In the last five years, the Power Rangers – Kim's family and friends as they were – had appeared routinely in Kimberly's dreams.
In her dreams they called out to her, reaching for her with loving arms, ready to forgive her.
Kim knew instinctively that in her dreams, they would listen to her and take care of her; they would not look upon her with shame or disgust. They would not break all ties with her and tell her in a letter how disappointed in her they were, as her mother had. They were her dreams… her good dreams.
Kim had not given in to her dreams, where her friends stood waiting with open arms and loving smiles. She would not.
Because Kim knew that if she did, she would never wake up. And she had to keep on living; she would not betray her friends by giving in; she would not forsake her memories of being a Power Ranger.
While she was alive, there was hope.
"She's stirring," a familiar voice murmured in her mind.
It sounded so real... never before had her dreams spoken to her.
But this dream was wrong. She was in pain. Her lungs, throat and ribs screamed at her. She recognised the pain in her wrist; that pain was a part of her every waking moment… but never before had it encroached upon her dreams.
She felt the gentle touch of a friend taking her hand. "Kimberly?"
Jason.
Kimberly couldn't fight her dreams when they sounded so real, felt so real.
She sighed and allowed a small smile to form on her lips. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to give in, just this once. To see her friends.
Just once, she promised herself.
Kimberly opened her eyes.
-888-
Jason looked around the room; the expressions on the faces of his friends differed greatly.
Zack and Adam hovered near the door; Jason suspected that even if Tommy didn't want or need their support, they would always side with him, and that put them at odds with Kimberly.
Trini gazed sullenly at the floor; she had rarely left Billy's side in two days. Trini was known for her compassion, but Jason knew she perceived Kim's estrangement from them as betrayal of the worst kind.
Billy could be counted on to gather all the facts, to hear all sides of the story, before passing judgment.
Aisha, despite her recent tragedy, was at her "sister's" side, ready to take care of her. Her warm eyes were as fierce as ever – the girl was truly unstoppable – and Rocky stood defiantly by her side.
Kat, upon hearing about Kimberly's appearance, had withdrawn into herself and refused to come to the hospital. They had left the successful dancer at her parent's house where she remained curled up on her bed, her eyes clouded with a struggle Jason couldn't begin to comprehend.
"She's stirring," Aisha murmured.
Jason got up and took the original Pink Ranger's hand gently; cautious of the catheter that had been intravenously feeding her body fluids, nutrition and pain relief, though it was currently disconnected from the IV.
"Kimberly?"
Her pale face lifted slightly and a peaceful smile graced her delicate face as she opened her eyes.
"Hey, you," she answered, her voice still rough, though her chest infection was clearing.
The Rangers, barring Adam and Zack moved closer, and Kimberly gazed at them with undisguised adoration. "I wonder why I held off so long," she mused. "You all look so real."
Jason swallowed hard and squeezed her hand, "Kimberly, we are real," he told her.
She smiled, unconcerned, and looked around at the people gathered by her side.
She looked at the heart rate monitor, the drip, her hospital bed.
Her face fell.
Trini had left her chair and was poised at Kimberly's side, as if ready for another panic attack, but the patient just closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
"Jason?" she asked after a minute.
"I'm here."
Kimberly opened her eyes and studied the faces in the room, "My memory is... deficient. Can you fill me in?"
It was a far more rational response than he was expecting, considering what he had heard from Trini and Billy. He filled her in as quickly as possible.
"Poor Tommy," she murmured sympathetically when he had finished. Kimberly straightened and looked directly at Jason, "Please accept my apology. I'll be out of here soon and won't trouble you any longer. You don't need to stay with me here."
The door opened and a nurse bustled in. "My goodness! It is good to see you awake," she exclaimed, apparently oblivious to the tenseness of the room.
The nurse tutted as she checked Kimberly's vitals, "Your temperature has come right down. How's the pain?"
Kimberly blinked, looking slightly shocked. "Manageable, thank you."
The nurse rolled her eyes. "Manageable," she scoffed. "As soon as I saw how quickly you were recovering, I knew you would be one of these difficult ones, dear. Well, I'll send the doctor in; do you have any idea how hard they've worked to make sure you have a female doctor ready for you? And what did I say to you people about the maximum number of visitors?"
The nurse didn't seem to expect an answer, but happily fussed about the bed for a minute and left.
The instant the door closed, Trini growled and swung herself onto the hospital bed. "What the hell kind of answer is that?" she snapped, eyes flashing.
"Trini," Billy admonished, reaching for her.
"No! I have a right to be angry; we all do," Trini turned her baleful gaze on Kimberly, "We loved you, Kimberly, and you left us… and now you're back and you want us to – what? Just forget it ever happened? Leave you like you left us? This is our one chance to get answers."
Aisha gently pulled Trini from the bed and wrapped her arms tenderly around her predecessor.
Tears formed in the former Pink Ranger's eyes, but did not spill onto her ashen face.
"I'm sorry, Trini… everyone," her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "This is just... better."
"Better for who?" Zack snapped. "Just who are you protecting?"
Kimberly smiled a small, sad smile. "Better for me. This might hurt you, having these unanswered questions, but I can't live through that again. I hoped that my letter would be enough, that you would stay away and I could hold onto hope."
Zack pursed his lips, "Even if that made sense..." He shook his dark head angrily. "That didn't make sense!" he accused her.
The door opened and the doctor entered the room, gazing disapprovingly at the crowd but choosing not to say anything. "Mrs. O'Reilly, you are a fighter."
Kimberly looked up, stricken. "Not my name," she muttered.
The doctor nodded thoughtfully, "No, I suppose it isn't; how would like me to address you?"
The patient's face fell. "I'm just Kimberly."
The doctor smiled gently and scanned her chart.
"You have a long way to go, but you are doing remarkably well, Kimberly: you had the beginning of the flu, and a chest infection, but both are responding rapidly to antibiotics; your ribs were only cracked and are mending well; and with adequate fluids and nourishment your vitals are improving," the doctor's smile widened. "I could not have asked for a stronger patient."
Kim looked intrepidly up at the doctor. "You did an x-ray of my ribs?" she asked quietly, her eyes communicating something that Jason couldn't understand.
"Among other things. We need to talk about that, but not yet." the doctor frowned at the inquisitive glances she was receiving. "Once you're over the most immediate health concerns, there are several issues we need to discuss. Now, how would you rate your pain on a level from one to ten?"
"Zero," Kimberly answered resolutely.
Trini rolled her eyes and even Zack bit back a smile.
Kim looked past the doctor and through the little window which faced into the corridor and her breath caught in her throat.
Jason followed her eyes and saw the policeman who had come to stand outside her door. "Kim," he urged quietly, "He just wants to talk to you when you're ready; it's-"
Kim lurched into a sitting position and pushed Jason forcefully away as she scrambled to get off the bed, her arms flailing with panic. If she felt pain from her injuries, she didn't show it.
The doctor leaped for the emergency button as Jason secured his friend from behind, wrapping his strong arms around her and murmuring reassurances into her ear as she struggled against him.
"Let me go," she screamed, "I won't go with them! I-" Kim's chest heaved with the force of a deep cough; she wrapped her arms around her chest and cried out in pain.
"Her ribs!" the doctor cried. "Be careful of her ribs."
Jason relaxed his grip as Kimberly curled up, sobbing tearless sobs of pain and Jason carefully lifted her onto the bed, a thin stream of blood flowed from where she had yanked her catheter out.
A doctor appeared at the door in response to the emergency call, but was waved away. "It's under control now."
Kimberly hissed and wrapped her arms across her chest as she coughed; the cough was rough and came from deep within her chest.
"We caught the influenza very early, but in your weakened state it's likely you will have a residual cough for some time, and you are not fully recovered," the doctor explained in a calm, but firm voice. "It's likely to be very painful, particularly paired with your rib injuries."
Kimberly nodded her understanding, and slowly released her chest, relaxing back onto the bed.
The doctor held up an injection, "I want to give you a sedative, help you get some sleep."
"I've been sleeping for days," the patient protested.
"Because your body needs to heal; it's non-negotiable."
Kimberly's shoulders slumped. "Can you give me a minute then?" she asked, her dark eyes dull with defeat.
The doctor nodded and left.
Kim faced the group meekly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, "But if I tell you... I can't live through that again."
Aisha looked at Kim through her silent tears, "But Kimmie... You're my sister; we never had any secrets."
Trini held one of Billy's hands in her own. "We were your friends, your best friends."
"We were family," Jason added.
"And that's exactly why she can't tell you," a new, lightly-accented voice spoke.
The room roomed turned to look at the new arrival; blond and beautiful, Katherine Hilliard was standing in the doorway.
"Kat..." Jason warned, casting a worried glance at Kimberly. Everyone knew Kat had taken Kim's betrayal hard, and blamed her for Tommy's heartbreak.
They all had, on some level.
Kat ignored the group and came to stand by her predecessor.
Zack looked defiantly from Kat, who he had only met twice, to Kimberly. "That's bullshit. Kim should know that she can tell us anything. That's the whole point of being a family."
"My mother was my family, too," Kim spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. She coughed several times – a deep, chesty cough – and held her chest for support. "My mother, and father, and step-father... they all promised to love me. Unconditionally."
They had all been briefed on Tommy's conversation with Kimberly's mother.
Zack opened his mouth to protest but Kat silenced him with a look and turned to Kim.
"But I'm not your friend, Kim, and I'm not your family. I'm not here to help you. I hate what you did, the way you hurt Tommy. Back off, Rocky," she snapped at the young man who had placed a threatening hand on her shoulder.
The hand moved.
Kat turned her lovely face back to Kim. "So tell me. Tell me what happened. I don't like you now; I don't stand here ready to forgive you. You need to tell someone," she gestured vaguely at the police officer. "So tell me. Give me a reason to hate you."
Kimberly looked up at the beautiful girl who a lifetime ago had broken free of Rita's grasp to save her life. "Okay."
Kim knew she wouldn't get a better chance than this. She could handle telling someone who hated her; it was only the paralysing fear that accompanied the thought of her friends' shame and rejection that had stopped her from collapsing into their arms and telling them the entire sordid tale.
The doctor entered and Kim begged the doctor not to administer a sedative. "I'm so tired, if you can help the pain I'll sleep all night… I promise."
The doctor smiled in spite of herself. "An acceptable compromise. Now, about the growing number of people living in this room..."
Kim squeezed Jason's hand. "I don't want anyone here but Kat when I wake up. I would like no further visitors until I ask for them." Kim looked to Jason for understanding, his set face showed his disapproval. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
The crowd watched uneasily as Kimberly's eyes fluttered closed and her breathing slowed; and then, one by one, they filed out of the room.
Kat was last to leave; she waited until everyone had left before turning towards the door. She paused, then swiftly returned to Kim's side and placed a kiss on Kim's pallid forehead before following the other Rangers from the room.
Does anyone know just how difficult it is to type with two cats running across the keyboard, chewing on your toes and fighting for space to sleep on your lap/shoulders/head?
I am looking for a beta reader, and have asked a few people using the beta finder but no response yet, if you can help or know someone who might be interested please drop me a line. She paused, then swiftly returned to Kim's side and placed a kiss on Kim's pallid forehead, before following the other Rangers from the room.
So I said in the first chapter that Kat probably wouldn't be making an appearance, but the more I thought about it the more I realised that that just couldn't work. Kat has a very important role to play in this story, and in Tommy and Kim's relationship.
I know there's a lot of Kat hater's out there, but please wait until next chapter is up to pass judgment on her.
Thanks to all reviewers!
grumpyreviewer, thank you for advice and explanation, much appreciated
the butterfly angel, sabina21, thank you for continuing to read and review, you're too kind
RFK22, karabare725 and TsukiNamida, thank you for reviewing I hope you continue to read (and review)