This story contains characters that belong to Janet Evanovich.

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Scent of a Woman

Chapter 22

The waiting was agonizing. Ranger had not left Stephanie's side since she was brought to her room. She was so still. It had been ten hours since she was moved from recovery. The constant sounds of the ventilator and heart monitor droned in the background as he alternated between anxiously watching over her and dozing lightly in the chair next to her bed. He rarely let go of her hand. He had told her he would always be there for her, and he kept his promises.

Several of the men had remained at the hospital, refusing to leave. Ranger made the safe house available for them as a place to rest, shower, and eat. Ella had come up early in the morning to clean and restock supplies. She stopped by the hospital and brought Ranger a duffel bag of his own things and some of his favorite foods to snack on. She took a few minutes and prayed the rosary over Stephanie. She hugged Ranger and told him that she would continue to petition Christ daily for her recovery and that he should call her if he needed anything else.

Tank had handled all the details of Stephanie's hospital security. He had no trouble finding men to work all the shifts outside her room. They practically fought over the opportunity to help her any way they could.

Tank was worried about Hector who had become unusually withdrawn and tense since the takedown last night. He was aware of the special relationship Hector had with Stephanie. His past associations with gangs, his time served in prison and his alternative lifestyle made no difference to her. Tank had always thought it was interesting that Bombshell, one of the only members of the RangeMan team who did not speak or understand fluent Spanish, had a closer relationship to Hector, who didn't speak much English, than almost anyone else. But he wasn't surprised by it either. It was just her way. She drew people in with her tenacious approach to life and compassionate soul. It was a double-edged sword though, because it not only gave her an endless supply of loyal friends, it drew the crazies as well. This is why he was here at the hospital now. He needed to talk to Ranger about the latest nutcase. He walked slowly into the room, finding his boss and good friend sleeping, slumped back in the chair holding Stephanie's hand. Tank gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Ranger." He quietly called.

Ranger's eyes shot open and quickly focused on his Babe, looking for any possible sign of change. He then realized the weight of the hand on his shoulder and turned to find Tank giving him an apologetic look.

"Do you have anything to report?" Ranger struggled to compose his professional image.

Tank grabbed another chair and pulled it up next to Ranger's. "Lester and I interrogated the bodyguard late this morning. His name is Richard Skovik." He rubbed his hand over his face. "We were right about the Bilotti connection. Skovik was working for them as sort of a double agent. He was told to keep an eye on Victor, and if it looked like he was going to cause trouble and embarrass the family again, his orders were to stop him…by any means necessary. When he realized what was going on in the hotel room with Bomber, he decided to tranq him before it went too far and became a public spectacle. He said he was told to not let anyone else get injured in the process if at all possible. Steph and Sullivan would have been let go with a medical explanation as to Victor's deteriorating mental condition."

"Do you believe him?"

"Yeah, I think Skovik really likes the guy. He's worked for him as his personal bodyguard for a number of years, but wasn't in a position to refuse orders from Dominic Bilotti. So he carried the tranquilizer gun to give himself the option of taking Giordano down without hurting him."

"If we let him go, is he going to cause us trouble?"

"I don't think so. He wasn't happy with being restrained and detained, but he was glad we got him and Giordano out of there before the Philly PD showed up. His job is basically over. He'll have to make a report to the Bilotti family, but since Giordano is in police custody, I don't think we figure into the mix anymore."

"Okay, turn him loose and give him a one way ticket back to New York, courtesy of RangeMan. I don't trust Bilotti, though; keep the security on Stephanie tight."

"Done."

"How did Lester's conversation go with Sullivan?"

"After Lester explained everything to him about the setup, Sullivan was royally pissed, but he still wanted to come to the hospital to see her." He nodded toward Stephanie. "He feels guilty about the bracelet. Lester convinced him it would be better to stay away and promised to call him with regular updates on her condition."

"I don't want him near her." Ranger growled. "That situation is over. If Stephanie wants to talk to him later, I'll set something up."

"Understood."

"What about Giordano?"

"He's been remanded into custody without bond this time. That dude is seriously fucked up. They have him scheduled for a psych evaluation." He shook his head. "I turned in the body receipt to Sebring's office on my way up here this afternoon. The check will be mailed to RangeMan."

"Thanks, Tank." Ranger nodded to his friend. "Anything else?"

Tank was silent.

"What is it?"

"It's Hector."

"Explain."

"This whole…Bomber's injuries. It's hard on all the men, but Hector's not military. He doesn't have the kind of training we have to deal with this kind of thing. He's tightly wound and ready to kill. I've never seen him like this, but you know how he feels about Stephanie, she's like a sister to him. I had to take him off field duty rotation. Lester tried to talk to him, but he's worried that Hector could cause some serious damage if someone just looks at him sideways."

Ranger hadn't given much thought to what the other men were feeling. His focus had been solely on his Babe and compensating for his own pain and guilt. He knew about Hector's special feelings for Stephanie. Hector had been with him the night of Abruzzi's 'suicide'. It was about protecting her. He never questioned what needed to be done or why. A week later a new teardrop tattoo appeared. Taking care of his own and seeking revenge was a matter of pride to Hector. "Get him over here. I'll talk to him. Maybe it will help him to see her."

"Maybe it will make him worse."

"Maybe. Send him anyway." Ranger sighed. "Anything else?"

"Have you called her parents?" Tank asked hesitantly. He knew this was a sore subject.

"No." Ranger stiffened at the thought.

"Ranger, she's their daughter, they need to be told."

"I know. I was hoping if…I waited…the news would be better. I don't want her mother coming up here, causing trouble and letting the whole Burg in on what's happening. You know how Steph would hate that."

"Talk to her dad, man. He seems reasonable enough. Let him make the decision about what to tell his wife."

"You're right. I'll call after the doctor sees her this afternoon."

"Fair enough." He handed Ranger a piece of paper. "I had Zero run a search. This is Frank Plum's cell phone number. I figured you'd want to bypass calling the house line and talking to her mother." Ranger took the number. Tank looked despondently at Stephanie. It was breaking his heart to see her characteristically vibrant and energetic body so still and weighted down by machines and tubes. "How is she?"

"No change. The doc is due in soon. He's planning to stop the drugs that are inducing the coma sometime today."

"Then?"

"Then we wait. Some more." Ranger put his head in his hands. "Dios, Tank. I don't know. She looks so…. I put her here. I'm responsible for this."

"That's bullshit, Ranger, and you know it. Bomber's here because Giordano is a screwed up son-of-a-bitch, and Sullivan baited him with that damn bracelet."

"We should have gone in sooner. We could hear she was in trouble."

"You know as well as I do that we could not risk putting civilians in the line of fire. There was an armed guard in the hallway. She did everything right. We did everything we could. It just didn't go as planned."

"It never does with her."

Tank uttered a warm chuckle. "No it doesn't. That's why we love her so much. She's unpredictable. Hell, guys like us thrive on that shit. We don't want predictable. We like adventure, and a good challenge." Tank got a mischievous grin on his face. "I'd be willing to bet…our little girl here is very…adventurous and challenging to you…in more ways than one."

Ranger snapped his head around and gave Tank a warning look that he may have just gotten a bit too personal. The two brothers stared at each other for several long seconds. Ranger finally grinned at some memories the statement forced him to relive. He shook his head and sat back in his chair. "She is that, my friend. She is that."

Tank stood and slapped Ranger on the shoulder in support. "It may take a while, but she'll come back to you, Carlos. She's a survivor, and she loves you." Tank walked out and left Ranger to his thoughts. His friend was hurting. He had a company to run for him.

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Throughout the day, Stephanie slowly began to make minor improvements. When the doctor had come in to check on her at four o'clock, he was pleased to find that the most recent series of tests had shown that some of the pressure from the hematoma was starting to ease. He discontinued the use of the coma inducing drugs and determined her breathing was stable enough to begin the process of weaning her off the ventilator.

Ranger decided to take Tank's advice and call the Plums. It wasn't going to be easy. He dreaded telling her father that his little girl had suffered such a great injury while in his care. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Hello."

"Mr. Plum?"

"Yes."

"Sir, this is Carlos Manoso, Ranger. Stephanie works for me sometimes at RangeMan."

"Yes, Mr. Manoso, I remember you. Stephanie told us she would be out of town for a few weeks while working for you. Has something happened?"

"Sir, Stephanie suffered a bad fall and has been admitted to the ICU at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia."

"ICU! That sounds serious. How bad was this fall? Is she okay? Can I speak to her?"

"Sir, when she fell, she hit her head. She underwent a series of tests and exams followed by surgery late last night to repair some of the damage. She has several different issues involving her head that are being treated and watched." He hesitated and finally continued. "Sir, I think it would be best for you to come here and get more of the details from the doctor in charge of her case and our medic Bobby Brown. I'm sorry but Stephanie has been in a drug-induced coma to assist the healing process. The surgeon is unsure of her recovery at this time, but she has made some improvements since this morning."

"Of course, Mr. Manoso. We'll come right away."

"If you'd like, Mr. Plum, I can have one of my men pick you, your wife and Mrs. Mazur up and have you brought to the hospital. I will also make arrangements for you to stay at one of the local hotels if necessary."

"The ride won't be needed Mr. Manoso. My mother-in-law is in Atlantic City with friends for the weekend. I'll talk to my wife and we'll let you know about the hotel. I'm sure that she'll want to see Stephanie first before making that decision." There was a short pause on the line. "Mr. Manoso, is my daughter going to be okay?"

"I don't know sir. But I promise you she's getting the best care possible. I'll be here at the hospital when you arrive. If you need anything, please call me at this number."

"I will. Thank you. We'll be there soon."

Having completed that difficult task, Ranger took a deep breath and returned to his chair next to Stephanie's bed.

"Babe, I called your parents. They're coming. I promise I won't let your mom go crazy on you." He picked up her hand and kissed it. "I really need you to wake up, Babe. I need to tell you how sorry I am. How much I love you. I need you to fight, Babe…harder than you've ever had to fight before."

"Santa Maria, Madre de Dios!" (Holy Mary, mother of God!)

Ranger quickly turned his head to find Hector standing behind him, an agonizing look disfiguring his usually easy-going face.

When he spoke, Hector's voice was laden with guilt and anger. "¿Dirigimos a hombre, cómo dejamos una cosa tan terrible suceder a nuestro ángel?" (Boss man, how did we let such a terrible thing happen to our angel?)

"¡Héctor, no dejar que esto ocurra. Yo soy responsable de esto. Dejé Stephanie abajo." (Hector, we did not let this happen. I am responsible for this. I let Stephanie down.)

"Ningún jefe, usted es incorrecto. Ella pertenece todos nosotros. Ella es nuestra hermana, nuestro bebé." (No boss, you're wrong. She belongs to all of us. She is our sister, our babe.) He stepped closer to the bed and gently laid his right hand over her heart. "Ella le da a este tan fácilmente. Se le abre por mucho daño y el dolor." (She gives this so easily. It exposes her to too much hurt and pain.) Hector's tone became hard and hateful. "Quiero matar al hombre que hizo esto a ella. Ella necesita ser protegido como antes." (I will kill the man who did this to her. She needs to be protected like before.) His left hand was clenched in a tight fist. Ranger could feel the rage seething from his shaking body.

"Héctor, Stephanie no quiero verte sufriendo con tanta ira. Ella necesita que usted esté aquí cuando se despierta. Ella tendrá que todos sus amigos. Tenemos que demostrar su amor ... no ira." (Hector, Stephanie would not want to see you hurting with so much anger. She needs you to be here when she wakes up. She will need all of her friends. We have to show love to her…not anger.)

Hector's voice calmed to an eerie sadness. "Me duele verla así." (It hurts to see her this way.)

"Ya lo sé." (I know.)

"Me gustaría tomar su lugar en un instante." (I would take her place in a heartbeat.)

"Sé que lo haría." (I know you would.)

"No he llorado lágrimas de verdad en mucho tiempo. Pero los verdaderos caer tan fácil hoy en día." (I have not cried tears in a long time. But the real ones fall so easy today.)

"Hector?" Ranger put a hand on his shoulder.

"Si."

"No maten a nuestros Babe este momento. Que sólo las lágrimas reales, muestran en su cara por ella." (Don't kill for our Babe this time. Allow only real tears to appear on your face for her.)

Hector slowly nodded his head. He took her uninjured hand in his, leaned over and kissed Stephanie at her temple; then he whispered something into her ear. He remained there for a few long seconds and finally stepped away and left the room without a look back.

When Ranger resumed his place at her side, he found, tucked into her hand, a silver medal on a chain. He gently lifted her fingers and admired the finely detailed image of St. Joan of Arc. He flipped it over and inscribed on the back in French were the words: "Saint Joan will obtain for you the power to combat all evil."

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Stephanie's parents arrived early in the evening. The doctor spent time with them going over the details of her injuries, the improvements he had seen during the day and his concerns for the difficulties of her recovery. After the doctor left, Helen Plum's calm demeanor surprised Ranger. She was obviously upset at her daughter's condition, but showed no trace of disappointment or made no accusations about the events that led to it. She stood at Stephanie's side and spoke loving and supportive words, while gently rubbing her arm and cheek.

"Mr. Manoso…"

"Please, Frank, call me Carlos, or Ranger if you prefer."

"Very well, Carlos, what can you tell us about how Stephanie got hurt?"

"As you already know, Stephanie was working for me. She was operating undercover, in an attempt to help us recapture a man who had missed his court date. She was close to convincing him to leave the hotel so that we could apprehend him. Another man on the scene thought she was in danger at one point, and knocked her down in an attempt to protect her. She inadvertently hit her head on a marble table in the room during the fall. All of her injuries stem from that innocent gesture. I couldn't get to her in time to stop it from happening. I'm sorry. I failed her."

"Carlos," Helen Plum quietly laid a hand on his arm in a gracious gesture. "Stephanie has always had very good things to say about you. She admires and trusts you a great deal. We…," She looked awkwardly at her husband; "…I have not always been very supportive of this job of hers. I am terrified at the kind of dangerous situations she seems to constantly be finding herself in. As a parent, I want her to always be safe." She pulled Ranger down into a chair and sat next to him as if a lecture were forthcoming.

"Helen, We talked about this, I don't think now is the time…."

"It's alright, Frank, I need to say this." They stared at each other for a few seconds.

She looked at Ranger for permission to continue. He nodded his head.

"It wasn't until the day I saw her being chased down the road by that awful man in the rabbit suit that I realized how quickly and easily her life becomes endangered through the process of helping other people. I was the one who asked her to help find that little girl and her mother as a favor for our next-door neighbor. The events that followed almost got her killed." Helen looked down into her lap. "I felt terribly guilty for a long time." She raised her head back up to Ranger with a knowing look. "Much like the way, I'm sure you're feeling now because you believe that this is your fault."

She got out of the chair, stood next to her daughter and lovingly brushed some matted curls from her face. "But I have learned that, for some strange reason, Stephanie is happy when she's doing this work. She knows the risks and does it anyway. God knows, I have tried to get her to stop. I've cajoled, threatened and, I'm embarrassed to say, even tried to manipulate her life to make her fit into my expectations of what happiness is." She shook her head and gave a slight chuckle. "I think I knew from the day she jumped off the garage in an attempt to fly, that she would never be the typical Burg girl, wife, and mother. She must have gotten all her stubbornness from me, because it didn't stop me from trying to change her. Our relationship is like oil and water, but she keeps coming home. She keeps subjecting herself to my constant disappointment and criticism of her life. Stephanie never gives up on people. She's very loyal."

Ranger responded absentmindedly. "That's what I love most about her." When he realized what he had revealed to her parents, he looked up to face them both. "I love Stephanie very much."

Helen laughed. "Carlos, I think the only person that's news to, is you…and probably Stephanie." She glanced up at Frank who had a shocked look on his face. "And I guess my husband as well." She looked back at Ranger. "Stephanie is very lucky to have someone love her that understands who she is and what she needs."

Ranger just looked at Helen Plum in shock. He never expected to hear those words from her. "I will always make sure she has what she needs."

"I know. That's why we're leaving now." She hesitantly placed her hand over Ranger's heart. "Stephanie has everything she needs right here." She took a step back. "We're going to stay in Philadelphia tonight." She looked at her husband and he nodded in agreement. "We'll be back in the morning."

A bewildered Ranger shook hands with Frank as Helen gathered her coat and purse and headed for the door. Not one to forget her Burg manners, she turned before leaving. "Goodnight, Carlos, when Stephanie's better, we'll expect you both for dinner."

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The days that followed were difficult. Shortly after her parents left the first night, Stephanie suffered a seizure. The doctor immediately ordered more tests and changed one of her medications. By Sunday afternoon, Helen had finally convinced Ranger to step away from the hospital for a while; promising that, along with her, both Frank and Bobby would stay at her side. It was while Ranger was gone that Stephanie suffered yet another seizure, and this time the doctor rushed her back into surgery. The pressure from the subdural hematoma had increased again and required him to drill a small burr hole to drain the accumulated fluid. Bobby phoned and Ranger was furious with himself for leaving. He arrived back in the hospital as Stephanie was once again heading into recovery.

"Bobby, what the hell happened? How is she?" Panic laced his words. His eyes were wild with fear.

"Calm down, Ranger, I just spoke with the doc. He's very pleased with the way things went in surgery. No complications. She's resting comfortably in recovery now."

"I never should have left her."

"There was nothing you could have done to prevent the seizure. You were with her last night when she had one. It's all a result of the pressure on her brain. This surgery they performed should alleviate that now." Bobby shook his head at his friend. "You've got to relax, man. You're going to run yourself into the ground if you keep this up. When was the last time you slept anyway?"

"I'm fine."

"You're not. You look like shit!" Bobby knew he was cutting close to the edge by talking to Ranger like this. But his military medical training had taught him to recognize the symptoms of battle fatigue and Ranger was a textbook case. "You need to eat a real meal, and you need to sleep for longer than a few minutes!" He rose to his full height, put his hands on his hips and gave Ranger his best authoritative look. "If you don't do both soon, I swear I'll get Tank, Cal and Hal over here to hold you down, while I sedate you and hook you up to a feeding tube!"

Ranger glared at Bobby and got right up into his face, but neither of them budged.

"Carlos, why don't you take me down to the cafeteria? I haven't eaten since breakfast either. They had baked chicken breasts and a lovely salad bar when I was down there last night. We'll have a nice meal together and after that, you can go back to Stephanie's room and sleep for a bit. She'll be in recovery for a while anyway. I'm sure that would satisfy your friend. Would that work for you, Mr. Brown?"

Helen Plum wrapped her arm around Ranger's and was already pulling him down the hall, as Bobby nodded. Stunned. She was in full Burg housewife mode! In less than thirty seconds she had effectively manipulated two tense, muscle bound, highly trained, armed men with her mothering words. They never knew what hit them.

As they entered the elevator, Ranger had a vague understanding of how Stephanie felt every time she went home for dinner.

Fortunately, the second surgery seemed to effectively speed up her recovery. By Monday afternoon, the ventilator had been completely removed, the seizures had stopped and Stephanie was beginning to show signs of restlessness. It was late the next evening, as Ranger sat alone by her side in the dimly lit hospital room, that she opened her eyes for the first time in four days.

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