Big thanks once again to my amazing "Research Department". Being allowed to incorporate your thoughts, comments, and stories, has definitely made this a better one. A special shout-out to the five who gave me permission to 'steal' their tattoo idea and use it here. You are the best! All familiar characters and events belong to Janet. The mistakes are mine alone.

Chapter 10

Ranger's POV

Being obsessive about my own safety, and even more so of those I care about, made proving what a threat Morelli is to my wife laughably easy. I had audio, visual, and eyewitness accounts, of how drawn he is to my property and my woman. Although I took precautions to prevent any further interactions between Stephanie and the asshole, she purposely got the final nail in his coffin on a dash cam when he tried to corner her at a gas station as she stopped to fill her tank. His brain cells must be dying at a rapid rate because doing so proved our case that he is in fact stalking her like the predator he is. It also shows how he's lacking as a man, hoping to catch her at a time I wouldn't be around to put a bullet in him.

Her other Tank was her tail that day, now that her having backup is no longer an option ... it's a requirement. Knowing that I'm the subject to get her reacting the fastest, Morelli quickly started in with the usual ... that shooting him with a dye-gun shows that I'm crazy and even more of a loose cannon than before. And because she's sticking closer to home and to me - her choice, my gain - to him means I'm the one trying to control her. His newest taunt after Steph severed his balls with my service record, is that I'm just a hired killer ... not the peacekeeper he claimed to be from his time spent on a boat fucking off. I know many Navy men, and I like and respect them all, but Morelli will never measure up to or be among them. He got the reaction he had hoped for from Stephanie, but also kissed his own ass goodbye.

"It's a little ironic ... and also sad, not to mention pathetic, that you didn't mind Ranger and the guys being armed and at the ready whenever they 'volunteer' to go to war time and time again while your ass chills out at home, complaining to your mommy that she used too much starch in your underwear again and dropped off vanilla ice cream instead of the chocolate you'd asked for," she had told him. "But when my guys are back home, doing your job here too, you suddenly have a problem with how well-trained they all are."

I know exactly what she had said that afternoon, because she'd had her cell in her hand and had linked it to me before confronting the bastard. We've become all about evidence, and we already had more than we needed to have gotten a judge to rule him as unhinged and potentially dangerous to more than just my wife even though we received the restraining order against him, so I knew that Stephanie's words were said for my benefit ... trying to tell me in her own way that if anyone talks shit about me, she will stop them and thoroughly enjoy the process.

I don't need her to defend me to anyone, but my soul repairs itself a little more every time she does. I can't be a piece of shit thug or a man who's emotionless as a robot if someone like her loves me so passionately.

Needless to say, Tank and Hector had materialized at Steph's sides and Morelli had felt far less brave, though he should know by now just how dangerous my wife is. I hire who I do for a number of reasons, to give men similar to me a second chance at a productive and meaningful life like I had to fight for, but also for the reputations that proceed them and the street cred they've earned the hard way. If Hector fingers a knife in front of you, you know to run like hell or he may decide not to be so gentle with your digits when he gets his hands and knife on them. And if Tank's normally blank expression turns icily-amused, it's best to get your head and your heart more than 300 meters away from him.

Once Morelli had turned pussy and ran home to mommy, Steph and my men stopped in at Juniak's office where I was set to meet them. I cut a call to McCurry short just to haul ass across town.

"If the city and the police department don't keep him permanently away from my wife," I had told Juniak, and the police chief that I'd requested be there, "I'm going to ... and I guarantee you won't approve of how I do it."

"He didn't bother me," Steph had said, "just annoyed me. I've been through worse, putting him in his place and bragging about what an impressive man my husband, is isn't a problem. You could call it my new hobby."

"This is nothing to joke about, Babe. You've suffered too much as it is, you shouldn't have to see his face every time you're away from me."

She had nudged me with her hip. "Guess you'll just have to stick to me like sugar on a jelly doughnut."

"You may not want to suggest that because I can - and I will - arrange it so I have even more time with you. But he shouldn't be a factor in your life anymore ... in our life." I turned to Juniak. "You have the day to do something, or I'll handle it myself."

I've had to decide who lives and who's going to die in the blink of an eye and the squeeze of my trigger finger. And in my mind ... Morelli has outlived his usefulness on the force before Tank got him axed, to the extent of wasting company time on personal vendettas. He had been a liability to the TPD, but now he's threat to the entire Burg. Between Eddie on the Burg-end and Juniak on the bureaucratic side, keeping tabs on him placed Morelli under the type of microscope only Stephanie has experienced. His badge and that method of controlling him is already gone, but if he gets arrested by breaking a court order, his mommy will feel it as his entire family becomes criticized and ostracized by those who'd put them on a pedestal for outliving the bastard the senior Morelli had been. Joe knows whatever he does will now be watched 24/7, and if he fucks up ... he won't be the only one wading through the fallout from it.

According to the Chief, if he doesn't stay more than eight - not the typical one-hundred - feet away from my woman, he will be immediately picked up and locked up right beside criminals like he'd once arrested, not the safest place for a cocky ex-cop. And that's the lesser of two evils, me being the other. He knows if I have to pay him a visit at his place because he refuses to accept that my wife should no longer take up space in his fucked-up mind, his family will be steam-cleaning brain matter out of his carpet and will need some bleach for the walls.

To keep my skills from getting rusty, I did a little stalking of my own with one or three of my men showing up wherever he is, to keep my threat feeling like a very real promise. He likes to 'warn' people that I'm a ticking time bomb, but he's the one who's going to blow. If he wants to believe my ongoing military career has made me homicidal or at the very least unstable, it'd be a shame to disappoint him by letting an enemy walk knowing he's only going to cause more harm.

I do prefer brute force, but as Steph said, psychological warfare can be a fun way to pass the time. Seeing a red dot trained on you, seemingly out of nowhere and at completely random times, has a way of keeping your own mortality, and what will happen to you if you break the laws you're ordered to adhere to now, at the forefront of your mind every minute of every day. It's hard to think about what Stephanie is doing when you're busy worrying if that pizza you just ate is actually your last.

With my and the State of New Jersey's interference, he became less of a concern, while Stephanie's family continued to fuck with her head. But she had hit her limit not long after we returned home from Deal. She hung up on her mother and didn't answer any of her calls again. My wife deciding she needs to keep a close eye on me, gave her a freedom she has never had before. Edna, Valerie, and Steph's nieces are welcome and encouraged to visit Rangeman, but Helen and Frank were set aside - and apart from our family - the same way Stephanie had been in their minds.

Overall, despite all the shit it took to get here, and the wounds we've all suffered along the way, visible and invisible, I've never been more content with my life and glad that I've survived everything I've had to in order to get to finally enjoy it. I learned that although Mike and Little Bear, as well as Sgts. Kendrick and Gary's, recoveries haven't been easy and are far from over, the mission we all came home from can be considered a success. I'm proud to have led the rescue, but not being over there to have prevented our Soldiers from being taken, and not sparing Mike and L.B. the new life they're having to adjust to, will continue to eat a hole through me if I don't actively stop it, no matter who I've talked to about them. But at least I haven't broken any heads or furniture since we arrived back Trenton. Only Tank knows how great a concern that was for me.

But Stephanie can now sense the moment my mood turns darker, and she's been amazing in trying to head those thoughts off before they have a chance to fully take over.

"How are you doing, Batman?" She asked me now, sticking her head in my office on seven.

"I'm fine, Steph. We've been home for awhile, you really can stop worrying."

"It's one thing I'm really good at, why would I give it up?"

"Because it isn't good for you to always be concerned about me."

"I think you're wrong. It must be good for me, because I keep doing it. You not only spend everyday saving and protecting people, you continue to beat yourself up over not doing it fast enough. I can tell you've been thinking about Mike and the guys again by that particular way your jaw clenches. If you have to drag this through the day with you when you literally did everything you could, it's only fair that I try to ease some of the weight by helping you any way I can, whether it be by just listening to what you need to share or counting stars with you on the roof of the building when you can't sleep. Unless you want to let the guilt go to lessen mine?"

"You fight dirty, Babe."

"Not really. I just want to stop you from hurting yourself so much."

Her eyes quickly darted away and then came back to me as if she hadn't been avoiding my gaze. My instincts started screaming.

"What are you up to?" I asked her.

"I know you and the unknown don't mix, but I wasn't sure if you'd get mad at me for trying to help you in my own way, so I've been putting off mentioning this."

"I may not have been comfortable with some of the risks you've taken in the past, because you put yourself in harm's way, but I've never been mad at you."

She came all the way into the room and sat on the corner of my desk. One major reason why I always keep the top of it clear.

"Nice try, but when I went investigating and almost got trapped in that set-to-blow warehouse mixed up in the Petiack case, you were definitely mad at me. Pissed as hell would be a more accurate description if I go by how my usual neck tingle felt more like a stun gun zap."

"Did you think I would be happy seeing that you were clearly injured and had come seconds away from dying?"

"Nope. That's why I was hoping I could get home without anyone knowing what happened, but I opened my door and there you were."

"I know everything, especially when it comes to you. Would we be here, admittedly in love and finally married, if you would have died that day?" I asked.

That's another close call that has kept me ceiling-gazing at night.

"No. I would've died knowing that you love me, but without having told you what you mean to me and what I'd really do for you if given the chance."

"Knowing what I do now wouldn't have made me rest any easier. Just the opposite in fact. I would've reacted far more viciously than I had in Deal if I'd had you and almost lost you."

"As bad as it sounds, knowing that has actually changed my life. I'm now afraid to do anything that would put me in danger just so I don't hurt you more."

"Good. That makes what I've gone through worthwhile then, if it means you've realized you need to take more precautions."

"I am more careful, but you shouldn't have had to suffer just for it to suddenly dawn on me that I should've stopped taking all the chances I did before I took them. Spite, bragging rights because I solved what no one else could, or just to stick it to everybody who refused to take me seriously, wasn't worth my life."

"You should have acted more cautiously, but because people need you in their lives, not just to spare me more pain."

"Heck, I'd happily give up all my crazy schemes and capture techniques if it means you can sleep through the night with no nightmares."

"I'd prefer you keep yourself safe because you understand how much I, my men, and my family, need you," I told her, wanting her to see her own worth and how positively she has impacted those around her.

"I do have pretty good self-preservation instincts, but they get heightened when I'm trying to protect someone other than myself," she admitted.

"That has to change, but your need to help others does figure into me protecting you, because if you're safe ... more people stay alive."

"Sure they do."

"It's true, whether you're protecting them from a skip or you're preventing me from killing someone who hurts you. What's so funny?" I asked, when I saw her lips curve upwards.

"Not funny exactly, more ironic."

"Care to share?"

"Always. I spent my entire life up until you being accused of upsetting people, that I force them to worry, are always making them angry, or my favorite ... I cause ulcers. Yet I'm the only person on the planet that can relax the Master of Control on the very rare times you need outside help to calm down."

"It's proof that you make me whole. Admit it, a piece was always missing from both of us when we weren't together like this."

She hopped off my desk and onto me. She then held up her right hand for me to see the heart ring she hasn't removed since the day I put it there to make room for her engagement ring and immediately after ... her wedding band.

"It's just like my heart ring. When you were gone, I had your heart here with me. And now it can complete your tag anytime. Hmmm, maybe we should ask Hector if there's a way to take the heart off the band and fuse it back into place on your dog tag so you'll always be complete."

I glanced at the hand and the ring she was referring to, but picked up her left one and kissed the knuckle of her ring finger above the rings I gave her. "No need for that. I like staking claim on both of your hands. And these rings and you have kept me feeling whole. And while we're on the subject, what are you afraid to tell me?"

She went still until I put my arms around her and urged her to relax into me. I stayed quiet which always prompts everyone except Tank, who possesses the same skill, to immediately spill their guts.

She sighed first, but then started to share. "I sorta asked Tank if he'd let me contact the two Soldiers you rescued. I thought if you saw them, not just the reports you get and phone checks you do on them, you'd stop blaming yourself for something that was completely out of your control."

"I'm serious, Stephanie. People pay me to watch out for them, not the other way around."

"Sorry. You wanted me, and you have me ... plus all my annoying habits. And my butting-in is always free, you don't have to pay anything for it. I can't stop wanting to care for you anymore than you can stop protecting me."

She tipped her head back to meet my eyes, linking her fingers through mine that had found a resting spot on her hip. Just her touching me had 'mad' the last thing I felt.

"What do you think we should do about that?" I asked her.

"Funny you should ask, because I sorta planned something."

"What have I said about surprises?"

She leaned forward and kissed my mouth. "You hate them, but this is a good one. I hope anyway. I see how your shoulders untense whenever we visit the Gonzoloz family, so I took a cue from that."

Every time I see Mike ... him talking quietly with Mia, when he's able to get out of his bed and not shy away from the altered body he has now, and hearing him try to remain positive despite both of us identifying it as frustration lacing his voice, helps put a new image of him in my mind. And it slows the return of the one I'd had of him when he was bleeding, broken, and in immense pain while trying to process a huge psychological blow because I didn't pull him back fast enough. The guilt took leave for a few seconds when Mike tried out his first joke about the impending prosthetic phase of his recovery.

"People should pity those fuckers instead of me," he had told me, determined to picture a life beyond hospital walls. "When I get out of here, I'm going to be even deadlier since part of my body will be indestructible ... while every inch of them are still vulnerable."

"They don't stand a fucking chance," I had replied.

I noticed that he waited until Mia had left the room for a minute to say that, not wanting her to worry about a potential return to 'the field'.

"I won't untense until I know what you did with that information," I said to Stephanie, coming back to our present conversation.

"Tank would've ignored me or immediately ratted me out if he didn't believe I'd be more of a help than a threat to the guys. He won't say it, but I'm telling myself that he believes I'd complement the groundwork you've already laid to get the two Sergeants to a different kind of safety."

"I don't doubt you will, considering how you've been there for all the men here. And even at the most explosive time in your life, no one saw you as a threat, Steph."

"You did."

"But for a whole other reason. I'd had my life arranged like a chess board, where each move I made was fully calculated before being executed. You entering my life didn't just open a new door for me to walk through, you blew out an entire fucking wall."

She grinned, clearly proud of herself. "I did good."

I kissed the smile she's sporting. "You did."

"And I did good again. At least I think I did. When I asked Tank about Kendrick and Gary, he warned me to tread lightly because both have been having a tough time."

"Nobody can blame them. They endured what no one should. Getting them home didn't keep the dangers away from them, only brought on new ones."

"You've all suffered."

"To varying degrees. You yourself know how traumatic it is to be kidnapped, held hostage, and tortured. And how it leaves a mark on more than your body."

I saw her rub the scar caused by the burn Abruzzi gave her. "What happened to me isn't anywhere close to being taken by terrorists in the middle of a war."

"Alright ... let's go back further. To a little girl ... living in your parents' house, trying to survive intact the blatant emotional neglect, constant criticism, and the knowledge that you were completely on your own when it came to you being protected, could've felt like a hostage situation up until you were old enough to leave for college."

"You forget that I had Grandma Mazur and her house to escape to. I've always known she loves me."

"Kendrick and Gary got free from captivity themselves ..."

"With your help," she reminded me.

"Along with Gonzoloz, L.B., Sosa, and McCurry's. My point is … you can survive the unthinkable, even multiple rounds of it, but once it's happened ... you can never go back to how you once were. Yes, Edna gave you a refuge, but that doesn't wipe out the lasting damage your parents did to you before and after you were in your grandmother's care. Why do you think you couldn't tell me that you loved me when you first felt it?"

"I was scared of getting hurt and feeling humiliated if you didn't want the feelings I would've handed you," she admitted.

"You protected yourself because everybody in your life, with the exception of your grandmother and Mary Lou, had taught you to expect pain in place of love."

"Still not the same thing as being a POW."

"Someone has a little more research to do," I told her.

"Maybe, but not today. I'm focusing on people other than me for the moment. And since I try to help not hurt those I care about, I went the email route so your Sergeants could react however they need to, and not have to worry about being nervous or offending me by not answering the phone or answering me at all."

"They'll appreciate your sensitivity concerning them if they ever meet you, which I'd guess is part of what you were hoping to get an answer about."

"They don't call you Mr. Know-it-all for nothing."

"No one calls me that," I told her.

"I refer to you as that to Ella whenever she tells me you nixed my meatball sub lunch-suggestion and then she points me towards something healthy."

"Grilled chicken wraps are just as good."

"Because the c-word makes me really angry now, I'm not calling you crazy for saying anything other than pizza is as good as a meatball sub."

"Not only is it better, it's better for your overall health."

"Not really since biting into a sub releases endorphins inside my brain. Grilled or poached chicken anything just makes me sad that I'm not eating something that actually tastes good."

"Only you, Babe. Now tell me what was in your two emails."

"You know how we're planning to visit Mike, Mia, and their new little bundle of energy, again this weekend?"

"Yes."

"Well, I sent an invitation to both Sgts. Kendrick and Gary and asked if they'd like to join us there. I thought seeing them would make new memories for you, Sosa, and McCurry. And maybe talking to the men who rescued them in a less hostile and stressful environment, and them seeing what Mike was willing to risk just to get them back home, could help Terrance and Emery get through their rough spots. It's hard to feel like life's not worth living if you see how hard people are fighting just to live again, and how they'd swear they'd do it all over again just to get everyone home safe."

I don't want to have to snuff out her spark of hope, but knowing what I do, I have to brace her. "It could also have the opposite outcome. Gary and Kendrick could either blame themselves for what Mike has had to endure ... that if they hadn't been captured, Mike would be home with his wife and daughter right now instead of still needing daily medical care ..."

"Guess you're speaking from experience on that one, since you still believe you could've spared everyone involved what they're recovering from now."

"Those thoughts never go away. You just get better at controlling or handling it. The guilt is bad enough, but there are always more disturbing red flags to watch for."

"Did I do something wrong after all?"

"No. Your reasons are sound ones and come from the best place, but as you've seen just with me ... you have to be prepared for every possibility. You could have a good day ... and the next will feel like it's your last."

"I don't like where this conversation is going, but what do we have to watch for?"

"These signs won't be made visible unless you somehow immediately talk them into joining Rangeman when you meet them so we can keep watch over them well into the night."

"If I meet them. I haven't heard a yes or a no from either one yet."

"When you can barely get to sleep or out of bed some days, checking your emails doesn't feel like a priority."

"I know, but it felt less intrusive than calling them totally out of the blue. So ... what if I can't talk them into becoming RangeMen?"

"Seeing that Mike is getting up everyday wanting to live even though he'll never be the same, and witnessing Sosa and McCurry being able to keep their shit together around the Gonzoloz family enough to laugh and joke about the stupid shit in life, could have Emery and Terrance feeling worse about themselves. They likely have been told that they look 'alright' physically, and they'll believe that their minds should match people's perceptions of what 'alright' is, when in reality ... they still find it almost impossible to get through everyday even without needing all the surgeries and physical therapy Mike has had just so he can eventually walk again."

"You're talking about them completely giving up, aren't you?" Steph asked, hating that she had to.

"Yes. Suicide is unfortunately a very real concern for the military community, and especially with these specific Sergeants. That's why I've been keeping extremely close tabs on them. I didn't get them home just to lose them here."

"Did I screw up the relationship you've started to form with them?"

"No. Because if they do come, it'll show that they're still in the fight."

"But if they don't?"

I shrugged. "I'll know to move to house calls instead of sticking to phone and video conversations."

"That worked for me. You kept showing up in my apartment, a lot of the times in my bedroom ... and here I am. A Rangewoman who now lives on-site."

"I'd have to use a much different approach than what I implemented with you."

"Yep, because you and meatball subs, I DON'T share."

"Something tells me you're hungry," I replied, glancing at my watch. "You've mentioned food twice now."

I can tell time without checking my watch, just going by Stephanie's stomach. I've seen, kissed, and stroked, every inch of her body, and I still can't figure out where she puts everything she eats. It definitely doesn't hang around the places I pay special attention to.

"I was originally sticking my head in here to ask if you'd want to have dinner out with me tonight, but I got distracted."

"Which is why you should always tell me things as soon as they happen."

"I'll start that ASAP, so I guess I should also tell you that Ella, Mia, and I, have been talking ..."

"Is this part of your 'surprise' meeting this weekend?" I asked her, already knowing the answer by the way her body responded.

"In one way, but in another ... it's sorta separate."

"Explain."

"Yes, Sir."

I squeezed my arms and caught her upper half between my biceps. "Feeling playful, Babe?"

"A little. And I'm sure I'll feel even more playful later on tonight."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" I dropped an octave in my voice in order to ask.

"A little of both, so you may want to factor that into your dinner choice."

"Duly noted. What did you, Ella, and Mike's wife, plan?"

"You know how Ella loves to make people happy via their stomachs?"

"Yes."

"And you know how great Sosa and McCurry, and the hospital staff, have been to Mia and Mike, before and after their family jumped from just the two of them ... to now having L.B. and baby Kira?"

I can almost predict what she's about to admit. "Yeah," I responded.

"And you get just how much I appreciate all of your guys ... here, the ones who keep us safe elsewhere, and the two who played a part in getting you back to me?"

"You and Ella planned a party for everyone?" I guessed.

"Yup, for our guys, your guys, and anyone at the hospital who'd like some food and company this Saturday. Mia did some asking around, and with one mention of you we were given permission to throw a very low-key morale party for everyone who needs a slight boost in it. You and our Rangeguys have said working with each other helps, knowing that the guy next to you gets what you're going through. And I thought the current patients being able to interact with our guys would do some good, but in a casual no one's life is on the line way. I understand that if the Sergeants decide to come, they likely won't want to be involved in something ... chaotic, so soothing is the 'theme' we're going with."

"You're like a one-woman support group."

"As you like teasing me about, I have been doing some informal research. I'd do anything for you and my friends, even read a bunch of stuff I hadn't given enough thought to before so I can be prepared to hopefully not need to be. Would you like to hear what Ella and I, plus Mia, have been planning over a dinner out? I'm craving Beef Bourguignon and a Chocolate Souffle, and I don't want to subject Ella to any more work."

"You could offend her by not asking," I pointed out.

"I'll risk it. You up for a date with me?"

"The only thing I would enjoy more is revisiting your promise/threat from earlier in our conversation," I said, standing us both up.

"My advice would be to carb-load just so you'll be able to keep up with me."

She took my hand and pulled me into the bedroom so I could switch out my work and home weapons for those more suitable for possible interaction with the general public.

That night was memorable in a way that made me not want to forget a single moment of it. And I know the one she's planning for the weekend will be the same.

"Okay ... I think I'm finally ready to go," she told me, after downing a quick breakfast on Saturday morning and using up the rest of the time getting dressed.

"Are you nervous?" I asked her, not that I needed to.

She had started off by putting on a simple white sweater dress, looking to me like the angel she is. In her mind, she's likely thinking of how she can appear the least threatening to people expecting to come face to face with evil at every turn, like she had when choosing the dress that became her wedding dress. But she quickly peeled off the white dress and flung it onto the middle our bed. In her crosshairs next were her favorite dark-washed jeans and a red t-shirt, adding her Chucks to finish off her 'I come in peace' look. But with another frustrated breath, those were all removed with even more force.

In the end, she seemed moderately satisfied with a pair of fitted black dress pants, her go-to black heels, and a simple button down silk shirt the same blue as her eyes. The dog tags I had given to her in what feels like another life, have been tucked into the slight V the collar made, only the ball chain visible. Getting to watch her get ready for the day many times now, I could guess what she wants to tell people with her appearance ... that she sees this gathering as a special occasion, but she wants the atmosphere to be relaxed so everyone will feel at ease.

"Yup. I'm beyond nervous," she answered. "What if only Mike and Mia and our guys show up?"

"Then Mike and my men will get the 'thank you' they all deserve. All you can do is try, Babe. You can't force people to be how you want them to be. You can only be there to support them as they find their way out of their heads. As long as Mike, L.B., and Gary and Kendrick, and of course Sosa and McCurry, are okay ... that is all that's important."

"To you maybe, but you're extremely important to me, and I don't want to have just made your job harder than it already is."

"You haven't. And as I've said, I stay prepared for every possibility ... good, bad, or even worse."

"Good to know, because I'm only prepared for specific things with people I know well. Thanking complete strangers for what they've sacrificed in the name of freedom during the gore of war, plus not wanting to upset men who I'd really like to see become members of our Rangefamily whether or not they remain active duty guys, I don't mind saying scares the shit out of me."

"It shouldn't. If you realized how easy you are to love, you'd stop worrying about who will."

She turned and pressed herself to me. "Thank you."

I bent my head and used considerable restraint so I wouldn't kiss all of her lipstick off. "You watch out for me, and I've got you. That was our deal."

"That's the one I signed on for," she told me, "but I got way more from you than that. Did Tank call while I was freaking out over clothes?"

"Yes. He's set to head out whenever we are."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. All you guys have to do is take a five minute shower and put on a dressier version of your all-black uniforms ... and you're good to go. It's really not fair."

"What's not fair is you looking the way you do and making me leave the apartment with you."

She kissed me this time in a way that let me know she had used non-smudging lip color. "Thanks. That helps, since I used up all my time getting dressed and don't have enough left over to spend worrying. I'm hoping for the best and almost prepared for the worst. Plus, I want to check out how everything got set up before any guest sees it."

"I hope you, Ella, and those she hired to help, remembered that this is a hospital."

She took a step back and smiled. "We had to. It needed a lot of cheering up and plenty of stuff to offset the 'No one wants to have to be a patient' vibe it has going."

I'm proud of her, but also mildly concerned that I may have to cover damages caused by excess enthusiasm in this case.

If anything, I should know not to be worried about what Steph does these days. She's changed almost as much as I have. She settled down as I was wound up. And I have to admit, I'm impressed with what she did pull off. With the purposely neutral color scheme and sterile feel of the building, the women still made the usually austere auditorium we were cleared to take over, feel as warm as my family's living room ... or an upscale hotel lobby given its size.

Loveseats and settees were brought in for those who can't stand up or can't manage it for long periods of time. Tables of varying heights were placed so they wouldn't remind anyone of overbed tables, and there are standing stations created near taller tables. All are covered in champagne-colored linen tablecloths and then topped with smaller cream-colored ones.

There are no balloons to pose as distractions or as possible targets, no loud music to annoy residents who need peace and quiet to recover or just prefer to be left alone in this stage of their recovery. Upholstered chairs replaced the standard dining-style ones so comfort would remain at a high, and the lighting was kept at a minimum for those with TBIs who are sensitive to light as well as scents and noise. Everything's spaced so wheelchairs can pass easily through the entire auditorium. And if being that mobile isn't an option, gurneys can also be wheeled in so those confined to them for the moment won't be left out or feel like their presence is being ignored.

My wife also requested that patients be asked if they'd like 'to place an order' if they don't feel comfortable leaving the safety of their rooms, yet wanted something different than what they're usually served to eat. Mike had told me mid-week that a 'survey' had been passed around the place so everyone getting or giving the care here could contribute to what food would be made. At that point, my mother wanted in to help Ella out and they quickly came up with a menu that would make everybody who can eat happy.

If it were possible to combine the serene environment of a spa and the luxury of a corporate fundraising event ... Steph, Ella, and Mia, had managed it. Once trays of appetizers were starting to be put out, my concern returned.

"I'm not surprised you and Ella want to feed whoever comes in, but you don't think the number of choices and amount of food is excessive?" I asked my wife.

"Nope. Nothing's too good for anybody here. If they're up to trying everything or eating seconds and thirds of it ... they are going to get them."

What made me love her more is that she meant it. Mike found that out for himself when he was given a private sampling in his room. No words were said as he and I exchanged our typical 'guy hug', Steph's phrase not mine, for a handshake that goes into a one-arm curl that requires at least two back or shoulder smacks that sting to those not conditioned for physical affection. I never would have thought to analyze the differences in our greeting compared to hers and Mia's, but I don't have to with Steph around to point them out to us.

"I don't consider myself a kid person," Steph told the Gonzolozs, "but I wouldn't turn this one away."

Kira has whispy brown hair, blue eyes that have turned more green every time we see her, and seems to have a permanent smile between her chubby cheeks. She's definitely in the running as the cutest baby since Julie's well out of that age bracket of the competition.

"She's a cutie alright, but she's not fond of sleeping more than two hours at a time. And I swear she eats more than Mike does," Mia shared. "She's exactly like her father in hating to sit still. I've been having to take her for walks up and down the hall, or keep rocking or swaying her if I want to stay in one place for more than a minute. If those don't work, I haul out Mike's big guns and he does his signature Daddy-move, bouncing her in the cradle his arm makes until she yawns twice and settles into sleep."

"It looks like you've been busy yourself," Gonzoloz commented, glancing pointedly at the tray placed near his bed that Ella instructed be made specifically for him.

"As Ranger will tell you, I tend to get into trouble when I'm left with no adult supervision," Steph replied.

"You haven't stopped receiving my attention or supervision," I pointed out. "It's just now you're not minding being the sole focus of it."

Steph caught Mia's eye. "It's funny what changes when you've spent time not knowing when your guy is going to come home so you can hurry up and marry him."

Mia kissed Kira's tiny hand and smiled. "It puts things into perspective, that's for sure. I had my fears just like everyone else, but as selfish as it may sound, I didn't care how as long as my husband came back to me ... to both of us."

"I lost bitching rights for a good week," Mike added. "It's hard to complain about being in pain when your wife is pushing out a person where logistically one shouldn't fit."

Steph's face lost a little of its color and she quickly handed Kira back to Mia. "Okay, that took care of any baby thoughts I may have had. I'll move onto the dog ones. Where's Little Bear hiding?"

"He had a check-up today," Mia answered. "Mike's mom offered to go with him so I could have more baby/hubby-time."

"I can barely handle Rex, but you've got one heck of a robo-dog, which makes me sorta jealous."

"He may be losing the robotic prospect soon. Mike's always been into high tech stuff, and the discussions we've had to have about prosthetics have only added to it, but while Mike's up to whatever gets his body into ass-kicking mode, I personally think Little Bear will end up doing better without one."

"Whatever the vet says is best for him, we'll do," Mike promised his wife. "And I'll do what's best for me ... for my family."

"I know, baby. You're a man of your word. I've never doubted that."

As always happens when she finds herself in emotional situations, Steph started talking to diffuse her discomfort. "I wanted to adopt L.B., and go ahead and spoil him for the rest of his life, as soon as Ranger told me about him, but 'someone' decided battle besties need to stay together while they bounce back from their injuries."

"It did help," Mike admitted.

"It was supposed to," I added. "You both needed a partner to be strong for."

"Thank you," Mia said to me. "I've tried to be here for Mike in every way I can, but Kira needs me too. L.B., and of course the dynamic duo formally known as Sosa and McCurry, have been here when I couldn't be. I thought I understood how strong the bond is between you guys, but I couldn't have imagined what I've gotten to see in action."

"I got a dog and a daughter in the span of a few weeks," Gonzoloz said. "I would've been a mess if I didn't have my three to focus on. It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you have a wife determined to stay with you no matter the shit she has to put up with. And I have daughter now who lights up whenever she hears or sees me. And I was given the chance that few guys get ... to adopt my canine partner without having to come up with the thousands of dollars I would've needed to make that happen. Not only does Little Bear's presence help, he sticks to me when he can like I'm his reason for living, even though I had to be saved right along with him."

"You shouldn't feel sorry for yourself at all," Steph told him. "Not many can do what you did, and are doing now. It takes major cajones to face the day with a 'Bring it' attitude and then go to sleep every night vowing to do even more tomorrow. It's hard for someone like me to fully understand what you, Ranger, and my Rangeguys, have had to think about and experience, but I'm so grateful to you all for doing what I know I can't."

"Your job is to protect people here at home, Steph. In your own way, you also contribute to ensuring the public's safety."

"Catching a butt-flasher is NOT the same thing as rescuing two men who wouldn't have survived without you."

"It's on a larger scale, but the intentions are the same. You've put yourself on the line for multiple people, my daughter being the most important one."

Steph's face went pink and her eyes rolled over towards Mike and Mia. "Don't mind him. I've been a bit nervous about this party, and Ranger has been trying to compliment the anxiety away."

"You should let him," Mike told her, having my back once again.

She glanced at him. "I know. Instead of flowers and chocolate, I prefer Ranger saying stuff like that to me because I know he means it."

"I do like chocolate, though," Mia added. "A little too much after I got pregnant. Kira's either going to be obsessed with it or totally hate it thanks to me."

"I got some five-star chocolate on our last date-night, along with more compliments," Steph told the room.

"Every relationship is unique," Mia said to her, "but yours sounds a lot like ours. Mike didn't stop trying to woo me even after we were married."

"I was able to take good care of you before," Mike told her, an edge and regret creeping into his voice, "but not so much lately. You deserve more than you're now stuck with."

"Do not start, Michael. What we have now is exactly like we've always had ... just with a baby, two goofy uncles who hang out here with us almost everyday, and a great hospital staff. Our relationship is like a fairy tale whose ending wasn't cut short with the words 'And they lived happily ever after'. There are different ways to be happy ... and ours is one of them. And if you argue with me about that, I'm going to withhold Ella's Churro Cream Puffs from you until you admit that I'm right. We may have a few new challenges, but we still have each other … and have the best life because of that."

"Shit. There they go again," McCurry commented, walking into the room. "We leave them alone even for a minute ... and they turn into chick-flick material."

"It's like I said with the no adult supervision-thing," Steph said with a smile aimed at Mia and Mike.

"Mike and I have been getting picked on mercilessly by these two," Mia shared.

"How so?" My wife asked.

"Their new one has been saying that the only way I'll be going M.I.A. now is if I take Mia and run," Mike answered.

"Do Not say 'Get it?' again, McCurry," Sosa ordered.

"Go ahead and ask me if I get it," Steph said, "because I think I'm missing something."

"How do you spell Mia's name, Babe?"

"Jeez. I didn't think I'd be entering a spelling bee today, but it's ... M ... i ... a."

"Get it?" McCurry did ask, getting him shoved two feet back by Sosa. "Missing In Action is abbreviated ... MIA. And seeing firsthand how wrapped up Mike is in Mia, spelled the same way, if he goes missing, it'll only be with her."

"They actually called a time out before we officially put Kira's name on paper," Mia told us. "They were against our daughter's name being spelled with the added 'A' that we had planned on. After careful deliberation, Mike and I decided to drop the extra letter and went with the shorter version."

"The letters K.I.A. belong nowhere near this family," Sosa added.

My wife cut her eyes to me. "Unfortunately, I know that abbreviation because it's my deepest fear and worst nightmare, so you don't have to explain it. And I get the don't jinx it-thinking. My guys at Rangeman refused - and still refuse - to allow anyone to call me the 'Bombshell Bounty Hunter', which was part of a headline on a really slow news day. They believe that just a silly nickname will attract an explosion to me. While they protect me by threatening bodily harm to anyone who refers to me as 'Bombshell', I was busy worrying that the name would trigger them if they'd been in or escaped an explosion." Her eyes shot to Mike. "Oh crap. I'm so sorry, Mike. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's alright, Steph," he assured her. "I still have too many bad days, but even on all of those I can admit I was injured in a blast. Speaking as a survivor of one, I can say I understand why Ranger's men will do anything to prevent you from being caught up in one. The results aren't pretty."

"They may not look pretty to some, but they bring major relief to others," Mia told him, purposely letting her hand lightly touch his leg where it now ends. "To me, what results from a trauma just makes me respect even more those who are able to survive them."

"I should've had another cup of coffee before we left this morning," Steph said to me, still feeling like she misspoke.

"It wouldn't have helped you with these guys, Steph," Mia told her. "You know how madly I love my husband, but I'll be the first to admit that he's a handful when he gets going. Now 'McSosa', as I lovingly refer to them now, are really, really great guys and the best friends Mike and I could have, but the two of them have me acting more like a mom than my daughter has so far. Did they tell you what they went out and did last week?"

"I ask again ... what's so wrong with it?" Sosa asked her. "We had a few hours to kill while we were in the area, and we found a good way to fill them."

"What did you guys do?" Steph asked, feeling a little maternal herself, believing they did something to hurt themselves or potentially get each other into some sort of trouble, and neither would make her happy.

I saw the video they made for Mike, and all I felt was fucking proud of them ... and proud to call all three of these men friends. It doesn't take much to say you'll always be there for someone, it's an entirely different type of man, or men in this case, who will go ahead and put in writing the lengths they'll go for you, not only when you're trying to keep each other alive overseas, but continue to care and provide backup here at home.

They've been at Mike's side since Germany, and they've remained with the Gonzoloz family to help Mia, and now amuse a baby or a husband whenever Mia needs to be with one or the other. 'McSosa', as Mia refers to the pair, are now literally Mike's blood brothers, purposely shedding some of their own in his honor.

"We made a tattoo run," McCurry said, downplaying their actions. "It's not a big deal."

"It sure as fuck is a big deal to me," Mike added, still affected by their gesture.

Steph looked confused, so I helped her out. "They got one to pledge their allegiance so to speak."

"To the flag? And how can two men get one tattoo?"

"They found a unique way to state that they're here for whatever Mike needs during his recovery and everyday after it," I told her.

"We each got one, but it's the same design for both tattoos," Sosa explained.

"Can I see them? Or one of them since they're both the same?" My wife asked. "Every other year I think about getting one, but then I remember they're permanent and they hurt."

"Some more than others," I said.

McCurry and Sosa both looked to Mike, letting him make the decision if it's too personal to share with anyone not directly involved who understands the significance and meaning behind them.

"If Steph's interested, and you don't mind showing her, I don't mind either," Mike told him.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Guys. I'm really nosy and I ask questions before thinking," Steph said to the men. "In the past I've been told that I don't need to know everything, but it's something I still have to work on. Just ignore me."

I pulled her close. "You are singularly unignorable, Babe."

She squeezed my waist, but was distracted by McCurry and Sosa suddenly moving around.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked them.

"You wanted to see what we got, right?" Sosa asked her.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with your boots? Aren't they on your biceps or something? I've learned a lot from our Rangeguys, and one big thing is how they like getting tattoos on muscles they can then show off."

"Been there, already did that," McCurry told her, hitting pause on his actions to roll up his left shirt sleeve, flexing dramatically.

The area from his bicep to his deltoid is tattooed to appear like part of his skin had been ripped away, exposing what was more than skin deep to him, the words to the oath we all took printed in black and gray commandment-style writing.

"Check impressive arm tattoo off the list," Steph said to him.

"If you appreciate that one," Mia said, shifting Kira in her arms so she was sitting up to appear ready for Steph's reaction, "buckle up, Ranger's Babe, because you're about to melt, right Kir-bear?"

Kira's hands moving away from her mouth and straight into fists that she shook enthusiastically, lent added excitement to the moment.

"Have you seen who I'm married to?" Steph bragged. "I think I can handle it."

She talked big, but I know Mia's correct. Steph is a goner. Because I have scars from bullet wounds I've received from racing to her every time she needed me, she knows exactly how hard I've fought for her and the lengths I'll go to keep her alive and loving me. And the men's determination to be there for Mike, she'll see in a similar way and it'll hit her hard.

McCurry and Sosa's left boots were unlaced and toed off, and two socks were peeled away. Steph's head tilted to the side as she bent in half to look more closely at the inside of each arch on both men, and at the new tattoos on each that shot from the inside edge of their heels and straight towards their toes.

"What does M.O.L.F. stand for?" She asked, still staring intently at the feet of the two men.

"My ... Other ... Left ... Foot," McCurry answered.

"Mike may have lost his, but he knows he'll always have our left feet in its place, along with whatever else we have that can help him with anything he or his family may need," Sosa added.

The colors are ones we all recognize no matter the branch we've served in. A vivid blue background was permanently etched into their skin in the shape of our Special Forces logo, the letters M.O.L.F. were written without apology in blood red striking across the blue, with a gold banner done in a color reminiscent of the eagle on the flagpole flying our flag at the building's entrance, securing the perimeter around their new 'army of three' insignia.

"You must have consumed a considerable amount of alcohol to sit through those without punching something or someone," I said, just to hear the response I'd get.

It's an extremely sensitive part of the body to subject to a tattoo gun. On the opposite end of the pain spectrum, Steph claims her bones dissolve when I apply just the right amount of pressure to that same spot on her body.

Sosa was first up. "Yeah, right. The guy doing them was ready to tap out while we were busy discussing what else to get while we were already there."

I fought a grin. They're full of shit, but they'd die before admitting something hurts.

"Oh ... my ... God," Steph said, blocking out the banter and zeroing in on the depth of emotion behind these tattoos and the dedication to Mike and his family they represent. "That's about the sweetest thing I have ever seen someone do for somebody else. That you both did it, doubles the awe."

"That's what I said," Mia told her, tears of love and gratitude apparent in her eyes, as she and Kira sat on the edge of Mike's bed just to be closer to him.

"I've heard of promise rings," my wife continued, "but 'promise limbs' are on a whole other level of commitment. Damn ..."

"What?" I asked her, not recognizing the expression that's currently on her face.

"I now think I need a 'A.B.R.B.' tattoo done inside an Army Ranger banner," she surprised me by saying.

"Why those letters?" Mia asked her.

"Always Be Ranger's Babe. He's not only my reason for living and breathing, he's the actual reason I stayed alive long enough to marry him."

"Sounds like there's a story there," Sosa said.

Steph shrugged. "More than a few of them actually. You guys have had your 'adventures' and let's just say I've had mine."

"And too many of them were close calls," I replied, not wanting to remember any of them.

"I didn't mean to bring those up. My point is that I'm happy with my rings and your tags on me, but maybe I should've thought about something that can't ever come off. Pledging a body part beats the crap out of my heart ring-declaration, and you deserve that kind of reassurance that I'm always going to be here for you."

"Don't worry, Steph. A divorce is NOT an option for us, so becoming my wife is a permanent move on your part. You're still with me after all you've seen and had to do since I got back, that takes a measure of commitment few will ever be aware of. Every man in this room will tell you that."

She glanced back at the feet now being rebooted. "It's not hard on my part when I'm getting exactly what I want in the end ... which is you in case you were wondering."

"Shit, the sap is contagious," Sosa joked.

"Better watch it, it could infect you next," my wife teased back, as Mia nodded in agreement.

He winked at her. As usual, he remained undaunted by a threat.

Once McCurry had his laces retied, he stood and looked at my wife with new appreciation. "You and Mia are in the minority in appreciating what we did," he told her. "I stopped in to see my mom and kid sister and showed them my new ink while I was there. My sister had a friend over at the time and a little bit later I overheard that friend tell her that mine was the dumbest tattoo she's ever seen."

"That was a fucking mistake on the friend's part, seeing as how Delaney idolizes her big brother," Sosa added. "That friendship bit it even before the ignorance and stupidity behind the comment had a chance to sink in."

McCurry shrugged. "I did it for Mike. I don't give a fuck about anyone else's opinion. His is the only one that matters."

"Mine may not matter," Steph told them, "but if Ranger wasn't looking, I'd hug the hell out of both of you because you're such incredible guys. Mike, too, just for being the kind of friend to inspire this kind of imprinted loyalty."

"Come on over and lay one on me," McCurry said, stretching his arms out wide. "Sosa will try to hold your husband back. It'll take him at least a second to whip out a weapon and shoot me, so move quick."

"I'd trade my foot for Mike's in a heartbeat," Sosa said, "but I ain't trading my life just so you can get a hug from a pretty lady."

"I knew I liked you for a reason," I told him.

"You like me, too," McCurry stated. "You wouldn't request my presence or keep in touch if you didn't."

Steph glanced at Mia. "I see what you mean. I thought I had my hands full with Bobby and Lester, but you win. You must be exhausted from trying to stay sane with these two while also taking care of a baby."

"We've been known to Kira-sit when she and Mike want alone time. That helps," McCurry said.

Mike grinned while Mia turned bright red. "I can't believe you just said that in front of Stephanie and Ranger!" She said in a horrified whisper.

"Hey, I only said 'alone time'. That could mean you and Mike were talking bills or finishing the Sunday crossword together. You're the one who took it to the dirty place."

Mia used Kira's arm to point to the door. "Out," she ordered, but the smile she gave him contradicted her tone.

"No problem. We've got a party to shake up anyway."

Steph's eyes immediately flew to me. "He's kidding," I promised her, knowing she's still worried about what could or wouldn't happen today.

"L.B. will be getting dropped off anytime now," Mia told us. "We'll be down after he's back with us."

"Alright. If we don't see you there, we'll stop in before we leave," I told Mike, giving him another handshake-hug.

By the end of today, I should know whether or not to tell them that I've already set up an account for Kira, so her needs will be taken care of along with Mike and L.B.'s. Steph likes my body as is, but I do have my own ways of pledging my allegiance to those who have and are currently defending my people and my country.

"Company's here," Tank announced, materializing in front of us before we even took two steps towards the auditorium.

"They came?" Steph asked him.

"Yes. Sgt. Gary just asked for Ranger at the front desk. I showed both him and Sgt. Kendrick to the office we'd requested earlier."

Steph grabbed my hand and the squeeze she gave it brought to mind what Mike likely experienced from Mia as their daughter was being born.

"Relax, Steph," I told her. "Whatever happens, we'll get them through it, but you have to start off in a good mindset first."

"I'm trying. That's why I'm only crushing your hand, not hyperventilating from the nerves that have kicked in again."

Tank and I tried not to smile as I gave a head's up knock to the doorjamb of the office. I recognized the signs that this is a little too overwhelming for them. Both Sgts. Kendrick and Gary are looking far better than when I last saw them, and the fact that they did come today means they took a major step out of the isolation they'd put themselves in, but I know more than anyone that emotional scars hang around even longer than it takes physical wounds to turn into them.

"Just be yourself. Let your instincts guide you and they'll do what we all have ... fall in love with you."

"You're the only one who has done that, but I'll do what I can."

I let her precede me, and both men stood up and saluted.

"At ease," I told them after returning their salutes. "As you likely figured out, this is my wife Stephanie."

"Nice to finally meet you, Ma'am," Sgt. Terrance Gary told her, extending his hand for a polite shake.

Sgt. Emery Kendrick did the same. I noticed that Steph had cringed hearing herself be called 'Ma'am', but she does know in our world it's a serious sign of respect when used.

"I'm so glad you came," she told them. "Last I heard, you would only commit to saying you were thinking about coming."

"You can thank Terrance for that," Kendrick said. "I wasn't going to until I talked to him."

"You've been through hell," I told him, "it's understandable that you wanted to be alone, but as I've told you numerous times now ... you don't have to be."

I gestured for them to be seated. After they sat as if poised for flight, I tugged Steph down to sit beside me on the loveseat opposite their two corner chairs. As he's been known to do, Tank remained standing by the door ... keeping watch over us all.

"No disrespect, Sir," Kendrick began, "but when I got back home, I just wanted to be left alone so I could pretend that what happened to us ... didn't."

"I was the opposite," Gary said, picking up the conversation. "I wanted to talk about it with the only other person who knew what I'd gone through and struggling with the same shit now because of it. I saw him as my only way to get past this, but he wasn't interested in rehashing any part of it."

"I couldn't even help myself ... how the fuck was I going to help him? Pardon our language, Ma'am."

"Don't worry, I swear more than that just trying to get a brush through my hair," my wife said, attempting to give them a reassuring smile. "You two have obviously been talking to each other if you showed up together. What changed?"

"The invite you sent us," Emery admitted. "Terrance called again when he got his email, and didn't hold back this time. He pointed out that I'm not the only one suffering, and that maybe getting together and talking about stuff would help each other, not to mention the guys who got us the fuck out of there. We know too well how sick those bastards were, and it couldn't have been easy finding and reaching us. We saw how many bodies fell between you and where were secured, and then being treated and hearing about what Mike Gonzoloz lost over there. Anyway ..."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I've seen and done plenty of shit since my first deployment, but I couldn't take thoughts or memories of any part of this one. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that blocking it out wasn't working. I'm not proud of it, but I put a gun to my head twice while trying not to think about it."

Steph's eyes filled up and her hand went to her mouth to catch her protest. "Oh god, you didn't."

He nodded, mentally leaving us as he traveled back to the worst moments of his life. "Not only did I feel a shitload of guilt for what happened to Mike, I also couldn't get past the shame I felt."

"You know I don't blame you for anything. The guilt and shame belong solely to those bastards. Despite what was done to us, we got the last laugh because we survived it," Sgt. Gary tried again to tell him.

"It was a scene fresh out of hell, and we both know it." Kendrick turned back to us. "One of the times Terrance got beaten, I closed my eyes to it. Who the fuck pussies out like that? If he was strong enough to take it without breaking, I should've been man enough to not turn away from it ... from him. We vowed to get each other through it, and I didn't keep my promise."

"I didn't know that's why he wasn't returning my calls," Gary added. "My intention was with us both talking it out, we'd be able to get our minds out of there so we can start living in the present again, but I was actually just making him relive the worst parts of it."

"That wasn't your problem," Emery told Terrance. "It was mine."

"Wrong. We got captured almost together, were rescued together, and got sent back to the states together. Now we just have to survive being home, and all the 'return to normal' expectations, and we're going to do that together as well."

"If it's possible to."

"It is. It has to be." Terrance turned back to us. "Knowing that we were being invited to a place full of men and women with issues and scars of their own, to sit down with those who received more themselves from getting us out, felt like too big of an opportunity to pass up ... if there's any truth to group therapy helping. I can't say I've acted admirably my entire life, but if I manage to sit with my thoughts for more than a few minutes without shutting them all down ... they tell me I was spared to help others who've been where I was ... where I still am."

"Lucky me," Kendrick said. "I was the first on his list to try to save."

"Please tell me he pulled it off," Steph said to him. "Or at least that he got you seeing that you're important to a lot of people ... especially the guys here I was hoping you'd be open to seeing. My husband and his friends would do anything for complete strangers, but they'll fight to the death for those they have a connection to. That Ranger has kept in touch with you means a whole hell of a lot."

"I've been telling myself that," Kendrick said. "Some days I listen, on others I just turn my phone off again."

"You can see what I was up against," Gary said with a smile now, but Tank and I know what he was feeling when he had tried to help someone, and himself in the process, only to slam into an emotional wall that's heavily guarded and also rigged to blow.

"Everyone has to figure out the best way for them out of their particular darkness, or decide when to ask for help," I reminded them.

"No shit," Emery stated. "Both of them suck."

"But it got you here," Steph added. "Do you think you're up to a little gathering among friends?"

"For the record," I interrupted, "it's not so small, so we'll understand if you'd rather keep to a more contained group and area. We can hang out here or in Mike's room just as well."

"If it'll help in your decision-making, our guys from Rangeman are showing up as we speak, and they run some good interference when you need it. And they're almost as good as Ranger at identifying what someone needs in order to feel better, or better in control of things. Plus, there are plenty of walls to put at your back if you want to get to know people who've been in your boots, yet still need an anchor in order to be able to do it."

"I appreciate the proactive approach," Emery told her. "I'm getting better at not bailing on crowds, but I'm still figuring out what I can handle, what will set me off, and what kind of day I'm going to have because of it. So as long as you don't get offended if I just walk out to avoid making a scene, I'll test it out."

"It's hard to offend me," my wife told him. "And what you just said is far more than what I'd originally hoped for. I asked you to come so I could say thank you in person, not only for putting yourselves on the line in the first place, but also for not giving up after you got home, but I don't want any part of today to feel like a punishment."

"Honestly, I'm honored that you invited," he replied.

"Ditto," Gary added. "Had you not put this together, I might not have gotten through to Emery. And I can tell you ... we'd both be worse than what you're seeing right now."

"I had just convinced myself that everyone had finally given up on me, since I've spent weeks pushing family and friends away. If I couldn't talk to Terrance about it, I sure as fuck wasn't about to share with people who don't have a fucking clue what we've been through. I'd just started in on believing that I was just an obligation Ranger felt duty bound to 'handle', but I figured his wife wouldn't have gotten involved unless I was more than just part of an unfinished job. So I replied to both you and Terrance minutes apart. I feel like I should thank everyone in this room for not forgetting about me."

"You should be thanking me instead for not sticking my nose in as soon as Ranger got back. I can be really annoying when I'm on a mission. If it makes you feel better, I was close to throwing up this morning, and I almost broke Ranger's hand on the way in here because I was afraid you guys would be angry at me for inserting myself into your lives. It's a habit I can't seem to shake."

"It's one that you shouldn't shake, Steph," I told her.

"I agree," Gary said. "It's too easy sometimes to just sit back and wait and see what happens, when some situations require you to bust a door off its hinges."

His eyes flicked to me, but Stephanie interrupted. "By the way," she whispered conspiratorially, "here's a little piece of advice for when you're ready to get out of hibernation for good, don't try hiding how you feel or those faces of yours. Women are total suckers for hero types like you two."

Kendrick looked away. "We got captured ... nothing heroic about that."

"You're completely wrong there," Steph told him, her voice wrapped in steel. "You had to be wherever you were to have been taken. You were fighting for what you believe in and for people like me who were home busy enjoying our lives while you put yours on the line everyday. And you showed up today to try to help others deal with their pain. That's definitely a hero in my mind."

"She means that. Stephanie never once turned her back on me or turned away from what I brought home with me. She fully accepted my issues and my scars," I said to the men. "And she's not the only one who's open to doing that for us."

"You can't improve on perfection," she told me, "but you can add more character to it. And I've never been happier to get to spend whole days and nights learning more about them and you."

"Promise me you'll repeat that to Sosa later," I told her. "I like seeing him squirm. He doesn't do what he calls 'girly feelings' well."

She grinned and the men relaxed more. They got to witness some reassuringly-normal interplay between us, and they will also get to repeat Steph's words ... whether they believe her now or only five years from now ... that their war wounds are to be appreciated and understood, not ridiculed or feared. They survived what not many can imagine let alone live through, and the reminders of that shouldn't be hidden away so people can pretend that war just happens to someone else somewhere else.

Which is something similar to what I've told Mike. He lived to be a daddy to his daughter and the only husband Mia would ever want, and he should never be ashamed of how he got back to them. He was one of the lucky ones. He got to come home wearing a flag on his sleeve, not lying beneath a draped one.

Both Gary and Kendrick aren't bad looking guys in the 'I've seen some serious shit' way, but it's still apparent that how they've suffered isn't only internal. The physical wounds that had been inflicted on them during their capture and then captivity have faded, but are still visible, certain features looking slightly … off. Sgt. Gary is the same height as I am, Kendrick an inch shorter. I know both men have been working out in order to exhaust themselves in addition to their PT exercises issued to get their bodies back to their pre-fractured states. And their dark hair has been left to grow out past regulation in order to cover anything they aren't ready to be questioned about.

"No one's perfect, Steph," I reminded her. "Not even me."

"You're close enough to keep me happy." She stood up, which made every man in the room do the same except Tank who was already on his feet. "We've got food, friends, and a whole other family waiting for you," she told our newest party guests, "both here and in Jersey, but only when you're ready to accept them."

There was a slight hesitation as they both looked to me. "I'll repeat my offer until you believe it's a serious one. There's a place for each of you in my organization whenever you want to claim your position in it," I said to them.

"I might take you up on it," Emery told me. "I hate admitting it, but if I don't have a job to do or someone busting my ass, I can't get myself out of bed. Or on really bad nights, I just skip it entirely … figuring the damage I'll do to myself as I lay there awake will be worse than going without sleep for another day."

"I told you when I first checked in on you," I reminded him, "and I've repeated it in every conversation we've had since, you are not alone. I'm not going to forget about either of you. I will be here for you whether you join Rangeman or stay on the path you've already chosen."

"I'm not forgetting you either," Steph chimed in. "Thanks to Tank here, I have your email addresses. And I'm not afraid to use them."

"Is your wife a threat?" Terrance asked me.

"Yes," both Tank and I answered.

"A harmless one, though," she added for their benefit.

"Keep thinking that, Babe. We know better."

She slid closer and wrapped both arms around my midsection. This feels like our fighting-stance now ... a united front, locked together until our battle is won.

"We can't thank you enough for our lives, Sir," Kendrick said after a moment of pause. "You could've just left us to die."

"No ... he couldn't," Steph told him. "Ranger fights for anyone who fights for us all. He would've traded himself for you if that had been the only option he'd had. You mattered then, and you matter even more to us now. I should warn you, we'll be standing by you for life now."

"No man left behind," I promise them. "And no thanks are needed. Just your agreement to not give up and that you will call me immediately if that thought crosses either of your minds again, is all that I want."

"Don't pressure them, Ranger," Steph teased. "Just enjoying themselves today is enough for right now."

I can't disagree with her. Seeing them alive and recovering is all the thanks I'll ever need. What could be called heroic by some, I consider just doing what's right. Steph kept an arm around me, and tried to maneuver everyone else out with us towards Ella's culinary offerings.

We saw that Mike and Mia had a small group gathered around them, not only because he's the type of guy people flock to, but also due to him holding an adorable baby girl wearing a ruffled party dress bigger than she is. It didn't hurt that Little Bear was sitting at their side. Although he has only three of his legs, he's having a far easier time adapting to the changes to his body than Mike is. While he stayed glued to his partner, he wagged his tail whenever someone that he deemed safe approached his family. He even made the appropriate 'puppy eyes' at me, followed by what I'd call a canine eyeroll, when Stephanie got down to his level, whispered something mid scratch into his upright ear, and then turned to raise her eyebrows at me.

I can guess what she said to him, so I answered Emery's question about what services Rangeman provides and to who, and then I shook my head at my wife ... sensing a dognapping plan was partially formed in her mind. I scanned the auditorium and felt proud of my people and especially of my wife. It took a little time for the party to get started, but ten minutes after the doors opened, patients ... in gurneys, wheelchairs, using crutches, or just standing with their heads or sections of their bodies bandaged, started to trickle in. Pretty soon, loved ones who are visiting, members of the staff, and my team, were all cautiously interacting and having quiet conversations with each other, feeling very much like the relaxed 'dinner party' Steph was hoping for.

I watched my wife take Kira from her parents for a moment so Mia and Mike ... and the ever-alert L.B., could enjoy some semblance of a pre-injury date. My eyes stayed trained on her as she started walking over to where Tank, Sosa, McCurry, Kendrick, Gary, and I, were talking in a quieter corner of the room, the men not ready to venture further than our small group. Being a beautiful woman got Stephanie some attention, holding a baby had her stopped every other second by every mother, grandmother, nurse, and those who just needed a brief reminder that while some lives end ... brand new ones can help ease the pain of an exit.

"I thought you might have missed me," my wife said, when she and Kira tucked themselves under my arm.

"I did."

"I brought a date back for someone who doesn't have one."

"I see that," I told her. "But I'm the only one in this group who has a date. You could have just started a riot."

"We're in the right place for one," Sosa replied. "It'll be a quick turnaround time for stitches and bone-sets."

Having a little practice from Valerie's girls, Steph moved Kira to her shoulder and snuggled deeper into my side.

"Wrong thing to say," she told him, calmly rubbing the littlest Gonzoloz's back when she hiccuped. "I'll just keep her until Mike and Mia miss family time. Ranger will protect us from, and also end, any brawls you boys start. So I'd rethink it."

"Well played, Babe."

"Thank you. I learned how to defuse a potentially dangerous situation from the best."

In the end, the men turned on the charm and were allowed to amuse the little lady while I got an almost-date with mine, in-between service members from all branches coming over to me to ask how so-and-so is, if I could get word to someone they haven't heard from, or just to simply introduce themselves and say a genuine 'thank you' for whatever service I've provided for them or one of their family members.

Stephanie got her own introductions and thank yous for trying to create a bright spot in an otherwise painful time in these people's lives. I made a note to make at least monthly celebrations here, and in similar facilities, a line item in my budget. Not only has Stephanie continued to bring peace, love, and sanity, to my life and the lives of the men we work and are friends with, it occurred to me that everybody in this room will come to the same conclusion I did after meeting her ... that even if you don't see Stephanie again after today, you will never forget her.