49. And Thank You
Everyone had followed Lil's ambulance to St. Francis. The waiting room was a sea of black with one curly haired brunette in the mix. Stephanie was using every connection she had to get information on Lil's treatment. She took Joe's death in stride, not happy about it, but not very sad either. When she overheard Tilde tell Tank and Ranger what she remembered from the bathroom, it was much easier to believe Morelli got exactly what he deserved. Gobs of stitches, ninety minutes of surgery, and one less spleen later… Lil was as good as new. Not really, she was alive and in one piece. Ranger and Cal were allowed into the recovery room with Tilde for a brief visit. Stephanie had needed to pull out some serious blackmail to make it happen. Lil was still pretty groggy from the anesthesia, but smiled happily to see her daughter. It was decided that Cal and Steph would stay overnight with Lil. Hector was refusing to leave his post at her door until the morning when he had an install to complete. Tank offered to take a very worn out Tilde home to Ella, but she wouldn't leave Ranger's side. This was a good thing, because he couldn't seem to let go of the little girl either. Every time he saw the bruise on her cheek, he fought the urge to resurrect Morelli and shoot him again. With nothing else to do but wait for Lil's release, he took the peanut home.
All through the night Stephanie fielded calls quietly while Cal watched in horror. Holy Cheezits, he was suddenly really glad that he didn't grow up in the Burg. Cripes. Lil slept through the night, thanks to the super-duper drugs they loaded her up with once she was in her own room. Bobby returned every few hours to check on her. Tank was ready to sedate their own medic earlier when the doctors wouldn't let Bobby scrub in for the surgery. He didn't plan on actually cutting her, he just felt he should be there. Across town, Ranger spent the entire night keeping watch over a sleeping Tilde in Lil's apartment. Ella offered to stay with her, but Tilde still wasn't keen on Ranger's leaving… even for a night with Ella. She had thrown up once more, but luckily the bout seemed to be passing. Poor little bit was exhausted. Ranger was proud of himself. He did everything Lil had when he first saw Tilde get sick. He kept track of her blood pressure and temperature, even looked for signs of dehydration. They were both a lot more relaxed after he gave her a bath and put her Dumbo pajamas on, she was starting to look normal again. Before she fell asleep she looked at Ranger through puffy eyes "I rolled like you told me Carlos. Just like you can..." Her eyes closed the rest of the way, "Love you". He spent the rest of the night watching her, Magnus at his side. Those two innocent words playing through his mind.
Ranger was still wide awake when Tilde started to stir on Friday morning. Bobby texted Ranger to tell him that Lil could have visitors after lunch, and that if all went well, she would be released tomorrow. That prospect made him exceedingly happy. Then a very alert Tilde used the potty and demolished two bananas and some dry cereal. Thank Fuck, she was eating without getting sick. The munchkin was still moving a bit slower than normal, and the bruise on her face wasn't pretty, but she was going to be fine. "Carlos, when can I see mommy? She doesn't like doctors. She's gonna be super grumpy when she wakes up." Ranger chuckled, "We'll go visit her later, OK? Is there anything we can do to cheer mommy up? Should we bring her some flowers?" He missed the crafty glint that crossed her eyes as she smiled. "I need to call Abuela Ella. She can help us make mommy happy!" Tilde shuffled over to the in-house phone, but couldn't reach it. "Help please." She just looked at Ranger patiently, waiting for him to respond. He shook his head as he lifted her onto the counter so she could access the phone. "Want me to dial Ella, Querida?" Tilde scrunched up her button nose, "Nope, I can do it." He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't been standing right there. She picked up the receiver and dialed the seven digits to reach Ella in a flash. Then she gave him an innocent look that made him laugh out loud. Silly man, he was thinking that calling Ella meant that some kind of food was in order to lift Lil's spirits, not quite. Her one sided conversation didn't give him much to go on, but the way her large brown eyes kept getting brighter, he should have been worried. "Morning Ella… I'm good. Carlos took good care of me… Yes ma'am, two bananas (giggle)… Mommy is gonna be grumpy. I need help… Uh huh, Yes ma'am… Maui? Oh yes please!… Thank you abuela! (blows kisses into phone). And then she hung up, giving Ranger that super innocent eye bat… "You wanna help make mommy happy right?" He eyed Tilde warily, "Yes". "Good, Ella will have our costumes ready in a little bit!" Costumes?
Lil was sitting up in bed, eyeing the jello the nurse brought her with sincere disgust. Did jello even come in that color? No thanks. Cal was snoozing in the guest chair next to her. The nurses and doctors had tried to kick him out a few times after Steph left, it didn't work. Her surgeon was pleased with the procedure, he was also very thorough in explaining it all to Lil. This made her happy. She hated when doctors tried to sugar-coat things or treat patients like morons. And frankly, if all she lost was a spleen, she could live with that. What was a spleen really good for anyway? Lil was really hoping to be discharged today, but they insisted she stay one more night. At this rate, Tilde's party was going to have to be postponed. There was no way she could manage getting home then doing everything in less than twenty-four hours. Especially after so much stinkin blood loss. Cal lifted an eyelid when he heard her cuss under her breath.
"What's up Lilly-pad? You need something?" Lil gave him a sarcastic laugh, "Yes Sugar-butt, I need to stop getting shot for cryin out loud! At this rate, I might as well kiss all my sleeveless tops goodbye!" She snorted with disgust as she pushed her cafeteria tray further away. Uh oh, Cal knew that grumpy tone. If the staff didn't tread carefully, they were going to get an earful real soon. It wasn't their fault, but they were easy targets who weren't feeding her proper food. Add to it her lack of coffee this morning and… damn. "Is that all Lil? Or is something else bothering you? I told you, Tilde is doing well. She'll be visiting in a little bit… Are you freaked out about yesterday?" Lil scrunched up her nose, looking a lot like her daughter. "No, I'm not traumatized or anything. It happened, we lived, I'll move on. I'm pissed though, even dead, Erikson is making my life complicated. I should be setting up and cooking for my child's fourth birthday, not stuck in this bed with nasty gray jello!" He walked over and gave her a gentle hug, "Don't worry Lil, no one is going to let the peanut's party get ruined because of this. Just try to rest and get better so we can spring you tomorrow."
Ranger stood in his bathroom, wearing nothing but basketball shorts, while Ella placed another temporary tattoo on his back. When the older woman had sent Lester to buy every tribal tattoo he could find in the area, all of the Rangemen wanted to know what was up. When they discovered that those tattoos had something to do with Tilde and Ranger… they were vying for the chance to go with and watch. No one wanted to miss Tilde's antics, ever. In the end, eleven men played rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock until the winners were decided, Manny and Zero. They promised to take covert pictures, if they could do so without risking their lives. Tilde was sitting on Ranger's bed, watching through the doorway as Ella started working on his left arm. The little genius was doing her best to explain the story of Moana to him. All he knew was that The Rock voiced his character in the movie, and he made a mint doing it. In all fairness, if Ranger was going to do this, at least they picked a manly character for him. When Tilde told him that only HE could be Maui, with all his muscles, it even sounded like a compliment. He was just starting to feel better about the whole thing when Ella pulled a homemade grass skirt out of her bag. Ranger froze, "What's that?" Tilde laughed, Ella turned around so he wouldn't see her face when she responded. "It's the rest of your costume Carlos. And the necklace too. But your hair needs to be loose." Ella showed him how the skirt fastened. He raised an eyebrow at Tilde, who merely giggled. The little girl was way too young to catch the irony that Ranger and The Rock both did the eyebrow thing…
An hour later they were headed to the hospital. Ranger had never been so happy to live in New Jersey. Thanks to the weather, they couldn't wear their costumes out into the cold, so they dressed in street clothes and would change after they arrived. He was never going to hear the end of this. They took the elevator to the third floor, Manny and Zero were beside themselves. Cal was returning from the cafeteria when they stepped off. Manny whispered something in his ear and Cal snickered. He pointed to a door down the hall. "Use that room, it's empty." Lil was going to flip when she saw her daughter and her boss. Cal entered his sister's room with a smug smile, followed closely by Zero and Manny. By the looks on their faces, her kid was about to cause another stir. Lil pulled her own cellphone off the bedside table and readied the camera. Tilde stepped into the room in full midget-Moana fabulousness. She was wearing an orange printed wrap top and beige grass skirt. Pua and Heihei were tucked under her arms. Tilde gave her mommy a dazzling smile and recited, "I am Moana of Motunui!" Lil waited patiently, she could see a shadow falling on the floor behind her daughter.
Ranger stepped up behind Tilde, a cart crashed somewhere down the hall. The ruckus was followed by a few squeals and… was that a swoon? Well no wonder. He was wearing a short grass skirt… and a shark's tooth necklace… and a devilish smile. His hair was loose and wild, his entire body covered in tattoos. Sweet Cheezits, the man was a Polynesian wet dream. Tilde looked up at him with censure, shoving her little elbow into his faux-tattooed shin. Ranger winked at her and met Lil's eyes. "You're welcome." Lil snapped a few pictures before he could register her thumb's lightning speed. It's amazing how fast a woman can send a text with the proper motivation. Lil gave him a flirty look, scanning him from head to toe. He was like the fictional character, dipped in sex and brought to life. "You Carlos, are no ordinary demigod. And Thank You!"