Billy and Kim were the ones who took charge of organizing the room once Dana had given her orders and Carter returned with the chairs. The room they were situated in was off a side corridor of the emergency room which afforded them some privacy; on a quiet day like this, the other rooms in the hallway were vacant. Under normal circumstances, the room would be used to hold two patients. The room was divided down the middle with a curtain, and each bed could be completely encircled with curtains for more privacy.
Conner had been placed in the bed on the right hand side of the room as you walk in from the hallway; his bed remained located amidst all of the monitoring equipment Dana and the others had set up around him. There was room enough to walk in a circuit around Conner's stretcher for easy access on both sides. The stretcher Tommy occupied had been pushed against the left hand wall leaving more space on that side of the room for others to gather.
Rocky waved away the chair Carter offered him and remained standing at the foot of Conner's bed; his right hand loosely grasping Conner's right ankle. Aisha took the chair instead and pushed it up against Conner's bed in front of Rocky's position, but facing the wall where Tommy had been settled. Jason remained close to Tommy, keeping contact with him also with a grip on his leg; Carter stayed close to Tommy as well. Kim had settled her chair against the wall facing the door, close to the head of Tommy's stretcher. Kira and Ethan settled between Kim and Conner; their chairs so close together they could've been mistaken for one.
Cam and Hunter remained hovering in the doorway. After their silent arrival Cam had explained that Blake had been taken out for tests. It was clear from the look that passed between the two ninjas that it had taken some convincing for Cam to get Hunter out of the now empty room. So Hunter stayed rooted in the doorway reluctant to miss Blake's return, and Cam stayed, reluctant to leave Hunter. Billy drifted between the hallway and the room keeping a lookout for Haley and helping Dana deliver coffee and food to those who silently waited.
It seemed as if they were waiting for something, though none of them was quite sure what. Everyone was reluctant to break the silence, not knowing what to say. So the Rangers gathered keeping watch over their ailing friends and thinking about those not present. Haley's arrival seemed to shatter the spell that had fallen over them bringing a breath of fresh air and a new resolve to the group. Though Haley looked dismayed at Tommy and Conner's appearances, she looked more determined than ever to be useful to the group.
No one was more shocked than Ethan when, before doing anything else, Haley dropped his backpack into his lap. The look on his face clearly expressed that he thought she was the most wonderful woman on the planet. He unconsciously sat up straighter and looked more together as he clutched his backpack to his chest. "Thanks, Haley." Ethan's gratitude was so sweet and sincere that it brought smiles to more than Kim and Kira's faces.
"You're welcome." Haley smiled in return. "But don't think I brought you that stuff so you could play around. I'll need your help." Ethan beamed and sat up even taller.
"What's going on?" Haley asked frankly. When no one jumped in, Haley looked at Billy.
"We're waiting for Dana to return with some updates. We thought it better to talk all together than in disjointed chunks."
Haley nodded absently even as she took her laptop out of its travel bag and began setting it up. "That makes sense."
"Haley!" Kira interrupted. "Your pocket is glowing."
"What?" Haley looked down and patted her pocket. She pulled out Tommy's morpher in its bracelet mode. The black dino gem was glowing intensely. "I fixed Tommy's morpher. I was hoping…oh!" Haley gasped as the bracelet flew out of her hand across the room. With an audible snap it clasped itself around Tommy's wrist. Tommy gave a little jerk like he'd been shocked, then took a deep breath and relaxed.
Haley turned apologetically toward Rocky and Aisha. "I had no idea that would happen. I was hoping…if the gem worked for Adam before….maybe the healing properties…" Haley looked sadly at Tommy's wrist; there was no way short of amputation they'd get the gem off of him now, and it would almost assuredly not work for Adam. Any adjustments Haley had been able to make would've been wiped out the moment the gem reconnected with Tommy. "Sorry."
Haley couldn't bear to look at the Red and Yellow Ninjetti Rangers, but at the same time, she couldn't not look at them. She needn't have bothered with Rocky – he was stone-faced and ignoring her. Aisha's gaze however was far more understanding and grateful. She understood that Haley was doing all she could to help. Haley sighed; she did not feel she was off to a good start.
Dana's return took the focus off of Haley. Quick introductions were made and Dana took up a spot close to Carter. She figured the best tactic was to be honest without overwhelming the others with "doctor speak". At the same time, she needed to make it clear just how serious conditions were. "Here's where we stand right now." She took a deep breath and looked over at Rocky and Aisha. "Adam has been transferred to the burn unit. His condition is stable but critical. The next 24 hours will be crucial in his recovery. I hate to say it, but right now all I can say is we have to wait and see."
Rocky nodded staring forlornly at a spot somewhere above Conner's head; Dana's report was pretty much what he expected. The hope that had sprung up in Aisha's eyes faded by the time Dana was finished speaking. She pulled her feet up onto the chair so she could hug her knees. With her other hand she reached out for Rocky who was already reaching out for her.
"Blake has been taken down for some tests. He's in serious condition, but not critical. His life signs are stable and have been since he was brought in. His condition is surprisingly good considering his injury." Dana looked at Cam questioningly as she continued, "Well maybe not so surprising considering the help he received." The look she gave Cam clearly indicated she wanted to talk to him later. "The concern about Blake is the extent of the damage the injuries may have caused. We'll know more when the test results come back. Luckily, with the equipment we brought in from Lightspeed and the nature of the emergency, we should get the results back very quickly."
Hunter snapped out of the daze he'd been in when Dana mentioned Blake's name, seemed to come into focus briefly, but as she continued talking drifted back into the zone where he'd been hovering. He looked as though he were tapping into some other sense, waiting for Blake's eventual return. When he wasn't staring off into the hallway, he was staring intently at Conner.
"And that brings us to Conner." Dana took a deep breath. "I'll be honest. Most of the information we're getting on him doesn't make sense. He presents as unresponsive and shocky, but there is no evidence of head trauma or brain injury. From what Tommy told us, we can surmise that he's suffering the effects of a mental attack, but his reaction to is so different from Tommy's…"
"Zeltrax had him pinned under that beam for a good…few minutes." Hunter rasped. Dana was surprised; she hadn't expected Hunter to add anything to the discussion.
"What do you mean? Can you describe it?" Dana demanded.
Hunter closed his eyes, not to avoid Dana's demands, but to give her a more accurate answer. "Zeltrax threw up a shield around them. I didn't have enough power to break through." Hunter grimaced. "He threw this bolt of energy right at Conner's head. Then…Blake…" Hunter turned his head and looked up the empty corridor. His gaze then drifted back to Conner and he got refocused. "By the time I returned to the fight, Conner had unmorphed, but Zeltrax hadn't let up." Hunter looked away from the bed and back to Dana. "I'm a little hazy on what happened next." he said unapologetically.
"I saw it too." Cam added. "By the time I…was heading over to get you, Conner had unmorphed, but Zeltrax was still attacking. Conner must have still have been able to defend himself, because he clearly wasn't defeated." Cam looked over at Hunter then back to Dana. "It had to be at least five minutes but probably not more than ten that Conner was under attack."
"I don't know how much difference that would make…" Dana muttered almost to herself. "We don't know how long or how many times Tommy was attacked so there's no way to compare."
"Well Conner had one advantage that Tommy didn't have." Haley added. "Hunter." She said pointing to the Crimson Ranger.
By this time Haley had her laptop up and running. She walked across the room to stand between Dana and Carter who were both looking on with intense interest. "Look." Haley pointed out. "During the fight, even before Conner tapped into SuperDino Mode, Hunter was feeding him power from the storm." Cam crept over to get a look as well.
"How did he…?"
"I haven't figured that out. Yet." Haley said confidently. "Somehow, Hunter was able to pass some of his Thunder power through to Conner. Look at these readings here." She pointed again. "There's a sustained power boost. All of the readings I have up until the point where my circuits got fried indicate that Hunter and Conner were connected during the fight…and during Zeltrax's attack."
"That's great, Haley. But what does it mean?" asked Ethan.
"Yeah," Kira chimed in. "Can Hunter, like…give Conner a blast of energy or something and snap him out of it?" Kira's expression was hopeful.
"No one's blasting anyone with anything." Dana said firmly when Hunter made a move toward the bed. Hunter looked rebellious. "We need to know more about his condition, but our hands are tied because we can't do any more than what we've already done until we get parental permission."
"What do you mean, Dana?" Kim asked.
Dana reached to push her hair behind her ear. "All of the treatment we've been able to give Conner up to this point has been to stabilize his condition. Any further treatment beyond that has to be approved by a parent; he's still a minor. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to reach anybody at home and don't have any other numbers."
"Wait a minute!" Ethan called. He dove into his backpack urgently rummaging for something. "Yes!" he triumphantly held up a cell phone. "Conner's phone. He wanted me to upload some soccer internet sites so he could check scores and program his phone book for him. I know I've got his dad's work number in here."
"That's great, Ethan." Dana smiled.
Before Ethan could pass Dana the phone they were interrupted by a technician carrying a large stack of papers entering from the hallway. "Excuse me, Dr. Mitchell? May I speak with you a moment?"
Tension rapidly filled the room as Dana conferenced in the hallway with the man who had interrupted them. After a few moments she returned dragging the other man with her. "Tell them." She made a wide sweeping gesture including everyone in the room. The technician nervously looked around. He wasn't used to talking to families of patients, let alone large groups of people.
"I have the test results here for Blake Bradley." The man began indicating the sheaf of papers in his hand. Hunter tensed anticipating bad news. The technician shook his head disbelieving the results of the test that had been run. "Considering the original extend of Mr. Bradley's injuries, it's amazing that he's in such good condition."
"You can see here…" he pulled out a large x-ray to display as he pointed. "The spear. Spear?" He looked around as if seeking confirmation of the weapon that was used. "The spear penetrated the lower back and pierced the intestines, a kidney and the lung." Hunter had gone deathly white and had Cam's upper arm in a death grip. "It's really miraculous that he survived the initial injury."
"You can see here…" he pulled out another multi-colored computer image, "the trail of healed organs. There is some scaring, but the residual effects from that will be minimal." All of the gathered Rangers were caught up in the nonchalant gory and graphic recital of Blake's injuries.
"Our main concern was the spinal injury. With so much damage done, it was unclear if Mr. Bradley would be able to walk once he had recovered." Hunter swayed, but Billy moved to his free side and with Cam was able to keep him upright. The technician didn't seem to see the effect he was having on the older Bradley.
"And here's the amazing thing…" another multi-colored computer image. "In an injury like this it's almost impossible to tell the extent of the damage done because of swelling and fluid around the injured area. Well as you can see here, there is no swelling, no collecting fluids. If Mr. Bradley heals the way these tests seem to indicate, he'll be walking out of here in a few days."
That was all Hunter could take. With the hand that wasn't holding Cam, he covered his face and sagged back against the door jam. But anyone looking at Kira's expression could see that Hunter's joy was nearly unrestrained though he was hesitant to share it overtly. A choked sob from Hunter finally got the technician's attention; he had the grace to blush at the insensitive way he had delivered the news.
With his head down the technician delivered his final bit of news. "They decided not to bring Mr. Bradley back to the E.R. He's been transferred to a room on the fourth floor. I'm not sure what the number is…" he mumbled as he shoved the papers into Dana's hands and clumsily scooted through the doorway past Hunter and Cam.
Hunter gave a little laugh as he shook Cam a little. He removed the hand covering his face and grasped Cam's shoulder. "Gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay." Cam couldn't help but grin, caught up in Hunter's emotional release. Unexpectedly, Hunter pulled Cam into a hug. He fiercely embraced the startled Samurai and whispered, "Thank you, Cam!"
Before Cam could react and hug him back, Hunter released him and looked at Dana. "Where is he? What did he say? What floor?"
Carter chuckled, "Come with me, we'll find him." Carter moved around Haley and Dana and steered Hunter through the doorway down the hall to the nurse's station. Cam hesitated in the doorway, unsure whether he should stick with Hunter or remain with the others. After a moment he turned to follow Carter and Hunter.
"Well," Dana stated, "That's a good way to start. Let's hope the rest works out that easily."
Okay friends, this is the last chapter you'll be getting for at least 2 weeks. I will have virtually no internet access while I'm away, but I've got my notebook and will be working on my notes in longhand. I hope you all keep writing while I'm away – I'm already looking forward to the Author Alerts I'll find in my mailbox when I get back!
Hybyrd0 – You know I love the Ranger types too! Great work on "When Everything Goes Wrong" – love it! Can't wait for more!
CMR – I was happy to give some attention to Haley; she deserves more attention.
BloomingViolets – Haley was definitely underutilized on the show, and the techie geeks are always underappreciated. People will be getting better…but some will have an easier time than others. As for "Restless Nights", though I do love that story and want to explore more of the SPD Ranger's powers, I was lax for so long on this story that I really want to devote my time to it now before school starts again and real life begins to take over. I haven't forgotten "Restless Nights" and I will get back to it eventually.
Jenna Summers – I can't tell you how happy your comments have made me. I love that you're so into trying to figure out the connection between Hunter and Conner. On the one hand, since I know what's coming, I want to blurt it out. But on the other hand, I want it to happen in its own time, but see if you can guess what the connection is before I actually write it out. I'm hoping that when we finally get there it'll make sense and it'll be worth the wait.
LJstagflower4e – Haley's got a lot to say that's going to impact the Rangers, especially what will happen in the next day or so in the story.
Pink-Green-White-4Ever – You and Jenna are on the same track with Hunter and Conner. That makes me grin with glee! I'm glad you had a happy birthday!
MzDany – I'm glad you dig Haley's techno-talk. And, I'm glad it's not so technical that it's confusing. The Winds are back on track, now that they're together, and have a much bigger role to play in the chapters to come.
boredlikecrazy – Welcome aboard! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. Keep reviewing; I'd like to hear what you have to say!
sparaxxa – Welcome to you as well! You're the first person who wrote about picking up on the injuries being one heart, one mind and one body type. Cool! I've always loved the relationship between Rocky/Adam. They're fun to write.
Funky in Fishnet – Ah, so would you be a "mind" type Ranger then? More to come!