All familiar characters belong to Janet. Mistakes are solely mine.

"You and Ranger are coming, aren't you?" Mary Lou asked me.

"Grandma Mazur and Eddie doubled-teamed me until I agreed to go. Ranger still isn't comfortable with me getting out of my car in the Burg without him or a Rangeguy with me, so yeah ... we'll both be there."

Not that I'm surprised, but Ranger's plan to make over and essentially take over Chambersburg, NJ has worked almost too well. I get a free coffee and doughnut anytime I'm near Tasty Pastry. Grandma begs me to come with her to every hair appointment, claiming that Ranger and I are local celebrities now and people want to thank me/us in person. And not one of those women question me about my church attendance, or lack thereof, anymore.

I have whiplash at how fast Ranger and I went from misunderstood and scary outsiders, to becoming the Burg's saving grace. I don't trust the shift and Ranger doesn't trust my mother, so he promised to be with me for every ceremony the town throws in his honor that I'd like to attend ... or one someone convinces me to go to.

"Mary Lou?" Ranger asked me, coming into the living room where I'd been reading through tomorrow's FTA files before she called.

"Yeah. She wanted to know if she'll be seeing us soon."

"At her house or the hospital?"

"The dedication ceremony." I sighed. "You know, you've made your point and have everyone loving you almost as much as I do. You could ease up a little on the philanthropic pursuits now."

Mary Lou's oldest had an unfortunate face-to-ground meeting, that he tried to prevent with his arm, during soccer practice. He's now sporting a cast with Ranger and Tank's 'autographs' on it, which made him instantly cooler at school. After seeing how well the staff treated a child in pain but trying not to show it, Ranger found his next target ... a remodel of St. Francis' emergency room.

He leaned down to kiss me before replying. I didn't need to feel his lips on me to know he's smiling. "There's no fun in quitting."

"Listen to him, Steph," Mary Lou said in my ear. "This place hasn't been this exciting since ... well ... ever!"

"I'm doing more than listening to Ranger, Mare. I'm actually starting to enjoy this. Some of it anyway."

"You should," she told me. "The Burg's appreciation of you is thirty years overdue."

"Says my best friend who isn't biased at all," I teased. "And they appreciate Ranger. He's the one with deep pockets."

"Let me talk to him."

"Someone's getting brave," I mumbled as I passed my hubby my cell despite my instincts screaming 'WARNING!'

He listened for a beat, maybe two, and then disconnected the call.

"Well?" I pressed when he didn't say anything.

"Her marital advice is that it'd be good for our relationship if I kiss you every time you say ... and this is a direct quote ... 'something dumb like that'."

I was smiling as I stood. I slid my arms around him while going up onto my toes so our mouths would be level. "For once I agree with her. But we have about an hour before we have to leave, so maybe you should do more than just kiss me."

He picked me up and had my undivided attention until we got redressed in fancy clothes and were standing at the entrance of a more welcoming and more functional hospital, not just its ER. Murals based on children's drawings covered what were once puke green walls. Emotional support animals will be regular visitors, and every child's family - or cash-strapped individual - will have to worry less about the medical bills they accumulate here.

I admit, today's gathering is better than all my school dances combined, but then one voice sent reality crashing back down on us.

"Stephanie!"

I cringed in reflex, hearing my mother's voice but I forced myself to relax. I'm not the daughter she remembers and she's not the mother I want. She can't hurt me. Apparently, Ranger didn't get that memo. As soon as he heard my mother, he curled his arm around me and tried to move me behind him so I'd have the protection of his big body plus the wall it made between me and anything trying to inflict harm on me.

We'd been standing with Mary Lou and Lenny and talking to one of the older nurses. She'd helped calm Mare and her son down simultaneously, and we're all still grateful for that. An upset Mary Lou is not a sight anyone wants to behold. But even this nurse's superpower may not be strong enough to put out the flames flying from the bridge burning between me and my mom.

"Are you here visiting, Joe?" I asked in lieu of a hello.

"I'm sure you've been told that he was already discharged." She cut her eyes to Ranger and then they came back to me. "I'm here because of you."

"Not many people move away, do well for themselves," Nurse Nice said into the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over our group, "and come back to their old neighborhood to revitalize it. You must be so proud of Stephanie, Mrs. Plum."

"Of course, I'm proud of her," my mother said too quickly to be believed by people who really know her.

It's funny, in a sad way, that I've spent almost my entire life waiting to hear my mom say those words only to find out that they mean nothing to me now.