Author's notes: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. This is the second to last chapter, and it went a little differently than I had planned it, thanks to an idea given to me by Silver Warrior, to whom I am very grateful! Please read and review.
"Love is the answer, at least to most of the questions in my heart," Jack Johnson, Better Together
Kim
The night at Jason and Trini's is just what I need. It's a chance to catch up with two of my oldest, and best, friends, see my incredible growing goddaughter, and to get out of Surfside. Trini and I spend the afternoon playing with Sally and gossiping, and once Jason has arrived back home from work we skirt around anything to do with Rangering during an amzing dinner Trini and I managed to scrape together, and bathing Sally. It only comes to a head once Sally is safely asleep in her room, and the three of us are sitting in the living room.
We talk about my job, and Trini has the bright idea of taking some time off work to find out what I really want to do with my life. It's a valid point; I've been working in advertising since I left college, and although I've always enjoyed it; my promotion of sorts has made me see I don't really want a position of such responsibility. It alienates me from people I work with, and I don't feel entirely comfortable with throwing my weight around in order to get things done. Stupid as it might sound, I purged my ambitious streak when I did gymnastics, and although I'd like a job that I enjoy, Trini makes it clear that advertising was no longer it.
Well, actually, she says, "Get your head out of the sand and find a job that doesn't make you want to throw yourself out of the building. Oh, and let your boyfriend apologise to you while you're at it."
"Where did that come from?" I ask indignantly, although inwardly I know that it was only a matter of time before the subject came up, and I've been lucky enough to avoid the topic for this amount of time.
"Oh, come on Kim, you knew she was going to bring it up eventually," Jason pipes up from the corner of the room, where he sits sprawled out on an armchair.
"Yeah, yeah, I should be grateful I've deflected it for this long," I grumble, and put my glass of wine back on the coffee table so I can turn to face Trini more comfortably for the interrogation. "Besides, he's not even my boyfriend."
"So what would you prefer I call him? The love of your life?" Trini asks with an annoying grin on her face. I scowl at her, and she continues. "Did you ring him to let him know you were staying here tonight?"
"Why would I do that? I don't have to tell him where I am every moment of the day, especially as I'm so annoyed with him," I snap.
"I told him," Jason suddenly says, and it's his turn to be fixed with an evil glare.
"Why?"
"You'd been screaming down the phone line at me for ten minutes, I thought it was only fair to forewarn him that you were on the warpath and might be targeting him next. I got his machine though, he must have been at work already."
I sigh, and curl up into the sofa once more. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that this whole sorry situation is no-one's fault. It was just a whole sorry chain of events that ended up with people getting hurt who shouldn't have been. Still, I can't wholly banish the thought that maybe this wasn't meant to be after all, that we split up the first time for a reason, and that this was a repeat of that. How am I supposed to make a decision with two completely opposite thoughts commanding equal time in my head? "That's fine, I understand. But I don't want to speak to him until I'm sure I know what I want, and I'm still an emotional car crash."
"Kim, you know we are all so sorry about what happened," Trini says, leaning forward to give me a hug. "None of us wanted this to happen."
"I know that," I say, and return the hug gratefully. "It's just… difficult. I don't know whether fate's conspiring to get us together and this is just a quirky obstacle that has to be overcome, or destiny wants to split us apart after we accidentally met in a stationery store." Trini reverts back to her original position, and I sigh, stretching my feet out in front of me. "I thought moving back to California would be the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought it would sort my life out; but instead it's throwing up more problems than it solved."
"Are you saying you'd move back east?" Jason asks concernedly, and looks relieved when I shake my head decisively.
"No. I'm enjoying being back and closer to all of you guys. I'll seriously consider changing careers, and hopefully by the end of the week I'll have made a decision about Tommy as well."
"Kim… you can't split up with him because of this," Trini says imploringly. "I'm not talking as a psychiatrist here, I'm talking as your best friend who's known you longer than anyone else. It wasn't his fault, and you know how good the two of you are together when you're not working at cross-purposes. Even though he put off telling you, you can understand why he did it – he was scared of losing you again." I nod slowly. "And as for fate and destiny – why don't you make your own? You've lived your life the way you want to thus far, don't start worrying about whether the stars are conspiring against you at this stage. If it feels right, then go for it, and don't worry about anything else. The two of you can get through this if you know what you want and it's the same thing."
"I agree with my learned and correct wife," Jason says. "I'm not going to say the two of you have been miserable without each other, because you know as well as I do that that wouldn't be true. The two of you are good alone, but could be even better together. It's your decision to make, but you'll be unhappier without him than with him."
I sigh, for what seems like the millionth time since yesterday evening. "I think I'm going to bed. Sleep heals all wounds, and at least you can dream while you're asleep."
"What time are you staying until tomorrow?" Jason asks.
"I think I'll leave after lunch," I say. "I called in sick for two days, so I don't have any desire to go back to my empty apartment until I can help it. I don't want to hit the rush hour though, so I'll go in the early afternoon." I stand up, and hug both my friends, thankful that they didn't take my early morning rant to heart and that no grudges have been held. "What time are you going to arrive at my place for the party to end all parties on Friday?" I ask Trini.
"I have to go into work on Friday, then come home and feed my husband and daughter," Trini says, and calculates times in her head. "I'll get to your place at about half past 8, but I'll arrive dolled up and ready to go so you guys won't need to wait. Do you know what time everyone else is due to arrive?"
I shake my head. "I think Aisha was planning to arrive at lunchtime, but I don't know about Tanya and Kat – Aisha was organising things with them, so she'll know. We don't mind waiting though, you don't have to rush on our account."
"You can start drinking before she arrives," Jason teases, and I poke my tongue out at him.
"How are you going to amuse yourself while Trini's out in the city having fun?" I ask innocently, batting my eyelashes.
"Uh… Tommy was going to drive up, but I don't know whether he still is," Jason says, and I shrug my shoulders, not knowing what to say for a minute.
"Cool… If he does come over, just tell him… tell him I will call him. I know he'll be impatient and pacing the floor, but I need to sort out my life before I think about letting someone else in it." Jase nods, and I know he understands. "Night."
"Goodnight," Jason and Trini say in unison, and I slump upstairs to the guest bedroom. As I get into bed, I think sleep will be hard to come by – after all, I have a lot to think about. However, I fall asleep almost immediately, and although I don't remember the particulars of my dream, I know it involves Tommy, and I wake up with a smile on my face.
I guess I know what to do now…
Tommy
The few days after seeing Kim are the longest of my life.
Every class I teach feels like an ordeal where it used to be enjoyable. Training the rest of the rangers, and going through the latest battle plan is a chore, and the adrenalin just isn't flowing. I want this part of my life to be over, one way or the other, so that at least I'll know whether I'll be spending the rest of my life with the woman I love or not.
My mind isn't on defeating Mesogog, and I know that it should be. How are we meant to defeat him if the leader of the rangers is thinking about whether his girlfriend will ever forgive him? However, on Thursday afternoon, my mind is drawn away from the troubles of romance when Hayley announces that she's made a discovery.
The six of us are sitting in various places around the basement. I've just finished going through the plan for the fourth time, and I think it's finally beginning to dawn on the rest of the team exactly what I'm asking them to do.
"You want us to escalate the next battle?" Ethan asks worriedly. "But what if we can't defeat them? We'll get fried by Mesogog, and the world will be doomed!"
The four of them look at Hayley and I, suddenly troubled by the possibility that we have gone insane and are playing Russian roulette with their lives. "The power source is a Dino Gem," Hayley suddenly blurts out, and the five of us look at her in complete and utter shock. She must have known about this since the previous night, but hadn't said anything to me. This must show on my face, as she adds apologetically, "Sorry, Tommy. I took some of the data to look over last night at my place, and finally worked out the characteristics. I didn't want to call and tell you, it was pretty late, and you had to teach today, you shouldn't have been distracted."
"How do you mean, it's a Dino Gem? I thought Trent's was the last one to retrieve?" Kira asks, and the other three nod emphatically.
"We never knew how many there were," I explain, shell-shocked at the latest development. "That's why it caught us by surprise that a white Ranger suddenly turned up out of the blue."
"So, theoretically, there could be thousands?" Conner asks, sitting forward on his chair.
"I guess, but all other Ranger teams have had manageable numbers – as far as I can remember, the largest number was six. It's possible that there are even more gems, but unlikely."
"Could we capture it and find another ranger?" Kira asks.
I think for a minute. It's possible, but… "It could be done, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's in their possession, and instead of using the power to create a ranger, as they did with Trent, they're harnessing the power directly and channelling it themselves. We'd have a fight on our hands to get the gem out of their possession, and to be frank, I don't think it's a fight we could win."
"Even if you did get the gem, it'd be useless until you could find the person it's meant to connect with, and that would take time we don't have," Hayley points out. "If you managed to get the gem, Mesogog and Elsa would be so annoyed, their anger would act as fuel to the fire, and put us under pressure while searching for the compatible person."
"Maybe it would be you, Hayley?" Conner suggests, but she shakes her head.
"I doubt it very much. Anyway, I agree with Tommy; it's too risky to even contemplate capturing the gem while Mesogog is still harnessing its power."
"Couldn't we try to capture it while we're in battle, kind of like how we managed to
rescue the kids that Elsa was holding hostage? Create some kind of distraction, which would allow one of us to sneak through and grab the gem? Even if we don't find the pre-destined owner, at least we would have it, and maybe we could try to use its power the same way that Mesogog did," Kira suggests. It's possible, but I have an overwhelming feeling that the final battle is coming near, and not before time. I don't want to prolong this war against Mesogog and Elsa, and although I'm aware of the risk we're running by escalating a battle while they have enhanced powers, I have every faith that somehow, we can defeat the bad guys, and get back to leading semi-normal lives.
"Again, it's possible, but I think Mesogog and Elsa will be aware that we've realised they have the gem," I point out. "They kept the box near them pretty much all of the time, and when they weren't near hundreds of Tyrannodrones guarded it. We'd have a tough job trying to infiltrate them, get the gem, and get out alive."
"So what do we do?" Trent asks.
"I guess the plan will remain the same," I say slowly, still trying to think things through in my head. I've never contemplated having to destroy a gem before, and although there's a case for trying to get it out intact and find its owner, the safest way to deal with it would be to destroy it. Before Mesogog had enhanced powers the five of us had come pretty close to finishing him and his acolytes off. Once the powers were taken away, they'd be pissed off, but we should be able to finish what we started. "I'll have to do more research on how to destroy a gem, I'm not sure if blowing it up will do enough to destroy it completely, but if we meet again tomorrow I should know more. Stay behind after class and I'll fill you in, just in case we get hit after school lets out and things get hectic."
"Dr O, we're not going to be in … we're not going to die, are we?" Conner asks, and I notice that the four teenagers in the room have all gone white at the thought of a final fight. I came to terms with it long ago; I knew that eventually this part of my life would have to end, if only for the sake of my sanity, and I've faced dire situations like this many times before. For the rest of my team, it's the first time, and I can understand why they're scared.
"You all know that there's a certain amount of danger in this," I start, and think carefully about what to say. "But you guys have improved so much since you were first chosen. You're more confident, and your skills have improved by a thousand times. I have every faith that we can do this. I know what I've said we should do sounds dangerous, and I won't lie to you – it will be the toughest thing we've ever had to do as a team. But I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think we had no other choice. Capturing the gem would be almost impossible, and carrying on fighting Mesogog and Elsa with advanced power is only going to drain our power and eventually let them win. We could carry on fighting just to stay in the same place, or we can finish this and you guys can get back to being normal teenagers again." I pause, and look at them again. "I have confidence in our abilities, and I would never doubt that. But I don't want to force any of you into doing something you don't want to do. If you have any doubts, say so, and we can work out a new plan."
They all shake their heads, and Ethan says quietly, "We'll do it," looking for confirmation from the other three, who all nod. "Destroy a Dino Gem, a dinosaur, and a weird chick who makes sarcastic comments all the time. All in a day's work."
The four of them leave soon afterwards, hopefully reassured by my pep talk, although they've been unusually quiet since we agreed on the plan. Hayley remains at the computer, having agreed to stay on a little longer to work with me on how to destroy the gem.
"Destroying a power source the same as ours is going to be weird," I muse, twisting the bracelet that holds my black gem round and round my wrist. "Kira was right when she said we should try and get the sixth back on our side."
"I thought you believed it would be too risky?" Hayley asks, not turning round from the computer.
"It is; it would be almost impossible to do, but if we had another source of power…"
"For what it's worth, I think you've made the right decision by deciding to end things now," Hayley suddenly says, and turns from the computer to face me. Her expression is determined, and goes some way towards persuading me I'm doing the right thing. "The others need a chance to live their own lives – they've done a fantastic job, I'm not disputing that, but they're only teenagers. And you need a chance to live your life without this added pressure. I know you don't regret being called back up, but you've got other things in your life to worry about, and if it goes on much longer, all five of you are going to be torn between two worlds, and that's a decision you shouldn't have to make."
I wonder just how much she knows about the emotional turmoil I've been going through in the past few weeks. "And how about you, how will the end affect you?" Hayley grins.
"As long as all of you continue to come to the Cyberspace and keep me company, it won't be too much of a strain. It's been an honour to be involved in saving the world, but the same applies to me – it's time to move on."
"I guess," I say, and start tapping my gem, trying to determine its properties. "Do you think if we give everything we've got, the gem Mesogog has could be destroyed in an explosion?"
Hayley turns back to the computer, but shakes her head as she does so. "It's a possibility, but you'd be leaving yourself exposed if the explosion doesn't take out Mesogog and Elsa. They'd still have the power they started off with, and the five of you would have nothing left. Can you take your gem out of the bracelet, or is it too tightly enclosed in the band?"
I tap it against the surface of the desk, but nothing happens. "Nope, we welded it in pretty well. What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking you guys are going to have to get the box using the Zords, get the gem out and shatter it. Despite how much power the gems hold, they're surprisingly not that strong in themselves, which we realised. Mesogog probably knows this as well, which is why he's keeping it in a box."
"In case it gets damaged in battle," I agree. "There's no way to get it easily, is there?" I say, but it's a rhetorical question. We're in a Catch 22 situation – the discovery of the new gem has led to that, and there's going to be no alternative except to fight until one side comes out victorious and the other is ultimately defeated. I have faith, but do I have enough?
"Are you going to be keeping your mind on the job?" Hayley asks quietly, and I turn back to find her looking at me instead of the computer again. I know what she's referring to, and am glad she's been so diplomatic about the situation. There's no love lost between her and Kim, and Hayley could easily have made jibes about Kim's reaction to finding out I was a Ranger again. Instead, she's been quietly supportive, and I'm grateful to her for it.
"I've got nothing else to think about," I say quietly. Jason had called me after work on Wednesday to pass on the news that Kim had calmed down. Trini had said wise words to her, Kim had seemed reassured, but she still hadn't called me. Jase had reaffirmed the fact that Kim had promised she would call me, but had also added that Trini had suggested Kim switch careers, and she had a lot more to think about. I understand all this, but it still makes it hard when another day goes by and I still haven't heard from her. I've found myself throwing everything back into the task of saving the world, just like I did when she left me the first time. I can only hope the second time isn't permanent.
"I'm sure she'll call," Hayley says comfortingly, and then smiles. "Until then, I have your undivided attention, so let's see what we can plan in advance for when the bad guys attack again. If we can get as much outlined as possible beforehand, there's a stronger chance you can get the gem and shock them into making mistakes."
I pull up a chair, finally stopping my circuit of the room, and begin thinking deeply. Why is it that I always get stuck with the decisions which quite literally mean the difference between life and death? Luckily, the decision can be put off a while longer, as my cell phone rings in my pocket. For a glorious moment I think it's Kim calling, but the display is saying it's Rocky. "Hello?"
"Dude, I need some advice. What do you do when your girlfriend starts to say things aren't moving fast enough in your relationship?" Rocky is speaking at a million miles an hour, and it's hard to understand him.
"Talk to her about it?" I hazard a guess, but it's obviously the wrong answer.
"I can't talk to her! I've spent the past two weeks avoiding her!"
"Rocko, it's Aisha. You love her. Why are you so afraid of showing it? Make the grand gesture, ask her to move in, you already practically live in each others pockets anyway." I'm uncomfortably aware that I should be taking my own advice as I say the words, but then again – Kim wanted to be left in peace to think things through, so that's what I'm doing, even though it's killing me.
"I guess…" he says, then suddenly blurts out, "That's it! Tommy, you're a genius!"
Hardly. If I were a genius, surely things in my life would be a lot easier to deal with? "So you'll talk to her?"
"I'll ask her to stop by my place after this girls weekend the five of them are having," Rocky decides. "How are you holding up, anyway? Aisha said something about you and Kim being back together but not really?"
"Yeah, and to make matters worse we've decided to finish things with Mesogog once and for all." As soon as I say the words, I regret it. I didn't want to tell anyone else about it – there's no need for them to worry. I hope. "Don't tell anyone else," I warn. "Not even Aisha. No one else knows, and I want it kept that way."
"But why?" Rocky asks confusedly.
"They've got another Dino Gem, and are using it against us as an extra power source without channelling it through a ranger like they did before. The only way to beat them is to destroy them," I tell him.
"Why do you want it kept a secret? Haven't there been enough secrets between the group lately?" he points out. It's a good point, but I've thought this through and won't change my mind. I may be making the same mistake twice, but I don't think I could handle everyone's eyes on me as we go into battle for what looks to be the final time. I'm certain we're doing the right thing, and I don't want anyone saying I'm going wrong. I trust their opinions, that isn't the issue, but at the end of the day, I'm the one who's been fighting this battle, not them, and I know our opponents better.
"I know, I know. But… this is my battle, and I need to do it without any added pressure." A wave of indecision comes over me, and I add hastily, "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"
"As to not telling the rest of them, yes, probably. But you need to call Kim before the battle starts. Don't tell her what might happen, just say something like you wanted to keep her informed. I know you'll win, that's not the issue. You just need to call her to let her know you're thinking of her."
Since when was Rocky romantic? Actually, I don't want to know. And he's made a good point – Kim would never forgive me if something went wrong and I hadn't called her. "Good point. Thanks."
"No problem, Tommy," Rocky says seriously. "I've got to go, but I'll be thinking of you. Let me know when it's all over, and if you need me in the meantime, for anything, you only have to call me."
The gesture's appreciated more than I can say. "Thanks. I'll be in touch. Good luck with patching things up with Aisha."
I hang up, and have to drag my thoughts away from the call, back to saving the world. Rocky's faith means a lot, and he made an excellent point in that I should call Kim before going into battle for the last time. But before that, the battle has to be planned, to make sure everything will go smoothly.
And it will.
Kim
When I went back to work on Wednesday, I handed in my notice. I didn't mention the little matter of the job driving me insane; but cited a change in personal circumstances and a wish to re-evaluate my career as the reasons for leaving. Luckily, I must have looked particularly despondent that morning, so my boss said I didn't have to work out my period of notice, but would still receive my salary for that period.
Either they took pity on me, or I was bad at my job and they wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible. Whichever, I was out of there, and not a moment too soon. I said my goodbyes as quickly as possible, and returned home, stopping by the store to get the free recruitment newspapers as well as a few local papers which had careers sections.
All of Wednesday was spent on the Internet researching possibilities. Trini had hit a nerve when she suggested switching careers, and I had decided to take her at her word. Although I had loved working in advertising for the past few years, it was time for a change. I meant it when I said I wanted to stay in California, but I needed to find a new career. However, nothing I found seemed to appeal to me.
It's now Friday morning, and I sit at my kitchen table, sipping my second cup of coffee and waiting for Aisha to arrive. I called her on Wednesday morning to let her know about what had happened, and she had apologised non-stop until I forced her to calm down, and reiterated what I have come to believe over the past couple days – what happened was no-one's fault, and we just have to put it down to miscommunication, and move on. If nothing else, this whole episode will force the group of us to keep in contact more often. She sounded relieved, and then told me she'd arrive at my place after eleven. Tanya and Kat would get to Surfside by half past seven, and we'd wait for Trini before hitting the bars.
I leaf through another careers magazine, wondering why nothing appeals to me. I have money saved up from gymnastics prize money, but I always thought that would be used for something worthwhile, rather than tiding me over until I found another job. I know that I don't have as much ambition as I once had, but I didn't expect nothing to appeal to me. I could always work as a temp for a while until I figure out a career, but the idea of taking notes and filing five days a week reminds me too much of my last job to sound like a viable possibility.
Thankfully, the buzzer rings, and I get up to pick up the entry phone. "Hello?"
"Let me up!" Aisha says excitedly, and I laugh, pushing the button which opens the door downstairs. It's a matter of minutes before she bangs loudly on the front door, and I open it, giggling as she gives me a huge hug, as well as a bunch of flowers which avoid getting crushed in the mayhem.
"These are beautiful, but why did you bring them?" I ask Aisha, as she flops down on the couch and I go into the kitchen to search for a vase. The roses are gorgeous, in deep shades of pink and yellow, and I smile at the choice of colour.
"One, because I wanted to say sorry again for being a thoughtless friend and never asking if you knew about our old fearless leader being a leader once more but to different people, and two, because they're incredibly appropriate colours for our girls' night!"
"You don't need to keep saying sorry, you know that. But thank you for them, they're gorgeous," I say, cutting the stems and bringing the vase back into the room, where it takes pride of place on the coffee table. I sit next to Aisha. "How are things with you?"
"The boy has gone from skittish to bouncy, and I have no idea why," she says, and sits back up. "All last week he kept on sidling from room to room, never staying in one place for more than five seconds, but in a depressed sort of way. Now, he's running from room to room as though he's in training for the marathon, and whenever I ask him what's brought on the sudden change in temperament, he kisses my cheek and says I'll find out soon enough."
"It sounds as though Rocky's developing split personalities," I say. "How did he feel when you told him you were coming for the weekend?"
"Oh, I have no idea what he actually felt deep inside," Aisha tells me. "At first, when he wasn't talking to me, he just mumbled something unintelligible and carried on eating. Then, when he began to form sentences, he said it was a good idea to see you again. Now he's hyperactive, he tells me it's the best idea the two of us ever had, and I should make sure to enjoy myself and bring back lots of anecdotes to tell him. Oh, and cookies."
"He hasn't mentioned moving in together again?" I ask.
"Nope, when he called me this morning he told me he'd like to see me Sunday evening when I get home. I told him I may still have a raging headache from our exploits, but he said that didn't matter."
"Surely the positive change in mood is a good thing? It must mean he's accepting what you said?"
"I have no idea anymore," Aisha admits. "But, in the meantime, I am here to have fun, and to take your mind off your incredibly despondent state by offering suggestions."
"How is that taking my mind off it?" I query, but Aisha just grins.
"It will take your mind off it once I've told you what I think, because my suggestions are fantastic, great, and most of all, perfect."
I groan, and it's my turn to slump into my sofa. "Go on then, hit me with them."
I've closed my eyes, but from Aisha's tone of voice I can tell that she's smiling. "Okay, first of all, I had an idea as to what job you could go for. Didn't you go through a phase in school of wanting to be a nurse?"
I sit up, and open my eyes. I'd completely forgotten about the three months in school where I began to pay attention to Biology classes and talked dreamily about attending the war-wounded and healing their wounds. As far as I can remember, Tommy wasn't too impressed with my idea of nursing sick soldiers, until Billy said if he was ever injured when rushing somewhere after running late, I could be on hand to fix his injuries. After that, he became a whole lot more supportive. "I'd completely forgotten about that."
"I thought you had; after that, you had the bright idea of becoming a landscape gardener," Aisha says. "You'd have to spend a while qualifying, but it'd be easy for you."
I think about it. I was always interested in first aid, and took a few courses in it through school. After being a ranger, I've got a strong stomach for injuries, blood and gore, so that wouldn't be a problem. The money I've saved could be put to good use by paying for training. Then, I have an idea which complements Aisha's perfectly. "Not a nurse… How do you think I would be as a paramedic?"
"We were practically paramedics when we were Rangers and had to deal with anyone who was injured in battle!" Aisha squeals. "Go for it, Kim. You know you want to."
"It's a good idea… I'd have to look into where I'd need to train, and make sure I had enough money, but it's the best idea yet!" We grin stupidly at each other, and I feel better for being in Aisha's company. The past week has had its bad times, but it's also served to bring friends together, which can only be a good thing. "And I guess the second idea is to do with relationship advice?"
"Yes. I think it would be a good idea if you called him tomorrow."
"What? Why? How do you even know I've come to a decision?"
Aisha looks at me as though I'm stupid. "Oh, come on Kim. As soon as you said to me it was no-one's fault that you missed finding out Tommy was a ranger again, it became screamingly obvious that you weren't too mad at him. Are you going to rekindle things? A yes or no will suffice."
Why does it feel as though I've spent the past two weeks constantly sighing? I sigh for what seems like the millionth time, and admit, "Yes. But why do I have to call him while you're still here? I thought this was meant to be a girls only weekend, no boys allowed."
"Two reasons. Rocky spoke to Tommy yesterday and said that it sounds as though he's going mad. I think it'd be best to put the boy out of his misery as soon as possible. And also, I'd like to be here when you call him. I'm not saying that anything will go wrong, but we've not been there for each other at important times for a while, and I'd like to be here to make up for that."
I give Aisha another huge hug. "I'll call him tomorrow," I promise. "In the meantime, how about we grab some lunch and hit the stores?"
"You've never had a better idea," Aisha declares, and jumps up from the sofa. I follow suit, and we leave my apartment joking and giggling. It was a good idea for Aisha to come to stay, for both our sakes. After all, what can heal us but friendship?
We end up staying out for hours, only returning when we realise it's past four in the afternoon, and we need to start getting ready soon in order to be able to leave my place as soon as Kat, Tanya and Trini get there. We didn't buy much, but it wasn't about the shopping – it was about the two of us catching up and enjoying being in each other's company for the first time in what seems like ages. By the time we get home, we've pledged to meet at least once a month and catch up with what's going on in each other's lives, and to persuade the others that meeting more regularly would be a good thing.
"I know they'll like the idea, but getting everyone together at the same time is always going to be a problem," I say as I open my front door and we go inside, Aisha leaving her shopping bag containing a new top for tonight by the door. "Do you want a drink?"
"I'll have a glass of water, thanks Kim," Aisha says, and wanders over to the window. As I go into the kitchen, she calls out, "Kim, your answer-machine's blinking at me."
I pour Aisha a glass of water and come back into the living room, and hand it to her before pressing the button. I don't expect to hear Tommy's voice, so it comes as a little bit of a shock.
"Hi, Kim. Um… look, I know you said not to call you, but I didn't want to be accused of not keeping you in the loop again, so I need to tell you we're going into battle again. And, um… it looks as though it's going to be a bad one." There's a short pause, and I can hear voices in the background faintly. "Anyway, sorry for calling. I'll pass on to Jason what happens, and I guess you could find out from him how things go. Or you could call me. Please call me? Bye."
Aisha and I make goggle eyes at each other as I try to take in what Tommy just said.
"It's going to be a bad one?" I say faintly, sitting back onto the couch where I seem to spend all my time these days, sighing. "Do you think I should go down there?" Aisha storms over to my phone, and picks it up. "Sha, what are you doing?"
She ignores me, and dials a number, waiting for a few seconds before saying, "Hi Jase, it's Aisha. Kim and I just got a cryptic message from Tommy, and we were wondering if you'd spoken to him today." She pauses, then nods. "Okay. I'm sure he'd have said something more if it were really serious. Thanks, Jase. How are you and the girls?"
She chats to Jason for a few minutes more, before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. "Tommy called him as well, apparently he was meant to be going round to his place tonight and wanted him to know he may be a little late, so it looks as though he's learnt his lesson. Jason said that Tommy sounded fine, and you know how close the two of them are. If it were anything serious, I'm sure he'd have told Jason, even if he didn't want to worry you. Please, don't worry Kim. It was probably nerves at having to speak to you."
"Are you suggesting I'm scary?" I say jokingly, only partially reassured by Aisha's reasoning.
"No, just that you told me you were mad at him the last time you saw each other, and he's probably wary of saying the wrong thing. Kim, I'm sure it's nothing. Call him tomorrow like we originally planned, and forget about it tonight. This is a night to reassure me, remember? I don't want you stealing my thunder!" Aisha grins, and puts her arm around me. "Now, do I wear the top I just spent too much money on, or the one I originally bought?"
"The outrageously expensive one, definitely. What was the point in buying it if you'll never wear it?" I ask, and do my best to put Tommy's message out of my mind. Aisha's right – Jason would know if something was wrong. "Besides, this night is for you, remember? Wear what makes you feel good!"
"Is it too early to start getting ready?" Aisha asks, and I look at my watch. It's only half past four, but it's never too early to start getting ready when you're with your best friend, and can put loud music on, scream at each other, and feel twenty-one again.
"No, I'd say we're right on time!"
"Excellent. I want the shower!" Aisha yells, and makes off to the bathroom. I race her, but the head start she got was too much to catch, and I settle for trying to decide what I should wear, knowing that in an hour's time I still won't have decided. I find myself thinking about the message again, and am tempted to turn on the news just in case. But, I tell myself, I'm being stupid. I can put him out of my head for another night, and then call him in the morning to check if he's okay. I couldn't do anything if I was down there anyway, so I'd be hanging around feeling like a spare part and feeling stupid for driving all the way to Reefside when the fight turned out to be over in twenty minutes.
I fix my attention on my wardrobe. What to wear, what to wear…
In four hours time, the apartment is twice as full as previously. Kat and Tanya arrived with two bottles of wine, and the four of us are sprawled around my apartment waiting for Trini, who called an hour ago to say she was just leaving.
"I would like to lay down some ground rules for this evening," Aisha says loudly, banging her (thankfully plastic) wine glass down on the coffee table a little too forcefully. The wine Kat and Tanya brought is almost gone, and we're all feeling a lot happier than before.
"Shouldn't we wait for Trini?" Tanya asks confusedly.
"I will inform her of the rules when she arrives," Aisha says precisely, struggling to get her mouth around the words. "Okay. There will be no discussion of the men in our little clique. Trini and Tanya shall not be allowed to rhapsodise about the wonderfulness of Jason on Adam. Kim and Kat will not be able to debate who knows Tommy the best, and I must be stopped at all times from moaning about the uselessness of Rocky. Are we agreed?"
"Agreed," the three of us chorus, and Kat and I share a grin. We made our peace with each other long ago, and she cornered me earlier to congratulate me on getting back together with Tommy, to chastise me for not calling him earlier, and to apologise for not knowing I hadn't been told he was a ranger before. We've been friends for a long time, and there's never been any tension between us, thankfully. She's been dating a guy who lives in her building for a while now, but from what I've heard on the grapevine she's begun to develop feelings for Billy, so who knows what will happen there. Hopefully the gossip will trickle out during the course of the night.
"The second rule… we must appreciate all good-looking men we come across tonight. We should not make fools of ourselves in front of them, but should accept any free drinks, without being careless," Aisha says a little more seriously. "Oh, and no cheating on boyfriends."
"That won't be an issue," Kat says mournfully. "I broke up with Steve, remember?"
"Yes, but you're going to proclaim adoration to Billy next week, so there won't be a problem," Tanya says, and grins at Aisha and me.
"Are you? I say gleefully. Kat smiles, and is about to go into details, when Aisha yells,
"Addendum to rule number one – Kat is not allowed to discuss Billy until tomorrow morning when we are all hungover and need gossip with our coffee. Tonight is about the five of us. We don't need men!"
"Are there any more rules?" I ask wearily, and top up everyone's glass before wobbling my way to the kitchen to get the bottle Aisha brought with her. The buzzer rings while I'm in there, and I can hear Kat struggling to pick up the receiver to let Trini in.
"I don't think so. However, I reserve the right to make any more if the situation calls for it," Aisha decides, and Kat goes to the door to hold the door open for Trini, who arrives less than a minute later. She takes one look at the four of us, with reddened cheeks and happy expressions, and smiles.
"I can see I've got some catching up to do…"
There are hugs all round, and Aisha pours Trini a glass of wine. "We'll drink this and then hit the town," she says decisively. "Oh, and we decided there is to be no talk of men who are or used to be rangers. This is our night, and we're going to shine!"
"To us," Tanya says, and holds up our glass. "To the underappreciated female rangers everywhere!"
"To female rangers!" we yell in time with each other, and clink our glasses together. I wish Tanya hadn't mentioned rangers, but as we drink our wine, I stop thinking about it. Tommy will be fine, after all, he's the best ranger there's been, and if anyone can take on the bad guys in a dire situation, it's him.
I resolve to call him as soon as I wake up, and drink the rest of the wine with a smile on my face. Life seems so much easier when you make positive decisions…
Tommy
I come to, aware that I feel as though I've been hit by a bus. There seems to be a loud noise blaring at me from somewhere nearby, and I dreamily wonder if it's an alarm going off as a building bursts into flames. It stops after a minute or so, and I close my eyes again, hoping that sleep will come again and hopefully stop the pain.
The noise starts again fifteen minutes later, and I'm slightly more alert this time, realising that it's not an alarm, but my phone. I struggle to sit up, and find my phone a couple of feet away from me. I pull it towards me, stab hopefully at the buttons through half-closed eyes, and eventually say "Hello?" in a nastily croaky voice.
"Tommy?" Oh no. I recognise that voice, and she's obviously not happy at me again. "Are you okay?"
"I'm having trouble remembering my name at the moment, and I can't move more than a couple of feet without screaming in pain, but apart from that, I'm fine," I say, forgetting momentarily that I should be jumping for joy at the fact Kim has called me.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be with you in two hours." The line goes dead and I drop my phone, not sure whether I've just dreamed that conversation, or if it really did happen.
Everything hurts so much…