Time to Wake Up

"Hey beautiful," he said his voice raw with emotion, "It's time to wake up."

"I must be dreaming," she muttered. "Tommy? Is it really you?"

"In the flesh."

"How bad do I look?"

"How bad do you feel?"

"Remember that time when Kat stole my power coin? Worse."

"You look beautiful to me."

"Thanks, Tommy. You ...are sweet."

"Not that sweet."

"Talk to me, Tommy. I'm about to pass out again."

"Well, it's Dr. Thomas Oliver, or Dr. O now."

"Keep going."

"I got my doctorate in paleontology, the study of dinosaurs. I've been teaching at Reefsdale.

"Isn't that where the new power rangers are?" she asked before her eyes drooped closed.

"I guess there's time for that later." The doctor came to talk to him, he mentioned a previous injury requiring her to be in a wheelchair for a few weeks as well as a few broken bones. After that she would need someone to look after her. He would take her home with him. She owed him an explanation, and he was going to get it out of her, no matter what it took.

He watched her sleep; memories playing through his head. He even remembered when she had been captured during his Turbo days, when he had taken off his helmet to remind her who he was, he laughed bitterly at the memory for she had already broken up with him. He still didn't understand what she had been doing with Jason. He had never got around to asking him, but it had hung between him and Jason when he had come back as the gold ranger. They had never discussed it but it had hung between them causing a rift that neither really understood. If they had been dating...a man who had been like his brother dating Kim...he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

After the Turbo incident and Kim was back to normal they had never really discussed the letter, but it had seemed like she wanted to tell him something only to have changed her mind, but that had been years ago.

He had tried to keep track of her through their mutual friends but she had seemed to cut herself off from them, and he was at a lost. He had feared she had become in an abusive relationship but he had known that she could take care of herself, she had been a power ranger. Besides, she knew if she ever needed him, he as well as the other were there for her. He wondered what she would think of him becoming a power ranger again. Maybe Kat had been right about some of the things she had said to him.

He had not dated seriously since college. He had dated, but nothing felt the same as it had with Kimberly. He convinced himself that he didn't have time that he had a higher calling but he was only fooling himself. If she had never left they probably would have been married by now, he didn't often allow himself the what ifs, the should've, could'ves but right now with her he couldn't seem to stop himself. Maybe they would have two children. He could still have taught high school science, and she could have been at home with their kids. Despite saving the world on a daily basis, he really was very simple at heart.

"Tommy," he heard a weak whisper, "Is it really you? I must be dreaming."

He was snapped out of his dreams as he reached for the hand that was reaching for him, and gave it a squeeze. "It's me, in the flesh, so to speak."

"What happened to me?"

"You were in a car accident. A transfer truck came into your oncoming lane. It wasn't your fault."

"It shouldn't have happened. I wasn't paying attention." She felt terrible and wonderful at the same time. Terrible due to the after effects of the accident, but it was wonderful to be with Tommy. "I had just broken up with my boyfriend, or he broke up with me. It's real hazy."

"Don't strain yourself, Kimberly."

"Tommy, my car?"

"Totaled. You are very lucky to be alive."

"That's me, lucky. I have been very lucky in my life, Tommy," she said thoughtfully.

"Hey, now is not the time to become serious. We will have plenty of time to talk about more serious matters."

"You cut your hair," she whispered. Tommy ran a hand through his cropped hair, feeling self-conscious under her gaze.

"Yeah, I did. I'm a teacher now, I doubt they would want me to teach with hair as long as it was."

"But it was part of your heritage."

"Yeah, well, things change, Kim."

"Yes, they do."

Tommy felt the tension between them of everything that hung in the air, he promised himself he wouldn't ask about the past today but that didn't mean he couldn't ask about the present. "The doctors have told me that they will release you in a few days but that you need someone to look after you."

"I can look after myself, Tommy," she snapped at him. Who did he think he was? She hadn't seen him in over five years, and all of a sudden he was seeing her as some kind of weak female type. She had taken fine care of herself, just fine. She didn't need him, she didn't need anyone. Except that she did need him. He was still the first person she thought of every morning and the last thought she had before she closed her eyes. He had been her last thought before the accident. Why was she acting this way? She opened her mouth to apologize but before she could he spoke.

"Look, Kim, it's either me or the hospital unless you have someone else. They won't release you without someone going with you. And I am going with you. I think you at least owe me an explanation."

"I don't owe you anything, Thomas Oliver!"

"Is this the way you want to play it?"

"I don't see what concern it is of yours." She watched as Tommy closed his eyes and then opened them.

"Kim, you were in a serious accident, and unless you have someone else to call on to look after you, it's going to be me."

"Just take me to Zordon and Alpha then and go back to whatever it is you do."

Tommy's expression became pained. "Zordon's dead, Kimberly."

"Not Zordon."

"He used the last of his power to create new power coins and save the world. It was a noble death. Someday, when I die I hope it's for the same reason."

Kimberly frowned, she knew that tone. She sat up in the bed, despite her bandaged and broken body. "What have you gotten yourself into now, Tommy?" she asked her voice going horse. They knew each other all too well. "You aren't still playing power ranger are you? Are you?"

Mercifully, she fell back asleep, sitting up, their little fight, and the worry had been too much for her. Tommy swore to himself. How was he going to take care of her if a monster attacked? What was he going to do? Maybe he could talk to some of the others. What would he do when it came a choice between being a ranger and caring for her.

Being with her, it was as if no time had passed since they had last saw each other, she could see through him, knew him better than he knew himself, and he knew her. She was hiding something from he, unlike her he hadn't been able to figure out what, but he soon would. He wished she had already known about Zordon, if she had he would've been able to tell her in his own time about being a ranger. Now, she knew. The only good thing is that when she got herself worked up, she passed out. Must be from the medication. He went to take a walk around the hospital to clear his head, and ran into a blonde he hadn't seen in a long time.