Burden of Gifts
Chapter Four
Note: I do not own Power Rangers RPM and I do not make any money writing this story.
Timeline: After "Doctor K"
Genre: Drama/Romance/Angst
Rating: Teen (Minor Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence?)
When Scott awoke, he could still hear the lullaby. It had progressed from the night before. The song was no longer gently being written by ear, but it was complete, and every note was memorized. He knew she would never forget, she never seemed to. As he came down into the kitchenette, he found himself walking through into the lab to see Doctor K out of her lab coat and playing softly.
"Good morning Doctor K," he told her, smiling. She looked up at him and stopped playing.
"Good morning, Ranger Red."
"Did you sleep well? How are you feeling? Do you need something?" he asked, he felt himself warm as she actually smiled lightly to him.
"I'm fine, Ranger Red, I am rested, sick to my stomach and in need of answers. Not much different than yesterday, and it won't change until my next trimester and I figure out how I conceived."
"I know, Doctor K. I'm going to speak to Dad, is there anything I should tell him?" he asked.
"No. I already spoke to him but you can pick up the files he has waiting for me," she said pleasantly, leaving him no choice.
"Like I could say no," he laughed, "I'll be back soon." He told her and headed back into the kitchen.
"Ziggy, make sure you feed her some breakfast!" he called to the Rangers as he headed out of the Garage and made his way to City Control.
Once inside, he had tunnel vision until he found his Father, ignoring everything around him. He still couldn't believe that Doctor K, a very work consumed woman was pregnant and to make it all that more confusing, she was still a virgin. How could something like this happen to her? She made it clear she would keep the child, but with their Rangering and her endless dedication, would she regret that? Then he scolded himself for even thinking that thought.
"Scott? Are you just going to stare at me all day or are you going to speak?" his Father's voice boomed, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Sorry Dad, it's been a rather…confusing couple of days."
"I know. Doctor K has told me, I knew from her symptoms it was probably pregnancy but I didn't want to believe it either. I know for a fact she's not sexually active and she doesn't leave the lab."
"Do I want to know how you know that?" Scott asked, his Father arched his eyebrows.
"We track her. If we lose her, we lose our main defense system. She's the one who has been making sure that Corinth stays safe, she was the one who brought Project Ranger and has created all your weaponry if something were to happen…"
"We'd be screwed?" Scott asked politely.
"Yes, there's actually no way around that fact." Colonel Truman sighed and motioned to the box on his desk. "These are all the files she requested, and tell her that she has permission to begin background checks on every personnel that has ever come into contact with her."
"Will do. What files are these?"
"That's for her to know, not you. Once you've given them to her, make sure you monitor the City in her place. We need to figure this out."
"I know." Scott grabbed the box, bid his Father a "good day" and headed from City Control. As he walked the streets, his morpher beeped.
"Ranger Red?" Came Doctor K's voice.
"What's up Doc?" he asked, shouldering the phone, continuing his path home.
"My stomach is not agreeing with me at all. Could you please get me some soup? We fail to have any clear broth soups here."
"Of course. Anything else?"
"No, that will be all Ranger Red. Thank you." she quickly hung up but by the sound of her voice, he knew she was probably getting sick.
He made his way to the small convenient store to find some soup and remembered when he was young. He wasn't sick often but his Mother would always bring him something ginger. He browsed ad the limited selections and found some ginger cookies and decided it couldn't hurt. He headed up to the cashier and tossed him the credits he needed and headed on his way into back to the Garage.
When he entered, he found Doctor K laying on the couch next to the fridge, looking paler than usual. It tugged at him, she was so brilliant and strong willed it was hard to see her like that. He looked to Summer who was mothering her by touching her forehead out of reflex and trying to get her to take tiny sips of water. Flynn came back down, pulling a new shirt down over his head. Ziggy was staying out of the way, as was Dillon. Since they were usually on her shit list, Scott couldn't blame them for steering clear.
"What happened?" he asked them as he set down the box of cookies and can of soup on the counter, and picking up the box again.
"Flynn went to give her breakfast, one whiff of it, she yakked all over him. He was totally cool with it though. He swooped her up, to her dismay, brought her here and cleaned up the lab and himself. Summer took over in his absence."
"Flynn would be totally ok with someone throwing up on him." Scott said with a nod, the other two nodded with him as Flynn approached.
"I heard that, and I don't mind, not at all. It's not like she did it on purpose."
"You just have a soft spot for her right now because she's pregnant." Dillon said, Flynn smirked.
"Aye. Pregnancy brings out the best in me!" he beamed; Ziggy tilted his head at Flynn.
"You're always like this. You're the most mellow and thoughtful guy here."
"Why thanks. When you grow up, Lad, you may be too."
"Hey! I'm only like what? 2 years younger than you." Flynn shrugged as he began to make the soup as Scott checked with Doctor K then went into the lab and came back without the box.
"And I'm 2 years younger than you and I have more intelligence than this room combined," Doctor K said, rising from the couch and peering into the fridge. Summer was frowning but sat on the couch, waiting for Doctor K to sit back down.
"She's got us there." Ziggy said, Doctor K shot him a rare smile.
"I always will." She closed the fridge and stalked back to the couch and sat beside Summer. "And I'll be much happier when I figure out how you came to be…" They all paused to see her looking down at her abdomen as she placed her hand to it.
"Isn't it too early to talk to the baby?" Dillon asked.
"Techincally, its an embryo. It becomes a fetus in two weeks."
"What the difference?" Ziggy asked, curiously being the voice of Dillon and Scott as well.
"It is considered an embryo from conception to week eight. From then on, it is called a fetus. Fetus translates into 'little one'. Uhhhh simple way to explain it…it becomes more human. The features are human and it will have fingers and toes, the ears begin to take shape and begin to make 25,000 neurons each minute."
"Then what is it doing now?"
"Since I am only eight weeks, currently the eyes, ears, upper lip and nose should be forming. And its heart will have its four chambers, and the heart beat should be around 150 beats a minute."
"Wow." Was all Scott could think to say.
"It's the natural process, what women were built to do." She said with a sigh, crossing her arms over her check and then she winced and dropped her arms.
"Are you ok?" Ziggy asked.
"It's a common symptom Ranger Green, the breasts become tender and sensitive." She said, rolling her eyes as all eyes went to her chest, including Summer's.
"They've gotten bigger too." Summer told her.
"I'm aware, Ranger Yellow. Now you can all stop looking, they are just breasts."
"Summer, do we want to know how you know that?" Scott asked, Summer shrugged.
"It's a noticeable difference, anyone should be able to make." Doctor K said, looking to Summer. "She's just voicing what you will not."
"I woulda said something but you would kill me." Ziggy told her, she looked at him.
"I'm more in the mood for some of the soup, not for homicide, Ranger Green."
"Oh thank God." Ziggy muttered and went back to his lunch.
Flynn held out a bowl to Doctor K, who accepted it and began to slowly eat and was pleased to discover she could hold it down.
"Thank you Ranger Blue, and Red, I think I'll take this into the Lab. I have things to go over." She exited the kitchenette and went back into the lab. Setting the bowl down, she sat in her chair, eyeing the box that Ranger Read had brought and also logged into the main fame of the City's records, which had the name, and records for each person in the city after they sealed Corinth. Hacking into the military records she began her search through the database. She was pleased to find most had DNA samples on file, as did most of the citizens. She didn't realize, since she never had given any that they seemed to be monitory when they established the city once it was sealed. This would make the paternity test much easier, but she still had 4 weeks to go.
She continued to slowly eat and go over the medical files that she had gotten from Colonel Truman. First to see if there were any more cases like hers, which there weren't. Then she began to check over the small visits she had with her Doctors and read in detail every note, passage and letter written down.
Nothing.
There was nothing. Letting out a sigh of disgust, she spun her chair. She racked her mind, pulling all the facts she could to try to think of how this happened. There was nothing written in the records and nothing she could remember. There was only one time she had been unconscious in a place that wasn't the Garage and that's when she had gone to see her Doctor. That was it…she didn't want to think…but it was the only way. The ONLY time she wasn't aware…the only way that this could have happened. She dialed Colonel Truman and waited impatiently for him to answer.
"Colonel Truman, this is Doctor K. I think I know how this happened but I need your help."
Two days had passed by the time Doctor K spoke to the Rangers again. They would check on her to see if she was eating or resting and she promised them she was. On the morning of the third day, she came out of the lab, her eyes were rimmed red and they could tell she had been crying.
"Rangers, we figured out what happened. With the assistance of Colonel Truman we were able to learn that after my procedure, while I was still under anesthesia, two people came in and implanted the embryo into my womb. We do not know who they were, where they were from or why, but all we know is the how. They planted the child within me before I made it into the recovery room."
"How could something like that happen?" Dillon asked, Doctor K shook her bowed head.
"I do not know, Ranger Black, some how they got a hold of badges, but they were not recognized or registered as Doctors. Since I was unconscious, I had no idea who was in the room with me from the time I went under until I woke up in recovery some time later. Which is why when I started to get symptoms I didn't believe it was pregnancy due to my virginity."
"Doctor K, why would they do this to you? What do they have to gain?" Summer asked.
"Taking the logical approach, they obviously had done that before, which is why they were able to get into the operating room. They took one of my eggs and fertilized it somewhere with who knows who's sperm and implanted it back. I have been groomed as a weapons creator, hacker, coder, doctor, and several other specialties since I was six years old. No…they…they must…they must be trying to create another…me…" Doctor K sat down, very fast, becoming much paler. Summer immediately sat beside her and wrapped her arm around the other girls shoulders. Doctor K didn't fight the affectionate gesture, her mind racing.
"Are you still sure you want the child?" Dillon asked, breaking the silence.
"Do not question me about that again Ranger Black. I cannot take its life!" she screamed at him, breaking away from Summer and storming back into the lab. The doors slammed shut behind her and the violin began to sound, playing a strong frantic melody.
"Do you think she's right?" Ziggy asked.
"She's never wrong." Scott said, Ziggy laughed.
"She said she's been wrong twice."
"Twice in her whole life. That doesn't matter to me. If that what she said happened, I'm inclined to believe her." Scott said.
"Poor Lass, this isn't easy for her. We need to be as supportive as possible," Flynn said, staring at Dillon and Ziggy.
"Hey! I want to help! She won't let me!" Ziggy said, holding up his hands.
"And I don't care either way. I don't deal well with pregnant women." Dillon said.
"You don't deal well with people at all but if she needs you, you are to help her out, first and foremost understood?" Scott asked, Dillon nodded. "Good."
"And Rangers, I will not be leaving this building, not even to go to City Control. I do not know where those two are or who they are. If I do need a Doctor they are to come here and all of you are to be standing by or within the room." Came Doctor K's voice as she reappeared in the doorway, grabbed the ginger cookies that Scott had picked up days earlier and went back into the lab, this time leaving the door open.
"Yes Doctor K." They chorused.
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