In the two weeks since the accident Jason had come to hate the hospital. He was kept immobile most of the time, except for when his position was altered to prevent bedsores. He had never done well with confinement, he hated being forced to keep so still.
Zack, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly visited every day. The nurses soon knew the four kids by sight, and often turned a blind eye when they saw too many of them in the room at one time. The rule was two visitors per patient, but there were times the rules could be relaxed. The youngsters were never rowdy, they seemed to realize the privilege of visiting their friend could be revoked if they acted up.
Their visits went a long way toward reconciling Jason to his situation. They brought a variety of board games, videos, books and any other diversion they could think of to entertain Jason. The also brought him news of the 'outside world' as they called it: stories of other kids' adventures, rumors they had heard concerning the upcoming school year, and other matters of concern to pre-teens.
When the school posted the classroom assignments they hurried to let Jason know whose room he was in.
"Hey, Jase, you got Mr. Peters this year. He's supposed to be the best, I was hoping to be in his class, but no luck, I got Mrs. Kalk," Zack reported.
"Great," Jason replied, his tone unhappy and disinterested.
The four of them had learned that Jason had his bad days, and they tended to ignore his periodic bad moods.
"I'm in your class. I should be able to help you keep up on the work until you are able to attend the class yourself," Billy added.
"Fine."
Kimberly was looking at the other three with some concern. Jason was never THIS moody.
"Something wrong, Jason?" she asked.
"Oh, no, what could be wrong. I'm lying on a hospital bed pretty much covered by plaster and tied to weird contraptions that prevent me from moving. No, nothing's wrong, nothing at all!" His voice had hardened, but stopped short of shouting. However, Kimberly recoiled as if struck physically.
"Jason! You just stop that! I know it's hard, but yelling at us won't help," Trini said sternly, reaching out to put her arm over Kim's shoulders.
Jason started to retort, then realized that Trini did know about being injured and scared in a hospital. He was suddenly ashamed of his outburst. "Sorry Kimberly. Sorry guys. I'm not in a very good mood today. The doctor said it would be at least two more months before I can even try to walk. Then I'll be in rehab for a while. This sucks. I won't be back in school until at least November."
"But you will be back, right?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"So in the meantime we will help you keep up. It sounds like a miserable thing, having to do rehab, but we will be there for you. Okay? We'll help as much as we can," Zack declared. The others nodded and murmured their agreement.
Jason looked around at them gratefully. "Thanks. You guys want to play Scrabble?" he asked, mostly to break the solemn mood.
Soon they were playing their variation of 'team scrabble' which was Jason and Zack against Kimberly and Trini, with Billy playing alone. Zack, Kimberly and Trini's parents all had no objection to their children visiting Jason daily, but they all had to leave by three or so, as their parents all insisted the kids spend at least part of the day with their own families and outside activities. Only Billy had no restriction on the time he could spend there. Partly because his father was at work until evening, and partly because Wallace would never dream of denying Jason anything that would make his hospital time better. He knew all too well how miserable a protracted hospital stay could be. So Billy was always the last one to leave when the evening visiting hours ended at five.
Though the time spent with his friends had lifted his depression about the length of time it would take for a full recovery, Jason was still feeling unhappy. When the nurse informed them that visiting hours were over, Jason asked if Billy could stay at least until his mother got home. Marjorie was at a continuing education seminar and was not due back until later that evening. Jack was still on duty at the police station. Jason really didn't want to be alone.
"I'm sorry, boys. But this is one rule they will enforce. Your parents can see you outside of visiting hours, but they are the only ones. Come on, Billy, time to go," her kind voice was nonetheless firm.
Billy gave Jason an apologetic look and headed out the door. Jason turned his face to the window, feeling miserably alone. He didn't want to watch TV, he wanted someone to be there with him. He closed his eyes in the halfhearted hope he would fall asleep. So the knock on the window startled him some. He opened his eyes to see Billy just outside his window. The entire wall was made of glass, to provide a pleasant view of the park beyond for patients. So Jason was able to see Billy clearly as his friend sat down close to the window. Jason felt his misery fade, and a warmth steal over him at this open display of loyalty from his friend. He could not express how much that gesture meant to him, but it went straight to his heart, acting as a balm to his troubled spirit. He smiled at Billy as he settled down more comfortably in the bed, no longer feeling alone.
For his part, Billy sat quietly, watching over his friend. Intelligent as he was, he could not have explained the force that moved him to do this. But some part of him knew beyond any doubt that Jason needed for him, for someone, to be here. So he would remain, until Jason's parents arrived for their visit a few hours later. Seeing them enter the room, the silent figure outside the window rose to his feet and headed toward his home, secure in the knowledge Jason was not alone.
PR PR PR
September 6, 1992
Jason sighed in contentment, settling down deeper into his bed. HIS bed. He was finally home, after thirty-four days in the hospital. Both his legs were still in casts, but the one on his arm was removed. The doctors expected to remove the left leg cast in a couple of weeks. The cast on his right leg was scheduled for removal in just over a month. Then he could begin physical therapy, which they were expecting to take six to eight weeks at least. But these longer term plans did not concern Jason today. All he cared about was that he was finally out of the hospital.
Marjorie was taking a leave of absence for at least a month to allow her to care for Jason. Until the casts came off he would still have to use a bedpan, and sponge baths were his only option. He would need to be assisted in changing his position in the bed to avoid bedsores and regular monitoring to check that he was otherwise okay. For all intents and purposes, Jason was completely dependent on others for his every need. Though he had gotten somewhat used to the situation, he still hated it.
He had barely settled in when Kimberly, Zack, Billy, and Trini arrived to greet him. School had started the week before, and they hurried to his house directly after school to visit.
"Hey, it's great to see you out of that hospital! This is much better, with no nosy nurses to bother us," Zack declared with a happy expression.
"I'm glad to not have to go to the hospital anymore either. I was getting sick of that smell there. This is much nicer," Kimberly added.
"YOU guys are glad I'm out of there. Think how I feel," Jason laughed. He noticed that Billy's book-bag was pretty much overflowing. "What do you have in there, Billy? The whole library?"
"Not quite. Just your textbooks," Billy informed him, starting to remove an impressive selection of books from the bag. "Math, science, history, geography, english, geology. And here is last week's assignment list. Your mom told me to set them over here and she'd go over it with you tomorrow. Mr. Peters is a pretty good teacher, you will enjoy his class when you are able to attend. And he agreed to give me the work-papers and stuff you will need to keep up."
"Thanks Billy. I guess," Jason looked a bit overwhelmed by the stack of books and sheath of papers Billy had laid out on his desk. Billy finally seemed to notice Jason's apprehension.
"It's not as bad as it looks, really. We are still doing a lot of review of what we did last year. You should find it very easy to keep up," Billy assured him.
"Sure, if I was as smart as you are," Jason grumbled. But he felt oddly heartened by having his schoolwork there. It reassured him that he would indeed eventually be able to go to school and engage in his normal activities again.
He soon had a regular daily routine. During the day he would work on his schoolwork, with his mom assisting as needed. After regular school hours his friends would arrive for a visit, during which they would play board games, watch TV or just talk. Billy would wait until the others had left, then he'd brief Jason on what was covered in class, and what needed to be done on the various assignments. Though Jason was fairly lonely during the weekdays, the time passed quickly as he had plenty of homework and studying to keep him occupied.
PR PR PR
October 19, 1992
The last of Jason's casts had finally been removed. Jason felt a deep disgust when he looked at his legs, particularly the right one. They were white and withered looking, lacking even the strength to allow him to stand. The first time he tried to put his weight on his legs the pain nearly knocked him out. Unused muscles, tendons and ligaments all screamed in protest at having to try to support his weight.
His mother walked into his room with a young woman, just after noon. Jason looked up from his math homework with some interest.
"Jason, this is Mary Donnelley. She is your physical therapist. She'll be coming by daily for the next couple of weeks, until you can get around well enough to go to her office. You mind what she says, and you'll be up and around before you know it," Marjorie told him, before discreetly leaving the two of them together.
"Hi, Jason. Let me first take a look at your legs, then we can work on some stretching, okay?" she said briskly, smiling at the youth sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Hi," he muttered back, feeling uncharacteristically shy.
She seemed to sense his discomfiture, and sat back on her heels, regarding him with a warm smile.
"We will be spending a lot of time together in the next few weeks. And, you will have times when you absolutely HATE me, but I promise you, Jason, if you stick it out, you will walk and run again. It's not magic, and it's not quick, and it certainly is not easy, but it can be done. Are you willing to go on this journey with me? I do think you will find it was worth it at the end."
"Yes, ma'am. I will do whatever I have to, to make it so I can walk again. What do we need to do?" Jason replied seriously.
Mary smiled happily, sensing the strength in her young patient. Soon she had him stretched out on the floor, working on his damaged legs. Jason found her manipulations to be very painful, but he stoically endured it, keeping in mind the ultimate goal of being able to walk again.
PR PR PR
November 10, 1992
Jason was waiting anxiously for his friends to arrive. He had a surprise for them.
It had been three weeks since he had started physical therapy, and he had endured hours of pain and moments of utter despair to get to this point. He had worked his way from being unable to stand, to being able to hobble with the aid of crutches.
He had pushed himself extraordinarily hard. Some days his mother helped him do the extra exercises he insisted on to speed his recovery. Other times he asked Zack or Billy to help. The only ones he wouldn't ask were the girls. A combination of adolescent shyness and a bit of injured vanity made that too difficult for him.
He looked up eagerly as he heard the familiar sound of the gang trooping toward his bedroom. They surged in, full of laughter and news, like they always did. But, gradually they quieted, sensing Jason had something he wanted to say.
"Guys, I want to show you this new trick I learned," he announced, then pushing against his desk, he stood up. As his friends watched in silent awe, he took his first faltering step away from the support of the desk. He continued on toward the center of the room where the Zack and Billy stood watching. Jason's steps were slow, careful, and very small, but for the first time in over three months he was walking unassisted.
"Oh, my God, Jason! You're walking!" Kimberly squealed in excitement.
"Yep! But don't distract me," Jason grinned. He made it to Zack and Billy's location with a triumphant smile on his face. Then he promptly neglected to pay attention to what he was doing and lost his balance. As he started to fall, the other two boys tried to catch him, but stumbled amongst themselves and all three ended up in a muddle on the floor in the middle of the room. And, all three of them were laughing hysterically.
"Ah, man, Jase! That was awesome. But the finale needs some work," Zack laughed as he tried to extract himself from the tangle of arms and legs.
"You are such a great help," Jason grumbled at him. "You were supposed to catch me, not fall with me."
"Hey, is it my fault you weigh a ton?" Zack shot back.
That started a wrestling free-for-all between the three boys, much to the girls' amusement. Hearing the ruckus, Marjorie arrived to settle them down.
"Okay, you three. You know I don't allow wrestling matches in here," she said, trying to sound stern, but unable to completely suppress her joy at Jason's recovery. The boys stopped their antics, but still sprawled out on the floor, laughing.
"Sorry, Mom, but it was all Billy's fault," Jason reported, earning a jab in the ribs from Billy.
"Billy's fault, hmm? Why do I find that so hard to believe?" she chuckled. "Well, the three of you get up and start behaving yourselves," she scolded as she left the room.
She waited until she had gotten far enough away from Jason's room before letting out her laughter. At long last she felt like she truly had her son back.
PR PR PR
November 28, 1992
Jack Scott went to his son's room, grinning a bit with anticipation.
"Jason, would you mind coming out in the back yard for a moment?" he asked.
"Sure, Dad, you need me to help you with something?" Jason replied. He followed his father toward the backdoor. He still limped a bit to the right, but otherwise he could get around easily enough. He had started back in school the week before Thanksgiving break, and thanks to his friends' constant updates on schoolwork and social news he had been able to ease back into the school routine with little effort.
"No, I don't need any help," Jack responded to his question. "I want you to see something."
Then Jack stepped aside to join Marjorie so Jason could see what was waiting for him. It was a brand new bike, the mountain type he liked best. Standing behind the bike were Trini, Kimberly, Billy and Zack, all smiling widely.
"Oh, man, a bike!" Jason cried happily. "I was wondering how I was ever going to save enough to buy another one. Who got this for me?"
"We did," Kimberly announced. "We all chipped in and bought it for your. And if you break this one, you are on your own!"
They all laughed a bit at that as Jason walked around the bike, admiring it. He looked up at his parents expectantly.
"Can I go for a ride?" he asked.
"Of course," Marjorie replied with a smile. She refrained from reminding him to be careful. She was quite certain he would be.
"Here, we got you this, too," Billy said, holding out a new helmet.
Jason looked at it, moved. "Thanks, guys. Thank you so much," he was having a hard time controlling his emotions.
Zack decided to have mercy on him. "Well, hurry up, slow poke, It's not like we have all day, or something," he prodded.
"Actually, Zack, we do have all day," Billy pointed out reasonably.
"Billy-boy, you keep that up and you'll find yourself eating turf," he threatened theatrically.
That started more laughter, which continued as the kids all mounted their bikes and headed out toward the street. Marjorie and Jack watched them go, trying not to worry about what might happen. They realized that Jason needed to test his wings again.
That evening when Jack went in to say goodnight to Jason, he found the boy sitting in bed, a preoccupied expression on his face.
"What are you thinking about so seriously?" he asked gently.
"I was just thinking about all the things that have happened to us recently. You know, it seems like ever since Zack got so sick last year, we have all had a lot of problems. It doesn't seem very fair, really."
"Well, kiddo, I hate to tell you this, but life usually isn't very fair. A lot of bad things happen. But, you know, even bad things can have a good effect."
"Huh?" Jason was confused.
"You can learn a lot from life's hard times. There's an old expression-'that which doesn't kill you will only make you stronger'. Does that make sense?" Jack replied.
Jason thought it over carefully, before nodding his understanding.
"But, Dad, if you don't mind, I'd rather not get any stronger for a while."
PR PR PR
March 15, 2015
Emily Scott's cheerful voice preceded her into the den where her husband and daughters sat, Jason having just finished his story.
"Have the three of you managed to stay out of trouble today?" she asked with a smile.
"Yes, ma'am," three voices chorused back at her.
"That was a great story, Dad," Heather said, looking at her father with admiration. "I never knew you had that happen to you. That would be so scary."
"It was," Jason agreed.
"What was?" Emily asked, looking at the others in confusion.
"I just told the girls about when Zack, Kim, Trini, Billy and I had such a hard time when we were eleven, twelve years old," Jason explained.
"When you were hit by the car?"
"Yeah. And Kim's parent's divorce, Trini's accident, Billy's dad's cancer, and Zack getting pneumonia."
"Oh, great choice of subjects, Jason. Just depress the girls while they are trying to recover from the flu," Emily said with exasperation.
"But we wanted to hear it! We nagged him into telling us," Haley defended her father.
"And we are glad we did, it's a great story," Heather added.
"Hmph. Well, I guess I forgive it this time," she smiled. "I picked up a couple of videos in case anyone was interested."
The girls immediately commandeered the videos and popped the first one into the player as Jason and Emily headed toward the kitchen to see about dinner. Jason assisted his wife with an ease born of long years of practice. But his mind was clearly elsewhere.
"Jason, what's bothering you?" Emily finally asked him.
"Nothing," he replied automatically.
"If nothing is bothering you then why did you put the milk in the freezer?" she pointed out.
"Guess I'm busted. I was just thinking of Zack, Kimberly and Trini."
"And Billy?" It wasn't really a question.
"Yeah, and Billy. You know, I guess it seems silly, but I still miss him."
"It's not silly. He was a big part of your childhood. A big part of your time as a Power Ranger. His death was a tragedy. No, not silly at all."
"I was also thinking that I've let time and distance separate me from Zack. I don't see him very often, he's so far away. Trini and Kimberly are closer, but I still don't see much of them either. And we used to be so close. Those bad times we went through, they seemed to make us even closer."
"They made you stronger. Perhaps that is what gave you five the strength of character that Zordon was looking for when he assembled the first Power Ranger team," Emily mused.
"You know, I never really thought of that. Of why Zordon chose us. You could be right. Guess I married a wise woman."
"You certainly did," Emily joked with a superior smile. "And just to prove it, I'm going to share some more of my much vaunted wisdom. Call Zack. Call Trini. Call Kimberly. Touch base with them, find out how they are doing. Maybe plan a weekend cookout with them. Do whatever you need to do to assure yourself they are still a part of your life. I don't think I need to remind you of how quickly that can change."
Jason looked at her solemnly. "No, you don't. Thanks, Honey." With a kiss to her forehead, he reached for the telephone on the counter and dialed from memory.
"Hey, Zack…"
The End
Author's note: Special thanks to Lorie, who for 25 plus years has been a living example of what friendship is all about. Anything I got right about the power of friendship is thanks to her. And thanks to Vanessa, who suggested the VW Bug with the lightening bolt-that one's for you, kiddo.