Okay so let me start by saying I have no idea what a custody hearing looks like, how long they last, how they go or anything to do with them. I'm writing from complete ignorance here so if things aren't totally right, I apologize in advance but let me know and if I can, I'll fix any mistakes I may and probably will make. Also, this one gets a little intense towards the end.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kim let out a loud groan as our alarm clock went off at seven and I came out from the bathroom to greet her. I had already showered and was wearing a pair of black slacks with matching shoes and nothing else when I heard her start to cry. She was laying in bed, squeezing her pillow tightly and crying into it.
"Beautiful, what's the matter?" I asked softly as I sat on the edge of the bed.
"I-I'm so a-a-af-fraid," Kim stammered in between sobs "Wh-what happens if they g-give Alex p-p-partial custody?"
"They won't Kim," I answered reassuringly, stroking the back of her head gently "Nathan's not going anywhere. We just have to present a unified front and show the judge that we're a loving family and that Nathan belongs with us. I heard we have a female judge too so that's a plus."
"How can you be so confident?" Kim asked as she wiped at her eyes "This could end up being the worst thing that's ever happened to me."
"What did Zordon say before he left, Kim? The power will always protect us," I answered calmly "You know that he's watching over us and that he won't let anything happen to us. Now come on. We still have to get Nathan ready and Jason's driving over with Trini in just over an hour."
"Why are they coming?" Kim questioned.
"Because they love us and want to be there for support," I replied and Kim nodded as she rolled out of bed slowly "I even ironed your skirt and blouse for you. They're hanging up on the rack in the bathroom."
"Thank you, Tommy," Kim said with a slight smile as she kissed me on the cheek "Is Nathan up yet?"
"He's been downstairs watching cartoons since five a.m.," I answered "You go get ready, I'll finish getting dressed and then go help Nathan, okay?"
Kim nodded and gave me a quick kiss before heading for the bathroom. Everything had been so good for us recently and, while I wanted to show Kim that I was confident, I was just as scared as her that our luck may be running out. Shaking the negative thought from my head, I put on my shirt and tie, leaving the suit jacket hanging on the back of the door.
Nathan was downstairs eating a bowl of cereal when I entered the living room. With Ivan gone, the three of us had moved back to Kim's house the day after she woke up. Saying goodbye to the Alphas had been tough on Nathan. He had spent most of his time in the Command Center with Alpha 6 and the pair had actually become fairly good friends.
Kim and I promised that we would take him back for visits but that didn't stop him from crying when it came time to say goodbye. If the others had been staying behind, we might have done the same but they were all preparing to leave as well.
With everything that had happened recently and over the summer, the nine of us had grown closer once again. It wasn't like high school where we saw each other non-stop but when the final battle was over, we all promised to keep in better touch.
Trini had given up on Sacramento and was moving in with Jason relatively soon. Aisha and Adam were getting serious and, even though there was hundreds of miles between them, Adam was actually thinking about moving into a new place with her. In the event that Adam did move out, Rocky had already scored a new roommate, Zack.
Zack had made a lot of money in record production and had been wanting to start his own record label. With all of us reunited again, he realized he had no reason not to do it. He had already copyrighted the name "Mastodon Records" and found a nice piece of property outside of Stone Canyon so it was just a matter of time until the building was completed.
With Trini moving in with Jason, Zack probably going to Rocky's and Adam and Aisha moving in together, al of us were going to be a lot closer. Billy had even applied for a transfer from Turtle Cove to the NASADA complex in Angel Grove. Being Rangers again had drawn us all back together and it was a great feeling knowing that everyone was going to be living so close again.
When Nathan had finished his breakfast, I went with him into his room and helped him get ready for the hearing. Kim had found a black suit that fit him perfectly and, I admit, he looked damn cute in the suit with his wavy brown hair parted to the side.
In the half hour it took to get Nathan all ready to go all Kim had managed to accomplish was a shower. Nathan and I were on the couch watching TV and, even from downstairs, we could hear her swearing at everything imaginable. Every time she swore, Nathan made a tally mark in the back of a coloring book to remember how many quarters Kim owed the jar.
"Hey, Nathan, remember when I said you have to answer all the judges questions honestly?" I asked and he nodded "Well, I need to take that back. If she asks you what your mom and I do for jobs you can not, under any circumstances, tell her that we were Power Rangers."
"I know that. I'm not an asshole like my real dad," Nathan answered with a grin as I tried to conceal my smile.
Kim was still pacing around frantically when Jason and Trini arrived at eight-thirty. The hearing started at nine-thirty and it was at least a twenty minute drive to the courthouse. Finally, at ten to nine, we managed to get out of the house and pile into Jason's Suburban.
As we drove, I thought about everything that was happening and couldn't believe that Alex was actually flying all the way to California to fight for a child he had never shown any interest in before. Of course, I didn't mention my feelings to Kim but it just didn't make any sense to me. Why would he want to see Nathan after five years of not even acknowledging his existence?
The drive to the courthouse was definitely awkward and we all sat in silence, no one wanting to say anything that could potentially upset Kim even more. She had that look in her eyes that said she just didn't want to be bothered so, aside from holding her hand, I left her alone. Even if she didn't want verbal support, holding her hand at least showed her that I was there for her and she had acknowledged my action with a smile and a mumbled "thank you."
When we got to the courthouse we had to go through metal detectors and get padded down before we were actually allowed inside. Goldstein was already waiting for us in the hallway and greeted us with warm smiles before I took a quick detour with Nathan so he could use the restroom.
I had my head down because I was talking to him and didn't see the guy coming out of the restroom. He smacked right into me and fell to the ground as I immediately let go of Nathan and offered him a hand to get back on his feet.
"Oh man, I'm sorry," I said to him as he took my hand and I helped him up "You okay?"
"Fine. Don't worry about it," he grumbled and brushed past me rudely.
The guy was wearing a navy blue suit that looked like he had slept in it and, even though I had knocked him down, was a complete jerk about what happened. I rolled my eyes in disgust and then took Nathan into the restroom. When he was finished I made sure he washed his hands and then led him into the courtroom where Kim was sitting and chatting quietly with Goldstein.
As a strategic move to show that we both were involved with Nathan, Goldstein suggested sitting him between Kim and I. Kim and I both agreed it was a good idea but, as Nathan was in the process of switching seats with Kim, he showed up.
"Hey Kim," a voice called from behind as Kim spun around quickly, a look of shock, hurt and anger on her face.
There was a man standing there with a smug grin on his face and wearing a navy blue suit that looked like it had been slept in. Instantly it clicked and I immediately stood up to get in his face but Kim grabbed me and pulled me back into my seat. I would have beaten the crap out of him worse than I had done to Ivan but no good could have come from it and I was thankful that Kim had restrained me.
"Now, now. That's no way to treat the person you just barreled over in the pisser now is it?" he asked with a sneer and I clenched my fists tightly.
"I think you should leave now before there's a problem Mr. Johnston," Goldstein interrupted, causing Alex to roll his eyes in amusement "I'm sure Judge Adamson would just love to hear how you tried to intimidate a five year-old."
Anton was right. This guy was good. Damn good. He was going into his bag of tricks before the hearing had even started.
"Mommy, who's that man?" Nathan asked as Kim tried to fight back tears.
"You must be Nathan," he said with a smile and extended his hand to Nathan "I'm Alex. Your dad."
"You're not my dad. Tommy's my dad," Nathan replied "You're just an a…"
"Nathan stop!" I quickly interjected, cutting him off "You don't have to say anything to him. Just sit here quietly with your mom and I, okay?"
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Alex asked with a look of mock anger on his face. I could tell he was a bad actor and if the judge didn't see right through his charades then there was something seriously wrong with her. "You have no right to tell my son not to speak to me."
"Oh I'll tell you who the hell I am," I shot back angrily "I'm the man who actually stepped up and took a place in Nathan's life. He's coming home with us whether you like it or not."
"Tommy, now is the time to stop," Goldstein hissed and then turned to look at Alex "I believe your counsel has arrived. You know, Mr. Johnston, your lawyer and I are golfing buddies. I think I'm going to go have a little chat with him about you verbally assaulting my clients, trying to intimidate them and causing severe emotional trauma to Kimberly."
While Kim wasn't experiencing severe emotional trauma, she was struggling to fight back the tears that were rapidly filling her eyes. But if Goldstein could really use that as a way to at least get Alex to leave, then I was all for it. Now I knew exactly what Anton meant when he said Goldstein would go to any length to keep Nathan with us. He knew exactly what he was doing and was playing the game like a pro.
"That won't be necessary," Alex grumbled as he turned to walk away and then looked back at us "See you soon, Nathan."
I stood up again but this time Kim, Goldstein and Nathan all grabbed me at once. Man, I wanted to annihilate that guy right there in front of everyone.
Just ignore him, Tommy. I'm not going to acknowledge him and I don't want you to either. Don't play into his games. I need you here with me not locked up because you beat up a worthless piece of shit.
I know. I'm sorry. Just look at him, though. It's like he thinks he's already won. It's not even confidence, just cockiness.
He's a jackass, Tommy. Nothing more and nothing less but you can't let him get to you.
"All rise for the honorable Michelle Adamson!" the bailiff called out, snapping us from out conversation "Docket Number 1876, Kimberly Hart vs. Alex Johnston in regards to the custody of their child, Nathan Thomas Hart."
Kim and I looked at each other nervously as we all stood up and the judge walked in. Goldstein was convinced we had an advantage with a female judge and I was right there with him. Women think with their hearts and, if we showed that we were a secure family, odds were that the judge was going to go with that instead of forcing a five year-old to travel across the country multiple times a year.
As the judge sat down and we followed suit, I looked over at Alex and saw that he didn't seem nervous at all. But why should he have been? It wasn't like he had anything to lose. He hadn't been involved with Nathan at all so if he didn't get partial custody things weren't going to change in his life like they would in ours if he got what he wanted. The idea of losing Nathan, even partially, scared me more than I was willing to admit. In just a few months he had become my son and I loved him as if he was my own.
I turned back to look at Jason and Trini who both gave me encouraging and supportive smiles. With them there for support I really felt better about the imminent proceedings. Reaching across Nathan, I grabbed Kim's hand and kissed it softly as Judge Adamson cleared her throat loudly.
"You have got to be kidding me," she said loudly as she flipped through some paperwork "Mr. Johnston, am I really to believe that you spent five years knowing that you had a child, wanted nothing to do with him and now expect to split custody with the mother?"
"Your honor, my client has spent the last five years hating himself for not trying to be with his son. In meetings prior to the decision to take this battle to court, Alex expressed to me on numerous occasions that he wanted to be with his son but was afraid Ms. Hart would not allow him to see the boy," Alex's lawyer, John Yang, answered with a serious expression as Kim scoffed and rolled her eyes "My client wants nothing more than to be a loving parent and play a role in the life of the son he helped create. Nothing more and nothing less."
"I don't like this but let's get on with it," the judge replied "The first person I want to hear from is Thomas James Oliver. Mr. Oliver, would you please take the stand?"
I gave Kim an encouraging smile as I stood up from my chair and approached the stand. After swearing to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I took my seat and Goldstein got out of his. For the next twenty minutes he asked me questions about my relationship with Kim, my relationship with Nathan and a bunch of simple "fluff" questions that really made me seem like a loving father, which I was. After Goldstein was done, Alex's lawyer got up from his seat and approached the stand.
"Mr. Oliver, how long have you known Ms. Hart?" he asked.
"Almost twelve years," I answered.
"And in that time have you ever had any serious problems with Ms. Hart?" he asked again as I shook my head.
"Objection. Relevance?" Goldstein interjected as I buried my head to conceal my smile.
"Withdrawn," he replied before the judge could say anything "Mr. Oliver, would you say that you love Nathan?"
"Absolutely," I answered instantly, lighting up inside as Nathan smiled happily "Without a doubt. He and his mom are the most important people in my life. I'd do anything for either one of them."
"Spoken like a great father," he said softly "But how can you say that you love Nathan when you've only known him for just over four months? Isn't it a little hard to develop those feelings in such a short time? If he was your son, I'd understand but…"
"He is my son," I interrupted angrily "He may not be my blood but I'm more of his father then that guy will ever be."
"Such an angry reaction for such a simple question," he replied with a smile "I have no more questions for you Mr. Oliver."
"Thank you, Mr. Oliver," the judge interjected "You may step down, now."
I nodded my head politely and stepped down from the stand, making sure to glare at Alex as I walked by his table. He still had that damn smirk on his face and I wanted nothing more than to slap it off him but the thought of Nathan having to live with him kept me from doing anything stupid.
Two long hours passed by as Goldstein and Alex's lawyer took turns asking questions to Kim, and Nathan. When Alex's lawyer grilled them, I realized that he had let me off the hook easier, figuring me to be the least emotionally attached out of the three of us which was a huge mistake on his part.
He could have gotten me to break eventually but Kim…Kim was strong as a rock. Yang tried all kinds of underhanded tactics which ended in more than a few objections from Goldstein but Kim kept her composure and answered his questions with nothing more than a relaxed smile on her face.
Alex thought he had some sort of advantage but I could tell that Kim's ability to maintain her composure was slowly making him more and more nervous. Then there was Nathan. I was so proud of him as he took the stand and promised to tell the truth and kept his promise. Alex's lawyer tried to bait him and get Nathan to say something negative about Kim or myself but Nathan refused to fall for it which only flustered Alex even more.
When the two lawyers had finally finished with Kim and Nathan, Alex took the stand as his lawyer questioned him first. They went with the sympathy approach, saying that he wanted to be there for Nathan but didn't think Kim would let him. The questions Yang asked Alex were easier than the questions Goldstein had asked me and I got a sick feeling in my stomach every time Alex spoke and put that stupid grin on his face.
Eventually, Yang had asked Alex every soft question in the book and it was Goldstein's turn to take a shot at him. If I had known how good this guy really was before I called Anton, I would have paid just to watch him question Alex.
"Mr. Johnston, let me ask you a question," Goldstein muttered with a grin "Can you tell me where you were and what you did on November 14, 2000?"
"I, uh….I don't know. It was over five years ago," Alex mumbled "How am I supposed to remember what happened that long ago?"
"I figured you wouldn't remember so I have the answer for you. Allow me to paint a picture for you," Goldstein began "It's a rainy November day in Florida, Miami to be exact and you're girlfriend at the time, and my client, told you that she was pregnant with your child. Do you recall how you reacted to the news, Mr. Johnston? Wait, don't answer that. I can do it for you. You told my client that you would pay child support but that you wanted nothing to do with raising a child. Now, where were you on May 19, 2001? Or do you not remember?"
"Objection your honor!" Yang interjected "I don't see any relevance in this line of questioning."
"Your honor, I promise that I can justify my questions," Goldstein said calmly as the judge overruled the objection "May 19, 2001 was the day Nathan was born and, according to surveillance tapes pulled from the Courtyard Marriot on Ocean Drive, while my client was giving birth to your son you spent the whole day in your room with a blonde woman. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and a few connections I have in Miami, I was given the woman's name and found out that she had been a prostitute during the time you spent with her. You have claimed to be a misunderstood man who just wants the chance to help raise his son yet you spent the day of his birth in a hotel with a hooker. How can you claim that you can be a good father to Nathan when you spend your time running around with prostitutes?"
"Objection again!" Yang called out "He's badgering my client."
"I agree," the judge relented after thinking about it for a few moments "Mr. Goldstein you've made your point so either move on to a new line of questioning or let Mr. Johnston step down."
"No further questions your honor," Goldstein conceded with a victorious grin.
Like Anton had said, he would cross lines but it was with good intentions in mind. Alex was clearly flustered by the whole exchange and looked extremely grateful when he was allowed to step down and return to his seat.
"I've heard all I need to hear from the adults involved in this but there is more I'd like to hear from Nathan," the judge said softly "Ms. Hart, I need to speak with Nathan in my chambers now. We will have a thirty minute recess and, when we return, I will give you my decision."
Kim nodded her head as she whispered a few things to Nathan and gave him a hug. I gave him a hug as well and assured him that everything would be okay as we walked with him to the judge. As we gave Nathan to the woman, I blinked back a few tears and she gave me a soft smile. Later, Jason would tell me that she had a slight glimmer in her eyes as she took Nathan from us and led him into her chambers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There are times where, as a judge, I am forced to make tough decisions regarding the future of children with separated parents. I have seen the turbulence of a child who is forced to go in between two household especially when the child doesn't want to. This wasn't one of those times," Judge Adamson said as Kim and I let out gasps "As I spoke with Nathan privately, I learned quite a few things about his mother and Mr. Oliver. I have no doubt in my mind that Ms. Hart and Mr. Oliver are both capable and loving parents and that granting joint custody to Ms. Hart and Mr. Johnston would cause more damage than good for Nathan. With that being said, I hereby grant full custody of the child in question, Nathan Thomas Hart, to his mother, Kimberly Ann Hart. This court is adjourned."
"YES!" I yelled happily as I threw my arms around Kim "We did it, Beautiful. We really did it. Nathan's coming home!"
Kim had tears running down her face and I held on to her tightly as Goldstein gave me a soft smile. Still holding on to Kim, I turned my attention to the door and found Anton standing there with a proud smile on his face. He nodded his head towards me and I returned the gesture as he slipped out of the courtroom and we were bum rushed by Jason and Trini.
Alex looked like someone had just run over his dog as he stared at us angrily. I looked back at him and gave him that same stupid smirk that he had given me before he turned and stormed out of the courtroom with his lawyer following behind him.
The five of us celebrated in the middle of the courtroom, exchanging hugs and smiles at what had just happened. I had tears in my eyes when I picked up Nathan and realized that he was going to be my son and no one could try and stop it now. Kissing him on the cheek, I held him tightly and swung him back and forth as the tears fell down my face.
"Come on guys," Jason said with a smile "This calls for a celebration. I'm buying pizza for all of us."
We all smiled and nodded our heads as we walked out of the courtroom together. As we exited the courthouse, Alex was standing outside and I caught his eyes. I was surprised when he gave me the smirk again as if he knew something that we didn't. I shook it off but, in retrospect, I wish I hadn't.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We got back to the house from dinner around five and Kim invited Jason and Trini in but they insisted that this was our time to celebrate as a family and left us after dropping us off. After about an hour of sitting in the house and talking I decided that I was going to go to the gym and work off some of the anger I was still feeling towards Alex.
Kim agreed that it was a good idea so I threw on some shorts, a tee shirt and running shoes and began the three mile run to the gym. The idea of driving to go workout never made sense to me and, if it was at all possible, I tried to make it a point to run.
I got in a good two-hour workout and left the gym no longer angry at Alex. In fact, I wasn't even thinking about Alex. He was the farthest thing from my mind when he should have been the closest.
"I just want to see my son!" I heard Alex yelling as I approached the house.
He was standing at the front door and yelling at Kim who was refusing to let him in the house to see Nathan. I stood back and watched for a few seconds, staying out of sight because I wanted to let Kim handle it on her own. I was liable to snap his neck like a twig and going to jail wasn't high on priority list especially after the judge told us she was going to allow us to keep Nathan full time. Being a loving father and, future, husband were the only things I cared about and I wasn't about to jeopardize what we had worked so hard to keep.
Stay back Tommy. This is my battle Kim said to me telepathically. Her control over her abilities must have suddenly gotten much better because I was completely out of sight which meant she was able to sense that I was there without having to actually see me.
Where's Nathan? I asked in concern.
Upstairs. I sent him to his room and made him promise to stay up there when I saw Alex's car in the driveway. He's fine.
I was content to sit back and let her handle the fight as long as it stayed a verbal confrontation but if Alex even so much as attempted to do anything to her physically, I was going to get involved whether Kim liked it or not. They were yelling back and forth about Nathan when Alex suddenly raised his arm and smacked Kim in the face, knocking her to the floor.
Immediately, I took off in a dead sprint up the driveway and tackled Alex into the house. After rolling onto my feet I grabbed him by his shirt collar and tossed him out the door as I followed behind him, kicking him in the side as hard and as many times as I could manage.
With every kick his body moved further down the walkway until he was sprawled out on the lawn. He was no longer moving and I still wanted to continue my assault but, for some reason, I thought about what Zordon would think of my actions and turned away from him to check on Kim. She was standing again and I was halfway to her when she let out a scream and I heard a loud bang which was the precursor to a sudden pain in my left thigh.
I went down immediately, yelling in pain as I realized that I had been shot. Kim was still screaming but she wasn't moving at all. At that moment I was sure Alex was going to shoot me again and make it count but when I rolled over to face him, he wasn't even looking at me.
Alex was staring right at Kim with tears running down his face. With shaking hands he pointed the gun at Kim and I saw the world flash in front of my eyes.
"This is all your fault! All your goddamn fault!" Alex yelled "All I wanted was to be in my son's life. I didn't want to spend all that time away from him. There's so much that you don't even understand. I hate you, Kimberly. I fucking hate you for what you did. Time to say goodbye."
"NO!" Kim screamed as Alex turned the gun on himself and fired a single shot into the side of his head and fell to the ground.
"Son of a bitch," I muttered as I fought through the pain and got on my feet before making my way to Alex as fast as I could but he was gone.
Kim was standing behind me, staring at Alex's dead body and crying loudly. I pulled her into a tight hug, turning her away from it as I looked at the door and saw Nathan standing there. He must have heard the shots and Kim screaming because he was standing in the doorway with a confused expression on his face.
"Nathan! Get back in the house!" I yelled at him.
It was the first time I had ever even raised my voice at him and the tears slowly filling his eyes told me that I had hurt his feelings. I felt terrible but there was no way in hell I was going to let him see his biological father dead, on our front lawn no less. I pointed a stern finger at him and told him to go inside and call 9-1-1 when I felt my leg give out and I went down again.
The pain was too much and I couldn't manage to get myself back on my feet again. Someone in the neighborhood must have heard gunshots because the wailing sound of approaching police sirens was quickly growing closer.
Blood was pouring from my leg and I could tell that Kim had no clue about what she should do so I ripped my shirt off and made my best makeshift tourniquet to try and at least slow the bleeding down. She stood there shaking, changing her gaze from Alex to Nathan to me repeatedly as the first couple police cars arrived on the scene. Immediately, two officers hopped out of two separate vehicles and ran over to where I was laying on the grass.
"What the hell happened?" one asked as another went to check on Alex.
"He shot me," I groaned in immense pain "Then shot himself. He hit my fiancée and I started a fight with him. When I walked away he shot me in the leg."
"Oh man," he muttered "Don't worry son, there's an ambulance on the way. Just sit back and one of us will ride with you to get an official statement. Do you mind if I speak with your fiancée?
I was about to shake my head and say that I didn't when Nathan came running at me and threw his arms around my neck. The thought of possibly being killed and losing him made me want to cry but I stayed strong for him and held the tears back as I held onto Nathan, refusing to let him go. Kim saw us and ran over to where we were on the lawn before joining in on the hug. She was crying loudly and the officer gave me an understanding smile as I nodded my head in appreciation and he walked over to his partner.
"What just happened?" Kim asked, still in shock.
"It's okay, Beautiful," I answered as she buried her face in my chest "It's over now. He took the easy way out but he'll never hurt another hair on your head."
Nathan had no idea what had just happened. All he knew was that I was hurt and the fact that he cared so much even after I had yelled at him meant so much to me. As I hugged them both I flashbacked to what had just transpired and started to cry harder. It could have just as easily been me in Alex's position, sprawled out on the grass with a bullet hole in my head and realizing that made me sick to my stomach.
Without notice, I pushed them both off me and rolled over as I vomited violently on to the lawn. As the first ambulance pulled up I continued to get sick. After five minutes of constant vomiting, it finally settled down and the medics wheeled over a stretcher for me but I shook my head and refused it vehemently. With some help from them I was able to get to my feet and muster enough strength to limp towards the ambulance with Kim and Nathan following behind me.
The second ambulance pulled up just as they got me on my feet and as I climbed in the vehicle I looked towards the lawn to see the medics put a white sheet over Alex's body. One of the medics who was with me said something to Kim about her and Nathan not being able to ride in the ambulance with me but neither of us had the strength to try and argue with him.
"Just stay here with Nathan, Kim. You can't do anything at the hospital," I muttered as she nodded her head and hugged me tightly "Call Jason for me, please. Tell him I'm going to need a ride home from the hospital. If he asks you why just tell try and make something up. He'll call everyone if he knows what happened and I don't want to have to deal with them all right now."
"Just be strong," Kim whispered and kissed me on the cheek "I love you, Tommy."
"I love you too, sweetheart. Everything's going to be okay, though," I said with a smile "It's just my leg. It could have been a lot worse."
"Don't talk like that. I don't want to think about what I would have done if I had lost you," she replied as more tears filled her eyes "Just go and get back here as soon as you can. I'm going to need you more than ever tonight."
"I'll be back in a couple of hours, right?" I asked the medic and he nodded slowly as I looked back at Kim "See. Just do me a favor, please."
"What? Name it, Tommy," Kim replied softly "I'll do anything I can to help you."
"Talk to Nathan and explain what happened. I don't know if I'll be able to," I requested and she nodded her head in understanding "Thank you. I have to go now Kim. I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied, giving me a quick kiss goodbye as the medic shut the door, leaving me alone in the back of the ambulance.
As the engine started and the sirens kicked on, I buried my face in my hands and started crying. Everything had happened so fast and I had held back my emotions for Kim and Nathan but now that I was away from them I didn't have to anymore. The tears flowed freely as images of the last thirty minutes kept playing back in my head.
I kept seeing Alex turn the gun on himself and firing it without hesitation as his body shook and then slumped to the ground in a heap. Being a Ranger, I had seen more than my fair share of damage but no battle with Zedd or advice from Zordon could have prepared me for everything that had happened.
The weird thing was that what Alex had just done didn't make a lick of sense to me at all. He had gone from shooting me to pointing the gun at Kim and yelling at her to using it on himself in less than a minute. Something must have been seriously wrong with him to make him switch gears that fast without any hesitation at all.
The ambulance doors opened up about ten minutes later and the two medics were standing there along with a nurse who was holding the handles of a wheelchair. I shook my head back and forth at the wheelchair but the medics weren't going to back down this time like they had done earlier with the stretcher. They tried to help me get out of the ambulance but I refused their help. If they were going to make me use a wheelchair I was at least going to get in the damn thing under my own power.
As they wheeled me into the hospital, my hypothesis about Alex and his mental condition popped back into my mind. There had to have been something going on in his head that wasn't right and I had the distinct feeling that neither Kim nor I had seen the last of Alex. He may have been gone physically but the images were going to live on a lot longer and I just knew deep down that there was more to what had happened than I really understood.
One thing was for sure though and I could have easily switched places with Alex but something had intervened. Maybe Zordon was right and it wasn't Alex's mental state. Maybe the power really would always protect us...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------