Chapter 4: Two months
"Ashley?" Mrs. Peterson's voice broke through Ashley's thoughts. She blinked as her eyes opened to see her favorite teacher standing in front of her watching her with concern. She glanced around and noted that the classroom was empty.
"Are you okay?" The teacher questioned her. "It's not like you to sleep through design class." She commented as she leaned over to speak to the tired girl.
"Oh no!" Ashley exclaimed apologetically. "I am so sorry Mrs. Peterson. It won't happen again." Ashley promised as she rushed to get her things together to make her next class.
"I know Ashley." She replied gently to reassure her favorite student. "Why don't you just go home early? You look like some rest might do you some good."
Ashley debated but finally gave in. If she fell asleep in her favorite class and at 9 am, there would be no way she would make it through chemistry after lunch. "Maybe I'll do that. Thanks Mrs. P." Ashley said as she took off for the main office to sign herself out. Quickly fleeing the school grounds she teleported herself directly to her room where she collapsed exhausted on her bed.
"Where's Ashley?" TJ asked, scanning the cafeteria for their teammate and he and Carlos found the others waiting for them at a nearby table.
Ashley's friend Meghan overheard TJ and answered him. "She signed herself out and went home early. She fell asleep during design class so Mrs. Peterson told her to go and get some rest." She announced before taking off to sit with her friends.
"It's not like Ashley to fall asleep in class, especially not design class." TJ noted with concerned interest.
"I hope she's not coming down with something." Carlos added, himself worried.
"I know. We're already down one ranger." Cassie whispered anxiously.
"Our luck's not going to hold out forever. Dark Spectre has been too quiet if you ask me." Karone opined with the authority of one who knew what their archenemy was capable of.
"Do you think we should tell Andros?" Zhane questioned the team. The others thought for a moment before Karone answered.
"It will only worry him, Zhane. Let's wait and see if she gets over this. Maybe she's just tired." Zhane nodded and the group returned to eating their lunches but with worried thoughts about their teammate in all their heads. They didn't see her the rest of the day as Ashley slept through to the next morning.
A few days later....
"What is wrong with me?" Ashley moaned as she ran to the bathroom and threw up for the fourth day in a row. "I feel terrible, but I can't miss anymore school." She sat down on the cool floor and was relieved when the sickness passed quickly and she resumed getting ready for school.
"I can't believe it's been two months already." Karone shook her head in disbelief as she sat down with the blue ranger to eat.
"It certainly doesn't feel like Andros has been gone that long." TJ agreed, buttering his toast as the others quickly filled in around them.
Ashley joined the others at the breakfast table. "It does to me." She responded sadly, joining their conversation. One look at her plate and she quickly lost her appetite for her eggs and bacon. She closed her eyes hoping the nauseous feeling would pass.
"Are you feeling okay, Ash?" Carlos asked concerned for the yellow ranger, who was pale and quiet, while pushing her food around her plate. This had become routine to her the last few days, her appetite came and went, as she felt tired a lot. A fact that had not gone unnoticed by the other rangers.
The other rangers exchanged worried looks. But before Ashley could reply, Deca interrupted their breakfast. "Rangers, there has been an attack in Down town Angel Grove."
"Great." Complained Carlos. "How many mornings in a row have we missed breakfast?"
"Well, if we hurry, maybe we won't miss lunch too." Zhane said in frustration, as they all rushed to their gliding tubes.
Ashley landed on the ground, feeling a bit dizzy, but not sure if it was from being sick or the traveling through space. Shaking her head to clear it, she thought 'I wish you were here Andros. I need you.' Before turning to fight some knuckle-brained quantrons.
"AAHH!" Ashley yelled as she received a sharp kick to the stomach. She dropped to the ground, holding her stomach. 'What's wrong with me? I've never felt this bad in a fight.' She complained to herself, feeling the tears run down her face.
Carlos ran over to help her up. "Are you alright Ash?" He asked compassionately. Shaking off the pain, Ashley replied, "I'm fine Carlos. We got to help the others." She quickly took off to defend the other rangers, who were having a tough time with the loads of quantrons in their area.
Running up to where TJ and Cassie were lying on the ground, Ashley charged the quantrons that were bearing down on her friends. "Star Slinger!" Screamed the yellow ranger as she slashed her way through the crowd of quantrons.
"ASHLEY! LOOK OUT!" Zhane shouted from across the street. Ashley turned and was scorched by a quantron's sword that cut across her stomach as she slumped to the ground. Zhane was at her side in an instant, running faster than he ever had run before. TJ and Cassie regained their strength and joined up with Carlos and Karone to fight off the quantrons, while Zhane attended to Ashley.
Immediately after hitting the ground, Ashley went unconscious. "Ash, wake up. Come on." Zhane pleaded the prone girl lying on the street. He removed her helmet, pulling her into his lap. A loud groan escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered open. She stared up at him, pain filling her eyes as she struggled to remain awake.
"Is she ok?" Cassie asked worriedly as she and the other three rangers unmorphed and raced over to Zhane and Ashley.
"I don't know." Zhane confessed, completely at a loss as to help her. He had never seen anyone in this bad shape before. "We should get her to the medical bay." TJ decided firmly.
"NO!" Ashley cried out weakly as her arm wrapped around her stomach. "You're hurt Ash, you gotta go." Carlos declared forcefully as he helped Zhane to help her to a sitting position.
"Ow!" Ashley complained as she shifted positions. "I know Carlos, but I think I need to go to the hospital." Her quiet admission scared the other rangers. Cassie stood still in shock as TJ weighed the options.
"Alright Ash. Let's go to the hospital." Declared the solemn blue ranger, trusting her judgment. "Zhane, power her down." He commanded the silver ranger. Zhane obeyed, punching in the code to her morpher. Ashley began losing consciousness immediately as her suit faded and the power left her.
"Oh my god!" Karone gasped as she saw all the blood covering Ashley's body. "That's not supposed to happen is it?" She got her answer when she saw the absolute shocked looks on her teammates.
"Well, let's get her out of here." Zhane said, shaking his teammates out of their shock and into action as they rushed her into the hospital.
"Ashley?" Mrs. Peterson's voice broke through Ashley's thoughts. She blinked as her eyes opened to see her favorite teacher standing in front of her watching her with concern. She glanced around and noted that the classroom was empty.
"Are you okay?" The teacher questioned her. "It's not like you to sleep through design class." She commented as she leaned over to speak to the tired girl.
"Oh no!" Ashley exclaimed apologetically. "I am so sorry Mrs. Peterson. It won't happen again." Ashley promised as she rushed to get her things together to make her next class.
"I know Ashley." She replied gently to reassure her favorite student. "Why don't you just go home early? You look like some rest might do you some good."
Ashley debated but finally gave in. If she fell asleep in her favorite class and at 9 am, there would be no way she would make it through chemistry after lunch. "Maybe I'll do that. Thanks Mrs. P." Ashley said as she took off for the main office to sign herself out. Quickly fleeing the school grounds she teleported herself directly to her room where she collapsed exhausted on her bed.
"Where's Ashley?" TJ asked, scanning the cafeteria for their teammate and he and Carlos found the others waiting for them at a nearby table.
Ashley's friend Meghan overheard TJ and answered him. "She signed herself out and went home early. She fell asleep during design class so Mrs. Peterson told her to go and get some rest." She announced before taking off to sit with her friends.
"It's not like Ashley to fall asleep in class, especially not design class." TJ noted with concerned interest.
"I hope she's not coming down with something." Carlos added, himself worried.
"I know. We're already down one ranger." Cassie whispered anxiously.
"Our luck's not going to hold out forever. Dark Spectre has been too quiet if you ask me." Karone opined with the authority of one who knew what their archenemy was capable of.
"Do you think we should tell Andros?" Zhane questioned the team. The others thought for a moment before Karone answered.
"It will only worry him, Zhane. Let's wait and see if she gets over this. Maybe she's just tired." Zhane nodded and the group returned to eating their lunches but with worried thoughts about their teammate in all their heads. They didn't see her the rest of the day as Ashley slept through to the next morning.
A few days later....
"What is wrong with me?" Ashley moaned as she ran to the bathroom and threw up for the fourth day in a row. "I feel terrible, but I can't miss anymore school." She sat down on the cool floor and was relieved when the sickness passed quickly and she resumed getting ready for school.
"I can't believe it's been two months already." Karone shook her head in disbelief as she sat down with the blue ranger to eat.
"It certainly doesn't feel like Andros has been gone that long." TJ agreed, buttering his toast as the others quickly filled in around them.
Ashley joined the others at the breakfast table. "It does to me." She responded sadly, joining their conversation. One look at her plate and she quickly lost her appetite for her eggs and bacon. She closed her eyes hoping the nauseous feeling would pass.
"Are you feeling okay, Ash?" Carlos asked concerned for the yellow ranger, who was pale and quiet, while pushing her food around her plate. This had become routine to her the last few days, her appetite came and went, as she felt tired a lot. A fact that had not gone unnoticed by the other rangers.
The other rangers exchanged worried looks. But before Ashley could reply, Deca interrupted their breakfast. "Rangers, there has been an attack in Down town Angel Grove."
"Great." Complained Carlos. "How many mornings in a row have we missed breakfast?"
"Well, if we hurry, maybe we won't miss lunch too." Zhane said in frustration, as they all rushed to their gliding tubes.
Ashley landed on the ground, feeling a bit dizzy, but not sure if it was from being sick or the traveling through space. Shaking her head to clear it, she thought 'I wish you were here Andros. I need you.' Before turning to fight some knuckle-brained quantrons.
"AAHH!" Ashley yelled as she received a sharp kick to the stomach. She dropped to the ground, holding her stomach. 'What's wrong with me? I've never felt this bad in a fight.' She complained to herself, feeling the tears run down her face.
Carlos ran over to help her up. "Are you alright Ash?" He asked compassionately. Shaking off the pain, Ashley replied, "I'm fine Carlos. We got to help the others." She quickly took off to defend the other rangers, who were having a tough time with the loads of quantrons in their area.
Running up to where TJ and Cassie were lying on the ground, Ashley charged the quantrons that were bearing down on her friends. "Star Slinger!" Screamed the yellow ranger as she slashed her way through the crowd of quantrons.
"ASHLEY! LOOK OUT!" Zhane shouted from across the street. Ashley turned and was scorched by a quantron's sword that cut across her stomach as she slumped to the ground. Zhane was at her side in an instant, running faster than he ever had run before. TJ and Cassie regained their strength and joined up with Carlos and Karone to fight off the quantrons, while Zhane attended to Ashley.
Immediately after hitting the ground, Ashley went unconscious. "Ash, wake up. Come on." Zhane pleaded the prone girl lying on the street. He removed her helmet, pulling her into his lap. A loud groan escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered open. She stared up at him, pain filling her eyes as she struggled to remain awake.
"Is she ok?" Cassie asked worriedly as she and the other three rangers unmorphed and raced over to Zhane and Ashley.
"I don't know." Zhane confessed, completely at a loss as to help her. He had never seen anyone in this bad shape before. "We should get her to the medical bay." TJ decided firmly.
"NO!" Ashley cried out weakly as her arm wrapped around her stomach. "You're hurt Ash, you gotta go." Carlos declared forcefully as he helped Zhane to help her to a sitting position.
"Ow!" Ashley complained as she shifted positions. "I know Carlos, but I think I need to go to the hospital." Her quiet admission scared the other rangers. Cassie stood still in shock as TJ weighed the options.
"Alright Ash. Let's go to the hospital." Declared the solemn blue ranger, trusting her judgment. "Zhane, power her down." He commanded the silver ranger. Zhane obeyed, punching in the code to her morpher. Ashley began losing consciousness immediately as her suit faded and the power left her.
"Oh my god!" Karone gasped as she saw all the blood covering Ashley's body. "That's not supposed to happen is it?" She got her answer when she saw the absolute shocked looks on her teammates.
"Well, let's get her out of here." Zhane said, shaking his teammates out of their shock and into action as they rushed her into the hospital.