Chapter 1

Tommy Oliver sat on the bed in the doctor's office. He was paler then normal and his muscular body was gaunt. He had actually lost muscle mass do to the illness. He just couldn't workout like he used to. His face was shrunken. His once strong eyes looked hollow and glassy. A man that was so strong was brought to his knees by something that he couldn't even see. His body was wracked by a coughing fit. Checking his hand he saw it had blood on it.

"Oh god. Again baby?" Katherine asked as she rushed to Tommy. She put her hands around his shoulders. He looked at her lovingly, wondering what he ever did right in his life to deserve her. Oh sure he had done a lot of great things in his life. Not only was he a accomplished race car driver, a much loved science teacher, a loving husband, a lucky father of two, but he was also the most skilled power ranger there ever was. He patted her hand and she sat down again.

The years had been very kind to Kat. Her blond hair was still bright and vibrant. Her blue eyes still stole his heart every time she looked at him. She had kept her body trimmed and could still pass for an early twenty year old instead a 37 year old mom. If anything the years had just added a sense of grace to her. The doctor walked in to the office. He looked grim. He was about fifty with thinning hair and a slightly bulging belly.

"Dr. Oliver, Mrs. Oliver I have some bad news. I don't know how to say this but the blood tests have reviled that you have an unusually low red blood cell count. Also with you complaining of bloody stool and coughing up blood I think you might have cancer." It was like a bomb went off in the room. For a long time no one spoke. Finally Kat spoke.

"Are you sure?" Her eyes were watering. Tommy hated himself for making her cry.

'I should have come by myself.' He thought to himself. The doctor started talking to them.

"We're not sure but all of these symptoms are very good indicators of cancer. We have to run some more tests before he know for sure." He said writing on a prescription pad. "Here get this filled to help with the cough and stomach problems and if you get any worse or develop a fever immediately go to the emergency room. They will get a hold of me."

"Thank you Dr. Walker." Kat said taking the paper. She helped Tommy up and they went home. It was a modern ranch house on the outskirts of Reef City. It was a two story home with three bedrooms. They saw their son outside raking the late autumn leaves. He had blond hair like his mother and also seemed to inherit her grace and civility. The only thing he seemed to have of his father's is his eyes. They were chocolate brown and filled with intense focus. Kat looked around before talking to her son.

"David where is your sister? She was supposed to be here by now." She said helping Tommy out of the car. She was almost grateful that Tommy wasn't too proud. She could just see him slapping away her hand in defiance. The truth was that Tommy was just glad for the help. David turned to face his mother.

"I think she is still at school but she was supposed to be here." He said. Kat smiled because Diana was so much like her father as a teenager. She was very caring but extremely forgetful. It was kind of cute to watch her suddenly remember something and take off to do it. She also had no sense of time and was constantly late. She had her father's hair and a lot of his facial features but she had her mother's eyes, a calming blue that showed her caring.

Kat helped Tommy into the house and laid him on the couch. After a few minutes he went to sleep. Kat was glad he slept so quickly. It seemed to be the only time he wasn't in pain. She went to the phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hayley's Cyber café, Hayley speaking." Said the pleasant sounding woman on the other end of the line.

"Hey it's Kat."

"What did the doctor say?"

"He thinks it might be …cancer," she was barely able to choke the word out. "I don't know how I am going to tell the others let alone the kids." Kat began crying.

"All right now just calm down and I am going to be right over and we will figure this out." Hayley said in her most soothing voice. Kat said ok and hung up the phone. After a few seconds she burst into tears. She was so involved in crying that she didn't hear the front door. Diana walked up behind her mother with David right behind her. She lightly touched her mother on the shoulder. Kat sat up with a start. She turned to her children and decided that they should know what was wrong.

"I have some bad news. The doctor says that your dad has… that he is…" Kat just couldn't bring herself to say that Tommy is dieing of cancer. Before she could say anything more she saw Tom standing behind the kids.

"The doctor says that I may have cancer." He said flatly. Tom had promised himself long ago that he would not lie to his children. It hurt him so much to lie to his parents for all the years he was a ranger he swore he would never do it again. When he started the Dino Thunder Rangers he let his family know what was going on. Even though at the time his son was 12 and his daughter was 10 they handled it very well. Even now five years later he was still so proud of his children for the way they handled what had happened. Diana burst in to tears and gave her father a hug. But it was David that had the more explosive outburst.

"No don't say that! What is happening to you could be anything! You could just have an ulcer or an infection! MY FATHER WILL NOT DIE FROM A DEASIE!!!" he screamed as he ran out of the house. Before Kat could catch him she heard his car roar to life and the tire squeal as he drove out of the driveway. Diana looked shocked.

"Mom shouldn't you go after him?" she asked still holding on to her father. Before Kat could answer Tommy spoke up.

"Let him go." He said his voice almost wheezing out of his body. Before anyone could say anything else Tommy started coughing more then he ever had before. Diana and Kat helped him to the couch. More and more blood came out of his mouth. Kat ran over and called 911. A few minutes later Tommy was in an ambulance on his way to the hospital. Kat called Hayley and she met them at the hospital. Kat couldn't get a hold of David. Once Hayley got there Kat and she went to the doctor while Diana stayed with her father.

"Doctor Walker what is wrong with Tom?" Kat asked as soon as she saw him. The doctor looked into a file before he answered.

"Mrs. Oliver I have some bad news. We had underestimated how far the cancer had progressed. It is in his lungs and stomach. It isn't an option to operate and chemo and drugs will only give him another two weeks to a month."

"How long are you saying he has now?" Kat asked on the verge of tears.

"A month, maybe two." He said flatly. That was the last thing she heard before passing out.

Author's Note: While this will be a very short story I felt that I had to break the story up. Please read and review.