Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers, or the settings where they have
taken place. They are owned by Saban. I don't wish to get sued. The names
of the children and also Cristina are mine.
Setting: Between 1997-2060
F.Y.I: You are going to have to use your imagination a bit. In this story I have it so all the Rangers, new and old know each other for the most part. There are many flashbacks throughout this story also. ________________________________________________________________
"Rocky, they're here!" Cristina calls to me from the living room. I stand up from my chair and walk out to greet his grandson.
"Hi grandpa." Luke says smiling at me.
"Luke, how have you been?" I ask him giving him a hug.
"Wonderful thanks." He says. His wife walks in not more than 2 seconds after him greeting us.
"Elise, you are looking great dear." Cris says, giving her a hug.
"Thanks Grandma. You are too."
"Oh nonsense!" Cris says to her. "Come on in! Let me see her." She says eagerly.
"Alright." Luke says smiling. He takes the carrier from Elise and pulls back the visor and I get to see my great granddaughter for the very first time ever.
"She's beautiful!" Cris says.
"I'll have to agree with that!" I say.
"Do you want to hold her grandpa?" Luke asks.
"Sure!" I say, gently picking up Hailey. "Hey small fry." I say getting an instant response with her. She smiled at me for the first time. It is always a special time for you when your children, grandchildren and great grand children smile at you. There are now 4 generations of Desanto's in this family, and 3 of them are standing in my house. I pass Hailey to Cristina who cuddles her right up.
"Congratulations Kids!" I say one more time. "I wish I could stay, but I have to get to Lana and Daniels Karate Matches."
"No Problemo Grandpa! Tell them I wish them all good luck!"
"Will do." I say, kiss everyone, and walk out to my car and drive to the youth center. I can't believe that even after well over 50 years, I still am coming back to this place. Sure it has changed over the past few years, but it was still the same. I have practiced many times on these mats, and fought many a fights. I did not fight as much after Adam died, because my sparing partner was gone. Before he died, he critiqued Aisha on one of his moves, and she used me to practice.
"Rocky, come on please spar with me!" Aisha begs me.
"Aisha, I am going to kill you!" I tell her. "It won't be too fair of a fight!"
"Ok, how about we make a deal, you win, I buy dinner, I win you buy dinner." She says smiling.
Me, I am not one to pass up a free meal, so I say, "You're buying?"
"Yup." She tells me.
"Alright!" I say. She jumps up and heads to the mats.
We spar for a bit, but I am not giving her my all. Suddenly she does this move that I have only seen a few times before. Adam used it. That bastard must have taught her it! I was taken completely off guard and knocked to the ground. "Wow!" I shout.
"Like that move?" She asks, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"You're a thief!" I shout at her smiling. I look up at the table that Adam and Tommy are sitting at. He is also grinning at her and giving her a thumb up. "Alright little girl, you are in for it now! No more playing around." I say and give it my all. Unfortunately, my all wasn't enough and I got my ass kicked by her. and it was all because of that move. She helps me up, smiling up at me and says, "What are you gonna buy me for dinner?" j
"I can't believe you beat me. Thanks a lot ADAM!" I say shouting up at him. He just laughs and shakes his head. "What do you want?" I am still shocked that she beat me. We walk up to our usual table. "Damn Aisha, you really kicked his ass." Tommy says laughing.
"I know! Was there any doubt in your minds?"
"Not mine!" Adam says smiling.
"I can't believe you taught her your move." I say shaking my head.
"I had to teach someone, and I couldn't teach you."
"So you taught her!" I say laughing.
"Hey, I just taught it to her, she critiqued it." Adam tells me.
"Yeah, yeah." I say. "You ready to go and eat Aisha, I'm starving."
"Yeah sure." She says, grabbing her sweatshirt. "You guys want to come?" She asks.
"Um, nah we promised Kim we'd wait for her." Adam says.
"Yeah." Tommy says.
"Alright! See you all in a bit!" I say and we are off.
I am once again pulled away from my thoughts when I hear my granddaughters name come over the speakers, and I turn my full attention towards the mats. She did outstanding and won her match. She comes running up to us after the match,
"So, how did I do?" She asks.
"Lana, you did outstanding. I am very proud of you." I say giving her a kiss.
"Gracias grandpop." She says smiling.
"De nada." I repeat to her smiling. My grandson comes up to us next. "Dan, I am very proud of you too!"
"Thanks grandpop!" He says. "I didn't feel I did my best though."
"Well, just work for improvement next match."
"Yeah, I will." He says nodding.
"Well what do you say guy and gal, you ready to go home?" Angie asks them.
"Yeah. Let's go!" They both say at the same time and we leave the youth center.
That night I figured I should go pay a visit to the cemetery. I walk over to Aisha and Zack's grave site. Zack was the next one to go after Kimberly left us. It was a car accident. I have to say, Zack and I never were the best of friends. we always seemed to butt heads especially during the times I felt he wasn't treating Aisha like he should. There was this one time where he and I practically had an out and out fist fight. I over heard him and Aisha having a bit of an argument.
I was coming in to meet up with the gang and maybe spar a bit with Tommy or Jason when I walked into the youth center and heard Aisha and Zack arguing about something. I decided to listen and I heard.
"Can you blame me Zack? Your ex-girlfriend comes back and you forget my name!" Aisha shouts. I hang back and listen to them.
"I did NOT forget your name!" He says in his own defense.
"You started drooling over her Zack! I was standing right there!"
"You need your eyes checked out then Aisha because I was doing no such thing!"
"Yes you were! Zack you kissed her!"
"I haven't seen her in a while and it was a peck on the cheek! It was NOT a kiss!" He shouts at her.
"Yeah right!" She says turning her back on him. Just then Kimberly gets ready to head out of the Juice bar.
"Hey Kimberly, come here for a second!" I hear Zack call to her. Then he gives her a kiss on the cheek. "See Aisha? I give everyone I know a kiss on the cheek. What are you going to be jealous of this one too?" He shouts. "Do you see where I am coming from Kimbe.?" She cuts him off.
"Oh no, I am NOT getting mixed up in the fight!" Kim says to him and walks over to our usual table and sits down, watching Jason and Tommy sparing.
"Christ all mighty Aisha, I swear to you, I will begin thinking about going back with Angela if you start this jealousy shit! Hell, I could get anyone I want. you aren't that big of a."
"That's enough Zack." I say stepping in to take Aisha's defense. "How dare you talk to her like that."
"You know what Rocky; you are really pissing me off lately."
"That's because you have been treating her like absolute shit lately."
"It is NOT your place." Zack says taking a step closer to me. By that time I was fuming. "NOT MY PLACE!" I scream at him.
"Rocky STOP!" Aisha says to me.
"How is it NOT my place when you are dating my best friend? How is it not my place when you are kissing another girl who just happens to be an old girlfriend?"
"Rocky, please stop!" Aisha pleads with me.
"What the fuck were you doing? Listening to our entire conversation?" He shouts at me.
"Your damn right I was listening to it! You have absolutely NO right to talk to Aisha like that especially since it was your fault she is pissed at you! You are a horrible boyfriend. You don't even give a shit about her! You don't deserve her!"
"Do you want to step outside?" Zack asks me.
"You bet I would." I say, following him out.
"Guys.." Aisha shouts at us. "Please don't do this!" But its too late, we are already on the way to the parking lot.
"You ready for this Rocky?" Zack provokes me.
"You bet I am. I have wanted a reason to kick your ass ever since the second you started treating Aisha badly." I say. The next voice I hear is Tommy's.
"Guys stop it!" He says, trying to talk us down.
"Back off Tommy." Zack says to him.
"Yeah." I reply.
"Stop it guys!" I hear Jason's voice. "You guys are friends!"
"Why don't you tell them what you said to Aisha, Zack. See if they approve of it or not." I say, and with that he lunges at me, fists drawn, and part of me was glad he did. We each got in one good punch, his was to my eye, mine was to his nose. The next thing I felt was Tommy pulling me off him, and Jason grabbing Zack.
"Knock it the hell off you two! Stop it!" Tommy says.
I look around and see Aisha and Kim standing off to the side. Aisha is pissed, so is Kim.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Jason says. Zack lunges again. "Cool it Zack! Knock it off!"
"Get off of me Tommy." I say pulling my arm away from him, not intending to fight him anymore. I walk over to Aisha and hug her. "You stay the hell away from her Zack. She'll come back to you when she's ready."
As we walk back into the Youth Center, I hear Jason say, "What the hell was that about?"
"Rocky, you shouldn't have stepped in. You know I can take care of myself." She says.
"I don't see what you see in him Aisha!" I say to her.
"He's a really great guy Rocky!" She tells me, but I still can't see it. "He treats me great for the most part. We have our fights, but I do get jealous around his ex girlfriends!"
"And that's why he shouldn't be kissing them!" I raise my voice.
"It's not just him Rocky! It's both of us! You can't just blame him for the arguments!" She says.
"No it's not Aisha! It's all him!" I shout.
"You are only saying that because you have never liked him Rocky. You guys have never been great friends!" She says.
"Your right, and that's because I know how he treats you!" I say to her.
"All you see is the bad Rocky and that's because that is all you want to see! You don't want to see the real Zack and because of that he doesn't get along with you!" She says almost in tears.
"I don't like how he treats you Aisha." I say. "I am just looking out for you."
"I love him Rocky." She says to me. I was shocked because Aisha has never said she loved a guy before. "And if you love me you will try to get along with him."
That last part hit me like a ton of bricks. If you love me you will try and get along with him. She has never asked me to like a boyfriend of hers before or begged me to get along with him. "Aisha." I say looking her right in her eyes. I sigh, "Do you really like him that much?"
"Yes Rocky, I do." She says.
"Ok. I'll try and get to know him better." I say.
"Thank you Rocky." She says giving me a hug.
"BUT, if he ever hurts you, I will personally take care of it." I say.
"He won't." She says.
"I guess I have to go talk to him then." I say as I get up and walk out. Tommy, Jason and Kim are still out there. "Hey, can I have a few minutes with Zack please?" I ask.
"Yeah sure." Jason says as the others walk back into the Youth Center.
"What do you want?" Zack asks.
"I wanted to apologize." I say. "I shouldn't have gotten involved with your and her argument."
"Yeah, no kidding." He says, wiping the last bit of blood from his nose and turns his back.
"Aisha's my best friend."
"And she's my girlfriend." Zack says. "We are gonna have arguments! You can't."
"I know I can't!" I say. "But, she's more than my best friend, she is like a sister to me.
We have the exact same relationship as Kimberly and Jason do."
"Look. I know that you guys are close." He says, "And this fight wasn't all your fault. I really like Aisha, Rocky, and I would never do anything intentionally to her. I lost it today, and I feel horrible about it and I feel horrible that you and I got to a point that we were actually in a fist fight. I love her." He says to me.
"So do I. And I think it's in our best interest to actually try and get along for Aisha's sake. I know we will never be the best of friends, but."
"We could be friends, I know." He says sighing. "We could try it, but right now I have to go in and talk to Aisha." He says. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah, later." I say.
Just then he turns around and sticks out his hand. "I am sorry." He says. I take his hand, nod and say, "Yeah, me too."
From that moment on it was a new beginning for Zack and I. Yeah, we still had our tiffs, but we were ok.
The day of the car accident, Aisha called me horribly upset. I heard the phone ring, and picked it up. "Hello?" I ask.
"Rocky, its Aisha." She says. I knew by the sound of her voice that she has been crying.
"Aisha, what's wrong?" I ask.
"It's Zack." She says, taking a deep breath. "He was in a car accident."
"Is he ok?"
"I don't know, I am going to the hospital now, can you please meet me there? I don't want to be alone." She says crying.
"Yeah, I'll meet you there." I say.
"Thank you." She says and hangs up.
I run to my car and get in, driving to the hospital. I couldn't believe that he was hurt. Once I got to the hospital I ran through the doors and saw Aisha sitting there, just staring. I walk over to her and say, "Have you heard anything?"
She takes one look at me and breaks down. "No," she sobs. "They haven't told me anything. Rocky what if he dies?" She says.
"I'm sure he'll be fine Aisha." I say to her.
"He's 45! How could this have happened?" She asks me. I don't know what to say.
"Just don't think that way till you hear the news Aisha." I hug her.
About an hour later, her kids are there. Darrel drove the kids over.
"Mom." Tyra says running over. "How is he? Have you heard anything?"
"No baby I haven't." They all sit down around her in silence. After about another hour the doctor comes out.
"Mrs. Taylor. My name is Doctor Lee. I was the doctor working on your husband." He says.
"Is he." Aisha can't finish the sentence.
"I'm sorry, he died." He says. Aisha goes white and takes my hand.
"We tried everything we could, but his injuries were too severe. When he came in we had to restart his heart, which is never a good sign. Later, we found that he was bleeding internally from many of his organs. He died on the table at 5:32. I am very sorry." The Doctor says. "You can see him when you are ready." And with that he walks away.
Aisha starts crying as well as their kids. I almost cried myself. It broke my heart to see her in this much pain. She has not been this bad since Kim died, but this time it nearly killed her. Not only was her best friend and husband was gone now. After about 15 minutes she looks up at me and says, "We have to call everyone."
"I'll do it." I say. I first call Jason. They have been best friends for so long, I almost didn't want to tell him, but I felt that if I called anyone he should be it. Then it was Billy and Trini, and then Tommy and Danielle. They all came over to the hospital and viewed his body. Jason, Trini and Billy were extremely upset. They were now the last three original rangers left.
Zack Died on June 11 2025 and he was buried on the 14th, Flag Day. Aisha was never the same after his death. She has been through so much over the past few years, first with losing Adam, then Kimberly and now Zack. We all lost them, but for her, they were her 3 best friends, excluding myself. She lost a sister, a lover, and a brother.
I always counted my blessings every night and I felt that I was the luckiest man in the entire world. Adam never got to start a family, Kimberly never was able to see her children grow up, and Zack would never see his children graduate College and some High School, but I was there for everything. I even saw my children and a grandchild get married. I can honestly say if I died tomorrow, I was the happiest man in the entire world.
I kneel and run my hand over Aisha's side of the gravestone. She died when she was 64. The doctors told us she passed away because of old age, but I knew better. She died of a broken heart. I remember her calling me the night before she died, and I can remember exactly what she told me.
"Rocky, do you ever feel like you just can't do it anymore?" She asks me, her voice flowing over the receiver.
"Yeah Aisha, there are days, but my family makes it better. I remember everyone who I love is around me." I tell her but I stop and finish with "Well, not everyone, but still, you know what I mean. What brought this on?" I ask.
"I just am so tired Rocky. I am so tired of being alone. I am sick of watching all my friends die." She says.
"That's life Aisha. People always die, but you have to concentrate on the happy times of your life, not the sad times.
"I haven't been myself since Zack died. You know this." She tells me.
"Yeah, I know, but you have your kids. You have your grandkids too!" I tell her.
"Yeah, your right, but I still feel like a part of me is empty. Maybe I'm just crazy." She says. "I just feel like I'm going to be gone soon."
"You have many healthy years ahead of you."
"I wish you could guarantee me that, but everything I have lived for is gone. I saw my children grow up and my grandchildren. My husband has been dead for years, and I sit in my house alone most of the times." She tells me.
"Seriously Aisha, stop talking like this. You know you have years to go." I say getting fearful of where her conversation was going.
"I'm just ready to die. I want to be with Adam, Kim and Zack again. That's crazy isn't it?" She says.
"No Aisha it isn't. If I lost Cristina I would probably be ready to die too." I say sighing.
"Well listen Rocky, I am exhausted. I think I am gonna go to bed. I love you." She says to me.
"I love you too Aisha, and I'll talk to you tomorrow." I tell her.
"Night."
"Goodnight." I say and hang up the phone.
The next day, she was gone too. It was August 21, 2034. On that day, I lost my friend who I have known since we were in fifth grade. The girl who I have been through thick and thin with was gone, and I felt lost without her. This was the same way I felt when Adam had died all those years ago. Sure, I still had Billy, Trini, Tommy, Jason and Katherine, but none of them could even come close to the friendship that Aisha Adam and I shared. They were best friends, but not family. I lost my sister and my brother.
I stand up from their grave, put my fingers to my lips and place them on the headstone. With a glance back I slowly walk away from their grave and over to another one..
TBC
Setting: Between 1997-2060
F.Y.I: You are going to have to use your imagination a bit. In this story I have it so all the Rangers, new and old know each other for the most part. There are many flashbacks throughout this story also. ________________________________________________________________
"Rocky, they're here!" Cristina calls to me from the living room. I stand up from my chair and walk out to greet his grandson.
"Hi grandpa." Luke says smiling at me.
"Luke, how have you been?" I ask him giving him a hug.
"Wonderful thanks." He says. His wife walks in not more than 2 seconds after him greeting us.
"Elise, you are looking great dear." Cris says, giving her a hug.
"Thanks Grandma. You are too."
"Oh nonsense!" Cris says to her. "Come on in! Let me see her." She says eagerly.
"Alright." Luke says smiling. He takes the carrier from Elise and pulls back the visor and I get to see my great granddaughter for the very first time ever.
"She's beautiful!" Cris says.
"I'll have to agree with that!" I say.
"Do you want to hold her grandpa?" Luke asks.
"Sure!" I say, gently picking up Hailey. "Hey small fry." I say getting an instant response with her. She smiled at me for the first time. It is always a special time for you when your children, grandchildren and great grand children smile at you. There are now 4 generations of Desanto's in this family, and 3 of them are standing in my house. I pass Hailey to Cristina who cuddles her right up.
"Congratulations Kids!" I say one more time. "I wish I could stay, but I have to get to Lana and Daniels Karate Matches."
"No Problemo Grandpa! Tell them I wish them all good luck!"
"Will do." I say, kiss everyone, and walk out to my car and drive to the youth center. I can't believe that even after well over 50 years, I still am coming back to this place. Sure it has changed over the past few years, but it was still the same. I have practiced many times on these mats, and fought many a fights. I did not fight as much after Adam died, because my sparing partner was gone. Before he died, he critiqued Aisha on one of his moves, and she used me to practice.
"Rocky, come on please spar with me!" Aisha begs me.
"Aisha, I am going to kill you!" I tell her. "It won't be too fair of a fight!"
"Ok, how about we make a deal, you win, I buy dinner, I win you buy dinner." She says smiling.
Me, I am not one to pass up a free meal, so I say, "You're buying?"
"Yup." She tells me.
"Alright!" I say. She jumps up and heads to the mats.
We spar for a bit, but I am not giving her my all. Suddenly she does this move that I have only seen a few times before. Adam used it. That bastard must have taught her it! I was taken completely off guard and knocked to the ground. "Wow!" I shout.
"Like that move?" She asks, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"You're a thief!" I shout at her smiling. I look up at the table that Adam and Tommy are sitting at. He is also grinning at her and giving her a thumb up. "Alright little girl, you are in for it now! No more playing around." I say and give it my all. Unfortunately, my all wasn't enough and I got my ass kicked by her. and it was all because of that move. She helps me up, smiling up at me and says, "What are you gonna buy me for dinner?" j
"I can't believe you beat me. Thanks a lot ADAM!" I say shouting up at him. He just laughs and shakes his head. "What do you want?" I am still shocked that she beat me. We walk up to our usual table. "Damn Aisha, you really kicked his ass." Tommy says laughing.
"I know! Was there any doubt in your minds?"
"Not mine!" Adam says smiling.
"I can't believe you taught her your move." I say shaking my head.
"I had to teach someone, and I couldn't teach you."
"So you taught her!" I say laughing.
"Hey, I just taught it to her, she critiqued it." Adam tells me.
"Yeah, yeah." I say. "You ready to go and eat Aisha, I'm starving."
"Yeah sure." She says, grabbing her sweatshirt. "You guys want to come?" She asks.
"Um, nah we promised Kim we'd wait for her." Adam says.
"Yeah." Tommy says.
"Alright! See you all in a bit!" I say and we are off.
I am once again pulled away from my thoughts when I hear my granddaughters name come over the speakers, and I turn my full attention towards the mats. She did outstanding and won her match. She comes running up to us after the match,
"So, how did I do?" She asks.
"Lana, you did outstanding. I am very proud of you." I say giving her a kiss.
"Gracias grandpop." She says smiling.
"De nada." I repeat to her smiling. My grandson comes up to us next. "Dan, I am very proud of you too!"
"Thanks grandpop!" He says. "I didn't feel I did my best though."
"Well, just work for improvement next match."
"Yeah, I will." He says nodding.
"Well what do you say guy and gal, you ready to go home?" Angie asks them.
"Yeah. Let's go!" They both say at the same time and we leave the youth center.
That night I figured I should go pay a visit to the cemetery. I walk over to Aisha and Zack's grave site. Zack was the next one to go after Kimberly left us. It was a car accident. I have to say, Zack and I never were the best of friends. we always seemed to butt heads especially during the times I felt he wasn't treating Aisha like he should. There was this one time where he and I practically had an out and out fist fight. I over heard him and Aisha having a bit of an argument.
I was coming in to meet up with the gang and maybe spar a bit with Tommy or Jason when I walked into the youth center and heard Aisha and Zack arguing about something. I decided to listen and I heard.
"Can you blame me Zack? Your ex-girlfriend comes back and you forget my name!" Aisha shouts. I hang back and listen to them.
"I did NOT forget your name!" He says in his own defense.
"You started drooling over her Zack! I was standing right there!"
"You need your eyes checked out then Aisha because I was doing no such thing!"
"Yes you were! Zack you kissed her!"
"I haven't seen her in a while and it was a peck on the cheek! It was NOT a kiss!" He shouts at her.
"Yeah right!" She says turning her back on him. Just then Kimberly gets ready to head out of the Juice bar.
"Hey Kimberly, come here for a second!" I hear Zack call to her. Then he gives her a kiss on the cheek. "See Aisha? I give everyone I know a kiss on the cheek. What are you going to be jealous of this one too?" He shouts. "Do you see where I am coming from Kimbe.?" She cuts him off.
"Oh no, I am NOT getting mixed up in the fight!" Kim says to him and walks over to our usual table and sits down, watching Jason and Tommy sparing.
"Christ all mighty Aisha, I swear to you, I will begin thinking about going back with Angela if you start this jealousy shit! Hell, I could get anyone I want. you aren't that big of a."
"That's enough Zack." I say stepping in to take Aisha's defense. "How dare you talk to her like that."
"You know what Rocky; you are really pissing me off lately."
"That's because you have been treating her like absolute shit lately."
"It is NOT your place." Zack says taking a step closer to me. By that time I was fuming. "NOT MY PLACE!" I scream at him.
"Rocky STOP!" Aisha says to me.
"How is it NOT my place when you are dating my best friend? How is it not my place when you are kissing another girl who just happens to be an old girlfriend?"
"Rocky, please stop!" Aisha pleads with me.
"What the fuck were you doing? Listening to our entire conversation?" He shouts at me.
"Your damn right I was listening to it! You have absolutely NO right to talk to Aisha like that especially since it was your fault she is pissed at you! You are a horrible boyfriend. You don't even give a shit about her! You don't deserve her!"
"Do you want to step outside?" Zack asks me.
"You bet I would." I say, following him out.
"Guys.." Aisha shouts at us. "Please don't do this!" But its too late, we are already on the way to the parking lot.
"You ready for this Rocky?" Zack provokes me.
"You bet I am. I have wanted a reason to kick your ass ever since the second you started treating Aisha badly." I say. The next voice I hear is Tommy's.
"Guys stop it!" He says, trying to talk us down.
"Back off Tommy." Zack says to him.
"Yeah." I reply.
"Stop it guys!" I hear Jason's voice. "You guys are friends!"
"Why don't you tell them what you said to Aisha, Zack. See if they approve of it or not." I say, and with that he lunges at me, fists drawn, and part of me was glad he did. We each got in one good punch, his was to my eye, mine was to his nose. The next thing I felt was Tommy pulling me off him, and Jason grabbing Zack.
"Knock it the hell off you two! Stop it!" Tommy says.
I look around and see Aisha and Kim standing off to the side. Aisha is pissed, so is Kim.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Jason says. Zack lunges again. "Cool it Zack! Knock it off!"
"Get off of me Tommy." I say pulling my arm away from him, not intending to fight him anymore. I walk over to Aisha and hug her. "You stay the hell away from her Zack. She'll come back to you when she's ready."
As we walk back into the Youth Center, I hear Jason say, "What the hell was that about?"
"Rocky, you shouldn't have stepped in. You know I can take care of myself." She says.
"I don't see what you see in him Aisha!" I say to her.
"He's a really great guy Rocky!" She tells me, but I still can't see it. "He treats me great for the most part. We have our fights, but I do get jealous around his ex girlfriends!"
"And that's why he shouldn't be kissing them!" I raise my voice.
"It's not just him Rocky! It's both of us! You can't just blame him for the arguments!" She says.
"No it's not Aisha! It's all him!" I shout.
"You are only saying that because you have never liked him Rocky. You guys have never been great friends!" She says.
"Your right, and that's because I know how he treats you!" I say to her.
"All you see is the bad Rocky and that's because that is all you want to see! You don't want to see the real Zack and because of that he doesn't get along with you!" She says almost in tears.
"I don't like how he treats you Aisha." I say. "I am just looking out for you."
"I love him Rocky." She says to me. I was shocked because Aisha has never said she loved a guy before. "And if you love me you will try to get along with him."
That last part hit me like a ton of bricks. If you love me you will try and get along with him. She has never asked me to like a boyfriend of hers before or begged me to get along with him. "Aisha." I say looking her right in her eyes. I sigh, "Do you really like him that much?"
"Yes Rocky, I do." She says.
"Ok. I'll try and get to know him better." I say.
"Thank you Rocky." She says giving me a hug.
"BUT, if he ever hurts you, I will personally take care of it." I say.
"He won't." She says.
"I guess I have to go talk to him then." I say as I get up and walk out. Tommy, Jason and Kim are still out there. "Hey, can I have a few minutes with Zack please?" I ask.
"Yeah sure." Jason says as the others walk back into the Youth Center.
"What do you want?" Zack asks.
"I wanted to apologize." I say. "I shouldn't have gotten involved with your and her argument."
"Yeah, no kidding." He says, wiping the last bit of blood from his nose and turns his back.
"Aisha's my best friend."
"And she's my girlfriend." Zack says. "We are gonna have arguments! You can't."
"I know I can't!" I say. "But, she's more than my best friend, she is like a sister to me.
We have the exact same relationship as Kimberly and Jason do."
"Look. I know that you guys are close." He says, "And this fight wasn't all your fault. I really like Aisha, Rocky, and I would never do anything intentionally to her. I lost it today, and I feel horrible about it and I feel horrible that you and I got to a point that we were actually in a fist fight. I love her." He says to me.
"So do I. And I think it's in our best interest to actually try and get along for Aisha's sake. I know we will never be the best of friends, but."
"We could be friends, I know." He says sighing. "We could try it, but right now I have to go in and talk to Aisha." He says. "I'll see you later."
"Yeah, later." I say.
Just then he turns around and sticks out his hand. "I am sorry." He says. I take his hand, nod and say, "Yeah, me too."
From that moment on it was a new beginning for Zack and I. Yeah, we still had our tiffs, but we were ok.
The day of the car accident, Aisha called me horribly upset. I heard the phone ring, and picked it up. "Hello?" I ask.
"Rocky, its Aisha." She says. I knew by the sound of her voice that she has been crying.
"Aisha, what's wrong?" I ask.
"It's Zack." She says, taking a deep breath. "He was in a car accident."
"Is he ok?"
"I don't know, I am going to the hospital now, can you please meet me there? I don't want to be alone." She says crying.
"Yeah, I'll meet you there." I say.
"Thank you." She says and hangs up.
I run to my car and get in, driving to the hospital. I couldn't believe that he was hurt. Once I got to the hospital I ran through the doors and saw Aisha sitting there, just staring. I walk over to her and say, "Have you heard anything?"
She takes one look at me and breaks down. "No," she sobs. "They haven't told me anything. Rocky what if he dies?" She says.
"I'm sure he'll be fine Aisha." I say to her.
"He's 45! How could this have happened?" She asks me. I don't know what to say.
"Just don't think that way till you hear the news Aisha." I hug her.
About an hour later, her kids are there. Darrel drove the kids over.
"Mom." Tyra says running over. "How is he? Have you heard anything?"
"No baby I haven't." They all sit down around her in silence. After about another hour the doctor comes out.
"Mrs. Taylor. My name is Doctor Lee. I was the doctor working on your husband." He says.
"Is he." Aisha can't finish the sentence.
"I'm sorry, he died." He says. Aisha goes white and takes my hand.
"We tried everything we could, but his injuries were too severe. When he came in we had to restart his heart, which is never a good sign. Later, we found that he was bleeding internally from many of his organs. He died on the table at 5:32. I am very sorry." The Doctor says. "You can see him when you are ready." And with that he walks away.
Aisha starts crying as well as their kids. I almost cried myself. It broke my heart to see her in this much pain. She has not been this bad since Kim died, but this time it nearly killed her. Not only was her best friend and husband was gone now. After about 15 minutes she looks up at me and says, "We have to call everyone."
"I'll do it." I say. I first call Jason. They have been best friends for so long, I almost didn't want to tell him, but I felt that if I called anyone he should be it. Then it was Billy and Trini, and then Tommy and Danielle. They all came over to the hospital and viewed his body. Jason, Trini and Billy were extremely upset. They were now the last three original rangers left.
Zack Died on June 11 2025 and he was buried on the 14th, Flag Day. Aisha was never the same after his death. She has been through so much over the past few years, first with losing Adam, then Kimberly and now Zack. We all lost them, but for her, they were her 3 best friends, excluding myself. She lost a sister, a lover, and a brother.
I always counted my blessings every night and I felt that I was the luckiest man in the entire world. Adam never got to start a family, Kimberly never was able to see her children grow up, and Zack would never see his children graduate College and some High School, but I was there for everything. I even saw my children and a grandchild get married. I can honestly say if I died tomorrow, I was the happiest man in the entire world.
I kneel and run my hand over Aisha's side of the gravestone. She died when she was 64. The doctors told us she passed away because of old age, but I knew better. She died of a broken heart. I remember her calling me the night before she died, and I can remember exactly what she told me.
"Rocky, do you ever feel like you just can't do it anymore?" She asks me, her voice flowing over the receiver.
"Yeah Aisha, there are days, but my family makes it better. I remember everyone who I love is around me." I tell her but I stop and finish with "Well, not everyone, but still, you know what I mean. What brought this on?" I ask.
"I just am so tired Rocky. I am so tired of being alone. I am sick of watching all my friends die." She says.
"That's life Aisha. People always die, but you have to concentrate on the happy times of your life, not the sad times.
"I haven't been myself since Zack died. You know this." She tells me.
"Yeah, I know, but you have your kids. You have your grandkids too!" I tell her.
"Yeah, your right, but I still feel like a part of me is empty. Maybe I'm just crazy." She says. "I just feel like I'm going to be gone soon."
"You have many healthy years ahead of you."
"I wish you could guarantee me that, but everything I have lived for is gone. I saw my children grow up and my grandchildren. My husband has been dead for years, and I sit in my house alone most of the times." She tells me.
"Seriously Aisha, stop talking like this. You know you have years to go." I say getting fearful of where her conversation was going.
"I'm just ready to die. I want to be with Adam, Kim and Zack again. That's crazy isn't it?" She says.
"No Aisha it isn't. If I lost Cristina I would probably be ready to die too." I say sighing.
"Well listen Rocky, I am exhausted. I think I am gonna go to bed. I love you." She says to me.
"I love you too Aisha, and I'll talk to you tomorrow." I tell her.
"Night."
"Goodnight." I say and hang up the phone.
The next day, she was gone too. It was August 21, 2034. On that day, I lost my friend who I have known since we were in fifth grade. The girl who I have been through thick and thin with was gone, and I felt lost without her. This was the same way I felt when Adam had died all those years ago. Sure, I still had Billy, Trini, Tommy, Jason and Katherine, but none of them could even come close to the friendship that Aisha Adam and I shared. They were best friends, but not family. I lost my sister and my brother.
I stand up from their grave, put my fingers to my lips and place them on the headstone. With a glance back I slowly walk away from their grave and over to another one..
TBC