Disclaimer: PR equals not mine.
When the Grim Reaper Knocks
Chapter X
Two days later, Sky was released from the hospital. Nothing particularly eventful happened during those two days. Xyrthias didn't attack, so New Tech City was safe and quiet. Xyrthias didn't have a bone to pick with the other rangers, at least not yet. For now, Xyrthias focused all his efforts on taking Sky out of the equation. Kat, Sophie, Boom, Cruger, Sam, and the rest of B Squad came to pick up Sky from the hospital. As soon as Syd saw Sky, she embraced him in a tight hug.
"Oh Sky, I'm so glad you're finally getting out of here! I've missed you so much! Things haven't been the same at the Academy without you!" Syd commented while refusing to stop hugging Sky.
Sky didn't know how to react to Syd's display of emotions. If Sky didn't know any better, he'd say that Syd had started developing feelings for him as more than just a friend. Sky didn't know how to respond to that, nor was he sure that those feelings were mutual. Along with Bridge, Sky and Syd were the original members of B Squad. The three of them had been through a lot together over the past couple of years. With the training, the bumps, the bruises, the sweat, the promotions, one would have to be kidding to say that the three of them hadn't become close. Sky just wasn't sure he was that close to Syd.
"I know I'm glad to be getting out of here! Spending two days in a hospital room isn't exactly my idea of fun," Sky remarked.
A smirk appeared on Z's face as she thought of something to say in response to what Sky had said.
"Of course it isn't Sky. We all know that reading the S.P.D. handbook is your idea of fun," Z commented.
Everyone laughed except for Sky who just glared at Z. That wasn't true. Reading the S.P.D. handbook wasn't the only thing Sky considered fun. He knew what fun was whether the rest of his team believed him or not. At any rate, that comment was typical of Z. She was always taking little jabs at Sky. Cruger just returned from signing the release papers.
"Alright Tate, are you ready to go home?" Cruger asked.
"Absolutely commander," Sky replied.
Syd pushed Sky in a wheelchair. Sky hated the fact that he had to leave the hospital in a wheelchair. He felt fine, so there was really no need for him to leave in a wheelchair. Sky noticed that Bridge and Sophie were holding hands and wondered what that was all about.
10-10-10
Xyrthias was monitoring the whole thing back from his house in an unknown location. While it was true that Xyrthias probably could've attacked Sky while he was still at the hospital, Xyrthias didn't want to stoop to such measures. It wasn't that he was an honorable monster because that was far from the case, but Xyrthias took pleasure in his victim putting up a struggle and fighting back. Hurting a defenseless victim wasn't nearly as enjoyable. Besides, he probably wouldn't have been able to disguise himself enough so he could slip into the hospital to see Sky without being detected.
"Well, well, well. It looks like it's time for round two blue ranger," Xyrthias said aloud not caring if he was talking to himself.
Over the past couple of days, Xyrthias had watched a recording of the last battle between Sky and him. Xyrthias particularly enjoyed watching the scenes of him hurting Sky in slow motion over and over again such as when he had Sky pinned up against a tree with his horns or the moment that he blasted Sky with a laser beam from his Cyclops eye. Xyrthias enjoyed seeing Skyso badly hurt and took pride in the fact that he was responsible.
"It seems that you haven't displayed any symptoms from the virus for awhile, but mark my words when I say that is about to change," Xyrthias said.
Xyrthias had also done his homework. He had a recording of every single battle Sky's been in as a power ranger, and he had watched each and every battle over the past couple of days. In their last encounter, Sky had somehow managed to get a lucky shot in with his Delta Enforcer, but if Xyrthias had anything to say about it, Sky would get no such lucky shot in the next time they squared off. Over the past couple of days, Xyrthias had familiarized himself with Sky's fighting style. There was no way Sky would catch him by surprise the next time they met on the battlefield.
10-10-10
Back at the Academy, Bridge and Sky were in the room that the two of them shared. Sky knew that it had to have been awkward for Bridge not having a roommate for the last two days. The two of them had been roommates for two years now ever since Bridge first joined the Academy. Every single night for the past two years, Bridge felt safe knowing that Sky was in the room with him. Well, every single night with the exception of the past two nights that is. Bridge had a relationship with Sky on more than one level. Sky was not just his teammate. Sky was not just his best friend, but he was also like a big brother to Bridge, the kind that would protect him and look out for him.
"Were you able to sleep at all the past couple of nights Bridge?" Sky asked with a worried tone of voice.
Bridge was torn because he wanted to tell Sky the truth, but he picked up on the tone of Sky's voice and didn't want to worry him further. Quite frankly, the truth was somewhat embarrassing too. Bridge reasoned that telling Sky the truth was better than lying to him.
"No, I wasn't able to sleep at all. It just wasn't the same without you. I guess I just kind of took it for granted that you'd always be in the room with me at night, so when you weren't there, I couldn't take it for granted anymore because you were in a hospital room instead of in the room with me," Bridge answered.
It was just as Sky suspected. If the truth be told, Sky found it kind of absurd that Bridge wouldn't feel safe at night without him in the room with him. After all, Bridge was in an Academy full of trained cadets, so there was really no reason for Bridge to feel like he wasn't safe. However, another part of Sky understood where Bridge was coming from. Bridge had gotten so used to Sky being there in the room with him at night, that it became kind of the norm. When he wasn't there the past couple of nights, all sense of normality was thrown off kilter, and thus Bridge wasn't able to sleep.
"Well, you should get some sleep then, but before you do, I just wanted to apologize to you Bridge. I was a complete jerk to you the other day, and I regret what I said to you and how I treated you. I completely understand if you don't forgive me, but…" Sky started to say before he was cut off.
"I forgive you Sky," Bridge stated.
Sky was touched. He wasn't sure if he was deserving of Bridge's forgiveness, but he was glad nevertheless that Bridge forgave him. Sky was aware that probably his biggest fault is how he puts up walls and pushes everyone away. It's not that he does it intentionally, but it just…happens. Sky does it so much that it became routine for him, and eventually, that routine ended up becoming a habit, and habits are hard to break.
"Do you want me to stay in the room with you?" Sky asked.
Bridge walked over to his bed, laid down on it, and nestled his head into his pillow.
"Yeah," Bridge replied.
Sky nodded his head and walked over and sat on his own bed and picked up his new copy of the S.P.D. handbook and began reading it.
10-10-10
In the room that Z and Syd shared, Syd was debating whether or not she should tell Sky how she really feels about him. After everything that Sky has been through as of late, Syd realized that she cares about Sky as more than just a friend.
"I wonder what Sky's doing right now. Maybe I should go see him. How stupid am I to just now coming to the realization that the perfect guy for me has been right in front of my face for like two years now? I wonder if he feels the same way about me. I wonder if I should tell him. I mean I don't want to jeopardize our friendship because we've known each other for two years now and are pretty close friends, but at the same time, what if something bad happens to him? Not that I want something bad to happen to him, but what if something bad does happen to him, and I never get a chance to tell him how I feel?" Syd said.
Z couldn't help but notice that Syd sounded an awful lot like Bridge with what she had just said. She was glad that Syd finally admitted that she likes Sky as more than just a friend. Z knew there was something going on when Syd spent the whole time during visiting hours at the hospital with her head resting on Sky's chest and holding Sky's hand. She knew something was up when Syd got jealous that Sophie hugged Sky on his birthday.
"I don't think you seeing him right now is a good idea Syd. He might think you are clingy. We just back from the hospital not too long ago and you've spent practically every waking moment with Sky since we picked him up at the hospital. You even insisted on him riding in the jeep with us and him sitting next to you in the jeep," Z answered.
Syd blushed as she remembered doing the things Z spoke of. Then Syd just recalled something else that Z had said.
"I'm not clingy!" Syd exclaimed.
Z rolled her eyes and put on her headphones and blasted her music full volume drowning out anything else Syd could possibly be saying.
10-10-10
In the command center, Sophie was talking to Cruger about her job and how long she really was staying at Earth.
"I know you all think that I took time off of work to come here for Sky's birthday, but the truth is that I asked for a job transfer. I want to work right here on Earth. Now that Bridge and I have become boyfriend and girlfriend, well I don't know if we are boyfriend and girlfriend yet, but now that Bridge and I have become closer, I am more convinced that I made the right choice," Sophie said.
Cruger gave Sophie an incredulous look. Did she say boyfriend and girlfriend? Since when? How is it that he didn't know about this? Is there some rule in the S.P.D. handbook that forbids two cadets to be romantically interested in one another? He's the commander, so maybe he can change that.
"You and Bridge?" Cruger asked.
Sophie let out a nervous laugh. Oops! Did she just spill the beans? Jack knew, so Sophie thought it was safe to assume that Jack had told everyone by now including Cruger, but apparently this was the first Cruger had heard of this morsel of information. Sophie slowly backed away and left the command center.
TBC
A/N: I am so sorry that it took so long to update this. With school underway, it makes it even more difficult to update because of homework, reading, studying, and whatnot. Of course, I'm sure you all know how that is. With that being said, I probably won't be able to update except for on the weekends, which since I don't have any classes on Friday this quarter, is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for me. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story and a huge thanks to everyone who has listed me as one of their favorite authors or who has listed my story as one of their favorite stories. I hope you will let me know what you think of my story in a review, but no flames please.