"Ron I want to see your injuries. Take off your shirt." Anne's voice slipped into doctor mode.
"It's nothing really. No need to…" Ron saw the look in Kim's eyes as she turned to face him and Ron switched back into his serious voice. "As you wish." Ron said as he looked down at the floor. He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor by the bed.
"Dang boy!" Monique exclaimed
"Oh Ron!" Anne had hoped that Kim was exaggerating when she said Ron had scars all over. It hurt her deeply to see this young man, who was like a son to her, to have so many wounds from keeping her daughter safe. The most obvious was the large still healing cut on Ron's left shoulder. "This looks worst than the others and somewhat recent. About two months ago?" Ron nodded.
"Ron, what happened?" Kim asked.
"Kim, remember fighting Professor Dementor when he stole that powered Exo-suit?"
"Yes."
"Tell us what you remember happening."
Kim narrowed her eyes impatiently but went along with Ron's request. "Well Wade called as soon as he located Dementor's lair. We got a ride. Slipped past the outside guards and dropped into the main lab where the Exo-suit was. Dementor only had it partly powered. He climbed in and attacked me. The henchmen in the room went after you. I fought Dementor until the power in the suit ran out and he fell to the ground trapped in the suit. The scientists and the local police arrived soon after and we went home."
"Think harder, more details about anything else that happened."
"Hmm… Two goons tried to sneak up on me from behind when I was busy with Dementor but I heard them and took them out."
"What about me? What was I doing?"
"I wasn't paying too much attention but it looked like you were handling the group of henchmen without any problems. Afterwards you told me you pulled a muscle in your arm but everything was ok."
"Anything about the trip home you remember?"
"Well now that I'm thinking about it you did seem goofier than normal."
Ron waited as Kim thought.
"So Ron, what really happened?"
"You took on Dementor. I got the henchmen with knives."
"WHAT?" Kim never saw any knives.
"Yeah, Dementor plays tougher than most of the other villains. Anyway I was down to the last two henchmen when I saw the two sneaking up behind you. I knew if I yelled to warn you, you'd look at me and they would jump you. So I did the only thing I could think of. I grabbed a chunk of rubble and threw it at the goons but that left me open and I got slashed on my left shoulder. It was a bad cut but it worked, you heard the noise and turned around. After I finished with the last two I checked how you were doing. You were handling Dementor and the henchmen were all down so I ducked behind some equipment so I could be close by if you needed help. Rufus did some fast temporary stitches to keep it closed, I bandaged myself up, put on one of my extra shirts and got a pain pill ready to take. You finished with Dementor and the local police arrived. I took the pill and we started the ride back home. The reason I was goofier than normal was the pill. I took a stronger one than normal for the cut."
"What did you take Ron?" Anne being the doctor would want to know.
"Just a codeine, I needed to get home still."
"Where are you getting these pills?"
"The pharmacy. I need to know that they will be safe to take."
Anne was also glad that the pills would come from a safe source, she was afraid he might be getting them from somewhere else. "So what doctor do you get the prescription from?"
"Well… I have a connection for that."
"Ron…" Anne didn't like the sound of that.
"I'm sorry I can't tell you. He isn't the type of doctor you lookup in the phone book." Ron's determined look told Anne that she wouldn't get any more information.
"Well at least the pills are safe." Anne admitted in defeat.
"After you got home, Ron?" Kim asked.
"I removed the temporary stitches, cleaned the wound, put in smaller stitches, new bandages, food and rest. I took it easy on my shoulder for the next few days and change the bandages out a few times to check the cut."
"Well the stitching was quite good Ron. It has healed nicely." Anne said looking at the cut. "What happened here? This is a skin graft." Anne ran a finger over a patch of scar tissue on his left ribs.
"Yeah, Shego fire. There is more on my back and left leg."
"Ron you don't fight with Shego, I do!" Kim was surprised.
"Yes, but Shego throws her fire around the room a lot. I never got a direct hit but that stuff would splatter on impact."
"And these?" Anne pointed to the three round scars on his right stomach.
"Motor Ed's goons had spiked gloves on."
"Turn around, Ron" Anne ordered. Ron did so.
"Ron! Your back is even worse!" Kim joined her mother to take a closer look.
"I know…" Ron voice was much softer. "I catch some shrapnel when we run from explosions."
"But nothing hit me!" Kim was puzzled
Ron turned around to face Kim. "Kim I'm a very good runner. You never wondered why I was right behind you, never beside you."
"You always stayed between me and the danger." Kim said as she worked it out loud.
"For anything to hurt you, It had to go through me first." Ron stated calmly. Kim's composure started to break again. Ron seeing tears form in her eyes wrapped Kim in a hug. "Shh… It's ok. I'm fine."
"NO!" Kim tried to pull away but Ron held on. "You're not fine. You're…" Kim settled back into Ron's arms. "You're hurt because of me…"
"No Kim. I'm hurt because evil people wanted to hurt others and you stopped them."
"But if I hadn't" Kim started but Ron cut her off "If you didn't many others would have paid more than I did."
Kim ran her hands over Ron's back. "Why?"
"Not everyone had family and friends that loved and cared for them like we have. Maybe everyone can live together in peace. Maybe they can't. Maybe the world needs a few evil people to bring out the best in everyone else. Maybe peace is only valued by those that fight for it. I don't know. I just protect you so you can protect the world."
Ron and Kim held each other as Monique and Anne watched.
"I love you too Ron." Kim said softly.
Ron squeezed Kim tighter. Kim looked up into Ron's face to see silent tears falling from his eyes.
"You don't know how long I've wished, hoped and dreamed to hear you say that…"
Kim leaned in to look deep into Ron's eyes.
"No more secrets." Kim demanded.
"No more secrets." Ron agreed.
Kim stretched her head up and captured Ron's lips with her own.
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The End (and yet The Beginning)
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Author's Note: Well that is the end of this little love story I started sometime in October. I know it is nothing really new (after I started this story I read more of the site) but it's still a lovely story to tell. As I was reading on the site I got an idea for an extra chapter, so I'm working on it.
Again 'Thank You' to the reviews I received. It's nice to know you care.
If you want, leave a review, good, bad or other.
Disney owns Kim Possible and its related characters.