Chapter 14: Steph's Decision
Once they were home in the batcave, Stephanie helped Ranger into the master bedroom.
"Babe, I can do this myself" Ranger told him.
"I know you can Carlos, but I want to take care of you please let me, I am going to be your wife." She told him with her soft blue eyes.
Ranger sighed and managed to take off his shirt. He sat down on the bed.
"Babe please help me" he asked her in a soft tone.
She bent down and helped him take off his boots. Suddenly, they heard a soft knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Ranger asked.
"It is me dad, can I come in?" Julie asked.
"Sure"
"Hey Julie, come here" Her father said.
She enclosed him in his gigantic arms.
"I am fine" he reassured her.
She looked at him. "I know, I remember when you were shot. You recovered then too and you will recover now as well" She looked around the room.
"You need some photos in here, or a Backstreet Boys poster." Julie told them.
"Really, you like them they are probably about Stephanie's age." Ranger told his daughter.
"So" Ranger's little girl shrugged her shoulder.
"Alright, maybe not BackStreet Boys, but maybe NKOTB" Stephanie told Julie
"Yeah," Julie told them
Ranger shook his head. "All right, you can decorate you room any way you want, but not my room understood."
"yes, sir" Julie said and then left them alone.
"How can she know about those two groups?" Ranger asked Stephanie.
"Her mom" Stephanie answered her.
"Right" Ranger stood up and was able to get his slacks off. Stephanie went to his dresser and got a pair of boxers. She handed them to him. He put on his boxers and went to go lay down in bed.
"Babe, thank you" Ranger then fell asleep.
Stephanie walked out of the bedroom and saw Julie there with tears in her eyes.
"Come here" Stephanie opened her arms and Julie rushed into them.
"He will be all right" Stephanie softly told her.
"Hey why don't you go see your horse." Stephanie told her, "I am going to try to find out why it was just him that was poisoned." She told her future step daughter.
"Okay can I have Hal come with me" Julie asked.
"Yes, Hal go with Julie" Stephanie told him.
"Yes, Mam" Stephanie watched Hal and Julie go out to see her horse.
Stephanie walked downstairs to find her mother inside the kitchen.
"Mom how did you get in here? Stephanie said in shock.
"Your father's parents are driving me nuts" Helen yelled.
"Why now, and why did you agree to their terms, I don't want you to wait until you are married to have kids. I want you to make me a grandma now" Helen snapped at Stephanie.
"Okay mom calm down" Stephanie told her.
She saw Helen start to clean her kitchen.
"Mom I did it so that Carlos and myself can have a real honeymoon. So we can put money aside to do that. I want to go to France for our honeymoon." Stephanie told her.
"I will pay for you to go on your honeymoon darling, but please take back those terms." Helen pleaded with her youngest daughter.
"Mom please come into the living room and tell me what it about dad's parents is that are driving you crazy." Stephanie told her mom softly.
The two of them went to the living room and sat down.
"They come here to Trenton after thirty something years, and I know they think they are trying to make amends. But they are tearing our family apart."
Helen started to cry.
"Mom did it occur to you that Albert and Valerie can't make it here. Think about it, Albert has been trying to set up a law firm for four years, and he has no clients. I will miss them too but maybe this is what is best for them."
Stephanie told her mom while she was rubbing her mom's back.
"As for the terms, for myself, we must think of my situation, the first thing is that both Ranger and I have Julie now and we all have to do some adjusting to get used to the new situation. Just as Stephanie said that Julie came in, "Come here sweetie" Stephanie said to Julie as she opened her arms.
Julie rushed into them. "How is your horse?"
"Tucker is good, he is getting big" she said.
Just then the doorbell rang again, "All right I will be right back." Stephanie told them.
Stephanie went to answer the door, "dad"
"Hey Pumpkin, can I come in I thought your mom would come here" Frank told her.
"Come on in she is here." Stephanie opened the door, and saw Helen sitting on the couch with Julie in her lap.
"Hi Helen, can we talk for a couple of minutes?" Frank told her.
"Julie go get your coat and you can show me Tucker." Stephanie told her.
"Okay" Julie told her.
"Stephanie please stay for a few minutes" Her dad asked her.
Stephanie sat down.
"I asked my parents to leave, they are tearing our home up, but I think it will be good for Albert the kids and Valerie to go to New York. Albert has a real shot in New York and we can't take that away from Valerie and the kids." Frank told Helen and Stephanie.
Helen stood up and said, "Agreed, it would be wrong for us to stand in their way."
"Steph, we have a problem." Julie came in.
"What is it sweet heart." Stephanie looked at Julie who looked outside to see all the horses running free.
"Where is grandma?" Stephanie asked them.
"There" Helen pointed a finger to see Grandma standing by the open paddock gate and watching the horse run free all over the grounds.