Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me. They are the creation of the amazing Janet Evonovich. I'm thankful that she allows me to play with them when I want to.

THANK YOU to my wonderful Beta! Her helpful advice and tweaks made this chapter much more enjoyable than the original.

Lifetime of Love

Chapter 3

That night was spent tossing and turning. I was confused and more than a little hurt about the complete turn around from Zero. It confused the shit out of me and it kind of pissed me off. If it was just about work, then he shouldn't have been so mad about it. There was something off. My spidey senses were tingling, but I couldn't decide what they were telling me.

I finally gave up on sleep around six in the morning and decided to get up. I showered and threw on my basic bounty hunting uniform which consisted of old ripped jeans and a ratty T-shirt. Why wear something nice when I was going to end up rolling in garbage. Ya feel me? I drove to the bakery and got a dozen donuts and met Connie at the office when she was opening.

"Wow, Steph. I've never seen you here this early. What's going on?" She finished unlocking the door and let me in. I didn't want to tell her about my miserable life so I just shrugged and sat the box of sugary heaven on the desk. I pulled out a Boston Creme and plopped on the couch.

"Nothing's wrong. I was just up early and thought I'd come in and get my day started." She either believed me or decided not to push it because she grabbed a donut and tossed me a few files.

"That's all we got for you. We've got a few for RangeMan. Will you tell Ranger when you see him later?" Everyone thought Ranger and I had something going on. We did, but now it's definitely over. I had no plans of seeing him today or any time soon.

"You better call him. I don't think I'll see him today." She looked shocked for a brief second but then nodded her head.

I looked at my new files and cringed. One old drunk and Harold Grumbles, 29 year old arrested for assault and attempted rape. He was about 6 foot 2 inches and had the build of a Merry Man. Why was he in my stack?

"Shouldn't Ranger get Mr. Grumbles? He's out of my league." I tried to hand it back but she shook her head.

"Bond's not high enough for RangeMan. Maybe you can get some help with him." She continued to munch on her donut and didn't seem too concerned that I was in charge of bringing in an almost rapist who beat his victim with his shoe. I guess if I see him reach for his shoe strings, that's my sign to run.

"Whatever. The others are easy so I need to get busy and get these done." I grabbed one more donut from the box and walked out the door. As I got into my POS car, I noticed a black SUV pull up behind me. I watched in the rearview mirror as Ranger and Zero stepped out and approached my car. I didn't feel like talking to either of them so I quickly started my car and sped off.

I could almost see the look on Ranger's face but he was kind of hidden by the black smoke that poured out of my car's exhaust. Oh well. He shouldn't have been standing there.

I picked up Mooner first. He was in between sitcom marathons, and I promised him an egg McMuffin if he came with me. He happily agreed and I had him fed and to the police station in a matter of minutes. I left him there to wait for Connie to come re-bond him back out and I made my way to the next skip.

Tony 'two Toes' Thomas was a low level mobster for a not so well known family. Word on the street was that he liked to remove two toes from the people he "talked to". Just thinking about it made my feet hurt. He was arrested for public intoxication and public indecency. He was drunk and tried to pee on a fire hydrant because he thought he was a dog. This should be an easy pick-up because he's probably still drunk.

I found him just like I thought I would, drunk as a skunk and passed out. He also smelled worse than the animal described before - skunk. I had to drag him to my car and drive to the station with the windows down. I had help getting him out of the car and into the station. A rookie cop just happened to be coming out to smoke when I pulled up, so I got him to do most of the work.

Once he was in custody of the TPD, I was only down to one more skip-but it had potential to be a doozy. It was lunch time, so I decided to eat and then try to find the wannabe rapist. I was worried about trying to take him myself, but I didn't want to call Ranger for help. I kind of wanted to prove to him and to myself that I didn't need him. I hoped this plan didn't blow up in my face.

I ate a lonely quiet lunch at Subway. Hey, I can be healthy sometimes. I looked at the file as I ate and there was something about the guys picture that I didn't like. He looked mean, but his eyes looked empty. I shrugged it off and decided to head to his house after I ate.

I pulled up outside his little residence and waited. I watched for movement inside or for a sign that I should get the hell out of there. I saw the movement from inside, but not the sign to run. So, I checked my belt before I climbed out of the car. I had all the necessary equipment so I walked up to the door and knocked.

"What the fuck do you want, bitch?" The door was yanked open by an angry Harold and I almost faked Girl Scout cookie salesperson. I wish now that I had of.

"Mr. Grumbles? You missed your court date and I'm here to take you to the police department to reschedule. It shouldn't take long." I reached for his arm and he just laughed.

"You're here to take me to the police station? Are you kidding?" He laughed harder and it was pissing me off.

He was laughing so hard that he was almost falling over. I could see the tears in his eyes and he was clutching his side. There was no sign of him stopping and I had enough of being his entertainment so I pulled my stun gun off and pressed it to his arm and hit the button. He stopped laughing and fell over. Right. On. Top. Of. Me!

I tried to move, honestly I did, but he fell like a ton of bricks and I was the unfortunate victim in his way. Watching him fall towards me was like watching a tree fall in the woods. I was half expecting someone to yell "TIMMMBEEERRRR".

There was no yell, just a squeak from me when I landed on my back and he landed on top of me. The air was forced out of lungs and there was something painful digging into my back and ass. I tried my damnedest to get out from under him, but nothing I did was successful. The sight from the neighbors houses had to have been comical and I would have thought that someone would come help me, but no one showed up.

I laid there for what seemed like hours. I finally felt him start to come back from LaLa Land and was able then to push him off me with a little help from his movements. Once I was up and on my feet, I tagged him again with my stun gun and took stock of my injuries.

I didn't hit my head, but my back was killing me and my ass had an indentation from the jagged sidewalk that I landed on. The longer I stood up, the more pain shot through my back and into my legs. The pain was so intense that it took my breath away.

I decided that there was no way to get the big oaf into my car without help, so I called the only person I could think of. I didn't want to have to ask him for help, but I didn't see another option.

"Hello?" So much better than the RangeMan 'yo'.

"Joe, I need help." I never called him for help, so my request must have surprised him.

"Cupcake, where are you? Are you hurt? I'm on the way." I heard the rustling of clothes and then the starting of a car. He really was on the way. I gave him the address and then sat beside the skip to wait for my knight in a rusted POS.

Joe sped to a stop and was out of the car before it stopped completely. Once he saw me he slowed his approach and then when he saw the unconscious skip a sexy smile spread across his face.

"He's not dead is he?" He asked trying to sound serious, but I knew he was joking. I've called him before to help with dead bodies. Hell, I've shown up at his house with a dead body rolled up in a rug and attached to the roof of my car. We have history with dead bodies.

"No, just stunned a little. Can you help me get him to my car?" I stood and before Joe reached down to grab the skip he pulled me into a hug. The minute his arms came around me the pain in my back intensified and I cried out backing away from him. He looked shocked and then hurt.

"I'm sorry, Joe. He fell on me the first time I stunned him and I think I messed up my back. It hurts something fierce." He grimaced and motioned for me to turn around. I sighed and obeyed. He lifted my shirt and I could hear his sharp intake of breath.

"Cupcake. You need to go the hospital. You are bruised and there might be something else wrong. I'll take him to the station and then you to the hospital." He lowered my shirt and reached down and easily picked Harold up off the ground. I placed handcuffs around his wrists and followed as Joe drug him to his city owned POS.

"If you'll take him to the station for me, I'll just go home and relax. I think I just need a few days to rest." He didn't look convinced, but knew I wouldn't do something that I didn't want to do. He kissed my forehead.

"You call me if the pain gets worse. You need to see someone, even if it's the medic at RangeMan. Have someone smart take a look at it. It looks bad to me." He climbed in his car and rolled down his window.

"l'll bring your body receipt to you later tonight along with a pizza. See ya, Cupcake." I waved as he drove off. Our relationship had been so much better as friends. If we had been still involved, then he would have yelled and waved his arms around like a maniac. I like our friendship status. I miss the sex, but who wouldn't?

I slowly made my way to my car and climbed in. My legs felt numb and tingly but I could still use them. The pain in my back was getting better so I didn't think I needed to see anyone. I drove back to my apartment without stopping to get my checks from Connie. I would turn them all in tomorrow and get paid.

I slowly walked up to my apartment and let myself in. The pain was back and was almost taking my breath away with each step I took. A bath sounded like a good idea so I hobbled into the bathroom. I found if I hunch over a little while I walk, it didn't hurt as bad. I turned on the hot water and closed the drain. I slowly removed my clothes and lowered myself into the steaming tub. It felt good and relaxing, but it didn't relax the muscles in my back. They still hurt like a son of a bitch.

I sat in the tub until the water got too cold for me to tolerate. Getting out of the bathtub was an interesting feat. I had to practically roll over the side and then get on my knees and then force myself to stand. I couldn't stand straight though. Standing straight equaled severe pain and I don't like pain.

I popped two Advil to help with the inflammation and threw on a pair of panties and a T-shirt. I didn't bother with pants. It hurt too damn bad to bend my legs and Joe had seen it all before anyway. I wasn't expecting any other company. I hadn't heard from Zero or Ranger all day. After I saw them this morning, I thought one of them would call; but they didn't. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

I found a comfortable place on the couch and flipped on my TV. I needed to find something to pass the time until Joe got there. I was hungry, but I didn't want to get up. I wasn't sure I could find this spot again and the absence of pain was wonderful. I must have fallen asleep while watching a riveting Final Jeopardy showdown because the next thing I know after Alex Trebeck read the answer was Joe sitting beside me on the couch and rubbing my bare leg. His touch felt so good and I think I moaned a little because I heard him laugh.

"Come on Cupcake. Pizza is here." That's all it took for me to get moving. I moved slowly to stand and then hobbled over to my table where Joe was sitting with a scowl on his face.

"It's still hurting?" He asked past a hunk of pizza in his mouth.

"Yeah. I tried a bath and took some pills, but it didn't help." I lowered myself into a chair and grabbed a slice. I shoved it into my mouth and moaned. There's nothing better than a hot slice of greasy pizza with extra cheese.

"Will you go to the hospital, please? I hate to see you in pain." Damn him and that word. He knows I can't say no to please. I knew deep down that I should probably go see someone, but I hated hospitals.

"How about I call Bobby after dinner. He can come here and take a look. I'm sure it's just bruised." Joe didn't like it, but agreed. Huh, before we broke up there would have been an argument and a warning about being around Ranger's men. Like I said before, I like this new arrangement we have.

We enjoyed dinner together with no more talk of injuries or doctors. Joe told me about his latest cases and about his latest date. She still lived at home with her parents, doesn't work and has no desire to be anything except a housewife. She's perfect for him.

When the pizza was gone, Joe handed me my cell phone from my purse. I knew what he was waiting for so I rolled my eyes and pressed the number three spot on my speed dial. Number one was Ranger, two was Joe, and three Bobby since I called him all the time because I was usually injured. After a few rings, I got the standard RangeMan greeting.

"Yo." I rolled my eyes. I'm going to buy them phone etiquette lessons sometime.

"Bobby. It's Stephanie. Are you busy?" Maybe he couldn't come see me right now. Maybe he's on a takedown or on a date.

"Never too busy for you, Bomber. What's up?" I hated the nickname Bomber or Bombshell. They came up with it because my cars are always blowing up. Well, not just my cars. My apartment, a funeral home, and a garbage truck have been known to catch on fire too.

"I might have a problem that hopefully you can help me with. I found myself under a rather large skip today and I must have landed on something because my lower back is bothering me. Would you have time to come over here and take a look at it? I hate to bother you, but I don't want to go to the hospital." I half expected him to tell me he was busy and didn't want to come over to check out my latest fuck up, but he didn't.

"I'll be there in 7 minutes." He hung up and I knew I could set my watch by that seven minutes. It will probably be more like 6 minutes and 48 seconds, but who's counting?

"He'll be here soon. You don't have to wait, Joe. I'll be fine." He didn't look convinced.

"I'm staying because I want to hear what he thinks. I worry about you, Cupcake. Just because we aren't together doesn't mean I don't still care about you." He gently pulled me into a hug. He glanced down my backside and I guess my T-shirt had ridden up a little because he groaned and pushed me away.

"Please go put some pants on before he gets here. I can't concentrate when you're half-dressed and I assume he can't either." He pushed me toward my bedroom and I hobbled into my room and found a pair of thin boxers. They were old and short and comfortable. I made my way back out and I heard voices talking in hushed tones. I guess I spent more time in the bedroom than I thought.

I hobbled out to my living room to see Ranger, Zero, Bobby and Les standing there with concerned looks on their faces. Joe stepped up when I was walking and gave me a hand to finish walking into the room.

"Where do you want me Bobby? Couch or bed?" I wiggled my eye brows at him and watched him blush. Lester laughed, Ranger scowled and Zero looked pained. Joe cussed under his breath and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Let's you and I head to your room so I can get a good look without other eyes watching too." Bobby picked up his bag of medical stuff and guided me slowly back to my room.

"Good, I'm not really into giving a free show tonight. Maybe another time though." I tossed out before turning into my room. I didn't see their reactions but I assumed they were the same as last time. I did hear Lester's jovial laughter. I can always count on him to enjoy my sexual joking.

Once we got into the bedroom Bobby closed the door. He gently lifted my shirt and started feeling around down my spine and lower back.

"Tell me when I get to a sensitive spot." He kept his gentle hands moving down my back stopping and putting gently pressure on certain places. When he hit the mother of all sensitive spots, I did more than let him know. I sucked a breath in and lunged forward away from him so he couldn't touch it again.

"Sorry, Steph. I know this hurts. Does the pain radiate up or down your spine?" He continued to gently feel around the area that was so tender.

"Pain shoots down my legs and sometimes they go numb and get tingly." He nodded his head and sighed loudly.

"Well, I think you've ruptured a disc or two. You need to get an MRI to see how bad they are and to see if they are damaging the spinal cord. You need to go to the hospital." Well fuck! Why couldn't have I just bruised myself? Why did something have to be ruptured?

"Okay. Thanks for coming over to look at it Bobby. I'll go to the hospital tomorrow." I knew I wouldn't and so did he.

"I will always come when you call, Steph. You can't wait until tomorrow. You need to go tonight. You don't want permanent spinal cord damage." That didn't sound good. Permanent meant forever. No reversal.

"Could that happen?" I watched him nod his head and grab his bag. He wasn't going to let me put this off so I grabbed an oversized sweatshirt to put over my T-shirt and a pair of lounge pants to change into. I couldn't very well show up in the ER wearing thin boxer shorts. My mother would get called and then it would all be over.

Bobby left the room so I could change. I found some old slip on shoes and threw my hair up into a sloppy pony-tail. I hobbled out to the living room to see everyone talking quietly. I knew they were talking about me and it pissed me off.

"Babe, you can ride with us to the ER. You don't need to be driving." I didn't want to ride with them. I was still mad at Ranger and Zero and didn't want to be stuck in a car with them.

"Joe, can you take me? You don't have to stay, I'll call my dad to bring me home or I'll call a cab if it's too late." He glanced nervously at the guys around him. They were all shooting me glares that ranged from anger to confusion.

"Uhh, sure Steph. I'll stay though. I don't work until late tomorrow." He took my arm and guided me out the door. The guys all followed and they took the stairs while Joe and I waited for the elevator. They were all waiting patiently in their SUV by the time we walked out and got into Joe's car.

He helped me inside and then ran around to the driver's seat. He looked at me concerned and when I wouldn't look at him he sighed and started to drive to the hospital. We were almost there when he decided to ask me what he wanted to know.

"Want to tell me what that was all about? You seem like you're a little pissed at Batman. Trouble in paradise?" I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to talk to my ex-boyfriend about my ex-lover. It felt too weird. And I sure as shit didn't want to talk about my feelings toward Zero. I didn't understand those myself. I know his attitude the day before hurt, but I was too scared to figure out why.

"It's complicated." He looked at me for a long minute while waiting for the light to change then nodded his head. I was glad he wasn't going to push it. I really didn't want to talk about it. Maybe I would wake up and this will all be a dream. Yeah right, wishful thinking!

A/N - Another chapter done! Thanks everyone for the reviews and follows/favorites. They are what keeps me writing! I know a lot of you have said that you don't like this Ranger. I have to agree, but he redeems himself later in the story. You just have to keep reading. : )