Building

Chapter 1

I watched with mild curiosity as Joe paced outside Anna's room. The doctor had asked for a few minutes alone with her. Joe was forced to leave the room and he didn't like it at all.

"What the hell's taking so long?" he asked no one in particular.

"Calm down, Joe. He's only been in there two minutes." I leaned against the wall and continued to watch him.

I sensed Ranger approach and looked over my shoulder to see him come around the corner.

"Baby yet?" he asked me, after a quick kiss.

"Not yet. The doctor is talking to Anna now and made Joe leave the room."

Ranger moved to put a hand on Joe's shoulder. "Don't worry. Anna's tough. She'll be fine and so will the kid."

Joe tried to smile. "Why did he kick me out?"

Anna and Joe had planned on a natural birth, with Joe as her coach. They had married in a civil ceremony last month after deciding that they should try to make a home for their child. The baby was the result of a wild weekend when Joe was on assignment in Richmond, Virginia. Unfortunately, it was during a time when he and I were supposed to be together. I didn't harbor any ill will toward Anna, a former Richmond cop, but there was still a twinge of anger toward Joe for the infidelity.

It wasn't too long ago that Anna had been kidnapped by a another cop who was obsessed with her and angry that she had gotten pregnant by Joe. He managed to kill Terry Gilman while she and Joe were working together on a case, framing Joe for the murder. It was his way of removing Joe from Anna's life.

To complicate matters further, Anna was Lester Santos' kid sister. She had grown up considering Ranger and his men as part of her family. That made her part of mine.

The doctor opened the door to Anna's room and invited Joe back in. Before he left, he turned to Joe. "We should have a baby by the end of the night. Things are going to move quickly from here on out. I gave Anna a drug to bring on the contractions. While her labor progressed well this morning, everything appears to have stopped. We need to keep the contractions going if your son's going to make his appearance.

Joe moved to stand by Anna's bed. "Thank you doctor."

Ranger and I entered the room as well. "Hi, Anna, how's it going?" I really didn't know what to say to a woman who was in labor.

Anna grimaced as a pain shot through her abdomen. "Frankly, I think I'd rather be shot."

Ranger smiled at her. "That's our girl. Try to think about the final result. If you were shot, you'd just end up with a scar. This way, you get a whole other person out of the deal."

While Ranger was trying to crack a joke, trying to reassure, I saw panic wash over Anna's face and Joe's as well.

"You two are going to be great parents. I'm really excited for you. I might even have to add a baby swing to our backyard for the kid," I gushed. Actually, I was excited for them. While the circumstances that brought them together were awkward at best, they were well suited to each other. They were like Ranger and I.

Ranger smiled at the comment about the baby swing. We had our discussion about a yard, meaning children. Both of us wanted them someday. Until then, Elena, Ranger's daughter, was going to fill any perceived void. I wasn't in a hurry to become pregnant, but I had to admit that watching Joe and Anna plan for their baby made me a bit envious.

Ranger once again sensed what I was thinking. He moved closer and whispered in my ear, "Our turn is coming."

I smiled up at him. Yes, it would happen soon enough. I wanted to enjoy our time alone. We weren't married, just living together, but it felt like being married. We just moved into our new house, a huge Colonial with more rooms than I ever imagined and lots of land. Ranger had spent a month updating the security features in the house and around the grounds. When he felt it was secure, we moved in.

Since Ranger decided to leave the apartment on Hayward Street intact, we had to buy furniture. Most of our shopping was actually done on line. Delivery trucks would show up at the new house almost every day after we moved in. The first night, we slept on an inflatable bed in our new master suite. The chocolate carpet and taupe walls made me feel right at home. We christened the large garden tub and even managed to find time for the spa, which was on the terrace outside our room. I spent a lot of time picking out colors and fabrics, but I let the professionals handle the majority of the decorating chores. Ranger called Elena and asked what she wanted to see in her room. She filled him in on all the details and she hopefully got exactly what she wanted. We would know next week. She was expected to arrive for a week long visit.

I was constantly amazed at how well Ranger and I fit together. I was not accustomed to living with someone. I never succeeded in staying very long when I was with Joe. I never gave up my apartment. It was different with Ranger. He connected with me on a level I hadn't even known existed.

A shout from Anna brought me back to the present situation. She was obviously in pain. Joe looked panicked. I saw him grab her hand and try to coach her through the contraction. It was almost too much to watch another woman going through this. I made a move toward the door and Ranger followed.

"You okay, Babe?" he asked, his eyes full of concern.

"Oh, yeah. It's just tough watching her go through that."

"I know, but just think of the reward at the end. Wait until you see the look on their faces as they hold their son. It's something you'll never forget."

Ranger was speaking from experience, of course. Me, I had only ever been a mother to a hamster. When Rex died, I blamed myself and labeled myself a bad mother. Truth was, he was just old. Still, I wasn't sure what kind of mother I would be. When Ric and I started discussing the 'yard', I was really concerned that I couldn't live up to his expectations, but he assured me that it was joint venture. He would never again leave another person alone to raise a child of his.

I was excited to be meeting Elena finally. We had her picture in our room, but it was nothing compared to meeting the real thing. I admitted to Ric that I was nervous. It was so important to him that we got along. He didn't put any pressure on me, but I could sense how much it meant.

We waited another hour in the maternity waiting room. Ric had gone to get me coffee when Joe came out of Anna's room. His eyes were moist.

"Joe, is everything all right?" My voice was tight with concern.

"Steph, everything is better than all right. Would you like to come and meet my new son?"

I hugged him so tight, I'm sure he couldn't breathe. I was nearly crying myself.

Ranger walked up, a raised eyebrow asking the obvious question.

I ran to him, nearly spilling coffee all over him. "The baby's here!"

"Congratulations, Morelli." Ranger threw the coffee away and we entered Anna's room.

She lay on the bed, her face flushed with the exertion and her hair damp. In her arms was a small pink bundle with noticeably red hair.

I smiled at her. "How'd it go?"

She smiled back. "Not too bad. Ranger was right. He was definitely worth it. Steph, Ric, I want you meet Connor Joseph Morelli. We decided not to name him strictly after his father. I liked the name Connor," Anna explained.

I moved closer to the bed. Connor Joseph Morelli was absolutely beautiful, and I wasn't even supposed to like babies.