Stephanie's POV

Carlos was surprised when our little girl ended up being a little boy, despite me saying that all along. It was the reason I refused to mention our baby's gender. How does one explain, "The doctor says we're having a girl, but I believe it's a boy?" That wouldn't translate well in a conversation. People generally believed the doctor's opinion. Esteban Eleno Mitchell Plum-Manoso was born. He went into the NICU because he was premature. "Babe, only you would make everyone believe our baby was a girl," Carlos laughed.

"I've been saying the baby was a boy all along. The doctor said he was a girl. I think Mom knew," I reminded him. Carlos raised a brow when I mentioned my mom knowing about us having another boy. "Grandma gave me this letter when I said goodbye today. It's from Mom."

I gave Carlos the letter to read. Mom apologized for everything. She often watched me at the park with Julie and Alex, wishing she could pluck up the courage to beg me for forgiveness. It redeemed Mom in my eyes. She made quilts for our children and asked if we would accept them. I noticed Helen attached pictures to the letter. Carlos removed the paperclip holding the photos to the letter.

"Your mother made blankets," Carlos said. I nodded.

"They're beautiful. Julie's has pinks and purples. Mom must have known our unborn baby was a boy. She made his blanket with greens and blues. Alex's has the dark blue and Batman symbols. Take a closer look, Carlos. She even has their names on them," I cried.

"Well, I'll be damned. Helen stitched Esteban's name on the blanket. How did she know?" Carlos wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. Mom knew our child was a boy. Valerie must have told her the names we chose."

"Babe, we decided on Helena after your mother passed away," Carlos reminded me.

"Maybe Mom knew she was about to die. I don't know how to explain the name she had sewn into the blanket," I sighed.

Julie and Alex arrived with Lester and Bobby a few hours later. Carlos and I took our children to meet their younger brother. The nurses wouldn't let our children stay too long, so Lester and Bobby took them to Rangeman.

When Grandma and Dad visited us, we learned Grandma told Mom the baby was a boy and had given Mom our son's name. "Everything will be okay, Stephanie," Grandma said. Your mother is Esteban's guardian angel. It's her duty to keep him safe. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Grandma," I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. "I miss Mom."

"Me too," Grandma replied.

"Our lives are about to get crazier," I complained.

"Would you do anything differently?" Grandma asked.

"Nope. I wouldn't change a thing. Carlos is the perfect father. I have Julie, Alex and Mitch to rear. Everything happens for a reason. It's a shame Mom had to die," I replied. Carlos kissed my cheek.

Grandma kissed my forehead and asked Dad to take her home. Mom's death had aged Grandma by several years. I hoped she lived longer so we didn't have to go through another funeral.

"Mitch is adorable. He resembles Alex," Carlos said. I held my newborn son and stroked his cheek. Mitch puckered his lips and made sucking sounds. The nurse brought me a bottle to feed him. He was tiny compared to Alex. I smiled in thanks and popped the nipple into his mouth. Carlos and I had to learn how to handle a preemie.

"I agree. Except his nose is smaller, like mine. I think this guy will resemble me more than Alex. Our older son might have my curls and eye colour, but he has your nose, face shape and skin tone. I can already tell Mitch's skin is paler than Alex's and Julie's. How much does he weigh?"

"Mrs. Manoso, the doctor is ready to examine you," the nurse said, gently taking Mitch from my arms. "Your son weighs four pounds and is sixteen inches long." I thanked her for the information. Mitch probably would have weighed closer to nine pounds if I carried him to term.

Carlos wheeled me back to my room, reluctantly leaving our newborn son in the hands of the NICU nurses. I glanced over my shoulder as Carlos moved me farther from my son.

Dr. Foster was awaiting our arrival. She smiled politely and explained the pros and cons of nursing. I refused to nurse Alex because it hurt, and I got blocked mammary glands within the first three weeks. The doctor said nursing wasn't going to get easier. I enjoyed the freedom of having others, especially Carlos, help with the night feedings. The doctor reminded us of the six-week rule for no sex. After having Alex, we learned how to work around such issues.

She also told us that Mitch had to remain in the hospital for several weeks to ensure his lungs developed enough to continue breathing on his own. I knew Mitch was a fighter. The other preemie occupying the NICU had a ventilator. Carlos and I were lucky that Mitch wouldn't need more than a nose cannula for oxygen.

"When are you discharging me?" I asked.

"In a few days. I want to keep an eye on you for infection. We don't know why you went into preterm labour. I'm running labs to rule out infection," Dr. Foster replied.

"You said stress could cause preterm labour. My mom passed away recently," I explained. "We were monitoring my blood pressure. Do you think that contributed?"

"It's a possibility. I'll let you know if the labs show any infection or other infectious diseases transmitted sexually," she replied. I raised my brows when she insinuated I received an STD from my husband or someone else.

"Thank you for taking care of Stephanie," Carlos said, coldly glaring at the doctor. "I want a second opinion. We don't appreciate your cryptic accusation of us being unfaithful in our marriage. I don't know where you heard that blatant lie, but we will not allow you to record a potential STD in Stephanie's file. We expect you to hand Stephanie's medical records to my company medic, Bobby Brown, until Stephanie finds another doctor to care for her needs."

"Sir, I didn't mean," Dr. Foster said before Carlos cut off her words with a cold glare.

"You specifically mentioned an infectious disease. I watched you take a sample from her and our son. Do I also need to provide DNA to prove paternity?" Carlos quietly asked. Dr. Foster paled and shook her head.

She passed me the file and left the room. "Carlos, sit beside me," I gently said. He sat on my bed, and I stroked his arm to calm the beast. I grabbed my phone to call Hector, who was patrolling the hospital, to keep me and Mitch safe. "Keep an eye on Dr. Kimberly Foster. She's up to no good," I explained.

I could sense Hector grinning as he replied, "Si, mi hermana." If anyone could uncover Dr. Foster's secrets, it was Hector. He could hack into her records to check all communications. Maybe we should check her mobile account for calls and texts.

Hector found us an hour later. "Dr. Foster is dating Detective Morelli. She recently contracted trichomoniasis. Morelli and Dr. Foster are taking metronidazole. I checked her tests and discovered Morelli said he contracted it from Cupcake," Hector explained.

"Are you seriously telling me that Morelli is telling people I had sex with him?" I shouted. Hector nodded, and Carlos looked ready to kill someone. "How the fuck did he come up with that bullshit?"

"There's a prostitute on Stark Street who Morelli frequents. Her hair is curly like yours, but her eyes are brown. Junior just caught Morelli having sex with the woman and calling her Cupcake," Hector explained.

"And Dr. Foster assumed it was me?" I asked, pissed off that Morelli still referred to me as Cupcake. I had asked him to stop many times.

"She followed him to the park when your mother had the accident," Hector added.

"Are you fucking kidding me? When I get out of here, I'm going to cut off his dick and shove it in his mouth. Maybe then, he'll stop calling me that vile name. I can't believe he pulled this shit. Carlos, I want to move to Miami."

"Anything for you, Babe. We'll need to wait until Mitch gets discharged," Carlos said.

"No. I want to go now. Get Bobby and make it happen. We can rent the equipment needed to move us. Make it happen, now," I demanded. It was silly to act on my emotions, but I had enough of Joseph Morelli's shit.

"What will make you stay?" Hector asked.

Without thinking, I replied, "If he died."

Carlos held me as I cried. When would my life get easier? I thought Joe Morelli stopped making my life a living hell. He stopped calling when I got pregnant with Alex. I don't know what compelled him to call other women Cupcake, making intelligent women think he was talking about me.

"Hector, does everyone think of Stephanie when Morelli says Cupcake?" Carlos asked.

"Si," Hector replied. "Junior asked on the street. The prostitute even said she didn't mind Joe calling her Cupcake because she thinks Stephanie is beautiful."

"Yup, he needs to die," I mumbled. I looked at the ceiling and said, "Mom, I need your help. Stop Morelli from harming my and Ranger's reputations. While you're at it, set Foster straight."

Hector and Carlos chuckled. "Do you think Helen heard?" Carlos asked Hector.

"Who knows? We'll find out in a few hours," he replied.

I closed my eyes. "Hector, you need to watch the NICU to ensure my son is safe. Lester took Julie and Alex to Rangeman. Have Junior and Zero monitor Morelli and get Zip and Cal to follow the doctor. I don't trust any of them at the moment. Tank should be here to watch my room," I ordered. Hector laughed and promised to follow my orders.

Carlos climbed into the bed beside me. "Lester will bring the children here in the morning. Alex is sleeping, and Julie's helping Ella make dinner for the guys," Carlos said, reading the text from his cousin.

Several hours later, Carlos woke me up. "Babe, we have to leave now," he insisted.

"What happened?" I mumbled. "Are we taking Mitch?"

"The hospital is being evacuated. Bobby and Bones have Mitch. They're transporting him to Rangeman. Sarah Bones will monitor Mitch during the night," Carlos said.

"Okay," I replied, gingerly climbing out of bed. "Why is the hospital getting evacuated?"

"There are a few men wielding weapons. Tank and the others are here to protect the hospital staff. We need to get you out of here," Carlos explained. He slid the yoga pants up my legs and covered me in a Kevlar vest. I groaned when Carlos lifted me into his arms. He ran from the room and down the stairwell guarded by Hal. I relaxed when he put me inside the back of an ambulance where Sarah, her husband Bones, and Bobby waited for us.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Babe, you were having a nightmare. You begged your mom to save Mitch. I called the guys, and they saw Orin enter the hospital, holding a gun to Dr. Foster's head. He killed her, then fired at the officers who arrived on the scene. Morelli was hit in the neck. He bled out before anyone could help," Carlos explained. "Babe," he said before the hospital behind him exploded. Thankfully, we were far away from the danger.

"Go check on the guys. Bobby will take me to Rangeman. Please, Carlos, stay safe," I whispered.

"Don't go crazy. Try to get some sleep," he replied. Carlos kissed me before closing the door of the ambulance. Bobby got me seated on the bench and ordered the EMT to drive.

I watched Carlos enter the burning building, and I cried. "Bobby," Sarah hissed. My friend sat beside me and pulled me into his arms. I cried for our friends who were in danger and mourned the loss of Morelli and my doctor. Dr. Foster was misguided in thinking I slept with her boyfriend, but she didn't deserve to die. I felt horrible for saying Joe needed to die. Nothing I could say would bring either person back.

"Steph, it wasn't your fault. Kimberly was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing could have saved Morelli. Even if he wore a vest, that injury would have killed him. There's no point worrying about Ranger and the others. I know they're safe. Check my phone; they all sent texts to announce they're okay," Bobby said, placing his unlocked phone in my hands. I read the messages and laughed. Tank told me to stop stressing and give his godson an extra kiss from him.

"Thank you, Bobby. I needed to see those. It would be better to hear their voices, but they have work to do. How long do you think it will take?"

"As long as they need," Bobby replied.

"Stephanie, you must focus on your precious infant. He needs you to be strong for him. Babies sense when their mothers are upset," Sarah reminded me.

"You're right. Thank you for helping us today," I cried. Sarah smiled and tended to my baby. He looked small in the travel incubator. Bobby held my hand as we headed to Rangeman. I closed my eyes and rested my head on Bobby's shoulder, drawing comfort from my friend.

When we arrived at Rangeman, I was slightly more relaxed than when we left Carlos at the hospital. Lester was waiting for me with the kids. He hugged me tightly, "I'm going to help Ranger. Ella has the children. Tia Maria is on her way to help you until Ranger comes home. Valerie and Woody are in their apartment on the sixth floor, and we called contract workers to watch the clients. Take care of my niece and nephews."

"Thank you, Lester," I cried.

"Anything for you, Beautiful." He kissed my cheek and took off.

Sarah and her husband took my son to Bobby's infirmary, leaving Bobby to accompany me upstairs. I was pleased to find Ella in my apartment, setting everything up for my family. "Julie's putting Alex to bed. The poor guy was tired but wanted her to read him a story," Ella explained.

"Thank you," I said. Ella helped me to the bedroom, where she had clothes ready for me on the bed.

"I'll start the shower. You'll feel better once you're clean," Ella reasoned. I kissed her cheek to thank her. Then, I grabbed my comfortable panties to take into the washroom. Ella was right; I felt much better after I washed away the sweat from giving birth to Mitch. "I heard you have another son," Ella said as I exited the washroom wrapped in a towel.

"I told you," I laughed.

"Yes, you did. I'm glad you talked everyone out of buying clothes for the baby until its birth," Ella said.

"I'm surprised they listened. How long are you staying?" I asked.

"Until Maria gets here. I know Julie can handle Alex, but you need someone to help you," Ella replied. "Go to bed. You look exhausted."

"Thank you," I whispered. Julie entered my bedroom to cuddle for a few minutes. "I love you, Jules."

"I love you too, Mom. I'm going to visit with Tio Bobby while Tia Ella is here. I'll be back in thirty minutes," Julie promised. I weakly nodded and kissed her cheek. She kissed my forehead and covered me with the blankets.

I fell asleep and didn't wake up until I felt someone climbing into the bed. The scent of Bulgari and my tingling neck made me realize it was Carlos. "Welcome home, Batman. Is Mitch okay?"

"Our son is perfect. Mama's feeding him a bottle. She'll stay with us until Mitch doesn't need special care."

"I love Mama. Did our friends survive the explosion?"

"Yes, Babe. Our friends and family are safe and sound."

"That's good. What about the rest?" I asked.

"Everything is as it should be, Babe. Go back to sleep."

THE END