A/N: Hi everyone. Here is another chapter. I promise things will start picking up again soon and the chapters will be longer. I'm trying to squeeze everything I can for this fic in before the baby comes. But for now, I hope you enjoy!
Also, I re-read this fic over the last couple of days and noticed a couple things. It was a mistake that I stated Joey's mother died before the fic takes place. She is very much alive for the remaining parts of the story. I also wanted to point out that the story takes place in or around 2004. Kim snag a couple songs that were written after that. I apologize. I write so many of these things that I sometimes get them confused and tangled together. If you see anything like that, feel free to message me!
14.
Tommy came in after our discussion in the rain and I gave him the clothes he had let me borrow from his first night in town. He changed into them and we spent the rest of the afternoon figuring out my treatment schedule. I explained to him the point system and how it was supposed to work in regard to meetings and group therapy. The way we figured it out, I would be attending meetings every other day and therapy sessions every Monday and Thursday. I wasn't thrilled about the idea but I knew I wasn't going to be able to talk my way (or fuck my way) out of this one. I needed to go to treatment and he agreed to give me rides to and from each day, letting everyone else get a break for a while. It was the least I could agree to after giving everyone such a hard time. At least this way, I would be able to distance myself while trying to make myself better.
Tommy ordered a pizza for dinner and we sat on my love seat like friends. It was foreign but nice in the same way. Never did I imagine this happening and it was nice to have it happen. We talked about old times; high school, the rangers. We avoided the topic of us as well as Trini, something I knew he was doing on purpose. He even caught me up on everyone else and what they were doing with their lives. I still couldn't believe that Rocky and Aisha were getting married next month. Guilt was beginning to set in for my absence in all their lives. None of them had done anything to me to warrant that. I was just trying to hide from Tommy and Trini and sadly, they all got stuck in the cross hairs of that plan. Maybe I could call them, tell them it was nothing they had done. It was everything I had done.
Tommy left about nine, saying he had to run some errands before heading back to his hotel. He said he would be over tomorrow to take me to my first group session meeting in the afternoon. Shortly after he left, I noticed I was starting to shake a lot. I didn't think much of it but it got worse as time went on. Then I started to sweat and feel light headed. I tried taking a cool shower to feel better but it didn't help. I was growing increasingly more ill with each passing hour. Fear was setting in as I realized what was happening to me. It had been a full 24 hours now without any type of alcohol or drug from the hospital. Withdrawal was setting in, my body demanding alcohol. Vomiting came a little after midnight and it was become more obvious that I was going to have to call someone. I felt ashamed, thinking I could just weather through it without alerting someone of my pathetic condition. But as I laid on my bathroom floor, shivering and trying to not dry heave, all I could think about was that bottle of schnapps in my dresser. I tried to push it out of my mind but I kept thinking about how it would make this feeling go away if I drank it. No one would even know anything about it either. It could be my little secret.
Instead of crawling to my room for the booze, I managed my way back to my living room where my cell was. Dialing Tommy's number, I curled up in a defeated ball on the couch. It rang twice before a groggy sounding Tommy answered the phone. "Kim? You okay?"
"I need you." I whispered, never sounding more pathetic in my life. "I'm sick. I can't stop throwing up. I didn't want to bother you but…" I trailed off, unsure of what I was going to say.
"I'll be right there. Hang tight." He said. I murmured good-bye before he hung up the phone. I buried my face into the pillow under my head, hating myself for sinking this low. It didn't last long before I felt the need to throw up wash over me again. I was tossing my cookies in the toilet when Tommy found his way back to my apartment. He walked into the bathroom and held my hair back for me, making soothing noises as I whimpered between heaves.
"I'm sorry." I whispered after my spell was over. I slouched back against the wall and flushed the toilet.
"Don't worry about it. Here." He held out a cold wash cloth and I took it, wiping my mouth. Sweat was pouring off of me in buckets and I couldn't shake the queasy feeling in my stomach. "Come on. Let's get you into bed." Bending over, he scooped me up into his arms and walked out of the bathroom. I guided him in the direction of my bedroom and he carefully walked up the hall and into the door way. If I didn't feel like death, I might have felt ashamed for my dirty room but I didn't care. Tommy gently set me down on the bed and covered me with my blanket. He disappeared for a moment, reappearing with the trash can from my bathroom. "Just in case." He said softly, putting it on the floor next to the bed. I groaned, closing my eyes to fight back tears. This was worse than being hung over. At least I knew that was coming. This, I had no clue. It was similar to that of being run over by a steam roller.
"I'm sorry I called you." I whispered, opening my eyes again to look over at him. He sat on the edge of the bed, rest a hand on my leg.
"That's what I'm here for, remember? Get some sleep. It will help this thing go away faster. I'll be here when you wake up." I nodded, allowing myself to drift into an uneasy sleep.
The nightmares were terrible. The first one was of me standing in the middle of Angel Grove high school and everyone was wearing black. When I tried to find out what was going on, they had Trini's body on display in the cafeteria. I tried to get to her but each step looked like I was a mile away. The next dream, I was bartending and Tommy walked in with Rita Repulsa. Together, they told me that he was running off to marry her because she was his queen. I knew that one was a dream since Rita was no where to be found now. The dreams all shifted into different variations of either Tommy or Trini. I tried to kick out of each dream but it didn't work until the very end of them. I would wake only long enough to see hazy images of Tommy on the side of my bed or me trying to stand but falling. I wasn't sure what was real or a dream after a while, everything blurring together in a way that made me queasy. I begged it to stop. I begged for whatever divine power above to make it stop. I had seen people go throw withdrawal on television before but that was for hard drugs. Did alcohol really cause this?
I slipped into a dream where I was floating over Angel Grove. At first, I thought I was in an airplane or something. But then I saw I had long pink wings like a crane. I soared over the outskirts of the town, the Command Center under me. I continued to fly, the staples of Angel Grove coming into view. The park was below and the lake glistened in the sun. Little dots that were people decorated the green grass. Going passed the park, I spotted the high school with yellow buses lined up in the back parking lot. I could hear the school bell ring and kids filed out the doors. My wings flapped harder and I was soon out of Angel Grove, heading up the coast. Highways stretched under me that overlooked the shore line. My eyes focused on a little silver spot that I recognized as a car. It followed the lines of the road carefully, heading north. I glided above it, matching it's movements with my own. It was peaceful and mesmerizing, our weaving around corners in sync with each other.
Ahead, I spotted a dark blue colored SUV heading towards the silver car. This vehicle kept crossing the middle line, it seemingly unaware of the fact there were lines to stay between. It was nearly half a mile away, it hidden behind a sharp corner. I tried to cry out to warn the other car but the only sound that came from me was a sharp piercing cawing. I flew closer but I couldn't seem to get close enough. The SUV came careening around the corner and the sound of tires screeching filled the air. The silver car attempted to stop but the SUV slammed into the passenger side. The car skidded off the road, slamming into tree after tree as it went. I dove, panic filling my chest. The car continued to veer into the trees, the metal scratching against each one it passed. It finally came to a stop as the SUV rolled to a slow halt on the roadway. I gentle flew down and landed on a branch above the car. It was head first into the tree, smoke billowing from under the bent hood. I tried calling out again but the same noise came out. I flapped my wings, doing my best to clear the smoke. No movement came from the car, not telling me if the person was okay.
Hopping off the branch, I perched myself on the root of a nearby tree where I could stand eye level with the windows of the car. The smoke began to subside and I could hear someone calling out from the road. Turning, I noticed a man staggered up on the pavement. Distress was written on his face while he fucked with a phone in his hands. Turning my attention back to the car, I could finally see into the driver side door. I could just make out a face that was covered in black hair and blood. The blood matted into the hair, making it almost impossible to tell if it was a man or woman. They were slouched over the steering wheel, their arm covering part of their head at an odd angle. Stepping closer, the arm fell from it's place. Beautiful brown almond shaped eyes looked up at me, the vacant expression on her face staring into my soul.
"TRINI!" I screamed, panic exploding in my chest as I sprang up in bed. Sweat was pouring down my back and face as I gasped for air. My entire body was trembling and I searched around the room. Tears streamed down my face as the reality of the dream I just had slowly came over me. "Oh god." I cried, burying my face in my hands. I heard shuffling coming towards my room and I knew Tommy had entered the room by the soft gracefulness of his steps.
"Kim? What's wrong?" He asked, his weight sinking on the edge of the bed.
"I saw Trini." I sobbed, the words barely coming out between gasps of air. "She was in the car. I tried to stop her. I couldn't. I couldn't get to her." Pushing myself up, I crawled over and wrapped my arms around Tommy's shoulders and buried my head in his neck. His arms wrapped around me as I continued to sob.
"Shhh." He said soothingly, his hand rubbing my back. "It's okay."
"No it's not." I whispered. "It'll never be okay."
I managed to get a couple more hours of sleep before groggily waking up. The clock on my bedside table said it was quarter to ten, the sun shining brightly outside as compared to the rain that had poured yesterday and all night long. As I sat up, I felt every muscle in my body ache. It was a dull pain, nothing like the terrible amounts of it I was feeling last night that caused me to shiver. I wasn't entirely sure of what to make of last night. It was like the flu but ten times worst. Never in my life I had I ever felt something that made me want to die more than that. Not even the things Rita or her gross husband Lord Zedd had done to me compared to the nightmare of that.
Crawling out of bed, I felt like a ninety year old. I was freezing, even though I knew it was warm outside. I grabbed my worn out pink bathrobe from the back of my bedroom door and wrapped it tightly around me. Crossing my arms, I slowly made my way to the bathroom. I was surprised to see I still had fluid in me to piss out but I managed to do so. Glancing in the mirror, I saw the image of what death must look like. My hair was everywhere, there were black bags under my eyes and some unknown substance dried to the side of my face. I ran the hot water for a few seconds and washed my face quickly. It was a slow process that hurt with each movement but I managed to resemble a half dead human rather than something you'd see walking through the Thriller music video. I don't even think I could pull of Michael's moves right now but I do know them by heart. Or at least I used to.
Pulling my hair back into a loose bun, I shuffled my way into the kitchen. I stopped in the doorway when I saw Tommy laying on my loveseat. Well, mostly on the loveseat. His torso was at least. His arms and head were dangling off the edge while his legs were strewn over the arm. He was a good three feet too tall for the thing, something that was evident from the odd angle his head and neck was. Still, he was sound asleep, his chest rising and falling with each breath he took. Since he arrived, it was the first time I had seen him so peaceful. Only, he really wasn't. His brow was furrowed and he looked like he was dreaming about something. His grey t-shirt was coated in something I was begging wasn't my vomit and he had tossed his jeans into the corner of the room. I smirked at his dark green flannel boxers, his signature color from back in the day. You could take the powers from Tommy but the Ranger side of him would always be there.
As quietly as I could, I walked over to the fridge and pulled it open. I didn't feel like eating much but it was the least I could do for him after he powered through taking care of me. I didn't see anything that resembled edible food in there but I did score three packets of instant oatmeal in the back of my cupboard. Two of them were maple and the odd man out was blueberry. Grabbing too bowls, I poured the maples in one and the blueberry in another. Adding some water, I popped the first bowl into the microwave and hit the one minute button. I managed to open the door before it beeped, beating the loud obscene noise. I put the other bowl in and repeated the action. I opted for the bowl of blueberry, the portion smaller and hopefully less vulgar on my stomach. I cleared the table of what little was on it and set the bowl down at the chairs. Honestly if someone didn't know me, you would think my house was owned by a normal hardworking girl just trying to make ends meet.
"Hey." I said softly, leaning over the back of the couch closer to Tommy's head. He didn't stir though, his breath still deep as he inhaled. Lightly, I put my hand on his shoulder and shook slightly. "Tommy." His eyes popped open and he jumped slightly when he saw me standing over him. I stood up straight, giving him room so our heads wouldn't collide.
"Huh? What's going on? Are you okay?" He asked, standing.
"Besides feeling like the Megazord stepped on me, I'm fine." I replied, smiling at him. "I made you breakfast. Well…oatmeal. I made you oatmeal." I pointed at the table. He eyed me for a moment, raising an eyebrow.
"You're cracking Ranger jokes AND cooked for me? Did we perform an exorcist last night and I wasn't aware of it?" He asked, smirking at me.
"Lot of talk coming from a guy in his boxers." I shot back. Glancing down, his eyes widened as he realized I was correct. Searching, he quickly found his jeans and pulled them on. I heard him swear under his breath as I walked over to the table. Grabbing two spoons from the strainer, I sat at the table in front of the blueberry oatmeal. He followed, sitting across from me. Steam rose from both bowls and I stirred mine around to cool it.
"You look better now than you did at 3 am." He said, taking a bite of his cereal.
"I feel slightly better. I can tolerate being alive at least. I have no clue what came over me but I want to thank you. I shouldn't have called you."
"Yes, you should have. I'm your friend, Kim. That's why I'm here." He took another bite. "And I'm pretty sure that was withdrawal you were going through. You've been without alcohol and meds for a solid two days now. Your body is craving it."
"Well, it's that just swell." I muttered, swirling my oatmeal around with my spoon.
"You should ask your counselor about it when you go today. They might have some ideas for you and how to deal with it. Not that I don't mind being covered in your vomit all the time now." I groaned.
"What is that? Twice now? Awesome. I don't plan it. I promise."
"You know, I almost believe that." He winked, scooping some oatmeal on his spoon. "I've had worse on me. I'm sure you can recall a certain Ivan Ooze."
"EW! That guy was a creep. I suddenly don't feel as bad for it anymore. That shit stained all of my clothes. I had to throw out one of my favorite tank-tops after we fought him. Being a Ranger should have came with dry cleaning." Tommy laughed, shaking his head.
"Or at least a 401k program." He replied.
"God, we sound ancient sitting here talking about this. Maybe that's why Zordon didn't ask adults to be rangers. They would ask for a complete benefits package and time off. We were just worried about missing curfew too many times."
"Which I did. All the damn time." Tommy said. I nodded, remembering the many times I was grounded because of my ranger duties.
"Speaking of the Power Rangers, when exactly were you going to tell me you were back in action again?" I asked, nibbling on some oatmeal. Tommy coughed, choking a bit on the bite he had on his mouth. I gave him an expectant look, waiting for him to catch his breath.
"What? What do you mean?" He asked innocently.
"Oh, please. You just happen to live in the same town as a new team, you hang out with kids who wear the colors, and you just happen to sport a lot of black in your free time? Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?" I waved my spoon at him. "I might not be brilliant like Billy but not all of my brain cells have been damaged." Sighing, he pushed his bowl away and leaned back in his chair.
"You caught me. Yeah. I am the black ranger. Well, was the black ranger. We aren't active anymore. Our powers were gone as on last week's attack. See, after I quit the racing circuit, I went to college for paleontology. I got involved with a guy named Anton Mercer. He was looking for these things called dino gems. They came from the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, absorbing their powers. While were doing research on them at our lab, there was an explosion. I ended up in Reefside, trying to find them. The kids, Connor, Ethan, and Kira, ended up finding them before I did though. I didn't think it would turn them into rangers but yet, it did. Long story short, there was another gem and I found myself fighting again. There's another kid too. His name is Trent. He was evil for a while but we managed to get him to join us. Sound familiar?" He said nonchalantly as he leaned forward again. I blinked at him.
"Wait. You were facing an evil ranger? How the fuck does that happen twice in one lifetime? So were you like their mentor or something? Like Zordon?"
"I was their mentor, yes. There was no way I was anything close to Zordon though. We were a good team. We got the job done and beat the bad guys. Pretty sure my time as a ranger is all tapped out though. Getting up in the morning after a fight at 30 is a lot harder than 17." I laughed.
"You aren't even thirty yet!" I pointed out. "But I can see that. Did you miss it?"
"Yeah. I didn't realize it until I was back at the mantle. But I know that my prime is gone. It's best to leave it to the bender youths of today."
"Do you ever imagine what life would have been like if you hadn't become a Power Ranger?" I asked, pushing my bowl away. He shrugged, running a hand over his bed head.
"I guess I do sometimes. Why?"
"Sometimes I just think that things might have been easier then. Or at least normal. I don't know."
"Well," He said, standing and grabbing out bowls. "I know one thing that came from being a ranger I'll never regret."
"What's that?" I asked. He rounded the table and stopped at the sink. Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at me.
"Meeting you."