Hours had passed since Emma collapsed after the discovery of her new abilities. The rangers paced around the command center nervously, waiting for any sign of her waking up. Though Tensou assured them that she would fine after some time to recover, that didn't stop them from worrying. According to Tensou's examination, the only side effect would be exhaustion along with having to limit herself to how much power she could use. He discovered that when Emma equipped the forcefield through her hand gestures, it caused the surrounding air particles to combine together tightly, forming an invincible wall. After all, atoms can't be created nor destroyed. However, if she overused her powers, then the unexpected strain would cause some muscle damage. If Emma wasn't careful, it could be a permanent injury.
Gia silently got up and made her way to the hospital wing. She felt responsible for all of this. If she didn't get captured, then all this wouldn't have happened. Emma wouldn't have had to risk her life and absorb the radiation that caused their powers. Then, she wouldn't have to worry about whether her powers would hurt or help her. She wouldn't have to constantly experience the exhausting side effects of using an ability that should've helped her. And yet here she was lying in the command center's hospital bed. She Having new powers were great, but not at the cost of her best friend's health. She would give it all up in an instant if it meant that Emma would be okay.
"She'll be okay." Jake said as he walked into the room. He noticed that Gia still seemed worried and decided to follow her to make sure she was alright. Her reaction was expected, but he could sense that there was something more. Something that she wasn't saying.
"I don't want to talk right now, Jake."
"Then don't talk. You do your thing, and I'll just sit right here." He replied, pulling up a chair right next to her.
"What do you think you're trying to do?"
"Making sure you're okay."
"I'm not the one who's lying on the hospital bed."
"You know," Jake said. "This isn't your fault."
Gia looked at him, surprised for a moment. It was as if he was reading her mind. She quickly turned away, setting her eyes on Emma. The same guilt washed over her once again as she thought about how this could've all been avoided. All she had to do was escape. But she was too weak and got captured instead.
"It is my fault!" Gia growled. "I could've done something to help us escape from Vrak. I should've done more!
"Could've, should've, would've, blah blah blah." he looked at her, straight in her eyes. "Gia, I was there too! If anything, this is my fault."
"Jake…"
"No, Gia. You're not going to blame yourself for this! If you're gonna blame someone, then blame me." he said with a serious face, signaling that he wasn't going to back down. "I was the one who had his morpher stolen. If I didn't let it slip away from me then we would've had a fighting chance. You were counting on me and I let you down."
"No!" Gia exclaimed loudly. She didn't want someone as good as Jake to blame himself for something that wasn't his fault. There was no way that she would let him think that for even a second. She realized that her tone was a bit too harsh and lowered her voice. "It's not your fault."
Jake's face softened at the sound of Gia's voice. Even though she didn't say it, he could hear the anxiousness and guilt when she spoke. Thinking that his words upset her a bit too much, he reached out towards her hand. "If it isn't my fault, then it's not yours either. Gia, please stop beating yourself up, it'll only make it worse. What happened to her had nothing to do with you."
Gia faced Jake, her heart melting at the look she gave him. How could she refuse that look? The way he way he comforted and talked to her settled her mind. Unlike other high school guys who simply dated for image, Jake seemed to have genuine care. Besides her parents and Emma, there was no one else who would go out of their way just to make sure she was okay. The way he made her feel was special.
Without knowing why, Gia leaned in towards Jake, landing a kiss on his lips. Jake's eyes widened in shock, but soon closed them and embraced the kiss. Moments passed and the both of them parted for air with a smile. Gia was relieved that Jake didn't seem mad. She knew that Jake liked her, but the sudden kiss was a big step. She wouldn't be surprised if he rejected it. Gia herself was shocked that she succumbed to such a sudden impulse.
"You're not mad?" Gia asked.
"Why would I be mad?" Jake smiled. As a matter of fact, he was flipping out in the inside. The girl he had been courting for two whole year finally returned his feelings. It was a dream come true for the black ranger. If Gia wasn't in the room watching him, he would be jumping for joy. Saying that he was happy would've been an understatement.
"I think I'm going to puke." A voice said. Confused, Gia and Jake turned to the sound of the voice and found Emma lying on her bed wide awake.
"Well, that's one way to wake up." Emma continued. Her eyes were open and she was attempting to get up slowly. "Not the way I wanted to, but I guess it could've been worse."
"Emma!" Gia called. She quickly broke away and helped her friend sit up.
"Uh…" Jake started. He was slightly afraid of what Emma thought about their little encounter. She still seemed a bit out of it, but he knew that nothing would save him from the wrath of a pissed off pink ranger.
"Yup."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I saw and heard all of that."
"So you saw the…"
"Yup, I woke up to some interesting desert in my face." Emma snickered. "I have to say though; it took you guys long enough!"
"You're not upset?" Jake questioned. He was sure he would probably regret that question, but he had to know. He wanted to prepare himself for whatever earful she was about to give him about advancing on Gia. However, at least he could say that Gia made the first move.
"Am I supposed to be?"
"Yes? No… maybe?" he flailed his arms in bewilderment. "I don't know, you tell me!"
Emma rolled her eyes and looked at Gia with a smile. "I'm really happy for you. The both of you, actually." She then turned towards Jake with a glare. "But we're still going to be talking later."
"And there it is." Jake sighed, predicting that their future talk would be very long and uncomfortable. Knowing that Gia may have wanted to say a few things to Emma, Jake excused himself and left the room. He made sure to close the door and took off in order to find Noah. Naturally, Jake wanted his best friend to know about his kiss right away. All the rejection he faced in the past finally seemed worth it. He didn't know where exactly their relationship stood, but at least he knew that Gia returned some of his feelings.
After Jake left, Gia took this time to apologize to Emma. Talking to Jake helped her feel a lot better, but that didn't take away all of the guilt she felt. If she didn't get it off her chest now, then it would've bothered her for life.
Emma recognized the look Gia was giving and frowned. "I know what you're thinking, so don't you dare say that this is your fault."
"But I can't help but feel responsible!"
"None of this was your fault. The only person who blames you is well, you! It's just the life we live as rangers. It sucks, but it keeps the earth and its people protected."
"But…"
Emma groaned. "Gia, I don't blame you one bit. You know I would've done anything to make sure that you were okay, just like how you would've done the same thing for me. See," she pointed to herself and Gia. "You're okay, I'm okay, and our friends are all safe. The only person to blame is Vrak; he's the one that caused all of it anyways. Man, for someone who's so smart, you're really hard to get through sometimes."
"Okay I get it." Gia said, seeing that it was getting nowhere. "But I'm still going to be sorry."
"Fine," Emma rolled her eyes. "If saying it will make you feel better."
"Oh shit!" Gia suddenly jumped out of her char, remembering what had happened before Emma interrupted her moment with Jake. "I kissed Jake."
"Congratulations?"
"Does this mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
"I don't know." Emma shrugged her shoulders. She was slightly amused by her reaction, seeing that she never really saw this side of her friend before. Then again, this was also the first time where it seemed like Gia was really falling for a boy. "It's for you two to decide, not me."
"He's really grown on me." Gia admitted. Before, she got to know Jake she thought that he was just another jock who wanted to date a girl for the sake of having fun. When Jake started flirting with her, she immediately turned him down, hoping that he would leave her alone and find someone else. Instead, he accepted her decision and became friends with her. He was friendly and kind, but made sure to not cross any boundaries. No matter how many times Gia rejected Jake, he still kept chasing after her. Soon, she began to see that Jake was really just good guy with a kind heart. Over time, she started to return those same feelings.
"If nothing is holding you back, then I say go for it. If you can survive being a ranger couple, then you can survive anything."
"I'm surprised." Gia said. "I thought you would've given him a harder time before all of this happened."
"Who's to say I won't?"
"I'm sure you will." Gia laughed at the thought of Emma intimidating Jake. Most people would think that it would be silly to be afraid of someone like Emma, but those people didn't know her like she did. One time, a group of boys caught Emma searching through the grass for ladybugs during recess in elementary school. They thought it would be fun to tease her and called her names like crazy bug lady or queen of the flies. Of course, the young Emma took it to heart and began to tear up. Seeing that the boys made her cry, Gia stomped over to the group and began to beat on the boys for hurting Emma. However, one of the boys managed to grab Gia and pushed her down. Emma saw that action and immediately defended her friend. She got up and managed to take on the three boys to the point where they ran away in pain and fear. From the floor, Gia stared blankly at the sight of her friend doing something so brash. It was the first time Gia saw her get really angry. "But I'll leave you alone now so you can get more rest."
"Duh, I'll need it when I 'talk' to Jake." Emma smirked while climbing back into bed. "I'll be putting the terror in interrogate."
"Yeah, because the mellow pink ranger is oh so very scary." Gia said sarcastically.
"Hey! I can when I want to be!"
"Maybe you can morph so that your bright pink suit will blind him enough to get him to run away."
"Yellow isn't any better!
"But at least it's not pink."
"Getting me annoyed is just going to make this worse for Jake, you know." Emma frowned and crossed her arms.
"Oh, I know." Gia smirked. "I may like Jake, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to see him squirm a bit."
"I don't get you sometimes. First you're upset, then you're all lovey dovey, then you're upset, and once we finished those phases, you became all panicky. And now, you're just confusing!" Emma looked up to see Gia, but saw that she had already left the room. She groaned as she covered herself with the blanket.
"Stupid teenage hormones."
A/N: I apologize for not updating in a very long time. A few weeks ago, I had to get surgery done for my right hand (Bones were not where they were supposed) and had to make sure it got the needed rest in order for it to heal properly. Now, it's healed enough to the point where I can somewhat write, so updates should be a bit quicker. It might be a bit slow until my hand is completely healed, but they'll definitely be coming! Thanks so much for the patience and it'd be much appreciated if you left a review! I love hearing back from you guys!
