18. Heroes

Lil and Tilde were up very early the next morning, both excited about the day's festivities. Honoring the military and those who have served was always a big deal in their home when Lil and Cal were growing up. Their father's influence and military career was the biggest reason why Cal had joined the Navy. By 0900, the girls had eaten their breakfast, showered, and dressed. Lil was wearing comfy skinny jeans and an Army tee. Tilde looked adorable in a red white and blue jumper. They packed their loot into a tote bag and headed up to the fifth floor. Magnus was leading the charge, wearing a camo bandanna around his neck. They entered the control room, waving to the men on monitors while trying to not draw too much attention. They snuck into the break room, which was luckily deserted at this hour. Within thirty minutes, thanks to the help of a chair and some creative curse words under her breath, Lil had all the stars and banners hung. Tilde placed the cards and poppies on the table, separated by branch of service. Last, the cupcakes were arranged neatly on the counter with napkins.

By ten, some of the men working the first shift were filtering in to grab a snack or just have a seat. When Lester and Ace entered the room their eyes lit up. Lil handed Tilde the two cards meant for them. Tilde shuffled her little legs over to the men and looked up, way up. She crooked her little finger in a 'come down here' motion. Lester leaned down to her level. Tilde placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Happy Veteran's Day!" Ace squatted down next to them and received his own kiss. Lil offered them a cupcake while Lester read the message on his Army themed card: "A big salute to all the heroic deeds and sacrifices you made!" An additional note in smaller print accompanied their signatures and Lil's 'kiss'. Lil pinned a poppy to each of their shirts and gave them a hug before they went back to work. Cal, Tank, and Slick were the next recipients. Tank knew that Lil was doing something, of course, but he had no idea the lengths she would go to make the men feel special. He stood in the doorway of the break room looking at the stars and banners. They were obviously home made, and they were wonderful. Lil and Tilde repeated the process of kisses, poppies, cards, and cupcakes. When Tank read the small note at the bottom of his card, his eyes got wide.

Word had spread quickly through Rangeman that something special was happening on the fifth floor. By lunch time, one of the morning crew had alerted the men off duty that they needed to stop by the break room. Woody, Binkie, Hal, and Zero strolled in to see the girls. They were dressed in their civilian clothes or gym attire. Each was tremendously pleased with their individual treat. Hal turned every shade of pink then red when Tilde kissed him and Lil hugged him. Each wore their poppies with pride and commented on how tasty the cupcakes were. Lil made sure to set two aside in the fridge for Manny and Hector, along with another two labeled for Luis and Ella. The girls kept busy, reading books and playing games while waiting for the next shift to start at 1500. The fridge in the break room was stocked perfectly for pulling together a lunch for Tilde, Ella was amazing. Finally, Lil and Tilde shared a cupcake. They were delicious.

Bobby, Junior, and Vince were the first group to visit in the late afternoon, shortly followed by Zip and Ram. Every Rangeman was floored by the thoughtfulness of the girls. More kisses, cards, poppies, and cupcakes were distributed. Tilde had started to call the men heroes, making sure they read the banner as they received their dog tag cards. Every man was floored by the small note on the back. By 1610, the only person left to get his special gift was Ranger. Lil grabbed a cupcake and his other goodies, figuring he was knee deep at work in his office. They knocked lightly on the door frame. Tilde made their presence known when she said "Mr. Carlos, we have a cupcake for you." Ranger sat back with a smile. He patted his lap as Tilde ran to him, easily maneuvering her way up. It was funny that in less than a week their interactions with each other had become second nature. Tilde acted like these men had always been a part of her life. The way they had taken to her was astonishing. Lil figured her innocence did something for them. Gave them something that they had been missing.

Lil offered a quiet, "Happy Veteran's Day Carlos. Are we disturbing you?". She placed his card and poppy on the desk. "Never" was Ranger's quick reply. Tilde reached for his card, making sure to say her part and give him his kiss. Ranger threaded the poppy in the button-hole of his shirt and then looked at his giant dog tag. He was impressed with the care they put into replicating the Ranger's logo by hand. Lil's lovely script on the front read: "We know we are free today, because RANGERS lead the way". Turning the card over, he first saw their signatures and the kiss. He stared at the kiss for a few beats. Then, he read the small print at the bottom. "Gentlemen. As an extra thank-you for your service Matilda and I have donated $250 in each of your names to the Trenton Veterans Administration. An additional $2000 has been delivered to the Wounded Warrior Project in the names of Thomas Peyton, Jacob Lancaster, and Rangeman LLC. Thank you for being our heroes". While Ranger was reading, Lil sat his cupcake down.

Ranger reread her note, a tumult of feelings welling up inside. Lil couldn't quite catch the tiny changes in his face, but didn't think he was upset with her. "Lil, this is amazing. YOU are amazing." He gave her a smile and Tilde a squeeze. He looked down at the small girl in his lap. "Tilde, when is your birthday?" She thought about it and answered "January 16, Sir." Ranger laughed silently. "And this next January, how old will you be?" Tilde's large eyes brightened, "I'm gonna be four!" She was very excited by the prospect. Ranger, of course, knew those answers. He just loved to hear the smart little girl talk. Ranger opened his desk drawer and pulled out a large checkbook with ledger. He filled the check out quickly, complete with his official signature. He tore the check off and handed it to Tilde. "Go give this to your mommy." Tilde happily climbed down, the rectangular paper in her little hand. When Lil took it, she placed a hand on her chest. Ranger had written a check to the VA, in the name of Matilda Louise Peyton. The donation amount was $116,000.04. Lil was speechless, a single tear worked its way down her cheek. She whispered a thank you, not sure her voice could handle much more. Ranger stood, walking around his desk to stop in front of her. "No, thank you. You and Tilde made today special for everyone. It was the least I could do." He wiped the tear from her face. She gave him a watery smile. "I'm gonna go clean up now, let you get back to work. Don't forget to eat your cupcake!" Lil grabbed Tilde's hand and led her out the door. She needed to get out of there before she made a fool of herself.

On their way back to the break room, the girls were stopped by many of the guys. Each had found a place to hang their cards at their cubicles, so they could be appreciated every day. Tilde asked if she could stay with her 'heroes' for a while. Ram offered to keep an eye on her while he worked on his take-down reports. So Lil made her way to the break room alone, still gripping the generous check from Ranger. While she took down the stars and banners, her mind wandered to the generous man she was getting to know. He might not be good with words, but his actions spoke volumes. She couldn't believe he had done that. She certainly wasn't expecting him to. Placing the few remaining cupcakes on a plate for whoever got them first, she wiped up the counter then headed to find the Peanut. She was also going to get an envelope from one of the men and have that check dropped off at the local VA as soon as possible. She stopped at the door and turned back. She took the HERO banner back out of her bag and rehung it. These men deserved a daily reminder of their awesomeness.

Alone in his office, Ranger was having a hard time focusing on his work. Every time he would bring up the Boston accounting spreadsheet, his mind would wander to Lil. He just couldn't believe she had done that for his men, for HIM. In total, she had donated nearly six thousand dollars. It wasn't the sum of money that shocked him, he knew she had plenty in savings. It was the fact that aside from Cal, they were all strangers to her not that long ago. He had never met a person with such a big heart. Out of curiosity, he opened up a secure program and searched for Thomas and Jacob. He wanted to know if they had both served. When he saw that they had each been Marines, his heart beat a little faster. She was honoring his men and his business with the likes of Tilde's and her own father. There was no greater compliment in Ranger's opinion. Ranger sighed. Something he tried to only do in private. This was getting ridiculous.

Ever since the night at Lush, he couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate. Lil was always on his mind. He could recite everything she had ever said within earshot of him. The past few nights were spent replaying her comments on men… and her desires. Dios, those particular words were burned in his brain. That along with the vision of her dressed up was enough to drive him crazy. But it wasn't just sexual attraction. He would also spend time thinking about how she was as a person, as a mom, as a friend. He would think about what he knew of her as a sister to Cal. As a security expert in Nevada. Ranger was succumbing to the fact that he was not just attracted to her physically, but ALL of her. He didn't know what to do with that. This was completely new territory. He had no map, no sense of direction in this strange land. It made him nervous and uncomfortable, but also a little excited. More than anything, it was confusing.

She had proven, yet again, what a wonderful woman she was. It was something so simple, what they did for his men today. She likely didn't even realize what an impact they had already made at Rangeman. If the girls left tomorrow, moving back west, the men at Rangeman would be forever changed. Changed for the better. Shit, that weird feeling was back in his chest. The idea of Lil and Tilde leaving was like a kick in the heart. What did that mean? And more importantly, what the fuck was he going to do about it? A small voice in the back of his mind was telling him that writing large checks wasn't going to keep her in his life. That was unfortunate, he was good at making money and writing checks. Lil didn't need a hero, just a good man. But did she even NEED or WANT a man? Fuck. At this rate, his work was never getting done.