Disclaimer: Power Rangers belong to Disney and Haim Saban.
Author's note: It took me a while to post this chapter because I had serious writer's block. Thanks for your patience!
Chapter 7
A faint voice called out to him.
"Trent…"
"Dad?"
"Trent, son."
Trent felt someone gently shaking him and groggily opened his eyes. It was Anton Mercer.
"No, go away." He mumbled shutting his eyes again.
He felt horrible. His head ached and throbbed and his stomach hurt. He didn't even remember falling asleep. The last thing he remembered was crying his heart out. How long ago was that?
"Trent, we have to talk."
"I don't want to."
Anton was aware of the boy's grief. He had heard him crying hours before. He saw a steady downslide in Trent's behavior and his health was rapidly deteriorating. This worried him to no end.
"We have to, whether you want to or not." Anton firmly responded.
Trent sat up with a grunt and rubbed his sleep-filled eyes.
"I don't think you realize the full gravity of the situation."
"What situation?" Trent grumbled.
Anton sat down on the edge of the bed before continuing.
"Trent, you haven't had anything to eat in the past two days! Not to mention you falling asleep at such odd hours of the day. Now, clearly something is wrong."
Trent didn't reply. He stared intently at the bed covers.
"Trent, the first step in healing is to talk about the problem."
There was still no reply.
"Trent, look at me," Anton made sure that he had Trent's attention, "I already know what this is all about. Keeping it locked up inside of you is only going to make the hurting worse."
"I miss them," Trent softly whispered.
"I know you do. But bottling up these feelings will make you sick. You can't live like this. No human being can."
"Why? Why did they have to go?" Trent's eyes filled with tears. He didn't care that Anton was watching him cry. He wanted to be rid of the pain forever.
"That is a question that no one, not even I, can answer."
"When will it stop hurting?"
"When you learn to let it go."
Anton never did feel that comforting people was his strong point. Nothing he'd already said seemed to have any effect. It pained Anton to see Trent so upset. After a few minutes, Anton broke the silence.
"In a way, your parents are still with you."
"They are?" A new light sparked in Trent's eyes.
"Sure they are. Your parents are in your memory and in here," Anton pointed at his heart. "And genetically, you are half of your mom and half of your dad."
"What will I do, now that they are gone?" Trent sniffled.
"You will first have to find the courage within your heart to move on. That is always the first step. Just remember, Trent, you won't have to take the first step alone, as long as I am here. Everyone in this world needs a helping hand. You just have to take it."
Trent wiped his face off and managed a small smile. For the first time in weeks, he didn't feel so alone. He looked up at Anton with a new light shining in his eyes. He had hope.