Chapter 3

Stephanie POV

WHOA! What's going on? I feel like I'm floating. Wait...I AM FLOATING! I can FLY! SERIOUSLY! That feels AWESOME!

Uh, oh. If I can fly, does that mean I'm dead? I can't be dead. Can I? How did I die? Why is it so dark here? Where am I, anyway? I figured I was having an out-of-body experience. I'm probably dreaming and not really flying, but this is an incredible dream, so I'll go with it.

Duh, Steph, it's dark because it's dark in your room. The light is out. If I squint, maybe I'll be able to see.

After my eyes adjusted to the dark, I noticed Ranger still hadn't moved from where he was perched on the chair next to my bed. The poor man. He has been by my side ever since I got here.

I heard what he said about the Taskykake and that he loved me, and I was his heart. I've always loved him. That's never changed. I think he doubts I'll wake up, but I will. My body is healing right now, but I will wake up.

I'm sad Joe didn't make it. Even though we had broken up, I had been watching the game with him at his house, and he said he'd take me home. Everyone thought we were still together—even the Merry Men. We didn't want people to know that we had split. That's why I went to his house a couple of times a week to watch the game with him. I was waiting for Ranger to come home so I could talk to him and tell him how much I loved him. He was dating a nurse here at the hospital, but that's changed. I hoped she was okay after everything that happened.

I'm currently flying because I have to get a message to someone to give to Ranger, but I need to decide who. I would have to come to the person in a dream.

I figured the only person I could get to follow my instructions would be Mary Alice. I knew I had to get to her before my time ran out, and I had to go back into my body. Since I'm still in a coma, it wasn't that hard to have that out-of-body experience.

Ranger is so worried that I won't come out of the coma that he is afraid to leave my side. Through Mary Alice, I need to let him know I'm coming back to him, and of course, I want to tell him that I know about his Taskykake remark. You didn't think I would let that go, did you?

Mary Alice was the one person I knew who could give Ranger my message. I know she is only ten, but she would find a way. I had to get to her and tell her so she could find a way to let Ranger know.

Before seeing MA, I wanted to see if Ranger could feel me. I floated over to him, put my hand on his arm, and whispered his name. His head was resting on my arm. He lifted it, gazed down at me in my bed, kissed my forehead, and whispered, "I love you," before settling back down.

I wasn't sure how to get to MA. I willed myself out of my body and thought I could will myself to MA. Let's see if that would work. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard on her bedroom. I felt a jolt, opened my eyes, and realized I had done it! WOW! That's pretty cool.

Mary Alice opened her eyes and focused on me immediately. "Aunt Stephie? What are you doing here?"

"I'm not here. You're having a dream. I'm in the hospital, and I was hoping you could get a message to Ranger. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, Aunt Stephie, but why can't you give him the message?"

"Because I'm in the hospital and can't wake up. Please, MA, I need your help. Please go to Ranger and tell him that I'm returning to him, that I love him, and that God heard his favor. Tell him he needs to have a TastyKake ready because he promised to eat one when I woke up."

"Okay, Aunt Stephie, I'll give him the message. I promise."

I kissed her on the cheek and thanked her, then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. I willed myself back to my hospital room. I kissed Ranger, told him I loved him, and then returned to my body.

Now, I just have to will my body to wake up. Hopefully, that will be easier than it sounds.

Mary Alice POV

I woke up and remembered my dream, but I wasn't sure if it happened. I knew that Aunt Stephie came to me in my dream and asked me to give Mr. Ranger a message.

I quickly got dressed and brushed my teeth. I have to talk my mom into taking me to the hospital. Even though Mom doesn't like Aunt Stephie, I'm hoping she will take me because I asked her to. If not, then I will find another way. I have to get a message to Mr. Ranger.

I'm glad today is Saturday. I don't have to worry about getting ready for school. I went down to the kitchen, where I could smell the food cooking. I love to eat, just like Aunt Stephie.

After breakfast, I begged Mom to take me to the hospital to see Mr. Ranger. She told me she didn't want me to hang out with thugs like him and that I was a little girl and should not follow in my aunt's footsteps.

Aunt Stephie told me Ranger and his men are good and honorable. I had to look that word up at first because I didn't understand what it meant, but now that I know, I believe Aunt Stephie. She's so nice; she wouldn't be friends with mean or bad people.

Mom wanted me out of her hair. She said I was too much like Aunt Stephie, so she focused on my sister Angie. That's okay with me; I'm on a mission and intend to find a way to see Mr. Ranger.

I grabbed my backpack and put some snacks and bottled water in it. I'm not good at telling time, but we have a clock with numbers, not hands, on it. It currently shows that it's almost eleven o'clock. I don't know the best time to see Mr. Ranger, but I thought I could leave now and see how long it would take me to get there. I grabbed some money out of my piggy bank. I have received money from various relatives for my birthday or Christmas for the past ten years, and I've saved it all.

I'd probably be walking a lot, so I wore comfortable shoes. My best friend Emily lives three doors down, and I may go over there to see if her mom will take me to the hospital. But wait. If I did that, she might tell my mom, and I would be in serious trouble.

Aunt Stephie bought cell phones for Angie and me last year for Christmas. She said it was in case we needed to contact her. She programmed her number, my parents' numbers, and Rangeman's number. Maybe I can call them and see if they will give me a ride.

Even though I'm only ten, I'm forced to do many things alone. My mother doesn't like that I don't want to be just like her, so I tend to be left alone. That's okay with me; I manage to entertain myself. I checked to see where she was, and she was too busy dealing with Angie to worry about me, so I slipped out the back door and started walking down the street.

I could walk to Rangeman, but I should call them first to see if someone could meet me at the park or someplace nearby.

The park is only four blocks from our house. That's why Mom and Albert chose it. I walked over to a bench and called the number that Aunt Stephie put in my phone under Merry Men. I don't know who it goes to, but I figured the person would have to be good if they knew Aunt Stephie.

"Rangeman Trenton, how can I help you?" a man answered.

"Hi, can I speak with one of the Merry Men, please?" I didn't know anyone's name, so I wasn't sure who to ask for.

The guy on the phone said his name was Vince, and he was one of the Merry Men. "Mr. Vince, I'm Mary Alice. I'm Aunt Stephie's niece. I need to go to the hospital to see Mr. Ranger. I have a message for him from Aunt Stephie."

"Mary Alice, when did you talk to your Aunt Stephie?" He sounded confused.

"Last night. She asked me to give Mr. Ranger a message. She said it was very important, Mr. Vince. Can someone come to the park and get me and take me to the hospital? Please? It's important."

"Mary Alice, stay where you are, and I will send Hal over to pick you up. He will run you by the hospital, then bring you home." Vince told me. I was happy he believed me and didn't question what I needed to say to Mr. Ranger.

"Okay, Mr. Vince. I will, I promise." I hung up and waited patiently for Mr. Hal to show up. I was sure hoping that he wasn't going to take me home. I need to make it clear to him that I have to talk to Mr. Ranger. If he takes me home, I will sneak out of my bedroom window and walk to the hospital. Either way, I'm going to talk to Mr. Ranger. I have to; I promised Aunt Stephie.

I waited patiently for Mr. Hal to show up. He pulled up, walked over to me, and sat on the bench beside me. "Mary Alice, tell me why you need to speak with Ranger."

"I need to give Mr. Ranger a message from my Aunt Stephie. I'll walk there if you can't take me."

He didn't like that, so he agreed to take me to the hospital and bring me home. He thought my mother would be worried, but I doubt that. She probably doesn't even know I'm gone. She probably thinks I went to my friend's house if she does.

He helped me into the SUV, and we headed to the hospital. I know he wanted to call my mom and let her know, but I told him that if he did, I would get out of the car and walk away, and he would not be able to catch me. I can run fast when I want to.

After a few minutes, we pulled into the lot at St. Francis Hospital. Hal parked the SUV, got out, and came around to help me out, and then he held my hand as he took me into the hospital to find Mr. Ranger.

Hal knew where Mr. Ranger was because we took the elevator to the ICU floor and the hospital chapel. We stopped right outside the door.

"Sweetie, Ranger is in here. He knows you're coming and is expecting you. I will take you home when you're done." Hal opened the door for me, and I hesitated before I walked up to Mr. Ranger.

I sat down next to him on the front pew. At first, I didn't think he knew I was there, but after a few minutes, he raised his head; he originally had it bowed and looked at me.

"Hi, Mary Alice. Hal told me you had something to tell me," He asked after carefully wiping his eyes. Mr. Ranger had been crying. I'm not used to seeing grown-ups cry, especially Mr. Ranger.

I grabbed his right hand and held it. "You may not believe me, but Aunt Stephie came to me last night. She told me to give you a message." I was looking straight into his eyes. I wanted him to see that I was telling the truth. "Aunt Stephie said she is coming back to you. Just be patient. She loves you with all her heart, and you need to get a TastyKake ready because she wants to see you eat one."

His eyes got huge, and he seemed to be surprised about what I told him. I wonder if I upset him.

Ranger POV

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How the hell did she know what I told Steph about the TastyKake? There is no way she could have known.

Is it possible that Steph could have really come to her last night? I did feel like I felt her and heard her say my name. I thought I was going crazy. Maybe I wasn't.

Mary Alice believes she spoke with Steph, and maybe she did. I didn't have another explanation for how she knew about my promise to eat that disgusting snack cake.

She still had my right hand in hers. I looked into her eyes, so she'd know I believed her. "Thank you, Querida, for giving me that message. I'm glad she came to see you, and you came to see me."

She hugged me, then got up and started walking towards the door. Once she reached the door, she turned around and said, "Mr. Ranger, please tell my aunt that you love her. She needs someone to care about her."

I nodded to let her know I would, and she walked out. I knew that Hal would make sure that she got home okay. I sat and thought about what she told me. Did Babe come to her?

I stayed a few more minutes talking to God, begging him to let Babe wake up. She is my world. I should have made her mine before I left for this final mission. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I plan on telling her and showing her every day for the rest of our lives.

I walked back to Babe's room and watched her from the doorway. She is so beautiful, and I love her so much. I never thought someone with a black soul like mine could find love from someone so pure.

Grabbing her hand, I pressed my lips to her knuckles and prayed that she would wake up before the doctors decided to take her off oxygen. No one knew if she could breathe on her own.

Time seemed to pass slowly; after about two hours, I was getting ready to settle in for the night when I heard the most precious sound.

"Water."

"BABE?"