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Disclaimer: The story is mine, the characters aren't, and unlike JE, I'm not making any money off of them
Rating: R for adult language and situations. They're all adults and they talk and act like it…read at your own risk.
Living on a Prayer
Chapter 15
Two ambulances arrived about two minutes apart from each other and immediately, the EMT's sprang into action. Ranger had to be pushed away so they could get to Lester, he didn't move when they asked him. I yelped when I saw Lester being pulled out of the SUV and lowered onto the gurney. His face was bloody, I couldn't even see his eyes. His shirt was torn by what looked like bullet holes; I could see his black Kevlar vest underneath.
I bit my lip to keep from screaming, tears were already running down my face, blurring my vision. Ranger stood back and watched the action closely. He ran a hand through his hair and looked up. His eyes met mine. "They're gonna be fine, Babe." He said. It was fittingly strange to see his mouth move and hear his voice over the earpiece. I had the feeling he was just saying they were going to be okay to calm me, he had no way of knowing, but it helped that he stayed so calm.
Lester was hooked up to an IV and an oxygen mask was put on his mouth. They were radioing for a helicopter. I could hear their conversation over Ranger's microphone.
The second team was helping Woody, he was also out on a gurney, but they kept trying to talk to him. Somehow I thought that meant he was at least conscious.
Bobby found Ranger when Woody was being taken care off. "Scrambled signal." He said, showing Ranger something I couldn't quite see. Ranger nodded. Even in the twilight, I could tell his blank face was in place, no display of emotion.
Sitting on the ground, I hugged my legs to my chest and began to rock slowly back and forth. What I really wanted to do was to jump up and check on Lester and Woody, but I didn't even trust my legs to carry me any more. The whole scene in front of me looked like a TV show, and I was watching it.
The sirens had drawn the few residents of the area out, they were forming small clusters across the street. I could see them through the hedge.
A helicopter arrived with deafening noise just before the ambulances left and landed half on the street, half on the guest house's parking lot. I took out my earpiece because my eardrum was about to explode with the noise coming from all directions. Lester was hoisted onto the helicopter and Bobby climbed on board behind him. I could no longer hear what Ranger was telling Bobby, but I saw Bobby nod as they took off. The ambulances took off with Woody in one of them.
Ranger turned and walked towards me, his face like a mask now. He picked me up off the ground and I threw my arms around his neck, holding on to him. We didn't speak; we just stood in the shadow of the hedge, holding on to one another, for a while. It could have been 15 seconds; it could have been an hour.
All I know is when I lifted my head off of Ranger's chest and opened my eyes, it was completely dark. Spectators were going home. Police cars had arrived to seal off the scene. Uniforms were picking up evidence, talking to a Merry Man I couldn't identify by the light of the headlights.
"Let's go back," Ranger said, his mouth close to my ear. I nodded because I didn't quite trust my voice. He took my hand and pulled me with him to the sidewalk, then he put his arm around my shoulders and we walked back to the carriage house like that.
I was glad to be in the quiet house again, ironically about an hour after I couldn't wait to get out of it. My ears were still humming from the loud noises of the sirens and the rotors. I sat back on the couch and closed my eyes. I felt Ranger sit down next to me, taking his utility belt off before he leaned back.
"Are we leaving?" I asked. I didn't know if we were going to continue the plan now that two men were down.
"Don't know yet," Ranger said, "We need to go over the security tape to see what happened. Even if it was Gardner, he does not necessarily have to know we were waiting for him and watching his partner."
"Who else would it have been?" I opened my eyes halfway to see his reaction. For a second, I could see how tired he was, then the blank face came up again. He shrugged slightly.
I scooted towards him and put my head on his chest. The rhythmic sound of his heartbeat was incredibly soothing. Ranger put his arm around me and pulled me close.
"How could this happen?" I asked, although I was sure Ranger didn't know more than he had told me. He took a deep breath and started running his hand up and down my back.
"I don't know." He said and he sounded defeated. I slipped my arm over his torso. Ranger had been there for me so many times; I felt it was time for me to step up to the plate.
I was scared for Woody and Lester, terrified of Teddy, but I was pushing it all back to appear strong.
"They're gonna be okay." I said with as much confidence as I could muster. I could feel Ranger nod against my head and I looked up. "Are you okay?" I asked, fully aware it was the question he'd asked me so many times over the past few weeks. It worked, too, Ranger cracked an almost-smile. "The back-up team will be in place in a matter of minutes." He said.
I propped myself up on my forearms, so that our faces were only a few inches apart. "That's not what I asked." I pointed out.
"Men get hurt," Ranger said, "It's part of our job and we all know it."
I knew he was just as upset as I was, but he had much more experience in hiding it behind his military jargon. In a way, we were both in denial. I used to think nothing affected Ranger, now I know he just covers it up better than I do.
"He's just one man, we're a team." I said. Okay, so I didn't have much training in pick-up talks, but I was trying. Ranger was still smiling. "I know," He said and hugged me closer.
His cell phone chirped and Ranger lifted us into a sitting position before he answered. "Talk," He said and then he listened. I tried to lean in closer to hear what was being said because Ranger's face was unreadable. Was it good news? Was it a lead on Teddy? For once, I refused to let my mind go in the other direction, I'd had enough bad news today.
"Meeting in fifteen," Ranger said and flipped his phone shut. "What?" I asked, unable to wait any longer.
Ranger brushed some hair out of my face and rested his hands on my shoulders.
"Lester's in surgery, too soon to tell what's gonna happen. Woody probably had a blow to the head, he's still unconscious." Ranger took a breath and started playing with my hair around my ear. "We're gonna go over it in the meeting, but basically, their microphones' signal was scrambled and he was able to attack without us hearing."
He lowered his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes. "It's up to you," He said, "If you're in, we're staying."
Oh my. It was up to me. If I said the word, we'd be going home tonight. Was I ready to stay? "We're already here…" I said, pulling my head back a little so I could see his eyes. I could tell he was thinking about smiling, but he didn't say anything. He really was going to make it up to me. I sighed. Then I took a deep breath.
"Fuck it, let's stay." I said and slid my arms around Ranger, hugging him. I could feel him smile against my head. There was something about Ranger. When he was close to me, I felt I could do anything. "You're in?" I asked jokingly.
"All the way." Ranger said, running his hands up my back. He settled them on my shoulders and started massaging them softly. It felt great. I realized how tense I was and closed my eyes.
"Mmmmh," I all but purred, "That feels good."
"You sure you want to do this?" He asked softly. I tilted my head back and opened my eyes. "Are you?" I asked him right back. Ranger chuckled and glanced around me, probably thinking about what lay behind the door.
Just because I felt like it, I leaned in to peck him on the cheek. He turned his head at that very moment, and my lips landed on his. I could feel the surprise in both of us, but neither of us pulled back. I kissed him and then buried my head at his neck. Ranger blew out a breath and threaded his fingers through my hair.
"Looks like we're staying then." He summed it up.
"We can do this." I said like a high school coach and we both smiled at my cheap imitation.
"I'm gonna get something to drink," I said, freeing myself from his embrace and getting up, "Want something, too?"
There was some emotion in Ranger's eyes I couldn't name, but it was gone a moment later. "You're gonna serve me again? I could get used to that, Babe." He said and winked. I rolled my eyes at him and took off for the kitchen.
I was about to grab two water bottles when my eyes fell on the six-pack of Corona behind it. If this wasn't a situation that called for a beer, I didn't know what was. I grabbed two bottles and twisted them open before I went back to the couch.
Ranger didn't comment, he just took the bottle I handed him and took a long pull. I did the same and sat back down. "I needed that." I said as I put my bottle on the coffee table.
Ranger booted up his laptop and flipped his phone open, placing it on the table. "This should be our last meeting for today." He said and I picked up my bottle again and said "I'll drink to that!"
Ranger chuckled and we clinked bottles.
Bobby dialed into the meeting from the hospital to give us the latest update. The backup team had arrived and taken up position across the street, a driveway over from the last team.
"They're both stable," Bobby began, "and they're both gonna make it. Looks like Woody can go home tomorrow." I let the air out in a relieved whoosh. "Thank God!" I said. I could hear some of the men whopping in the background. It was great to start the meeting with good news.
"Woody identified the attacker as the perp." Bobby continued, "Disguised as a little old lady." Ranger shook his head almost imperceptibly. "Everyone is a suspect!" He said and he sounded impatient, "You know that!" There was no reply to what was pretty much was an outburst for Ranger.
Junior cleared his throat and took over. "Perp initiated contact with target at 14:07 at which time a perimeter was established. We are still working on narrowing the location down. Team target surveillance went off the radar after the 15:45 check-in. Hit was confirmed by location team and target at 16:31." From what we knew so far, Teddy had somehow scrambled the wireless signal from their microphones just before he struck. It sounded to me like Lester and Woody had never seen it coming, falling for the disguise. I cut my eyes to Ranger, he was clearly pissed. My only hope was that he was going to wait until they felt better before he'd rip them a new one.
Tank spoke up to report he was in position across the street and that he had a clear visual of the driveway and Ranger's car, and that the coast was clear.
"I want weapons drawn at any and all visuals." Ranger ordered, "Target is going offline, but need update on all sightings and doctor reports." Everybody gave their 10-4 to that and Ranger closed the cell phone.
"Now for the fun part of the evening." He said and leaned back. I raised my eyebrows and he laughed at my reaction. It was almost 6:30 and since there was no TV, I didn't know how much fun the evening was going to be. But I did know I would need some distraction, I did not want to talk or even think about Teddy.
Lester and Woody were going to be okay, and that's all that mattered about the attack. The Merry Men would be dissecting and analyzing to be more prepared next time, I didn't have to do any of that. I wanted to watch Ghostbusters and pretend none if it was happening.
I sighed and sank back. "Where's the fun in the fun part?" I asked. When Ranger didn't respond I opened my eyes and looked at him. He had a glimmer in his eyes and winked at me. Men. I rolled my eyes. "Never mind," I said, "I don't want to know."
I got up to find something, anything to do. If I sat still right now, I would think. I didn't want to think. I'd already inspected the kitchen and the bathroom, but I hadn't spent much time looking around the main room.
On the wall, next to the big painting, was an old beat-up drawer chest. It looked too worn to be an antique, like it had always been part of a vacation home.
The first drawer contained take-out menus from the local restaurants, a phone book and a writing pad. The menus would come in handy of we stayed another night; I sure wasn't planning on cooking every day.
I looked back at Ranger to let him know, but he was already back to working on his laptop, absently drinking from his beer. I knew he could get into a zone when working just like he had a zone when driving, so I didn't interrupt him.
There were kitchen towels and rags and such in the second drawer, all stuff that didn't really belong anywhere else, I figured. But the third drawer looked like fun.
"Monopoly!" I almost squealed. There were maybe three or four board games, their boxes tattered and beaten up, a few decks of cards and a cup with some dice. This would be fun!
"Let's play Monopoly!" I suggested and when Ranger didn't respond, I turned around. He hadn't looked up from the screen, but he nodded slightly. I took that as a yes and carried the box over to the coffee table to make sure we had everything we needed.
I tried to move the bottles and knick-knacks on the table around, but there wasn't enough room for the game board. So I just set it up on the floor and grabbed the car as my game piece. "Who do you want to be?" I asked Ranger. He was typing away on his laptop, so I wasn't sure he'd heard me. I was about to repeat the question when he said "Car". "You can't have the car, that's me. Pick another." I said.
Finally he looked up. "Babe." He just said. Who knew he had pride when it came to Monopoly? The things you learn when you're cooped up on a mission. "Fine," I just said and picked the dog for myself. It wouldn't matter with what token I'd kick his ass after all, right?
I got myself another beer and one for Ranger and sat down Indian style next to the game. "You're coming?" I asked, emptying my first bottle. "You were serious?" Ranger asked and looked up from his work. I just raised my eyebrows in response. If I had to stay in without a TV, Ranger would have to help entertain me. He wouldn't be prepared for the alternative, me whining about doing something.
Ranger shook his head slightly and closed his laptop. He got up and came over to where I was sitting, eyeing the game board. "I haven't played this in twenty years." He said, but I could see he was thinking of smiling at the idea. "It hasn't changed!" I said and patted the floor next to me. "Besides," I pointed out, "It's about buying and selling real estate. You should know all about that."
Ranger was smiling his full-on smile now. "I can beat you with one hand tied behind my back, but do you really want to endure that?" I rolled my eyes until I could see my hair grow. "Sit down already!"
He did and I sat speechless for a beat. The image of Ranger, sitting on a floor next to a Monopoly board was totally surreal. I'd seen Ranger in action, I'd seen him in bed, and I'd seen him working. Relaxing, playing a game, was new. I liked it, once I had some time to get used to it. Ranger sent me a curious glance, probably because I was downright staring, and we started playing.
Along the way, he got up to get us more beer and before long, the six-pack was history. I am a cheap drunk and I had to close one eye to read the chance cards towards the end, but I managed to render Ranger bankrupt through a strategic move involving train stations and I could see it pained him to fork over the last of his money. Of course, I was able to fully concentrate on the game, probably Ranger was thinking about ten different things and mentally keeping his checklist updated. That's the beauty of my denial, I can escape completely.
Since I didn't trust myself to make it through another round in my tipsy state, I was all too happy to put the game away after my landslide victory. Ranger promised revenge and got up to check on the teams. He called Bobby at the hospital to get an update, and he checked in with all surveillance teams.
"Lester is out of surgery," He said, "His condition is guarded but stable." And I could tell he mentally added 'Thank God'. At least I would have. I don't know how I would have felt if Lester or Woody had died. They would have died because of me. Immediately, I felt the familiar pang of guilt rise up from my stomach and I quickly willed myself to change the subject. The only reason I was able to easily was that I was on the fast track to being drunk.
"Are you not gonna drink your second beer?" I asked, lying flat on my back on the floor, my head turned towards Ranger.
He studied me for a moment and then he grinned. "No. But you're not drinking it either." He said, "I think you've had enough. We can't let our guard down tonight."
Oops, it was a little too late for that. I had let my guard down the moment I walked back into the house. It was the only alternative to breaking down, probably sobbing and screaming. And since I had resolved to not do that anymore, I'd gone with total denial. Now Ranger had brought me back into the present.
"You think he's gonna…" I didn't know what I wanted to say, so I just gestured. "Not if everybody stays sharp." Ranger said. I got up with a sigh and plopped myself down beside him on the couch. Playful Ranger had apparently left the building, he was back to business.
I leaned back and closed my eyes. The room wasn't spinning yet, so I wasn't quite gone yet. Maybe if I…
"Hey," I said, sitting up, "How about something to eat? You must be starving!"
Ranger turned his attention from the screen to me and looked at me. His expression was blank at first, then it softened. He reached out and ran his fingers through my hair.
"It's okay, Steph. We're safe here. Everything's under control." The way he'd called my bluff took all the air out of me. I bit my lip to fight back tears that were welling up. Dammit, I'd been okay! I had this whole distraction set up and Ranger came and blew it up like a house of cards. I swallowed.
"You sure?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Ranger nodded. "We're gonna be fine." He said and leaned in. He brushed his lips over mine and pulled me close. I was still trying to keep my stiff upper lip, so to say. I didn't want to break my own promise.
Granted, I had resolved to stay strong before all hell broke loose, but still. It was a promise.
"I'm okay." I protested weakly. I really wanted to be. But if I closed my eyes, images of Lester all bloody filled my mind, and if I left them closed, Teddy would appear, followed by dying Joe.
"So, you're hungry?" Ranger asked. Oh, now he was playing along! He just had to pull me back into reality first? I shook my head no. "I'm just tired. I think I'm gonna go to bed."
Okay, so it was pretty much a fib. I was hungry, but I didn't want to eat. I wanted to be alone.
"Take the big bed," Ranger said, "I'll be working for a while longer."
I wanted Ranger to get some rest, too, but I knew that if I said anything, he'd just look at me. He always did what he wanted to do. Just like me, really. I pecked him on the cheek and then I ran my fingers over the skin I'd just kissed. "Don't stay up too late. You want to be on guard tomorrow." I was hoping I had matched his tone of voice from earlier. Ranger chuckled and hugged me close again. "Wise ass." He said before he released me.
I did my thing in the bathroom and changed into my flannel PJ's. The bed looked comfortable enough, but the fact that the house was monitored from all sides made me feel even better. That, plus the alcohol in my blood really helped me relax. Okay, so mostly the alcohol, but I felt I deserved it. I'd been crying-mess-Stephanie for too long, the world needed a break from me.
I knew that I should be up with Ranger, working on a plan, checking with the guys. Probably the reason I didn't do any of that was the same reason why I hadn't been to Morelli's house or his grave since he'd died. The confrontation would make it real. I wasn't ready for 100 percent reality yet. If I crawled into bed right now and closed my eyes, I could pretend I was at home, just another night like any other. I knew that at some point, I had to face reality, but I decided tonight was not that time.
I threw back the patchwork blanket and crawled into bed. It wasn't even late; I was drunk and exhausted though. With any luck, I would even sleep without annoying dreams. It was worth a shot, I decided.
I woke up disoriented in the middle of the night. At least I thought it was the middle of the night, the room was pitch black. I didn't know what had woken me, maybe it was just a dream, but whatever it had been had me wide awake.
As my eyes adjusted, I was able to make out the room around me and slowly, my memory came back: I was in the Carriage House. With Ranger. But I was alone in the bed and, from what I could tell, in the room. I listened into the darkness. Just as I was about to dismiss the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach, I heard a noise.
I held my breath to be able to hear better. It was a voice. A voice speaking softly, almost whispering. Probably one of the Merry Men, talking to Ranger, I thought. But now my curiosity got the better of me and I had to check it out.
I got up and found my way around the room and to the door with my hands in front of me. Something heavy fell to the floor in the next room and I shrieked, instinctively cowering to the floor. My heart sped up and I felt the first tendrils of panic curl up inside me.
"Do not play games with me!"
I bit into my hand to stifle a scream. I'd have recognized that voice anywhere, and probably would for the rest of my life.
It was Teddy! He was inside the house! Where was Ranger?
I tried to calm down enough to think straight. I'd gone to bed; Ranger had still been in the living room. But Teddy's voice had sounded closer.
Ranger would have gone to bed at some point, probably in the small bedroom. The door to my bedroom was open, so that's how I must have been able to hear him. But if it had been Teddy who'd dropped whatever it was, where was Ranger?
I still had my hand at my mouth and was biting down hard on it. I wanted to scream, cry and call for Ranger all at the same time. How the hell had Teddy gotten into the house? And what if I was it? Was there another explanation as to why Teddy was in the house?
I strained my ears to hear anything, but my erratic breathing along with my galloping heartbeat made it nearly impossible to hear outside noises.
It felt like a long time until I was able to control my breathing again, but it could have been only minutes. Now I was able to hear two voices. One of them was Ranger's, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. Teddy was talking louder, but his voice was somehow muffled.
I crept closer to the bedroom door. The hallway was dark, except for a ray of light that fell through the crack in the other bedroom. So I had been right, that's where they were.
Okay, I told myself, what would Ranger do in my situation? He would get a weapon! I berated myself for leaving my bag in the living room and going to bed unarmed. Force of habit, I guessed, I usually kept my gun in my cookie jar.
Now it was on the couch in the living room. There was no way to get to it without passing the room they were in. If the crack in the door was small enough, I might be able to sneak by.
But what if it wasn't?
I took a quick look around the room, in case I had missed something earlier. Nothing had changed; there was still nothing that could be used as a weapon. I didn't even have my stiletto pumps here, they were sometimes my weapon of choice when I was surprised in my bedroom at home.
I mentally went through my bathroom inventory, but couldn't think of anything there either. I'd already tried the hairspray on Teddy and it hadn't worked. I decided it was still better than nothing and crept as noiselessly as possible back around the bed to the bathroom.
I could hear a struggle from next door, and hissed voices. Time was clearly running out if I wanted to help Ranger.
If I made it to the living room, I could alert the surveillance teams, and they would be here in a heartbeat.
I felt my way around the bathroom until I got a hold on my spray can, then I crept back to the bedroom door. I took a deep breath, praying the door wouldn't squeak, and opened it a bit wider so I could fit through. The door didn't' make a noise.
"I tried to tell you, and I tried to tell her. But you wouldn't stay away from her!" Teddy said. Were they just talking? Then why were there struggling noises? And why didn't Ranger answer?
I was in socks and put one foot in front of the other very slowly. If a floor board creaked, I was as good as dead. Well maybe not dead, but I was pretty sure I'd wish I was dead.
"You will no longer come between us!" Teddy threatened and I froze. Now that I was closer, I realized Ranger was talking, he was speaking very softly, very unlike him.
I remembered our plan. The teams had to check in with the control room every half our. We had to flick our lights when we went to bed, and from then on, a team member would walk around the house every half hour and report back. I didn't know how long I'd been awake, but it could only be a matter of minutes before the next routine check.
We just had to make it until then.
I was right in front of Ranger's bedroom now, but the door wasn't open wide enough for me to see anything. I could sense the shadow Teddy was casting, and I assumed he was standing. I shrank back when something was slammed against a wall and realized I had to keep moving.
"This will be my present for her! When she wakes up, she will be mine!" Teddy was announcing and I had to try real hard to fight back the panic in me.
The living room was dimly illuminated from some outside light, and it was enough for me to see the outline of the furniture. I tried to tune out Teddy's rambling, he had started telling Ranger all about his future with me. If I listened to that, I wasn't sure I could keep a nervous breakdown inside.
I felt around the top of the coffee table in search for Ranger's cell phone. When I couldn't find it I realized Ranger had of course taken it with him and cursed inwardly. Then I remembered my cell phone, he had given it back to me!
I knocked over an empty beer bottle and almost screamed again, but it fell almost silently on the rug under the coffee table. But the shock had been enough to speed up my heart rate again.
I crawled towards the couch on all fours and buried my face in a cushion so I could scream silently. My hand settled on my purse and I fished around in it. I did remember my gun, right? Oh God, it had to be there, only this once! I prayed to every saint I could remember and I begged for help.
I almost yelped in relief when my fingers found the barrel of the gun. I closed my hand around it and pulled it free. It was loaded, right? Ranger wouldn't have let me leave if it wasn't loaded, right? How could I check in this darkness? I forced myself to open the chamber and feel for bullets. They were all there. I blew out some air and thanked Heaven.
Now I had the gun, but could I use it? I tried to get into the Ranger mindset. Do what needs to be done. 'Yes, I can' I told myself. I realized that whether I could or could not was not the issue, I HAD to. I was the only one close enough.
I took a deep breath and pushed myself off the couch and I crept back the way I had come. Just walk towards the light, I told myself. I was trying to tell myself it would all be okay, but it didn't work. This was about as far from okay as it was going to get.
I got back to the hallway and stood in front of the door, taking slow, deep breaths.
"She's worth it, you know?" Teddy was still going on. I was so close now that I could hear them both. "Yeah, I know." Ranger said. His voice sounded pained. I tried to locate them in the room by the direction of their voices. Once I opened the door, I wouldn't have the time to look for them, I had to know where they were.
Was I going to barge in and yell "Freeze!"? Was I going to just shoot? I didn't know what the best way to do this was. There were a dozen Merry Men within a few hundred yards, and they all would know exactly what to do. I contemplated backtracking to the front door and getting help, or at least get my cell phone and call them.
"So you see how this is the only way then. For what it's worth, you were a worthy opponent." Teddy's voice had that eerie undertone again, and there was no doubt in my mind he was telling Ranger good bye. There was no time for me to run for help. It was all me.
I fought anger, panic, sadness, fear, and half a dozen other emotions, standing alone in the hallway of the small carriage house in my pajamas. And I realized it didn't matter how close the Merry Men were, Ranger depended on me this time. He had never let me down and I wasn't about to either. He needed me; my emotional outbursts had to wait.
I took another deep breath and slowly counted to three. I tried to picture a cop show, I must have seen this on TV so many times. If I could just become that chick from CSI for this one moment!
'Fuck it!' was my last coherent though after I'd reached three. I lifted my foot and slammed it into the door, slamming it open and against the wall.
At that moment, I didn't see Teddy a few feet in front of me, holding a gun to Ranger's head. I didn't see Ranger bleeding from his mouth sitting a little hunched over on the bed. The room in shambles, broken glass on the floor, none of it seemed to register.
Later, I was able to visualize it, but at that moment, I didn't see anything. I heard an unearthly scream that could have only come from me, and then I pulled the trigger until I only heard clicks. I emptied all six bullets firing straight ahead and screaming like a banshee.
TBC
A/N: Please let me know what you think. I would love to read how you would like to see the story to continue!