72 HOURS - CHAPTER TWO
Tank's POV
Myself and a bunch of the guys have been haunting the hallways of the hospital for over five hours now. We weren't comfortable sitting in the waiting room with the family. Other than an occasional dark look from Joe Morelli, Steph's on again/off again boyfriend who is also a Trenton cop, no one was paying us much mind. Although a couple of nurses had taken one look at us and ducked behind the closest door. Any other time this would have amused us.
I looked down at my watch again and cringed. Any moment the boss would come barreling through the emergency room doors, and I wasn't looking forward to it. I wasn't worried about losing my job, but I didn't really want to die without knowing if Steph was going to be all right. I let out a sigh. Well, at least I'm in a hospital. Not that I figured it would do me much good, but at least there was a small chance they'd revive me.
Hal gave me a nervous look from across the hall, and I knew the same thoughts were running through his mind.
We hadn't gotten any updates for a while. I figured that would be the first thing Ranger would ask about, so I went looking for a nurse.
Sometime later I wandered back down the hall. Hal and Morelli both looked over at me in question. "The nurse said it could be another hour or two. From what she was able to learn they've removed the bullet and repaired the damage where it nicked the lung. Apparently getting the bullet out was tricky. From what I could get from the nurse, it was lodged in a pretty dangerous area, and they needed to get her breathing and her blood pressure stabilized before they could go after it. Now they're working on removing the bullet from her shoulder. So far her vitals are holding strong."
Morelli just nodded his head and went back to staring at his shoes. We hadn't really spoke since he came flying into the E.R. right behind the ambulance, getting into my face and demanding an explanation. I'd told him everything I could, leaving out the last thing Steph had said to me before she'd passed out. I've never been able to figure out the dynamics of the whole Morelli/Steph/Ranger thing. I knew the boss had strong feelings for her. Hell, every time he went out of town or was going to be unavailable I had to hear a two-hour lecture on what my fate would be if something happened to her while he was gone. I also knew that Ranger had a hang up about relationships and how they didn't fit into his lifestyle. Obviously Steph knew it too and that's why the on again/off again thing with Morelli.
I heard a nurse ask someone if they needed help and I looked over my shoulder. Ranger ignored the nurse, never breaking stride, the look on his face giving nothing away. Before I knew what was happening he had his hand around my throat and had me pinned to the wall.
"Tell me why I shouldn't just kill you now." My brain frantically tried to find an answer that made sense, but the truth was I couldn't think of one good reason. It didn't matter that I had told her to sit tight. I'd screwed up, and I knew it. Not that it would have mattered. I couldn't have answered anyway since I was pretty sure I was about to lose consciousness.
Suddenly I could breathe again. I leaned over and put my hands on my knees sucking air into my lungs. I looked up and saw Morelli, Hal, Bobby and what appeared to be a hospital security guard holding onto Ranger and muscling him away from me. Taking one last deep breath I straightened up.
"Let him go. I fucked up, and Steph's laying in there fighting for her life, so let him go."
I watched as Hal, Bobby and the other guy let go of Ranger and cautiously back away. Then I blinked in surprise as Morelli leaned in and spoke quietly to the boss. Ranger's eyes never left mine, but I knew he was listening, because as soon as Morelli stepped back Ranger gave him a short nod.