Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty-eight of "Not Here." I'm glad it took just six days to get out. I made changes to the ultrasound scene in chapter thirty-six. Instead of hearing the twins' heartbeats on the ultrasound, Andros and Ashley see flickers of them on it as I learned a baby's heartbeat can't be heard until eight weeks into a pregnancy. I changed the scene where Johnny bullies Kendrix to where he holds her chemistry book above her head instead of hitting her in chapter thirty-seven. This chapter has some Andros/Ashley. Stay tuned for chapter thirty-nine.

XXXXX

Chapter 38: Every Which Way

Andros observed two boys down the neighborhood sidewalk on skateboards twenty-five minutes later. Ashley looked over ultrasound pictures of the twins. He reached the intersection. He stopped quickly as she patted them straight and grabbed an envelope from beside her purse. She put them inside before closing it. She laid it in her lap.

He pushed the blinker bar down, and the left blinker began to flash. He looked both ways and turned left. The blinker's flashing came to a stop. Ashley looked out her window to see four boys playing double Dutch in a driveway. Two boys were moving the jump ropes while the other two jumped them. Andros saw them too.

"Talk about four handsome boys," Ashley said in a warm voice.

"You said it," Andros agreed as they looked ahead. "I remember when you and the others introduced double Dutch to me. I had a hard time jumping over the ropes." He chuckled at that memory.

"I gave you a few lessons on that as I used to do double Dutch when I was a little girl," Ashley responded. "You became really good at it." She winked at him.

He licked his lips. "Unfortunately, Zhane and Karone never did. No matter how hard they tried, they just couldn't do it." He moved his hands to the bottom of the steering wheel.

"At least they tried. That's what matters. After all, no one likes a quitter," she pointed out.

"Rest assured that I will never allow our children to quit anything unless they are absolutely sure they have done the best they can and can't go any further," he declared.

She smiled. "Great."

Ashley leaned over to kiss Andros on the cheek. She rubbed the same spot before settling back in her seat. Andros saw the Hammond residence coming into view. He turned right into the driveway. He switched off the engine. He looked at her, and she turned to him.

"I have to say today was the most unbelievable day of my life," Andros said honestly. "We were expecting to see one baby on the ultrasound, but we saw two."

"I know," Ashley whispered, sniffling softly. She looked down at her stomach and placed her hand on it. She rubbed it very lightly. "We have double the joy now." A tear fell down her cheek. "Who would've thought two Power Rangers would become teen parents to twins?"

"I do know one thing. Our families will likely be shocked at this news," Andros commented seriously.

Ashley sighed sadly. "I have to be honest, Andros. It will be virtually impossible for us to care for the twins while we go to college." She choked back a sob.

Andros exhaled sharply as she looked at him. "I agree. As much as I want to go, caring for our children is much more important to me right now. We can go at a later time. There's no rule that says we have to go to college after we graduate from high school."

"Yeah," Ashley said with a nod. "Look at Billy. He's busy traveling the country. He's told everyone he'll attend college once he feels he's ready." She smiled lightly.

"At least air and space travel have been proven to be safe for pregnant women. I would like to visit KO-35 at some point during your pregnancy," Andros said with a small laugh.

"I'd like that too," Ashley replied. "Just don't let everyone go crazy with what I am doing."

"Don't worry," Andros assured gently. "I won't."

Andros reached over and took Ashley's hand into his. He gave it such a light squeeze that it seemed he hadn't.

"So, we'll postpone college for several years. Then we'll attend, so we can chase our dream careers," Andros said.

"We'll have to put the children in daycare because I'll need to find a job after they are born," Ashley pointed out.

"That's true, but daycare can be very beneficial as they'll be able to interact with other kids," Andros said calmly. "I'm going to look for a full-time job after graduation. There is always a chance I will find a job that pays well enough to allow you to stay home." He moved his eyebrows up and down.

"It was sweet of Bulk and Skull to offer to babysit. What they don't realize is they'll be dealing with two children instead of one," Ashley said in some seriousness.

"Yes, but I don't think they'd mind that at all," Andros said, tightening his grip on her hand somewhat. "In fact, they may find babysitting twins to be more fun."

"I never thought of it that way," she whispered, letting out a small yawn. "Man, am I tired." She rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to bed fairly early tonight."

"Me too," he agreed while yawning widely. He smacked his lips. "I do want to tell my family about the twins, though."

"So do I," Ashley said, chuckling as she patted her stomach. "I can take comfort in the fact I'm not suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum. Mom once told me it was a sign a woman was expecting more than one baby." She swallowed hard.

"Are you going to tell Cassie about the twins?" Andros wondered.

"Yes, I am. In fact, she asked me to call her and tell her about the baby after I got home," Ashley explained.

"Well, you better get to it," Andros said, bringing her hand to his lips for a kiss. "I want to tell TJ and Karone, so I can show them the ultrasound pictures. Don't worry. The pictures are in the glove compartment."

"Great," Ashley said as he let go of it. "I'll see you later."

Ashley grabbed her purse and undid her seatbelt. She grabbed the envelope and exited the car. She approached the front door and gazed at Andros. He started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. She watched him go down the street until he was gone. She turned to the door. She reached into her purse to get her keys. She looked through them until she found the right one.

She unlocked the door and opened it, its hinges squeaking quietly. She slipped her keys back into her purse before closing it and locking it. She went upstairs. She went to her room, tossing it and the envelope on her bed. She was about to go to the phone when she heard her stomach growling loudly. She also started to get a craving for crackers and ketchup.

She chuckled to herself. She knew she'd never get used to weird food combos or getting sick, but she would just have to deal with both. At least she could take comfort in the fact that her morning sickness would stop by the third month of her pregnancy. Then again, there was always a chance it could continue throughout it or return at some point.

Ashley decided that calling Cassie could wait. She went downstairs and into the kitchen. She approached the refrigerator to open it. She got out the ketchup before closing it with a slam. She grabbed a knife from the silverware drawer before going to the bar to for a paper plate and the crackers. She got eight out of the box and set them on the plate. She laid the knife aside and opened the ketchup. She started squirting it on the crackers.

00000

Andros pulled into the Johnson residence's driveway within three minutes. He stopped behind Karone's red car, which was Mercedes and new. He turned off the engine and looked toward TJ's brown truck, which was Chevy and somewhat faded. He shifted his attention toward the front door.

He pressed his lips together while grabbing the back of his neck with both hands. He was a little nervous with telling TJ and Karone about him and Ashley having twins. At the same time, he was determined to do it. After all, they had a right to know.

He undid his seatbelt and looked toward the glove compartment. He reached over to open it. He grabbed the envelope containing the ultrasound pictures before slamming it shut. He got out of the car and approached the front door. He grabbed his keys from his pocket. He searched through them before finding the right one.

Andros unlocked the door and opened it, its hinges squeaking somewhat. He walked in and found TJ and Karone engaged in a thumb-wrestling contest while sitting on the couch. He closed it behind him and locked it. They looked at him as he approached the coffee table.

"Hey, Andros," TJ greeted.

"How did the ultrasound go?" Karone asked and pinned his thumb. They looked at each other. "One, two, three. I win! I got you this time!"

"You sure did," TJ said and pulled his hand out of her grasp. "Just don't get smug." He pointed his finger at her. "It will bite you on the ass."

"Sure, it will," Karone commented sarcastically.

"It will," TJ said and laid his hand in his lap. "It will happen when you least expect it."

Karone waved TJ off, getting a laugh from him. They pointed their fingers at each other as if they were guns. They imitated gunshots. Andros scoffed in annoyance. He didn't want to deal with their antics right now. He whistled, which got their attention. TJ and Karone glanced at him.

"You guys wanted to know about the ultrasound. I'm ready to tell you," Andros commented.

"Okay. How did it go?" TJ wondered. He reached over and grabbed his diet coke off the end table. He sipped it before smacking his lips.

"It went very well. Ashley is exactly seven weeks along. She is due July 22," Andros explained.

"That's great. Summertime is the best time to celebrate a birthday. You don't have to worry about it being on a school day," Karone said happily.

"Let's see those ultrasound pictures you promised," TJ requested eagerly and clapped three times.

"Before I do that, there's something else I need to tell you," Andros said, looking very serious.

"What do you mean?" Karone asked in confusion.

"It's a little complicated," Andros muttered, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Come on, Andros. You can tell us," TJ assured.

"Yes, tell us," Karone added, clasping her hands together and laying them in her lap. "We can deal with it."

"Ashley and I are having twins," Andros mumbled, his body turning tense.

"What?" TJ asked as he drank more of his coke.

"Ashley and I are having twins!" Andros shouted.

Without warning, TJ turned and spit coke out of his mouth. He shifted his attention back to Andros. He and Karone stared at him shockingly. They wondered if they heard wrong. They took a closer look at him and realized he was telling the truth. Andros showed some nervousness. TJ put his coke on the coffee table.

"I know you weren't expecting this, but I didn't want to leave this detail out," Andros said honestly. "It shocked Ashley and me just as much as it did you two."

Karone grabbed her hair with both hands. "No shit, Sherlock."

"You said it, Karone," TJ agreed. "Taking care of one baby is hard enough, but taking care of twins is difficult."

Andros sighed heavily. "I know that, TJ. Before either of you say anything about college, Ashley and I have already decided to postpone it for several years." He sniffled. "We want to go so much, but our children are much more important right now."

"It's understandable you want to focus on your children. The good thing about college is you can go at any age," TJ pointed out.

"What about Ashley, bro? Is she going to try to find a job after the babies are born? Will you need to put them in daycare?" Karone wondered, laying her hands in her lap.

"She mentioned that. I can tell you one thing. I am determined to find a full-time job after graduation. However, I need one that pays more than eight bucks an hour. Children cost a lot of money," Andros said.

TJ became thoughtful. "Maybe Adelle could allow you to work full time until you find that job." He raised an eyebrow.

"I have no doubt she'd enjoy having you work for her all day," Karone added, a small smile crossing her lips.

"I agree. She has told me several times that I am doing a great job," Andros said, happiness showing in his voice. "She mentioned that she's never seen anyone clean a table as fast as I did this morning. She even told me not to go too fast because I'll burn out."

TJ and Karone couldn't hold back chuckles. They were glad Adelle was doing a great job looking after Andros. They knew he wouldn't have done so well had he been working for an unpleasant boss. They would always be grateful to Adelle for giving him a job when he needed one the most.

"Just like before, I'm with you all the way, Andros," TJ declared.

Karone sat up tall and proud. "So am I. After all, I'm going to be an aunt to two little babies." She winked at her brother.

"Thanks, guys," Andros said, choking back a sob. "You don't know how much I appreciate your support. If you hadn't—"

"Stop with the chitchat. Let's see the ultrasound pictures of those babies!" TJ shouted with great eagerness.

Andros laughed heartily. "Okay."

Andros headed over to the couch. TJ and Karone scooted over to make room. They watched him sit down. Andros set his keys on the coffee table. He opened the envelope, pulling out the pictures. He handed them to Karone, who showed the first one to TJ.

"Look. Here's the first baby," Karone said, tapping on the top. She gestured toward the baby's underside. "Here's the rest of its body."

"Here's the second baby," TJ said, pointing at the bottom. He motioned toward that baby's underside. "There's the rest of its body." He chuckled. "Gosh. They look so tiny."

"No denying that. They'll be here in a little over seven months," Karone said, her voice showing some excitement. She put the picture behind the others to reveal the second one. She smiled warmly. "This picture shows a clearer image of the babies." She gave it to TJ, who showed much awe.

"You're not kidding, Karone," TJ commented, tapping his fingers on the babies. "They are as clear as daylight in this one."

"The best thing about the twins is both of them are growing normally," Andros said, sighing in relief.

"How wonderful, bro," Karone said, looking toward him along with TJ.

"Why am I getting this feeling there is a but coming on?" TJ wondered.

"Kai is keeping a closer eye on Ashley since she is eighteen and carrying twins. She will be at some risk for premature birth as her pregnancy progresses into the later months. She will have an ultrasound once a month," Andros explained, becoming sad.

"That's unfortunate," TJ whispered sympathetically. "At least Kai cares enough to keep an eye on Ashley throughout her pregnancy."

"The examinations won't cost a cent. Kai has no doubt her parents' health care plan will be approved," Andros added, running his hand over his face. "On top of that, he was once a teen father himself. He and his wife, Brittany, had a daughter, An-Mei, at nineteen."

"That's incredible!" Karone exclaimed.

"That explains why he has so much sympathy for teen parents," TJ said, tapping his foot on the floor twice.

"Yeah," Andros agreed with a nod. "An-Mei is sixteen and attends Angel Grove High." He folded his hands and laid them in his lap. "I hope we get to meet her someday."

"That'd be really neat," TJ said in awe.

"It sure would," Karone said, squealing in delight. "Until them, we'll just marvel over the ultrasound pictures."

TJ gave the picture back to Karone, who put it behind the others. They started talking about the third one.