Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Chapter 10 – A Little Hart

Rita was none to pleased to discover the Rangers had found a way around her Green Candle. However, there was little she could do about it, it seemed, except continue her quest to conquer Earth. And so the last month of summer was spent like many a month before it, near daily monster battles, but nothing too challenging. The Rangers were glad for this reprieve as Kimberly was nearing full term and they wanted no trouble when she was that close. Kimberly herself couldn't wait for the baby to arrive. The last month had been a nightmare for Kim. She was tiny, weighing in at a whopping 108lbs, before the pregnancy, and reaching the great height of 5'0". So, a large belly adding about thirty pounds was fairly hard on her body, largely her back that seemed to ache all the time now. Her mother assured her this was normal, and Tommy's mom assured her she was healthy and strong and the back pain would go away. The heat of summer didn't help either.

Tommy, for his part, was doing all he could to make things easier for Kim. Since it was summer, having different classes did not separate them and so Tommy followed Kim wherever she wanted to go; making sure she had everything she could need or want. He ensured a seat was always available to her no matter where they were (he even went so far as to carry a folding chair with him once) and gave her foot massages and back rubs when they were alone, or with their friends. Tommy basically lived at the DeLampert and Hart houses, though Kim also had some stuff at Tommy's. By the time Kim reached full term, the two of them had divided their things between all three houses, spending every night together. Their parents didn't mind, so long as they switched it up every couple days. They understood that the two were having a baby and were also very close; they were a family and needed to be together. However they also understood that they were teenagers. Sex would be a part of their lives and while no more harm could be done while Kim was still pregnant, there was going to be a long talk shortly after the baby was born about safe sex.

-T/K-

In the middle of August, Kim, Tommy and the gang were hanging at the Youth Centre. Jason was helping Billy with his martial arts while Zack was teaching a dance class. Trini was sitting with Kim, watching their friends while Tommy was behind the counter working.

"So, you're over nine months." Trini commented, placing a hand on Kim's round, firm belly and smiling when she felt the baby kick.

"I know!" whined Kim. "They told me I could go into labour anytime from eight months on and now I'm a week and a half overdue."

"Well maybe he just likes it in there, all cozy and warm."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I can't believe you and Tommy didn't want to know the sex of the baby. I'd be going crazy wondering if it's a girl or boy."

"We wanted to be surprised. Though we have been calling him a him since practically the beginning."

"You want a boy?"

"I don't really care, as long as he or she is healthy. I know that's been said a lot, but when you're expecting your own, you understand why parents say it." She softly smiled down at her belly as she gently rubbed it. Trini smiled and agreed with Kim, hoping one day that she'd understand too. Tommy came over just then with refills on their smoothies, though Kim knew he really just wanted to check on her. Today was a busy day at the Youth Centre, so Tommy was actually working fairly hard. Kim smiled her confirmation when he stopped just long enough to send her the 'everything ok?' look. With a new smoothie rejuvenating her attention giving capacity, Kim turned her attention back to her friends on the mats. Jason and Billy were really going at it now, Billy having gotten a lot better in the last year and making it so Jason actually had to concentrate on their match. Zack's dance class was obviously wrapping up as everyone was laughing and dancing in one jumbled mess, rather than learning something. Trini and Kim were laughing along with them, some of the students dance moves being more comical then anything else, when Kim felt a quick sharp stab of pain, which she assumed was the baby kicking. Her hand came to her stomach and she began rubbing small circles over it, trying to sooth the child. When that didn't work, she stood up telling Trini she was going for a short walk.

"I'll come with you." Trini said.

"No, no I'll be fine. I'll just go around the bike racks out front and come right back in."

"Alright, if you're not back in five minutes, I'm coming to find you." Kim rolled her eyes but nodded in acceptance. She headed for the door and waddled her way outside. She had just made it to the bike racks and was preparing to go around them when another sharp stab of pain ripped through her lower abdomen. This time it was stronger and there was now no doubt in her mind that this was not the baby kicking. The pain didn't immediately go away, but got stronger and Kim reached out, grabbing the nearest thing to stop her from falling. That thing happened to be Bulk who, along with Skull, was heading into the Youth Centre.

"Hey watch it!" said Bulk, though his fierce expression vanished seeing it was Kimberly grabbing onto him. "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked when her grip tightened and her face broke out into an expression of pain. He and Skull began panicking. Skull came over and helped support Kim as Bulk grabbed her hand.

"Ok…uh what do we do? Oh my God, what do we do?"

"Help me inside." Growled Kim when the pain subsided. The two nodded and each grasped one of her arms, thankful they were being given instructions. Kim stopped, however, when she felt something wet escape her. She looked down, drawing Bulk and Skull's attention, and saw that her pants were wet and excess water was leaking onto the ground.

"Now!" snapped Kim. Bulk and Skull sprang into action and basically carried her into the Youth Centre.

"Help! Help!" yelled Skull as they entered the main room.

"Oh would you shut up?!" cried Kim. The entire Youth Centre turned their attention to the three who had just walked in. Tommy dropped the tray he was carrying, which was thankfully empty, and rushed over. Barely a second later, Jason arrived with a chair, which Bulk and Skull sat Kim in, jumping away from her the moment they could.

"Kim what is it?" asked Tommy as Trini and the others ran up as well.

"My water broke." She said. Tommy's eyes widened.

"It's time? You're in labour?" he breathed.

"Yes, Tommy, that's usually what 'my water broke' means." After a few moments in which Tommy knelt there like a deer in headlights, he jumped up, having come to.

"Ok, I'll grab your bag!" he said, dashing behind the bar where he kept Kim's hospital bag which he had been carrying around with him for the last month. "Ernie I have to go!" he said to his boss who was behind the counter watching the show.

"I can see that; go already!"

"Jase, help me get her out to the car!" Jason nodded, and when Tommy sprinted back the two helped her to her feet and led her outside. The ride to the hospital took a record five minutes in which Kim had yet to have another contraction. Jason was in the back seat with her, trying to be helpful though he only succeeded in annoying her. Zack was following them in his car with Billy and Trini who were calling the parents. Vivian met them at the Atrium entrance and sat Kim in a wheelchair. Zack and Billy offered to park the cars in the underground lot while the others took Kim up to the maternity ward. Fifteen minutes, and one contraction, later, Kim was signed in, given a room, and told it was going to be a long wait. Once Trini and Jason saw her settled, they decided to leave her and Tommy alone for a bit, saying they were going to go find Zack and Billy.

"Hey, it's time. We're finally gonna meet our baby." Tommy said softly, pulling up a chair next to Kim's bed and grasping her hand.

"Yeah. I'm so excited. I just wish it wouldn't be a long wait." She grumbled, not liking the idea of being in labour for hours and hours.

"Hey, remember what OB/GYN said, it's not uncommon for first pregnancies to go overdue, and the birth take awhile. Your body's adjusting in a way it hasn't before."

"I know. It's just. We're about to become parents, Tommy." She said, and he could hear the fear in her voice. "Can we really do this? I know we're prepared and we talked about it, but we're still only sixteen and there's Rita, and her minions to deal with. Our baby will be a target; hell he's already a target! How can we bring a child into this world when we're risking our lives everyday, never knowing if today will be the day we lose and Rita destroys us."

"Hey, hey, calm down." He said soothingly, seeing tears form in her eyes. "Yea, we risk our lives but Rita will never win. No, Kimberly, listen to me." He said, taking her face between his hands, when she made to interrupt him. "I will never let Rita win. We're not going to die. Not anytime soon at least. And you think our child will be born with a target painted on his head? Well if that's what Rita sees, she's going to be destroyed that much faster, because if she comes anywhere near our baby, she's going to regret it." Kim smiled at his forcefulness, and felt some of her fears ebb away. Though both of them knew that they would never truly disappear. The tender moment was interrupted by another contraction and Tommy felt his hand be crushed as Kim held it tighter, waiting for it to end.

"How far apart?" asked Kim when it finally finished. Tommy checked his watch.

"Still fifteen minutes." Kim groaned and laid back against the pillows. The next few hours went by slowly for everyone, not just Kim. Her parents had arrived and had been in to see her, as well as her friends and Tommy's parents. The group decided to leave Tommy and Kim alone for the most part, Vivian going in to check up on Kim occasionally. Finally, in the morning of August 18th, 1994, after nearly fourteen hours of labour, the nurse declared Kim fully dilated and called the doctor. Remembering some of the birthing class they had taken, Tommy climbed onto the bed behind Kim to give her support as she pushed.

"Alright Kimberly, on the next contraction I want you to push ok?" said the doctor. Kim nodded and readied herself, knowing her contractions were less than a minute apart. When the next one hit, she cried out, pushing down with all her might, and crushing Tommy's fingers in the process.

"That's it, the head is crowning. One more push should do it." The doctor said a few minutes later after Kim had pushed three times already. Finally when the next contraction hit, Kim pushed hard and felt the head slip out, the rest coming a lot easier. A loud cry went up in the room as the baby drew breath for the first time. Kim's face cleared, hearing her baby cry and she and Tommy both looked to the doctor.

"It's a healthy baby girl." She said. Tommy and Kim broke out into wide smiles and Kim slumped against Tommy.
"And we've been calling her 'him' all this time." She muttered. Tommy chuckled and kissed her on the head, murmuring how awesome she was. The doctor asked Tommy to come cut the umbilical cord and the nurses came forward to help Kim with the after birth. Once the cord was cut, the baby was cleaned and weighed coming in at a healthy 7lbs and 6oz. The doctor dressed the baby and wrapped her up in a blanket, giving her a little pink hat as well. She then handed the child over to Tommy who was instantly mesmerized by the little bundle in his arms. He slowly walked over to Kim and ever so gently passed the little girl to her mother. Both Kim and Tommy had tears streaming down their faces, though they were absolutely tears of joy. The doctor and the nurses left the two new parents alone with their baby, giving them some time.

"What are we gonna name her?" breathed Kim. "We never really did come up with any names."

"How about Kira? After your grandmother." Suggested Tommy. Kim smiled, liking the name.

"What about Heart for a middle name." added Kim. "I remember you telling me you were adopted from an Aboriginal family named Trueheart."

"I like it. She's most definitely a heart, on three different levels. Your family, my bio family, and she is our heart." Though cheesy, Kim couldn't agree more. Shortly after, one of the nurses returned with a birth certificate form, already filled out and signed by the doctor except for the child's name.

"Kira Hart Oliver." Tommy said, giving the spelling he and Kim had agreed on. The nurse left to send out the form and Tommy followed her out the door, but instead went to the waiting room. Everyone jumped up when they saw him, breaking out into smiles when they saw the goofy look on his face.

"I have a daughter." He said. "7lbs and 6oz." Cheers went up, though they were subdued as they were in the hospital. Caroline and Vivian both gave Tommy a hug before they went back to see Kim and the baby. Mark, Andrew and Pierre weren't far behind them and Jason said the gang would stay back until they were done. When Tommy walked back in the room it was to see his mother holding her granddaughter and cooing at the sleeping baby. Kira was passed between the rest of the grandparents before she was handed back to Kim and the adults left them alone, saying they'd send their friends in. Jason was the first to poke his head in the door, quickly followed by Trini then Zack and Billy. Trini made a beeline for Kim and the baby, the former of which obediently handed the baby over.

"What did you name her?" Billy asked, as he and the other boys crowded around Trini, though none of them were brave enough to hold the baby just yet.

"Kira Hart Oliver." Said Kim. Their friends quickly approved, their attention never leaving the baby. Finally, Jason separated himself from the group and went over to Kim, giving her a big hug.

"How you doing, Ptera?" he asked.

"I'm good. The doctor said it was a fairly easy birth, and Kira's completely healthy. We should be able to go home tomorrow." Jason nodded, happy with that answer.

"We do have something to ask of you though, Rex."

"And you Trini." Added Tommy. The three who still had their heads down fussing over the baby looked up and gave their friends their attention.

"We want you two to be Kira's godparents." Jason and Trini were speechless and it was an amused Zack who answered for them.

"I think you can take that as a yes." He said. Trini and Jason merely nodded. Zack and Billy felt no resentment at not being asked to be godfather. They knew Jason and Kim were practically twins and Trini was like her sister. Tommy had never really had friends before, having moved around a lot, and certainly didn't have any friends closer to him then those already in the room, and he had become especially close to Jason who he ended up confiding in about his fears about being a Ranger, a father, and his time as the Evil Green Ranger shortly after he discovered Kim was pregnant. Billy and Zack knew that they were one hundred percent a part of the group and would still be uncles to little Kira.

"Well, I guess if I'm going to be her godfather, I better learn how to hold her." Trini, who was silently crying, walked over to Jason who was sitting on the end of Kim's bed, and handed him his goddaughter.

"Yeah, good to learn now. You're gonna need to know to change all those dirty diapers." Joked Tommy.

"Hey! No one said anything about dirty diapers." Complained Jason. The group laughed, highly amused by the banter between Jason and Tommy. The friends visited for a bit, Billy and Zack even working up the courage to hold Kira, until the nurse came back in saying it was time for the baby's first feeding. The four took that as their cue to leave, and even Tommy backed off a bit as the nurse taught Kim how to breast-feed. Once she got the hang of it and their daughter was happily suckling away, the nurse left saying she'd return in ten minutes to see how things were going. Tommy couldn't help but look on as Kim fed their daughter. Even though Kim's chest was fully exposed, there was absolutely nothing sexual about it, and Tommy couldn't help but feel it was the most natural thing he had ever seen. The nurse eventually came back and showed them how to properly burp her, Tommy being the hands on parent for this lesson, and then set up a bassinet beside Kim's bed, saying that both mother and daughter needed sleep. Tommy sat cradling their daughter in the chair next to Kim's bed as she dozed off. Kira was sound asleep in her father's arms, completely oblivious to the looks of pure adoration being sent her way. Tommy bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Kira's forehead.

"Hey Kira. I'm your daddy. I love you so much sweetie."

A/N - Had to get this one out, couldn't help myself. She's finally here! And yes it's a she. Who predicted I was bluffing calling her a him all the time?

Review please!