Summary: The return of an old love changes the rules of the game.

Challon86: Yay, you're back… but you have been so for a while and I've just been slacking my updates, but I finally finished this thing. Glad you liked it.

Alexandra Khayman: You still don't have me… right? Good that you hate Carlos again, you will for a while longer.

SweetSas: Thanks, Rome was brilliant. Glad you liked the chapter.

Charmedfan90: Glad you liked the update, here's another one (late but still).

Phantom Rogue: Of course I'm updating, I'm not dead yet. Thanks for helping me the last few steps lines to complete the chapter.

Johnny: I've been all over the place, that's where I've been, sorry about that.

bRaInWaVe: Yep, baby's here.

AstroYellow: I'd never leave my trusty fans, promise.

Mita427: Well, for finding that out, you have to wait another chapter.

PRISFAN: Yep, she's stupid like that. But she is having his baby, remember? That's okay, don't kill yourself over it.

Super Silver Ranger: Thanks for your forgiveness. Any chance of you updating your story any time?

Slytherin-Angel44: It's not stripey, it's Carlos's kid, remember?

Itz Rayz: Carlos is the father, I've told everyone that much multiple times.

Savingyoursoul: Okay, just tell me when. Glad you liked it and didn't mind the wait too much.

Forbidden Love

Chapter 20

Andros sighed as he watched the doctor's hands move above his left eye. He hated the numb feeling in his brow from the anaesthesia. It just didn't feel right to have someone stitch you up and not feel anything of it, at least, not to him. Lately pain was the only thing that reminded him he was still alive and the life he was living was indeed reality. He wouldn't purposely hurt himself though, Karone would have his head.

When he had seen the unidentified, but undeniably heavy, object plummeting down towards him, he'd half been tempted to just let it crash on his head and be done with it. It wasn't until the last moment he decided he wanted to live and dodged it… Well, for the most part anyway.

Instead of hitting the top of his head, and most likely instantly killing him, it had scraped his brow with a nasty sharp edge, leaving a deep cut above his left eye. It left him dazed and easy to transport to hospital, otherwise the jackass who dropped the offending object would have more than wished he had never been born or crossed the path of the Karovan general.

Ten minutes later he was all stitched up and ready to leave the ER. He had almost reached the exit when the doors opened and three familiar faces rushed in, one of them twisted in pain as she held her large stomach. A nurse quickly brushed past him to reach the three.

"Labour?" She inquired, not even waiting for an affirmative nod before beckoning for a wheelchair. "Let's get you up to the maternity ward. Are you the father?"

"No, but he's on his way here." TJ answered, his face twisted with concern. "Her contractions are about 9 minutes apart."

The nurse nodded and took over the wheelchair, holding it steady while TJ helped Ashley into it. Once Ashley was seated, the nurse immediately started wheeling her away, blindly assuming TJ and Cassie would follow her, which they did. A few moments later however, TJ's eyes locked with Andros's and he stopped in his tracks. Cassie halting seconds later.

"TJ what…" Cassie asked, spotting Andros. "What are you doing here?"

Without a word Andros pointed to the stitches above his eyes. A silence fell between the three of them. TJ noticed Andros's eyes shooting in the direction Ashley had been wheeled off to every so often, a strange look in his eyes.

"You're worried." He observed, startling both Cassie and Andros with breaking the silence. "Look, why don't you come to the waiting-room with us?"

"TJ!" Cassie exclaimed. "What about Carlos?"

"I'll deal with that if he makes a problem of it. I mean, there's no reason we can't try to be friends still, right?" TJ defended.

"Thanks." Andros replied softly. "I'd… I'd like that."

The three of them started in the direction of the lifts, though Ashley and the nurse were long gone. They pilled in and Cassie hit the button of the third floor. An uncomfortable silence fell over the lift as the doors closed and it started moving upwards.

"So… what happened to cause you to need stitches?" TJ finally broke the silence.

"Some idiot dropped something and I wasn't fast enough in moving out of its way." Andros shrugged.

"Oh."

Another silence fell. Andros stared at his feet. Cassie coughed quietly. "So…" She tucked some hair behind her ears. "How's Karone?"

"She's fine." Andros managed to smile. "She and Zhane moved in together."

"Tell them that we wish them the best."

"I will."

It was quiet again. The elevator stopped and they got out, silently taking seats in the waiting room in anticipation of their first junior ranger to be born.

Later, delivery room

Carlos looked enraged as he entered the room.

"What's wrong?" Ashley inquired, trying desperately to suppress the feeling of nausea that was threatening to overwhelm her, badly wishing the room would stop spinning.

"There's a skunk in the waiting-room." Carlos spat out.

Ashley didn't need to inquire what he meant. After everything Andros still somehow ended up in the waiting room and it was clear that he was waiting for her to give birth. She suddenly felt bad for doing this to him, but she couldn't change the past.

A sharper pain than before shot through her stomach and she gasped, nearly fainting from the intensity of the pain. In an instant Carlos was by her side.

"This baby wants out, now. These aren't normal contractions anymore." Ashley whimpered, the room now spinning more violently.

Right at that moment the doctor and nurse entered the room again and accessed the situation.

"Okay Mrs Valerte, when you feel the next contraction coming I want you to push as hard as you can." The doctor informed Ashley as he took his seat at the end of the bed.

Ashley did as she was told, listening as best as she could to the doctor's instruction and encouragements.

"The head is crowning, you're almost there. One more big push." The doctor smiled.

"I can't…" Ashley whimpered, the pain threatening to consume her.

"Of course you can, don't think about now, but later about your little baby you'll be holding. I promise you it will all be worth it." The doctor urged.

Ashley nodded and pushed, screaming at the pain it caused her. Another push and scream later her screams were joined by the healthy cries of life of a new-born babe.

"Congratulations, it's a boy."

A/N: And anything more about that boy you'll just have to wait for me to have time to write that. –grins- Hope you liked it. Review! Sorry for the late update, school's been really hectic and I've got a pile of books that need reading.