Chapter 5: Complications
"Somebody should call Andros." Cassie said wearily from her position on the hospital waiting room couch. Before Zhane could move, Karone stood up. "I'll do it."
"You don't have to Karone-"Zhane began but Karone interrupted him to disagree. "I know. But Ashley needs you to be here." She finished knowingly. "Besides Andros won't kill me for calling him so early." She gave him a small smile as she took off down the corridor to find a secluded place to contact her brother.
Karone took a deep breath before opening her communicator. How was she ever going to explain this to him? She couldn't even explain it to herself or anyone else. Reluctantly she punched in the codes to her brother's morpher and waited for him to pick up. IT seemed like an eternity to Karone the few instants she had to wait to hear his voice.
"Hello?" A groggy voice answered. "Andros?" His sister questioned to make sure.
"Who else would be answering my morpher?" Andros replied a bit amused but mostly slightly irritated at the timing of her call. Leave it to his sister to want to have a long chat in the middle of the night, he thought. When she didn't start talking right away, he knew something was wrong.
"What happened Karone? What's wrong?" His kind questions caused Karone to erupt in tears. He waited patiently for her to explain her tears. "It's Ashley." Those two words struck fear straight to the core of Andros's heart. "What's Ashley?" He asked, not wanting to know the horrible truth.
"She's in the hospital. We were attacked this morning, and she got cut really bad. I've never seen so much blood in my life Andros."
"Oh my god Ashley." Andros finally said as his sister's words sunk in. She was hurt badly and he wasn't there to protect her to comfort her. He only hoped she would recover as he promised himself that he would quit the stupid alliance and get back to the love of his life. Why did he ever leave her in the first place? And how could he have believed she didn't need him? Karone spoke for a few more minutes, but he didn't hear her as his thoughts were consumed by Ashley.
"She's going to be okay, isn't she?" Justin Steward asked breaking the fragile silence, as he paced back and forth across the small room, crowded with rangers.
"Of course she is. She's a fighter." Carlos reassured them all more optimistic than he felt as he continued to watch the former blue ranger pacing.
"I've never seen anyone lose that much blood before." Zhane admitted. Anyone being a ranger. Zhane frowned. What was he going to tell Andros if Ashley didn't make it? He was caught up in his own thoughts he didn't hear when Karone returned or when the doctor came into the waiting room.
"She's a tough young lady. There were a couple of broken ribs, and a sprained knee. There was a lot of blood lost, but she receiving transfusions right now. Luckily there was no internal damage. She'll have to remain in bed for three to four days. I'm going to keep her overnight, and then she can go home tomorrow." The doctor informed the restless group.
"Thank god." TJ exclaimed, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Can we see her?" Cassie asked. "Sure go ahead, but only for a few minutes." The doctor said as he ushered them down the hall to where the yellow ranger was lying still on her bed facing the window.
"Hey Ash! You gave us a real good scare today." Carlos commented lightly, taking a seat next to her bed as the other rangers filled in around her. Ashley turned to look at them listlessly. If he only knew how much, she thought as she flashed back to the conversation she had with the doctor only a few minutes prior.
"Well Ashley. You are doing really well for someone who lost a lot of blood. And lucky for you it didn't affect the baby at all." The doctor informed her as he signed her medical chart.
"Baby?" whispered Ashley incredulously. The look of shock on her face caused the doctor to stop his evaluation to sit and talk with her."
"Yeah. You're going to have a baby. Your blood test shows you're about 8 weeks along, or two months." He replied kindly. Ashley's eyes filled with tears as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. If she had thought everything was complicated before...
"Ashley?" Cassie wondered as she looked at her friend, trying to get her attention. "The doctor says you can leave tomorrow." Ashley still didn't respond.
"Well, we'll all come by and pick you up in the morning." TJ said as he ushered the other rangers out of her room except for Zhane who was staying the night for protection.
Zhane sat at her bedside watching over her as the medicine kicked in and allowed her to rest. "How did this happen?" He wondered to himself. They had been in worse predicaments before without anyone being hurt as badly as Ashley had been. And all that blood. Something wasn't right. He grabbed her hand and held it, hoping she would recover quickly. "You're going to be fine Ash." Zhane murmured, to encourage himself as much as her. "You have to be." A single tear escaped as he kept watch over the yellow ranger who had become a close friend to him in just a few short months. He shuddered to think what would happen to his best friend if she didn't.
"Something is not right. I didn't think a ranger could bleed like that." TJ said puzzled. He was pacing the bridge with the other rangers, knowing none of them would sleep until Ashley was back with them on the mega ship.
"It is very uncommon, but not impossible for it to happen." Deca informed the rangers. Cassie thought about the incident. "Perhaps Andros's absence has upset her more than we know." She theorized, looking for any reason to explain away the severity of her injury. If there was no good reason, and evil getting stronger wasn't a good reason either, then the next time one of them could be as badly injured, or worse injured fatally. They had all thought they were pretty invincible but Ashley's condition shook them all to the core.
Deca responded to Cassie's unspoken question. "A person under a lot of stress is more vulnerable to injury and illness." But TJ was skeptical. "I don't know," he said as he continued his pacing. "It just doesn't make sense." He said frustrated.
Carlos turned to the purple ranger. "Did you get a hold of Andros, Karone?" "Yeah, he was really upset. I know he feels guilty for leaving but he said he should be done there and hopefully be home by the weekend." Karone informed her teammates.
"Good thing. Ashley really needs him." Carlos stated honestly.
"Seriously. I'm not letting him go away again." TJ stated firmly. "Too bad it's not your decision Teej." Cassie replied with a laugh.
"I know." TJ sighed in resignation. "I just wish he would stop leaving her." He hated seeing his normally carefree teammate so reserved and sad.
The next twelve hours went by terribly slow as they waited until they could bring Ashley home.
"Somebody should call Andros." Cassie said wearily from her position on the hospital waiting room couch. Before Zhane could move, Karone stood up. "I'll do it."
"You don't have to Karone-"Zhane began but Karone interrupted him to disagree. "I know. But Ashley needs you to be here." She finished knowingly. "Besides Andros won't kill me for calling him so early." She gave him a small smile as she took off down the corridor to find a secluded place to contact her brother.
Karone took a deep breath before opening her communicator. How was she ever going to explain this to him? She couldn't even explain it to herself or anyone else. Reluctantly she punched in the codes to her brother's morpher and waited for him to pick up. IT seemed like an eternity to Karone the few instants she had to wait to hear his voice.
"Hello?" A groggy voice answered. "Andros?" His sister questioned to make sure.
"Who else would be answering my morpher?" Andros replied a bit amused but mostly slightly irritated at the timing of her call. Leave it to his sister to want to have a long chat in the middle of the night, he thought. When she didn't start talking right away, he knew something was wrong.
"What happened Karone? What's wrong?" His kind questions caused Karone to erupt in tears. He waited patiently for her to explain her tears. "It's Ashley." Those two words struck fear straight to the core of Andros's heart. "What's Ashley?" He asked, not wanting to know the horrible truth.
"She's in the hospital. We were attacked this morning, and she got cut really bad. I've never seen so much blood in my life Andros."
"Oh my god Ashley." Andros finally said as his sister's words sunk in. She was hurt badly and he wasn't there to protect her to comfort her. He only hoped she would recover as he promised himself that he would quit the stupid alliance and get back to the love of his life. Why did he ever leave her in the first place? And how could he have believed she didn't need him? Karone spoke for a few more minutes, but he didn't hear her as his thoughts were consumed by Ashley.
"She's going to be okay, isn't she?" Justin Steward asked breaking the fragile silence, as he paced back and forth across the small room, crowded with rangers.
"Of course she is. She's a fighter." Carlos reassured them all more optimistic than he felt as he continued to watch the former blue ranger pacing.
"I've never seen anyone lose that much blood before." Zhane admitted. Anyone being a ranger. Zhane frowned. What was he going to tell Andros if Ashley didn't make it? He was caught up in his own thoughts he didn't hear when Karone returned or when the doctor came into the waiting room.
"She's a tough young lady. There were a couple of broken ribs, and a sprained knee. There was a lot of blood lost, but she receiving transfusions right now. Luckily there was no internal damage. She'll have to remain in bed for three to four days. I'm going to keep her overnight, and then she can go home tomorrow." The doctor informed the restless group.
"Thank god." TJ exclaimed, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"Can we see her?" Cassie asked. "Sure go ahead, but only for a few minutes." The doctor said as he ushered them down the hall to where the yellow ranger was lying still on her bed facing the window.
"Hey Ash! You gave us a real good scare today." Carlos commented lightly, taking a seat next to her bed as the other rangers filled in around her. Ashley turned to look at them listlessly. If he only knew how much, she thought as she flashed back to the conversation she had with the doctor only a few minutes prior.
"Well Ashley. You are doing really well for someone who lost a lot of blood. And lucky for you it didn't affect the baby at all." The doctor informed her as he signed her medical chart.
"Baby?" whispered Ashley incredulously. The look of shock on her face caused the doctor to stop his evaluation to sit and talk with her."
"Yeah. You're going to have a baby. Your blood test shows you're about 8 weeks along, or two months." He replied kindly. Ashley's eyes filled with tears as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. If she had thought everything was complicated before...
"Ashley?" Cassie wondered as she looked at her friend, trying to get her attention. "The doctor says you can leave tomorrow." Ashley still didn't respond.
"Well, we'll all come by and pick you up in the morning." TJ said as he ushered the other rangers out of her room except for Zhane who was staying the night for protection.
Zhane sat at her bedside watching over her as the medicine kicked in and allowed her to rest. "How did this happen?" He wondered to himself. They had been in worse predicaments before without anyone being hurt as badly as Ashley had been. And all that blood. Something wasn't right. He grabbed her hand and held it, hoping she would recover quickly. "You're going to be fine Ash." Zhane murmured, to encourage himself as much as her. "You have to be." A single tear escaped as he kept watch over the yellow ranger who had become a close friend to him in just a few short months. He shuddered to think what would happen to his best friend if she didn't.
"Something is not right. I didn't think a ranger could bleed like that." TJ said puzzled. He was pacing the bridge with the other rangers, knowing none of them would sleep until Ashley was back with them on the mega ship.
"It is very uncommon, but not impossible for it to happen." Deca informed the rangers. Cassie thought about the incident. "Perhaps Andros's absence has upset her more than we know." She theorized, looking for any reason to explain away the severity of her injury. If there was no good reason, and evil getting stronger wasn't a good reason either, then the next time one of them could be as badly injured, or worse injured fatally. They had all thought they were pretty invincible but Ashley's condition shook them all to the core.
Deca responded to Cassie's unspoken question. "A person under a lot of stress is more vulnerable to injury and illness." But TJ was skeptical. "I don't know," he said as he continued his pacing. "It just doesn't make sense." He said frustrated.
Carlos turned to the purple ranger. "Did you get a hold of Andros, Karone?" "Yeah, he was really upset. I know he feels guilty for leaving but he said he should be done there and hopefully be home by the weekend." Karone informed her teammates.
"Good thing. Ashley really needs him." Carlos stated honestly.
"Seriously. I'm not letting him go away again." TJ stated firmly. "Too bad it's not your decision Teej." Cassie replied with a laugh.
"I know." TJ sighed in resignation. "I just wish he would stop leaving her." He hated seeing his normally carefree teammate so reserved and sad.
The next twelve hours went by terribly slow as they waited until they could bring Ashley home.