"Thanks," I mumbled, tucking my gun into the back of my pants. "Why are you here? I thought you were out of town for a few days."

"Change of plans. The guys decided to come here instead. They wanted to see where they would have to live and work if I offered them the position. I'll meet with them once I'm finished here," Ranger explained.

"I thought maybe it was a diversion, or the cosmos forced you to stay," I reasoned. Ranger smiled at my remark. It was an inside joke. I often said he could sense the disturbance in the atmosphere whenever I was in trouble. My spidey sense always told me whenever he was in danger. Dad and the guys had never heard of such a connection between two people. "Thank you for rescuing me."

Ranger gently touched my nose. I hissed from the pain. "I'm repaying you for all the times you saved my ass. You should get your nose checked. Make sure the boxer didn't break your cheekbones," Ranger said. He caressed my cheek and kissed my forehead since we were still out of view from the people on the street. "Please," he begged when he noticed I was reluctant to visit the hospital.

"You saved me as many times as I saved you and the guys," I said, ignoring the comment about my nose. I would visit the hospital to have a doctor examine it because Ranger said the magic word.

"Babe, you saved me the day we met," he replied, melting my heart as always. "My life wouldn't be the same without you."

"Did you shoot into the gym?" I asked, trying to distract him from staring at my nose and getting too mushy. People could overhear us outside, though I don't know why anyone would want to be outside in this heat.

"No. I heard the glass break as I ran up the stairs," Ranger replied, confirming what I assumed was true. "Someone else tried to save you."

"Must have been Morelli," I said, confused about why he wanted to get involved. Maybe Morelli was trying to kill me, but that didn't seem right, either. Why was he watching the gym? Are Ramirez and Alpha involved with the drugs entering New Jersey? I have more questions than answers. How did Morelli get to me so fast?

The sound of the alarm in Morelli's Jeep made us step away from each other. I had a job to do, and Ranger wanted to ensure Ramirez and Alpha didn't follow me. He didn't have to tell me his plan. I already knew. Ranger chuckled and gestured for me to handle the mess with the Jeep and nose. He said, "Call me when you get it checked."

Ranger and I knew Morelli was trying to get into his Jeep. As Ranger disappeared like smoke, I peeked around the corner. Joe was waving his hands and cursing, having dropped the slim jim tool on the ground. When he started drawing a crowd, he grabbed his tool and took off. I smirked and went to the car to deactivate the alarm with the key, sensing Ranger was watching my back. Since the door was already unlocked, I climbed inside. I locked the door and bent over to slip the key into the device. When the alarm shut off, everyone went their way, likely back into their homes or businesses with air conditioning. I would have to be careful around Morelli.

The closest hospital was St. Francis. I decided to go to the one farthest from the Burg, Helen Fuld. When I drove past the Stark Street Gym and the building across the road, I noticed the fire escape along the side of the building, closest to where the window was open on the third floor, and the curtains moving from a fan inside the room. Morelli must have run and jumped down the fire escape to get to me.

"Al, can you check the third-floor window on the building directly across from Stark Street Gym?" I asked, turning the corner onto State Street to get to the hospital.

"What am I looking for?" he asked.

"Signs of Morelli occupying the space," I replied. "Check for fingerprints and other biologicals. Do you have a kit complete with protective gloves?"

"I do, and I will. Are you charging Ramirez with assault?"

"I'm already on his radar, so I may as well. Hopefully, the police have enough assault complaints against Ramirez to do something about it," I replied. "I'll have Eddie meet me at the hospital for my statement."

"And if he attacks you, there is a record of his assault," Al added.

"Plus, if I have to shoot him during another attack, the TPD will know I acted in self-defence. I hope it never gets to that point." Discharging my weapon was something I avoided at all costs. I had more than enough opportunities to shoot people during my military career. It took many hours in therapy to get over the first time I had to take a life. Carlos helped me the most. He taught me how to get into the role without affecting my heart. It was like acting in a pageant for school. Closing my mind took a lot of practice. With my husband's guidance and a little help from Dad, I was able to do my job in the military. As long as I wore the Army uniform, I played my role.

"Where do I send the samples?" Al asked.

"Send the biologicals to the private lab in Ewing Township. We can enter the results into the database to cross-match. Don't copy the DEA office in Trenton. Use our contact in Miami," I replied. "Scan any fingerprints into the system and have them checked against criminal records in New Jersey. I don't trust anyone who recruited Morelli."

"Do you think they're dirty?" Al asked.

"Not exactly. I think they might hide the results from the lead investigator in Miami," I explained. "Someone wanted Morelli on the case, and until I can determine who asked specifically for Morelli to work the case or how Morelli wormed his way into the investigation, I want to report to our contact back home."

"What does your spidey sense say?"

Smiling, I replied, "It's warning me to tread carefully and not show my hand," feeling the truth in my words. Morelli needed to think I was after him, not trying to solve a case. I had a lot of leads to follow and couldn't afford to have Morelli mess up everything. Taking Morelli off the streets would harm our mission.

"Okay. I'll ensure only our guy receives the lab results," Al said. "And I'll send the fingerprint scans to him. He can run them against the other databases."

"Thank you." It would be best to keep the DEA from knowing, but I need them on our side, which requires transparency. I don't want anyone claiming I set them up or planted evidence for a crime they didn't commit. The operative belonged to the DEA, and I wasn't about to step on their toes or piss them off to the point they never asked for help. Al and I were earning a significant fee for our services. He wanted to buy a bigger house, and I wanted to invest in Rangeman's expansion.

I parked at the hospital, selecting a spot invisible from the street. "I'll have to bug out if the doctor orders an x-ray," I warned Al.

"Noted," he replied. "I have to take care of the collection." We signed off, and I removed the devices. It felt weird not having Al in my ear. I tucked the earbud into the small pocket of my messenger bag, protecting it from getting zapped in the radiology department. Technically, it wouldn't get zapped, but it might affect the imagery of my skull during the scan.

When I approached the triage desk, the nurse gasped. She went into action and grabbed the clipboard containing the intake paperwork. Stephanie Mañoso had medical coverage, but Stephanie Plum did not. I filled out the document and returned it, selecting 'no' for having insurance. The nurse frowned as she entered the information into the computer. Another nurse arrived to take me to an examination room. I would need to pay out of pocket for the hospital visit.

She gestured for me to sit on the bed. The nurse poked my nose, making me hiss in pain. "Oh dear," she mumbled. The nurse grabbed supplies from a locked cabinet to gently clean my nose and chin. "Did someone hurt you?"

"I ran into a door," I sarcastically replied while keeping a straight face. She didn't believe me. I didn't blame her because I wouldn't have believed me either.

"It looks like someone punched you," she said, narrowing her eyes at my blatant lie while missing my sarcastic tone.

I had nothing to gain by lying. It wasn't my fault she didn't understand sarcasm. "A boxer punched me. My nose feels broken, and I feel pressure below my right eye."

"I'll page the doctor," she promised. I heard the call for Dr. Lambert over the speakers. It couldn't be him. Why was he in Trenton?

Lambert entered my room a few minutes later. He stopped short and raised a brow. I shook my head, silently begging him not to say anything about knowing me. "How may I help you," he asked, reviewing the chart, "Miss Plum?" Whew. He didn't blow my cover.

"I got punched in the nose and below my eye," I replied, touching the tender spot beneath my right eye, "here, it feels like it's about to explode."

"Erica, tell radiology I'm sending Miss Plum down for a CT scan," Dr. Lambert said. He waited until she left the room to print the requisition. "Are you okay?"

"I'll live. Bones, why are you here?" I hissed.

"To ensure you get the best care, and my brother is interviewing for a job," he replied. "We knew something would happen to you." I glared at him. Bones sighed. "Steph, I'm relocating to Trenton to work as the Rangeman medic. I'm loaning my expertise to the hospitals while waiting for the others to prepare everything. It's important to set up rapport with the medical staff." Bones received his nickname during his stint with the Rangers. He trained to become the best orthopedic doctor and surgeon in the US.

Bones gently touched my cheek. I hissed in pain. "Is my cheek broken?" I asked.

"It feels like something is where it shouldn't be," he replied. "The CT scan will give me a better picture. You might need surgery."

"Shit!" I said. "I can't afford to be out of commission for a few days." Bones knew I wasn't really worried about taking a few days off work. I used it as an excuse for why I panicked about having a CT scan. He explained that he would have to send me for a CT scan to ensure I didn't have a subdural hematoma from the assault. Getting one set of scans was better than moving to two separate areas for imagery.

Erica arrived with the paperwork for Dr. Lambert to sign and a wheelchair to escort me to the radiology department. "I'll see you back here once the images are available," Dr. Lambert said, adding his signature to the requisition with a flourish.

I sighed as I moved off the bed and sat in the wheelchair. Erica pushed me through the doors and took me to the elevator to the radiology department for my CT scan. She waited outside the room while the technician and his assistant situated me on the table. "It looks like a giant donut," I joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"Please lie still, Miss Plum," the technician said. I sighed and followed his orders. When the table moved into the machine, I took many deep breaths to calm my nerves.

"Are you okay?" the assistant asked.

"Fine. Just a little claustrophobic," I replied.

"Hang in for another minute," she kindly said.

"I'm trying." I thought about being on the beach with Carlos and the kids, but it wasn't enough to stop the overwhelming fear of being confined.

The assistant suddenly appeared. Touching my arm, she said, "Hey, it's okay. Take deep breaths. We have the scans. I'll get you out of here." She pressed a button on the machine to move the table. I exhaled heavily in relief. "Were you ever trapped in a small space?"

"A few times," I confessed. My reaction was strong enough that lying to Erica wasn't an option.

"I'm sorry," Erica said, looking sympathetic. "We encounter this many times. Especially with veterans who were captured and placed in a cramped container."

"Huh. I was a claustrophobic child," I replied, hoping my face didn't give away the small fib.

"So, no hiding under the bed or in the closet when you were scared?" she teased. I giggled, happy that she never called my bluff.

"Nope."

"Let's get you back to the emergency room to wait for the doctor," Erica said. She grabbed the wheelchair for me to sit on. I grumbled, and she reminded me about the hospital's protocol, especially regarding potential head injuries. "Did you fall and hit your head when the boxer punched you?"

"No, but my head snapped back when another man yanked my hair. My neck hurts," I replied. "It feels almost like whiplash."

"You never mentioned that to the doctor," Erica scolded, wheeling me into the examination room. I stood and climbed onto the bed. Erica moved the wheelchair aside. If I had to go into surgery, the porter would use the bed to transfer me to the surgical floor.

"I didn't think about it until you asked if I hit my head. Besides, my nose hurts more than my neck," I replied honestly. Erica didn't need to know Dr. Lambert and I know each other. Bones likely received an update from Bobby, who heard everything from Ranger while I was in the radiology department to get my CT scan.

A few minutes after Erica's page over the intercom system, Dr. Lambert entered the room. "I need a few minutes," Dr. Lambert said. When Erica left the room, Bones said, "I saw the scans when they were uploaded to the system. You have a small fragment of bone in your cheek, which is causing the pressure you mentioned. I need to remove it immediately. It's an outpatient surgery. Do you have someone to give you a ride home?"

"I can call someone," I replied. Ranger said to call when I needed help. Driving his wife home from the hospital qualified. "How long will the surgery take, and how long before I can return to work?"

"Ninety minutes for surgery and a few days for recovery," he replied. "It might take several months for the swelling to disappear." I groaned. It meant I had to swap roles with Al. He could handle the job, but I had a feeling nothing would go according to plan now that Alpha pulled me into Ramirez's radar.

"Do I need to call someone now?" I asked, reaching for my bag.

"Yes," he replied.

Carlos answered on the first ring. He promised to pick me up in two hours with Bobby, who would keep an eye on me while I was strung out on the happy meds. "The Jeep?" I asked.

"I'll get someone from Al's garage to collect it and store it at the shop until tomorrow," Carlos replied.

"Thank you," I said before hanging up. Carlos, er.. Ranger had men to interview.

"Are you ready?" Bones asked.

"As ready as I will ever be," I replied, moving off the bed to the wheelchair.