Chapter 11: Saving a Lost Soul

"I still cannot believe we are doing this right now, Billy, and that you dragged us into this," said former red Lightspeed Rescue Ranger Carter Grayson from where he sat in Billy's car that night.

"Are you beginning to suggest that you do not want to partake in helping this child?" asked Billy in a serious tone.

"No, Billy. I'm not suggesting that at all. From what you said, this poor girl has been through hell. I cannot even begin to imagine any man putting his hands on women like that," Carter whispered. "But still; we're doing this, eight o'clock at night, outside her home."

"I know it sounds nuts, Carter. But it needs to happen," said Eric from where he sat with his wife in the back of the car.

"Miles is already stationed at his house. JT and Beth are in the backyard in case of anything," said Taylor.

"And Rocky's arriving soon, with his partner," said Billy. "This girl has got more people caring about her than she probably realizes."

"But still, you're talking about breaking and entering," pointed out Carter. "I want to help this girl; I do. I just think the way we are going about it is insane."

"Is it, though?" asked Dana Mitchell-Grayson. "Come on, Carter. You know Dad would be completely disappointed if you didn't do whatever necessary to help this girl get out of this situation. You of all people should have some empathy for her."

Carter nodded, feeling his throat beginning to constrict. After having lost his mother and father in the house fire his father-in-law had saved him from as a child, Carter had been in foster care. He'd been in some pretty unpleasant foster homes. He'd seen a lot as a kid; it was what had driven him to be a firefighter, and to be a Ranger in the first place. Ever since then, he did whatever it took to please Dana's father, who had become like a surrogate father for him. He owed Captain William Mitchell his life, and then some.

"Dana, you know that I do," he whispered. "You don't think the thought of this is breaking my heart? It kills me to know that this kid has been suffering."

"My brother's outside in the backyard with Beth and JT," whispered Dana.

"And Chloe said, if anything bad happens, she'll give us a signal," said Billy.

"It'll more than likely be her screaming," whispered Carter, keeping his eyes on the house.

In the backyard, Ryan Mitchell stayed crouched down on the grass next to Beth and JT. The former titanium Ranger of LSR had been raised amongst monsters before his team had rescued him. Now, he had the chance to pay that forward. He knew he had no other choice but to help Chloe out of this situation.

"I've got to be home by ten," whispered Beth, pointing to her ankle monitor.

"We'll make sure you get home right on time," said Ryan.

Beth closed her eyes. "This whole thing makes me sick. And to think about how I used to treat her, before – before what happened to me, God I was such an asshole."

"Why do you say that?" asked Ryan.

"I used to be the most respected cheerleader at school," Beth said with a rueful smile. "It's funny how quickly things change within a year. I was at some dumb house party with my "friends," and Paul Hadlock ended up taking advantage of me while I was drunk. He raped me, and he took a picture suggesting that I was sleeping around and soliciting boys at school for sexual favors. I'd punched his teeth out of his mouth for it, and that was what led to me being arrested."

"But I saw the aftermath of it. It was pretty badass how you did it," JT whispered.

"It wasn't until I got arrested that I'd realized just how mean I was," said Beth. "I was a complete bitch."

"You're redeeming yourself now, aren't you?" asked Ryan.

Beth felt moisture in her eyes. "Yeah, yeah I know. But it doesn't change that I am on probation, and that I am being blamed, when I was raped. I was raped, and nobody believes it. Nobody bothered to ask me if I was alright. Nobody bothered to know my truth."

"Well, you're fortunate that now, you've got three new friends who are willing to believe," said JT.

Beth nodded, deciding that she had to take some comfort in that.

"Besides, I think you're being a bit too hard on yourself," said Ryan. "I mean, before I became a Ranger, I was the LSR's enemy. I'd been kidnapped and raised among monsters who did whatever it took to break me to nothing. By the time they freed me, I couldn't fully escape it. I just couldn't. Because every time that I went out in the field, every time I faced one of those monsters, I was confronted with something that haunted my dreams every damn night. So, my advice is, you need to learn how to forgive yourself. You need to learn to let that go, and you need to live in the now."

Beth nodded again, taking some comfort from Ryan's words.

In the Billy's car. Billy stared at Chloe's house. He could see that it was dark in the windows. The setting sun was tinting the sky, making it harder to see inside the house. He squinted his eyes as he leaned against his car window.

Suddenly, they could hear a loud crash coming from inside the house.

"Dammit!" hissed Eric, getting out of the car.

Billy pulled out his cellphone. "Rocky, I need you here immediately. Bring Skull with you, please."

"On it, Billy," Rocky DeSantos said on the other line.

Suddenly, a scream was coming from inside the house, as well as sound of shattering glass. Another scream filled the air, and a loud thump sounded throughout. Carter looked over at Dana, silently signaling for her to grab her medical bag. Eric and Taylor followed closely behind as cursing suddenly could be heard.

"YOU USELESS, COCKSUCKING, UNGRATEFUL BITCH! WHY DID YOU MOTHER EVEN HAVE YOU? DO YOU THINK I EVEN WANTED A KID AND THAT I WANTED TO BE MARRIED? NO!"

Another scream filled the air, as well as a choked groan as Carter kicked the door down. Ryan did the same with the backdoor to the kitchen. What they saw made Carter and Eric see red.

Lying on the living room floor was Chloe, nearly unconscious with blood trailing from the side of her head as well as her mouth and nose. Her eyes were open nearly a slither as he moaned in pain. The right side of her face was swollen with bruises. Her wrist was at an odd angle. She seemed to clutching her ribs as Ryan came into the room with Miles, JT, and Beth.

Dana could hardly contain her gasp as she and Taylor began to make their way over to the teenager. Carter looked as though he wanted to start strangling Chloe's father as he went over to his wife. He was more than determined to keep this volatile alcoholic from laying another hand on this girl.

Dana very gently brushed back some of Chloe's hair to try and rouse her. "Miss Cambridge," she whispered. "Can you hear me?"

Chloe could only moan in pain as Carter gently took her hand, rubbing her knuckle. He could see that she possibly had a concussion. He could see the bruises on her head.

"Who the fuck are you people, invading my home?" roared Dell Cambridge.

"I believe that saving a teenage girl and her mother from an abuser isn't invasion, Mr. Cambridge," said Carter coolly. He pulled up the sleeve on his jacket, to reveal what used to be his morpher. "Carter Grayson, former red LSR Power Ranger, son-in-law of Captain William Mitchell who is father to my wife and my brother-in-law. I'm sure he'd be very interested to hear this."

The room went silent at that. Almost everyone knew about the LSR Rangers. Captain William Mitchell was a legend among Rangers and civilians alike.

"I can easily call my dad right now, and have him give his opinion," whispered Dana, trying to stay calm as she and Taylor worked together trying to get Chloe into a sitting position so that Miles could carry her out of the house. What she needed was a hospital.

"Because I don't think he'd be pleased to hear about any man putting his hands on women like this," Ryan added, speaking for his sister.

"This is my home! I discipline that bitch in whichever way I see fit. Who are you to comment on my parenting? GET OUT!"

"You're obviously too drunk to think rationally," spat Eric. "Taylor, you want to take it from here?"

Taylor nodded. "Yes, I do, honey. You see, I am Taylor Earhart-Meyers, wife of former Silver Guardian Eric Meyers. Now, if you knew what was good for you, you will sit down, and wait for the police to arrive, before you do anything else that will further make you look horrible. Not that anything can ever make you look good, given your daughter's reputation she has of parents fighting.

"But I promise you this: I am a prosecuting attorney, and a former Air Force member. You try doing anything else to this child, I will personally do whatever necessary to get her and her mother away from you. I will take you to court, I will sue you for child abuse, domestic abuse, and assault. I will win, and I will take this publicly as the whole country watches while I make you my bitch. So, therefor, sit on the couch, and wait for the cops to come. It would be very wise of you not to do anything else."

"And I will happily be her witness," Billy said. "Because I happen to be your daughter's homeroom teacher. I'm sure the police would be interested to hear about this, as well as the principal."

Chloe hissed in pain as she felt Dana moving her to lay her on her back. Carter gently palpated her ribs, feeling that several of them were broken. Leaning over, Carter whispered to her quietly.

"You're going to be okay. You and your mother are going to be okay," he murmured. "I promise you that. Okay?" He grabbed her left hand, only to see that it was swollen. Several bones had been broken. Miles had already come forth to move her, along with JT and Beth.

"Fine then," spat Dell. "Take her, and her whore of a mother. I'd never wanted the cunt anyway."

Dana shot the man a glare. "You're a piece of shit," she spat.

"Fucking bitch."

Carter shot the man a glare of his own at hearing him saying something like that to his wife. "Speak to my wife like that again, you'll pay. Trust me when I say that. But I must say, it gives away your character, if you think you can speak to women like that."

"I'd take his advice, and not speak to women like that," Eric said angrily. "You don't deserve to have a daughter if you think you can put your hands on her like this."

Looking over at Eric, Billy could see that he was fuming. It was only going to be a few more minutes until Eric exploded with rage.

Suddenly, they could hear Rocky, Skull, and JT's father entering the house.

"Dell Cambridge, on your knees, hands behind your head. You're under arrest for domestic battery and child abuse. You have a right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in court of law. You have a right to an attorney, and if you cannot afford one, then one will be provided for you," said Skull, reading the older man his rights.

"Don't even bother, Eugene. He's drunk," said Eric coldly.

Skull just sighed as Rocky handcuffed Chloe's father, and together, they hauled him out the door. JT's father turned to his son and the others.

"You guys did good," he said. "Bethany, you're better off getting yourself home, before your curfew," he added. "I fear I can't make exceptions."

Beth nodded, sparing a glance at her pink Ranger who was currently being placed in Miles' arms. "I'll come see you, soon," she murmured.

Chloe groaned as Miles rose to his feet, carrying her out of the house and to Ryan's car, where Dana and Carter were going to be riding in the back seat. She could feel gentle hands touching her as Ryan began driving to the hospital.

Dana's hands passed through Chloe's hair as the girl moaned painfully. Dana could see tears streaking the younger girl's face as Chloe whimpered out, "M – My ribs . . ."

"Shhh, I know," Carter told her. "Hang in there. We'll call your mom and tell her to meet us at the hospital."

"Who – Who's p-paying for . . .?" Chloe began asked.

"Don't worry about it," Dana said. "We'll make sure that you're covered so you can get pain medicine."

Chloe's eyes stung with tears at the thought. The last thing that she wanted was for Carter and Dana to spend their hard-earned money on her. They didn't even know who she was, yet they were willing to make sure that she was covered for medical treatment. She wasn't used to having people care about her this way.

As Miles looked at Chloe, he could see that she felt as though she didn't deserve this kindness. He couldn't begin to wonder what Chloe's father had done to her over the years to make her believe that she wasn't worthy of being loved. He closed his eyes as he began imaging the torture Chloe got put through. Her head continued resting in his lap as Dana wiped the blood from her face.

"Ryan, you better hurry it up. She really needs the hospital. God only knows how many injuries she has that can lead to chronic pain," Dana said, shaking her head as she looked at Chloe's bruises.

Ryan nodded, pressing his foot on the gas a little harder. He knew that Billy and JT were following closely behind them in Billy's car, along with Taylor and Eric.

"I can only assume she won't be out in the field for a while?" asked Miles.

"She's in no condition to even try," said Carter. "But due to her Ranger DNA, she should be able to heal a little faster. However, it doesn't mean she won't need pain medication to help manage it."

"And what's going to happen when she's out of the hospital?" Miles asked as he watched Chloe begin to lose consciousness.

"We transfer her and her mother to the women's shelter in Mariner Bay," said Dana seriously. "Plus, I think it would be best for her to talk to a therapist about this." She picked up Chloe's wrists, noticing the scars from self-harming there. As soon as Carter saw the scarring, he nearly lost the contents in his stomach.

Carter closed his eyes. He was thankful he had a strong stomach. He'd seen things as a Ranger that would be enough to make the average person physically ill. However, there was something about seeing Chloe this way that he couldn't take. He didn't like it one bit. Glancing up, he saw Miles looking down at Chloe's now-sleeping form with pure concern.

"You care about her?" he asked his fellow red Ranger.

Miles swallowed. "I've lived next door to her for years. I – It's hard for me to not worry about what happens in that house."

Carter nodded in agreement. He reached a hand over and leaned it on Miles' shoulder. "You did the right thing. You should be proud of yourself."

"Why?" Miles asked. He felt as though he could barely make his own father proud of him.

"You got her out of there and you probably saved her life," Carter said seriously. "Not too many people in her shoes are as lucky to have the friends that she has. She's lucky that she found you guys. You cannot put that into words."

"I don't feel that proud," Miles admitted. "Ever since my mom passed I was never good enough, strong enough for my dad. I try to do everything I can to please him, and it's never enough."

"Cut yourself some slack," Carter advised. "It took me years to figure out that I should put myself first. As a Ranger, my team came before everything. I was always the one carrying the guilt and the burdens whenever we failed. In this case, you didn't fail her. You did the right thing and you protected her."

Miles swallowed. Hearing those words from a fellow red meant a lot more to him than he thought it would. "Thanks," he said as they filled pulled up in front of the hospital. Carter carefully took Chloe into his arms and he proceeded to carry her into the emergency room, rushing inside.

"Someone, help her!" he called, noticing a nurse there. "She's been assaulted!"

"Oh, God," whispered the nurse. "I need a doctor down here immediately."

Dana and Ryan ran up to them. "We can help," Ryan said. "We're Ryan Mitchell and Dana Grayson."

"Wait, you're from the Lightspeed Rescue Rangers?" asked the nurse.

Dana nodded. "Yes," she said. "Besides, I want to do what's necessary to help her. Her father did this to her. You'd best better contact her mother. My brother, husband, and I are going to work on moving her to a women's shelter that we work at in Mariner Bay. She'll stay there until she's back on her feet."

The nurse nodded just as a doctor came in with a gurney. Carter gently settled Chloe's body down before Ryan and Dana followed the doctor and nurses to the operating room. Carter moved to sit down next to Miles just as JT, Billy, Taylor, and Eric joined them.

"Ryan and Dana went into the operating room with her to start treating her," Carter informed them.

"Now there's the matter of what comes next," said Taylor. "Plus, there's also the other matter at hand, Billy. You do know that Chloe is in no condition to even be out in the field. That means, you better have something in mind."

"I do," Billy said. "And it's a risk. But I think it could work."

"Billy, I think I know what you're thinking," said Eric. "Are you sure about suiting up as a Ranger again?"

"I must admit that I have missed it," said Billy. "It's just a matter of finding the fifth crystal, and having it bond with me."

"So, that means you'll be out there with us?" asked Miles, sharing a small smile with his teacher.

"It'll be just like riding a bike," said Billy. "Besides, if I do end up finding the gold colored crystal, that means, there's a necessity. I'll need to create a new morpher. Plus, I'd have to go shopping for a new wardrobe. There's a rather large shortage of gold in there."

Miles and JT managed to crack smiles in their teacher's direction.

A/N:

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