Hector stops closest to the hospital's emergency entrance. I willingly accept Zip's hand as he helps me exit the SUV. He releases it to slip an arm around my back. Zip rests his hand on my hip. It feels more comforting than possessive.
My stomach threatens to leap up my throat and out my mouth. I swallow my fear about Grandma dying from her injuries. Zip flexes his fingers, reminding me he's here for me. Accompanying me isn't part of his Rangeman job. We're friends, and someday we may become more. I'm not in a hurry. My biological clock isn't ticking, counting the remaining days before my eggs dry up.
Having children isn't on my radar. I can't raise a child when I can barely take care of myself. Heck, I bought my hamster, Rex, a few years after divorcing Dickie. My last hamster, Rex the Third, died before my last car catastrophe. I haven't found a suitable replacement for my furry friend. Would Ranger even let me have a pet while living at Rangeman?
I find Mom and Dad in the waiting room. Dad nods approvingly at Zip, who moves his hand to my lower back. I'm waiting for Mom to yell at me. I approach the triage nurse to ask about Grandma. "Hi, Stephanie," Janet greets. "Are you looking for Edna Mazur?"
"Yes," I reply, glancing over my shoulder at Mom and Dad. I return my focus to Janet. "Is she with the doctor?"
Janet smiles politely as she checks the computer for Grandma's location. "They rushed her into surgery," she says. Lowering her voice, she adds, "A shard of glass is preventing her from bleeding out." Janet touches the left side of her neck.
"Oh," I shakily reply. "Where's the waiting room?"
"I'll take you there," Janet says. She pushes away from the counter and stands. Another nurse takes over to enter the incoming emergent patients into the system.
Mom, Dad, Zip and I follow Janet to the bank of elevators. Janet presses the button to go up. The doors open within seconds. She presses the button for the third floor. Nobody talks as the elevator cart ascends. The silence is deafening. I'm waiting for Mom to blame everything on me.
It's a relief when the elevator doors open on the third floor. I let Janet, Mom and Dad exit before me. Zip gently taps my hip for me to move. I grimace and let him guide me from the elevator to the waiting room down the hall. "I'll let the doctor know you're waiting here," Janet says.
"Thank you," I reply. Janet touches my arm and returns to the elevator bank. I watch her until she disappears around the corner.
Mom starts crying. The last time I saw Mom cry was at Grandpa's funeral. Dad embraces her, which I find very odd. She buries her face into his neck. My family isn't the hugging type. He whispers as he soothingly rubs her back. I feel like an intruder in their private moment.
Zip takes my hand and gets us to sit on the chairs along the wall where we can see the doctor when he arrives to update us on Grandma. "Who would do this to an old lady?" Mom asks, breaking the silence as she sits beside me.
"I don't know, Mom," I reply. "Why was Grandma in my apartment?"
Mom twists her fingers in her lap. It's a nervous habit and one we share. "We got into an argument about Joseph Morelli. I invited him for dinner. She told me you didn't want to be with Joseph, but I didn't listen. Your grandmother said Joseph hit you. He isn't like his father. She said Joseph was a chip off the old block. When I refused to rescind the invitation, your grandmother called Mabel Bestler for a ride and left. I assumed mother went to the Clip 'N Curl or the bingo hall to be with her friends," Mom explains. "I didn't know she went to your apartment until Eddie Gazarra called with the news."
"I'm sorry, Mom," I whisper.
"I want to blame you for Mother getting hurt. You attract the craziest people while doing your job. Why can't you find a different job?" Mom asks.
"I start working for Rangeman tomorrow," I reply. "They hired me full-time. I don't have to chase after skips without a partner. My contract has me working more with the clients than in the field."
"Couldn't you find a job at the personal products company?"
"Mom, I did work at several jobs outside bounty hunting, and each one was worse than the other," I say. She seems to have forgotten about Cluck-In-A-Bucket burning to the ground when a customer gave me a small bomb. I did work at the button factory for a day. The manager fired me because I was late - no thanks to Joseph Morelli and his need to celebrate. "I need more variety in a job to keep my interest." Boredom gets me into trouble.
"And Rangeman can give that to you?" Mom demands, sounding like she doesn't believe me. She glares at Zip as she waits for my answer. I catch Hector peeking around the corner. He's protecting me from whoever launched the explosive device into my apartment. I hope the police or my Merry Men capture the culprit before more of my family gets hurt.
"Yes. I have job stability, a company vehicle, an on-site apartment, and a steady paycheque," I reply, stopping short of mentioning Ella preparing my meals. I want Mom to be happy for me and to support my choices. Mom doesn't need to know I'm unwilling to take cooking lessons from her.
"Do you have any leads on whoever hurt Mother?" Mom queries.
Shaking my head, I reply, "Not really. I have a few suspects who Rangeman is investigating."
"Stephanie, that's the police detective's job. Rangeman needs to let the TPD do the investigation. One of those thugs and criminals could be responsible," Mom says, not realizing two of those men she calls thugs and criminals are here with me.
I roll my eyes and reply, "Mom, none of those men are thugs or criminals. Most are ex-military." I'm sounding like a broken record and wonder how many times I must repeat myself for it to sink through her thick skull. Mom isn't relenting. I can see her determination to believe everything Joe told her about the Rangeman employees. Trying to change Mom's mind is too much work.
"That is not," Mom snarls before Dad tells her to shut up. I close my eyes as Mom and Dad hiss at each other.
"Helen, enough," Dad warns. "Stephanie's old enough to make her own decisions."
"And where has that got her?" Mom snaps. "She let Joseph touch her when she was six, then spread her legs and lost her virginity on a filthy bakery floor when she was sixteen. Stephanie needs to marry Joseph Morelli. It's the only way for Stephanie to become a pillar of society in the Burg. Stephanie and Joseph have been together since she was six."
Dad stands and offers me a hand. I place my left hand in his. He smiles when I stand. "Is something wrong?" I ask when we walk far enough to prevent Mom and Zip from hearing us. Dad's lip twitches in amusement when he catches Hector slipping around the corner.
"Why didn't you tell me about the Morelli boy molesting you?" he quietly asks.
"I thought Mom told you, and you didn't care," I confess.
Dad pulls me into a tight hug. "I left her in charge of raising you and Valerie, thinking she knew best how to raise girls. You're nothing like Valerie, and I should have taken a stand. Had I known about Morelli molesting you, I never would have sat back without saying anything. Was it consensual?"
I tilt my head to look into Dad's face. "Joe and I agreed that it was. I was curious, and he was charming," I reply.
"Why did you hit him with my Buick?"
The memory makes me smile. "He left for the Navy the next morning after writing about our encounter in the men's washroom of the sub shop. I wrote him a letter, but he never responded or called." My lip quivers as I add, "I thought he loved me."
"I didn't do my job," Dad says. He sighs before kissing my forehead.
"Dad, you didn't know," I reply. "You are a great father."
"My job, as your father, involves protecting you from predators like the Morelli boy. He took your innocence twice while I wasn't paying attention," he says, seemingly lost in thought. "Did your mother punish you for both incidents?"
"Mmhmm," I say, affirming his suspicion. Dad keeps an arm around my shoulder as we walk farther down the empty hallway, away from the room where I left Zip with Mom.
"I can't rewrite the past, but I can certainly ensure that Morelli boy stays away from my house while you're visiting," Dad offers, leading me to an empty waiting room. "Now, tell me who you think bombed your apartment and why you suspect that person."
"I'm only speculating, Dad. Last night, Joyce threw two buckets of water on me. With the low temperature, my clothes froze. She's my number one suspect, but I think it's someone else who has an axe to grind. Neither Joyce nor the woman I think is responsible can shoot accurately. Launching an explosive through my dining room window takes precision," I reply.
"Your bedroom window also overlooks the parking lot. What if the person aimed for your bedroom and hit the dining room window instead?" Dad asks, playing the Devil's advocate.
"Why not go up the fire escape to be more accurate?" I counter.
"They didn't want to get caught," Dad replies. "Was your car in the parking lot?"
"I don't think so. I'll need to ask Hector," I say. Hector silently slips into the room and confirms that my car wasn't in the lot during the incident. "Dad, everyone knows what piece of crap car I'm driving at any given time because I have no privacy. Whoever destroyed my dining room thought my apartment was empty. We have to spread the details through the Burg grapevine. Eventually, the person responsible will make themselves known."
"I'll monitor the room," Hector offers.
"No bugs," I warn. Hector raises a brow, questioning how I expect him to monitor Grandma's visitors without the device. "Fine, but only you can listen to the conversations."
"When you hear a confession, I need to know immediately," Dad tells Hector, who nods. "Pumpkin, when did you resign your employment with Vinnie?"
"I haven't. Vinnie basically fired me when he gave Joyce and his other BEAs all the files. I only get ones for Dougie, Mooner and Simon Diggory. They don't exactly bring in the money," I reply.
Hector hands me his phone. I furrow my brows as I read the email. "Pumpkin?" Dad asks. Hector nods when I catch his eye. After signing my contract with Rangeman, Tank sent Vinnie an email indicating I was part of Rangeman's BEA and client services department.
"Tank sent Vinnie the email after I signed the contract," I reply. "My bomber has to be someone in Vinnie's office."
"Who?" Dad asks.
"It's a very short list."
Dad and I put our heads together to lay out a plan. I'm pleasantly surprised we think alike. He will mention Grandma's injuries to his friends and insist they tell their wives. The women will spread gossip faster than wildfires in a dry forest. Dad asks Hector to tap into his landline and capture the messages left by the Burg women. The proverbial shit is about to hit the fan. I'm almost able to smell it permeating in the air.