07
Tommy watched as Zack was taken away. He shifted, moved to get into a good position on an otherwise uncomfortable chair, and winced, feeling the pain shoot through his arm like lightning. How long would it take before he could be seen? Seconds later, his guilt overwhelmed him.
How could he be so selfish when his friends were hurt When he didn't know what happened to them? No, that wasn't entirely true. Zack was okay; despite having been the one who jumped on the idea of getting some more drinks. Avalon was okay, she opted not to go to along with them. Had been emphatic about it, in fact. Maybe, in some way, she knew what was going to happen? Maybe she had a feeling that things were going to go wrong? She'd always been perceptive like that.
Maybe it was a feeling? A feeling they'd all ignored. Dull pain started to throb at the base of Tommy's skull. How much had he drank? Not too much. Or maybe it was because he followed his father's rules so strictly, even if he was away from them for the night? "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Mr. Oliver warned with a half-smile. Tommy had smiled back, hearing the tease in his father's voice. Then his face turned serious. "Now, I know you'll probably be getting up to somethings you're not ready for. You're a teenager. It happens. I won't be there to tell you not to do anything stupid. Just remember, if you're going to be doing any drinking, to drink as much water and to eat a lot of food so you don't drink as fast."
It wasn't that that was a hard rule to follow. Much like Jason and Trini, Tommy felt his body was his temple. He cared about the food and drinks that went in it, making sure he was in top physical shape for anything that'd come his way. Monster fights and martial arts tournaments. It was why, when he was first offered a drink, he hesitated. His mind immediately went in two ways.
One; stick to the rules he'd given himself. He progressed in his training because he didn't allow himself to get stuck in the pitfalls that most teens found themselves in. More drama than they knew what to do with. Drama wasn't Tommy's bag, even when he and Kimberly were fighting they made sure to communicate why they were mad at each other. Sometimes it took a day or two after they took time to cool off and see things from each other's perspective. But it wasn't anything they needed to drag on just because it got them off in some way.
Two; he wasn't a normal teenager and probably never would be. Ever since becoming a power ranger, Tommy didn't have the chance to be normal. Every day he trained to be at the top of his game. Not just for martial arts, but because of the monsters that were bound to show up. And they showed up like clockwork. He couldn't allow himself to be defeated or else it was Angel Grove that was going to suffer the consequences for it. And yet, he didn't go to parties, didn't go to many school functions, didn't hang out with people outside of his group of friends despite there being plenty of nice people in their class. He didn't have outlandish stories over the weekend to share with his classmates. Honestly, he knew their peers called him and his friends 'boring' from time to time. They were so straight-laced and didn't do anything wrong.
Until that night.
Until the one time Tommy decided to try and be just like everyone else. He didn't think there was anything wrong with having a beer or so. Or was it three? He'd paced himself, made sure he drank enough water, and even had a plate of food on him at all times. So, when he first started to feel the effects of being drunk, it surprised him. His head felt…heavy. Sloshed back and forth. And things that normally wouldn't be so funny were suddenly hysterical.
He found himself leaning against whatever piece of furniture that'd hold him up as he felt himself loosening up. That was the other thing people didn't really know about him. That only Kimberly truly got to see. Sometimes, he could be shy. The first time he laid eyes on Kimberly, her beauty rendering him speechless aside, he wasn't sure what to say to her. There were too many things. "Hi." "What's your name?" "Where've you been all my life?"
And all of it was…so stupid. So much so he was glad she spoke first. When meeting the other rangers it was the same. He felt nothing but the crippling sense of being shy but pushed it aside to meet them. If Kimberly was friends with them, then they had to be good people. Since then he'd manage to become more outgoing. But at what cost? Just to alienate everyone around him because he couldn't risk them getting hurt?
Tommy closed his eyes against the blinding fluorescents above him. He tightened his grasp around Kimberly's communicator. Studied the tiny drops of blood on it, almost unnoticeable compared to the ones on his shirt. It wasn't his blood. He'd figured it out quickly. It wasn't his blood. He wasn't sure whose blood it was. Everyone seemed to be injured in some way. Whisked off in ambulances as soon as they arrived.
Not enough to get him there as well. No, he had to answer a few questions by the police before he was taken in the back of a cruiser to the hospital. Taken to the hospital and dumped into a chair. It still hadn't hit him yet, what was going on. Tommy simply sat there, waiting as more people continued to filter in. Some hysterical, others quiet. He didn't know what happened to his friends. Every few minutes he would get up and ask, but there was no more information to be given.
Not until Tommy saw Zack being led away by police. Not until the black ranger's eyes caught him, showcasing the guilt and fear within them. Tommy watched him as he went by. His heart ached. Zack's hands were held behind his back, wrists clamped together with handcuffs. No. Tommy shook his head.
Not Zack. Zack had nothing to do with it.
"Tommy."
Tommy's attention was taken away from the black ranger to focus on the orange ranger. He immediately got up from his seat and threw his good arm around his adoptive sister's shoulders. He was surprised to find her shaking, wanting the hug. She held him tightly, squeezing the back of his t-shirt in her hands. T-shirt. Blood stains. Tommy immediately backed away.
Avalon looked at him in confusion, then her gaze lowered to the front of his shirt. Tommy lowered his hands to his own shirt. Grasped the fabric and pulled it out. It was the closest look he'd had to it since it started. Red. Bright red. Much like…much like Jason's suit. A similar color, though turning rusty as it dried. Tommy shook his head, thoughts of the green ranger entering his head. It was an inappropriate time, but he couldn't stop it.
Back then, he wanted nothing more than to kill Jason. Kill the red ranger and take over the team. Destroy everything in his path. Leave him writhing in a pool of blood. Now, he was covered in someone's blood and it was the most horrific thing he could've imagine. Not having any answers. And unknown assailant who'd managed to take them down.
"What happened?" Avalon asked. Her voice shook. "'Is…"
"It's not my blood," Tommy murmured. He shook his head, then closed his eyes. Groaned. Nausea filled his stomach once more. Too much pain for him to ignore. "It's…it's not my blood. There's…something happened. There was a crash. Kim…I don't know…" He held out her communicator. Avalon's eyes ducked to the blood on the band and clamped her mouth shut. A vein twitched in her jaw.
"The others?" She asked.
"I don't know."
"Bay?"
"I don't—"
"No, Tommy," Avalon interrupted. She swallowed hard. Her voice shook at her next words. "She's…she's in the ICU. They don't know who to call, your parents or mine or…" Tears came to her eyes, spilled down her cheeks, glittering like crystal. Much more delicate than the power and strength she exuded every day. "I don't know what happened. I think she's…I think she's…"
"She's not," Tommy interrupted. "She's not…" he could force himself to say the word. Couldn't come close. If he said anything, it'd become real. All of it would become real when it was nothing more than a dream. "She's going to be fine. She's going to be fine, Trini's going to be fine, Zack's going to be fine, Jason's going to be fine, Kim…" his words broke off.
Avalon looked at him sadly. Tears silently fell down her cheeks, wobbled off her chin, dripping to her shirt which was free of blood. Her body free of any injuries. The only one who was completely innocent in what happened that night.
"Kim's…"
A sob escaped Tommy's lips.
3 HOURS AGO
Tommy smiled and leaned away from Kimberly's embrace. Laughed as a frustrated pout came to her lips. Then she sat back, disgruntled, and tried to kiss him again. This time, Tommy ducked his head, keeping her lips from landing on his. Just to make it a little more difficult for her. He couldn't help but laugh at her intense irritation. Kimberly, on the best of days, could be spoiled. There wasn't much she didn't get that she wanted. This time around, she wanted nothing more than to kiss her boyfriend and she wasn't getting it.
"Tommy," Kimberly whined, making Tommy laugh.
"Hey, hey!" Zack called from the front seat. "You better be keeping your hands to yourself back there."
"When have you ever known them to keep their hands to themselves?" Trini shot back. Sitting next to him. Zack laughed and shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. Tommy, on the other hand, kept his eyes on Kimberly. Wanted to watch her as long as he could. She smiled sweetly back at him and gave him a kiss that was just as sweet.
Though her breath surely was not. She didn't drink nearly as much as he did, but it still wasn't very pleasant. Or maybe it was his own breath? Tommy frowned and removed his hands from his girlfriend. He cupped his hands around his mouth. Breathed out hard and sniffed. Was it that bad?
"Your breath is that bad, dude," Jason commented from Tommy's other side.
"How do you know?" Tommy shifted to face him. Nearly fell over as Zack tugged on the wheel, the car back to the center of their lane.
"Because I can smell it all the way over here." Jason waved his hand in front of his face, pushed Tommy away from him. Tommy fell back into Kimberly's waiting arms, the two laughing hysterically. Jason chuckled, shaking his head.
Tommy snuggled back against Kimberly's chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She placed a kiss to the top of his head before running her fingers through his hair. Kimberly continued to giggle to herself. Tipsy giggles. She couldn't stop. Tommy lifted his chin to kiss her but missed, he was too drunk to even come close. Instead, he turned to look at the back of the car, where the seats had been flipped down.
Angela lay quietly on the seat, curled up in a ball. Every few minutes she would moan quietly. Her hands rubbed small circles on her stomach. Tommy watched her for a moment. She seemed to get worse as the seconds passed, as they bumped along the road.
"How's my girl doing?" Zack asked.
"About as good as the rest of us," Jason murmured. His head lolled to the side, cheek pressed into his upraised palm. He sucked in a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut.
"No one forced you to drink anything," Trini reminded him. She twisted around n her seat to smile at her boyfriend. "And no one said you had to come with us, either."
"Uh, yes he did," Zack intervened. "I needed all you guys with me. Do you really think these guys would've sold me any beer? On my own? In a place this remote?" He rapidly shook his head. The car veered back and forth across the street with his movement. "Whoa. Whoa!" Seconds of silence passed before Zack started laughing. Loudly. Almost uncontrollably.
That made the rest of the car burst out into hysterical laughter. Laughter so loud, hard, and long that they didn't hear the blaring of the car they headed towards them until it was too late. Tommy was thrown forward the second they collided. As quickly as he was thrown forward, he felt himself get thrown backwards. Felt a blinding pain on his arm.
Heard a scream.
Not one scream.
A lot of them.
Then a sickening crunch. A crash. A bang. Everything went dark. Tommy fell in and out of conscience. One minute he was in the car. The next he was slowly climbing from it. Darkness. Then he was sitting ont eh side of the road. Darkness. Then he was crying.
Crying and choking as he heard screams.
"Help! Oh my God, help me! Please!"
Cried as he stared at the car lying upside down in the middle of the road. The other coming to a stop in the trees, front end crumpled in and horn continuously blaring.
"Kim's…" Tommy tried again. His words continued to fail him. Pain bloomed in his chest. He fought to catch his breath. "Kim…I don't know." Tommy lowered his head and started to cry. "Jason, Trini, Angela…I…I…."
He sucked in a deep breath, lowered his head to Avalon's shoulder, and cried harder than he'd ever cried before.
He was the leader of the team. He was to protect everyone.
But he couldn't even do that.
A/N: Geez, such angst, right? I'll update again soon. Chapters will get longer.
~Av
