Disclaimer: The Walt Disney Company owns all rights to the characters and situations associated with Kim Possible. I borrow Kim, her family and friends for no monetary gain. I do this only to quell my desire to express myself. Yeah, that'll work just fine.
The Closet II
Chapter 21
Aftermath
Kim's eye's slowly fluttered open. It took a few seconds before she could focus well enough to realize that she was in bed, a hospital bed to be precise considering all of the medical equipment surrounding her, and that Ron was lying directly next to her. The machine weren't hooked up or anything. They seemed to be in place for just in case.
She could feel that she had a few small stinging cuts and bruises on her face but the thing that concerned her most was Ron. His forehead was tightly wrapped with a huge cottony gauze lump near his temple which could only mean one thing. He had a major injury there.
Kim had seen what happened to the spaceship when the Lotus Triune Maneuver ripped into the front of the ship. Bulges, bumps and tears rippled along the entire length starting at the nose and rapidly continuing on down the entire surface as if millions of tiny explosions were trying to escape the vessel as the Mystical Triune Beam moved its way down the length of the ship. Then the whole vessel exploded into a million billion pieces, some of which hit the Sloth and both her and Ron.
Then Kim had blacked out, thoroughly drained by the LTM.
"I see you're finally awake." The female voice sounded familiar to Kim, but very tired and filled with relief. Kim turned and saw her mother standing in the doorway to the room, looking way past tired but with a slight smile appearing on her lips. Kim tried to sit up but she immediately fell back onto the bed. "Don't try to move too much Kimmie," Dr. Ann Possible said as she walked over to the bed and laid a loving hand on her daughter's shoulder to keep her in place. "You've been unconscious for ten hours and took some shrapnel in the arm but otherwise you survived the blast."
Kim suddenly felt the pain in her right arm and finally saw the bandage wrapped around her right bicep. "What about Ron?" she croaked, her voice coming out harsh and raspy, probably because she had been out of it for so long and her throat was parched. (Especially since she didn't partake of any of the juice boxes before the battle.)
Dr. Possible picked up a large lidded mug with a straw in the top from the nightstand and held it for Kim to drink from as she said, "Ron didn't fair as well as you did. From what Wade told us as he piloted the Sloth here to Middleton Hospital, Ron used his body to shield you from the explosion before he finally got his bubble shield thing up to cover you both. As you've probably figured out, he caught one piece of shrapnel near the left temple but he also received multiple small pieces in his back. One hit very close to the spinal column so Ron could be paralyzed, but we won't know for sure until after he's awake and we can do more tests. Also, he lost a lot of blood before you both got here but we were able to stop the bleeding and he's holding his own right now… Though heaven knows why. He should've died from all of his wounds."
"It's the Mystical Monkey Power," Kim informed her mother as she swept a few errant strands of blond hair from the bandages around his forehead with her good hand. "Ron's MMP is keeping him alive until it can fully heal him." Kim turned to her mother and asked, "Which wound is the most severe?"
"All of the other doctors are concerned with the damage near his spine," Dr. Possible said in the most professional voice she could muster under the circumstances considering she was talking about her daughter's husband… Her one and only son-in-law, "but it's the head wound that worries me the most." Ann put the plastic mug of ice water back on the nightstand and leaned across her daughter to examine the bandages wrapping Ron's head for a second before standing again. "Anytime you have damage to the head, so close to the brain, that's a major concern."
"I can help heal Ron," Kim hopefully said as she tried to sit up again, this time being able to do so, "but I gotta see what I'm working on. Can you take the bandages off?"
"We were just getting ready to change his dressings," Dr. Possible answered in a bit of a surprise that her daughter wanted to help, "but what can you do?"
"If you remember when Sensei talked to you just before Ron and I got married," Kim said as she held up a MMP glowing hand for her mother to see, "he told you that I would receive a healthy dose of Ron's Mystical Monkey Powers when we bonded. Those Powers can be used to heal."
"I don't know about this Kimmie," Dr. Ann Possible said taking a step back, slightly bewildered by the sudden appearance of the blue glow since this was the first time she'd seen it first hand, so to speak, and up close. "Maybe we should let nature take its course and let Ron heal on his own."
"But I gotta help him mom!" Kim yelped in a bit of a panic, "I love Ron. I can't save the world without him!"
"I understand how you feel Kimmie," Ann cooed to calm down her daughter as she stepped back over to the bed and tried to push the redhead back down. "But you're talking about something I have no knowledge or experience with. You know we have the best medical facilities and staff in the world here and the general opinion is to let Ron heal normally."
Kim laid back on the bed in a huff. She knew she could help her husband but she didn't know how she could convince her mother to let her. Then Kim had an idea. A slight smirk arose on her face as she asked, "Mom, did you see the scar on Ron's upper right arm when you checked him over for any additional injuries?"
"Why, yes I did," Dr. Possible said as she went over to Ron's side of the bed, lifted the sleeve of his hospital gown and pointed to the faint white line on his arm. "It's right here, but what does this old scar have to do with what we're talking about? It looks like it happened sometime a few years ago."
"No, it happened two or three weeks ago when we were at Yamanouchi," Kim informed her mother. "Ron fell out of a tree and got a huge gash there but we were able to heal it right away using our Mystic Powers."
"That's amazing," Dr. Possible marveled as she took a closer look at the faint white line. "This looks as if it should've taken nine or ten stitches and years to heal to this point."
"Nope, we did it right after the accident," Kim said as she quickly unwrapped the gauze bandages from around her bicep then place a glowing left hand over her own wound. "And if you still don't believe me…"
"Kimmie!" Dr. Possible screeched in horror as she watched her daughter bare the gash on her arm and slap a glowing blue hand over it. She was so stunned by Kim's actions she couldn't immediately move to stop her.
Fifteen seconds later, Kim removed her no longer glowing hand and showed her right arm to her mother. There was a healthy scar there but the gash was completely healed over and the dissolvable stitches were gone as well. Kim now had a scar on her right bicep precisely matching Ron's.
"Kimmie that's…" Dr. Possible said in astonishment as she examined the scar and skin around the former wound.
"Neat trick, isn't it," Kim giggled, "and very handy for our hobby of saving the world."
"And you think you can do this to Ron's injuries too?" Ann said as she stepped to the foot of the bed, picked up one of the charts and started to write on it.
"I know I can mom," Kim affirmed with a smiling nod of the head. "That's if you let me."
"Except I'm not the one you need to convince," Dr. Possible said as she moved over to sit on the edge of the bed next to Kim. "Due to ethical and safety concerns I'm not allowed to be your doctor of record during your stay here. Dr. Doute is."
"Oh, that's right," Kim said as she slapped her forehead after remembering that particular hospital regulation. "You're not allowed to work on possible severe injuries to family members because caring for someone whose related to you may cloud your judgment because of the possible stress you'd be under. It could cloud your judgment."
"That correct," Dr. Possible said as she stood up, picked up the telephone receiver of the bedside phone and started to dial. "You'll have to talk to Dr. Doute before you try to help Ron. He'll want to see your arm anyway so I'm calling him now."
After the phone call had been placed Kim looked around the room and notice that they were in a private room with only one bed in it, the one she and Ron were both occupying. She asked, "Mom, why are Ron and I in the same bed? Isn't it normal for patients to recover in separate beds?"
"That true Kimmie," Mrs. Dr. Possible said with a sly smirk, "but for some unknown reason when you two were brought in you each had an arm wrapped around the other's waist. We simply couldn't pry you and Ron apart so we fixed you two up as best we could and put you to bed. Not even our strongest orderlies could separate you and Ron without possibly breaking a bone."
It was only a minute before a short man with a bald head and dressed in green doctor's scrubs hurried into the room. "What's this about Kim's arm being healed?"
"Good afternoon, Thomas," Ann happily greeted as she stepped away from Kim's side of the bed and motioned with a grand, sweeping gesture of the arm for him to take over, "see for yourself."
"How did this happen?" Dr. Thomas Doute begged in astonishment as he gingerly poked and prodded Kim's former wound, now a white line being the only indication where the slash had been. "I stitched up the laceration here myself not more than three hours ago. It shouldn't be healed over like this for at least a year!"
"I used a little bit of magic on it," Kim giggled and squirmed on the bed from the gentle tickling her arm was experiencing from the doctor's touch. "I can do it to Ron's injuries too if you'll let me."
"Magic?" Dr. Thomas Doute begged as he stood back from the bed and shot a glance between the two women in the room. "What exactly is going on here?"
"Both Ron and Kim have Mystical Monkey Powers," Ann smugly informed her colleague, "and one of the Powers they have is the healing touch. I witnessed the damaged disappear with my own eyes."
"MOM!" Kim wailed in protest. "Our MMP is suppose to be a secret!"
"I'm sure Thomas can keep you Powers under wraps," Ann joked with a smirky smile to her daughter. ""I think it would fall under the doctor/patient confidentiality clause."
"It does and I'd love to see it at work," Thomas chuckled as he stepped back over to the bed and gently drew a finger across a small cut on Kim's right cheek. "Can you demonstrate by healing this minor laceration on your face?"
Kim turned to her mother and asked, "Is there a hand mirror I can see it with mom? Please and thank you."
"Yes, right here honey," Dr. Possible said as she opened the bedside stand drawer and pulled out an oval, five inch mirror. She handed it to her daughter.
Kim looked over the small cuts and bruises on her face in the mirror for a moment before she set the mirror down and placed her two glowing blue hands over her entire face. Ten seconds later she removed her hands and smiled up at the doctor. "How's that?" Kim smiled and giggled.
"That's amazing," Dr. Doute marveled as he quickly checked over Kim's face. There were no cuts or bruises anywhere.
"Now," Kim sternly pleaded as she grasped Ron's hand that was lying next to her and held on tight, "can I please do the same thing for my husband? I haven't heard his laugh for hours and I really need a good dose of Ronshine."
xxxxxx
"I thought the doctors would never let us outta there," Ron joked as he and Kim were each wheeled toward the automatic exit doors of the hospital in wheelchairs by their respective mothers.
"We only kept you four extra days for observation," Mrs. Dr. Possible stated in her best doctor's voice as she ran her fingers through Kim's luscious red locks. "We all wanted to make sure you were completely healed after saving the world like you did."
"But mom, the test you put us through during those four days," Kim jokingly protested while looking back at her mother. "It seems like you were trying to find out more about our Mystical Powers than to make sure we were okay. I mean the EEG, MRI and X-rays and such? Even Dr. Infanté was brought in to check on my reproductive system."
"And she found out how you're able control it," Jan Stoppable cut in as she pushed her son in the wheelchair towards the exit, "so we know you can give us grandkids whenever you want to."
"She didn't find out how KP can control it mom," Ron said from the chair looking over his shoulder, "only that Kim can control her, well, eggs and stuff. She also discovered that I can produce sperm without tails when I want to so they can't move." He looked over his other shoulder to talk to his mother-in-law. "And why do we need to be wheeled out of the hospital again Dr. P.? Kim and I can walk you know. You all said we're perfectly healthy."
"I already told you it's standard hospital procedure, Ron," Mrs. Dr. Possible answered with a chuckle as they exited the hospital and made their way to the Possible van. "You just saved the world and my daughter so just sit back and enjoy the ride."
"So, what did you learn about our Powers Dr. P?" Ron quizzically asked as he stood up and hopped into the van. Kim got out of her wheelchair with no problem at all either and sat in the back seat next to him while the two mothers got into the front seats as two orderlies walked up and carted the wheelchairs away.
"Only that science can't logically explain them," Ann said with a tired voice. "All of the tests came back normal. There's no scientific theory as to how Kim and you healed your injuries like you did. That's the only reason none of the hospital staff will talk about your Powers, even though they're sworn to secrecy anyway. Nobody would believe us if it did get out."
"Well, to paraphrase something the great Bard of Avon once wrote," Ron laughed from the back seat as Ann Possible drove out of the hospital parking lot, "there are more things in Heaven and Earth, Dr. P., then are dreamed of in your philosophy."
"My Ronnie?" Jan Stoppable laughed out loud, "quoting Shakespeare?"
"And why not?" Kim quizzically queried with a brilliant smile as she nestled into her husband's one-armed embrace. "He got straight A's this year in school and he was smart enough to think of bringing the Kimmunicator along on the tour of the spaceship so Wade could get all of the scans he did."
That answer brought a silent contemplative mood to the van's occupants as it moved through the sparse Middleton traffic. Dr. Possible and Mrs. Stoppable finally fell into a quiet conversation about what they'd prepared to eat for the homecoming party leaving the young couple in the rear seats to cuddle and talk on their own.
"I've said it before Ron," Kim cooed as she curled up in her seat and snuggled closer to the arm she was clutching, "and I'll say it again. I'm so very proud and impressed with how much you've grown and improved over the last year since I dragged you into that janitor's closet."
"I'm happy to hear you say that," Ron hushed back as he stroked his fingers through her luscious red locks, "because you're the one who caused all of the changes in me."
"Me, Ron?" Kim questioned, sitting up a bit to look him in the face. "I don't think so. You did everything on your own. I simply gave you a little push in the right direction."
"But you were my inspiration," Ron countered. "You're the girl who can do anything, including giving me a chance to be more than just your best friend. When you told me you wanted to be my girlfriend/girlfriend that morning after the closet, well, that was my motivation to improve."
"And yet you made me go out with Josh on two more dates," Kim playfully pouted at the memory of the duo dates of disaster she'd had to endure. Mankey totally ignored her on the first date in the park and wanted to paint Kim's portrait on the second… In the nude… In her own house while the 'rents were out!
"I didn't think I was ready to be your boyfriend just yet," Ron casually answered as he laid his head back on the headrest and relished the feel of his wife in his arms. "It took me those two day to buckle down and realize that I could live up to your idea of what I could become. When I sat down and started on my homework that Saturday, it all just started to flow like a river. It was a trickle at first but when I thought about us maybe being together for the rest of our lives the trickle grew and grew until it was a raging river and somehow, the homework suddenly became easy peasy lemon squeezy. After your Sunday date, I was ready to maybe consider us being a couple."
"Even though you went to BN behind my back," Kim giggled.
"Hey, hey there," Ron playfully chided. "You gotta remember I was still sorta laid back and Bueno Nacho based at the time. I didn't think we'd be going there that often so I wanted to get all of the Nacoliscious-ness I could get before it was totally taken away from me."
"But we went there daily anyway because you were doing so well in school and with your martial arts training."
"Just the thought of that being taken away made me do better," Ron said with his arm tightening more around his wife. "That, and you wanting to be my girlfriend. I wanted to live up to the potential you saw in me."
"You lived up to that and a whole lot more," Kim cooed as she unbuckled both of their seatbelts, lengthening the strap of his belt, slid onto his lap and buckled them both in together. "My Potential Boy shoots and scores."
Kim leaned in for a kiss but was interrupted when the van came to a stop and her mother cheerfully announced, "We're home."
Kim and Ron looked out the side window of the van and saw that they were parked in the driveway of the Possible house. Balloons and streamers festooned the front façade and there was a big banner draped above the front door saying WELCOME HOME. There were also a whole pack of people in the yard waiting to greet them. The rest of the Possible clan including Nana, Joss and Uncle Slim, and Aunt June and Cousin Larry were standing there next to Dean Stoppable and the entire cheerleading squad. All were waving and cheering their greetings from the front lawn.
"I guess we're expected," Ron lightly chuckled as he unbuckled the seatbelt.
"I guess so," Kim laughed as she got off of Ron's lap before turning to her mother and asking, "I thought Ron and I were suppose to be heading back to Senior's Island for the second week of our honeymoon?"
"You were Kimmie-Cub," James Possible said as he opened up the back door of the van and held out his hand to help his daughter out, giving each of the teens a brief hug, "but your car needs a little work on it before you can leave so we decided to give you a welcome home party while the repairs are being made."
"The Sloth took some major damage from the explosion," Jim said from his place next to his father.
"So we're patching it up to make it look as good as new," Tim added.
"It'll be ready tomorrow," the Tweebs finished in stereo.
"The rest of the guests are inside the house," Dean said as he watched Kim and Ron get out of the van and gave his son and daughter-in-law a brief hug.
"The rest of the guest?" Kim begged in confusion. "Are there more kids from school here for the party?"
"No," James chuckled as he looked over his shoulder to the front door. "There are a few dignitaries that want to thank you for saving the world from the alien invasion. They're all on a tight schedule so we'd better go inside and get it over with."
Ron and Kim followed their fathers up the front sidewalk, briefly saying their helloes to the people on the lawn, before they stepped inside the house and saw more than a dozen of the top world leaders mingling in the living room.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable," the President of the United States crowed with open arms as he came over to greet the young couple with a firm, political handshake, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you. And may I add that it's both an honor and privilege to present you both with the highest award the American people can give, The Medal of Freedom." A burly Secret Servant agent handed two long, narrow flat boxes to the President who opened the boxes, one at a time, and handed them to Kim and Ron.
"Thank you Sir," Kim happily chimed as she fingered the medal in the presentation box. Ron also vocally expressed his appreciation but swiftly snapped his box closed and looked over Kim's shoulder to look at hers.
"Of course we'd like you all to come to Washington D.C. for a proper ceremony," the President quickly added. "We'll fly you out on Air Force One tomorrow and you'll spend the night in the White House, of course."
"We were planning on going back to…" Ron began while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before he was cut off by an elbow in his side by Kim.
"We look forward to the ceremony, Sir," Kim said with a beaming smile. "Thank you for the honor."
"We need to go Mr. President," the agent who had handled the medals said as he warily glanced around the room at the other guests. "We need to be at that function in Los Angeles in a little over two hours, sir."
"Of course John, of course," the President sighed before turning back to Kim and Ron and taking back the medals. "You'll get these for real in D.C. tomorrow," the President of the United States briskly said and shook their hands again before he left.
"But KP," Ron hushed as he leaned in to whisper in Kim's ear, "I thought we were going back to Senior's Island tomorrow to finish our honeymoon?"
"We can put that off for a few days Ron," Kim coyly shot back at him. "How often do we get an invitation to the White House?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to put off your honeymoon trip for a little longer than two days, kids," Dean Stoppable said as he gestured to an older woman, dressed regally and with a overly ornate crown on her head, who was walking toward them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable," the Queen of England said, pronouncing each syllable of her speech slowly and precisely. "I, and the people of Great Britain, are most humbly in your debt. The damage to the world you prevented is great and We would like it very much if you would grace our fair country with a visit so that We may properly show our gratitude. While you are, by birth, both Americans, We believe you are truly citizens of the world. Therefore, you shall be knighted Lords of the Realm. Of course you must stay in Buckingham Palace during your visit."
"It will be our honor," Ron said with a gracious bow as Kim curtsied.
"Ron and I will travel to London as soon as we leave Washington," Kim courteously said with another curtsy.
"Very well," the Queen curtly said as she swiftly, but gracefully, turned and was escorted from the room by her bodyguard. "We shall await, your arrival."
"Can you believe it Ron," Kim excitedly whispered in his ear. "We'll get a chance to make love in Buckingham Palace and the Lincoln Bedroom!"
"That's great KP," Ron snickered back in a low voice so no one else could hear him but Kim, "but I'd rather just be alone with you on a secluded beach for the next week or five… Or for the rest of our lives."
"Oh Ron," Kim moaned in delight at his devotion to her and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "me too. But what can we do? We don't want to offend anybody who wants to thank us for saving the world."
The next in line was the President of Russia who asked that the two come to Moscow for a ceremony and a night in the Kremlin. Then the President of Japan offered similar awards and accommodations followed by the Presidents of nine other nations.
Finally the living room was empty of dignitaries (and bodyguards,) and the young married couple were left alone with their fathers.
"Well, KP," Ron said with a big sigh of relief that the politicians were finally gone, "it looks like we'll be busy with a little world tour of our own for the next two weeks."
"I'm afraid it'll be a little longer than that," James laughed as he and Dean each lugged out a huge sack of mail.
"You two have invitations from just about every nation on the planet," Dean said as he dropped his big bag on the floor with a thud, opened the sack and pulled out a few of the letters. "These are just two of the mail sacks that have arrived but everyone wants to thank you and give you an award or have you stay in their palace for a day or two."
"Wow dad," Ron marveled as he accepted a few of the envelopes and paged through them. "But there's, like, a hundred ninety nations in the world. It'll take over six months to visit every nation and spend a single day and night in each one. That'll majorly cut into our Junior year of high school."
"I'm sure we can gracefully decline most of these invitations," Kim said as she paged through a handful of letters. "Especially if we do one big ceremony at the United Nations building in New York City and personally thank each country's dignitary after the ceremony."
"You can decide all of that later," James said as he guided his daughter out of the room toward the front door. "Right now you have some other guests to attend to."
The party was warm and jovial for all and the couple spent the whole time talking and laughing with their friend and relatives. Kim noticed that Bonnie was always staring at Ron with a glazed, wanting look in her eye so Kim knew she was going to have some trouble with the cheerleading captain in the near future. Further down the line Kim knew she'd have even more trouble getting the captaincy back when she returned to the squad.
The party finally ended as everyone went their separate way. One by one, the relatives hugged the young couple on the way out. The cheer squad also bade their individual good-byes as they left, hugging Kim and kissing Ron on the cheek.
All except Bonnie that is.
The teal-eyed brunette gave Kim a casual flip of the hand in farewell before she latched her lips onto Ron's for a long, searing kiss that sent Kim's blood pressure up thirty points.
"Bonnie!" the redhead yelled as she fiercely yanked her rival off of her husband. After the kiss, Ron, to his credit, wiped off his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt and spat in disgust.
"Yes K?" Bonnie nonchalantly asked as she wiped her radiantly brilliant, barracuda smile on the sleeve of her shirt for a similar but whole other reason.
"You know Ron and I are married. When are you gonna learn to keep your hands and lips off of my husband?"
"He might be your husband now," Bonnie sassed over her shoulder as she stepped over to her car, "but I'll prove to him that I'm the better lover before high school is over. I'll see you soon, Ronnie, dear." With that said and a wave of her hand, Bonnie jumped into her white convertible and swiftly drove away.
"Ron," Kim turned to her lifelong friend and now husband with concern, "are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
"No, I'm alright KP," Ron said before he grabbed a napkin out of his pocket and swiped off his tongue. "And just to let you know, you're a much better kisser." He glanced at the napkin with utter disgust and then tossed it in a handy trashcan. Ron took Kim in his arms and lovingly looked into her emerald green hued eyes. "And I gotta say she doesn't taste very good, either."
"Do you think the bad taste may have something to do with what she ate here at the party?" Kim giggled.
"Nah," Ron waved off her suggestion before he kissed her right there on the front lawn. When the kiss finally parted, he smiled at her and continued, "I think she's spewed so much venom at people for so long that her mouth just tastes bad naturally."
And thus ends pat 2 of The Closet. I've already started part three, with five chapters in the can, but I thought I'd get this part posted so you wouldn't forget me. There are a few loose ends to tidy up: The congratulatory tour and dealing with Bonnie being two of them. Until next time.
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