A/N: Okay here is another one-shot. This is based on mae-E's idea and I wrote this as a birthday present for her. I hope she likes it. Also it's an early Valentine's Day present for everyone else.
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Angel Grove, Home of Earth's first Power Rangers
"I don't need a sign to tell me that." Kim muttered as she drove past the welcome sign. She hadn't called anyone to tell them that she was driving in today. It was just too much with coming back home and seeing everyone. You would think that one sign wouldn't hurt but it did. The welcome sign made her remember him and everything they had been together. Sighing she didn't know if she could do this. She didn't know if she was strong enough to move back here with everything that she had done.
It had been easier for her when she was over 3000 miles away from Tommy and the worst decision of her life but now she was within 20 miles of his house. Turning into the hotel parking lot, she thought about what her friends would say when they realized that she was back on the West Coast. She smiled because she knew that they would be over the moon. There would be a party with tons of former rangers and lots of food. They really loved food especially the 'reds' in her group.
She got out of her car and made her way to the front desk to check into her room and get some rest. It had been a long drive and she had pushed herself those last hundred miles. She had been just ready to be back and close to her friends again.
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Kim woke up the following morning and checked out of her room. She knew that Jason and Trini would insist for her to stay with them until she found somewhere to live. They would probably demand that she stay with them so she wasn't even going to fight it. She wanted to see them and all of her other friends.
Merging onto the highway in front of the hotel, she made her way towards Jason and Trini's house. They were about five minutes away so it wouldn't be a long drive. It never occurred to her that she wouldn't make it a mile down the road.
An old woman lost control of her car when one of her tires blew out and slammed into Kim's side of the car. Kim's car then slid off the road and hit a tree. Everything happened in slow motion as Kim's car came to stop. She had been tossed around in her seat as she tried to hold on but couldn't. Closing her eyes, she prayed that she lived to at least speak to Tommy. In those moments before she passed out, she realized that she was still in love with the former ranger.
It took five minutes for emergency crews to reach the wreck. There had been several involved in the wreck since the old woman's car had hit five more cars before she could get it under control. The EMT's worked hard to free everyone from their cars. Thankfully no one had died but they were all sent to the hospital. All but one was awake so that their information would be taken down and next of kin informed on their condition.
"She is not responding but her pulse is strong." One of the medics said as he began to work on a small brunette who had just been pulled from the car moments before. Since her car had been slammed into the tree, they were extra careful freeing her in case of head and neck injuries.
"I found her purse and it looks like she is from Florida according to her driver's license. I wonder why she's here." Another medic said as he looked through her wallet. "She doesn't have anything on who to contact in case of an emergency." He said setting the purse aside.
"How is she?" A cop said walking towards them. He had been taking everyone's story and checking on them.
"She is not awake but she is going to make it." The medic said without looking up at the cop. He was putting an e-collar on her neck before moving her to the stretcher to load her into the ambulance.
"What's her name?" The cop asked as he took notes on her car's condition for the police report. It was a wonder that the girl was alive after looking at her car. One blown tire had done a lot of damage.
"It says Kimberly Hart." The medic said handing the cop her driver's license.
"Sounds familiar." The cop muttered. "Well I'll be by later to see if she's awake. I'll need her statement for the report if she can remember it." He stated as the medics nodded. They understood what was needed. This unfortunately wasn't their first wreck to work but they knew from past experience that some people didn't remember anything about their wrecks. It was just too much trauma for people.
"Have you found a cell phone?" The cop asked as the medics shook their heads no. They did find it odd that she didn't have a cell phone but they also knew that some people didn't have one.
"It was a miracle that we found her purse. It had been thrown from the car." The medic informed him.
"Well I'll check and see if I can find anything on her." The cop stated as they loaded Kim into the ambulance before driving away.
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"Has she remembered anything yet?" The cop asked the doctor three days later. He had been by the hospital everyday trying to see if the young woman remembered the wreck.
"No, I'm sorry. She didn't know her name until one of the nurses told her. She has no clue why she is in California if she lived in Florida and she can't tell me anything about her life." The doctor replied as the cop nodded. "Everything seems to have been wiped clean in her mind."
"Well call me if she does remember anything. The other drivers at least did see what happened with her so I don't really need her statement for the record. I just wanted her version." He stated as the doctor nodded.
"I really wish I knew her story. She seems so lonely." The doctor said before the cop left. They hadn't found out anything on Kimberly other than she lived in Florida and had done some gymnastics. There were no close friends listed or even family so the young woman in the room seemed like she was very much alone in the world. Why hadn't her friends known that she was here in Angel Grove? Why was she here on the West Coast in the first place?
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Tommy walked down the hallway of the hospital. He had just seen one of his karate students who had been asking for him to come visit. He hated hospitals but something told him to come and see the little boy today. Some unknown force had pushed him into his Jeep and before he knew it, he was sitting in the parking lot staring at the front entrance. It wasn't that he had anything against hospitals; it was just that he had one very bad memory of Angel Grove General. The image of a girl in pink looking pale against the white bed sheets was burned in his mind forever.
As he walked back down the hall, he heard a woman softly crying. The image of that girl against the white sheets flashed in his mind. The crying sounded so familiar but he knew that it couldn't be her. She was over 3000 miles away in Florida. Closing in on the room, he saw that the hallway was empty and decided to check on the woman. Something was obviously wrong with the person. He didn't see any harm in just seeing if it was Kimberly if only to ease his mind.
Stepping into the room, he saw the woman sitting up in bed looking out the window. The sunlight cast a soft glow on her but made it almost impossible to see who she was. When she turned her head, the breath left his body as he had to grab the door frame. Sitting there in those white sheets was the former love of his life, Kimberly Hart. She was back in California and no one had called him. How long had she been here?
"Kimberly." He whispered trying to process the fact that she was in the hospital once again. Something must have happened to her and he wanted to know what it was. When she didn't respond, he thought that she must not have heard him so he said her name louder this time. "Kimberly."
When she didn't respond again, he wondered if the problem was with her hearing. Had she gone deaf?
"May I help you?" A nurse asked from behind him.
Spinning around to look at the nurse, he answered. "What's wrong with her?"
"Do you know this woman?" She asked instead which he thought was an odd question but then he remembered that doctors and nurses didn't share any information about a patient unless it was family.
"Her name is Kimberly Hart and I know her very well." He replied. "But she is supposed to be in Florida." He muttered. "Why is she in here? Is it her ears?" He asked praying that it wasn't anything bad and that with some medicine she would be better. He never wanted Kimberly in pain no matter what was going on between them.
"You are the first person that has known her." The nurse remarked. "There is nothing wrong with her hearing. She was in a bad car accident two weeks ago. Her physical injuries have almost healed." She stated looking from him to Kimberly. "It's her mental ones that has the doctor concerned."
"What do you mean mental? Kimberly doesn't have mental problems." Tommy said angrily which caused the nurse to jump a little. His demeanor had undergone a radical change in a spilt second which had her explaining faster than she normally would have. There was something dark in this man that she didn't want to experience. It was rolling off him in waves.
"I didn't mean mental problems in the tradition sense." She stated trying to watch his mood.
"Okay so what did you mean?" He asked calming down.
"She has memory loss but the doctor is not sure to what extent since we could not find any next of kin." She informed him.
"Memory loss?" He asked looking back at Kimberly. It was worse than going deaf. She was lost in her own head without any escape.
"You know maybe if she sees some of her old friends it will help jog her memory." The nurse commented. "I mean it couldn't hurt her." She said as Tommy nodded.
"I'll try." Tommy muttered before walking into Kimberly's room. He was pushing back the image of the last time he had seen her in a hospital room. It had been an accident that time too but he had always felt responsible. He knew that she had been worn out from losing her powers, fighting Goldar, and training that he should have stayed with her. He should have been there to catch her when she fell.
Stepping into her line of sight, she looked up at him with hollow eyes. It broke his heart to see her like this. "Kimberly." He said trying to read something in her eyes that said she knew who he was. There had always been a light in her eyes whenever she looked at him but it was missing now.
Titling her head to the side, Kim looked up at him. "I'm sorry but do I know you?" She asked trying to find a hint of who he was or even who she was.
Tommy sighed before answering. "You used to know me very well."
"I'm sorry but it's not ringing a bell." She stated.
"The nurse told me that you were in a car accident and lost your memory." He said rubbing the back of his neck. "My name's Tommy." He said remembering the first time that he had told her his name. Her eyes had not been hollow then though. They had lit up with joy then.
"Tommy." She remarked. "I'm sorry I wish that I could remember you." She said.
"It's okay, I understand." He said sitting down beside her. "I do know some people that can help you with your memories though. I mean we were all very close in high school." He said smiling at her.
"Really? I have friends in California?" She asked as he nodded. "They must be the reason that I'm here instead of Florida." She stated.
"Yea I bet that's why you're back." He said with a nod. "If the doctor okay's it, would you like to come home with me?" He asked without even thinking about how this would affect him. He just wanted her to regain herself and he knew that she couldn't do that here.
Kim looked at him and questioned whether she should trust him or not. A small voice whispered that he wouldn't hurt her and to trust him. She wasn't sure how her heart knew that she could trust this man when her mind was blank on him but she would listen to her heart. It was the only thing that she could do. "Yes." She replied as he nodded.
"I'll go talk to the doctor to make sure it's okay." He said standing up. "I'll be right back." He said as she nodded and watched him leave.
Kim pulled her legs into her chest. She wasn't even sure of her own name but apparently everyone else here was even this Tommy. This was like a waking nightmare that she couldn't escape from when she opened her eyes. She didn't know who she was even when she looked in the mirror. She had no idea where she had been or where she was going. All she did know was that she needed to be rescued from this before she lost it all.
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"So you say that you know her?" The doctor asked looking Tommy over. He didn't look like he was someone that would lie about knowing anyone.
"Yea we went to high school together for three years before she moved to Florida to train for the Pan Global Games. Her mother and step-father live in Paris. I'm not sure where her father is." Tommy informed him.
"So she has no close relative living in Angel Grove?" He asked as Tommy shook his head. "Then why would she come back here for a visit?" The doctor asked not sure whether he believed Tommy's story or not. It seemed a little out there but he had heard far worse. It helped that this man didn't wavier in his tone when he explained everything.
"Well all of her friends are here and in Reefside so I'm sure that was the reason for her visit." Tommy replied trying to stay relaxed. He didn't like being questioned like this but he did understand. They just couldn't let a patient go home with anyone.
"But she didn't tell any of her friends that she was here?" He asked as Tommy sighed. It might not make sense to everyone but it did to him. It was something that Kimberly would do because she had done it before.
"She likes to surprise everyone. She did the same thing a few years ago after we graduated." Tommy explained as the doctor nodded.
"I understand." The doctor said with a sigh. "I will say that I'm glad that you showed up today."
"Why?" Tommy asked looking away from Kimberly. They were standing outside of her room so that she didn't hear them discuss her case. The doctor didn't want to upset her.
"We have a policy that if no family comes to take the patient home and the patient can't be released on their own that we sent them to the State Home. In her condition, she cannot be released without someone signing her out." He said as Tommy nodded. "But since you are here and are willing to take her, she doesn't have to go to the State Home."
"Well that's a relief." Tommy muttered. "I do have one question though." He said looking back at Kimberly.
"You want to know if she will ever regain her memory." The doctor stated as Tommy nodded. "Well I'm not sure. Each case is different, some regain their full memory, some parts of their memory, but some never regain it. There is nothing special to help them either. Sometimes trauma like they went through the first jogs their memory and sometimes a word, picture, or action brings those memories spilling out." The doctor explained.
"So how can I help her?" Tommy asked wondering if the Kimberly he knew would ever return.
"All you can do it take care of her. Don't press her into trying to remember anything." The doctor instructed. "Hopefully she will remember but if she doesn't, she will need her friends to help her relearn her life." He said as Tommy sighed.
"So she can come home with me?" Tommy asked as the doctor looked at him.
"Let me check with the Chief on staff just to make sure that it's okay with our rules." He said as Tommy nodded and watched him walk away.
Tommy looked back at the woman sitting on the bed looking over at him. It broke his heart to see her like this but he was going to try to help her any way he could. He wanted the Kimberly that broke his heart in a letter back.
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A few hours later, Tommy pulled up outside his house. He shut the car off and looked over at Kimberly sitting quietly beside him. The doctor had checked and everyone on the board had okayed Kimberly going home with him. No one had wanted to see her sent to the State Home so the rules had been bent just a little in this special case. It helped that some of them knew of Tommy and knew that he was a good guy and that he did have several friends in Angel Grove.
"Where are we?" She asked softly as he sighed. This was going to be hard and it was only starting.
"My house, don't worry you haven't been here before." He stated as he got out of the car. He had the doctor's instructions running through his head about not pushing her too much. The doctor had thought it was a good idea that Kimberly had never been to his house. It wouldn't bring painful memories that she could barely remember.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as Tommy opened her door.
"You have nothing to be sorry about." He said helping her out. "I don't want you to push yourself to remember. If it comes back then it will be in its own time." He stated as she looked up at him.
"You know I don't know why I trust you but I do." She said. "Have I always trusted you?" She asked as Tommy stepped back to allow her to move.
"Yea, you have pretty much trusted me since the day we met." He replied as she nodded. "Do you have any questions? The doctor said it would be good progress if you asked questions when you were uncertain of anything." He said.
"I'm uncertain of everything right now so I'm not sure what to even ask." She remarked carefully but looking away from him to his house.
"Would it help if I told you how we met?" He asked shutting her door.
"No." She stated simply as she moved past him toward the house.
Tommy sighed and followed her as he tried to think of something that would help her remember. He was concerned about certain parts of her memory if they didn't return. Would she remember that she had been the first Pink Ranger and if so would she remember everything or just bits and pieces? Would she know that it was a guarded secret? All these questions had been running through his mind the moment that he had found out that she had lost her memory. She hadn't even remembered her name. This was going to be a rough road ahead and he wondered if he had the strength to walk it with her.
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"How is she?" Jason asked as he got out of his truck. Tommy had called Jason as soon as Kim had gone to bed that first night to tell him everything that he knew. Jason had wanted to come over at that moment but Tommy explained what the doctor said.
It was then agreed that they wouldn't rush her but give her a few weeks alone with Tommy but they started showing up one at a time. It was hard on all of the friends having Kimberly so close again but having to stay away. They did call every night though which helped Tommy stay sane and calm.
"It's been two weeks and nothing has changed. She forgets her name is Kimberly half of the time." Tommy replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe I should have let one of you take her." He stated as Jason sighed. It had been something else that they had discussed that first night but it was agreed that Tommy's house was the best place for her at the moment.
He knew that this was going to be hard on Tommy but he knew that Tommy was the only one that could really help Kimberly. Most of her memories were tied up in the man standing in front of him so it made sense that if she were to ever get her memory back that it would be because of Tommy. "Tommy, I'm sorry. I know that this is hard for you but everyone agreed that your house was the best place for her." Jason stated as he walked up the steps to stand next to his best friend.
"I know but you are her big brother and I feel like she would regain her memory faster if she was around you and Trini. I mean I didn't come into her life until high school. You guys were there since birth." He remarked.
"Those are childhood memories that most people forget anyway. You are the important memories." Jason replied.
"I just don't know anymore." Tommy muttered as Jason nodded. "I hope that seeing you helps fill in some blanks."
"Me too." Jason said as Tommy opened the door and followed him inside.
"Kimberly, there's someone here to see you." Tommy stated as she looked up at the two of them.
"Jason." She stated as she stood up and walked over to him. Tommy stood in shock as Kim hugged Jason. She did remember some things which was good but then again it was not. He had hidden all the pictures of their friends so that it wasn't too much for her but now he wondered if he should have left them out. If she remembered Jason, how many of their other friends did she remember as well?
"Kimberly, you are looking good." Jason said pulling back from her.
"How did you get here? I mean isn't the Peace Conference going to miss you." She stated as Jason looked over at Tommy. Kimberly still thought that Jason was at the Peace Conference even though that had been years ago. It did give them somewhat of a time line to work with though.
"No, the Peace Conference isn't going to miss me. I've moved back here to be with our friends." He stated as Tommy noticed that he had avoided the Power Ranger aspect of moving back. It was probably for the best if they skimmed over the secret part of their lives.
"Oh okay, how are Trini and Zack doing?" She asked.
"They're good and they are back. The Peace Conference was years ago." He stated as Kim nodded.
"Okay so I guess that I'm still missing a few years then." She stated as Jason nodded. Tommy left them to go get the pictures and see how much she did remember.
"Kim, I want you to take a look at some of these pictures." Tommy said walking back in the room. He handed her some picture frames and hoped that this was a good idea.
Jason and Tommy watched as Kimberly looked down at the frames and waited to see what would happen. "I remember this picture." She said tracing her finger over the glass.
"Yea that was taken right before we left for the Peace Conference." Jason stated with a smile.
"Who are these people though?" She asked pointing to three people in the picture.
"Rocky is in the red, Adam in the black, and Aisha is in yellow; they are close friends as well." Tommy explained.
"Okay." Kim muttered as she moved to the next picture. It was one of her and Tommy right before he left after losing his Green Ranger powers for the second time. "This is in Angel Grove." She stated as he nodded. Did she remember that day like he did? Did she even know that they were in love in that photo?
"Kim, do you remember when that photo was taken?" Jason asked sitting down beside her on the couch.
"No." She said as Tommy's heart broke just a little more. She remembered other things but not him. Why couldn't she remember him?
She moved on to the next frame and smiled. "This was the day of Jason's big tournament." She said looking over at Jason.
"Yea it was." Jason stated. "It was also the first day that we saw Tommy." He said looking over at Tommy.
"It was?" Kim asked closing her eyes trying to picture that day. "It's mostly a blur." She whispered as Jason took her hand in his.
"We only saw each other that day. We didn't talk until a day later at school." Tommy said as she looked over at him.
"I think it's time for me to leave. I have to get back to Trini anyway." Jason stated as he stood up and walked out of the house. Tommy and Kimberly just sat there.
"Tell me the day we met." Kim said because she knew that she needed to find a way to put everything back together.
"Are you sure?" He asked worried that this might be too much for her in one day.
"Yes, I want to know." She said as he nodded.
"Okay Bulk and Skull, two of the school's bullies, were bugging you like they always did. I came down the stairs and saw the beautiful girl from the day before and knew that I had to intervene. I told them to leave you alone and then made sure that they left. I started to walk away then because I just knew that you probably didn't want to talk to me but then you called out and asked me my name. Turning slowly, I made my way back to you and saw the look in your eyes. You invited me to hang out with your friends at the Youth Center before I left to go to class." He stated.
"Sounds like a fairy tale." She whispered as he nodded. "I think I want to take a nap and process." She stated standing up as Tommy nodded and watched her walk to her room that she had been using for the past two weeks.
Standing up himself, he made his way downstairs. He wanted to put in some time with his punching bag. It would help clear his mind while she slept.
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Kim sat on the bed and tried to remember the day she had met Tommy. He seemed like such a nice guy that she wished that she could remember him. It had been a shock that she remembered Jason but it was like nothing had changed with him. He was there and her mind remembered. She might have been stuck a few years in the past but at least she did remember him.
Rubbing her eyes, she tried to picture the moment that she had talked to Tommy. It felt like it was just at the edge of her mind but she couldn't grasp it. Sighing, she stood up and made her way back to the living room to talk to Tommy but he wasn't there. Where had he gone?
She walked through to the kitchen and saw a passage open in the floor. What was that and where did it lead? It only took her a moment to decide to find out where those stairs led. She made her way into Tommy's basement and paused. There were machines everywhere with a huge computer lining one wall. What was this place and what did Tommy use it for?
She knew that he was a teacher but he had told her that one night when she had asked what he did for a living. This didn't look like something a teacher would have though. Stepping forward, she saw a glass case to her right. There were four items in it which seem to tug at her memory more than those pictures that Tommy had handed her.
Placing her hand on the case, everything seemed to come at her all at once. She knew what those items were and she knew that she had had one like the first two. The difference was that hers was pink because she had been the Pink Power Ranger.
"Kimberly, I thought you were going to sleep." Tommy said behind her.
"I couldn't sleep." She said before turning to face him. "I'm glad I didn't though." She stated.
"Why? Did you remember something else?" He asked as she nodded. "What did you remember?" He asked.
"Everything." She replied. "I remember everything. Seeing your morphers bought it all back in a blinding flash." She said glancing back at the glass case. "I also remember that I broke your heart." She whispered.
"It was years ago." He stated as she nodded.
"Yea it was but it was the main reason that I moved back here." She stated shocking him.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I was stupid to write you that letter. I know that we talked about it but something has always been wrong about it. I wanted to tell you that I still love you." She said stepping forward.
Tommy stood there and looked at her. He saw all the memories that they had shared reflecting in her eyes. He felt her honestly and knew that this moment was theirs. "I love you too." He said simply. "I never stopped." He stated as he opened his arms. Kim smiled before rushing into his open arms. It felt like she was home.
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A Year Later
Kim still had problems remembering little things. She had realized that some things she would probably never remember but she had her friends to help her in case she needed it. She couldn't believe the difference that a year had made. Everyone had grown closer after the scare that she had given them. It was understandable that they were still worried about her even a year later but they had helped her move past it.
It also helped that Tommy was always at her side. He had helped her the most but then again she knew that he would. After that day in his basement, they had gotten closer. A few months ago, they had started dating again because they were tired of fighting their growing feelings again.
This time around, she would not break his heart because she knew how fragile it was. They were stronger than they ever were and for that she was happy. Honestly she was just happy that she got this time with him again.
She was still in a haze of happiness from last night. Tommy had asked her to marry him because he wanted to start their life together. In fact they were waiting for their friends to get to his house so that they could share the happy news.
"Are you sure you want to tell them today?" Tommy asked walking up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her small body and rested his chin on top of her head.
She leaned back into his chest and smiled. "I'm sure. They deserved to share in this moment too." She stated as he laughed.
"I love you." He whispered leaning down to kiss her cheek.
"I love you too." She whispered back as she heard car doors slamming outside. Turning in Tommy's arms, she looked up at him. "Thank you for everything." She said as he leaned down to brush his lips against hers.
"I would do it all again." He stated as someone knocked on the door. Releasing her, Tommy walked over to the door so that they could share their news.
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So what did everyone think? Please let me know. Happy Birthday mae-E! I hope that you enjoyed seeing your idea come to life.
