Chapter 2 Truth and Denial

"Will you sit down already?" Joel called to Ryan who was pacing the waiting room like a caged Tiger.

"Give it up Joel." Chad told his friend looking from Ryan to Carter who was staring unseeingly out the waiting room window a mask of indifference on his face.

Kelsey didn't say a word just got up and headed from the room.

Chad moved to go after her but Ms. Fairweather's voice stopped him.

"Let her go, she needs some time." she said gently and the blue ranger reluctantly settled back into his seat.

*****

Standing there Kelsey rested her head against the cool metal of the vending machine trying to get a grip on the situation. She kept seeing the seen of Dana's

Body being loaded into the ambulance. She'd almost looked dead. All she could think was that if she'd just gone with Dana that morning. She gave herself a mental shake and tried to think of something else. Ryan had looked as if he wanted to hit something. The yellow ranger was surprised he hadn't. She'd seen how Vypra had disappeared and had known he was still furious. That mixed with his pain and fear that could be dangerous. She'd been watching him ever since he'd decided to stay in Mariner bay and had decided he was ok. Now she wished she knew what to say or do to make him feel better, to make herself feel better. The thing was, that was Dana's area. She could always be counted on to help, well, Dana and Carter. She knew that the red ranger was in a like state to Ryan's. His face had been grim on the way from the park. Since they'd arrived at the hospital a change had come over him, a mask of indifference, one she'd never seen before. Although they couldn't see what he was really feeling Kelsey had a feeling if they could he'd look like he'd taken a quick trip through Hell? It made sense though; the red lightspeed ranger was in love with her best friend. She knew it and the others did but Dana didn't. He was too controlled for that. She'd only figured it out because of his reaction to the events today.

The room was so still, the only sounds coming from the faint breathing of the assembled group and the staff moving out in the hallway.  Ryan's mind was

Racing, churning like his gut had upon seeing his little sister battered and bloody on that stretcher.

Abruptly Ryan strode from the room. With out a word he headed out of the waiting room. How could they all sit so bloody still? Dana was hurt, could even be dying. He wanted to hit something but what?

Ryan was heading for the nurses station when he caught sight of something yellow from the corner of one eye.  The yellow ranger was standing wedged between a snack machine and the wall, her forehead pressed to the side of the vending machine, eyes closed. She looked like she was trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe.  The blonde haired boy didn't think he'd ever seen the girl like this. She was usually more of a happy-go-lucky person. He guessed it was the fact that Dana was one of her best friends that had her looking so strained.

Ryan didn't really think about it just moved forward to stand beside her hidey- whole.

Kelsey hadn't heard anyone approaching so her first indication that she wasn't alone came from the sudden fall of the shadow over her.

Looking up she was a little surprised to see Ryan standing there. He didn't look angry now; there was concern on his face. She managed a little smile.

"Busted?" She asked and he just reached out and pulled her from her place. She frowned up at him and he said nothing but pulled her to him.

Ryan saw the surprise cross her face and was just as startled by his move. He'd not meant to do this; he was not someone to comfort others. He had had so little of that growing up but for some reason had felt the need to be here for this female.  Maybe because she was experiencing some of his own pain, aching, and so out of sorts.

It surprised Kelsey how safe and warm she felt as she let her cheek rest against the Titanium ranger's chest. It was that which made her relax, that and the feeling that he needed to do this as much as she needed it. They stood like that neither speaking for a long time. It was Kelsey who pulled back first. She shifted so she could look up at him.

"Ryan she'll be ok." She said reaching up a hand to brush it against his cheek.

"Yeah," he said feeling odd to have a near stranger trying to comfort him. After all he had tried to kill her and the others. He knew that this was not the time for this and pulling back he said. "We better get back incase they hear something."

"Yeah." She agreed and together the pair headed back towards the waiting room.

They were rounding the corner when a woman in surgical scrubs spotted them and approached.

"You're with Ms. Mitchell?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Your sister is on her way down from recovery." She said and he frowned. Was that all?

Just then William Mitchell joined the three standing there.

"But why did it take so long?" The older man asked and she sighed.

"During the battle Dana took a lot of nasty hits. She received cuts, bruises, and a sprained shoulder." The doctor said and Ryan's stomach sank at the way her eyes went bland. "The most damage was caused when Dana was hit in the head; it caused forward displacement of the eyes from the eye socket. It also caused some bleeding within the front chamber of the eye."

"So." He prompted but Ryan already knew and wanted to shake her for not telling him this first. Dana was his sister, if she was in trouble. He felt Kelsey take his arm, Ryan didn't even think about why, his attention was riveted on the doctor.

"We tried to mend the damage but it was too severe." She said regretfully and he felt someone join them. Glancing over he saw it was his father. He let his father ask the questions now just listening to the doctor's replies and trying to take it all in. She was blind. Dana was blind.

When the doctor was finished Ryan and Kelsey followed the captain back into the waiting room.

"What?" Carter was on his feet as they entered. "What did they say?" He demanded when neither man spoke right away.

"It's not good." Ryan said and his father filled them in. Watching his sire, Ryan caught the look on his father's face, pain, fear and something else?

"She's." Kelsey felt as if the world was falling away as what she'd just heard finally sunk in.

"But they can't be sure they'll have to run tests." Chad said hopefully.

"According to the doctor they hit her with that blast and it must have hit the eye, causing it to separate from the socket." Ryan said grimly and Nausea filled Carter's gut, she had nearly died, and now…

"Where is she now?" Ms. Fairweather asked.

"There bringing her down from recovery." He said and then Captain Mitchell spoke up.

"Go on back to the base; I'll let you know when she wakes up." He said in his most unemotional voice. The vulnerability that his son had seen moments before was gone now replaced by a professional mask.

Kelsey looked at her friends and shook her head.

"We're staying."

"Look, there's no telling when she'll come around and you need your sleep." The captain said tonelessly.

Kelsey looked to Ryan whose arm she still held and saw he had shut himself down. She knew that wasn't the way to be but now wasn't the time to prod at him. Instead she let Chad and Joel lead her out.

Carter and Ryan hung back, neither willing to leave now. Both ready for a fight.

"You two should go." The captain said but neither moved as if brother's they crossed their arms over their chests in a sign that they weren't going anywhere.

William Mitchell just nodded and sat down to wait. Ryan did not move but after a minute, Carter made his way from the room. He headed down the hallway to the wash room. He was glad to find it empty and leaned closing the door locked it and leaned back against the door. He couldn't believe this was happening, that it had. Sure, they fought big battles everyday but he'd never really thought any of them could get seriously hurt. Not like this. Kelsey the most daring of the group had faced a back draft and come away with minor injuries. It was frightening to think just how close Dana had come to dying today, and to think she'd never see again. It made him both want to run and hide and destroy the beasts who'd done this to her. He knew that at the moment neither were exactly options and so standing there Carter tried to pull it together. Going to peaces wouldn't help Dana one bit. And that was what counted now.

*** 

"They just brought her down." Captain Mitchell said as Carter reentered the waiting room a few minutes later.

"Did you see her?" He asked anxiously. "How did she look? Did they say anything else?"  The rapid fire questions betrayed Carter's passive expression.

Ryan found his first real smile since his sister had been attacked. Why hadn't he noticed just how far gone his new friend was? Maybe because he'd been too busy trying to adjust to having a family and friends for the first time in years. It struck him that he should warn Carter not to hurt her but just now there were more pressing issues.

"Excuse me Mr. Mitchell?" A nurse poked her head in the door. "You can see your daughter now, but only one of you at a time. She's still out of it."

Carter had to force himself to stay where he was, not to race out the door to see if she was really alive. It was not his place. He was a friend they were her family. Still it was hard.

Ryan let his father go first. He had more right, after all they were like peas in a pod and he was the newcomer. Besides hadn't he tried to kill her less than a week ago? Did he really deserve to be there with her now?

*****

There was a thick sounding buzzing all around her, Dana didn't know what it was but was really too groggy to care. She felt as if she were floating, on air, on clouds. Then there were the voices.

"Dana, can you here me?" A voice was asking. She knew it but she was just so fuzzy. "Dana, its dad. If you can hear me know that I'm here." An image surged through the fog, dad, his face flashed and she knew him. She realized that everything was dark and she wondered fuzzily what was wrong, and then she knew, she had her eyes closed.

"Dana We're all worried about you. Kelsey and Chad, Joel, and Ms. Fairweather and Carter and Ryan. You have to wake up so you can tell them you're alright." He was saying.  Then the darkness set in again…

*****

The room was Dark and Ryan stood there in the doorway taking in his little sister.  Dana looked like a little girl again, her body dwarfed by the immense bed. Her hair was matted with dried blood; shield like things covered her eyes, the off white tape from them hideous against her pretty face. The face that was now bruised and covered in cuts. Her torso was encased in the grotesquely flowered hospital gown. Her right shoulder slightly covered by a navy sling.  Idly he wondered how many other injuries the blanket covered. Ryan really didn't know but he did know that they'd pay for every nick, every scratch and then some.

 Silently Ryan crossed the room to take the chair beside the bed. Sitting down gingerly he reached for the small hand lying atop the cover. It was warm, not containing the chill of death. That at least was something. He wondered if she'd see it that way. From what he'd learned from the others his little sister worked for three things: to be a ranger, to make dad proud and to be a doctor. He'd only bee driven by one thing, at least that he could remember, to destroy his sister and father. To hurt all those who'd forsaken him. He'd been so lost after he'd found out the truth and it had taken words of an old woman and two children to show him a new path. He wondered what hers would be and how she'd find it.

*****

It hurt, that was the first thing Dana knew as the fog receded once more. She heard an odd sound and then felt a hand gripping hers, who's?

"Hey sis, nice of you to join us." She frowned a second, then tried to speak, it was then she felt the slight pulling, it was around her face, closing her mouth she heard a whimpering and tried to open her eyes, but they wouldn't cooperate.

"Ryan?" She croaked out, was that her? Oh heavens it sounded worse than a frog. The hand squeezed hers.

"I'm here."

*****

Ryan wanted to shout to the heavens with every pained sound she made. His little sister was in pain, broken and there was nothing he could do about it. He reached for the call button and in seconds a nurse was there pushing him aside as she and a doctor was checking her over.

*****

Dana felt her brother's hand fall away heard voices even as she reached for her face. She was so confused, what had happened?  Where was she? Why did if feel like something was pulling her facial skin apart?

"Don't do that." A voice said gently and she felt fear hit her, what was going on? Why wouldn't her eyes open? Why didn't they want her to touch?

"Ms. Mitchell, You need to relax, you've had a terrible time and.

*****

Carter saw the doctor and nurse enter Dana's room and his heart stopped, had something happened? Had there been a complication? No, no, he told himself. If she had lights would flash and bells would have gone off. Then he moved to the doorway, he had to see.

"I'm." Dana's voice was horse and he'd never heard her so weak or seen her so small. His heart ached and he thought of scooping her up and leaving there, getting her out of that room, away from their words, away from the sound of her dreams shattering. But being a practical man and an emergency worker he knew that she was in the best place possible. But it killed him to know what lay before his best friend.

*****

"Irreversible!" The word echoed through her mind, it was a profanity, just like blind. Those words were greater weapons than any spell, bomb or demon. They had just decimated eighteen and a half years of work in seconds. She felt the hand take hers once more and wanted to fling it and its owner away, to hurt as she was, to. But he had, he'd hurt so much. Suddenly her head was spinning and the medication she'd been given sent the fog in again. She let it, maybe

She'd go to sleep, wake up and it would all be nothing but a terrible dream.  Yes that was it she'd just go to sleep and this would all be a bad, really bad dream.

TBC