Chapter 20 - Moving Forward

RPOV - St. Francis Hospital

It's been six hours since the takedown. After arriving on the scene I immediately took Steph into my arms and she promptly passed out. The rest of the core team worked on getting Hal and Vince out of the wreck and secured the suspect. I was unhappy that we underestimated our target and weren't able to protect my Babe but I was also extremely proud of her for the takedown.

Once the paramedics arrived on the scene I took Steph to the first one and we were rushed to the hospital. When we arrived the doctor examined her and determined that she had a concussion and a sprained wrist but other than that she was okay. He explained that she likely passed out due to the trauma from the concussion and adrenaline crash. Steph was admitted to a room to recover until she woke up and the final tests could be performed. I have been sitting next to her bed ever since. Hector brought in Steph's parents, grandma, and sister who stopped by to give Steph well wishes and a quick prayer before going home.

Steph's eyes began to stir. "No, I don't want to go with you." she started to mumble. "Carlos? You're here"

"Babe? It's Okay. You're okay. It's Safe. It's me Carlos. It's safe to open your eyes." Her eyes fluttered fully open looking into mine. She paused for a moment before she slowly leaned forward and kissed me.

"Stephanie. I love you." I told her as the emotion overwhelmed me.

"I love you too Carlos." She reached her hand up to caress my Jaw as I did the same to her. A few moments later she spoke first. "So tell me what's the damage? When can I get out of here? Wait! Oh my god Hal and Vince are they okay?! I need to go and check on them" I cut her off as she started to get worked up. I moved the wires she was attached to and nudged her to scoot over so I could join her on the bed.

"What do you remember Babe?"

"Well I remember the car crash. The car flipped and then we were upside down. I was able to get myself turned around and check on Hal and Vince. Hal, he was unconscious but he had a pulse and Vince was awake but his leg was crushed. Then my leg was pulled and then I was on the ground being dragged back to a car. I chose to fight when I realized it was Blade trying to kidnap me." She paused.

"You did fight and I'm proud of you Babe. You took down the enemy and you saved yourself."

"I did" She had a smile that almost reached her ears. "Don't worry though Carlos I will always need you but it's good to know I can count on myself too."

"I will always be there Babe. Now you asked about Hal and Vince. Hal was rushed into surgery; he has a brain contusion that resulted in intracranial hemorrhages and a few broken ribs. The surgeon told Bobby that he believes that Hal will recover if they can control the bleeding in his brain. Vince also has a concussion but it is more severe than yours. His leg was crushed on impact and he broke several bones in his right leg and foot. They are still accessing the damage and he is also in surgery to reset the bones. They hope that he will make a full recovery but if it becomes infected they may have to take the leg."

As I was finishing the update Bobby and Lester walked back into the room.

"Beautiful you're awake." Lester came over to hug her and give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Did you guys take care of Blade and what about Morelli?" Steph pushed the conversation along.

"Tank and Hector are working with the FBI and the TPD to turn over all the evidence. I suspect both will be looking at a long long time in prison." I responded. Bobby had returned with the doctor now.

"Ms. Plum, good to see you awake. I just need to go through a few standard tests and then we should be able to release you into the care of Mr. Brown here. I suppose they told you about your injuries already?" She nodded "Okay then I will cut to the chase. Your wrist suffered a minor sprain and will take 3 to 6 weeks to heal completely. You will need to avoid lifting heavy things, avoid sudden movements, and take it easy." He moved over to perform some basic concussion checks. "You have a moderate concussion you may experience some lightheadedness, memory loss, headaches, nausea, and difficulty focusing. If it develops into stronger symptoms like fainting or excessive vomiting please inform Mr. Brown as we will need to reevaluate and get an additional scan of your brain to ensure there is no more permanent damage. Any Questions?" Steph told the Doctor no so he wrote out a prescription for some pain meds and then went over a treatment plan with Bobby before leaving the room to get the nurse to start on the discharge paperwork.

"Bobby, How are Hal and Vince?" Steph asked.

"Both are out of surgery and in the ICU recovery wing. Both got through their surgeries and are expected to survive but they will be in the hospital for a few weeks. Tank has already arranged to fly in Hal's sister and Vince's mom and brother."

The nurse entered and we signed about a hundred papers before leaving the room. Steph wanted to stop and see Hal and Vince so we stopped by the ICU and Steph gave each of them a light kiss on the forehead and thanked them for protecting her before we went home.

TPOV - Rangeman

It's been almost four weeks since the takedown. After the accident I was tasked with securing the scene and working with law enforcement to tie up all the loose ends. Immediately after I made sure that our men and Steph were taken care of and on their way to the hospital I worked with Agent Anders from the FBI to secure Blade. We took him back to Trenton for interrogation. After 26 hours we officially got all of the information we needed to be able to close the case.

For the first few hours he refused to talk but after a few blows to his ego about getting taken down by the Bombshell Bounty Hunter and letting that prick Joe Morelli make all his decisions he cracked. He told us all of the people involved including Joe, Rodriguez, two prison guards who assisted in allowing the visits, the local guns dealer who supplied the weapons for the shooting, and the names of the two gang members he contracted to assist in the scouting of Rangeman, Stephanie, the Bar, and the car crash. Overall 8 people were implicated in the schemes and they would all be facing either state or federal charges with some going to see both. The gang members died in the crash though after one crashed into the SUV from behind and the other on the drivers side which caused the truck to flip.

We were able to work out a deal with Agent Anders and the FBI to get the charges for Rodriguez we had learned of his betrayal Hector was able to get a 5 million dollar life insurance policy backdated so it wouldn't look suspicious and set it up to be paid out to his wife. Once we were sure that everything was set we dropped him off at the doorstep of one of the loan sharks who Ranger had contact with. Three days later his body was found in an alley in Atlantic City and his death was ruled a heart attack. Hector informed us a few days ago that his wife Maria and his children would be taking the money and moving to California to start over in a place where it was sunny more often. I had a feeling that Hector and Manny would continue to watch over them.

Joe Juniak after hearing of all the events, assured Ranger that Stephanie and the other Rangemen wouldn't have to testify and that the prosecutions would move through the courts quickly. Currently I was sitting in my office waiting for the Rangeman lawyers to call in the verdicts from today's sentencing hearings for Joe Morelli and Blade whos real name was Marshall Taylors. Blade had pleaded guilty after his confession in hopes of a deal he never got. Morelli of course denied any responsibility but was found guilty due to the confessions of the others and the phone and visitor logs.

The phone rang when I was in the middle of a patrol report. "Yo"

"Tank. It's Jackson. The proceedings for the day have been completed. Morelli was given an additional 25 years in prison giving him 65 years total. His visitation rights have also been taken away. He will be entering general population in two weeks. Since he's a former cop I don't see him making it much longer. Taylors was sentenced to 30 years for the conspiracy and attempted murder. Additionally he was given 30 years for the mass shooting scene he caused in Atlantic City. He will be moved to a federal prison out of state."

"Good. Keep me updated if there's anything else you need from us. Will we still see you here on Friday?"

"Yep! My son and I are looking forward to it!"

"See you Friday" I locked up my computer and then headed to Ranger's office to tell him and Steph the good news.

SPOV - The Batcave

"Julie! Carlos! It's time for breakfast!" I yelled up the stairs at the house. I had spent the past 30 minutes preparing breakfast for my family. I never thought I would enjoy providing meals for a family like my mother always insisted I do but it turns out I actually enjoy cooking so I have come to enjoy doing this. Carlos and Julie help me in the kitchen even cook sometimes and I get to kick back and relax. We still allow Ella to cook for us when we are at Rangeman though. It also helped that this wasn't the only thing I had to do and I was able to work and not be tied to a stove or ironing board.

The first week after the accident I was essentially put on bedrest by Carlos and Bobby to ensure I didn't injure myself further. We opted to stay at Rangeman for the week too so Bobby could monitor me more closely. Julie asked to stay with Carlos's parents for the week so we could focus on my healing. The week wasn't too bad though. I wasn't allowed to use electronics or spend much time outside or under lights but that didn't stop me from being able to get some painting done to use as decor for our house. I also wasn't allowed to get too physical Carlos so we had to get creative but we made it work. Bobby wasn't too happy when he found out but Carlos threatened him with mat time and he dropped it.

The second week was much moved back to our house and I was able to work half days for the home office in the mornings. In the afternoons my friends, including several of the Rangemen were able to visit and one of the days we were able to help Lula, Tank, and Sally Sweet pick a wedding cake. Another day I helped Bobby and Lester put together a list of things they wanted in a house. They were current;y living in a two bedroom rowhouse near the office but they wanted to move into something much larger after seeing the home Carlos owned. My grandma also visited and told me all about a new guy she started seeing and about the 40 thousand she won playing the slot machines in Atlantic City on a trip with the senior center. My parents stopped by as well and my mom brought pineapple upside down cake and lasagna. They also told me that they were taking a trip to Italy to visit my dad's sister and her family so I was to look out for my sister who was still suffering from morning sickness.

In the third week Bobby and my primary doctor also cleared me to resume training and normal activity as long as I took breaks and only did every other day until I worked my stamina back up. Fish and Jace visited the house everyday as we trained for our final exams. The finals were going to determine if we would become full time Rangemen. We were all pretty confident in our shooting, driving, and B&E skills now after spending many hours of practice over the last six months. We would have to also pass a written exam on all of the Rangeman protocols, take a test on our chosen specialties, and the one we were most nervous about; survive at least half of the fifteen minute spar sessions with the 8 members of the core team, now 7 due to Hal's injuries.

The whole process would take a week and there were 2 recruits from Miami, 3 from Atlanta, and 1 from Boston that would be joining us for their finals. The core team scheduled the events to begin this week, four weeks after my accident. With the conclusion on Friday or the Fourth of July. We would be having a big barbecue celebration on the roof of Rangeman after we finished.

"Hey Babe" Carlos entered the kitchen and sat down to eat. He had been working out in the home gym that was put in when the basement was finished when we were staying at Rangeman. He had paid extra to get it done quicker.

"Hey you! What's on your agenda today?" I served him half a bagel with lox and an egg white omelet with low fat cheese and spinach that Ella taught me how to make. It was Saturday and he wasn't scheduled to work.

"Not much, I was actually thinking we all should spend the day at the beach house in point pleasant. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Julie said, sitting down at the table already in her swimsuit and a pair of shorts. "I was going to swim in our pool but a beach day sounds much better!"

"Okay. Why don't we invite Val, Albert, and the girls to join us?" I asked. They both nodded so I got my phone out to make the call. They agreed to go with us and we made plans to pick them up along the way. Carlos called the other Core Team members who were off for the day and asked them to join as well. Cal said he would swing by and pick up Val's family. The last piece was calling Carlos's Parents to secure the vacation house for the weekend. We were cashing in one of our weekends we won from the easter egg hunt. They confirmed the house would be available for all of us.

We got to the house two hours later after stopping at the store to get groceries for the day. We arrived and were just opening the house up when everyone else arrived. The men started to take the chairs from the garage and a few from the pool area and carrying them down to the beach area. Me, Lula, Val, and the kids including julie, Val's kids and Lula and Tank's twins helped us put the groceries away and then made sure everyone was properly sunscreened and safety equipment was put on including life jackets for the littlest ones. The boys came back in and helped get the cooler and children down to the area they set up. Me and Lula helped Val navigate down to the beach and get settled in a lounge chair.

"How's the pregnancy going Val?" I asked as I fot settled on my chair under the beach umbrella. Carlos was sitting behind me so I leaned back into his chest.

"It's been okay. The morning sickness was brutal this time but it's gotten better. Grandma has been helping me out during the day since mom and dad left. Albert hasn't been working much either, so he's been able to keep the girls busy." Val responded while looking out at Albert who was playing with Lisa in the water.

"I know this isn't quite my place and we aren't technically family yet but how are you finances Val?" Carlos asked her. I normally would have stayed out of it but I was curious myself.

"Oh well. I guess okay we don't have a lot but we're surviving but I am worried that if the business doesn't pick up that we will start to struggle when this little guy gets here. Oops I haven't told you that yet stupid pregnancy brain."

"You're having a boy? That's wonderful Val. Dad's gonna be so happy."

"Val what kind of law does Albert practice?" Carlos resumed the conversation.

"I'm not entirely sure but I know that he mostly represents those who get into accidents and divorced men. We can ask him though. Hey Cuddle Umpkins!" Val called out. Albert picked up Lisa and walked back to join us on the chairs.

"What's up darling?"

"Ranger and Steph wanted to know what kind of law you practiced." He confirmed that he practiced divorce law but also dabbled in personal injury law.

"Where did you go to law school?" Carlos asked.

"William and Mary down in Virginia, my hometown."

"They have a pretty good program in Contract Law right?"

"Yes they do, that's what I practiced before being laid off and moving to Trenton and opening my own practice."

"Have you ever thought about getting back into contracts?

"Oh well just after being laid off yes but Trenton isn't exactly a hotspot for contract law positions and I would hate to uproot my family. My Val and the girls need to be near their family."

"You know I have an opening for a contract lawyer here in Trenton you should apply." He reached behind him and pulled out his wallet and handed Albert a business card. "Send your resume to the email on that card and we can set up an interview for you."

"Th… Thank you Mr. Manoso.. Uh Ranger.. Um sir. Thank you for the opportunity!" Albert stumbled over the generosity of my Batman before getting up and attempting to hug Carlos which also included me. He turned to Val handing her the card and kissing her before picking Lisa up once again and running back to water like a child at recess.

"Thank you Carlos and Stephanie for giving him this opportunity. I hope that he is able to pass your interview process." Val said as tears started dripping from her eyes.

"You do for family Val it's not a problem" I suspected Albert would get the job regardless considering we didn't actually have an opening. I got up and hugged her and handed her some napkins to dry her tears.

Bobby POV Point Pleasant

The day at the beach was just what we all needed after the tense couple of weeks. It's too bad Hector and Ram couldn't join us cause they had to be on duty. Maybe that's something the core team ought to look into. We spent most of the morning at the beach before everyone started getting hungry and the littlest ones had to take their naps. Once Tank's twins and then Val and Lisa were sleeping the rest of us packed up the beach set up and hung out at the pool the rest of the day.

Cal, Ranger, and Lester prepped a large BBQ dinner for everyone including hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, potato salad, regular salad, and lots of other sides like chips, dips, and veggie trays. Everyone had settled around the table about to dig into our dinner when Lester clinked his fork against his glass and stood up. I looked up at him knowing what he was about to do and was excited to finally surprise everyone with something about our lives.

"Girls and Boys while today's adventure may have been impromptu we" He placed his hand on my shoulders. "Would like to use this time to share some exciting news with the jury. WE GOT MARRIED!"

"Shut Up! When?!" Steph squealed.

"Last weekend we drove to Atlantic City and got hitched."

"Why didn't you tell any of us?" Cal chimed in.

"Well we thought about having a big wedding and inviting our friends and families but then we realized none of that mattered to us and we just wanted to be married. So on Friday after our shift we drove out to Atlantic City and made it official. We plan to donate some of the funds we saved for the wedding and then buy a new house with the rest." I explained.

"Well I would've had appreciated being in the know and witnessing the event. I am so happy for you too. Congratulations." Steph concluded. Everyone else including the kids in the room congratulated us and we began to dig in. About 5 mins after the initial conversation Ranger finally spoke up.

"I can't believe I didn't know." Ranger scolded himself.

"You can't know everything Bossman." Tank said. "Besides one of these days Lester was gonna beat you at your own games. You're just lucky it took him 30 years." Tank started belly laughing causing everyone else at the table to start laughing before returning to our individual conversations. I leaned over and placed a kiss on Lester's lips. "We finally pulled off the surprise we were intending I love you Lester."

"I love you too, Bobby." He responded.