"Flight 611A is will be boarding in ten minutes." The man's voice said over the loudspeaker above our heads. At the sound of my flight number, I felt my chest tighten again. My hands trembled as I stood, turning to face Tommy. "I don't think I can do this." I said, feeling the tears well up in my eyes again. He cupped my cheek in his hand, tilting my head up to look at him.

"Hey. You are going to be great. You are going to go to Florida, kick some ass and bring me back a gold medal." He said softly, a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "I'll be right here, rooting you on. And I'll try to fly down after the games to come see you."

"This is harder than I thought it was going to be." I said, trying my best to keep my sobs in. He wrapped his arms around me and they escaped into his chest. I clung to his white t-shirt as I cried, wishing I didn't have to leave this spot. I could take giving up my power coin. I could take leaving my friends. My parents weren't even an issue any more. Leaving Tommy though? I was ridiculous to think I could even do this. He held me against him, rubbing my back as he cried. I could hear the emotion in his breathing each time he inhaled. Shaky breathes followed that.

"Flight 611A is now boarding." The man's voice said. I felt my heart break as Tommy gently pulled me away so I was at arm's length.

"It's time to go, beautiful." He handed me a tissue from his pocket and I wiped my nose quickly. Shaking my head, I looked up at him.

"I can't do this. I can't go 3,000 miles away. I can't leave you."

"Yes, you can. You're going to get on that plane whether I have to drag you on it myself. Kim, this is your dream. You have to go after it or you are going to spend the rest of your life regretting it." I nodded, knowing he was right. "I will always be here for you. I'm a phone call away and maybe a teleport if Zordon doesn't know." He shot me a wink, causing a small giggle to escape my lips. Bending over, he picked up my carry on. "Come on."

Taking my hand, we walked towards the gate. I clutched his arm, leaning my head against his shoulder. We lingered behind everyone, watching them border. Raising our hands, he kissed the back of my hand. When we were the last ones, the man at the podium gave me an expectant look. "Are you bordering, dear?"

"Yeah." I answered, reluctantly giving him my bordering pass. He took it, looked it over and smiled at me. Handing it back, he stood by the door.

"You're the last one!"

"Just give me a minute?" I asked. He nodded, glancing at the clock. I turned to Tommy, seeing tears forming in his eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too. But I'm going to call and write so much you'll be sick of me in no time." He wiped at his eyes, trying to hide the tears. I wrapped my arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"I love you." I whispered, kissing his check.

"I love you too. Make me proud." Pulling back slightly, I pressed my lips against his. He pulled me tightly against him, all of his emotions coming out through our embrace. Tears slid down my face as Tommy gently nudged me towards the door. "I'll love you for the rest of my life. This is just the beginning of our story. I promise."

-X-

"I'm sorry I had to tell you this, Kim." Aisha's voice said in my ear. My hand holding the cordless phone hurt from the grip I had on it. The tears welling in my eyes burned as I maneuvered the wheelchair I was still using around my room. It bounced off the bed for the millionth time that day but I ignored it.

"It's fine, Aisha. Do you really think Tommy has feelings for her?" I asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"I do. They are spending a lot of time together. I didn't want you to find out from someone else. Billy, Rocky, Adam and I were worried and I knew I had to tell you." I heard some muffled voices on the other end. "Kim, I gotta go. My mom needs the phone. Call me later, okay? I'm so sorry." We bid our farewells before she hung up. I tossed the phone on the bed before erupting into quiet sobs. I cried so hard it made my back hurt, the stitches holding the skin of my back together fighting against my gut wrenching sobs. I was thankful my aunt was not home, leaving me alone in my misery. I had known this was coming. Before my accident, Aisha had mentioned that Tommy and Kat were spending a great deal of time together. I thought it was great but then it made me feel uneasy. It would be okay if I was there. Now that I was so far away, not so much. I'd been avoiding him though since my accident. It had been days since I'd last talked to him and when we did speak, I tried my best to make it sound like I was okay.

Slowly, I wheeled myself over to the desk in my room. I grabbed the stationary I used to write Tommy with and set it in my lap. Locking the chair, I slowly stood and climbed onto my bed. With blurry eyes, I wrote his name on the paper followed by the date. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to write without seeing, my tears too thick.

Dear Tommy,

Everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me ready as I'll every be for the competition. I hope you guys are doing well and that certain enemies aren't keeping you too busy.

Tommy, this is the hardest write I've ever had to write. You've always been my best friend and, in some ways, you're like a brother to me. But something has happened here that I can't explain. It's been both wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else. Tommy, you know I would never do anything to hurt you but I feel like I found he person I belong with. He's a wonderful, kind and caring person you'd really like. Everything would be perfect if it weren't for the fact of hurting you. I have to follow my heart but I will always care about you.

Tommy, please forgive me.

Love always,

Kimberly

Folding the letter, I tucked it into the matching envelop. Tears continued to streak down my face as I scrawled the address of the youth center on it. I thought about sending it to his house at first, but I knew he shouldn't be alone when he receives this. I couldn't bear the thought of the look on his face when he reads this. It was something I've been thinking about for a while now. It was useless to think that Tommy would want to be chained to me for the rest of my life, stuck with a wife who might not be able to walk in a few years. It wasn't fair to him to expect him to want to spend the rest of his life with me still. He's a good man though. I know he'd never break up with me because of that. This is what I needed to do to let him live his life.

Even if it's without me in it.