Valerie returned home a few days after the divorce hearing. She was relieved that part of her life was over. It was bittersweet when the judge awarded Valerie half the marital assets, then another twenty-five percent of Steve's award got moved to Valerie as a one-time payment. Steve would have to pay twenty-five percent of his income once he gets released from prison. His trial for statutory rape, fraud and embezzlement would start in a few months.
Bethanne miscarried the baby. She attempted to recant her confession, but the investigators uncovered her plans on her laptop and in her diary. In her handwriting were the plans, account numbers and other pertinent information to steal money from Valerie. They also discovered Bethanne planned to double-cross Steve once she had the baby. Every thought, plan and action was written in black and white. The prosecution wanted Bethanne charged as an adult. Her trial would commence in a few days.
Valerie couldn't care less what they did to Bethanne. The viperous skank needed to stay away from Valerie and her daughters. It was laughable when the defence attorney asked Valerie to testify as a character witness for Bethanne. Valerie went to the prosecutor and got him to depose her so she could return home to her daughters. Everything got recorded as though she sat on the witness stand issuing her testimony.
Marty drove Valerie to the airport to say goodbye. He had to take his recruits on a two-month tour. It was the last time he'd see Valerie until he finished the six-month term. Valerie was disappointed they didn't have sex, but Marty wanted them to do things right. She jumped into a sexual relationship with Steve. Marty told Valerie to masturbate or use a vibrator. Her face turned red, but she agreed to give it a try.
The flight home was uneventful. Ram waited at the airport with the girls for her arrival. Angie and Mary Alice were happy to see their mother. Valerie was glad to be home, but she already missed Marty.
~~~~~
It was seven weeks after the assault when the medical restrictions got lifted. Stephanie got frustrated when the doctor hadn't cleared her at six weeks. However, she got her eggs harvested, then frozen instead of getting them implanted into Jeanne Ellen's uterus. It didn't make sense to freeze both sets of embryos and wait for Jeanne Ellen to be ready to carry a baby during her next cycle.
Carlos and Stephanie had six embryos frozen, waiting until they both were ready to have babies. The decision was easy once Stephanie learned Jeanne Ellen's embryos were ready within a few days. It didn't make sense to freeze those when Jeanne Ellen was ready to get pregnant immediately. Wasting precious time didn't seem logical to Carlos, either. Besides, Stephanie wanted to have sex with her husband before moving forward with their surrogacy plan. Jeanne Ellen and Jordan cried when Stephanie and Carlos gave them the news.
"But I agreed to have your babies first," Jeanne Ellen cried. Her hormones were wild from the injections and implantation. It wasn't the first time Jeanne Ellen whined to Stephanie, who had to suppress her giggles when the tough Jeanne Ellen got emotional.
"Jeanne, I know it was not in the plans," Stephanie patiently said. "We explained why we postponed having children. Your embryos and uterus were ready. It made sense to take care of having your baby first."
"We still had to freeze some, Steph," Jeanne Ellen argued.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "It was perfect timing for you and Jordan to start a family. I swear the stars were in alignment. We would have needed to wait another month, and our embryos would have gotten frozen anyway. Think of it as a win-win scenario," Stephanie said. "Carlos and I can use the next two years to explore our marriage and do everything newlyweds do."
Jeanne Ellen hugged Stephanie. "Okay. I'll stop bringing it up as long as you don't discuss having sex with my brother," Jeanne Ellen promised.
"Thank you," Stephanie replied. "Are you sure this time? I recall you saying that a few times before." Stephanie had fun teasing Jeanne Ellen.
"Jordan's working. He's on a surveillance shift with Carlos. Are you coming to the appointment with me?" Jeanne Ellen asked, hoping Stephanie was available for the trip.
"Sure. But I have Lester as my bodyguard today." Jeanne Ellen looked over her shoulder, seeing Lester lurking around the cubicles, impatiently waiting for Stephanie to leave the office. Stephanie didn't like having a shadow when she left Rangeman, but Morelli got released from rehab on the twenty-first day of treatment. His first stop was dropping a resume off at Rangeman after the TPD police chief refused to rehire him. Carlos shredded the application upon learning Morelli got dishonourably discharged from the Navy. Rangeman couldn't afford to hire men unwilling to follow direct orders.
"That's fine. I have to take Bobby too," Jeanne Ellen replied. Her shadow was sitting on a chair, spinning in circles. Bobby looked bored, waiting for Jeanne Ellen to ask Stephanie to accompany her to the appointment. Jeanne Ellen hoped at least one embryo implanted.
Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen linked arms as they approached the men. They had enough time to drive to the clinic and register for the examination. Jeanne Ellen was nervous. She was afraid it didn't take. Tons of women went through IVF for years without an embryo implanting. The words, 'five embryos,' kept swimming through her mind. They implanted two. Jeanne Ellen only had three left unless Ram agreed to donate another sample. It wasn't something she wanted to do again. The mood swings were horrible.
"Are you thinking about the hormone injections to harvest eggs again?" Stephanie asked when they got in the car.
"And the fact I only have three embryos frozen if this one doesn't take," Jeanne Ellen replied.
"The doctor harvested nine eggs from me, but only six became viable embryos. We still don't know how many would survive when it's time to implant them. All of yours got fertilized. It's going to give you at least two babies. I can see it," Stephanie said.
"But your dream said I had a baby, and your kids were older," Jeanne Ellen explained. Stephanie finally understood her sister-in-law's fear.
"Maybe we're putting too much faith in mine and Valerie's dreams. Do you want me to invite Grandma Edna over? She can explain everything better than me," Stephanie suggested.
Jeanne Ellen was afraid the dreams were a prophecy of sorts and shook her head. Stephanie squeezed Jeanne Ellen's hand, then sent her grandma a message. "I'm not used to losing control of my emotions or putting my faith in prophetic dreams," Jeanne Ellen confessed.
"I am, but it doesn't mean I like it," Stephanie replied. "Grandma said the dream could be a premonition. She wanted to know if Valerie had one about the children." Stephanie replied to her grandmother that Valerie mentioned the babies and pregnancies.
"What did your grandma say?" Jeanne Ellen asked. Stephanie passed the phone to Jeanne Ellen to read. The babies are a sure thing, but the order may not, depending on the circumstances. Valerie's dream had four babies and two pregnancies. There were probably more children, but the dreams focused on Valerie and Stephanie. Nothing got set in stone. It made Jeanne Ellen feel marginally better.
The women got silent as Bobby drove closer to the clinic. Lester's leg was bouncing in anticipation. He couldn't wait to see a little Rangeman dude or princess in the office. Stephanie leaned forward to tap Lester's shoulder. He immediately stopped moving his leg. "Thanks. The rocking was giving me motion sickness," Stephanie joked.
"Sorry. I'm excited about the baby," Lester replied. Jeanne Ellen raised an eyebrow. "A lot of us don't have nieces or nephews. The ones that do, don't see them often. It's exciting to be a part of the little one's life from the beginning."
"Our babies are going to get spoiled," Stephanie mumbled. Jeanne Ellen couldn't agree more. First, she needed to know there would be a baby.
"Why are you squirming, Jeanne?" Lester asked.
"I had to drink two litres of water. Now I have to pee," she replied. Stephanie smacked Lester's shoulder while saying it was rude to ask.
Bobby parked near the entrance and helped Jeanne Ellen from the car. She rolled her eyes but let him assist. Lester glanced around the area before helping Stephanie from the SUV. Bobby led them into the clinic, with Lester following at the rear.
Jeanne Ellen's name got called a minute after registering with the receptionist. The nurse ordered Jeanne Ellen to strip from the waist down and lay on the table. Stephanie waited until Jeanne said it was safe to enter.
"Hello, Jeanne Ellen. How are you feeling?" Dr. Struthers asked as she entered the room.
"Nervous about implantation," Jeanne replied.
"And emotional," Stephanie helpfully added, eliciting a smile from the doctor. Jeanne Ellen glared at Stephanie, who shrugged.
"Okay. Shift down the table until your butt hits my hand, then put your feet in the stirrups," Dr. Struthers ordered. She inserted the ultrasound wand after covering it with a prophylactic and KY gel. Stephanie stared at the ceiling until the doctor announced it was safe to look.
"Well? Did it take?" Jeanne Ellen asked.
"You have one embryo," Dr. Struthers announced. "Congratulations, Jeanne Ellen. You're pregnant."
"Thank you," Jeanne Ellen cried. Stephanie felt a tear slip down her cheek. She grabbed a few tissues, then passed them to Jeanne Ellen before getting one for herself.
"Let me know immediately if you experience spotting," Dr. Struthers said. Jeanne Ellen replied that she'd call. "How are you feeling, Stephanie?"
"I'm good. Carlos and I made the right decision to wait," Stephanie replied. "We're happy for Jeanne Ellen and Jordan."
Dr. Struthers smiled and turned her attention to Jeanne Ellen. "I'll see you in two months to check your progress unless something happens before then," Dr. Struthers said. She printed an image of the blob, then gave it to Jeanne Ellen.
Bobby and Lester immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion when Jeanne Ellen rushed to the washroom. They thought the pregnancy didn't take. "Is she?" Bobby asked.
Stephanie grinned without saying a word. It was all Bobby needed for an answer. Jeanne Ellen emerged from the washroom, looking relieved. The men hugged Jeanne Ellen, making her giggle. "Come on, Jeanne. You need to tell your husband," Stephanie said.
"He knows. I sent him a text message in the washroom with a photograph of the sonogram," Jeanne Ellen replied. "Carlos recommended I scan the image into a digital file since it got printed on paper."
~~~~~
Jordan read the message from his wife. His radiant smile told Carlos the embryo stuck. "How many?" Carlos asked. He knew two embryos got inserted into his sister's uterus.
"Only one," Jordan replied. "It's more than I expected."
Carlos contacted another team to take over their shift. Jeanne Ellen and Jordan needed the time to celebrate their news. "Congratulations," Carlos said when the other vehicle parked behind him. He accepted Jordan's phone to look at the image attached to the text message before pulling away from the curb. "Jeanne should scan the sonogram. They don't keep on that paper."
"Thanks. I'll tell Jeanne about your suggestion. We can't thank you, Stephanie and Ram, enough for giving us this precious gift. Jeanne Ellen feels guilty carrying our child first."
Stopping at the red light, Carlos glanced at his brother-in-law. "Jordan, you and Jeanne Ellen invested in Rangeman. We couldn't have built the company without your financial assistance. As much as Stephanie and I want to have those children she envisioned, we wanted you to have the child you craved. We're all on this adventure together. They say it takes a village to raise a child."
"It's more than just a village or brothers-in-arms at Rangeman. We are family," Jordan corrected. "I appreciate you giving me a job."
"Have you finished the contract?" Carlos asked. He didn't know if Jordan signed up for another term.
"Wrapped up the last one before coming home," Jordan replied. "I'm done with that life unless you call on me for help."
"Only Ram, Sybo and Roger have another year. The rest of us are done. However, if we get approached with an opportunity of a lifetime, we may take the mission."
"But it depends on compensation," Jordan said. "Do you expect trouble from Morelli?"
"No. Hector and the others are watching Morelli. He applied at Rangeman and forwarded his military references. Morelli doesn't know Rangeman has access to the databases." Carlos shook his head, wondering why Joseph Morelli wanted to work at Rangeman after calling his men thugs and criminals.
Jordan wasn't an idiot. He didn't need Carlos to spell it out, either. Morelli got dishonourably discharged for fighting, insubordination or refusing to follow orders. Maybe a combination of the three infractions. Any of those traits would derail his opportunity to work at Rangeman. They often operated in the grey area of the law, but everything was morally right.
"Have you considered approaching the FBI, CIA and other government alphabet agencies to offer Rangeman's services?" Jordan asked.
"The idea got tossed around during our implementation phase. We'll need to hire more men if we take on that responsibility," Carlos replied.
Jordan offered to contact the government agencies with a pitch to hire Rangeman. They could exchange intel and work together to capture the criminals.
Carlos opened the gate for the garage beneath Rangeman. He parked the company fleet vehicle in its assigned spot. Jordan grinned when the elevator doors opened. His beautiful wife, Jeanne Ellen, was waiting inside.
"I'll leave the hiring to you as I prepare my pitch to the agencies and our partners," Jordan said. He entered the elevator and pulled Jeanne Ellen into his arms. "Thank you, my love. You have made me the happiest papa in the world."
Carlos took the stairs to his office. He searched for Stephanie before finding her asleep on his couch. Her red eyes showed she was crying. "Babe?" he whispered, pulling the hair free of the dried tears.
Stephanie sat up and let Carlos sit beside her. Carlos pulled Stephanie onto his lap. "Are you upset for letting Jeanne Ellen have her baby first?" He passed her the handkerchief from his pocket.
"No," Stephanie replied, wiping her nose.
"Is that blanket soft?" Carlos asked. Stephanie raised her eyebrows, still unable to lift only one.
"No. It felt rough against my cheek, like the weave on the back of carpets. See? It scratched my skin, leaving an imprint that will take hours to disappear," Stephanie sarcastically replied.
Carlos tipped his head back and laughed. "It's cashmere," Carlos said.
"Yes, and it's soft. For the life of me, I have no clue why you asked."
"You never disappoint me. Babe, I love you."
"I love you too."