Another long one for you. Enjoy!

Julie's POV

Papa, Mama and I sat and watched a film on her laptop. When it was over, I looked over and saw that both of them were sound asleep. They were so sweet together. I pulled Steph's laptop towards me and took it over to the small sofa by the door. I turned down the volume and watched another DVD.I was about 1/2 way through the film when Papa's doctor came in the room. He saw me first and then he saw Papa and Mama sleeping. He smiled at them and whispered, "Do you think your father would mind if I woke him up? I need to run a test?"

I didn't have to make that choice because Papa groaned and said, "I'm awake. What kind of test?"

"I need you to breathe into that tube again. This time, I want to listen to your lungs while you do it. If you can successfully keep the ball in the air for 10 seconds on your first try, I have a surprise for you."

Papa looked over at Mama who was still sleeping and slowly crawled out of the bed so as to not disturb her. Once standing, he looked at the doctor and asked, "Where would you like to do this? Should I stand or sit?"

The doctor looked around the room and pointed to the sofa beside me. There was enough room at the end for the doctor to stand and lean over Papa as he blew into the tube. I watched Papa take several calming breaths. As soon as the doctor was ready, he placed his stethoscope on Papa's back.

Papa took a huge deep breath and then blew into the tube for as long as he could. I kept watch on the seconds passing on the little clock in the room and was glad when 10 seconds passed and Papa was still blowing.

After 15 seconds, Papa faltered and the ball dropped. "That was excellent Mr. Manoso. Your lungs sound healthy and based on your lung capacity, I'm positive that you are well on your way to a full recovery."

The doctor turned and looked at me and then over at Mama. He chuckled a bit and said, "She can sleep through anything, can't she?"

Papa smiled and nodded, but said nothing. The doctor then turned serious and said, "There has been a cancellation this evening and I would like to suggest that we take that appointment and get a scan of your lungs. Based on what I heard when I listened to your breathing just now, everything seems fine. An x-ray probably wouldn't show anything, so a scan seems like a better idea. If everything goes fine, I would consider letting you leave here tomorrow afternoon. That's a whole day earlier than I originally planned."

Papa stood very quickly and said, "Let's go and get that scan. The sooner I get out of here, the sooner we can get on with our lives."

The Doctor smiled and then he looked down at me. "We could be gone for up to an hour. It just depends on what the technician sees when he's running the scans. We'll have your father back as soon as we can."

Papa looked down at me as well and said, "When she wakes up, why don't you and Mama go get yourselves some dinner?"

I nodded and watched as they left the room and headed down the hallway towards the elevators.

I decided to let Mama sleep and I returned to finish my film. Papa hadn't returned by the time the film was over so I decided to check my email and send an update to Ron.

I was just finishing the email when I heard a noise from the other side of the room. I pressed 'Send' and looked up to see a very disorientated Mama.

"Did you have a nice nap?"

The look on Mama's face was priceless. "Asleep? I fell asleep. Wait? Where's Carlos? What happened?"

"Well, you and Papa fell asleep when we were watching a film. It ended and came over here to let you sleep. Papa's doctor came in and made him do that blowing test and then he took him for a scan."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong Babe." I looked up and saw Papa smiling at us from the doorway. "There was a cancellation and after listening to my lungs, he figured an x-ray wouldn't provide any helpful information. Getting the scan tonight means that if it is clear, I can get released tomorrow."

Mama rushed over to Papa as best she could and hugged him. "That's wonderful Carlos. We can finally go home."

They were interrupted when Mama's stomach growled. She looked down at her watch and said, "I think some food is in order. Julie and I will go grab something and bring it back here. We'll make sure we get enough for you Carlos. I know the hospital food isn't very good."

Papa nodded and said, "Thanks. I think a fat filled burger would probably do me some good right now. Just try and find a place that makes real burgers."

Mama laughed and promised to return shortly. We headed out, leaving Papa to fend for himself. Actually, we left him with the laptop and his phone, so I'm sure he was going to make arrangements to go home.

Ranger's POV

As soon as Babe and Julie left, I called Tank. I knew he'd be back in Trenton by now, but I had no idea where he'd be. I figured he'd head to the new office to check things out and check in with Boston.

"Yo."

"Hey Tank, what's the word?"

"Ranger, aren't you supposed to be spending the evening with Bomber and Julie?"

"I am. They've just gone out to get some dinner. They'll be back soon. How are things going up there?"

"Well, everything here in Trenton is going well. We're a bit cramped in the new offices, but all accounts are up and running. The guys have been working around the clock getting things organised. Now we're back to regular shifts, and I've pulled in a few contractors to ensure that the guys get some rest."

"That's great Tank. What about Boston?"

"Atlanta will hand back the monitoring duties tomorrow. They are currently working in maintenance mode. No new accounts will be accepted but all existing accounts are covered. They are down 6 men at the moment. Lester has volunteered to go up there and take over until Dan is ready. James, the one you left in charge is very relieved that Lester is coming to help. He's been doing a stellar job though. We should consider giving him a promotion when the dust settles. I think he's up for the 2nd in command role there."

"Great. I'm glad that you'll be staying in Trenton. I'm going to need your help over the next few months."

"Yeah, I figured. Besides, Lula would have been disappointed and Fiona has family in Boston, so it worked out for all of us."

"Fiona? Did I miss something?"

"Not really, but she and Lester have been pretty inseparable lately. They even went on a date the other night. Lester got hit on three times while Fiona was in the bathroom. He turned them all down. I think this is getting serious."

"How on earth do you know that he was hit on Tank? Did you spy on him?"

"Not exactly. By pure coincidence, Ella and Luis were at the same restaurant. Lester didn't see them and they decided to be discreet and not interrupt his date. Ella was impressed with how Lester treated Fiona as well as how he handled the trollops that approached him when his date was in the powder room."

I laughed and said, "It always amazes me when a woman sees a guy on a date and still hits on him. I remember Stephanie confronting a woman who did that to me once. We weren't even on a date, but we were out for dinner. Stephanie made the woman look like a complete fool and I loved it."

"That's Bomber for you. Speaking of Bomber, where will the two of you stay when you get back?"

"That's why I'm calling. I need you to make travel arrangements for Bobby, Steph, Julie and I for Sunday. Mid-morning or around noon would be best. I'm likely going to be discharged tomorrow, but a calm evening in a hotel here might be preferable than travelling so soon."

"Sure. I'll check flights and reserve you seats. Do you want me to find you a hotel room here?"

"No, we're going to stay at the cottage in Point Pleasant. I'm sure my parents don't need the house so we'll likely stay there for the week or two. We'll travel into Trenton as often as necessary. It's not that far."

"I'll ask Ella if she can go and kit the house out. I think she's a bit bored now that she only has a few people to look after."

"Thanks Tank. I'll call you as soon as I'm discharged so you can finalise our flights. Hopefully I'll talk to you tomorrow."

I got off the phone with Tank and then made another phone call that I was not looking forward to.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Plum? This is Carlos Manoso. I'm calling to let you know that Stephanie and I will most likely be returning to Trenton at some point on Sunday."

"Thanks for calling. Do you work for Ranger?"

I laughed and said, "I am Ranger. My name is actually Carlos."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise."

"That's OK. There is another reason I'm calling. Is your husband around? I would like to talk to the both of you if possible."

"Sure, I'll just go get him and put you on the speaker."

I heard Mrs. Plum move away and I could hear voices in the background. She returned a few minutes later and said, "OK, we're here. Do you have something bad to tell us?"

Frank's POV

I heard the phone ring but I knew Ellen would get it. I heard her talking and I heard her come into the living room. She looked terrified and said, "Stephanie's boss is on the phone. He wants to talk to us. I think something might be wrong with Stephanie."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. It's just a feeling I have."

I sighed and followed Ellen into the kitchen. She pressed the speaker phone button and then said, "OK, we're here. Do you have something bad to tell us?"

There was silence on the phone for a moment before I heard Ranger clear his throat. I then heard him say, "I know that this might come as a shock to you both, but I have been in love with your daughter for the past two years. I have watched her date another man, but that seems to be over now. I've basically called because I would like your blessings to marry her."

The look on Ellen's face was pure shock. She looked up at me and then back at the phone without saying a word. I decided to speak for the both of us. "Ranger, you've always looked after Stephanie. You've been there for her when her idiot of an ex-boyfriend wasn't. I have no objections if you want to marry my daughter."

I could hear the smile in Ranger's voice when he said, "Thank you very much Mr. Plum. I know I'm not from the Burg and I'm not Italian, but I will do everything in my power to make Stephanie happy for the rest of her life."

"I don't doubt that Ranger. I've seen the way Stephanie lights up when you walk into a room. I see the way you look at each other. I am sure you will be happy together."

"I appreciate that. Mrs. Plum, I'm hoping I could ask you a favour."

"Sure Carlos. What can I do for you?"

I looked at Ellen and was confused for a moment. Then I remembered that Ranger wasn't his real name. I listened as Ranger explained that he and Stephanie wanted to have a small intimate wedding. I could tell by the look on her face that Ellen didn't approve, but she listened politely anyway.

"I know that big weddings are the tradition in the Burg, but I was hoping that we could do something a little different. I was hoping that I could get you and my mother together so you could plan a big engagement party. We would then have a much smaller wedding and reception."

Ellen looked excited at the idea of planning a party and if I'm honest, I kind of zoned out while they were discussing details. I started to pay attention again when it seemed that they were winding up. Ranger explained that he had yet to tell his family about the engagement, so Ellen should expect a phone call sometime next week from his mother, Maria Manoso.

They agreed on the basics of the party and Ellen seemed really happy with the idea of planning an engagement party. Especially when Ranger said that he'd pay for everything.

"Thanks for your understanding Mr. and Mrs. Plum. From now on, it makes sense that you both call me Carlos. Ranger is a nickname that I use for work and now that you're going to be family, you might as well use my proper name."

Ellen was smiling and said, "Of course Carlos, but please call us Ellen and Frank. Do you think you'll be back early enough on Sunday to stop by here for dinner?"

Carlos was silent for a moment and then said, "I can't guarantee that we will. Instead of getting your hopes up and then not turning up, why don't we plan a day next week instead?"

"That works. What about Tuesday or Wednesday?"

"I think Wednesday would be a good day. I still need to talk to my parents and that will give me the necessary time. I also have to see what's going on with my company. Speaking of which, I would like to thank you for helping out with the salvage operation. The turnout was just amazing and your efforts probably saved my company."

"You're welcome son," I said. "At first, we just went along to shut Edna up. When we got there, we saw a lot of people we knew had also turned up. It was actually fun. Even that stupid ex-boyfriend of Stephanie's showed up. He even mentioned that he expected to hear that you and Steph were together any day now. I'm not sure he's expecting a wedding though."

"Yeah, I should let Stephanie tell him herself. Could I ask you both to keep this between yourself? I don't want the news to spread before Steph has a chance to tell certain people herself.

I looked at Ellen and she nodded. I smiled at her, took her hand and then said, "We'll keep our mouths shut for now. We'll even invite Edna to dinner on Wednesday so you can tell her in person. That way, as long as Joe can keep his mouth shut, it won't appear that we were the last to know."

"I'll make sure he keeps his mouth shut. Thanks for your time and we'll see you in a few days."

After Carlos hung up, Ellen poured us both some coffee and dished out two slices of coffee cake. We sat at the table and I watched Ellen. It was clear that she was struggling with something, but I wasn't sure what.

"What's wrong Ellen?"

"I'm just having a hard time understanding Stephanie's love life. A few short months ago, she was practically engaged to Joseph Morelli. Now, she's agreed to marry her boss. We know nothing about Carlos because he's not from around here."

I laughed and said, "I can't tell you how glad I am that Stephanie did not marry that Morelli boy. I never really liked him. I put up with him for Steph's sake, but I was very happy whenever they broke up.

"As for Carlos, we know everything we need to know. He makes Stephanie happy, he loves her, he can provide for her and he treats her well."

"That is all true, but what about all of the trouble he's had lately. Surely all those explosions have hurt his business."

"Actually, based on what I hear down at the lodge, it's only been an inconvenience. RangeMan has picked up the pieces and is moving forward. I don't know the story of the reason behind the bombings, but I'm sure it is no longer a problem. Carlos runs a very well respected business that has offices in 4 cities. In each case, the teams have pulled together and even when their offices were destroyed, they're still doing their jobs."

"I'm sure you're right Frank. I just wish I knew that Stephanie would be safe with Carlos. If that plane blew up after it took off, we'd not be having this discussion. We'd be mourning our daughter."

I couldn't help but agree to that point, so I didn't disagree with Ellen. Instead, I pulled her into a hug and said, "There are all kinds of dangers in this world. For some reason, Stephanie seems to attract more than usual. I think Carlos will help balance that out. How many times was he the one that rescued her? I think we should be happy for Stephanie. We should be happy that she and Carlos found each other."

When I finished talking, I heard Ellen sniff. I lifted her chin with my finger and asked, "Why are you sad?"

She smiled and said, "I'm not sad. These are happy tears. My baby is getting married and I get to plan a party for her."

I smiled at her and said, "Please don't go making arrangements until you've talked to Stephanie and Maria. You need to work together to make sure this is a party that reflects Stephanie and Carlos. This party is not for you to show off, it's to celebrate an engagement. With that said, I want you to listen to Stephanie's wishes. If she says that she doesn't want something, even if you do, respect her wishes. You know how she gets when people try to force her to do something she doesn't want. I don't want this party to draw a wedge between the two of you.

"On a similar note. Please do not invite Val and her family on Wednesday unless you clear it with Stephanie first. She and Carlos are still recovering from some pretty serious injuries."

"Why wouldn't they want Val and the kids here?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just asking you to talk to Stephanie before you invite the Kloughns."

"Fine. I'll call Steph on Monday if I haven't heard from her before then."

I leaned in and kissed my wife. I smiled at her and said, "That's all I ask. Just don't go too crazy with dinner. Just make sure there are things that Carlos can eat. You know he's a bit of a health nut."

"Yes, I remember. I think I'll go to the library and look at some of those Vegetarian cook books. Maybe I'll prepare something new just for Carlos."

"Just as long as there's still a roast or some other type of meat, you can make anything else you like."

Stephanie's POV

I couldn't believe it when Carlos said that he wanted a burger. Julie and I walked the two blocks back to the hotel and asked the concierge about where we could go to get the best burger in town. He gave us directions and said that it would take about 15 minutes to walk there, but I wasn't really in a fit state to walk with my leg and all.

As a result, the concierge arranged for a taxi to take us to the restaurant and to wait for us while we ordered. The taxi would then bring us back to the hospital. Despite that, we were gone for almost an hour. When we walked into Carlos' room, he was typing away on the computer.

He looked up as we walked in and smiled. "Thank god, I'm starving."

Carlos looked at the bags in our hands with a look that I've never seen before. He actually looked hungry. He must really hate hospital food.

We spread the food on the table and Carlos came over and joined us. Julie sat cross-legged on the chair and Carlos sat beside me on the sofa. I watched as Carlos took the first bite of his burger and almost choked on mine when he closed his eyes and moaned.

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow and after catching my breath I said, "Do you realise that you just moaned?"

Carlos raised both eyebrows, looked down at his burger and put it down. He looked a bit embarrassed and said, "I haven't had proper food in days. I've had a craving for a burger all day. It's rare, but it happens."

I smiled at Carlos and let him eat his burger in peace. He must have been extra vigilant because I didn't hear a sound from him, other than chewing and swallowing for the rest of the meal. Julie was extra quiet during our meal, but talking while eating isn't the easiest thing to do, so I wasn't bothered by the silence.

When we were all finished, Carlos pulled over the laptop and we spent a little while talking about the new house. To give us an idea about the area, Carlos pulled up the lot on Google Maps and showed us where it was. He then showed us the same area using Google Earth. When he said he bought some land on a hill, he wasn't joking. It was more of a cliff overlooking the river. The road was quite far from where Carlos wanted to put the house so it would be quite isolated and have lots of privacy.

The plot of land was huge, but then again, the house that Carlos wanted to build sounded huge as well. It was getting late and I could tell that Julie was getting tired. Bobby still hadn't come back yet, but that didn't surprise me. He was probably having a great time with Riley. I watched Carlos hand Julie the laptop. She wanted to finish the email she wrote earlier to Ron and send it. While Julie was typing away, Carlos pulled me close to him and said, "I made a few phone calls earlier Babe. One concerns you."

His smile and that phrasing made me a bit apprehensive. "What do you mean it concerns me?"

"Well, I know you aren't very traditional, but your family is, so I called your parents and asked for their blessing."

"Wow, what did they say?"

"They gave their blessing Babe. I also told them that we want a small intimate wedding with only immediate family and a few friends. Your mother didn't like this at first, but I made a compromise. One that you may not like very much, but it will keep our mothers happy."

OK, my apprehension levels just increased. "What did you do?"

"I offered to let our mothers, with the help of Ella, plan our engagement party. I have not yet told them this, but I already have a venue picked out. Since there will be people from both sides of our families attending, I think a nice neutral point would be better than either Newark or Trenton."

"Where did you have in mind? New Brunswick or something?"

"I have an old college friend who owns a resort that overlooks both the Washington Valley Reservoir and Chimney Rock Park near Bridgewater. They have a really nice conference area that can accommodate around 300 people."

"Three hundred people? Do you expect that many?"

"I don't know Babe, but I do have a large family. At least there will be room if our mothers decide to invite every living soul they know."

"Carlos, this is going to cost a fortune."

"It will be worth it to get the wedding we want Babe. Besides, if Ella and our mothers prepare the food, it won't be too bad."

"How soon will you want this party?"

"That depends, Babe. How soon do you want to get married?"

"I don't know Carlos, we've barely decided that we will get married. I still have to tell my family and friends. Oh my God. Now that you've told my parents, the news will be all over Trenton by the time we get back."

"Your parents promised to keep it a secret until you can tell your Grandma and your sister yourself. That reminds me. We're supposed to go to your parent's for dinner on Wednesday."

"Great. I hope my mother doesn't freak out and try to take over everything."

"I'm sure she won't. Maybe you can call her and explain your wishes. I'm sure she'll have lots of questions when we go on Wednesday."

"That's a good idea Carlos. I'll call home after we get back to the hotel tonight. I'm sure my mother will still be up."

"There's something else you should do Babe. You should give Morelli a head's up. I think he'd prefer to hear this from you than the rumour mill. The same goes for Lula. If she doesn't hear this directly from you, she'll probably disown you."

I thought for a moment and said, "It's going to be hard to time this all. If I tell Lula or Joe before I tell my Grandma and Val, there's a chance it will get out. Maybe if you order Lula to keep it a secret, she will."

"I could do that Babe. I could make it a RangeMan order and she'll have to comply or jeopardise her job."

"Great. We can tell Lula and Tank tomorrow when they pick us up from the airport. We should tell Ron and the kids as well, but we'll have to swear them all to secrecy."

Julie had followed the whole conversation and finally asked, "Why is it such a secret? Don't you want to tell people that you are getting married?"

I looked down at Julie and smiled. She didn't know what it was like in Trenton. "When one person finds out that we're engaged, they'll mention it in passing to another person. Before long, the entire town knows. There are just some people that we want to tell ourselves, so requesting that people keep this news to themselves, we'll be able to tell all the ones that matter and nobody will be too offended."

Julie frowned and said, "It sounds like Trenton is filled with a lot of gossipers."

Both Carlos and I laughed. Carlos took Julie's hand and said, "You have no idea. Half of the rumours flying around aren't even true. Poor Stephanie has dealt with it her whole life. If one of the neighbours sees her do something out of the ordinary, and let's face it, Stephanie is definitely not ordinary, her mother knows about it within 10 minutes."

Julie smiled and yawned at her Papa. I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was already 9:30. I looked over at Carlos and he said, "I think it's time for you two ladies to head back to the hotel. If I'm getting out of here tomorrow, I'll need to get lots of rest."

I hugged Carlos and he gave me a PG-13 kiss before Julie hugged him goodnight. When we finally left the hospital, I had to admit that I was pretty tired. Who knew that sitting around a hospital all day could be so tiring.

Julie got ready for bed and crawled into bed pretty quickly. I decided to do the same, but instead of going to sleep, I decided to make a couple of phone calls.

"Hi Mom, I hope I didn't wake you."

"Stephanie. I'm glad you called. I hear congratulations are in order."

I smiled and said, "Thanks Mom. I just wanted to call and thank you for being so kind to Carlos."

"He seems like a nice young man. He loves you, he's got a stable job and that's good enough for your father and me."

"I was talking to Carlos about the engagement party and I wanted to let you know that we've already picked out a venue. Other than that, the planning can be done by you and Carlos' mother. Ella will also help as needed."

"I'm glad your father instructed me not to get crazy or I'd already have the VFW hall booked. Where will you have your party?"

"Well, Carlos' family are all from Newark, our family is from Trenton and a lot of our friends are in Trenton. We don't want either side to have to travel far, so we decided on a place in the middle. Carlos has a friend who runs some sort of conference resort in Chimney Rock Park up near Bridgewater. We don't have a date yet, but that's where Carlos wants to have our party."

"I've never been there but Loretta Buzick's daughter had her wedding there. Based on the photos, it's a really lovely place. Maybe once Carlos talks to his friend, we can go out there for an afternoon. It would be a nice way to get to know Carlos' parents. We can also invite Ella and her husband. I know you both think very highly of her and I'd also like to get to know her."

"That's a great idea Mom. I'll mention it to Carlos tomorrow. I guess we'll see you on Wednesday then."

"Oh, that's right, we don't want to overwhelm you and Carlos, so I was wondering if you'd prefer if we don't invite Valerie and her brood."

"I appreciate the gesture Mom, but I would like to tell Val when I tell Grandma Mazur. I know she and the kids can be a bit rambunctious, but we'll deal with it. We may even bring Julie with us."

"Who's Julie? Is that Carlos' daughter?"

"Yup. It's a long story and I will explain it all to you later, but Julie and the rest of her family have moved to Trenton. We'll get to see a lot more of her and I think you should get to know her. After all, you'll be her step-grandma."

"I can't wait to meet her. How old is she?"

"She's the same age as Mary Alice. If Ron decides to stick around after the summer, they may end up going to school together."

"What do you mean if he decides to stick around? I thought you said that they moved here."

"They did, but it might be temporary. Ron is going to design and build the new RangeMan buildings. He is also going to design and build a house for Carlos and me. We're still at the beginning stages so it might take longer than the summer, or it might not. We just don't know yet. There is much more to the story, but I can fill you in later."

"OK. I was thinking of going to the library and looking up some new recipes. Is there anything in particular that you think Carlos and Julie will like?"

"I'm sure Julie will eat anything. As long as there are some vegetables or salad, Carlos will be fine. He just doesn't tend to eat mashed potatoes or heavily sauced things. He's a bit of a health nut."

"OK. I will make a salad and have a few healthy options. Who knows, maybe I can trick your father into eating a little healthier. I've been trying for years."

I laughed and said, "Good luck with that. Daddy noticed when you used margarine instead of butter in the mashed potatoes that one time. He complained for a week."

"I know. I'll call Mother and Valerie tomorrow and make sure they turn up on Wednesday. I won't tell them that anything special is going on. I won't even tell them that you and Carlos will be joining us. I'll let that be a surprise."

"That sounds good. Thanks Mom. I'll see you on Wednesday."

After I got off the phone with my mother, I sat there staring at my phone. I wondered whether I should call Joe or if I should wait until I got back to Trenton. I didn't really know what to say to him when I did talk to him. In the end, I decided to sleep on it. I put the phone on my night stand after setting the alarm. Carlos told us to take our time in the morning, so we decided we would show up around 9AM with breakfast.

Carlos' POV

After my Babe and Julie left, I read through my email and sent several replies. One of the emails I had was from Joe. It turns out that he was asked to be the Trenton PD liaison to the FBI in their investigations into the RangeMan bombings. He sent me an email to let me know that as soon as I was back in Trenton that he'd like to meet with me and go over some things. I returned the email and said that I could meet him Monday afternoon.

Thinking about Joe and how he helped RangeMan during this whole situation made me wonder if I should talk to him about Stephanie. I know they broke up but I also know he still cares about her. I am sure that Joe feels that I only want one thing from Stephanie. I need to tell him that he's wrong. I want more than one thing from Stephanie. I want everything.

Right then I made a decision. I would call Joe and explain my feelings for my Babe. I would tell him that she was more to me than just someone to sleep with. I would ask him for his blessing, even though I didn't need it."

"Lo."

"Hi Joe, it's Carlos Manoso."

"Hey Ranger, what's with the name change?"

"I wanted to talk to you about a few things that are not RangeMan specific. Ranger is the name I use for business, but Carlos is for more personal conversations, close friends and family."

"That's fair enough. What can I do for you?"

"I need to explain something to you and then I'm hoping you might be willing to help me with something."

"Sure, I can try."

"OK. First of all, I need to tell you that I have been in love with Stephanie Plum for 3 years now. I watched her go back to you several times and it killed me every time. I want to apologise to you for overstepping boundaries when the two of you were together. I know it caused a lot of problems and I am truly sorry for that.

"Now that you two are no longer together, I expressed my feelings for Stephanie. A few weeks ago, she admitted to me that she has similar feelings. During this whole mess, Stephanie and I have spent a lot of time together. During that time together, our feelings intensified and I realised that I wanted more.

"I wanted you to hear this from us instead of the Burg gossip mill Joe. I asked Stephanie to marry me yesterday. She said 'Yes' and I couldn't be happier."

Joe was silent for a moment. I heard him take a deep breath and then he said, "I appreciate your honesty Ranger. I never realised that you were in love with her. If I'm honest, I always thought that you just wanted her in your bed. Steph and I were never good together. I mean, I loved her and I know that she loved me, but we weren't in love with each other, if you know what I mean?

"I have come to realise that you, your company, and your men are not what I thought they were. I saw how your men pulled together and how the community joined in to help when you were in crisis. It was humbling to watch and I'm honoured that I was able to be a part of that and help out. In contrast to our past hostilities, I honestly wish you and Stephanie the best of luck."

"Thanks Joe. I really appreciate that. I also appreciate everything that you did for RangeMan. I have been an ass to you in the past. I hope to rectify that in the future. You are a good man, a great cop and I look forward to showing you that there is more to me than my RangeMan street persona."

"That sounds good to me. Maybe we can meet up for a beer or something once you're back at fighting strength. No pun intended."

I laughed and agreed that going out for a drink with Joe was a good idea. We made arrangements to meet on Monday and then I hung up. I looked at the time and decided that I could make one more quick call. I was sure that my parents would be awake still, even if they were already in bed. They liked to read until late.

"Carlos, is that you?"

"Yes Papa, it's me. Is Mama around? I have some news."

"Yes, she's just in the other room. She'll be back in a moment. Tank has kept us updated on your condition. I'm glad that you are doing well."

"Thanks Papa. I was lucky, but my business is still strong and I'll be home in a couple of days. I'm sure my doctor will put me on light duty for a while, but I can still work and recuperate. Since my apartment was destroyed in the explosion, I was hoping that you had no objections if I stay at the house in Point Pleasant?"

"Sure Carlos, you have a key and everything, right?"

"Yes Papa."

"Here's your mother."

"Hi Mama. I have some news for the two of you."

I heard my mother move closer to the phone and ask, "Is this good news or bad news?"

"Neither Mama. It's actually great news. The woman I love more than anything on earth has agreed to marry me."

"What woman? I didn't even know you were dating anyone."

"You've actually met her Mama. She was the one who helped me when Julie was kidnapped. It's just taken me a little while to admit my feelings."

"Wow Carlos. We're really happy for you. Would you bring Stephanie up for dinner one night soon? We'd like to get to know your future wife."

"Sure Mama. We can come up Thursday or Friday. We get back to Trenton on Sunday and we have to settle into the house at Point Pleasant because both our apartments were destroyed in the explosion. We also need to do a bit of shopping. We lost pretty much everything."

My dad asked, "What about a ring? Do you still need to buy a ring? I can't imagine there are many jewellery buying options in the hospital."

"No Papa. I bought a ring a while ago. It was locked in the safe in my apartment with the building was blown up. The safe was salvaged and its contents were in-tact. I will give the ring to Stephanie as soon as we get back."

I promised to bring Stephanie on Friday night. My parents warned me that they were going to invite my siblings and Abuela Rosa would of course be there. They would keep my news a secret so we could share it ourselves when we arrived. After I said goodnight to my parents, I went for a walk around the floor. My back was feeling much better and I refused the pain meds when they were offered.

When I returned to my room, I took a long, hot shower. I can't remember the last time that I stood under the hot water spray for so long. It was so long that the hot water actually ran out. After my shower, I dried off, dressed in some clean clothes that Bobby had provided earlier that day. I crawled into my bed and thought about my Babe. I pictured the look on her face when I finally give her the ring I bought.

Thinking about giving Stephanie that ring gave me an idea. I booted the laptop up and sent an email. Thinking about my plans put a smile on my face that was still there when I drifted off to sleep a little while later.

Next chapter will appear soon. Let me know what you think so far...