Disclaimer: As much as I would like for it to be, Power Rangers is not my creation.

JasonLeeScottFan: Yes, they are getting closer. You'll find out what he wanted to talk about right now.

Ch. 23 Caring Touch

"So, you kissed her?" Karone asked cautiously. Her brother had been very distraught when she and Zhane had arrived. Once they had finally managed to get the story out of him neither knew what to say. In some ways they felt relief because he was finally beginning to move on but they were also scared because they weren't sure if Ashley felt the same and another heartbreak was the absolute last thing Andros needed. Andros nodded several seconds later in response to his sister's question. "Well, maybe it's not such a bad thing."

"Or maybe I just ruined everything," Andros whispered. "I haven't felt this way about anyone in a very long time. I don't know if I'm ready to love someone again."

"It's going to be fine," Zhane promised. "Have you even considered that maybe she feels the same way? I'm not saying you should get married or anything but maybe she wants to get to know you better."

"Maybe you guys are right," he stated. He paused when the door opened to reveal a soaking wet Brytan being carried by T.J. "What happened?"

"You really should teach this kid not to scare someone holding a bucket full of water," T.J. answered.

"Sorry," Brytan apologized as T.J. put him down and he ran over to his father.

"It's okay," T.J. told him. "Maybe next time we'll plan to have a water fight." Brytan smiled and T.J. excused himself.

"You get on some dry clothes," Andros said to his son, "and then you can tell me exactly what happened." Brytan nodded, looking very guilty.

Several days passed and Andros tried to maintain his relationship with Ashley without having it turn into something he wasn't ready for. He had even met Jeff and now he and Brytan were playing together several times a week and he was even watching him sometimes when they had to go fight.

After one particularly hard fight in which Ashley had taken a hard hit because she and Andros had been separated Andros went immediately to the Simudeck to train. As Zhane and Karone tended to her injuries and the others watched on, trying to learn, Ashley noticed that Andros was no where to be seen. She decided to go looking for him after she was patched up.

Meanwhile, Andros was struggling to make it back to his room. When he finally did make it he was happy to see his son wasn't there. He managed to change pants and took off the tank top he had been wearing before he collapsed on the bed.

"Daddy!" a voice yelled what seemed like mere minutes later. He tried to block out the voice and escape back into the sleeping world but that was ruined when a certain two-year-old began bouncing on his chest.

"I'm up, I'm up," he stated, opening his eyes just enough to see the look of triumph on his son's face. "What do you want, Brytan?"

"Play with me," Brytan answered. "Please." He went over to the toy chest that was still in his father's room and, even in the darkness, pulled out the toy car Jeff had given him along with some of his other favorites. "Now, Daddy." Andros slowly forced himself into a sitting position, realizing that the training program had hurt him worse than he originally thought. He picked up the tank top in the floor and began to pull it over his head. "Daddy, you okay?" Andros looked up to see Brytan staring worriedly at his side. He glanced down and saw a large bruise forming on his right side. He silently cursed and prayed that he hadn't broken any ribs or reinjured anything Alastair had fixed.

"I'll be fine, Brytan," he assured his son. "Just don't tell Zhane or Karone, okay?" Brytan nodded and pulled his father towards his toy box. "DECA, lights." It wasn't long before both father and son were completely oblivious to everything except their game.

In the Medical Bay Ashley sighed as the last bandage was put in place. "Is that it?" Karone nodded and then Ashley asked, "Am I allowed to get up?"

"yeah, but try to take it easy for the rest of the day," Karone told her. "You should be back to normal by tomorrow." Ashley nodded and headed off in the direction of their rooms. She stopped by her room and changed into a new flight suit before heading off to find Andros. When she heard Brytan's laughter coming from Andros' room she knew she had found him. She knocked on the door, heard some sort of mumbled reply, and seconds later the door opened.

"Ashley!" Brytan screamed, running over to hug her. "You play with me and Daddy?"

'Maybe in a few minutes," she answered. "First, I need to ask you a question." She had a feeling she knew exactly what Andros had been up to after they got back and know that Brytan would possibly know the answer to her question. She turned away from Andros and whispered, "Is your Daddy hurt?" When Brytan looked down at his feet she added, "All you need to do is nod your head or shake it. You don't have to say anything?" Brytan nodded his head and pointed to his side. "Thank you very much. Now, how about we go play with that crazy Daddy of yours?" Brytan nodded and they joined Andros in the floor. Ashley waited until Andros wasn't paying any attention to her and poked him in the side. She heard him moan in pain and stated, "I think you might need to get that checked."

"I don't want Zhane and Karone to know," he told her. "I'm afraid I reinjured myself and I really don't want to be stuck up here not fighting."

"So, we won't tell them," Ashley replied simply. "DECA, would you please teleport a medical scanner in here?" She smiled as one appeared in her hand and she turned to Andros. "You'll have to show me how to do this."

"Just point it at the possible injury and pull this trigger," he explained and she nodded. She pointed the scanner at his side and pulled the trigger. Seconds later the information was on the screen. Ashley showed it to him and he let out a relieved sigh. "Just bruised. Should be healed up by tomorrow."

"Do you need anything?" She questioned. When he raised his eyebrows she continued, "You know if your sister sees you she'll know something's wrong. However, if I tell her you're playing with Brytan and just wanted me to bring you dinner she might just leave you alone." Andros nodded and smiled in understanding.

"Thanks," he told her. He spent the rest of the day recovering and playing with Brytan although his thoughts were consumed by Ashley.

A/N: Please review!