Stephanie woke up at 0400 on the morning of March 12, 2010, feeling grumpy. Her back ached all night, and she couldn't get comfortable in bed. Carlos opened his eyes when Stephanie sat on the edge of the bed. He shifted to sit behind her, then rubbed her lower back. "Babe?" he asked. Stephanie interpreted it to mean, "Are you okay?"
"I think it's time," she replied.
"Your c-section is on the fourteenth at 1300 hours," Carlos reminded her.
"Yes, but our daughter has other plans," Stephanie groaned. "Ah." Carlos placed his hands on Stephanie's waist, just above her hips. The warmth from his touch alleviated some of the aches. Beneath his fingers, Carlos felt the muscles tighten as another contraction hit.
Carlos kissed her shoulder before climbing off the bed. He pressed Stephanie's panic button, specifically assigned to alert the men she was in labour. Stephanie smiled at Carlos. He was thoughtful and always took care of her and Ric first. "Lester and Hector should be here soon," Carlos said.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. They were inside their Rangeman apartment. Lester and Hector's apartment was on the floor below them. She had worn an oversized shirt and panties to bed. It was comfortable for her to sleep in. Stephanie was second-guessing her choice when she heard the apartment door open.
Kneeling at her feet, Carlos slid a pair of his black board shorts up her legs. "Is something wrong?" Stephanie asked.
"No, but your contractions are ten minutes apart. Dr. Yang wanted us to get to the hospital before they got that close," Carlos replied. "Deep breaths, Babe."
Stephanie followed his instructions. She heard the faint cry of someone removing Ric from his bed. He preferred a minimum of eight hours of sleep. "I'm good, Carlos. Thank you."
"No price, Babe," he replied. Carlos gently kissed her and scooped her into his arms. She groaned as he carried her to the elevator, which was open and waiting for them to enter.
Ric sleepily smiled at his mom and rested his head on Lester's shoulder. "Your momma's going to have your sister," Lester whispered. Hector grabbed Stephanie's hospital bag and the diaper bag before locking the apartment door.
"Nemana?" Ric asked.
"Yes, Ric. Mama is having your hermana today," Carlos replied, making Ric smile. "She needs the doctor's help. Mama and I need you to behave for Tio Lester and Tio Hector."
"Maybe Tio Lester will get you pancakes for breakfast," Stephanie suggested as the elevator descended to the first floor.
"Ya," Ric said. He rested his head on Lester's shoulder and fell asleep. Stephanie stretched to tuck the hair behind Ric's ear before stroking his cheek. She immediately clutched her stomach when another contraction hit.
"Breathe, Babe," Carlos whispered, glancing at Ric to ensure his eyes were still closed. Stephanie moaned as the pressure built. Her face turned beet red as the fizzling sound of a firecracker wick burning filled the space. "Babe," Carlos groaned.
Lester and Hector shook in silent laughter. "False labour?" Lester joked when the elevator doors opened.
"No," Stephanie replied.
"You should have laid off the peppers last night," Lester teased.
Carlos' lip twitched as he added, "And the broccoli."
"I was craving them," Stephanie defensively replied.
Hector opened the back seat of the SUV. He had Lester climb into the back with Ric. Once everyone was secure, Hector opened the driver's side door. He smirked when Binkie entered the elevator. Before he closed the door, he heard Binkie yell, "It smells like broccoli farts."
Lester snickered in the backseat, working hard not to wake up Ric. Stephanie snorted and groaned. Carlos grinned in amusement while Hector focused on driving to the hospital. They arrived before Stephanie had another contraction.
The nurse had Carlos put Stephanie on the bed for immediate transport to the operating room. Stephanie had preregistered at the hospital to avoid delays if she went into labour before her scheduled c-section.
During Stephanie's previous prenatal appointment, Dr. Yang noticed Hanna lying in the breeched position with her shoulder. The head wasn't in the ideal place, and the doctor didn't want to take unnecessary risks with Stephanie or the baby.
Stephanie asked about having her tubes tied. She didn't want more children after having a c-section. Carlos had a vasectomy a few weeks earlier. They had their son and daughter and didn't want to have more. It wasn't necessary for them both to have the procedure, but Stephanie didn't want to test fate.
Ric sat with his Tio Hector and Tio Lester in the waiting room while his Papi was with his Mama. "I see Nana?" Ric asked.
"Hanna," Lester corrected. "You'll get to see Hanna soon."
"Ya," Ric replied, nodding his head. He kept looking around the waiting room for his Papi to appear.
Inside the operating room, Stephanie held tightly to Carlos' hand, practically cutting off the circulation. She felt no pain, but the tugging and pressure were prominent. The noises and the smells were making her nauseous. Even the music playing in the background wasn't enough to distract Stephanie.
"You're doing great, Babe," Carlos said. His thumb stroked across Stephanie's hand. She smiled at her husband while the doctor's equipment clanked and tugged at her abdomen. Carlos kept Stephanie calm.
"How much longer?" Stephanie wondered, frustrated by having to remain still for so long.
"A few more minutes," Dr. Yang replied. Stephanie felt the release of pressure a few seconds before hearing her daughter's cry. A tear slipped from Stephanie's eye. Carlos gently wiped it away with his thumb. Emily smiled at the tender moment between Carlos and Stephanie and hoped to find a man who loved her as much.
On March 12, 2010, at 0512, fourteen months after Ric's birthday, Hanna Mikayla Plum-Manoso became another member of Carlos and Stephanie's family.
"She's gorgeous," Emily announced. She took the infant from Dr. Yang to complete the initial Apgar test. Emily didn't recite the score, preferring to wait until the second one in five minutes. She weighed the girl. "Little miss weighs eight pounds and three ounces."
"How tall is she?" Stephanie asked, attempting to look around the blankets to see her daughter.
"Twenty-one inches long," Emily replied.
"Do you still want that other procedure?" Dr. Yang asked, ensuring Stephanie never changed her mind.
"Yes," Stephanie said. "I don't want to take any chances. We have our son and daughter. It's enough for us."
After placing Hanna in Stephanie's arms, Emily grabbed a few blankets from a heat rack to cover Stephanie, who started shaking from shock. "The blankets will help," Emily insisted. Stephanie shakily nodded.
Dr. Yang asked her surgical nurse for specific tools. She worked quickly to complete the other procedure before closing the incision.
Emily removed Hanna from Stephanie's chest to complete the second Apgar test. "Nine," Emily replied. "Are we following the same protocol as last time?" Emily asked Dr. Yang.
"Yes. Thanks for your assistance, Stacy. I'll handle the paperwork," Dr. Yang replied. Once Stacy left, she said, "Emily, you know how I want the records to read. Mrs. Pardo goes to the private maternity room on the sixth floor. She has guards assigned to watch her room. Mr. Pardo is permitted to spend the night with his wife."
"And Catherine for their daughter's name," Emily replied. "I understand the importance of keeping them safe."
"We haven't caught him yet," Stephanie stuttered as she shook from shock.
"Why not?" Emily wondered.
"Snake," Stephanie replied. "Can I see my son?"
"Michelle," Dr. Yang said as she removed her gloves, "Emily will move you and Catherine to the maternity ward. You'll need to stay in the hospital for at least three days to ensure you don't get an infection from surgery. Marco or Emily will assist you for a walk down the hallway."
"Okay," Stephanie mumbled. She appreciated the doctor protecting her family.
After Ric's birth, Bones sent a gift with Zip to pass along to Stephanie for the baby. When Bones heard about Stephanie's second pregnancy, he gave another one to Zip a week before Stephanie's due date. Bones knew Stephanie was having a girl and couldn't wait to meet the little beauty. He hoped she would have blue eyes like Ric.
Lester's leg bounced as he impatiently waited for news about Stephanie and Hanna. "Tio Wetter, now?" Ric asked. Hector chuckled. He would get a lot of mileage calling Lester by Wetter. Ric smacked Lester's leg. "No," Ric said before Lester could answer the question.
"Five more minutes," Lester replied. He stopped bouncing his knee, making Ric happy.
Ric shifted to Hector's lap when Lester started bouncing his knee again. He gave Lester a menacing glare after settling with his Tio Hector. When the five minutes were up, Carlos appeared with the baby.
"Mi hijo, I want you to meet your sister," Carlos said. Ric gently touched Hanna's face. He leaned over to kiss her nose.
"Tamo," Ric said. Carlos grinned at Ric's attempt to say te amo to his sister. "Wub oo, Nana."
"She loves you too," Carlos replied. "Do you want to see Mama?"
"Ya," Ric answered. He jumped off Hector's lap and tugged on his hand. Hector picked up Ric and carried him, following Carlos to the recovery room.
Stephanie grinned when Carlos entered the room with the others. She couldn't wait to hold her son in the private room. Stephanie noticed the food smear on Ric's shirt. She glanced at Lester, who shrugged. "Did Tio Lester give you whipped cream with your pancakes?" Stephanie asked. Ric answered with a radiant smile. Stephanie thought it was amazing how much Ric resembled his father, except he had blue eyes.
"How much hair did she have?" Lester asked, pointing to Hanna. Stephanie nodded at Carlos, indicating she wanted Lester to see. "Holy crap! That's a lot of curls."
Ric giggled when Hector smacked the back of Lester's head for swearing. "Children are present," Hector reminded Lester.
Turning to Ric, Lester said, "Sorry, Little One. Tio Lester shouldn't say bad words. Your sister has curly hair like your momma. It surprised me." Ric gently tugged a springy curl. Carlos warned Ric to be gentle. He giggled when it bounced back. Stephanie loved hearing Ric's laughter.
Carlos covered Hanna's hair when Emily approached. "She's getting moved," Emily said, pointing at Stephanie.
The men followed Stephanie's bed to the maternity ward. She was placed in the same room as the one after she had Ric. It was simple for the men to secure. "Did you bring the laptop?" Stephanie asked Hector, pointing to the bag he slung over his shoulder. Lester had the other two bags.
"Babe, you just had a c-section to deliver our daughter. Work can wait," Carlos stated.
"Not if we don't want Tonya and her husband Gerard to bleed Rangeman dry. I was checking Tonya's expense sheet last night. She claimed hours she didn't actively work. Hector was compiling the videos from the cameras inside Rangeman," Stephanie explained. Stephanie groaned as she raised the head of the bed. She lowered it slightly to take the pressure off the bandages across her bikini line incision. "That's better. Any higher, and the dressing tugs."
Hector placed Ric on the bed. Ric crawled toward his mother, sticking to the space between the rail and Stephanie's side. He dropped his head on Stephanie's shoulder and fell asleep. "I'll check the footage," Carlos offered, setting Hanna in the crook of Stephanie's arm. Stephanie sniffed Hanna's head and sighed. Her scent was similar to Ric's but with a flowery undertone. Hanna was pale, a few shades darker than Stephanie, unlike her brother, who was closer to Carlos' skin tone.
She smiled when Ric shifted his hand to rest on Hanna's waist. "Awe, that's adorable. He's already protecting his sister," Lester crooned. Stephanie rolled her eyes despite agreeing with Lester's assessment. Ric already loved his sister.
Stephanie glanced at Carlos. She noticed his blank face was firmly in place. "Was I right?" Stephanie asked.
"Yes," Carlos replied. His voice indicated his irritation. "Gerard and Tonya Masterson submitted falsified hours. Tonya claimed eight hours of cleaning but only worked three according to the time stamps."
"Call Hunter. He has copies of their contracts. I'm sorry for hiring them, Carlos. I should have listened to my spidey sense," Stephanie confessed.
"Why didn't you listen to it?" Carlos tenderly asked.
"I thought it was heartburn," Stephanie joked.
"Babe." Stephanie shrugged. She wasn't entirely joking. Carlos looked into Stephanie's eyes and realized Stephanie believed her spidey sense was malfunctioning during her pregnancy. "You were anxious while I was away," he reasoned. Stephanie reluctantly agreed it was a contributing factor.
"Your Aunt Ella is looking for work," Stephanie said. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to hire family to work at Rangeman. Yes, I'm aware we have some family members working for the company, but Ella and Luis are your aunt and uncle. Would they spill details about our lives to others? I'm trying to protect Ric and Hanna."
"Tia Ella and Tio Luis will keep our secrets," Carlos replied. He called Tank to send Hunter a termination of employment request regarding the maintenance crew.
"Do we have another team in mind?" Tank asked.
"The Guzmans," Carlos answered.
"Your aunt would love working for the company. Am I conducting the interviews?" Tank asked, expecting Carlos to decline.
"No. Stephanie already conducted a thorough background check. Please send them to Miami Memorial. We're in room B6520 again," Carlos replied. He hung up before Tank could respond.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. "You never say goodbye," she teased, knowing they didn't have time to waste during deployments for proper phone etiquette. "Are you upset about the BCG?" She nervously chewed on her lip.
"Babe, I would have done the same," Carlos confessed, gently tugging her lip free. Stephanie felt ashamed for running a background check on family, but Javier's actions set the precedent. She refused to let familiarity with the applicants dictate their hiring practices. Carlos knew Stephanie researched Cal and Hal before they started working at Rangeman. She thought her process was thorough, but not verifying the references through independent investigation let the Mastersons slip through the cracks.
"We also need to run background checks on people supplying previous work references," Stephanie said. She was beating herself up for hiring Tonya and Gerard.
"I'll ask Tank to update the procedures," Carlos replied. He texted Tank, then tucked the phone into his pocket. Carlos pressed the button to call the nurse after noticing Stephanie's face paled.
Emily smiled as she entered the room. "Is something wrong?" she asked. Carlos was pleased Dr. Yang assigned Emily as Stephanie's nurse.
"No," Stephanie gasped.
"Oh dear. I'll be back with the pain medication," Emily replied. Stephanie tried to tell Emily to forget about it, but she insisted it was best. "You'll heal faster if you're not in pain." Stephanie reluctantly agreed to take the medication.
Thirty minutes later, Ella and Luis Guzman arrived at Miami Memorial. Lester and Hector guarded the door while Carlos spent time with Stephanie and their children. "Tia Ella, why are you here?" Lester asked.
"It's the maternity ward. We're here to see the babies," she replied, providing her nephew with the obvious answer. Ella didn't want to tell Lester her business. Since Carlos never told Lester, Ella felt it wasn't her place. She smoothed the skirt of her dress and shifted the baby gift bag to her left hand.
"They are expecting us," Luis added. Lester knocked on the door. He peeked inside to announce Luis and Ella's arrival. Carlos said to let them inside the room and keep everyone else out.
"What do you see?" Stephanie asked.
Luis was about to answer, but Ella cut him off. "Nothing. We are here for a job interview as housecleaner and maintenance supervisor for Rangeman Miami. The CEO kindly invited us to conduct business during a private moment with his family, which we will not discuss outside this room. I have many years of experience cleaning buildings as part of the crew for Tidy Touch Cleaners. The company restructured and forced an early retirement of staff over fifty. I have work and personal references. However, I suggest you independently search my employment history, including appraisals and employee reviews. Anything I learn on the job is not for discussion with other employees or people outside the business. I'm prepared to sign a non-disclosure agreement to ensure my silence," Ella replied.
"And you, Mr. Guzman? What do you see?"
"I see an attractive woman with her partner sitting on a bed much too small for them. To rectify the situation, I would ask if they want me to negotiate a larger bed to make everyone comfortable. Anything else is insignificant. Nobody needs to know the details of the other people inside the room. I agree to an invasive background check and will sign a non-disclosure agreement to prevent anyone from learning details about my potential employer and his family," Luis replied.
"Is there anything else either of you wish to share?" Carlos asked.
He removed a document from his pocket. "Ella and I have our permit to carry concealed. We are willing to abide by all rules in the Rangeman manual," Luis replied.
Stephanie tried to suppress the laughter, but it burst through. "That was awesome. It seems you researched Rangeman. Did you find the requirements on the website?" Stephanie asked. She grinned at Ella and Luis. They were perfect for the job. "How do you feel about cameras recording your work?"
Ella giggled, "It's a sure way to ensure we do our job. I don't have a problem with the cameras."
"Neither do I," Luis replied.
"Great," Stephanie said. "Would you share anything you see here?"
"No," Ella and Luis replied. Carlos chuckled, having expected their response. His phone buzzed, indicating he received a message. With a quirked brow, Carlos went to the door. He reached out a hand to grab the paperwork from Hunter.
"Please review these contracts and sign on the last page and initial where indicated," Carlos said.
Ella and Luis quickly read the paperwork. They grinned at each other and signed the three copies of the contract and the non-disclosure agreements. After Ella tucked their documents in her purse, she asked, "May I hold them?"
"Of course," Stephanie replied. "Tia Ella and Tio Luis, these are your nephew and niece. Ric and Hanna."
"They are precious. Hi Ric, I'm your Tia Ella. Your Papi is my nephew." Ella patiently waited for Ric to approach her. She didn't want to frighten the child.
"Hi," Ric shyly replied. "Nana pethan?"
"Is your sister's name Anna?" Ella teased, attempting to make Ric relax with her. Ric shook his head. He repeated the name. "Oh. It's Hanna."
"Ya," Ric answered, clapping his hands and giggling.
"Yes, this bag has a present for Hanna. I also have one for you since I missed your birthday," Ella said. She removed two presents for Ric from the bag. He clapped and crawled to the foot of the bed to open them. Ric shredded the paper on the Batman pyjamas. Stephanie giggled. Ella passed Stephanie the gift for Hanna. Stephanie waited until Carlos removed Hanna from her arms. She laughed when she unwrapped Wonder Woman pyjamas for Hanna.
Ric loved visiting with Ella and Luis. "Do you bring them to work?" Ella asked.
"I'm on maternity leave for two months and will fill in if I have time. When Carlos gets deployed, I'll bring the children to the office. We need to hire more staff soon. Rangeman is growing faster than we anticipated," Stephanie replied.
Ella and Luis reluctantly left when it was time for the doctor to examine Stephanie.