Chapter 8! Thank you to all wonderful reviewers for your feedback and ideas, a big shout out to my wonderful beta psycochick32 who is helping me with my often atrocious grammar and lack of proof reading skills.

I will be reposting the beta-edited chapters 1-7 today and tomorrow as well ^^

Jason and Tommy rose early and took their place in the waiting room on the ward where Kim was hospitalised. Occasionally a nurse or doctor would pass and shoot them a slightly exasperated look, but Tommy didn't care; Jason had the grace to look slightly abashed.

Jason had been surprised by the change in Tommy. The last time he had seen Tommy, his friend had been lost, but this morning the former ranger was filled with determination. He insisted that he would be here when Kim woke up and he would talk to her.

Kat arrived next, and took a seat demurely opposite Jason, her face serious but calm. The others began to arrive in twos and threes, with the exception of Aisha and Trini. The looks from the hospital staff became increasingly more pointed and the team as one determinedly ignored them.

A young, olive-skinned nurse walked by and Jason beckoned her to them. She approached; looking slightly bemused, crossed her arms and gave Jason an appraising look.

"When she wakes, just tell her we're here and we're not going anywhere," Jason told her, laying a hand on her arm.

The nurse seemed to be fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "That's just it. She's awake, and she knows you're here."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jason saw a flash of black. "Tommy!" He rose to stop his friend, who was already running down the hallway, but Kat blocked his path.

"Just leave him, Jason," she said.

Jason wanted to argue with her, but the look in her eyes stopped him. Katherine's lovely face was set with determination, but her eyes revealed a deep sorrow that took him by surprise.

Jason knew she and Tommy had been together, but – never detecting any deep love on Tommy's part – Jason had assumed Kat's feelings also lacked depth. Looking at her now, Jason realised his assumption had been wrong; letting Tommy go had, and was still, causing her pain.

Unrequited love.

"Kat? Are you okay?" Jason asked, genuinely concerned. The words were inadequate, but he needed to say them anyway.

She smiled and brushed her pale blonde hair out of her face, leaving her left hand cupped around her neck. "I'm fine," she told him. "Just a little tired."

Jason studied her perfect face; she did look tired, but his gaze fell on her hand. On Katherine Hilliard's ring finger on her left hand was a fine line of pale skin, which contrasted with her light bronze tan. The ring that created that tan line could only have been recently removed.

So where was the ring… and who was it from?

-888-

What had happened to Tommy?

Kimberly had locked her memories and feelings about the previous night into one of the dark corners of her mind where she kept things she didn't want to think about, and his sudden appearance in her room (when she had told her doctor she didn't want to see him) took her by surprise.

And she was afraid.

This Tommy did not resemble the Tommy she had kissed goodbye at the airport before she left for Florida, the loving partner she had lost to her own stupidity. That Tommy had been gentle, even bashful. No matter what problems or obstacles life had thrown at them, Tommy had always had a smile for her. Of course, he had no reason to smile for her now… especially if he had read the letter she had left with him.

This Tommy was taller, more muscular; his shoulders seemed broader and his skin was darker, with a deeper tan. His eyes were darker than she remembered and they held none of the gentleness she had loved. Gone was the colour from his clothes; each time Kimberly had seen him he had been dressed entirely in black.

Then again, it wasn't like she had been expecting him to still be her white knight.

A nurse followed Tommy in, admonishing him and ordering him to get out.

Demanding Tommy to leave.

"He can stay," Kim found herself saying.

The nurse turned to look at her as if she was crazy; Kim shrugged and cocked her head to the side. She had caused enough damage; she wasn't going to tell Tommy what to do.

I want him to stay.

The nurse shook her head and exhaled. "The police will be here soon," she reminded Kim. She turned to Tommy and gestured to Kimberly's tray of food, "You can stay, if you can get her to eat."

Tommy's dark eyes looked to the plate of rather unappealing food, and then flicked back to Kim. He moved stiffly to her bedside and slid the table across the floor so that the food was under her nose, and then took a seat on the edge of the bed. His lips pursed and relaxed several times, and Kim was surprised by how uncomfortable she was.

Never would she have thought Tommy could inspire fear in her.

She was sure he wouldn't hurt her - she trusted him that much - but it occurred to her that he easily could. His height and muscular build had never bothered her before, but now Kimberly had to stomp on her wayward feelings and force her face into passivity. She might be able to maintain her composure, but she couldn't deny that inside, she was afraid of him.

Not afraid of him. Afraid of his physical size and strength.

"Eat," he said eventually.

Kim gasped; she had been so busy studying him she had forgotten he could talk. She shook her head, in reply and in an attempt to clear her mind.

Get a grip, Kimberly.

"The food... doesn't look very appetising," she answered.

His lips tweaked in a tiny smile, "How about for every two mouthfuls you suffer through, I'll suffer through one?"

Kim wished she had a little more self-control as her mouth fell open with a 'pop'. Was he being kind to her?

"Well?" he watched her intently, waiting for her answer.

It's not exactly like I can refuse you anything, after what I've done.

Kim grimaced and eyed her food, "Okay."

Tommy watched as she slowly raised the first spoonful of orange-coloured mash to her lips. She swallowed quickly, and was surprised when he smiled.

"It wouldn't kill you to chew it first," he joked.

"And prolong the suffering?" she protested, swallowing a piece of unidentifiable gray meat. She pushed the plate towards him, "Your turn."

He took a little of the mash and a little of the meat and chewed it thoughtfully, "So I can't just spit it out, can I?" he asked her through his food.

He cut an imposing figure, and to see him speaking through a mouthful of hospital food was just too much; Kim couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips, "Not unless I can."

He swallowed and grimaced at her as she took the plate back. "Let's not do this again," he told her and she smiled her assent.

Uncertainty over what would happen next hung awkwardly over their shoulders, but Kim found she was quite comfortable with him there, sharing her food. She found, however, that she needed to focus on his eyes and keep her eyes away from his body if she was to quell the uneasiness he had earlier instilled in her. At the same time, she wasn't foolish or naive enough to believe that this would last; she didn't know why he was here but knew it wasn't to make amends.

"Most of the others are outside," he told her as they reached the end of their meal.

Most of them.

She looked up at him, her eyes suddenly serious. "Kat?" she asked worriedly.

Tommy nodded, "She's there. Trini and Aisha had some errands to do."

Was that sympathy on his eyes? Kimberly didn't want sympathy. "Do they know?"

Tommy frowned. "Kat told them. They want to talk to you... and show you they still love you."

She didn't miss his use of the word 'they' instead of 'we'.

"You read the letter." It wasn't a question.

The door opened and the doctor who had admitted Kimberly entered followed by two policewomen, one blonde and one brunette. Female doctors, nurses, police officers... Kimberly realised that someone was going to a lot of effort to surround her with women and wondered why.

Tommy nodded, "I did read it." He kept his eyes firmly on hers, ignoring the request of the doctor to leave. Kim read the unspoken question in his gaze; it seemed she really couldn't deny him anything.

"Can he stay?" she asked the doctor reluctantly.

The doctor sighed and took a seat in the corner; as the officers approached, casting uncertain glances at Tommy, who remained staunchly on the bed.

"Mrs. O'Reilly, we-"

Kim recoiled and looked down to her hands as everything inside her died for an instant. "Not my name," she murmured.

"Her name is Kimberly, please refer to her as such," she heard a voice say coolly. She looked gratefully at Tommy and hated herself even more than usual.

The blonde looked curiously at Tommy, and smiled politely. "Kimberly," she corrected. "We first wanted to offer our condolences, for your loss and your situation."

Kimberly and Tommy remained silent, Kim looking puzzled at their tone and choice of words.

The brunette noted this and moved on. "How about we tell you what we know, and you can tell us anything you want to afterwards," she suggested kindly, eyeing the fading bruise on Kim's temple. "We found your late husband just over a week ago, after being alerted to his absence. You can imagine how it looked when we found him dead; you had taken a change of clothes and his money and vanished, leaving behind your wedding ring. The autopsy results we received two days ago, though, prove your innocence, Kimberly."

Kimberly peered up at the officer. "I don't understand. I hit him back, and then I don't remember anything. When I woke up he was dead..."

The blonde nodded, "I'm sorry Mrs.- Kimberly. Your husband suffered a brain aneurism, most likely caused by high blood pressure. He died from the bleeding."

Kimberly felt Tommy's hand on hers, but nothing else really seemed to register. The doctor launched into an explanation about cause of brain aneurysms and described his death in clinical terms that didn't quite compute.

"Another time, maybe?" she heard Tommy speak, but he didn't phrase the words as a question.

The police officers moved closer, explaining that no one had offered to identify the body and that he had no living family they could find. Kim already knew this; his lack of familial bonds was always of concern to her. It was up to her, then, to make an identification of the body and make 'arrangements.'

"You want her to see his dead body and organise his funeral?" Tommy interrupted, fuming. "Do you have any idea what he-"

The blonde held up her hand. "There was no will, so Kimberly is the sole beneficiary of his legacy. If you want the body buried with no ceremony, that's fine… but we do need a positive ID of the body and we can't find anyone else."

"I don't want his money," Kim looked stricken.

"Understandable, but you must have a quite a few hospital bills to pay. And the money could help you start over," the brunette suggested gently, looking at Tommy meaningfully.

Kimberly watched the look that passed between Tommy and the officer; the former latter turned to her and smiled reassuringly. "We can talk about that later. Was there anything else?" Tommy asked coolly, indicating an end to the discussion.

The police officers took the hint and left, leaving their details and offering the hollow condolences of third parties with no vested interests in the bereaved.

The doctor sighed and came to stand beside the bed. "Kimberly, you'll need regular checkups and some extra support when you leave, and I still need to discuss the x-rays we took, but you should be ready to leave in the next few days." The doctor looked to Tommy and cast a glance at the door, "You should consider making arrangements."

Kimberly was reminded of the nagging pain in her arm when the doctor mentioned x-rays. She glanced at Tommy; he had sat through enough today already. She opened her mouth to ask him to leave but he predicted her request and cut her off.

"I'm not leaving," he told her firmly. The darkness in his eyes was back and Kimberly unconsciously shrunk back into her pillows, nodding mutely.

Suddenly his face crumpled with pain, genuine pain and his eyes softened; he placed his hand on hers. "Please don't send me away," he murmured softly.

He still cares for me.

Kimberly felt her heart swell, and felt the joy of her realisation blossom inside her. Then the little voice in her mind reminded her it couldn't be so. She refused to get her hopes up just to have them dashed later - she could not. Kimberly took a mental hammer and beat her heart back into its little box.

Shut up and stay small, she told it.

"Kimberly?" he asked again.

"Sure," she waved him off. "You can stay if you want." She pulled her hands free of his and placed them under the bed sheets. It occurred to her that there was no point hiding her right hand anyway, if he was going to stay. She sighed and rubbed her right wrist gingerly.

She sighed too much.

The doctor watched the exchange with a slightly bemused expression. "How about you show him first?"

Kimberly sighed again and pushed away the bed sheets, holding out her right hand for him, letting the hospital gown fall back to reveal her the uneven line of her wrist.

Tommy reached out and took her wrist, gently fingering its uneven surface. "What happened, dislocation?" he asked, his voiced hushed. Kimberly could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

The doctor shook her head. "It's what we call a closed fracture, mal-union. Where the bone has fractured, or broken without puncturing the skin, but has then healed in a deformed manner. It happens when people don't get proper medical attention: the bone reset correctly and secured with a cast. It must have happened... at least two years ago?" she asked Kim.

Kimberly cast her mind back to the foggy four years post-baby and drew a blank. In her mind very little had happened in the period of time between her miscarriage and that day not three weeks ago when she woke up and found the strength to fight. One year, two years, three years, how was she meant to know? "About then," she agreed with a shrug.

I guess years passed, but I didn't really realise ... he stopped taking me to the hospital when he hurt me.

Tommy's gaze was murderous as he ran his finger lightly across her skin; Kimberly shivered and pulled her arm back. "It's too late, isn't it?" she asked in a small voice. "To fix it?"

The doctor smiled, "No, most definitely not. What we'll do is, under anaesthetic, break the bone and reset it. It sounds nasty, but the x-ray shows it will be a relatively simple procedure. It's not urgent so you'll be entered onto a waiting list, but the x-ray and consultation can be done before you're discharged."

"You will... break my bones?"

The doctor nodded, all seriousness again. "With this surgery and proper physio, there is no reason why you can't regain full use of your arm. You won't be able to do handstands, but the pain will be gone, and you'll be able to write with it again." Her smile broadened, "You're very lucky you know. Mal-union can lead to amputation, but your bone didn't set too badly. Your procedure is really quite simple; we can do with it a local anaesthetic. The pain you experience is caused by the movement of the deformity, as it moves and catches the muscles."

Kimberly was surprised by how welcome that news was. She had never held out hope that she would be able to return to gymnastics, but relief from the constant pain and the ability to write properly...

Kimberly nodded. "Thank you," she murmured gratefully.

The doctor promised to return with the necessary paperwork and the information for Kim's rehabilitation. She would be seeing a nutritionist and a physiotherapist to help her gain weight and build strength, as well as returning for the operation on her arm and the necessary rehabilitation following that procedure.

There was also that touchy subject; the doctor emphatically recommended she see a psychologist.

And then they were alone again.

"Now. We need to talk," Tommy said, turning to face her and pulling out the letter she had written.

-888-

Jason looked around at his friends, studying their faces and actions. The two former black rangers seemed to gravitate towards each other naturally; the two had struck up a camaraderie and had been nearly inseparable the last few days.

They sat together, but Zack was deep in a hushed conversation with Billy; Adam sat alongside his predecessor, his face glum.

Rocky was speaking on his cell, organising one of employees to take his classes, unwilling to leave Kimberly's side.

Aisha and Trini were still absent… Jason couldn't even begin to guess what had drawn them from Kimberly's side. When he and Rocky had arrived at Aisha's house early this morning the two former yellow rangers were in high spirits. He had not seen Aisha looking so bright since before the funeral, and was glad the two had developed a close friendship.

It was interesting to see how rangers who had shared the same colour seemed to form tight bonds; he had to admit the friendship he had developed with Rocky was a very important part of his life.

Of course, Kat and Kimberly's relationship was a different thing altogether.

Zack's voice erupted out of the hushed, urgent whispers of him and Billy's conversation. "I don't understand; how could she think that we wouldn't support her? Did everything we went through mean nothing to her at all?"

Jason knew his old friend too well to believe the anger in Zack's voice; the original black ranger felt extremely guilty for doubting Kimberly and it manifested in his current frustration. Zack's anger was directed only at himself.

Billy sighed and let his head droop into his hands, apparently tired of arguing with his friend.

It was Kat who answered. "Kimberly loves everyone around her more than could love herself."

Zack shook his head in denial, "I've known Kimberly longer than you and I know she didn't suffer low self-esteem-"

"You've known her longer so shut up and remember what she was like," Rocky interrupted, uncharacteristically angry. "Kimberly was always there for every one of us. She was the heart of our team; she loved us unconditionally." Rocky's face shifted, his eyes darkened. "But she didn't like to show weakness… I wonder if she ever knew how much we adored her."

Jason nodded at his successor, adding, "Her disjointed family left her doubting herself, particularly after her parents left. They claimed to love her but she never quite could shake the feeling that she wasn't enough, that she wasn't a good enough daughter to keep them close to her in Angel Grove. It wasn't something she often shared; she never did want to burden us with her problems and insecurities."

Zack's face clouded with shame at his outburst.

Adam rose and placed a consolatory hand on Zack's shoulder, "We all made mistakes, but we can't blame Kimberly. We can't change the past but we can be there for her now, and in the future."

Zack looked at Adam, his dark face pained by his friends' words, but his eyes were fierce with determination. "The future," he agreed.

Jason looked around at the assembled team, and pondered the cause of their collected suffering.

He knew it wasn't Kimberly who was causing them pain; it was that man, who had taken their overly-trusting, beautiful little sister and taught her to doubt herself. It was also the way that they had left her… the way that they had fallen for her Dear John letter.

Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, but in this case hindsight was an ass. Because in hindsight they could all see how they could have worked harder to show Kimberly that they loved her unconditionally, that they were her true family.

Jason crossed the room and clasped Zack's hand. "The future," he agreed.

Taeniaea, sabina21, RKF22, CloudGazer15 – Thank you for your kind reviews

andyg2525 – That's one hell of a compliment, thank you :D I'm glad you're beginning to enjoy reading, there is a lot of great literature out there though that you should try too, reading is quite addictive when you get started

Nepht – thank you for your review as always You're reviews are so useful and constructive

general-joseph-dickson – your review made me laugh hehe

devafiend – thank you so much for your lovely review, I hope you continue reading

psycochick32 – I love you! Thank you for being my beta :D