Chapter 15

"Stephanie, look at me; come on, Babe, look at me. Bobby, where the fuck are you?"

"Right here, Ranger, let me examine her," Bobby said as he knelt beside Stephanie. He looked at the wound and saw it was clean, right through the side by her love handles, if she had any. She was bleeding, but not excessively. There was no reason why she should be unconscious. He opened his kit and wrapped the wound to staunch the blood flow. Once dressed, he started to examine her for another injury. When he felt the back of her head, it was wet. Upon further examination, he concluded that she hit her head hard on the ground where a large rock was.

"Ranger, the gunshot is not an issue. It looks like it was clean, straight through. But she has a bad bump on her head and a laceration. My guess is she has a bad concussion. Either way, we need to get her to the hospital."

"The ambulance is pulling up now," Agent Wilson said. He had no idea what happened. He didn't see or hear the drone or bullet. The fact that the Ranger knew and got Stephanie out of the way is close to a miracle.

"We'll be taking her to Walter Reed. With the escort, we will get there in about thirty," Agent Johnson said. Agent Johnson was the one who coordinated the security for Mrs. Plum's funeral.

The ambulance pulled up, and the EMTs jumped out quickly. They spoke their medical jargon with Bobby and complimented his field dressing. With a quick lift, she was on the stretcher, being placed in the ambulance. Ranger started to climb in when one of the EMTs stopped him. "I'm sorry, family only."

Agent Wilson spoke to the EMT after introducing himself. "Major Manoso is to ride with Ms. Plum. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Sir," the EMT said as Ranger climbed in and sat beside Stephanie, holding her hand while they worked on her. Ranger knew concussions can often cause someone to black out, but usually not for this long. He was concerned that they were missing something.

It seemed it only took about ten minutes to get there, but they spent forty minutes traveling from Arlington National Cemetery to Walter Reed Medical Center. Once there, Stephanie was rushed into a private examination room in the emergency room. Ranger wasn't permitted inside, but since the walls were glass, he relented, keeping his eyes on Stephanie.

About five minutes after, Agent Wilson arrived. "Ranger, I've arranged for Lieutenant Brown to be in the room with her medical team. They know your company provides security for the First Daughter and will not hassle you."

"Thank you, Agent."

"Ranger, I didn't hear or see anything. If I were standing next to Stephanie, she would have been hit multiple times and may be dead. You got her down and out of the way. You saved her life."

"Yes, but she's still lying there unconscious. I failed to protect her."

"No, you didn't. No one thought about a drone. Hell, drones haven't been around that long. I wasn't even aware they could be used to fire weapons."

"Who would have access to something like that? I heard the Pentagon was testing drones for use as weapons, but from what I was told, they were not very accurate."

"I will do some digging and see if I can find anything. The President is on his way to check on Stephanie. Oh, Manoso, get that arm looked at. The last thing you need is an infection," Agent Wilson said as he walked away.

Ranger glanced down at his arm and cringed. Yeah, he needed some stitches, but he didn't want to leave Stephanie's room.

"Carlos, I'll stay here and watch her. Go get it cleaned up. I'll make sure she's safe and knows you're near," Lester said. He put his arm on Ranger's shoulder, indicating that he knew Stephanie was more than a client. Lester was thrilled his cousin, and Stephanie were in a relationship, as they both complimented each other.

"Carlos? Not Ranger?"

"No, the man who is standing here is not Ranger. Ranger would be in the war room searching through our video feeds and taking people to the mat for not preventing this. Carlos is the one who is standing outside his woman's room, hoping that she is okay. I don't blame you; Stephanie is a special woman."

Ranger shook his head a few times. "This is why I never wanted to get involved with someone. Emotions get in the way of the job. I should've fucking thought of drones or an aerial attack. I wasn't focused enough. I can't let it get in the way again. I need to remove myself."

"Absolutely not. You will not back away. Hell, Ranger, no one, and I mean no one, heard or saw those bullets. If I were standing next to Stephanie instead of you, she'd probably be dead. You saved her life. Ranger, she said she loves you. Don't walk away, don't destroy this connection. You both need it."

"It doesn't matter. The chances of the President not terminating our contract is slim to none."

"I wouldn't be so sure. Listen, we are the best; YOU are the best. Stop beating yourself up, get your arm cleaned up, and be back by Stephanie's side when she wakes up," Lester said.

Ranger was about to respond when he saw the President walking toward him and Lester. He immediately stood straighter and taller. "Sir, I am sorry that I didn't prevent your daughter from getting shot. I blame myself and my team for not being more vigilant. I understand if you want to fire Rangeman."

The President was surprised at Ranger's statement. What made him think that he would want to fire them? If it weren't for Ranger, then Stephanie would be joining Ellen. No, Ranger saved his daughter's life.

"I have no intention of firing you. There was nothing you could have done to prevent today's events. No one even thought about a drone. This was unheard of. I didn't even know it was possible. Ranger, son, listen, there is more to this than we originally thought. Now, more than ever, I need an outsider looking after my daughter."

"I should have thought of it. It is my job to think outside the box, to consider the unimaginable. I didn't do that."

"You barely had 48 hours to prepare. I'm sure you would have thought of it if there were more time to plan. Please stop beating yourself up. Thanks to you, my daughter is alive. No one knew that bullets were fired except for you."

Ranger was grateful for the President's confidence in his company's abilities. He vowed to himself to not let Stephanie get hurt again on his watch.

"Thank you, Sir, for your confidence."

"Go get that arm cleaned up. That's an order," Frank said to Ranger. Knowing that Ranger was a soldier, he knew he would obey his direct order."

"Yes, Sir," Ranger replied.

"Mr. Santos, I expect you will have men guarding my daughter while she is here."

"Yes, Sir, we will. When she is released, if she cannot travel, we can let her recuperate at one of our safe houses. It will be better to have someplace not connected to you, personally or as President."

"I agree. The Secret Service will not have any role in my daughter's security until we catch the culprit. When she is released, take her where you see fit. I do not want to know the location."

"Understood."

Frank nodded at Lester, knowing that his daughter would be safe. Then, he went into Stephanie's room to speak with the doctors.

Morelli was livid. He couldn't believe the Secret Service still allowed those civilians to protect Stephanie. They almost got her killed. This was why only professionals should be guarding the First Family. Morelli was pacing around his apartment, trying to find out how Stephanie was and the visiting hours, but he only got nothing. They said he couldn't find out even when he told them at Walter Reed that he was a Secret Service Agent. Morelli tried to call Frank, Valerie, Edna, and even Juniak, but no one answered. Hell, even his supervisor was freezing him out.

The only thing he could think to do was to go down to Walter Reed. They would let him in once he flashed his credentials and told them he was on guard duty. That's it. The nurses and volunteers there don't know he is not on First Family duty.

Morelli went to his room and put on his suit. He ensured his tie was knotted perfectly and had his shades ready. The shift change was in an hour, so if he went now, he would blend in, and no one would question him.

Morelli got into his year-old Jeep Grand Cherokee and started to drive to the hospital. Stephanie had to be alive, and she had to be okay. If she had any permanent damage, he would kill Ranger. Morelli was concerned that the bullet may have damaged her reproductive organs, which would be his luck. After all, he needed Stephanie to pop out at least four children. He wanted at least four sons to carry on the Morelli name. Stephanie was the perfect woman to provide him with his family.

He waited in his car by the main entrance, looking for the arrival of other Agents. However, he didn't see any. All he saw was the President and his detail leave. After waiting another ten minutes, he decided to head inside. They might have been using a different entrance.

When Morelli walked into the lobby, he went immediately to the information desk. "Good evening. I'm Agent Joseph Morelli with the Secret Service, and here to see Ms. Plum. Can you please tell me where her room is?" he said to the woman at the desk.

She was about twenty-five, with strawberry blonde hair and a nice rack. Morelli gave her his panty-ruining smile. She glanced at him and his credentials. "Give me one moment, please," she said.

Kasey may look young and naïve, but she is neither. The staff was warned that no one would be given information about Ms. Plum. The only men permitted to be near her room worked for a company called Rangeman. She, along with all other pertinent staff members, was given pictures of the men who would be guarding Ms. Plum. Kasey knew no Secret Service Agents were permitted near Ms. Plum unless they accompanied the President.

She turned her back to Agent Morelli and called the Rangeman contact person, Lester Santos.

"Santos."

"Sorry to bother you, but this is Kasey at the front desk. There is an Agent, Joseph Morelli, here to see Ms. Plum. Can you send someone to escort him to her room," she said, repeating what she was asked to say.

"We'll be there in five. Make sure Agent Morelli doesn't leave your sight."

"Thank you."

Kasey turned back to the Agent standing at her desk. "Someone will be here momentarily to escort you to her room."

"Thank you. You have a beautiful smile, Kasey, and I love the color of your hair."

Kasey couldn't help but feel disgusted. God, he's such a pig, she thought. "Thank you."

"Maybe you and I can have dinner together one night."

Kasey had to work hard to keep herself from gagging at that thought. "That sounds lovely. We can talk on your way out."

Ranger and Tank took their time walking down to the lobby. It was satisfying to be able to detain Morelli. Not only was he supposed to be at the Senator's residence, but he was also trying to see Stephanie when he was explicitly told not to. In the day and a half that Atlanta has been looking into Morelli's past, they found two women willing to press charges against Morelli for rape. One of those women even reported it to the police the day following the incident. However, the case stalled since she didn't know the name of the man who raped her.

Ranger called the President to inform him that he would have Morelli. The President ordered Morelli to be taken to the local police, who would then turn Morelli over to the jurisdiction where the rape charge was placed. Ranger knew more charges were coming and couldn't wait to remove the guns and credentials from this arrogant prick.

"Morelli, we didn't think we'd see you here, especially since you are supposed to guard Senator Douglas."

"What's the matter? Called in sick?" Tank said.

"Fuck you. You think you are so fucking good, but you aren't. Stephanie got shot."

"That is true, but she's not dead, but in recovery. However, Agent Morelli, you are in a heap of trouble. I guess it's good that you didn't go to work tonight. That way, you avoid the embarrassment of being arrested in front of your colleagues," Ranger said as he grabbed Morelli's arms and pulled them behind him to cuff him. Tank searched Morelli, removing his service revolver and clutch.

"You won't be needing these," Tank said.

"What the fuck! You can't do this. I'm a Secret Service agent!"

"Not for long, Morelli," Ranger said.

At that moment, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Police entered the lobby. They approached Morelli and put their cuffs on his wrists while giving Ranger back his. They once again check Morelli for weapons.

"Agent Morelli, you are under arrest," the lead officer stated, giving Morelli his revised Miranda rights.

Morelli had no idea what was happening. The only thought going through his head was, why me?

"It worked! I was able to shoot and control the direction of the bullets. I would have succeeded if that bodyguard didn't see the laser at the last moment." X told their father.

"That was foolish to use the drone. No one knew that drones could be used to fire weapons accurately. It was something I didn't want our dear government to find out."

"But they don't know for certain. I have the drone, and there is no way that they can test it. Every report and study says it cannot be done."

"But they will be questioning those reports and studies. Now, there is a chance that they will link the threats to Ms. Plum back to you. She survived with minor injuries. You were supposed to kill her."

"You don't need to worry so much. Now that it was shown that Rangeman cannot protect her, the President will look to others to protect his precious Stephanie. I will be put on her detail. I know it," X said emphatically.

"I hope you're right. If you are discovered, it will end your career, freedom, and business dealings. We need to get Stephanie out of the way to move forward with the next phase. She is a liability."

"I know. I will take care of it. I promise."

"Fine. Good night, X. Remember I love you."

"Me too."

Z hung up the phone, hoping that X was right. That was dangerous, using the drone. Now, there is a link to them. They could get rid of X. That would be one way to protect themselves. The best option, though, is to lay low for now. They knew that Morelli was the main suspect. But, he was accounted for and with other agents when Stephanie was shot. He is unequivocally exonerated now. He could not control that drone and be with other Agents simultaneously. However, his close relationship with the President and Stephanie could help them. Z hated relying on others, but they had no choice.

"Bobby, why isn't she waking up yet? It's been 24 hours. You said that she is not badly injured."

"I'm not sure. The MRI and CT scan both came back normal. It could be that the trauma of being shot in conjunction with everything else was too much for her to handle. She hit her head hard, so she has a concussion. However, her body is resting and healing. Hopefully, she'll wake up soon."

The medical team finished briefing the President, who had been here for the last hour. The medical team leaves, and the President leaves the room a few minutes later. "They say everything is normal. I won't believe them until she wakes up. Let me know the moment she wakes."

"I will," Ranger said. Looking ten years older, Frank walked down the hall with his detail following him.

Once the coast was clear, Ranger entered Stephanie's room. He sat in the chair next to her bed and again took her hand in his. Ranger felt his heart breaking into a million pieces as he watched her lie in bed. After being unable to talk to her since yesterday, he knew he didn't want to be without her. He vowed that once she was awake and healthy, he would propose.

Ranger knew it sounded crazy. After all, they had only met about a week before, be she already held his heart. He hoped that Stephanie felt the same way. Ranger barely slept, afraid he would miss the moment she woke. He knew he needed rest but felt restless.

Ranger placed his head on Stephanie's chest, listening to her heartbeat. The sound reassured him that she was still alive. He felt his eyes getting heavy and soon succumbed to sleep.

Stephanie wanted to open her eyes. Why was it so difficult? She felt something heavy on her chest and needed to move it off her. Was something on top of her? Was Ranger hurt, or worse? Stephanie needed to know what happened. She put all her effort and energy into moving her hand, resting it on the object on her chest. She felt something hair-like and stroked down, trying to determine what it was while telling her eyes to open.

Ranger felt Stephanie's hand move through his hair. Could she finally be waking up? He turned his head to look at her face and saw her eye fluttering.

"Babe, come on, open those beautiful blue eyes. I want to see your eyes. Please, Stephanie, I miss you and love you too."

Stephanie heard his voice, Ranger's voice, and knew that she was safe. She started to get her senses back. Through her nose, Steph smelled antiseptics. She heard the beeping of machines and felt the IV line in her hand. Finally, she managed to open her eyes, only to close them again quickly as it was too bright. But she slowly opened them again to see the only light source in her room was through the window shade. Ranger's face soon appeared in front of hers.

"Babe, you gave us a scare."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I had a small flesh wound on my arm. I needed four stitches. You had a bullet go through your side, but it didn't cause any damage. They gave you a few stitches and wrapped your side. However, when we fell, your head hit a large rock and knocked you unconscious. You've been unconscious for the last day."

"Do we know who it is? Are they behind bars?"

"No, but we have a few leads. I have to call your doctor. We'll talk later. I promise to fill you in."

Stephanie nodded and immediately regretted it. Moving her head caused her to realize how much it was killing her. Ranger hit the call button on her bed, and her nurse was in the room within a few minutes.

"Mr. Manoso, is there a problem?" she whispered.

"Ms. Plum is awake."

The nurse, Tamara, walked over to Stephanie. "Good afternoon. Welcome back. We were wondering when you would wake up," she said softly. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"I feel a little tired, and the light bothers my eyes. I also feel like a jackhammer is pounding my head."

"That is to be expected. I will see if I can give you some pain medication. I will call your doctor in so he can examine you. I expect you must stay here one more day before you can be released."

Tamara went about collecting Stephanie's vitals and recording them in her chart. A few minutes later, the neurologist, Dr. Segal, entered the room. Dr. Segal was a tall, lanky man in his mid-fifties. He had classic male pattern baldness and chose to keep his hair short. He had kind eyes.

"Hello, Ms. Plum. I'm Dr. Segal, your neurologist. You got a nasty bump on your head which caused you to lose consciousness for about one day. It is not unheard of, but not the typical response. We took an MRI and a CT scan. Both came back perfectly. Let me examine you, then I will answer your questions."

Dr. Segal looked into her eyes to see their response to the light. He had her follow his hand with her eyes. Then, the doctor had her touch her nose and then his finger. He felt several places on her face, arms, and legs to ensure she had proper touch sensations. Then, he tested her reflexes.

"Clinically, everything looks great. Nurse Tamara tells me you have a killer headache, light sensitivity, and fatigue. Is that true?"

"Yes, Dr. Segal."

"How would you rate your pain on a scale of one to ten?"

"Nine."

"Okay. I will prescribe a high dose of acetaminophen to help with the headache. How bad is the light sensitivity?"

"About a five."

"That's good. We will keep the lights low for now and gradually increase the intensity as you become accustomed to the light. I want you to stay here another 24 hours. If everything stays the same or improves, you will be discharged tomorrow. In the meantime, I don't recommend you watch television or read, but I do recommend you talk or listen to music at a low volume. You need some stimulation, but stop if it causes more discomfort."

"Thank you."

"do you have any questions?"

"Will I be able to resume my normal activities tomorrow?"

"No, you must rest a few days to a week. You can do any activities you feel comfortable doing, but I don't recommend flying for at least ten days; two weeks would be ideal."

"Oh, but I'm supposed to be in Minnesota this weekend."

"You are going to have to cancel any appointments for the next week. Loud noises may bother you. You need rest, my dear."

Stephanie sighed. Now she couldn't campaign. She didn't want to be stuck in the White House. That would be torture.

"Thank you, doctor."

"I'll be back before I leave this afternoon and in the morning to check in on you. You can have a regular meal, but I suggest you eat slowly. Tamara, please let me know if Stephanie experiences any nausea."

"Yes, doctor."

Dr. Segal left Stephanie's room.

"I'm going to get those pain meds. I'll be back in a jiffy," Tamara said.

"Hot damn. I think I have a lead," Cal said.

"What? What did you find out?" Lester asked.

"One general has been working on weaponizing drones for the last few years. His research states that there is no way to weaponize a drone accurately, but from examining the test results, I think he fudging his findings. What is even better is that his daughter is a Secret Service agent. She is currently assigned to foreign dignitary duty."

"Good. Keep digging. See what we can find out about our suspects."

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Someone has commented that whenever they see "SS" for the Secret Service, they think of the Nazis. I didn't even consider that when I used it. So I will stop using that abbreviation. I will, at some point, edit the earlier chapters, but for now, I apologize if that was a trigger for you. :-) Please keep reading and reviewing. That's how us authors get paid.