Chapter 7

Conner arrived home as the rain began to pour. He sat in his car with the motor still running, unwilling to move from his seat. He tried to hold back all of the anger and fear that he felt but it was too much. Conner slammed his fists against the wheel, blaring the car horn. "Why sis it have to happen to Skyler? How could Dr. Harrison leave us with such a hard decision? I don't understand why we might have to turn her life support off. She can make it. I know she can. There is no question about it. If something does happen to her, what will I do?"Conner let the questions haunt him for some time before he actually brought up enough courage to go in the house. Conner walked up to the front door and slowly opened it. His brother, Eric, sat on the couch watching TV with the lights down low. He turned the TV off the minute his brother walked in the door and got up from the couch. "Conner, where have you been? Mom has been going nuts waiting for you to get back." Conner completely ignored his brother and waked towards the stairs. "Hey stupid I'm talking to you,"called Eric as he followed his brother over to the stairs. "Conner? Conner, are you home?"asked Roxanne McKnight walked into the room. "Conner! Where have you been?"Roxanne pulled her son off the steps and into her arms, refusing to let go. "I'm fine Mom. Some things have come up. I didn't mean to scare you guys." "Next time call and let me know if you want to scare the living daylights out of Mom. I'll help you next time,"chuckled Eric, trying to lighten the mood. Roxanne hit her son in the head as he continued to laugh and then plant himself back on the couch. "Well, dinners ready guys come on in and eat,"said Roxanne as she headed back into the kitchen. "I'm not that hungry Mom. I think I'm gonna go rest for a while,"said Conner. Roxanne came back out of the kitchen and approached her son again. "Conner baby are you sure? You've been gone all day. At least let me make you a grilled cheese sandwich or something." Conner shook his head. "I think I just need to restMy head's a bit cloudy." Roxanne smiled at her son and then let him go upstairs. Conner walked into his room and shut the door. He threw himself onto his bed and buried his face into the pillow. Reaching over to his night stand, Conner pressed the 'on' button and listened to the CD. The quiet tune flooded his head with the time he first met Skyler. He thought of what a moron he was but knew Skyler didn't care. "There will never be another girl that makes me feel the way I do when I'm around her. Why does it have to be this way." Then there was a knock at his door. "Conner, Mom sent you a grilled cheese sandwich, some coke and two Motrin for your headache,"said Eric through the wall. Conner didn't reply. Eric walked into the room with a small tray in his hands. He set it on the night stand and shut off the music. "Eric, what the hell!"snapped Conner. Eric glared at his brother in a disgusted manner. "What's wrong with you? Your not normally like this. You definitely don't have a headache but there is something else that's wrong with you. Now, spill it." Conner sat up in his bed and sat next to his brother. "Do remember the girl I told you about. The dancer I met at Cyberspace? Well, I love her. She's actually in the hospital right now and the doctor doesn't think she will make it. The doctor is giving us a choice on whether or not to shut off the life support machine. Eric, I can't lose her. I really can't." Eric watched as his brother's eyes welled up with tears. "Hey, I'm sorry man. I'll, uh. I'll leave you alone for a while." Eric walked out of his brother's room and closed the door behind him. Conner laid back on his bed and grabbed his sandwich off the night stand. He slowly nibbled at the crust until the warm cheese touched his dry lips. Conner put the sandwich back on his night stand and went over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of red sweats. He changed into his sweats and then threw his jeans into the clothes hamper. He laid back down on his bed and finished off the rest of his sandwich. Conner took a sip of his coke and then found himself feeling very drowsy. After another sip, Conner found himself dozing off into a quiet slumber.

Kira drove home late that night. As she unlocked the front door, she heard the phone ring. Quickly pushing the door open, Kira burst into the house and dropped her stuff in the doorway. Kira ran into the kitchen and grabbed the phone during the third ring. "Hello?" "Hey Kira honey,"said a familiar voice. Kira walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl of grapes and then sat down at the table. "Hey Mom. How's the business trip?" Lynette Ford sighed in the background. "It could be going better. Your Father and I are staying here longer than we thought." Kira plopped a grape into her mouth. "Mom, exactly how long is longer than you thought?" "Well, about one, two three, weeks,"explained Lynette. Kira choked on her grape. She swallowed it as best she could and then got a glass of water. As she gulped it down, she listened to her Mother in the background. "Kira? Kira honey? Are you there?" Kira put her water glass down and sighed. "I'm fine Mom. I just choked on a grape. Hey, can I talk to Dad?" Lynette handed the phone to Brandon Ford who sat at a table typing on his laptop. "Hey sweetie. Look, I'm sorry we have to stay here longer than we thought but work has been getting harder." Kira sat down at the table again. "I know Dad. It's not your fault work is so hectic. I just wish you guys didn't have to be gone so long. I feel really by myself. There has just been a lot of chaos going on over here, you know? I miss you guys."Brandon sighed into the phone. "I'm so sorry Kira. Hey, I'll call you tomorrow sweetheart. Your Mother and I have to get back to work." Kira smiled as she took another grape out of the bowl. "Okay Dad. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Kira hung up the phone and placed it back onto the receiver. She grabbed her bowl of grapes and went into the living room. She placed the bowl onto the coffee table and went into her room. Grabbing her pajamas out of the top dresser drawer, Kira changed into her yellow pajama bottoms and a yellow top with a singing monkey. Kira looked at herself in the long mirror next to her closet and began to put her hair up into a high ponytail. Kira began to hum Freak You Out as she fiddled with her hair and then looked over at her guitar. Kira released her hair from her grasp and reached down for her guitar. Kira held her guitar in her hands as she stood in front of the mirror. She walked back into the living room with her guitar in hand and sat on the couch. Kira laid back on the couch pillows and rested her guitar on her chestShe gently laid her fingers on the strings and plucked a simple chord. She didn't know what she was playing and just felt relaxed but her relaxation was soon ceased as her guitar string snapped. "Damn!" Kira ran back to her room and grabbed a bag of strings out of a cabinet above her bed. Kira brought the bag of strings back out to her guitar just stared at the snapped string. "Why have all of my relationships snapped?"Kira bent down and stroked her guitar. "I have never felt this way. I don't know what has come over me. I feel really alone; by myself. Tommy isn't here, no one else is here. It's just me. Not even my parents are here. I hate this feeling. I don't like to be alone." Kira put the bag of guitar strings on the couch and went back into her room. Looking over to her desk, she spotted a frame in front of her computer. She walked over to her desk and picked up the frame, observing the picture. "I remember this. Haley wanted a picture of all of us to hang up in the lab. Nobody wanted to take the picture but Haley was so persistent. I remember Conner whining like a little baby because he doesn't like taking pictures and Ethan was right in the middle of a game. That was a moment I won't forget. It was a time when we were all together." Kira looked at the picture. They were all in the lab. Conner and Ethan knelt down on the floor, Trent and Kira stood next to Tommy in front of the computer. Kira suddenly became tired as she yawned. She went back into the living room and shut the lights off and then back into her room. Kira laid in her bed tossing and turning, thoughts running through her mind of anything imaginable. Most of her thought were memories coming back to haunt her. "I can't get over my fear of being alone. What is the matter with me?" Kira got up out of bed and strolled down the hall, into the bathroom. As she switched the light on, she looked at herself in the mirror. She could see the right side of her face but her left looked like a blurry shadow. Kira began to panic. She reached for a washcloth hanging on the towel rack and dampened it with warm water. Kira let the water run as she stroked her face with the washcloth. Drying herself with a large towel, Kira looked at herself again in the mirror. She was still missing the left side of her face. "Easy Kira. There is nothing wrong with you. It's just an illusion. Your are tired and can't sleep. Just relax. Everything will be fine in the morning." Kira walked back into her room and back into bed. After tossing and turning for another hour, Kira finally managed to find a restless sleep.

Thea awoke on her couch with Trent beside her. "Thea are you alright? Can you hear me?" Thea could barely see; her vision was so blurryHer head was throbbing in pain. Thea massaged her head with her fingers. Her eyes opened and closed slowly as Trent stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Thea finally focused her vision and looked up at Trent. "Haley, she's awake!"called Trent from the living room Haley and Ethan walked into the living room from Thea's kitchen, Ethan carrying Charlie, the puppy in his arms. "Thea, thank goodness your awake,"said Haley as she sat down on the arm of the couch next to Thea. Haley placed a damp wash cloth on Thea's head as she began to regain full consciousness. "What's going on here?"asked Thea, barely keeping her eyes open. Haley helped Thea sit up and gave her a warm glass of chamomile tea. Ethan put Charlie down on the floor and watched him prance around on the floor with his toy. "You past out in the hospital hallway, right in front of the elevator. Are you okay?" Thea sat up completely as Haley removed the wet washcloth from Thea's forehead. "I feel fine. My head hurts but that's it. So, I past out in the hallway?" "Yeah. We escorted you back to Damien and you didn't even wake up. You laid with him for about an hour and then we drove you home,"said Trent. "Hey, now that she's awake Trent, I'm gonna take Ethan home and then I have to get back to the lab,"said Haley. Trent nodded his head as Ethan and Haley walked out the door. "How was Skyler?" Trent looked Thea in the eye and sighed. "She's made no improvements. I'm sorry Thea." Thea felt tears burning the back of her eyes. "Damien wanted me to give you this,"said Trent as he pulled a torn picture out of his pocket. It was singed on the edges from fire flames and crinkled in every place imaginable. It was a shot of Damien and Skyler and a part of Thea's body with some other adults in the background. They were all dressed up in front of a gorgeous backyard.. Thea took the picture into her hands and began to cry out more tears than her eyes could produce. Thea got up off the couch and went up downstairs, into a family room. She went down a hallway and into her bedroom. Thea looked under her bed and pulled out many shoe boxes full of pictures.

"Thea? Are you okay?"Trent asked as he came into the room. Thea rummaged through the shoe boxes of pictures until she found what she was looking for. She held another torn picture in her hand. This one had the rest of Thea's body in it with some other adults. Thea put the two pictures together and laid them down on her bed. Trent sat down on the bed next to Thea and looked over at the torn pictures. Thea rummaged through the box again and found a roll of clear tape. She pulled off two strips and connected the pictures together again. "Thea, what is all this?"asked Trent as he looked through the pictures Thea had scattered on the bed. Thea held the once torn picture in her hand and showed it to Trent. Trent grasped the picture and looked at it. "That was taken seven years ago when our lives were still perfect. This was all before Zabia arrived. Skyler was still young and Damien and I just started competing in dance competitions. I thought nothing could possibly go wrong,"said Thea. Trent put his arm around Thea's shoulder and caressed her in his arms. "I'm sorry Thea. Do you want to talk about it?" Thea pushed Trent away and stood up in front of her closet. "I'm not ready to talk about it. It's just too hard to even think about it. The memories are too painful. I'm sorry Trent." Trent began to walk out of the room but stopped in the doorway. "Thea, you know if you need someone to talk to, I'll be around if you need me." Thea rummaged through the box until she got to the bottom. There was a CD in a black case with a picture of a phoenix on it with all of the phoenix colors. Thea walked over to Trent and handed him the CD. "If you want to know more about my life as well as Damien's and Skyler's watch this CD but only when the other Dino rangers are with you. Under no circumstance may you watch this without them." Trent took the CD and stroked the cover. "I'll take care of it,"said Trent as he walked out of the room.

Thea stood frozen in the doorway as she watched Trent walk up the stairs. He walked out the door and into his car then drove off. Thea heard the car pulling away and went up to the front door. She peered through the window next to the door and saw he was gone. Thea went upstairs into the attic and flipped the switch, illuminating the room. It was a bare room with a hard wood floor, mirrors in the front and a barre (used in dance for ballet and stretching) in the back. There was a small desk on the other side of the room with a stereo system on top Thea threw her sandals off and set them down on the bench against the wall, grabbing her jazz shoes and throwing them on. Thea pushed play on the stereo and listened to the music play. As the instrumentals played, Thea stepped in the middle of the room. As the words rolled out of the speaker, Thea danced slowly to the music.

I watched the proverbial sunrise
coming up over the Pacific and
you might think I'm losing my mind,
but I will shy away from the specifics...

'cause I don't want you to know where I am
'cause then you'll see my heart
in the saddest state it's ever been.

This is no place to try and live my life

The song always made Thea cry. As her body slipped down into the floor, into the center splits, Thea felt the tears roll down her cheek. Thea felt her body breaking down to the words of the song but kept moving to the music.

I'm sorry for the person I became.
I'm sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'cause who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been.

I talk to absolutely no one.
Couldn't keep to myself enough.
And the things bottled inside have finally begun
to create so much pressure that I'll soon blow up.

I heard the reverberating footsteps
sinking up to the beating of my heart,
and I was positive that unless I got myself together,I would watch me fall apart.

And I can't let that happen again
'cause then you'll see my heart
in the saddest state it's ever been.

This is no place to try and live my life.

Thea began to calm down as the song continued. The words went straight into her heart and shot back out through her legs and arms as she moved to the music. "This song really tells me what kind of person I am. I hate who I have become. I am not strong like my Father and not a hero like my Mother. I was never this weak and now I find myself crying all the time and it's uncontrolled. I need to be able to find myself and regain the strength and courage I once had. I must be strong."

Who I am hates who I've been
and who I am won't take the second chance you gave me.
Who I am hates who I've been
'cause who I've been only ever made me...

So sorry for the person I became.
So sorry that it took so long for me to change.
I'm ready to try and never become that way again
'cause who I am hates who I've been.
Who I am hates who I've been.

Thea found herself once again on the floor at the end of the song. The song made her feel calm and renewed. Thea walked over to the stereo and shut off the machine. Thea stared at the blank side of wall next to her desk.. Thea stood in front of the blank side of the wall and stared. Thea pulled he pendant off of her neck and held it in front of her.She closed her eyes and began to breathe heavily as her pendant began to glow a bright shade of purple. A portal opened where the wall once was. Thea lowered her pendant and stepped through the portal. The second her feet touched the other side of the portal, it disappeared completely. Thea entered a completely dark room. She stood in the shadows for a moment before the room suddenly illuminated itself with bright candles. The candles lit up the dark room and revealed pictures on the walls, a shrine and a computer in the far corner. Thea walked towards the shrine and picked the picture in the frame. She looked at it for a moment before setting it back down on the table. "I will fight for as long as I can. For you Dad. Zabia won't get away with all of his evil doings. I will avenge the death of Mom, and make sure Zabia pays for all of his actions." Thea looked at the picture once again and then went over to the computer. Then, the phone rang. Thea looked over her shoulder and picked up the phone, sitting on the desk. "Hello?" "Hey stranger,"said Damien's voice on the other end. Thea felt a sigh of relief when she heard Damien's voice. "Hey, how are they doing?"she asked. "Well, on the plus side, Tommy is doing pretty well. He is starting to wake up a bit but Skyler is still zonked out. I'm down at the restaurant across the street now, getting a drink,"said Damien. "Thea, she's not gonna make it,"said Damien's voice on the other end. Thea paused for a moment as she felt her heart twist and turn. She tried not to drop the phone. All Damien could hear was heavy breathing on the other end. "Thea? Thea, are you there?"Damien asked. Thea took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Damien, what's wrong with her?"asked Thea with a knot in her throat. "Dr. Harrison says that she is barely hanging on and the best thing for her would be to turn off the life support. I figured I would tell you first before I told the others.I don't know how to break the news to them, especially Conner,"Damien replied. "Hey, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later." "Alright, bye,"said Thea. Damien hung up on the other end. Thea put her head down on the desk as she cried quietly for an hour, putting herself to sleep.

Damien put his phone back in his jeans pocket and buried his face into his hands. "Order number 76! Medium french fries and a Large guava smoothie to go!"called the waiter from behind the counter. Damien went and sat at the counter, taking a sip of his smoothie and nibbling on a few french fries. "Hey kid, try some of this, on the house,"said the man behind the counter, handing Damien a bag of popcorn shrimp. "My Mom told me that shrimp make everyone feel better, makes um wanna jump to the stars." Damien looked in the bag and then back up at the greasy man behind the counter. "Thanks,"he muttered. "Anytime man. The name's Jud,"said the man as he held out his hand to Damien. "Damien,"said Damien and shook Jud's hand with a slight smile. "So, what are you in for?"asked Jud as he began to wipe down the counter. "My sister. She's on a life support and it looks like were gonna have to turn it off. Her science teacher is also here, knocked out, but doctors say he's gonna pull through. I just hate to turn the life support off on my own sister. It just doesn't seem right,"said Damien. Jud walked over to Damien and threw the dish rag over his shoulder. "Kid, I'm sorry. I wish you all the best but just do what you think would be best for your sister. When one door closes, another one opens. Think about it." Damien nodded as Judd went into the back and began to clean again. Damien grabbed the bag of shrimp and went back over to the hospital. He stayed for about another hour before Dr. Harrison walked in. "I'm sorry Damien. There was no change in her condition while you were gone. Remember, you have 3 days to decide what to do. Let me know when a decision has been made." Damien nodded. Dr. Harrison left the room and left Damien alone with his sister.

It was about 5 in the morning when Kira woke up. It was a restless night for her as she constantly thought about her missing half, it was Tommy. "I didn't think I could love somebody like him. I guess you don't realize what you have until its gone. He isn't even gone, but he is missing. I mean, I know where he is...but...OH! This just isn't the same. Tommy, I need you so much, you don't even understand,"Kira thought. "That's it! I can't just sit here. I have to go see him,"said Kira. She leaped out of bed and jumped into a hot shower. The warm water pulsed through her numb body as she prepared herself to see Tommy. She hopped out of the shower, shutting the water off and threw a towel over her head. Kira grabbed her clothes and whipped them on followed by drying her hair. Grabbing her jacket on the coat rack, Kira burst outside and jumped into her car. When she arrived at Reefside General, the parking lot was dark and quiet. Kira walked into the lobby quietly. Dr. Harrison was sitting on one of the chairs for a moment as she caught her breath. "Are you okay Dr. Harrison?"asked Kira as she sat down next to her. "Oh yeah. I'm fine. This is just my longest shift and I'm kinda tired,"replied the doctor. Damien walked out of Skyler's room and walked over to Kira. "Hey Kira. What are you doing here? It's really early." Kira stood up with Dr. Harrison. "I couldn't sleep. I wanted to see Tommy and make sure you were okay." Dr. Harrison stroked her hair out of her face and looked up at Kira and Damien. "Well, there are two days left to decide about Skyler's condition but Tommy has been stirring in the last hour. Why don't you go in and see him Kira while I talk to Damien,"said Dr. Harrison. Kira nodded and went slowly into Tommy's room. She sat down on a chair next to his bed and gently stroked his hair. "Hey Tommy. It's been lonely without you around to talk to even though it's only been a day. You know, this has been on my mind a lot lately. There's something that I would like to tell you. I hope you feel the same way. I love you Tommy. Ever since I laid eyes on you I have loved you. You are the only person in my life that has ever showed me the deepest compassion that I love. I need you in my life." Kira kissed Tommy gently on the cheek as she looked at him with her soft brown doe eyes. With the simple kiss, Tommy slowly began to open his eyes. Kira smiled as he stirred slowly. Tommy opened his eyes fully and regained focus like a newborn chick hatching out of an egg. He focused his vision onto Kira and smiled. "Glad your back, Tommy,"said Kira. "I love you too Kira,"he replied. Kira was puzzled for a moment. "Did he actually hear everything I just said? Wow. We really are meant to be,"she thought. "I didn't think you actually heard all of that but every word was true. I love you so much,"said Kira as they leaned close together for a kiss.

"I'm sorry Damien. I feel very sorry about Skyler more than I do for most of my other patients. Your friends and yourself have obviously been taking this very hard and I honestly wish there was more we could do for Skyler,"said Dr. Harrison. "It's okay. You know it's been hard on everyone having her here and I am at a loss. Dr. Harrison, what would you do in my position?"asked Damien. Dr. Harrison motioned for Damien to sit down. They sat next to each other as Dr. Harrison removed her glasses, placing them in her pocket. "I would like to tell you something very personal Damien. My husband was bitten by a rattlesnake on our anniversary when we were visiting his family. They live on the edge of the desert and he was bitten on the foot. His system wasn't strong enough and after 40 vials of anti-venom, he was put on a life support and our family decided to turn it off. He had mentioned death a lot to our family and said if he was going to be able to recover more than sixty percent, then keep going. If he wasn't able then we should turn off the support. We ended up turning it off because the odds weren't in our favor. That is the reason I became and ER physician, so I could try and prevent horrible deaths like my husbands. I want to give Skyler until tomorrow night and then the decision shall be made." Damien buried his face into his hands as Dr. Harrison wrapped her arms around him. Damien sobbed for a moment and then broke free from Dr. Harrison. He stood up quickly. "I'm gonna go talk to Kira for a moment. I appreciate all of the help Dr. Harrison." Damien walked over to Tommy's room and knocked on the door just as Kira and Tommy released each other from their kiss. Damien walked into the room as he wiped the few tears he had from his eyes. He sat down on the chair next to Kira. "Are you okay Damien?"asked Kira. "I will be after a while. We have to know by tomorrow if we are going to turn her life support off or not and it looks like we might have to,"said Damien. Tommy propped himself up in his bed and looked over at Damien. "Hey man, I'm really sorry. I wish there was more we could do for her." Damien smirked and then held his head low again. "There is one thing you could do,"said Damien as he pulled a disc out of his jacket pocket. "I need everyone to watch this. Thea and I are the only one that can't watch it. I think it will give you guys a bit more of a background on the Phoenixes. Please, watch this,"said Damien as he handed Tommy the disk. Silently, Damien walked out of the room and went back to see Skyler. Kira held Tommy's hand as they just looked at the disk. "What do you think is so important on this disk?"asked Kira. "I don't know but let's have all the guys meet at my place tomorrow and we'll see what this is all about,"said Tommy.

The next day, after Tommy was released and at home, Kira called all of the rangers and told them to meet at Tommy's house. With a limp in his step, Tommy greeted everyone at the door. "Glad to see your doing well Tommy,"said Ethan with Haley right behind him. "Thanks man,"smiled Tommy. Everyone sat in the living room, in front of the TV. Conner stood quietly in a corner looking out the window. Kira sat down next to Trent as she looked back at Conner. "Is he okay?"she asked. Trent shook his head. "I kept trying to call his house but he wouldn't pick up. His brother kept saying that he was sick. I think he just can't handle what's going on. He really loves Skyler and can't stand to see her like this." Tommy stood in front of the TV and put the disk into the DVD-Rom player. "I'm glad everyone could make it. Damien gave me this disk and said it was very important for us to watch this and get a background on the Phoenix rangers." "That's weird, I got one from Thea too. I wonder if there is any difference in the disks,"said Trent as he pulled the disk out of his jacket pocket. "Alright, we'll watch Damien's first and then we'll watch the one Thea gave us,"said Tommy as he took the disk from Trent. Tommy turned the player on and pressed play on the TV. He sat down on the chair next to Kira, who leaned onto the arm of the couch. Everyone sat around the TV as the film started. Conner stayed over by the window and watched it from where he stood. A man appeared on the screen. "I'm Casper Reynolds. The film you are about to see is the documentary on how the Phoenix rangers came to be. This film is only to be watched under severe circumstances and only by the few that call themselves Power Rangers."