Episode 7: Part 2

It had been nearly 24 hours since the monster Skirge had made its appearance and infected three of the five Ocean Rangers with its debilitating illness. In that time, the living room of Naomi's beach house had begun to take on the appearance of a sick ward. Desmond, Cam, and Alex all lay out on some couches and cots while David worked to figure out a treatment.

The young doctor sat at the kitchen table hunched over his laptop while going over lab results. In the next room, both Naomi and Hannah had been pressed into service as makeshift nurses for their friends. As the Yellow Ranger fluffed the pillows around Alex on the couch, she glanced over as Hannah put a hand to Desmond's forehead.

"They're burning up," the teen said putting a cold pack on the Red Ranger's head in hopes it would cool him down, "Are they getting worse?"

Naomi grimaced and headed into the kitchen to check in with David, "What's the situation Doc? Our patients aren't looking too good right now."

"I believe it," David finally said, sitting back in his seat while removing his glasses to rub his eyes. "If I'm reading these blood tests right, it looks like our friends are suffering from something that resembles malaria."

The Yellow Ranger blinked in surprise, "Malaria? That can't be. That disease is basically non-existent on the island now."

"Remember that monster is probably carrying some variant of the illness cooked up by Hine Nui," David corrected her, "If that sea witch is all about death and decay, then I'm not totally surprised she's trying to go this route."

"So what do we do? Can't you come up with a cure?" Naomi pleaded, "I mean, you know a lot about plants and stuff… isn't there something you can use to make a medicine?"

David frowned as he sat in deep thought, "I… I don't know… maybe?"

The Yellow Ranger gave him a pointed look and put her hands on her hips, "Come on Dave! Be decisive! Can you, or can't you?"

The flustered doctor rose to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair, "I… I think so. Listen, the cure for malaria is a substance called quinine. It's found in the bark of cinchona trees, but I think I might be able to make a similar medicine out of a new tree I've been studying at the botanical gardens, the Acerbissium tree. Before we give the final medicine though, we may have to run it by Kanohi first. He may be more familiar in dealing with Hine Nui's curses."

Naomi crossed her arms with a pensive frown before nodding, "Ok… in the meantime, what do you want us to do?"

The Green Ranger picked up his bag and headed for the door, "I'm going to need you and Hannah to take one more nursing shift. Hold the Rangers' temperatures down and keep giving them fluids. I'll be back as soon as I can… I promise."

The Yellow Ranger tried to speak again, but he was already out the door, headed toward the city's botanical gardens. Giving a sigh, she could only cast a worried glance back toward her ill friends before heading back into the living room.

After begging and pleading with the staff at the gardens, David finally managed to take some bark samples from the Acerbissium trees so that he could devise an antidote. With the ingredients in hand, he returned to the beach house late that afternoon and began mixing them in a large pot of boiling liquid. While he preferred that some pharmacists or chemists looked over any new medicine first, David knew he didn't the luxury of time or help from pharmaceutical companies right now. People's lives were at stake, especially those of his new Ranger friends. If helping them meant he had to resort to a more ancient and primitive way of coming up with a cure, then so be it.

After grinding the ingredients down and bringing the concoction to a boil, he slumped down tiredly in his seat to wait. After closing his eyes and dozing off for a moment, he was awakened when Naomi placed a cup of hot tea in front of him.

"Hey Doc... how are you holding up?" she asked sitting across from him.

David glanced at his watch, then the pot of boiling liquid before taking the tea appreciatively, "I'm ok. Thanks. I uh... didn't know you were a tea drinker too."

The Yellow Ranger gave a quiet laugh, "I'm half Japanese too, remember? I think it's hardwired into our DNA."

David smiled tiredly for a moment, "How are the others?"

"Hannah's taking a nap upstairs, and the others are all sleeping. If you don't mind me saying, you look like hell David. You should get some rest."

The Green Ranger shook his head, "No. Not until I find a remedy for this illness."

Naomi nodded and took a long sip of her own tea, "You know... it's kinda funny how focused and decisive you become when you're dealing with a medical situation."

David glanced up with a frown before she continued, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about what happened during the battle the other day?"

The Green Ranger stared into his teacup before setting it down with a sigh. He didn't know if it was the tea, or the fatigue, or maybe he just wanted to get it off his chest right now, but he spoke, "I screwed up Naomi. I froze up in battle because I didn't know what to do."

Before she could speak again, David sighed, "It's ironic... it's my job to protect people's lives but because I hesitated, people got hurt instead. That's why I became a doctor in the first place. I may have come from a rich family in Japan, but it hurt to see so many less fortunate people suffering."

"You really shouldn't be too hard on yourself," Naomi said taking a calm sip of her tea, "You've fought alongside us before, and you're probably the smartest person here too."

"But I've never been at the forefront of the team or making critical decisions in the heat of battle," David sighed, "I may have been an army doctor but I was always helping from the rear line. I've always been much more comfortable in a supporting role, especially when the rest of you have much better leadership qualities."

Naomi tilted her head curiously as David continued, "Like how you and Desmond get along with people so easily and relate to them. Or how decisive and take-charge Cam is in chaotic situations, or even how self confident Alex is from her many talents."

"That's very true," Naomi pointed out shifting her cup around in her hand, "But you're not realizing how self confident you can be too... especially in a situation like this. I mean, you've already isolated a new illness and have figured out a possible herbal remedy boiling in that pot over there. The rest of us probably wouldn't have even known where to start."

David looked up in surprise as she continued, "It may seem unusual to you, but what you pointed out may be our Ranger team's biggest strength... that there is no official leader. Whenever a new situation with different challenges comes up, the person best suited to handle it has always stepped up to the forefront. You're a Ranger now David and you have just as much leadership ability as the rest of us. Maybe different, but it's there."

David set his cup down and nodded, "Thanks Naomi... that was really insightful."

"Then again... I could just be a little sleep deprived too," she sighed as she checked the kitchen clock, "Is it time?"

David rose from the table and pulled his homemade medicine off the stove. As he removed the lid, strong smelling vapors wafted up from the bubbling liquid. Naomi peered curiously over his shoulder and wrinkled her nose at the smell, "Do you think it'll actually work?"

David examined the contents of the pot and shrugged, "Can't say for certain. Let's take this to Kanohi before we make our friends drink this stuff."

With that, the Yellow Ranger headed for the back door and unlocked it, gesturing to the beach in the back yard, "All right then. What are we waiting for?"

A little while later, orange rays of the fading sun hung over Ocean Point Temple as David and Naomi met with the ancient tiki Kanohi that evening. After explaining the situation and presenting the herbal mixture, the two Rangers stepped back as the wise old kahuna sat in contemplation.

Finally, Kanohi spoke again, "You were right to bring your medicine to me first David. During my time, the priests and medicine men of my tribe had been forced to deal with several diseases and curses while we were fighting Hine Nui. Based upon what you've told me, I believe your medicine here will work, but it is missing something."

David frowned slightly, "Really? What?"

The tiki's eyes glowed gently, "Remember... the sea witch's curses come from the magic of Death and Decay. If your medicine is to counter Hine Nui's, it requires the magic of Life and Creation, from which we draw our powers."

David wrinkled his features for a moment in thought before speaking again, "Perhaps another ritual? Like the one Alex used... the Blessing of Laka?"

"Exactly," Kanohi replied, "A new power called the Breath of Lono. Lono was one of Hawaii's greater gods... the husband to Laka and a deity of agriculture, rainfall, and peace. Just as he is concerned with preserving life, you may be able to channel that power."

For a scientific minded person like David, the thought was still hard to fathom, "Um... how do I do that?"

Naomi examined the pot of hot liquid medicine thoughtfully before giving a smile, "Believe as Alex did. Then, maybe do something to cool off the medicine... if you know what I mean."

David looked to her, then to Kanohi before taking a deep breath. He had to believe this would work. He had to believe in the words of his friends, and most importantly, he had to believe in himself. As he let out his breath and slowly blew air over the hot liquid, it began to glow, resonating with his own Ocean Bracer. After a long moment, the light faded and the magically infused medicine became cool.

Before they could celebrate, Kanohi's eyes suddenly flared, "Rangers... there is trouble. Hine Nui's monster has returned."

The Yellow and Green Rangers looked into the tiki's sacred spring waters to see the image of the mosquito like creature attacking the city again. At that moment, David handed the medicine to Naomi and raised his Ocean Bracer, "Naomi, go take this medicine to the others and make each of them drink a cup of it. I'll go deal with the monster and slow it down."

"Are you sure?" she asked in surprise.

The doctor steeled his courage and nodded, "Positive. Now, let's go!"

Naomi smiled and nodded as she dipped her bracer in the waters to teleport back home. As she did, David followed suit and headed toward Honolulu to put a stop to the plague bearer once and for all.

As evening set in over the city of Honolulu, a small crowd of people fled in terror from an outdoor resort area as the insectoid monster Skirge terrorized the scene. As it stung a few more tourists and overturned some chairs and tables, it stopped as it heard the footfalls of a lone hero charging up from the sandy beach behind it. Skirge whirled around and saw a morphed Green Ocean Ranger confront it with a large summoned war club in his hand.

"Hold it right there you blood sucking parasite!" he called with a rising courage in his voice, "You've caused enough misery on this island already, so get lost!"

The monster took an aggressive stance and flared its wings out threateningly. David braced himself as the monster leapt forward and tried to sting him, but the Green Ranger fought defensively to block and avoid the monster's stinger. While he wasn't as proficient in hand to hand combat as his fellow Rangers, David used his environment to his advantage.

He tumbled under tables, kicked up chairs in the monster's face and grabbed the monster's stinger nose, directing it to fire toward the abandoned outdoor pool bar. As he struggled against the monster, David used his club and smashed it down on the creature's needle nose, breaking it in half and disabling its stinger. Before he could celebrate though, Skirge screeched in pain and whipped its head around, tossing the Green Ranger sideways into some nearby shrubbery.

As the Green Ranger rose again, the furious monster flared its wings again and summoned a small crowd of Nightmarcher foot soldiers. David gasped while the undead minions charged forward, before they were stopped by four multi colored heroes joining the fight. David blinked in shock as he saw the other four morphed Ocean Rangers blow past him and take on the foot soldiers. The Rangers didn't seem as fast or aggressive as they normally were, but it was more than enough to take on the Nightmarchers.

"That stuff you gave us to drink tasted awful," Desmond called, tossing aside an enemy, "But it worked like a charm! Thanks Doc!"

Nearby, Cameron twisted the arm of a Nightmarcher and held it in place for a moment, "He's right. You really came through for us Dave! We owe you one!"

As she did a flying somersault and outmaneuvered several foes at once, Alex nodded, "We'll take care of these clowns Dave. You go swat that fly for us!"

The doctor nodded and gripped his large club with a renewed smile. Seeing the tide of battle begin to turn, Skirge hissed and began to take off into the skies to escape. David immediately chased after the monster to the base of a tall palm tree and scooped up a fallen coconut. Thinking quickly, he tossed the coconut up and struck it with his club as if hitting a baseball. "Oh no you don't! Batter up!"

To the monster's surprise, the flying coconut rocketed upward and struck it head on, causing Skirge to crash back down to the ground in a heap. As it struggled to rise again David charged forward and made a leaping attack with his club raised high. As the weapon flared with a green aura, the Ranger brought it down on the monster in an earth shaking finishing blow, causing the bug to splatter into a dark smoke cloud of Hine Nui's evil magic.

As the other Rangers finished off their opponents and hurried over to David, they gathered around him to congratulate his efforts. Desmond threw an arm around the doctor with a wide grin, "Damn Dave... you really did take Alex literally and squashed that monster. Nice work!"

"More importantly, are you ok?" Alex asked him, "How are you feeling?"

David glanced over toward Naomi before giving a small smirk, "Honestly... a little worn out. If our natural resistance has been worn down from treating you guys, I hope I'm not coming down with something too."

The other three blinked in surprise before exchanging worried looks to each other. As Naomi turned in confusion toward David, she saw him give a small thumbs up while everyone else wasn't looking.

The next day, David and Naomi sat on the couch of the beach house watching television in their pajamas while the other Rangers buzzed about trying to make them comfortable. Although Hannah had to go to her college classes that day, Alex was already busy in the kitchen making chicken soup and sandwiches while Desmond occupied himself with doing all the house cleaning chores that had been neglected while they were sick earlier that week. As the Red Ranger sat scrubbing the outside windows of the patio, Cam walked into the living-room with a tray of tea and graham crackers.

After setting the snacks down, he poured the tea to their preference and fluffed their pillows again. "Ok... is there anything else we can do for you two?"

Naomi thought for a moment before faking a slight cough, "Well... there is one thing. My throat's kinda sore. Maybe some of my favorite coconut ice cream will make me feel a little better?"

The Blue Ranger frowned slightly, "But we're out of ice cream. That means I'll have to make a special run out to the store."

Naomi reached for his wrist while giving a pleading expression, trying her best to look cute and innocent, "Pleeeease Cameron?"

From the other end of the couch, the Green Ranger smiled, "I think she may be right. Scientific studies have suggested that ice cream is helpful for this sort of thing."

Cam narrowed his eyes skeptically before David spoke again, "Trust me... I'm a doctor."

The Blue Ranger rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh while heading out the door to go buy ice cream. After he left, David and Naomi gave each other a conspiratorial grin and exchanged a friendly high five.

After a few moments, David asked, "So... how long do you think we can keep this up... you know... faking being sick today?"

The Yellow Ranger shrugged, "After all we've been through? I think we at least deserve today off. Don't you think?"

David scratched his chin with a smile, "Well... it is nice being pampered a little. Sure. Why not?"

Naomi kicked her feet up and smiled, brandishing the remote control, "Great! In that case, I think this calls for a movie marathon!"

As nice as being the center of the action had been recently, at this moment David was more than happy to just sit back and let someone else take the lead. With a blanket over his feet and a cup of tea in hand, he was ready to enjoy a well earned day off.

A/N:
While Quinine in tonic water is in fact a remedy for Malaria, the Acerbissium medicine in this story is totally made up. There is no tree by that name. Instead, it was just based off the Latin word for "bitter."