The sun rose and the sun set as it always does. In the days following the storm the residents of Reefside assessed the damage that had been done, began to rebuild and generally went on with their lives. The same could be said for the Rangers. In the day or two immediately following the storm, sleeping was the order of the day. Those who had been injured and were healing slept; those who had kept watch grew confident that those who had been injured didn't need their vigilant attention and slept as well. But in an unspoken agreement between them, they slept in shifts.
Kira and Ethan were the first to be sent home. With numerous reassurances that they could return at any time to visit Conner, the Dino Rangers were tucked into the back of the James' car and once more returned to their homes. Because of significant storm damage to the high school, classes had been cancelled until the following Monday. Relieved of having to worry about school, the youngest Rangers were able to concentrate fully on regaining their strength and passing it on to Conner. If there was some grumbling among the older rangers about the resilience of youth and envious reminiscences about the healing powers of being an active Ranger it was kept to a minimum.
Tommy was the first of the injured Rangers to be released from the hospital; mainly because he'd never actually been admitted and Dana couldn't force him to stay. With reassurances from Jason that he'd make Tommy stay in bed, and an argument from Kim that he'd probably recover more quickly in his own home, Dana allowed Tommy to leave the hospital. Dana would have been pleased to see how seriously Jason took his vow of making Tommy stay in bed; but it wasn't hard, the Black Ranger had basically collapsed with relief upon entering his bedroom and had been sleeping ever since. Knowing it was too valuable of an opportunity to waste, Dana has recruited Cam and Haley to monitor the recovery rates of the active Dino Rangers; there seemed to be a pretty clear reason why most Rangers who were recruited were so young – even with the healing granted by his Dino Gem, Tommy took much longer to recover overall than his younger counterparts.
By Thursday both Adam and Blake were ready to be released from the hospital. Physically their injuries had been healed, though they still tended to tire quickly. It fascinated Dana that they both were still weakened by their experiences and she wondered how long it would be before they'd be able to totally function on their own. She didn't think it would take long; not the way Rocky, Shane, Hunter and Cam constantly hovered; though she was just as likely to find Hunter asleep by his brother's bedside as helping him to recuperate. Like Tommy, Hunter had never officially been admitted to the hospital with injuries, but his time spent with Blake in the hospital gave him a chance to recover as well. A surprise appearance by Sensei Omino early on Thursday morning gave a physical and spiritual boost to both Bradleys and Eric as well.
After some discussion with Cam, Sensei Kanoi and Sensei Omino, it was decided that the best way to explain Adam's miraculous recovery was not to explain it at all. Adam had been quickly moved to a room where only Lightspeed trained personnel had access to him. Only a few nurses in the burn unit and the doctor who had taken his case had a real understanding of how grievous his injuries had been. Everyone else was able to accept as fact that Lightspeed technology and Adam's ranger abilities worked together to heal him at an unprecedented rate. The knowledge that Adam's healing was a result of ninja training and not Ranger related was strictly on a need to know basis. Only those very highly placed at Lightspeed Rescue had a true understanding of what had transpired.
Conner was the last ranger to be "officially" released from the hospital in spite of the fact that his injuries had far less to do with physical damage than any of the others. Even with the constant influx of Red Rangers to visit and support him, and the unwavering support of his brother, Conner remained easily drained and dangerously low on strength. If not for the power in his Dino gem, Conner would have continued to weaken. Sensei Omino was the one to put his finger on the problem, and engineer a solution.
All of their lives Conner had been able to tap on a wellspring of strength while Eric exercised the power of his mind. They'd never truly exercised their power in tandem. In the hospital when Eric had convinced Conner to let down the walls that held him prisoner, he had released them so completely that he could not consciously build them back up. As a result, almost all of the energy passed to him by the other Rangers sluiced away like runoff in a storm. Conner and Eric had to learn to function as a team, just the way Hunter and Blake did; they had to find their balance. Once balance was achieved, then they could stand as individuals. Sensei Omino immediately undertook their basic training, stationing himself in Conner's room until he was satisfied that the Red Dino Ranger could maintain his own strength without endangering himself.
It took some convincing before Dana would agree to release Conner from the hospital. But she understood that medical attention was not what he needed, no matter how strongly she felt he needed to be under her supervision. Ninja training was what he required and the hospital was not a conducive environment for it, particularly coupled with Conner's extreme aversion to remaining in the hospital. So, on Friday afternoon, accompanied by his father, brother, Kira and Ethan, Conner made his grand exit from the hospital. Carter and Dana were both there to see him off. Dana thought he still looked too pale and drawn, but it was easy to see that proximity to his brother and teammates, and a healthy dose of fresh air was good for him.
Dana and Carter stood on the sidewalk as the car crammed with teenagers pulled away. Carter slid his arm around Dana's waist and she leaned back resting her head on his shoulder. "Been a busy week." Carter stated as he kissed Dana's temple.
Dana smiled at Carter's extreme understatement. "This is only the beginning." she replied. Dana had been quite overwhelmed at the vast amount of Ranger technology that she just didn't know about; the things that Cam and Haley had been able to achieve were astonishing. There was so much information she was dying to get her hands on, and suddenly a veritable treasure trove of knowledge was at her fingertips. Why they had never done this kind of Ranger networking before was beyond her. Part of her just couldn't wait to get to work; but part of her was totally intimidated. Facts, figures and medical data were what Dana could deal with; it was all the other stuff that had her scared silly.
Surprisingly, Carter was far more comfortable exploring the spiritual, more mystical side, of all that had happened in this remarkable week. Maybe it was because he was tied so intrinsically to it. While Dana had been scrambling to find medical ways to help the injured Rangers, Carter had been a part of holding Conner to this life. It had changed him, and he wanted to know more about it. Dana hadn't missed the intense conversations her husband had been having with both Ninja Masters and Jason. She was pretty sure he had managed to pull Rocky aside at one point too, and they weren't talking about fire trucks.
This encounter with Mesogog had moved things to a different level. The stakes had been seriously raised and everyone had been badly shaken. It was time to take stock and change strategies. But all of them, to the last Ranger, were ready for the challenge. Dana turned in Carter's embrace to face him. She kissed him in return. "Time to get back to work." He hugged her tightly for a moment, and then they walked together back into the hospital.
As the rangers were gradually released from the hospital, everyone fell into a sort of holding pattern. No one was willing to leave until everyone was safe and sound, back at home and given a clean bill of health. Those from out of town burned up the phone lines taking sick days or personal time, each with the explanation of "family emergency". Though Blue Bay Harbor wasn't far, most of the ninjas were unwilling to leave with Conner still in the hospital. Tommy had some room for guests at his house, but not enough space to comfortably fit everyone, particularly since there were many who were still recovering and needed actual beds to sleep in – not sleeping bags on the floor.
Jason and the Ninjetti Rangers laid claim to Tommy's house. Haley offered her house to Sensei Kanoi and Cam. Sensei Omino streaked back and forth between Reefside and the ninja schools, having taken up supervision of the Wind Academy in Kanoi's absence. The rest of the housing shortage was quickly solved by the parents of the Dino Thunder Rangers. Evan McKnight opened his house to Hunter and Blake; he felt deeply indebted to the Crimson Ranger and was willing to go above and beyond, even though he deeply understood that he could never repay Hunter for the sacrifices he'd made for Conner. Having Blake and Hunter there felt very natural to Evan, and he treated them like he would treat his sons. It meant far more to the Bradleys than Evan would ever know.
Ethan and Kira actually had to flip a coin over who would "get" the Wind Ninjas before it came to blows between them. The Ford household ended up hosting the ninja trio which worked out just as well because Tyrone James was still having great difficulty accepting his son as a Ranger, let alone becoming an impromptu youth hostel for three more. Dustin bonded immediately with Angie Ford who was delighted to find a willing assistant to help replant her storm damaged garden; for many years to follow the garden produced an abundance of herbs with almost no weeds to speak of.
On Thursday, Jason, Billy, Rocky and Cam teleported to the remains of Mesogog's fortress. Haley had indicated that all of the defenses that had been in place around the island had been shattered. It seemed that the invisaportal network was still intact in some places around Reefside, but the hub at the fortress had been destroyed. Careful investigation of the remains of the fortress revealed very little. The lab where the explosion took place had been totally decimated causing the weight bearing walls to give way and allowing the floors of the fortress above it to cave in. It was doubtful that anyone or anything has survived the blast, but they searched for most of the morning and afternoon to make sure. None of them voiced their feelings, but all of them came away waiting for an attack that never came.
Conner's release from the hospital on Friday was a signal of sorts. Kim, Aisha and Haley had worked out a plan for Saturday. Everyone was invited to Tommy's for an all-day barbeque. It would be a chance to celebrate together before people had to leave and head back to their "real lives" on Sunday. Haley had undertaken food preparation after restocking Tommy's depleted kitchen and pantry. Much of the food was being sent over from the Cyber Café, but some of it was being prepared by Rocky.
Kim had undertaken cleaning Tommy's house; literally from top to bottom. Jason couldn't quite convince her that people would probably not be hanging out in the Command Center, but no sane person got in Kim's way when she was on a cleaning tear. It kept her busy; it gave her something to focus on. But Jason knew, no matter how hard Kim tried to avoid it, she was going to have to deal with Tommy before she left. Even if it meant locking the two of them in a closet and standing guard at the door, Jason was ready to do it. He had it all planned out; the upstairs hallway closet would suit his purpose nicely.
The sun rose and the sun set as it always does. Each day brought a little more healing; a little more understanding. And it brought them one day closer to saying good-bye.
I had set a goal for myself to complete this fic by the new year…not gonna happen, but I'm damn close! Thanks so much for hanging in there all this time, my friends.
Happy New Year 2006!