Bridge was as good as his word. Not only did he refrain from mentioning The Incident - as Sky would forever reference it as - but he all but disappeared from Sky's view. The blue ranger would come back from his morning exercise and find that the green ranger was already gone. He would enter the cafeteria for breakfast just in time to see Bridge exiting the room through the other set of doors. He couldn't turn down a corridor without seeing the younger ranger turning a corner ahead of him. If Sky was entering the Common Room, it was only to find Bridge heading to the lab. When Sky returned to the room for bed, Bridge was still out. It was driving the blue ranger crazy!
Bridge sighed wearily, flopping across the lab table. He was utterly exhausted. He had never realized just how much of his day had been spent in the company of the older ranger until he had started trying to avoid him. He had managed successfully the last few days thanks to careful planning and Kat's goodwill.
Every morning his alarm clock would ring shortly after Sky left for his morning work-out. By the time the green ranger dragged himself out of bed, showered and prepared for the day, he had just enough time to make it to the cafeteria before Sky returned. By the time Sky would enter the cafeteria, Bridge would be on his way out the door. With Kat's blessings, Bridge had been given free reign in the lab - provided he help her with her work first - and the younger ranger spent the majority of the day helping Kat with experiments and relaying her findings to Cruger. After Kat left, Bridge would grab a table and lose himself in his own scientific thoughts until close to midnight. This entire routine was killing him.
"Bridge, are you still here?" The green ranger jumped in surprise, whirling around to face the doctor.
"Kat! Hi!" he shouted, trying to calm his racing heart. "You startled me! I didn't hear you come in." The doctor made an amused noise, stepping out of the shadows.
"Obviously."
"What are you doing here?" he asked. The expression Kat sent him, complete with arched eyebrow, made him regret asking that question.
"It's my lab, Bridge." Bridge laughed nervously. "I just stopped by. I was expecting a transmission from a colleague, but it looks like it won't be coming in until tomorrow. Bridge, are you alright? It's not like you to be caught totally off-guard," she stated, trying to make a small joke.
"Yeah," he responded, distractedly. "Yeah, I just...I just have a lot on my mind." Kat's gaze drifted to the table. Bridge's morpher sat on the surface, light blinking to show the green ranger that he had missed calls. Bridge winced as he noticed what had arrested Kat's attention.
"Well," Kat stated, "I think both of us should get to bed." Bridge inwardly groaned, but knew he couldn't argue without explaining everything to Kat, and he wasn't sharing that story with anyone. He sincerely hoped Sky was already asleep.
Luck was on Bridge's side even before he made it back to the room. Kat realized she had forgotten her research notes in the lab and doubled-back, leaving Bridge to continue on his own. Creeping down the hallway - I could totally be a ninja, he thought - he entered the Common Room. Curling onto a couch, Bridge pulled down an afghan off the back of the couch and wrapped it around him. Pulling out his morpher, the young ranger began the task of listening to his messages. As the voice-mails progressed, Bridge could hear annoyance sneaking into the blue ranger's voice before being replaced by concern and a controlled panic. Bridge's resolve wavered and he felt a sudden urge to run to their bedroom and beg the older boy's forgiveness. Squashing the feeling down, the green ranger mentally chastised himself. I'm sorry, Sky, he thought. Just a few more days. Then this whole incident will have blown over.
Bridge woke with a crick in his neck from falling asleep on the couch. It was just going on five-thirty, if the clock on the TV was to be believed. He stretched, feeling his spine cracking and sighed in contentment. He tossed the afghan onto the back of the couch and stumbled back to his room. As the door slid open Bridge let out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. He had managed to miss the blue ranger. Crawling into the shower, he held himself upright as the warm water pounded down on his skin, making him feel more human. After a quick stop at the cafeteria to pick up coffee - Mmm, caffeine, he thought - Bridge slunk into the lab. He was greeted by the sight of Kat standing with her arms crossed and an unhappy expression on her face.
"Your messages," she stated, holding out a stack of papers. "And you're banned from the lab today." Bridge's eyes widened in terror.
"Wha-? Kat! Don't do this to me!" he pleaded. Kat firmly shook her head.
"I'm not enabling you in this behavior, Bridge. Talk to him," she ordered, pushing the green ranger out of the lab. As the door slid shut behind him, Bridge contemplated where in the academy he could hide from the blue ranger. Sighing, Bridge turned toward the gym. Maybe a good work out would help clear his mind.
The young ranger groaned, sinking lower into the warmth of the water. Why had he thought working out would be a good idea? Good god! And Sky did this every morning? The older man must have a masochistic streak a mile wide! He winced as he accidentally put pressure on the large bruise which was forming on his left shoulder blade. He sighed, his head tilting back and resting against the lip of the tub. Feeling the heat seep into his aching body, Bridge let his eyes slide shut.
Bridge jerked awake as the door to the bedroom hissed shut. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, but the bathwater hadn't completely cooled yet. He laid prostrate in the tub, trying to muster the energy to move when the sound of voices sharpened his attention.
"See? I told you he wasn't here," Sky stated bitterly. Bridge cocked his head trying hard not to shift his body. If the water started moving, they would quickly realize that he was here. "He's been avoiding me ever since Saint Patrick's day."
"What happened?" Bridge strained his ears, trying to catch the voice. He thought it was Syd, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure.
"My cousin sent me home drunk of my ass and I tried to get in Bridge's pants." Syd (Bridge had made a mental bet with himself that the girl was really Syd) laughed. "I'm serious!" Sky shouted, and Bridge could hear him pacing around their room.
"I know, I'm sorry," Syd apologized. "So, what? He thought you were just trying to one-night stand him?"
"I don't know," he responded miserably. "When I tried to talk to him about it he cut me off. I was trying to find a way to tell him that I really was interested in him and he totally jumped over me. He told me not to worry about it - that we never had to talk about it again. He's been avoiding me like the plague ever since." Silence settled in the next room and Bridge sat in the tub with his mouth hanging open. Sky was interested in him? Sky was interested in him? Bridge did a little victory dance in his head before tuning back into the conversation next door.
"I'll see if I can track him down at the lab. Let me see if I can clear up some of this misunderstanding, okay?" The girl asked.
"Thanks, Syd." Bridge mentally paid himself five dollars as the room door hissed open and then shut. Exiting the tub as quietly as he could, he left the water standing. He didn't want the noise of draining bathwater alerting Sky to his presence before he was ready. Toweling off and dressing in his pajamas, Bridge opened the bathroom door. He was greeted to the sight of the blond sitting on his bed. Sky's feet were on the floor, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands cradling his head. He looked utterly despondent. Bridge stood in the doorway, wavering in indecision. Sky lifted his head and froze as he caught sight of the green ranger. "Bridge? Were you in the bathroom when I got in?"
"Uh...yeah." Eloquent, Carson, Bridge thought. The green ranger braced himself, not sure how Sky would take to knowing that Bridge had eavesdropped on a private conversation. Sky's eyes narrowed, but his next question wasn't what the younger ranger had thought it would be.
"Bridge, did you get jumped?" Bridge tilted his head in confusion.
"What? No. Ohh," he stated, realizing what Sky was referring to. "No, I, uh, I...I went to the...gym," he finished lamely, looking at the floor in embarrassment. "I had some thinking to do and...it seemed like a good idea at the time," he explained.
"Do you want some pain reliever?" Sky asked softly. He stood before Bridge could answer, quickly making his way to the doorway and gliding past the green ranger. Bridge reached out and grabbed the older boy's wrist before he even registered moving. Sky looked over his shoulder, confusion and a silent question both written plainly on his face. Bridge answered both with a kiss.
End
