Welcome again fellow readers. Thanks much for the reviews. Here's an early update. Moreso because I've already finished chapter 7 and am just beginning chapter 8. Congratulations to forevercrane and Lilcalibaby2002 for getting my quiz question right. Since you both answered correctly, I decided to let both of you have an early preview of this chapter. I sent everything out yesterday, so hopefully you got it. I know forevercrane did indeed receive hers. I may have more quizzes later on with secret previews of chapters, so make sure to keep an eye out!

Author's Note: I know Kimberly may seem a bit extreme in her moods and totally unlike herself at times, but this is quite possible. When I first came to college last fall, I was so upset and homesick that at one point I even contemplated quitting! That was completely out of character for me, and yet it happened. By October I was very happy and not like the self I had been when school started. I think that is why I have Kimberly the way she is. Enjoy this chapter and I promise you that Trini makes an entrance next chapter!

Edit 5/5/06: I had to fix Kimberly's age. She is 17, not 18. It was bugging me so I checked the timeline I have been following. Sure enough, I had the age wrong. Anyway, it's fixed now!

Chapter 6 The Love of a Seven Year Old

Kimberly didn't turn around as she heard someone else enter the room. She wasn't expecting anyone, and it was probably another patient wanting to relax. "Hey, I've never seen you here before," called a young voice.

Kimberly turned around and saw a young boy with black hair sitting in a wheelchair. "Oh… hello," she replied.

"You must be the girl next door to me. That's what my mommy told me. She said you were very upset." The boy smiled. "It's okay to be upset."

Kimberly smiled brightly at the boy. It was the first true smile she'd given anyone since the accident. "Thanks."

"What's your name? My name's Jayden and I'm seven years old today!"

"Well happy birthday Jayden. My name's Kimberly and I'm seventeen years old."

"Wow, you don't look seventeen. You're OLD!" he laughed at himself.

Kimberly was studying the boy as he talked to her. He's so happy she thought He doesn't seem to mind the fact that he's in a wheelchair either. "I'm not that old, Jayden!"

"Yes you are! You're pretty much a grown up now and grown ups are old," Jayden seemed pleased with his logic.

Kimberly laughed at him again. "If you say so. How long have you been here?" she asked.

"A few days. Mommy brought me in for some tests on my legs. They were acting up again. They're always doing that."

"How long have you been in the wheelchair?" asked Kimberly, hoping he didn't find her question to be rude.

"Ever since I can remember. Mommy says that when I was really little I fell out of my crib one day during my nap. I couldn't use my legs anymore after that."

"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Kimberly sincerely. Here was a little boy who'd never known the simple pleasures of walking or running, or any kind of sports. He'd never been able to experience anything that she had in her entire life.

"Don't be. I'm not sad. My friends are very nice to me and are always willing to help me when I need them. They are the best. I asked mommy why you were so upset and she told me that it was hard for you to get used to not using your legs anymore."

Kimberly nodded sadly. "It is…" She trailed off as a stray tear rolled down her cheek.

Jayden rolled closer. "I didn't mean to make you cry," he said as he patted her hand.

"It wasn't you… you see Jayden before my accident I was a gymnast. I was training for the Pan Global Games, which is this big tournament where people from around the world meet to play all kinds of sports. Now I can't do any of it anymore," whispered Kimberly. More silent tears fell.

Jayden didn't know what to say. He knew he was really little, but he also didn't want to see Kimberly cry. She was pretty, and tears were not. Instead of saying anything, Jayden leaned over and gave her a big bear hug, the kind little kids are famous for. He hugged her tightly and she only cried harder, but he didn't care. He didn't like her to be sad. He didn't like anyone to be sad.

After a few minutes, Kimberly pulled away. "Thanks Jayden," she said, wiping away a few stray tears.

"Crying does not look good on you," he stated matter-of-factly.

Kimberly giggled. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

"Come with me. I know something that will make you feel better." Jayden turned his chair around and began heading out of the room.

"Where are we going?" asked Kimberly as she began to follow him.

"To my room. Mommy bought a bunch of stuffed animals for my birthday. I told her I wanted to give everyone at the hospital who was sad one instead of getting presents for myself."

Kimberly really liked this little boy. He was so charitable and really did want to see her happy. She only wished he were older; he might understand her problems a little better. Even then, he wouldn't completely understand because he had never been a Power Ranger, never knew what it was like to have a friend as a Power Ranger. Still, he did know one thing and that was how to love unconditionally.

As he led her into his room, she saw that his side was covered in balloons and streamers. He had a roommate, another little boy, who was sleeping. She saw that he had already been given one of Jayden's stuffed animals, a caramel teddy bear wearing a white t-shirt that was tucked under the little boy's arm. Kimberly saw a woman sitting by his bed, and she presumed that this was his mother. The woman spoke up. "Hello there. I'm Jayden's mother, Mrs. Mullins," she said as she offered her hand. She was a tall, plump woman who seemed to share Jayden's outlook on life.

"Kimberly," answered Kimberly as she shook it. "My room is just next door."

"Ahh… you are the girl Jayden has been asking about. He is always so full of questions."

"I hope I answered the ones he had," laughed Kimberly. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Jayden pull a clear garbage bag onto his lap and begin fumbling around inside.

"I'm sure you did. He looks much happier."

"Kimberly?" called Jayden. "I think I've found the perfect one for you!"

Kimberly turned herself around to face him and was surprised when he plopped a red stuffed animal into her lap. She picked it up to look at it, her eyes widening when she realized what kind of stuffed animal it was.

"Do you like it? It's a red tiger. It's one of my favorite ones," answered Jayden proudly.

Kimberly could feel tears coming to her eyes, but she refused to cry. Not in front of him again. She willed them away. How did he know that she liked tigers? The one Tommy had given her was still in her apartment, but this one reminded her of Tommy's new Zeo color. "It's perfect Jayden. Thank you."

"You're welcome! You should come by later tonight. Mommy is bringing in a cake and some of my friends are coming too. It'll be fun!" Jayden smiled again.

"What time is it going to be?" asked Kimberly.

"I dunno. Ask mommy. She knows everything!"

"It'll be around 7:30 this evening, Kimberly," answered his mother with a smile.

"Thanks. I should be going back to my room. I'm feeling a little tired and I don't know if my mom is back yet or not. Bye Jayden," called Kimberly.

"Jayden, I'm going to walk Kimberly back to her room. You wait right here until I come back before you go wandering off again," warned his mother.

"All right mommy!"

Mrs. Mullins pushed Kimberly into the hallway and closed Jayden's door. Mrs. Mullins moved in front of Kimberly so that she could talk to her face-to-face. "Kimberly, how are you adjusting?" she asked softly.

"Okay… I guess…. It's tough…." Replied Kimberly in short sentences. She didn't look directly at Mrs. Mullins for fear of crying.

"I remember back when Jayden first fell from his crib. I felt terrible as a mother, like it was somehow my fault. It took a very long time before my husband was able to help convince me that it wasn't. Jayden was just an active toddler at a very young age who tried to climb out of his crib, even though the security bars were up and latched. That first year was full of changes. I had to get used to the fact that I would never see my son walk or play sports. He grew up a happy little boy and he gives me the strength to get through each day. He tends to care more about others than himself, as you have seen. I feel he's God's special gift to me and to the ones around him that he touches with his love."

Kimberly nodded. Mrs. Mullins was pouring her son's life story to her. Kimberly knew there were many changes to come, but she didn't want them to happen to her. She wanted things to be the way they were before the accident. She didn't want to have her life flipped upside down, thrown around in a whirlwind. She wanted to still be able to compete in Pan Globals and bring home a medal, to prove to herself that she was indeed Olympic material. Now that her dreams had been shattered, her life was at a standstill. The one profession she'd picked out from a young age was no longer available to her as an option.

"I know you're going to have a long road ahead of you, Kimberly. Remember there are many reasons why your accident happened, even if you don't know about them yet. Perhaps this will allow you to explore a new path that you'd never thought of, but will come to enjoy," continued Mrs. Mullins.

"Thank you," whispered Kimberly. She was trying to hide the fact that she was so close to tears.

"Enjoy the rest of your afternoon and maybe I'll see you tonight. Bring your mother if you'd like. Everyone is welcome." Mrs. Mullins smiled before going back into her son's room. Kimberly faintly heard her telling Jayden that his roommate had enough balloons in his bed.

When Kimberly entered her room, she found Dr. Matthews conversing with her mother in hushed tones. They quickly stopped though when Kimberly wheeled in. "Umm… am I interrupting something?" she asked cautiously.

"No Kimberly," answered Dr. Matthews. "We were just discussing living arrangements for the future."

"Kimberly, I think you should know that I'd like you to come back to Paris with your step-father and I," added her mother. "I don't want you living alone in your condition."

Kimberly didn't know what brought it on, but she suddenly became very angry. "I can take care of myself! Maybe not as well right now, but I will learn! I am not going to be treated like a baby just because of this!" she yelled.

"Kimberly Ann, don't you take that tone of voice with me!" warned her mother.

"Mom, I'm seventeen now. Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean I can't learn to live on my own. I don't want to go to Paris. I like where I am right now. I may even go back to Angel Grove in the future, but I will not go to Paris! That's not the place for me."

"Kimberly, we will discuss this later."

"No mom, we're going to discuss this now. I am not going back to Paris and that is final. For now, I can live with my roommates. After that I'll have to see. This is my life and I'm going to live where I feel comfortable."

"Erm, if I may give a suggestion," interrupted Dr. Matthews. The mother and daughter turned to face him. He had been forgotten during their argument. "With all due respect, I do believe it is best for Kimberly to stay in Florida for now. A new lifestyle is hard to adjust to, but it is even harder in an unknown location. It can hinder her progress and she could develop a severe depression."

"Kimberly, I only want what's best for you."

"Making me move all the way to Paris is not the best thing for me mom. Staying here is. Please understand my decision," replied Kimberly, a bit calmer now. "What was best for you was to move to Paris, but it's not for me."

"I should have known. It was this way back when I first moved there, remember? You wanted to stay and finish out school and not be far from your friends. All right Kimberly. But, whenever you do move, I want to be told. I want to make sure you are able to adjust comfortably."

"I don't intend to leave you out mom."

Dr. Matthews interrupted again. "Well, now that is fairly sorted out, Kimberly, how was your lesson with the nurse? You seem to be doing well."

"I caught on easily and she left me alone in the lounge. I met a little boy there named Jayden."

"Jayden is another one of my patients. He's quite the happy little boy. I see you've been given one of his birthday stuffed animals," noted the doctor, nodding toward the red tiger.

"Yes he gave me it because he said he wanted me to be happy. He's invited me to his birthday party tonight."

Dr. Matthews laughed. "He's invited everyone on this floor just about, including me. He loves socializing."

Later that evening, Kimberly went next door for Jayden's birthday party. She was surprised to find so many people there. Dr. Matthews hadn't been kidding. Kimberly saw that not all the guests were patients. Around Jayden was a group of young boys and girls that had come to visit him. They must have been the friends he was talking about. The children were laughing as Jayden opened the presents they'd brought him.

Kimberly smiled as she watched the scene. Jayden looked up and grinned when he saw her. "Kimberly! You came to my party! Hey guys, this is my new friend Kimberly I met today. She's really nice." Jayden rolled closer to her and his friends followed. Kimberly looked at all the smiling faces. There were three boys and one little girl. Jayden introduced them by pointing to each one. "That's Jimmy, Eddy, Travis, and Rachel."

"Nice to meet you all," answered Kimberly.

"Wow, you're pretty. Do you wear make-up?" asked Rachel. "Daddy says that stuff is for big girls only and I can't have any until I'm fifteen."

"Well, yeah sometimes," replied Kimberly.

"How old are you?" asked a boy with curly blonde hair. Kimberly thought that one was Travis.

"I'm seventeen."

"Wow, you don't look like an almost grown-up," remarked a brown haired boy whose hair ended with a rat tail. That was Jimmy.

"So I've heard," laughed Kimberly.

"Yeah, my big sister is that old and she looks like she's…. thirty or something," commented the other brown haired boy with glasses. Kimberly thought Jayden had said his name was Eddy.

"You don't even know someone who's thirty," remarked Rachel.

"Do too," said Eddy.

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do TOO!"

"Do NOT!"

"Cake!" called Mrs. Mullins. Kimberly sighed with relief. She was afraid some sort of fight would break out. "All right Jayden here you go," she said, handing him the cake pan. "One, two, three. Happy Birthday to you…." She began singing. The rest of the group joined in.

As she sang with the group, Kimberly watched Jayden's smiling face glancing around the room. Kimberly looked toward the door. She saw the familiar figure of Dr. Matthews, standing in the doorway. He winked at her. The song finished and Jayden blew out all of his candles. Jayden closed his eyes tightly and made his secret wish. When his mother cut the cake, he gave the first piece to Kimberly instead of taking it for himself.

When Kimberly returned to her room later that evening, she realized that being with Jayden all day had kept any bad thoughts at bay. He seemed so happy, so… so… normal. Thought Kimberly. Then again, he hadn't grown up like she had and he'd never experienced the things she'd been through. He was still too young.

Kimberly found the nurse waiting for her; she had been sent to help Kimberly bathe. It creeped Kimberly out, but she had no choice in the matter. As she finally was lifted into bed that evening, she held the little red tiger close and drifted into sleep. Peaceful it was not, however.

I hope you all enjoyed Jayden. The idea for him came suddenly and wasn't even plotted on my plotline. It turned out that he was a great addition to the story because he gave Kimberly an optimistic side of life in a wheelchair. I intentionally spelled his name like that because I wanted it to be unique just like the little boy he was.

Next time on Windmill into the Fall: Trini makes an appearance and demands Kimberly to tell her story, but what she hears shocks her more than she could have ever imagined. Plus, our favorite villian Rita tries to sow more seeds of evil within Kimberly. Stay tuned!