Author: Feather (Flightf)

Warnings: Spoilers all the way through Twelve Sharp.

Disclaimers: I own nothing…JE owns it all….I will return everything when I am finished

Rating (K-M) M (for language)

A/N: This was a challenge sent by the Twelve Sharp group. 'Ranger in the hospital of any point of view.' This is 2nd in a series of however many my little brain can think up J

XjerseyGirl, Cokkii, Stephannie1014, loshi, MagnificentSin, LauraSmith: Thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate your feedback. I have always been a spoiler slut but now I think that I might become a review slut

Also, a very HUGE thank you to Melle who has been acting as my editor extraordinaire. Without her my story would be full of creative grammar and would consist of the never-ending sentence. I think that I am trying to set the record for the most use of "and", "but", "or" and of course just the plain commasJ in one sentence.

Sitting in a hospital room is not a new experience for me. In fact, I could tell you about hospital rooms all over the world. In my line of work, you learn these things real fast. One of the first things you do before you set foot in a foreign country is look up is the medical system, and if it is worth a damn. Luckily this time I didn't have to worry about that aspect; I was home so I knew the system. I have been to this hospital so much that I know most of the nurses and the doctors on a first name basis, which comes in handy when the waiting room is overflowing with people and most of them scary as hell.

Right now, I am sitting in a private ICU room guarding my brother and the two most important women in his life. I have been sitting in this chair by the window for four hours, and my ass is numb. I would never say that out loud (it just doesn't fit the image) but it happens. I am used to sitting still for hours on end-it comes with the job-but I am shocked that my companions have been still this long. Even Bombshell, who can't sit still on a stakeout for 20 minutes, has not moved from her chair.

More surprising is the fact that everyone is silent. When the nurses have come in to check the machines or change the IV bag there have been a few "thank you"s and half-smiles but not much else. Ever since the surgeon updated us and told us that Ranger would live and that he'd have a full recovery there has been silence. At first it was from relief; the air that had been heavy to breathe was now a little fresher and cooler. When they let us into the ICU room, we all seemed to withdraw into our own thoughts.

From my vantage point, I could still see the waiting room full of black shirts. There are a few Cops left. One in particular, has a concerned look on his face. Maybe this will open his eyes. On the other side of the room is one of the only good things to happen this week and she goes by the name of Lula. Maybe we can have 'lunch' tomorrow.

Shifting in my chair to see if I could get my circulation going, I did a quick scan around the room. On the other side of the glass were Bobby and Lester guarding the door. They were sitting in the metal folding chairs watching everyone on the floor. Their job was to make sure that no one who wasn't authorized made it within 200 feet of this room. I knew that I could trust them with my life, so I had no concerns there.

My eyes next fell upon bombshell. She was quietly sitting beside Ranger stroking his cheek. Every once in a while her lips would move as if she was saying something. She never ceases to amaze me, but this week has truly put her to the test. At the beginning of the night, I was a little worried that she was going into shock. When Morelli half carried her out of her apartment she was a mess. Her face looked haunted, and she never took her eyes off of the stretcher that carried Carlos. In all of the times that she has been knee high in shit, I have never seen that look on her face. To be truthful, I never want to see it again.

While Carlos was putting on his vest he made me swear to keep his Babe safe. Trying to lighten the mood I asked him if he left me enough money to take on an endeavor like that. I was completely shocked me when he looked me in the eyes and said, "My lawyer has all the paperwork, there is a trust fund with over 2 million in it. I checked and updated my will earlier this week and everything is in order. I also increased what I left Julie. Both her mother and you are executers of her trust fund until she turns 25. Make sure that her family gets Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder counseling after this mess…I thought that I had protected them from my world." And with those words he started up the stairs.

Julie's small dark head was quite a contrast to the stark white of the hospital sheets. After the last nurse's visit she had laid her head down to rest. I thought I saw her lips say daddy but I couldn't swear to it. Tonight while she was giving her statement I caught glimpses of Carlos. She had his determination, his strength and his survival instinct. She surely hadn't gotten her spunk from her mother; when I talked to her she was still doped up. It's a good thing we didn't have to use her as bait. At the thought of Julie's mother I looked at my watch, she should be arriving in the RangeMan jet in 2 hours with her husband and two other children. I think that I will send Hal to pick them up. He's big but he wouldn't scare them like Cal would.

Carlos has worked so hard over the years to keep these women away from his life but in the end fate had other ideas. Of course I knew that he failed with Bombshell, but I never would have guessed that we would be where we are with Julie. I wonder what will happen next. I wonder how the last few weeks have changed the lives of my brother and these two women; only time will tell, my friend.