'TIL I COLLAPSE - PART TWENTY-ONE: I HAVE A KID
SEQUEL TO: ORDINARY WORLD
SUMMARY: Tommy has just discovered he has a kid that was not conceived by Kim. But what is her initial reaction to it? And what other news will the couple face in the distant future?
DISCLAIMER: Power Rangers is not mine, even if I tried. However, I do own the custody of those evil beings destroying the Rangers lives and now, Serena Oliver. To clear things up, this is the version they didn't want to show you on TV about Dino Thunder. But of course, this is my version of it. There are plenty more of them out there, but you decided to sit down and read this one. So, thank you and come back real soon.
A/N: So, will the news destroy their marriage? I won't say anything. Just read on. And I will hint at this: there is another set of news they're about to discover. And it isn't what they expected. Or possibly you, as the reader, of my novel.
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"How could this happen? I never would have thought anything like this could happen. Please, forgive me, baby. I did not mean for any of this to happen. This is the first time I have heard the news too, and I cannot afford to lose you now. I will do whatever I can to fix this, but I cannot do it alone." -Eclyptyk Neo
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The moment Kim had heard those words escape Tommy's mouth, she felt her world come crashing down. She felt crushed. Lied to. And almost betrayed, yet scared and worried for how her husband was taking the news. It was the look in his eyes that told her exactly how he felt.
"Are you sure?" Kim asked, her voice a whisper due to the shock.
Tommy looked down at the scattered paper before looking at her again. A letter written so formally wouldn't be a joke and much of it was in a foreign language. A language foreign to people who have never heard it at all. "Would the military lie on such an occasion as this?"
Tommy was scared. He feared that this would crush them. It would destroy their marriage and possibly their entire future together. He looked as if he was a fool, and that Kim would have every right to walk out of that door and leave him. But she didn't. Yet, she wasn't so sure if she could look beyond it.
Kim looked down at the scattered papers as she bent down to collect them. She had briefly scanned through them before Tommy had swiped them out of her hand. She had managed to see the picture briefly, and the way the girl had stood had Tommy written all over it.
Aside from being upset, he was angry. Mostly at himself for not telling her much about his past relationships. He was never open any of his relationships and he knew that Kim wasn't exactly happy to hear about his past relationships, even his with Kat.
He let out an angered breath as he tossed the papers aside. "How could this have happened? Why didn't she tell me? What did I do to deserve this?"
Inside, Kim could feel some rage grow. But mostly, she just felt sorry for her husband. She watched as he let his anger go on the room. He tossed objects against the wall, slammed down others, and even sent a few punches into the wall. She had to comfort him. Had to tell them that things would be all right, and they would find a way out of this. They could fix things before it got worse. She couldn't afford to leave him. She loved him too damn much to do that.
And they were having a kid together as far as Adam had looked into it. But soon enough, they would have to find another doctor to do the proper examinations and tests during her pregnancy. Adam wasn't certified for that kind of work.
Tommy forced out another punch as it made impact with the wall, and this time it had left behind a bloody mess. He winced, holding in a painful breath as he slowly sunk to the floor. Tears had finally streaked down his face as he lowered his head to the ground.
Kim found her own set of tears streaking down her face as she slowly walked over to her love. She collapsed on the floor beside him, pulling him into a hug. And as he tried to pull away, she only held onto him tighter. The mental strain was taking its toll on him.
"You hate me, Kim. You hate me. You should just pack up and call in the divorce papers," Tommy whispered behind the tears. "I'm so sorry, baby. I didn't mean for this to happen."
Kim shook her head, laying it against Tommy's back. "I don't hate you, Tommy. This is just a setback. We can work around it..."
Tommy turned to look at his wife in the eyes. It was clear that he didn't know what to do about the situation. He wasn't sure if he can look at a positive outlook on the situation. "Work around this! I have a kid, Kimberly! A kid who just lost her biological mother in the war in Iraq. You cannot begin to tell me that if I were to take her in, it would be awkward to see her in this house, knowing that she wasn't yours?"
Kim looked away for a moment, unsure what to make of his last statement. He did have a point, but that didn't mean that they couldn't work around it. She wanted to make things right, or to the best of her ability. "You know, you're right about that. But you can't just ignore the situation either, Tommy. I know that you would rather let her have a good home -- with her father -- rather than be stuck in some orphanage or elsewhere without you."
"But I have a kid."
"You said you would be up for the responsibility," she countered.
Tommy shook his head as he looked away. At that moment, he couldn't bear to look at his wife at all. Even if he wanted to, find comfort in it, all he felt was that he was a cheat. "But that's the problem, Kim. I have a kid – a daughter – who I just found out existed now, almost seven years later. You cannot begin to tell me that was a diss to me. I mean, I don't even deserve to raise a kid I know nothing about."
Kim had already pulled away from him, reaching over to catch a few of the papers that came in the manila envelope. One was the cover letter, the other was written by his daughter. "Well, this seems pretty explanatory. Her name is Serena, she was born on July 26th, 1998 and she is a big fan of martial arts. She said she always wanted to learn, but her mother never wanted her to..."
Tommy had snatched the paper away, scanning it. Though, it was likely she wasn't good at talking in English, it was still understandable if you knew how to distinguish her grammar. He groaned kicking the couch with frustration. "How can I live with myself, now? What the hell am I supposed to tell the teens?"
"Don't you mean the team? And I'm talking about the entire team?" she asked with much curiosity.
Tommy shook his head as he collapsed to the ground again. "Fine, the whole team. But, hold on. Okay, new scenario. You are raised by your mother, and now lost her to some tragic accident. Now, you got to go and live with your father, whom you have never met or possibly seen in seven years? Not exactly what I would call a good father type of case."
Kim had framed Tommy's face in her hands, as their eyes met. And it was the first time, in a while, they had seen into the soul of the other. See the spirit of their animal guide them through the rough times. Kim leaned over placing a gentle kiss upon her husband's lips. "We can make this work, Tommy. Okay? I know this is a shock to the both of us, but I don't care. We'll make it through this. I can't afford to walk out on you knowing I would be making another huge mistake. I love you, Thomas Anthony Oliver. And I don't have any intentions on leaving you at all, especially if we have our own kid to raise."
Tommy could only smile internally. He was still aching with the news, and he knew he couldn't afford to not say anything about the relationship he had with Serena's mother. He took Kim's hands away from his face, laying a few kisses on them before interlocking them in his own. He turned to lean against the wall as he pulled Kim close to him, wrapping his arms around her. "I know you must be curious about how I have a kid, huh?"
"I am. But, I know how you feel about talking about your past no matter what it is," Kim said quietly. She had to admit she was curious about it, yet she didn't want to drill it in his head and interrogate him with all these questions. But she figured now, he would be rather open about such a topic as this.
"No. You should know. I mean, as soon as I make that call, you can consider yourself a stepmom," he admitted as he let out a breath.
Kim turned her head to look up into his eyes. "All right, Handsome. Spill the beans."
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Trent had gotten much of his work done more easily knowing he was almost a normal teen. He didn't have his connection to his dino powers hanging on his wrist, even if he still felt it inside him. But every time he had come home to a huge empty house, there was nothing. No one. Just him. Not even a butler or two. His father never trusted them after they were being scammed by a few years ago. But that's what gave him more of an independent sorta life.
He had finished his homework for the day and decided to do some more independent searching for his father. He had done it for awhile now, but now it was hard to really find anything. He was getting discouraged. He tried to find a way into the invisi-portals, making the only conclusion he needed about the situation. The island fortress wasn't destroyed and Mindshatter was now using it as his safe spot. He knew computers, but never like Ethan. He knew if he could get access into the invisi-portal system, he could get in and possibly rescue his father.
He sat there staring blankly at the computer in Anton's office. Most of it had to do with his sales, museum and research, and all of his 'personal research' was locked under a password Trent couldn't crack. He knew that's what he needed to find answers. He ran his hands through his hair as he let out a breath.
He reached under the desk to find a set of keys hidden in a small compartment and opened up one of the drawers. There was a safe inside. He used one of the keys to open it and began to search inside of it. Much of it was nothing more than business stuff, numbers that he may never quite understand. He dug deeper into the safe finding most of the adoption papers about him. He quickly scanned through them, finding no real interest in the process Anton had to go through to settle the statements around his adoption. It just brought more painful memories about the loss of his biological parents. Not that he could ever look at his father now -- at Anton -- and find him a bad guy, he's done a lot to help Trent cope.
He flipped through all the legal documents, ever realizing how much effort went into doing it. Signature upon signature including a legal name change that had went into effect a few months ago. Not that he didn't have much to complain about when he would respond to both Fernandez and Mercer. In one of the papers it stated he can legally change his name back to Fernandez by the age of 21, but that was some time away. Another was a copy of his birth certificate. He shook his head as he looked over them again.
Yet, as he thumbed through the final papers, he noticed another signature stood on those lines. And it wasn't just his, Anton's and the woman responsible for the adoption, Linda Thompson. Another that had him lose his breath as he got to his feet. He knew he to talk to someone right away as he left the room.
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It was hard for Tommy to start. He wasn't sure where he could start. He just found out he has a six year old daughter, by a relationship that had potential but never lasted.
Tommy forced out a breath as he dropped his head. "It happened a few years ago. Things were happening so fast, but yet so slow. High school graduation and racing. Then I went to the army to occupy my time before classes would have started at CalTech. I decided to do study abroad, which would help pay off for college since I was in the Army -- well, National Guard to be more exact. Most of my first two years in college was
centered around study abroad in Asia. And at the time, I was stationed in the Philippines. I would do some studies at the local university and train in military tactics at Clark Air Base. That's where I met her. The mother of my kid. Elena Sanchez." Tommy stopped a moment to catch his breath as he realized a little uneasiness in Kim. He didn't want to continue, but when her hands gripped his arms, it urged him to continue on with his story. "She was no older than me. And since the school system is different in the Philippines, she had been at the base for nearly three years now. At first, she had wanted to become a nurse, but felt her help would be better on the field. She was already a US citizen and she had joined up with
the US National Guard. She had helped trained some of the younger cadets along with others, including me, while earningher ranks. I ended up as far as Staff Sergeant just cuz I had to keep my studies in check. Thanksgiving had been coming around, and by that time we were talking more and more on a personal basis. I wouldn't be making it home that Thanksgiving, so she had invited me to hang at her crib. And well, we talked, had dinner and even caught a movie. And I had to admit, I was actually starting to have feelings for her. I knew she was feeling me, too. I was gonna get pulled out of the Philippines to attend classes on the CalTech campus. And it was sorta the moment where you may not have a chance to do something and it happened. We slept together. And as I continued classes at CalTech, we continued to keep in touch. But soon, they just stopped. And it wasn't from me. It was her. Every time I tried to contact her the phone was busy, or she just wasn't available. Pretty soon I got the picture that she must have found someone new and I was left to deal with another heartbreak. And even that one night we spent together it has now changed everything."
The room fell silent as Kim took in all that she was hearing from him. As much as she didn't want to know about it, she did. Now it was time to fill in more of it for her to understand.
"Did you ever figure out why she never told you?" Kim asked quietly.
Tommy looked down at the papers on the floor beside him. He scanned through them and scanned the letter written by Elena. "It says here she was too scared to tell me. She knew how I was about my studies, and didn't want me to stop them. Yet, she had wanted her daughter to meet her father. She apologizes for the sudden news and wished me well."
"She seemed like a really nice person," Kim had to admit. But it was clear in her tone that she was uncomfortable about this discussion. "Would you have married her if you knew?"
Tommy let out a breath. "It could have ended up that way. I don't know how else to put it. Sometimes, you find love in the strangest places, and sometimes you find it in front of your face. But right now, I don't know if I'm ready to bring my daughter into my life. What am I supposed to tell her?"
"The truth," Kim said simply. "She's gonna need to know about me, and you. And by the sound of this, she hasn't exactly been around American customs. She'll be scared."
Tommy sighed again. It was hard to figure out what he should do. "I don't know, Kim. I really don't know. I didn't mean for this to happen. It's okay to admit you hate me and you would prefer for me to sleep on the couch for the rest of my days..."
Kim turned to look at him, silencing her husband with a finger to his lips. "Tommy, stop. I already told you I don't plan on leaving you. I don't hate you. Just more upset, mostly at myself." She looked down with guilt as Tommy furrowed his eyebrows.
"Upset at yourself? I don't understand, Kim. Why would you say that about yourself?" Tommy asked.
"Look what I've done to you. Every relationship after me was a flaw. I never realized how much I could have effected you psychologically. I should be the one to apologize."
"They say that true love will always find its way back to your heart. Kimberly, you were my true love. And sometimes you face obstacles. Ones that could be bad. Or good. But I gotta live with my consequences," Tommy sighed as he was finally accepting the responsibility. "There's just so many of them."
Kim leaned over and laid a kiss on her husband's lips. "We will get through this, Tommy. We'll figure out what to do. But, you need to call and let them know you're gonna take custody of your daughter."
Tommy nodded as he slowly got to his feet, pulling Kim up with him. "Thanks, Beautiful. Without you, I might have already killed myself."
"But you didn't," she managed a smile.
"Love you."
"Love you, too, Handsome."
Minutes had passed. Tommy had moved from the living room to the kitchen to make the call. He figured it would be best if he sorted out any difficulties, and let Kim know if she needed to do some clarifying.
Kim had gone back to watching t.v., but from time to time she had watched her husband, his back facing toward her, with a line of concern. She was still heartbroken by the news, but glad that Tommy would take up the responsibility for his daughter. But she knew, at times he was great about hiding his stress and anger, other times it was hard to control. He had heard a lot of heartbreaking news in the last few weeks, and she wasn't sure how much more he could take before he went into a complete meltdown.
Then a loud pounding came to the front door. Kim raised an eyebrow, looking at the late hour. It was a little after 9:30pm and she wasn't sure why someone was coming by so late. But the pounding seemed rather urge as she got off the couch and went to answer the door.
The pounding continued as she finally made it to the door and opened it. There standing there out of breath, looking more whiter than usual, was Trent. He caught his breath as he collapsed on the door frame.
"Trent, what's up? Is everything okay?" Kim asked him with concern.
Trent caught his breath again as he looked down at the papers in his hands. "I'm sorry to bother you, Coach, but is Dr. O here?"
"Yeah, he's in the kitchen," Kim began as Trent came into the house. "But he's on the phone." She went after him, pulling him aside before he could say anything. "Trent, tell me first. Tommy has been under a lot of stress lately."
Trent looked at the petite woman and caught his breath. He looked over his shoulder as he heard the familiar voice of his science teacher, but in another language. One that he knew quite well. "He knows Tagalog?"
"I thought you knew," Kim protested.
The teen in white shook his head slightly surprised. He must have not paid attention much at the wedding and reception. He knew about his teacher's mother and relatives, but he didn't know about him. He would reply in English to them. As little as he used the language, he still knew it quite well. "No, I had no idea..."
"Trent," Kim stopped him before they got completely off-topic. "What's up? Did you find something we should know about?"
Trent had hesitated, unsure of what to say or how to break it. He knew how much stress they were under, he knew he wasn't supposed to put anymore on Kim. That was a big no and he wasn't sure if he should say something to Dr. O and possibly add more stress to his life. But he knew it had to be known.
"Well, it's all set," Tommy proclaimed as he walked back into the room. "I'll be meeting her this week..." Tommy stopped short of his sentence as he noticed the other occupant in the room. "...end. Trent? What are you doing here?"
"I was hoping he could clarify that," Kim stated.
Trent looked from his mentor/teammate to his other mentor. He forced air back into his lungs. "Dr. Oliver is my second legal guardian."
The room fell silent. Dead quiet among the occupants, the t.v. was on quietly in the background.
Tommy felt is knees weaken as he collapsed on a chair. He dropped his head letting out a breath. He didn't know what to say.
"Trent, are you sure?" Kim asked still trying to grasp what came out of the teen's mouth.
"His signature is on these forms right alongside my father's," Trent stated as he handed the documents over to the P.E. teacher.
Kim scanned through the documents, and sure enough, Tommy's signature was on a number of the documents. Many were signed with just his first initial and his last name, but she knew it was his signature. She shook her head, but it was right there. There was no denying it. She looked over at her husband, who was grinding his palms into his eyes.
"I thought you said you didn't know that Anton had a son," Trent protested.
Tommy sighed as he groaned quietly. "I didn't. There was one point before our research really began where we had to sit down with a number of lawyers, military personnel, and government officials to sign a number of documents. I must have signed over 50 different forms, and I never got a chance to read some of them. They were going so fast. It was sign, and sign and sign. Anton would have said the same thing."
"Then how come he has a copy of these adoption papers and you don't?" Kim asked as she walked over to him, handing them over to her husband.
Tommy looked over the documents, seeing the signature that was his own on them. And as he read through the fine print and documents, it did state that he was, in fact, held responsible for taking care of Trent if anything happened to Anton. He shook his head. "I don't know why I never got a copy. As far as I could tell, it was supposed to be Anton's responsibility to get me a copy. I guess he never did, or the thought never crossed his mind that I may need to keep an eye on Trent."
Trent walked over to the couple with some curiosity. "Okay, but aren't these documents only effective until I turn 18? That's only in a few months. I mean, isn't that how it worked with you, Dr. O?"
Tommy let out a breath. As far as he could tell, that's how the documents were signed. But it was more up to the adoptive parents to decide when to lease the form. "Depends on how your adoptive parents signed off on the form. But anyone is able to fend off for themselves once they turn 18, no matter who they are. But until that date, I guess I am your guardian until Anton returns."
Trent sighed as he took the documents back. "Kinda a crazy day, isn't it, Dr. O? I mean, first we hear that Nicole ditches town and now this. I don't have to call you dad now, do I?"
Tommy shook his head. "No. I mean, it's up to you, but personally, I think it would be weird if you did. I would prefer 'brother' instead, just for the factor of age. How did you access these, anyway?"
Trent grew quiet for a second. He knew he couldn't tell him that he was doing some independent searching for his father. He knew how his teacher was about suicide thoughts as that. "Well, I figured I could find some more answers to my dad's capture, and I sorta found them."
Tommy nodded slowly and left it at that. He knew that Trent was still getting used to the loss of seeing his father as Mesogog, let alone still being held captive. But as Kim tapped him on the shoulder, another set of papers in her hands, he knew he had to tell his 'son' something else. Tommy sighed sadly.
"What's up, Dr. O?" Trent asked.
"Well, as your guardian, you should know something about me," Tommy began as he handed the papers over to the teen. "I have a kid, Trent. Her name is Serena and she's six-years-old."
Trent looked over the documents, shaking his head. He felt dizziness fall over him as he slowly began to sway. "Are you sure? When did this happen? And it's not Kim's, is it?" He looked over at his teachers looking for an explanation.
"It was from a past relationship, Trent. And I just found out about it. Her real mother and I were in the Army together and she lost her life in the war in Iraq. Now, I have been asked to take care of her."
"No way. This is a joke, right?" Trent shook his head.
"I almost wish it was, but it's not," Tommy replied. "So, depending on how you want to look at it, Trent. You have a little sister."
"But the team? I mean, don't get me wrong, I am well aware of the kid coming on the way, but we need you, Dr. O."
"I never said I was leaving the team. I just need to work around it," Tommy stated.
"We'll figure this out, Trent. It is a setback, but life is always full of surprises," Kim spoke for the first time in awhile.
"How are you taking it?" Trent looked over at the P.E. teacher, growing concern.
"I'll say it's news I never would have thought would cross our path. It was painful. And the truth does hurt sometimes, but I don't intend on leaving when we got our own kid to worry about."
"And the rest of the team? They're gonna need to know sometime soon, right? Something like this can't be kept a secret."
Tommy nodded again. "I am well aware of that, Trent. And right now, with the line of news I have just received, I just need some time to get my priorities right before I say anything to anyone else."
"Yeah, you're right about that. So, when is she coming?" Trent grew curious about wanting to meet his 'sister'.
"This weekend. Saturday, to be exact. And unfortunately, she isn't completely confident about speaking in English, so..."
"She's more comfortable with Filipino (Tagalog)," Trent finished as he nodded. He could relate. With his biological parents, they would usually talk to him in that language and when it came to school, he got stuck in ESL -- English as a Second Language -- which he hated since so many people made fun of him and his accent. "Are we talking ESL?"
Tommy nodded. "As far as I could tell. Now, I have to go down to the local elementary school and register her into classes there. I just hope that there won't be anymore surprises until then."
"But are you gonna tell her about us? I mean, as us being the world famous Power Rangers?" Trent had to know.
"I think you should, Tommy. It wouldn't be best to keep secrets from her. Remember, she's gonna be in a whole new place. In a place that will get attacked by huge monsters frequently until Mindshatter is destroyed," Kim stated, making it clear that she had wanted to make this transition for Tommy's daughter as easy as possible.
"I hope she doesn't think I'm a freak," Tommy sighed.
"This is the first time you're gonna meet her, huh? And her mother was too afraid to mention it to you at all. And she apologizes for any issues you have to work around?"
"How'd you know that?" Tommy looked at him with confusion.
"I read it here in the letters. But, actually, it says here in Serena's letter that she loves the Power Rangers. She also likes basketball, and would like to learn martial arts. It seems you don't have much to worry about. She says she is anxious to meet you, but also mentions she is scared about the
new environment. She's used to life in the Philippines." Trent said as he scanned through the letter.
"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about. She's only six years old and she still has a lot to learn."
"We will make it through this, Tommy." Kim had to say it again. She wasn't convinced that he believed her, but she spoke clear.
"Yeah, I just hope that Mindshatter doesn't get any crazy ideas," Tommy sighed.
"He hasn't done much since that little switcharoo fiasco. Yet, I really hate the silence. He isn't like all the other evil beings. He hasn't actually sent down any monsters. Just his general and his army." Trent protested.
"Yeah, well, he is using a new technique we just got to keep our eyes on. But, you should head on out, Trent. It's late and there is school tomorrow."
Trent sighed. He knew that his teammate was right as he got to his feet and headed for the door. And as much as he had heard the news about Dr. Oliver having a kid, he knew that he couldn't tell the others. His science teacher would tell them on his own.
Tommy and Kim had escorted the teen out the door. They wished him a good night and watched from the porch as the teen drove off into the night.
For awhile, they stood there, arms wrapped around each other. They looked up into the night sky. It was a nice clear night to look at the stars. And compared to the city, out here the stars were more visible.
Tommy sighed and let out a breath. After all the shocking news he had heard, he wasn't so sure he could sleep tonight. Kim had kissed him on the cheek, sending him back into reality. He looked over at her, a light smile passed his face.
"We'll make it through this, Tommy," Kim said soothingly.
"I know, Kimberly. It's just so much to take it," he sighed.
"C'mon. We've had a rough day. I think we should call it inand get some sleep. I think that's the best thing we could do right now," she tugged him toward the door.
Tommy followed his wife back into the house as they headed up the bedroom and decided to call it a night. It was just one day Tommy wished he could put behind him as quickly as possible, but the news wouldn't leave him right away.
to be continued...
A/N: Whoo. Now, that was a whole lot of information. And I know it was out of my way, but I decided to do something about that connection with Tommy and Trent. I would have made it something like cousins or something, but I didn't think it would have such a big effect on you, the reader. So, now that Trent does know about Tommy's kid, what about the rest of the team? How will they take it? And how badly will it effect the team as a whole? Find out in the next chapter. See you when I do. May the Powers Always Protect You.