In His Eyes
Disclaimers: See Chapter 1.
Chapter 6—Brothers of the Blood and Brothers of the Spirit
Day 4—Tuesday
The sun shining through the waiting room's large windows woke Jason about 6:30. As had become his habit over the last few surreal days, he rolled up his bed and stashed it under a lamp table in the corner. He then grabbed his toiletry kit from his bag and went into the small restroom to brush his teeth and comb his hair. On his exit, he found Tommy's parents sitting by the door, waiting for the next round of shifts to start.
"Morning," he said sleepily. He had slept a little better last night, only waking up 2 or 3 times, but still a long way from what you'd call a decent night's sleep. Jason had almost forgotten what that felt like.
"G'morning Jason," Michael Oliver said, sounding very tired. This whole ordeal was really taking its toll on Tommy's family and friends.
"Mrs. Oliver, how goes the search for David's number?" Jason asked.
"No luck," was all she said. Jason knew she was tired and upset over Tommy, but there was something about her tone that led him to believe that there was more to it than that.
"I see. Okay, well . . . ummm . . ." He left it at that. She wasn't offering a solution and didn't seem upset by the situation at all. He couldn't believe she was being so callous--Tommy's birth family had no idea that he was in such bad shape. Jason decided that he'd handle it another way, but he'd have to talk to the guys.
The hour-long shifts continued and, happily, the morning and early afternoon went by with no close calls or emergencies. The doctors wouldn't commit by saying anything, but Jason thought that Tommy looked better. His vital signs certainly seemed stronger. He didn't mention it to anyone, in case it was just wishful thinking on his part, but he just had the feeling that they were getting through to Tommy.
When Rocky and Adam arrived after school, Jason had some questions and an assignment for the blue and green zeo rangers.
"You two have been close to Tommy lately, right? Been to his house and stuff?"
"Yeah," they both answered.
"Do you have any idea where he would keep important phone numbers?"
Adam and Rocky thought for several moments, but neither could remember Tommy having a "little black book" or any other kind of address book.
"I'm afraid not, Jase. Why?" Adam asked.
"Because his brother David has no idea he's in the hospital and I want to let him know."
"Shouldn't Tommy's mother have the number?" Rocky wondered aloud.
"I've asked her twice—I'm not going to again. She says she's looked and can't find it." He paused not knowing if he should voice his suspicions. "She's too stressed right now to be bothered with that," he said instead.
They nodded their heads in agreement.
"So here's the plan: While his parents are here, one or both of you transport yourselves into Tommy's bedroom and look for the number."
"Can we do that—should we do that, Jason?" Rocky wasn't sure.
"Look, I can think of no other way. His parents are either unable . . . or unwilling to find David's number. You know how much his brother has come to mean to Tommy—David has a right to know."
"I agree. We'll definitely give it a try," Adam promised.
"Right. Just don't get caught, okay?" Jason added.
The green and blue Zeo rangers went off on their covert mission immediately as Tommy's parents were due at the hospital at any moment.
Zack was sitting with Tommy, so Jason made small talk with Billy and Kat while keeping an eye peeled for the others' return. About twenty minutes later, they showed up out in the hallway and motioned for Jason to join them.
"No luck, man. We tore that room apart—figuratively speaking. Tommy has some, uh . . . 'interesting' stuff stashed in there, but no phone numbers that we could find," Rocky reported.
"I even looked through his backpack and notebooks from school, but nothin'." Adam had tried his best.
"Let's not tell Tommy that we've looked under his bed and been through his underwear drawer, okay?" Rocky added.
Even Jason had to grin at that. "Okay, deal—but that leaves only one thing to do, then," he said. They looked at him questioningly, wondering what sort of plan he was hatching.
"We're going to have to go to the reservation and find him. Can't be that hard—it's not that big of a place."
"Think it's possible?" Rocky asked.
"Sure. We know he lives on the rez, his name is David Trueheart, and from what I've seen, he looks just like Tommy. How hard could it be?" Jason stated, sure that they could pull this off.
Adam thought for a minute and knew that this was the only way. "Who do you propose should go?"
"I'll go—it's my idea," Jason said.
"Then I'll go with you," Adam decided. "Rocky, you take your regular shift and we'll get someone to cover mine."
They arranged for everything to be covered and the friends that were staying were instructed to let Jason know by communicator if he was needed. They were also warned not to tell Tommy's parents what they were up to.
"In case I can't find him, I don't want them to be concerned," he had lied. There was an issue there between Tommy's birth family and his adopted family.
'I'll have to figure all that out later,' he told himself.
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They both jumped in Adam's jeep and set out on their quest. Jason drove because Adam's arm and shoulder were still bandaged. The rez was only about an hour outside of Angel Grove; Jason had been by there many times on his way to the camping grounds that lay beyond. While they drove, the new friends talked a little. Jason noticed that Adam seemed abnormally reserved—Tommy had told him that Adam was outgoing and friendly.
"Adam, you're not still blaming yourself for Tommy's injuries, are you?"
The green zeo ranger sighed. "I guess part of me is, yeah."
Jason shook his head. "It's not your fault."
"I know—that's what everyone keeps telling me, but . . . I'll just feel better when Tommy is awake and getting well."
"Everyone will, Adam, believe me."
"Jason, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"Is Tommy really as fearless and sure of himself as he seems? Has he always been like that? I mean, the way he saved me . . ."
Jason smiled broadly. "Tommy is a very complex person, Adam. Most of us are, I guess. As your commander—yes, Tommy is as fearless and brave as they come. He's smart, quick-thinking, and clever. Almost devious. That's what makes him a great leader. I felt completely comfortable leaving the ranger team in his hands when I left for Switzerland."
Adam was listening with rapt attention.
Jason grinned. "But to answer your question, no--he hasn't always been that way, not exactly. He's always possessed those traits—that's what made him a ranger to begin with. He's just had some self-confidence issues in the past. He still does—they're just not ranger-related anymore. I've seen him at the highest of highs and the lowest of lows—and everywhere in between. But he's one of the finest people I've ever known—fierce, loyal, loving, kind, smart, funny . . . he's like a brother to me." Jason realized he was gushing and thought he'd better shut up before he gave himself away.
Adam had noticed how Jason's demeanour changed when he talked about Tommy. "It's so cool that you guys are that close."
"You and Rocky are like that too, aren't you? You seem to be."
"Well yeah, but we grew up together. You said Tommy has self-confidence issues? Why? What on earth does he have to be self-conscious about?"
"Everyone has issues of some sort, Adam. You know that."
"Yeah, but Tommy is one of the most together people I know—I don't know what would cause him to have issues. He's popular, he's accomplished a lot in his life, he's good-looking . . . he's just cool. I don't get it."
"He's come a long way since he moved to Angel Grove. He was shy and pretty much a loner when he came here. I think there may be some stuff in his past, but he won't talk about it—not even to me."
"Wow, then I know he won't tell me."
Jason couldn't resist the question. "So, you think Tommy's good-looking, huh?" He shot a grin at the green zeo ranger.
Adam tried to hedge, but there was no point—Jason had him. "Ummm, yeah, I do. I'm secure enough with myself to say what I think about someone—male or female. I think you're good-looking too."
The former red ranger turned to look at him. Adam had turned the tables on him. "Uhhh, thanks," he said, almost shyly.
'Is he blushing?' Adam wondered.
They continued to talk about friends and what had been going on lately with the fight against Mondo. Before they realized it, they had arrived at the reservation and began driving slowly, trying to figure out who to ask for help. They came upon a corner store—a sort of 'Mom and Pop' grocery store sorta thing—and decided to give it a chance. Parking and going inside, they approached the middle-aged man behind the counter.
"Excuse me, sir. My friend and I are looking for someone—I wonder if you could help," Jason asked politely.
"I'll try. Who is it?" the man replied, seeming a bit cautious.
"His name is David Trueheart."
He nodded. "I know him. What do you want with David?"
"Sir . . . hmmm, this is complicated . . . David is the brother of my best friend, Tommy." Jason pulled out the picture of David and Tommy from his back pocket. Pointing, he said, "That's Tommy."
The man looked at the picture, clearly recognizing at least one of the young men.
Jason continued. "He's been badly hurt and is in Intensive Care at Angel Grove Memorial. We couldn't find a phone number for David among Tommy's things, so my friend and I drove out here to let him know. Can you please tell us where we might find him?"
The older man looked into Jason's face and decided that he could trust him. "Yes. David and Sam Trueheart live on a ranch about 5 miles from here. Just take this main street out here straight ahead and you'll see the house and horse pastures on the left."
Jason smiled, relieved. "Thank you so much, sir. We really appreciate it."
"You're welcome." He looked at Jason intently, reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know little Tommy will be okay—his spirit is strong."
Tommy's best friend looked at him soberly. "I hope you're right, sir. He's important to a lot of people."
'Little Tommy'?
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They drove down the main street and, just like the man had said, there was the house with the horse pastures around it. They drove up the long gravel driveway to the old, ranch-style home and parked. As they got out of the jeep, they looked around at the modest, but well-kept house and grounds. It was a blue wooden house with dark blue shutters and old, well-used rocking chairs on the porch. Several paints and appaloosas grazed in the nearby pasture.
"Nice place—homey," Adam said as he and Jason climbed the low steps up to the porch. The main door was open, so they knocked on the wooden screen door.
A male voice called from inside, "Coming. Just a minute."
A few moments later, Jason's eyes widened as he saw someone who looked just like Tommy walking toward the door, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He opened the screen door a bit. "Yes?"
"Umm, you must be David," Jason said, still amazed at the resemblance.
"Yeah. Do I know you?" David asked. Jason did look a little familiar. He then looked harder at Adam. "Adam? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me. Hi David," Adam responded.
"What happened to you?" David asked, concerned.
"Ummm, David, this is Jason Scott, Tommy's best friend," Adam said, avoiding the question for the moment.
"Oh, you're the one that's been in Switzerland, right?" David asked and shook his hand.
"Yes, that's me." Jason paused and took a deep breath. He hated to tell him this. "David, I have some bad news. Can we sit down?"
David's face suddenly became serious. "Sure, come inside," he said as he ushered them into the living room. The inside of the house was much like the outside—modest, lived-in, but well-kept and comfortable. It was apparent from the furnishings and wall hangings that David and Sam were very proud of their heritage, as they should be.
David looked intently at Jason and Adam, "What's wrong? It's not Tommy, is it?"
Jason looked at him sadly, "I'm afraid so. There was an attack a few days ago and Tommy and Adam here were trapped in a building when it collapsed. Tommy is in Intensive Care at Angel Grove Memorial."
David closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "How is he?"
"He's not doing too well, David. He's listed as 'critical'. The doctors are doing everything they can, but . . . "
Jason explained about the close call, the tests, the grim prognosis and what they were all doing to try and help Tommy pull through. He also explained why they hadn't called and why they had to come out there to find him.
David had laid his head in his hands while Jason was explaining—he was clearly floored by all this and very upset. When Jason finished, David stood up quickly and said that he was going to get Sam and he'd be right back. Adam and Jason sat together on the couch, looking at each other and at the many pictures on the wall. Jason spotted one of Tommy, David, and Sam standing together outside of that very house. He also saw one of a young couple with two small children that he thought might be Tommy's birth family. He got up to take a closer look, but never made it over to the wall. David came bursting in the door with Sam close behind.
"Let's go. Follow us," David said as he hurried back out of the house and towards his car. Sam took a moment to introduce himself to Jason and Adam. He had a very kind, wise-looking face—Jason liked him immediately. They got into their respective cars and started toward Angel Grove.
Mission Accomplished.
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The two cars reached Angel Grove Memorial in about 45 minutes. The four men went quickly inside and headed directly to the ICU. Jason went to the waiting room to find out who was in with Tommy at the moment. Anyone but the Olivers could be unceremoniously kicked out to let Sam and David in. Turns out that Billy was taking this shift and Tommy's parents weren't around at the moment.
'So much the better,' thought Jason.
He, David, and Sam entered the security doors and walked down the hallway to Tommy's room. Jason walked in first and asked Billy to excuse them. The former blue ranger got up and walked out, warmly greeting Tommy's brother and great uncle. He left to give them some time.
David and Sam walked in slowly and stopped at the foot of the bed. The pain and fear in David's big brown eyes, which were very reminiscent of Tommy's, was obvious. They took a seat on either side of him and held his limp, cool hands. Jason stayed back out of the way and just watched. This was the first time he had ever seen Tommy and his brother together.
'God, why does it have to be like this?'
Tommy had told Jason of his plans to get his 'bro' and his 'real' brother together when he came home on his next visit. Tommy was so looking forward to the two of them meeting.
'It's not supposed to happen like this.'
A tear rolled down Jason's handsome face. David was talking to Tommy in quiet, soothing tones. Sam seemed to be chanting something in low tones while placing his old, weathered hands on Tommy's forehead and then on his battered chest. Jason suddenly remembered something that Tommy had told him about Sam—he was a shaman, a medicine man.
'Maybe he can do something that all this high-powered technology can't. It's worth a try.'
David began helping Sam with whatever it was that he was doing—repeating the words after him, holding the side of Tommy's head with one hand and running the other hand down his chest. Sam took a long necklace from around his neck, coiled it up and placed it over Tommy's heart. The old man was concentrating very intently on what he was doing—chanting in low tones the entire time. He pulled back the covers to expose Tommy's abdomen and he very carefully laid a hand on the bandage that covered his incision.
After several more minutes, during which Tommy's nurse stepped in and watched quietly, Sam was finished. He took his seat next to the bed and started talking to Tommy. Jason had to smile when he called him 'little Tommy' just like the shopkeeper had done. He also called him 'Falcon', referring to his animal spirit.
The former red ranger decided that he would leave and give them some family time alone. He told Sam and David to stay as long as they liked, that he would be in the waiting room and he slipped out quietly. The nurse caught him in the hallway and asked who Tommy's visitors were. Jason explained that that was what remained of his birth family. She seemed quite intrigued by Sam.
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Thirty or forty minutes later, Sam and David came into the waiting room looking for Jason. He had been talking to Kat and Trini and he jumped up when they entered the room.
"Jason, we owe you an enormous debt for coming to get us today. We never would have known that anything had happened to Tommy if not for you," Sam said.
"Yes, thank you. What Tommy has told me about you seems to be true—you are a good and loyal friend," David said and extended his hand.
Jason shook his hand. "It was my pleasure. I knew that Tommy would want you both here. I'm just sorry it took so long."
"We'll fix that," David said as he pulled two cards from his wallet. He handed one to Jason and took out a pen. "What's your number?"
After Jason gave him his phone numbers, David suddenly asked, "When are you going back to Switzerland?"
"I'm not. I'm staying here. You can call me anytime you want—home or cell phone. My mom will give me the message if I'm not home."
That settled, they all stayed and talked for a long while after. Jason was amazed at how similar Tommy and David were—it was uncanny considering that they had been separated when Tommy was only a year or so old.
Sam was a great guy to talk to, too. He was very friendly and open—he got along great with the big group of teenagers assembled in the waiting room.
They eventually got up to start the drive home, promising to be back the following day. Before he left, however, Sam took Jason aside.
"Jason, do not give up hope. Tommy's body is weak, but his spirit is strong—I can feel it. He's in there and he's trying to come back to us. Keep doing what you've been doing. I know you have a great love for him—don't give up."
Tears welled up in Jason's dark eyes. "I would never—could never—give up on him, Mr. Trueheart. He's part of me."
"I know, brave one," Sam said and then he and David left. Jason felt the best he had since this whole horrible ordeal had started. He fell asleep that night with Sam's words ringing in his ears: ". . . his spirit is strong . . . he's trying to come back to us . . . don't give up."
'I will never give up on you, Tommy Oliver. Never.'
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Author's Notes: (Squints eyes) What is that I see in the distance? A light at the end of the tunnel . . .?? Perhaps . . . Keep those reviews coming!! It's that little button right down there . . .