Chapter 14: Now What?

For several minutes after Dr. Oliver left, the Rangers remained silent, each of them individually digesting the scene just played out before them in their own way. Haley stood staring at the door, sniffling quietly, her mind replaying the incident over and over again. It didn't take too long before her intellect regained control and the enormity of the situation sunk in. She had humiliated Tommy in front of his students by revealing details of his personal life that were nobody's business, and she did it deliberately, knowing that her cruel words would carry more weight if said in their presence. The worst part was that she made what he did sound deviant and sordid, going as far as calling an innocent woman a whore. Now, her friendship with Tommy, not to mention her dream of having him for herself, was history. With a fleeting look in kids' direction, she non-verbally apologized with the most sincere expression she could manage, and then ran back to her office.

All of the Rangers could only watch Haley go initially, except for Trent. He quickly jumped up and started after her, but Kira's firm hand grabbed his wrist and encouraged him to sit back down. "Leave her be for a minute. We need to talk about this." The White Ranger nodded and did as he was told.

"What is there to talk about? Haley just totally flipped out on Dr. O, and we don't know why!" Conner inadvertently raised his voice in his frustration.

"Chill, Conner. We have to figure out what we're going to do, because this whole thing could have a seriously negative impact on the team. We're screwed if we don't have Haley's help." Ethan was the thinker of the group, and the numerous practical aspects of losing their technical expert rapidly began piling up in his head, making him feel rather panicky.

"You're right, Ethan, and we're not going to let than happen. They've been friends for too long. We have to figure out why it bothered Haley so much that Dr. O…had…has… a girlfriend." Trent wasn't exactly sure how to describe the delicate circumstance, so he tried to say it as tactfully as he could manage.

The boys all seemed to agree with Trent's plan of action until Kira spoke up, clearly irritated by their typical male density. "Are you dufuses blind? Don't you see that she's in love with him? Why else would she freak out like that? She's jealous!"

"In love with him? No way!" Ethan couldn't wrap his mind around that one.

"Yes, in love with him. Haven't you guys noticed the way she always looks at him? She was probably just afraid to do anything about it. Now he has someone else, and she's hurt. A woman just knows these things." The concept was as simple to her as water being wet.

"Well, what do we do now? It's really none of our business." Trent was not the type to interfere.

"Sure it is!" Conner started. "If the team suffers because they aren't speaking, then it's definitely our business. We have to talk to them and make them see that." His leader mode took over, and for once he sounded mature and intelligent.

"Yeah, but you know Dr. O. Haley said herself the other day that he was very private about this stuff. He's probably totally embarrassed. I doubt he wants to face us right now, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm not dealing with this whole TMI thing very well, myself."

"TMI thing?" Conner's blank expression belied his confusion even if his words had not.

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" The Blue, Yellow, and White Rangers practically shouted it at the same time, as annoyed with the seemingly hopeless situation as much as with Conner's cluelessness.

Kira stepped in again as the moderator, feeling responsible for keeping them on the subject and the testosterone levels in check. "Ethan brought up a good point. We all just sat around the command center yesterday talking about what a gross thought the idea of Dr. O having a sex life was. Now, just a day later it comes back to haunt us! How is he ever going to look us in the eyes again? Our relationship with him might be changed forever!"

"Don't you think you're being a little too dramatic, Kira?" Trent was generally a sensible guy, usually not too influenced by his masculinity. "Maybe we should just forget about it. Act like it never happened."

"How do we do that? Dr. O certainly won't be able to. Everytime we look at him, he'll think we're imagining him…God! What should we do?" Kira was becoming overwhelmed. The more she thought about it, the more she frustrated she got. "And we have Haley to think about, too."

"Look, guys. All we're doing is speculating. We have to talk to them. I think we should split up. Ethan and I are closest to Haley. We'll stay here for her. Kira, you and Conner should go to Dr. O's. See how he's doing. Maybe we're overreacting. He's probably calmed down by now." Trent was tired of just sitting there. He wasn't a talker, he was a doer, and right now, two of his friends were hurting. It was time to do something.

"I think that's a good idea. Let's get going." Kira was reminded again why she found Trent so appealing. He was intelligent, sensitive, and loyal, everything she wanted in a guy.

"Um, Kira? What if we get to Dr. O's house and he's, uh…you know? I think I'd be scarred for life if we walked in on that." Conner was surprisingly the one to put the brakes on an overly-zealous arrangement. While not usually the tactful one, this time, he felt funny about interfering.

"We'll call him on the way. If he doesn't answer, I guess we'll have to wait. But we have to try," Kira suggested while packing up her books.

Conner did likewise and the two of them made for the door. "Keep in touch. We'll meet back here later," he called over his shoulder just before they headed out. It was one of those times when he was happy to forgo the leader role and let Kira take control. He knew that he had a real tendency to stick his foot in his mouth, so as they climbed into his red Mustang, he mentally resigned himself to shut up and let her do the talking.

Neither Trent nor Ethan was particularly happy about having to talk to Haley. They were all for helping their friend, but didn't feel they were at all qualified for the job. As they walked towards the back room like they were in a funeral procession, both of them wondered how their intercession would be received. It seemed like Haley's anger had dissolved, but the fact was, she had made a real ass out of herself and might not be ready to deal with it yet. The office door was open, so the boys took that as a sign that she wouldn't mind visitors, but they knocked on the door frame anyway. She was in her chair facing the back wall, and upon hearing them approach, she spun around. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and her makeup was smeared down her face, but she wasn't currently crying.

"Hey, Haley," Trent began. He had been working at Haley's for about eight months, but today saw new a side of her. She now seemed almost like a stranger to him.

"Hi, guys." Haley greeted them with as much of a smile as she could manage. It wasn't a surprise to see them there. She figured they'd come to check on her, so she tried to compose herself as much as she could. As a role-model, not to mention a decent human being, her behavior was reprehensible. She owed the kids an apology almost as much as she did Tommy. "Come on in."

The two Rangers sat in the comfortable chairs opposite Haley's desk, their apprehension seeping from every pore. She realized that it was her job to explain herself, and she was determined to do the right thing. "Um, I really want to say how sorry I am for the way I acted out there. There was no excuse for it. I don't know what got into me, but now I've put you guys in a difficult position."

"Listen, Haley. You don't have to apologize to us. We just wanted to know if you're OK and if there's anything we can do," Trent explained.

"Thank you, but I do need to apologize. What I did was worse than just wrong, it was...well, the worst thing I could have done to a friend, especially Tommy. I still can't believe that was me saying those things. I don't know what I was I thinking."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Haley. Can you tell us why you were so mad?" Ethan felt sorry for her. She obviously deeply regretted her actions, and now looked like a lost little girl.

"Well, I guess I've revealed so much to you guys already, what's a little more? I love Tommy. I'm in love with him, have been for years. He doesn't know, but I was going to tell him. That's why I went over there this morning, to lay it all on the line. I decided to risk everything to find out how he felt about me. Tommy is very shy when it comes to women, and I was hoping that if I made the first move, he'd finally admit it if he felt the same way about me. You can imagine now why I was hurt when I got there and he was…" Haley's eyes began to well up with tears again at the thought of what she heard going on and her subsequent reaction to it.

Trent handed her a Kleenex from the box on the corner of her desk. "I'm sorry, Haley. Maybe you should just explain it to Dr. O. He's a decent guy, he'll understand." The White Ranger wasn't so sure if that was true, but he was trying to be encouraging.

"I can't face him. I just can't. What I did was so wrong. I knew what I was saying, and I knew that saying it in front of you guys would really hurt him. I just couldn't stop myself once I started. The urge to get back at him took over me, and as hard as I tried to fight it, it won. Tommy's the best friend I've ever had, and now I've lost him. Not only that, but I've ruined his reputation in your eyes." Haley was sobbing again as the hopelessness of the situation settled in deeper.

"His reputation is fine. I mean, it's a little creepy to think about a teacher having sex, but we'll get over it. I think it will be harder for him though." Ethan was the one of them the most like Haley, and thus more brains than emotions. He hoped his words sounded sincere.

"I know. He's probably mortified. And for the record, Tommy doesn't sleep around. I just want you to know that. I don't know who the woman was, but I'm sure she's someone he must care about. I had no business calling her a whore. Jealousy is a terrible thing."

Trent needed to get all of their minds off the subject of the confrontation. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of Dr. O's sex life again. "You really need to talk to him, Haley. Just apologize. You guys have been friends for so long, and all friends have arguments sometimes. He won't be mad forever. Do it for us, for the team. We need you Haley."

That statement really hit her hard. She had gotten into the Ranger thing with Tommy to make a difference in the world. Abandoning the team now might mean that Mesogog would win, a possibility too terrible to think about. It was time to be a responsible adult and set a good example for the teens. That meant admitting her mistake and asking forgiveness from the one she hurt, even if it was possible that he wasn't willing to grant it for awhile, if ever. "Thank you, Trent. I think I needed to hear that. I'm not so sure that Tommy will want me around, but he'll do what's good for the Rangers, and so should I." Haley gave the two boys a warm smile, not for the first time surprised that kids fifteen years her junior could have so much more common sense and compassion than grown-ups sometimes.

"That's the spirit!" Ethan was grinning like second-grader. They were one step closer to having things back the way they were. Now all they had to do was develop selective amnesia in order to forget that this whole thing started because Dr. Oliver had sex.

"By the way, where are Conner and Kira?" Haley had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to know for sure.

"They went to Dr. O's," Trent hesitantly admitted.

"Oh. I thought so, but that probably wasn't a very wise plan. I doubt he's ready to see any of you just yet. He loves you guys, and will get past it, but it's going to take some time. I can't even imagine how he must be feeling right now. Again, I'm so sorry."

"Well, we have to see him in class tomorrow, anyway. When do you think you might try to talk to him?" Ethan asked before he realized he might be trying to force the issue. "Sorry, didn't mean to be pushy."

"I'd better give him a couple of days to cool off. If he's involved with someone, the best thing I could do right now is give them time alone together. In the case of an attack and you need me, that's different, but if things stay quiet, I want to give him his space." Haley knew it was a cop-out, but the possibility also existed that Tommy might seek her out first. Whether it would be to tell her off or give her a chance to apologize, though, she wasn't sure.

"You really don't have any idea who she is?" Trent asked. The curiosity was killing all the Rangers, despite the fact that the general idea was gross.

"Not a clue, Trent. He's never mentioned any women, but then again, he's also very private. I never would have considered telling him I love him if I thought he was seeing someone else. I think he was right, though. I do get myself in a knot when I don't know something. Being a genius has its problems, too."

"And you're sure he doesn't know you're in love with him?" Ethan didn't have the necessary experience with the opposite sex to make any sense of the situation, but he was somewhat disappointed to find out that even adults like Haley and Dr. O sometimes didn't have all the answers, either. He had been hoping that with age he would understand women better.

"Yeah, pretty sure. Tommy has always been completely oblivious to all the attention females throw at him. He just doesn't get it, and that's part of his charm. For a guy to look that good and be so humble…" Haley trailed off when she realized that she might be providing the teens with TMI again. "Sorry."

"Conner and Kira should be contacting us soon. They're going to come back here, either sooner or later. If Dr. O wants to be alone like you say, it should be sooner," Trent wanted them back right away so he and Ethan could share what they've learned and decide on the best way to handle first period Science in the morning. It was bound to be awkward.

Conner and Kira sat in the parking lot of the Cyberspace discussing what exactly they planned to say to Dr. Oliver. They briefly considered just going over there and acting like nothing unusual happened, but then decided that idea would probably draw more attention to the confrontation than if they brought it up outright.

"I don't want to do this, Kira." Conner wasn't afraid to admit his fear. Even if Kira did all the talking, he still had to stand there and look at Dr. O, who would be looking at them, thinking that they were thinking what they were thinking. It was too embarrassing, and now on top of it all, he went and got himself all confused.

"Neither do I, but we have to," Kira said, trying to keep them on track. Frankly, she was acting much more confident than she actually felt.

"I know. I guess we should call him now."

"Yeah," she concurred. She hesitantly clasped the bright yellow stone of her Dino Gem with her thumb and forefinger while concentrating on making a telepathic connection to the Black Ranger. When she mentally felt his bracelet signal him, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now, they just had to wait for Dr. O to reply.

"What is it Kira?" Tommy answered sounding impatient and only semi-interested.

In the car, the Red and Yellow Rangers exchanged a glance that said they both heard the message behind his tone; however, they had to do what they had to do. "Um, nothing, really. Conner and I were just wondering if you'd like some company. We could maybe bring a pizza, rent a movie…" Kira tried to sound as casual as possible, but they both knew he was well aware of the true reason for the call.

"Thanks, guys, but not today. I think I'm just going to lay low this afternoon. I have a lot of things to think about." Tommy appreciated the concern, and he knew it was genuine, but he was not interested in socializing with the teens right now. He had some decisions to make regarding how he was going to address with them Haley's revelation about his personal life. Besides, Kim would be on her way back over soon. There was no way he wanted to introduce the Rangers to her now without telling her first what they knew. He planned on omitting the part about Haley calling her a whore since it would serve no purpose but to hurt Kim's feelings, and he'd hate for her to serve time in prison for murder.

"We understand, Dr. O." Kira assured him, and they really did, since they were no more comfortable with the idea of seeing their teacher so soon after what happened than he was. It seemed they all just needed some time.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow, and we'll get together after school for some training."

"OK. We'll be there," Conner said, pulling Kira's wrist to him so he could speak. "Bye."

"Bye, guys."

Tommy cut the connection and sighed to himself to release his anxiety. Kim should be calling any minute, and explaining to her the current morale crisis of the Dino Thunder Rangers was not how he had planned to spent the rest of the day. Just as he was mentally sorting out which details of the altercation he should share, his cell phone rang from inside his thigh pocket. He smiled to himself despite everything that happened when the caller ID read 'Marriott Reefside.'

"Hi," he said simply, trying to keep any signs that he was feeling troubled from his voice.

Kim couldn't be fooled so easily. She had too much experience with Tommy-in-distress. He'd always been a horrible actor. "What is it?" There was no use beating around the bush.

"Oh, I'll tell you when you get here. Are you getting ready to leave?" He realized he sounded like he was rushing her, but spending time with her was the only thing that would salvage this weekend.

"Yeah. I've already checked out. I just have to put my bags in the car. Are you finished with Haley?"

That's one way of putting it. "I'm home now. You can come whenever you want." He realized just after he said it that a double meaning could be interpreted from that statement, especially after last night and this morning.

"I can as long as you're around," she replied with a sexy little giggle. The implication wasn't lost on her. "Seriously, though, I'll be there in twenty, then. Bye."

"See you soon." Tommy flipped his cell shut, ending the call. She still had the power to make his day with just the sound of her voice. He thought about working out, but he really didn't have enough time. There's plenty of time to get all hot and sweaty later. God, the years of sexual depravation have turned me into a fiend! I just can't control myself around her. He decided it would be better to relax and watch some TV while he waited for her to arrive.

Conner and Kira clamored back out of the car and into the Cyberspace to wait for Ethan and Trent. The Red Ranger stopped near the front of the café to move the broken table to the dumpster around the side of the building. He marveled again at Dr. Oliver's fierce display of temper and deadly skill that caused the thing to be split cleanly in half. While he didn't blame his teacher for being angry at Haley, it was the last thing he expected from the normally calm and collected Dr. O. After the trash was disposed of, he took a seat with Kira on the sofa.

Not three minutes later, the Blue and White Rangers could be heard coming from the storeroom. They were momentarily taken back at seeing their teammates sitting there, but after a second, they both realized that they shouldn't have been surprised.

"Back so soon?" Ethan asked anyway.

"We never left. After we got in the car, we called Dr. O to see if we could go over there, but he said he'd rather be alone today," Conner explained. "Well, maybe not alone, but he just didn't want us there. Maybe his girlfriend is still around. Were you guys able to talk to Haley?"

Trent started. "Yeah, we did. Kira you were right. She's in love with him."

"Of course I'm right! She actually admitted it?" The Yellow Ranger had no doubt in her mind that Haley loved Dr. Oliver, but she wasn't sure that Haley was aware of it, herself.

"Yep. She was completely honest. The kicker is that the reason she went over there this morning was to tell him. Then she heard them…" Trent couldn't finish the statement. The idea of saying 'it' out loud threatened to make him sick.

"Fucking." Conner had no such qualms, even though he never would have associated the subject with Dr. O before today.

"Eeewww. You had to say it, didn't you, Conner? How am I going to sit there in class everyday, now, if I keep picturing…" Ethan, being much more naïve than the others, naturally came out with a more immature response.

"Then don't picture it! I know it's a little weird, but face it, guys. Dr. O is just a normal guy. You heard Haley say he had girlfriends before." Then a thought hit Kira. "She didn't say she knew who the woman was, did she?"

"She has no idea, but she's really sorry for what she did. I guess she just flipped out. Imagine finally getting the courage to confess your feelings for someone, then finding them with someone else. I mean, her reaction was pretty harsh, but she was hurt. She also wanted us to know that Dr. O doesn't sleep around like she said." Trent didn't want to make it sound like he agreed with Haley's tantrum, but he was very loyal, and could tell that she was truly remorseful.

"They say love makes people do some strange things sometimes. Is she going to talk to Dr. O?" Conner needed to take the leader position and think about the team at this point.

"Yeah, but not right away. If he didn't want to see you guys, he for sure doesn't want to see her! We have to give them both some time," Ethan reasoned. "She plans to apologize, and I think eventually, he'll accept it. He knows we need her."

"What do we do if there's an attack before then?" The Red Ranger posed the question without thinking, which was a habit of his.

"Then we'll all do what we have to do. Let's just forget about it for now. Remember that it's none of our business, anyway. Dr. O wants us to come by tomorrow for training. I suppose he'll say whatever he wants to say about it then." Kira spoke with they type of authority that told the boys that she considered the subject closed for the time being.

Conner realized she was right, and he would have to be satisfied with that. "So, what are you guys doing the rest of the day?"

Tommy was vegetating on the couch watching football while waiting for Kim. He had the volume up fairly loud, so it took a few knocks on the wooden door for Kim to get his attention. He jumped up to let her in, and found her standing on the porch holding a beige-and-black-striped tabby cat.

The sight made Tommy smile, and he planted a quick kiss on her lips. "Come on in. I see you've met Hobo Kitty."

"This is your cat?" Kim asked, surprised. She never took Tommy for a cat person.

"Not exactly. I'm more like her human. It's her house and she lets me live here because I feed her. I think the last owners left her when they moved, but she's grown on me." Tommy had allowed himself to be adopted by the sweet little cat after she made it clear that she wasn't leaving. Since she was very independent, preferring to come and go as she pleased, they had the perfect arrangement.

"What did you say her name is?" Kim wanted to make sure she heard him right.

"Hobo Kitty. My brother used to call her a little hobo because she bums around all day, and it just stuck. She didn't drop a mouse on the porch, did she?"

Kim shrieked upon hearing that. She frantically looked around for signs of a rodent carcass, but exhaled when she saw no evidence. "Doesn't look like it."

Tommy laughed at her squeamishness. She could still be such a girly-girl sometimes, even though she was tough as nails. "Good. She likes to bring me presents. I think she considers it her contribution to the household."

Judging by the way she was purring, it looked as though the furry little animal made a new best friend in Kim. Tommy grabbed her bags from the porch, quietly chuckling to himself at the amount of luggage she brought for just a few days. He took them up to the bedroom, and then came back down to find Kim and Hobo curled up on the sofa together. "I never thought I would be jealous of a cat," he teased.

"You're welcome to join us, you know," Kim beckoned with an alluring look.

Tommy wouldn't dream of refusing, so he sat down on the sofa next to her, draping his arm around her shoulders. Kim snuggled into his embrace while the kitty drifted off to sleep on her lap. After a few minutes of watching the game, she decided to broach the subject of his upset voice on the phone. "So, what happened with Haley?" she asked, straight to the point.

He sighed deeply, mentally acknowledging that he couldn't put it off forever. "It's a long story…"

Author's notes: Dialogue-heavy, I know. Sometimes exposition can't be avoided. Thanks to all who continue to read and review. Your comments are encouraging and help me to strive to do better each chapter.