Time is irrelevant in so many ways. The sun rises and you wake. It sets and you sleep. You wait for red lights, coffee, water to heat up, but you don't really miss the time that had passed. You take a slow stroll around the park, kicking at small sticks as they lay on the concrete below you. Not realizing that their journey ended so quickly. It seems as though the only time a person appreciates the time that you have is when your time is up.

Laying here on the floor, my mind reels at all the lost moments in my life. If I hadn't taken two hours to get ready, I could've spent that time with a loved one. If I hadn't decided to take a nap, preferring to dream my life away then actually live it, I could have done so much. I could've been so much more.

"I just need more time." I whispered softly, the words barely audible to my own ears.

The only sound I could hear was the rhythmic thumping of large press machine a few feet away from it. The air compressor hissing before the arm came down once again to press the steel into shapes. There had been a clanging, but that had ceased minutes prior. Minutes that I counted second by second in my head.

Doubts and regret over today's decisions clouded my mind and tears flowed from my eyes. I could've said no. I could've just walked away, pressed myself into his arms and begged him to just hold me.

His arms. My chest tightened remembering how safe and warm I always felt curled up in his arms. How his smell clung to my skin and clothes even after he released me from his embrace. I could almost hear his heartbeat in my ears as I tried to replay our last encounter over and over in my mind.

"Babe." He whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "There's always tomorrow."

I snuggled into his chest, ignoring his words. His hand was splayed across my lower back and his other had been wound into my hair. His warmth was as addictive as his smell.

"It'll be okay." I had told him, rubbing my nose back and forth over his soft black cotton t-shirt. "I know where he is and I have never had a problem with him. In and out…five minutes tops."

"I can help you." He pushed back slightly, looking into my face.

"You have meetings." Shrugging I slowly unwound myself from him, my body crying out for me to stay still. "I'll call you if I need help."

He looked at me, his deep brown eyes flickering over my features as if he was trying to read my mind.

"You have your panic button and your gun?" He smiled when I nodded. "And it's loaded?"

"Geeze, Ranger you act like this is my first rodeo." I poked his chest and he chuckled.

"Call me." He spoke softly, kissing me gently and walking back to his car. I watched him, enjoying the view until he drove off.

"I am such an idiot." I growled at myself.

I pressed the panic button eight minutes ago and I could hear my cell phone ringing, but I wasn't able to reach it let alone answer it. I knew it was Ranger. The batman ringtone sounded off again and again each time breaking my heart a little more.

I knew that he was close. He was never far away from me, and even when he was it always seemed like he could reach me faster than possible. I should have called him the moment I saw my skip, Walter Hatfield, enter into the large metal outbuilding at his property. I should've taken him up on his offer to come with me. But what if he had the same fate as I did.

I was cold. It could be attributed to the fact that I was laying on a concrete floor in an unheated outbuilding in the middle of winter, but I think that my injuries were also playing into it. The only warmth that I felt was the blood slowly pooling around me. Half of it was mine, I am sure, but the other half belonged to Hatfield. His body was on top of mine slowly draining onto me.

My mind flickered for a moment and I wondered if he had some sort of communicable disease. Chuckling to myself I realized that it would be just my luck that if I survive this that I would probably end up with some sort of incurable disease.

"BABE!" My heart leapt at his voice. "BABE! WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"Ranger." I whispered my chest heavy. I licked my lips and took a deep breath, pain radiating with the effort. "Ranger!"

Pounding footsteps echoed off the metal walls as he and his Merry Men reached me. I watched, almost in slow motion, as he saw me. His face fell and terror washed over his face before it flickered back to his notorious blank face.

"Babe." He ran and slid next to me, his hands running through my hair. "Dios, Stephanie."

"Shit." Tank's voice ground out. I could hear him make a call, asking for EMTs immediately.

"Ranger." I whispered again, tears blurring my vision. "I'm sorry."

"Shh...Babe." He stroked my hair. "We'll get you out of his. I promise."

His blank face slipped again as he reexamined the situation in front of him. I knew it was bad, and I wished I could comfort him.

I had chased Hatfield into the building, scrambling up a set of stairs that lead to a raised walkway above what looked like a workshop. The raised walkway was about 15 feet above a concrete floor that was littered with metal work equipment. It was only two feet wide and wobbled as I sprinted across it, grasping onto the thin cable that was in place of a safety rail. When he had slipped, I knew I had him. I launched myself forward and grabbed around his knees taking both of us down.

The walkway creaked ominously and a loud pop echoed through the room. We both froze, staring at one another.

"Run!" He had screamed at me, pushing me off of him and towards the doorway behind him. "It's gonna collapse. Before I could make it to my feet the entire walkway gave away. The short amount of time before I hit the ground seemed to last forever. I watched as Hatfield lunged for me, desperately grasping for something to hold onto. Instead, he toppled over with me his eyes filled with fright and regret.

I screamed as a piece of rebar ripped through my abdomen. A second later, Hatfield met the same fate, but through his chest. Being face to face I watched as life drained from his eyes and blood poured from his wound onto me.

"I'm sorry." He spoke with his last breath. I tried to sob and cry, but the pain was so great and the pressure too much for me to take a deep breath. I wrapped an around protectively around his neck, cradling his head against my chest as I pressed the panic button.

"Babe." Ranger's voice broke me from the memory. "We are going to lift him off of you. I'll try to keep the rebar still but it's going to hurt. I'm sorry."

I nodded slightly. Tank and Cal positioned themselves over Hatfield and I, each grabbing tightly to his shoulders and hips. Hal crouched down next to me and slid his hands between Hatfield and I on either side of the rebar. Ranger's hand grasped the bar, his muscles tight as he kept it steady.

"Bomber," Hal whispered, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "We're gonna get you outta here."

A scream ripped through me as they hoisted Hatfield's lifeless body off of me and off the rebar. With the weight off of my chest I could breathe a little better, but the pain increased.

"EMTs are one minute out." Lester ran into the building, holding a pair of large bolt cutters. He knelt down next to me and stroked my cheek. "Beautiful."

"Lester it hurts so much." I gasped, tears running hot down my face.

"I know, Beautiful." He kissed my forehead. "We need to cut down the rebar and get you off the floor. Take some deep breaths and try not to move."

"Babe." Ranger took my hand and once again ran his fingers through my hair. "You are doing great, Steph."

"Ranger..."

Bobby had joined the guys, his medic bag immediately opening next to me.

"Ranger, keep her calm." Bobby met my eyes and he frowned, sniffing back tears that wouldn't fall. "Steph, honey, I'm gonna give you something for the pain, Okay?" I nodded as he slid in the needle. Heat flooded my body within minutes. "Okay, Lester. Hal. Each of you take a side of the cutters and snip about six inches above her skin. DO NOT make that rebar move."

I watched as they positioned themselves on either side of me. I turned as they took a deep breath and positioned the blades over the rebar.

"Te amo, Babe." Ranger whispered, leaning down and kissing my lips softly. "Stephanie, I am going to get you the biggest box of Boston Crèmes when we get you out of here. We are going to sit down and watch all of the Ghostbuster's movies and veg out eating junk food and drinking beer."

"That stuff will kill ya." I chuckled, sending pain through my body. I hissed; closing my eyes. I felt the pressure as the bold cutters snapped off the end of the rebar, the vibrations sending a shock wave of agony through me. "Fuck."

"You're doing great." Bobby whispered, taking my other hand and pressing a kiss to my palm.

EMT's rushed into the building, stopping for a moment with wide eyes when they saw me.

"How long?" the first EMT asked, kneeling down and taking stock of my injury.

"20 minutes tops." Ranger said, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Oh Thank God." The second EMT gasped out, placing a hand on my leg. "Steph, you are one lucky girl. The rebar missed your heart and your Mesenteric artery." He turned and looked at Bobby. "Let's lift her off the rebar and then pack her wound."

"You two go in the bus and grab two small backboards. We are going to have to lift her off the bar without tilting." The first EMT pointed at Hal and Ram who sprinted off to get the items. "You. Get the gurney." He pointed at Woody who had been standing hands on his head. Woody nodded and sprinted after Hal and Ram. "Ranger, we are going to need all of us to keep her steady. Any unnecessary movement when pulling her off could cause the rebar to sever that artery and she will bleed out."

Ranger nodded as Ram and Hal sprinted back inside each carrying a backboard. Woody

"Alright, I need to on either end of each backboard and one on either side around here." He pointed to my sides on either side of the rebar. "We are going to have to lift in unison without tipping."

The men nodded and immediately got into place. Hal and Bobby grabbed each side of the backboard by my head, while Lester and the first EMT grabbed the center and bottom of it. Cal and Ram grabbed ahold of the backboard by my feet and the second EMT and Woody secured the other edge. Ranger and Tank took position on either side of the bar, both of them spreading their hands out underneath so that they were touching fingertips around the bar.

"Count of three." The first EMT said. "One. Two. Three."

They all lifted together, a scream ripping through my body as I was removed from the rebar. I was placed on the gurney gasping in pain. My head swam and I fought against unconsciousness. Bobby and the two EMTs worked quickly packing my wound and strapping me down to the gurney before sliding me into the back of the bus. The first EMT raced to the driver's seat, Tank taking the passenger seat. The second EMT and Bobby began hooking me up to IVs.

Ranger slid in right before the doors were to close and knelt near my head. He nuzzled the side of my head, stroking my hair and whispering in Spanish.

"Ranger..." My voice was so weak, but I had to tell him. He tipped his head up and looked into my eyes. My lip trembled as I saw tears slowly fall from the corner of his eyes. Reaching up with my hand, now taped up with an IV in place, I stroked his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He sniffed and cupped my hand at his cheek. "You are my heart, Babe."

"Ranger…" I felt my world tip slightly and I became dizzy. "Ranger…I'm sorry I..."

Pain shot through me and monitors began to beep frantically. I stared wide eyed at the man I love, watching his face contort in pain.

"Shit!" Bobby shouted, ripping out paddles from the defibrillation machine. My chest constricted so tightly that I couldn't breathe. I slipped into darkness just as Bobby screamed. "Clear!"

What a crappy place to leave it. Soon, my pretties…soon.