12. Carlos

Lil had swept Tilde away to put on her pajamas and brush her teeth. The men sat in comfortable silence. Well, Cal and Tank were comfortable. When the girls returned, Lil attempted to make the 'goodnights' short and sweet. Tilde wasn't having it. She looked at Tank and Cal. "Wanna tuck in with us?" Cal smiled and stood, Tank shrugged and lumbered off of the floor. His ability to say no to that little girl was non-existent. Tilde turned to Ranger, "You comin?" Ranger was shocked, but stood gracefully with a nod. Lil shook her head as she carried her daughter to her bedroom. Her kid was a trip. She'd never done their bedtime routine with an audience. This outta be interesting. Cal and Tank took seats on the floor near Tilde's toddler bed. Ranger stood, leaning against the door frame. How he looked out of place but meant to be there at the same time was infuriating.

"Alright Peanut, what will it be tonight? A story or a song?" Tilde considered her mother's question very seriously as she pulled Heihei and Pua closer. "Two songs mommy. Tua lua and Blackbird." Lil rolled her eyes and smiled. "OK, but then it's bedtime ma'am." Lil turned on her small Peter Pan lamp, casting shadows of flying children onto the ceiling. She indicated that Ranger should hit the overhead light. Lil sat on the side of Tilde's bed, brushing the curls out of her face. Together the girls started to sing "Too ra loo ra loo ral, Too ra loo ra li", Cal hummed quietly to the melody. Tank watched in fascination. Ranger felt like he was intruding on a special moment. He wasn't used to these situations.

What did it say about him that bullets whizzing past his head was easier to handle than watching a mother sing a lullaby with her daughter? Tilde had a soft sweet little voice, made even more angelic by her sleepy state. Lil's voice was every bit as spectacular as Woody had claimed. When she started a gentle "Blackbird singing in the dead of night...", Ranger felt a sense of wonder. His mother had always been a fan of the Beatles, they were the first band she liked after leaving Cuba as a teenager. She used to sing the same song to him as a child. By the end, Tilde's eyes had drooped to nearly shut. "I love you sweet girl. Goodnight." Lil kissed her forehead and stood. Tilde snuggled further into her nest of bedding. "Love you too mommy. G'night Uncle Cal, Mr. Tank. Mr. Manoso." It was like that scene in the Grinch, you know the one where his heart grows? Ranger was having a very similar experience. He was hoping it was indigestion. As they filed out and shut her door, Magnus took up his post on the other side. No one unauthorized was getting to that child while he was there.

The adults settled back in the living room with new beer bottles. Lil was sipping her glass of iced tea, happy that the night had been a success. Cal fidgeted, "OK, let's get this shit out of the way. Tank is gonna blow a fucking gasket if he doesn't know why you gave me my nickname." He looked seriously put-out by the whole subject. Tank and Ranger were both smirking. The Rangemen had been giving him constant shit for days. Lil giggled and patted his hand. "Calvin here was four when he came to live with my family, I was nine. I was used to having different kids in the house, my parents had been fostering for years. Most of them were short term fosters, in-between their bad situations and their forever homes. Cal was a different story, he was the only one who stayed. That's how he became my brother." The big tattooed man looked pained and embarrassed by the memories. She rubbed his arm soothingly. "When Cal came to live with us, he had been severely abused by his mother and her latest boyfriend. He was covered in scars, wouldn't make eye contact, wouldn't speak. It took some doing, but I started giving him different silly nicknames to get his attention. I tried everything I could think of for months. Sugar-butt was the one that broke him. Anytime I would call him that, he would turn pink and smile. So it stuck." Lil poked him in the side.

Cal added to the story. "This is the best big sister anyone could have. She's always had my back. Even when I was a handful. She also protected me from the bullies in our neighborhood." She slugged him in the shoulder. "Lilly-pad used to try to cover my scars so the other kids wouldn't pick on me at school. One day, when I was eleven, she drew a flaming skull on my forehead to cover a scar from a cigarette burn. I loved it. That's how this came to be a few years later." He proudly pointed to his head. They both laughed until they had tears in their eyes. Ranger and Tank had always wondered how that had happened, both figuring a lost bet or copious amounts of alcohol were involved. Knowing the real reason made them understand Cal a little more. The story also elevated Lil to near sainthood in their eyes. Ranger was inept when it came to certain social norms. But loyalty, he understood loyalty and the desire to protect the ones you love.

Tank leaned forward, a question written on his face. "That is one special girl you've got there Lil. But, can you tell us about her father? Your file says you were never married..." He looked uncomfortable to be asking outright, but equally interested in her answer. Lil looked to Cal. "You didn't explain it to them Calvin?" Cal gave her one of his more serious expressions, "No Lil, I kept that part out of the file. It wasn't pertinent to your presence here. That's your business, if you choose to talk about it or not." Lil leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. In that small exchange, it was interesting to watch the dynamic switch from protector to protected.

Tank and Ranger were coiled in silent anticipation. Neither enjoyed being out of the loop on anything. Lil leaned back into the corner of the couch, tucking her legs underneath of her rear. Smoothing out her dress she closed her eyes for a moment. She looked at the two men sitting across the coffee table. "You've read about the shooting at the Wynn?" Ranger nodded for them both. The tension in his eyes made her choose her next words wisely. "Tilde's story is closely tied to that tragic day." She closed her eyes again, obviously gathering her strength. "Can you tell us exactly what happened?" Tank was on a roll tonight. "Man", Lil laughed, "You are a nosy one aren't ya?" Tank blushed. He'd been called a lot of things over the years, that was a first. Lil proceeded to give the story, just as she had to Bobby, leaving out some of the medical mumbo-jumbo. Tank followed along, nodding understanding at the appropriate times. Ranger had turned into a statue. Hearing her explain, even without too much detail, the events that took place… he was shaken inside. The fact that her story was affecting him so much, rattled him even more. Cal, for the most part, remained quiet. He knew the events vividly, almost as if he had been there when it happened. He had watched the 'confidential' security video of his sister being shot so many times, the images were burned into his brain. It took over two years for the nightmares to stop.

After finishing the nitty-gritty parts of the shooting Lil changed directions. "The member of my team that was killed that night, Jacob, was Tilde's biological father. He was also my best friend. Hell, he was really my only friend out west." Lil took a slow, deep breath. Four years had not lessened the pain of his loss. She readjusted her legs on the couch, the nerve pain was kicking up. "The month before he was killed, he found out that his girlfriend, Giselle, was pregnant. Jacob was so happy. They didn't have the best relationship. But he was ecstatic about becoming a father. He was going to propose to Giselle, but never got the chance." Ranger was holding his breath, he didn't know why. "After Jacob's death, I made an effort to keep in contact with Giselle. She was a Vegas Showgirl, on stage six nights a week at the Luxor. Up until that point, I hadn't really known much about her. What I found was bad. Very, very bad." Cal gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Apparently Giselle had a long standing drug problem, mostly pills. She was continuing to use during the pregnancy." Tank gave a low whistle. "My ability to keep tabs on her was hampered by my own recovery. But I kept eyes on her through other associates, I hired a PI to keep tabs on her too. If that woman sneezed, I knew about it. Even from my hospital bed." Ranger was witnessing the 'mama bear' that Cal had mentioned. Everything from Lil's tone of voice to the look in her eyes changed to steel. He recognized that level of focus and rage.

"When Tilde was born the following January, she was very ill. She was underweight, traces of drugs in her system. Giselle was so doped up, she was barely conscious for the labor. She had self-medicated before going to the hospital." Lil opened and clenched her fists a few times. "I was there waiting in Labor and Delivery with my lawyer, a rep from Social Services, and the Captain of the LVPD. The first few hours after the delivery were the longest of my life. The doctors were classifying her as 'failure to thrive'. I sat in the NICU, just staring at her, promising that if she stayed with us, I would never leave her side. By the time she started to show progress a few days later, I had already set the wheels in motion. We filed an injunction against Giselle, who the police were looking into, and I was granted temporary custody as a foster parent. I named her that day. Her biological mother never visited the NICU. I never left. Tilde was able to leave the hospital after five weeks, underweight but otherwise OK. With no other family from either parent available, I was granted full adoption five months later. Thankfully, I knew some people." Lil finished her story with a shrug. Cal added, "She's still small for her age, but I can tell she's growing faster now. She's definitely not behind on intelligence." Tank nodded in complete agreement. "No, that girl is smart as a whip. I think she's gonna give her teachers a run for their money one day."

Ranger leaned forward in his chair. "What became of the woman?" He was having visions of shipping her off in a very small crate to a very bad place. Lil understood his unspoken sentiment. "She didn't survive her detox in jail." He raised an eyebrow, "Good." Lil nodded. To anyone else, that would have seemed like a cold and heartless statement. Not to Lil. She gave him a real smile. "Mr. Manoso, did we just agree on something? Shit, Sugar-butt, write this down, it may never happen again!" Lil was laughing, both to break the tension in the room and because it really was funny. Ranger gave her his full 200 watt smile in return. Then he sighed, an honest to goodness sigh. "Why do you have to keep calling me that?" Tank was covering his smile with a giant hand. Cal was ready to piss himself. "If you don't want to call me Ranger, at least call me Carlos." Holy cow, he almost sounded human. Lil tilted her head. "I think I can do that."