Chapter 1. Hello again.
Dr. Dana Mitchell sat, her eyes scanning the latest medical Journal. She had once thought medicine was her area but since the death of her father she'd changed her mind. Now she was working for the FBI, determining death causes and things like that. She wasn't a major player but she had a good job, one that kept her very busy. That's what she'd wanted. She didn't like having down time, she hadn't since the accident.
Now however as she was traveling to Mirinoi to attend the wedding of two of her old friends she knew that her medical shield couldn't help her. She'd have to face both her old friends and the past. She thought about Kendrix and Leo. It had been five years since they'd met and it was in her opinion well past the time when they should wed.
Dana's thoughts shifted to the others who would be there. Mike and Maya had married two years ago and now had a little boy, Tristan. Damon had married a nice girl named Jenna so that only left Kai as single. She wondered if the military man would ever find someone. He didn't seem the type. Not that she knew the ex-blue ranger all that well but she just couldn't see it.
As she glanced at her wrist watch she noted that it was nearly time for them to arrive in the newly constructed space port. She folded the magazine and closed her eyes. She needed to still herself for seeing the others again. She'd not seen them since they're adventure with the timeforce rangers. At least not on purpose. She'd had many visitors in the time she'd been in the hospital, six months was a good bit of time but she'd ride to ignore them. Every time she saw them it reminded her…
Her mind shifted to her brother, it would be the hardest to see Ryan. He'd not been there but she'd been afraid she'd see pity or fury at her still being there and Dad being dead.
"Please prepare for decent." The ships automatic voice called and Dana opened her eyes geared up in all ways that mattered.
***
Stepping off of the gangway Kelsey spotted Leo and Kendrix standing near one of the benches in the inner terminal.
It still surprised the ex- yellow ranger how much the space colony had done for the planetoid. In the two years since they'd arrived the earthlings and Mirinoians had updated the schools and had managed to build a spaceport for inner-world travel. They'd learned of the nearby planets and had even started Inner-planetary trade with the surrounding worlds.
When Kelsey reached the middle of the terminal her friends met her and the two females exchanged hugs.
"You better save some of that for the rest of us." Leo spoke up and the dark haired girl descended on him.
"Hey there's Dana." Kendrix called and Kelsey looked around, had Dana been on the same shuttle? But then they'd not been very close in a while.
"Dana!" Leo called and the blonde young woman clad in a professional looking business suit.
***
Dana glanced around at the sound of her name and then when she spotted the three she felt both a pang of nostalgia for a time worlds Away and a stiffening within. She'd not seen any of them in a long time, not since before the accident.
Well, she didn't have much choice now. She and Kendrix were friends, what had happened didn't change that.
***
As greetings were exchanged the four headed outside to where Leo had parked.
Kelsey cast Dana a slightly worried look but her friend looked to all the world perfectly normal, unless you knew her that was. She'd moved to Angel Grove to be near Dana after she'd learned about the accident. It had both injured and traumatized her best friend. Kelsey knew that seeing her father dying and
Being trapped could do that to anyone. Still she'd not known how to approach her. Dana had just pulled so completely away from all of them. Kelsey heard it from Carter when he'd gotten the call and so had returned to Mariner bay. Dana had been laid up in the hospital with a broken leg and shattered wrist. It hadn't taken long for Kelsey to realize just what else had been shattered.
Now, as they rode to the apartment complex where most of the rangers lived, Dana noticed how peaceful the landscape was. True the city was becoming quite a metropolis but unlike earth, Mirinoi still had some beauty left. Even the apartment compound they came upon looked serene. There were two large buildings facing one another. The outer walls, she noted were a pristine white and looked very much like those back home except for the doors. Those were solid,
Not knob, latch, or lever. If she'd not grown up in the Aquabase she'd have no clue how they worked. At least her past had had that as a purpose to teach her of the newest technology.
As the vehicle came to a stop in the parking area Dana was brought out of her thoughts by the sight of a very familiar group of people milling about. The Four climbed from the car and were immediately surrounded by ex- rangers.
"You know you two look like you just traveled across the galaxy or something." Ryan's deep voice cut over those of Angela, Joel, and Chad. And both Dana and Kelsey turned to face him.
"Oh, Ryan you look great." Kelsey said hugging him close. Heavens' how she'd missed him.
"Naturally." He smirked and she glowered up at him. It was funny how even as rangers they'd not been very close but when Captain Mitchell had been killed they had become like family. The loss of his father having really shaken Ryan up, and his sister's pulling away, further hurting him.
"It's about time you girls got here." Dana turned slowly to see Carter Grayson coming towards her. He hadn't changed one bit. His blue eyes were serious and his stance confident. This time there was more than a pang or pain there was a fluttering in the heart she'd thought was dead.
Dana hugged her old friend but all could see that it was a very restrained action. She had missed him even though she'd never admit it. Carter had always been a pillar of stability. So many times as rangers he'd had to pull her out of whatever funk she was in weather it was over her studies, a guy, or Ryan. After the accident he'd come to the hospital but she'd been so scared, if she'd let him know. If she'd told him what had happened.
Carter knew immediately that something was wrong; there was a strain to Dana's once waiflike face. She had also lost entirely too much weight. That more than anything worried him, Dana had always been health conscious, and knowing the harm of not taking proper care of a body could do.
"You know this is incredible." Maya and Kendrix laughed at the fact that they were all together again.
"It's better. No monster attacks." Chad said and they all laughed.
"Come on I'll show you where you'll be staying." Maya told the girls enthusiastically.
Dana was given a room in an apartment with Maya, Kelsey, Kendrix and Ryan. She unpacked and then sank down on the far bed to think. Was this really happening? Was she really there? She'd never wanted to see the others, to hear their blame, yet she couldn't run from Carter. She'd never really been able to. There had always just been something in him, something had had called to her. It's what had made them such close friends.
Rangers. The word seemed somehow odd. She was no longer a ranger, not full time anyway. She was a medical student at A.G.U. She hadn't seen any of the others but Kelsey she'd gotten out of the hospital. It had only been in quick glances but she'd seen her old friend from time to time at the medical school and on the street but she'd ignored it.
Dana idly wondered if they were as good at their job as they'd once been. She wondered if anything would ever be like that, but it couldn't, the past was no more, she was not a girl with dreams, now she was a woman with nightmares that haunted her every night. Dreams that had her guzzling gallons of coffee most of the time and reading or working the rest of the time.
"Thinking about it again?" Carter asked and Dana turned to see him leaning against the doorjamb. She once again took in his neat brown hair, calm blue eyes and tidy clothes and knew at least that hadn't changed. He was still Carter Grayson, Mr. Control. And one of the most attractive men she'd ever known.
"I guess time can only dull the memories." Dana shrugged brushing a stray curl from her face.
Carter reassessed his friend's polished expression. Deciding in the end that Ryan was right, she was still in a bad place. It would be best to try and talk to her. Maybe the wedding would help. After all it was not every day Leo and Kendrix two of the most deserving people got married.
"You guys we're heading over to Leos." Kendrix's voice called up to them.
"You better go." Carter said and she frowned.
"You're not coming?" Dana couldn't help but ask.
"Not right now I have some work to do, you know, don't want to get behind." He said and led the way back out into the hall.
TBC
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