DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Power rangers or anything affiliated with the series. I do, however, own the characters of Melissa Blake, Chad McPherson, Agent Joshua Palderin, Agent Diggers, and Captain Myers.
"Hey, wake up," Tommy muttered as he gently shook Kim's shoulder and she only rolled closer to him, before mumbling something that he couldn't quite understand. "What you'd say?"
"I'm gonna be sick," Kim said just a tiny bit louder as Tommy looked around their immediate area to try to find something she could throw up in. He found a bucket and quickly emptied it of its contents, just in time for Kimberly to snatch it from him and throw up in it. "We have any crackers?"
"Yeah, somewhere," Tommy said as the others started to stir after hearing Kim's retching. He hated to wake them like this, but he knew that they would live with it; they didn't have much of a choice in the matter.
"What's going on?" Billy asked as he rolled over and heard Kim throw up again. Morning sickness. Why hadn't they thought to bring something to help with that? "Tommy, the crackers are in the bottom of the bag."
"Thanks," Tommy said as he dumped out the bag and picked up the pack of saltine crackers. "Here you go."
"You think I'm going to be able to open them," Kim said as Tommy shook his head no and then opened the package and handed her a couple of crackers.
"What time is it?" Jason asked as he looked over at Tommy, who quickly looked down at his watch before answering his question.
"Six-o-five," Tommy said as Kim slumped against him and let out a low moan. She had not felt like this before when she was pregnant and she knew that going back to sleep was not an option, but neither was walking or anything else at this point. She just had to wait it out and hope that she started feeling better soon.
"We'll pack up," Zack said as he could still remember what morning sickness did to his wife and he knew it might take Kim a few more hours to calm down. He just hoped for all their sakes that she would be able to calm down in the next few minutes instead.
"Thanks," Tommy said as he began rocking Kim back and forth and she covered her face to try to block out the light that had turned itself back on. "It'll get better in a little while."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kim muttered as she turned towards him and snuggled up against his bare chest. She just wanted for him to stay as still as possible for the next few hours, but she didn't think that was possible. She knew that they were going to be leaving very soon.
"It'll get better soon," Zack said as Tommy nodded his head yes or at least he hoped it would get better. He had heard of some horror stories where the women suffered from it all day and night throughout their entire pregnancy. He didn't know how well they would be able to survive that sort of ordeal, although after everything else that they had gone through, it seemed quite insignificant.
"You up to walking?" Tommy asked as Kim looked up at him with a look that clearly told him that walking was still an impossibility. "I'll just carry you. We have everything?"
"Yep," Zack said as he and Jason were holding the cooler and Billy had picked up the bags of food. "You may want to go ahead and get out your keys though."
"I got them in my purse," Kim said as Tommy reached over for her purse and handed it to her. "I think I can manage to dig them out, even if I'm not good for anything else."
"Ah, real light," Zack said as Jason laughed at his reaction to the bright sunlight. He, however, knew that if Zack was having this sort of reaction that Kim must be close to getting sick again.
"Rangers," Joshua said as Tommy looked up to see a man standing next to the vehicle.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Zack asked as Tommy placed Kim on the ground and she quickly wrapped both of her arms around his waist, as she was suddenly feeling nauseous again.
"And more importantly who are you?" Tommy asked as the men looked over at the man, prepared to make a break back for the Command Center if they had to.
"My name is Joshua Palderin and I was sent by Agent Diggers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to make sure that nothing happened to you. We have found Trini Scott's murderer," Joshua said as Kim looked over at him and started backing away from him, as Tommy looked down at her, surprised that she had suddenly let go of him.
"But you're Chad McPherson," Kim said as Joshua shook his head no and then opened up his badge and tossed it over to Jason. He knew that it was not wise to go anywhere near them if they were skeptics about his identity. He did not want to risk anything happening here and if they didn't believe him, then he would let them go home and check their answering machines.
"I wanted to check on you and make sure that he had not gotten to any other rangers and I had to keep my cover until my superiors could reach Angel Grove and help with the case against him. I had to lie to you about who I truly was in order to protect you," Joshua said as Jason looked down at the badge and examined it carefully, it was not a fake.
"He's telling the truth," Billy said as Jason passed him the badge and he examined it as well. He knew that federal agents would not let their badges get into the wrong hands without a fight and the fact that the man had not moved any closer did make him think that he knew who he was dealing with and what they were capable of.
"We need you to come down to the precinct, right away," Joshua said as Kim quickly walked away from them so that she could throw up over the edge of the cliff. "Is she all right?"
"Morning sickness," Tommy said as Joshua nodded as the man went over to check on her. "You up to going?"
"I'll make it, Tommy," Kim said as wiped her mouth and looked over at Tommy. She could see the concern forming in his eyes but she knew that she needed to be there for Jason, they all did. She would survive feeling like crap and when she got home she could just take a long nap with Tommy right beside her.
"Okay," Tommy said as he gently rubbed her back and could feel her struggling to keep from throwing up again. "We'll leave when you're up to it."
"I'm not going to be up to it, Tommy, not this morning," Kim said as he nodded his head and looked back at the other rangers, who looked equally concerned about how she was feeling today.
"I've got some pepto bismol in the car," Joshua offered as Kim threw up again and then shook her head no. She could not imagine even being able to smell it without getting violently sick again.
"I'll be all right," Kim said, more to herself than anyone else standing around, "as long as I can lay down in the back seat."
"Whatever you want," Billy said, as he certainly did not want to hear her throw up for the rest of the morning. He was going to have to remember this when Katherine and he started trying for children, because he knew that he would need some preparation in order to deal with it at all.
"You want to follow me?" Joshua asked as Tommy nodded his head yes and looked around to see where Jason was. He had already climbed in the Trail Blazer and was sitting in the passenger's seat, ready to go back into the city.
"Oh," Kim moaned as she threw up again and then looked up at Tommy. She needed to go home and they both knew it, but they did not dare suggest that to Jason.
"Maybe you can get back to sleep," Tommy said as he picked her up and walked over to the car, where he placed her in the back seat.
"How did you find your way out here?" Billy asked, as he was sure that it was not chance that he had looked out here to find them. Not many people would logically waltz into the desert to find anyone.
"I was given permission to put tracking devices on all of your vehicles and that led me here," Joshua said as Billy nodded his head as he sat down next to Kimberly and she then laid her head down in his lap. "Follow me out."
"Okay," Tommy said as he cranked up the vehicle and looked over at Jason, who was staring out the window, in an intense silence. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm going to kill the bastard," Jason said as Zack and Billy exchanged a glance. They really did agree with what he wanted to do to the man, but they didn't want him to go to prison either. They didn't need for that sort of thing to happen, because then they would have some explaining to do as to how Jason could kill in only a few punches.
"We'll see if that is really necessary," Tommy said as Jason looked over at him. They all thought it was necessary, but they wanted to find out everything that was going on before they did something drastic.
"More crackers," Kim said as she covered her mouth and Zack dove into the back of the suv to get the crackers for her, before she threw up in the car.
"Here," Zack said as he handed her a stack of saltines and Kim gave him a weak smile, before she placed one in her mouth and then closed her eyes. She did not want to throw up all over Billy, but she knew she was dangerously close to doing just that.
"We'll get you something when we get to the station," Tommy said as Kim could only nod her head, as she did not trust herself to open her mouth.
"He really knows where he is going," Billy commented as Jason nodded his head in agreement. Either this agent had some sort of super memory or he had their exact turns from last night written down in reverse.
"Don't jerk so much Tommy," Kim murmured as Tommy looked back at her and noticed she was a delicate shade of green. They all knew if they were going to have any luck keeping her in the car, Tommy was going to have to find a smoother route, quickly.
"I'll try not to, Kim," Tommy said as he continued to follow Joshua over the rocky terrain. He knew that Billy and Zack couldn't wait until they got to the paved road, where they could only hope Kim's stomach would settle down some.
"When are you going to go to the doctor?" Billy asked as Kim looked up at him. He knew full well that she couldn't really trust herself to talk right now.
"As soon as we can get an appointment," Tommy said as Kim nodded her head in agreement before she closed her eyes again and tried to convince herself that sleep was in her best interest.
"That's good," Zack said as Jason nodded his head in agreement. They all wished that he would talk more right now, but they knew that he needed to think and that was the best thing to let him do right now. They did not want to provoke his wrath if they could manage it, especially in such a small space.
"They should be able to prescribe something that will help with the morning sickness," Billy said as Kim forced down some more crackers and took in a few deep breaths.
"That sounds good," Kim managed to say as she sat up and then leaned heavily on Billy. She did not think it wise for her to look at anything that was passing by or moving at this point, but she did feel that sitting up was slightly better for her.
"Tri only got sick on Friday. All the other days when she was feeling a little bit off, but she was fine other than that," Jason said as Tommy nodded. He looked into the rearview mirror and saw that Kim had closed her eyes to try to keep the crackers down and hopefully stabilize her stomach now that they were on a smooth road.
"I'm glad that she didn't have to suffer too much," Zack said as he could remember what his wife had been through in the first couple of months of her pregnancy and it had not been pretty, so it was nice to know that Trini had been having an easy pregnancy.
"You have to stop," Kim muttered as Tommy nodded his head and pulled off the road, which caused Joshua to pull off the road a few yards down the road. "Let me out."
"I'll be back in a second," Tommy said as he hopped out of the car behind her and walked over to where she was crouched on the side of the road. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No," Kim muttered as she sat down in the grass and leaned back against his legs. She had been sick a couple of mornings this week, but it had been nothing like this.
"Do the two of you need to go home?" Joshua asked as he walked over to the two of them and Tommy looked down at Kim, asking her what she wanted to do. He knew that deep down she wanted to go to the precinct just like the rest of them, but with her not being able to hold down anything, it didn't seem like they were even going to the precinct any time soon.
"No," Kim managed to mumble as she leaned over to the side and threw up again. "I'll make it, somehow."
"You don't happen to have any sprite do you?" Tommy asked as Zack shook his head no and Tommy then lifted Kim off the ground and then placed her back in the car. "Let's just take the fastest way there."
"You won't have anywhere to stop," Joshua said as Tommy looked at Kim, who nodded her head that she could make herself make it.
"We'll make it," Tommy said as Joshua just nodded and then ran back over to his car. He did not want to waste any time when the woman was not throwing up.
"Whew," Kim blew out as she placed her head in her hands and tried to hold herself as still as possible, while Zack rubbed her back, hoping that it would make her feel better.
"Just hold out a little bit longer, sweetie," Tommy said as Kim barely nodded her head as she placed it on the console and Tommy gently ran his fingers through her hair a few times before concentrating on driving.
"I will," Kim said as Jason looked over at Tommy and then down at Kim. He knew exactly why she was doing this and why she had not agreed to go home and he truly appreciated it. They were not going to let him down when he needed them the most.
"Kim, you really can go home," Jason said as she shook her head no, but didn't dare to look up at him.
"You were there for me when I needed you; I'm going to be here," Kim mumbled as she closed her eyes and felt Tommy reach back and grab her hand.
"We're close to the station," Billy said as Kim let out another sigh and continued to force herself to keep everything down for a few more minutes.
"Hello, rangers, I'm glad that Agent Palderin was able to find you all safely," Agent Diggers said as Billy and Zack quickly hopped out of the back seat and Kim scrambled towards the nearest trash can. "Is she all right?"
"I hope it'll wear off," Tommy said as he walked over to check on Kim and then looked around for a drink machine of some kind.
"What will wear off?" Agent Diggers asked as Tommy spotted the machine and walked over to it, without responding to the question.
"Morning sickness," Billy said as Agent Diggers grimaced and then shook his head. She was not going to be able to hold up very long, but she would be all right. His own wife had dealt with the ailment and it had not been very comfortable for either of them.
"Well, we'll go on inside, so that we can brief you and then you'll be allowed to see the man who did this," Agent Diggers said as they nodded and Tommy handed Kim a bottle of sprite, which she gratefully took a sip from.
"Okay," Jason said as they followed Agent Diggers into the police station and into a conference room.
"Yesterday we were able to obtain a confession from Deputy Chad McPherson and since that time he has given more details as to his motive, which disturbs us the most. He did not see the rangers as a protection for the world; he saw you as a menace to society that just happened to save us all a few times. I doubt that many people agree with this way of thinking, but, as a precaution, I would suggest that all of you try to watch out for any suspicious activity. Agent Palderin will be giving you a number that you can reach him at in case of another situation similar to this," Agent Diggers said as they nodded and Jason looked around at the other rangers, who seemed just as mad as he was.
Who in the world thought that they were a menace to society? If it wasn't for them, so many people would have died, for no reason other than the fact that that was what Lord Zedd or Rita wanted to do. How could this man think that the rangers weren't good? What had they ever done to make anyone believe so strongly that they were not doing their job for the right reasons?
"We have him in a holding cell, you can visit him now if you wish," Captain Myers said as they looked at each other and then back at the Captain.
"You're going to allow us to go by ourselves?" Jason asked as Captain Myers nodded his head yes.
"As long as you don't kill him, we'll allow it," Captain Myers said as they all looked at each other before Jason jumped out of his seat, which caused the Captain to lead the way towards the holding cell with all the rangers in tow.
"You feeling better?" Tommy asked as Kim shook her head no and he then slipped his arm around her, hoping that she would feel better once the sprite had settled in her stomach. He knew that all of them were going to have to watch out for Jason once they entered that cell.
"Your visitors," Captain Myers said as the rangers walked in to the holding cell and the man grimaced at the sight of them. They all looked mad, but this was what he really expected.
"I finally get to meet all the Power Rangers, such a pleasant surprise to see you all," Chad said, with an evil grin, as Tommy, Zack, and Billy quickly grabbed Jason to keep him from breaking the promise they had made to the Captain. They all could feel the evil seeping out of him and it took every bit of restraint to not pull out some of their best moves on him. "Let him do what he wants. I need a ranger in prison with me."
"We have common courtesy, we won't take you away from your family, although the state of California might deem it necessary for you to be put on death row. At least that is what we will push for," Kim said as she stepped in front of Jason, so that he would have to jump over her as well to get to Chad.
"They'll realize that I am right one day and come after all of you. It's just a matter of time," Chad said as Kim looked back at Tommy and the others, to see the clear disgust on their faces as well.
"You don't think that we have ways to get off this planet?" Tommy asked as Jason struggled to get away from them and beat the living crap out of Chad. "If that were to every happen."
"That doesn't matter, it'll be too late for that then, at least one more of you will be gone," Chad said as he looked over at Kimberly and gave her a sick grin, as the male ranger's gaze shifted from Jason to Kimberly. "Your baby might not do so well."
"How did you know that?" Tommy asked as Jason placed an arm around Kim to keep her from charging at Chad, which allowed Tommy to be free to move.
"I have my sources," Chad said as Tommy walked over to him and picked him up by the collar of his shirt.
"Tommy," Kim scolded as he looked back at her. This man was not taking her away from him and if he had had any other help, they needed to know about it now. They needed to know who else to look out for.
"Who?" Tommy asked as he pinned Chad against the bars. "Who else helped you?"
"Ethan Williams," Chad said as Tommy dropped him back to the ground and he took in a deep breath. Kim worked with Ethan Williams and they knew that he would pick up on those signals, but why would he tell this man? "He became an informant for me, once I revealed to him what you were. She's next."
"He won't lay a hand on her," Tommy said as the others nodded their heads in agreement. They would inform the entire world if they had to, to keep that from happening.
"He was just as determined and I got to his sweetheart," Chad said as Jason jumped again, but the others didn't stop his progress. They thought that he deserved whatever Jason decided to do to him. "Hit me."
"You're disgusting," Jason said as he looked down at Chad and then at the other rangers. "The only reason I'm not beating the living shit out of you is because of Trini, so you may want to repay her for saving your life."
"Save me? From you? You don't even have powers anymore, you're just a normal human being. You talk a big game since you were a ranger, I imagine all of you do," Chad said as Jason glared over at him and then slammed one punch into his cheek, in which they all heard something snap.
"That's for Trini and our baby," Jason said as Chad groaned on the floor as Tommy squatted down next to him. They all knew that Tommy could do just as much damage as Jason, so they knew whatever he was about to say, was a true threat.
"And if you or Ethan so much as touches her, you're as good as dead," Tommy said as he pulled Chad into a seated position. The rangers did not usually lose their tempers like this, but they were human, like he had said.
"Is bat a theat?" Chad managed to mumble as all five rangers stared down at him. He knew exactly what it was, if he would just admit it. He had vastly underestimated the rangers and what they would do for each other and it seemed that he had landed himself in a world of trouble.
"It's a guarantee," Tommy said as Kim grabbed her stomach and rushed out of the cell and threw up in a trashcan, although they all would have loved for her to throw up on Chad, but Tommy was in the way.
"Captain, we're done down here!" Zack yelled as Captain Myers walked back down the stairs and saw that Chad was sitting on the floor and one of his cheeks was extremely swollen.
"He'll need an x-ray. He tripped and fell into the table," Billy said as the Captain nodded his head. He was not surprised that Chad had been punched, but only one broken bone was not that bad.
"Is there anything else you need us for?" Tommy asked as he heard Kim throw up again and Captain Myers shook his head no. "I think we need to go home."
"I agree," Jason said as he walked over to Kim and gently picked her up. "Let's get you home."
"Do you think that they will be fine?" Joshua asked as Agent Diggers shrugged his shoulders. He knew that they had been kind to Chad for everything that he had taken away from them, but they still had more grief to deal with.
"Who knows," Agent Diggers said as he watched the five rangers walk out of the department. "And Joshua, keep their names, but destroy everything else."
"Yes sir," Joshua said as he walked into Deputy McPherson's office.
-------------------------
"I want to go to sleep," Kim said as they pulled into their driveway and Tommy looked back at her and gave her a weak smile.
"That's fine," Tommy said as she scooted to the edge of the seat and waited for Tommy to get out of the car. She then reached up and slipped her arms around his neck as he picked her up. "Come on in guys."
"Okay," Zack said as he looked at Billy and Jason, who both seemed just a little bit happier.
"Once I get her settled down we can talk," Tommy said as they nodded their heads. They all understood why Tommy needed to talk to them. He was now dealing with the possibility that someone might come after Kim and they all knew he couldn't take that.
"Now he has to worry," Zack said as Jason and Billy sat down on the couch and propped their feet up on the coffee table.
"I don't know, I doubt that the agents there did not have a wire somewhere in that cell that took in the information that he would dispose to us," Billy said as Tommy walked back down stairs and sat down in the recliner. He looked thoroughly exhausted, although it was only eleven o'clock.
"They're not going to get her," Jason said as Tommy nodded his head and looked at the others.
"How can someone really think that we are evil and no good to Earth?" Tommy asked as they looked at him. They had all been thinking about that question, but none of them had wanted to open up the conversation to the possibilities it left.
"I hate to say this, but he's probably not alone. The people that didn't live in Angel Grove when it was being attacked don't know what we did and believe that we're mythical," Billy said as Tommy and Jason sighed. They had met people in the past that bashed the rangers, but it usually only took them saving their lives to change their tune. They couldn't do that anymore, but they did know that they could continue to live in a way that embodied being a ranger.
"I don't know how we're supposed to make them believe in rangers," Zack said as the others nodded their heads in agreement. It was definitely not like old times for them.
"Maybe we're not supposed to," Jason said as the others looked at him. "Maybe we're just supposed to make everyone realize that we're just human. How many kids have you had accuse you of having super powers Tommy?"
"I've lost count," Tommy said as he slumped back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, "but it doesn't seem to matter if I say I'm normal. No one believes that I'm just a science teacher, just like no one believes that Kim is just a gymnastics teacher. People are always going to think that we're something else."
"We can't change who we are," Zack said as Jason nodded his head.
"But why her? Why not one of us? We fought more, we did more, we were the ones that most others would come after. Why did they pick her instead?" Jason asked as tears filled his eyes and the others looked at each other. None of them knew why they would single Trini out, instead of one of them. They all knew that she didn't go looking for people that knew she was a ranger. They actually tried to avoid people that even talked about the Power Rangers for too long.
"I don't think they wanted to deal with any of us. Trini was the calm one; all of us would have lashed out the second they asked about rangers," Billy said as they looked over at him. He still hadn't really answered the question. "They picked her because she would listen and wouldn't fight right away. It's something that we all love about Trini."
"Should we leave?" Tommy asked as they looked over at him. They did not want for him and Kim to leave Earth, but they also knew that Tommy had to protect his family.
"Tommy, you'd have to be dead to all of us, even your families. Can you really ask that of Kim and do that to yourself and your children?" Billy asked, as Tommy shook his head no. He knew he couldn't make Kim leave and when they wanted to return to Earth, they'd have to hide. He just didn't want to risk someone coming after her as well.
"I just want to keep her safe," Tommy said as they nodded their heads. They all wanted to keep each other safe now, but Tommy's interests in Kim were different than their own. They were married and going to have a child and neither of them was up for the task of having another miscarriage. They had barely been able to survive the last miscarriage.
"We all want to keep each other safe," Jason said as Tommy looked over at him. He realized that he still had not shared a memory and that Jason might appreciate it, especially since it was what Trini was all about.
"You want my memory, Jason?" Tommy asked as they all looked over at him. The promise of last night was long forgotten, but they realized that Tommy must have something that he thought would help them. They all knew that he wanted to help them feel better about finding the murderer and he somehow would.
"Sure," Jason said as Tommy let out a sigh.
"I remember when she came to Reefside, to help us," Tommy said as they looked over at him. He was going to revisit something that all of them knew was painful, but it also made the best point of who Trini was.
Flashback"Hey," Tommy said as he opened the door and let Trini in, by looking at him she could tell he had been crying. She just hoped that she would be able to help here.
"Hey yourself," Trini said as she gave Tommy a hug and he let out a broken sob on her shoulder. The last day had been horrible for him, but it had been much worse for Kimberly. "How is she?"
"Not good," Tommy managed to say as he slowly released Trini and wiped his eyes. "She's won't let me get anywhere near her."
"Don't worry, Tommy. She'll come around. Why don't you go see her and I'll fix some soup?" Trini suggested as Tommy merely nodded his head. He looked so lost and she could only imagine that this is what he had looked like when Kim was away from him before.
"Tri's here," Tommy said as he sat down on his side of the bed and reached over to hold Kim's hand, but she pulled it away, which caused him to swallow down the lump in his throat, in an attempt to not cry. "Beautiful..."
"Just send her up, Tommy," Kim said in a voice void of all emotion, which caused him to just nod his head then walk out of the room, before he let out a broken sob. He had never been pushed this far away from her before, not even when they had broken up.
"Tommy...what are you doing down here?" Trini asked as Tommy walked into the kitchen and wiped his eyes with a dry dishtowel.
"She doesn't want me with her, Tri," Tommy said, brokenly, as Trini looked down at the soup and then over at Tommy. The soup still had a few more minutes to warm up.
"She has to heal and it may be a little while before she can look at you again. She may think you are mad at her and she's mad enough at herself; she doesn't want to hear anything like that from you," Trini said as Tommy looked up at her ready to object. "Hey, I know that you don't feel that way, but her body has just betrayed her, Tommy. She's afraid and I'll talk to her, but it's going to be you that has to break her out of it."
"How can I do that when she won't let me touch her? She won't even let me be in the same room with her for more than a few minutes," Tommy sobbed as Trini placed an arm around him and then looked over at the soup, which she could hear bubbling.
"Why don't you take this to her?" Trini suggested as she ladled some of the soup into a bowl and he looked up at Trini. Kim did not need to see him this upset. He didn't want to hurt her anymore.
"She wants you up there," Tommy said, as Trini shook her head no. Kim did not really want her up there, but she would do anything to avoid Tommy at this point. She had to see him, no matter how much it hurt, because he was the only one that could help her heal. Yes, it had only been a day, but Trini knew that the sooner Tommy could reach her the better it would be for all of them.
"Go and just sit with her. I'll go up later, right now I think I need to do some laundry and then the dishes," Trini said as it was a Saturday and it looked like some of this had been piling up over the last week, waiting for a time when Kim could work on it, but that was not today.
"Okay," Tommy said as he put the soup on a tray and then got a glass of water and some crackers. "I hope you're right."
"Trust me, I am, you just have to give her time," Trini said as Tommy nodded his head and then looked up the stairs. He knew that he had to reach out to her, not that he hadn't been trying. He was just going to have to do something more than what he had been trying.
"Where's Trini?" Kim asked coldly, as she rolled over in bed, expecting to see someone else.
"She wants to do some things downstairs. She'll be up here in a little bit," Tommy said as Kim tried to sit up, but then slumped back down. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah," Kim said, dejectedly, as Tommy placed the tray on the floor and then pulled Kim up and placed some pillows behind her. She still looked deathly pale and he hoped that she would eat something tonight. "Thanks."
"You don't have to thank me," Tommy sad as he handed her the tray and then sat down in the chair that they had placed on her side of the bed months ago and just stared at her.
"I'm not really hungry," Kim said as she looked down at the food and then over at him.
"Please eat, just a little Kim," Tommy said as Kim nodded her head and forced down a spoonful of soup. She knew that he cared about her, but she didn't want him to touch her.
"Hey," Trini said as she walked into the room and Kim offered her a weak smile, while forcing down another spoonful of soup.
"I need to go call the rangers...let them know you're okay," Tommy said, as neither of them had been able to make a call after the battle last night. She had passed out in his arms in the cave and he had taken her straight to the hospital. That was when they found out what was happening.
"He hates me," Kim muttered as Trini looked over at her and could only stare. Why would she think that Tommy hated her? Tommy loved her more than anyone else on Earth. She had suspected Kim would feel like this, but she had thought some of it might have passed.
"Kim, that couldn't be further from the truth," Trini said as she slipped onto the other side of the bed and placed her arm around Kim. Kim then leaned over against her and began to cry.
"He does, I lost his baby," Kim sobbed as Trini placed both of her arms around her and gave her a strong hug.
"He loves you and he's hurting right now too, all he wants to do is help you recover, no matter how long that takes. But you have to let him in" Trini said as Kim continued to cry against her.
"No, I can't. Not after this," Kim sobbed as Trini began rocking Kim back and forth.
"Shh...it's going to be all right," Trini said as she continued to rock Kim and as the minutes passed, the sobs became hiccups and the hiccups turned into light snores as Kim drifted off to sleep. "That could have been better."
"She asleep?" Tommy asked as he looked up from the kitchen table and saw Trini nod her head yes.
"Why don't you go lay down with her?" Trini suggested, as Tommy shook his head no. He didn't need anymore rejection from her right now. "It's what I'd want."
"I don't want to wake her," Tommy said as they both heard a scream come from upstairs and Tommy darted out of the kitchen.
"Make it stop!" Kim yelled out in her sleep as Tommy rushed to the side of the bed.
"Come on, wake up. Nothing's happening," Tommy said as he gently shook her shoulder and she then bolted upright in bed and threw both of her arms around him. "It's okay. You're fine. I'm here nothing is going to happen."
"You're okay," Kim whispered as he nodded his head yes and started rocking back and forth.
"Everything is fine, you want me to stay?" Tommy asked as he pulled back from her a little to look into her eyes and he saw her barely shake her head no. "How about I just get you to sleep?"
"Okay," Kim murmured, as Tommy gently slid her over on the bed and laid down next to her and allowed her to snuggle up next to him, although he did notice it was not nearly as close as normal.
"I love you," Tommy whispered as he gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, before he started rubbing her back, in order to calm her down. They stayed like that for almost an hour, until he was sure that she was asleep and he gently removed himself from next to her. He knew that he didn't need to go over the line she had set this soon.
"I guess we're just going to have to take this one step at a time," Trini said as Tommy nodded his head yes and then looked at the couch, where he was going to be sleeping tonight. "Why didn't you stay?"
"She didn't want me to, so I just got her back to sleep. You can sleep up there if you want," Tommy said as he sat down on the couch and placed his head in his hands. He did not know how his world had got turned upside down, again.
(Two weeks later)
"Tommy, grief takes time," Trini said as they stood in the kitchen. He had just gotten back from a battle, that he had reluctantly gone to and was a little bit battered.
"I know that, believe me I do," Tommy said as Trini applied an ice pack to his shoulder, which made him tense for a brief moment. He knew that he couldn't take many more nights of sleeping on the couch and slipping in to change and shower. He needed her back, more than she ever knew. "But how much more time can I give her?"
"As much as she needs," Trini said, adamantly, as Tommy looked over at her.
"Trini, I haven't kissed or hugged or...done anything else with my wife in the last fourteen days, two hours, and forty three minutes," Tommy said as Trini stared over at him. Since when had he started keeping track of the time that it had been since she had been like this? "I need to be able to kiss her."
"I know that I am a poor substitute for Kim, but Tommy, she'll get better," Trini said as he looked over at her.
"When?" Tommy asked, desperately, as he began to cry and one of the Dino rangers came up through the floor, to let him know they were leaving, but saw his tears and quickly turned around. "Tell me when Trini."
"I don't know," Trini said, calmly, as she looked at the stairs.
"I can't take that anymore," Tommy said, his voice rising, as Trini looked at him. She hadn't seen Jason since she had left to come look after them, but she was not complaining.
"Look, I haven't seen Jason in two weeks, but Tommy, things like this take time," Trini said as they heard someone walking down the stairs.
"Hey," Kim said weakly, as she sat down in a chair and looked between the two of them. They looked like they had been fighting, but she did not know over what. "I could hear you upstairs. What's going on?"
"Nothing," Tommy lied as she looked over at him and nodded for him to come closer.
"I need to take a shower," Kim muttered as Tommy nodded his head that he understood, but she grabbed his hands to pull in his attention. "Come with me."
"Okay," Tommy said as she led him out of the room and Kim looked back at Trini.
"Thank you, Trini," Kim said as Trini nodded and watched as Tommy placed his arm around Kim and gently pulled her closer.
"Yes, thank you," Tommy said with a smile as he looked over at Kim. He still knew that they had a very long way to go, but that they would make it. They had somehow made it through the worst part and if something happened to make it get worse, Trini was there and would always be.
End of Flashback"That's what Trini was all about. Help, protecting, loving, caring, and eventually dying for others. She loved all of us and I don't think that she would change anything that we've done. You've done her memory proud, Jase. Now we just have to make sure this man goes to jail and that we still remember her," Tommy said as he handed Jason a beer and then gave him a hug. They had all just begun to heal, but with the help of each other, they had made it through the worst part and would make it through everything else.
AN: Okay, I hope that you have liked this chapter, I'm not exactly sure how it will go over. Now, I'm going to go ahead and warn you that we'll go back in time in the final chapter, so be prepared. Let me know what you think and toodles!