Jason was pacing back and forth in the emergency room
floor. Tommy could feel his best friend's frustration as an almost
palatable force. Tommy had driven Jase over to the hospital- he felt
the former Red Ranger was in no temperament to drive- while Adam had ridden
with Trini Anne in the ambulance. The former Black Ranger had pretty
much confirmed Kim's diagnosis, and was afraid the girl's appendix had already
burst.
Trini and Zack agreed to stay with the children while he and Kim brought Jason to the hospital. Now they were waiting, and waiting was one thing Jason had never been good at. Kim came into the waiting area with three cups of coffee, and passed one to Tommy, "How is he?"
Tommy gestured to where Jason was staring out the window at the park beyond, "See for yourself."
Kim smiled at him, walked over to where Jase was, and handed him the last cup. "Here, you need this."
Jase took the cup and sipped it, "Thanks Kim."
"Any word?"
Jason shook his head, "No, she's still in surgery and we're still waiting."
Tommy watched as his petit wife reached out and put an arm around Jason's waist and squeezed gently, "She's going to be all right Jason."
The brief look of despair that flashed across his best friend's face sent a chill through Tommy soul when Jason turned around to acknowledge the words. It was a look of utter despair and hopelessness that was suddenly quashed by the indomitable will of the first Ranger leader. "She just looked so small and helpless lying there," Jason whispered. He sighed and turned back to the window, his eyes filled with something unsaid.
Kim smiled up at him, "I know." Then she gently turned around and faced her old friend, "What is it Jason?"
He shook his head, "It's nothing. Just me being paranoid."
"Jase it's something. Otherwise you wouldn't be trying to shut us out."
"I'm not trying to shut you out, Kim," Jase protested.
"No, you're just trying to handle it all by yourself. Like you've always done." She touched his cheek, "We're here to help you."
Tommy saw his Bro start to say something. Saw a look of pain on his face before he finally walled it off again. Tommy came up and put a hand on Jase's shoulder to offer what support he could. Jase smiled over at him and then turned from him and Kim and looked out across the park again, "I was just thinking that God can't be this cruel."
"Jase, it's appendicitis. Kid's get it all the time. She'll be all right."
Jase turned back to her and said, "You're right." The tone in his voice told Tommy that he didn't believe what he said.
"Jase Bro, she'll be all right. She's a strong kid," Tommy told him. "Like Kim said, kids get appendicitis all the time."
"Not like this they don't. Not this quickly."
Kim told him, "Trini Anne said she'd been feeling bad for a couple of days. It wasn't all of a sudden, she just didn't tell us about it." She reached up and forced the bigger man to face her, "She's good at hiding things from us." Tommy noted that she didn't mention that she was acting a lot like Billy when she did that. Jason didn't need any more reminders of what he'd lost. Tommy quickly squashed the thought that came to mind next as being unworthy of Billy, Jason and most of all- himself. He quietly realized that he'd not exactly come to grips about his own feelings about the former Blue Ranger. Turning, he left Kim to give his best friend the comfort he felt he couldn't.
For long hours he sat alone watching Jase and Kimberly feeling like he not only couldn't help comfort his friend, but also in need of some serious contemplation time himself. What was it about the former Blue Ranger that brought out these powerful negative emotions inside himself- even after all these years? He felt like he was letting Jason down.
After almost ten hours in surgery, Adam came out with another surgeon in tow. Something about the other man was familiar, almost comfortable, but Tommy couldn't place what it was. "This Doctor Carstonn, he was the primary surgeon for Trini Anne." Adam blushed and shrugged, "I'm really not supposed to operate here, I don't have hospital privileges here, but since I was the doctor who treated her on the scene, I was allowed to assist."
"Hello Mr. Scott," the other man said. Tommy took a minute to observe him closely. He was a weathered man, who reminded Tommy of someone who'd spent a great deal of time out doors. His face was just starting to show the lines of age, that was exacerbated by the deep tan he wore. His almost white blond hair had receded to leave a deep widow's peak on either side of his temples and a spot at the back of his head. His eyes were a familiar deep blue green that seemed to haunt Tommy for their familiarity. "Your daughter is going to be okay."
Tommy saw the others relax beside him, and for some reason, he found himself surprised at the realization, and for some reason that surprise shamed him. "When can I see her?" Jase asked anxiously.
"In a little while. As soon as she's out of post-op we'll move her to a room, and you can see her then." He sighed. "It's a good thing you got her here when you did. Evidently she'd been in pain for a while. Dr. Park tells me that she was swimming today. The exertion must have been too much for her." He sighed, and Tommy could see a weariness in his eyes, a weariness and something else, something that worried Tommy a great deal. "Her appendix burst. It ruptured her bowel and lower intestine."
Tommy watched his best friend pale at the news, and his confusion over Jase's worry hit Tommy like a physical blow. Why should he be surprised at Jase's worry over his daughter? "What does that mean?" Jase asked the man.
The doctor smiled and leaned back, "It means that she's in for a rough few months, but if she follows her doctor's orders, and does what she's supposed to by Christmas she should be fine."
"Thank you doctor," Jase said.
"You're welcome Mr. Scott."
"That's Scott-Cranston," Jason said. It wasn't like him to correct people about his name like that. Tommy guessed he was just tired.
~*~
Jason sat quietly in the chair beside his daughter's bed, holding her smaller hand. So caught up in his own thoughts was he that he failed to notice when her eyes opened. Looking down he was surprised to see her face smiling up at him. "Hey, Princess," he said. "You finally decided to wake up?"
"Guess you forgot to put the pea under the mattress."
"I'll try to remember next time," he told her with a smile.
"Jay?" she asked.
"Jay's at his house," Jason told her. "He wanted to come, but we thought it best that he stay home until you're better."
"I see," her eyes twinkled, "You know of course, seeing Jay and the guys would make me get better faster." She looked at her father and smiled, changing the subject, she asked, "What happened?"
"I'll see what I can do," he smiled and told her. Then to answer her question, he said, "Your appendix burst."
"That would explain the dull pain in my stomach."
Jason couldn't help but laugh, and found it bordering on tears. She sounded so much like Billy then it was almost frightening. Before he could reply, there was a knock at the door. Looking up, he saw Dr. Carstonn and a nurse coming through door with a clipboard. "Hello." He smiled over at his patient and Jason saw a surprisingly tender look come over the man's face. "We're glad to see you finally awake."
Trini nodded, "When can I go home?"
"Not right away," Jason interjected. "Not until we're sure you're going to be okay."
The doctor smiled over at him, "Actually, it will be just a day or so. We want to make sure you don't pull any of your stitches out." He looked over at Jason, "Would you mind excusing us for a moment?" Looking back at the girl in the bed, "We need to check her stitches, and…"
Jason smiled, realizing that is daughter wasn't a little girl anymore and would probably appreciate the privacy. He got up and left the doctor and nurse to carry out their duties, only to find Kat waiting outside. "How is she?" Kat asked.
"She's awake," Jason looked back over his shoulder, "The doctor is in with her now."
"Jason?" Kat asked. "When was the last time you slept?"
Jason smiled weakly, "Friday night," he told her.
"Jase, that was thirty-six hours ago," she smiled at him, "You're not fifteen anymore. You can't go that long without sleep."
Jason laughed and leaned back against the wall, "I do what I have to, Kat." He shook his head, "There's nobody else."
"Like hell, there's not!" Kat said vehemently, the normally prim Pink Ranger's use of profanity cutting through the fog of haze in Jason's mind. "You've got friends out here. We'd be glad to sit with her." She shook her head, "And I know for certain that Linda wouldn't mind. For God's sake Jase, you don't have to do this by yourself."
Looking back on what he said, Jase wasn't sure why he said what he did. Granted he was physically tired, but he suspected that he was just tired of a lot of things. He took a deep breath, "As a matter of the fact I DO have to do it by myself, Kat. I have to be father, mother, and grandfather all in one. You, Kim, and Trini help out a lot, but it's not the same. You have your own lives, and your own children to care for. Trini Anne's MY responsibility, and I love her too much to shirk it." He looked down realizing he was close to tears, but unable to keep them from coming. He said quietly, "I loved Billy too much to fail her now." Turning his head, he told his friend, "Excuse me. I need to go to the bathroom."
Heading back into the room, he entered the small bathroom supplied for patient use and leaned heavily against the wall. Don't cry! The Red Ranger doesn't cry!, he told himself viciously. As hard as he fought it, he couldn't stop the tears. Finally, he sank to the floor, his back to cold tile behind him, and let the tears flow, his big shoulders shuddering with the weight of what he was carrying.
A soft knock came to the door, "Ja… uh… Mr. Scott-Cranston," Dr. Carstonn's voice came through the door. "We're finished now."
Jason stood, "I'll be right there, Doc," he said through the door. Washing his face in the sink, he toweled off and went out to meet his daughter's doctor.
The other man smiled as Jase came out of the small bathroom. He gestured toward a chair next to the bed, "Trini's doing fine. Like I said, we had to repair some internal damage her appendix's bursting did to some of her internal organs. She's going to be fine, but it's going to be a hard couple of months for her and for the next few years, she's going to have to watch what she eats so as not to create ulcerated tissue around the wound."
"What can I do for her Doc?" Jase asked.
The smaller man reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, "For now, get some rest. She asked me if you'd been sleeping." He smiled, "Later, keep an eye on her. She seems to be a very active young lady- a really rare thing these days- so don't let her pull any stitches loose. Then, when she gets stronger, help her ease into resuming her activities. There's going to be a lot of pain, and you're going to have to keep an eye on her pain medication. Make sure that she takes it when she needs it, but only then."
"Thanks Doc," Jason told the man.
"That's my job," he turned to leave but stopped at the door. "J- Mr. Scott?"
"Yeah Doc?"
The doctor smiled at him, "She's a really special kid. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of her."
For some reason, the tone of this man's voice reached to Jason's soul. There was a gentle touch there that seemed to break up the despair he was fighting to keep at bay. He said, "I will."
"Good," the doctor said as he left.
Jason turned to his daughter, "Hey girl, you holding together?"
She smiled at him, "Evidently better'n you are. When was the last time you had some rest, Daddy?"
He smiled at her, "I'll get some rest just as soon as I'm sure you're all right."
"You'd better," she smiled over at him. "Dr. Carstonn said I'll be okay, and I believe him." Another knock came from the door, and Kat walked in. "Aunt Kat!"
"Hey pumpkin," Kat told her. "I've got a message from Jay, Mina, and the twins for you."
"Oh?" Trini Anne asked.
"Yeah," she gave the girl a conspiratorial look, "they want to know when you want them to break you out of here." She turned and winked at Jason.
She smiled back, "How about now?"
"Sorry, but there's this big burly guy who loves you so much that he's not going to let you out of here until he's sure you're okay." She smiled again and patted the girl's hand, "So you're just going to have to do what the doctor says so you can get out of here soon. They've decided that they're postponing their trip to the museum until you get better."
"They shouldn't do that. Adien and Alexander were really looking forward to picking Daddy's brain about some of that stuff," Trini protested.
"They said they can wait." She smiled over at Jason, "Besides, if you're not feeling well, then your dad's not going to feel very much like answering their questions."
She raised an eyebrow, and gave Jason a long hard look before saying, "I think they may have a point." All three laughed.
~*~
Several hours later, Trini managed to convince her father to go home, get some rest, and take a shower. Jay on the other hand had managed to make his way over to the hospital and was now sitting in a chair next to her. There was a comfortable silence between them. In a burst of insight rare for somebody her age, she realized that Jay just needed to assure himself that she was okay- that she wasn't going anywhere. Finally, she looked over at him and said, "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday, Jay."
"S'kay," he shrugged. "You didn't mean to." Then smiling to lighten the mood, he said, "Besides, it could have been worse."
"How?" she asked.
"You could have made the cake."
Both children laughed. Trini's skill- or more accurately lack thereof- in the kitchen was legendary, among their circle of friends. Not even their Uncle Rocky's tutelage could help her get the hang of how to cook. "You've got a point there. All of us would be in here with botulism," she said.
Again silence fell between the two of them. "Jay?" she finally asked carefully.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Have you seen my doctor?" she asked.
"No," he asked, suddenly alert. "Are you all right? Do you hurt? Do I need to get a nurse?" he asked halfway out of his chair.
She laughed, and then because it hurt, she regretted it, "I'm okay. I was just wondering if you've met him."
Jay shook his head, "No can't say that I have."
"Do me a favor would you?" she asked.
"Anything Trini?"
"Stick around, so you can meet him when Dad's here." She smiled, "I want to ask you something later."
"Trini?" Jay warned. "What are you up to?"
She smiled at him, "Me?" She leaned back against her pillow. "What makes you think I would be up to something?"
"I don't know? Maybe that look on your face," he told her. "The same one you got when you found out that Uncle Zack was afraid of spiders. You know, just before you reprogrammed his laptop with that arachnid desktop theme."
Trini and Zack agreed to stay with the children while he and Kim brought Jason to the hospital. Now they were waiting, and waiting was one thing Jason had never been good at. Kim came into the waiting area with three cups of coffee, and passed one to Tommy, "How is he?"
Tommy gestured to where Jason was staring out the window at the park beyond, "See for yourself."
Kim smiled at him, walked over to where Jase was, and handed him the last cup. "Here, you need this."
Jase took the cup and sipped it, "Thanks Kim."
"Any word?"
Jason shook his head, "No, she's still in surgery and we're still waiting."
Tommy watched as his petit wife reached out and put an arm around Jason's waist and squeezed gently, "She's going to be all right Jason."
The brief look of despair that flashed across his best friend's face sent a chill through Tommy soul when Jason turned around to acknowledge the words. It was a look of utter despair and hopelessness that was suddenly quashed by the indomitable will of the first Ranger leader. "She just looked so small and helpless lying there," Jason whispered. He sighed and turned back to the window, his eyes filled with something unsaid.
Kim smiled up at him, "I know." Then she gently turned around and faced her old friend, "What is it Jason?"
He shook his head, "It's nothing. Just me being paranoid."
"Jase it's something. Otherwise you wouldn't be trying to shut us out."
"I'm not trying to shut you out, Kim," Jase protested.
"No, you're just trying to handle it all by yourself. Like you've always done." She touched his cheek, "We're here to help you."
Tommy saw his Bro start to say something. Saw a look of pain on his face before he finally walled it off again. Tommy came up and put a hand on Jase's shoulder to offer what support he could. Jase smiled over at him and then turned from him and Kim and looked out across the park again, "I was just thinking that God can't be this cruel."
"Jase, it's appendicitis. Kid's get it all the time. She'll be all right."
Jase turned back to her and said, "You're right." The tone in his voice told Tommy that he didn't believe what he said.
"Jase Bro, she'll be all right. She's a strong kid," Tommy told him. "Like Kim said, kids get appendicitis all the time."
"Not like this they don't. Not this quickly."
Kim told him, "Trini Anne said she'd been feeling bad for a couple of days. It wasn't all of a sudden, she just didn't tell us about it." She reached up and forced the bigger man to face her, "She's good at hiding things from us." Tommy noted that she didn't mention that she was acting a lot like Billy when she did that. Jason didn't need any more reminders of what he'd lost. Tommy quickly squashed the thought that came to mind next as being unworthy of Billy, Jason and most of all- himself. He quietly realized that he'd not exactly come to grips about his own feelings about the former Blue Ranger. Turning, he left Kim to give his best friend the comfort he felt he couldn't.
For long hours he sat alone watching Jase and Kimberly feeling like he not only couldn't help comfort his friend, but also in need of some serious contemplation time himself. What was it about the former Blue Ranger that brought out these powerful negative emotions inside himself- even after all these years? He felt like he was letting Jason down.
After almost ten hours in surgery, Adam came out with another surgeon in tow. Something about the other man was familiar, almost comfortable, but Tommy couldn't place what it was. "This Doctor Carstonn, he was the primary surgeon for Trini Anne." Adam blushed and shrugged, "I'm really not supposed to operate here, I don't have hospital privileges here, but since I was the doctor who treated her on the scene, I was allowed to assist."
"Hello Mr. Scott," the other man said. Tommy took a minute to observe him closely. He was a weathered man, who reminded Tommy of someone who'd spent a great deal of time out doors. His face was just starting to show the lines of age, that was exacerbated by the deep tan he wore. His almost white blond hair had receded to leave a deep widow's peak on either side of his temples and a spot at the back of his head. His eyes were a familiar deep blue green that seemed to haunt Tommy for their familiarity. "Your daughter is going to be okay."
Tommy saw the others relax beside him, and for some reason, he found himself surprised at the realization, and for some reason that surprise shamed him. "When can I see her?" Jase asked anxiously.
"In a little while. As soon as she's out of post-op we'll move her to a room, and you can see her then." He sighed. "It's a good thing you got her here when you did. Evidently she'd been in pain for a while. Dr. Park tells me that she was swimming today. The exertion must have been too much for her." He sighed, and Tommy could see a weariness in his eyes, a weariness and something else, something that worried Tommy a great deal. "Her appendix burst. It ruptured her bowel and lower intestine."
Tommy watched his best friend pale at the news, and his confusion over Jase's worry hit Tommy like a physical blow. Why should he be surprised at Jase's worry over his daughter? "What does that mean?" Jase asked the man.
The doctor smiled and leaned back, "It means that she's in for a rough few months, but if she follows her doctor's orders, and does what she's supposed to by Christmas she should be fine."
"Thank you doctor," Jase said.
"You're welcome Mr. Scott."
"That's Scott-Cranston," Jason said. It wasn't like him to correct people about his name like that. Tommy guessed he was just tired.
~*~
Jason sat quietly in the chair beside his daughter's bed, holding her smaller hand. So caught up in his own thoughts was he that he failed to notice when her eyes opened. Looking down he was surprised to see her face smiling up at him. "Hey, Princess," he said. "You finally decided to wake up?"
"Guess you forgot to put the pea under the mattress."
"I'll try to remember next time," he told her with a smile.
"Jay?" she asked.
"Jay's at his house," Jason told her. "He wanted to come, but we thought it best that he stay home until you're better."
"I see," her eyes twinkled, "You know of course, seeing Jay and the guys would make me get better faster." She looked at her father and smiled, changing the subject, she asked, "What happened?"
"I'll see what I can do," he smiled and told her. Then to answer her question, he said, "Your appendix burst."
"That would explain the dull pain in my stomach."
Jason couldn't help but laugh, and found it bordering on tears. She sounded so much like Billy then it was almost frightening. Before he could reply, there was a knock at the door. Looking up, he saw Dr. Carstonn and a nurse coming through door with a clipboard. "Hello." He smiled over at his patient and Jason saw a surprisingly tender look come over the man's face. "We're glad to see you finally awake."
Trini nodded, "When can I go home?"
"Not right away," Jason interjected. "Not until we're sure you're going to be okay."
The doctor smiled over at him, "Actually, it will be just a day or so. We want to make sure you don't pull any of your stitches out." He looked over at Jason, "Would you mind excusing us for a moment?" Looking back at the girl in the bed, "We need to check her stitches, and…"
Jason smiled, realizing that is daughter wasn't a little girl anymore and would probably appreciate the privacy. He got up and left the doctor and nurse to carry out their duties, only to find Kat waiting outside. "How is she?" Kat asked.
"She's awake," Jason looked back over his shoulder, "The doctor is in with her now."
"Jason?" Kat asked. "When was the last time you slept?"
Jason smiled weakly, "Friday night," he told her.
"Jase, that was thirty-six hours ago," she smiled at him, "You're not fifteen anymore. You can't go that long without sleep."
Jason laughed and leaned back against the wall, "I do what I have to, Kat." He shook his head, "There's nobody else."
"Like hell, there's not!" Kat said vehemently, the normally prim Pink Ranger's use of profanity cutting through the fog of haze in Jason's mind. "You've got friends out here. We'd be glad to sit with her." She shook her head, "And I know for certain that Linda wouldn't mind. For God's sake Jase, you don't have to do this by yourself."
Looking back on what he said, Jase wasn't sure why he said what he did. Granted he was physically tired, but he suspected that he was just tired of a lot of things. He took a deep breath, "As a matter of the fact I DO have to do it by myself, Kat. I have to be father, mother, and grandfather all in one. You, Kim, and Trini help out a lot, but it's not the same. You have your own lives, and your own children to care for. Trini Anne's MY responsibility, and I love her too much to shirk it." He looked down realizing he was close to tears, but unable to keep them from coming. He said quietly, "I loved Billy too much to fail her now." Turning his head, he told his friend, "Excuse me. I need to go to the bathroom."
Heading back into the room, he entered the small bathroom supplied for patient use and leaned heavily against the wall. Don't cry! The Red Ranger doesn't cry!, he told himself viciously. As hard as he fought it, he couldn't stop the tears. Finally, he sank to the floor, his back to cold tile behind him, and let the tears flow, his big shoulders shuddering with the weight of what he was carrying.
A soft knock came to the door, "Ja… uh… Mr. Scott-Cranston," Dr. Carstonn's voice came through the door. "We're finished now."
Jason stood, "I'll be right there, Doc," he said through the door. Washing his face in the sink, he toweled off and went out to meet his daughter's doctor.
The other man smiled as Jase came out of the small bathroom. He gestured toward a chair next to the bed, "Trini's doing fine. Like I said, we had to repair some internal damage her appendix's bursting did to some of her internal organs. She's going to be fine, but it's going to be a hard couple of months for her and for the next few years, she's going to have to watch what she eats so as not to create ulcerated tissue around the wound."
"What can I do for her Doc?" Jase asked.
The smaller man reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, "For now, get some rest. She asked me if you'd been sleeping." He smiled, "Later, keep an eye on her. She seems to be a very active young lady- a really rare thing these days- so don't let her pull any stitches loose. Then, when she gets stronger, help her ease into resuming her activities. There's going to be a lot of pain, and you're going to have to keep an eye on her pain medication. Make sure that she takes it when she needs it, but only then."
"Thanks Doc," Jason told the man.
"That's my job," he turned to leave but stopped at the door. "J- Mr. Scott?"
"Yeah Doc?"
The doctor smiled at him, "She's a really special kid. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of her."
For some reason, the tone of this man's voice reached to Jason's soul. There was a gentle touch there that seemed to break up the despair he was fighting to keep at bay. He said, "I will."
"Good," the doctor said as he left.
Jason turned to his daughter, "Hey girl, you holding together?"
She smiled at him, "Evidently better'n you are. When was the last time you had some rest, Daddy?"
He smiled at her, "I'll get some rest just as soon as I'm sure you're all right."
"You'd better," she smiled over at him. "Dr. Carstonn said I'll be okay, and I believe him." Another knock came from the door, and Kat walked in. "Aunt Kat!"
"Hey pumpkin," Kat told her. "I've got a message from Jay, Mina, and the twins for you."
"Oh?" Trini Anne asked.
"Yeah," she gave the girl a conspiratorial look, "they want to know when you want them to break you out of here." She turned and winked at Jason.
She smiled back, "How about now?"
"Sorry, but there's this big burly guy who loves you so much that he's not going to let you out of here until he's sure you're okay." She smiled again and patted the girl's hand, "So you're just going to have to do what the doctor says so you can get out of here soon. They've decided that they're postponing their trip to the museum until you get better."
"They shouldn't do that. Adien and Alexander were really looking forward to picking Daddy's brain about some of that stuff," Trini protested.
"They said they can wait." She smiled over at Jason, "Besides, if you're not feeling well, then your dad's not going to feel very much like answering their questions."
She raised an eyebrow, and gave Jason a long hard look before saying, "I think they may have a point." All three laughed.
~*~
Several hours later, Trini managed to convince her father to go home, get some rest, and take a shower. Jay on the other hand had managed to make his way over to the hospital and was now sitting in a chair next to her. There was a comfortable silence between them. In a burst of insight rare for somebody her age, she realized that Jay just needed to assure himself that she was okay- that she wasn't going anywhere. Finally, she looked over at him and said, "I'm sorry for ruining your birthday, Jay."
"S'kay," he shrugged. "You didn't mean to." Then smiling to lighten the mood, he said, "Besides, it could have been worse."
"How?" she asked.
"You could have made the cake."
Both children laughed. Trini's skill- or more accurately lack thereof- in the kitchen was legendary, among their circle of friends. Not even their Uncle Rocky's tutelage could help her get the hang of how to cook. "You've got a point there. All of us would be in here with botulism," she said.
Again silence fell between the two of them. "Jay?" she finally asked carefully.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Have you seen my doctor?" she asked.
"No," he asked, suddenly alert. "Are you all right? Do you hurt? Do I need to get a nurse?" he asked halfway out of his chair.
She laughed, and then because it hurt, she regretted it, "I'm okay. I was just wondering if you've met him."
Jay shook his head, "No can't say that I have."
"Do me a favor would you?" she asked.
"Anything Trini?"
"Stick around, so you can meet him when Dad's here." She smiled, "I want to ask you something later."
"Trini?" Jay warned. "What are you up to?"
She smiled at him, "Me?" She leaned back against her pillow. "What makes you think I would be up to something?"
"I don't know? Maybe that look on your face," he told her. "The same one you got when you found out that Uncle Zack was afraid of spiders. You know, just before you reprogrammed his laptop with that arachnid desktop theme."