Simple Hearts
Chapter 2
There wasn't much experience on Ranger's part with small children. He had a bunch of nieces and nephews that he knew of and his Mother updated on the newest additions in the last two years so there were more that he never met. Reilley was different. As he typed on his laptop while Stephanie drove towards DC, the little boy occupied himself with his magnetic car set or asked a question or two if he noticed something out the window. Stephanie answered and he was contented. Ranger traveled with his three dunces at times and it seemed every ten feet, one asked 'How much further?' or "Are we there yet?'. By the time they arrived, Ranger was ready to rip their tongues out because they never shut up.
He finished his typing for now closing his laptop. They were approaching Washington DC. "Babe, at the next chance pull over, I'll take over driving."
"Gladly," Stephanie said carefully pulling into a wide break area. The traffic of zipping vehicles had increased as they approached the outskirts of the Nation's Capitol.
Moving the seat back and getting out, Stephanie found she was being kissed by the front bumper when they switched roles.
He detoured through D. C. pointing out the well known landmarks. Each got a 'Wow' from the back seat and the biggest 'Wow!' when Ranger showed Stephanie and Reilley the Pentagon or the 'top secret headquarters of the Black Army Power Rangers' as he named it. That really made Ranger chuckle.
Pulling up to Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City, Stephanie was like the doe in headlights. A doorman opened her door and another uniformed man opened the driver's door.
"I have a reservation," Ranger told the valet, "and we just have overnight bags." He waved off a luggage cart. The bags and Reilley's favorite things were removed and Stephanie's blue Baha drove off to be parked.
"Mommy, this is big," Reilley commented with his head back looking up at the tall hotel.
Carrying in the bags like they were nothing, Stephanie, Reilley, and Woody were right beside Ranger.
"Look at this!" Stephanie gasped at the elegant lobby. She felt underdressed in her jeans, striped sweater, and sneakers.
"You're beautiful," Ranger told her seeing her straightening her sweater. "Major Manoso."
The female clerk stared at the handsome man. Anxious to get checked in, Ranger waved his government ID in front of her face. She glanced at it then back at Ranger before she began typing on the keyboard. "We have you in a deluxe guest room with two double beds." Finally seeing Stephanie and the little boy, the young woman's perky smile turned into a frown.
'Good," he said signing registration never once glancing at the woman behind the desk. The government was paying for their commendations.
"Here is your key and one for Mrs. Manoso. Here is your son's 'Welcome' bag," the clerk handed the items to Ranger, he in turn handed a computer key to his 'Mrs." and gift bag to his 'son'.
Reilley happily accepted it. "Thanks."
Stephanie was stunned and didn't say a word. She stuck her tongue out at the smirking Cuban man directing them to the elevator. 'Babe, the government is paying."
"You could have said I was your sister!"
He chuckled, "You don't look Cuban. What would it do to the Power Ranger mystique if I said I was traveling with my hair stylist?"
Stephanie bust out laughing. "You don't look like a male 'Diva', but certainly an Army hunk."
Ranger kissed her quickly for her assessment of him as the elevator door opened. "Babe."
He put the overnight bags down outside of the room door sliding his key card in the door. Before Stephanie knew it, she was in his arms and carried into the large room deposited on a bed. "You're my wife," he said with a sexy arched eyebrow and went to the hallway to bring in the overnight bags.
"Mommy, look at this!" Reilley ran to the picture window looking out at Washington DC and the landmarks.
"Oh my God!" Stephanie called from the marble bathroom, "I love the government!" Reilley ran in skidding to a stop. He was gazing around the bathroom with the large tub. Ranger was chuckling behind them.
"We can all take a bath, Mommy," he said dwarfed by the bathtub crawling over the side and standing in the middle.
There was a sexy grin on a certain man's face. "I don't think so," Stephanie negated that bubble.
"Babe, with bathing suits of course."
"Right!"
"I guy can dream can't he? How about some dinner?"
He directed them back through the lobby and right into 'The Fashion Centre' connected to the hotel in Pentagon City. Ranger thought Stephanie was about to cry.
"I love the government even more!" She cheered rather loudly seeing the mall spread out in front of her.
Ranger was laughing. "How about after we eat, we shop? I need something to sleep in for tonight."
A mischievous grin came over her lips and a glint was in her blue eyes. "You're a dream of a hubby."
"Thanks." He playfully tugged on her curls.
Dinner was at 'Ruby Tuesday's'. Her eyes practically popped out seeing a juicy cheeseburger with fries go by their booth.
"Mommy, I want that," Reilley indicated the mini hamburgers on the children's menu. She chose the adult sized bacon cheeseburger. Even Ranger couldn't resist one after being out of the country for weeks. His arteries would forgive him eventually.
"OH!" Stephanie moaned taking her first bite and Ranger silently agreed with her, he was questioning why he didn't really eat red meat more tasting the juicy burger in his hands.
Pushing the plate away after eating his last French fry, he agreed, "That hit the spot. I can't remember the last time I had a hamburger like that."
Four blue eyes were staring at him from across the table. "I mostly eat chicken, fish, and salads," he elaborated of his normal diet.
"Really? I feel sorry for you," Stephanie giggled. "There's such good stuff out there particularly with us being Italian and Hungarian."
Reilley looked at Ranger with knitted brows. "You ate Grandma's spaghetti and meatballs. That's the best!"
"It was and I do eat normal stuff at times."
"All Power Rangers eat that!"
"I'm learning, OK?"
Reilley was thinking about it Ranger could see by the twitching of his mouth. "I'll tell Grandma to make more to keep you strong, Power Ranger."
Stephanie was giggling because she knew her son would be good to his word and she had the image of her mother, father, and grandma delivering pots of spaghetti to his company's doorstep. Edna Mazur would love the opportunity to see her dates.
"Thanks," Ranger told the little boy as he signed the credit card receipt. "Let's go shop." She didn't know but those words were like a foreign language to the Cuban man, but with Stephanie and her son it was like a native tongue.
"Where should we start, Babe?"
They looked at mall stepping out of the restaurant, it wasn't too crowded since it was Thursday, and Stephanie pointed to what she knew best. "Macy's, of course."
They took off in that direction. Before going in the store, Stephanie dug some quarters out of her purse so Reilley could take a ride in a rocket ship. Stephanie easily got them to the men's department; it was if she could do it with her eyes closed. They found the lounge ware in a back corner. Ranger never said a word watching Stephanie; she went right to a rack that had a 'SALE' sign on it. He didn't care about the price, but more importantly Ranger didn't want the differences in their bank accounts and standards of living to be a wedge between them. It did make Ranger concerned for them, if her rent was going up and this new owner was very demanding, would it make Stephanie struggle more to make ends meet for her and her son? He put the thought out of his head for the moment, going over to the 'Sale' rack.
She was excitedly moving the hangers. "What size? Medium?" Stephanie had three pairs she was holding up and three oversized T-shirts. "This is a jack pot!"
Ranger smirked. He noticed the smaller print under 'SALE' 'Take an Additional 40%'. That was why she was so happy. "I'll take them all." He now would have gray, navy blue, and black with small white checks lounge pants with gray, navy, and white T-shirt to add to his non-existent sleep ware collection in his mostly black wardrobe.
Before he paid for the clothes, Ranger found a pair of jeans and a short Henley in his size on the other marked down stand. "Come on, let's see what else is on sale."
There were new pants, an alien shirt, and a ' green Power Ranger' action figure for Reilley and Stephanie was tickled pink with her new pair of flowered lounge pants she found for $1.99 marked down and a pink T-shirt. She argued she would pay for her own purchases, but Ranger used his black credit card. Hot fudge sundaes replenished the 'Sale' shopping bodies in the hotel restaurant prior to the three of them returning to their room with bags in tow.
He sat their watching with the little boy the Power Rangers in colored suits fight off an outer space 'bad guy' while Stephanie was going to enjoy the huge bathtub. Ranger couldn't help laughing at the image of Tank, his big broad form in a green and white shiny spandex suit. Everything would show, but on the upside he would match his girl friend Lula in her bright and tight outfits. Taking his turn in the shower, Ranger stood their in his new grey lounge ware watching the two sleeping forms and Woody snuggled under the thick comforter asleep in one of the beds. For the first time in almost eight weeks, Ranger's heart was beating the right way. It had always pumped in the usual way, he was alive, but that simple warm feeling was there again.