Disclaimer: I do not own the power rangers or any of the weapons and/or original characters from that series. This is the third story in the "Saving the World, Again" series, so any characters from those stories that are mine, might be brought in. I do own the character Ally Jameson as I know she will appear in this story a good bit and I just wanted to let you know that she is my character from the beginning. I also own the characters of Janice Mitchell, Principal McEntire, and Mallory Wiggins.
Now, on with the Story!
Kim's POV (The Night of February 15th)
I awoke tonight and felt a pain surge through my abdomen, causing my breath to quicken and for me to reach out for Tommy's hand, but I wound up clutching part of the thinly padded bedspread instead, as I was unable to find it after a few seconds of frantic searching. I knew that I had gone into labor, even if it is two weeks earlier than my projected due date, but Tommy must have been called out tonight, as our bed lacked the warmth that emanated from his body. I rolled over, which is quite difficult for me to do with the way my belly protrudes out now, and got the full view of his empty side of the bed and it made me ache for him to be at my side. Then, when I rolled back over to my other side, I saw a note left on my nightstand, clearly in Tommy's half-awake handwriting.
Alpha had called him out of bed, as Mesogogg's forces had attacked Reefside and the other rangers were not able to hold their own and keep the city safe without him going out there to help them tonight. Why did it have to be tonight that Mesogogg decided to come back in full force, the one night that I needed him to be here with me, to take care of me? I reached for my communicator, which was in one of the upper drawers of the nightstand and held it to my lips, before I felt the second contraction hit my body. As I waited for the pain to pass, I knew that there was nothing left for me to do except, I had to call Tommy out of the battle and home, to take me to the hospital.
"Tommy," Kim's panicked voice rang out of his communicator, like a shotgun blast in the midst of a quieted battle. As Tommy looked at Zeltrax, who he was in a heated battle with, and watched as Richard and Elsa, moved closer, to hear the transmission between wife and husband.
All of them knew why the pink ranger wasn't there and they could only hope that their master's ultimate plan had, somehow, worked out the way that he hoped it would. That, the supposedly great, Tommy Oliver was going to have to choose between fighting them and going home to take care of his wife, although it did eat at Richard that his master was doing this. He knew if something bad were to happen to that baby, the black ranger, would go after them with a vengeance like no one had ever seen before from him and that was not something they necessarily needed to deal with, as they had just managed to get themselves back into their fighting form.
"Kim, now's not a good time, sweetie, unless it is an emergency," Tommy said, as he held Zeltrax at bay, but he could hear Trent approaching to help him, if only for a little while.
The tryadrones had been tearing into his fellow rangers for a good while now and they had only recently gotten them down to a manageable size, which had allowed Trent to come over and help the struggling black ranger. He had wished more than once that Kim would have been out there with them, but what she was doing was much more important. He would then push the thought of her being with him from his mind, for awhile, as he became very sloppy when he thought about her, at home, alone, and nine months pregnant.
"It's time, Tommy," Kim mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper and as he caught that sentence, he threw Zeltrax to the ground, in one quick and rather harsh motion.
It had been his worst fear to hear that sentence ring out across his communicator when he was in the midst of the first heated battle since Mesogogg had re-established his forces. He knew that he had to get out of there now, but would the other rangers understand where he was going, even though they knew full well how far along Kim was and could probably guess why he was being called away.
"Go, Tommy," Trent said, as Zeltrax was taking his time to stand up, as Tommy had used more strength than Zeltrax thought that he had left inside of him after the beating he had been dealing out to him. This might be the only chance he was given to leave the situation, without Zeltrax or one of the other goons coming after him and keeping him from getting to her.
Trent had heard what the pregnant, pink ranger had mumbled and had watched the black ranger try to keep his cool as he threw Zeltrax across the empty parking lot and into a row of garbage cans. He knew that Tommy had to leave, his family was depending on him now, and they would be able to do this without him. He had taught them enough that they knew that they could do this on their own, although it would be rough, now that they were two rangers down in the field and knew that they would be for several days. Now that the baby was coming, they could think about that last battle that they were going to be forced to fight and know that the two of them would be there to help them.
"Trent, you have to be careful," Tommy said, looking at him and trying to convey that once he left that he would be gone for good, he couldn't come back to help them. They would no longer have back up, unless Hayley and Alpha were forced to ask Jason to morph, as he had already agreed to do so if it came down to that. They just didn't want it to come down to that, they knew what that would mean.
"We'll handle it, now go before they realize what's happening," Trent said, blocking Mesogogg's goons view of Tommy and they knew what was going on, but there was no way to stop him.
"Alright," Tommy said and quickly teleported back into their bedroom, to see Kim's bedside lamp was turned on, but she was no longer lying in bed. Their bed was abandoned and he was worried that he was already too late and that Hayley had, had to drive her to the hospital, which was something he would never hear the end of if that had happened.
He then spotted her, now sitting on the floor, gripping a pillow with all her might, as she waited for him to arrive, obviously in pain. Without a second thought, he powered down and walked over to her spot on the floor, where she was rocking back and forth, trying to decrease the pain that was running through her petite body.
She didn't notice his presence, until he had placed his arm around her and it was only then that she looked up at him, biting her lower lip the entire time. He could tell the pain was almost too much for her already, but she was trying to put up a brave face for him, although he could see right through it. She was scared and in pain, but he was there and it made everything alright in her mind, although he had no clue as to why he had that affect on her, but he somehow did.
"Tommy," Kim whispered, as he put both of his arms around her in a reassuring hug and watched some of the tension leave her face, knowing that he was there to take care of her and he was not going to leave her, no matter what happened to their fellow rangers. He placed a hand on her belly, feeling the increased tightness from the contraction that was occurring, before giving her a kiss on the forehead and then heading towards the closet to grab the bag she had packed earlier that week.
"How long has it been Beautiful?" Tommy asked, as he helped her to stand up and she heard their communicator's ring out into the silence of their home and Tommy did not even attempt to answer it, which was odd for him.
He was sure that it would be a question as to why he had left the battle, without so much as giving all of them an explanation for it, although Trent knew exactly where he was going. He would surely fill in the missing details after the battle, as he knew shouting it out could only increase the danger that they were already in. They couldn't do that to them and they knew that they had to help keep the two of them safe.
"Long enough, Tommy," Kim said, as she reached for her own communicator and answered the call, rather hesitantly. She was not sure who was going to be on the other end of the line, but she knew that Tommy would be curious the entire time they were at the hospital, if he didn't find out about it right away. He would not admit that it was playing on his mind, but it would be there and she did not need for it to be there while she was in labor. So, she was answering the toll as much for him as she was for herself. "Yes, Alpha."
"Kim, are you alright?" Hayley's voice said, as she had overheard the transmission, in the command center, but had hesitated to go up and check on Kim, as things down in the command center were still very hectic, as they were constantly energizing the drained rangers. It just seemed that they could not hold onto their powers long enough for them to defeat a couple of tryadrones, which was not a good thing to be looking at. She felt the sudden implication that this wasn't a false alarm and that they were going to be headed to the hospital soon.
That trip was not going to be so good for all of the rangers. It now left them one ranger down in the field and from what she was watching, it was going to get pretty messy without Tommy out there to help them tonight. She only hoped that they had been right when they said that the four teenagers could handle it on their own, if things came down to that and they now had. As they were now being tested in a new way and if they failed the whole world would be in danger of what these monsters could do, but she knew that Tommy had a backup plan, just in case that very thing happened. It, however, was not a plan that anyone wanted to implement while Kim and Tommy were not able to be out there fighting with the others.
"I'll be fine, Hayley," Kim said, as Tommy nodded for her to bring the communicator closer to his face. He couldn't reach for his, as she had a firm grip on his left hand while they descended the stairs at a slow and steady pace.
If they ever had another child, she was going to remember to sleep downstairs when her due date was close, as going down these stairs just added more pressure to her body. She could tell that Tommy was thinking the same thing for the next time that they were in this situation, which would probably be a few years from now, at the absolute least.
"Hayley, do me a favor," Tommy said, as they had reached the bottom of the steps, but Kim had stopped him from progressing any farther as she grabbed his shirt, with her right hand and pulled herself closer to his body. He could tell she was having another contraction and reached his arm around her to keep her from sinking to the ground, as the pain struck a little bit harder with each passing second. He immediately felt her shift her weight onto his body and held her securely, in an attempt to reassure her that things would be fine, as she had begun to shake, even with his arms around her. He hated knowing that he had caused this pain and he only hoped that it would be short lived. "Call Jason and the others, they wanted to know when everything started. Make sure you get in touch with my parents, too. They'll want to be at the hospital while everything goes on."
"I will Tommy, just get going," Hayley said, as Alpha quickly brought over a telephone and a list of the fellow rangers' telephone numbers. This was one emergency that they had not had occur to the rangers, but there is always a first time for everything and this was that time for them.
"Your car," Tommy said, although Kim took it as a question.
She was feeling sick and hoping that she could just manage to hold down her supper from earlier that evening, as she leaned more on Tommy and he carefully picked her up some with each step that he took. She had thought that being hit by Richard's pulses drained her, but the few contractions that she had, had managed to drain her strength faster than any of those pulses.
"Yeah," Kim said, feeling Tommy's free hand rubbing her back while they walked towards the front door, which alleviated some of the tension in her lower back. "Tommy, if something goes wrong…"
"Kim, don't talk like that," Tommy said gravely, as the last time they had went to the doctor, the doctors had thought that the baby might be a little bit too big for Kim to deliver on her own.
Neither one wanted to deal with the option of her having a C-section, so they decided to think positively about the situation as a whole, although Tommy had let some reality slip into his mind over the last few days. They knew that would keep her out of the battlefield for much longer and they knew it was only a matter of time before they had the final battle against Mesogogg and they would need her, no matter how much they had hoped they would be able to handle it without her if it came to that.
Right now, they were just buying their time. It was not a comfortable game to play, with the little one that was so anxious to make its appearance into this world, knocking at their door. For the past nine months, they had been playing this game, but Mesogogg decided to show back up, right as the birth of their first child was upon them. They hated this creature's timing, but they both had confidence in their fellow rangers, although the teenagers only heard it when they needed to. They also knew that their friends wouldn't let them down if something happened that would call them out tonight, although they both knew that they wanted to be in the waiting room, instead of in a heated battle against a group of overcharged puddies and a metal being that was worse than Goldar.
"Tommy…" Kim muttered as he simply put one finger over her lips, to quiet her worries. The only thing she needed to have on her mind was having the baby, nothing else. He would do the job of taking care of all of the worries for the two of them.
"It's all going to be fine, I promise you. Can you make it around the car on your own?" Tommy asked, reluctant to let go of her, as another contraction could hit her at any time.
"Yeah, I should be able to," Kim said, as Tommy let go of her and went to put the suitcase in the trunk and by the time he had gotten in the driver's seat, Kim had situated herself in the passengers seat and was clutching the console that sat between the two of them. He reached over to grab her hand and felt her eyes land on his face as he started up the car and began their trip towards the hospital.
She could tell Tommy was thinking about the inconvenience of Mesogogg's return, and she knew that it was tearing at him to have to leave a battle, but he had assured her, from the beginning that she was it for him. The rangers meant a lot to him, but he would not ignore her call if it came to that and he kept his promise, which must have been hard to do with the knowing dangers in the field had increased, even more, starting tonight. She couldn't help but thinking about what happened when Ivan Ooze came back, he was much more powerful than he had been, years before and they were afraid that Mesogogg would be the same way and it seemed that he was. She knew that having the baby would stop some of Tommy's stress, but it would also open up some more, for the both of them.
"You're going to be fine," Tommy said, as she smiled over at him, noticing that his communicator was glowing an odd shade of pink, as it always seemed to do when they held hands.
"Thank you," Kim said simply letting the smile continue on her lips, as she did not want to have to deal with the thought of the pain coming back right away.
"For what?" Tommy asked, carefully guiding her car out of the woods, towards the paved road and the city of Reefside.
He reached in his pocket for his cell phone, assuring that he had turned it on. He knew that once Hayley got the call out, that the other rangers would head towards the hospital, as soon as possible. He was glad that he could depend on his friend's for that, as it was sure to be hectic for the next few hours and they would both need the extra support and they would possibly even need them to go fight, if things went horribly wrong.
"Keeping your promises, Tommy," Kim said, as she got a firmer grip on his hand and he gave her a smile as a small groan escaped her lips.
At the Hospital"Where is Kimberly Oliver?" Jason asked the admission clerk as Trini and he entered the hospital, roughly forty minutes after they had been awakened from a peaceful slumber by the sound of a ringing telephone.
Jason had been the one to answer the telephone and was quite angry, as he heard Hayley's voice ring out across the line.
Flashback
"Hello," Hayley said, as politely as she could, hoping that Jason would not be mad at her or that she would have been lucky enough for Trini to have answered the phone. Within a few seconds of saying those words, she heard a dial tone being and she knew that she had been unlucky enough for Jason to be the one to answer the phone tonight. She prepared herself for his reaction and then dialed the number again, knowing she was going to have to get through to him, somehow. "Jason, do not hang up on me!"
"What the hell are you doing calling me at this time of night, knowing good and damn well that I am asleep at this time and so is any sane person on the face of this Earth right now!" Jason yelled, as Hayley held the phone out away from her ear and watched as Alpha stared at it. He had rarely heard Jason blow up like that, but this was certainly an unpleasant experience to have to be forced to hear after such a long night.
"Jason! Kim went into labor!" Hayley yelled in order to get his attention and she heard the phone clatter to the floor before he jerked the phone back up and stared at it for a few seconds before figuring out that this was not a dream.
"You're serious?" Jason asked, as he looked at the phone and he could not believe the words that he just heard, but he was afraid there would be much more to come along with it. Hayley wouldn't have called right now if there wasn't, although they had asked to be notified. He had just thought that it wouldn't be at this time of night.
"Yes Jason, but there are some other things you need to know about," Hayley said. She assumed that Jason would be able to figure it out and then state what he thought, but he didn't. He obviously was not awake yet. "Jason, there is a battle going on in Reefside tonight and they're two men down out there now that Tommy has had to leave. I know that this is going to be hard for you to do, but I have to know. I can't tell them that they have absolutely no back up."
"I will, if you need me, but I don't want to have to do that," Jason said, walking over to the closet to get him a pair of sneakers. He knew he was not going to have a chance to change clothes once Trini woke up, as she would want to leave right away, no matter what he said to her.
"I know Jason, but Tommy requested that you come to the hospital," Hayley said as she could tell the Jason was being tempted to say 'duh', but he refrained himself, somehow, due to the fact that he had cussed her out when he first answered the phone.
"I'll be there, just give me a little while to wake Trini up," Jason said, before he hung up the phone and he looked over at Trini, prepared to wake her up. She was not as bad as most people at this time of night, but she was still bound to be moody for a few seconds. "Trini, wake up."
"What's going on, Jason?" Trini asked as she opened her eyes and looked up at Jason who looked upset and worried, which was odd instead of him being furious for having to be up at this time of night.
"Kim's gone into labor and Reefside's under attack," Jason said, as Trini slung the covers off herself and jumped out of bed as quickly as she could.
"No way, Jason. How can that be happening?" Trini asked as she threw on a t-shirt and ran to put on a pair of flip-flops. She knew that this was going to be one crazy night and that was no good for them.
"I don't know, but it all is," Jason said as he followed her out of the front door and carefully locked it behind him as he stormed out of the house.
"How fast are you going to drive?" Trini asked, as he hopped in the car, knowing that this was the worst case scenario that most of them had envisioned.
"As fast as I can," Jason said looking over at her. The fear and worry had not truly set in yet, but it was residing inside of him, bursting to get out.
End of Flashback
"She is in room 502," the clerk said, as this was the third person to ask for the woman's room number within an hour of her admission and she wondered how many more people would be coming through the door with that same question. As the husband had warned her, that some of their friends would be arriving, within the next hour or so, but she had not been wise enough to listen to the young man and had now decided to write it on a piece of paper, for safe keeping and easy reference in case anyone else asked.
"Thank you," Jason said, as Trini and he headed towards the elevator shaft. When they arrived in the waiting room, they were surprised to see Rocky and Ally already situated on the floor, with Ally's head resting in Rocky's lap, dead to the world.
They had been awakened by the phone call and Ally was barely able to keep her eyes open on the short drive to the hospital, but Rocky seemed to be wide-awake, as he was nervous about this and the other things that he knew were happening. The Oliver's were both sipping on a cup of coffee, looking as calm as could be expected for first time grandparents. The person who had the worst nerves was Tommy, but they knew he would hold them inside, as his jitters did not need to pass to his wife at the time.
"Hey, Jason," Mrs. Oliver said, as she noticed him come into the room, with Trini only a few feet behind him. Her son's best friend looked to be quite worried about what was going on and had obviously just hopped out of the bed and came, but she also knew how much Kim meant to him as well. When she saw his wife enter behind him, she got the feeling that they were both very nervous about all of this and they had the right to be. None of them wanted Kim to have to have a C-section, but they knew that it might happen, although Tommy refused to talk to them about that, at all. Mrs. Oliver got the feeling that would be a last ditch effort, as there were some things that seemed to pressing on her son's nerves, besides Kim going into labor tonight, but there was no time to ask questions now. All of that could be saved for later and she knew that all too well with Kim and Tommy, they had always seemed to have a secret that their lives depended upon it being kept that way and she had accepted that a long time ago. "How are you doing?"
"I'm alright, Mrs. Oliver, do we know anything about the baby yet?" Jason asked, as Trini reached out for his hand and he gladly took hers in his own. He was thankful that he had her after all of the years that he had denied his feelings about her to himself and the greater part of the world. She was the one person that could calm him down with a simple look or smile and she had been trying her best to do that all night, as he was truly worried.
She had been assuring him on the whole ride up there that Kim had just gone into labor and everything would be fine, but they both knew that there were other things going on in Reefside on the night of Friday, February 15th. Things that could put their friend's lives in danger, as well as their still unborn child and he didn't like knowing what was going on, at all. He knew that the other rangers felt the same way about it, but they couldn't do anything to change it now.
They knew what they were waiting for and Jason was prepared to lose his job, as he knew that the call to suit back up was only a few months, at most, away now. They could not continue to risk citizens' lives because of Mesogogg and the sooner they got rid of him, the sooner they could go back to a somewhat normal life.
"No, honey, it'll probably be awhile. That's just how it goes with first time mothers," Mrs. Oliver said, with a smile. She had expected Tommy's and Kim's friends to arrive for the next hour or so, but as the first couple had come in, it was obvious they all had other things that were concerning them, things that seemed to affect them on a much larger scale than just having a baby. Although she could not think of many things that would be bigger than this baby coming into the world for most of them at this moment in their lives, but she did not know about them being involved in fighting the monster that was attacking Reefside right now and that was something that they were all thankful for. She had no clue of the amount of danger her son and his wife were in, but it was going to be fine, as long as there were still rangers around to help protect them. "But Tommy wanted to talk to the two of you when you got here, so you can go on back if you want to."
"Thank you, Mrs. Oliver," Jason said, as they went out of the doors at the back of the waiting room, trying to find the room Kim was in and praying that everything was going fine.
When they got to the corridor that was labeled for her room, he heard her groan with pain before they reached the door and he looked over at Trini, wondering if they should wait before they entered the room. They did not want to cause any more distress, but something was eating at Tommy, if he requested that he see Jason as soon as he arrived at the hospital. Trini looked over at Jason, realizing he was not going to be the first to act in this situation and she quietly turned the knob on the door, hoping that she would not get hit by something that Kim would aim at her at the sight of seeing the door being opened.
"Kim," Trini said, quietly, as she slipped open the door and Tommy nodded that it was all right for them to come in. She was surprised to see Kim turned on her side and clutching Tommy's hand, but she saw that the pain would soon pass, then they would be able to talk with a rational Kim. "Hey sweetie."
"Hey, Trini," Kim said, as her best friend gave her a hug and then Trini looked over at Tommy to let him know she'd take care of her for awhile if he wanted her to. He let go of her hand, but did not make a move to leave his chair, as Jason warily entered the room and started rubbing the toe of his sneakers on the floor. He was not sure if he wanted to stay in there very long, as Kim was bound to go through mood swings throughout the whole process and he would not be any help with that, as he usually just aggravated her even more. "Your husband's a little scared now, isn't he?"
"Yeah, he's just worried about you," Trini said, as Tommy got up out of the chair and headed towards Jason. Trini quickly sat down; to keep up the small talk with Kim, as she could tell there was a sense of urgency in Tommy's actions. Whatever he had to say to Jason was important and they both sensed that, although they were not willing to say anything to Tommy about his odd behavior. He knew it was there just as much as they did and there was no need to waste their breath to point it out to him. "You look pretty good, considering."
"Thanks, but it doesn't feel all that great," Kim said, as she reached up to brush a piece of hair out of her face and felt that it was soaked with sweat. Although she had been there only a little over an hour, she had already started sweating profusely and Tommy had managed to get a wet rag for her, but she slung it off every time she had a contraction. She needed to look at him when she was having a contraction and the rag always seemed to slip off her forehead, although Tommy would gently hold it there until she could place it on her own. How she got his forgiveness, she would never know, but she was so happy that she had and now was having their baby, which was something she thought she would never be able to say for a few years. It was wonderful to be going through this, although the pain did change her mind every once in awhile, as she had so graciously let Tommy know already. "Do you know what the two of them have to talk about?"
"I have no clue," Trini said, looking over at the monitor and seeing that a contraction had started, but the only change in Kim was that she had stopped talking and was steadily breathing, while staring at the door through which Tommy had exited through. Trini got the feeling that she was trying to will Tommy to come back in right away, but she was not certain that it was working, as she could make out muffled voices outside of the door, as Jason and Tommy talked about whatever had been bothering him. "Do you?"
"Nope, wish I did," Kim said with a smile as she felt a surge of more intense pain wipe over her body and a warm liquid run between her legs, as her water broke. She looked over at Trini for a few seconds before focusing on ignoring the pain that she was in. She would tell her doctor about it when she came in to check on her again. It wasn't like she could go back and change it now, any ways, although they would need to change the sheets on her bed pretty soon.
"Hey, how you holding up?" Jason asked, as Tommy took him outside the door and he noticed him start fiddling with his communicator, which was an old nervous habit of Tommy's.
He had always fiddled with the thing when things got rough, so it did not surprise Jason that he was doing that now, as there was an intense battle going on and his wife was in labor right now as well. Tommy had been in some stressful situations before, but this one had to be at the top of his list, from what Jason could tell of his actions and he did not blame him in the least bit for acting the way that he was. He had so much more to worry about than anyone else and if he was able to get some of the stress out now, it would be better for all of them.
"I'm fine, but I need you to hold onto this for me," Tommy said, taking his communicator off and handing it to Jason, with a small bit of hesitation as he let it drop into Jason's hands. He didn't want to do it, but he had to somehow be able to keep his mind off of the other duty that he had pledged to uphold.
Jason stared at the communicator and then up at Tommy before the realization hit him of what he was asking. He was asking him to take it and if they needed him, to morph and go out there to help, as there was no way he could leave Kim now. He, also, didn't want to leave the rangers without their fifth ranger, as they knew exactly why the sixth ranger was not there. They also knew that the fifth ranger couldn't come, unless things got really bad out there and even then he might not come, as the sixth ranger and their baby meant more to him than fighting any monster ever would. At one point in his life, he might have said that he would finish the battle and then come get her, but things had changed since then. She was the only one that it would be worth doing things like this for and everyone knew that very well.
"Tommy, I can't do this. It's bonded to you. It won't let me morph," Jason whispered, as he tried to give the device back to his friend, but saw that he was determined to not have it pressing on his mind anymore than it already was. He needed the reassurance that someone would be able to go out there if the call came that he was needed to help. He knew Jason would give him that, although he did not want to be called into action tonight, while Kim was having the baby, but he could tell Tommy was thinking of the same thing. He wanted to stay at the hospital, but he knew that it was better for him to be called out than Tommy, as Tommy could not offer any help to them right now. He had to stay at the hospital with her or he would be likely to find himself there because of an injury, as he would be too distracted to fight anything that came in front of him. "Alright, but I'm sure that they'll be able to handle it on their own, Tommy. After all, you taught them everything that thy know about doing this."
"They should stop by here when the battle is over with Jason. I know Hayley will be heading up here then, just let them know everything is alright and tell them to get some rest," Tommy said, as he heard a groan reverberate from behind the closed door and Jason gave him a knowing nod as he turned to head back into the hospital room. He knew how much Tommy hated to see Kim in pain, but this was one time that he was sure that the pain would be well worth it, in the end.
At the BattleWithin minutes of the black ranger's departure, they found themselves backed up against a wall, literally, as they were feeling the brick of an old building behind them with their gloved hands and praying they'd be able to get out of this alive. Their powers were being depleted faster than they could be replenished and they knew Zeltrax, Elsa, and Richard could tell it by their sloppy actions. They had sent the tryadrones back to Mesogogg, as they did not want anymore of them to be destroyed, knowing they would be essential in the battles that were still to come against them and possibly a few other rangers.
"I'll take, Richard," Kira said, as she knew that they had no choice but to try to divide and conquer now. They were not going to call Hayley and tell her that they needed back up, as that would mean either asking Tommy to leave Kim or one of the retired rangers to morph and help them. They knew that they could do it, but it was just a matter of getting it into their heads that they really were as capable as Tommy and Kim had told them that they were, on numerous occasions. They had always thought that Kim and Tommy would be there and now that they weren't, they were having to rely on the words of encouragement that they got from them in the past and they could only hope that was enough. "The three of you divide up the other ones."
"Kira, don't," Trent said, as he knew the history of Richard's past with the pink ranger. If Richard felt the same way about Kira, he wasn't sure if he wanted her anywhere close to the maniac and Kira being his girlfriend did not make him anymore comfortable with the decision that she had made. Dr. O had always told them to rely on each other, but now they had suddenly decided that they didn't need to do this. "We can do this together."
"I agree with her Trent, we have to divide and conquer or we will have to call Dr. O in," Ethan said, as he had the feeling that the yellow ranger had a good idea about how to handle this. If they could get them alone then they could each work on their opponent's weaknesses and they knew what those were, as Alpha informed them every time that he found something that would be beneficial to the group and he had managed to find a lot for them to use. "We're wasting time, we better get to work on this or we will have to call Hayley and none of us want to do that."
The young rangers soon found themselves facing their, individual, opponents. Trent and Conner had decided to tag team against Zeltrax, as he was the most heavily armored of the group, although he was already slightly hampered from some injuries that Tommy had caused him to have earlier that evening. Kira was making some progress against Richard, although he had seemed to gain some fighting techniques over the prolonged absence in the fighting, but he had not gained enough for her to be truly scared, as she knew that Tommy had prepared her as well as he could. Ethan was easily working against Elsa, although she seemed to have much more in for him than they wanted to admit.
"You are too much like little Kimberly. You didn't learn anything from those past battles did you," Richard said, as he had managed to throw Kira to the ground, which caused her to let a small cry of pain escape before she reigned her voice back in. He was getting tired of waiting to see Kim again, although she was probably in the midst of having another man's child right now, which made him even more irate and it seemed that Kira was the unlucky one to have to deal with his wrath.
"You creep," Kira said, as she placed a kick in the center of his chest, which caused him to take a few steps back. Kira then noticed an invisaportal had opened up behind Mesogogg's goons and she could only hope that they would not attempt to take any of them through it tonight, as she knew exactly what that would mean for the people in the hospital waiting room. They would all be going to get their powers back and come after the person that was missing, although they probably would not be able to go after Mesogogg right then, as it was going to take all of them to defeat him. "Watch out for the invisaportal, guys."
"Can do," Ethan yelled, as he managed to throw Elsa through the portal and watched as Richard and Zeltrax quickly retreated, although they knew that this would not be the end of all of this. In a matter of seconds, they had gathered, powering down as they made a small semi-circle, with Trent putting his arm around Kira, who was a little bit shaken up from the attack.
"That was weird," Conner said, as the others nodded in agreement. They had been through worse fights and the goons would not leave, but they did not seem to want to defeat them tonight. All they wanted to do tonight was to gage how much they had improved and see how many more improvements they would have to make and it seemed that they were going to have to be doing quite a bit of work on Earth. Tommy had been so worried about Kim's safety that it seemed their improvements came as a second thought. "We better get out of here. I don't like how things feel right now."
"Yeah, I'm with you," Kira said, as they teleported to the command center, to see how much needed to be done before they could get to the hospital.
Back at the HospitalAs the hours passed, the other rangers showed up, many of them wanting to visit Kim, but knowing it probably wasn't the wisest thing to do at the time. If she wanted any of them to be in there with her, then she would ask for them, as she had already requested that Trini stay with her. Jason gave them the little bit of information he had been given, to tide the flow of questions, until Tommy was able to answer the more pressing ones later.
When the current rangers walked in, he could tell that the battle had certainly been rough after Tommy had left, but they had managed to push Mesogogg's goons back, for the time being. The only thing was, they never knew when he would decide to come back, and they did not like that idea at all.
"How is she?" Conner asked with eagerness in his voice while walking up to Jason and seeing the older ranger take a deep breath at how he had worded the question.
He knew that it went deeper for the four of them, if Kim was still cooped up in the hospital when the next attack came, they were honestly wondering where their backup would come from. As they knew Tommy was not going to leave her side and they did not blame him at all for that one. It was his wife and they knew how much she meant to him, especially after seeing his reaction to her being captured last year. If something were to happen to her, they did not know what they would do or more importantly what he would do.
"She's alright Conner, just going through labor and it seems like it might still be awhile before we know anything about whether or not she'll have a C-section," Jason said, as he saw there was another question in the boy's eyes, but he could not ask it in front of everyone in this crowd, knowing some of them had no knowledge that they were the current rangers. "Why don't all of you go home and get some rest? You've had a long night."
Jason then held up his wrist, showing Tommy's communicator was sitting there and he knew the boy understood what the gesture meant to all of them. He would be their black ranger if the call went out before Kim had delivered the baby and as long as she was in the hospital, as none of them were going to ask Tommy to leave her alone in the hospital, it was just too risky. The way that Mesogogg was, there was no telling whether or not he would try to do something as sinister as capture Kim and the baby from the hospital, which they all knew would push Tommy to the point of murder if they were not careful. They really did not want him to do that, but if Mesogogg was dumb enough to mess with Tommy's emotions like that, then they would let him do whatever he felt he had to, to get them back and insure that they were safe.
"Not any longer that Dr. O," Kira said, and then yawned, as she felt Trent put a protective arm around her and guide her to a vacant seat in the crowded waiting room. "Hayley's on her way. She had some things she had to clean up before she could make it out here."
She was very tired, but she knew that Tommy and Kim would have been there for any of them if something had happened that landed them in the hospital and they had been when she had been put in the hospital by Elsa during one of the last battles to date. She had been unfortunate enough to wind up with a concussion and that landed her in the hospital for a night, but they had come to visit and even offered to stay, if she wanted them to.
They were much more than just their fellow rangers and they didn't like to admit it, but they knew that either one of them would do anything to keep them safe, even if they were risking their own safety and they did that quite a few times. They were their extended family, although they didn't want to admit that they felt that they would be pushed away when the baby appeared on the scene.
"Alright," Jason said, as the four teenagers, tiredly took their places in the little available space left in the very crowded waiting room.
Tommy had said he would come out and give them an update, every so often, but he had only made it out there once, so far and it had been a very short visit at that, as Trini had retrieved him to come back to Kim's side. She had not been able to endure the pain as they hoped and it made it nearly impossible for Tommy to leave the room at all, as she was scared she would have a contraction while he was gone and she did not want to have to deal with it without him by her side.
"Jason, you think that they'll mind if I go help Hayley clean up?" Billy asked, as he had the feeling that their was quite a bit of repair work that needed to be done back at the command center and that was the last thing that Kim and Tommy needed to be worried about, when they saw how the rangers were looking.
They looked bad to anyone with a normal eye, but to someone with a ranger's perspective, they had just been through one of the ten hardest fights that they could ever remember, from how they looked. He knew that they had to protect the teen's identity and by them coming and being as tired as they were, they were risking things, but they wanted to be there, which was something he understood all too well. They had always been able to pull sleepless nights to make sure that their fellow rangers were all right, although this was definitely a different circumstance.
"No, I think they would appreciate that one," Jason said, and Billy quickly exited the room, knowing that he should call Hayley, to assure that she would need his help. With the three of them working, they could get the job done in a matter of minutes, instead of the hours it would take Alpha and her to do alone.
Hayley had been just as eager about this baby's arrival as everyone else had and Billy wanted to get her there as soon as he could. He missed her and as much as he wanted to try to deny it, he had fallen in love and it was only a matter of time before he moved to Reefside and asked her to marry him. He could find a job, anywhere, if he tried hard enough and he was more than willing to do that for her, as her cyber cafe was already well established in Reefside, so what was the need in moving it?
"Tommy, why don't you go get a cup of coffee and a snack? You look like you've been beat to a pulp tonight," Trini said, as the doctor had just placed Kim's epiderell and she was becoming more relaxed as the medicine took effect on her body.
Tommy's bruises from the latest battle were starting to appear and he could feel the soreness settling in his body, but he did not want to leave Kim alone, although she would be fine with Trini. His pain was nothing compared to what she was feeling and he was willing to sit there as it all set in, just so she would not have any reason to worry. She did not need to be worried and he was determined to keep that from happening, if he could.
"That's because I was and I don't want to leave, Trini," Tommy said, as Kim looked, tiredly over at him and motioned to him that it would be all right for him to go, for a little while. She was going to try to get some sleep, before she progressed too far, to where sleep was not an option anymore. She was exhausted and she knew that she needed to save up her energy for everything else that she had to do to deliver the baby, as she was determined to not have a C-section.
"Tommy, just go give your parents a progress report, I'm sure that they could deal with seeing you for a little while and the contractions aren't hurting anymore. I promise, it's okay Tommy," Kim said, as Tommy sighed and then gave her a kiss on the forehead, before going to exit the room.
"If you need me, send Trini to get me, Kim," Tommy said, as Kim smiled and nodded her head that she would do that. He did not have to worry about that one, as she had already talked to Trini about that when he left the last time.
"Hey, bro, you still doing alright?" Jason asked, as Tommy entered the waiting room, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cinnamon roll in the other, having decided it was best to take Trini's advice and get a snack, as he was truly hungry. Tommy looked tired and Jason could see the beginnings of a bruise on his right hand, but he did look happy nonetheless.
"Yeah," Tommy said, as he sat down next to his father, wanting some guidance, as he was beginning to feel nervous about becoming a father, especially with how things were going with Mesogogg now.
If things had still been calm, he would not have been feeling like this and everyone who knew about that knew part of the reason Tommy was so worried right now. Mesogogg was no fool and he knew a sure way to get the dino gems from Tommy would be by taking away his family and he could not let that happen. They meant more to him than anything else and he would do anything to protect them.
"How about Kim? How is she?" Aisha asked, as they had all turned their attention towards Tommy.
He looked out at the expectant faces and noticed that the newer rangers had arrived, but Trent was the only one still awake, although he was barely awake right now, but Hayley had not made it in yet, which worried him. The others had fallen asleep in the most awkward positions, but he was glad that they were all right after the battle and he was also glad that they did not have to go to school the next day. If they did, he was not sure they would even make it through first period without falling asleep, from exhaustion, among other things that were going on with their bodies and their minds.
"They just put in an epiderell, so she's not hurting like she was, but the doctors still give it four or five more hours before she has the baby," Tommy said, as they then resumed talking to their friends, but Tommy looked over at his father, hoping that he would be able to catch his attention without having to say too much. He knew that he needed to talk to him, about everything and he wasn't exactly sure how he would define that word, but it didn't matter, he had to get a lot of this off of his chest. "Dad, can we talk?"
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Mr. Oliver said, as Tommy stood up to exit the waiting room and he soon followed.
Tommy wanted it to be just the two of them, as he was not sure where he was going to go with this conversation and he was bound to say some things that had never been said between the two of them before. He knew that he was going to reveal some secrets that had been kept for a long time, but he needed to do that. So his father could understand what he was going through and maybe give him some advice on what he should do, although he had never been down this particular road in life. There were only a select few that could say that they had done what Tommy and many of his friends had done over their years in the service and none of them had children, yet, so he was the first to have to deal with that.
"Dad, were you worried when Mom and you adopted me?" Tommy asked, as the older man looked down at smiled at his son.
So, this was what he had been planning to talk to him about when they came up later today, but that unexpected call got them out of bed several hours earlier than they had expected, to travel to Reefside. It was funny how he had been thinking that Tommy might need something like this over the past couple of weeks, as he saw the nerves building up in his son, although he was doing a very good job of hiding it from his wife, which had been a skill that he had not been able to develop around his wife, even after close to thirty years together.
"Of course I was, Tommy. I mean, I had no clue how to change a diaper and I didn't even know that there was such a thing as formula until you came along, but I got over it and I don't think it's boasting to say that you turned out pretty good. There are always going to be things to worry about with your children, but you'll make the right decisions, I know that you will. You have a good wife that will stand beside you, in whatever you decide to do, Tommy. This is really eating at you, isn't it?" Mr. Oliver asked, as Tommy's worried expression had not changed at all since they had started talking and it usually would have relaxed some by now.
There was more to it than he thought, but he had no clue what else could be there for Tommy to tell him, not now at least. Tommy had always been protective of some things, but he couldn't imagine him deciding to open up about those things right now, unless there was a big picture that might not have good things happening for Kim and their baby. That was the only thing that could get Tommy to talk about something like that and he knew it all too well.
"It is, but there are some things you don't know about me, Dad. Things that only a few people know about me," Tommy said, as his father looked over at Tommy, thinking of affairs and other things before settling down his mind to realize that it could not be one of those. It must be something that no one would ever logically think of, so he waited for Tommy to continue, as that was the only way that he was going to find out what was really on his son's mind and he could not help but think that maybe he really was choosing now to tell him something very important and something that might make him despise him for the rest of his life. "You know all those times in high school, when I got home late and I looked like I had just been through the fight of my life? Well, there is an explanation for all of it, but I'm not sure that you will believe me when I say it."
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything now, Tommy? You haven't looked like that for years, until tonight," Mr. Oliver said slowly, as he stared at Tommy while Tommy propped himself against a wall and thought for a few seconds. Did he really want to reveal to his father that he had been a Power Ranger for all of these years and that he was bringing a child into the world while he was still one and not an ordinary one a that. He was the one that had brought them the new powers and created this team, which made him both mentor and member at the same time. Could he tell his father about his worries for his baby by letting him know he still had the responsibility to protect the world from evil and knowing that it would make his child a possible target for those freaks? "Tommy, you aren't in trouble with the law are you?"
"No, Dad, it's more like I've become a type of law enforcement over the years that I have been involved in this," Tommy said, as his father pondered that statement and then looked over at him, realization shining in his deep blue, eyes. Was his son confessing that he had been a ranger when he was in high school? His mother and he had suspected it for years, but never thought there was a need to ask him, as he was helping people, after all. But now there was a new team of rangers in Reefside, which had originated to protect the world from a new evil that had appeared, after Tommy had nearly been killed on that damned island. His father then got the suddenly feeling were this was headed, his son was still a ranger, with a baby that he was soon going to be protecting as well. He desperately wanted some advice on how he needed to handle this, but no one would ever expect their child to make a confession like this, ever in their lifetime and there really was not a lot of advice that he could give him. "Dad, I was and I still am…"
"Tommy, we've known for a long time," Mr. Oliver said, abruptly, stopping his son from saying that he was a ranger in case anyone untrustworthy walked up and heard the conversation. "That was the main reason you didn't get grounded for your erratic behavior back then, so does that mean that all of your friends were, too?"
He knew that they still had to keep themselves hidden, although Tommy had revealed it to him, now, at a time where he was the one begging for someone to understand his situation, for someone to help him understand what he should do about all of this. He was not going to turn his back to his family, but he could not shun his duty as a ranger either and he knew that all too well, after all of these years of experience. There was no advice that he could give him, as he had never been and would never be put in that situation. It was just something that Tommy would have to find from within himself, which he was sure that he was capable of.
"Yeah," Tommy said, as he saw his father think of each person sitting in the waiting room, knowing that the majority of them had been or were currently serving on a ranger team. Then he watched as a light bulb went off in his father's head, if Tommy was a ranger again, then surely his wife had to be as well, which meant they were in added danger, as was their baby. Although Tommy's involvement, sure as hell put them in enough danger, if you asked him.
"Kim, too?" Mr. Oliver asked and for the first time had the realization of what Tommy was feeling, under the calm façade that he always carried around them. The two of them had the responsibility to protect the Earth, but they also had to protect their family as well, but that meant they would have to choose somewhere down the line. Tommy was having a hard enough time fully grasping the responsibility of fatherhood and the additional pressure of being a ranger led to his additional nervousness. The creature that was currently attacking the rangers had only recently started attacking again, after a year of little or no activity. Which he was now thankful for, knowing that it made it easier for Kim to deal with the pregnancy, as things had not been as hectic, until a few weeks ago and that kept them from worrying about the stress hurting the baby, too much. "Tommy, you have done a lot more than any of us will ever do and I know what you're thinking, trust me, I do, but you have to put up a strong front. You have a wife that loves you and will do anything to protect you and this baby, everything is going to be fine."
"How do you know that, Dad? How do you know that something won't just happen to her?" Tommy asked, as his father saw a look in his eyes that he had not seen in years. Tommy desperately needed some guidance, but he was not an expert in this area and could only give him words of encouragement, which might not be enough now any ways. As only a ranger could truly tell Tommy the advice he needed and he was to be the first ranger father, so he would have to do this the hard way and learn from experience.
"I don't know that Tommy, but I know how you feel about this and don't worry, when the time comes to choose, you'll make the right choice," Mr. Oliver said, as Trini walked up behind Tommy, looking slightly stressed.
"Tommy, Kim needs you back in there," Trini said, as Tommy looked from his father to her and then turned towards Kim's room, hearing the groans from twenty feet outside her door. She was not supposed to be in a lot of pain now, so why was she moaning like that?
"I thought they gave her an epiderell," Tommy said to Trini as she looked up at Tommy, rather hesitantly.
"They did, but they have to reduce it before she can start pushing," Trini said, as Tommy looked at her with round eyes. How long had he been talking to his father? He surely couldn't have been gone that long or could he have been? He knew that he lost track of time when he started talking about things of this type of importance, to someone who had no clue about it, but usually it took no more than twenty minutes to explain everything. "You haven't been gone very long Tommy, things just started to progress a little more quickly."
"Hey, Tommy, long time no see," Tanya said with a broad grin, as Tommy walked back into the delivery room. Kim had calmed down for the moment, but she could see the worry growing in Tommy's eyes. This is the part that the doctors had been worried about and Tanya could see him calculating how long Kim would have to push before they decided to make her have a C-section. She was now certain that Tommy and Kim were back in on the action, as Tommy had a faint bruise showing up on his cheek and a much darker one appearing on his shoulder, possibly from the battle that had been going on that night, although she could tell that Tommy had happily left the battle to come here. She had heard that the rest of the team had gotten them to leave, but she could not really believe that the calm would last for a very long time. It seemed that they were preparing for a long hard, hopefully, last fight. "It's gonna be fine, Tommy. Not every day a couple of my old friends have a baby."
"You can say that again," Tommy said, as he walked over to Kim's side and saw the look in her eyes. She was worried as well, but he hid his worry, for the time being and gave her a happy smile and a soft kiss on the forehead. He could not let her know that he was worried about this, as she was the one that would need the encouragement and support, which meant no worry could come from his corner tonight, although he was scared to death about all of this. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her or the baby and he knew the risks of either happening. "It's gonna be alright Beautiful, I promise."
"I know, Tommy," Kim said, as she felt another contraction begin, but Tanya had not told her to push and she was not going to do that until she was told to, although she did truly feel the urge to do so. She hated fighting the urge to push, but if she was not ready to, according to them, then she was not going to exert herself that extra bit. She was going to need all of the energy left in her to push the baby out and she knew that Tommy agreed with that. "Did they make it back alright?"
"Yeah, they did and they're all in one piece," Tommy said, as he felt her grip tighten on his hand and watched as Trini flinched from the force Kim was exerting on her hand as well. They had never known that she had, had such a strong grip, but now that they knew it, they knew that they were not going to make her mad while she had a hold of their hands.
"Kim, I know that this is going to be rough on you, sweetie, but with the next contraction, I need you to push for me," Tanya said, as Kim looked at her and nodded her head. Tommy took in a deep breath, knowing that the previous pain would be mild compared to what she was about to experience, at least from what they had told him. He felt her gaze fall on him and he turned to look at his wife, who had a scared look in her eyes, one he hated to see appear in those light brown orbs.
"Tommy, don't let go, please," Kim whispered, as she clung to her rock and her strength with all of her might. She watched as he placed his other hand on her cheek and then gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.
She knew what the answer would be before he said it and she was grateful for all of that. He would let her break his hand, if that was what she needed in all of this. All he cared about was her and this baby being alright, he no longer mattered in his own eyes.
"I won't," Tommy said, as a nurse walked in and asked that Trini please step away from the bed and Tommy saw Kim's distress at the nurse's request. She wanted her best friend to be right there, saying the calm words that Tommy would not be able to.
"Sharon, let her stay," Tanya said, as Tommy's eyes pleaded with her to ask the nurse to change her mind, as he had noticed Kim's reaction to the request.
"Dr. Jackson, you know that one nurse has to be helping the mother and unless he is going to leave, then I need to stay," Sharon said, as Kim's next contraction started and it was too late for Trini to move back over to Kim's side. As she pushed, like Tanya had instructed, she felt the pain increase, and Tommy felt the grip on his hand become more solid with each passing second. She had not yelled out, but Tommy could feel her muscles shaking and knew that some sort of vocal activity would soon ensue.
"Kim, keep pushing. I know it hurts, but you have to keep pushing," Tanya said, as the nurse encouraged Kim, while the only person Kim was concentrating on was Tommy and how he had yet to break contact with her skin. She knew that he did not know what to say, but his reassuring presence was enough to keep her pushing, although it was more painful than anything else she had ever experienced. "Wait till the next one, Kim, but it looks like you were able to move the baby."
"Thank God," Kim muttered, as Tommy watched Trini sneak a camera out of her pocket. Kim had one in her suitcase, but he knew that it would be fine for Trini to take the pictures and bring them to them later, as that was the furthest from her mind right now. Tommy felt the grip on his hand tighten and he knew the next contraction had started.
"Kim, the baby's head is almost there, don't quit on me now," Tanya said, as Kim let out a quiet moan as she felt the baby's head pushing against the final barrier of it getting out. She placed her head on Tommy's arm, in an attempt to keep the tears from leaking out, as the pain was surging through her body. "Come on, two more good pushes should do it."
"Oh," Kim moaned as she felt the baby slip through the birth canal and into Tanya's awaiting hands. Tommy immediately gave her a hug and a kiss, before Tanya looked up at him with a smile. He was so proud of her and he could care less that they were going to have to suit up for the last time soon, their baby was all right and Kim was fine, although she was exhausted from a night of no sleep and the pain of the contractions.
"Tommy, do you want to cut the cord?" Tanya asked, as she suctioned all of the fluid from the baby's nose and mouth.
"I can?" Tommy asked, as Trini and Tanya tried not to laugh at Tommy's lapse in thought, as it seemed that he had gotten back to his normal forgetfulness very quickly.
"Yes, you can if you want to Tommy," Tanya said, holding out a set of scissors for Tommy to grab and then he cut the cord and the nurses took the baby over to be checked, after it briefly laid on Kim's chest.
"Is it a girl or a boy, Tommy?" Kim asked, as he carried the baby over to her and failed to notice that Trini was taking pictures, as he carefully kissed the baby on the forehead before placing her in Kim's arms.
"It's a girl," Tommy said, giving his wife a kiss on the forehead and wiping away her happy tears. "You don't mind if I take her out to meet our friends, do you?"
"Are we going to keep the name we decided on?" Kim asked, as she carefully handed the baby back over to Tommy. She had all the time in the world to bond, right now all she wanted to do was to get some rest for the moment and she could tell that he had picked up on that.
"Yeah, I don't think we could have done a better job with that," Tommy said, looking down and watched their baby girl reveal a set of deep brown eyes as she looked at her father for the first time and stole his heart in a way that only his child could.
AN: That's the end of this chapter and I know that there is more that has to go into this chapter, but I don't feel like I can make a chapter any longer than a few thousand words, so the next one is more like a continuation and I am sorry if you think that this chapter is too long, but I had a lot that I had to fit in, in one chapter. Please review this chapter, I just want to know if I should keep this story going.