Recap: Ranger wakes up in the hospital, blurry but aware. He figures out he can communicate by using morse code with his hand.

Lester

30% chance of losing the leg. That's the odds Susan gave us. Better than even odds, but still a real possibility. She spoke of rehab, physical therapy, how good prosthetics were these days. Trying to lighten the news that there was a chance that Ranger, the man whose body was a temple, might lose part of it.

Ranger started signing. As I was the only one in the room that knew morse code, I had to translate. "He says to get the tube out."

Susan shook her head. "I'd much rather let the tube stay where it is. We may have to bring you back into surgery soon. It will be much easier on your throat to not intubate twice in one day."

Ranger started signing more emphatically, his body shaking as he made it quite clear with his hands that he wanted it out, and he wanted it out NOW. "Apparently he doesn't want an asshole like me having to translate for him."

Susan stood hands-on-hips, and used the exact same voice she had used on Martin Williams when we were preparing to arrest him. "Ranger, stop moving around this instant. I spent 2 hours putting in those stitches, and if you are going to move around so much you risk tearing them, so help me I will put you back into a coma."

Yikes. I wonder if she'd been a teacher for troubled kids in a past life. Or a prison guard. Or a mom to kids like me and Ranger used to be. He stopped moving. I'd never seen him follow orders from someone outside the chain of command like that. Well, that or my abuela. He carefully laid his and back on the sheet and calmly spelled.

"He says he apologizes, and that while he understands the medical reasons for keeping it in, he really would rather have to tube out so he can communicate without an intermediary. He also appreciates all the work you did to keep him alive."

Susan sighed. "Fine, on your own head be it."

Stephanie

As soon as the tube was out, Ranger took my hand in his and gently kissed it, making sure not to move the lower part of his body. He then proceded to cough for a full 30 seconds. I didn't even care that my hand was in the line of fire as he struggled to breathe in.

"Babe" he said in a voice that was more of a croak. "Are you OK? Is the President?"

"I'm fine. He's fine. The news said he had bruised ribs from being tackled. Nothing worse than he's get from playing football."

He nodded. "Babe, I love you so much, but you aren't obligated to stay with a man who can't protect you. I'd understand if you wanted to leave. Be with Lester, he's still whole."

I turned to Lester. Looked him deep in the eyes. Prepared to spill my heart to him. Opened my mouth. "You owe me ten bucks."

Ranger

Lester looked at me, annoyed. "Dammit, you couldn't have waited seven more seconds?"

I stared at him, confused. I was still a little fuzzy. And my throat felt like it was on fire. "What?"

"Steph and I had a bet on how long after you started talking that you'd get all nobel try to convince her to leave you if you lost the leg. She had under 30 seconds, I had over. All you had to do was wait seven more seconds and I would have won."

Stephanie looked at me. "Sorry hon, you're stuck with me. 3 limbs or 4. If you think I'm going to abandon you with all we mean to each other, then you must be high."

I was high. The morphine was still heavy in my system.

Susan shook her head. "If you'll excuse me, I need to update Bobby. He's been frantic that he wasn't allowed in. We'll do an MRI in a few hours to see how the artery is holding. Do you have any more weapons stashed away? We found 3 while we were cutting away your clothes. I know you don't like being without them, but if you had gotten one with that gun you had still strapped to your ankle, it would have shattered your other leg. We strive to have our patients leave the hospital in better shape than they entered, otherwise it's very embarrassing."

Sullenly, I lifted my wrist. The watch held a garotting wire. Everything else seemed gone with my clothes. "Where are the guns and knife?" I asked. I felt naked without them, though I imagine my aim would be terrible in this state.

"I've got them." Tank yelled from outside the door. "And you aren't getting them back until I know there aren't any more tests that involve giant magnets."

"Fine." I said. I had my Babe. That was all that really mattered.

Short chapter, but better to post and keep getting the nudges to finish by Halloween. When authors say reviews make them type faster, we mean it.