stephanie wears. For underwear, they look like they will cover a lot of skin. The panties are shorts, which I like, and the bra looks like a tank top or sports bra. I approve of the undergarments.
"Did you think I would get her a lace push-up bra and thong?" Steph asks me, with her hands on her hip, clearly ESPing me.
"No, but I don't like the idea of my little girl growing up."
"I get that, but she is fourteen."
"What's in that Victoria's Secret bag, Babe? Anything for me?"
"Only if you're a good boy."
"You're playing with fire, Babe."
"Maybe I want to get burned," she replies.
I take two steps towards Stephanie and pull her against me, one hand on her lower back, the other in her hair. I lean down and kiss her, running my tongue along her lips, waiting for her to grant me entrance to her mouth. When her lips part, I assault her mouth, trying to pour all the love I feel for her into the kiss. I feel myself reacting to her, as the throbbing at my groin is becoming painful, and by her moans, I know she's affected as much as I am. I sneak my hand under her sweater, wanting to feel her skin against mine. I turn her around, so her back is to my chest, so I can kiss her neck and let my hands roam over her perfect breasts. Her nipples are already at attention, and I pinch them to pebble them more through the top of her dress. She turns her head, so her mouth is against mine once again and we kiss some more. I begin to bring my hand lower, ready to explore her body under the skirt of her dress. Dios, how I need my Babe. Suddenly, there's a bang on my door.
"Carlos, we're here with dinner. Come on, open the door. We don't have an available hand." I hear Lester say.
"Fuck, Babe, I'm sorry. We'll continue this later." I tell her, kissing her gently once again, feeling her body trembling in my arms with desire. She shimmies out of my arms then proceeds into her bedroom, most likely to check her appearance and smooth her dress. I swear, I'm going to kill Lester. I adjust myself to no avail. The only thing that is going to help me now is not going to happen anytime soon. I walk to the door and open it, finding Lester, Bobby, and Javier standing there with pizza, salads, and beer. The three of them take one look at me and realize their mistake.
"Sorry, hermano. We didn't mean to interrupt." Javier says, stifling a laugh. I give him my death glare, which of course does not affect my big brother.
Stephanie emerges from her room wearing a blue t-shirt and white shorts. Her feet are bare at the moment, showing off her purple toenails. Damn, she looks so fucking sexy. Her hair is in a ponytail, making her look innocent; down boy. I know there won't be any relief for me soon.
"OMG, is that pizza I smell? It smells delicious." She exclaims. We get the dishes out, and we all grab a slice, along with a salad. Stephanie is the only one who ignores the salad.
"Steph, you know it wouldn't kill you to have some salad with your pizza," Javier says.
"Why would I eat rabbit food when I can have more pizza?"
"Because one day your body's going to revolt and you won't be able to eat pizza." Steph glares at Javier, but he doesn't back down. Finally, she sighs and takes some salad. I see her begrudgingly start to eat it and notice the moment when she realized that the salad is very tasty. I see her go for seconds when she thinks none of us are watching her.
When we finish the pizza and salad, we clean up to head back to the hospital. I am hoping that Julie will be able to come home tomorrow. I'm anxious to show Stephanie my house. I'm thinking of taking her there tonight. With the house on the beach, we'll be able to sit outside for a while tonight. We parade down to the garage. I bring Stephanie to the Lamborghini. The three amigos get the hint and hop in one of the SUVs. I text Maggie, asking her to pack a bag for Steph and myself for tonight. I also text Marco and ask him to have some drive Stephanie's Ferrari to the house. Maggie will get our clothes to the hospital and into my car while we're visiting Julie. At least at the house tonight, I have a greater chance of picking up where I left off and NOT getting interrupted again.
On the drive to the hospital, I keep glancing at Stephanie. She loves the car. She gets so much joy from simply riding in my sports cars that I can't help but give her that pleasure. I consider getting her one for her birthday. Well, hopefully, she'll still be with me on her birthday. All too soon we arrive at the hospital. Once the cars are parked, we head up to Julie's room. She's sitting up, picking at her dinner. Bobby once again comes to the rescue with Cuban style chicken soup and fresh Italian bread. Julie quickly eats her dinner, not even pausing to talk.
Once Julie finished eating, Stephanie showed her the clothes she bought for her to wear tomorrow. Julie decided on the sundress, agreeing with Stephanie that it would be easier to get on and to maneuver in with her cast.
"Jules, we are going to the house. You have an appointment with Dr. Serena tomorrow at three. Uncle Bobby and Uncle Lester are staying at the house with us." I tell my daughter.
"Stephanie, you're going to be there too, right?"
"Of course, Jules. There's no place I'd rather be then at the house with you." Stephanie tells my daughter. Her statement makes me feel things I've never felt before.
"Uncle Bobby, I love you and trust you, but do you think you can get a woman physical therapist to help me. I would also prefer to have a woman examine me, but you can be in the room, I feel a little awkward."
"Oh, Querida, It's fine. You don't have to feel bad. I have a good friend who's a physical therapist here in Miami. She was in the nursing corps, and I worked with her a few times. I'm sure Miranda will be thrilled to work with you."
"Thank you, Uncle Bobby."
"Julie, would you like to get changed into pajamas?" Stephanie asks Julie.
"Yes, can you help me?"
"Of course. Now, guys, shoo. Get out of here. Come back in an hour." Stephanie orders us out of Julie's room.
"Babe."
"Carlos."
"What is going to take an hour?"
"I'm sure Julie's going to want to get cleaned up before putting on her pajamas. It's going to take time to make her feel comfortable. Unlike you men, we cannot get cleaned up in ten minutes."
"Fine. But call me if you have any problems."
"Will do. Now stop worrying. Julie is in good hands. Get the nurse on your way out."
I walk to my daughter, kissing her forehead and hugging her gently. Then I go to my Babe, giving her a big hug, "thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. I…I appreciate it."
I wanted to say I love you, but I can't get the words out. I hope I didn't make a fool of myself. Once I flag down the nurse, the guys and I head to the cafeteria for some bad hospital coffee while we wait for the beautification process to end.
We return to Julie's room an hour later to find both Julie and Stephanie asleep on Julie's bed. I can tell that Steph washed Julie's hair. I wonder how long ago they finished. Javier captures the moment with his cell phone camera. I love how well Stephanie and Julie get along. I only hope that their bond will strengthen, which in turn will make it harder for Stephanie to walk away from me. However, I know I need to open my mouth and tell her how I feel. I've given her so many qualifiers over the years I'm shocked that she's still even talking to me. I wish the guys hadn't interrupted us this afternoon. Maybe I would have been able to tell Steph how I feel. Oh well. There's always tonight. Bobby gently wakes Steph, who didn't realize she fell asleep. Julie woke as Steph shifted.
"Hi, Papi. I feel much better now, thanks to Steph."
"Querida, you look lovely as always. Stephanie did all that?"
Julie's hair was in a complicated braid. It looked like Steph braided her hair down the sides of her head in two separate braids then joined them in the back.
"Yup. It makes it easier to deal with being that I can't do much with my arm. At least it's out of the way and neat."
"Steph, where did you learn to braid like that?"
"Mary Lou and I worked for a summer down at Point Pleasant. After two days of having our hair a tangled mess by the end of the day, we started experimenting with braids. I haven't made braids like this is a long time. Julie's straight hair makes it easy."
"Has Julie's doctor come in yet?" I ask.
"No, not yet. The nurse said he'd be in again between eight and eight thirty."
"Do you mind waiting until then?"
"Nope. No problem. Julie, you want to play Uno?" Steph asks.
"Sure. Are you guys going to play with us too?" Julie asks. We all agree to play. We manage to finish our second game when the doctor walks into her room.
"Well, Miss Julie, I'm pleased with your progress so far. The nurses tell me you haven't eaten the hospital food but have eaten what your father has brought you. Mr. Brown gave me the ingredient list, and I can say, your food is better than the food we provide here. As long as you have a good night, I will release you tomorrow late morning, around eleven."
"Doc, what should we be looking for as signs of trouble when Julie goes home?" Bobby asks.
"Aside from severe pain in her arm or her ribs, she should be home free. However, if there is any blood in her urine or non-menstrual bleeding, she needs to be seen by a gynecologist. Uhm, I don't mean to offend you, Mr. Manoso, but will a woman be staying with you and your daughter? I believe your daughter may be more comfortable dealing with a female over men right now."
"Yes, Doctor, Stephanie will be staying with us. We have also arranged for a female physical therapist and a female nurse practitioner to assist Bobby."
"Perfect. Julie is lucky to have many positive and protective men in her life. As a warning, she may be uncomfortable being alone with any male for the foreseeable future. Please try to have a female available at all times."
"I understand. Thank you, doctor, for taking such good care of Julie."
"You're welcome. I'm glad that Julie is healing as well as she is so far. She's been a great patient."
I shake the doctor's hand before he leaves Julie's room. We stay, talking to Julie a little longer before we head home. When we get to our cars, I tell Lester and Bobby that I'm offline for the next 12 hours. Unless there is a break in Julie's case or a major family emergency, they are not to contact me. Once I'm in the car with Stephanie, I decide to tell her where we're going.
"Babe, we're heading to my house tonight. I want to get things ready for Julie tomorrow. You'll be able to see if there's anything we need for her that I may be missing. Maggie raised three boys, and though she's wonderful, she is a little lost when it comes to teenaged girls."
"No problem. Where is your house?"
"On the beach on the outskirts of Miami. The address is in your GPS under Rangeman auxiliary offices." I tell Steph as I start driving to the house. She looks out the window, watching the scenery change.
"Carlos, I don't have any clothes with me."
"And that's a problem?"
I see her blush, then respond. "Well, I can't show up at the hospital tomorrow in the same clothes as today."
"Babe, Maggie packed a bag for the both of us. It is the trunk. Besides, I have clothes for you at the house. I wanted to have clothes available in case you were ever in trouble and needed to get out of Trenton. I also hoped that if you ever decided you need a vacation, you'd consider coming here to Miami. If you chose Miami, I would have let you use my house."
I see her stunned at my statement. I once told her the Batcave was forever, and that statement is still true, though I need her to make the decision. We start driving through the wealthy neighborhood, and I see Stephanie staring at some of the houses. I know she'll be shocked when she catches her first glimpse of my house.
We pull up to the property, and I enter my code for the gates. The gates swing open as I enter the driveway. We follow the driveway up thirty feet to the front entrance of the house. I have a wide Spanish style home with columns on either side of the front entrance and large windows. On the left is a four-car garage. I pull into the garage, taking Steph into the house through the garage. We enter a small hallway once inside.
"Straight ahead is a utility room. The security set up is in that room. Here is my home gym." Once we pass the gym, there's another hallway off to the left. I show her the servant's staircase and a guest bedroom. "The bedroom and the gym each have a bathroom. I have a total of nine full baths and a half bath in the house and seven bedrooms. There is also a guest house on the premises which I use as a control room/command center if the need ever arises to work out of here. It has a kitchen, two full bathrooms, one bedroom, and a large space where I have several computers, a conference table, and several whiteboards. It is set up like one of the conference rooms in the office."
I watch as Steph keeps turning her head from left to right, trying to see everything. "Here, off the kitchen, is the half bath and the laundry room. The kitchen has a breakfast nook and access to the yard and beach." She steps into the kitchen, stopping dead in her tracks. She looks out the windows and sees the ocean. I know the ocean calms her much as it calms me. The kitchen has a white marble floor with natural wood toned cabinets, a sand-colored granite counter top, and state of the art, stainless steel appliances. Next to the breakfast nook is the pantry. There's a half-wall with sliding doors on the top that separates the kitchen from the formal dining room. The doors are to hide the kitchen if I were the type to throw a fancy dinner party. However, I've only ever left the doors open. I'm considering removing them, but I always decided to wait until I showed Stephanie. I'd let her decide.
The formal dining room has a table that comfortably seats eighteen. Towards the front of the house is a formal living room connected to the dining room. There's no wall between the rooms, only a large archway. I imagine having my family over, and everyone spilled out between the two rooms. In front of the house is a media room/den. That is where I sit and watch television or read. It is where we'd dump the kids when my family is over. Dios, I haven't thought about my family being here ever before. I want that type of life, but only if Stephanie is beside me. There is another bathroom underneath the grand staircase at the entrance foyer. When I take Stephanie upstairs, she is still speechless.
"On the left side are maid's quarters and two guest bedrooms, each with a private bathroom. Lester and Bobby will be staying in those two rooms. Here on the right, are my living quarters. But first, let me show you Julie's room."
I led her towards the front of the house where Julie has the corner room. She has a lot of natural sunlight streaming into her room. There is an adjoining bathroom between her room and the other guest room. Across from Julie's room is my home office with a bathroom. I could easily convert the office into another bedroom. Then, I take Stephanie into the master bedroom. When we enter, she immediately sees the sitting area overlooking the ocean. I have a small writing desk in the bedroom by the windows where I sometimes work on my laptop. To the back right is my California king-sized bed. On the side adjoining the office is my master bathroom. The bathroom has dual sinks, a separate tub, and shower along with a bidet. The tub is a spa tub, big enough for two. "I think this bathroom is bigger than my bedroom in my apartment!" I hear Stephanie say under her breathe.
Then, I show her my walk-in closet. Half the closet is empty, waiting for her to put her clothes there to join mine. She turns to face me.
"Carlos, this house is amazing. When did you buy it?"
"Right after Scrog. I realized that I wanted a relationship with Julie, and I wanted a place where we could spend time together not surrounded by work. I am also a little uneasy with her being around my men all the time. I trust my men, but you never know. I was originally looking at condos, but when I saw this house, I pictured myself living here, with Julie and, with you, Stephanie." There, I said it.
"With me? But I was dating Joe at the time."
I sigh, who knew sharing my emotions and feelings would be so hard. "I always hoped that someday, Stephanie, you and I could call this place home. My life didn't lend itself to relationships, and in some ways, it never will. I often leave town with little to no notice; I have a dangerous job and could be killed or injured every day. Now that my contract with the government is in its twilight, I no longer need to go overseas, but I can still be called away for months at a time. Babe, these last couple of days have made me realize how short life is, how everything can be taken away at a moment's notice. I don't want to live my life regretting my decisions. Babe, I love you. I want you to be by my side for the rest of my life. I don't care how you want to define our relationship. If you want to be my wife, then I'll be your husband. If you want to stay partners, never marrying, that's fine too. All I know is that I want you. I want an opportunity to see what we could be together, you and me, Babe."
I stand there, holding my breath as I watch Steph process everything I told her. I see so many emotions crossing her face that I can't make out what she's thinking. Normally, I can read her expressions, but right now, I'm clueless.
"Carlos, I don't know what to say. You've caught me completely off guard. I mean, before you left you pushed me away, again. I don't know if I can deal with you rejecting me anymore. And what about the timing, Joe and I are in an on period."
"And he's fucking at least five other women behind your back. Dios, Babe. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep watching you go back to that man who has no respect for you, to that man who treats you like garbage. I know I told you to fix your relationship with him, but that's when I thought he was a good man. That was before I saw the abusive side of him, the womanizing side of him. Babe, he's a good cop but a horrible boyfriend." I say, trying to keep my frustration with Steph and Morelli's relationship out of my voice. I hate that cop, but I tolerate him for the sake of my Babe.
"What do you mean he has five other women besides me? When were you going to tell me?" Steph asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I wasn't planning on telling you; I would only if you asked. Babe, I was afraid that if I were to tell you, you'd push me away, be mad at me, thinking I'm only trying to break you and Joe up. I wasn't ready to give us a chance. I don't know if the timing will ever be right, but I'm tired of fighting my feelings. I'm tired of that feeling I get in the pit of my stomach every time I watch you go back to Joe. Stephanie, I need you in my life. Without you, I'm Ranger, badass, bounty-hunting mercenary. With you, I'm Carlos; father, son, brother, man. Please, Babe, give us a chance." Stephanie is so still standing in front of me. She's never still. I'm trying to get into her head, to figure out what she's thinking, but I can't.
"Carlos, I'm scared. You have the power to destroy me. I have strong feelings for you, since the night of the deal, if I'm honest with myself, though I didn't realize it until Scrog shot you. But I'm not sure if I can be a mom. I never wanted children, and I'm still not sure I do. Right now, if we start something, Julie will be part of my responsibility. What if it doesn't work out between us? How would Julie feel? As much as I love this house, I don't know if I can leave everyone I know behind in Trenton to live here in Miami with you."
"Then let's take it one day at a time. We don't need to decide today. I don't know if Julie wants to stay in Miami. If she doesn't, maybe she'll choose Trenton. As I told you early, I own undeveloped land in Jersey that I want to build a house on; I want to do with you. If you want to live in Jersey, we can build a home together; however, you want it. Babe, my daughter loves you and has been telling me to make a move on you for the last year. From the way you and Julie interacted these last two days, you're already a great mom to her. Babe, I know we can do anything if we do it together. Please, Babe."
I see her considering everything I said. After a few minutes of awkward silence that feels like an hour, Stephanie finally replies, "I decided that I was staying here until September fourth. That's almost two weeks. We'll see how things are between us after that time. If it's not working, we'll call it quits then. Regardless of how things are with us, I will always need you and want you in my life. You are my best friend. Promise that you won't abandon me if we don't work out."
"I promise, Babe. Thank you." I pull her into an embrace and kiss this woman. The kiss is heated and passionate. I start walking her backward towards my bed when my cell rings. I ignore it. Then Steph's cell rings. I'm about to remove her shirt when the house phone rings. Fuck me!
"Report." I bellow into the phone, annoyed at the second interruption today. I don't know how much longer I can hold myself back.
"Boss, it's Pedro. Sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Santos told us to call you about this break-in at one of the homes we monitor. One of our teams reported to an alarm. Home invasion, young children killed, wife raped, both adults shot execution style."
"Thank you, Pedro. I'll head to the scene. Who's there?"
"Ricky and Ace."
I hang up the phone, looking longingly at Steph and my bed. "Babe, those bastards got another family. I have to go to the house. You can stay here. You don't need to come."
"No, Carlos, I'll go with you. I don't want to stay here alone."
"Get dressed, Babe." She looked at me confused at first, then realized I meant Kevlar, gun, and stun gun. She sighed before searching for her stuff. I simply brought her into the closet and showed her the stuff I have there for her. She put everything on; then I kissed my sexy woman.
"I'm sorry, Babe. I promise I'll make it up to you."
"It's okay, Carlos. Maybe it will be better if we abstain from sex, at least until September fourth."
"If that's what you want," I tell her, though I see a lot of cold showers in my future.