Here's a bit of a longer chapter. I hope you enjoy.

Stephanie's POV

Dinner was a lot of fun tonight. When we returned to the hotel, we all gathered in my room. When Bobby booked the room for me, he booked a suite because Julie would be staying there as well. He thought that we'd appreciate a bit of privacy, so we each had our own room and a common area that reminded me of my parents' living room.

We sat around playing games until Emma started yawning. It was clear that she didn't want to go to bed but Ron insisted that the younger two head to bed. Lula helped Emma get ready for bed and made sure that Diego brushed his teeth. Ron allowed Julie to stay up a little longer, but probably just so Emma could fall asleep before Julie went to bed. I remember my mother used to do that when we travelled and Val and I shared a room. I was always sent to bed first so I could fall asleep and then Val would come to bed. The funny thing is that I always stayed awake until Val came to bed. I could never fall asleep in a strange place on my own.

Julie didn't actually last much longer and Ron sent her to be within 20 minutes. Normally, I would have expected a kid to object to being sent to bed when there were lots of people around. Julie on the other hand, accepted Ron's command without a word. She hugged everyone, said goodnight and went to the room she shared with Emma.

Lula moved over on the sofa a little so I could stretch my leg out a little. This meant that she had to move closer to Tank, but neither of them seemed to mind. Once I was settled in and had a pillow under my knee to help with the weight of the cast, Ron looked at us and said, "I think I'm going to head back to my room and do a bit more work. Diego is probably sound asleep by now."

Tank said, "You can use my room. I think we'll stick around here for a little longer and keep Bomber company."

Ron thanked Tank and made his exit after hugging both Lula and I. He said something to Lula that I didn't hear, but it made her smile so I didn't worry about it too much. I knew that Tank and Lula had been spending a lot of time with both Ron and his kids, so it makes sense that Ron and Lula have become friends.

When we settled back down after Ron left, Lula looked at me and then at Tank and said, "We'll have to have some sort of welcome home party for everyone once Ranger is back in Trenton."

I thought about this and said, "I'm not sure Ranger will be up for celebrating just yet. Maybe we should wait until RangeMan is back to fighting strength. Speaking of getting back to Trenton, where are you two going to live?"

I watched Lula's reaction to this and almost laughed when it suddenly dawned on her that she had nowhere to live. Tank's face was blank as usual, but he also smiled at Lula. I decided to ease some of the tension and say, "You can check with Grandma Mazur and see if she's still staying at my apartment. If not, you're welcome to stay there."

Lula laughed and said, "I'm sure that old lady will hold onto that place if it's the last thing she does. Don't worry about me. I'll find a cheap motel or something."

Tank shook his head and said, "You'll do no such thing. RangeMan has lots of safe houses in the area. Many of the guys that lost apartments are staying in them and I'm sure we'll find a space for you too. If not, I have a spare room and you're welcome to stay there if you want."

Lula looked a little uncomfortable with that last suggestion, but thanked Tank anyway. She then excused herself and went to the bathroom. Tank looked at me and asked, "What did I do wrong? I freaked her out by offering her my spare room, didn't I?"

"I can see that you and Lula have gotten pretty close over the past few weeks, but I think Lula is a bit scared of things between the you two getting out of hand like last time. If the two of you are practically living together before you've even seriously started dating, it might make things a bit awkward."

Tank nodded and said, "It's the same for you and Ranger, isn't it?"

"Sort of. I know Ranger wants us to live together, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that myself. I'd rather take things a bit more slowly and be a bit more traditional."

I laughed all of a sudden. Tank looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I giggled again and said, "I don't know why I want something traditional. Neither Ranger nor I are traditional. Nothing between us is traditional and I doubt it ever will be. Maybe I should just get over my fear and move in with Ranger. I do love him after all."

Lula must have heard our conversation because she came and sat down beside Tank. She took his hand, looked him in the eye and said, "I think Steph's got a point. I know things between us have been awkward, but I do love you and I do want to be with you. If your spare room is still available, I'd like to take you up on your offer."

Tank grinned at Lula and asked, "If you love me, would you consider skipping the spare room?"

Lula laughed and said, "Despite our atypical relationship, I'm a traditional girl at heart. I want to slow things down a little, but still be close to you. Would that be OK with you?"

Tank hugged Lula to him and said, "Of course my Lula-belle, I love you and I'll wait for you as long as it takes."

I sat there grinning at my friends. They just took a huge step and I got to witness it. Lula looked over at me smiling. She looked back at Tank and asked, "Steph, could I crash here tonight? I don't want to wake up Julie and Emma when I crawl into bed."

"Sure Lula. You can stay in the room that Julie will use after the rest of you leave."

Lula smiled and thanked me. She needed to grab a few things from her other room so I handed her the key to my room and sat back down to wait for her to return. As soon as the door closed, Tank looked at me and said, "Wow Bomber, who knew that your admission about your feelings for Ranger would have such an effect on Lula? Now you just need to have that same conversation with Ranger and he'll be as happy as I am."

"Thanks Tank. I plan on having a serious conversation with Ranger tomorrow. I think Bobby and Julie are going to go to the airport with you guys. That will be the ideal time for Ranger and me to talk."

Tank smiled and said, "That sounds good to me. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to spend some time with Lula where Diego isn't around. Every time I try to put my arm around her or hold her hand, Diego wedges himself between us."

"I saw that this afternoon. Diego seems to be very fond of Lula and he doesn't like anyone else being close to her. Once he realises that you and Lula are in love, I'm sure he'll back off. I'm sure he's just being protective of Lula."

Tank agreed with my assessment and we spent the time waiting for Lula to return talking. Our discussion mainly focused on the new RangeMan buildings and how Lula and my training will resume when we return to Trenton.

Lula came back with her bag all packed and we decided to watch a film. We chose a silly comedy and laughed pretty solidly for the next 90 minutes. When the film was over, Tank looked at his watch and said, "I think I should bid you ladies goodnight. Tomorrow will be a busy day and we should all get some rest."

I said goodnight to Tank and then went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. I figured they would appreciate the privacy. When I emerged from the bathroom, Tank was gone and Lula was sitting on the sofa looking a bit dazed. I smiled at her because I knew exactly what had happened. I acted the same way when Ranger kissed me. I waited until Lula regained her senses and then hugged her before going bed.

Ranger's POV

I was having a hard time sleeping tonight. The nurse gave me my usual medication, but it didn't make me drowsy like it usually did. I didn't have a laptop or anything like that so I was forced to press the call bell and ask for some paper and a pen.

The nurse helped me raise my bed and pull over the rolling table so I could work. She then handed me an empty notebook as well as some pens and pencils. I started making notes about some features that would be useful for the Trenton building but in the end, I started drawing things that were more personal to me. After two hours and filling an entire notebook, I lowered my bed and tried to get some sleep.

Morning came early for me, but I forced myself to get up and move around. I went for a walk and on my third time around, a nurse stopped me and told me that my doctor was waiting for me. He was hoping to remove my stitches today. As soon as I heard that news, I hurried to my room. The doctor examined my back and then said, "I have good news and bad news."

"OK, let me have it."

"I can remove the stitches on your back but I can't release you until we've done thorough tests on your lung functions. One of your lungs was damaged in the accident and we need to make sure that it is healing and that there is no sign of infection before we can let you go home."

"What kinds of tests are involved?"

"We'll take some blood, have you breathe into a tube, take some x-rays and maybe a scan if the x-rays are inconclusive. Before I will let you leave here, you'll also need to pass an exercise stress test. Since you are extremely fit, this shouldn't be a problem for you, even in an injured state."

"That doesn't sound so bad. How soon can we run those tests?"

"I'll take a blood sample now and the nurse can give you a gizmo to test your breathing. The scans and the exercise test will have to wait until we get the results from your blood test. We should get the results tomorrow afternoon so I can tentatively book the x-rays for early evening. We can do the exercise test at the same time. If we get the x-rays back and you need another scan that will have to wait until the following day."

"So your bad news is basically saying that I'll be here until Sunday at the earliest, Right?"

"Yes. I know how eager you are to get out of here, but due to the damage that you sustained to your lungs, it is best that you stick around until I'm sure you're on the road to recovery. I'll want you to see your doctor back home every 3 months for follow-up tests and scans. I'll make sure that is included in the instructions I send with Mr. Brown. Now, if you will follow me, I'll take you to an exam room and remove your stitches. I'm sure you'll appreciate being able to take a shower afterward."

I nodded and followed the doctor to a room that was equipped for minor procedures. After removing my stitches, the doctor thoroughly cleaned the wounds on my back. When he was done, he handed me a funny top. I must have made a funny face because he laughed and said, "This shirt will allow your back to remain uncovered. I would like you to wear this for the rest of the day so your back doesn't get aggravated by a shirt rubbing on you wounds. If you keep your back to people, they will just assume you're wearing a regular shirt."

Before I returned to my room to take a much anticipated shower, the doctor took some blood. I shook his hand, thanked him for his time and walked back to my room. As soon as I was inside, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. My Babe had left me some things to use. There was some shampoo, body wash and a shaving kit.

I had a longer shower than I would normally take, and I was luxuriating in the warmth of the water. I towel dried my hair, dressed in a pair of sweat pants that Bobby had provided and the open-backed shirt that the doctor had given me. I looked at myself in the mirror to find a beard on my face. I rubbed my jaw and realised that it was too long to simply shave off. I would need to cut the hairs before I could shave. I didn't have the necessary tool so I decided to leave it. I would go and get a hot shave when we returned to Trenton.

I walked out of the bathroom and picked up my notebook. I flipped through the dozens of pages I had written on and added notes to a few. At 8:30, there was a knock on the door. I looked up and saw Ron. He came in and handed me a few rolls and a stack of paper. I looked at him and said, "What's this?"

He smiled at me and said, "The rolls are the plans for the Boston building. You can make notes on them and give them back to me when you come home. The other papers are the notes I've taken about the Trenton buildings. Stephanie and I had a bit of a brainstorming session and this is the result. I know we don't need those plans quite yet, but I thought you'd like to see our ideas and maybe come up with a few guidelines for me. This last page is for your other project that I can easily do alongside the RangeMan buildings if you want to move forward quickly."

"Thanks Ron. This will keep me busy for the next few days until I return to Trenton. If you are sure you can multi-task these projects, maybe I will take you up on that offer. I still need to talk to Stephanie though. I will need her input as well."

Tank, Lula and the kids came in to say goodbye when Ron and I were finished. Emma actually gave me a hug before she left and said, "Come home soon Papi Carlos. Stephanie has promised that you'll take us to visit her parents and have some pineapple cake."

I grinned and said, "Sure thing little one. There are plenty of other things to do and places to see in Trenton and the area. I'm sure we'll all have a great time."

Diego was a proper little man and shook my hand before wishing me a speedy recovery. I shook hands with Tank and received a hug from Lula. While she had her arms wrapped around me, she whispered, "Steph convinced me to take a chance. I'm moving in with Tank. Treat her well Batman."

When Lula pulled away, I smiled at her and said, "I'm happy for the two of you and I plan on taking care of Stephanie for the rest of my life."

Bobby stuck his head into the room and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt guys, but we need to go. Julie is already in the car and waiting."

Bobby then looked at me and said, "Steph will be up in a few minutes. She's down at the car with Julie. We'll come back after their flight leaves."

I waved goodbye to everyone and pulled the papers towards me that Ron had left. I was busy looking at that single sheet of paper when Stephanie came in with a huge smile on her face. "Hey Babe, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm great Ran-, I mean Carlos. I have done some thinking over the past few days and I've come to a decision."

I slammed my blank face on and asked, "What's that Babe?"

Steph frowned a little and then said, "It's nothing bad Carlos, there's no need for the blank face."

I raised an eyebrow and then relaxed. Babe laughed at this and then said, "I know I told you that I wanted to take things slow and be more traditional with you, but I was wrong. I'm not traditional. You're not traditional. Why should we be traditional? I love you and I know that you love me. That's enough for me. I want to be with you and I want our life together to start as soon as you're released from here."

"That's wonderful Babe. I want the same. As a matter of fact, I have something to show you." I shifted over on my bed and patted it so my Babe would sit beside me and be able to elevate her leg at the same time.

"Babe, I don't just want to be with you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To that end, I would like us to build our dream house together."

My Babe looked at me and I could see tears in her eyes. Normally, tears would be cause for concern, but the smile on her face dispelled any worry. I turned myself and took my Babe's face in my hands and kissed her. The kiss started out softly. It quickly turned into a passion fuelled make-out session that ended only when a nurse came in and cleared her throat.

Steph was beet red but the nurse paid her no notice. She walked around to my side of the bed and placed a plastic tube on the table. There was a mouth piece attached to the tube and there was a ball of some sort inside the tube.

"Mr. Manoso, I need you to blow into this tube. As long as you can keep the ball aloft for 10 seconds, I will leave you and your wife to more pleasant activities."

I looked at my Babe and she smiled encouragingly. I pulled the contraption towards me and blew into it. Who knew 10 seconds was that long? I tried about 6 times before I finally managed to do it. The nurse stopped me part way through and suggested that I take a break but I wasn't having any of that. I wanted to get this over with so I could return to my discussion with my Babe.

When I was finally able to hold the ball with my breath for 10 seconds, the nurse took the tube and its mouthpiece away and set it on the table by the window. Before she left, she looked at me and said, "You'll need to do that once more later this afternoon and another time before bed tonight. Tomorrow, we'll increase the time to 15 seconds. If you can do that three times, the doctor will be convinced that your lung capacity had not been compromised."

I groaned at the thought of doing that again. The idea of just 5 more seconds was enough to make me want to sign myself out of the hospital AMA. I looked at my Babe who said, "Don't even think about it Ranger. I know it's hard, but you need to do this to get better. You don't want to get a lung infection or something like that do you? That would keep you unavailable to RangeMan even longer."

I sighed and said, "Fine. My mother would find this funny if she were here. She always called me a blow hard."

I smiled with delight as I watched my Babe laugh at me. She looked deeply into my eyes and said, "Who knew you had a sense of humour Batman?"

"Hey, what can I say, I'm a funny guy. Now, let's get back to what we were talking about earlier. I have asked Ron and he has agreed to help us build our dream house. I bought a piece of land a few years ago in the outskirts of Trenton. It's on a hill that overlooks the Delaware River.

"Ron has given me the plans to a generic 4 bedroom family home, but I want us to build something that suits us. I want the house to be our home. Where friends and family are welcome and will feel comfortable."

My Babe was nodded as I spoke, but when I stopped for a moment to let her speak, she said, "Shouldn't we talk about a few other things before we decide what our house will look like?"

"Like what Babe?"

"Oh I don't know. Let's start with do we want to have extra bedrooms for future children?"

I smiled at my Babe and said, "I once told you that I didn't want silly things like family and children. Ever since I met you, I've had to rewrite my rulebook. When I said those words to you, I honestly meant them. I was just getting my feet under me and RangeMan. I also thought that you deserved better than me because I couldn't offer you anything at the time.

"RangeMan is still important to me, but I've come to realise that there is more to life than work. Loving you has made me want more than just my job. I want you Babe, and anything you want is fine with me. If you want a dozen babies, I'll enjoy making them. If you don't want any kids, I'll be fine with that too. If you want to be my wife, I'll make you the happiest woman in the world."

My Babe stared at me and asked, "Was that a proposal Carlos?"

I laughed and said, "I guess it was. I honestly do want to marry you Babe. I had planned to wait until after our third date, but I can't wait that long. Will you Babe? Will you marry me?"

Stephanie's POV

I was listening to Carlos reiterate his feelings about relationships. I thought we were making progress, but maybe not. Then, he went on to say that he wanted to be with me and we should build our dream house. How could he ask me this before we've even discussed what we wanted out of our relationship together? I figured I would bit the bullet and ask.

His answer surprised me. It sounded like he just proposed to me. When I questioned him, he came right out and said the words. The tears that were swimming in my eyes now fell as I nodded. "Of course, Carlos. Of course I'll marry you."

Ranger pulled me into a hug, but we were unable to seal it with a kiss because we heard a squeal from doorway of the room. We both turned to see Julie standing there with both her hands covering he mouth.

"Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Did you just ask Steph to marry you Papa?"

Ranger gave Julie the widest smile I have ever seen. He waved Julie forward and asked, "Is that OK with you? Is it OK with you if I marry Stephanie?"

"Yes it is OK with me, Papa."

Julie turned and looked at me and asked, "Does this mean that I can call you Mama?"

I laughed and said, "If Ron and your Papa are OK with that, I'm fine with you calling me Mama."

Julie grinned and said, "I'm so excited. Will you have a big wedding with a big white dress and everything?"

I thought for a moment and looked over at Carlos. "Well, we haven't really talked about what we want yet, but I think we'll probably have a small intimate wedding with immediate family and close friends only. As you already know, I had a big Burg wedding with a fluffy white dress. That marriage didn't really turn out well, so I have no desire to repeat that. I'd rather have something small."

I looked over at Carlos and he smiled and nodded. I then looked back at Julie and said, "Would you consider being one of my bridesmaids?"

Julie grinned and in that moment, she was the spitting image of her father. She had his hair, his eyes, his smile, but she was still a beautiful girl. For the first time, I was able to picture a small boy with my eyes and Carlos' face. I could see a small girl who looked just like Julie, but with curly hair.

When I was with Dickie, children were the farthest thing from my mind. Then the divorce happened. When I was with Joe, children were always on my mind, but I never actually wanted them. Now that I was with Carlos, I could actually envisage myself holding Carlos' child in my arms, our child. I must have lost myself in my thoughts because the next thing I noticed, Julie was snapping her fingers in front of my face and saying, "Mama? Are you OK?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have started day-dreaming. When you smiled, I saw how much you looked like your father and it just got me to thinking, that's all."

"Does this mean that I'm going to have another brother or sister?"

I looked at Carlos and when I made eye contact, he winked at me. I turned back to Julie and said, "I don't know, but let's not rule it out of the realm of possibility."

"Oh that would be so awesome Papa."

Carlos smiled at Julie and said, "Stephanie and I plan on building a house. Your Dad is going to help us draw up the plans when we get back to Trenton. Is there anything specific that you want in your room?"

"You mean that I will have a bedroom at your house?"

"Of course you'll have a room at our house. If Ron decides to stay in Trenton, we can work out a schedule so you can stay with us for some of the time. If Ron goes back to Miami or somewhere else, you'll always have a place to stay that is your own when you visit. Either way, you are a part of our family. You are my daughter, we both love you and you should have your own space in our home."

Julie looked like she was actually going to cry when she looked at me. I smiled at her and she hugged me. "I'm so glad that you and Papa are going to be married. I see how happy you are together and I saw how miserable he was when you were apart."

Julie turned to Carlos and said, "Papa, the only thing I need in my room is you and Mama to be nearby. Everything else is just a bonus."

The three of us talked about the house in general terms for another ½ hour. At that time, Bobby came in, picked up the tube device and said, "Ranger my man, you need to do your exercises. Ten seconds in one breath and then you can go back to your planning."

I watched as Carlos grimaced and took the device. He struggled for a few minutes, but he was able to successfully hold the ball aloft for the requisite 10 seconds. When Bobby was satisfied, he returned the device to the table and said, "I've got a date to get ready for. I'm sure you three can occupy yourselves for the rest of this afternoon and evening."

Ranger nodded and said, "Right you are. I'm sure my ladies and I will find things to do this evening. Enjoy yourself Bobby. You deserve a little fun."

Bobby smiled and left us alone. We spent the next hour answering questions that Julie came up with. Whenever we were unable to answer a question because it was a topic we had yet to discuss, Julie would prompt us to discuss it and come to a tentative or more formal conclusion.

The first topic of course, was how many bedrooms we would need. At first, I said 4. At the same time, Carlos said 6. Julie laughed and asked me why I said 4. I explained that we'd need a room for us, a room for her, a guest room and a nursery if we ever decided to have a baby.

When she turned the same question on her Papa, he said, "A room for us, a room for Julie. His reasoning included a room for each of Emma and Diego when they visited. These rooms could double as spare rooms. The final two rooms would be for our potential children.

Julie sat there silent for a moment and then said, "So, based on Mama's plan, you can only have one baby. Based on Papa's plan, you can have two and the three of us Martine kids can also come and visit. I like that idea better."

We both laughed at Julie, but I had to admit, I kind of liked the idea of a little boy and a little girl too. I decided to change the subject and asked, "Will this house come with a pool?"

"It will if that's what you want Babe."

"Of course I'm sure you'll want a gym, loads of security and a state-of-the-art everything."

"Well Babe, I do like my toys. A gym in the basement wouldn't be a bad idea though. That would save me working out at the RangeMan building if I could do some of it at home. We could put in a pool, an amazing kitchen, a large screen TV and of course, we'll have the best security system that RangeMan offers."

I laughed at the idea of the amazing kitchen. "What good is a great kitchen with me around? It's not like it's going to get a lot of use."

"Babe, you underestimate me. Just because I've always relied on Ella doesn't mean that I can't cook. In fact, I'm a great cook. "

"Are you serious? That's a bit of a relief. I have nothing against cooking. I just seem to cause minor disasters every time I try."

"I bet each of those disasters happened when you tried to cook alone or with your mother looking over your shoulder. When you cook with me, we'll have a great time. We'll do it together, just like everything else we'll do."

Julie sat there and watched Carlos and I just stare at each other. After about 5 minutes, Julie must have become bored because she said, "I'm so glad that you weren't ready to be my Daddy when I was a little girl."

I was a bit surprised by this, but Carlos didn't show surprise. Instead, he asked, "Why do you say that Julie?"

"If you had stuck around, you'd have wasted your life with my mother. Because you left, Ron happened. Because you left, you met Stephanie and now we are all going to be so happy as one great big happy family."

I looked at this young girl and had to admit that her statement was a very mature and wise point of view. Carlos must have thought the same thing because he pulled her close and spoke to her while holding her face in his hands. "Julie, you are one special young lady. Do you know that?" She nodded as he continued. "I love you so much and no matter what happens, even if Steph and I have other kids, I will always love you."

"I know that Papa. I love you too."

Thanks for reading and for all of the encouraging reviews. Keep them coming. :)