Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Power Rangers (*sob!*)

Summary: Some of the Rangers have to face one of their worst fears when tragedy strikes a former teammate.

Characters: I thought I might inform readers that Zordon, Alpha, Lord Zedd and Rita may make an appearance in following chapters (I'm not sure yet!)

*** * To Hell and Back -

Chapter Two: Rocky's Fear

* **

The Youth Centre was, as always, a scene of energy and activity. When Adam Park walked in, closely followed by Aisha, they found a couple of teenagers wrestling on the mats and a few of the little tables occupied.

Ernie was nowhere in sight, probably on his break, and another freckly kid that they recognized as an Angel Grove junior student was behind the counter.

"Hey, Adam, Aisha!" Tommy Oliver's voice called out.

They turned at the sound, and waved back at the pony-tailed Ranger, who was sitting at a table with Kat pretty close to the counter. They headed over, and Adam asked Tommy what the time was.

"Close to four," Tommy responded. "Why? Got a date?" he grinned.

"Yeah - with Rocky." Adam snorted. "He and I were supposed to go get my car fixed at four-thirty, and even Aisha here doesn't know where he is."

Aisha smiled. "I told you - I think he's at his parents', he's been owing them a visit for a long time. He'll be here soon."

Kat sipped some of her cola and leaned forward across the table. "Hey, 'Sha, did you call the apartment and check if Kim's feeling better?"

"I called around one," Aisha nodded, "But no one picked up, so I assumed she was either here dropping off the video with Ernie, or sleeping."

"Yeah, so did I," Kat grinned. "I hung up quickly too."

Adam laughed. "Kim does have one hell of a temper when you wake her up. I remember once, when she was still in Florida, I called her to wish her happy birthday, but I made a mistake with the time difference. And wouldn't you know it - I caught her at four A.M. She chewed me out! And then . . ."

"Hey - there's your man now." Tommy interrupted the amusing Kim-anecdote apologetically, suddenly waving. "Yo, Rock! Get over here."

As Rocky DeSantos approached, however, they noticed that a rather strange expression marred his good-looking features.

Aisha's eyes reflected her concern as her boyfriend dropped into a chair beside her and gave her a half-grin. The others simply stared at him, and he stared back, no one saying a word.

"All right, DeSantos," Adam said, confronting his best friend head-on. "What in God's name happened? You look like - like - well, the fact is, Rock, that you're looking rather strange and we've never seen this kind of expression on your face."

"Gee, thanks." The Ranger mumbled dryly.

Aisha ran a hand along his upper arm gently. "Rocky? What is it? What's wrong?"

He sighed. "I honestly don't know, 'Sha, that's the problem. I was just training at the dojo and at around noon, I went over to have lunch at my parents'. During lunch, I stared feeling - I dunno . . . uneasy. Like something had happened or there was something wrong, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It's still there now, and I'm definitely scared. I really think something's happened."

The others stared at him and then glanced at each other uneasily. They all knew Rocky had an uncanny sixth sense sometimes, especially in connection to the Rangers.

"You think something may have happened to one of the Rangers, present or former?" Kat asked gently.

"I don't know." Rocky gulped, looking genuinely worried. "Maybe."

"But who?" Kat wondered, her own fear beginning to show. She knew, like the others, that when Rocky got like this, he was usually right. "Five of us are here, right as day. Kim should be safe and sound at home, asleep, most likely. Tanya is in Montana with her grandparents; I spoke to her this afternoon - she must be all right."

Tommy frowned, ticking Rangers off on his fingers. "Billy's on Aquitar still, Zordon would have told us immediately if something had happened to him. It has to be one of the other former Rangers, Rock."

Rocky looked helpless. "I honestly can't place it, but it's strong and I know it's real."

"Well, Zack and Trini are still at the peace conference," Adam pointed out. "It's unlikely anything could have happened to them. But - what about Jason?"

"Jason's the most capable Ranger there ever was," Aisha said, trying to sound dismissive.

Kat and Rocky stood up. "We'll have to ask Alpha to check on all the former Rangers and Tanya too." Rocky said. "I won't be able to sleep until I find out what's wrong."

They went all ready to leave when the freckle-faced kid at the counter suddenly bolted upright. "Hey, Tommy!" he shouted out. "You guys might want to see this."

"What is it, Jack?" Aisha asked worriedly, as young Jack turned the small portable TV on the counter around to face them.

There was a field reporter on the screen, and she was standing at the door of the ICU until of a hospital. "The accident took place at about twelve- forty p.m," she was saying, "And involved a female passenger in her late teens driving a red Mustang and a middle-aged truck driver in a steel carrier. The collision was head-on."

The colour seemed to drain out of the young Rangers' faces. "My God . . ." Kat choked.

"The truck driver escaped with only a few broken ribs, but the female driver has been diagnosed as in a coma. Doctors do not believe she will last this night through, and she has still not been identified. The Mustang was registered in the name of Katherine Hillard, but the female passenger does not fit Ms. Hillard's licence description.

"If anyone knows this young woman, please contact the hospital immediately. There isn't much time."

A picture flashed onto the screen of a girl with thick brown hair that swirled around a beautiful face. Her eyes were closed, as if in death, and her face was pale, cut and bruises slightly in several places.

None of the Rangers needed a name to identify Kimberly Hart.

***

The hospital seemed to spin as the Rangers crowded in the waiting area, each panicking and each terrified in their own way.

A doctor emerged from the ICU doorway when a nurse went in to inform them of the visitors for the young woman.

"You must be Kimberly's friends," he said walking over to them and extending his hand. He was quite young, no more than thirty, but there were worry lines creasing his face and his eyes were dark. "I'm Dr. Drake. I'm the neurosurgeon assigned to your young friend, and I've been doing what I can for Kimberly, but while she remains in a coma, there's not much anyone can do."

"How badly was she hurt?" Adam asked quietly, his normal calm dominating his behaviour now. He shook hands with the doctor.

Dr. Drake winced. "She sustained a heavy concussion, and lost a lot of blood. A couple of her ribs were cracked and one may have pierced her lung; there was heavy internal bleeding." He stopped, but they could sense there was something else he had to tell them.

Tommy stood up from the chair, where he had a comforting arm wrapped around Kat, who was shaking and had tears shining in her eyes. "What are her chances, Doc?" he asked slowly.

"They're not good." The doctor said simply, his expression saddening. "All we can do is wait for her to fight back and succeed - thereby returning to us, or to flat-line. At this point, I don't think she'll make it through tonight."

"Oh God!" Aisha burst out, her legs buckling. She had her arms around Rocky, who was looking extremely pale and tearful. At the doctor's words, even Adam's calm seemed in danger of shattering.

It wasn't possible. Could they really - could they really lose Kim?"

The doctor bowed his head slightly. "I'll get back to you if there's any change at all. If you want, in about half an hour when the surgeons are done securing her ribs, you could go in and see her - one at a time."

He went back into the ICU, only turning around once to ask them if Kimberly's parents had been informed.

The Rangers sitting in the waiting room looked at each other, newly horror- stricken as they realized that they were not the only ones in the world who loved Kimberly. After a long silence, it was Adam who spoke, his voice admirably controlled.

"They have a right to know."

"You're right," Kat nodded, wiping tears from her eyes and straightening in the hospital chair. "Someone has to teleport to the Command Centre and tell Zordon and Alpha . . . oh, God, they'll be so upset. And - and Billy will have to be contacted, probably by Zordon."

Aisha looked at her. "Will you go to Zordon, Kat? And then come straight back here after you find out whether Billy can return tonight?"

The Pink Ranger nodded. "For Kim? Yeah, I'll do it." And she stood up and with one fearful glance at the closed ICU doors; she walked quickly out of the waiting room towards an empty room where she could teleport.

Adam left a moment later to try and reach Kimberly's parents. It would be a tough job, trying to get through to the Harts, but they needed to know.

"Trini and Zack need to be contacted at the Peace Conference," Rocky said numbly, looking up at the two other Rangers with a broken gaze. "They were Kim's original teammates, and Kim was like a sister to Trini."

"Was?" Aisha whispered. "Oh, Rocky, it's like she's already gone." She began to cry softly, but quickly regained control of herself.

Rocky reached up and hugged her tightly. They looked at each other for a second, and then Aisha glanced at Tommy. "I'll call Zack and Trini." She said abruptly. "And even though Tanya barely knew Kim, she'd want to know. I'll call her too, and I'll be back soon."

She turned and fairly raced out of the room, partly in an attempt to keep from bursting into sobs again right then and there, and partly for another reason.

Tommy watched Aisha go with a slight frown. "She was certainly eager to give them the news." He commented in a weak attempt to lighten the mood, which was futile anyway, because he felt like crap too.

"In a way, she was," Rocky said with a slight smile. "Because she knows that since I feel sort of responsible for sensing this, I'm staying right here - and that means she knows that you now have the hardest thing of all to do."

The other Ranger's eyes shadowed with confusion and apprehension. "What's the hardest thing, Rocky?"

Rocky gave him a sad, rather wry look. "Telling Jason."

**

T.B.C

**

A/N: 'Chapter Three: Forgive Me, Kim' will be up soon and will have 1st person POVs from some of the characters. Please R&R this chapter and tell me what you think. Feedback will be very much appreciated. Enjoy!