A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. I know mine was not long enough and we were pushing 100 degrees the whole time. I'm not meant for summer lol. I prefer fall and blankies.
So, I saw a TON of questions and comments about Tommy just forgetting they had sex. I promise you this isn't the case! It just hasn't been discussed yet. Be patient. I promise all will be explained. Well...eventually :D.
Also, huge shout out to the one and only Marci (HighffelFlower) for drawing the art in my new avatar. Literally cannot thank this girl enough for listening to me as I complain about everything in my life and then some hahaha. She's truly one of my best friends and I love her!
Without any further babbling, here you are! Remember to R&R if you could.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
September 2, 2004
Angel Grove, CA
The breath in my chest vanished as I stared at the threat on the wall. I felt Tommy appear next to me in the door way. "Kim?" He asked, looking at me. He followed my stare towards the wall and I felt his whole body tense. "C'mon. Let's get you out of here."
"I can't breathe." I whispered, trying to gasp for breath. A panic attack. I could feel it coming on, my heart racing and my skin turning cold and clammy. I clutched at my chest trying to ground myself as I backed out of the room. Closing my eyes, all I could see was the writing on the wall. You can't run. You CAN'T run. YOU CAN'T RUN. Nick was letting me know that he was going to find me no matter where I went. I was never going to be able to hide from him. He was going to track me down no matter what he had to do to do it.
"Kimberly. Look at me." Tommy said, grabbing my shoulders gently. "You need to breathe, alright? Deep and slow breaths." I shook my head.
"I gotta leave town." I said, tears filling my eyes. "He's going to find me. He's not going to stop until he has me again."
"I'm not gonna let that happen, alright? He's never going to hurt you again." He said, lowering his face so it was level with mine. "You need to calm down before you pass out." I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. I focused on Tommy's hands on my shoulders, thinking off all the times we went into combat together. He's never let me get hurt before. He's always saved me when things got rough. I nodded to myself, recalling the last time he had saved me. I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for him.
"Okay." I said, taking a deep breath. I opened my eyes and looked into his.
"He's not here anymore. He can't hurt you." I nodded again, continuing to take deep breaths slowly. My heart rate calmed and I could feel my breathing go back to normal. "Are you okay?"
"Sort of." I replied. "Tommy, I'm right though. I need to leave Angel Grove. At least until he's caught. He's going to find me sooner or later. You all said it yourselves earlier. There aren't many places to hide in Angel Grover and sooner or later, he's going to track me down at Aisha's house." I hugged my arms around me the best I could with my cast on.
"I told you that I'm going to protect you. No one is going to let him even get close to you. He'd be a very stupid man to try and hurt you with one of us around. I know he doesn't know it but even powerless, the Power Rangers aren't really a group of people you fuck with." I knew he was trying to get me to laugh but it didn't work. I let out a sigh and ran a hand over my hair.
"I wish he'd just fuck up and get caught already. It would make all of this a lot better."
"I know but now he can add this to his list of charges. Let's get you out of here." Tommy led me out of hallway and out the front door. The police were taking pictures in the kitchen and the living room, another officer now on the scene. Out front, Jason was sitting with Trini on their porch swing. Both of them looked up when we walked out.
"Anything missing?" Jason asked. I shook my head.
"Not that I can see. Everything is still there in your room and nothing valuable that isn't broken is still here." I replied. "Looks like he just trashed the place."
"And left a warning." Tommy said. Trini looked at him, confused.
"A warning? What do you mean?" She asked.
"He spray painted YOU CAN'T RUN on the wall in the room we were staying in." I said. "Guys, I am so sorry about this. I know it doesn't mean much but I promise I will help clean everything up and get everything back in order." Trini shook her head, standing up.
"This isn't your fault. It's Nick's. And hopefully, they will be able to track him down now that they know he's still in Angel Grove at least. These are all just things. They can be replaced. You can't be and that's all the matters right now." She smiled before pulling me into a hug. It didn't help with the guilt I felt but I was thankful that neither she nor Jason had been home when Nick had showed up. This could have been a very different crime scene than it was right now.
"When I get my hands on the no good little dirt bag, he's going to know just what he did to fuck up." Jason said through gritted teeth as he stood up. "For now, I think it's a good thing Trini is going to be with you at Aisha and Rocky's. I think us guys are going to keep an eye on your place for a few more days." I nodded.
"Just as long as everyone is safe." I said.
"We will be. It's gonna be just like old times! We can all crowd around Aisha's television and watch those horrible reality shows on Vh1 that you love and eat enough junk food to put us all in a sugar coma." Trini gave me a cheerful smile as she let me go. "Marci is going to love it."
"Can't we all just stay at my house then?" I asked. "I have more than enough room for everyone." I saw the three of them exchange glances between one another. "What?"
"It's nothing. It just is more comfortable for us to split up for right now." Jason replied, tucking his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "This way, everyone can actually sleep in a bed. We're not 15 anymore. If I slept on the floor, I'd need a chiropractor in the morning." I didn't believe a word he was saying but I knew better than to push the issue.
"Fine." I replied. The sound of footsteps behind us made me nearly jump out of me skin. I was relieved to see it was just a police officer.
"We've taken pictures of everything and dusted for prints. Like I said before, I would lock things up tight for tonight and wait to hear from us before starting any clean up." He looked down at the notebook in front of him. "Did you notice anything missing?" Trini shook her head.
"No. Everything seems to be accounted for."
"There is a threat written on the wall in the guest bedroom though." Tommy said. The cop nodded.
"We've taken pictures of it."
"And?" Trini asked.
"We will be keeping an eye on things in hopes that Mr. Anderson makes an appearance." The officer replied.
"So, Kim will have a cop looking out for her at all times, right?" Trini asked. The cop sighed.
"We're a small police department. We don't have the man power for that kind of service. We'll have someone make rounds on all shifts to scope things out but I can't have someone assigned just to watch someone who might be in danger."
"Might be in danger? Are you kidding me?" Trini asked, her voice raising. "Do you see the condition she is in and what he did to my house? There is no might about it!"
"Trini, its fine." I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If they can't do it, they can't do it. I still have all of you guys that can be there to make sure I'm safe."
"We will do all we can. And we're only a phone call away." The police officer said before nodding and heading back towards his patrol car.
"I'd kill to have a morpher or Zordon in my corner right about now." Jason said, wrapping an arm around Trini's waist. She nodded.
"I think it's time to head to Aisha's." Tommy said, looking down at me. "It's getting late and you've been going an awful lot for someone who is supposed to be resting." For once, I agreed.
"You're right." I said.
"Well, isn't that a first?" He asked, smirking at me. I gave him a small smile before rolling my eyes. He turned to Trini. "Do you want to ride over with us?"
"That might be a good idea." Jason said. "With everything that happened today, you shouldn't be driving. Ride over with Tommy and I'll swing by tomorrow to drop off your car sometime."
"Okay. I love you." Leaning in, she gave Jase a kiss on the lips.
"I love you, too." He said softly, pulling away. Trini, Tommy, and I started walking towards his truck. I stopped, turning to face Jason.
"If he shows up, be careful, alright?" I asked. Jason nodded, smiling at me.
"I'll do my best not to kill him."
Sleep did not come easily that night. Aisha had been nice enough to give me her and Rocky's room to sleep in. I had offered to stay in the den with Marci and Trini but she said she would feel better knowing I was more comfortable in my condition. She apparently failed to realize we were both in the same condition but I didn't fight her on it. I stayed up late and watched a scary movie with them, curled up under some blankets with some junk food. I mostly pretended my way through the night, acting like I was having fun. In the back of my mind though, I couldn't get the image of the message written on the wall out of my head. It mingled with that of Nick standing over me with the gun in his hand. As I laid in bed, I wondered where he was and what exactly he was doing. Was he nearby? Was he watching Aisha's house? Did he know where I was? What was he going to do? I had a million questions in my head that were haunting me that I didn't want to know the answers to.
As I laid there, I put a hand on my stomach and thought of the little life growing inside of me. One that was half of me and half of Tommy. I thought about how he had assumed it was Nick. Why? Why had he done that? Was it because I was married to him? Or was it because he assumed him and I had only been together that one time at the theater where Nick and I must have been together more frequently? My chest ached at the thought that maybe he just wanted it to be Nick's because he didn't want to have a baby with whatever the fuck I was at the moment. It's not like I was in the most stable position in life. I wouldn't blame him for wanting to push the baby off onto another person. There was also the fact that I had told him being with him that day had been a mistake. Was he angry with me still about what had happened? Why would he have saved me then and helped me so much after the fact? Tommy was a nice guy but even he has his limits.
Should I tell him? Should I let him know the baby was his? What would that do to him? To his life? He finally had everything he had tried to work for in life. The dojo was doing well, he was well liked in the community by everyone. He was still highly involved with all his friends. What would a baby with his ex-girlfriend do to all that? Would it mess things up to an unbelievable level? And if I did tell him, what it even change anything? Would he want to be a part of this baby's life? Or would he just say he couldn't? Or, what if he just decided to take the baby away from me because of Nick? What if Tommy saw me so much as a threat to our baby's wellbeing that he just takes me to court and gets full custody of our baby as soon as it's born? What judge on earth wouldn't look at me and the choices I made and not agree? That thought scared me worse than anything I've been through. All I've ever wanted was a baby. It's what I've fought for the last few years with Nick. I couldn't just let this take it away from me. Tommy might seem like a sweet guy but what if that isn't the case when it comes to this? I couldn't risk it.
I can't tell Tommy about the baby.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Marci laughing. Rolling over, I looked at the clock and saw it was past noon. I hadn't slept in this last in a long time. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and looked around. I had forgotten for a moment I was at Aisha and Rocky's place. Crawling out of bed, everything felt sore. The pain killers had worn off, that I was sure of. Wincing, I heading downstairs where I found Marci and Trini sitting in the living room watching TV. Marci's head had a plastic bag wrapped around it over her hair and there were smudges of color on her forehead.
"Morning, sleeping beauty." She said, smiling at me.
"Why are you here?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be at school?" She shrugged.
"I figured you might need be around here. I'll go back tomorrow. I promise." She said, holding up three fingers. I gave her a look before slowly walking over to the chair next to them to sit.
"How'd you sleep?" Trini asked.
"Okay, I guess." I replied. "Where's Aisha?"
"She had to head into the office for a while. She'll be back soon. Are you hungry? I can fix you something."
"I'm okay." I said, giving her a small smile. She shook her head, standing up.
"I was only being polite. I'm making you breakfast. You need to be eating three meals a day and snacks throughout for the baby. I'll be right back." She disappeared out of the room, Marci laughing as she passed.
"Aisha gave her that "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book to read. Pretty sure she finished the whole thing already. Be prepared." She said, itching at the bag on her head.
"Great. What color is the choice of the week?" I asked, pointing at her head.
"Red! I figured it was something that would be fitting for the fall."
"Can we talk for a second?" I asked, standing up and moving to the couch next to her. She nodded, folding her feet under her. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the past couple of months. I was doing what I thought was right to protect you but I was really putting you in harm's way. I never should have done that and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to live with me anymore."
"Do you want me to leave?" She asked, looking nervous. I shook my head.
"Of course not! I just want you to be somewhere you feel safe. And I haven't been providing that to you."
"Kim, I left a house where my mother would just disappear for weeks at a time and leave me with $20 to last for food. Living with you is a dream compared to that. I don't blame you for what happened with Nick. I've seen it with my mom. Once a guy starts hitting you and you're dependent on him, it's harder to leave. I just wish I could have known. I would have harpooned one of his nuts to the garage wall for you."
"I don't think I would like having that as décor." She laughed loudly, nodding.
"We could have think pickled in a jar." I scrunched my nose.
"How about we just let him get caught and sent to jail?"
"They'll deal with his ass in jail. Literally." I smirked at her.
"I guess I got pretty lucky that you ran away from home and knocked on my door. I didn't think having a teenager around was going to be a good idea but I am do glad you are here. Even if you're a wise ass and a pain in my ass from time to time." She shrugged her shoulders.
"I'm pretty awesome. I know. So, tell me about our baby! How far along are you? What do you think it is? When are you due? Can I get the bigger room?" She raised her eyebrows at me, red dye smudged above them on her brow.
"Nice way to toss that in there." I replied. "I'm not sure. I have an appointment tomorrow to follow up. They'll tell me more about it then."
"I hope it's a boy!" She said, day dreaming. "Then we can teach him karate and how to kick ass. He could be the little addition to our group. Plus, I'm pretty sure Jason and Tommy would love it to be a boy." I shifted, biting my lip.
"Why would Tommy care what it is?" I asked. She looked at me like I had asked her a question in Mandarin.
"Kim, I've only been here for a couple of months and I know how this group works. You guys are all there for each other. But Tommy, he's all about you. I'm pretty sure he would let you walk all over him if you wanted." I narrowed my eyes towards her.
"What have they been telling you when I'm not around?" I asked. She shifted her eyes so she wasn't looking at me.
"Not much. Just that you two were madly in love in high school until you moved to Florida." She replied, shrugging a shoulder. "And that you broke his poor heart into a million pieces." I wanted to sign, groan, and roll my eyes all at once but I didn't. Once I found out which big mouth told Marci, I was going to kill them.
"It wasn't as magical as they make it sound, I promise." I said, sitting back into the couch. "Tommy and I dated for a couple years. It was high school. Once I moved to Florida, we tried the long distance thing and it just didn't work for us. That's all."
"Alright. What if you hadn't met Nick?" She asked, leaning forward. "Do you think you would have broken up with Tommy then?" I scratched my forehead.
"It's more complicated than that."
"It is? How?"
"Because it was. Or is, rather. Trust me. When you are older, you will understand it more." She scoffed at me.
"When I'm older? Not for nothing, I literally saved your life two days ago. I scrapped you off the floor and dragged you to Trini's to make sure you were going to make it. I think I can handle whatever this adult business you have that you think is too mature for me." I could hear the hurt tone in her voice and knew that I had messed up.
"You have a fair point." I replied. Sighing, I rested my hands on my stomach. "When I went to Florida, it was to go to that gymnastic school I told you about. I was asked to come based off my skills on the balance beam. I didn't want to go but Tommy told me I should or else I would regret it. So, I did. When I got there though, I didn't think it was going to be as bad as it was. I had always practiced gymnastics since I was a kid. When I was in high school, I didn't do it as much because life got a little bit busy but I still tried my hardest. I figured it would be the same there. I was so wrong. They had us practicing practically 16 hours a day. We'd do our routines over and over again. If we messed up, they would scream in our faces or throw these little bean bags at us. They'd hurt but wouldn't leave marks. If you did everything right, you could rest for a few minutes and have water and celery. If you messed up, you had to keep doing it until you got it right. I saw girls leave bloody and sobbing when they couldn't master their routines. They'd weigh us every morning and if you gained any, you were forced on a liquid diet. It happened to be three times. I passed out the second time around. They were pretty much starving us so we would be thin and light enough to spin through the air with ease."
"That's awful!" Marci said. "Why did you stay?"
"I wanted to be in the Olympics. It wasn't like we were the only ones being put through it. All the athletes are. It's something we joked about while we were waiting for our events. After my first go around with the Pan Global games, things got worse. They'd make us work even harder even longer with less food. They would surprise us with trips to get pizza or junk food but then make us run afterwards until we threw everything up. Some of my friends ended up with eating disorders and one even almost died. She would have if her parents hadn't stepped in. I did everything I was told because I wanted to go to the Olympics and compete for that medal. It was the goal I had in mind since I was a kid and I knew I was going to get there." I took a deep breath, feeling my eyes sting with unshed tears. "But, when I qualified for the games and landed on the team, the head doctor on staff tried to molest me."
"What?" She gasped. "You gotta be fucking kidding me! What did the gym do? Did they fire him?" I shook my head, laughing.
"Nope. He's still there, actually. He's the director of the physical therapy for the United States Gymnastics team. When he tried to touch me, I stopped him real quick. I practically broke his jaw with my elbow to get him off me. I ran to the coach who was more upset about the fact I had hurt his doctor than how he had tried to have his way with me. They wanted to boot me off the team but they didn't have enough time to get a replacement for me. They threatened to have me sit out of my events if I told anyone. So, I didn't. I had to sign a non-disclosure agreement in a room filled with all men, including the doctor, the coach, and three lawyers. I hopped on a plane and headed to the Olympics, the doctor sitting three rows behind me on the flight. After the games were over and I scored my silver and gold medals, I quit and left the gym. They begged me to stay but I refused."
"Kim, I am so sorry you had to deal with all that. But, why didn't you just tell Tommy about all this? Did you think he wouldn't want to be with you then?" I shook my head, giving her a tight smile.
"He had a lot of stuff going on as well and I knew I couldn't burden him with all my shit. But, Nick was there for me. I know now that he was preying on me needing someone there and swooped right in when I was vulnerable but he was supportive enough I suppose. I didn't want Tommy to get hurt though so I sent him a letter, telling him I had moved on."
"Well? Have you?" She asked. I laughed.
"I think it's time for you to wash out your hair." I heard Trini's footsteps coming up the hallway and she entered the room, a plate of eggs, sliced avocado, toast, and breakfast sausage in hand.
"It's not much but I think it'll do. They say it's important to have high proteins and fats in the beginning of your pregnancy to promote growth for the fetus." She held the plate out to me and I took it.
"Thank you." I said, feeling my stomach growl. I couldn't remember the last time I had ate before being in the hospital.
"You can't just dangle that in front of me without answering!" Marci said, standing up. "You gotta tell me." Trini raised an eyebrow at me as she took Marci's seat.
"Tell her what?" She asked.
"Whether she's over Tommy or not." Marci said, crossing her arms over her chest. Trini snorted, grabbing a book from the end table next to her. I saw it was the pregnancy book.
"I think that hair dye is going to your brain, girl." Trini said, smiling at me. Marci rolled her eyes.
"Fine. Don't tell me. I'll just come to my own conclusion then!" She turned, walking out of the room. Moments later, I heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. Sighing, taking a bite of the eggs Trini had made me.
"Quite observant that one is." Trini said, flipping through the book.
"Yeah. Who told her about Tommy and me?" I asked.
"It may have come up over pizza at the hospital the other night." Trini replied, not looking up at me. "Why? Is there something she should not know?"
"No!" I exclaimed quickly, my fork hitting the plate in my hand hard. Trini raised her gaze up to look at me. "I just thought it would have been nice for me to tell her, you know?"
"Right. I'm sorry. She just was asking me questions about Tommy and why he was so upset. I didn't think you would mind." I shook my head.
"I don't. I'm sorry."
"We're good. Now, do you want to hear about what the next few weeks are going to have in store for you?"
"Maybe night while I eat." I said. She nodded.
"Right."
