Chapter 42
Wednesday morning came bright and early…. and it had Stephanie rolling over taking a deep breath trying to get her stomach to stop churning. Last night she and Ranger had come upstairs, eaten, watched a movie and relaxed. She had felt great after she had eaten with Bobby at lunch but now in the new morning her stomach was back to rebelling again.
She rolled over again to grab the phone and call down to Bobby, not even trying to tuff it out like she did yesterday.
She waited for the phone to ring, eyes closed. When she heard him answer she groaned out, "Bobby I am feeling like absolute shit, if I move even a little I am going to throw up everywhere." She took another deep breath. "Can you get up here and give me something before Ranger comes up from the gym?"
Bobby was huffing into the phone, "Sure can I finish up my run? Ranger is only about halfway done with his workout, So I should have some time." He said running on the treadmill.
"Sure, Bobby…. you can take as long want, as long as I can throw up on you when you get here." She growled into the phone before gagging.
Bobby hit the stop button on the treadmill and gagged slightly at the sound, "OK, I am coming right now, be there in 10." He said into the phone, "Just don't gag in my ear ok, that's nasty."
"Then hurry up, before I go past gagging and actually throw up. My throat's is still burning from yesterday." She moaned into the phone.
She hung up, closed her eyes and laid back. She kept taking deep breaths trying to push down the vomit that was inching up her throat. She did that for 10 minutes until she heard Bobby coming through the front door. She slowly sat up as she heard him rush across the apartment and into the bedroom. He came to stand right in front of her, but when the smell he brought with him, hit her, all of her hard work of keeping the vomit down was wasted and she threw up all over his legs and feet.
Bobby looked down at his legs and feet in frozen horror and then began to gag. He quickly pushed the pill and water bottle into her hands, "Here let it dissolve on your tongue again." Then he turned and ran to the bathroom, gagging all the way there. She put the pill on her tongue and laid back again on the bed, curling into a tight ball. She kept taking deep breaths over and over again, pushing the vomit down while listening to Bobby washing up in the bathroom and mumbling.
She closed her eyes tighter trying to deep breath through the nausea that threated to come back up again. "Bobby." She moaned out. "Its not working this time."
Bobby walked out a few minutes later, "It takes a few minutes to kick in." He said carrying his shoes in a trash bag. His legs still wet from the rinse he had given them in tub. "Plus, the smell in here is probably not helping." His nose wrinkled as he tried to breath out of his mouth.
Stephanie nodded her eyes closed, "You are right, make it go away…. Please." She begged crawling out of the bed to stumble past him into the bathroom.
Bobby followed her with wide eyes, "You mean clean it up?" Looking back at the mess on the floor.
Stephanie was leaning over the toilet, "I will be nice to you…. I will listen to anything you say." She paused taking another deeper breath, "I will do anything if you make it go away."
Bobby closed his eyes and took a deep, fresh breath from the bathroom before groaning, "Fine... but you sooooooo owe me." He looked down at her still kneeling by the toilet, her pants a bit to long covering her feet and Ranger's to big t-shirt making her look even sadder. "Do not throw up, the pill wont work if you throw it up. Keep taking deep breaths." He mumbled.
He grabbed a couple of hand towels off the rack took another deep fresh breath before walking over to the pile of grossness she left on the floor. Stephanie walked out a couple of minutes later, attempting to take small sips of the water bottle he had handed her. She almost laughed at the site she saw.
Bobby… HUGE Bobby was kneeling by her mass of vomit. Attempting to mop it up with hand towels, while not looking at it or smelling it. He was not trying to save the towels but throwing them in the trash bag when they were only half dirty because he refused to accidently get any of the vomit on himself.
Stephanie walked back in to the bathroom to grab more towels and some cleaning supplies from under the sink. She walked back over and handed him the towels but backed up when she smelled it again, making her finally settling stomach churn again. She rolled the bottle over to him, "Here." She mumbled.
Bobby looked at her with narrowed eyes, "Are you going to help?" he asked.
She shook her head, "Not if you don't want me to throw up again…... you keep gagging from the smell and you are not even nauseous." She pointed over at the floor, "Besides, this is technically your fault." She said.
Bobby's eyes went from narrowed to bugged out, "How in the hell is this my fault?" He asked pausing the cleanup.
She shrugged, "Well I was holding the vomit down until you came up. All sweaty and smelly." She said taking another sip of water now that her stomach was settling down again.
Bobby rolled his eyes at her and sprayed the area, so he could wipe up the last of the mess, "You soooooo fucking owe me…... You have to be nice to me for at least a week….. And not question anything I say." He threw the last of the mess into the trash bag and sealed it up. "Do you have air freshener in there?" At Stephanie's nod Bobby pointed to the door, "Go to the kitchen and make some toast, the spray scent may disagree with your stomach also."
Stephanie nodded, walking quickly out the door and into the kitchen. She was popping the toast into the toaster when she heard Bobby spraying the room. He came out a moment later and walked past her to put the trash bag by the front door. Stephanie slid into a chair at the island, leaning on the counter trying to take small sips of water. Bobby walked around the counter to the toaster, took out a plate and the butter. Stephanie sat her forehead on the counter and moaned, "I can NOT do this for nine months."
Bobby grinned at her, "Me either, that was the one and only time I will clean up your vomit, so when you go see Meg today you have to get some meds that help." He said pulling out the toast and putting a light layer of butter on it. The he pushed the plate towards her, "Nibble on this." He said leaning on the counter and looking at her.
She gave him a thumb up without lifting her head. So, he reached over and tugged her ponytail. "Come on, once you get past the first bite it will help settle your stomach." He said pushing the plate, so it bumped her head. She sat up slowly and pulled a piece off the plate and took the smallest bite in existence. "Happy." She mumbled putting her chin on her hand and chewing the nonexistent bite with her eyes closed.
"Nope." He said, "Trust me, you will feel better once you get something in your stomach. When I said small, I didn't mean nothing. You have to take a real bite."
She took another deep breath before braving a slightly bigger bite and chewing that one even longer. Bobby walked over to the stove to make her some oatmeal he found in the cabinet. It was a pleasant silence as she slowly chewed through one piece and then the other. When Bobby was finished cooking the oatmeal he took out two bowls adding just a touch of brown sugar to make it not plain.
He walked over and pushed a bowl to her, "Hungry now?" He asked taking a bite of his.
She nodded but sniffed the bowl first, when it didn't turn her stomach she took a small bite. She groaned as the warmth hit her stomach like a band aid. She took a bigger bite but paused when Bobby tapped her bowl with his spoon, "Slowly. To fast might make you sick."
They were both eating when they heard the front door open and looked at Ranger when he walked in. He raised an eyebrow at them, Bobby grinned and took another bite of oatmeal, Stephanie saluted him with her spoon before taking another bite. Neither one said anything just turned back to their bowls. Ranger looked back and forth and walked over to grab a bowl and take some of the oatmeal out of the pot. He stood next to Bobby at the counter across from Stephanie.
Ranger looked down and saw Bobby's bare feet, "Where are your shoes?" he asked.
Bobby shrugged, "They were hurting my feet."
Ranger raised an eyebrow but decided to let it go. They all ate in silence until Bobby was finished and looked at Stephanie, "We have to leave about 5:15 today. You working most of the day?" He asked as he put his bowl in the sink.
She nodded taking another bite, "Yea, I have some more searches and I was going to help you with inventory this afternoon." She said while chewing.
"Great we can do lunch and then work on the inventory until we have to leave." He said walking to the door.
"Bobby." She called out when she heard the door open. "Thank you."
"Yea, yea, yea." He yelled back and closed the door.
Stephanie looked up at Ranger and smiled, "How was your work out?" She asked.
Ranger raised an eyebrow again, "Good… how was your morning." He asked.
She shrugged, "It could have been a little better." She said taking the last bite of oatmeal then standing up to walk the bowl to the sink.
"Babe." He said crossing his arms, staring at her hard.
She smiled and shrugged, "Tonight… I am going to tell you everything tonight ok. I already have a plan."
Ranger followed her into the bedroom and sniffed the air with a weird look, "After your meeting?"
She grinned at him, "Yesssssssssssssss …. After my meeting." She called from the closet pulling on her work uniform.
"So, your meeting has to do with what you are telling me?" He asked leaning on the door frame to the closet.
She looked up at him and ginned, "Yep." She said pulling on boots and lacing them up.
Ranger grinned, "And your meeting is about." Walking over to her, grabbing her by the hips, trying to distract her.
"None-ya." She said wrapping her arms around his neck. "What you doin today?" She asked with a quick kiss.
Ranger kissed her back before pushing her away gently to walk to the bathroom. "We are going back to the police station to see if we can get any more information." He striped as he was walking to the shower, "So you are leaving at 5:15, just you and Bobby?" He was standing in front of the shower, turning it to hot, "Don't forget your gun…... our compromise." He said, but she didn't respond, so he turned to look at her. "Babe." He snapped his fingers at her.
"Humm … what?" She said looking up at his face.
"Babe… stop looking at my ass and answer me." He said with a grin.
"What question?" She asked confused.
"Taking your gun with." He said again, but now she was unfocused again, looking down.
"Babe." He snapped his fingers again.
"WHAT?" she said loudly looking up at his face again.
"Focus on my face…. not my penis." He growled at her trying to not to smile.
"Well really its your own fault for looking like that." She said waving her hand up and down at his body, "Did you really think I was going to focus on your words when you are walking around all hot and sweaty and naked?"
Ranger rolled his eyes at her, actually rolled his eyes before starting to stalk towards her. She squealed and ran out of the bedroom to the front door yelling, "NO… I have to work… you won't distract me."
"Babe, your compromise." He said standing in the kitchen naked, hands crossed over his chest as she opened the front door. But before she could answer she ran into the Tank who was standing in the door way about to knock. Tank looked over her shoulder from the hall and said, "Am I interrupting?"
Stephanie shook her head with a grin, "Nope, he's all yours." She said sneaking under Tank's arm and running to the elevator to slip in before closed. She heard Ranger call her name as the doors closed and she burst out laughing.
-/-
Stephanie went down to her desk and pulled up her email to see 9 more emails from Rodriguez and started swearing with words that a sailor would blush at. She jumped and screamed when Hector came up behind her and said, "You know the baby can hear you already."
"Fuck you, Hector." She said putting a hand over her racing heart, "How am I supposed to finish any of my own shit when Rodriguez send me so many freaking searches. I finished like 6 for him yesterday."
Hector shrugged, "Stop being so good, and he won't send them." He said looking over her shoulder at the screen.
Stephanie sat back in her chair, "Are you saying to mess up on purpose?" She asked with a grin.
Hector looked at her with one eyebrow raised, "NO… I didn't say mess up…I said don't be so good at it."
"Whatever, I will do the ones flagged red and email him that he has to find someone else to the rest." She turned around to type out the email, "So what are you doing today?" She asked.
He leaned up against her desk, "I am going with Ranger to the police station to see if I can help their IT department dig up any more information." He crossed his ankles and folded his arms over his chest, "You have any appointment at 6? Want me to come back and go with?"
Stephanie sat back to look up at him, "Na, it's ok... Bobby is taking me. I think he wants to talk to his new girlfriend…. MEG." she finished with a grin.
Hector grinned down at her, "I heard he had to clean up your vomit this morning…. I'd say he earned some ass."
Stephanie scowled at him, "Ohh fuck off…... it wasn't my fault he smelled so bad. And Meg is a person not a piece of ass." She said crossing her arms.
Hector shrugged, "Meg is an intelligent doctor, a kind person and she also happens to have a hot ass…... she also has all of the power to say no and Bobby would respect her." He said picking up Stephanie's folder and looking through it.
She snatched it out of his hand, "And how …. Pray tell, would you describe me with your wonderous way of words?" she asked him.
Hector gave her a wolf grin, "A massive danger magnet that is kind and caring. A little sweet and a lot evil. A smart ass with a wicked streak." He tapped his chin, "Trouble and once again, danger prone …with a hot ass."
Stephanie rolled her eyes at him, "I am not a danger magnet." She said only listening to the beginning.
The entire room turned to look at Hector as he exploded in laughter. "Fuck you." Stephanie mumbled at him trying to push him out of the cubical. "I am not a danger magnet. Danger just finds me sometimes… it not my fault." But this only made Hector laugh harder.
"That is it, I telling everyone that you speak English." She whispered in his ear with no conviction, as she kept trying to push him out of the cubical. That only made Hector burst into another round of laughter. The entire room was staring in a mix of horror and shock. They had never heard Hector laugh, let alone the side splitting hard laughter he was doing now. They didn't know if they should laugh with him or be scared at whatever had finally made him laugh. Everyone turned to the elevator when it slid open and Ranger stepped out with Tank. They both paused to look over at Stephanie who was trying to push and pull Hector out of her cubical and Hector laughing like a loon.
Tank leaned over to Ranger and whispered, "That is not normal…and a little scary." He said still looking at the spectate that was Hector and Stephanie. Ranger shrugged, "If anyone was going to make him laugh, it would be Stephanie." He said walking to his office to go over the contract Bobby had left for him to look over. He wanted to send it to the lawyer right away. The sooner it was officially signed the sooner he could stop worrying.
He walked in and sat down at his desk, Tank following and sitting in the chair across from him. Ranger pulled out the contract and started reading through it. Tank looked up when Ranger mumbled, "Shit."
"What?" Tank asked.
Ranger shook his head, "We can't sign this without talking to Stephanie and changing a few things." He said handing Tank the contract for him to look at.
Tank started going through contract, "She changed her time off amount. We can work around that. Give her random 3 and 4-day weekends." Tank said looking up at Ranger.
Ranger shook his head, "Keep going." He said sitting back and closing his eyes, Stephanie drove him crazy when she wouldn't just take what he offered sometimes. And for how much work she was taking on, he was not going to pay her that little of an amount. He knew Tank had hit the same page when he heard him bark out, "God damnit it." He looked over at him, "She cut it by more than half."
Ranger frowned and looked up at him, "Why can't she see that it is a good salary… Fuck I think we should pay her more." Tank said with a growl. They both looked up as Lester came in the office after a quick knock.
"What's going on?" He asked sitting in the chair next to Tank. Tank handed him the contract, so he could go through it.
Lester hit the last page and grinned, "I win." He said looking at Ranger and Tank.
"Win what?" Ranger asked with a frown.
Lester shrugged, "She cut it by more than half. No one else took that bet." He said with a shrug and threw the contract up on the desk.
Tank looked at him narrowed eyes, "You do realize that we can't sign this, and she can't work until we come to an agreement on pay… and this is not even close enough. I can't sign for that amount." Tank said with a growl, "And I am sick of doing paper work…. so, if you can't help us figure out how to get her to accept more…shut the fuck up."
Lester looked at him with a grin, "You guys don't even realize that you are coming at this from the wrong angle." Lester said standing up. Both Ranger and Tank looked at him as he walked over to the door and called out for Stephanie to come over. They said nothing as she came in with a grin and sat next to Tank in the chair Lester got up from.
"Sup guys." She asked looking around, settling on Lester who had walked over to the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Beautiful, how much do you think that the company makes each year." Lester asked her with a grin.
Stephanie looked at him in confusion, "I don't know…. A lot?" She said looking at Ranger and Tank who were looking at Lester with narrowed eyes.
Lester chuckled at her, "What do you think a lot is?" He asked her.
She shrugged, "I don't know like maybe a couple hundred thousand." She said with a frown, "Why are you asking me?"
Lester looked down at the contract on the desk, "8 million last year Stephanie. The company made 8 million. After we paid off all supplies, equipment, insurance, employees, taxes and every other small ass little thing …. the company made 8 million. From that the core team takes a profit and the rest is rolled back into the company. This doesn't include the money we make when we go on mission for the government. Those are our personal checks." He said with a grin. "Now the reason I asked you that… and told you what the company makes is because I don't think you understand that the salary we were giving you was less then we wanted to."
Stephanie just nodded silently, trying to process everything, "So will you agree to the amount that we put on the contract because not only can we afford it…. You will earn every penny in a company this big." Lester said grabbing the contract and crossing out the number she had written in and going back to what was originally agreed on by the team. "Also, be aware after your first year we will probably want to up your pay based on the work and successful job you do." He said handing her a pen.
Stephanie looked down at the contract, "How do you know that I will deserve a pay raise?" She asked with wonder as she signed the contract next to the revised number.
Lester shrugged and grinned, "Because if you don't we will have to fire you and then hire someone else…. And that would be awkward since you are sleeping with the boss." It had the desired effect when she broke into a peel of laughter and Ranger growled at Lester. "Also, I love you, but your position comes with a vehicle…. I am adding that in because our company cannot be associated with your death traps in any way."
Stephanie rolled her eyes at him, "Yea, yea… whatever…. I am only driving it during work hours." She said standing up and looking over at Ranger who was looking through the contract. "Does everything else look ok?" she asked him.
Ranger looked up at her with a small smile and sparkling eyes. He grabbed a pen and signed the last page before handing it to Tank to do the same. "Looks like you have a job staring next Monday, Babe." He said closing the contract.
"May God have mercy on your souls." She said with a grin, "Because you are now stuck with me for at least a year."
Tank looked up at her with a grin, "We have contractors coming to look at the space tomorrow to start your office…. with enough money we can have you in by next Monday. You can go tomorrow to pick any office furniture and shit. Then I will have every single piece of paper dropped off to you no later than Tuesday. Thank you, lord Jesus."
Stephine rolled her eyes at him, "Come on let's be real…. You already have me doing most of your paper work." She said walking to the door.
Tank gave her an evil grin, "Not even close to all of it." He said.
Stephanie paused with a small look of horror, "Maybe I should have asked for more money." She said.
Ranger gave her a grin, "Want me to change it?" He asked reaching for the contract.
"NO…no, let's see if I can do it all or if I will have to get help since it seems like all of the core team is throwing me work." She said with a grin, "Speaking of work. I have some that I have to get done before lunch. See you guys later and good luck at the police station." She turned to Ranger and gave him a grin, "Looks like you got me…...love you." She slipped out of the office before he could reply.
Ranger turned to Lester but did say anything, it was Tank who spoke up, "How did you know to tell her that?" He asked sitting back in his chair.
Lester shook his head, "You two are the smartest, dumbest people I know." He grinned at Ranger when Ranger lifted an eyebrow. "You expected her to sign for more money then she has probably ever earned in her life, without telling her about the company she was coming to work for. She had no clue that the amount we were offering her was valid because she had no clue how much the company was really worth. Number one rule of getting someone to take what your offering." Lester said walking to the door, "Tell them what you have." He walked out grinning and whistling.
Ranger looked over at Tank and frowned, "I don't know if I want to beat his ass or give him a bonus." He said picking up the contract.
Tank stood up and rolled his shoulders, grinning at Ranger, "Bonus…because I am fucking free my man." He grabbed the contract, "Lets drop this off on the way so it can get done."
Ranger followed Tank the elevator after stopping to kiss Stephanie on the forehead and tell her good bye, "You know she can't do everything right… you still have to do some paper work." He said as they waited for the elevator to open.
"Sure, the bare minimum... compared to the hell piles I have now… besides she has you wrapped around her finger. I will pass it to her and if she gets too much she will pass it to you." Tank said with a grin.
Ranger narrowed his eyes at him, "Then I will pass it back to you." He said.
Tank grinned at him, "You can't even remember to get what you want from Stephanie, let alone me." Tank said stepping on to the elevator.
"Oh yea, what have I forgot lately." Ranger said pushing G and crossing his arms.
Tank waited until the doors started sliding closed, "To get Stephanie to remember your compromise about the gun." He said chuckling.
"FUCK." Ranger said as the door closed.