Chapter 11 – Waning Chaos

Silence.

For a few minutes that's all there was. Silence.

The thirteen people in a V-shape formation stared at the now deserted pavement. No one breathed a word.

"Did that just happen?" Conner McKnight broke the quiet first, breaking everyone from the trance they'd been in. The formation quickly diminished.

Relived cheers pierced the air while rhetorical questions began to be asked. An ecstatic reunion took place between two former pink rangers, greatly confusing a former green, white, red, black, etc. ranger.

Meanwhile in the back two teen boys were standing, feeling strangely out of place.

"Dude," Kai said staring at everything and nothing. "We just fought Power Rangers…alongside Power Rangers." He looked at Jack then.

"Mama K is gonna be so proud! She might even let us continue our training with J-Man!" Kai cheerfully slapped him on the shoulder, sending shockwaves through his mutilated back. The pain that his adrenaline had been masking was slowly coming back full force, and Jack knew he'd have to get to a hospital soon.

But he didn't care at the moment.

Kai had just reminded him that he had not seen his mother since she left him to find Mia, who he has not seen at all. At once, Jack hastily abandoned Kai. He headed towards the school screaming for them.

"MIA! MOMMA!" he yelled causing all heads to turn his way and killing the commotion. Kimberly felt her heart drop when she spotted him running towards the school with a wild, desperate look on his face. Using her super speed, she took after him.

Saying that Jack was confused when the Pink Ninja that rescued him appeared in front of him, was an understatement. He roughly skidded to a stop.

"Excuse me, but I don't have time for conversation," he said trying the dart around her, but she blocked his way.

"Jackson stop," her muffled voice rang out when he tried again, and he couldn't even begin to contemplate on how she knew his name. Frustrated, Jack decided to use his football skills and faked right, before spinning and going left, effectively juking her. He ignored the pain in his back that was growing worse by the second.

"Jackie!" He heard her yell as he took off again. He halted.

Only one person called him Jackie.

The Pink Ninja appeared in front of him again.

"It's me Jackie!" she cried, hastily pulling down her hood and face mask. Jack visibly relaxed when his mother materialized, heaving a sigh of relief. "It's me."

"Mom," he fiercely embraced her before abruptly pulling back a few inches. "Y-You're a Ninja?!"

Kimberly sighed, "Ninja Ranger, but that's a story for another time."

"But-"

"I'll explain everything later."

"But-"

"Jackson."

"OK," he yielded "Did you find Mia?"

Kimberly tensed, her face dropping into an unreadable mask.

"Mom?" he said when she was too quiet for too long. He didn't like the look on her face. "Where is she? She's OK right?"

"She's-" Kim began to say but couldn't find the words.

"She's what?"

"Mia is…" she tried again, but failed.

"Tell me Mom," he pulled down the arms that were still wrapped around his shoulders, gripping them in desperation. "Where is she? What's wrong with her?"

"She's dead."

Silence.

"What?" Jack stupidly said, he was sure he didn't hear her clearly. Kim started stroking his hair affectionately.

"Mia's dead Jackie."

Jack fiercely stared into her eyes, trying to detect any dishonesty. When he found none, he turned his heavy head to the left feeling a drop of hot liquid land on his cheek.

"She's d-dead?"

"Yes."

"Dead?"

"I'm so sorry baby," Kimberly wrapped him in her arms, but he roughly pushed her away. A movement that unknowingly caused his back to extend.

"No!" he said "Don't t-AHHHHH!" Jack sank to his knees as pain out of this world suddenly wracked through his body. Fire ran rampant through his back, and he felt like two ropes were torturously pulling the body part in opposite directions. He fell to his stomach, shuddering greatly.

"JACKIE!" A small hand touched his shoulder causing another wave of blinding pain to fill his already pain-filled body. He quickly went from shuddering to having a full blown seizure in a matter of seconds. His agony took him over like a freight train and he wanted so desperately to focus on something else. Anything else. Blood was rushing through his ears, and he felt like the red liquid was streaming from it.

Guttural noises that sounded distinctly like a dying cat were filling the air, and it didn't take him long to realize that it was him making those noises. Jack heard a female voice pleading loudly for help and felt, more than heard, the pounding footsteps surround him.

"DON'T TOUCH HIM THERE!"

Another hand touched his shoulder, increasing his torment tenfold. Jack's convulsing worsened madly, and he started uncontrollably jerking along with it. The excruciating pain that lanced through him was menacing.

Spots began to fill his eyes, and he knew he was gone to black out any second. He felt like he was on the edge of death.

Maybe he was.

Yes. Please take me away from this pain, he wanted to beg, desperately wishing for death to come and end his torture.

"Help….baby," Jack made an effort to focus on the conversation that was taking place around him, but he could barely make out the words.

"Try….I….touch."

"No!" Someone clearly yelled. "It…hurt."

"Have to…teleport….hospital."

"Do….quickly."

"Ready…..demorph."

"Stop!"

That's when yet another hand suddenly gripped, not touched, his shoulder and Jack could've sworn he was in hell. It was like knives were chopping him up piece by piece, and his body movements had abnormally reached a new height. The darkness was quickly engulfing his sight.

Kill me now Lord. Kill me now.

The hand finally left him and that's when he succumbed. The darkness overtook him like a plague, leaving only one thing on his mind.

Peace.

.

.

.

"He's not breathing….HE'S NOT BREATHING!"

Tommy

When Kimberly's plea for help surfaced it seem to be a race of who could get to her first. A futile one, however, because Tommy was at her side the moment she screamed. She was on her knees, crying and clutching her stomach. Her hands were pulling at her hair, and she was rocking back and forth.

It was only when he shifted his gaze down did he notice the object of her distress. Tommy's eyes widened when he saw the young warrior from earlier writhing with pain. "What happened?!" he asked Kim, but she didn't answer. She just stared helplessly at her son.

"OMG! What happened?!" Trini Kwan repeated his question when the others finally reached them. She instantly squatted down beside Kim and started rubbing her back comfortingly. Aisha was quick to join them.

"Jack!" Kai yelled as he slid to a stop beside his best friend, kneeling down instantly. "Stop shaking dude!"

"DON'T TOUCH HIM THERE!" Kimberly screamed when she saw Kai reaching out to touch her son's shoulder, but it was too late. The boy began to shake madly.

Kim became hysterical.

"Someone help my baby!" she cried, and Tommy knew he had to step up. He kneeled by the boy's head.

"We're trying Kim, but I got to touch him," he said.

"No!" she disagreed. "It might hurt him."

"I have to if I'm gonna teleport him to the hospital Kim."

She sighed in defeat, "Please do it quickly."

At that, Tommy tentatively grabbed Jack's shaking hand. Kimberly's trembling one gripped his upper arm.

"Kim get ready, and demorph will you," he said, watching silently as she did so before he did the same. He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out Hayley's handy teleportation device, quickly entering the address to the Reefside hospital.

He had brought his thumb to the button and began pressurizing it, when out of his peripheral he noticed something.

Kimberly's other son had his hand thrust out towards Jack to grab hold and come with them. It honestly would've been fine with Tommy if it wasn't for one thing.

Kai was aiming for the boy's shoulder.

"Stop!" he yelled at him, but it was too late.

The same moment he pressed the button, Kai gripped the young warrior's shoulder. Tommy watched distraughtly as Jack's convulsing became aberrantly wild as the feel of teleportation overtook them.

They appeared in the lobby of Reefside Memorial Hospital which was surprisingly empty. There was no receptionist or nothing which relieved Tommy to no end. He had chosen to come to Reefside's hospital because he knew it wouldn't be as full as Glendale's probably was right now. School bombing and everything. But he didn't imagine it would be this empty.

"Jack?" he heard Kimberly say, and he looked down to find the young teen had stopped shaking. The boy just laid on his stomach with his face turned and his eyes closed. He was deathly still.

"Go get help Kai," Tommy said as he watched Kim crawl towards her son. The teen quickly scampered off with a guilty look on his face.

Tommy observed intriguingly as Kimberly tentatively leaned her head down beside the boy's mouth. She stayed like that for a few moments before lifting her head and shaking it. She then leaned down again, repeating the process.

"He's not breathing…" she sat up and mumbled absentmindedly. Her eyes widened. "HE'S NOT BREATHING!"

Tommy sucked in a breath in surprise. Almost instantly, his mind went into overdrive.

He knew immediately that he had two options. He could do CPR on Jack but that would require turning the boy on his back, something Tommy didn't want to do. And Kimberly was clutching the boy to her chest in a vice-like grip, so he knew it would be a challenge.

His second option was waiting for Kai to come back with help, but it could be already too late by then. Sighing in resignation, Tommy hesitantly reached out to take Jack away from Kim. He watched her avidly as he neared the boy.

Just as he placed a hand on the boy's arm, her bloodshot eyes snapped to his.

Tommy's never been more terrified in his life.

"K-Kim let me h-help him. I-" he apprehensively stuttered when the doors to the ER burst open.

Thank you Jesus. God. Whoever.

The many nurses, and a doctor, came rushing through the doors with a hospital stretcher. An energized Kai led them.

Two male nurses immediately headed towards Kimberly and attempted to dislodge Jack from her. But Kim's hold was firm. They looked at Tommy for help, and he swiftly walked behind Kim. Quick as lightning, he peeled her arms off of her son from behind, grabbing her before she could take hold again.

"LET ME GO TOMMY!" Kim thrashed against him, stretching her hands out towards her son who was being lifted on the gurney. The hospital workers began pushing him in the direction of the ER, and Tommy hastily followed with a wild Kim. He was about to enter through the doors with them when one of the nurses blocked him.

"I'm sorry sir, but you and your wife are going have to wait out here while we operate on him," she said.

"She's not my," Tommy began to say, but the woman swiftly left through the double doors. "-wife."

Shaking his head, he made his way over to an empty waiting chair with a stagnant Kim in his lap. At some time during his run with the workers she had slumped against him, and now she had her face buried in his chest, crying intensely. The sobs that were coming from her throat were inhuman.

Tommy tightly squeezed her to his body, burrowing his face in her sweet scented hair. "Everything is going to be OK beautiful," he mumbled. She only blubbered in response.

Sighing, Tommy felt a single tear drop leave his eyes. His heart broke for the poor young warrior who reminded him so much of his younger self. And his heart shattered for Kimberly whose emotional pain caused his. Tommy hated seeing her in distress. Something he knew would never change. It didn't matter if she had lied to him, cheated on him, abandoned him, and started a family – a life – without him, her pain was his pain.

I should've fought for her. I should've went after her…..I shouldn't have gave up on us.

After he found out she was pregnant, he had sulked for weeks.

Knowing the fact that Kimberly was carrying another man's offspring; the fact that she had moved on from him. The fact that she in all purposes chewed up his heart and stomped on it was too much for him. Luckily Kat was there to pick up the pieces.

Though he would never admit it, his feelings for Kat were completely manufactured.

She had perked him up, restored the happiness he had badly yearned for. And in a desperate attempt to keep that happiness, Tommy began dating her. He felt guilty, however, because Katherine loved him with all her heart, but all he could give her in return was lust and infatuation. His heart was already taken.

And he actually regretted dating Kat at times.

Well maybe just one time.

When Kim got kidnapped and turned evil. He had been trying to breakthrough to Kim and he could tell it was working. But Kat interfered, and all his progress had disappeared. Tommy knew he could've gotten through to Kimberly if Kat hadn't decided to butt in. He couldn't blame her though. She was just trying to help.

Cross that out. There was two times he regretted dating her.

The second was right after they had won the tournament. Kat had instantly ran up and embraced him through the ropes, and over her shoulder Tommy could see Kimberly tightly hugging Jason. At that moment, the only thing he wanted to do was dump Kat and claim what was rightfully his. But he couldn't do that to Katherine.

Other than those two times though, he had a nice time dating her. She had fully replaced Kim in all ways but one.

As the owner of his heart.

Tommy breathed in the sweet aroma of Kimberly's hair, and pulled her closer to him. When he heard snoring he glanced down and realized she had cried herself to sleep. He sighed distressed, but then a thought entered his mind. His head snapped up.

Where the hell was Kai?

Tommy could tell trouble followed that boy wherever he went, and with Kim in the state she was, he felt like the responsibility of her son, who was a Native Hawaiian he may add, fell on him.

Tommy decided just to ignore the teen's nationality and its differences from Kimberly's.

Looking around, he spotted Kai a few yards to the west of him. He was leaning on the empty receptionist desk using the phone.

Though Tommy knew he shouldn't, he eavesdropped.

"Yeah dude…...nah she's OK…...you sure?" Kai fiddled with the phone cord with his good hand. "Alright Kenny man…see you soon." He hung up and Tommy quickly diverted his gaze. He wondered who Kenny was.

Tommy looked up when Kai flopped down in the seat beside him.

"She can be a piece of work can't she?"

"What?" Tommy questioned mildly surprised.

"Mama K. She's a piece of work isn't she?" he asked again. "I did see everything you know? Mama K can be so dramatic."

Tommy shook his head, "Agree to disagree, but you know your Mom is a light sleeper right?"

"Mom?" Kai inquired confusedly, and Tommy gestured towards Kim with his head.

"Oh! Mama K. Yeah she's not my mother. She's just…like one for me. I'm an orphan you see."

"Hey, it's ok," Tommy said when he saw the boy look down in embarrassment. "I'm an orphan too."

"Thanks man, it's good not to be alone. Anyways you're right. I should probably shut up." Kai then perked back up. "So how do you know Mama K?"

"We're….old friends."

"I could've sworn you were lovers," Tommy heard him discreetly murmur under his breath, but he chose to ignore it. "I can't believe you guys are Ninjas! And you're friends with the Power Ran-"

"Shh!" Tommy interrupted him. "Not here in public. Also we're Power Rangers, not Ninjas." Tommy whispered the last part.

"Whoa...…even J-man and Tri-Tri are?

"Who?"

"Jason and Trini." Kai said in a duh tone.

"Um…yeah. Actually they're one of the originals," he replied. "So you like giving nicknames huh?"

"That's so cool, and yeah I do. Why?"

"Never mind that. Just wondered." Tommy said. "Hey how old are you?"

He was curious. The boy acted childish, but something told Tommy that it was just a cover up. He resolved to get to know him better.

"I'm almost seventeen Mister?" Kai inquired.

"Oliver. Dr. Oliver," Tommy couldn't resist flaunting his status.

"Oliver?" Kai questioned with a far off look in his eyes.

"Yes, but my students call me Dr. O, and my friends call me Tommy."

"For Thomas?" Kai asked absentmindedly, fiddling with his fingers.

"Yeah…why?" Tommy peered at the boy closely; he seemed to have had an epiphany.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut once before he suddenly twisted his body to fully face Tommy with an excited expression on his face.

"I think that you're Jac-"

"Kai, my man!"

The teen forgot what he was about to say when a tall, buff man with messy blonde hair, walked in their waiting room section.

"I told you I was gonna get…why is Kimberly in that dude's lap?"

Fire swiftly entered the man's eyes, and Kai jumped up.

"Oh hey Kenny. My friend here was just comforting Kimberly," he said. "You should've seen the mess she had been. Just terrible. She fell asleep after God know how long, and my friend didn't want to wake her up." Kai uttered this really quickly.

"And who is he?" Kenny sneered in Tommy's direction, and Tommy glared right back. He had no idea who this man was, but he already didn't like him. He instinctively brought Kim closer to him.

"That's…Tommy," Kai tentatively said, and Kenny's eyes widened.

"Tommy? As in the Tommy?" the man asked and Kai hastily nodded.

"Excuse me?" Tommy spoke up. "I would greatly appreciate if you didn't talk about me like I'm not here. And who are you?"

"Kenny Waters," The man said. "Kimberly's boyfriend."

He then walked towards Tommy whose face had dropped into a speechless, unreadable mask. He squatted down in front of Kim.

"Kimberly," he tapped her on the leg. "Wake up Lovely." He said, and anger abruptly filled Tommy. No one gave Kim pet names but him. She was his Beautiful. His!

He quickly tamed his anger though; nothing good could come from it. It did bubble under the surface, however.

She's not yours anymore Tommy. She's not yours.

He arose from his thoughts when Kimberly moaned. She shifted her body before opening her eyes.

"Hmm…Tommy."

Quick shout out to brankel1 for being one of my first and most consistent reviewers. I see you.

-Gwynn