Simple Hearts
Chapter 10
Stephanie was dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers ready to leave for the hospital to bring her father home. Reilley was a step behind her with Woody coming down the steps from the upper level of her parent's detached home. He wanted to see the hospital her son said. She saw a black car pull up on the front street. Her family had another ride today via a certain man in black.
"What?" She yelled. The black car kept getting longer. It wasn't the Mercedes, it was the Rangeman limousine.
"Hot damn!" Grandma was practically running down the steps. "Stephanie, you found yourself a keeper! Maybe he has an uncle I can wiggle up against."
Ellen Plum came out of the dining room. "I'm ready." She stopped observing the black car outside. Neighbors were already on the sidewalk walking around it.
"You have to be every girl's dream," Grandma commented clicking her dentures and wiggling her eyebrows opening the front storm door. She was wearing an orange tiger striped jogging suit that made Ranger chuckle.
"Babe," he said with Stephanie and her curls waiting on the bottom step with hands on her trim hips.
"Are we picking up or dropping a rock star along the way?"
They were Cuban nose to Hungarian nose. "We will all be comfortable. If I brought the SUV it might be difficult for your father to step up in it." He kissed her puckered lips. "Babe."
Her blue eyes were half closed. "It's too much," she told him, the corners of her mouth were going up, "but 'Thank You' for thinking about Daddy."
"That's a big Power Ranger car," Reilley concluded going out the front door with his Great-Grandma.
"It's my date!" Grandma greeted Tank, who was driving.
The big bald man appeared calm seeing the old woman. "Good Morning, Edna," Tank said politely. He kept the car door between him and Mrs. Mazur.
"There's an all night square dance coming up I want to let you know about in advance to clear your schedule. I was going to call, but I can tell you in person," she went on getting into the car with her great-grandson and his Cowboy friend.
Ranger escorted Stephanie and her mother down to the limousine. He joked to his friend, "You better dust off those dancing shoes and your string tie."
"Har, Har." Tank did a fake laugh. "I liked you so much better as a grump," he muttered jogging to the driver's side.
Pulling out from the curb, the sidewalk was lined with people living on the street waving at the sleek black car.
"Good-bye, My People," Grandma called out standing through the sun roof waving as she passed.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The limousine pulled up to the front entrance of St. Francis Hospital, everything stopped and people of all ages and shapes gawked. They were probably disappointed ordinary 'Burg' people got out plus an old lady behind hot pink sunglasses.
"No autographs," Grandma said passing by the star struck people, "right now. I have to hurry. I'm being impregnated with his baby."
Ranger just about fell over on the sidewalk. His eyebrow was up watching Stephanie's grandmother. "Babe," he whispered. Ranger looked and felt paler.
"Mother, can't you just quietly walk in?"
Behind her colorful sunglasses, Grandma told her daughter. "Why? That's boring."
Frank was dressed waiting for his family to spring him from the hospital. A nurse had his discharge papers to sign after Dr. Hildebrand concluded his patient was well enough to go home.
"I want to see you in one week, Frank," the surgeon instructed and included the family so he would follow them. "Go easy on steps for a few days. No driving until I see you. No rich or spicy foods for a few days, too. Your appetite will be back to normal. Any discomforts, pain, nausea, call my office right away. There is always someone on call or go to the ER."
"That takes all the fun out of everything," he grumbled.
"We will," Ellen agreed taking the discharge instructions. The pages were neatly folded and went into her purse.
Valerie and Albert came rushing into the hospital room. "There's a limousine in the parking lot!" Stephanie's sister announced. "Someone famous must be here."
Grandma took the opportunity to start a rumor through the 'Burg'. "It's a big Hollywood director, Lucas Spielberg, the 'E.T.'s brother. He's all involved in a big reality TV project with the major networks. Through the 'Cut n' Curl' hotline, I found out he's looking for real New Jerseyians. He was filming at Wal-Mart capturing the outfits people wear there. A turkey fryer hit him."
"Cuddle Umpkins, did you hear that? He got injured!" Valerie asked her ambulance chasing husband.
"Yeah," Albert replied practically out the door. "I wonder if he has representation. I have my business cards with me."
Valerie waved right behind her flubby husband. "Bye, Dad. I'm glad you feel better. I'm a normal New Jersey girl."
"Mother, how could you make up something like that?"
Grandma slipped her sunglasses on her face as the nurse brought a wheelchair for the patient to ride in. "Easy. I wasn't sharing my swanky ride. You have to manipulate people just right." Grandma was tapping her head with a finger. "Those two are easy."
The Rangeman car pulled up to the end of the walkway as Frank with Reilley and Woody seated on a knee rolled out. "We're in the limo?" he questioned.
"Lots of elbow room," Grandma demonstrated with her bent arms.
Mr. Plum chuckled. His grandson had his hand helping him in the car. "Sit by me, Grandpa."
Only minutes later the car was back on Roosevelt Street since the hospital was blocks away. It was the funniest thing; people were on the streets waving at it as it passed.
"I'm back, People. Miss me?" Grandma greeted driving by.
Ranger was chuckling on the sidewalk at the mass of onlookers when they began disembarking.
Stephanie's curls were shaking in her fit of giggles. "The littlest thing gets the 'Burg' excited," she explained.
A black SUV came to a stop behind the sleek car. Bobby and Lester jumped out and Ranger's cousin had a black eye.
"What happened to you?" he asked.
Lester gave a cryptic "Wild night life."
"He met up with a couple of buxom beauties last night and her ex-boyfriend wasn't too happy. It was a good bar fight!" Bobby translated.
"Santos, won't you ever learn?" Ranger asked his cousin.
Lester said simply, "No."
"Come on, Frank," Ranger told Mr. Plum. Reilley had a hand of his grandfather and Ranger had a hand on his back as he walked.
"I didn't have this much attention in the hospital," Frank acknowledged.
"We're your visiting nurses," Bobby joked. "I'll make sure you are comfortable inside."
Mr. Plum looked at his male escorts, "This is crazy."
"Sir," Tank said quietly in his ear, "your daughter and grandson are involved here."
The older man nodded. "Enough said."
"Wow, that's what I call a morning," Edna Mazur announced in the entry. "The only thing to make it better would be a porn double feature or hitting the slots."
"You Loon!"
Grandma pointed the Rangemen. "I bet they got all the local titty bars on GPS."
Lester whispered to his partner, "How did she know?"
"There is no way we are related, Lester!" Ranger growled.
"Yes, we are. Your mother and my mother are sisters. You should have come out of your bedroom more at the family picnics and not stay in there playing with your little green Army men or you would have known that."
The boss was about to give him a second black eye.
"Lester, " Stephanie said trying to diffuse her parent's house being damaged, "that tells me at even at a young age, Carlos was very focused."
The tall man stared open mouth at her. "Oh, you are good!"
"There are Army men in "Toy Story'!" Reilley informed them. "They was fun."
It popped out of Ranger, "Sarge was good at planning the reconnaissance missions with the 'Bucket O' Soldiers'."
"Yeah!"
Tank, Bobby, and Lester were frozen focused on their friend.
"What?" Ranger asked. "I watched 'Toy Story' so I knew what was going on. They were good soldiers."
All three of the Rangemen smacked their heads, disbelieving what they just heard. Lester stepped up to Ranger staring into the dark brown eyes. "You have to be Phil."
"Go," Ranger pointed up the stairs to get the patient settled.
It was somewhat crowded upstairs with big men, Ellen Plum fussing, Reilley watching his much loved grandfather very carefully, Stephanie and Grandma Mazur were trying to stay out of the way but it was difficult.
"Where did the TV come from?" Mr. Plum questioned because in his and Ellen's bedroom didn't have one.
"I bought one and Ranger was kind enough to carry it up her me. Lenny hooked a temporary line from downstairs. I can't cook and be flipping channels to give you score updates. This was easier," she told her husband. Bobby was checking blood pressure before Frank got comfortable.
The little boy was demonstrating the compartment for a movie. "Grandpa, it got a DVD so we can watch 'Toy Story'."
"That's a plus," he patted the bed next to him. Reilley and Pudding, who came out of nowhere, jumped up.
"I also bought a baby monitor. Stephanie suggested it so I can hear you if you call me. You are confined to the upstairs for a few days," Mrs. Plum reminded Mr. Plum.
"I got my grandson and TV. I'm set, Ellen," Frank told her. He was contented with Reilley there with him and they would watch television. It was heaven.
Bobby and Lester were leaving for Rangeman. "Thank you," Stephanie graciously told them. Tank was waiting for his friend since he drove.
"This was way too much," she said to a particular Cuban man who had his arms around her, "and I know my mother appreciated your help. You have a company to run." A painted nailed poked a sculpted chest muscle. "Thank you, Ranger."
Shaking his shorter hair, he disagreed. "No, Babe. If I could take some of your worry away, then I was glad to do it." As he spoke, a fingertip was brushing away crinkles that weren't there. "When are you planning on driving back to Wilmington?"
"Tomorrow unless Mom needs help here. I should find out if I am fired or at least give my notice if I need to. I have packing to do since Reilley and I are coming home."
That word 'home' brought a curve to Ranger's lips. "I'll have movers there whenever you need."
She made a face and her nose twitched. "Actually," she said, "I think the dining room furniture I have which was Grandma's, my lounger, computer, the things from Miss Fitch, our clothes and personal stuff will be it. The bedroom furniture I got cheap at a used furniture store when we moved to Wilmington. My son and I are beginning again. I have a little extra money, so I'm going to buy new. What I don't bring with me, I'll donate to St. Agnes for their shelter."
"What you bring, a truck will be there. I'll help you pack."
Stephanie was going to repeat her notion he had a company to run, but Ranger's lips stopped her on purpose. "Rangeman is not going anywhere." He tickled her mouth with his words. This was a new mission and he knew the outcome. It was one that simply made this heart beat.