Simple Hearts
Chapter 9
At exactly 6:30 there was a knock at the Plum's front door, their ride to the hospital was there. While the adults were at the hospital, Reilley was staying at Mary Lou's. Her youngest son wouldn't be going to his morning pre-school so the two young boys could play. Once the anesthesia wore off and Mr. Plum was fully awake, Stephanie promised both her son and Grandpa the little boy would visit.
"Good Morning. Didn't you just leave here?" Stephanie asked in her nervousness. Even though the operation was expected to go without complications, she was anxious.
A warm hand cupped her cheek. "Everything will be all right, Babe," Ranger said in a quiet, reassuring voice.
"I know, but my father rarely gets sick."
"Good Morning, Ranger," Ellen Plum told him coming from where else but from the kitchen. Mrs. Plum was up earlier and had to do something so she made coffee cake. "Would you like coffee or coffee cake?"
"Thank you, Ellen, I ate before I left Rangeman. Where's Reilley?"
Stephanie started up the stairs. "I was going to let him sleep. It is very early."
Ranger nodded following her so he could carry the little boy down for his mother and into the car. Pudding was curled up next to the sleeping boy on a pillow.
"Sshh," Stephanie whispered to her son smoothing his hair as she wrapped him in his 'Snuggie'. With ease Ranger picked him up, his mother grabbed his backpack and Woody. "Be good, Pudding."
"Meow," the cat stretched in his spot and his owner rubbed his belly. His green eyes closed not ready to wake up.
Ranger smirked at the contented sleeping cat. "He has a good life."
Grandma and Ellen had their purses and sweaters on waiting by the front door for the three coming down the steps.
"You should move in," Grandma told Ranger. "We see you as much as Stephanie and Reilley." It was true, when her granddaughter and great-grandson were in town the Cuban man was on the doorstep. It made her happy Stephanie had a man in her life who treated her like she should be treated.
"I think you have a full house here," Ranger said. He wanted to keep some boundaries where Edna Mazur was concerned, but he also knew she was a very important figure in Stephanie's life.
"You can bunk with me."
"Mother! He's Stephanie's guy. You have more than enough men hanging about," Ellen scolded locking the front door.
"I can't help I'm a magnet for old guys," she replied. Grandma slipped a pair of bright pink sunglasses on out of her purse. "Some hot young blood would be nice. Old guys got cold hands and feet."
"Mother!"
Without disturbing Reilley, Ranger placed him in his car seat and Stephanie buckled him in it.
"Mom, why don't sit up front. I need to get out at Mary Lou's with Reilley," Stephanie told her mother hearing her 'boyfriend' let out a sigh of relief.
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Arriving at the hospital, Frank Plum grumbled to his wife he was hungry.
"You can eat later," she reminded her husband.
Stephanie, her mother, Grandma Mazur, and Ranger just got comfortable in chairs when nurses entered the room to check his vitals before wheeling Mr. Plum to the pre-operative suite.
"Don't start, Ellen," the patient warned seeing her reaching for a tissue.
She frowned at her husband. "Frank, this is surgery and a little scary."
'It's my gallbladder."
Ellen Plum did something very un-Ellen Plum, she smacked her husband. "I don't care if it's an infected toe nail you are having removed, surgery is surgery and it's my husband that's having it!"
Before he stepped over to the wheelchair the nurse was holding, Frank hugged his crying wife. "I'll be fine."
Stephanie clamped a hand over her mouth, her father motioned for a drink for her mother.
"You can stay with Frank in the pre-op until he is wheeled to the operating room," the nurse informed the Plum family.
Coming off the elevator as the Plums plus Ranger were waiting to go down to 2 was Stephanie's sister Valerie and her tubby husband. "I thought we would be too late," she said.
"No, Valerie," Ellen explained, "your father is just going down to pre-op."
Ranger ran a finger down Stephanie's cheek; she had been very quiet beside him. "Babe." He couldn't keep a blank face, Albert was intimidated by the man in a black painted on Rangeman T-shirt and jeans, and he was backed into the corner as far as he could go in the elevator. It wasn't much because it was a tad crowded.
Dr. Hildebrand in his green scrubs checked on his patient before Frank was wheeled down the hall to the operating room. Stephanie had possession of her father's patient id number; Ellen put her in charge of it because she didn't want to deal with it. There were screens in the waiting rooms which monitored the patient's progress once he was in the operating room.
"Thank you," Stephanie spoke softly sitting with her head on a strong
Cuban shoulder. Her eyes were locked on the monitor.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Babe."
They both heard Valerie asked Edna Mazur why Stephanie's friend was at the hospital.
Grandma in her own way answered the question. "We like him. I got dates and a limousine ride because of him. He drove me to the funeral home in a fancy car. Can you top that for me?"
Valerie didn't ask anymore questions.
As predicted in just less than two hours, Dr. Hildebrand came into a small conference room. "Frank came through the surgery just fine. He's being brought to post-op. From his gallbladder, there were six small cholesterol stones we found. A nurse will inform you when he is awake."
"Will he be coming home tomorrow?" a relieved Mrs. Plum questioned.
"I expect to release him tomorrow morning. He'll need to take it easy for a week. Once he's home for the first two days, keep his going up and down stairs to a minimum. He'll be able to return to a normal life without his gallbladder."
Ellen extended her hand to the doctor. "Thank you."
He shook Grandma, Stephanie, her sister and brother-in-law's hand and before he walked out Ranger's.
"Thank you," the Bad Ass bounty hunter spoke up. Since meeting her family, they made him feel at home. It was a crazy home at times, but he did feel welcome in it. Ranger was glad Stephanie could relax somewhat now that the operation was over.
When everyone came out of the meeting room on the 2, Bobby and Lester were standing there; two soft cooler bags were on the floor beside them.
"Ella had us deliver some provisions," Bobby explained.
Realizing she was now hungry, Stephanie unzipped a bag to peek inside. "I love your housekeeper. I think she's the best benefit to working for your company."
That made Ranger chuckle. "I'll let her know, Babe."
Grandma elbowed the two Rangemen in the ribs having squeezing between them. "We haven't been out in a while. There's an all night square dance coming up. That big guy of yours knows how to move."
They both gulped. "We'll tell Tank," Lester said barely able to speak. "Ranger, if you don't need anything, we have a skip to pick up."
To make his two friends more uncomfortable, Ranger stood there thinking for a minute that was quite long. "Hmmm, let me think for a moment." After pausing to count slowly to one hundred in his head, he let them off the hook with "Can't think of anything."
They shuffled to the nearest stairwell.
Grandma pointed to the closing door. "Those two don't dance as well as the big guy. He's light on his feet when he gets moving."
Stephanie patted Ranger's back when he choked on his water laughing. "Tank will be happy to know that."
The Rangeman housekeeper sent carrot and apple cinnamon muffins, squares of breakfast pizza with eggs, hash browns, and sausage topping, and fresh strawberries along with carafes of hot coffee and water. All of Stephanie's family descended upon the food. Ellen complimented Ranger on her cooking; she was actually hungry, too.
Once Frank was awake, Ranger drove Stephanie to her best friend's house to pick up her son. Even in his drowsiness, he asked for his grandson. Ellen Plum was staying at the hospital with her husband and shooed her daughters out of the hospital to go take care of their families. Grandma was staying, too, but checking out the fifth floor because it was getting near therapy time.
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The black Mercedes drove away from the 'Burg' crossing over into Villa Park, both of the passengers curious where the driver was taking them. It stopped in a carport on the side of the white Cape Cod house sitting on a trimmed green lawn at the end the street.
"Come on," Ranger said showing Stephanie and her son up onto a covered backporch; keys were jingling in his hand. Unlocking the door, the three of them stepped into the kitchen. "Rangeman owns this."
Inside were furniture, dishes, and the essentials to make it livable for someone under protection in the midst of transport Ranger was aware. The kitchen was white with tile on the floor and cupboards, the countertop was black granite installed after his company purchased the property along with new white appliances. There was a small table under the side window to eat at or for coloring like Reilley did when Stephanie was making dinner.
"Rangeman will remove the furniture if you don't want any of it."
The sounds of small sneakers were muffled by the hallway carpeting. "Mommy, there's a bathroom here!"
Stephanie followed her son's voice into the generous bathroom with a tub and separate glass enclosed shower. Walking towards the front in the hallway was a large bedroom with a king size bed she judged, a walk-in closet with organized shelving. Going back out to the opposite end of the hallway was a small narrow room. It was right for the computer and a small play area for Reilley if he wasn't outside. If she put her lounger against the short wall, there would be plenty of space for a computer desk and some shelves for toys leaving the middle free. Ranger didn't say a word; he gave Stephanie space to look over the house.
"Mommy," Reilley called from above them, "look at my bedroom!"
Coming back to the kitchen, passing through the dining room with a simple round wooden table and chairs, the living room had a gas fireplace with a loveseat and chair. The TV was hidden in a cabinet. Stephanie slowly walked up the stairs letting her eyes wonder around the room taking it in at an elevated height.
"Look how big this is!" The upstairs was one large bedroom with slopped sides. He was running the length of the bedroom from one high side to another. There was a nightstand, dresser, and double bed in the space. That left plenty of room for his jog.
Sitting on the bed, Reilley crawled up beside her. "Would you be afraid to be up here by yourself?" Stephanie asked her son.
He studied his mother with a big grin on his face. "Mommy, you'll be right down there." He pointed down indicating she would be sleeping directly under her son. "There's a yard."
"Do you like this?"
"Yeah! Grandma and Grandpa wouldn't be far away would they?"
It didn't take Ranger even 15 minutes to drive here from Mary Lou's, her parents only lived two blocks from them. "No, only a few minutes."
"Are we going to live here?"
Standing at the top of the steps, Ranger knew both Stephanie and Reilley liked the small house. "The laundry is in the basement. The furnace and hot water tank are new. There are energy efficient windows." He neglected to say bullet-proof. "Central air. Rangeman owns other safe houses I can show you if you would like something bigger."
"How much?" Stephanie asked. Her blue eyes were serious meeting his.
He knew she wasn't going to go for its 'included in the benefits' line so Ranger said, "Fifty."
She rolled her eyes. "Three fifty."
Ranger arched a brow. "Seventy-five."
"Three sixty."
"Babe, Rangeman owns it. It's empty." She wasn't budging from the glare she was giving the Cuban Bad Ass. "One twenty-five which includes the utilities. I'm not going to haggle over money and you're stubborn," he told her folding his arms over his chest closing the discussion. Whatever she paid, he was factoring back into her pay.
Stephanie looked down at her nodding son. "One twenty-five for right now, but I have the option to pay more."
"We'll discuss it at a later date," he sauntered over bend down bracing himself with a hand on each side of Stephanie on the bed. Ranger didn't say another word, but kissed her. "What do you think, Blue Power Ranger?"
"I like it. Mommy likes it, too. It got a yard of my own. I can get a swing and a sliding board."
Reilley started laughing falling back on the bed. He was being tickled. "You think?' she teased him. Ranger would have Luis have a jungle gym ordered and delivered before the moving truck arrived.
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Returning to the hospital, Frank was back in his hospital room and alert.
"Grandpa," Reilley called walking into the patient's room, "is you all better?"
"I'm getting there," he said patting the bed beside him.
Ranger picked him up placing him gently next to his grandfather. "How are you feeling, Frank?"
"I'm going to make it. Thank you for shuttling my family."
He didn't mind, he was with Stephanie. "I'm glad to do it."
"Grandpa, I'm going to have a big bedroom and a swing and a slide at Power Ranger's house! You can sleep over and we can camp!"
He had to hold his side slightly to laugh, but Frank felt better already. "Really?" The discomfort he was experiencing and those sharp pains that sent him to the hospital were so worth it if his beloved daughter and grandson were in Trenton where they should be. "Where is this house?"
"Villa Park," Stephanie said.
That brought a smile to her father's face. "If I wasn't so sore, I could throw a baseball from here."
Both her parents listened to the details of the house. Ellen Plum was a little miffed, the kitchen had a dishwasher.
"Where's Grandma?" Stephanie asked. Her lively Grandma hadn't popped up since she returned to the hospital.
"Here," Edna Mazur said strolling into the room big as day. "The wheelchair races are over for now."
Ranger chuckled at that.
Ellen Plum pointed to an empty chair. "Mother, this is a hospital!"
"It's physical therapy, Ellen."
Frank yawned twice and Ranger made a suggestion. "Babe, how about something to eat?"
Stephanie saw her father was tiring, too. "Sounds good, Power Ranger," she teased.
"If you like Mexican, there is a good restaurant near the hospital."
Stephanie and Reilley nodded at each other. He like the sandwiches in the soft taco shells his mother made for him.
Edna Mazur piped up, "Spice is good in life."
Without giving it a second thought and making the mother and son happy, Ranger offered, "Edna, would you like to come with us?"
'I am a little hungry. Physical therapy wears you out. Thanks, I will."
Ellen Plum was staying at the hospital so they would bring her back something on the mild side.
Giving Ranger credit, Stephanie was impressed he acted like nothing was out of the ordinary even though Edna Mazur was tagging along for Mexican.
"I need some jalapeño in my pepper," Grandma announced walking in the door he held.
A waitress in a colorful skirt seated them at a back table.
"I'm thinking of going outside of my comfort zone, Stephanie," Edna continued.
Not exactly following her Grandmother and afraid at the same time, she asked hesitantly, "Why, Grandma?"
"Well, you got this hottie Cuban here," she explained pointing at Ranger, "so I'm thinking I am need to look outside of the normal breathing guys I meet up with. I thinking of something like that movie about the guy who goes around the world, but I'd title it 'Around the World in Eighty Ednas' or 'Edna's Eighty First Dates'. I could date all the different male heritages I can find, but Trenton is limited. I may have to go out of the city limits. I'm going to shop the idea around for a reality TV show about my exploits. Me and the girls at the 'Cut n' Curl' are way better than those namby-pamby old broads of Topanga. All they do is swap chicken soup recipes and darn socks! I'm more vital than that! The one I like the best maybe I'll marry or shack up with, but that would limit the series in season 2. I'll work out the details."
Ranger with all his control was attempting to focus on the menu; his dark eyes went to Stephanie. "Babe," he mouthed.
Stephanie went along with it. "That's interesting, Grandma. You may need to look into it."
Reilley spoke up, "Great-Grandma, can I be on TV with you?"
"Sure you can, but for the cameras we may need to get a spray tan. We don't have a good glow for the cameras," Edna rationalized pointing to the dark muscled arm showing across the table. "I bet we could get good footage of dates with your guys. Riding in that limo you have would bring in the viewers."
Ranger was chuckling behind his menu that he was holding tightly so it would not shake. "I'll tell them of your idea, Edna." With Stephanie and Reilley moving to Trenton and she working for Rangeman, he realized his men would always be on their toes where Edna Mazur was concerned. And that would make for some hilarious days. This was a very win-win situation from Ranger's perspective.