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Temptation

Chapter Six: A rescue and an understanding

For a few minutes all she felt was air. She was surrounded by blackness and then….the collision, the cold water.

Her eyes rang, black spots danced in front of her eyes. She tried to breath but all she got was water. The mass of clothes she was wearing was full of water in seconds. She was pulled down and down. At least she thought it was down because she couldn't tell were up and down was anymore.

Her heartbeat sped up. She had to survive.

She kicked into the water trying to get where she thought was the surface, all the time struggling to get out of her daun jacket.

Her strenght receded with every second.

She was desperate.

She had to get to the surface….

Ranger was waiting at the car.

He looked at his watch. 11.05.

Where was Stephanie? It shouldn't take her so long.

He wondered if Cal and Hal had more luck than him. He hadn't been able to reach them. A dead spot, probably.

He shook his head. They had highly-developed phones but still they didn't work everywhere.

Okay, where was Stephanie?

He looked around but couldn't see her.

He felt fear grab his heart. Adrenaline rushed through his veins.

He walked through the warehouses. Still no Stephanie in sight.

He ran to the side were the wooden boxes were stacked.

She wasn't going to make it to the surface. Everything around her was dark.

She did one last kick with her feet.

Then, air, finaly.

She gulped it in and caughed. There was still water and too little oxygen. Caughing she looked around and found a ladder two meters in front of her.

She was going to make it, she had to.

She had just reached the ladder when she heard Ranger call out for her.

She tried to answer but couldn't bacause she was still fighting for air.

She struggled up and took one step after another.

Ranger's voice came closer.

"Here" she croaked out.

"Babe?"

She made it up another step.

"Here, Ranger."

She looked up and pulled herself onto the next step.

Then she saw his face.

His eyes were full of panic, which changed into worry when he saw her.

"God, babe."

He outstreched his hand and she put her hand into his.

He pulled her up.

She lay beside him. Breathing hard, shivering.

He wanted to comfort her and help her so he reached out and stroked her cheek.

But she pulled away. She needed room, she needed air.

"Babe calm down, please. Look at me." He pleaded.

She looked at him and he took her hand.

"Now take deep breaths. In ……and out…..in…" She was shivering an her lips were blue. He had to get her to the car but she would panic if he took her in his arms now.

After a few minutes she had calmed down a little bit. He pulled his jacket of and wrapped it around her. Then he picked her up and ran towards his car.

He started the motor and turned the air conditoner on.

He quickly dialed for Juniak. While the phone dialed he pulled the wet clothes of Stephanie.

"Juniak."

"Yo, Stephanie fell into the water at South pier…"

"I w w w was p p p push shed."

"She was pushed into the water. We're still here. Send somebody over and tell Ella and Bobby to get everything ready. She suffers from hypothermia and she has a few cuts and bruises." He reached for a blanked and wrapped it tightly around her, trying not to think about what could have happened. He could have lost her, again.

"God. Yes, I will tell everybody." And Juniak disconnected.

He sat down and pulled Stephanie on his lap. She needed all the warmth she could get.

He grabbed the steering wheel, his knuckles white and sped home.

Steph snuggled as near to Ranger as she could. She lay her head into the crook of his neck.

He kissed her onto her head.

"We're home soon, babe. How are you doing?"

"I'm cold." She said dryly.

He smiled or at least tried to."Go figure."

When they drove into the garage, Morelli was waiting for them. When he saw Stephanie snuggled into Ranger he felt anger pump through his veins. Immediately, he called himself a fool. Hell, she suffered from hypothermia. She had to be warm.

He opened Ranger's door and wanted to reach for Steph, but Ranger got out quickly, holding her in his arms.

Ranger all but ran towards the already waiting elevator.

"Where are the others?"

"In Bobby's appartment. He said it would take to much time to move the equipment."

Morelli wondered where he had wanted to move the equipment. Did Ranger have an appartment here?

Stephanie was shivering in Ranger's arms. She was white as a sheet and her lips were blue. She had a cut from her right eye to her chin and a bruise on her left cheek.

She couldn't feel anything anymore. This shivering body she saw when she opened her eyes to check where they were didn't seem to belong to her.

The doors of the elevator opened and Ranger stormed out and through the already opened door of appartment number 4.

Ranger carried Stephanie in and Ella told him to go to the bathroom. There a hot bath was waiting for her.

Ella followed him into the bathroom and threw Juniak, Morelli and Lester out.

Only Ranger, Bobby and herself were in the bathroom with Stephanie now.

He wrapped her out of the blanket and slowly lowered her into the hot water.

When she started to shiver even stronger he looked at Bobby, who was just getting a injection ready.

"It's normal. Wash the dirty water out of her hair."

Ella stepped to Ranger's side, shampoo in her hand. He wanted to reach for it but she shook her head.

"Help Bobby or just sit beside her."

She quickly but efficently washed Stephanie's hair. She talked to her the whole time.

"So, Steph. Now your hair is as beauftiful as always. I'm going to dry it for you."

She took a towel and rubbed her hair down as good as she could.

While she did that Bobby injected her a few times and Ranger cleaned the cut in her face.

20 minutes later Stephanie was nearly defrosted.

Ranger helped her out of the tub. Ella and Bobby moved out to get the sofa ready for her , she had refused to take Bobby's bed. Ranger dried her and applied cream to her cuts and bruises. Then he helped her dress.

When she was ready he pulled her into his arms. "Babe, I'm sorry."

She pulled back to look at him, confused. "Why?"

"At lunch I promised you to keep you safe and it took me only ten hours to renege on it."

She was horrified. "Ranger, that wasn't your fault. You checked everything and there was nobody to see. And you are right, this area is normaly safe."

"I shouldn't have left you alone."

"That wasn't it. I was distracted." She smiled happily. "Lula said yes."

He pulled her tight against him and chuckled. "I know, he wrote me a SMS, too."

"And, babe, it wasn't your fault. Even if you hadn't read the SMS you would have had no chance. There was too little toom to evade the push."

She sighed. "You're right. But it isn't your fault either."

He laughed and craddeled her head in his hands.

"Okay, it isn't. You won." He kissed me.

"That's normal." He raised an eyebrow. "I have the power, remember?"

They were still laughing when they stepped into the living room.

Ella looked up and smiled. She loved seeing the two of them together. They were so happy and it was the only place she saw Ranger completely relaxed aside from when he was with his family.

Stephanie lay down. Ranger sat on the end of the couch and pulled her feet onto his lap.

"Where are Morelli and Juniak?"

"Juniak has an appointment and Morelli was called and had to go."

Typical for him, Ranger thought grimly. And he claimed to love Stephanie. He stroked her feet.

"Okay, babe. Now tell me what happened."

"Well after I got your call I carefully walked the path. I kept my back to the boxes because I was afraid to fall into the water. Then I got the SMS from Tank."

"What SMS?" Ella asked.

I looked at Ranger but he didn't seem to mind the interruption.

"Tank told me that Lula accepted his proposal."

She clapped her hands toghether.

"Oh, how wonderful. I'm so happy for the two of them. They're so sweet toghether."

I smiled. "Yeah, me too."

"Anyway, I put my phone away and was still standing when I felt the push. I didn't see anyone I only know that the push was very strong."

I looked at Ranegr and was startled to see him angry. Very angry. His hands were fisted, his jaw set and his eyes dark.

"Did I do something wrong, Ranger?"

He turned towards me and his eyes softened. He leaned forwards and stroked my cheek.

"You didn't do anything wrong, babe. I'm only angry with the person who pushed you and with myself."

"Ranger, we talked about this."

He smiled. "Yes we did."

He moved to Bobby. "Try to reach Cal and Hal and see if they found somethig out. I'm taking Stephanie with me. Anything special?"

"She should drink much warm tea and she has to be warm. When she's sweating it's just right."

Ranger nodded and turned towards his babe.

She was sleeping. Her long lashes resting on her cheeks. He mouth turned up in a little smile.

His throat tightened as he remembered that he could have lost her tonight.

He picked her up and carried her to the elevator.

He thought that she got hurt when he had left her. He probably would have saved her if he had been there. Maybe that was a sign that he was wrong. Keeping his distance wasn't safe for her it was just the opposite.

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