Disclaimer: As usual, all characters are the property of JE. I am making no money yada, yada, yada

WARNING: For Adult Content & Language. Not Cupcake Friendly. I don't know why, but even when I don't intentionally try to hurt Joe I still manage to rip him to shreds. Sorry!

CHAPTER 5

JPOV

I'd just finished my shift and was headed back to the hospital to pick Stephanie up. I hoped the doctor had released her because I didn't feel like spending the night at the hospital. I was tired and there was a game on.

I walked into the hospital and noticed Ranger and a few of his men sitting out in the waiting room. What the hell was he still doing here? Didn't he have anything better to do than to waste his day away at the hospital? Talk about pathetic. I made my way towards Stephanie's room and noticed the thugs standing guard outside of it.

I couldn't wait until she quit that stupid job. I was so sick and tired of tripping over RangeMen every time I turned around. Of course when I finished my investigation into RangeMan, I would be moving up the ranks of the police force and RangeMan would be shutting its doors so I wouldn't have to deal with their shit much longer anyways, I thought as I opened the door.

"So Cupcake, you ready to go home? There's a game on and the boys sure miss you." I told her.

SPOV

"So, Cupcake, you ready to go home? There's a game on and the boys sure miss you." Joe said as he walked into the door.

I couldn't stop my lip from curling up when his words left his mouth. What in the hell was I thinking?

"The doctor hasn't released me yet, Joe. Have a seat. I wanted to ask you a question." I told him, trying to keep my tone as neutral as possible.

The question was basically to satisfy my curiosity. I had asked Ranger the same question earlier in the day and he had made me sound like Wonder Woman. I wanted to know what Joe really thought of me. No matter what he said, it wouldn't change anything; I was through with him.

"I was wondering if you could tell me a little about myself. I mean what am I forgetting over the past four years? " I asked him.

He rolled his eyes at me like I was asking him the most annoying question in the world. So, obviously talking about me was a real chore, but he finally started to answer my question.

"Well, you call yourself a bounty hunter, but in reality you spend most of your days covered in garbage and other disgusting substances. You are probably the worst bounty hunter on the planet and you won't grow up and quit your job and marry me like you know you should. You hang out with thugs and ho's and you make a fool of yourself every day. It's actually quiet embarrassing," he continued, but I'd heard enough.

"So, if I'm such an embarrassment why would you want to marry me?" I asked, utterly confused.

"Because you'd make a perfect wife." He told me.

"No, I wouldn't. I can't cook. I don't clean. I can barely take care of Rex. There is nothing about me that says Suzie home maker. So what? I would look good on a Christmas card and you think that makes me the perfect wife? Is that it? Because from everything you just said about me, I did not hear you say one thing you like about me." I told him getting more and more pissed off by the minute.

"Cupcake, don't start this now. Once you get your memory back you'll be back with me like you always are." He said dismissively, making me see red.

I stood up from my bed and shouted. "I have my memory back, you imbecile!I just wanted to know what you really thought about me and you just proved that you don't care about me at all. All you care about is the idea of me. My job isn't a hobby. I'm not bounty hunting until I can become your wife. The idea of becoming a mother makes my freakin' eye twitch. I don't know if I ever want to get married, but I do know I don't want to marry you, Joe." I told him harshly.

I watched as his face reddened, but I didn't give him a chance to speak.

"I have spent the past four years walking a tight rope between becoming the woman I want to be and the woman that I'm expected to be and I'm done. I don't give a shit what the Burg and the Burgites think. I'm going to be who I want to be and every one else can take a flying leap and that includes you and my mother. You deserve to be happy and if a wife and kids makes you happy, then you deserve them. But, you know what Joe? I deserve to be happy, too. I shouldn't have to give up who I am to make someone happy and the fact that you and my mother both expect me to, well that just makes you both real assholes." I told him.

"You selfish, little bitch. I've spent the past four years putting up with your shit so we could have the perfect family and now you just want to fucking walk away? You fucking bitch!" He screamed loud enough to raise the dead or the RangeMen. Honestly, the RangeMen where much scarier when they were as pissed off as they looked now as they stormed into the room with their guns raised.

I watched as the blood drained from Joe's face when he saw the five guns trained on him. I enjoyed it for about five seconds before I spoke up and blew out the fuse that Joe had lit.

"It's okay, guys. Lower your weapons. He's just pissed off. He's not going to hurt me. Are you Joe?" I asked sweetly.

"You're not worth the trouble. I'm done. This has been four years of hell and I'm done." He spat, as he turned and walked out of the room.

I thought I might be a little sad or maybe a little hurt, but instead I felt empowered. Two down, one to go.

I turned and found Ranger's eyes just as my doctor walked into my room.

"Oh, dear. Oh my. Oh, dear." He kept saying.

I guess he wasn't sure what to do with all the Merry Men and their guns. I watched as the corners of Ranger's mouth turned up and he motioned for everyone to leave the room. The doctor gave me my final check up and told me that I could go home as long as I had someone to stay with.

That could be a problem. Joe was out. My parents were out. After my talk with Ranger, he might be out as well. I hoped this conversation went better than the first two, I thought as my doctor left the room.

As soon as the doctor was gone, Ranger walked back in the room. "You cleared to go home, Babe?" he asked.

"Yep, just can't be alone. You know the drill." I told him and got up and started putting my things together.

"Guess Morelli's house is out." He said lightly, causing me to laugh.

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be welcome there for a while. I'll have to go pick up my stuff, but I think I'll let him cool off first." I told him with a smile.

"You can stay at RangeMan or I can crash on your couch. Whichever you're more comfortable with." He told me.

"I'll stay at RangeMan. I have my memory back, you know." I told him.

"I know." He replied.

"I figured you did. You knew when I kissed you, didn't you?" I asked and finished packing my bag.

"Almost, I knew something was up then, but when you came out of the bathroom, you looked at me like you knew me." He explained and took my bag from me.

I just nodded my head and followed him out the door.