Thank you all for the great feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy.

As always, all the characters you recognize belong to JE and I'm just having fun with them.

Previously:

"Wait a second," I said, sitting up suddenly. "How the heck did you get out of the handcuffs? When did you do that?"

I got the full 200 watt smile. "I had them off almost from the start, Babe. The scarves, too. Need to be more aware of your surroundings."

"Ass!" I said, snuggling back down into Ranger's side.

"Yeah, but you love my ass." Carlos smirked.

"Well, you've got me there," I answered sweetly, peppering his chest with butterfly kisses, then roughly biting a nipple.

"Ow!" He yelled as I surprised him.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings, Carlos."

"Babe."

1 Week Later

So far we had had no luck tying William Conti to my apartment break-in, other than the fingerprints in the hallway and lobby. RangeMan had a team following him at all times. This was problematic in that keeping tabs on Conti meant that in effect we were keeping tabs on the Giardano Family. I really worried that this would put RangeMan and Ranger in danger, once again, because of me.

I was laying in Ranger's comfy bed, propped up on pillows, doing searches on his laptop. I'd been feeling really crappy all week. I heard Ranger come into the apartment, speaking with someone.

He came to the bedroom, "Hey Babe. Bobby's here. Can he come in?"

"Ranger. I told you that I was fine. I just like working in bed better than my cubicle."

"Babe."

Sigh. "Of course, Bobby can come in."

Ranger turned and called Bobby from the living room.

"I've got to head down to a meeting, Babe. I'll come up and check on you later."

"I'm fine, Ranger! Stop worrying," I called after him.

Bobby came into the bedroom as Ranger left. "Hey, Steph. How are you feeling today?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Bobby. I've just been tired and out of sorts, not really nauseous but just not hungry."

"You're not hungry? Well, no wonder the boss is worried!" Bobby smirked.

He took my temperature and blood pressure and pulse. "Can you lie flat for me, Steph?" He pressed on my stomach in various places, then sat me up and listened to my heart. "Well, nothing is jumping out at me. You're vital signs are all good." He seemed to hesitate a second.

"What's up?" I asked him.

Bobby looked uncomfortable. "I'm assuming you haven't missed a period or anything?"

"Geez, Bobby! I don't even talk to my mother about that stuff," I laughed. "I've been taking Depo shots for a year and I haven't had a period since my second shot. My doctor told me that wasn't unusual and not to worry about it."

Bobby looked relieved. "Okay, then. It's nothing like that. If you aren't feeling better in a couple of days, you should probably go see your doctor."

"I have an appointment tomorrow, actually. It's for my regularly scheduled Depo shot. I can see one of the doctors there if I'm still feeling sick. Okay mother?" I teased him.

Bobby gave me the bad-ass version of the Burg eye roll. "Make sure you stay hydrated Steph. Even if you aren't very hungry you need to get fluids into you."

"Don't worry. The bottled water fairy keeps leaving me presents," I motioned to the collection on my night stand.

Bobby laughed as he stuffed his gear back into his bag. "I'll let myself out. Just get some rest."

I woke up the next morning in Ranger's bed again. He insisted I stay with him since I was sick. Ranger had already finished his workout and was gone to his office. I actually woke up feeling good, and hungry, and I jumped out of bed to see if there was anything good in the kitchen. Who was I kidding. This was Ranger's kitchen.

I debated for a minute and then went to the intercom to buzz Ella.

"Hi Ella, it's Steph"

"Stephanie, dear! How are you feeling this morning?"

"Well, hungry actually. I don't want to be a bother, but…"

"Don't be silly! It's no bother and that's what I'm here for. What would you like?"

"Would pancakes be too much trouble?"

"Nope! I've got batter all made in the fridge. I'll cook up a stack and be up shortly."

"Thanks, Ella."

I jumped in the shower, shaved my legs, and washed my hair. Then I slathered on moisturizer from head to toe. Personal grooming hadn't been high on my priority list the last few days and it felt great to primp. Since I had a doctor's appointment, I skipped the black cargos and pulled on my comfiest pair of low slung jeans and a stretchy T-shirt. It was a short style, which exposed my abdomen when I moved and raised my arms. I love to catch Ranger looking at me when I wear this style. It drives him crazy to catch glimpses of my belly as I move around. Finally, I did my usual swipe of mascara and a little lip gloss, and pulled my hair into a pony tail.

I went into the kitchen and found that the pancake fairy, yeah Ella, had been there. I sat at the breakfast bar and slathered my pancakes with butter and drowned them in syrup. I moaned and groaned as I devoured the entire stack. Yum!

I tidied up the kitchen, grabbed my bag, and headed down to the elevator.

I went down to Ranger's office and found that it was empty, so I went to the Control Room. "Where's the boss?" I asked, Hal, who had morning monitor duty. "He and Tank are with a client in Conference Room 2. Do you want me to call him?"

"No, I'll just leave him a note. Do you know who is on Steph Duty today?"

Hal laughed, and looked at a clipboard on the desk. "It looks like today is Lester's lucky day."

"Can you let him know I need to leave in 5 and ask him to meet me in Ranger's office?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks, Hal."

I went back to Ranger's office and left him a note that I was going to the doctor and that I'd call when I was finished.

Just as I stood up, Lester popped his head around the door.

"Hey, Beautiful! Where are we off to this morning?"

"I have a doctor's appointment first and then I need to swing by the Bonds office, okay?"

"At your service!" Lester grinned at me, holding out his arm.

We went down to the garage and hopped into one of the SUVs.

Fifteen minutes later we were pulling up in front of the office building that housed my doctor's office. Lester, of course, found a parking spot right by the front door. What is it with these guys and their car karma?

We sat in the waiting room until my name was called. Lester got up with me, but I just stared at him.

"Lester, sit down. You are NOT going in there with me."

"Come on, Steph. I always wanted to be a freelance gynecologist. You know, and look up an old friend!"

"Oh, God, Lester. You did not just say that." He got the full burg girl eye roll.

I was still giggling as the nurse led me to the scale. She took my weight and handed me a cup. "You know the drill. Please leave a urine sample in the cabinet in the bathroom. You'll be in exam room 4 when you're ready."

I went into the bathroom and peed in the cup, yuck, washed my hands, and went into the exam room. I wasn't really due for my annual exam, just my Depo shot, so I didn't have to bother with the whole paper gown thing. About 10 minutes later I heard voices in the hallway and Dr. Gordon came into the room.

"Hello, Stephanie, how are you today?" She asked me.

"I'm great, actually. I've had a bug or something this week, but I woke up feeling great this morning. I think I just need my shot. No other complaints really."

"Well, we have a complication I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" I was getting nervous now.

"You know we always test you for pregnancy before you get your shot. Your pregnancy test has come back positive."

"What? But I've been getting my shots regularly." I was starting to feel a bit hysterical. "I can't be pregnant. I don't want to be pregnant. Oh my God!" I started to cry. "How could this happen?"

Dr. Gordon handed me a box of tissues and patted my back. "Studies show that about 3 out of 1000 women will get pregnant while on Depo shots. It's a really effective form of birth control, but nothing but abstinence will assure you that you won't get pregnant."

"Oh my God. I don't know what I'm going to do." I was still crying.

"Stephanie, you don't have to make any decisions right now. Let's get some blood work and we'll talk some more."

A nurse came in and took some blood and then Dr. Gordon came back in.

"Let's see. According to your records, you stopped having periods several months ago, right? That will make it a little harder to date the pregnancy."

Oh my God. It just occurred to me that I had another enormous problem.

"Umm, well, I kind of broke up with my boyfriend for a couple of months, but then about a month ago we kind of had sex…"

Dr. Gordon smiled at me. "You kind of had sex?"

"Okay, we had sex! Oh my God. Then the next day we decided it really wasn't going to work, so we broke up for good."

Dr. Gordon was taking notes on a pad. "So, you think you conceived about a month ago?"

"Oh my God!" I started crying again. "No, I mean, I don't know. There was somebody else, I mean, there is somebody else, or maybe now it is "was" somebody else, oh my God!" I was babbling hysterically and felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Stephanie, you have to calm down. You're going to hyperventilate." Dr. Gordon waited while I tried to pull myself together.

"So what you are trying to say," Dr. Gordon continued, "is that you've had sex with a different partner since the time a month ago with your ex-boyfriend. Is that correct?"

"Yes!" I wailed. "Oh my God. I'm such a slut. It was just a couple of days later and we've been together ever since."

Dr. Gordon patted my back. "Stephanie, nobody here is going to judge you. You aren't the first and won't be the last woman to find herself in this position. It happens more than you think." She wrote down some more notes and got out a calculator. "So, if you weren't having any sex for 2 months, and then did have intercourse approximately a month ago, you could be as much as 42 days into your pregnancy assuming you conceived around mid-cycle, or you could be less if you conceived in the subsequent weeks with your new partner. The hormone levels in your blood work will help us narrow down the timeframe, and then in a few more weeks we can do an ultrasound. Right now, it is too early for that."

"How can I be 6 weeks pregnant if I just had sex for the first time in 2 months 4 weeks ago?" I was very confused.

"We date a pregnancy from the start of your last period, Stephanie, not from the date of conception. Since you don't have periods, it is more difficult to determine. Just to give us a rough estimate, I'm assuming that if you were having periods, your cycle would have started about 2 weeks before you had your last encounter with your ex-boyfriend. Now, remember it could actually be later than that and you may have only conceived more recently with your new boyfriend."

Oh my God. My life is such a hot mess. Again. And I thought I was doing so much better!

"If you decide to continue the pregnancy, there are tests we can do to determine the paternity. Remember, Stephanie, it is very early in your pregnancy and you have options and some time to make decisions."

This was all too much. I needed a one-way ticket to Denial Land, and fast.

"I'm giving you a prescription for some prenatal vitamins and the nurse will give you some handouts on what to expect in these early days. We'll call you in a few days with the results of your blood work. I'd like you to set up an appointment to see me again in 2 weeks and let's discuss your options again, okay?"

I was no longer crying, but I felt completely numb. I heard the doctor talking, but it was just like buzzing in my ears. I grabbed the paperwork and pamphlets she gave me and shoved them in my bag. I went to the sink and washed my face and tried to will myself to calm down.

I went to the desk and made an appointment for 2 weeks. I took a deep breath, and opened the door to go back into the waiting room.

Lester jumped off his chair. "Geez, what took so long?" He dropped a magazine he had been holding and looked up at me, stopping suddenly. "Beautiful, what's wrong?"

I kept my head down and headed out of the door and rushed towards the elevator, with Lester right behind me. "Nothing Lester. Just girl stuff. I'm fine. Let's just get out of here."

Lester stood quietly next to me in the elevator, giving me worried looks. We got to the SUV and got in. Lester started the car and started to pull out of the parking lot.

A wave of nausea hit me so hard that I gasped out loud. "Oh God, stop the car." I yelled as I put my hand over my mouth. I jumped out of the car and ran between some parked cars and got sick, throwing up all the pancakes I had eaten that morning, as well as what felt like about 50 gallons of water. Lester stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders. "It's okay, Steph. Just take it easy. It will be okay."

Finally, my stomach was empty and the dry heaves subsided. Lester ran over to the car and reached in for a bottle of water. He came back around the car, trotting towards me, when there was a brilliant flash of light and huge explosion. "Les!" I screamed. Then everything went black.