Kim wasn't sure what to make of Jay's mood. After
returning from Trini's last night he'd gone straight to bed without any of
his usual arguments, about the unfairness of bedtimes in the summer.
When he awoke this morning, he was cheerful and happy as any boy should be
on his thirteenth birthday. Kim wasn't sure, but she got the
feeling that something profound had happened last evening. She wasn't
sure what it was, but something inside her said that it was important.
Leaning against the doorframe, she watched as Zack, Adam, and Tommy tried in vain to put up a tent pavilion in their spacious back yard. Kim took a moment to look around the house where she lived now. It was much larger than the one where Jay had been born, with a bigger back yard and an Olympic sized swimming pool- Tommy's idea. They'd moved several years after Jay had been born, when it became clear that Red Dragon Dojo was going to be successful.
Kim smiled at that idea. In some strange way, Billy had gotten his wish; Jason and Tommy had finally put their differences aside, and had finally gone into business together- re-establishing a close friendship that had been strained to the breaking point. Tommy hung up his racing helmet and Jason closed an extremely successful architecture firm so the two men could open one of the most successful martial arts schools since Chuck Norris. Now they trained everyone from junior high school kids, to military personnel, to Hollywood actors preparing for a role. Of course, the extra money had meant that the Oliver's could move to a bigger house- one with a pool- a lifelong dream of Tommy's.
"What's got you in such a reflective mood?" Trini asked from beside her.
Turning to the beautiful Asian woman, she smiled and said, "I was just thinking about how lucky we all are." She couldn't help but chuckle, "I mean Tommy and Jason's business is very successful, we're not rich, but we're not hurting for material things, we've all our friends around us, and we have five healthy kids who seem as close as we were."
Trini smiled at her and laughed, "We are lucky, aren't we. Let's just hope that things stay a lot quieter for them than us. I don't know how I could handle it if they suddenly got teleported away by a disembodied head trapped in tube."
Kim smiled, "Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on them and start asking questions if they all of a sudden start wearing a single color most of the time, and come home with funny looking watches."
Any reply Trini might have had was lost in the sound of the doorbell. Kim smiled at her, "That must Linda and Trini Anne," she said as she headed to the front foyer. Kim opened the door to find Jason and his daughter standing there waiting for her. "Jase!" she smiled fighting back the tears in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Jason smiled at her, turned and pointed to his car with his thumb, "I can always leave," he said with a smile.
"You do and I'll kick your butt," Kim replied pulling both her Jason and Trini Anne into the foyer. "You have no idea how much this means to Jay."
Jason smiled at her, "He explained it to me last night, Kim." Then pulling the smaller woman into a hug, "You've got a pretty perceptive boy there. I think he takes after his mother."
Kim smiled up at him, "Don't tell Tommy that. He wants him to take after him."
Jason smiled at her, "He does, but taking after his mom isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Kim winced, realizing that Jason may have taken that comment wrong. Some scars were still painful. Kim wasn't sure that Jason and Tommy had ever really dealt with Jason's being gay. Since Jase hadn't dated since Billy's death, the issue was just ignored- especially since Jason didn't ACT gay. "I know," she smiled up at him, "I just think that Tommy likes to think of Jay as wearing red one day."
Jason laughed, "Nah, that's going to be Trini Anne's color."
Kim smiled up at him, "Now wouldn't that be a kick in the pants."
"Uh excuse me, Aunt Kim, but where's Jay?" Trini Anne asked.
"Boring you already, huh?" Kim smiled at the girl. "He's out back watching his father try to put up the pavilion."
Trini Anne simply smiled back, scooted around the two adults and said, "No ma'am, but I've noticed that when our parents start talking about certain colors, the only thing that starts to make sense scares the bejeebers out of me."
Kim and Jase both followed her with their eyes, hoping the shocked look on their faces wasn't apparent. Finally, Kim shook her head, "Well, she is her father's daughter."
Jase beamed with fatherly pride, "You bet she is."
Kim punched him in the arm, and then slipped hers through it as she guided Jase toward the back yard, "I was talking about her OTHER father."
Jason just smiled down at her, "So was I."
~*~
Tommy looked up to see his wife come walking through the back door arm in arm with Jason. He tapped Adam and Zack on the shoulder and nodded toward the door with a smile. Both of the former Black Rangers looked up, saw Jason and then grinned back at him. "Now, that's a sight I thought I'd never see on this day," Adam said.
"Me too," Zack replied.
Tommy just smiled; glad to see his Bro, finally coming out of his self-imposed exile. Deciding not to make a big deal of the situation, hoping that it meant Jason finally put the tragedy of their past behind them, Tommy yelled over to his Bro, "Hey man, you have any idea how to put this thing together?"
Jason grinned at him, disentangled himself from Kim and came over and looked at what was happening. Taking a long look at the instructions and then what the other three were doing he finally said, "I think I see the problem."
"What Zack asked."
Jason grinned big, "You've got Tommy in charge." Shaking his head, and dodging the mock punch Tommy threw, Jason said, "Here, let me see if I can help." Looking at the directions for a few moments, he too lay them down in frustration and went to look at the actual pavilion.
Before long, all four men fell to an easy silence between them as they wrestled with the pavilion, to no more success than before. Tommy looked up to see Jay and Trini giggling over the directions, "What?" Tommy asked.
Jay looked at his best friend, "Should we tell them?"
The girl looked back and smiled, "I'm not sure. Do you think they'd listen?"
"Uncle Adam and Uncle Zack might, but somehow I don't think Uncle Jase or Dad will though," Jay replied.
Then as if on cue the two turned to face Tommy shrugged simultaneously and said in unison, "Oh nothing." Then they turned and walked off.
"You two come back here!" Tommy demanded, half joking and half serious.
"Yes Dad?" Jay said.
"Yes Mr. Oliver," Trini Anne replied.
"Do you two know something we don't?" Tommy asked.
Again the two teenagers looked at each other. Jay said, "I don't know how to answer that. After all, we don't know EVERYTHING they know."
Trini Anne smiled, "I know. They could be doing it this way just to give themselves a challenge."
Jay said, "Maybe you're right. After all, Uncle Adam is a surgeon, and Uncle Zack at least plays a genius on television. They could be doing it for the practice."
"Maybe you're right," Trini Anne said. Then turning back to Tommy she smiled, and for just a moment, Tommy saw something in her face that brought to the forefront of his memory another blond, "Are you sure you want to know, Mr. Oliver. After all it might upset Uncle Adam and Uncle Zack?"
Tommy grinned at the girl said, "Spill it girl."
Trini shrugged and handed him a slip of paper saying, "Here's the addendum to the instructions, telling you what you're doing wrong."
"It was folded up in the packet with the screws," Jay said giggling.
Tommy looked at the addendum and sighed. This little piece of paper suddenly made the whole thing clear, "They were right. It does clear everything up." He handed the paper to Zack and shook his head. "Those two are thick as thieves sometimes."
"What are you worried about?" Zack said.
"I'm just worried that pretty soon one or the other will start to notice that there IS a difference between boys and girls."
Jason nodded his head, "I think they know that, Tommy."
"Yeah, but what happens when they decide to find out just HOW different?" Adam asked grinning.
Jason shrugged, "I trust Trini Anne," he looked over at Tommy and added, "and I trust Jay."
Zack put a hand on Tommy's shoulder and said, "You have to understand something, Tom. These guys are like Jase, Trini, Kim, and Billy and I were when we were kids. They've grown up together, they're friends first. I KNOW I've taught 'Mina what's right, and I trust that the rest of you guys have taught yours."
The conversation was starting to stray into areas that made Tommy uncomfortable. The first five Ranger's relationship had always been something of a sore spot with him. It had been part of his problems with Billy. Tommy was a loner by nature, and sometimes he had felt like an outsider. It took a long time for him to finally accept that he'd been on the inside all along, and by then it was too late to make amends. "I know but I'm a father, so I worry."
Tommy watched as Zack and Jase exchanged grins. Zack said, "He's worried. He has a boy, not girls."
Both men grinned and Tommy recognized their concern. He understood that it wasn't right, but it was a fact of parenting that most fathers worried more about their daughter's virtues than their son's. Tommy figured it had something to do with fathers remembering their own youths. "Well, hopefully we won't have to worry about that for a while."
"Trust me, Tommy," Jase said, "we already worry." Then smiling, "But like Zack said; we trust the kids to do what's right."
All four men laughed nervously and went on with their work. The recovered addendum made a huge difference in getting the pavilion raised, and they were soon finished. Tommy found himself retreating to a small corner of the yard to observe the kids' interaction.
Zack was right. All five of them reminded him of what he'd seen those long years ago when he'd first laid eyes on the original Rangers. Each of the children were moving in and out of conversations and horseplay with the ease that came from a long familiarity. They really were as a tight knit group as the others said. Something about the interaction bothered Tommy and he wasn't sure what it was.
"Wanna' tell me why you're brooding on Jay's birthday?" Jason had approached him unseen, in mute testimony to the depth of Tommy's thoughts. "That's supposed to be my job."
Tommy smiled at his old friend, "I figured that since you were taking the day off, one of us had to take up the slack, Bro."
Jase shook his head, "Nah, I think this day's had enough brooding."
Tommy gave Jason a surprised look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jason smiled and looked over at the pool where Trini and Jay were defending themselves from the other three in a rather cutthroat game of water polo. "It means that it's time for me to let go." He sighed, "I still love Billy. I always will, but it's not good for Trini Anne for me to continue to hold onto the past like this." He shrugged and blushed before adding, "or good for me for that matter."
Now Tommy really was surprised. "I'm not sure what to say, Bro."
Jason turned to him and said, "Then don't say anything."
"Okay," Tommy said confused. After a long moment, he added, "You know, I miss him too. Kim and I were talking last night. I think maybe we haven't been very fair to you and Billy…"
Jason turned to face Tommy and said quietly, "You don't have to say anything Tommy." He sighed, "I'd really rather you didn't today." He put a hand out to Tommy's shoulder, "Talk to me about it tomorrow, or Monday, but not today."
Tommy just nodded, and turned back to watch the children play.
~*~
"Can I ask you something?" Adam asked Kim from behind.
"Sure Froggy," Kim replied.
Adam smiled back. He'd been watching the interplay between the kids earlier and their interaction with the adults. Something Trini Anne said had disturbed him greatly, but he was unsure of how to approach it. Finally, he decided to take it to the one person who could get to the bottom of his question. "What does Trini Anne call you most of the time?"
Kim shrugged, "Same thing as the other kids: Aunt Kim, or Aunt Kimberly."
Adam nodded and continued, "What about Kat, Zack and Trini?"
Kimberly looked at him, and thought a minute, "Pretty much the same thing, I guess. I mean don't they all pretty much call us by our first names with Aunt or Uncle tagged on?"
Adam just smiled to her, "Are you sure?" He patted her on the arm and turned to head back to his wife. His job here was done. He knew all he had to do was plant the question in her mind, and she would eventually get to the bottom of it. Adam learned a long time ago, that sometimes it was best to turn the first Pink Ranger loose on a problem that was as delicate as he thought this one might be. The part of him that was a physician finally settled down and let him enjoy watching Aiden and Alex play with the others.
"What have you been up to?" Kat asked as he joined her.
"Nothing," he smiled sipping his soda.
"Adam Park, I recognize that look. You've been up to something," Kat accused, her tone taking the sting out of her accusation.
"Just playing psychologist, that's all."
"You be careful Adam. One of these days something is going to blow up in your face."
"Not this time. It's something that needed to be taken care of, so I turned it over to the one person who could fix it."
~*~
Thirteen candles, a cut cake and scooped ice cream later, Trini sat down to watch her best friend open his gifts. She'd had a funny feeling about things ever since she and Jay had teamed up to tease her dad and Mr. Oliver. She noticed that she'd been distracted in the pool, and had felt like there was a lead weight in the bottom of her stomach. Finally, she'd called time and swam to the edge of the pool and sat the rest of the game out, somewhat nauseously.
Now, she found herself watching her best friend open his presents feeling as if she was sitting two feet to the side of her body. "Everything alright, Trini?" Kim asked sitting down next to her.
She nodded, "I guess so. I just feel kind of blah, and a little sick to my stomach."
She felt as Kim reached out and touched her forehead gently. After a moment of concern, she said quietly, "Why don't you come with me for a minute."
Trini gave her a questioning look but said, "Okay."
Following the closest thing she'd ever known to a mother into the house, she waited in the bathroom while her Aunt took her temperature. Looking up, the small woman asked her, "How long you been feeling this way?"
Trini shrugged, "A couple of days."
"Any cramps, diarrhea?"
Trini blushed and nodded, "Some cramping, but actually the opposite problem."
Kim looked at her critically before saying, "Lift your shirt."
Trini gave her a confused look but complied. "Yes, ma'am."
She felt Kim gently prod her stomach and side, asking whether this area or that was tender. When a sharp pain followed one such probe, and Trini jumped, Kim said quietly. "That area tender?"
Trini just nodded. It wouldn't do any good to argue with her now.
Kim just clucked and said, "Go get your things, and meet your Dad in the foyer."
"Why?" Trini asked suddenly worried.
"This isn't something I want you take a chance with Trini. Just do as I say, and don't argue."
Sufficiently frightened, the young girl did as she was told.
~*~
Kim calmly walked out of the house and found Jase talking to Kat and Adam and pulled him aside. "I don't want to worry you Jase, but I think you need to take Trini to a doctor- Now."
She knew she instantly had the former Red Ranger's attention. "What?"
Kim shrugged, "She's pallid, she's running a temperature of almost a hundred and three, and she's complaining of tenderness in her side- her RIGHT side." Jason just gave her a confused look. Kim could tell that he was confused. "I think she has appendicitis." She smiled, "Go take her to the emergency room. This is something you don't want to take a chance with Jase. She's waiting for you in the foyer"
Understanding dawning on the bigger man, he quickly headed into the house with her. Looking around he saw no sign of his daughter anywhere. Then looking down, he saw her slight form lying on the floor, unconscious.
Leaning against the doorframe, she watched as Zack, Adam, and Tommy tried in vain to put up a tent pavilion in their spacious back yard. Kim took a moment to look around the house where she lived now. It was much larger than the one where Jay had been born, with a bigger back yard and an Olympic sized swimming pool- Tommy's idea. They'd moved several years after Jay had been born, when it became clear that Red Dragon Dojo was going to be successful.
Kim smiled at that idea. In some strange way, Billy had gotten his wish; Jason and Tommy had finally put their differences aside, and had finally gone into business together- re-establishing a close friendship that had been strained to the breaking point. Tommy hung up his racing helmet and Jason closed an extremely successful architecture firm so the two men could open one of the most successful martial arts schools since Chuck Norris. Now they trained everyone from junior high school kids, to military personnel, to Hollywood actors preparing for a role. Of course, the extra money had meant that the Oliver's could move to a bigger house- one with a pool- a lifelong dream of Tommy's.
"What's got you in such a reflective mood?" Trini asked from beside her.
Turning to the beautiful Asian woman, she smiled and said, "I was just thinking about how lucky we all are." She couldn't help but chuckle, "I mean Tommy and Jason's business is very successful, we're not rich, but we're not hurting for material things, we've all our friends around us, and we have five healthy kids who seem as close as we were."
Trini smiled at her and laughed, "We are lucky, aren't we. Let's just hope that things stay a lot quieter for them than us. I don't know how I could handle it if they suddenly got teleported away by a disembodied head trapped in tube."
Kim smiled, "Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on them and start asking questions if they all of a sudden start wearing a single color most of the time, and come home with funny looking watches."
Any reply Trini might have had was lost in the sound of the doorbell. Kim smiled at her, "That must Linda and Trini Anne," she said as she headed to the front foyer. Kim opened the door to find Jason and his daughter standing there waiting for her. "Jase!" she smiled fighting back the tears in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Jason smiled at her, turned and pointed to his car with his thumb, "I can always leave," he said with a smile.
"You do and I'll kick your butt," Kim replied pulling both her Jason and Trini Anne into the foyer. "You have no idea how much this means to Jay."
Jason smiled at her, "He explained it to me last night, Kim." Then pulling the smaller woman into a hug, "You've got a pretty perceptive boy there. I think he takes after his mother."
Kim smiled up at him, "Don't tell Tommy that. He wants him to take after him."
Jason smiled at her, "He does, but taking after his mom isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Kim winced, realizing that Jason may have taken that comment wrong. Some scars were still painful. Kim wasn't sure that Jason and Tommy had ever really dealt with Jason's being gay. Since Jase hadn't dated since Billy's death, the issue was just ignored- especially since Jason didn't ACT gay. "I know," she smiled up at him, "I just think that Tommy likes to think of Jay as wearing red one day."
Jason laughed, "Nah, that's going to be Trini Anne's color."
Kim smiled up at him, "Now wouldn't that be a kick in the pants."
"Uh excuse me, Aunt Kim, but where's Jay?" Trini Anne asked.
"Boring you already, huh?" Kim smiled at the girl. "He's out back watching his father try to put up the pavilion."
Trini Anne simply smiled back, scooted around the two adults and said, "No ma'am, but I've noticed that when our parents start talking about certain colors, the only thing that starts to make sense scares the bejeebers out of me."
Kim and Jase both followed her with their eyes, hoping the shocked look on their faces wasn't apparent. Finally, Kim shook her head, "Well, she is her father's daughter."
Jase beamed with fatherly pride, "You bet she is."
Kim punched him in the arm, and then slipped hers through it as she guided Jase toward the back yard, "I was talking about her OTHER father."
Jason just smiled down at her, "So was I."
~*~
Tommy looked up to see his wife come walking through the back door arm in arm with Jason. He tapped Adam and Zack on the shoulder and nodded toward the door with a smile. Both of the former Black Rangers looked up, saw Jason and then grinned back at him. "Now, that's a sight I thought I'd never see on this day," Adam said.
"Me too," Zack replied.
Tommy just smiled; glad to see his Bro, finally coming out of his self-imposed exile. Deciding not to make a big deal of the situation, hoping that it meant Jason finally put the tragedy of their past behind them, Tommy yelled over to his Bro, "Hey man, you have any idea how to put this thing together?"
Jason grinned at him, disentangled himself from Kim and came over and looked at what was happening. Taking a long look at the instructions and then what the other three were doing he finally said, "I think I see the problem."
"What Zack asked."
Jason grinned big, "You've got Tommy in charge." Shaking his head, and dodging the mock punch Tommy threw, Jason said, "Here, let me see if I can help." Looking at the directions for a few moments, he too lay them down in frustration and went to look at the actual pavilion.
Before long, all four men fell to an easy silence between them as they wrestled with the pavilion, to no more success than before. Tommy looked up to see Jay and Trini giggling over the directions, "What?" Tommy asked.
Jay looked at his best friend, "Should we tell them?"
The girl looked back and smiled, "I'm not sure. Do you think they'd listen?"
"Uncle Adam and Uncle Zack might, but somehow I don't think Uncle Jase or Dad will though," Jay replied.
Then as if on cue the two turned to face Tommy shrugged simultaneously and said in unison, "Oh nothing." Then they turned and walked off.
"You two come back here!" Tommy demanded, half joking and half serious.
"Yes Dad?" Jay said.
"Yes Mr. Oliver," Trini Anne replied.
"Do you two know something we don't?" Tommy asked.
Again the two teenagers looked at each other. Jay said, "I don't know how to answer that. After all, we don't know EVERYTHING they know."
Trini Anne smiled, "I know. They could be doing it this way just to give themselves a challenge."
Jay said, "Maybe you're right. After all, Uncle Adam is a surgeon, and Uncle Zack at least plays a genius on television. They could be doing it for the practice."
"Maybe you're right," Trini Anne said. Then turning back to Tommy she smiled, and for just a moment, Tommy saw something in her face that brought to the forefront of his memory another blond, "Are you sure you want to know, Mr. Oliver. After all it might upset Uncle Adam and Uncle Zack?"
Tommy grinned at the girl said, "Spill it girl."
Trini shrugged and handed him a slip of paper saying, "Here's the addendum to the instructions, telling you what you're doing wrong."
"It was folded up in the packet with the screws," Jay said giggling.
Tommy looked at the addendum and sighed. This little piece of paper suddenly made the whole thing clear, "They were right. It does clear everything up." He handed the paper to Zack and shook his head. "Those two are thick as thieves sometimes."
"What are you worried about?" Zack said.
"I'm just worried that pretty soon one or the other will start to notice that there IS a difference between boys and girls."
Jason nodded his head, "I think they know that, Tommy."
"Yeah, but what happens when they decide to find out just HOW different?" Adam asked grinning.
Jason shrugged, "I trust Trini Anne," he looked over at Tommy and added, "and I trust Jay."
Zack put a hand on Tommy's shoulder and said, "You have to understand something, Tom. These guys are like Jase, Trini, Kim, and Billy and I were when we were kids. They've grown up together, they're friends first. I KNOW I've taught 'Mina what's right, and I trust that the rest of you guys have taught yours."
The conversation was starting to stray into areas that made Tommy uncomfortable. The first five Ranger's relationship had always been something of a sore spot with him. It had been part of his problems with Billy. Tommy was a loner by nature, and sometimes he had felt like an outsider. It took a long time for him to finally accept that he'd been on the inside all along, and by then it was too late to make amends. "I know but I'm a father, so I worry."
Tommy watched as Zack and Jase exchanged grins. Zack said, "He's worried. He has a boy, not girls."
Both men grinned and Tommy recognized their concern. He understood that it wasn't right, but it was a fact of parenting that most fathers worried more about their daughter's virtues than their son's. Tommy figured it had something to do with fathers remembering their own youths. "Well, hopefully we won't have to worry about that for a while."
"Trust me, Tommy," Jase said, "we already worry." Then smiling, "But like Zack said; we trust the kids to do what's right."
All four men laughed nervously and went on with their work. The recovered addendum made a huge difference in getting the pavilion raised, and they were soon finished. Tommy found himself retreating to a small corner of the yard to observe the kids' interaction.
Zack was right. All five of them reminded him of what he'd seen those long years ago when he'd first laid eyes on the original Rangers. Each of the children were moving in and out of conversations and horseplay with the ease that came from a long familiarity. They really were as a tight knit group as the others said. Something about the interaction bothered Tommy and he wasn't sure what it was.
"Wanna' tell me why you're brooding on Jay's birthday?" Jason had approached him unseen, in mute testimony to the depth of Tommy's thoughts. "That's supposed to be my job."
Tommy smiled at his old friend, "I figured that since you were taking the day off, one of us had to take up the slack, Bro."
Jase shook his head, "Nah, I think this day's had enough brooding."
Tommy gave Jason a surprised look. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jason smiled and looked over at the pool where Trini and Jay were defending themselves from the other three in a rather cutthroat game of water polo. "It means that it's time for me to let go." He sighed, "I still love Billy. I always will, but it's not good for Trini Anne for me to continue to hold onto the past like this." He shrugged and blushed before adding, "or good for me for that matter."
Now Tommy really was surprised. "I'm not sure what to say, Bro."
Jason turned to him and said, "Then don't say anything."
"Okay," Tommy said confused. After a long moment, he added, "You know, I miss him too. Kim and I were talking last night. I think maybe we haven't been very fair to you and Billy…"
Jason turned to face Tommy and said quietly, "You don't have to say anything Tommy." He sighed, "I'd really rather you didn't today." He put a hand out to Tommy's shoulder, "Talk to me about it tomorrow, or Monday, but not today."
Tommy just nodded, and turned back to watch the children play.
~*~
"Can I ask you something?" Adam asked Kim from behind.
"Sure Froggy," Kim replied.
Adam smiled back. He'd been watching the interplay between the kids earlier and their interaction with the adults. Something Trini Anne said had disturbed him greatly, but he was unsure of how to approach it. Finally, he decided to take it to the one person who could get to the bottom of his question. "What does Trini Anne call you most of the time?"
Kim shrugged, "Same thing as the other kids: Aunt Kim, or Aunt Kimberly."
Adam nodded and continued, "What about Kat, Zack and Trini?"
Kimberly looked at him, and thought a minute, "Pretty much the same thing, I guess. I mean don't they all pretty much call us by our first names with Aunt or Uncle tagged on?"
Adam just smiled to her, "Are you sure?" He patted her on the arm and turned to head back to his wife. His job here was done. He knew all he had to do was plant the question in her mind, and she would eventually get to the bottom of it. Adam learned a long time ago, that sometimes it was best to turn the first Pink Ranger loose on a problem that was as delicate as he thought this one might be. The part of him that was a physician finally settled down and let him enjoy watching Aiden and Alex play with the others.
"What have you been up to?" Kat asked as he joined her.
"Nothing," he smiled sipping his soda.
"Adam Park, I recognize that look. You've been up to something," Kat accused, her tone taking the sting out of her accusation.
"Just playing psychologist, that's all."
"You be careful Adam. One of these days something is going to blow up in your face."
"Not this time. It's something that needed to be taken care of, so I turned it over to the one person who could fix it."
~*~
Thirteen candles, a cut cake and scooped ice cream later, Trini sat down to watch her best friend open his gifts. She'd had a funny feeling about things ever since she and Jay had teamed up to tease her dad and Mr. Oliver. She noticed that she'd been distracted in the pool, and had felt like there was a lead weight in the bottom of her stomach. Finally, she'd called time and swam to the edge of the pool and sat the rest of the game out, somewhat nauseously.
Now, she found herself watching her best friend open his presents feeling as if she was sitting two feet to the side of her body. "Everything alright, Trini?" Kim asked sitting down next to her.
She nodded, "I guess so. I just feel kind of blah, and a little sick to my stomach."
She felt as Kim reached out and touched her forehead gently. After a moment of concern, she said quietly, "Why don't you come with me for a minute."
Trini gave her a questioning look but said, "Okay."
Following the closest thing she'd ever known to a mother into the house, she waited in the bathroom while her Aunt took her temperature. Looking up, the small woman asked her, "How long you been feeling this way?"
Trini shrugged, "A couple of days."
"Any cramps, diarrhea?"
Trini blushed and nodded, "Some cramping, but actually the opposite problem."
Kim looked at her critically before saying, "Lift your shirt."
Trini gave her a confused look but complied. "Yes, ma'am."
She felt Kim gently prod her stomach and side, asking whether this area or that was tender. When a sharp pain followed one such probe, and Trini jumped, Kim said quietly. "That area tender?"
Trini just nodded. It wouldn't do any good to argue with her now.
Kim just clucked and said, "Go get your things, and meet your Dad in the foyer."
"Why?" Trini asked suddenly worried.
"This isn't something I want you take a chance with Trini. Just do as I say, and don't argue."
Sufficiently frightened, the young girl did as she was told.
~*~
Kim calmly walked out of the house and found Jase talking to Kat and Adam and pulled him aside. "I don't want to worry you Jase, but I think you need to take Trini to a doctor- Now."
She knew she instantly had the former Red Ranger's attention. "What?"
Kim shrugged, "She's pallid, she's running a temperature of almost a hundred and three, and she's complaining of tenderness in her side- her RIGHT side." Jason just gave her a confused look. Kim could tell that he was confused. "I think she has appendicitis." She smiled, "Go take her to the emergency room. This is something you don't want to take a chance with Jase. She's waiting for you in the foyer"
Understanding dawning on the bigger man, he quickly headed into the house with her. Looking around he saw no sign of his daughter anywhere. Then looking down, he saw her slight form lying on the floor, unconscious.