Hector was pleased with himself. He captured Morelli for Stephanie Plum, his boss and friend's wife. When Hector arrived at the precinct, the banging in the back of the truck had intensified. Tank had appeared to ensure Morelli got taken into custody. He called Eddie Gazarra to have the honours of the grand reveal. Release. Whatever one had decided to call it.
Morelli jumped from the back, meaner than a snake and ready to fight. "Where is she?" he demanded, looking at the crowd which accumulated in the back parking lot of the precinct. Eddie and Carl grabbed Morelli's arms, roughly pulling them behind his back to cuff them together. Morelli's chest heaved from the fury he felt inside. He wanted to pound Stephanie's face into the ground.
"Who?" Eddie asked, confused at Morelli's demand for a nonspecific woman.
"That fucking cunt Stephanie," Joe screamed, thrusting his shoulder into Carl Costanza, causing the man to stumble. Carl caught his footing and shoved Morelli. Other officers gathered to support Eddie and Costanza. Big Dog moved to stand beside his partner, Carl.
More people gathered in the parking lot. Others stopped their vehicles in the street to record the spectacular scene at the precinct. Several people took photos while others live-streamed the footage on Facebook to share with friends and family around the globe.
Horns honked as the cars attempted to drive around those stopped in the street. "Move it, asshole!" a man shouted.
"No! They caught Morelli," someone else replied. They put their cars in park and joined the crowd. Nobody in their right mind would miss the action.
Tank leaned against the black Rangeman SUV with his arms crossed on his chest and his sunglasses firmly in place. He grinned at the show Morelli provided to his coworkers, family and friends, wondering how the hotheaded man became a detective. Tank raised a hand to lower his shades. He caught Hector's eye and raised an eyebrow. Hector pointed to the camera directed at Joe's location. Tank grinned while chuckling inside. His man, Hector, was having the show filmed for their viewing pleasure.
"Stephanie is in the hospital fighting for her life, asshole. Ramirez found her cuffed naked to the fucking shower rod last night. He nearly killed her," Carl Costanza yelled, rubbing Joe's biggest mistake in his face. Joe's face paled. Everyone in the parking lot gathered to hear about Stephanie.
The hospital staff was tight lipped. They refused to cross Ranger or his team of men by discussing Stephanie's case in front of the media. Tank relaxed his position to ensure Junior and Manny were keeping watch at the hospital. Stephanie got moved to the step-down room in a secured area, but it didn't stop people from trying to gather intel.
Carl's announcement guaranteed a horde of unexpected guests at the hospital, hoping to catch a glimpse of Stephanie at her worst. It was bad enough when the Trenton Times published a photograph of Stephanie after getting tossed into the dumpster during her third day as a bounty hunter. Neither Stephanie nor Ranger needed to deal with the nosy busybodies of the Burg while Stephanie's trying to heal from her injuries.
Manny replied to confirm they were in the waiting area near Stephanie's room. He promised to keep Tank updated and the nosy looky-loos away. Tank smiled and shoved his phone into his back pocket. He resumed his position, crossing his arms on his chest. It amused Tank when a few people stepped away from his threatening stance.
"You knew Ramirez had fixated on her," Tank added, deciding to add more details for the vipers waiting to sink their teeth into unsuspecting prey.
"I gave her a phone to call for help!" Joe yelled, not denying the accusation of cuffing Stephanie to her shower rod naked.
"It was too late. A neighbour said Ramirez entered her apartment less than ten minutes after you left," Eddie said, getting in Joe's face while forcing him to take a step back.
The women standing in the crowd gasped while the men glared in disbelief. Nobody wanted to believe Joseph Morelli, the best detective in the TPD, would knowingly put a resident in a precarious situation.
"Stephanie should have stayed away from Ramirez. She should have called for help. When I left, the key was on the floor between the toilet and vanity," Joe argued, defending his actions. He refused to take responsibility for Stephanie getting attacked by the boxer.
"Stephanie couldn't reach the key. Why didn't you give Stephanie the key instead of the phone? She did call someone. It doesn't matter who she contacted. Nobody would have arrived in time unless they were already in her parking lot," Eddie explained. "You never should have cuffed her to the shower rod. Why did you?"
Eddie was practically vibrating in anger. Morelli was always a selfish, ignorant and arrogant man. His attitude nearly got Stephanie killed. Eddie wanted Morelli to get charged with accessory to aggravated assault, unlawful restraint and unlawful confinement.
"I got pissed off that she removed the distributor cap from my Jeep," Joe replied as he hung his head, feeling guilty for the first time during the exchange. "It wasn't in her apartment. Stephanie refused to tell me where she stashed it."
Robin Russell straightened her back in pride. She was impressed Stephanie pulled one over on Joe Morelli. Even bared to Morelli, Stephanie never caved. She was a strong woman. Robin stopped a man from approaching Morelli.
Officers poured out of the precinct, assembling efficiently to hold back the crowd attempting to push toward the cops near the refrigerated truck.
"She hid it inside the azaleas," Tank calmly said, providing the logical location to hide the object from view. "I returned it to your Jeep." Tank uncrossed his arms and stepped away from the SUV. He reached for the papers on the passenger side seat and gave the apprehension documents to Eddie, proving Stephanie was the agent assigned to the case.
"How was I supposed to know Ramirez had her address?" Joe asked, trying to find another way to redeem himself. Morelli knew he should never have cuffed Stephanie to the shower rod.
"I know you listened to the police radio," Carl snapped. "The call went out for Dembrowski to interview Stephanie. Everyone knows Dembrowski got assigned the Ramirez case."
"How does that translate to Ramirez having her address?" Morelli asked. Joe wanted to know why they were trying to vilify him. He was innocent. Why couldn't anyone see that?
"You really are a fucking idiot. Stephanie gave him a business card with her home telephone number. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do a reverse check on the number," Carl replied. He shook his head and walked away from Morelli. Pounding common sense into Morelli's head was futile. There was no way to fix the situation or undo the damage done.
Joe let Eddie take him inside the precinct for booking. He reminded Eddie to have the forensics team collect evidence from the truck. His missing witnesses were in the back. Joe prayed the misfired gun was somewhere in the mix. He was too focused on proving his innocence and getting his car back that he didn't consider anything else. Helen would never let him date Stephanie. He blew his chance the second the cuffs clicked around her wrist.
Eddie was furious. Morelli didn't give a shit about Stephanie. Joe probably didn't feel remorse for restraining Stephanie to her shower curtain. All Morelli wanted was to prove his innocence. "Disappointing," Eddie muttered while dragging Joe into the precinct to book him. Robin Russell followed her partner into the station. She gently tugged the apprehension papers from Eddie to give to the intake officer.
"How's Stephanie?" Carl asked Tank when Eddie, Robin and Morelli disappeared inside the precinct. Carl was worried about Stephanie since the cruisers and emergency vehicles got dispatched to her apartment. He had a soft spot for the blue-eyed brunette.
"The doctor has her heavily sedated. She had another blood transfusion today," Tank quietly replied while watching the crowd around him. "Most of the men donated during the night."
"Wow. Do the guys know her?" Carl asked. Morelli spread horrible stories about the men working with Ranger. Carl knew they were opening a security company in the area. Hearing the men donated to the blood bank for a perfect stranger made Carl wonder if Morelli had lied.
"No, but they work for her husband," Tank replied. He grinned while Carl stood there looking confused. "You shouldn't believe the rumours spread by Morelli," Tank offered. Carl furrowed his brow. Big Dog pulled Carl away from Tank. The officers went to the road and ordered the cars to move.
Lester arrived a few minutes later with Hector's purple scion. He got stuck in traffic a few blocks away from the police department. "Man, why do you drive this piece of crap?" Lester asked, speaking in Spanish. Lester watched the crowd around the precinct disperse. He raised an eyebrow in question, wondering if he missed the show.
"It helps me blend in," Hector joked. Lester rolled his eyes. There was no way to "blend in" driving the crappy purple scion. "You did miss the show, but I have it on video." Hector pointed to the camera attached to the brick above the door. Lester nodded in appreciation. He couldn't wait to watch the footage of Detective Joseph Morelli making a total ass out of himself.
"Why are you still here, Tank?" Lester asked. He knew Tank was standing in for Ranger, who refused to leave Stephanie's side until she was out of the woods.
"Waiting for the body receipt for Morelli. I want to grab the cheque from Connie and deposit it for Stephanie," Tank replied. Lester nodded. He would have done the same. Lester checked his watch, wondering how long it would take for Gazarra to return with the paperwork. "You could go inside to grab it," Tank suggested, noticing Lester bouncing from foot to foot with impatience.
Eddie returned twenty minutes later with the body receipt. Hector's name got recorded as the enforcement agent working on Stephanie's behalf. "All goes to Stephanie," Hector said when he gave Tank the receipt. Tank nodded. He knew Stephanie would insist on half going to Hector, but Tank would honour Hector's request.
Tank left to visit the bonds office before it closed. He passed the receipt to Connie, who pulled the chequebook from the drawer. She flipped to the page and recorded the details on the left side of the ledger. Connie raised her head. "Do I write half for Hector and half for Stephanie?" she asked.
"All for Stephanie," Tank replied. He patiently waited for Connie to complete her process. She held her hand over the left-hand side to protect the ledger from tearing away with the cheque. Tank nodded and left the office. He checked the time and went to the bank up the street, relieved it was open for another thirty minutes.
"Hello," the teller greeted. Tank gave her the cheque with Stephanie's name. "I'm Marion, Stephanie's cousin. Is she going to live?" Tank nodded. He didn't want to engage in small talk when he had other jobs to do. "Thank God," Marion replied as she completed the transaction. Marion gave Tank a copy of the deposit slip for Stephanie. Tank tucked it into his shirt pocket, then silently left the bank. He drove to Ranger's house to file the receipt in the appropriate folder. Tank would join the others at the hospital.
~~~
Hector, Lester and Bobby went to the hospital to check on Stephanie and Ranger. Bobby followed Hector's car to the hospital. He parked in the parking area, finding a spot closest to the door. Hector grinned and parked beside Bobby. They had excellent parking karma.
Bobby got stopped by the nurse at the information desk. He approached his friend and asked, "Is something wrong with Steph?" Bobby was afraid of how Ranger would react if Stephanie died or got rushed back into surgery.
Mindy smiled at Bobby. She gently touched his arm as she leaned forward to whisper, "She's in the step-down room on the fifth floor." Mindy smiled at the woman behind Bobby. He nodded in thanks and walked to the bank of elevators out of view from the information desk.
Lester pointed to the waiting room beyond the nurse's station, where Frank and Ranger sat. Frank and Ranger quietly talked in the waiting room when Lester, Bobby and Hector arrived. "I thought you'd be with Stephanie," Lester said as he approached the men. "When did they move her from the ICU?"
"The doctor's examining Stephanie. She got moved this morning," Ranger explained. Lester nodded. He knew moving Stephanie was good news. Bobby approached the door to Stephanie's unit. He knocked lightly and waited for the doctor.
"May I help you?" she asked. The doctor appraised the man, wondering if he was Bobby Brown, the man Nancy told her to expect.
"I'm Bobby Brown, the medic at Rangeman. How is Stephanie doing?" he asked. Suki smiled at Bobby and appreciated his muscular frame. Bobby was precisely her type. His milk chocolate coloured skin was tantalizing. She watched the biceps flex as he pushed the door open. Suki mentally fanned herself when he turned his back and closed the door. Bobby smiled, catching her eyes shift to look at his ass.
Suki cleared her throat. "Everything looks good. I'm Suki Burt. We still have Mrs. Manoso heavily sedated. I was about to call the nurse to change the bandages," she replied, her voice sounding husky from desire. She smiled when Bobby offered to help. Bobby washed his hands and wore the paper gown and mask to prevent germ transfer. "You've done this before."
Bobby attached the dressings and bandages with expert military precision. "I received training in the army," Bobby explained. "I have more than enough experience." The doctor and Bobby worked together to change the bandages. "Stephanie's leg feels hot."
"Oh dear," Suki said. She grabbed a thermometer to check Stephanie's temperature. "It's a bit higher than a few hours ago." Suki showed Bobby the thermometer reading 102.9ºF. "Does she have any allergies?" Bobby felt ashamed. Gathering the patient's history was vital to treatment. Nobody thought to ask Stephanie's family or check the medical files for allergies.
"None that I know. Let me check with her father. He's in the waiting room," Bobby replied.
Frank and Ranger looked toward Stephanie's room when the door slid open. Bobby waved them over. "Is Stephanie okay?" Frank asked, afraid Bobby had bad news. Frank was partially correct.
"She's running a fever. There was no need to administer an antibiotic before now. Does she have any allergies?" Bobby asked.
"Only Penicillin," Frank replied. Bobby thanked Frank and promised to update everyone soon. Frank announced, "I got them to take her off Vicodin while you were in the washroom. She doesn't respond well to those drugs. They have her on morphine."
"I told them to avoid fentanyl," Ranger said. Frank agreed it was a wise decision. He didn't want Stephanie to get addicted to heavy drugs. "Does your wife know about Stephanie?" Ranger raised an eyebrow waiting for Frank to answer the question, though he assumed Helen didn't know.
"Not yet," Frank said when they returned to the waiting room for the doctor to finish treating Stephanie. "Have you gone home to sleep?"
"No. I'm not leaving until Stephanie does," Ranger replied. Ranger knew Frank went home to speak to his wife. He returned early that morning to check on Stephanie.
Twenty minutes later, Bobby returned to the waiting room with the doctor. "Stephanie's on antibiotics and acetaminophen to reduce the fever. I want to see her temperature drop a few degrees before anyone enters the room," Dr. Burt said. Ranger nodded though he wasn't amused. "Mr. Manoso."
"Ranger," he corrected.
Dr. Burt smiled kindly. "Ranger, you may sit with your wife once her fever decreases. A nurse will check on your wife in an hour," she explained. "I suggest only you and Frank visit inside Stephanie's room for the next twenty-four hours."
Frank slapped Ranger's shoulder. "I'll wait with you, son," Frank said.