Disclaimer: The usual. Don't own anything you recognize.

BEHIND THE CLOUDS

By Etcetera Kit

Chapter Six: Good Intentions II

Austin Grayson considered himself a reasonable person – he had a psycho woman for a twin sister and a little sister who was dating the antithesis of everything she stood for. Growing up, he had to prevent Paris from making something implode, while convincing Syd that they shouldn't be bought off by their rich adopted parents. Now that they had found their real parents, he had an uncle who was a demon anthropologist. All that considered – he put up with a lot and that didn't even cover work.

But he drew the line at being awaken from a sound sleep after having been on night shift. Two hours in bed with a training session at the crack of dawn – needless to say it made him a little irritable. To make matters worse, the noise was coming from Sky and Bridge's room. Sky had the handbook memorized and knew better than to be making this much racket at four-thirty in the morning. It wasn't even a naïve cadet he was going to yell at – it was two experienced Power Rangers.

Growling, he threw the covers off himself and padded to the bathroom door. He, Sky and Bridge were suitemates and it was faster to go through the bathroom than outside to the hall to their room door. The bathroom lights came on automatically when he entered. He pushed the manual override button and the door to Sky and Bridge's room slid open.

He opened his mouth to yell, but stopped short. The scenarios that had been going through his head fled as he viewed the scene in front of him. Bridge was on the floor beside his bed, a fading blue force field surrounding him. He was desperately clawing at the last remnants of the shield, trying to get out. He was trying to say something, but it was unintelligible from his gasping for breath and crying.

Sky was sprawled on the floor at the foot of his bed – unconscious. As the force field around Bridge faded, one began to appear around Sky. Austin knew that was a bad thing, but he was blanking on all the proper first aide and CPR procedures in a situation like this. He could try to phase through Sky's force field, but he had never tried before and wasn't even sure if he could. This was bad…

What to do?

He glanced to Bridge. Oh shit! Then all hell broke loose.

Bridge began to hyperventilate and he seemed unable to move closer to Sky, although that appeared to be his intention. From the rising and falling of Sky's chest, Austin was fairly sure that he would be all right for a few minutes, unless he stopped breathing. He could help Bridge, who was conscious and petrified.

"Bridge," Austin said, stepping into the room and going to the Green Ranger. "Take a deep breath – come on. I need to know what happened." Now that he had a purpose and a plan, he could think and take action. He picked up Bridge's morpher from his nightstand and pushed the emergency page on it. All the other rangers would be here in a matter of moments.

"Come on, Bridge," Austin tried to say soothingly. "Breath."

Slowly, Bridge focused on him, obediently taking deep breaths and letting them out. Austin picked up the faded yellow baby blanket from his bed – Z's baby blanket – and handed it to him. Bridge grabbed the blanket, clutching it in a death grip.

The doors swished open, revealing Paris. Austin felt relief seep through him – she was the official A-Squad medic, their advanced first aider. Sky was the B-Squad's and was out of commission right now. She took one look at Bridge, before focusing on Sky. Crossing the room in a few fluid strides, she knelt next to him, tucking her unbound hair behind her ear.

"He's breathing," she said. "And he doesn't appear to have a head, neck or back injury, but how did he get this force field around himself? How is he keeping it up?" She pulled her own morpher from the waistband of her pajama bottoms, flipped it open and hit the button that would bring an emergency medical team to them. SPD had its own hospital facilities and Newtech General was thirty seconds away for things that were more serious.

"Oh my God!"

Syd and Z appeared in the door. Paris swung around to face them. "Help Bridge," she ordered both of them. Syd took a step towards Sky. "Syd!" Paris warned. Ethan and Trent came in on the heels of the girls. She gave Trent a meaningful look. He came over to Bridge.

"Bridge," Trent said softly. "We need to know what happened."

Z had one arm around his shoulders, gently stroking his hair. Bridge took a long shuddering breath. The Green Rangers shared a long glance. Trent nodded at him, giving him silent encouragement.

"Something was in here," Bridge started shakily. "It—it was attacking me and Sky put a force field around me. It started attacking him… I—I don't know…"

"We shouldn't move him," Paris said softly to Ethan. "We don't know what kind of internal injuries he might have."

The medics from the infirmary arrived with a stretcher and their full kits. They worked efficiently, getting Sky onto a stretcher and wheeling him out to the hall. One of the medics hung behind and was conversing with Paris in low tones. "We don't know if he's got any sort of head, neck or back injury," she said last. She glanced to the others as the medic nodded and left the room.

"Z," she said, addressing the Yellow Ranger. "Take Bridge down to the infirmary – in the waiting area." Z nodded, looking worried. She helped Bridge to his feet and the pair of them started down the hall. "Trent and Ethan, take Syd to the infirmary – go to the public wing." The pair nodded and went to Syd. She had gone silent upon seeing Sky and Austin had the distinct feeling she was going to be given a sedative.

He was left facing Paris – his twin, his mirror. He could read so much from her expression. The situation was bad – and unknown. Paris' eyes held a distinct note of worry and she didn't worry about anything. "I'll call Mom and Dad," he said softly. "They'll be able to be with Syd at any rate."

She nodded. "I need to call Uncle Ryan."

"Why?"

"I think I know what happened…"

Z hated feeling like there was nothing she could do. It had been almost an hour since they brought Sky to the infirmary and the sun was just now peeking over the horizon. No one had told her anything since one of the medics took Bridge to one of the private cubicles. So, she had been left sitting in the waiting room, watching people come in and out, all with tasks and purposes, while she was left waiting, doing nothing. This was the worst feeling in the world. She wanted to at least know how Bridge was doing.

Doctor Oliver had come in earlier and he hadn't left. Z had the distinct impression he gave the twins the phone call duty, because Paris and Austin had been in and out, always on a cell phone. Of course, all of them were overage and Bridge and Syd had both been fully conscious and aware when the medics saw to them. The only parents that needed to be called was Sky's parents, especially if the force field Sky had put around himself showed no signs of fading of its own accord.

"Z?"

She looked up from where she had been staring off into space at a spot on the floor. Her heart leaped – not quite believing who she saw. "Daddy?" she whispered.

Her father nodded, a smile on his face. He was wearing red scrubs, indicating he had to go to work once he left Newtech. This wasn't an emergency, so she didn't even question where her mother was. At the elementary school, her mother was head teacher for kindergarten and probably had a meeting before school.

She leapt from her chair and crossed the room in a few steps, throwing her arms tightly around her father's neck. Cole hugged her back just as tightly. All the frustration of the past hour came pouring out and she wanted to cry. "What are you doing here?" she asked in a shaky voice that threatened to melt down at any moment.

"I got a phone call from Miss Grayson," he replied. There was no need for elaboration. Obviously, Paris and Austin's phone call duty had extended from Sky's family. Cole pressed a kiss to her cheek, still smiling. "Are you all right?"

She shuddered. "No one will tell me anything," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "Sky's been in there an hour and so have Bridge and Syd and…" she trailed off, not trusting her voice anymore. She was just glad that her father was here.

"Well, let's find something out," Cole replied. He gently kissed her forehead, before taking her hand. They went through the doors from the waiting area that led into a mini-nurses' station where all the doctors and nurses in the infirmary held court. Her father conversed in low tones with the nurse at the station. She obviously didn't realize that the scrubs meant he was a vet, not a doctor, but it was working to their advantage.

"Mr. Corbett and Miss Grayson are sleeping in the public wing," the nurse said. "Both were given sedatives and should be up in a few hours." She paused, looking wary. "However, I can't disclose anything on Mr. Collins' condition until his family gets here."

"May we go see Mr. Corbett?"

"Of course," the nurse said, regaining her smile.

"Come on," Cole said, tugging her hand. The public wing of the infirmary was close to the front, the first set of double doors. It was so that minor injury victims had a place to stay that was close, but didn't take up rooms for more serious things. The door was propped open. Screens had been placed around two of the beds.

Bridge was in the first bed, sleeping fitfully. He was still holding her baby blanket and looked like he wanted to wake up but couldn't. Z moved forward, gently placing a hand on his forehead. The effect was immediate. He stopped tossing and turning, settling down into a much more peaceful sleep. She adjusted his covers, tucking him in.

"He wasn't hurt?" her father asked.

"No – I think Sky managed to protect him." She let out a long breath. "We won't really know what happened until he wakes up. He was shaken up pretty badly."

Cole put a hand on her shoulder. She took comfort in his presence, fully appreciating the fact that Turtle Cove was only a twenty minute drive. If her parents needed to, then they could be here relatively quickly.

Z started as someone began to yell in the hall. Bridge and Syd weren't going to wake up if they were under sedatives. She quickly took her father's hand again and moved towards the hall. She slowly moved into the hall. The scene was close to mass chaos. Eric Myers – Sky's adopted father – was livid and Z had a good idea why, between what she knew of him and Sky and what he was yelling. His real parents were nowhere to be seen, but Silver Hills was an hour away if the driver floored it the whole way.

"I live three minutes from here!" Eric was shouting. "Why was I not called an hour ago when you first brought him in?"

"Sir," the nurse replied, frightened. "It's our policy to call the next of kin—"

"Which I am! Can you not read his records?"

"It's just that his biological—"

"His real mother is due to have a baby tomorrow! You called them in the middle of the night and now she's coming here when she shouldn't be traveling! I would have liked to be called first, because we could have been spared all this trouble!" Eric raked a hand through his hair. "You people are incompetent! He's my son!"

"Sir, he—"

"Do not give me a bullshit line about biology," Eric snapped. "I am his father. You can ask his real parents, him, his girlfriend. Now where the hell is the doctor?"

"I'll go get Dr. Henson," the nurse said, hurrying away down the hall.

Eric leaned against the counter, letting out a long breath. Z felt her heart go out to him. She didn't know Sky's adopted father as well as Bridge did, but he had always been nice to her and it was clear that Sky loved him and respected him deeply.

"I know you two are standing there staring at me."

Z nearly jumped while her father just shook his head and smiled. "You always did know how to cause a scene," Cole replied.

Eric turned and faced them, a grim smile on his face. "I got a phone call ten minutes ago," he said in a deadly whisper. "From Wes. No one in this damn infirmary bothered to call me." He shook his head, looking defeated.

"I'm sorry," Z said, feeling a lump lodge in her throat again. "I should have thought—"

"It's not your responsibility," Eric replied, giving her a genuine smile. "They ignored their own procedure because I should have been called first."

"Are you going to talk to Tommy about it?"

Z had forgotten that her father and Eric, among others, knew their commander personally and had no problem going straight to him with their concerns. "At the least – he might lose something vital."

"Eric!" The trio turned to see Taylor Earhardt, Eric's longtime girlfriend and more recent fiancée, barrel through the door and skid to a halt near Eric. She took a deep breath. "I just got off the phone with Wes. He's about ten minutes out – he convinced Jen to stay at home because her doctor told her not to travel. Have we heard anything?"

"No, we haven't, because this infirmary was too busy botching procedures."

"What?" Taylor nearly shrieked.

Z almost felt sorry for the head doctor of this place once Eric and Taylor came down on his head. And once Wes Collins got here – he was going to be livid and he presented a much more dire threat because he had the means to do almost anything he wanted. Cole squeezed her hand as Eric filled Taylor in on the situation.

The doctor came out of one of the private rooms. He strode over to Eric and Taylor. "I'm Doctor Henson," he said in a professional tone of voice.

"Eric Myers," Eric replied shortly. "This is my fiancée, Taylor Earhardt."

"I understand that you are Sky's adopted father and next of kin."

"Yes," the former Quantum Ranger said. "Look, can we just cut all the bull? What is wrong with Sky and when can we see him?"

"Well – his condition is stable. He doesn't appear to have sustained any serious injuries and he is breathing on his own. However, he has erected one of his force fields around his body, preventing us from monitoring him or providing further investigation into possible injuries." The doctor paused. "We believe that he is feeding his energy into the force field and that is what is preventing him from consciousness."

"That's it? What do you plan to do about it?"

"We're not sure yet," the doctor faltered. "We need more time to analyze the situation."

Eric rolled his eyes. "What room is he in?"

The doctor indicated the room he had just left. Eric and Taylor immediately went into the room, disappearing from sight. She accepted the hug that Cole pulled her into. She didn't want to see Sky – not yet. The situation was scary, when she was the only one of the four of them not under a sedative or unconscious. "Do you want me to stay here today?" her father asked.

"Don't you have to work?"

He shrugged. "There are two of us in at all times, plus an intern. They can handle it. You are more important than work."

"Then, yes – I want you to stay here."

Syd gasped and sat bolt right up in bed. Why wasn't she in her bed? The sun was shining brightly, streaming through large windows covered with blinds. Why was she in a bed in the infirmary? The last thing she remembered was going to bed last night after auditions, hoping that it went well and that she would get a good part. How had she gotten here?

"Syd?"

She turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Her mother was sitting in a chair beside her bed. Abruptly, the events of last night began tumbling back to her. The emergency page on their morphers going off, hurrying to Sky and Bridge's room only to find Sky unconscious and Bridge hyperventilating… She let out a strangled sob.

"Where's Sky?" she asked. "How is he?"

Dana stood up, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "He's stable for now – I looked over his chart myself."

"Is he still unconscious?"

Her mother nodded. She pressed a hand to her mouth. The moment she laid eyes on Sky last night, she felt numb with horror. He had looked so vulnerable – he wasn't supposed to be hurt by something that Bridge couldn't even describe. Paris had told her to help Bridge – at first she had been shocked and angry, but soon realized she couldn't help Sky. Paris was the A-Squad medic and didn't need people getting in her way.

She asked the next question that came to mind. "Where is everyone?"

"Z and her father went to go get food for everyone," Dana replied. "Bridge is awake and talking to Uncle Ryan and Paris."

Syd nodded, still feeling numb. Tears stung her eyes. This was a nightmare. If any of them was going to be hurt, it was supposed to be in the line of duty or in a simulator accident. They weren't supposed to be hurt in their own rooms in the middle of the night. It didn't surprise her that someone had called her parents. She had gone still last night – the last thing she remembered was Ethan and Trent bringing her here and a nurse giving her a sedative.

A tear slipped down her cheek. Dana didn't say anything, just pulled her into her arms, rocking her back and forth. Syd began to sob – half in worry and fear over Sky and half in gratitude that her mother was here. Her mother was a doctor and she trusted what she said about Sky. It also didn't surprise her that she had looked at Sky's case.

Pulling back, she furiously wiped at her eyes. "Can I see Sky?"

Dana nodded and helped her out of bed. She was still wearing her pajamas – someone had brought her slippers from her room. Sky was in one of the private rooms down the hall. Her mother nodded at her. She pushed the door open and stifled a gasp.

Sky was still – encased in a translucent blue sheen. "Oh Sky," she whispered, stepping forward and placing a hand on his arm. The force field prevented her from touching his skin. "How are we supposed to help you if you're putting up walls again?"

Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder and Syd accepted a tight hug. Dana was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, meaning she hadn't gone to work. She desperately wanted to wake up and realize that this was all a bad dream. How could any of them help Sky if he was feeding his energy into the force field? The only way one of Sky's force fields could be broken was if he stopped feeding energy into it. She fully realized the implications of that in this case…

"Syd!"

She pulled away from her mother. Bridge and Z were standing in the door of the room, both looking worried, but relieved. "You're awake," Z said, giving her a quick hug. "We were worried because you stayed knocked out for so long."

"I'll be in the waiting room with your father," Dana said, taking her cue to exit.

Bridge walked across the room, looking down at his still best friend, his brother… "He's really done it to himself this time," the Green Ranger whispered. "I tried to help him, but he wouldn't let me." Unshed tears shone in Bridge's eyes.

"It's his way," Syd whispered. "He always was a loner – didn't want help."

"We'll find a way to help him," Z said fiercely.

"But he's only been able to hold a force field for eight hours before," Bridge said, looking close to breaking down. "We've already lost three hours. We're running out of time."

"We will find a way to help him," Z repeated. Syd admired her resolve, but couldn't help but agree with Bridge. After eight hours, it was likely that Sky was going to run out of energy to keep the force field – and himself – alive.

No! There has to be a way! We're all here and we have powers too…

Syd bit her lip. "What do we know about his force fields?"

Bridge faced her, looking confused. "As long as he keeps feeding them energy, nothing can break them or get through them."

Z met Syd's gaze – she could tell her roommate had just come to the conclusion she had.

"I might know a way to get through the force field…"

To Be Continued...

Author's Note: Doo dee doo...