All In
Zip POV
I knew by the look on Ranger's face as he strode across the garage that my already shitty day was about to get worse. Half the time I didn't think the boss was aware of my existence, but right now his hard gaze was focused directly on me and I was frantically trying to figure out what I'd done to piss him off.
"Zip, with me," he barked as he veered toward the Cayenne and I shot Woody a desperate look, silently begging my partner for help. Woody only shrugged and I flipped him the bird before trailing after Ranger who was already behind the wheel of his Porsche, waiting on me.
I took a breath before opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat. I didn't know why he was upset but I did know whatever it was would result in a session on the mats. It wouldn't be the first time but I was still dreading it. The last time I'd fucked up he'd paired me with Tank and my shoulder throbbed for a whole week after.
"What happened to your phones?" Ranger asked as soon as my door was closed. "Control has been trying to reach you and Woody for twenty minutes." He shifted the lever to put the car in reverse and backed out of the space.
At least I knew why he was ticked.
"Sorry," I automatically apologized. "The FTA we apprehended had a thing for baseball bats. He must have had over a hundred in his place and when we went in after him, he started swinging. Our phones didn't make it." And I was sure my entire right leg would be one big bruise by morning, but I left that part out. Ranger didn't tolerate whining.
"Injuries?"
I rubbed absently at the knot in my thigh. "No, we're okay."
"Good." Ranger hit a button on the console and a second later I heard Rodriguez through the speakers.
"What's up, bossman?"
"I need you to order backup phones for everyone on staff. Get them here by Friday."
"Copy that."
Ranger disconnected the call as we turned out of the garage onto Haywood. I opened my mouth to apologize again about the phones but he stopped the words and the breath in my lungs.
"There was a problem with the job over in South Pointe."
Hector. Hector was on that team. I couldn't breathe, couldn't even think.
"We don't know much yet but there are some injuries. I tagged you because Bobby needs help."
I knew I was supposed to be professional and not let personal feelings affect my ability to do the job but that was proving difficult for me. "Wh-Who?" I managed to stutter out and Ranger cut his eyes to me once before focusing back on the road.
"I don't have that information yet." He paused and I watched his fingers flex on the steering wheel before he continued. "Can you handle this?"
I could if Hector wasn't hurt. Obviously I wasn't about to say that out loud, although Ranger probably knew that's what I was thinking. His mind reading abilities were legendary. "I…I haven't taken my final exam yet so I'm not certified…."
I was the first to volunteer when the announcement went up that Rangeman was recruiting for a second EMT on staff. I'd wanted to be an EMT for a long time and had been saving money for two years to pay for the classes so it was an extra bonus when Rangeman ended up footing the bill. I just didn't think I'd be utilizing my new skills this soon.
"That's not what I asked," Ranger said curtly as he took the next turn at too high a speed. I grabbed onto the grip bar over the window.
"Yes, I can handle it," I amended hoping to God it was true. I started an internal chant that I kept up the rest of the ride to South Pointe. Let Hector be okay, let Hector be okay, let Hector be okay.
"Bobby was with the team so he's already on site with his kit. I have another in the back. Because we weren't really supposed to be there we are trying to keep it quiet and haven't called in the police or emergency services yet, but it might be necessary. I'll need you and Bobby to assess that after you get on scene.
"Yeah, okay," I replied, trying to concentrate on what he was saying and not let my mind conjure all the bad things that could be waiting for us.
Ranger was quiet the rest of the way and when we arrived at South Pointe, he surprised me be by saying, "Hector's happy." He turned to me and held my gaze. "I know that has a lot to do with you and I hope it continues."
And then he was out of the car before I could even form a response. I might be wrong, but it sounded like a compliment…and also maybe a subtle threat. He didn't have anything to worry about, at least not on my side. I was doing everything I could to keep Hector happy and had no intention of ever stopping.
After I gathered my senses and steeled myself for what I might find when I got on scene, I grabbed the bag out of the back and ran to catch up with Ranger, trying really hard not to limp.
The scent of congealing blood hit my nose the second we were inside. There was no mistaking the coppery smell. By the strength of it, copious amounts had been spilled inside of the building. I kept close to Ranger's back as we made our way down a narrow hallway. He had his gun out and I followed suit, really hoping we didn't have to use them.
The first words I heard when we rounded the final corner were uttered by Lester and they inexplicably made me smile. "Fuck. My wife is going to kill me. She hates it when I get shot."
Ranger holstered his weapon and looked at me over his shoulder. "Coordinate with Bobby about the best way to help. I need to find Ram." He disappeared quickly into the room that was filled with the Rangeman team that had been in place and a bunch of people that had apparently tried to ambush them. There was blood everywhere.
Ram had been the team leader and I caught a glimpse of him in a corner, holding a towel to his head while Ranger headed in that direction. I had my orders and was making my way to Bobby's solid frame but my eyes were scanning every crevice for Hector along the way.
"Thank Christ," Bobby breathed when I reached his side. He was attempting to stop the bleeding of an obvious knife wound on Vince's right forearm. "Hold this in place," he demanded, grabbing my hand and pressing it over the towel on Vince's arm.
I applied pressure while Bobby unfurled some duct tape. "What the hell happened?" I asked as I discreetly kept searching for Hector.
"We were fucking attacked," Vince ground out through clenched teeth as Bobby stretched the tape across the towel. I helped him get it securely in place and Bobby picked up the story. "That will do till we get back," he told Vince. "You'll need stitches but I'll handle it later."
"It was an ambush," Bobby told me as he peeled off his bloody gloves and immediately reached for a new pair. "The majority of the injuries are the bad guys and a couple of the permanent variety but some of our team took some hits. I handled the most serious first but there are still some relatively minor ones that need attention. Start over there," he instructed, pointing to where I'd seen Ram.
I headed in that direction and patched up a bullet graze and a superficial knife wound along the way. I found Manny on the floor, holding his head, but as far as I could tell he only had a mild concussion. I was almost to the corner where Ranger and Ram were talking quietly when I spotted Hector. He was alive and conscious but the splatter of blood on his face and the spreading wet stain of it on his right thigh made me flat out run the rest of the way to him.
"What happened to your leg?" He asked me casually, like he wasn't leaning against a wall and dripping blood onto the floor.
"What are you talking about? And how bad is it?" I pointed to the tear in his pant leg that looked like it was made by a serrated knife. I was so grateful to find him alive and upright that it was taking everything I had not to yank him into my arms.
"You're limping," he observed, avoiding my other question.
"It's nothing. Has Bobby looked at this?" I slid on a fresh pair of gloves and kneeled at his side, peeling away the shredded pieces of his pants so I could see the wound. It was long, and deep and bleeding profusely.
"No," he replied. "It's fine."
I'd known he would say that and let out a frustrated sigh.
"It's not, actually," I let him know as I grabbed a couple of small towels from my kit. "It's deep and it needs to be stitched." I pressed the towels over it and looked up into his heavily lashed eyes. "I won't bother asking how much pain you're in."
A tiny smile turned up the corners of his mouth. Hector had an unusually high tolerance for pain and I would be surprised if he was feeling it at all. "It's fine," he said again and then he briefly touched my cheek. It was so fast I would have missed it if I hadn't been paying attention. "Go," he told me, "I'm sure there are others in worse shape than me."
With the exception of Stephanie and Ranger no one else was aware we'd been seeing each other the past couple of months and I know that he was just trying to keep it that way but there was no way in hell I was leaving his side. "You at least need to let me get this compress secured so you stop losing blood," I suggested reasonably. "I can stitch it when we get back to Rangeman."
"Zip." The tone was a warning but I really didn't care.
"It's bad, Hector. And you're as white as a sheet so I know you've already lost too much blood. You probably need to go the hospital."
"I'm not going to the fucking hospital. Leave it alone." His eyes were hard and unyielding but I wasn't going to give up that easily.
"Then stop being an asshole and let me fix it." I was louder than I'd intended to be and it drew unwanted attention. Hector's eyes narrowed when Ranger began heading our way.
He gave each of us a pointed look before demanding to see Hector's wound. "Even I can tell this needs attention, Hector." Ranger confirmed my diagnosis but before I could start feeling smug, he called me out on my own leg issues. "And you need to get off your leg and get some ice on it." Hector lifted an accusing eyebrow while Ranger looked around at the rest of the room.
"I don't think there is anything else you can do here," he said after a quick visual scan. "Take my car and get out of here. I don't want to see either of you for forty eight hours." He handed me the keys to his Porsche and leveled Hector with a patented stare. "There better be stitches in your leg before the night is over."
With that Ranger left us alone and I watched him walk across the room to find Bobby.
"Well?" I said, looking back up at the man that I was undeniably in love with. "Are we following orders or are you going to continue being a prick?"
Hector stared at me for a full minute before finally conceding. "Do what you have to do." He gestured to my hands still holding the towels in place on his leg.
I secured the compress and we managed to get out of the building without too much difficulty. I'm sure we made quite the sight, both hobbling together out to the car but no one seemed notice. I suspected Ranger had something to do with that.
I helped him climb into the passenger seat and when I slid behind the wheel and reached for the seatbelt, I was stopped by his hands yanking me across the console. He pressed his mouth to mine and proceeded to melt my brain with a blistering kiss.
After he separated our lips and let me settle back into the seat I turned over the engine but didn't back out of the space.
I turned, meeting his eyes, and told him what I'd wanted to say for a long time. "I'm all in with you, you know that, right? The good, the bad, the ugly, I don't care because I'm all in. I love you."
I didn't expect him to say it back, in fact I knew he wouldn't but I needed him to know. We had dangerous, high risks jobs and if something ever did happen to either of us I needed him to know that. I put the car in gear and was a block down the road before Hector gently took my hand and lifted it to his mouth so he could press a soft kiss to the center of my palm. "Tell me about your leg", he said and I was smiling when I began the tale of the skip with the baseball bat collection.
