Here is something new I've started in between chapters of Windmill into the Fall. Those that were on my mailing list for that fic got a one page sneak preview of this one. I got a lot of positive feedback from that, so I decided to start posting this fic. I hope you all enjoy it. As with my other fic, I'm starting a mailing list for this one as well. So leave an email address if you'd like to be added to it.
This fic is set shortly after Dino Thunder ends, just for a time reference. So far, Kimberly is the only character used that is not of my own creation. All other characters are my own creation.
Disclaimer: (For this and all future chapters) I do not own Power Rangers or any characters I may use from the television show in this fic. This is just something I enjoy doing on the side. Besides, college kids aren't rich!
Chapter 1 The Clock Strikes Tragedy Twice
A chilly night wind blew around her light nightshirt. She could only stare at the intensity of the flames that were lapping at the home that had once been her own. The home that she had built a life in, the home that was now being eaten alive by flaming demons. Her eyes showed no emotions as she cradled her crying son close to her chest. That home had been everything to her, everything she'd ever done was in that home. Smoked billowed from the windows, pouring out, trying to escape the haven that had entrapped it so. She wished she could be like that smoke, free and aloft in the night sky.
Hours later, the remnants of smoke still rose every now and then from the charred foundation. She shifted her weight to make the duty of holding her son slightly more comfortable. He had finally calmed down as dawn lit the sky and fallen asleep in her arms. She was weary and tired and wished for a good bed, but that was not possible at the moment. If only she could be more like her son. He knew nothing of the home he'd once had. He did know he had his mother, and that was all he needed to survive and be happy. It had been so for seven months and would continue to be so.
"Ma'am? Ma'am?" called a firefighter to her.
Without answering, she turned to face him. He only brought her more bad news, more bad news to stack on top of more bad news.
"I'm sorry ma'am. There was nothing we could do. The flames were too strong and the smoke too thick. I'm afraid barely anything remains now. The police detective is waiting to speak with you about the cause of the fire."
The woman loathed the police detectives. The last time they'd visited was only four months ago to tell her of the death of her husband.
Flashback
She'd been preparing the evening dinner after a long workout in the exercise room. Her child lay happily in his bouncer seat, shaking a small rattle. Soft music came from the radio. She danced happily around the kitchen as she checked on the lasagna in the oven and then prepared to finish making the salad. These times alone before her husband came home were blissful. They were the calm before the storm in the evenings. Even so, she still put up with him, for now. The couple had been discussing their life and talking had been heading toward divorce. She was hoping things would end peacefully, but she knew the battle over who would keep their son would bring things to a boil quickly.
The doorbell rang, and she looked up from cutting the tomatoes into slices. She hadn't been expecting anyone but her husband at this time. No friends were coming to visit and she knew it was too late for any packages to be delivered. She grabbed a rag and wiped her fingers on it before heading to the door. She left her son where he was, knowing he was safely strapped into his bouncer seat. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair before turning the door knob.
She was surprised to see two policemen standing on her front step. "Can I help you officers?" she asked politely. She was quickly racking her brain to figure out why they were there.
"Ma'am, are you Kimberly Tyree? If so, we must speak with you." The woman noticed that one of the officers appeared to be nervous and fidgety.
"Yes, that's me," answered Kimberly. "Would you like to come inside?"
"I believe that is best Mrs. Tyree," the other officer replied as she opened the door wider to allow the men to enter.
"Please have a seat," she said as she gestured to the couch. "while I go grab my son from the kitchen."
Kimberly racked her mind for the reasons why the officers would be visiting her at this time. She hoped her husband hadn't gotten himself in trouble with the law. They really couldn't afford the court costs and lawyers. Her son looked up at her with expectant brown eyes as she moved toward his seat. He looked so much more like her than his father. "C'mon Nathan. Mommy needs to speak with a few policemen."
She cradled her son in her arms and walked back into the living room, taking a seat in the easy chair across from the two men. Nathan lay in her arms, finding his fingers amusing to suck on.
"Mrs. Tyree, we have some bad news about your husband, Andrew Tyree. Around 4:50 this afternoon his Dodge pickup was struck by a runaway tractor trailer crossing lanes on the freeway. Mr. Tyree was struck in the side of his vehicle, and was crushed between the barrier on the freeway and the tractor trailer. I am very sorry to have to report this news to you, Mrs. Tyree," concluded the officer softly as he took off his cap and bowed his head.
The color drained from Kimberly's face. Andrew… dead? Things hadn't been going well, but he didn't deserve death because of it. The initial shock of hearing the news began to wear off and the reality sink in instead. The tears began to flow and Kimberly lay her son in his playpen before falling to her knees, sobs shaking her body. "No, no…" she cried as she shook her head.
One of the officers nodded to his partner and motioned him to go to the kitchen. The officer left the room to make sure all appliances were off. With a heavy heart he noted the dinner that had been in progress of being prepared before they'd arrived. The table had two places set, and a bouncer set in a place where another table setting could have been. An aroma wafted over the area and the officer headed to the stove, taking out a crispy lasagna before shutting off the stove.
He returned to the living room, and silently took his place on the couch again. He noticed his partner was comforting the housewife. It was truly a pity that she had to find out this way. He hated going on these visits. They were always so horrible and saddening, especially when the parents had a young child. The little boy looked over at him with big eyes, not knowing what was going on. How the officer wished he could be naïve like the baby, and not an all-knowing adult.
It was after eight o'clock when the officers left the Tyree home. Kimberly's tear stained face tried to smile as she bid them adieu, but the smile was strained and only made her appearance sadder. Nathan had fallen asleep in his carrier. He had behaved himself while the officers had been there, crying only once for a bottle. Kimberly had tried to feed him with shaking hands, but found herself incapable of doing so so one of the officers had done it for her. Now that they were gone, she headed for the kitchen, looking sadly at the cold dinner and wilted lettuce. She wasn't hungry for anything; simply looking at the food made her almost sick to her stomach. She scraped the lasagna into the trash and dumped the half made salad on top of it. As much as she simply wanted to break down and cry, she knew that Nathan had to be taken care of first.
As she held him in her arms, she hugged him close to her breast, not wanting to let go for fear of losing him too. He was her pride and joy and she swore on her life that she'd die before allowing him to. She'd adapted the Ranger phrase she'd used so long ago between her friends. Once a mother, always a mother she thought to herself as she walked down the up the stairs of the small two story home. Nathan stirred some, but did not wake as she gently changed his diaper and placed a red onesie on him. As soon as she laid him in his crib, she made her way to her room. She had made it no farther beyond the doorframe before she collapsed in tears.
End Flashback
She never thought that terrible cloud over her home would pass. Each day had become a battle to live a normal life. If anything, it was Nathan who kept her sane, kept her moving on a daily schedule instead of wallowing in a pool of self-pity. She was grateful to her son for that, for keeping her on track.
Living in a small town made for a comfortable and peaceful environment to raise a family, but when it came to news, that spread like wildfire. Kimberly could never forget the endless calls she'd received from concerned friends and neighbors. Her sitter had called and told her she'd take Nathan off her hands whenever she needed it. Instead, Kimberly kept Nathan close to her in these times, not wanting him to leave her.
The funeral had been held a few days later, as preparations had quickly been arranged for Andrew. Kimberly allowed her friends to do most of the planning. She lived much of those early days in a haze, working as only a robot could function. She ate and slept only as much as she really needed. The rest of the time she spent pondering life and bringing back old memories.
At the funeral, she'd barely spoken to anyone, only listened to each visitor as they gave their condolences after her husband had been lowered into his grave. She hadn't given any special speech during the ceremony. She noticed the attendees talking in small groups and every so often they'd point to little Nathan. Probably wondering how I'll raise him on my own thought Kimberly. She looked down at her son, who was dressed in a tiny black tuxedo that one of the neighbors had given her. When she looked up again, new visitors had come to speak with her.
Flashback
"J-Jason?" she'd stuttered. She hadn't expected any of her friends from home to come all the way here for this. She took one look at who was by his side. "Trini?"
Trini gently wrapped her arms around the young woman, careful not to squash Nathan between her and Kimberly. "Kim, I'm so sorry," she whispered.
Jason joined in on the hug. "Kim, just cry. I can tell you're holding everything back. Just cry and let it go… it'll feel better… I promise."
Kimberly took Jason's advice as the tears fell. He and Trini guided her to a secluded spot away from the guests. Jason took Nathan from Kimberly's arms while Trini placed her arms around her best friend. She rubbed her back, hoping to calm Kimberly.
"I know… I know we were speaking of divorce… but he didn't deserve this. He didn't… deserve to die… like he did. He wasn't a bad person… really he wasn't…." Kimberly continued to sob.
Trini hugged her tightly, and Kimberly continued to cry into her shoulder. She spoke no more, but only released her sadness. She looked up at her oldest friends. As she wiped her eyes she asked, "Why did you guys come?"
"Kim, we couldn't let you go through this alone. We tried to contact the others to come with us, but they were mostly busy with work. They send their condolences though and really do wish that they could have made it," spoke Jason softly as he bounced Nathan in his lap.
End Flashback
Jason and Trini had stayed in town for about a month after that, helping Kimberly with her visitors and guests that constantly visited. Many times, Jason would take Nathan off of Kimberly's hands so that she and Trini could spend time together. They'd flown back to Angel Grove at the end of the month and tried to convince Kimberly to return home to there too. Kimberly refused, saying that she still had the house here and her gymnastics studio. She simply couldn't do it, not yet, it wasn't the time. Her friends understood, and welcomed her to their home anytime.
As Kimberly turned to follow the firefighter, she recalled their offer more than anything else. What else was left for her here in West Virginia? She loved the state and the beauty of the surrounding mountains, but it simply wasn't California. She loved the small town and the connection the people of Romney had, but once Andrew had passed, they never seemed to talk to her as much. Bitterly she knew it was because he was a lawyer and she was simply a washed up Pan Globals gymnastic instructor. He had the connections in town, but now those connections were gone forever.
Two men stood together in a huddle, comparing what they'd written down on notepads. The firefighter cleared his throat and the two looked up. Kimberly realized that it was the same two police detectives that had shown up to her house four months ago. She looked expectantly at them.
"Mrs. Tyree, we've been studying the house and what could have caused the fire. We do know that this house was built in 1850 and the wiring system that was installed in 1970 was not done properly. The wires were faulty and could cause a fire. I'm surprised that it didn't happen sooner, given when the wiring was originally installed. We can't prove it as solid fact yet, but our theory is some stray spark set the wiring ablaze."
Kimberly nodded, listening closely. It had been Andrew's idea to buy an older house. He liked the classics and didn't want to buy a new home. He liked a house to have a history behind it, some kind of thrilling story. Come to think of it, he'd never told her the story behind this house, but whatever story had lived there had now died with the ashes.
The firefighter sauntered away, knowing his duty was done. He returned to the fire truck to help his team gather up the hoses before heading back to the firehouse. Noticing the firefighter was gone, one of the officers spoke up. Kimberly realized this one to be the nervous one she recalled from those few months ago. "I'm very sorry, ma'am. Two tragedies have struck you in less than a year and it's not right. Certainly God has had a purpose for this, but it doesn't seem right. You still have a brilliant future in front of you. That gymnastic studio of yours is surely something this town's never seen before that's for…"
He was interrupted by his partner clearing his throat. "My condolences, ma'am," said his partner.
Kimberly noticed the shier officer close up. He wanted to talk to her, but he knew this wasn't part of the duties in his job. The other officer made that plain as day. He had probably seen years of this and one particular action wasn't going to bring out his emotions. He had had to harden up and simply accept what was happening to others. It was his nature.
"Thank you, officers," spoke Kimberly softly. She had to figure out what was next for her and her son. Where would they go? Kimberly knew where she wanted to go, but she had to make sure things were settled first here. By the looks of things, it wouldn't take too long.
A tapping on her shoulders caused her to turn around. One of the neighbors, Mrs. James, had brought some clothing for her to wear and something for the baby. "Here dear. You're going to need these. I've already called around and some of the other neighbors are scrounging up clothes and baby supplies for Nathan, and others are finding items for you."
A small smile crossed Kimberly's lips. Mrs. Jones had always been a kind neighbor and even now she was willing to help Kimberly in her time of need. Kimberly took the clothing that was thrust into her hands and said, "Thank you. It means so much."
"Do you need a place to stay? My husband and I have talked and we're willing to allow you the use of our spare bedroom until you can find another place. Before you say anything, it's no trouble at all. We'll make sure you and the baby are well cared for."
Kimberly couldn't say no. She truly had nowhere else to go. There was Andrew's parents, but she hadn't felt comfortable around them since he'd passed away. The only other option was to live out of a hotel room for a few months. "We'll stay with you."
"Good. You just come on over when you're ready. I've got a good breakfast going and you can have a nice hot shower."
Kimberly gave her a true smile. Some people in this world were simply too kind. For that she was grateful.
Thus ends the first chapter. I hope to have some good feedback/criticisms from you all.
