Sky took off after Mark as Cruger cared for Kat and Jack attended to the green ranger's fractured nose. Mark had punched Bridge in the face, blacking both of his eyes and breaking his nose.

Sky returned, groaning about how he lost Z's stepfather. Then he saw Bridge holding his nose with his head down (a/n: I know, when you bust or break you're nose you're told to look up, but that can cause you to choke on the blood, as my middle school health teacher taught us.)

"Is he okay?" Sky asked

"It's nothing serious, just a broken nose" Jack said

"What about Kat?"

"I'm not sure," Cruger replied

They took Bridge and Kat to the base infirmary to be treated.

Kat ended up with very few severe injuries but a slight concussion gave Cruger more than enough license to worry about her. He was sitting at her bedside when Z walked in.

"What happened to her, sir?" Z asked

"You're step father attacked her" Cruger replied

Z looked as if he had pulled his Shadow Saber and threatened her with it.

"Listen, cadet, we are all concerned about you, and we are all watching out for your safety"

Cruger left and Z sat in the chair where he had been sitting at Kat's side.

"Oh, Kat, I'm sorry this happened to you, you were trying to protect me and it backfired" Z paused "if only I'd never joined SPD then none of this would be happening!"

Cruger hadn't gone very far, he was at the listening to Z's words to the unconscious Kat Manx.

'Delgado, this is not your fault' he thought "nothing Mark does is ever your fault!'

Cruger did let her know he was there, he just let her think that the only one that might have heard her was Dr. Manx, he was sure that if Kat was aware she would tell Z the same thing he was thinking

He went towards the command center as she continued to sit by Kat's side. He privately wondered how she would react to seeing Bridge Carson with his newly broken nose.

Z left the infirmary where Kat lay recovering from her injuries, and went towards the rec. room to do some reading but she came across Bridge Carson first.

She gasped "Bridge, what happened to your nose?"

"Your stepfather punched me in the face"

She left in a rush and went to her quarters.

Bridge went into the rec. room, shaking his head, Z was taking this harder than she ought to be.

"What's wrong Bridge?" Syd asked sweetly

"I'm worried about Z" Bridge replied "she seems to be taking this too hard, I think she's blaming herself for all of this"

"I'll go talk to her" Sky said and headed towards her room.

"Z…" he called through the closed door "may I come in?"

"Yes…" she replied and allowed Sky to enter.

"Listen Z, we all know that this isn't easy for you, and we want to help, you just have to be willing to let us"

"I know you do, Sky, but I don't wanna see anyone else get hurt because of me" she turned her back to Sky and he realized that there was a lot more to this than he had, at first, thought there was.

"Z listen, I know you feel like this is your fault… but it isn't!" Sky had reverted to giving 'tough love' rather than the gentleness he'd shown prior "nothing he does, is or ever will be your fault!"

'You don't get it Sky, this is my fault, if I'd never joined SPD none of this would be happening, Bridge wouldn't be hurt and neither would Kat… and don't you dare try to tell me that isn't true!" Z yelled

Sophie overheard Z's yelling as she walked past, did a 180° and went back to the command center to inform Cruger of the incidents playing out with Z.

(POV Sophie)

I knew as soon as I heard Z yelling that Commander Cruger needed to know. If anything, looking back I would have called her behavior self-destructive, but there was a reason behind her behavior and I knew that Commander Cruger might be one of the few people capable of convincing her that the events of today weren't her fault. I went to the command center to immediately give Commander Cruger the information I had just learned.

"So it is as I feared, thank you Sophie, I'll have a word with Cadet Delgado on this topic immediately"

I felt relieved that the commander would try to help Z; she really needed it.

I went into Kat's lab to find Boom busying himself ruining Kat's latest project.

"Whoa, Boom, stick with the things that you know how to do until Kat take gets back, I'll handle the rest" I scolded lightly

"Okay" he said and stepped back to let me take over, he had messed it up pretty badly, but fixing it wasn't going to be a problem.

Boom fell back to watch me work, I had planned on finishing what Kat had started, I knew she'd appreciate finding her work completed for her when this might take her months, it only took me hours (not to brag or anything).

To Be Continued…

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