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Joy and Pain
Chapter 8: Parents Nr.1
It was a picture of us leaving Dr. Meek's practice. There was a network like at the gun range or at archery. The middle ponited at my stomach.
We all knew who sent the picture. Michael Torner.
I started to shiver. Ranger pulled into his lap and kissed my forehead.
"We're going to inform the police."
Tank raised his eyebrow. It was unusual for Ranger to tell the police about his problems.
I sat up. "We can't. I haven't told my parents yet. And Lula and Connie. They would kill me."
Ranger looked at me his mouth was turned up slightly. He was clearly amused.
"No reason to laugh Ranger. Because YOU are going to go with me when I tell my parents."
His amusement vanished and panic flashed in his eyes. He got himself back under control and put his blank face on.
"Okay, babe. But we'll have to do it quickly. This is serious."
It's Saturday so my parents would be grocery shopping until about 11.
"Let's go there for lunch, okay?
He nodded.
I got up and went to call my mother. Ella followed me into the kitchen. She looked into the fridge, found it nearly empty, and took a piece of paper out to make a grocery list.
I smiled at her.
I called my mother's cell phone and waited.
"Hello," she screamed. "Is there somebody hello? I can't hear you!"
I shook my head. "That's because I didn't say anything yet, mom."
"Is that you, Stephanie?" she screamed on.
"Yes."
"Hello, here's your mother."
I rolled my eyes.
"I know, mom. I dialed your number, remember? And you don't have to scream. I can here you even if you whisper."
"Okay, what do you want, Stephanie? I'm grocery shopping with your father." she whispered.
I leaned my head against the fridge. Ella chuckled.
"I wanted to ask if Ranger and me could come for lunch today."
"Ranger? That is that man you work with, right?"
I heard my grandmother talk about a "nice package" in the background and had to laugh.
"Yes. So is it okay?"
"Well, of course." My mother was clearly confused.
"Okay, see you than. Bye." And I quickly disconnected before she could get any ideas.
I stood beside Ella and looked across her shoulder.
"Okay, I think I have everything. By the way, when is your next appointment with Dr.Meek?"
"Friday, 13 July."
She sucked in some air. I guess Ella's superstitious.
I smiled. "Ella, I can be unlucky every day of the month."
She nodded. "Okay, if you don't believe in it probably nothing's going to happen."
I put my arm around her and together we went into the living room. Both Tank and Ranger were talking into their cells. Ranger looked up when we came in. He smiled.
"Okay see you then." He disconnected and came to me. He pulled me into his arms.
"What did your mother say?"
"We are expected to be there at 1 o'clock sharp."
He nodded. "Good."
"We could do the grocery shopping until then." Ella said to me.
I just wanted to nod when Ranger interrupted.
"But go to Giovanni's and take Cal and Hal with you. And remember that Stephanie will be living in my appartment."
I looked at him and took his hand. "Excuse us for a minute, please."
Ella nodded and I could see Tank was trying to hide a smile. He was still on his phone.
I pulled Ranger towards the bedroom and closed the door behind us.
I leaned against it while he sat on the bed.
"Babe, I'm not going to argue about that!"
"I don't want to." He raised an eyebrow.
"Why the appartment at RangerMan? Why not he Batcave?"
He chuckled and relaxed. He pulled me onto his lap and kissed me softly.
"There is no Batcave, babe. Well, not anymore. I sold it after you lived in the appartment during the Slayers thing. I didn't like it anymore."
"Why?"
He shrugged. "It felt cold and impersonal."
"And the appartment at RangeMan doesn't?"
He raised an eyebrow again. " I thought you like it."
"I do, but it doesn't feel like home. Beside, it's not a home for a baby."
He smiled and kissed me again. "It shouldn't be. We will just live there while we search for a nice house, okay?"
I beamed and nodded.
"A nice bright house with a big garden. We could get a dog." I dreamed.
He laughed. "One thing after another, babe. First the house, then the baby and then we can think about a dog and maybe also a cat."
"You like cats?"
He nodded.
"Okay."
He lifted me from his lap and sat me down beside him.
"Good, then get dressed and go shopping. Hal and Cal will be waiting by your car."
He turned towards the door.
"Ranger?" He stopped.
"Yes?"
"Why do I need two bodguards?"
He came back and kneeled in front of me.
"Easy, babe. Two persons to protect." He kissed me first on the mouth, then on the stomach.
"Be careful, babe."
"You, too, Ranger."
Three hours later, Ranger parked the car in front of my parent's house. I looked at the door and saw my grandmother standing there. I had to laugh.
She was wearing a pair of black cotton pants and a white looking-through blouse. She was wearing a black bra.
Ranger was looking like he was getting ready for an invasion.
I leaned over and kissed him. "It's not gonna be that bad. Relax."
He looked over my shoulder at my grandmother and smiled.
He shook his head.
"Come on, let's go or everything will be cold by the time we finished talking."
We got out and Ranger went to the trunk. He opened it and took two bouquets and a box of cigars out.
I raised an eyebrow.
He smiled. "I'm well raised, babe.", was all he said.
We walked to the door.
"Hey grandma." I kissed her onto her cheek.
"Well hello, Stephanie." She grinned.
"Hello Mrs. Mazur. Here, these are for you."
"Would you look at that. He brought me flowers."
Ranger grinned.
Ten minutes later we were sitting in my parent's livingroom.
My mother and my grandmother were still beaming because of their flowers. My father sat on his armchair and glanced at his cigars. My family was winded around Ranger's little finger and he was looking pretty pleased with himself.
I shook my head and he smiled at me.
I took a deep breath. Now or never.
"So, mom, dad, grandma. We have something important to tell you?"
My mother and my grandmother looked up. "We?", they asked.
I looked at Ranger and he took my hand.
"I'm pregnant."
Bam. My mother fainted.
I ran towards her while my dad and my grandmother were still standing, and accordingly sitting, with their mouths open.
"Mom." I patted her cheek. "Mom, please, wake up.
I felt Ranger come up behind me. He had a little bottle in his hand. He reached across me and held it beneath her nose.
Her eyes opened and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I leaned back against Ranger and he wrapped an arm around me, helping me up then he helped my mother up.
She looked at me.
"You're pregnant?"
I nodded.
She turned towards Ranger. "And you're the father."
He nodded.
Grandma Mazur clapped her hands together.
"Oh wonderful. My favourite grandchild is pregnant. I'm gonna be a great-grandmother for yet another child. And Ranger is the father."
She came over to us and first hugged and kissed me and then Ranger. She whispered something into his ear and Ranger smiled.
Ranger's POV:I smiled at Grandma Mazur. She had just whispered to me that she was lucky it was me and that she knew we would be happy together.
Stephanie's father, who until now had silently sat and watched the whole scene stood up and went to stand in front of her.
To tell you the truth I had been more nervous about him then about Grandma Mazur ot Steph's mother. I knew that he loved Stephanie like no one else and that he protected her.
He looked into Stephanie's eyes, probably trying to find out if she was happy.
Then he smiled, "I'm happy for you my little girl" and drew he into his arms.
Stephanie leaned into his embrance and snuggled her head into his chest.
I smiled. My babe was a father-girl.
I looked at Steph's mom to find her watching me with a little smile. She winked at me and went into the kitchen to make lunch ready.
Half an hour later I watched with amusement as my babe sighed about a piece of pineapple upside-down cake.
We were sitting side by side across from Grandma Mazur and Steph's mother. Her father was sitting at the head of the table.
Stephanie had told them everything about her appointment at Dr. Meek's, Ella and her morning sickness.
Then the question I had feared for the whole evening was asked by, who else should have asked it, Stephanie's mother.
"So when are you going to marry?" Both Stephanie and me looked up, we hadn't talked about marriage, yet. "You are going to marry soon, right?"
We looked at each other and I decided to speak up.
"We haven't talked about marriage, yet, Mrs. Plum. There had been enough excitement because of the pregnancy. We will think about it as soon as everything was a little settled down."
"But mom, " Stephanie interfered, "today pregnancy doesn't necessarily lead to marriage."
Both her mother and surprisingly her grandmother, too, gasped.
"That doesn't mean that we won't marry." I said. Stephanie looked at me. Uh oh, quick change of topic needed.
"But as I already said, we will have to talk about this in a quiet moment first."
Stephanie smiled at me but her eyes told me that we would talk about this later.
Another hour later we were back in the car. Stephanie took a deep breath and leaned back into her seat.
I reached over to stroke her cheek and she leaned into my hand.
I leaned over to kiss her. Then I started the engine and drove towards RangeMan.
"You can lay down a little bit while I talk with Juniak, okay?" She opened her mouth but I interrupted her. "Connie and Lula will have to wait. You can invite them over tomorrow if you want to, but today was already exciting enough for you. Juniak and me will probably talk for a while and I will wake you when he wants to talk to you."
Juniak was back to being police chief, major had held too less action for him. We were friends and often met to drink something or play cards together. I knew that he would keep his mouth shut. We wanted the pregnancy to stay quiet as long as we could. Steph's family promised us that they wouldn't say anything and I knew that they would keep this promise because it was better for Stephanie this way.
Stephanie didn't argue. She looked tired so I told her to sleep. She closed her eyes and immediately her breathing evened.
When I drove into the garage Staphanie was still sleeping so I picked her up again and carried her up to the appartment. There I took her shoes and jeans of and laid her down on my bed. I covered her up and kissed her softly. She sighed and snuggled into my sheets. I smiled.
I went into my office. It was 3.55. Juniak would be here in 5 minutes.
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