Disclaimer: I don't own PR.

Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad it kept you on your toes! Sadly, we're getting to the end of this story so the suspense will be gone as I tie up the loose ends. As of now, I'm thinking this will have one more chapter and an epilogue. A sequel is possible, if enough people want one, but it will not be written until I've finished up the other projects I'm woking on. For now, enjoy...


Eight Fresh Breaths

Sky opened his eyes, and saw white. For a moment, he thought he had gone blind, but then he realized he could make out white ceiling tiles. He groaned, noting the soreness of his body, and sluggishly his memory returned. "Z!" he gasped, attempting to sit up. He found himself trapped by an IV in his arms and a hand pushing him back. Sky looked to his side. "Mom?"

Jen smiled, "Hey sweetie; how are you feeling?"

"Better then I was…how long have I been here?"

"About three days," Jen explained. "Do you remember what happened?"

Sky's eyes darkened. "Yes. I remember everything."

"Well you don't have to talk about it now, Sky. I have to tell Dr. Felix that you are awake, so I'll be right back." Jen wrapped her arms around him before she left. "I missed you, Schuyler."

"I missed you too, mom," Sky smiled. She let go, only to return a few minutes later with Felix.

He grinned, "Nice to see you awake."

"Nice to be awake…I think…I didn't miss anything huge, did I? I'm not going to go beyond this room and see there's nothing left?" said Sky.

"You and Z have been the excitement around here," laughed Felix. "Everything around the base is intact, although I seem to recall Bridge mentioning something about redecorating…"

"Really?" Sky raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes," his mother put in. "It's beautiful, Bridge showed it to me: bright pink with green and blue polka dots!"

Sky smirked, "I think I'll have to kill him as soon as you say I'm fit too, Dr. Felix."

Felix shook his head, "I'm afraid that won't be for a while now. You gave us quite the scare, Sky. Your friends have not had much sleep and your mother has not been home since you got back. She will be complaining about all the cleaning in a few hours, just so you know, and now you will actually have to listen to her."

Sky chuckled, "My mother? Complain? Impossible!"

"Watch your mouth, young man," said Jen, "or I will paint your room bright pink."

"You know, you should be a little more grateful, Sky," Felix suggested, moving back into his plain of vision. "She saved Z's life."

"You're kidding!" Sky exclaimed, trying to sit up again. This time, two pairs of hands pushed him back.

"Well now your mother will have something interesting to tell you about. In the mean time, do not get up, do not touch anything or attempt to do anything beyond talking. I mean it this time – your team can handle an attack or two without you." Felix ordered. "Get well soon, Sky; your team has missed you a lot."

"Dr Felix, wait!" Sky called out before he could leave. Felix turned at the door to face Sky again. "Where is Z? Is she okay?"

Felix sighed and Jen grabbed Sky's hand. "She is doing much better now, but she probably will not wake up for a couple more days. She was hurt badly, but you did a good job of taking care of her."

"We took care of each other," Sky replied, "once we stopped arguing."

"How did she get so beat up, Sky?" asked Jen. "I only saw her once, but she looked a lot worse than you, the poor thing."

Sky closed his eyes, wishing he could forget. "Morgana did it. From the first day we got there until she figured out we were contagious, the krybots dragged Z away just so Morgana could hurt her when she didn't have any defense. Z did manage to break Morgana's wrist once, but then again, I think Morgana broke a couple of Z's ribs the same day."

"Yes, but you did a good job of wrapping her, if that was your handiwork," said Felix.

"She re-located my shoulder. Once we started working together, everything seemed a lot more manageable," said Sky.

Felix chuckled, "It seems right that the two of you would finally learn to get along in the dungeon of an evil emperor who is trying to take over the world. I really should go now; I have plenty of other patients to attend to. I will send a nurse in with something light to eat in a few minutes; You must be hungry, but we can't take things too quickly."

"Thank you, Lyon," Jen smiled.

Felix was true to his word. Fifteen minutes later three familiar faces appeared in the doorway, the green ranger in front with a giant plate of toast and a huge grin. "Hey Sky," Bridge announced. "I made it extra buttery!"

Sky laughed, "I guess that's alright, as long as you didn't do any redecorating. I swear, if I see one balloon…"

"Oh, then your okay if I painted your room pink?" smirked Jack. Sky glared at him. "I'm just joking, Sky; it wouldn't be any fun if I did that while you weren't able to chase me around afterwards."

"I guess that's as close to 'welcome back Sky, glad you're okay,' as I am going to get, so thanks," replied Sky. Finally, Sydney entered, her eyes brimming with tears. Sky knew exactly what was coming, and desperately wanted to hide behind his mother. On the other hand, his mother looked like she might start up again too.

"SKY!" Sydney sobbed, hugging him as tightly as she could without causing problems. "We were so worried! We thought you were dead! Oh, I can't believe you're awake! We've been waiting for so long and I feel like you've been asleep forever and…"

"Syd!" Sky interrupted. "You have been the only girl on the team for too long; you sound like Bridge."

Jennifer sat quietly in the corner, not sure whether to laugh or to cry as she watched her son talk with his friends. They did not stay long because Marcus came in to shoo them away so that Sky could get his rest, but it was enough to make Sky smile. After the nurse left, Jen just talked to Sky while he listened and nodded. He fell asleep as Jen told him about his cousin Gene who was going to college on the east coast in the fall, but Jen was content to know that her son was alive, alert, and well on his way to recovery.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Z's eyes fluttered open. The ceiling was far too light-colored to be a part of the troobian's ship and whatever she was laying felt far too comfortable. 'Oh great, I died…I must be in purgatory or something, because my head hurts way too much for this to be heaven,'she thought. As things around her became clearer, a voice reached her ears.

"…missing everything, Z. If you don't get up soon, I won't save you any cake. I am going to eat all the chocolate, and there won't be any left for you…" Relief flooded through her, and she subconsciously closed her fist around a warm hand. At the touch, the man in the chair next to her stopped his rant. "Z?"

"Jack?"

Jack smiled widely, hugging her as tightly as he could. "I thought talking about chocolate might get you up. You have no idea how much trouble you've caused around here. Don't you ever, ever scare me like that again!"

"What happened? Where's Sky? The last thing I remember is Grumm's ship," Z asked.

Jack sat back and sighed, "Z, you've been unconscious since you returned to SPD. Cruger sent C-squad to rescue you and Sky since B-squad was 'needed to protect Earth.' You had me really worried there for a while, but according to Doc Felix all that beauty sleep has done you some good. As for Sky, he's just fine. He'll be even better when he hears that you woke up. He has been asking about you ever since he re-gained consciousness. It's sort of annoying, actually."

Z chuckled softly. "You would never believe it, but the man does have a heart."

"Hey, if he took care of you than he's got to be all right somehow," Jack agreed. "I'll be right back. Felix will take away my special after-hours visitation rights as your 'brother' if I don't tell him that you are awake."

Z released his hand, giving him a small smile to let him know that she was okay on her own. Once he left, she inspected her surroundings. The room was small, with nothing but the bed she was laying on, two chairs, and a small table, and a bag filled with clear liquid on a stand next to her bed. The bag had a long tube running from it to a needle in the back of her hand. "IV," Z muttered, slightly annoyed that she did not know what they were putting into her.

The walls and furniture were a soft cream color, except for the yellow blanket over Z which she recognized as the one from the bed in her room. Two walls were filled with monitors and pieces of medical equipment she did not recognize, most of it attached to her through various tube and wires. A third wall was blank except for a vent and a tiny door in the bottom corner. Z knew that a small robot would come through the door every so often to clean the room, depending on what times the staff set for it. The final wall held a regular-sized door that sealed tightly and a large window that had a closed set of blinds in front of it. Z sniffed the air and smelled nothing. She sighed; they must have put her in a vacuum-sealed clean room.

She turned her attention to her body. While she and Sky had been trapped, Z had tried to ignore most of her injuries since there was not much she could do about them but complain. Now, she had bandages covering her arms, more wrapped around her chest, and she could feel several on her legs. She was thankful the room lacked a mirror; she did not want to see what her face looked like. Z groaned, finally allowing herself to feel all the bruises, and leaned back against her pillow.

Jack returned carrying a large bag, followed by Dr. Felix. "Good afternoon, Miss Delgado. It is very nice to see you awake." He walked over to the wall with the monitors and checked them against the charts on his palm computer.

Jack grinned and held up the bag, "We weren't allowed to keep these in here until the doc said your immune system could handle a few outside germs." He began to empty the bag of cards, candy, and flowers colored, for the most part, in yellow. Jack smiled even wider as he pulled out a single blue flower attached to a blue card and set it on the table next to Z's bed. "That is from Sky," he explained. "He sent his mother out for the flower, and did the card himself as soon as they let him move. Syd helped him write the words; he's devastated that his handwriting is coming out illegible."

Z smiled, "That's Sky for you. Hey Jack…"

"No."

"But Sky's mother went out for him!" Z complained.

"I am not your mother!" Jack replied. "I am not buying flowers for Sky!"

"Jerk," Z started to cross her arms, but gasped and put them gingerly back at her sides.

Dr. Felix put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Take your time, Z. I'm glad to see that you have not lost your sense of humor, but re-opening those cuts will not make you heal any faster."

"Okay, but can I ask you a couple things?" asked Z.

Felix agreed, carefully looking over the yellow ranger. "You can ask me whatever you want, and I'll answer as best I can."

"Is Sky alright?

Felix chuckled, "He asked the same thing about you. Yes, Sky is fine; he woke up last week. As I told him, the two of you did a great job taking care of each other."

"Well, we had no one else. What's today's date?"

"Monday, July 9, 2026."

"Isn't that Bridge's birthday?" She turned to her pseudo-brother. "Why are you with me? Shouldn't you be at some party?"

"Hey, the well-being of my best friend is far more important than any party," said Jack. "Besides, I'm not missing anything. They're throwing a party in Sky's room and, now that Dr. Felix has ok-d it, they're bringing it in here, since neither you nor Sky can get leave your rooms yet."

"So that's why you were talking about chocolate," Z said.

"Yup," Jack answered.

"Keep your eyes open, Z," Dr. Felix said. He peered into them using a bright light that made Z want to blink. She distracted herself by asking another question.

"What else have I missed?"

Jack shrugged, "Not much. I mean, except for your kidnapping, but I don't think you missed that. The odd thing is Grumm has apparently not noticed that you and Sky are gone. He's been pretty quiet since you got back, even though the deadline for SPD's surrender is about to hit."

"Jack, Grumm thinks we're dead," Z chuckled. "He sent Morgana and Broodwing to shoot us once they figured out we had a highly contagious disease. Sky used his powers to save us, and Morgana gave up. She meant for us to starve to death or kill ourselves. I don't remember much after that, except for nightmares and an occasional view of Sky."

Felix frowned. "Then the commander will have to give Grumm a call."

"Hey Z," Jack grinned. "Think you're up to a little acting? I have never managed to surprise Bridge, and I think this may be our one and only opportunity. He tried to read you while you were sleeping and got a lot of jumbled thoughts, so he's been attempting to shut off his psychic senses as much as he can when he comes to visit."

Z grinned, "Why not?"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Sydney, Bridge, Cruger, Boom, Jack, and Kat were making their way to Z's room, cake and other party paraphernalia in hand. Jack was speaking as they walked, "Don't be too surprised when you see her. Felix took a lot of the extra junk out of Z. He said that her body is making enough of its own blood now!"

Bridge grinned, "That's fantastic! Does that mean she'll wake up soon?"

Kat sighed, "It might, Bridge, but what you have to understand is that, even if her body heals completely, her mind may have been affected beyond any medical help. I hate to put a melancholy turn on things, but there is still a possibility she will never wake up. But yes, that would increase her chances."

Kat punched the access code into a keypad next to Z's room, and the door opened. The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the monitors that were still on. Z was sleeping, her face still scarred and bruised. The IV was still in her hand, a blinking metal strip was stuck to her forehead, and several wires ran under the collar of her shirt, but compared to the web of equipment that had surrounded her before, she looked much better. "Hey Z," Bridge greeted. "Today's my birthday, so we decided to bring the party to you!"

"Boom and I made cake!" Sydney happily announced.

"But, it didn't exactly turn out," Boom finished, "so, we went out and bought a cake instead."

"Don't tell Sky, we fed him the one Sydney and Boom barbecued," Jack chuckled.

Cruger looked appalled. "You did?"

"I told you not to eat it for a reason, Doggie," said Kat.

Bridge frowned, "I wish you were really here for my birthday, Z."

Sydney grabbed Z's hand. "Me too."

"Me three," said Boom.

"I must agree," said Cruger. "Wake up soon cadet; and that's an order."

Sydney sighed and tried to put Z's hand down. To her shock, the comatose girl would not let go. Sydney pulled on her hand to no avail. "You don't get to leave until I get some of that chocolate, princess."

"OH MY GOD!" Sydney screeched, throwing herself at Z. "You're alive! It's a miracle!" Bridge, Boom, Kat and Cruger all stared in shock. Jack burst out laughing.

"Syd, I can't breathe!" Z gasped.

"It isn't a miracle, Syd," Jack laughed. "She just wanted some of that cake!"

Cruger glared, "You knew, cadet?"

"Of course," said Jack, "but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if we just told you."

"One of these days, you pups will be the death of me," Cruger growled, but he was smiling. "I'm glad you obey orders, Delgado. Welcome back."

"Thank you, commander," Z chuckled. "Oh, and happy birthday Bridge! Um, Sydney? You can let go now, I'm not going anywhere."

"I am never, ever letting go!" Sydney shouted. "I never want to lose you again! Do you have any idea what it's like being surrounded by morons…I mean men?"

Z rolled her eyes. "Actually, yes I do. Do you know what it's like to spend a week trapped with Sky in a tiny cage? The troobians were nothing in comparison…"

Sydney cringed, "Alright, Z, you win. As soon as you're better, we are taking a girls' weekend somewhere very, very far from here."

"Thanks but no thanks, Syd. I want to stay close to home, and quite honestly I would rather go back to visit Morgana and her doll than go shopping."

Jack laughed, "Now that's the Z I know."