Chapter Six

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Dear Diary,

I wasn't sure if I'd ever write in this diary again, but I came across it when unpacking a box I hadn't yet needed in the new house. So, I thought I'd let you know what happened.

Tank and the other guys found Ranger! I don't know how to explain it, but my dreams were not just dreams, and Ranger really was being held in a pit somewhere. They didn't tell me where, and to this day, I have no idea about the circumstances in which they found him. I was also not privy to the details of his rescue, but they put together a plan and got him out and assured me the men who had been holding him captive would never be a blip on our radar again. Maybe it makes me a bad person, but I was glad to hear it.

Tank called and told me as soon as they found him but warned me he was in rough shape. He said they had to stop in another country with better medical care to get Ranger to a hospital. According to Tank, he was flitting (well, Tank didn't say flitting) in and out of consciousness, and when he was awake, he wasn't lucid. That hospital diagnosed him with severe dehydration and malnutrition, so they hooked him up to IVs.

He also had burns covering his back and legs and the bottoms of his feet, so they gave him some heavy-duty antibiotics, after which they thought he'd need skin grafts to repair the damage. His leg had been broken but hadn't healed properly, so they had to rebreak it to set it again. His right arm was broken, so he had casts on his left leg and right arm. The middle finger on his left hand was splinted.

I wanted to come to the hospital, but Tank said I should just wait in the States since they'd only be there for a few days, and when he was transferred to the US, he'd probably be transferred to another hospital. I agreed, but I was dying inside. I wanted to see Ranger so bad! I talked to Ranger's mom, who was in the same predicament.

When Tank called to tell me Ranger was being transferred to the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., I booked a flight for Faith and me on the next available plane. I checked into a hotel as near the hospital as possible. While I waited, I wore a rut into the hotel room's carpet, and Faith was fussy, too. She was cutting a tooth, but she had probably also picked up on my mood.

A full day passed before I finally got to go to the hospital to see Ranger, and I remembered every single word, every look, every moment of that first visit.

When I got to the hospital, I left Faith with Bobby in the waiting room, took a deep breath, then entered Ranger's room. As soon as I saw him lying in his bed, I burst into sobs. I couldn't help it; he looked so broken. In addition to the injuries Tank told me about on the phone, his nose was covered in a bandage, and he had scrapes on both cheeks. His hair was shorter than I ever remembered, and he looked so much thinner.

I ran over to his bedside, then stopped awkwardly. Tears were still streaming down my cheeks, but I'd quieted down. I wanted to throw myself on him and never let go, but I didn't want to hurt him. He reached out to touch my arm, his eyes never leaving mine. "Babe," he breathed.

The next moment, Tank left the room, leaving Ranger and me alone. I sank into a chair beside his bed and held his unsplinted hand in mine. "You're here. You're really here. I can't believe it. I prayed for this moment, and you're here." I couldn't stop babbling, but I was still in shock.

"Kiss me," he said.

I leaned forward and kissed him as gently as I could.

"I'm really here," he said softly.

Ranger seemed tired, but when I offered to go and let him get some rest, he wouldn't let go of my hand. We talked for a while, and I wasn't sure how to tell him about Faith. He knew I was holding back and asked me to tell him whatever I was hiding. We were apart for over a year; he had been subjected to horrors I couldn't even imagine, but his ESP was still fully intact.

Finally, I blurted it out. A small part of me thought he'd close up and shut me out, but he didn't. He was surprised, but he surprised me even more when he asked if he could meet her if she were here in D.C. I went and got her from Bobby in the waiting area, brought her inside Ranger's room, and introduced them. He seemed enthralled and couldn't keep his eyes off her. After a couple of hours, Faith started getting cranky, so I told Ranger we needed to go back to the hotel where I could feed her and put her down for a nap. I promised to return, and he asked me to kiss him again before leaving.

During our next visit, I told him about my move to Boston and how I worked for the Rangeman office there. He smiled when he heard I was still working for Rangeman, though I think he was surprised by my move to Boston. I explained my reasoning, and his eyes softened. He apologized, but I pressed my finger against his lips and told him he had nothing to apologize for—the last year of his life was far worse than mine.

The rest of the week was spent catching him up on my life with Faith. I didn't think he'd want to talk about his ordeal, even if he was allowed to, and he seemed content to listen to me describe our lives. He touched both of us often as if to reassure himself that we were both here with him.

His parents and the rest of his family had also come to Washington, and I knew they wanted to spend time with him just as much as I did, so I took frequent breaks from his bedside to go down to the cafeteria or walk outside with Faith. I don't think most of them would have minded if I stayed during their visit—they knew Ranger and I meant something to each other—but Celia occasionally gave me the stink eye when no one was paying attention, and I didn't feel like spending more time around her than strictly necessary. I don't know if Ranger noticed, but given what he had to deal with, I would not add to his problems.

Later, when we were alone again, we were talking about the memorial service his parents held for him at their house. I felt awkward about telling him what I had done with the money he'd left me in his will, but he assured me he wanted me to have it. He told me he was proud of me when I revealed that most of it had gone into a trust for Faith, which his lawyer had set up, and the rest was for her college fund and a house in Boston where she could grow up.

He grew quiet when he heard about the house I had yet to take possession of, though. I wondered why, but I understood when he asked if there was still room for him in my life, our lives. I kissed him and told him I'd always have room for him but explained I didn't want to return to Trenton. I loved my family and friends, but I didn't love that I was frequently a subject of gossip, and I didn't love how I was raised. I never want Faith to feel like she isn't good enough just the way she is.

Several days later, Bobby effected a transfer for Ranger to Mass Gen, a hospital in the Boston area, so we flew home. My regular life resumed, though busier than ever.

I returned to work on the government project at Rangeman, then spent the evenings with Ranger and Faith at the hospital. He told me that he had spent a lot of time over the past year thinking about us, and he wanted us to be a family with Faith. He didn't care where we lived, so he'd stay here if I wanted to be in Boston. His obvious sincerity and the love shining in his eyes made me cry, and I accepted immediately. I hoped he'd like our house, but he assured me he'd love it as long as Faith and I were there with him.

After two more painful months of recovery, skin grafts and a couple of surgeries to repair his broken bones, Ranger was finally released from the hospital. I had moved into the new house about a month before that, and Faith and I were settling in. He still couldn't return to work, but he was moving in with me and continuing his recovery from home.

Tank gave his shares of Rangeman back to Ranger. He didn't want to be the company's owner, but after Ranger told him he'd stay in Boston with me, they agreed Tank would continue running the Trenton location. At the same time, Ranger would oversee the entire company from the Boston location. I had Ranger's name added to the house deed, so it belonged to both of us equally. I wouldn't even have it if it weren't for him, but he insisted everything he had was mine, too.

Ranger and I are officially together, and he even said he wouldn't mind getting married and having another baby someday. I wasn't sure if that was something I wanted, but I wasn't as opposed to it as I might have been before I had Faith. I knew now that I could handle anything and was much more capable than everyone except Ranger had ever believed.

Well, Diary, I think this is the end. I have the love of my life back. Our beautiful daughter is happy and healthy, and Ranger will continue to heal.

As long as I have Ranger and Faith, my life is fantastic.

The End