Listening Through the Open Door

Four Months Later- 2:34 AM

Bridge and Z were talking quietly in the common room in the early hours of the morning.

Z had just come back from another mission and was causally enjoying a rare quiet moment with her boyfriend in the quietness of the empty common room.

The topic of conversation was quite obvious; in fact, it was a popular conversation starter all around the academy.

Because when a woman such as Sydney Drew leaves the academy, the population takes notice; especially the male population.

"I don't know Bridge the entire thing just doesn't make sense."

Z was continually fretting about the position of her best friend, because despite their petty arguments, Z had gained a soft spot for her pink roommate and was very frustrated that even through the seven months she had known about Sydney's pregnancy, Sydney had let nothing slip.

Z suspected that Jack knew who the father was because he had suddenly stopped talking about the issue with her. This concerned Z even more.

"Z, you of all people know how stubborn Syd can be, I mean she's been your roommate ever since you came here and everyone knows you two didn't get along very well at first. If she doesn't want to tell us she won't. I think we just need to let her go, support her and let her do her own thing."

"And what about Jack? Why isn't he talking to me about it anymore?"

"Z, she is living in one of his apartments, maybe she told him—"

Z suddenly gasped and stood up so fast that she knocked Bridge off the couch.

"What if Jack's the father?!"

She was almost in hysterics over the fact and suddenly started pacing around the empty common room.

Bridge rolled his eyes in his position on the floor.

"Jack is not the father Z."

Z stopped pacing. That was the shortest sentence she had ever heard him say.

Bridge continued.

"Well, you said you thought that Jack knows who the father is right? Well, if he does and it is him, why would Aly still be there? Jack would never be able to stay in a relationship like that without telling her the truth and yet she's still there and living with Jack. And Aly doesn't strike me as the type of girl that would stick around despite all that."

Z was dumbfounded. Bridge was making sense.

She quickly shock her head and brought herself back to the subject at hand.

"Well if Jack's not the father than who is?"

Bridge shrugged and sat back down on the couch.

So much for making sense.

Z sighed and sat down as well arms crossed across her chest. The entire situation was extremely frustrating to her.

Bridge thought she had dropped the subject after a few minutes of silence. He himself had given up on finding out who the father was. Sydney knew how to handle herself and she also knew that Bridge would help her if she needed it, and he wasn't doing any good to her by patronizing her constantly.

"She told Sky that the father was an old friend, right? But Sky checked the files and found that she hasn't gone anywhere unusual and no one out of the ordinary has come to visit her, right?"

Bridge sighed. "Yes Z, that's what Sky said."

Silence once again.

Bridge was contemplating making himself a batch of buttery toast when Z spoke up once more.

"What if Syd lied?"

"Z, why would Syd lie? What does she have to lie about? We're all friends here, she doesn't have to hide anything from us."

"But what if she was lying to protect someone?"

Z was just staring at the opposite wall, obviously thinking but not seeing.

She started to get very excited, Bridge decided to stay silent and let her finish.

Then it happened. Z squealed. Bridge didn't think anything that girly had ever come past Z's lips before. She sounded like Syd after finding the "cutest little pink dress EVER!"

"Oh my gosh, Bridge! Sky's the father!!!"

She practically screamed it. Bridge was surprised, and slightly scared, at this new side of Z.

"Bridge, it totally make sense! Syd doesn't want Sky to know he's the father because it would break the rules and ruin his career!"

"What rule? Why would it ruin his career?"

"She didn't tell him because he would obviously want to claim it but he'd have to quit being red ranger!"

"Why would he quit?"

"And this explains why she seems to be a late in her delivery of the baby. If what Sky believes is true she's already nine and a half months pregnant, but if she added a month she's really only eight months pregnant!"

"Wait, she's late in delivery?"

"I mean, with the handbook code of no relationships within teams, he would be dishonorably discharged from SPD, forever!"

"You read the handbook? There's a no-relationship code?!"

"So now Syd's gonna raise the baby alone so that Sky can continue his dream."

"Wait, you read the handbook? AND there's a no-relationship code!?"

"Bridge," Z whined. "why aren't you more interesting in my theory?"

Bridge was starting to get hysterical.

"Because you read the handbook! And apparently there's a no-relationship code! So that means that we're breaking the rules! We're going to be dishonorably discharged and put out on the streets and we won't have any money and we couldn't buy toast or food or clothes or toast!"

"Calm down Bridge. The code is only for people that are on the same team or squad, because apparently it would put the rest of team in jeopardy. I think it's just a stupid rule personally. So relax, no one is being discharged or going without toast."

"Oh, that's good."

"So, what do you think about my theory?"

"What theory?"

Z smacked her hand to her forehead and sighed. She was glad to be back.

Unknown to Bridge and Z, Sky had been standing in hallway when he heard Z's scream that he was the father.

He had been listening and Z's theory made sense, even if Bridge didn't see it.

Sydney would do anything to help him get his dream, she had told him so even when they were just friends. But to go to the extent of this?

Didn't she know that she was more important than his dream to be red ranger? More important than SPD?

He needed to talk to her.

And as much as he wanted to go over to her right this second, he knew she would be asleep, especially with the baby.

He would talk to her in the morning, first thing.

He wouldn't let her go through this alone, not matter her protests about him being red ranger.

He wouldn't abandon her, or their baby, ever.

Author's Note- Hate this chapter, but the story's almost done. I think the next chapters going to be the last one, really long too.