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Standard FF disclaimers apply.
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I Need You.
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Susan stood in the room that they had come to know as the nursery. Just as she had been in charge of setting it up. She was also here to see that the room was returned to its original use. It was going to make her sad to see everything go. Not only had she taken pride in the way she had been able to outfit the room, there had been a special feeling here that she was really going to miss.
The late morning light angled in through the slats of the blinds on the windows, creating a striped pattern on the area rug that she had brought in from her own apartment to soften the sterile tile floor. She would be taking it back home tomorrow, and she already knew that she would think about this sweet little boy every time that she saw it.
The nurse, Caridad Rozas was seated in the large wicker chair by the window. In her arms was the small child that had captured the attention and the hearts of everyone who worked in the building. They were all going to have a hard time saying goodbye to the two men that had come to mean so much to them. Even the most hardened soldier here found it hard not to be touched by Captain Manoso's story of finding and rescuing an infant in the middle of the jungle. Everyone was better for having been involved in the drama that played out while Ranger fought to gain custody of this child who was all alone in the world.
In a rare moment that Ranger was not here, his presence was missed. The women looked at each other, they understood the feeling that they shared. Sometimes things happen that alter the way you see life. This had happened here, and they were both glad to have been a part of it. After tomorrow, there would probably not be any opportunity for them to ever meet again, but they would never forget the bond that had been made as they helped take care of this special child and his adopted father.
As a sunset of sherbet colors melted down over the horizon, the party was just getting started. In honor of their guests, everyone gathered to say goodbye. This was a first for Ranger. Usually he and his men would do everything that they could not to interfere or even have contact with the local military personnel if they did not have to. Of course finding Mat changed everything about this mission. He had kept the baby with him as much as possible while he was in the building, and the two of them had come to know many of the people who worked here. All of them were here tonight, and they all truly seemed sorry to see them go.
Jack had been one of the first ones to see Ranger and Mat when they got here. He had been outside at the gate. With the tropical storm that had just dumped rain on them, he had not been all that excited to be there. But the moment he saw Mat, only wrapped in just a thin cotton covering, he had ducked into his truck and pulled his shemagh scarf from his gear. He looked at Ranger, for permission, and then wrapped it around the sleeping child to keep the rain off of him. The khaki green and white scarf became a favorite blanket for Mat. It had brought a smile out of nearly everyone who saw him wrapped in it. Ranger had it with him tonight too. He had intended to return it, but Jack shook his head, and while looking at Mat, he said, "You keep it big guy, you have already gotten a lot more use out of it than I ever did." Ranger nodded his head in acknowledgment and thanks.
So it went all during the party. Mike snapped a paracord bracelet around Mats tiny ankle. "Don't forget me," he told Mat with a smile. Kevin said almost the same thing when he handed him a carabiner with a small toy hooked on it. Susan gave him a Ranger's pace counter. It was new, still in its package. Ranger looked at her curiously. She shrugged, and said, "My husband was a Ranger." She saw his surprised look, and smiled warmly. "He won't miss it, and it will make a great teething ring in a few months."
When Ranger and Mat settled down for their last night here, he was amazed at the impact that his little boy was having on everyone that met him. Yes, he realized that his circumstances were unusual, but there seemed to be something more to his appeal. All week long he had been noticing it, and now it finally occurred to him what it was. In the dark he smiled. Mat was just like Stephanie. He was only two weeks old, but he had already shown that he has a remarkable capacity to love. That is what everyone had responded to! It was going to be amazing to get Stephanie and Mat together! With that thought in his mind, he finally fell asleep, a trace of the smile still on his lips.
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From his second story balcony, Juan Arquilla could see most of his plantation. His property as well as his organization had grown rapidly over the past few years. Leaning both hands on the wide stone railing, he gazed out over his domain. A smug look covered his face. His decision to leave his former bosses had been the right one. The money here was good, he had more than he had ever imagined, and far more than he had ever made as part of the cartel in Columbia. But he was still not satisfied.
Money was only one of the things that he craved. What he really wanted was respect. He had not had any in his own country, which is why he had moved south, into Ecuador. Ever since he'd left, he had wanted to build up his business not only to show those overbearing tyrants in Columbia what he could do on his own, he wanted to be big enough and rich enough that he would be recognized as the man that he had become, and all that he was.
And what was he? Juan would describe himself as driven, powerful, enigmatic. He was all of those things, and more. Much more. All you had to do was talk to the people who knew him, they could tell you exactly what he was.
If you were to ask the men who worked for him, they would tell you, anonymously of course, that he was cold and cruel. His ego was so big that everyone gave him a ten meter clearance at all times. They hated him, but they also feared him. And worst of all they were dependent on him to make their living.
The opinions of the people in the villages that he now controlled were even lower. They considered him a monster, a murderer and an incarnate of the devil himself. But Juan was ready to disregard and completely ignore those who were so far beneath him. He did not need to impress them, and their respect would mean nothing to him. No, he craved the recognition and admiration only of the powerful and influential men in high places like the government offices, or the other cartels. And he was determined to get it.
That was why he was always looking to expand his operations, and that was why he would not tolerate the interference of large drug companies who would move in to do their "research" here. He did not trust them and he knew that there were limited resources in every area. He was unwilling to share them. Moving their operations here messed up his system. Twice now, he had forcibly removed other pharmaceutical companies from this part of the jungle. He would do the same to Humelik.
The labs had been finished less than a couple of months when Arquilla had his men attack. Their instructions were to destroy the place. To make them an example to any future company thinking to make their move into his territory. They set out prepared to follow his instructions, but immediately after the attack began, his men knew that they were in trouble.
It was Juan's own fault. He had created such problems with the last two companies, that this time, Humelik took no chances. They included police protection as part of the contract that they were required to make with the government in order to set up their labs here. As a result, constant surveillance was assigned to the general area of their building. The police were practically on site when the Arquilla's men drove up in their trucks. The police moved in immediately. Half of the men had been detained before they made it anywhere close to the building. The rest of them panicked and took matters into their own hands.
No one wanted the boss to be angry at them. So a new plan was formed. They would take hostages to insure that they had a secure way out of there. If they demanded a ransom, they would have something to pacify him with, and maybe they would come out of this screwed up mess in his good graces.
That was not, however, how it turned out. Arquilla was livid. He was angry at Humelik for being there in the first place, and at the police for being bold enough to try to defy him. He owned half of them, damn it! There should not have been any interference with his plans. He was angry at his men. At the ones who got themselves arrested, and at the ones who thought that they were paid to think.
He took out his anger on them, and in turn, they took their anger out on the kidnapped victims. And now they were stuck with them. Until they were told what they were to do with them, they had to babysit them. This was not what they had planned. This is not what they wanted. So they constantly took their frustrations out by beating the men. And they avoided the authorities by moving them from one abandoned camp to another. Many of these men were familiar with the huts that were built as a temporary shelter for harvesters that moved from one crop to the next. These camps were mostly built up in the heavy jungle areas because no one owned them, and they would not have to worry about being kicked out.
If he had taken the time to see the merits of the spur of the moment decision, Juan would have been impressed. But of course, these men were not as smart as he was. How could he care about any of their ideas? Instead, he ignored the situation and never gave them any instructions on what he wanted them to do.
So, for two months they took turns coming out to guard whichever camp they were using. And they tried to keep the men incapacitated so that they could not fight back. No one was happy about the situation. But they all played their parts the best that they could. Hoping it would, but unsure of how it could all end.
Although Arquilla was contacted to negotiate the release of the hostages, he would not talk to anyone. He was arrogant enough to think that he could call the shots and show them all who they were dealing with. Unfortunately he did not count on Rangers's team coming in to rescue them.
When everyone found out about his botched plans to destroy the lab, and the careless way the hostage situation was treated, he was made to look like a fool. In front of his own men, to the other cartels, and to the local government and military that he was supposed to control. None of this settled well with Arquilla. His control was slowly slipping away from him. He hated that feeling, and it had only just begun. For days, after the rescue became widely known, he was dealing with problems that had never come up before. From complaints about his product or their delivery, to arguments among the men. The only thing that did not change, was the distance that everyone kept from him.
Late one night, Juan woke suddenly. Sitting up in his bed, searching for the gun he kept under his pillow. As he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness, he listened for any clues to what had wakened him from his sleep. Crickets chirped in the grounds outside. At the window, the gauzy curtains rustled gently in the soft breeze. Night birds called to each other high in the trees. Nothing alerted him to the danger that was creeping closer to him.
He rose and walked out onto the balcony. Again, he listened closely. And again he heard nothing unusual. But when a break in the slowly moving clouds revealed the light of full moon beyond it, he could see that something was not right. Some objects were arranged on the expansive lawns behind the house. He could see their reflections shining in the moonlight.
Juan squinted at the sight, confused and curious. Just as he saw that they were in the form of a star, they started lighting up, one by one, until the glowing objects outlined the star he had seen. But they did not stop there, the star had a tail and it led straight into the house. Juan gasped as he watched its progress.
"No, not in my house," he screamed. Turning to alert the guards, the house staff and whoever else he could find, he ran through his room. But before he reached the door, he felt as well as heard the explosion downstairs. It made his stomach clench, and he froze on the spot. 'What was going on here?' His mind seemed to slow down, he could not comprehend what was happening. Or why. Finally he made himself move, he jerkily ran to the door and threw it open.
Smoke engulfed him, and the heat of the inferno downstairs pushed him back. Tears filled his stinging eyes and coughs wracked his lungs trying to expel the acrid smoke. Slamming the door, he looked frantically around the room. He was trapped, the only way out of here through the open doors of the balcony. By the time he reached them, the flames from below shot up past the balustrade, lighting up the night sky with an orange glow. Juan ventured forward, and inched along the windows facing the balcony. If he could only make it to the end, he could climb down the trellis and away from the fire.
He had been concentrating so hard on reaching his goal, he almost missed something in rising in the air. Voices! Oh, he was so glad. Someone had seen the blaze and had come to make sure he was safe. He moved even more quickly, trying to reach a spot where he could look out over the flames. The voices grew louder. Over the crackle of the flames, he could just start to make out some of the words.
"Estrellita?" he repeated in a whisper. That did not make any sense.
"Familia" "Luchando" What was the meaning of this. It almost sounded like someone was singing. As Juan grew closer, he reached out his hand. He could almost touch the trellis, just a few more inches. "Justicia" Another word made it through the pounding in his head.
"Stop," he screamed, doubling over and coughing from the effort. He pushed everything from his mind as he swung his leg over and started to climb down the unstable lattice. Halfway down, the words came at him again. He could hear it more clearly now. It was singing. He jerked his head around, many voices were singing. Through the smoke, he could see that there was a large group of people gathering next to the burning star on the grass. Who was here? What were they doing? They just stood close together and watched him. His house was going up in flames, why was no one attempting to help him? He was enraged. He scowled at them, he wanted to order them to save him, save his house. But he could not breathe.
Soon the smoke overwhelmed him, he could not see, could not take a breath. He held on tight to the thin slats of wood, and tried to find another foothold to lower himself down to the ground, but the delicate structure could not hold him and the wood splintered, sending him down into the flames he had not even seen.
The crowd moved slowly away, and disappeared as easily as they had come. The melody of the song they had been singing lingered in the air, and rose up in a tribute to all the men, women and children who had been hurt by Juan Arquilla. It would do nothing to ease their pain, or their loss. But this night would keep others from being touched by his evil. Not one single word was spoken about Arquilla. He was no longer.
Cabo Estrellita. Family. Resistance. Justice. Hope. Memories. These words lived on in the hearts of the many who came tonight to see that their loved ones did not suffer in vain. It was everything and it was not nearly enough.
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After the farewell they were given last night, Ranger did not expect to see many people up this early. While Mat was still asleep, he was quietly putting together the last minute preparations for their trip home. A large black canvas bag was sitting on the table next to the changing pad. Yesterday, Susan had helped Ranger pack all the things that he would need for Mat during their flight home. Last night when he went to pack the meaningful gifts that Mat had received, he noticed that someone had added something to the bag. He smiled as he realized that it was the crocheted baby blanket that he had seen Caridad working on during her stay here with them. It reminded him again, just how much his little Mat had touched the lives of everyone he met.
Susan appeared in the doorway. "All set?" she asked. Ranger nodded. "The plane will be ready to depart at 07:00," she said as she bent to pick up one of the black bags by the door.
"Um, Susan," Ranger said tentatively. She looked up at him. Seeing the look on his face she stood up from her bent position and waited.
"I don't know how to ask," he began. "I don't mean to intrude," he seemed so nervous, and she lifted an eyebrow in question.
He made an inclusive gesture with his hand, taking in the whole room, keeping eye contact with her. "All of this will have to be removed." He said. She nodded. Yes, she knew that, it would be her job to do it. "It is great stuff, you did a really nice job setting this up for us." There was a thanks in that statement and she knew it. Again she nodded. But she wasn't expecting what he said next. "I don't know if, I mean, would you be able to use any of it?" he swallowed, and kept trying to make himself understood. "I…we, would like you to have it if you can use it."
Finally she realized that he was not sure if she was planning on having any kids. A valid question for a woman her age in the military. She smiled, easing his discomfort a bit. Then it occurred to her, the expense account she had been given had seemed very generous to buy everything on the list she had to work with. It had been his money, he had put this room together for this little boy that he did not even know, was not yet related to. He had wanted everything to be right for Mat. He was going to make a great dad, she thought as she looked at him in wonder. And now he was offering it all to her.
He mistook her hesitation, "If you don't want.." he started, but she reached out and laid her hand on his arm.
"It's perfect," she said. "I would be honored to have these things for my own future nursery." "Thank you." He nodded, relieved. And then he smiled, she was going to make a great mom someday.
This was the first time he had traveled in a military plane with an infant. His two worlds collided with stark reality. Some thoughts that had been hovering at the back of his mind now presented themselves for his careful consideration. Before he had left on this mission, his relationship with Stephanie had been on his mind. He wanted to be with her and he knew that would mean that he would not want to leave her for any more of these assignments. It was something that he had intended to talk to her about. Now that Mat was part of his life, there was nothing to discuss. He would inform everyone at the debriefing that this had been his last mission.
He was not about to willingly walk into a dangerous situation ever again. He would not put them through that. He knew how much Stephanie always worried about him when he was gone. He couldn't do that to her anymore. He expected this to be a hard choice to make. After all, this had been a huge part of his life, of what he was for so long. But he felt the weight of the decision lift easily, he was done. Period. And there was not anything more to say. He had never been happier.
In a conversational voice, shouted over the roar of the engines, the pilot announced their descent into the Newark airport in T-minus ten minutes. Ranger felt his heart start to pump faster. Stephanie was there, waiting for him and he couldn't wait to see her, to hold her.
Mat stirred in his arms. He had napped the whole way, and now he would be awake to see Stephanie. He was so glad, for reasons that he had not even thought of, it just felt right that Mat was excited to see his new family. His new mom. The enormity of this situation kept hitting Ranger. Was he ready? He had made Stephanie a mom. Was she ready? He took a deep breath, they would know in just a few minutes.
As the plane landed, he could feel the tingle up his back. Stephanie was here. He loved the personal radar that was on alert every time she was near. Ranger took another deep breath. Mat looked up at him. "This is it buddy," he said. He smoothed his hand over Mat's head, trying to tame the hair that got so messed up while he was sleeping. Mat's little sigh stopped his hand in mid motion. He was happy, content. That was his way of saying that he knew that everything was right in his world. Some of Ranger's nervousness left him. Mat was right, everything was going to be alright.
The touchdown was smooth and flawless. Ranger gave the pilot a smile. They taxied over to the tarmac, minutes seemed to take an eternity. As soon as they slowed to a stop, Ranger stood and positioned himself in front of the door. Anxiously he waited for the guys to finish the landing procedures and open the door for him.
And there she was. Ranger's heart did a back-flip just to see her again. Her big blue eyes were sparkling, the love for him shining through. He let out the breath that he had not even been aware that he held. It was the look that he had been waiting for. What he had dreamed about every night. Oh, how he had missed her! He smiled at her. It was all he could do to stay standing still until the stairs could be put into place. But the moment they were, he was down them and into Stephanie's waiting arms.
He held onto her like he would never let go. He kissed the top of her head that was now tucked into his shoulder. A warmth, unlike anything he had ever felt before spread out from his heart into his whole being. She was his wife. The sound of that word echoed in his mind. His wife. He would never have to let her go ever again! He kissed her passionately to let her know that he never would.
Feeling just a bit squished, Mat expressed his discomfort. Ranger laughed and pulled back just enough to look down at him. Then he watched Stephanie's face as he introduced her to their new son. Her eyes now glistened with tears, as she looked at Mat, her shy smile unsure for only a moment. Then he could see the joy in her eyes, as she turned back to look at him. Ranger would never get tired of seeing her look at him that way. "Carlos Matthias Manoso" she said. His chest filled with pride. Other than making sure that the name Maria wanted was used, they had not talked about what they would officially name their child. He could not be happier that she had decided to let him know how she felt by choosing the perfect name. He hoped that his eyes conveyed how happy she had made him, because he was finding it difficult to think of any words that could. Her wink at him told him that she understood, and then she turned her attention to Mat.
She kissed his forehead. Mat looked at her and stopped crying. Ranger could see that they had both decided that they could do this. They could be a family together. They were going to be more than alright!
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