Stephanie went to the doctor for her routine prenatal check-up. As usual, Carlos accompanied Stephanie to the appointment while Marco and Zero watched their backs. The waiting room was empty. Dr. Walker rescheduled Stephanie's appointment at the last minute. She had to deliver a baby the previous day, necessitating the change.
It wasn't too bad. Stephanie got to see her son on the sonogram again. She smiled when she saw her small nose with Ranger's chin and face shape. "Who do you think he'll resemble?" Stephanie asked on their way home.
"He's a perfect blend of us," Carlos said. "I hope he has your curls and blue eyes."
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You realize brown eyes are dominant. Our son would likely have your eyes," Stephanie said. "Your hair is straight. He would probably have straight or wavy hair."
Carlos checked his phone. He was waiting for a call that he had expected to receive several days earlier. "That's the fifth time you checked your phone, Carlos. Is something wrong?" Marco asked.
Stephanie looked at Carlos and pleaded with him to answer. "I was expecting Aaron to call with an update," Carlos replied.
"When was he supposed to contact you?" Stephanie asked.
"Two weeks ago. Thiboult sent a message when he landed in Sudan," Carlos explained.
"Why would he miss his check-in?" Stephanie wondered.
"He could be in a dangerous situation. Maybe he can't call without someone overhearing," Zero said.
"Or T-bone's dead," Marco said.
Stephanie knew Aaron Thiboult was a disgrace in the military. He collected intel to use for personal gain. She couldn't forget about the audio track they received. Thiboult assisted in her kidnapping. Stephanie thought it was just Morelli, but more people were involved than she had initially realized. Death was too good for Thiboult. Any man who wanted Carlos eliminated deserved to get tortured.
Marco parked the SUV in the garage. The door closed behind them before Stephanie and Carlos climbed out of the vehicle. Carlos heard his satellite phone ringing in his home office. He went to the desk and removed it from the locked cabinet. "Manoso," he answered.
"Rogers, here. We received a parcel at headquarters. Someone sent a sealed coffin containing the bodies of Terry Gilman and Aaron Thiboult. They wrapped the bodies in cloths to preserve them for transport. DNA confirmed their identities," he announced.
"Could this come down on us?" Carlos asked.
"No," Rogers replied. "Kareem claimed responsibility. We could send a team after him."
"Would that be necessary?"
"Not likely. Did you send Thiboult the details in a message?" General Rogers asked.
"Yes," Carlos replied, "from an untraceable burner phone. Should we be discussing this now?"
"Our lines are secure, and this is our only debrief," Rogers explained. Once he ended the call with Manoso, Rogers was going to lock that shit up. Thiboult didn't have a family to notify. He had to contact Vito Grizolli to determine where to send Gilman's body. Carlos suggested contacting Grizolli immediately, then hung up.
Vito Grizolli met with Franco Colombo upon his return. He didn't have good news for his boss. "Did you track my niece?" Vito asked.
"Yes, Sir. I had to plant a tracker in her bag when we landed in Sudan," Franco replied. Vito raised an eyebrow, then motioned for Franco to continue. "Had I followed Terry and her companion, they would have discovered me."
"Where did they go?" Vito wanted to know where Terry travelled in Sudan. He knew she lied about visiting his parents in Italy. Terry never arrived.
"To meet with a man named Adu Kareem," Franco replied. "He's the head of a drug cartel in the region."
Vito's face turned beet red from anger. "I told her to stay away from the drug kingpins," Vito snarled. "She's going to get herself killed."
Franco pressed his lips tightly together. He didn't want to tell Vito his niece was likely dead already. "I believe that already happened, Sir. Terry's tracker went offline three days after disembarking the aircraft in Sudan."
Before Vito could respond to the news, his guard knocked on the door. "Boss, there's a military man here to see you," the guard said when Vito told him to enter. It had to be important if the guard was interrupting his meeting.
Vito pinched the bridge of his nose, then rubbed a hand down his face. He dismissed Franco before following the guard to the door. "Are you Vito Grizolli?" the soldier asked.
"Yes. Is there a reason for this unscheduled visit?"
The soldier pointed over his shoulder. "I'm sorry to inform you of Terry Gilman's death. Where would you like me to deliver her corpse?"
"Stiva's funeral home," Vito replied. He provided the address, then closed the door. Vito called the new owners of the funeral home to arrange Terry's burial. He didn't bother organizing a mass or memorial service for Terry. "Gino, send the death notice to the Trenton Times."
Later that day, Vito retrieved the urn containing his niece's ashes. He went to the gravesite to have it placed in the mausoleum with Terry's mother and father. "Rest in peace, you foolish child."
-SMSMSMSM-
"I'm sorry for your loss," Carl Costanza told Joe Morelli when he arrived at the precinct.
"What loss?" Joe was confused. He had breakfast with his family that morning.
Costanza shook his head as he pointed at the newspaper. Joe grabbed the printed pages to read the obituary. He fell hard to his chair as he read the notice for Terry Gilman nee Grizolli.
The obituary didn't list a cause of death, which was unusual for the Trenton Times. "When is the funeral?" Joe yelled as he read the notice a few more times.
"Grizolli isn't having one," Carl replied. "Terry's uncle cremated the body. Shirley was visiting Stephanie's gravesite yesterday and saw Grizolli enter the mausoleum. He was carrying an urn."
"How does Shirley know it was Terry's ashes?" Joe asked.
"She checked," Carl replied.
Joe read the obituary a few more times. His phone rang, pulling him from his internal rants. There was nothing Joe hated more than feeling helpless. Joe slammed his hand on the table. The sting was enough to pull him from getting lost in his thoughts. "Morelli," Joe answered without checking the caller ID.
"I'm sorry, Joseph," Helen Mazur said. "Do you want to host a memorial service?"
"No. Her uncle would have organized one if he wanted it," Joe replied. Joe refused to step on Vito's toes.
"It's a shame a good woman died. She's going to be missed." Helen ranted as she compared Stephanie to Terry, making Terry sound more honourable than she was. Joe shook his head. Why didn't he see it before now? "Terry knew how to handle herself. She never rolled in the garbage or had people shooting her," Helen said.
"Terry worked for the mob," Joe reminded her.
"Hmph. That's rumours and speculation. I never heard anything bad about Terry," Helen snarled. "Stephanie, however, was an embarrassment." Joe hung up, then blocked Helen's number. He didn't want to hear another vile word from Helen's mouth.
Meanwhile, in Deal, Alexander was smiling. He received an alert regarding Terry Gilman. The woman was dead. Curiosity got the better of him, so he called Vito.
"Are you calling to gloat?" Vito asked Alexander.
"Not at all. I see you handled your niece?"
"It wasn't me," Vito replied. "She stupidly contacted a man in Sudan."
Alexander tipped his head back to laugh. "Tell me she didn't approach Kareem."
"I believe that's who she met," Vito said, making Alexander laugh harder.
"Kareem never conducts business with women. Any woman to ever approach him got a bullet to the head," Alexander said when he stopped laughing.
"Incidentally, that's where she got shot. I want the details, but I doubt Kareem would be amenable to discussing my niece."
"Give me a few hours to reach my contacts. I'll have an answer for you," Alexander promised. He ended the call to get to business.
Alexander called his associate. The man heard about Terry Gilman's meeting with Adu Kareem and provided the details he learned. Gilman should have listened to her partner. Getting a bullet to the head was the price for the woman discussing business with Kareem. Alexander had recorded the conversation and forwarded it to Vito to listen for himself.
Vito shook his head. "Foolish girl," he said before deleting the audio file.
-SMSMSMSM-
Stephanie went into labour three weeks before her due date. Her son couldn't wait to be born. It was pure luck that she went into labour at the clinic during her examination with Dr. Brianne Walker.
"You're fully dilated," Dr. Walker announced when she examined Stephanie.
"How? I wasn't in labour," Stephanie wondered.
"Did you experience any lower back pains or discomfort in your hips?"
"I had pain in my tailbone and pressure in my pelvis," Stephanie replied.
Dr. Walker smiled at Stephanie. "How long?"
"Fifteen hours," Carlos replied. Stephanie glared at him.
"You're ready to push," Dr. Walker said. She got Stephanie to put her feet in the stirrups. Carlos stood by Stephanie's head and brushed the damp hair off her forehead.
"Babe?" Carlos asked.
"It hurts," Stephanie complained. "I didn't know it was labour." Carlos resisted the urge to laugh. Only Stephanie would notice the intensity of the labour pains once the doctor said she was in active labour.
Carlos kissed her forehead and waited until the next contraction for Stephanie to push. "You're doing well," Dr. Walker said. The doctor got Stephanie to push a few more times, then abruptly told her to stop.
"What's wrong?" Stephanie asked.
"The umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck. I need to pull it out of the way," Walker explained. Stephanie had the urge to push but waited until the doctor gave the order. "Okay, Stephanie. I want you to bear down on the next contraction."
Stephanie felt like she was getting ripped apart as her son's shoulders passed through the birth canal. She screamed in agony. "I'm not doing this again," Stephanie cried.
Carlos cut the cord, then wrapped his son in the blankets. He placed the baby in Stephanie's shaking arms. "I'm proud of you, Babe," he whispered.
"When can I get my tubes tied?" Stephanie asked.
"I can do the procedure at your three-month appointment," Dr. Walker replied. Stephanie nodded. She felt cold. Her body shook as the doctor delivered the afterbirth.
"Why am I shaking?"
"It's shock, Babe," Carlos replied when the doctor didn't answer. She focused on stitching Stephanie.
"Carlos, there should be blankets in the warmer beside the bathroom," Dr. Walker said. He raised an eyebrow. "I prepared for today. Stephanie was two centimetres dilated last week."
After tucking his son in Stephanie's arms, Carlos left the room to collect the blankets. He put one over Stephanie's chest to warm her quickly. Stephanie stopped shaking after a few minutes. "Thanks, Carlos." Carlos kissed her forehead, then reached for his son.
Dr. Walker excused herself for a few minutes to grab water and towels. Stephanie wanted to squeeze her legs together, but the doctor wasn't finished. It made Stephanie feel exposed. She felt warm water when the doctor returned. "No baths until your stitches heal," Dr. Walker ordered. "No sex for six weeks."
"When can I go home?" Stephanie asked.
"After I complete the tests on your son," she replied. "Has the medic returned?"
"He has," Carlos replied. "What should he look for?"
"I'll give you a brochure," she promised. "Have you decided on a name?"
"Luc Milo Manoso," Stephanie replied. A tear escaped from Stephanie's eyes as she listened to Carlos speaking to Milo in Spanish.
"I need to examine your son," Dr. Walker interrupted. "Carlos, you can help Stephanie dress while I take a few blood samples."
Carlos helped Stephanie remove her legs from the stirrups and swung her legs off the side of the table. He grabbed her panties, placing a thick pad to line the crotch. Stephanie couldn't use tampons after giving birth. She blushed when Carlos pulled her underwear up her legs. He kissed her when he lifted her off the table. Stephanie stepped into her pants as he tapped a leg.
Brianne smiled when Carlos kissed Stephanie's abdomen. He clearly loved his wife. "I'm fat," Stephanie groaned.
"You had a baby," Carlos replied. "Babe, you're gorgeous."
"No exercise except for walking for the next week," Brianne warned. Stephanie mumbled about being allergic to exercise, making Brianne laugh. "I'll forward the results to your medic. You may take Stephanie and your son home."
"Shit!" Stephanie said as she smacked her forehead. "We don't have a car seat."
"Babe, I got Marco to bring it inside. He's in the waiting room."
"And you wonder why I call you Batman," Stephanie said, giggling. Brianne loved seeing the interaction between Carlos and Stephanie. She hoped to find the kind of love they shared. "Bobby Brown, the medic, is single," Stephanie whispered to Brianne. "He's my age."
Brianne raised an eyebrow. She was a year older than Stephanie. Marco asked her on a date, but he was too young. Brianne could handle it if the man were two years younger, but four was too much of a gap for her comfort.
"You already had him?" Marco asked when Stephanie and Carlos entered the waiting room.
"Milo was too impatient to wait. Why else would Carlos ask you for the car seat?" Stephanie wondered. Marco shrugged. He didn't have a reasonable reply.
"Marco thought the doctor wanted to examine the seat," Carlos explained. Stephanie rolled her eyes.
"You probably researched the infant car seats and bought the best one on the market," Stephanie said. Carlos nodded in agreement.
Marco waited until they were on their way home to ask, "How are we going to announce Stephanie isn't dead?"
"I have a few ideas," Stephanie replied. "It would take a few months to get it organized."
Zero and Marco suggested how Stephanie should announce it to the world. She shrugged, but kept her lips zipped.