Don't Blink Chapter 6

A/N: Thank you for the reviews and support. Sorry that this chapter has been a little slow in getting posted. When I started this story, I knew where it was going, but somehow I got distracted….lost my way. I'm trying to get it back on track.

Stephanie's POV

"I'll have Cal to sit with you for a while Babe, I'll be back a little later." Ranger said as he leaned close to my ear and rubbed his hand over my hair. He turned and grabbed Joe by the arm and pushed him out of the door.

A moment later, Cal stepped into the room and came over to the chair by my bed. "You need anything Bomber? You okay?"

Tears were still silently running down the side of my face. I shook my head back and forth and closed my eyes.

Cal reached to his belt for his phone. "Hey man, I think you need to get over here. Things are about to get ugly. Fast."

Cal stepped closer to my bed, looked down into my face. I wondered if he could see the shame in my eyes. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I turned my head to the wall. Silent tears running down the side of my face for all that I had lost in the last night.

When I didn't respond, he sat down, pulling the chair close to the bed, put his hand over mine and sat back to wait. The nurse had completed her fussing over my tubes, wires and monitors, turned to Cal and with no fear in her voice told him no uncertain terms that I was to be kept calm and quiet. She would be back in the next hour to check on me.

The room was quiet again. I couldn't stop my mind from replaying the things that Joe had said, over and over again. Did people really think those things or just Joe? Did anyone think I did the distractions for the attention? Did they think I did more with those men than flirt; did they think I asked for what happened with Andrews; that I wanted it? What did Ranger think? Had I lost both of them last night? That thought was too painful to bear.

I had planned to tell Joe that I was in love with Ranger that I was moving on and he should too, that I wanted to remain his friend. But he was too angry. Was Ranger just as angry with me over what happen? Had I allowed it to happen?

I had come to terms with the fact that I may only have Ranger as a friend, but I couldn't lose him entirely. Joe had said I was ruined. I hadn't felt ruined. I had felt stupid, inadequate, and helpless. I had not felt ashamed about what Andrews had done, I was angry. I was angry that I was powerless to stop him. I would deal with the anger, later.

What he had done had not change who I was. I had been scared I had wasted my life. I had realized how easily it could end. When I realize that Ranger was with me, I just wanted to quit wasting my life. I wanted to love Ranger if he would let me. Was that chance, if there ever was one, gone now? Was he ashamed of me because of what happened? I couldn't face his disgust of me; it would be too much.

I heard the door to my room open. I kept my head turned towards the wall, I couldn't bear to see the disgust in his eyes.

Ranger's POV

"Let it go, man. You made your point."

"I'm not even close to making my point."

"Stephanie won't like it, no matter how good it will make you feel."

True. I really did not want a voice of reason. I wanted to pummel Morelli.

I took a deep breath and rubbed my hands over my face. I had Morelli's blood on my knuckles. I wiped my hands over my pants. "Tank, take Morelli home. I need to get back to Steph and do damage control. If he said half of the things to her he said to me…..I" I what? I don't know how I'm going to fix it that's what.

"Sure. Lester is down stairs in the truck. We'll take care of it. Call if you need anything."

As the door to the stairwell was swinging closed behind me, I heard Tank tell Morelli to be careful on the stairs, moments before I heard the bump and moan as Morelli tumbled. I smiled and pushed through the door to Steph's room.

Cal stood when the door opened, hand on weapon, ready for any oncoming attack. Good man.

"How is she?" I asked as he cross the room to meet me.

"She has quieted down, but she won't talk or look at me. She has kept her head turned to the wall, but I can see that she is crying." He whispered.

"You called Tank?" I asked.

"Yeah, Boss. I'm sorry, but I thought you were going to kill him. I've seen that look on your face before, and he is a cop and…"

"You did the right thing, thanks for having my back."

He was walking to the door and stopped. "If I had your back, I would have gotten rid of the body. I was just thinking of Stephanie, she would kill me if I let anything happen to you; like getting arrested and charged with assault." He said over his shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything." And he closed the door.

I stared at the door for a moment. Hmmm, she was very protective of all of us wasn't she? And not afraid to let anyone of us know what she expected of us.

I stepped to the bed and took Steph's hand. She flinched and tried to pull away, but I tighten my grip. 'Fucking Morelli.' I muttered. Once again, he has kicked her when she was down. I should have killed him. A half an hour ago she was strong, resolved, ready to move forward. She knew what she wanted and was ready to make it happen. I knew she was playing her denial card on the attack, and would deal with it when she was ready. I was prepared to be there when she did. Now look. God, how could these people claim to love her and break her down at every opportunity? And I kept sending her back for more, dumb ass. Morelli was jealous, and I guess bitter because he couldn't hold on to her. Too bad, I had been jealous too, but I didn't take it out on her. No, I was just weak.

I had told Morelli that from now on she was mine, I meant it. I had failed to protect her, but never again. She made her choice known earlier, now I would have to make mine.

"Babe, look at me. Please don't cry." She just shook her head and tried to turn farther away from me. A small gasp escaped her lips at the pain in her chest from the motion.

I released her hand and walked around to the other side of the bed. I knelt down on my knees so that I was at eye level with her. I stroked her hair and wiped the tears from her cheek. Then I cradled her head in my hands. I really wanted to crawl into the bed with her and wrap myself around her.

"Babe, please look at me."

"No." She whispered. "Please go away, how can you look at me? I am such a screw up. "

"Babe, no you are not." I said as firmly as I could with the lump forming in my throat, hearing and seeing how broken she was from Morelli's spiteful words. I contemplated calling Tank and telling him take Morelli someplace and wait for me.

Then we could figure out where to dump the body.

"Ranger, all I have wanted for so long is be close to you. Have you look at me, touch me, love me. You make me feel so wanted and beautiful when you look at me. I don't feel like an idiot with you. I don't feel like I'm not good enough, even if it is only for a few minutes." She took a quivering breath. "But now, I feel ashamed for you to look at me. I feel dirty and stupid and unworthy. "

Dios, he is a dead man! I will pull that spiteful tongue right out of his head and then cram it down his throat until he chokes on it!

"Babe, you are beautiful and brilliant. You have nothing to be ashamed of. You did everything right last night. You found a way to let us know where you were; you found a way to protect yourself. I am so proud of you, Babe."

"But, I did this to myself, he was going to rape and kill me and dump me in those woods, because I looked like he could, I invited it. He couldn't believe that I had come after him, the joke of a bounty hunter. I couldn't stop him from touching me, biting me, entering me, ruining me…." She shuddered as she said the words, looking up into my eyes, pleading with me; begging me to still see her the same way I always have.

I stroked her hair and squeeze her hand. "Babe, you did what you had to do. You are alive because you waited to strike; you killed Andrews with that blow from the buckle. You saved your life. The rest of it is just injuries that can heal. I believe you are strong enough to heal. I will be right here beside you to help you heal. "

"Joe said I asked for this, I was", she closed her eyes and shook her head, as if clearing her thoughts. "..it was for you. I dressed for you, what I thought you would like, to get that reaction from you, so you couldn't help but touch me, look at me. I don't do it for the skips, I don't want their attention, I don't enjoy it, I don't want them to touch me. No one else was supposed to see it, touch… I made myself yours, tried to make you need to touch me, whether you wanted me or not…..now you won't want to…I guess other people think that I do it to attract that kind of attention, maybe they think I need it. Maybe you think they are right…. "

I'm going to kill him, as soon as I see him. I mean it; I will rip him to shreds.

"Babe, no one thinks anything like that about you. At least nobody that knows you. And I do want you, I have always wanted you." I said squeezing her hand to make her look at me.

"I know I'm not the same anymore, after last night, in a lot of ways. I woke up knowing what I wanted; maybe blindly I thought I could have it just because I told you. I ignored the fact that what Andrews did changed everything. I just wanted you to know; I just wanted to quit wasting my life."

"Babe, last night with Andrews didn't change how I feel about you."

She nodded her head in understanding. I saw the disappointment in her eyes. Shit! I rushed to correct what I meant.

"You were right when you said I was a fool. I have loved you for so long, but I have pushed you away, thinking that I was protecting you. I will not be a fool any longer. I will be here with you as long as you will have me. I will work to give you everything that I have and am. I have never given myself to anyone, Babe, so I don't know how. But if I make you feel beautiful and wanted and capable, I will look at you and touch you and love you everyday. Nothing else matters."

This time she just stared into my eyes, searching them to make sure the words I said were true. I saw the belief and relief in her eyes. She relaxed her head against my hand and nuzzled her cheek against my palm.

"I love you, Ranger." She said as tears leaked down the side of her face.

"I love you, Babe." I whispered against her lips.

The End…….sort of.

A/N : I hope I was able to pull this together. Let me know where I went astray.