“So, you’re saying there’s no chance?”

 

“I’m sorry, sir. We’ve done every test known to modern medicine to determine her condition and I’ve conferred with several neurological specialists that are experts in this field. The prognosis is the same. Massive trauma to her head and body, coupled with the trauma of the rape has left her in an unconscious state that, in our opinions, is irreversible.”

 

“Do the tests again.”

 

“Mr. Manoso, with all due respect sir, we’ve done them twice already and the outcome is the same. I know this is difficult to accept, but her condition will never improve. I’m so sorry.”

 

Dr. Richard Warden fought the urge to step back as hard, dark eyes stared right through him. He expected to see some emotion, the normal response to this type of news. Yet standing in the empty corridor looking at the man seated before him, the doctor could not discern any emotion in the eyes that looked back at him. He knew that Carlos Manoso was a wealthy businessman, he’d have to be well-off to afford the medical care that Ms. Plum had required to this point. She had undergone several surgeries: a shunt was put into her head to help relieve the pressure on her brain, her spleen and one kidney had to be removed due to internal damage, in addition to multiple compound fractures of the extremities. She’d been in the hospital for 3 weeks in a private room with a hand-picked nursing staff. Her room was located at the end of the hospital wing and specific instructions had been given with regard to visitors. There were no restrictions on visiting hours. Absolutely no family members were allowed. Any non-family member (including law enforcement at all levels) who wanted to visit Stephanie had to have Rangeman clearance. So far, no one who worked outside that company had passed.

 

Dr. Warden didn’t want to go down this road, but the questions had to be asked. “Sir, do you know if Ms. Plum had a health directive? Was she an organ donor? Do you know what her wishes were in regard to life supporting measures? Should we be weaning her from the respirator and removing the feeding tube and IVs?”

 

This time the doctor did step back as Manoso stood suddenly. He leaned backward as the angry man moved into his personal space. The look in those dark eyes and the menace in that voice chilled him to the core. “You’re not removing anything. Do. the fucking. tests. again. I’ll expect a full report by tomorrow evening.” Carlos Manoso turned on his heel and headed down the corridor to Stephanie Plum’s hospital room.

 

The doctor took in a shaky breath and went to the nurses station. “Run the Plum tests again.”

 

The nurse gave him a puzzled look, “But doctor…”

 

“Just run them again, damnit!” He knew the results were going to be the same, but he had a feeling they’d be running them several more times before Manoso would be able to accept the outcome. He wasn’t sure the man was capable of love, but whatever Carlos Manoso felt for the young woman in Room 613 it was something powerful.

 

Chapter 1

 

Ranger stopped in front of the open doorway to her room. He always took a moment to fortify himself for what he was about to see. He walked in and moved the curtain back. Tank was sitting in a chair next to her bed, reading aloud and occasionally watching the monitors.

 

“Any change?” he asked Tank, although he was pretty confident the answer would be negative. Nothing had changed for weeks.

 

“No. Although we got a few finger-twitches again today,” Tank replied. He set the book down and stood up. The two men stood at the end of the hospital bed and looked at the battered woman that lay in it. “The family is getting out of control, man. Morelli has called 3 times just since I’ve been here. Comm transferred him to me the last time and he is planning to get a court order to take her out of here and remove you as her power of attorney.”

 

“I’ll handle the family,” said Ranger quietly, his eyes never leaving the bed. “Morelli can kiss my ass. All of you signed your medical power of attorney to me when you were hired by Rangeman. Even though she was a part-time employee, she received the same package as the rest of you. I explained the POA to her before she signed it, and she trusted me to handle things the way she wanted.”

 

“I know, man. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that the shit that’s been brewing is about to explode.”

 

The longer Ranger watched her the more he could feel the anger building. His sweet Babe lay in a hospital bed hooked up to tubes and machines like some kind of sick science project. She didn’t deserve this and it was never going to change for her. This was it. Even though he told the doctors to run the tests again, deep down he knew the results would be the same. “Who’s on next shift?”

 

“Santos.”

 

Ranger nodded. “I’ll stay until he gets here. Go get some food; see your woman.”

 

Tank clapped him on the shoulder, retrieved his book and headed out without another word.

 

Ranger pulled her chart off the wall and sat down in the chair to review it. “Yo. Looks like you had a busy day.” He flipped the page to review her medication schedule. “Morphine, huh? Hope you’re having a nice trip, Babe.” He set the chart on the table, and reached for the Rangeman log. “Hal was in at 6:00 this morning, said the nurses gave you a bath and changed the sheets. Feel better? I know how you love my sheets.” He stood up and leaned over her to place a soft kiss to her forehead and breathe in her scent. “You’re hair smells nice, like strawberries.” He brushed a stray curl from her cheek. “Don’t worry, they did OK with the curls. Looks good.”

 

Ranger sat back down and continued reading from the log. “Hal says that they gave you something new in your tube today. Bet that was a treat. He called Tastykakes for you, but they said they can’t do Butterscotch Krimpets in liquid form. Also Hal says that they drew blood at 9:45 and then checked your vitals.” Ranger took her hand in his, careful of the cast on her wrist, and turned her arm so he could see the needle stick. “Looks like you got a professional today, no bruising this time. And yeah, I fired the one that left that bruise on your arm. And no, I didn’t shoot her although I was tempted.”

 

“Tank came in at 12:00. Said you’re on Chapter 18 of “The daVinci Code”. Says here that he thinks you’re bored with it, but you’re gonna finish the whole thing anyway. I promise I won’t tell you how it ends. Looks like they checked your vitals again at 2:00 and put some new gel pads under you to make you more comfortable.”

 

He closed the log and watched her. “Morelli called again. He’s down to 5 times a day now. Talking to Morelli’s been educational for the crew. The guys in the control room are getting pretty good with the Italian curse words. I spoke to MaryLou and Lula yesterday; let them know that you’re still sleeping. They want to come and visit, but I can’t let them yet. I’m good, but I can’t watch everyone – they could be followed. Also, they’re not the best at keeping things quiet. We need to keep things under wraps for awhile longer. Promise though, as soon as it’s safe I’ll bring them up.”

 

He played with her fingers, stroking his fingertips in between hers. “Rex misses you but we’re getting to be pretty good friends. We watched Ghostbusters last night. He sat on my shoulders through the whole thing. I think he knows something’s up, but he’s playing it cool. You’d be proud of him.” Ranger swallowed hard and kept talking, “Saw your granny on Monday. I swear Babe, are you sure you weren’t adopted? She had on baby blue sweats with ‘Juicy’ across the ass – damn scary. She came in through the lobby and asked the guard to page me. I was relieved your mother wasn’t there with her. Your grandma’s taking my involvement in this a lot better than the rest of your family. I know I’ve been avoiding them whenever possible, hoping that hearing updates through MaryLou would pacify them. Guess I should have known better, huh?” He sighed heavily and kissed her palm. “I’ll call your father in the morning, and let him know what’s going on with you.”

 

Ranger blew out a breath and tried to get a grip on himself. He’d been in some hard situations before but this was one of the hardest yet. He’d never again hear her voice tease him about the batcave, or have her tongue caress his own as they kissed or feel her warm body against him as he pressed up behind her at the bonds office – desperate for the feel of her but trying to keep it low key so Lula and Connie wouldn’t get ideas. He brought her hand up and laid her palm against his cheek, “I need you to snap out of this. Just open your eyes and talk to me. Tell me to go to hell, anything.” When he received no response, he blinked hard to clear his vision. “I’m getting lost here, Steph. I can feel it. Come back to me.”

 

He heard a male clear his throat from the doorway. Looking up he saw Lester Santos standing with his hands on the doorframe. “Sorry, boss,” he said, obviously embarrassed to walk in on an intimate moment for Ranger.

 

Ranger nodded and motioned him into the room. He set Stephanie’s hand back to her side, leaned over to kiss her temple and whispered, “Love you, Babe. I’ll see you later. Don’t get too crazy today, OK?” He turned to Lester, “You know the drill.” Lester nodded and took up his place beside Stephanie’s bed.

 

“Hey beautiful!” Lester said cheerily. “Picked up the new edition of Star magazine. Ready to hear all about those nasty celebrities? Maybe you can help me out with the crossword, I never can get that shit straight.” He watched as Ranger walked from the room.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Ranger stepped through the door of his apartment and dropped his keys in the dish on the table. He flipped through the mail, tossing the advertisements and other junk in the garbage can near his feet. He left the unopened mail on the table to take to the office with him in the morning. He was just too tired to deal with it now.

 

The squeaking of the wheel drew him into the kitchen to find Rex running in his cage. “Yo, Rex. Saw Steph today, she’s still sleeping but maybe I’ll take you in next week. I think she’s missing the noise.” He went to the refrigerator and pulled a few grapes and a baby carrot. “You can tell her all about how I’ve got you on a health-food diet.” He washed and dried them, then dropped them into Rex’s cage. The wheel stopped spinning and Rex scuttled over to check out the goodies that had fallen from the sky. Ranger almost smiled as Rex grabbed a grape and stuffed it into his cheek pouch. He stood on his hind legs and looked up for a moment; his whiskers twitching, then dove head first into his soup can. It wobbled around until he found a comfortable spot and then he was done.

 

Ranger went back to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of Corona. He popped the top and walked into the living room. Sitting down on his favorite chair he took a look around the empty apartment. She had only stayed for a few days but left her mark on everything. Her absence now made the place feel hollow, deserted. He leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling. How in the hell was he going to deal with this?

 

The intercom buzzed on the table next to him and he hit the answering button. “Manoso.”

 

“Sir, this is Jeff Farley at the front desk. I have Detective Morelli here and he is insisting to speak with you.”

 

Ranger cursed under his breath. He’d been avoiding Morelli since the night Stephanie was taken, although the cop had made himself difficult to ignore. This wasn’t the first time he’d shown up at the Rangeman building. Tank or Bobby had always ran interference and sent Morelli on his way. Tonight, Ranger had a feeling that Morelli wasn’t going to be placated with general misinformation. God, he really didn’t want to have this conversation.

 

“Send him up.” Ranger finished off his bottle of beer and pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels and two glasses from the cabinet over the stove. If he and Morelli were going to have anything resembling a civilized conversation, they were both going to have to be buzzed to do it. He set the bottle and glasses on the coffee table and then stood at the door, waiting for Morelli to arrive. When he heard the elevator open, he turned the door handle and braced himself for what he knew was coming.

 

Ranger had barely pulled the door open when Morelli’s fist connected with his jaw. The punch rocked Ranger but he kept his feet. Morelli pushed past him and stormed into the apartment. “C’mon in, Joe. Make yourself at home,” he said sarcastically.

 

“Fuck you, Manoso. You’re not giving me the run-around anymore. The hospital won’t say anything, hell no one is even allowed on the floor, and no one here is talking either. I’m going to know everything there is to know about Steph’s condition even if I have to beat it out of you.” He stood in the middle of the apartment with his arms crossed and looked around. He started when he saw Rex’s cage on the counter. “How long has he been here?”

 

“About a month.”

 

Ranger stood quietly while Morelli did the math. “That would mean that Stephanie stayed here when she was in hiding. I thought she was at a safe house!”

 

Ranger looked at him and chuckled, “She told you she was at a safe house?”

 

Morelli thought about it, then said, “She said that I wouldn’t feel better about where she was staying but I’d worry less.” He frowned when he saw the smirk on Ranger’s face. “She was here with you the whole time?”

 

He knew he was baiting the cop, but he couldn’t help it. The frustration of the last few weeks were wearing on him, and kicking Morelli’s ass would go a long way to making him feel better. “Actually, I came home from a business trip to find her in my shirt and asleep in my bed. She woke up when I came in, we talked and I went to take a shower. When I came out, she was still in my bed.” Then he smiled remembering what happened the following morning.

 

He wasn’t surprised when Joe lunged for him. “You sonofabitch! You two were sleeping together?” Ranger hooked Joe’s arm, twisted it behind his back and slammed him face-first into the solid mahogany door, his forearm pressed against the back of Morelli’s neck.

 

“You only get one freebie. I’ve had a pretty fucked up few weeks and I’d love nothing better than to kick your ass right now. But you came here for a reason. If you want information from me, you better cool your jets, man, or you’re leaving here in a goddamn ambulance.”

 

Joe tried to shove him loose, but Ranger tightened his grip. “You done, or do you want to go rounds?”

 

He stopped struggling against Ranger’s grip. “Alright, for now.” Ranger released him and stepped back. He eyed Joe coolly, waiting to see what he’d do next. Morelli turned to face him and leaned against the door with his arms crossed. “Tell me how she is.”

 

“No. Not yet,” Ranger said. He walked into the living room, poured a double-shot of whiskey and sank into his chair. He gestured to the couch, “Take a seat; have a drink while I tell you the rules of this conversation.”

 

“Rules? What the hell do you mean?”

 

Ranger tilted his glass, watching the light filter through the amber liquid. “Rule number one. No one else gets this information. Not her family, not her friends. No one.”

 

“Why are you alienating her family and friends? They love her and, if she’s hurt, she needs them.”

 

“Ever try to keep a secret in the Burg?” Ranger asked.

 

Joe rolled his eyes, “Yeah, OK. I’m guessing there is a rule number two?”

 

“I’ve heard all the rumors floating around. Some are harmless and inconsequential, others are not. Any of these rumors come your way, you better stop them or I will. I won’t have Stephanie dragged through the mud any longer.”

 

Joe sighed and nodded. He’d heard the rumors as well. “That it?”

 

“Yeah, that’s it.”

 

“You going to tell me how she is now?” Joe asked. “It’s been three weeks and all we’ve been told is that she has a few broken bones and she’s unconscious.”

 

Ranger closed his eyes and leaned his head back into the chair. “It’s bad.”

 

Joe leaned forward and asked, “Define bad.”

 

Ranger shifted in his seat, trying to figure out the best way to say what had to be said. Finally, he decided not to sugar-coat it. “The beating ruptured her spleen, destroyed her right kidney, broke her pelvis, her left ankle and her right wrist. She suffered massive brain trauma from repeated kicks to the head. They couldn’t save her reproductive organs; she had to have a hysterectomy to stop the bleeding.”

 

Morelli slugged the entire contents of his glass, “Christ. That’s a hell of a lot more than just a couple broken bones.” Ranger noted that Morelli looked a little pale and shocky.

 

“You should have another glass, it’s not going to get any better.”

 

“Jesus, there’s more?” Morelli asked.

 

Ranger downed the contents of his glass and reached over to pour another. He’d been avoiding saying these words out loud, but Morelli had asked and deserved to know. He took another gulp of whiskey and looked at Joe for a long moment. His voice was hoarse when he said, “She’s gotten into a lot of shit over the last few years, and she’s walked away unscathed. But she’s not coming out of this one.”

 

Morelli stared at him in disbelief, “They told you that?”

 

“Several times. Every time, I make them run the tests again and they come up with the same result.”

 

“Does she---Does she have brain activity?” Morelli asked, apparently unsure that he wanted to hear the answer. He looked relieved when Ranger nodded.

 

“She does, which is the only reason she’s still hooked up to the machines. She has an EEG every morning. If there was no brain function, I would end it for her.” Ranger said, swallowing the last of his drink.

 

“You would end it?” Morelli said. “How did you end up in charge of her instead of me or her parents? I’ve known her her whole life. I was engaged to her for Chrissake. You were just her friend.” Morelli gave him an appraising look, “Unless there was something else going on that I don’t know about?”

 

Ranger gave Morelli a blank look. “Whatever is between me and Steph is between me and Steph. If she wanted you to know about it, she would have told you.”

 

“Well, since she can’t now, maybe you should.”

 

“No. You have your relationship with Stephanie and I have mine. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not for public discussion. Like I said, if she wanted you to know she would have said something.”

 

Morelli sat quietly for a moment, staring into his empty glass. “You slept with her didn’t you?”

 

“Not your business, Morelli. You’re going to have to let that one go. As for me having medical Power of Attorney for Stephanie, she is a Rangeman employee,” he held up his hand as Joe started to interrupt, “as-needed, but still on the payroll. That entitles her to the same benefit package as all of my other employees – including full medical with no monetary limitation. Most of them served with me in the Rangers and most have named me as their POA if something happens to them. When I hired Stephanie, I talked to her about it and she asked me to stand up for her. She knew that I could do what she wanted.”

 

“What? She didn’t think her parents or I would take care of her?” Joe asked incredulously.

 

Ranger leaned back in his chair with his arms folded in front of him. He stretched his legs out and studied the man in front of him. “Tell me Morelli, how often did any of you do what Steph wanted? Ever? If she said to you, “When the time comes, don’t let me go on without any hope. Pull the plug and let me go”, would you do it without question?” He watched Morelli’s eyes, and saw his answer written there. He pointed his finger at Morelli, “That’s why she asked me, because when the time comes I will let her go – although it might kill me to do it.”

 

“You’re in love with her,” Joe said, and Ranger noted that it wasn’t a question.

 

“Aren’t you? Hell, isn’t everybody? I’ve got a list of the hardest, most badass mercenaries money can buy waiting to spend a few hours with her. They sit next to her bed and read to her, tell her jokes or just talk to her about their lives. The first week she was in the hospital, every one of them broke down and cried over the condition she is in. So, yes Morelli, I love her and I’m in good company.”

 

“I want to see her, Ranger. Tomorrow.”

 

“No, you don’t.” Ranger shook his head when he saw the anger flare in the other man’s eyes. “You love her, right? You have a lot of memories, good memories of her?” When Joe nodded, Ranger said, “Hold on to those and remember her how she was. If you see her now, those memories won’t be as clear to you.” His voice cracked a little as he said, “I sometimes wish I could do that, man. It’s hard to see her every day and know that she’s never going to smile at me or tease me again. Even if, by some miracle, she comes out of this, she’s not going to have any motor function, probably no vision or speech either.” Ranger pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tight to stop the tears. “Just cherish the memories of her that you have and say a prayer for her, but don’t see her.”

 

Joe’s eyes were watery as he stood up. “I understand what you’re saying, but I still think her family should be told and should be with her. They’re going crazy not knowing.”

 

“I told her today that I would call her father tomorrow and explain the situation. I don’t know the man, and Steph never said much about him. Any thoughts?”

 

Joe said, “Just be straight with him. Frank doesn’t say a lot and he stays out of the whole Burg gossip machine, but he loves Stephanie. He’s going to want to see her, so be ready.” Joe was quiet for a moment. “I heard everything you said, and I appreciate you looking out for her if that’s what she wanted, but I’m going to need to see her before it’s over. I can’t let her go without a goodbye.”

 

“Think about it for a few days and if you still feel the same, I’ll work something out,” Ranger said. “But it’s got to be a one-shot deal. You’re too high profile with the gangs to have you going in and out of the hospital ward every day. Junkman and Brown are still out there just waiting for an opportunity to come after her again. Steph’s been my priority so they’ve got a pass for now. But, that pass has an expiration date.”

 

Morelli nodded in understanding. “Make it hurt.” He turned and walked out the door without another word.

Ranger locked the door after Morelli left and headed for bed. He’d been up 21 hours and just finished off the better part of a bottle of whiskey. He stripped down and slid under the sheets, stuffing a pillow under his head and staring out the window to the lights of Trenton. This day had sucked ass, and tomorrow was going to be even worse when he had to talk to her father. He knew that Stephanie was on borrowed time. She was holding her own now, but probably soon her condition would start to deteriorate. He had promised her that if there was no hope for recovery, he’d make sure she went with dignity and as peacefully as possible. He would fulfill that promise, but the thought of losing her tore him up inside. So he kept busy with Rangeman business, occupying his mind with hunting down FTAs and negotiating security contracts. It wasn’t like him to avoid when faced with a difficult problem, but he just needed more time on this one. Every time he saw her lying there so helpless he could feel the anger burning in his blood.

 

He hadn’t lied to Morelli, she wasn’t brain dead. The doctors had said that if she ever regained consciousness she would be blind and probably would not have the motor function to speak, but she could still hear. That’s why he and the Rangemen crew spent so much time talking or reading to her. She could hear them and they wanted to reassure her that she wasn’t alone.

 

He knew that he should bring the family in but was worried that 5 minutes after they left, a detailed and probably embellished account of her condition would be all over town. He didn’t want the rumor mill to grind out more crap about her; there was enough already. Also, he didn’t want the Slayers to know that they succeeded in taking her out. If they thought they could get another chance at her, odds were good that they would stick around – especially Junkman. As far as anyone outside of Rangeman (and now Morelli) knew, Steph had a few broken bones and a concussion.

 

He was serious with Morelli about dealing with Junkman and Eugene Brown. They were also living on borrowed time, they just didn’t know it yet. “Make it hurt,” Morelli had said. And oh yeah, it was going to hurt like a son of a bitch. The Rangers and later the CIA had taught him well. He had a mental file of interrogation techniques that would make Torquemada look like a Boy Scout. But he wasn’t going to go off half-cocked. He had years of experience in planning full-scale invasions for the Rangers. Taking down a group of street thugs, rapists and remorseless killers wasn’t going to be the problem. Patience was. He wanted to wipe them all out now, but he knew if he just ran in with guns blazing they’d scatter and he’d never get them all. And he would get them all. He had promised her that when he found her at the playground. But he would spend the time she had left focused on her and what she needed. He wouldn’t let her down again. Tonight, Ranger silently vowed to himself and Steph that the last day of her life would be the first day of her revenge.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

He was standing in front of Connie’s desk, with his back to the door, reviewing an FTA file when she slipped into the office. She had been trying to sneak up on him for a few days now, but he was always on to her game. It helped that neither Lula nor Connie were masters of stealth. Every thought they had was shown on their faces. Today he decided to see what she’d do if she was successful, so he ignored her and continued to look through the file.

 

Her warm body pressed against his back as she stood on her toes and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Yo, Babe,” she said and he could hear the smile in her voice.

 

He laughed softly, and said, “Yo, yourself.”

 

“Got anything fun?”

 

“Maybe. You available for some distraction work?”

 

“Sure. When?”

 

“Probably tomorrow night.”

 

“OK. Are we talking business suit or leather skirt, halter and four-inch fuck-me pumps?”

 

He chuckled, “Well, how about we compromise and say yes to the business suit and absolutely to the fuck-me-pumps?”

 

“The black suit with the button down shirt?”

 

He turned to face her. “My favorite,” he said with a smile. He closed the file and picked up a stack of others. “Have you had lunch yet?,”

 

“No, I thought I’d just swing through McDonalds on the way to pick up my skip.”

 

He wrapped a strong arm around her waist and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “Let me take you to lunch at Rossinis. Got something I want to talk to you about.” Her arm came around his waist and she hung her thumb from his belt loop.

 

She gave him a flirty smile, “Can I have dessert?”

 

“Babe, you can have anything you want.” As they walked out, he cast a glance back to the office and nearly laughed out loud at the sight of Lula and Connie slumped side-by-side on the couch fanning each other with file folders.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Oh. My. God. That’s SO good!” she purred as she licked the bit of chocolate whipped cream from her spoon. “Mmmmmmm…Ranger you are so missing out.”

 

“Not from where I'm sitting,” he said giving her a wolfish grin. He was as hard as a rock, but realized that she had no idea of her effect on him. She wasn’t teasing him intentionally; just innocently enjoying her dessert.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to try some? You’re drinking wine….the body must not be a temple today,” she said, trying to coax him. “ C’mon, say ‘the hell with it’ and take a bite.”

 

“No, you go ahead and keep doing what you’re doing. My reputation as a stud goes up with every bite you take.” She gave him a puzzled look. He leaned forward on the table, laced his fingers together in front of him and gave her a wicked grin, “Babe, you sound like you’re having an orgasm and I haven’t laid a hand on you. Yet.”

 

As her cheeks turned bright pink, he tipped his head back and laughed. She rolled her eyes in embarrassment and then smiled. “OK, I guess I deserved that.” She finished the last bite of her dessert and pushed the plate away. “So Batman, what did you want to talk to me about?”

 

“This,” he said and handed over a pocket folder. Stephanie opened it and looked inside.

 

“Rangeman? What’s this about?”

 

“You do jobs for Rangeman occasionally. I’m putting you on the payroll as an intermittent employee. You’ll get paid for the jobs you work based on the amount of the bounty instead of a flat fee. It’s just routine employment forms, W2’s, medical insurance, and emergency notifications,” he said.

 

She shuffled through the papers before pulling one out. “Power of Attorney? I’ve never seen one of these in an employment package before.”

 

He leaned back in the seat and slowly turned the stem of his wine glass. “We work in a dangerous business. Every time we go after a skip there is a chance for something to go wrong. That form is for you to designate someone to stand up for you if you can’t do it for yourself. To pay your bills, make decisions on your health care, look out for you. Every Rangeman employee has to have one of these in their file.”

 

She looked at him for a long moment. “That seems like a big responsibility to lay on somebody. What if that person does stuff you wouldn’t want?”

 

He shrugged, “The point is that you put in writing what you want and the person you designate as POA is honor-bound to follow it. Sometimes people have their own agendas, and abuses do happen. The son who robs his sick, widowed mother of her life savings, or the woman who steals the house while her sister is in a coma. The way to avoid that is to designate someone that you trust implicitly.”

 

“So Tank and the other guys have this too?” He nodded. “Did they put down a family member?”

 

“No. Most of them picked me.” At her surprised look he went on, “We served together in some life-threatening situations: bombs dropping out of the sky and automatic weapons firing in all directions. I was their commanding officer for a long time. They know that I will always have their backs.”

 

“Who has your back?”

 

“Tank.” She smiled and nodded as if she had already known the answer to that. She looked down at the paper again, her brow furrowed in thought.

 

“I hope you won’t be offended, but I’m curious. Why did you pick Tank? Why not a family member?”

 

“Tank is an honorable man and he’s been my second for a long time now. He knows how I feel about death and the terms that I’m willing to go out on. He knows what to do for me if the time comes that I can’t do for myself. I trust him to stand up for me and not let my family or anyone else push their beliefs or their opinions onto me. When I go, it will be on my terms and no one elses'.”

 

She was quiet for a few minutes and he watched her as she chewed on her bottom lip while she thought about it. Finally she looked up at him, “Would you be willing to do this for me?”

 

“Are you sure, Babe? Maybe your mother or someone else in your family would be a better choice?”

 

Stephanie sighed. “My family can’t agree on anything that doesn’t concern food. If I tell my mother I want to do something, she’s always got a better way or a different idea and disregards what I want. My father is a good guy, but he really just wants to keep the peace so he goes along with whatever my mother wants. Valerie is, well she’s not one to stand up for herself let alone me. Mary Lou could probably handle it, but her life is so chaotic with Lenny and the kids I’d hate to burden her further. Joe and I never agree on anything, so he’s out. Besides, I trust you.”

 

“I’m honored that you feel you can trust me with this. Go ahead and give me your terms,” he said.

 

“A question first,” she said. “Are you Catholic?”

 

“Yes. You?”

 

“Yep. The reason I ask is that I know if something bad does happen to me, my mother is going to insist on full rites of the church and that’s OK. I don’t make it to mass much anymore, but I want the last sacraments.”

 

“No problem, Babe. I’m good friends with Monsignor Baptiste over at St. Mary’s. I’m sure he’d be willing to do that for you.” If she thought it bizarre for a self-proclaimed mercenary to be friends with the pastor of the largest cathedral in Trenton, she didn’t say so.

 

“OK, here goes. I hear all the time that everyone should be an organ donor, and a lot of lives have been saved because of the organ donation programs, but I don’t want to do it. I know it’s selfish but that’s how I feel. Also, I don’t want anyone elses' organs – even if it means that I die sooner.” He nodded and motioned for her to continue. “If I am hurt badly enough to need surgery or blood transfusions, do it. I don’t have a problem getting donated blood. If something happens where I can’t breathe on my own for awhile, I’m OK with a ventilator.” She stopped and toyed with the corner of her napkin. She was obviously uncomfortable talking about this.

 

“You’re doing good so far.”

 

“I’m willing to live with disabilities, since it means I can LIVE. A missing limb or loss of sight or hearing won’t stop me from having a full life. But if I’m hurt so badly that there’s no chance for recovery, don’t let them drag it out. When the time comes, don’t let me go on without any hope. Pull the plug and let me go.”

 

He reached across the table and took her hand. “I promise you that I will do what you want. I’ll take care of you when you need me to.” She took a pen out of her purse and filled out the forms. She put them back in the folder and handed it over to him.

 

He put it with his other files, then reached out again and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You ready to get out of here?”

 

She nodded and stood up to gather her things. He slung an arm across her shoulders as they walked out of the restaurant. “Thanks for lunch,” she said.

 

“You’re welcome. I love to know I’m responsible for putting such a satisfied look on such a beautiful woman,” he said, with a grin. He leaned down and kissed her blushing cheek, “Later, Babe.” He got into the Turbo to make a call and watched as she got into the Buick and drove away.

 

Ranger woke suddenly at 4:00am. He’d had been dreaming about the day Stephanie gave him power of attorney. Shouldering the responsibilities for her care was a given – he said he would do it and he would until the end. Notifying her family of the situation was going to be difficult. They didn’t understand his involvement in her care and they were quite vocal and unhappy when the ER informed them that first night that he had final say on everything concerning Stephanie – including what information would be released about her condition and to whom. When he had armed guards posted in the 6^th floor lobby to screen visitors, her mother nearly screamed the place down when she was denied entry. As for her father, he knew he had to tell him the truth, but as a father himself he couldn’t imagine having a total stranger come up and tell him his little girl wasn’t ever going to wake up.

 

He rolled out of bed and pulled on some sweats and running shoes. He took the stairs down to the lobby and did some stretching exercises before heading out the double doors and down to the street. Ranger ran for almost an hour before he made his way to the hospital. He took the stairs; running the six floors to her room.

 

The hospital corridor was silent and empty. There was a small television playing in the nurses station, and occasionally an orderly would cross the hall. As he approached her doorway, he could hear the low voice of a man reciting the end of the 23^rd Psalm. He walked in as quietly as possible and saw Monsignor Baptiste wrapping a rosary around her left wrist.

 

“Monsignor,” he said. “It’s a little early for you, isn’t it?”

 

The priest smiled at him. “Yes, it is early but I was here for another parishioner’s passing and I wanted to visit with Stephanie for awhile.” He noted Ranger looking to the empty chair in the corner. “Robert was kind enough to go to the visitor’s lounge and get a cup of coffee for me. He should be back within a few minutes.”

 

Ranger nodded and pulled Stephanie’s chart from its hook on the wall. “Nothing has changed, Father,” he said quietly.

 

“I know. I’m very sorry. How are you, Carlos?”

 

“Fine.” He looked in the priest’s knowing eyes and sighed. He could hear his grandmother scolding him, “It’s a sin to fib to a priest, Ricardo!” “I’m doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances, Father.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Bobby Brown said as he stopped in the doorway. “I didn’t know you were here, Ranger.” He handed the Styrofoam cup to the priest. “Here you go, Father.”

 

Monsignor Baptiste smiled, “Thank you, Robert. Would you mind sitting with Stephanie for awhile? I’d like to speak to Carlos privately.”

 

“Yes, sir. I’ll just pick up in our book where we left off. It was good to see you again.”

 

“And you,” said Monsignor Baptiste. He went to Stephanie’s bed and traced the sign of the cross on her forehead. He leaned down and said something to her that was too low for the others to hear.

 

He motioned for Ranger to follow him and they walked down the corridor to the visitor’s lounge. The two men sat down and remained quiet for several minutes.

 

Monsignor Baptiste studied his friend. “In a situation such as this, rage is a normal emotion. Knowing you as I do Carlos, I’m wondering how you are dispersing your rage in order to appear so calm.”

 

“I’m not dispersing it.”

 

“Ah, I see. You are storing it then?” Ranger nodded.

 

“And what will happen when she is no longer here to help you contain it?”

 

Ranger looked at him for a long moment. Then quietly said, “I’ll need to come to confession then, Father.”

 

The meaning of that statement was not lost on Monsignor Baptiste. “I know I don’t have to remind you of the fifth commandment. You will be jeopardizing your soul if you follow that path.”

 

“It won’t be the first time I’ve broken that commandment for her. And the state of my soul is the least of my concerns right now.”

 

“Vengeance is for the Lord to wield, Carlos. You should find the men responsible for Stephanie’s injuries but don’t stain your soul; turn them over to the authorities.”

 

“I can’t do that, Father. I made a promise to her. She’s in the situation she is because I wasn’t there to help her. I won’t let her down again.”

 

“Though I don’t know her well, I can’t imagine that she would blame you for her condition. She would not want you to seek retribution on her behalf, Carlos.”

 

“I disagree. When Steph’s angry, she stays angry and isn’t above physical violence to vent that anger. If she could, I think she would ask me to avenge her.”

 

Monsignor Baptiste sighed heavily and stood up. “I will pray for both of you. You will be speaking with her family later this morning, correct?” When Ranger nodded, he said, “Please offer my services. I would be willing to meet with them to help ease their suffering.”

 

“That would be a good idea, Father. Mrs. Plum is very devout and I’m sure she would be comforted to know that you had seen Stephanie and prayed for her. I was planning to speak to her father privately and then let him tell the rest of the family. I’m not Mrs. Plum’s favorite person. I can have someone pick you up at 10:00 and take you to their house.”

 

“I’ll be ready. As you know, I performed the Extreme Unction for Stephanie the night she was brought in. I will be by later this week to see her again. If needed, the Rites can be given over. If I am needed sooner, please don’t hesitate to call.”

 

“Thank you. I’m sure her mother would want to witness it so we may need to do that.” Ranger stood and shook hands with Monsignor Baptiste and he walked the priest to the elevators.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Chapter 4

 

Frank Plum was a man on the edge. It was only 7:00am and his day had already gone to hell. He had tried to leave the house before anyone woke but didn’t get as far as the coffee maker before his wife was slamming doors and breaking dishes, muttering for the umpteenth time about that “arrogante cazzo” keeping her away from her baby. His Ellen did all her best swearing in Italian. Also, he just couldn’t deal with his crazy mother-in-law today. He made his excuses and got into his cab. He’d go back home about 5:00pm to face his menopausal wife, his oldest daughter with two kids, a horse and a clown, and everyone yelling over dinner about his youngest daughter in a hospital somewhere under armed guard.

 

Joe Morelli had called at 6:00am to talk to him. He said that he had spoken to Stephanie’s friend Ranger about her condition the night before. Joe said that he now agreed that Stephanie should remain under guard and with limited visitation. He also said that he had discussed with Manoso easing the restrictions on family visitors. According to Morelli, Ranger Manoso was unpredictable and a stone-cold badass, but he wasn’t heartless. He said that they would be hearing more about Stephanie’s condition soon. Frank liked Morelli well enough, although they weren’t friends. The phone call had been short and to the point, but he’d noticed that Morelli sounded strange on the phone – almost as if he was struggling to get the words out.

 

His radio crackled and the dispatcher came on the line. “Frank, you have a pick-up at 335 Haywood Street.” He responded with an ETA of 10 minutes and flipped a U-turn at the next light heading uptown.

 

Ten minutes later, he pulled up in front of a 7-story brick office building. He sat idling for about 5 minutes when a guard walked up to his window. He rolled the window down so they could speak. “I’m here to pick up a fare.”

 

“Are you Frank Plum?” the guard asked.

 

“Yes,” said Frank warily. “Why?”

 

“Mr. Manoso requests that you meet with him. His office is on the 5^th floor. You can leave your car here.”

 

“Ranger Manoso?”

 

“Yes sir. If you’ll exit the car and follow me, I’ll escort you through security.” Frank got out of the car and followed the young man into the building. There was a metal detector inside the door and he put his keys and change in the offered tray and stepped through. He collected his things and took the elevator to the 5^th floor. “His office is at the end of the hall, sir,” the guard said and then he turned and walked away.

 

Frank walked down the hallway, noting the understated elegance of the place. This Ranger fella had money, a lot of money. When he reached the double doors at the end of the hall, he knocked twice. He heard a man’s voice telling him to enter. Frank opened the door and walked into an office that looked like it belonged to an attorney. Cherrywood bookshelves ran the length of one cream-colored wall. There was a small conference table with matching chairs on one end and a large cherrywood desk at the other. Behind that desk in a black leather chair sat Ranger Manoso.

 

He stood and walked toward Frank. “I’m sorry for bringing you here under false pretenses, sir. I just wanted to talk to you in private, and I thought it best that I not come to your house.” He extended his hand to Frank.

 

Frank shook his hand, but didn’t let go right away. “How is my daughter?”

 

Ranger looked Frank in the eyes and said, “That’s what I wanted to speak to you about.” He gestured to a leather chair near the window. “Please take a seat.” Frank sat down in the chair and watched Ranger. Stephanie was a good judge of character, with the exception of her first husband, and she had trusted this man with her life. He was big, and muscular. The dark skin and the black clothing made him more intimidating. He wondered what his daughter saw in this man. He watched as Ranger walked over to the wet bar and poured a glass of Scotch. Frank was surprised when Ranger handed him the glass. He went to decline but Ranger said, “You might need it in a few minutes.”

 

Ranger sat in the chair next to Frank and studied him for a long moment. Finally he said, “Mr. Plum, I wanted to update you on Stephanie’s condition. I realize that you and your wife are upset that the security measures for Stephanie have prevented your access to her and obtaining information about her. I apologize for that, but my first concern is for Stephanie’s safety and comfort. I’m sure you understand how the Burg operates when it comes to information.”

 

Frank nodded and somehow he had a sinking feeling that what Manoso was about to tell him was the very last thing he wanted to hear.

 

“You knew from the police that she had been kidnapped from the VFW hall?”

 

“Yes, they said she was taken by a street gang in retaliation for a capture that she made. They didn’t say much more than that.” Ranger nodded.

 

“You know that she wasn’t found for over 8 hours?”

 

“Yes. You’re the one who found her, weren’t you?”

 

“Yes sir.” Frank noticed that Ranger’s expression had gone blank. He knew from his friends on the Trenton PD that when the blank face came out it was because there was too much emotion going on behind it. Ranger continued, “My men and I searched for Stephanie from the moment we realized she was missing. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find her in time to prevent her injuries.”

 

“Exactly what are her injuries, Mr. Manoso?”

 

“Please call me Ranger.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “There is no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. Stephanie was raped, Mr. Plum. Repeatedly. The doctors had to take her uterus to prevent her from hemorrhaging to death.”

 

There was suddenly a loud buzzing in Frank’s head and his vision swam. He quickly took a drink from his glass. When that didn’t stop it, he drained the whole thing and held it out for a refill. “She was also beaten severely,” said Ranger as he refilled the glass and handed it back. “She had damage to her kidneys and spleen. They removed the spleen and one kidney.” Ranger was suddenly silent and Frank looked up at him to see why he had stopped. This powerful and dangerous man had choked up and was obviously trying to pull himself together.

 

“She’s going to die, isn’t she?” Frank asked. From what Morelli had told him about Ranger, the man rarely showed emotions. It was apparent to him that Ranger had very strong feelings for Stephanie, maybe even loved her. He wouldn’t be this broken up if she was going to be fine.

 

Ranger cleared his throat and looked at Stephanie’s father. “They don’t give her very good odds on recovery. As of this morning it was about 20%. She has massive brain trauma and is in a coma. If by some miracle she comes out of it, most likely she’ll be blind and lacking motor skills. She will be unable to care for herself.”

 

“I want to see her, Ranger. Before I tell my wife that our baby girl is going to die, I want to see her for myself.”

 

“I thought you might. We can take my car.” The two men left the office and took the elevator to the basement. As the doors opened, Frank was surprised to see a fleet of expensive black cars. Ranger took a set of keys from his pocket and hit a button. A black BMW 830ci chirped and its lights flashed. Frank followed Ranger to the car and they got in. The interior was butter-soft ivory leather. The dash was high-gloss rosewood.

 

Ranger drove the BMW out of the lot and headed for the hospital. Frank was nervous about what he would see when they arrived so he attempted to make conversation. “This is a very nice car. I’m partial to Buicks myself, but I’ve heard that the BMW is a fine automobile.”

 

“I don’t usually drive this one, since it’s a limited edition. I spend a lot of time in the 911, but Stephanie really likes this car. She teases me that it’s the Batmobile,” Ranger said with a spark of amusement in his eyes.

 

Frank smiled. “That sounds like my girl. She’s always loved the extraordinary. Valerie was the practical one who never stepped a foot wrong, and Stephanie was the dreamer who acted out imaginary adventures. When she was a child she would take one of her mother’s best bath towels and clip it to her shirt with clothespins. Then she would run through the house pretending to be Wonder Woman.”

 

Ranger glanced at Stephanie’s father, “Her mother didn’t get mad?”

 

Frank shook his head, “No, not really. Ellen was OK with Stephanie’s antics most of the time. Except for when she jumped off the garage roof because she wanted to fly.”

 

She had been staring at him for nearly 5 minutes. The stakeout had been long and she was bored. Finally, she asked, “Ranger, you never say much about your military service. How come you joined the Airborne Rangers?”

 

He was quiet for a moment, just watching the way the street light made a halo behind her. “Because I wanted to fly,” he said.

 

They pulled into the hospital parking garage and exited the car. Frank started a little at the sight of Ranger holding a gun at his side. He hadn’t seen him pull it out. Ranger looked at Frank and said, “Just a precaution. She’s still on their list.” They walked through the garage and took the elevator to the sixth floor and stepped out. Ranger walked up to the guard, “Put Frank Plum on the list.” The guard nodded and while the two men continued down the hall, the guard made a note of Frank’s height, approximate age and weight, and hair color for the log.

 

Ranger stopped outside of her door. He handed Frank a business card with a cell number written on the back. “If you come in to visit her, call this number first. A guard will meet you at the parking garage elevators and escort you in.”

 

“No offense, Ranger, but is all this cloak and dagger stuff really necessary? These guys did their damage, why would they still be interested in her?”

 

“Because she lived. Their egos won’t allow them to let it go. It’s important that they don’t know anything is wrong. I’m counting on their continued interest in her.”

 

“You have an agenda.” It wasn’t a question.

 

Ranger nodded, “Yes, I do.” Frank went to open the door but Ranger stopped him. “I won’t lie to you, Mr. Plum. She’s in rough shape. Brace yourself.”

 

Frank opened the door and turned to Ranger, “Are you coming in?”

 

“No, I’m going to meet with her doctor. I’ll be back in 20 minutes.”

 

Frank walked into the room and stopped short. Cal was standing at the foot of the bed with his gun pointed at the doorway. Ranger motioned for him to leave and Cal holstered his gun and quietly filed past Frank. He took up guard outside of the door.

 

Ranger left Frank alone with his daughter and walked down the hall toward the doctor’s office.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Chapter 5

 

 

  *Arrogante cazzo is Italian for arrogant prick