Misery Loves Company

by

A Warrior's Prophet

Disclaimer:We don't own Power Rangers or any characters that you might recognize. Kyle is based on a real person who has given us their permission to use his name and likeness.

Chp 6 - Foundations of Healing

Once Jason knew he was alone, he grabbed his water and towel, then went into the office. He had an hour before the next students began to arrive and he needed to be in control of himself again by that time. Taking a seat, he put his head in his hands and let the tears he'd held back begin to fall in silence.

In his room, Adam continued to stare blankly and page through the medical file in front of him. 'God...poor Tommy. He's been through so much in life already and now look at what he's dealing with.' After several minutes though, the former Zeo ranger reverted back to anger. "But you could've let me know what was going on with you!" he yelled, knowing no one could hear him. "How dare you block me out like that!" A stray tear made its way down his handsome face. "I'm your friend too, damn it!"

Turning the key in the lock, Rocky walked into Jason's apartment rather cautiously. "Hello? Adam?" he called and getting no response, he walked toward the bedrooms. "Adam? I know you're here...you asleep?"

The former black ranger rolled his eyes. He knew that Rocky would come in to check. Looking at the door he sighed. "No, I'm not asleep." His words came out slightly clipped, unable to keep his anger at his friends out of his voice.

Having grown up with the man, Rocky knew all was not well. Leaning into the door, he asked, "Umm, are you okay? Cause Jase is all torn outta the frame about somethin'."

"Just come in, Rock." He moved up the bed a bit and rested back against the headboard.

Slowly entering the dimly lit room, Rocky walked over and took a seat on the bed, waiting for his eyes to adjust. He did notice the thick file sitting beside his friend, though. "Whatcha got there?"

"You mean Jason didn't tell you?" He snorted. "Oh, wait. He's good at not telling people things, so I'm guessing that answer is 'No'." He slid the file towards Rocky. "They lied to us, Rocky."

"Lied to us? About what?" he said with a surprised look. Beginning to turn the pages, he could see that the file was full of reports and charts, but he couldn't readily tell what it was about. "Mind if I turn on some light?"

"Do you really have to? Head's kinda hurting again." Getting so mad at Jason hadn't helped the headache he'd been trying to fight.

"Well no, but I'll have to go out in the other room if you want me to know what this is. What happened with Jason, anyway? And what did you mean by 'he's good at not telling people things'?"

Sighing softly, the former Frog reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, wincing slightly at the increase in light. "Did he ever tell you about the wreck Tommy had? The one before they joined us at school?"

Thinking for a moment, Rocky nodded. "Well, I knew that he'd had a wreck that made him rethink a racing career-that's why he started college instead. I never got many details on it though. I suppose I figured that there wasn't anything much to tell," Rocky said with a shrug.

"Tommy died on them twice on the way to the hospital. Then he was blind for a bit afterwards."

Rocky's mouth involuntarily fell open as he stared in shock at his best friend. "He...died? Are you serious, Adam?"

"Jason told me the night I came back from Reefside. He told me that he had a file that listed all of Tommy's injuries." He gestured towards the file his friend held. "Gave me that earlier."

Rocky began going through it, quickly bypassing the older ranger stuff. He stopped in his tracks when he reached the newspaper clippings of the wreck. "Oh my god..." he said quietly and began reading about the accident that nearly took their friend from them.

"They kept it from us Rocky. I don't think Jason would ever have told me about it if I hadn't confronted him after finding one of Tommy's scars from the accident."

"You 'found' one of T's scars? Where? How bad is it?"

"Along his side. It's hidden by one of his tattoos. It's about four, maybe six inches long and kind of jagged. Jase told me that a piece of the metal from the car impaled him there. Had to stop the race and use the Jaws of Life to cut him out."

"You said he was blind for a little while afterwards? And they didn't tell us this why?" He was beginning to understand why Adam was so upset.

"See? Glad I'm not the only one." He threw his hands up in the air. "Jason gave me some crackpot story that Tommy asked him not to. That he'd threatened to take him off his visitor's list if Jase contacted any of us."

"And why would Tommy want to be left all alone? Especially if he was blind-that doesn't make any sense. Where was his Uncle John or his parents?"

Adam blushed slightly and shrugged. "I kinda went off on Jason at that point."

Rocky nodded. "So that's what his issue was. Anytime he comes in and goes directly to attacking the heavy bag, I know somethin's up." He stopped and thought for a minute. "Come to think of it, his eyes were awfully red and his hands were shaking. You must have laid into him good, Froggy."

The former Ninjetti's blush deepened. "Did you know that Jason was originally going to be a cop?"

"Yeah, I remember him telling us about that." The light dawned slowly on the former blue Zeo ranger. "Was Tommy's accident what changed his mind?"

He nodded. "Jason was riding in the ambulance with Tommy. He said that he felt helpless just sitting there unable to do anything for his best friend."

"Can understand that. Wow...I still can't believe they kept all this to themselves. I know they were best friends before you and I ever entered the picture, but you'd think they'd trust us enough to tell us something this important."

Adam sighed. "I don't know. The first time Jase told me he got upset really quickly, almost to the point of crying." He met his best friend's eyes. "I've never seen him like that Rocky. I mean, if it was you and you had asked me to keep something like this secret..." He shrugged. "Can't say what I'd really do, but I'd give what you wanted a hard thought."

"Okay, fair enough, but did Jason mention Tommy's reasons for not wanting anyone else to know? Tommy is a strange bird sometimes-maybe he had a good reason. Maybe..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Maybe what?"

"I don't know-I can't fathom what goes on in that mind of his. To him, maybe he had a good reason. You haven't asked him about this yet, have you?"

"No, honestly I'm not real sure how to approach him about it. I mean, if you confront him head on about some things, he shuts up totally."

Rocky nodded. "So how did you find his scar? If he'd show you that, he might tell you about it."

Dropping his head slightly, Adam blushed. "I was giving him a massage and felt it. His muscles were really tight and when I helped him up to bed, I worked on them a bit. Came across it then."

"Oh, okay," Rocky said simply and then sighed. "All of this is making my head hurt. Want something to eat?"

"Probably need to. Might help my head."

"Oh yeah, no doubt. Come on, we can talk some more while I cook. Whatcha want?" he asked, getting up from the bed and heading for the door.

Slowly, he got up and followed his friend. "Nothing heavy. Jase made some soup and grilled cheese for us before he left, but neither of us ate."

"No problem-we can warm that up, but I need more food than that," he grinned.

"Yeah well, that's just you, Ape Man." He took a seat at the counter, knowing better than to get in the former Red Ranger's way. "How about some of that tea Jase has too?"

"Tea, tea..." Rocky mumbled, rooting around in the cabinets. "This it?" he asked, holding up the box.

"Actually, it's in that blue tin. He puts it in that ball thing and adds it to the cup."

"Oh, it's loose tea...okay," he said, getting the stuff together and putting the kettle on.

"Yeah, it's some blend he found or was given. Helps settle my stomach."

"Good ol' herbal tea-cures what ails ya. It'll be ready in a few minutes. So, will grilled cheese and soup be enough for you?"

"Can I just go for the soup? Arguing with Jase like that and reading that file..." He shook his head. "Kinda killed my appetite."

"Hey, I have to give you props for even arguing with the man-especially in your condition. Takes some serious cajones."

"Wasn't really thinking about it. I mean, we've been friends with Tommy almost as long as Jason has. I know why they're so close, but still…they could have trusted us."

Nodding while he worked, Rocky agreed. "Yep, you're right."

Adam was quiet for a few moments. "The first time we talked about it, Jason told me that Tommy didn't want us told because he knew we'd all be up there hovering."

"Well...he was probably right. I mean, could we really have stayed away? Even if we knew he didn't want a bunch of people around?"

"No, but they still should have told us sooner. I mean, that happened years ago and we're just finding out about it now?"

"I agree with you, I really do, but...think about it this way-I'm sure it was extremely rough on both of them, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, so...I'm sure after they got most of that behind them...they really didn't wanna dig it up again, ya know?" Rocky asked, tilting his head with the question.

When Adam just looked at him, Rocky continued. "Telling everyone would bring up lots of questions and it would no doubt make Tommy uncomfortable, so...after a little while, they just decided not to bring it up. Maybe...ya think?"

For several moments, Adam was quiet, then he sighed softly. "Guess you're right. Just reading about what all had happened to him in the accident, plus all the scans from his time as a ranger," he shrugged. "Guess it just got to me, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know. You should talk to him about it, too. As a matter of fact, why don't you call him this afternoon?"

"Maybe. After I eat something though. Might help my head stop hurting."

"Okay, let's eat and I'll get you something for your head." He paused when the kettle whistled and turned to make his friend's tea. "You know something else?"

"What's that?"

"It might make you feel better if you called and talked to Jase for a couple of minutes."

"Think I'll do that before I eat." Getting up, he grabbed the cordless and headed to the guest bedroom while he dialed the number to the dojo. Taking a seat on the bed, he waited for it to be answered.

"Black Dragon Martial Arts, Sensei Scott speaking."

"Hey Jase." Adam sighed softly. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Jason didn't say anything for a few moments-he had just gotten himself back together and didn't want to get upset all over again. "Adam," he sighed. "I'm sorry too-I shouldn't have stormed out on you like that."

"I didn't give you a lot of choice after going into the room and slamming the door." He was quiet for a moment. The former Frog knew that he'd upset the other man by making him relive the experience. "I'm sorry about upsetting you, Rex. Just wanted a better understanding of everything that was going on with Tommy, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. After all these years, you'd think it wouldn't upset me like that, but...it still does. Got these pictures in my head that just won't go away, ya know?"

"Yeah, after reading the file I understand it a bit better. Talking to Rocky helped me see where you two might be coming from about keeping this from the rest of us."

"Rocky was the voice of reason? Oh boy..."

He chuckled softly. "Tell me about it. There are times that he down right scares me with that stuff." Closing his eyes, he winced slightly and rubbed at the side of his head not knowing that he'd let out a slight groan.

"Here, take these...and stop talking about me like I'm not here," Rocky said, handing Adam two tablets.

Hearing this through the phone, Jason asked, "What's bothering you, Froggy? Another headache?"

Taking them from his friend, he downed them with a bit of water from the glass next to the bed. "Thanks Rocky." Turning back to the phone, he sighed softly. "Yeah, it started shortly after you left. Just took a couple Tylenol."

"Did you eat yet?" Jason asked in that slightly accusatory tone that he sometimes adopted.

"Rocky's taking care of it, I promise. Soon as I get done talking with you, we're gonna eat."

"Alright, see that you do. Listen, I gotta go...the class is coming in. I'll talk to you when I get home, okay?"

"Okay. And Jason? Thanks for letting me see it. I know it's hard for you, too."

"Yeah, well...you're welcome. See you in a bit," Jason said, hanging up the phone and taking a deep breath. He needed to get all this off his mind so that he could teach the class.

Hanging up, Adam looked up at Rocky. "Thanks Ape Man."

"No problem-now come on and eat. It'll help with the headache," he said, turning and heading back toward the kitchen.

Once again, Adam got up and followed his friend into the kitchen. He re-took his seat at the counter, then raised an eyebrow at the stuff Rocky had put together for himself. "Are you serious, Rocko?"

Rocky looked down at his plate and then back up at his friend. "What?"

"Bologna and eggs?"

"Yeah. Like you've never eaten lunch meat and eggs together," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Ham, yeah, but not bologna." He shuddered. "That's like eating Spam." He started on his soup.

"Hey! I happen to like Spam," he said, starting to work on his food. After several mouthfuls, he looked up at Adam again. "What's wrong with Spam, anyway?"

The former Green Zeo raised an eyebrow. "Besides the fact that it comes encased in a gelatin-type substance and has a shelf life of almost 5 years?"

"Yeah, besides that," Rocky grinned and went back to shoveling food into his mouth.

Adam just shook his head and continued eating.

-o-O-o-

Once they'd finished eating and the former Red Ranger had cleaned up the kitchen, they settled down in the living room. "Head feeling any better? Can I get you anything?"

"It's a little better. The Tylenol and the tea plus having finally eaten something seems to be helping." He grinned slightly. "Could I convince you to make some Jello? And not lime."

Rocky grinned and got up from the couch. "Sure-let me see what Jase has hidden in here," he said, looking through kitchen drawers. "Here we go-orange, strawberry, and lemon. Which one ya want?"

"How about orange? I'd feel weird eating something that reminded me of our ranger colors." He chuckled slightly.

"Huh? Oh yeah..." he chuckled and then a wicked grin crossed his face. "Oh, I don't know...the lemon might be pretty good!"

He raised an eyebrow. "You and 'Sha finally getting somewhere?"

"You could say that," Rocky responded in a self-satisfied tone.

"It's about time. You two have been dancing around each other since middle school."

"Okay, I'll give ya that, but it just takes some of us longer. Tanya's still single, by the way. I'm jus' sayin'," he said, raising his hands innocently at the look Adam shot him.

He shook his head. "I already told ya, Rocko-need to take a break for a bit."

"Yeah, I know-sorry. I was just tryin' to get a smile out of ya," the former Red Ranger said, putting the Jello into the refrigerator. "By the way, Tommy's still not seeing anyone is he? Except for Jason, of course, and I don't know if that really counts."

"Um, not that I know of." He took another drink of tea.

"Speaking of our former fearless leader, his last class should've finished by now. Why don't you go ahead and call him?"

Adam looked over at the clock before he nodded. "Think I will. After I do that, I'm gonna take a nap." He got up and retrieved the cordless again.

While putting his papers and books back into his briefcase, Tommy looked up when the cell phone on his desk vibrated, moving several inches toward the edge. "Grab that, Kyle."

Nodding, he grabbed it and answered it. "Dr. Oliver's phone."

"Umm, can I speak to Tommy?" Adam responded, a bit surprised that anyone other than his friend would answer.

"Just a second." Kyle thought he recognized the voice. "Is this Adam?"

"Yeah...Kyle?"

"You got it. Tommy's packing up his briefcase." He snorted. "Then we're stopping at the store before going back to his place."

"Oh? You guys got plans, huh?"

"Not really. Chris, my doctor, kinda talked Tommy into letting me stay with him for a few days. My counts are still low and Dr. O's helping me with that." He rolled his eyes as Tommy patted his pockets looking for something. Pointing at the top of his head, Kyle directed him to his glasses.

"Well that's good. You can keep an eye on him as well," Adam suggested. "So, is the good doctor close around?"

"Yeah, I try." He grinned at Tommy. "He just finished, Adam. Take it easy." He handed the phone to his mentor. "Want me to take this stuff and wait out in the jeep?"

Taking the phone, Tommy nodded. "Yeah, I'll be out in a few minutes," he said. "Adam?"

Nodding, Kyle took the briefcase and his own bag and started heading for the jeep. Once there, he set the bags in the back and got in, leaning the seat back and closing his eyes. He drifted off in a few moments.

"Yeah, it's me." Adam chuckled softly. "So, babysitting huh?"

"A little bit," Tom laughed. "The kid needs someone to look after him for a few days and he doesn't have any family left, so...here I am. So what's goin' on? How you feelin'?"

"Still get tired real easy and my stomach's a little rough still. Other than that," he sighed, knowing that he wouldn't be able to lie to his friend.

"Other than that...what?"

"I, uh... asked Jason for the file he has about your accident."

Closing his eyes and sighing, Tommy took a seat at his desk. "Oh? Don't think that's something you should be reading while you're trying to recover, do you?"

"I needed to understand better what's going on with you. Probably wasn't the smartest thing, but just sitting here and thinking about myself wasn't helping either."

After he quickly thought over what all might be in that file, Tommy sighed deeply again. "I'm guessing you have some questions, then."

"Jason answered a lot of them, but what I want to know is why you guys kept it from us. I can understand, a little at least, why you didn't say anything at first, but it's been years and we're just finding out about it now."

"I guess I should've known that this would come up sooner or later. Look...I couldn't face what had happened to me and I couldn't've dealt with people swarming all over me-well-meaning though they might've been. It's all I could do to deal with Jase. At first, I was really, really scared and I guess I clung to him a bit. Waking up blind was one of the worst things that had ever happened to me. After some of the shock wore off, even he started getting on my nerves. He knows all of this too."

"He mentioned that you started getting tired of his hovering and that Wes helped break up the tension a bit at times." He sighed and stretched out on the bed, having walked that way as he talked with his friend. "It just worries me we didn't know how bad things were and if you kept that from us…what else have you guys kept to yourselves? I mean, we're all supposed to be friends." He sighed again. "Guess I just feel like you didn't trust us enough or care enough to tell us until we forced it out of you." He was having a hard time keeping the hurt he felt out of his voice.

Hearing the emotion coming from the other man, Tommy propped his head up with one hand and closed his eyes again. "Adam...that's not it at all. You're one of my oldest and best friends...please don't think I didn't tell you because I didn't care about you. Even Jase and I didn't talk much about it once it was over. I just couldn't stand to relive that over and over. I kinda pushed it to the back of my mind and tried to concentrate on school-get on with my life, ya know?"

The former black Ninjetti was quiet for several moments, and then sighed softly. "Guess I understand. Just with everything that happened with Brooke, then connecting with you again and all of this…it's just a lot, you know? Guess I didn't realize what all Jason had in that folder." He'd even come across a report on the former Gold Ranger and some of the stuff he'd gone through after having the powers taken back by Trey.

"Yeah, I really wish he hadn't given you that damn file of his. I'm gonna have to talk to him about that. He should know better." Tommy paused and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. "Listen bro, I'm gonna see you again real soon and we'll sit down and talk about this, okay? Face to face would really be better."

"The blame's not all his, Falcon. I asked him for it when I first got back from your place." He was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, that'd be good. It'll be good to see you again. Any hint about when it'll be?" He could really use a face-to-face talk with his friend.

"Well, nothing's written in stone yet, but I'm working on making a weekend trip down to The Grove-probably next weekend if nothing comes up with school."

"Sounds like a plan. Hopefully I'll be feeling better by then and we can hang a bit."

"I'd really like that, Adam," Tommy smiled. "Hey, maybe we could get away from the others and just go have lunch together somewhere nice-whatcha think?" He knew he was going out on a limb a bit with that, but after all, that's where the fruit is.

Adam grinned slightly. "I'd like that. Be good to get away from these guys for a bit."

Tommy couldn't help laughing out loud at that. "Is Jase mother-henning you to death already?"

"Getting close and Rocky ain't much better. And that tone of voice Jase gets when you haven't done something that you know you should have." He shook his head. "Makes you feel like a kid and pisses you off at the same time."

"Man, you are preachin' to the choir," he giggled. "I know exactly which voice you mean. Irks me to no end." Tom sighed softly, knowing that he was going to have to call Jason now and check on the man. "Call me back when you feel up to talking some more or if you just need to talk, okay?"

Adam yawned. "Yeah, no problem." He chuckled softly. "Might call ya tomorrow if you don't mind. Figure I should apologize to Jase a bit after I blew up on him."

"Yeah absolutely-call me tomorrow, bro. As for Jase...I know he can be one of the most irritating humans that God ever let live, but he really does care, ya know."

"I know and thanks for talking to me, Tommy." He chuckled softly. "I'll let you go so that you can get Kyle home. Just do me a favor, bring some of that coffee when you come to visit."

"You got it-no problem. Take care of yourself, man. I'll talk to you tomorrow and see you soon. Oh, and tell the hens I said, "Hi" too!" he grinned.

Hanging up once again, Adam set the phone aside and pulled the blankets up. Turning to his side, he closed his eyes and grinning softly, slipped off to sleep.

Not long after hanging up with Adam, Tommy decided to go ahead and call Jason at the dojo. Hitting the speed dial on his cell, Tommy waited for his best friend to answer. "Jase? Hey, it's me."

The paramedic ran a hand through his hair and sighed softly as he settled onto the couch in the office. "Hey bro, what's up?" He knew that his voice sounded rough, but there was nothing that he could do about that.

"Jase? You okay? Adam told me that you guys had a bit of a fight."

A soft groan came from the former Gold Ranger as he leaned his head back and rested it against the couch. "If I said I was fine, would you believe me?"

"Umm...I'd have to say 'No'. You know better than to think you can hide something from me." He paused for a moment. "How are you really?"

"Well, let's just say that I think we're gonna need a new heavy bag in the dojo, I can't shut my eyes without seeing what happened in the wreck again, and I really need to see you, Tom." Jason had to swallow hard in order to finish what he was saying and then wiped his eyes.

Tommy could hear the emotion in his best friend/lover's voice-it hurt to hear him like this. "Aww baby...I'll be down there on Friday and we can reconnect then, okay?" He sighed as memories of the wreck flashed through his mind as well. "I wish you hadn't pulled that damn file out again. You know how it affects you."

"And I really can't wait to see you again." A heavy sigh slipped from the other man. "If I hadn't pulled it out, then Adam would have gone looking for it since I told him it existed after he got back from seeing you." He was quiet for a moment. "It would have been a lot worse for me if he had gone and found it while I was gone and then I came home to see it sitting out. There's no telling how I would have reacted then."

"I know that Adam said that he just wanted to understand more of what happened to me, but he should've known that he wasn't emotionally ready to read all that. Why would he do that to himself?"

"I honestly don't think he really understood everything until he saw it in print, Tom. You and I both know how bad it was because we were there and lived it. He only has our version of things until the file was given to him to read over."

"Yeah, that's true. Well, I guess this is just one more thing we'll have to help him deal with. And when we get together in a couple of days, I'll try my best to help you get past it too."

"You mean help me stuff it back into the box that I keep it in?" Jason snorted softly. "I'm never really going to get past seeing you die, bro. That's something that will always haunt my nightmares, but for the most part I deal with it. Every person I help in the field goes a little bit towards helping that as well."

Tommy lowered his head and sighed. "I know. I really wish I could erase that episode in our lives, but...it's made us what we are today, ya know? Who knows where we would've ended up if that damned wreck hadn't happened? But you do a lot of good, you help a lot of people-you always have."

"You've helped your share too, bro." The Original Red Ranger sat up a bit. "But you're right, there's now telling who we would've become if you hadn't been in the wreck. I wish it had been a little less traumatic for both of us, but it has made us who we are."

Tommy agreed. "So tell me, other than being mad at us for keeping things from him, how is Adam?"

"He's still tiring easily and has been getting headaches. I'm actually thinking I should take him to see a doctor."

"What could be wrong with him, you think? I mean, I know he really tied one on, but he should be getting over that by now, shouldn't he?"

"Truthfully I think he might have caught a bug that was going around the dojo. That coupled with him not eating anything, drinking only alcohol, throwing up and then falling asleep on top of the covers in just his boxers all helped to tear down his immune system. Most of the kids that got sick, from what their parents said, all acted kind of lethargic, tired easily, couple got really bad headaches... pretty much like they all had a weak version of the flu. So, I'm really hoping it is something like that, but I'd feel better knowing for sure."

"Well, I remember how he used to hate doctors-don't know if that's changed. But if you think that's best then make him go. I don't want us waiting around on him to get better and him actually end up worse off."

"If I have to I'll guilt him into going. It's worked before, but it's not something I like doing. You're right though; better to have him go now than to let something get worse, especially with his birthday coming up."

"The party's still on, right? Even if he's not feeling the best, I think it'd do him good to have all his friends around. Moral support, ya know."

"Yeah, I think we should still have it. It'll definitely do him some good to see that his friends really are all there for him. Wes and Eric are supposed to come up for it as well."

"Oh good, I haven't seen those two in quite a while. So I'll be down on Friday as soon as I can break away from school. I think I'd better go now and see about Kyle. Call me again tomorrow?"

"Friday can't come soon enough for me, bro. I really need to just hold you for a while." He grinned slightly. "And maybe remind myself of why I love you." He chuckled softly. "Go check on your boy and I'll talk to you later. If I take Adam to the doctor, I'll call and let you know how things went."

"Okay, good. And I'm really looking forward to seeing you again too, hot stuff. Love you," he said with a smile.

"Love you too. I'll talk to you later, Tom. See you Friday." Sighing softly, Jason hung up and then rested against the back of the couch.

Once he'd hung up with Jason, Tommy made his way out to the jeep to check on Kyle. 'I didn't mean to leave him out here this long. Hope he's okay,' he thought as he walked across the grounds to the parking lot.

When the door to the jeep opened, Kyle opened his eyes sleepily and then stretched a bit. "Everything okay?" Sitting the seat back up, he put his seatbelt on while his mentor got settled.

"Yeah, everybody's pretty much alright. Sorry to keep you waiting so long," Tom said, getting settled behind the wheel. "You feel like going to the store with me or want me to drop you off at home first?"

"No problem, just gave me more of a nap is all." He nodded, watching the older man carefully. "I'm good for a trip to the store. I was thinking that I could make dinner tonight." There was just something in the other man's voice that made him want to dig deeper and find out what all the call had detailed.

"That'd be nice. What did ya have in mind?"

"Well, how about some salmon? We can see if they have any good filets, or even salmon steaks. That along with some fresh asparagus and maybe some lightly seasoned potatoes plus a salad."

"Sounds great-I love salmon. You feel like cooking, though? Don't want you to overdo."

"I'll be fine and if you want to help, I can show you a few things." Kyle grinned at his friend. "Promise I won't let you burn the kitchen down."

Tom chuckled. "It might be good for me to learn a few tricks. Wanna teach the teacher?"

"Probably be the only chance I ever get." The blonde settled back in the seat again. "So we know about dinner, what do you want to try and make for dessert?"

"Well, I don't know. Something kinda easy, I guess," he grinned. "You know I'm a 'basic cooking' kinda guy."

"Okay, then how about that white chocolate berry trifle? It's easier than it looks and my trifle dish is still at your place."

"Think I can handle something like that?"

"As long as you follow the recipe, no problem. It's when you start trying to take short cuts that you'd run into problems." He yawned and stretched again. "We'll need to get the stuff for that, plus some lemons, thyme, and green onion for the salmon."

-o-O-o-

Jason sighed as he changed after the last class. He was tired and his earlier argument with Adam weighed heavily on him. After locking up and starting for home, he made a quick stop to grab some sherbet for them. Once back in the car it was only a few minutes to home. When he reached the apartment and finally got out, Jason took his time walking from the parking lot to his place. Going inside, he nodded at Rocky. "Hey man."

"Jase, hey. Classes go okay?"

"Yeah, once I actually focused on them."

"Good. I got Adam to eat earlier and then he went off into his room to talk to Tommy. Haven't seen him since," Rocky reported.

"Might have taken a nap. He did yesterday." Setting his bag down, he took a seat on the couch. "Guess Adam told you a bit about what happened earlier."

"Yeah, he did. And Jase, I gotta admit...I'm a little upset about it too. I can definitely see why Adam is so hurt."

"We never meant to keep it from you guys for so long, but that was a bad time for the both of us. When he woke up blind, Tommy kicked his Uncle John out because he was hovering too much. When he threatened to do the same to me after I wanted to call you guys, I just gave in to him." He sighed. "After that, we both had a hard time dealing with what had happened. It took me almost a year to tell him that I'd ridden with him in the ambulance where they lost him twice on the way to the hospital."

Rocky sat listening and shaking his head. "Damn...I can only imagine what that's like. Don't wanna find out, either. I mean, Adam told me your explanation and I guess I understand it. You just gotta know, he's not in a good place right now to deal with much of anything. He's been hit right upside the head with some bad stuff lately and I think he just got to the end of his rope."

"I know and if I honestly didn't think that he might have gone looking for it himself, I'd have waited. We both know him, Rocky. If he wants something, he'll find a way to get it. That's also why I stayed nearby when he went through it. And why he's going to be staying here for a few days."

Rocky nodded. "Probably a good idea-I don't think he needs to be alone." He paused and then a thought occurred to him. "Speaking of not being alone, are we still gonna have the party on Saturday?" he leaned in and whispered.

"Yeah, even if he's not feeling 100%, I think it'll do him good."

Jason grinned. "Plus Tommy will be here and I think he can get Adam to talk more."

"Can I ask you something, Jase?"

He raised an eyebrow at him. "Sure."

"Is it just me or did Adam get close to Tommy again really quickly?"

"Well, the only thing I can think of is that they've both been through the same sort of thing. You and I really haven't."

"I guess...just seems kinda odd to me. You gonna try to talk to him tonight?"

"Who? Adam or Tommy?"

"Umm Adam...sorry. Well...either really, now that you bring it up."

"Yeah, Adam I'll be talking to tonight for sure. I owe him an apology for snapping at him. As for Tommy, I might. He's got his teaching assistant staying with him for a few days."

"Oh?" Rocky asked with a grin. "From what Adam's said, that guy's a handful."

"Haven't talked to or met him, but from what Tom says, he's definitely something else. He's also got a few health problems, which is how I know he's staying with Falcon." He sniffed. "Casserole?"

"Oh yeah...sorta my version of Cottage Pie-you'll like it," Rocky remarked, getting up to check on said dish. "It's still got about 45 minutes though."

"That's fine. It'll give me time to take a shower and check on Adam." He looked over at his friend. "And Rocky? Thanks."

Rocky tilted his head. "For what?"

"Keeping me level. I know that alotta times I can get wrapped up in things, but like today, you helped pull me back down. I appreciate it."

"Oh...okay. No problem, big guy," he said with a smile and a light punch to Jason's arm.

Rolling his eyes, the paramedic shook his head. "Better be something for dessert." He grinned at him and went to his room to take a shower.

'Hmmm...dessert, dessert...' Rocky thought, rooting through the fridge. 'Well, there's always the Jello.'

Rolling over and stretching a bit, Adam slowly opened his eyes. "Man, what time is it?" he mumbled, rolling toward his nightstand. Once he'd seen that it was getting close to dinnertime, he decided to get up and go see what Rocky had come up with. That soup he'd eaten was long gone.

After standing beneath the warm spray for several minutes, Jason washed quickly and turned the water off. He dried off haphazardly, and then wrapped the towel around his waist. He pulled out a pair of boxers and a t-shirt along with a pair of sleep pants.

Shuffling into the kitchen, Adam surprised Rocky. "Hey Rocko," he said, chuckling as his old friend nearly jumped out of his skin. "Nervous, man?"

"Dude, I just get rid of Jason and then you come all sneaky-sneaky in behind me." He raised his arms into the air. "Why would I be nervous, Mr. Ninja Toes?"

Adam gave him a quizzical look and then shook his head. "Yeah, okay. What's for dinner?"

"Cottage pie and I've got some fresh rolls along with a salad."

"Mmmm, sounds good. Where's Jase?" he asked, getting a long drink of ice water.

The taller man grinned as he walked up behind Adam and waited until he'd put the glass down, then grabbed him from behind. "Right here, Frog boy."

"Hey!" Adam exclaimed, jumping in Jason's grip. "Don't do that!" he said, trying not to smile, but failing.

"What? Thought you had all these 'ninja senses'." He started tickling the other man, knowing that his sides were vulnerable.

"Not right...now I...don't," he said, squirming and trying to get away from his friend.

"Oh? Why's that? Bit ticklish?"

Rocky just stood back and watched, finishing up with getting dinner ready.

"Yeah, just a bit," Adam exclaimed, finally getting away from Jason's grasp. He stood off to the side, well out of reach, and tried to catch his breath. "You ass..." he gasped.

He frowned. "You okay?" Jason walked over to him and put a hand on his back.

"Yeah, I think so. Still a bit weak, I guess," Adam said.

"Sorry man, I didn't mean to get you that worked up." He rubbed circles on his friend's back. "How about we go sit down for a few minutes before dinner? I can give you the once over."

"Sure," Adam said simply and headed for the couch.

Rocky flashed Jason both hands. Nodding, Jason followed Adam into the living room, grabbing his kit from beside the door where he kept it. "Still have the headache?"

"No, it's better now. The nap helped."

"Good. You might have to take a few of those to help yourself get back to normal." He did a quick check of the former Black Ranger's vitals. He still wasn't happy with all the numbers, but was willing to let it be for now. "Your blood pressure's still a bit low."

"Really? Well, I'm sure it'll be okay. I feel alright, just a little weak, like I said. Maybe after I eat I'll feel better."

"I believe you, but I want you to take it easy for the rest of the night. We'll wait until Friday, all right? If it's still low, I'll take you to see the doc and we'll make sure there's nothing wrong."

"I don't need to go to the doctor, Jase. I'll be fine," Adam said, taking another long drink. "Just really thirsty all of a sudden."

"Adam, listen to me, alright? No matter what happened between us earlier, this is not something I'm going to budge on. Honestly, I probably should have taken you in Monday." He looked over at Rocky. "Hey Rocky, let's eat in here. And bring me a Gatorade for Adam please."

Giving the paramedic an 'I don't need another mother' look, Adam rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He took a drink of the Gatorade when Rocky brought it over and then sat back on the couch.

"After dinner, we'll give it about an hour, and then I want to check it again, see if eating helps. If you're still thirsty, I want to put you on an IV for the night." He looked at his friend. "Please? I'd rather not have to take you to the doctor, but I also really want you to start feeling better."

"Alright, alright," Adam agreed, realizing that Jason was just looking out for him. "And Jase...like I said on the phone, I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have pushed you like I did."

Sighing softly, Jason pulled him into a loose hug. "And you're right; we shouldn't have kept all that we did from you guys. It was just so hard to talk about it after we finally started to get it behind us. I know it's not a good excuse, but it just really hurt too much to talk about."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to understand that. I talked to Tommy for a little while too. He said a lot of the same things you did."

"I'm glad you talked to him. Maybe when he gets the time, he can come down here. Spend a couple of days and you two can talk some more."

Adam nodded. "He said he was going to try to come next weekend if he can get away." His face lit up a little as he spoke. "I hope he can make it."

"Well, I'm sure he'll do everything he can to get here." Jason released him and sat back a bit. "Ready to eat?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty hungry," Adam responded, looking toward the kitchen. "But umm, can I ask you something first? It's kinda been buggin' me."

Jason met his eyes again and nodded. "Sure, what is it?"

"Well, you mentioned that Tommy had kicked his Uncle John out because he was hovering and that he'd threatened to do the same to you, right?"

"Right, he just couldn't stand having people all over him like that," Jason confirmed.

"But Jase… what about his parents? Where were they? I can't imagine they could stay away if they'd been told that their only child had come close to dying and had woken up blind." Adam knew the Olivers and so he knew what kind of people they were. He also knew how close Tommy had been to his folks while he was in high school.

Sighing softly, the paramedic ran a hand through his hair. "A few months before the accident, his parents got a chance to go with the Peace Corps to some remote village out in Africa. His dad's work in engineering got them noticed and having his mom there to help out was just an added bonus." He was quiet for a moment. "It took almost a month for word of the accident to reach them and by that time Tommy was in Silver Hills. It took another two months before they could get back to the States."

"Oh yeah, I think I remember that now. It wasn't long after graduation that they left, it seems like." Adam sat and thought for a moment. "It took that long for them to get back? Really?"

Jason nodded. "Took three weeks just for them to reach a phone. They called and talked to John. He told them what had happened and how Tommy was, plus the fact that he had been moved to Silver Hills. After that, it took two weeks just to get a flight to one of the major airports there in Africa and another week to get on a regular flight back to the States."

"Damn...they must've been out in the absolute middle of nowhere. I'll bet they were goin' crazy trying to get back here," Adam said, shaking his head. "Well, that explains that. I guess I'd just forgotten that his folks were out of the country."

"It's not your fault. They rarely ever talk about that trip because both of them feel guilty that they didn't get home sooner to be with Tommy."

"I'm sure they got home as fast as they could. Besides, if what you're telling me is true, his parents hovering over him would've driven Tommy crazy." He sniffed the air and remembered the food that their friend had made just as the former Ape called them to dinner. "You ready to eat now? Smells great."

Nodding, the former Gold Ranger winked at his friend. "All right Rocko, let's eat."

Rocky snorted. "What do I look like, your butler?"

Laughing, all three friends slowly settled in to enjoy dinner.

-o-O-o-

Adam moaned softly. His body ached and he tried once again to get a hold of the others. When that failed, he tried to get to his feet. That's when he saw them, coming closer in the darkness. "No... stay away. Get away from me." His voice was rough as he spoke in his sleep while trying to fight remembered creatures.

Waking slowly, Jason yawned and rubbed his eyes, thinking how thirsty he was. After a couple of minutes, he decided that he really did need something to drink. Covers thrown back, he rolled out of bed and started down the hallway to the kitchen.

The former green Zeo Ranger groaned again. He tried to scoot backwards to get away from them as they come closer. "Get away from me! Leave me alone!"

As Jason padded down the hallway, he thought he heard voices. He leaned in close to the door to Adam's room and heard him yelling. "What the..." he mumbled, turning the doorknob.

"No! Leave me alone! Help me! Can anyone hear me? Rocky! Tommy! Please, answer me!" He tossed and turned in the bed, legs tangled in the sheets as sweat soaked his shirt and hair.

"He's dreaming," Jason said as he realized what was going on. "Adam? Can you hear me?" he asked, trying not to startle the other man.

The other man was oblivious as he continued to try and get away from the creatures in his mind. "Someone answer me please!" He groaned again, the remembered pain joining the aches he already had.

Jason sat on the edge of the bed and gently reached out to him. "Adam, it's Jason... it's okay, bro. I'm here. You're safe."

The effect was almost instantaneous as Adam sat upright quickly. "NO!" His eyes were wide and unfocused while his breathing sounded loud and harsh in the ensuing silence.

Jason was startled but recovered quickly. Grabbing Adam by both of his arms, he tried again to get through to his friend. "Adam! Wake up! You're just dreaming-you're safe. Come on, bro."

Slowly, the former Black Ranger awoke, then sighed heavily and leaned against Jason. He shivered slightly, but didn't say anything for a few moments.

"You okay, man? What was that about?" Jason asked, holding onto the slightly younger man.

The Korean took a shuddering breath. "The night that we got Tommy back from Gasket, when we fought that... that thing with all the arms. All the trouble we were having with the transporter and communicators that night."

Jason sat and thought. Those images seemed like a lifetime ago, but he did remember what Adam was talking about. "Yeah, I remember...is that what you were dreaming about? Being lost?"

"Yeah, except I couldn't get to my feet and get out of there. It just kept coming closer and I couldn't get ahold of anyone."

"Aww man...that must've been scary. What brought this up out of your memories?"

"Only thing I can think of is reading Tom's file and thinking about all the things that could have gone wrong for all of us. I mean, except for the first Green Ranger powers, I've had almost as many as he has. Even what the Sentinel Knight restored could be bad if we use it too often. Guess all of that kind of messed with my head."

"Yeah, I've thought about that for all of us who've had more than one set of powers. Tom's powers being changed so many times and them having been ripped away hasn't helped his condition any."

"Think something like that could happen to the rest of us? I mean, we all lost both the first set of powers and the Ninjetti pretty quickly. Then almost immediately got another set. Took a bit to get used to them-how they felt in battle and that kind of stuff." He snorted. "Including all the extra crap that went along with adjusting to new powers."

"I really don't know, Froggy. It's hard to say since we're the only ones that it's ever happened to. I mean, you know what trouble I had getting over the Gold powers and how sick it made me."

"Yeah, I remember. We were all really worried about you after that."

"I think that's the worst I've ever felt, physically at least, in my entire life. I can definitely understand some of what Tom is going through now."

"I bet you can." Adam sighed and pulled at his sweat-soaked shirt. "Should probably change this." He shivered slightly.

"Yeah, you should. Want me to make you some tea? I was going to the kitchen anyway," Jason offered.

"Yeah, that'd be good. I'll meet you there." He got slowly out of the bed and then stripped his wet shirt off, tossing it onto his other dirty clothes.

In the kitchen, Jason had put the kettle on for Adam and had grabbed a Gatorade for himself. "Have a seat-tea'll be ready in a few minutes," he said when the younger man joined him.

He nodded and took a seat at the counter. "Thanks, Jase."

"You feelin' okay? Calmed down any?"

"Head's starting to hurt a bit, but I'm calming down. Been awhile since I've had a dream like that."

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I understand that. Just when you think you've gotten past the nightmare stage, they come back."

"Yeah, but I mean it's literally been years since I've had one that bad. Few small ones." He chuckled softly. "Had one that scared Brooke once."

Setting Adam's tea down in front of him, Jason took a seat at the counter. "Well, we know what brought it on, don't we? You've gotta get all of that stuff off your mind-it'll eat you up."

"Reading the file." Adam took a careful drink of the hot brew, then set it down. "Guess just seeing all of that stuff in writing brought things back, you know?"

Nodding slowly, Jason looked his friend in the eyes. "Now was not a good time for you to read all that, but I knew I wouldn't be able to put you off. Look, if you really want to help our Falcon, you need to take care of yourself. Know what I mean?"

He held his friend's gaze for a moment, then dropped his head slightly. "Yeah, I know. And I'm trying Rex, I really am." He took another drink of tea.

Jason reached over and gently rubbed Adam's back. "I know...you've had a lot of bad stuff hit you lately-like being in a rock slide, huh? But things will calm down and get better. You're home now where you have lots of friends that care a lot about you. And Tommy's not far up the road-you can see him more than you might think. Hell, I just take a notion and go sometimes. So it'll get better for you-just hang in there, Froggy."

The former Green Zeo nodded, then sighed softly and rubbed his temples. "Sometimes I wonder where I'd be if I'd listened to Rocky and not married her."

"Don't know, but you can't drive yourself crazy with 'what ifs'. Just concern yourself with the future." Jason paused and took a long drink. "I mean, you've got the dojo now and it's doing well. That's what you've always wanted to do, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is and you're right, it's doing well. Better than I thought it would be."

"So see? Things are looking up," Jason said with a trademark smile.

"Guess so." He took another drink, and then sighed. "Got some Tylenol handy? These headaches can quit, dude." He was quiet for a moment. "I'm thinking that expanding the dojo or opening another location might be a good idea."

"Yeah, I think you might be right," the former Ranger Commander said, getting up from his seat. "Any idea where?"

"Not sure yet. Opening another one in this area would just be pitting them against each other. Maybe somewhere a bit north."

"North, huh? Might be a good idea." Bringing back the Tylenol and another bottle of Gatorade, he put them in front of Adam. "You need to drink more, I think. Dehydration might be what's causing these headaches."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Sayin' I'm not drinking enough, Rex?" He fought the grin that tried to form as he took two of the pills with a long drink of Gatorade.

Jason grinned. "Yeah...not enough of the right things, that is."

"Guess this means I get to spend all day with Rocky shoving Gatorade and water down my throat, huh?"

"Actually, I think I'm gonna hook you up to an IV and keep an eye on you myself. Got a problem with that, Sparky?" he added with a grin.

"Other than the IV part? Not really." He gave his friend a soft grin. "Guess the IV's part of the deal about going to the doc, huh?"

"That's right. I still think it'd be a good idea for you to get checked out, though. I mean, it couldn't hurt, right?"

"You're not gonna let it go, are you?" He sighed. "I don't have a doctor here, Jase. You know me, I hardly ever get sick and when I get a sprain or something either I take care of it or you do."

"Not a problem. I can give you a list of doctors a mile long. We'll find you one," Jason answered, letting Adam know that it really wasn't open for discussion.

Shaking his head, Adam sighed. "All right, fine. When are you 'suggesting' that I do this?"

"I'll see what I can arrange. Might as well get it over with, that way if there is something you need treatment for you can go ahead and get started on it."

"So you mean today." He finished off the tea, and then took another drink of the Gatorade. "Fine, hopefully there'll be nothing for him to find and I won't have to spend my birthday worrying about it."

"Exactly. Oh yeah...your birthday's Saturday, isn't it?" Jason answered nonchalantly as he got up and stretched.

"Yeah, it is." He took another drink, and then sighed. "Let's get this over with." He wasn't looking forward to going back into his room. Experience had taught him that if he had one nightmare, he'd have more.

As they walked back down the hallway, Jason could tell that Adam was apprehensive. "Umm...you wanna bunk in with me for the rest of the night? Might keep the dreams at bay," he offered.

The former Frog paused at the doorway to the guest room, then looked over at his friend. For a moment, he didn't answer, then he nodded. "Yeah, might help some."

"Good," Jason said simply and walked toward his room with his friend close behind. "The bed's plenty big enough for two." He pulled the covers back and crawled into his usual side. "Make yourself comfortable."

Crawling in, Adam at first stayed a bit away from Jason. As he relaxed, he moved a bit closer to the other man, seeking the warmth and comfort of being close to someone.

"G'night. Let me know if you need anything, okay?" Jason asked, snuggling down into the soft bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.

"I will." Adam pulled the covers up, sighing softly as he closed his eyes. "Thanks Rex."

-o-O-o-

Thursday

Coming back into the apartment, Adam watched as Jason went to the kitchen to put away the groceries they'd gotten. Grabbing the phone, he slipped off to the bathroom and locked the door before closing the toilet lid and taking a seat. He dialed Tommy's number, and then waited for the man to pick up.

"Get that for me, will you Kyle?" Tommy asked, as his phone started ringing for a second time.

"Sure Tom, no problem." Picking up the phone, the younger man didn't even look at the caller ID as he answered it. "Hello?"

"Tommy, you have got to get me outta here. Rex's driving me ape shit. And Rocky ain't no better. Frickin' Reds. You'd think they'd been leaders or something close to it in Rocky's case." There was a snort. "Although I might have to include you with them as well, 'oh Fearless Leader'. Either way, you've got to get me out of here bro."

Surprise was easily visible on the blonde's face as he looked at his mentor. "Um, this isn't Tommy." He said when the voice on the other end finally let him get a word in edgewise.

For a moment there was total silence before Adam inhaled sharply, and then groaned. "Um, hey Kyle, can I speak to Tommy please?" While he waited for the kid to hand over the phone, the former Frog was muttering to himself under his breath.

"Sure, just give me a second and I'll get him for you." Shaking his head, Kyle held the phone out to the older man. "Dude, think you need to take this one. It sounds like Adam, but he's totally wiggin'. He keeps saying something about Rex and Reds." Shrugging, he handed the phone off to his mentor and grabbed their bags. "I'll wait for you in the car dude, 'cause you definitely need to take a few and talk to him."

As his protégé walked away, Tommy balled up a piece of paper and tossed it at the back of the blonde's head. "Don't call me 'dude'." He shook his head at the hand gesture he got in return. "You need to stop picking up on Connor's bad habits."

"Whatever, dude." With a wave of his hand, the younger man left. Once he reached the parking lot, Kyle tossed the bags into the back and then climbed into the front. Leaning the seat back, he closed his eyes and drifted off, realizing that it might be a while before his friend joined him for the trip back home.

After watching Kyle walk away, it finally hit the former Ranger Commander exactly what some of the things were that his protégé had said. Groaning softly, he sighed before answering the phone. "Adam? Are you okay?"

The snort on the other end gave Tommy part of an answer. "I don't know, Tom, why don't you tell me. First off, I practically tell that little devil you have working with you that we were Rangers. Then Rex is totally on my ass about taking care of myself, including making me go to a doctor. So, no, I'm probably far from alright at the moment."

Tommy couldn't help but chuckle. "Mother henning you to death, eh? That's our Rex." He paused and laughed again. "Don't worry about Kyle. He probably doesn't even really understand what you were talking about. As for Jase, what's he doing?"

"He made me get a doctor and go see him, Falcon." He snorted at the other man. "And it's not funny."

Continuing to laugh, Tom managed to say, "Yes, it is. Cause for once it's not me!" After another bout with the giggles, the former Ranger Commander tried to calm himself. After clearing his throat, he said, "So what did the doc say, anyway?"

Rolling his eyes, Adam sighed softly. "Said that I was dehydrated. He gave me an IV in his office and some sort of shot. Also told me not to work out or anything for another week."

"Well, that's not so bad. Now what is Jase doing that's driving you so crazy? Just making you go to the doctor isn't enough reason for me to come down there and kidnap you."

"Aw, come on. You know that he's going to be worse now. Please Tommy? At least come down for a visit so that his attention is somewhere else. I'll give you a massage."

"Hmmm...that's tempting, I have to admit. Maybe I could work it out," Tom said, trying not to let on that had been planning all along on visiting the next day.

"Please Tommy, I'd really appreciate it." He sighed. "Besides, it'd be nice to see someone other than Rocky or Jason."

"Yeah, their ugly mugs can get on your nerves after a while," he laughed. "Okay, okay-you talked me into it. I'll be down tomorrow after my last class, okay?"

His voice brightened. "Really? You mean it?" He grinned. "You're not just saying that, are you?"

Grinning in return, Tommy responded, "No, I'm not just saying that-I wouldn't do that to you, bro. Just lay low until I get there and I'll swoop in and snag you, okay?"

"Thanks Tommy." He groaned as Jason knocked on the door to the bathroom. "I'm fine Rex."

Tommy couldn't help it-he burst out laughing on the other end of the phone. "You'll be okay until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He got up and unlocked the door. Opening it, he rolled his eyes at the original Red Ranger. "So any idea what time you'll be here tomorrow, Falcon?"

"Well, that depends on if Randall makes me stay for the assembly or not. I'll call and let you know when I find something out."

"Cool. So you wanna talk to Rex?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I can get him to lay off a bit-no promises though," he chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks Tom. I'll see you tomorrow." He handed the phone to Jason. "Told you that I was okay."

The paramedic chuckled softly. "Yeah, I see. Heated you up some of that Cottage Pie." He took the phone from him and chuckled softly. "Hey."

Tommy was still laughing when he heard Jason's voice. "Hey there, Rex."

"See you told him that you were coming." He grinned as he watched Adam shaking his head as he took a seat and started eating.

"I had to...he was so pitiful," Tom said with a chuckle. "I'm gonna try to get there around lunchtime tomorrow if I can swing it."

He arched an eyebrow. "Going to cut class, Dr. Oliver? For shame."

"No, smartass. We've got an assembly after lunch and I'm gonna try to cut out before that. I'd like to take Adam out to lunch, see if I can get him to talk to me a little more."

He chuckled softly. "Might be a good idea. I wouldn't advise anything really heavy, but he'd probably enjoy the change of scenery."

"Oh yeah, I know he would. Think he's getting a bit tired of only seeing you and Rocky. But seriously Rex, lay off the mother hen act a little, okay? He's a grown man."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll try, but no promises. Least getting him into the doctor was helpful, so yeah, I might be willing back off a bit."

"Good. I know it's only because you care, but he really doesn't like to be hovered over."

"Like I said, I'll try." He grinned. "Make sure you call me, let me know that you're on the way."

"Will do. It'll be nice to see you again too," Tommy said, his voice softening.

"Definitely." He moved down the hall a bit. "Be good to be able to hold you again."

"Mmm hmm," Tommy replied. "I've been missing you a lot lately."

"Oh really?" He chuckled softly. "It's not like you haven't had company."

The former Black Ranger was a bit surprised by that comment. "Jase...you know it's not like that. Come on now."

"Uh huh... robbing the cradle might get you frowned on you know." He was trying to not laugh.

"Oh please...give me a break. You have nothing to worry about where Kyle is concerned, I promise," Tommy said with a chuckle.

He laughed softly. "You'd probably give that boy a heart attack if you even tried." He sighed softly. "Can't wait to see you tomorrow."

Tommy groaned. "Probably so. Anyway, I'm anxious to see you too. I'll call before I leave."

"Good. Think Rocky's making lasagna for tomorrow, but he's not going to be here."

"Ooh, the famous DeSantos lasagna-that'll make a nice dinner. See you tomorrow, Rex."

"See you then. Get some rest tonight." He grinned. "You're gonna need it."

"Mmm... Does that mean what I think it means?" Tommy asked with a sly smile.

"Probably." He grinned. "Figure we've got some catching up to do of our own."

"Very true, very true. See you tomorrow, then," he said and after they'd said their goodbyes, he stood grinning and shaking his head. "Gonna be an interesting weekend, looks like," he said to no one in particular.

Kyle had tried his best to fall asleep, but after initially drifting off for a few minutes, his thoughts woke him. Sitting there in the jeep, he kept turning over what Adam had said on the phone today and how his mentor had looked the day before. Tommy had been distracted through most of the shopping at the store and things didn't improve a lot while they made dinner. The young man sighed heavily. He wasn't going to be able to relax until he had figured out what was going on and how he could help the man that was treating him like a friend and not a burden.

As Tom got closer to his jeep, he could see Kyle sitting there staring off into space. When he opened the door and put his things in the back, he felt that he had to apologize. "Kyle, I'm sorry. That's two days in a row I've made you sit out here and wait for me. Let me make it up to you, 'k?"

The blonde turned to him and frowned. "Why do you have to make it up to me? You didn't ask for me to come and stay with you, Dr. O." He shrugged. "Besides, from the way Adam was wiggin' out on the phone and how serious you looked yesterday, I should be the one offering to do something for you."

Tommy sighed and looked at his young friend. "Kyle...I told you that I don't mind at all having you as a guest-keeps me from being alone. As for Adam," he chuckled, "he's okay-our well-meaning friends are just about to mother hen him to death, that's all."

"Yeah well, the way he was carrying on when I answered with something about Reds and some sort of leaders, it was different than I remember him from when he was up here, you know? Just glad that he's okay, seemed like a nice guy." He looked at his mentor. "How are you doing though? Yesterday you were distracted after he called and seemed worried about something."

Trying to distract Kyle from any discussion of 'Reds' and the path that would inevitably lead down, Tommy focused on the last part of the boy's statement. "Adam is a nice guy-so are Jason and Rocky, for that matter." He cleared his throat while putting the jeep in gear. "As for yesterday, well...the conversations that I had while you waited out here brought up some bad memories, that's all."

"You know that if you need to talk about it, I'm willing to listen." Kyle put his seatbelt on and settled in the seat again. "And if you really want to make it up to me, let's not have chicken tonight."

He'd gotten them grilled chicken sandwiches for lunch and there was no way that he wanted to eat the same thing twice.

The science teacher grinned. "Okay then...how about steaks on the grill? Big man needs some red meat," he laughed.

The younger man's eyebrows rose. "Seriously? Dude, do you know how long it's been since I've had a steak, much less one I didn't have to cook?"

"Well, I haven't had one in a while either," he said with a smile at Kyle's enthusiasm. "We can have a big tossed salad and a baked potato, too. What would be good for dessert, kiddo?"

For a few moments, Kyle was quiet and then he grinned. "Well, add some corn on the cob to go with the steak, potatoes and salad. I'll whip up a dressing and for dessert how about a lemon ice box pie?"

"That'll work. And Kyle..." Tom said quietly, but tailed off.

With a frown, the young man turned to his mentor but said nothing. Instead, he waited patiently for the man to finish.

"Don't call me 'dude'," Tommy said, feigning irritation.

Chuckling softly, he shook his head and settled back in the seat as they headed to pick up the items they'd need for dinner. "Whatever you say, Dr. O, whatever you say."

-o-O-o-

Friday

Kyle moved about easily in the kitchen as he put the finishing touches on the peaches with a light caramel sauce for the pancakes. Scrambled eggs with green peppers and cheese, plus a side of bacon had already been added to their plates. He looked over at the clock before nodding slightly.

After grabbing a hot pad, he pulled the plate holding the pancakes out of the oven and put three on each plate. Once he had that finished, Kyle was getting ready to put both plates on the table when he heard his mentor coming down the stairs. Expecting the same old outfit of slacks, dress shirt and tie, Kyle froze at seeing his mentor.

Tommy walked straight over to the coffee maker, not taking much notice of Kyle at first. He did smell the wonderful aromas coming from the meal that the boy had prepared. "Smells great, Kyle. You didn't have to go to all this trouble, though," he said, glancing over at his protégé. That's when he noticed the look on his face. "What?"

Instead of answering, Kyle walked closer to the older man, and then started walking around him. He shook his head as he met the warm, chocolate eyes. "Damn Dr. O, you trying to distract the whole class? 'Cause them pants just make you want to reach out and grab that ass to see if it feels as good as it looks."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "They're just pants, Kyle, nothing special." He took a sip of his coffee. "Food about ready?"

"Yeah, food's ready and I hate to tell you, that whole outfit screams 'date' ten times greater than it screams 'school'." He went back to the stove and put the compote into a bowl. Picking up one of the plates, he started over to the table. "I only made the peaches this morning."

"Peaches are fine...and you know I'm not going on a date-just school." He took his seat and got ready to start on his breakfast.

"Oh, I know." Going back into the kitchen, Kyle returned a few moments later with a glass of juice and his morning meds. "So is there any special reason why you're dressed up a bit?"

"Oh I don't know, just felt like it today for some reason. Do I really look that much different than usual?" Tom asked, locking eyes with his young friend. He knew that he'd made special effort this morning and was actually glad that Kyle had noticed.

For a moment, the blonde was quiet before nodding. "Yeah, you do. You look like you actually took your time shaving this morning, your hair is fixed a bit differently, and like I said, those pants fit you really well without being considered provocative." He grinned slightly. "Having a hard time deciding what I want to eat: you or breakfast. Then again, you'd make someone a damn fine breakfast."

Tom had the good grace to blush. "Well, thank you," he grinned. Not really knowing what else to say and not wanting to tell the boy exactly why he was dressed up this morning, the teacher dug into his food. "Better get to eating-don't wanna be late. I don't know about you, but I don't wanna hear Randall's mouth," he grinned.

"Not particularly." He started in on his own food. When he was almost finished, Kyle took his meds before going back to his food.

"Remind me to get that coffee from Hayley's, okay? Adam specifically asked for some 'Kyle Surprise'," Tom smiled.

"Oh, believe me, I'll remind you considering I wrapped all of his presents over there yesterday and they're in a box with about four bags of coffee just for him and your friends." As he was getting up to put his plate in the sink, Kyle raised an eyebrow at his mentor. "You wouldn't be trying to put the moves on Randall to get out early today, would you?"

"Huh? Oh please...she's not really my type, ya know," Tommy responded, not looking up.

"Uh huh, and you didn't put on cologne just to go to school." The young man put his dishes in the sink before washing his hands. After drying them, he walked up behind his mentor and put them on his shoulders. Leaning in a bit, he spoke somewhat softly. "Just play to her softer side and you'll get whatever you want."

Tommy turned his head slightly and looked up into Kyle's face. With a wink and a grin he said, "Oh, I know."

Shaking his head, Kyle laughed softly. "I'm sure you do."

-o-O-o-

Kyle walked up to Principal Randall's door and knocked a couple of times. He really wanted to just go home and get some sleep before working on the tests for Tommy. He bounced slightly on his feet while he waited for her to open the door.

"Mr. Sorensen... Please, come in," she said, stepping aside after opening the door. "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could miss out on the pep rally this afternoon by going home right after lunch gets started. Dr. Oliver's class already has their assignment for Monday and they don't have anything to turn in today. So, after the pep rally there's no need for them to stop by the classroom. They can just go straight to the buses."

She smiled slightly and adjusted her glasses. "So what you're asking is if I'll let you skip out early like the aforementioned Dr. Oliver, is that right? Why? Something you need to take care of?"

"Actually, it's not a matter of needing to take care of something so much as right now I'm going through a bad time with my anemia. It's taking a lot out of me and my doctor wants me to rest as much as possible."

Sitting down at her desk and becoming more serious, she looked at him with concern. "I see. Sorry to hear you're having problems, Kyle. Anything we can do for you?" She was really rather fond of this young man who she remembered from his time as a student there. He was one of the few that she actually felt anything aside from 'harm' towards during her time as Elsa.

He shook his head. "Dr. Oliver's helping me stick to my schedule as far as eating and stuff. It's just a matter of trying to get everything done. I've got one final paper that I'm working on and its due Monday. After that, things should level off for me. If not, it just means we try something new, again."

"Well, it's good to know that he's helping you out like that," she said with a smile. "Sure, you can go ahead and go as soon as everyone is in the gym for the rally. Like you said, there's no need for you to hang around if the kids don't need anything from your classroom."

"Thank you, Principal Randall." Kyle flashed her a grin. "I appreciate it." He turned to leave; pausing to give her another grin before starting down the hall as the bell rang, sending everyone to lunch.

-o-O-o-

Once the hall was empty again and the lunch period had started, Kyle made his way to Tommy's classroom. He raised an eyebrow when he spotted the cell phone on the desk in the store room. Shaking his head, he gathered his own things plus what he'd need to grade the tests over the weekend. Finally, he pocketed the phone and headed out. 'Oh well. Just means a ride out to his place. Hopefully he hasn't left yet.' Minutes later, Kyle was in his truck and on the way to his mentor's house in the sticks.

Looking at his watch and picking up the desk phone, Jason dialed the number for his best friend's cell phone. 'I wonder if he's left yet,' he thought while the phone rang.

Kyle's eyebrow shot up a bit when he felt the phone in his pocket start to vibrate. Removing it, he was half-tempted to just toss it aside and let it go to voice mail. Grinning, he decided on something else. "Yo yo, you got Dr. O's phone."

As this voice was clearly not that of Tommy's, Jason was a bit taken aback. "Umm...can I speak to Tommy please?"

"The good doctor is unavailable at the moment." Kyle's grin broadened slightly. "Although, I do have to say that I might be tempted to give him the message, if the offer is good enough."

'What the hell...?' Jason thought, trying to decide who it was that he was talking to. "If this is his cell phone, why do you have it? Where is Tommy?"

"Well, he might be a bit tied up right now. Or I might have kicked his ass and taken it from him."

"Now you're just delusional. Look, my name is Jason-I need to speak to Tommy, okay?" he said, his tone getting a bit more stern.

"Will ya chill, dude? Considering your name showed up on the caller ID, I had an idea of who it might be. As for Tommy, your guess is as good as mine."

"Yet you have his phone. This has gotta be Kyle-I've heard about you..." he commented, realizing that he was in for it now.

"Oh you have, have you? Hmmm, must be doing well in my 'extra-curricular' activities then. And yes, I have his phone. What's it to you if I have his phone?"

"Now who needs to chill? Your 'Dr. O' isn't gonna be very happy with you when he finds out you're giving his...best friend such a hard time." Jason had to pause a moment to figure out what to call himself to this kid. The other side of his and Tommy's relationship was none of Kyle's business.

He snorted. "That wasn't me giving you a hard time, but this can be considered that." He hung up instead of hitting one of the numbers on the pad, and then shrugged. 'Oh well. So he got hung up on instead of an annoying tone.'

Hearing the tone, Jason pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in disbelief for a moment. "No he didn't just hang up on me! That little prick..." he murmured. Dialing the phone again, this time Tommy's home phone, he waited while the phone rang. "Wait 'til I tell T..."

Tommy finished packing his bags for the trip down to Angel Grove. He stood for a moment trying to see if he had forgotten anything. Nodding, he left the bedroom and headed downstairs. It wasn't until he went to pull his cell phone out and call Jason that he realized he'd left it at school. "Great, now I have to go back there first." He sighed and shook his head, then headed out to the jeep. 'Not gonna live this one down.'

After four rings, Jason heard Tommy's voice and he started in immediately. "Bro, you gotta do something about that little ass of a..." but then he realized that he was talking over the recording of the answering machine. He barely caught, "leave a message after the tone and I'll get back to you." He growled. Once the beep had sounded, he started again. "T...you gotta get your phone back from that little prick of an assistant. He actually had the audacity to hang up on me! Don't make me come up there and straighten him out myself!" After that, he hung up and started dialing his friend's cell phone again.

Rolling his eyes, Kyle picked up the phone and answered it on the second ring, dropping his voice he grinned. "You've reached Tommy's Pleasure Palace. How can I service you today?"

Jason growled again and rolled his eyes. 'Here we go again,' he thought. "Oh, it's you again. I'd really like it if you'd find your boss and give him his phone back. I'm sure he'd like to know where it is."

"Boss? He's not my 'boss'. Tommy's the teacher that I was assigned to oversee the practical portion of my studies. Doesn't make him my boss."

"Well unless he's slipping, he's your boss-believe me. That is, unless he's not the man I've thought he was for the last 13 years."

"Put it however you want it. Any reason you keep calling or do you just like the sound of your own voice?"

"I need to talk to Tommy-I told you that. Now can you please tell me where he is?" He thought about saying something concerning Adam, but then decided that he didn't owe this punk any explanation.

"And don't you think by now that if he was where I could give him the phone that I would have? I do have manners you know. And he lives almost half an hour from the school. Hell you should be grateful that I'm the one that found it instead of one of his students. Sheesh." He hung up and shook his head. "Some people."

'I know he didn't just hang up on me again...I just know it,' Jason thought as he hung his head and sighed. "Tommy! Damn it, bro..."

Kyle sighed softly as he continued down the road towards his mentor's place. He was starting to get tired again and just wanted to go home. He did feel a bit bad about hanging up on Tommy's friend, but he was mostly just yanking the guy's chain.

Driving along the road towards the school, Tommy spotted Kyle's truck coming toward him. 'Maybe he found my phone,' he thought and rolled the window down, waving to flag his young friend down.

Kyle pulled over, then swung around and came up behind his mentor. Stepping out, he rolled his eyes as the phone rang again and he noticed it was Jason. "Richard's Meat Market can't beat Dick's Meat. You stab 'em, we slab 'em... You kill 'em, we grill 'em. How can we help you today?"

Jason groaned. "Still you, I see. Just never mind, okay? When you see Tommy, can you at least have him call me?" He had gotten to the end of his rope and his patience was gone.

"Well, if you hang on a minute you can actually talk to him. Told you I was trying to get the phone to him." He rolled his eyes and handed the phone to his mentor. "It's for you."

Tommy's eyebrow rose questioningly. He took the phone and saw Jason's name displayed on the screen. "Jase?"

"You'd best start shopping for another teaching assistant, Tom, because I'm gonna kill the little punk." He ran a hand through his hair.

A half grin broke out on Dr. Oliver's face. "What did he do?" he asked, shooting an accusatory look in Kyle's direction.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"You mean besides hanging up on me twice and being a smart ass?"

Eyes opening wide, he stared at Kyle. "He hung up on you? Twice? Oh man, I'm sorry." Moving the phone from his mouth, he glared at his assistant. "Are you out of your mind?" he whispered.

The blonde snorted. "No, but he has no sense of humor. And I told him a couple of times that I was trying to get the phone back to you, but I think he's got a hearing problem."

"If I could have reached through the phone and jerked a knot in his tail, I would have. Kid's got an attitude, T."

"You have no idea how much trouble you just bought yourself. Not to mention I'm gonna have to listen to this all weekend," Tommy said with a big sigh. Turning his attention back to his friend on the phone he said, "I know, I know. Look, I'm sorry Jase. I'll deal with him, okay? I'll be on my way to Angel Grove in a few minutes, so I'll see you in a couple of hours. How's Adam today?"

"Rocky's sitting with him right now. I'm on my way over there. When I left this morning, he was still sleeping."

Kyle sighed. "Would it help if I apologized to him?"

Tommy nodded at Kyle's suggestion. "Jase, I think Kyle wants to say something to you. Be nice now, okay?"

"I will if he will." The paramedic shook his head.

Taking the phone from his mentor, Kyle sighed. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, Jason. There was no call for me talking to you like that, but the first time I hung up on you was an accident."

"And the second time? Was that an accident too?"

"No, it wasn't and I do apologize for doing it then." He leaned against Tommy's jeep. "Just don't take it out on Tommy, okay? He forgot his phone at school and I was taking it to him. Just hasn't been a good week for me and I guess I took it out on you."

Jason sighed. 'Damn it, now I can't be mad at him,' he thought. 'He's worried about Tom.' "Okay, I accept your apology. And I'm sorry I got a little nasty with you. Truce?"

"Truce." He grinned. "At least for now." He handed the phone back to Tommy. "Better?"

"Didn't seem all that sincere, but I guess it's better than nothin'," he said to Kyle. "Alright, so anyway...I'll be on my way soon."

"Think Adam will enjoy seeing you again." He was quiet for a moment. "Be mad at him later, Tom. We all have bad weeks." He grinned. "Speaking of bad weeks, you were a bad boy this week."

A wicked grin appeared on Tommy's face. "Oh have I now? And what do you intend to do about it?" he asked, trying not to sound too provocative in front of Kyle.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. That's when things clicked and he covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to laugh out loud.

"I think you need to be spanked. That should 'drive' the badness from you. Although, I do like a hint of the 'naughty'."

Seeing that Kyle might be catching onto something, Tommy decided to cut this short. "That sounds good-we'll talk more about it when I get there, okay. See you in a little while."

Jason chuckled softly. "I'm guessing that your brat is still there." He sighed. "I'll see you in a couple of hours. Adam should be ready to go by the time you get here and after my errands; I'll put the lasagna on to cook."

"Can't wait! I'll call you when I'm almost there."

Tommy closed his phone, dreading looking into Kyle's face. He was sure there was a smirk resting there-especially after what he'd revealed to the boy a few nights before. "So...thanks for bringing me my phone..." he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

An eyebrow rose on the younger man as he smirked slightly. "So that's Jason, huh?" He was quiet for a moment. "Gotta admit that the voice goes great with that body."

"Umm...yeah, Jase does have a nice voice," he said, shrugging. "I, uh...need to get going." He looked back toward his jeep, hoping the kid would just drop the subject.

"Yeah, guess you do need to get going considering you only have the weekend to spend getting a little something-something."

The older man felt the blush start in his cheeks and move outward. "Kyle..." was all he could get out. 'Well, I did tell him that I intended to 'get some' this weekend. Can't really say much,' he thought.

Chuckling softly, the blonde shook his head. "I'll let you get going. You need the time to get ready for some 'private time'." He put a hand on his mentor's shoulder and squeezed. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do and make sure you stop by Haley's to pick up the coffee for Adam's gift from me, which she has as well."

"I'll try to behave myself, okay?" he said quietly. "And I'll get the coffee-promise."

"Good," He stepped back, giving the older man room to get into his jeep. "Now you two boys be careful, don't need you breaking any beds."

Tommy's eyes widened suddenly. 'How does he...no, he couldn't know about that...' Tommy thought, remembering the last time he and Jason had gotten a little wild and pulled the headboard on Jason's bed free of the bedframe. "Uh, yeah...we'll, uh...be careful," he stammered, anxious to get out of this uncomfortable conversation.

With a wink, Kyle turned and started laughing as he made his way back to his own truck.

Tommy shook his head and started the engine. 'Maybe I shouldn't've told him everything I did,' he thought, but then remembered how good it felt to have someone to talk to. 'I've gotta get some dirt on him, that's all. Gotta have something to counter his smart remarks with.'

-o-O-o-

Tommy checked the time as he finally pulled into Jason's apartment complex. "Hey, I made pretty good time, even with having to stop at Hayley's." He parked beside his best friend's SUV and grabbed his stuff, being careful to make sure the gifts were hidden. Heading up the stairs to Jason's second floor apartment, he wondered how he was going to find Adam. Would he be any better? Could he get him to open up any? He had sounded better on the phone the previous day, but Jason had warned him about the mood swings that the former green Zeo Ranger had been experiencing.

Jason heard footsteps on the stairs outside and went over to the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw that it was his best friend. Grinning, he opened it.

"Well, you made good time."

Tommy was a little surprised when the door opened before he could even get to it. "Hey...yeah, I'm here. How are things goin'?" he asked as he got inside the door and put his things down, looking around for Adam as he did.

"Not bad." He pulled Tommy into a hug. "Good to see you."

"You too," Tom said, wrapping his arms around the other man, letting his hands stroke Jason's back a little. "Been too long."

"That it has been." He squeezed him again, and then stepped back a bit. "Adam just got out of the shower and is getting dressed."

"Okay, good. I think I'm gonna take him over to that new little bistro you were telling me about. Think he'll like that?"

"I'm sure he will. And it'll give him a nice change of scenery." He picked up his friend's bag. "Come on; let's get your things settled."

"Okay," Tom said, following behind Jason as they made their way toward the master bedroom. "Is he feeling okay today?" he asked quietly.

"He's not as tired, but he's also been a little quiet."

As they walked into the bedroom, Tommy closed the door behind him. "Well, I guess we have to count our blessings. He's alive and he's getting better physically. Now we just have to get him through the emotional part of things." He stepped up to Jason who was standing in front of the dresser and slipped his arms around the man's trim waist. "How have you been?"

"Worried. He scared the hell out of me when we found him Monday. Plus talking about the stuff in that file," He sighed and shook his head. "It brought up a lot of memories."

Looking into Jason's dark eyes, Tom nodded. "I know. I hate it when something happens that brings back memories of that time in my life. If I hadn't had you there, I don't know what I would've done. Gone crazy, I guess."

"Maybe, but there was no way that I was gonna leave you like that, even if you had tossed me out."

"I know...and sometimes I'm very glad that you're as stubborn as a mule. Sometimes..." Tommy said with a grin, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on Jason's lips.

The paramedic sighed into the kiss, opening slightly to the gently questing tongue. He kept it light, a reconnecting and reassuring kiss more than anything else.

"Mmm, you taste good," Tommy whispered when they came up for air. "I wish we didn't have to go so long between visits."

"I know." He rested his forehead against his sometime lover's. "We've got some time this weekend."

"Good. Looking forward to it," Tommy said with a smile. "Guess we should go see if Adam's ready, huh?"

He grinned. "Probably." He started towards the door. "So how much begging did you have to do in order to get out of school so early?"

"Oh, not too much. That assembly is going to take up my last class period and there was no need for me to hang around for lunch and planning period. I didn't have any appointments anyway. So, Randall let me leave early. Of course, I did have to turn on the charm a little," he grinned mischievously.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "On who? The principal or your assistant? Cause I know you usually have papers to grade on the weekend."

"Oh, Kyle's easy. He feels like he owes me anyway, so he offered to grade the assignments for me. No, the one I have to charm is the principal. Not that hard, really-the right cologne, a well-placed smile, and these snug trousers don't hurt," he said with a big smile.

Jason just shook his head. "You are so wrong." He chuckled softly. "Come on, let's see if Adam's ready."

"Oh like you wouldn't do it if your lieutenant was a woman, don't even play that," he laughed.

"Only if he didn't already like me so much." He walked down the hall with Tommy and spotted Adam in the living room. "Hey Froggy, look what the cat dragged in."

Tommy came around from behind Jason and walked straight over to Adam. "Hey there-you ready to get outta this apartment?" he asked with a big smile.

Adam grinned. "Hey! You made it!" He wrapped his arms around his friend.

Hugging him back, Tommy chuckled. "I told you I'd be here, didn't I? Now let's get going-I'm hungry!"

"Now you sound like Rocky." He sighed softly against the other man, not letting him go just yet.

Noting the other man's reluctance to let go, Tommy stayed right where he was. "Jason's been telling me about this new bistro that opened across town. Sound good?"

Finally letting the other man go, Adam stepped back. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Jase said that Rocky left lasagna for dinner."

"Yeah, I heard. DeSantos lasagna is welcome anytime. We'll have a light lunch so that we'll have plenty of room left, okay?" he chuckled.

The former black ranger nodded. "Works for me." He grinned. "So shall we get going?"

"Yeah, absolutely," he said and then turned to Jason. "You said you had some errands to run, right?"

The former Gold Ranger nodded. "Need to pick up a few things I forgot at the store yesterday." He nodded at Adam. "He's got a key in case I'm not here when you get back."

"'He' has a name, by the way," Adam said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go eat," he said to Tommy as he was turning to go.

Looking a little confused, Tommy shrugged and headed toward the door with Adam. "Man, it's nice to be out of Reefside for a few days," he said as they left the apartment.

Chuckling softly, Jason made sure he had everything he needed and then double checked the list he'd made. It also gave the other pair a chance to get going.

Adam looked over at him. "Thought you liked it up there?" He grinned. "Or was Kyle getting to you?"

"Eh...Kyle's okay. I just needed a change of scenery-been a while since I've been anywhere. Besides, can't wait to see your school and just hang out with you guys for a weekend."

Adam snorted. "Been a while since I've seen my school. Almost two weeks if Jase is right."

"Lost track of time, huh?"

"Yeah, kinda happens when you just start drinking with no real plans to stop. Think if I hadn't gotten sick, I might have kept going."

"You're lucky you didn't get alcohol poisoning, you know that, right?" Tom sighed and then continued. "Believe me, I've been there, but there's no point in drinking yourself into oblivion. The problems are still there when you sober up."

"Seemed like a good idea at the time, but yeah, deep down, I know that." He blushed a bit. "Think that's what scared Jase and Rocky so bad."

Once they were in Tommy's jeep, the former commander turned to his friend. "Adam, I don't know if you realize how bad you scared all of us. They seriously thought you were dead when they found you. And it took Jase forever to call me back. I wore a hole in the floor pacing."

"At the time, I honestly didn't care." He met his friend's warm, chocolate eyes. "Everything came down at me at once." He snorted. "I even ran into two hags at the store that I overheard. Said the only reason I was back in town was because I couldn't make my marriage work. The other said that it was probably because she found out I swung for the other team." He shook his head. "Where the hell do they get off talking about me like that? They don't even fucking know me!"

Tommy sat and listened, shaking his head. "I don't know, man. People can be so cold and cruel sometimes. Look, you know the real reason why you moved back home-don't worry about what some ignorant old women with nothing better to do than talk about people have to say." He reached over and rubbed Adam's back while he spoke. "Your friends are here for you- you should know that."

"I know." He leaned into his friend's touch a bit, and then laughed softly. "What is it about you that makes me talk? I haven't even told Jase or Rock about the store."

Tommy chuckled. "Umm...probably my natural charisma and striking good looks," he said, hitting a pose and smiling brightly.

"You have been spending too much time with Kyle. Boy's rubbing off on you and not in a good way." He grinned, and then sighed, sitting back. "It's good to see you, Tom."

Tommy laughed, nodding. "There's a good chance that you're right about that. But seriously, it's really good to see you too. I'm so glad that you're alright-I was pretty worried there for a while."

"Still not 100%. The doc knew Jason and kinda glared at him that he hadn't brought me in earlier." He looked over at Tommy again. "So where is this place? Jase is always finding places."

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. The address puts it somewhere near the hospital and doctor's park. I'm sure we'll see the sign." He was quiet for a few moments as he pulled out into traffic. "As for why you seem to want to talk to me, I'm not sure. Think it might be that you know how much crap I've been through and that I can relate better than the others can?"

"I guess. Rocky's never really had a relationship with someone, only dates. As for Jase, well, he's almost always been with you. So yeah, I guess that could be a reason."

"Maybe so. Well, whatever the reason, I'm glad you feel like you can open up to me. I'm here for ya man-anytime you need to talk," Tom said, glancing over at his friend when traffic allowed.

He nodded shyly. "I know. And I do appreciate it." Adam was quiet for a few moments. "I almost called you a few times, during my more sober moments."

Pulling up to a traffic light, Tom looked over at Adam. "I really wish you had, Froggy. I would've come down here if you needed me," he replied, the concern and sincerity glowing in his big, brown eyes. "Promise me that the next time you feel like you need to talk that you will call me."

He couldn't help but meet the other man's eyes as he spoke. "I promise. And I'm here for you as well."

"I'm glad. You won't mind me calling you up at odd hours and rambling about stuff?" he asked with a grin just before the light changed.

"Not if you don't mind me doing the same." He started to relax. Just being around Tommy was starting to lift his spirits.

"Nope, not a bit," Tommy said with a grin. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant and parked near the door. "Looks like a nice place, huh? Trust Jase to scope out quality."

"No kidding. Makes you wonder what he does all day besides riding around in that ambulance."

"I have my suspicions," Tommy said with an evil grin. "Let's go get some good food-my stomach is growling." Once they were inside and seated, they continued the conversation. "So, when am I gonna get to see this wonderful school of yours?"

"Well, we can swing by after getting done here. It's not that far from here." He started looking over the menu.

"Cool. So, what looks good to you?" he asked, perusing the menu himself.

"Not sure. All kind of looks good, but I'm not sure how much I'll be able to eat."

"So you're gonna make me look like a pig, huh?" he grinned. "No seriously, just get something small."

"I will." He looked through the items. "That open faced turkey club looks pretty good."

"Yeah, it does-that shouldn't be too big. I'm lookin' at that roast beef au jus-I need some red meat," he laughed. Once they'd made up their minds and ordered, Tommy looked back over at his friend. "So...is there anything you wanna talk to me about? I know that file really upset you-any questions?"

Adam was quiet for a few moments while he played with the straw in his Sprite. Then he looked up and met Tommy's eyes. "So what all exactly is leftover from the accident and what's because of the other things?"

Tommy sat and thought about that for a minute. "Well, the wreck is the reason why I have to wear glasses, especially when I read. I have some trouble with my left hip and leg because of it too. I guess it's possible that some of my back trouble is attributable to the accident, but I don't know for sure. Other than that, I have some scars but most of those are covered by ink now."

Adam nodded. "That's one of the reasons I asked. Found that one on your side when I was working on your back."

"Oh, the bad one? The puncture wound? Yeah, I was really glad to get that covered-it was ugly."

"Still feels pretty ugly. Thought at first it might have been one of the ones Jason gave you or from another fight. The jagged edges kind of gave it away."

"Adam, I've got so many scars that I've lost count. Between our 'duties', the wreck, and doing martial arts for so long I'm covered. I think that's one reason I started getting all the tats. I was tired of looking at 'em."

He nodded, keeping quiet while their lunches were delivered. "I can understand that. Still think I'd like to get one myself."

"Oh that's right. We were gonna visit my artist the next time you were up in Reefside. I'm sure we can find a nice new tat for ya that compliments the two you already have."

"Definitely, although not a frog, at least not yet." He grinned and started eating.

"Aww come on, I still think a brightly-colored tree frog with red eyes would look killer on you! Maybe have it sitting right on your shoulder blade," he said, reaching over and rubbing the location.

Adam leaned into the touch a bit. "Really think so?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Tom said, giving him a warm smile. "You have a good skin tone-all that color would stand out really well."

"We'll see. Might find something else I like first."

"Whatever you want," he said and turned to start on his own lunch.

-o-O-o-

After declining dessert, Adam looked over at his friend. "Ready to get out of here and see the dojo? There's not a class there right now, so we'll have the place to ourselves."

"Sounds nice. Can I see the owner's big, plush office?" he grinned.

"Maybe. Depends on why you want to see it."

"I just wanna see how the big dogs live," he said innocently.

"Uh huh, sure you do." He laughed softly. After they paid the check, he stood slowly. "Thank you."

"For what?" Tommy asked as he straightened himself up with a little difficulty.

"For being honest with me. Hell, for just making me talk. It means a lot to me."

"Oh well...you're welcome. But I didn't make you talk. You wanted to talk-it just happens to be me you're most comfortable with."

"Still, you didn't have to listen." They walked towards the jeep as they talked. Getting in he looked over at his friend. "And I appreciate it."

"You'd do the same for me-you've said so." Tommy started the jeep and pulled out into the street. "So, which way to the school?"

"Take a right at the light, then a left at the stop sign."

"Okay, will do. So how many students do you have now? I'll bet it's growing by leaps and bounds."

"Not sure how many we have exactly. I know that it seems like we get more each week. It means we're doing well and in a short amount of time." He continued to give directions until they reached the school. Then he grinned over at Tommy. "So what do you think?"

It was obvious that the young man was proud of his first business venture. "It looks great, Adam! Can't wait to see the inside," he said, pulling into a parking spot.

Chuckling softly, he nodded. "Considering it used to be that dojo the idiots that tried to beat Rocky, Aisha and me were from, it was a good deal."

"Nice bit of revenge, huh?" Tommy grinned. They got out of the jeep and headed toward the door. "Looks like you've done a lot of work around here."

"Yeah, local vandals had painted graffiti on the outside pretty good. So we painted it, cleaned things up a bit and that sort of stuff." He walked to the door and unlocked it, then stepped inside, holding it open for Tommy.

"Very cool," Tom said, walking in and looking around at the standing bags, target dummies, mats, flags, and other dojo essentials. "Very traditional looking-I like it."

"Thanks. The office is kind of small, but the locker rooms are decent. We've got a storage area that I'm working on converting into another office and a trainer's area. There's also a small, private training room for one-on-one sessions."

"So show me-I wanna see some perks of the position," Tommy said with a mischievous grin.

Rolling his eyes, Adam locked the front door again. "Follow me." He walked down the hall, showing his friend both locker rooms before coming to a stop in the small training area. "Use this sometimes to warm up before a class."

"Do you know how long it's been since I've been in a dojo? Makes me wanna go attack one of those bags out there," Tommy said, enjoying his tour.

"Any time you're here, feel free to come in and use any of the stuff." He sighed softly. "Can't wait until I actually have the energy to get back in here myself. It helps me focus more if I can work on a kata or something."

"Tell you what, when you get to feeling better and can take a weekend off, come up to the house and we'll work on some katas and stuff, okay? That would be a lot of fun."

Nodding, Adam stretched a bit. "I'll hold you to that." He nodded. "Come on and I'll show you the office."

"Lead on," the former commander said with a smile and watched Adam walk toward the door. 'He really is put together well,' Tommy noticed as he followed his friend. Once they were in the office, he wandered around, checking out the plaques and trophies that Adam had displayed.

He watched his friend for a couple of minutes. "Some of those are from a long time ago. Before I moved here, and then I kept them in storage while I was in Boston."

"It's cool that you've got them displayed. You should be proud of all these," he said, still looking around. "I have some that I need to find a place for."

"Figure it's good to keep the reminders of what hard work can bring you." He took a seat on the edge of his desk. "So you like the place?"

"I really do. It's very you," Tommy said with a smile. "So you have any plans for future expansion, Master Park?"

"I've thought about either expanding this one or setting up another school."

Nodding, Tom said, "I'm telling you, Reefside needs a good school."

"I guess that's a possibility. Would have to scout out some areas. Find a place to stay, all that kind of stuff."

"What?" At Adam's perplexed look, Tommy explained. "You mean you would even think about coming to Reefside and not stay with me? Even after seeing my wonderful little house in the woods?"

He blushed slightly. "I don't want to intrude, Tommy. And I didn't want to just invite myself to stay for months in your place."

"You're not intruding and you have an open invitation, okay?" Tom said. "It'd be nice to have someone else in the house."

He looked up at him through his lashes. "Sure I wouldn't be in the way?"

Walking over and putting a hand on each of Adam's biceps, Tommy looked down at him. "I'm sure. We get along well, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do." He chuckled softly. "Neither of us can really cook though." He relaxed in his friend's hands.

"Ah, we can work that out. Besides, there's always Kyle," Tom said with a grin. As he was holding onto Adam's arms, he took the time to really feel the firm muscle under the fabric in his hands. "You're solid, aren'tcha?" he said with a smile. "One would think you'd been working out."

"Considering until I tried to drown my sorrows that I taught 3 classes a day plus my own routines, I guess you could say I work out a little." His own hands found their way to his friend's waist. "Not that I've got anything on you."

"Oh? Well, I do a fair bit of conditioning. Nothing better to do," Tommy said, moving a little closer to Adam, his hands sliding up to his friend's shoulders.

"And why is it that you don't have anything better to do?" He slid his hands closer to the small of the former Ranger Commander's back, and then began rubbing small circles with his thumbs.

"You know how it is-I don't have that many friends up there and all I really do is work and come home. For a while I had the rangers up there ya know, but since that ended it's been deadly dull in Reefside. I've even thought of moving back down here."

As he talked, his hands started massaging Adam's shoulders a bit.

Adam relaxed more under Tommy's hands. "You really like it up there. I could tell that much when you showed me around." He groaned softly when his friend hit a tight spot.

Moving even closer until he was almost completely between Adam's legs, Tommy continued to rub his friend's shoulders and neck. "You're a little tight and stiff, you know that?"

Letting his head drop a bit and closing his eyes, the former Frog sighed softly. "Yeah, I have been for a couple of days now."

Shifting so that Adam's head was resting against his chest, Tommy continued to massage and work the muscles under his hands. "You're just tense. Maybe I can help you relax a bit, huh?" he said in a low, soft voice.

"Would be nice." He was enjoying the feel of his friend's hands on his body, working the stiffness from his muscles. The closeness to Tommy helped as well.

"Okay, so after we get back to Jase's and have dinner, why don't you take a hot shower and then I'll give you a nice massage. I think I owe you anyway, don't I?"

"Probably, but I'll take you up on the offer." He sighed softly. "Feels good."

"And if you're good...I'll show you my scars," Tommy said with a bit of a chuckle.

The former Frog couldn't help it and groaned softly. "That is a tempting offer."

Eyebrows lifting a bit, the former commander smiled. "Well, a lot of them are covered in ink, like I said, so you'll have to feel for them. Are you good with your hands?"

Adam raised his head a bit and met Tom's eyes. "I think you already know the answer to that one." His voice dropped a bit as he spoke. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. You were doing all kinds of great things to me before when you worked out my kinks. So you should have no trouble finding all those little...and not so little scars all over me."

"Considering I've already found a number of them, I can probably guess where a few more are hiding." He wrapped his legs around Tommy's, trapping him there.

"Oh I have no intention of telling you where they are-you'll have to work that out for yourself." He liked the feeling of Adam's strong legs wrapped around his own. "Is this your way of ensuring a long massage?" he said with a chuckle.

"Something like that." He grinned. "I mean, if you're going to make me work later when I give you one, gotta make sure that it evens out." The grin turned into a smile. "Besides, kinda like wrapping my legs around you like this."

'Did he seriously just say that?' Tommy was surprised but tried to play it cool. "Is that right? Plan on doing it again at Jase's later?"

"Maybe, it might depend on the situation there."

"I see. Well, why don't we head on back over there before he wonders what happened to us. After dinner, we'll work on helping each other relax, how 'bout that?"

"Can't we play hooky just a bit longer?" He really didn't want to move from his spot in Tommy's arms. The other man made him feel safe and wanted. Jason made him feel safe and comforted, but at the moment Jase was almost suffocating.

Tommy chuckled. "Okay, but let's move this to the couch, okay? I need to rest my back some." Once Adam agreed, they shifted over to the large, leather couch that Master Park kept in his office.

Tommy positioned himself in the corner of the couch and motioned for Adam to sit in between his legs. Once he'd complied, Tom began to massage his shoulders again. "That's better, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. You're back okay?" He didn't want to end up feeling better at his friend's expense.

"Oh yeah, this is fine. Are you comfortable enough?"

"Think the only way I could get more comfortable is if I was lying on a bed with you working on my back."

"We can do that later. For now, just relax and let me rub these tight, sore muscles," Tom replied, closing his thighs in on Adam as much as he could.

Nodding, Adam let his chin rest on his chest while his friend worked. "Thanks for doing this Tommy. Really helps."

"Oh you're welcome...and I expect to be repaid sometime this weekend," he said with a grin.

"Think I can manage that." He was starting to get tired again and his eyes were growing heavy as his friend made him relax more.

"Good," Tommy said softly and continued to gently rub Adam's neck and shoulders. In less than five minutes, he could tell that his friend had drifted off to sleep where he sat. 'Aww, he must be really tired,' Tom thought, pulling him back against his chest and wrapping his arms around his waist. A yawn escaped him before he could stop it. 'So am I,' he thought.

Adam shifted slightly in his friend's hold, falling deeper into sleep as his head rested on Tommy's chest.

-o-O-o-

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in an update. Things have been crazy for us in the real world. Like always, we'd rather take a little more time and turn out a better product than rush something and turn out a piece that neither of us are really happy with. We're already at work on chp 7 and both of our main stories are being worked on as well. So look for a new chapter of In His Eyes coming soon and another addition to one of the prequels for Family Stands as well (Everything Has A Beginning, Inner Workings of a Deviant Mind, and Separated By Hate).

Thanks for sticking with us.