Chapter 23-Crying on the Inside
The three Rangers and two adults rose hastily from their hospital chairs when the door to the private room slammed abruptly open and Tommy staggered in, breathing heavily and looking as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Dr. O?" Kira asked worriedly upon seeing his expression, and Jason moved to his best friend's side to support him, as it looked as if the palaeontologist was about to collapse at any moment.
"What happened bro? Is Zeltrax-"
"He's Smitty." Tommy answered without hearing the question. The conscious inhabitants of the room all regarded their comrade questioningly, Jason escorting the Black Ranger back to the seat beside Kimberly's bed.
"Smitty?" Conner echoed in confusion. Tommy had run all the way back to the hospital after powering-down and coupled with the exhaustion recent days' events had provided, and his battle with Ze- Smitty… he was more than a little pooped.
Jason searched his brain for the name, it sounded vaguely familiar but not overly recognizable.
"Your old research colleague?" Hayley queried and Jason idly wondered whether the red-head had memorized every detail of Tommy's life for fun, now recalling some old photos he had seen of one of Tommy's early digs with Anton Mercer before he had attained his PhD. Tommy nodded, gratefully swigging from a can of root beer Ethan had grabbed for him.
"Zeltrax, he said he was Smitty, that Mesogog had saved him after the lab accident everyone thought had killed him. That he had reconstructed him and made him into, into whatever Zeltrax is today."
"A psycho robot with major anger management issues?" Ethan hazarded a guess.
"He said because I beat him for the job at Mercer Industries I ruined his life, so he would ruin mine, that the people I cared about would be made to suffer because I made him suffer." Tommy still sounded distant and Jason noticed the tell-tale signs of an encroaching Oliver angst-fest, wishing more than ever that Kim was awake, as no-one was better than her and getting Tommy to snap out of his self induced guilt trips.
"Tommy man, it is not your fault, any of this."
Tommy's head snapped up and his deep brown eyes narrowed as he regarded his best friend. "Of course it is, if I hadn't gotten the job Smitty would never have had to take one at a rival company and the lab accident never would have happened, I basically served him the death penalty."
Jason really wished that the three newest Rangers weren't here to witness this, Tommy was supposed to lead them by example and his self imposed emotional flogging would probably not do them any favours. Not to mention forcing his students to watch his insecurities parade themselves around the hospital room would give him yet another thing to feel guilty about! It was more than exasperating but Jason could hardly tell them to leave, and as Kim wasn't able to kick Tommy's ass into normalcy at that moment it would be his job to get him back on track single-handedly.
"Tommy, you didn't ask to be hired, you presented yourself and Anton Mercer chose you over Smith, it's as simple as that. If anyone was to blame, which they're not, it would be Mercer as he was the one who chose you, over everyone else. All you did was apply for a job bro, you had no control over the outcome, you were just the right man for the position. You do not need to bear the weight of the dead. If Zeltrax ever truly was 'Smitty' he's not any more, he's obviously lost his mind and irrational if he would blame you for what happened to him."
Tommy looked up as if weighing the logic of the argument, and Jason locked gazes with the teacher, refusing to waver in his firm reply. Eventually Tommy looked down and sighed, nodding slightly. "I guess you're right, but how can I destroy him now, in cold blood, now I know who he is?"
To the three teens that question seemed easy. "Dude, he threatened your friends, attacked your girlfriend and had tried many times to put you in the ground. I'd say that merits an ass kicking." Conner said with raised brows.
"Or to put it more delicately, you've gotta look past the name at the deeds, the cold blood thing has never bothered him." Ethan agreed.
"Yeah Dr. O, you always played the defensive, giving him chances to back off or tell you what he had against you, he never cared about mercy. If he thinks you'd hesitate to destroy him because you know who he is now, he'll use it against you for sure!"
Tommy let the use of the word 'dude' slide in this instance and looked between his students. They were definitely thinking like Rangers, and somewhat in a mature way, but they were still so young. Conner's response especially, so quick and simple, but life wasn't like that. It wasn't all black and white, you couldn't just cast off a soul so simply because of their past transgressions, he knew that most of all. If his friends had turned their backs on him, deciding that as he had tried to kill them and was a servant of evil that he was beyond redemption, he would have been trapped by Rita's evil until his deeds resulted in his death. But his friends had never given up on him, they had seen in him something worth saving, and had helped him become the man he was today. Some more than others… They had seen the man behind the mask, and supported him through all the consequences of his introduction to the Power. Although he and Terrance Smith had never been more than work colleagues and acquaintances, how could he dismiss another so easily after his own chequered past? Simple answer, he couldn't.
"It's not that simple guys." He said quietly, and although the Rangers looked like they wanted to argue they offered nothing more, although they did glance pointedly between Hayley and Jason, and that fact didn't escape Tommy, and it was only now that he saw the exhaustion and turmoil on each of their faces.
"What?"
Jason shook his head and sat down, Hayley glanced at him then stood up and walked over to Tommy instead, bending to crouch down so she was at his level.
"While you were gone the doctor came back with Kimberly's test results." She said gently.
"And?" Tommy snapped when nothing further was forthcoming.
Hayley sighed and continued, "They say that all her vital organs have been put under such enormous stress its amazing she's still alive at all. They said there's no bleeding, but the damage is there. It's as if someone aged her about 20 years in a moment, remarkably her body is still working, just, but they say with the signs she's displaying, it's unlikely she'll ever wake up."
Tommy swallowed heavily what tasted remarkably like bile, and squeezed his eyes closed, recognising the burning sensation of tears behind his eyes.
"She's alive, she's still there, they don't know what they're talking about." He said tightly, not opening his eyes. He didn't need the sympathy in their glances, the pity, the sorrow. Why did it seem every time he and Kim got a chance at happiness, something had to take them apart?
"Aww, Kimmie." His eyes snapped open and there was a collective turning of heads.
Blue shirted in jeans, and black sweatered in khakis, Rocky DeSantos and Adam Park stood in the doorway, eyes fixed on the slumbering Pink Ranger.
"Rocky, Adam!" Tommy shot up and clasped hands with the two, relieved that the former Rangers had arrived, Jason stood to follow suit. Although not as close to Adam and Rocky as Tommy was- as they had served as the Red, Black and Yellow replacements when he, Zack and Trini went to the Switzerland- his time as the Gold Ranger had helped him become firm friends with the then Zeo Rangers.
"Guys, good to see you. We weren't expecting you for another couple hours!"
Rocky looked sheepish and scratched the back of his neck. "I speeded." He explained with a grin, "I came as soon as Billy called and grabbed Park here on the way. If the Kimster's in trouble I wasn't gonna waste time." Tommy nodded gratefully then his eyebrows shot up and he stood back,
"That reminds me, Rocky, Adam, meet Conner, Ethan and Kira, the newest Power Rangers. Guys, this is Rocky DeSantos and Adam Park, former Red and Black, and err, also, Blue and Green Rangers." Tommy said with a wince, trying to keep all the colours right.
"It's complicated enough Tom, don't try and explain it all." Rocky waved his hand dismissively and nodded to the three. "Nice to meet y'all."
"Welcome to the Ranger Family." Adam smiled lightly and shook each of their hands.
"Wow, it's like a Ranger Reunion in here." Ethan grinned excitedly at even more of Dr. O's old team-mates.
"Billy told us what happened, and we…heard the prognosis." Adam said quietly.
"Do we have a plan, or something I can hit?" Rocky asked determinedly.
"Maybe, anything is worth a shot at this point. But I'll wait until Zack, Billy and Trini get here, so don't have to explain it more than once." Right now, it did not look like Aisha would appear any time soon, so for now Tommy decided they would have to try and work without her, or at least plan without her and fill her in if necessary, he didn't want to waste time when Kim was involved.
"So what's on the agenda until then?" Jason queried.
"We need to figure a way of getting Kimberly out of here, she's too much of a target, even with all of us around, not to mention that if she were attacked there are civilians here and we can't risk a battle in a hospital. It won't take long for Mesogog to figure where we all are and probably launch an all out war on us simply because we're vulnerable here." Tommy sighed. "And of course we need to be aware of any situations in Reefside, any monster attacks or any of Mesogog's goons causing chaos while we're distracted."
"The three of us will handle that Dr. O, we can call if we need back up." Conner reasoned.
"We'll have to go with that for now, but if Zeltrax shows up you need to call me." Tommy said seriously, Smitty's threats on his students still ringing in his ears.
"Alright Dr. O." Conner and his team-mates nodded simultaneously
"And someone needs to go back to the base and monitor the place, there's no sense in us all waiting here when there's nothing we can do." Tommy frowned, rubbing at his forehead tiredly.
"I'll go, I'm least closest to Kim and most qualified to be on lookout anyway." Hayley offered and Tommy nodded.
The door then swung open once more and the eight conscious inhabitants of the room all swung round to see a stern pepper-haired nurse in the doorway, arms crossed over her bosom and looking mightily displeased with what she saw.
"My goodness, this is a hospital room not a zoo! I'm going to have to ask you visitors to leave, Ms. Hart needs rest and quiet, a rabble of friends is not a beneficial environment conducive to healing."
"Ms. Hart is in a coma, I think she's getting all of the quiet rest she needs." Jason snarled, thoroughly annoyed with the dismissive and unsympathetic nature of the hospital staff, and their rest and quiet nonsense. Being surrounded by people who loved her was surely a better way to heal than to be alone and abandoned in foreign surroundings.
"One or two people in, at most!" The nurse said insistently, and bustled past to get a reading on Kim's current life signs and vitals, before making a note on the chart and glaring at the assorted guests one last time, "Out, now!" She barked, "Or I'll call security." And then she swept from the room.
"Someone will always stay with her." Tommy said firmly and the others nodded in agreement. "Jase, why don't you take Adam, Rocky and Hayley back to my house, then Hayley can get them equipped to handle monitoring the city in the command centre if needed and you can wait for news from Billy and Zack, and Aisha hopefully. Conner, why don't you Ethan and Kira go home, rest and relax as much as you can, just try and recharge yourselves, if anything changes we'll call you."
The three teens looked slightly hesitant and affronted to be dismissed and left out of the loop, but at the serious looks from the adults and Tommy's haunted eyes they couldn't deny their mentor at the moment.
"Sure Dr. O," Kira said softly.
"Call us with anything." Ethan agreed firmly.
"We will, and thank you. I'm really proud of you guys." Tommy said sincerely, with a tight lipped smile.
"Thanks Dr. O." Conner smiled and put his arms around Kira and Ethan's shoulders to lead them to the door in a gesture of camaraderie.
"It's an honour to meet you guys." Ethan added to Adam and Rocky as they left, and the two Rangers smiled in reply.
"You've done well there Tom." Rocky nodded approvingly and slapped Tommy's back amiably.
"I know." Tommy smiled lightly. "But I don't think they've slept for over 24 hours, so it's time to send them home, they'd have insisted on staying otherwise."
"We'll get everything settled back at yours bro, but don't you think you should have some sleep too?" Jason asked with a frown.
"I can sleep here." At their concerned and disapproving looks he reinforced his meaning. "I'm not leaving her."
"What if something happens?" Adam asked.
"I've got my communicator, you'll be able to get hold of me."
"I'll come and check on you in an hour or so." Jason said, and at Tommy's unamused look he returned it with a hard glance of his own. "I'm coming, and that's final bro."
Tommy sighed and nodded grudgingly. "Alright, but don't think you're gonna goad me into letting you 'relieve me' of duty man."
"We'll see." Jason smirked slightly at his best friend's stubborn nature and nodded to his former Zeo team-mates and Hayley, jerking his thumb towards the door. "Time to fly."
Tommy watched his compatriots depart and then retook his seat at Kimberly's side, holding her slender but unresponsive hand between his own and bowing his head in silent thought.
Kimberly opened her eyes and resisted the urge to yawn, she felt like she'd slept for a hundred years but still felt exhausted. Then, panic gripped her like a vice, the world was black, she couldn't see! She felt her heart begin to pound rapidly in her chest like a drum, wondering what was wrong with her.
Oh my gosh, am I blind?! What's happened to me? Tommy! She remembered Angel Grove, and…Tommy had been there, and he had kissed her. But surely that was a memory from years ago, Tommy had had long hair, and hadn't visited Angel Grove for years, but, they had talked about Mesogog and her dying…was she dead?! No, Tommy had said they had restarted her heart but she was…in a coma? She tried to sit up, to reach her hands out for the comforting presence of Tommy she knew was there, but she couldn't move…her body felt like it was made of lead, or perhaps something heavier than lead.
After all, how heavy is lead anyway? Surely there must be heavier things, but as I can't lift up anything heavy how would I know what's heaviest? This is getting me nowhere! She felt frustrated, she couldn't move, couldn't talk, couldn't see. But she could hear, she realised she had been hearing the steady hum of noise for some time now, how long had she been 'awake' anyway? Or as awake as a comatose person could be. She had heard that people in comas could hear people when they talked around them but had supposed that was just romanticism in a bleak situation, she had never dreamt she would be experiencing it first hand. She tried to concentrate, though everything just seemed hazy and tiring, tiring to even think, now there was an excuse she hadn't used since junior high. It was disorientating to not be able to see your surroundings when you knew you should be able to, it made her feel claustrophobic and anxious and not being able to do anything about it made her want to tear her hair out or scream, neither of which she could do obviously. She just tried to think of it as, she was lying on her bed at home with her eye mask on just trying to get to sleep. Trying to put herself in a more familiar situation made her feel slightly better, and she tried to concentrate on discerning the voices and the people from the mash of white noise.
Well that sounded like Conner, and Kira and Ethan…and Jason, Hayley…Adam?? Rocky??? …Tommy… Oh I wish I could see him, wish I could know if what happened was just a dream, or whether that kiss was real…whether his feelings are real. I never believed after all this time that he'd feel that way for me, after everything I've done to him. I just want to hold him. Oh God I wish I could move! I'd be crying right now that's for sure. Maybe I am already? What do I look like from the outside? Are all of them really here, or am I just going crazy. I'm talking to myself again, maybe I am crazy. Oh Tommy…
Then a very welcome voice broke through her reverie, soft and close to her as if by her side. She wasn't aware of anything but the voice in the darkness, and she focused on it with all her strength as it whispered in her ear with comforting clarity.
"Hey Kim. I'm back. I had to take care of something for a while there, but I'm back now, I'm not gonna leave you again, I promise. God Beautiful, what I wouldn't give to see you open your eyes now, to see you smile. You always had the power to make my heart stop with that smile y'know that? Even when I felt completely weak and useless, your smile could always brighten up my day. Can't you smile for me now Beautiful? Please?" A pause, and a shaking breath, then he continued.
Everyone's coming here for you, Adam and Rocky are here, Trini and Billy are coming, and Zack and Aisha. It's all for you Princess, to help you get better, we're all going to help you get better, no matter what. Then I'm going to tell you just how much I love you, and everything will be alright again, it'll all be alright Beautiful. I won't let anyone hurt you again, and I won't ever make the mistake of letting you go again, I promise you that. I promise you Kimberly, nothing's gonna take us apart again. God Beautiful, please wake up…I can't do this without you. I-I can't…"
The gentle voice of the man she loved trailed off into what sounded suspiciously like sobs, trembling and heartbroken sobs. He sounded so lost, so helpless, all Kim wanted to do was put her arms around his neck and never let go. This was torture, he was just sitting there in pain and there was nothing she could do to comfort him!
I'm here Tommy! I can hear you! I love you too, oh God Tommy I want to wake up, I want to smile for you! Handsome, I wish I could tell you how I feel. You've got to help me Tommy, I can't deal with this, I can't deal with you hurting, I miss you so much… Please Tommy, help me wake up! Please…
Below par chappy, I apologise, I was having a bit of writers block these last few weeks, since my exam results were pending, but now I've safely passed I should be back on track, sorry about this one, stick with me, I hope you still enjoyed. Thanks for reading!
xXx