Chapter 15

Ranger POV

1 hour after

"Dammit Bobby, warn a guy before you put that stuff on."

"Sorry Ranger. I'm almost done cleaning the wound then you should be good to go." Bobby responded as he replaced the temporary bandages he placed back at the station.

We have been sitting in the waiting room for about 30 minutes since they took Steph in the ambulance to St. Francis. She was immediately whisked away for testing and scanning by the ER nurses. I was Steph's medical proxy and had Ram drop off the paperwork before going to pick up her family and inform them of the incident.

I worked with the desk admin to complete the necessary paperwork and secure one of the best rooms in the hospital for her while we wait. Once Stephanie had passed out in the parking lot she hadn't woken up so far that we know of and I was growing more worried by the minute. Bobby assured me though that the effects of the blast likely caused a concussion and we would only need to worry if she didn't wake in 12 to 24 hours.

"Okay you can put your leg down. I'm gonna dispose of these and ask the nurse to change the sheets." Bobby said moving away.

I nodded, placing my leg on the floor and then walking into the waiting room where Hector was waiting. I was surprised to see Hank and Hal also waiting but didn't say anything. I took a seat next to Hector. We stayed silent as neither of us had any updates.

Not long after Ram arrived with Stephanie's family a man in a white doctor's coat arrived in the doorway carrying a clipboard asking for Stephanie Manoso's family.

"I'm Ranger and I'm Stephanie's boyfriend and medical proxy. This is Frank and Helen Plum, her parents." I introduced us to the doctor and awaited his report.

"I'm Dr. Wilton the on-call ER doctor. We have completed our tests and moved Stephanie to the room you requested. You should be able to see her shortly. She has not woken yet but we aren't worried about that yet. The preliminary scans show no sign of internal trauma or brain damage so we are hopeful that she will wake up sometime tonight. As for her hearing, we have found damage in both ears. We estimate that she has lost about 30% in her left ear and 80% in her right ear. The ENT will come in and evaluate her once she wakes up and give you a final diagnosis and a treatment plan. Do you have any questions?"

"No thank you Doctor. When can we see her?" Frank replied.

"I will send Annabel in to escort you to her room. I'm afraid only three people are allowed to visit at once so your group will have to split up." With that he shook mine and Frank's hand before leaving the room.

I was relieved that they hadn't found any internal damage and that hearing was the only issue that I needed to take a minute to myself so Frank informed the rest of the group on the doctor's updates.

3 hours after

The nurse Annabel took us to Stephanie's room. She was still asleep but they had cleaned up the soot on her face and applied bandages around her head to protect her ears. I noticed she also had some bandages on her arm and leg likely from the debris. I took a few minutes to hold her hand and gave her a quick peck before letting her mom, dad, and grandma see her. As we were waiting I organized that at least two of my men would guard the room until she was released.

Since then I have been sitting next to Stephanie in the armchair next to her bed waiting. Hector had brought in a chair from the neighboring room and Bobby was sitting on the couch going over her chart. There was a heavy knock on the door and Bobby got up to answer it before stepping outside so Tank could enter.

"Ranger" Tank said, looking at our sleeping beauty with a hint of sympathy in his voice.

"Report"

"Three cops, two admin staff, and one pedestrian were critically injured. Seven additional cops and six pedestrians were wounded in the incident including you and Stephanie. Two criminals who were awaiting arraignment members were killed. Chief Juniak was furious and running on all cylinders this afternoon trying to determine who the culprits were. We offered assistance and our security footage from surrounding accounts to aid them in their investigation. So far they have not found sufficient evidence other than the make and model of the cars that were driven. They found a blue pickup truck that shot off the rocket launcher and two black suvs that followed shooting and there were no plates."

"Suspects?"

"They haven't been able to track anyone down but they drove to Stark Street following the chase and that's where the cameras and the cops lost them."

"Keep me updated and please inform me if I need to be involved."

"The Chief wants both of your witness statements but understands that your injuries need to be dealt with first so you should plan on doing that when Stephanie is released. He also said something about making sure his piccola ragazza was okay being top priority."

"How does he know Stephanie?"

"She's his Goddaughter." Frank said, returning to the room.

We both nodded in response. "Thanks for taking point please keep me updated."

"No problem, I intend to keep at least three men on rotation assisting the TPD with the investigation and have already called in contract workers to help cover the monitors and front desk while we are in crisis mode." He stepped over to Stephanie's bed and took her other hand squeezing it before exiting.

8 hours after

"Now boys you need to get some rest and eat some dinner. I have left dinner for you all in the waiting room. Please go so I can clean Stephanie up." Ella said to me, Hector, and Frank.

I walked out of the room and directed Junior and Cal who were standing at the door to go and get food before me and Hector took their places outside of the door. Once they had finished I grabbed one of the turkey sandwiches Ella had brought and an apple before taking a bottle of water and returning to the room.

Ella was finishing up washing Stephanie's hair with a nurse she must have called when I walked in. The nurse took the wet towels to the bathroom and disposed of them before leaving. Ella whispered a few words of encouragement to me before leaving the room.

Stephanie POV

15 hours after

My mouth was dry and my head was pounding but the world was slowly coming back in focus as I woke up from what felt like the world's longest nap. There was a beeping in my left ear and my right arm was sore. I looked down to see Ranger fast asleep holding my hand. Moving my eyes off him I saw Hector asleep in the lounge chair to my left and my Dad sitting at the small table area in my room reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. There were two cots in the corner of the room that were clearly not being used as well. My Dad saw my eyes roaming and smiled getting up and walking over to squeeze my ankles before walking out of the room.

I moved my left arm to stroke through Carlo's long hair a few times before he woke. He slowly lifted his head looking into my eyes. "Babe" I saw the worry in his eyes start to dissipate leaving only love and relief. "Carlos. Water?" I asked only to be handed water from Hector who had awoken at some point and anticipated my need. I drank about half a glass before handing it back to him and smiling at my boys.

"You can hear us." Hector said a statement not a question.

"Yes, was that something you were worried about?" I asked. Before they could answer, my Dad returned with Bobby, a short older looking nurse, and a man who introduced himself as Dr. Herschel, my ENT doctor.