Chapter 32

Stephine walked back into the building both happy and freaking out. She knew that, Ranger knew something was going on. Yet she wasn't ready to tell him for several reasons. The biggest because she was not willing to find out his reaction.

She decided to go apologize to Bobby first and help him like she promised. One angry man at a time she thought.

She pushed the elevator button and waited for it to open, tapping her foot. She had a long list of things to do, people to talk to and had no clue where to start. When the door opened and she saw Ranger she gave a startled smile. While she was not ready to talk to him, she was still happy to see him.

"Hay, babe." She said with a smile walking into the elevator. She waited for him to get out but he leaned down to kiss her instead. "Hay Babe." He said coming up after a few minutes for a breath. She leaned over and pushed the button for Bobby's floor.

Ranger gave her another quick kiss, "Is you day going better now?" He asked her, rubing his hand up and down her back.

She gave him a smile, "Yes, it is…. I know that you know something is going on." She said leaning her head on his chest, "Thank for letting it go while I work up the courage to talk to you."

She looked up to see Ranger lift an eyebrow, "That's what I am doing?" He asked with a grin.

She gave him a grin back, "Yes…. Yes, you are."

"I am a pretty understanding man." He said seriously.

She gave his rock-hard stomach a slap. "You are smart ass. I am going to talk to you…I can't hide it forever." She said with a frown, "Trust me." She mumbled under her breath.

Ranger brushed his hand down her hair and turned her head to look up at him. "I love you Babe, and nothing you can tell me will change that." He said kissing her forehead.

Sher wrapped her arms around his middle and mumbled into his chest, "I know. You know me though… avoid, avoid and avoid." She gave a thoughtful look as the doors opened, "Admitting is the first step." She said with a grin. She let go of him after another quick kiss and walked out of the elevator before turning back to see him blocking the door from closing.

"What are you up to today?" She asked him walking backwards towards the medical room.

Ranger raised an eyebrow, "Nice deflection." He murmured and laughed out loud when she smiled at him. He cleared his throat before turning serious. "I am taking Timmy over to the police station."

Stephanie stopped to narrow her eyes at him, "Why?" She asked.

Ranger gave her another eyebrow raise, "Not to put him in jail." He gave a nod when he saw her start to speak, "I know how your mind works." He said with a flashing grin.

"I am hoping that my contact will let Timmy go over the chip in the evidence room. He and Hector have hit a wall because they don't have all the original information. Timmy was being fed data that he put in the chip before. Now he doesn't remember all of it." Ranger said with a frown, "We are hoping that a viewing of the original chip will help us know who he was working with."

Stephanie stood there speechless for a moment, eyes wide. When she didn't say anything, Ranger gave her a frown, "What?" He asked gruffly.

Stephanie shook her head at him, "I just… that was an actual explanation." She said with a grin, "I never thought I would hear you volunteer an explanation without probing."

Ranger gave her a dirty look, "I am trying here…. You are a talker. So, I am trying to talk to you. Besides this is more for you. I know that you are tiered of hiding out in here, so the sooner we find out who this is. The sooner you can go out."

Stephine gave him a tender look, "Thank you." She said softly walking over to give him a deep kiss. After a moment she smiled up at him, "Little do you know though, I am going out for my skips on Monday. With or without you finding these guys."

She watched as Ranger closed his eyes and the struggle to keep his thoughts to himself, "No." he said after a moment.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "NO?" she said tightly.

"I was testing it to see if you would listen." He said with a frown, "It didn't work, did it?" He questioned.

Her anger dissolved as she laughed, "Nice try, you had me going."

He gave her a look, "I was about 75% serious."

She rolled her eyes, "and you had about a 5% chance of me listening."

"5%?" he questioned, "I would have pegged it at 1%... should I try again." He gave a grin.

"You can try but now I am at 0%... soooooo." She said crossing her arms with a frown.

"I tried." He said as the elevator gave a ding wanting to close. "We need to compromise on Monday."

"What are your terms?" She said leaning against the wall in the hall.

"You take two men, you carry and check in every 30 minutes." He said frowning.

She narrowed her eyes, "I take one man, I don't carry unless I am going after a man that I don't know. Mooner does not count. And I will check in every 2 hours."

Ranger crossed his arms standing taller, "One man, carry the entire time and check in every hour."

She gave a grin and stood taller with her arms crossed, "You don't intimidate me, I will take one man, I will not carry and I will text every hour directly to you… final offer."

She watched Ranger close his eyes and struggle with giving up control, "Fine… but if you go after anyone but Mooner you will carry…. My final offer."

She pursed her lips, "I will carry if they are a murder or rapist anything lower I will use a stun gun." She watched as he tilted his head.

"Fine." He said tightly, "Any chance I can still scare you into blind submission?"

She gave a laugh, "Nope…. I know your sweet kind side and you can never scare me."

She walked back over to him and pulled him into a tight hug and a soft kiss, "You would never love me if I just did everything you said and was scared of you…. You like when I challenge you."

He pulled her in tighter, "Heaven help me but you are right…. You are going to give me gray hair from stress."

She leaned back in his arms to look at his head with a thoughtful look, "I think you would be sexy as an old gray man." She said with a grin.

He gave her ass a swat, "Smart ass." He gave her another quick kiss and pushed her back gently, "I have to go."

She took a few steps back and gave him a grin, "I have a great ass."

He gave her a wolf grin, "Yes you do…" He let the doors begin to close, "Hay Stephanie."

"Yes" She said grinning.

"I am giving you one week to talk to me, then I push for answers Babe." He gave a grin as he watched the panic form on her face.

"What?" She said in a squeak.

"I am giving you space but not forever. Love you." He finished as the doors slid closed.

Stephanie stood in the hall for a few moments panicking, "Well fuck." She mumbled. She turned and walked to Bobby's office pushing the doors open.

"Hay Bobby, here to help you as promised" She said still thinking about what Ranger said in the elevator. Bobby came around the corner with narrowed eyes.

"Here to make fun of me some more?" He asked frowning the dressed clipboard in his hands.

Her thoughts shifted to Bobby and she gave a grin, "Ohhhh don't be SMALL about it buddy. I came to help as promised."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Not funny."

She held her hands up, "OK, ok, ok… sorry no more jokes about size. SO, do you want help with your inventory or not." She said with a grin.

He gave her a look, "Really? You want to help me?' he said crossing his hands over his chest.

She gave him a real smile and walked over to give him a hug, "Yes, you took care of me and now I want to help you like I promised." She laid her head on his chest, "Thank you by the way, for everything. I don't know what I would do if it wasn't for you."

He pulled her in for a hug, "Any time Bomber, anytime." He laid his head on hers, "I know that you are scared, but we are going to be fine. You got me. You got Hector. You will have all of us."

"What if I tell everyone else and they are not as happy. What if I tell everyone else and they hate me? I mean it's a baby, and this is a building full of bad ass men. I don't see them pushing strollers and changing diapers." She mumbled.

Bobby tightened his arms around her, "Then I will push the stroller but I vote Hector as diaper changer." His words had the desired effect when she laughed. "I swear to you no matter what you won't be alone. But I would bet every dollar I have that that every single man in this building is going to be as excited as I am…. Even Ranger." He whispered the last part.

She closed her eyes tightly, "Do you have a lot of money to bet?" she asked with a whisper.

He gave a roar of laughter, "Enough that we could run away and never have to work again."

She tilted her head back, "Do all of you have a shit ton of money? Is it like the Rangeman starter package to work here?"

Bobby gave her a grin, "Being a mercenary has its perks and I own some of the company. It was Ranger, Tank, Lester and I that started it. So that helps. Not enough to figure out inventory evidently." He said with a frown.

She gave him a look, "OK OK Okkkkkkkkk, lets figure out this system because I owe Tank help too." She pushed him away with a grin, "because how BIG could the problem be." She said with a massive grin.

He gave her a slight push, "BIGGER then you have ever seen." He said with a grin back.

She rolled her eyes, "OK where is your computer, we need to get you a program and start to list what you have."

She walked over to the desk he pointed at, to see a computer that looked like it was older then she was, "Tell me this is not your computer that you work on." She said trying to find the on switch.

"I don't really use it, I write everything in files." He said pointing over a filing cabinet.

The look of horror on her face made him laugh, "What I am old school? Paper can't be lost in computer hell."

She opened and closed her mouth, after a moment she closed her eyes "This is going to take forever." She whispered.

Bobby narrowed his eyes at her, "Is this your way of quitting before we even start?"

Stephine sighed and stood up, "No…... a promise is a promise but we need Hector's help."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door, "We need to get you set up with a whole new system. With new programs. A main computer and some tablets that attach. A back up hard drive in case of loss of power." She kept listing things as they got into the elevator.

After a quick conversation with Hector it was decided that a shopping trip was needed. And the afternoon was spent spending more money than Stephine had ever spent before. But Hector insisted that a good system that was going to last was not cheap. When they got back Hector set up the computers and the new systems for them. It was hours later that Ranger found them Bobby calling out numbers while Stephanie was hunched over the new computer at the desk.

"Babe." He called out startling both of them. "Almost done?"

Stephanie gave a hysterical humorless laugh, "We are never…ever…..everrrrrrrr going to finish." She said rubbing her eyes. She laid her head down on the table with a sigh. "What time is it?" She asked closing her eyes.

Ranger walked over to rub her shoulders. "Almost 9pm Babe. You missed dinner."

"How did the trip to the station go?" She asked.

Bobby walked over to hear what was going on.

"They wouldn't let him look at it today, said that proper paper work had to be done. So, we are going to back on Monday." Ranger kept rubbing her back. "Hector is coming with us on Monday to work on the chip. They won't let it leave the station either."

Bobby frowned, "I am surprised they are even letting you look at it."

Ranger gave a nod, "The captain owes me."

Bobby gave a grin, "Of course he does. Do you think this will help? She is starting to lose her mind in here." He said looking down at a now sleeping Stephanie.

Ranger closed his eyes, "I hope it does. We made a compromise. She is going out to catch skips on Monday."

Bobby looked up startled, "Monday? That's a bit soon to catch skip's, isn't it?" thinking about the baby.

Ranger gave him a narrowed look, "Is there something medically wrong with her, I thought you had cleared her."

Bobby tried to look normal, "I have to re-check her ribs but I think she is better. I just figured with everything going on you would want her to stay in."

Ranger gave a frown, "I would… but evidently we are compromising and talking. She won't just listen."

Bobby gave a grin, "Stubborn to a fault."

Ranger gave him a grin back, "Evidently we like her that way." He said. "At least that is what she tells me."

"We need to figure this out Ranger, who is doing this." Bobby said softly looking down at Stephanie.

Ranger narrowed his Bobby, "Something you want to tell me?"

Bobby gave a frown, "Nope, just worried about her." He looked back up at Ranger, "I just keeping seeing her in that hospital bed and …. I don't want to see her like that again."

Ranger looked at Bobby and gave a nod, his heart stopping as he remembered the look of her in that hospital bed. "Never again." He whispered fiercely.

"Take her to bed." Bobby said. "She has been helping me all day. Tell her to take tomorrow off and she can finish helping me on Monday."

Ranger looked at him, "She will never fall for that." He said with a grin.

"It's worth a try." Bobby said back with a grin.

"Good luck." Ranger said to him. He leaned down to kiss Stephine on the head, "Wake up Babe."

"No." she mumbled.

Ranger gave her grin, "Yes Babe, time to go up to bed." He said pulling her up slowly.

"I don't wanna." She mumbled trying to lay back down.

Bobby leaned over, "You want to stay and help me do some more inventory with the new system." Bobby laughed when she stood and walked to the door eyes closed.

"Hard pass." She mumbled pushing the door open, "Let's go hot ass." She said at Ranger. "You might get lucky if you feed me."

Ranger gave her a wolf grin, "I can feed you Babe."

Bobby rolled his eyes and turned back to inventory, "That's how they got in the trouble they are in now." He mumbled to the now empty room.

-/-

The rest of the weekend past quietly with Stephine sleeping through most of it and helping Tank the rest of it. She had promised to help the guys with things and she was going to follow through. Monday morning started for Stephanie at an early 9am and vomiting. She knew that it was pure luck that Ranger was out of the apartment. She was going to have to do some talking soon because her stomach was going on to let him know what was going on sooner rather than later.

"Fuck." She mummbled head hanging over the toilet. "Upside I can probably eat extra donuts now." She leaned her head down on her hands, and took a deep breath trying to push her rolling stomach down. "Fuckkkkkkk." She whispered closing her eyes tightly. "How can you be dizzy when you are sitting down?"

Her hand blindly reached over when she heard the phone ding. It took her another few minutes of deep breathing before she could open her eyes without throwing up. Another beep told her another text came through.

Babe coming down?

"Yes Ranger, eventually." She said to the silent phone, a quick scroll showed the second text.

Leaving in 10 Babe.

She leaned over to throw up again before sending a quick text back.

Can you give me 15? Showering.

She crawled over to the shower and reached up to turn on the shower. As she was pulling off her pajamas the phone gave another ding.

Want help?

She gave a grin to the phone and went to roll her eyes before she remembered how dizzy she already was.

No, just need 15 minutes and I will be down.

She put the phone down and crawled into the shower. After a few minutes, she pulled herself up and just kept taking deep breaths as she got out and dressed. "Week one ok knowing and I am dying already." She said pulling on shoes. "How am I going to make it another 8 months."

She pulled her hat on as she got off on five and walked over to Ranger's office. She nodded over at the guys who were looking at papers on the table in the corner and sat in the chair behind the desk. She looked over to see another new photo of her and Ranger. This one was another older one, before her and Ranger officially got together. This time she had her arms wrapped around his waist grinning at the camera. It was a Christmas office party she had thrown, she could just see the tree in the background. She looked closer at Rangers face and saw that once again he was looking at her and not the camera.

"Babe" Ranger said startling her, "OK?" he gave a frown rubbing his fingers down her cheeks.

She gave him a smile, "Yep, just still sleepy."

He pulled her up brushed his fingers under her eyes, "You sure? You are a little pale."

She gave him a brighter smile, "You are just looking for a reason to keep me inside."

Ranger gave her a grin, "I wouldn't say no to you staying in a little longer."

She pushed him back, "Nice try Charlie, I got work to do. You off to the police station with Hector and Timmy?"

He looked over to the door to see the men gathering outside. "Yep, we are leaving now. Should be back before dinner."

"Who are you taking with?" He asked wrapping his arms around her to give her a soft kiss.

"Not sure yet, Hector is going with you and I know Bobby has appointments and inventory today." She sighed and closed her eyes resting her chin on his chest. "I was going to see who had duty and wanted to play hooky with me. Maybe Hal or Cal."

"What about Tank or Lester?" he asked softly.

"Both busy, I already asked." She moaned as his hands rubbed up and down her back, "Honestly though you might get your wish after a few hours. I am still super sleepy and have a headache. I might do my errands, pay some bills and grab my files, do lunch. Then I can come back and take a rest before starting the searches."

Ranger gave a frown, "I am sorry you are still feeling off Babe. I can probably help you with all of that stuff tomorrow, I will have a few hours off."

She shook her head eyes still closed, "Even if you could do all of that, I need to go see my mother. It's been a while and I know that I have to talk to her eventually. Hector said I have to love her…. She's my only mom." She gave a sigh, "He told me to write her a letter on what I am feeling, that way she can read it alone and see how I am feeling and we can't fight about it until we both calm down. So, I am going to take it over there and say hi to grandma. Plus, I have lunch with Joe today."

Timmy stuck his head in the room and cleared his throat. "Ready to go boss?"

Ranger gave a quick nod and watched Timmy leave then turned in time to see Stephanie lean back with eyebrows raised, "Boss?" she questioned.

"Joe?" he said back

She rolled her eyes, "You already knew that… Boss."

Ranger said nothing but his face spoke a thousand words, most of them angry.

She gave him a grin, "Thank you." She stood on her tip toes and gave him a kiss, "I know you don't want to help him but you are doing it for me and you are keeping quiet about Joe."

He gave her a deep but quick kiss, "Yes and you owe me." He said swatting her in the ass before turning to walk to the door. He paused as he was walking out, "Stun gun?" he watched her nod, "Text every hour?" She gave a grin and another nod. "Two men?" Her eyes narrowed at him until they were slits, "Fine one man." He said.

She gave him another smile, "I solemnly swear that I will not leave without all of the above."

"I thought it was, I solemnly swear I am up to no good?" He said with a grin.

She laughed hard enough for the guys in the hallway to look up at her, "I knew you were paying attention when I made you watch that. And yes, I was going to say that but I am trying to keep you clam, not make it worse."

"Touché Babe, see you at dinner. Love you." He said walking out.

She sat back down and watched him walk down the hall and into the elevator. When the doors slid closed on them she pulled the photo out of the frame and stuck the empty frame in the drawer. She stood and slid the photo into her back pocket as she walked into the control room. She saw Lester on monitor duty, tapping a pencil on the table in boredom.

"I thought you had meetings today?" she asked him leaning on the doorway.

Lester gave her a quick glance "I did but Tank took one and the other was rescheduled so I got put here.' He said with a frown, "Lucky me, right."

She walked over to the office sheet, "Has the new guy been trained to be in here? It says Hal will be here soon too."

Lester looked over at her, "Yep its Hal and I slotted to work the next few hours, I think the new guy has been trained…. why?"

She gave him a grin, "Want to be rescued? I have to go out and I made Ranger a promise that I would take someone. I am sure he would rather me take you then me take a new guy. You know my worth better." She said with a grin.

Lester gave a laugh, "Will I get shot on Bomber duty today."

She gave a frown, "Highly improbable, but it is me so you never know."

Lester looked at her then back at the monitor, "Totally worth being shot." He picked up the phone and called the new guy up.

The day was actually pretty slow and boring for both of them. Stops at the bank and utilities had nothing. The bonds office held three new files for her that she would go over later, she did stop and grab Mooner to have him re-bonded again. First time ever she passed up an I love Lucy marathon. She stopped at her mother's right before lunch knowing that it would give her a time limit. But for once luck was on her side. Her grandmother was home and her mother was out. She had quick chat and left for lunch.

When they pulled up she looked over at Lester, "Ok you will sit by the front door…. not in my booth, got it."

Lester narrowed his eyes, "Ranger would not want you left alone." He said quickly.

"Well to bad, I am having lunch with a friend, not a meal where you interrogate him." She said hoping out of the truck. "So, you can sit alone at the front or in the car, I don't care." She grinned as she walked to the front door.

Lester followed her in grumbling and full on shot Joe a dirty look when he gave Stephanie a hug.

She narrowed her eyes at him and pointed to the front booth then turned back to lead Joe to the booth in the back. She made sure to sit with her back facing the wall so she could still see Lester and gave him a smile.

"So, Joe, What's up?" She asked grabbing the soda the waitress set down.

Joe waited for the waitress to leave before he leaned close and whispered, "Do you have something you need to tell me?" His eyes narrowed.

He watched her go pale.