What Was Lost: The Return Home

by superdory57

When life happens people change and time can pull apart even the closest friends. That doesn't stop the rangers from coming together when the world needs them. Will the original rangers be able to come together to save each other from themselves? Will the rest of the rangers be able to keep them safe from a threat unknown? And what does Jason's wife have to do with it?

25. Chapter 25 Three down

Trent took the food and hurried back to Tommy's room. Conner had taken back the chair by Tommy's bed. Kira was leaning on the back of his chair while Ethan was sitting on the floor next to the bed on his phone.

"I brought you options," Trent said, bringing the food to Conner. "Since you weren't exactly awake enough to tell me what you wanted."

"Thanks," Conner said, stifling a yawn. "I appreciate it."

Trent nodded and then hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Conner asked, catching the look on Trent's face.

"I'm hoping nothing," Trent said slowly, handing Ethan and Kira their plates. "But I just talked with Trini in the cafeteria—Rocky and Adam never made it home."

"Didn't they leave right after Dr. O fell asleep?" Conner frowned. "They wanted to get home to their families."

Trent nodded, explaining the little that Trini had told him as they all ate.

"No one has been able to get ahold of them," he finished. "And Trini said their communicators are showing offline. They're worried enough that Carter sent out actual search parties."

Conner shook his head.

"Something weird is going on," he muttered, glancing at Tommy. "I hope they're alright…"

The four rangers finished eating in silence.

"You guys should go get some sleep," Conner said when they were done eating, looking around at his friends. "I'll stay with Dr. O in case he wakes up."

The other three rangers hesitated.

"I slept for a couple of hours so you three could go get some real sleep," Conner insisted. "So, go. I've got this. Keep your phones on and I'll text you when he wakes up."

They grumbled, but finally went.

"Well, no wonder Tommy was so freaked out when he thought someone had taken JJ and Kat," Kim said, shaking her head. "I can't even imagine… it was bad enough watching things like that happen to each other…"

Jake frowned as he looked at Kim. Trini and Billy had just finished explaining the attack by Draven and what had happened with the kidnapped rangers.

"Most of them had been gone for well over twenty-four hours before anyone realized something was actually wrong," Trini said. "Because everyone was calling Tommy on the ranger phone or his communicator and no one was telling anyone else that he wasn't answering. It wasn't until days later we even started searching when Aisha and the others finally started calling Andros because Tommy wasn't answering."

"It did not help that the imposter was answering messages on Tommy's personal phone, either," Billy said.

"I would be a wreck if one of our enemies took Jake," Kim said, squeezing Jake's hand. "He isn't part of that world—he could get seriously hurt. How on earth did Tommy manage to keep his cool?"

"I am not entirely sure he would have if JJ had been injured in any way," Billy sighed.

"That's why he was stressed enough to start taking the anti-anxiety meds, isn't it?" Jason said quietly, looking at Billy and Trini. "Because JJ got caught in the middle of everything."

Billy and Trini both hesitated.

"Partially," Billy finally admitted. "Though it was not the only thing. JJ's kidnapping just made it that much worse…"

"They used him," Trini said sighed. "We just didn't know until after. But Draven took him first and then made a robot that looked and acted enough like Tommy that it fooled others."

"So, they pretty much used Tommy to kidnap other rangers," Zach grimaced.

Trini nodded as Kim flinched. Jake looked down at her with concern.

"I'm fine," she said, seeing the look. "That just brings back some bad memories…"

"Like what?" Jake frowned. "Has something like this happened before?"

"Not exactly," Kim said, looking down at her lap. "But close enough…"

"Using us against each other was a favorite pastime of Rita and some of her successors," Jason said grimly. "It's hard to risk hurting someone you care about…"

"Unless you don't know you're doing it," Zach muttered. "Then you don't pull punches. Tommy is not fun under someone else's control."

The others nodded in agreement before the conversation moved on.

Carter's phone rang and he quickly grabbed it.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"Sir, we found their car," the officer on the other end answered.

Carter sighed in relief. It had been nearly an hour since he had mobilized search parties to hunt for Rocky and Adam.

"Finally," he said. "Now please put one of them on the phone. I'd like to know what—"

"We didn't find them," the officer interrupted. "Just the car."

Carter frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"The vehicle in question is being hooked up by a tow truck right now. The officer in charge doesn't know a lot—"

"Officer?" Carter repeated. "The police are involved?"

"It looks like some kind of accident," the officer said slowly. "The officer didn't know a lot. All he could tell me was the passengers of the car were transported to Angel Grove hospital several hours ago. They were just getting to dealing with the car."

Carter grimaced, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead.

"Get to the hospital now," he ordered. "Take your team with you and wait for further orders. If you find out anything else report in immediately. Lose your uniforms so you don't draw any attention to yourself—the last thing we need is the wrong person asking questions about our interest."

Hanging up and putting his phone in his pocket, Carter rushed out of the room to find Trini and Billy. He had promised them an update as soon as he knew anything. Carter found them in the cafeteria with the rest of their team. They were all quietly picking at their dinners, anxiously waiting for news.

"Carter?" Trini said, quickly standing when she saw him come in. "Did they find them?"

"They found the car," he said, striding over to talk to them.

"But what about Adam and Rocky?" Kim asked, clutching Jake's arm.

"I don't know for sure yet," Carter said, stopping next to the table. "But from what my officer was able to ascertain, both of them were transported to the hospital. I don't know for what reason."

"The hospital?" Zach exclaimed. "What happened now? Was there an accident?"

Carter just shook his head.

"I don't know…" he admitted.

"I'll figure it out as soon as I get there," Trini said, standing up.

"You aren't going anywhere," Carter frowned. "Something is happening. It's not safe out there—especially for you."

Trini paused, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at Carter.

"I'm not going anywhere?" she repeated. "I think I am. If Rocky and Adam are in the hospital, then one of us needs to be there—if only to support Tanya and Aisha. And I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"That's not what I meant," Carter sighed. "But people know who you are, Trini. If someone is after the rangers, you would be an easy target to turn into bait…"

"I'm not going to just walk out of here by myself, Carter," she said shortly. "I'll take Eric and Wes with me—but I am going."

"I'll send one of my team," Carter said, shaking his head. "They can be with Tanya and Aisha. And I already have Lightspeed officers on their way."

"Yes, because that won't draw any attention to Adam and Rocky," Trini countered. "Send a known ranger with no public connections to them to a public hospital to make sure they are alright—how do you plan on explaining that away?"

Carter scowled at Trini.

"Trini is correct," Billy said. "While it will not hurt to have your officers in the area, whoever goes needs to be Adam and Rocky's friend in the public eye. So, it must be one of us."

"And I make the most sense," Trini continued. "Because I have a valid reason to bring Eric and Wes along. If someone really is after some of us, they can act as extra protection for everyone without drawing suspicion—because they are already there to protect me. And no one can take away their weapons while they're my acting security."

Carter hesitated.

"Carter, I'm going," Trini said firmly. "I'll call Tanya and Aisha on my way. And if there are any problems, I have your phone number."

She stalked away, pulling her phone out as she went.

"Wes? I need you and Eric to meet me in the garage right now. We're leaving."

Only a few minutes after Trini left the room, Billy's phone rang. He glanced at it before answering.

"Aisha?" he said. "Has Trini—"

He paused, listening. Everyone was looking at him expectantly.

"Billy, we found them," Aisha said. "They're at the hospital. I'm sorry it took me so long to call you but we were trying to get the kids in the car and now we're on our way there and—"

"We know," he interrupted. "Carter just told us. Lightspeed found their car and the officer told us where they were taken. Did the hospital tell you anything else when they called?"

"No," she said, sounding a little agitated. "All I know is that it wasn't good. Henry called me. He's one of Rocky's friends from the firehouse and was one of the paramedics on duty. He said he'll be there when we get to the ER. Whatever happened he's just now getting a chance to call us… But he didn't want to explain anything over the phone and I don't know if this is better or worse than what I was imagining…"

"Trini is on her way," Billy said, trying to sound reassuring. "Focus on getting there and taking care of Rocky and Adam. Trini will take care of the rest."

Hanging up, Billy shook his head.

"What's going on, Billy?" Kim asked anxiously. "What did Aisha say?"

"They were almost to the hospital," Billy said. "But they do not know anything either. Henry—Rocky's partner at the firehouse—did not want to tell them over the phone…"

Kim paled, clutching Jake's hand.

"Don't jump to the worst," Jake said quickly. "I'm sure the hospital just didn't want to answer a lot of questions over the phone."

"It's Rocky and Adam," Jason added, though he sounded shaky himself. "They'll be fine. We've been through worse—right?"

Everyone was silent for a few minutes. After what had happened with Tommy only the night before, none of them were confident in that answer anymore. Carter excused himself, leaving them to have some time with each other while they waited to hear more. Taking a deep breath, Billy stood up.

"I need to go tell Hayley she can stop looking," he said. "I will be back soon."

No one argued and Billy left. He took the elevator back to the residential levels and hurried down the hall back to the Mighty Morphin' suite. Billy placed his hand on the scanner and the door slid open. He paused in the doorway, watching the kids playing a game at the coffee table in the living room. Hayley was sitting on the couch. She had been watching JJ, Marc, Rae, and Izzy while Billy and Trini were with the others. And she had been keeping them occupied since the search for the missing rangers began, as well, even while she searched from her computer. The four kids still didn't know anything was happening.

"I still don't understand," Marc was saying, shaking his head as he stared at the game.

Izzy sighed. Billy smiled faintly as she launched into a simplified explanation of the math game they were trying to teach Marc.

"See?" she said. "It's just math."

Marc frowned, then shook his head.

"Nope," he said, frustrated. "I still don't get it. I took algebra in school this last year and I still don't get it."

"I didn't when they first taught me," JJ inserted. "Just keep playing. Rae and Izzy will correct you and eventually you figure it out."

Marc grumbled but followed Izzy's direction to take his turn. Hayley, who was sitting on the couch with her tablet, finally looked up.

"Are you going to come in?" she asked with a smile, looking at Billy. "Or just hold the door open?"

Billy stepped inside and let the door slide closed, but Hayley frowned when she registered the look on his face.

"How is Carter's investigation going?" Hayley asked.

"We have an answer to one of our questions," Billy answered slowly as he crossed the room.

"What now?" Hayley said, setting her computer aside. "What happened?"

The kids had stopped playing and were all staring at Billy and Hayley.

"Is something wrong with dad?" JJ asked anxiously.

Billy turned, shaking his head.

"Your dad is fine," he quickly reassured him. "He is still sleeping, and Conner is going to let us know the moment he wakes up."

JJ frowned but nodded. Billy grabbed Hayley's hand and pulled her off the couch and to the other side of the room. Before he said anything, he glanced over to make sure all four kids were still sitting at the table.

"Billy, what is going on?" Hayley asked quietly. "Did they find them?"

"Yes," he answered. "And Aisha called."

"Where are they?" she said. "Are they alright?"

"I do not know their condition," he said, shaking his head. "But we know Adam and Rocky are at Angel Grove Hospital in the emergency room—"

"Adam and Rocky are in the emergency room?" JJ yelped.

Hayley and Billy both jumped, not expecting him to be right there.

"JJ!" Hayley exclaimed. "What are you doing? I thought I told you not to use your eavesdropping skills against me when I was teaching you!"

"I'm sorry," JJ said. "But dad isn't here to tell me things other adults won't."

Hayley sighed. Marc wasn't sitting anymore either.

"Are Adam and Rocky really in the hospital?" he asked, clearly upset.

Billy sighed.

"Yes, they are," he admitted. "We are not sure what happened, but Aisha and Tanya are on their way and will let us know when they are able."

"Do you know where my dad is?" Marc asked quietly.

"The cafeteria," Billy said.

"Thanks," Marc mumbled before darting out of the room.

JJ hesitated and then followed. Billy and Hayley gathered Rae and Izzy and followed themselves a few moments later. They were going to wait for answers with their friends.

Two hours later, they were all still waiting for answers. No one had called from Angel Grove with any updates. Carter and Dana had joined the group a short time before to ask if they had heard anything. The mood was subdued and any talking was quiet.

Hayley was gone again, putting their daughters to bed so Billy could stay with the other rangers. Jason was pacing around the cafeteria, too anxious to sit still. Marc and JJ, sitting at a table, were watching him silently. Zach was sitting with Kim and Jake. Kim had barely spoken a word since they had gotten the call from Aisha.

When Billy's phone rang, everyone turned.

"Trini—what is going on?" Billy asked, answering quickly.

"Put me on speaker," Trini said wearily. "I'd like to talk to everyone at once. That way you don't have to repeat everything I say."

Billy gathered everyone at one table and set his phone down, turning on speaker and making sure it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Jason made Marc and JJ leave the room to sit in the hallway, promising to tell them what he could after they were done talking to Trini. Carter and Dana joined the group but stayed toward the back out of the way.

"No one interrupt," Trini said once she knew they could hear her. "I'll answer questions after, but just let me get through this first."

The rangers tensed, waiting for her to continue.

"Rocky and Adam are both going to be alright," she said. "Aisha is actually with Rocky right now. Hopefully Tanya will be able to see Adam soon."

"What happened, Trini?" Billy asked for the group.

She paused and they heard her take a deep breath.

"They were poisoned," she finally answered. "Just like Tommy. I'm guessing the same exact drug based on the symptoms the doctor was talking about."

Looks were exchanged around the table as they all absorbed that information.

"Rocky was awake when I got here," Trini continued. "He is exhausted, but he was coherent, and Aisha says everything seems normal. I'll update you again once we know how Adam is. All we really know right now is he is still unconscious and that he did have a seizure…"

Trini spoke for a few minutes, explaining what little she knew of what happened after they left the base. Rocky hadn't been a lot of help, but his friend Henry had been able to fill in a few of the blanks. Like why their car had been abandoned on the side of the road.

"Henry told us it's a good thing Rocky's paramedic training kicked in—or they may not have been found in time," Trini finished. "Rocky managed to throw up which got enough of it out that he was able to call for help and keep driving for a while. But Adam was nearly as bad as Tommy when they found them. Much longer and…"

The rangers gathered around the phone flinched as Trini trailed off.

"I need to talk to Carter and Dana now," Trini sighed. "Rocky will be able to sign himself out in the next couple of hours and we could just bring him in a car, but Adam is going to need medical transport to bring him to base."

"I'll call you as soon as you are done here," Dana said loudly enough for Trini to hear her.

Trini answered a few questions from the other originals to the best of her ability before she finally excused herself to check on Tanya and the kids. Carter, who had been silent since Trini announced what had happened, stayed in the cafeteria when Dana left to call Trini herself.

The originals started talking quietly, discussing what they were going to do next.

"I'm going to have to leave soon," Zach said, shaking his head. "I only took a week off—I have to be back on Monday. As much as I'd like to stay—"

"No one else is leaving the base until further notice," Carter said firmly, interrupting. "You will have to call your work and tell them you need to extend your leave indefinitely."

They all turned to him in surprise.

"Umm… what?" Zach said, looking at Carter.

"Something is wrong," Carter said, shaking his head. "Three of your team members hospitalized in less than twenty-four hours? Someone is after you and letting anyone else leave this base would be too much of a risk. Until we can figure out who knows about all of you and why they are after you, all of you should stay here."

There were immediate protests from several people. Zach and Jason both had to get back to work—especially Jason who had already been essentially absent for weeks at this point. Kim started talking about Jake needing to be able to work, too, and how he didn't just get to be gone because he wanted to.

"I'm doing this for your safety," Carter exclaimed, trying to get them to listen. "Adam and Rocky will be coming back with Trini by morning along with Aisha and Tanya. All of you will be safe here while we investigate what is happening."

There were more protests.

"Carter, we all want to make sure Tommy, Adam, and Rocky are safe," Jason said, shaking his head. "But we also all have lives outside of the rangers and this base. We have homes and jobs to get back to. We can't just stay here indefinitely."

Zach and Kim echoed him in agreement. But Billy shook his head, holding up a hand to stop Carter from arguing further.

"I think that Carter has a valid point," Billy said calmly. "While I do not understand what is happening as of yet, it is clear that something is very wrong. The most logical course of action is to keep ourselves out of harm's way while we determine what is actually happening."

"Billy, we can't just—" Zach started to argue.

"I am not saying we remain here for months," Billy said, shaking his head. "With our resources we should be able to track down any potential danger fairly quickly."

He paused, looking between Carter and the others.

"So, what I propose is a compromise," Billy said. "We will not initiate a full lockdown—"

Carter started to argue now but stopped when Billy gave him a look.

"We will not initiate a full lockdown," Billy continued. "However, we will remain on base while the initial investigation is still underway. That will give us time to investigate without needing to be concerned about guarding someone off base. If we do not find any solid evidence after a week, we will reevaluate whether we need to remain here or not. Can we all agree to that?"

There was hesitation from the group.

"And," Billy said, looking at Zach, Jason, and Jake. "Hayley and I will set up spaces for the three of you to work remotely from here on the base. That way you do not have to explain exactly what is happening to your places of employment."

"How am I supposed to explain why I suddenly need to work remotely?" Zach asked. "I never do that. I'm actually not sure I can do that. It's not like I spend all day at a desk."

"We can issue what is essentially a government order," Carter said quickly. "You are temporarily being kept under witness protection and cannot disclose your physical location. They won't be able to argue with it."

"If it's going to keep Kim safe, then I can work with that," Jake conceded, looking at Kim. "I'd rather be paranoid than risk something happening to her…"

Zach and Jason exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Alright," Jason agreed, Zach echoing. "We'll stay."

Carter breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Billy," he said. "And now that this is settled, I'm going to go help Dana get everything organized for Rocky and Adam."

He excused himself. Billy turned to his friends.

"I think it is time all of us at least attempted to get some sleep," he said, glancing at the time. "We have all gotten very little sleep in the last day and could use the rest. It is getting late."

None of them had an argument for that. They were tired. All five stood and headed for the door where Marc and JJ were still waiting anxiously in the hall.

"Adam and Rocky are going to be alright," Jason said before they could ask. "Once they are back here and settled you should be able to see them. But right now, it's bedtime."

Both boys protested. Jason ignored their protests and started herding them down the hall with the rest of the adults following.

"Should one of us go update Kat?" Kim asked Billy quietly. "Before she wakes up in the morning and hears it from JJ?"

Billy hesitated but shook his head. They had already told Kat Rocky and Adam had ended up in the hospital when she woke up a short time before. But, still exhausted from the stress of the long night before, she had gone back to sleep after checking on Tommy and eating something.

"No," he said. "I do not think we need to wake her. I will send her a message and ask her to call me as soon as she wakes up for an update. Hopefully at that point I will know more about Adam as well."

"Just remember to tell her it isn't about Tommy," Kim said. "Or she'll panic thinking something happened to him."

"Thank you for the reminder," Billy said. "I will include that in my message."

Kim smiled faintly and they continued to their rooms.

When Carter left the others, he immediately went to find Dana. She was in her office on the medical level, talking with Trini. The phone was on speaker on the desk.

"This transfer should go a lot smoother than Tommy's," Trini was saying. "The doctor on duty tonight is a lot more cooperative and understanding—unlike the jerk from last night."

Dana shook her head.

"That man should not be allowed to talk to people," she muttered. "But I'm filling out everything on my end and I'll forward it to the hospital. Once everything is set, we'll get our ambulance on the road. Any idea of when Adam will be ready to move?"

"Not yet," Trini said. "Tanya still hasn't even seen him. But it won't hurt to have the ambulance here and waiting for when he is ready. Aisha isn't going to have Rocky sign out until everything is set with Adam so he can have a bed. He's exhausted and I wouldn't be surprised if he's asleep again. The whole thing took a lot out of him…"

"Alright then," Dana said. "Call me if anything else comes up we need to know on our end."

She hung up and turned to talk to Carter.

"I'll have the paperwork done in a moment," she said. "Then I'll just have to get a driver and we'll head to Angel Grove—"

"Send Angela," Carter interrupted.

Dana frowned.

"Angela needs to be on duty here," she said. "Tommy is here—remember?"

"And if there is an emergency you will be the first one Conner wakes up," Carter said, shaking his head. "But you aren't going to be any good to anyone tomorrow if you don't sleep. Again."

Dana sighed but didn't argue.

"Now I'm going to go update Angela," Carter said, walking over and giving her a quick kiss. "And then when I get back, we are both going to bed for at least a few hours."

Friday June 22nd, 2018

Mariner Bay, CA

Tommy woke up slowly. There were voices talking nearby, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Opening his eyes, he blinked and glanced around in confusion. This wasn't his room. Trying to figure out where he was, Tommy started to shift to sit up. Pain shot through his chest and his head started spinning. He stopped, grimacing, and let himself fall back on the pillow.

He looked around again without sitting up and realized he was hooked up to a monitor next to the bed. That concerned him. He didn't remember doing anything that would require medical attention. Although the pain in his chest said otherwise.

Focusing on the voices, Tommy realized he recognized at least one of them. He carefully shifted just enough so he could see in that direction. Conner was standing by the door to the room. He had it open and was leaning out, talking to someone Tommy couldn't see.

"Conner?" Tommy said. "What is going on? Where are we?"

Conner spun back into the room, looking at him in surprise.

"Dr. O!" he exclaimed, letting the door slide shut and running over. "You're awake!"

Tommy stared at him for a moment, a little confused.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked slowly. "What time is it?"

"Uh… almost 4a," Conner said, looking at his watch.

Tommy rubbed a hand over his face.

"Alright," he said. "Do you want to tell me where we are? And what is so interesting out in the hallway at four in the morning?"

"We're at Lightspeed," Conner answered. "The medical bay."

"Why?" Tommy frowned, trying to sit up again and stopping when pain shot through his chest. "What happened? And why does my chest hurt?"

"Please don't get up," Conner said quickly.

"What happened?" Tommy repeated, though he stayed lying down.

"Well," Conner hesitated. "I still don't know all the details but…"

"Conner…"

"You were poisoned," he finally answered. "We don't know how, but someone managed to drug you with something and gave you enough that you overdosed…They had to do CPR on you, Dr. O…"

Tommy frowned as he processed Conner's answer.

"Well, that's a new one," he muttered.

"So, are you awake for real this time?" Conner asked, watching him with some concern.

"This time?" Tommy repeated.

"You woke up for a little while yesterday afternoon," Conner said. "Don't you remember?"

Tommy shook his head slowly, trying to figure out what the last thing he remembered was.

"The last thing I remember was being at the dojo for the party," he said slowly. "I picked up Trini from the airport and she spent the ride lecturing me for being late. You stopped by—you had missed your bus."

"I caught it," Conner shrugged. "And then I came back after Hayley told us you were in the hospital…What else do you remember?"

Tommy frowned but continued.

"We were all having fun," he said. "I remember wanting to kill Jason's brother-in-law after they showed up unannounced…"

"But you didn't," Conner said, smirking a little.

"No, I didn't," Tommy said, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead as he tried to concentrate. "Did I break his arm?"

"Dislocated," Conner corrected. "And gave him a bloody nose. Hayley showed us the video."

Tommy snorted and then grimaced.

"Of course, she did," he muttered. "Then how did I end up here?"

"That's complicated…" Conner said hesitantly. "And I really don't know the whole story. Any time we asked it just upset Kat, so we stopped asking her. I haven't had a chance to ask anyone else for details. Hayley has been busy with the girls. Oh!"

Conner darted away to the other side of the room and came running back holding Tommy's backpack. Tommy reached for it instinctively, but Conner didn't immediately hand it over.

"I'm still not completely sure I should give this back yet," Conner said. "Hayley said the only reason they even got you to the hospital was because you didn't have it—"

"Hand it over, Conner," Tommy said shortly. "Or I will get out of this bed and take it from you."

"Alright, alright," Conner conceded, handing the bag over. "If I had given it to you yesterday though we'd have had a problem."

Tommy rested the bag on the bed next to him, digging through it as he continued to prod Conner for answers. Conner filled in some of the blanks, explaining what he did know about what happened Wednesday night. He knew bits of it from comments some of the others had made, including that Tommy had been hallucinating and fighting against things that weren't there. As he listened, Tommy pulled out a handful of candy bars and wrappers from his bag.

"What are these doing in here?" he asked, looking at Conner.

"Oh, JJ put them there," Conner answered. "I guess Wes bought them for him at the hospital? I think Eric was involved, too, but I didn't ask. I was more concerned with what had happened to you then who fed your hyperactive kid candy."

"It melted…" Tommy muttered, looking at chocolate on his hand.

Conner ran to the bathroom to grab paper towels. Tommy cleaned off his hand and then started trying to clean out his bag after he had checked over the rest of the contents.

"Now—hospital?" Tommy asked.

"They took you there first after—well, after it happened," Conner said. "Then Trini and Dana rescued you and brought you here really early yesterday morning."

"Yesterday?" Tommy frowned. "Conner—what is today?"

"It's Friday, Dr. O," Conner answered. "You've been out of it for a little while."

Tommy stayed silent for a few minutes, processing the information he had been given.

"So, who were you talking to when I woke up?" he asked.

"Aisha," Conner answered without thinking. "I mean—"

He grimaced, quickly realizing they were back on the subject he'd originally been trying to avoid.

"What is Aisha doing in the Lightspeed medical bay at 4a?" Tommy frowned. "What happened?"

Conner hesitated.

"Conner, now," Tommy said shortly. "What happened? Did I hurt someone?"

"Alright," Conner sighed. "But I just want to start with everyone is going to be just fine."

Tommy watched him expectantly, concern clearly visible on his face.

"It wasn't you," Conner clarified quickly. "You didn't hurt anyone. Ok—you did hit Rocky at the party while you were hallucinating, but he's fine. He has some nice bruises though. I think someone said something about throwing Adam into a wall, too?"

Tommy winced.

"We'll come back to that later," he muttered. "What is going on right now?"

Conner took a deep breath.

"Rocky and Adam were poisoned with the same drug you were."

Tommy stared at him in surprise.

"What?" he finally managed to get out.

"Angela just came back with them a little while ago," Conner explained. "They were in Angel Grove. I was asking Aisha how they were doing when you woke up."

"But what happened?" Tommy asked.

Conner shook his head.

"No one knows what is going on," he said. "Just that someone drugged all three of you with the same thing in the last two days…"

"I need to talk to Billy," Tommy said, trying to sit up again. "And see Rocky and Adam."

He still couldn't push himself into a sitting position without clutching at his chest in pain.

"Dr. O, you can't even sit up yet," Conner said, shaking his head. "I don't think going to see them is a good idea. Plus, Adam is still unconscious, and Rocky has probably passed out already—he looked asleep in the wheelchair they brought him in with. They're right next door, and I can check on them for you later."

Tommy shook his head.

"I need to know what is going on," he insisted. "Something isn't right…"

"How about I go find Carter?" Conner suggested. "He was in the hall with everyone a little while ago. He can't have gone far."

"Fine," Tommy conceded.

"Then stay there," Conner said, heading toward the door. "I'll be right back. Please don't try to get up."

Conner paused in the doorway, checking to make sure Tommy hadn't moved before he left the room. He found Carter down the hall talking with Angela.

"Carter, Dr. O is awake and wants to talk to you," Conner interrupted.

"He's awake?" Angela said.

Conner nodded.

"He's awake—and he knows about Adam and Rocky," Conner said. "And if you don't come talk to him he says he is going to come find you…"

Angela sighed, shaking her head.

"Can he even sit up?" she asked.

"No, but I don't think that's going to stop him," Conner snorted. "Slow him down? Probably. But it isn't going to stop him completely."

"Alright, I'm coming," Carter sighed.

The two men walked back down the hall to Tommy's room. As he promised Conner, he was still in bed. His head came up when the door opened.

"I'm glad to see you are awake," Carter said as he walked over to Tommy's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"What is going on, Carter?" Tommy asked, ignoring the question. "What happened to Adam and Rocky?"

Carter shook his head.

"Tommy, you need to go back to sleep," he said as an answer. "Adam and Rocky are safe here and we will figure out what is going on as soon as we can."

"I will go back to sleep when I have actual answers," Tommy said shortly. "What happened to them?"

Carter didn't answer for a moment and the two men just watched each other. Conner ignored them both, sitting back down in the chair next to Tommy's bed and pulling out his phone.

"Tommy—" Carter tried again.

"What happened?" Tommy asked again, not letting Carter argue.

"We don't have all of the details yet," Carter finally said, conceding a little. "And we won't until we are able to talk to Rocky and Adam—who are both sleeping."

"Sleeping or unconscious?" Tommy said irritably. "Has Adam even woken up yet?"

Carter shot a glare at Conner who just ignored him.

"No, he technically hasn't…" he admitted. "But there is no reason to think he won't later this morning. They both got medical aid more quickly than you did and they are going to be fine. Now please—go back to sleep. I will take care of everything. No one is leaving here until we are sure you are all safe again."

Tommy frowned.

"What do you mean no one is leaving?" he asked slowly.

"Just what I said," Carter answered. "No one is leaving. I don't know who is after your team yet, but the safest place for you is here."

"My team?" Tommy repeated. "Why do you think they are after us as rangers?"

"Are you telling me there is a reason not related to the rangers we should be concerned about?" Carter asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tommy shook his head.

"No, but that still doesn't make sense," Tommy insisted. "No one knows Adam and Rocky are rangers. And the only ones who know anything about my involvement are members of the UN and maybe a few other government officials. And they wouldn't be stupid enough to try anything like this. Or at least I really hope not. They all know there would be some serious consequences."

"I don't have an explanation for it yet," Carter said. "But why else would three of you be attacked in the same fashion in less than twenty-four hours, Tommy? Someone knows who at least some of you are—and they want you dead."

Tommy scowled, shaking his head. Conner was watching now, glancing between the other two men with some concern.

"Billy already agreed that this is the safest place for all of you until we know what is going on," Carter continued.

"What?" Tommy said in surprise. "Billy agreed to letting you lock us in here?"

"Billy agreed that this was the safe option for the moment," Carter said. "Now please—will you go to sleep? You need to rest."

Tommy sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. It still didn't make sense to him—but he also didn't have another explanation. And he was still too tired to just keep arguing in circles.

"Fine," he muttered. "But I want regular updates."

Carter agreed, though a little reluctantly. He left the room, leaving Tommy and Conner alone again. Tommy settled back into his pillow and closed his eyes.

"You told Kat I was awake?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Conner answered. "But just a text message…I didn't want to wake her up. It took most of yesterday just to convince her to go get some real sleep. She is worried. I texted the rest of the team, too."

Tommy sighed, shifting carefully to try and get more comfortable.

"Are you going to sleep again?" Conner asked a few moments later.

"If you don't keep asking me questions," Tommy mumbled.

"Sorry, my bad," Conner said sheepishly.

Concentrating on at least taking even breaths—because deep breaths hurt—Tommy slowly drifted off to sleep again.

"Make it stop," Marc muttered, rolling over and reaching for the noise without opening his eyes. "It's too early to be awake. Why is there an alarm?"

He fumbled for his phone, the source of the noise, and picked it up. Realizing it was call and not an alarm, he answered without looking at the name.

"Hello?" he mumbled, yawning as he answered.

"Marc? Is everything alright?"

Marc's eyes flew open as he recognized the voice. He sat up, his free hand clenching the blanket.

"What do you want, mom?" he said stiffly. "You aren't supposed to call me."

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Christine apologized, ignoring his question. "But I hadn't heard from your dad since he left to visit Tommy. He was supposed to call me last night and I was concerned. Is he alright?"

Marc looked quickly over to Jason's bed. It was empty.

"Why wouldn't dad be alright?" Marc asked anxiously, scrambling out of bed.

"Well, with how sick he has been and him not answering when I called, I thought maybe he had gotten worse again. I mean, he is usually awake by now."

Still clutching the phone, Marc ran out of the bedroom to the living room.

"Dad?" he exclaimed in panic as he looked around.

Jason, sitting at the dining table, frowned as he looked over at Marc still holding his phone.

"Marc, what's wrong?" he asked, standing quickly. "Who are you talking to?"

Marc practically ran across the room to Jason.

"Dad, are you alright?" he asked anxiously. "You aren't sick again—are you? Mom woke me up and you weren't in bed and she said you weren't answering and—"

"Slow down," Jason said, putting his hands on Marc's shoulders. "I'm fine. But why are you talking to your mother about me?"

"She called me and I answered," Marc mumbled. "The phone woke me up…"

Jason scowled, taking the phone from Marc. The call was still connected.

"Sit down and eat something," Jason said. "I'll be right back."

Marc nodded, sitting down at the table where Jason had been a moment before. Jason strode out into the hallway, making sure the door slid shut before he said anything.

"What are you doing Christine?" Jason hissed. "You are not allowed to contact Marc right now. If you call or even text him one more time without him initiating it, I will call the authorities. What did you say to him to cause that kind of panic?"

"I didn't mean to scare him… But I hadn't heard from you and I was concerned you had gotten sick again with all of the stress over your friend."

"I am fine," Jason snapped. "I told you I was going to be busy and I would call when I could. And just stop pretending you care about what is going on with Tommy. I know you don't so I'm not going to keep updating you. You can't keep doing things like this if you really want to make us work. Marc has to come first and you keep stressing him out. He's going to have a panic attack thinking I'm dying if you keep making that big of a deal out of me being sick."

"I was just—"

"Save it," Jason interrupted. "Don't call him again. I will call you when I'm ready—ok?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jason hung up the phone. He didn't immediately go back into the suite, taking a few minutes to breathe before he went back to Marc.

Angel Grove, CA

After Jason hung up on her, Christine stared at the phone in shock for a moment. Then she got mad. She stormed down the hall to her brother's room. This time she didn't bother knocking. She just flung the door open and let herself in.

"What is going on?" Will mumbled, sitting upright. "Is he dead?"

He yawned and blinked his eyes as he tried to focus on his sister.

"No, he's not dead," Christine snapped. "I just got off the phone with him. He didn't even get sick. So, he probably threw the lunch away."

"I told you that you should have watched him start to eat it," Will said, shaking his head as he threw his blankets back.

Climbing out of bed, he went to his dresser to find a shirt.

"And how was I supposed to do that?" she hissed. "He was getting in a car with his friends and leaving. And now I don't even know where he is. Some private hospital somewhere and I doubt either of us will be welcome."

"So, you wait then," he shrugged. "He's bound to come home eventually. Just keep playing nice for a little longer and when he leaves there he'll come back here. Then you just have to get the kid out of the way."

Christine scowled.

"And if that doesn't work?" she demanded. "I can't keep hoping it's going to happen. Someone is going to get suspicious. I need him gone, Will."

Will sighed. Dressed now, he sat on the edge of his bed as he eyed his sister.

"I'm not sure what you want me to do," he said. "I can't get to him from here. And he's not going to come running if I give him a call."

"There has to be a way to get rid of him for sure," Christine muttered, pacing back and forth now. "I mean, this is ridiculous. How hard can it really be to kill him? He should be dead already! This is all that man's fault. He ruins everything. None of this would be a problem if he had just stayed out of the way."

Will watched in silence for a few minutes as she continued to pace, muttering to herself. Finally, she stopped, looking at him in irritation.

"Are you going to be helpful or just sit there?" she snapped.

"I'm not sure what else you think I can do," Will pointed out. "I can't just walk up to him and shove the stuff down his throat. He'd notice and fight back. Which is only going to get us in trouble."

"There has to be something!" she exclaimed.

Will sighed.

"So, try something else," he suggested.

"Like what?" she retorted. "I don't exactly have a lot of options."

"There are plenty of ways to kill someone," he pointed out. "Hit him with a car. Stab him. Shoot him. You just have to have an alibi and you'll be fine."

"You expect me to use a weapon?" Christine said in disbelief.

Will rolled his eyes.

"Or hire someone," he said drily.

"I do not have those kinds of connections," Christine scoffed.

Then she paused.

"But you do," she said slowly.

"Not exactly," Will said. "But I know who to ask. And what to say to get them to do it for cheap."

Christine smirked.

"Do it," she said. "And once they've agreed, I'll get Jason back here one way or another."

Mariner Bay, CA

When Tommy woke up again, Conner wasn't the one sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Tommy?" Kat said, leaning toward him. "Tommy—are you awake?"

"Kat?" he murmured, turning to look at her. "What time is it?"

Kat smiled at him, relief visible on her face as she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Welcome back," she said. "You gave us quite the scare. It's a little after ten in the morning. How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"

Tommy shook his head.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Dad!" JJ shouted.

JJ had been sprawled on the other bed playing with Ethan on his computer. But Kat talking to Tommy had gotten his attention. As he shouted, he did a rolling flip off the bed and bolted across the room. Tommy turned to look at him as he slid to a stop next to the bed.

"You're awake!" JJ exclaimed, bouncing in place next to the bed.

Ethan followed close behind JJ. Though with less acrobatics.

"Is everyone going to stare at me?" Tommy asked, looking at the group surrounding his bed. "What happened to Conner? And where are Kira and Trent?"

"He's sleeping in a pile of pillows and blankets in the corner," Kat said, rolling her eyes. "He sat up all night with you but still wouldn't leave to go sleep in his own bed."

"Stubborn," Tommy muttered, shaking his head.

"He's not the only one," Kat retorted. "I heard you had to have a conversation with Carter this morning."

"Conner didn't know exactly what happened," Tommy protested. "It's Carter's base—I knew he'd have more answers."

Kat sighed, shaking her head.

"Kira and Trent are talking with Anton," Ethan said, answering the second question. "And her manager to figure out rescheduling the tour. They're supposed to be back with lunch a little later."

JJ was still fidgeting in place next to Kat as Ethan was talking. Tommy eyed him.

"Are you still on a sugar high from all that candy Wes bought you?" he asked, watching JJ bounce in place.

"That was almost two days ago, dad," JJ grumbled. "That's over."

Tommy snorted.

"There were enough candy wrappers in my bag that I wouldn't necessarily think that," Tommy said drily. "How much sugar did you have that night?"

JJ shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I didn't count—and Eric isn't gonna tell. And unless Wes checks his account and does some math he isn't going to know either."

Tommy sighed, shaking his head and trying to hide a grin.

"You know what?" he said. "I don't want to know. But no more candy for a while. I think you ate more than enough for the next couple of weeks."

"But dad…" JJ pouted. "What about tomorrow?"

Tommy frowned, taking a moment to remember what day it was.

"We'll see," he finally said.

The door opened, interrupting their conversation. Dana walked in with Hayley.

"Well, good morning, sleepy head," Hayley smirked as she walked over to the bed. "Have a nice lay in, did we? Are you a little less scrambled this morning? Or do I need to help Kat put parental controls on all of your things?"

"Hayley—I thought they only let friends and family in here. How did you get in?" Tommy snapped back without hesitation.

"Please, I'm your best friend," Hayley smirked sitting next to Kat.

"No, you're not," Tommy started to retort as he shifted again.

This time it caused a sharp pain to shoot through his chest and he groaned, stopping suddenly. Kat reached out in concern as Dana hurried over.

"Tommy, you need to take it easy," Dana cautioned. "You have a couple of broken ribs."

"Really?" he muttered, trying to breathe through the pain without taking too deep a breath. "I hadn't noticed."

Dana sighed and walked away for a moment.

"Dad, are you alright?" JJ asked anxiously.

"I'll be fine," Tommy said, giving JJ a faint smile. "I've had worse."

"Here," Dana said as she came back.

She held out a small pillow to Tommy. He stared at it, not sure why she was giving it to him.

"It will help," she said. "Until all of the drugs are completely out of your system, I don't want to risk giving you much in the way of pain medication. If you need to cough or take a deep breath, hold this against your chest. It won't stop the pain, but it will help."

"Thanks, Dana," he said, taking the pillow.

"Now, how are you feeling besides that," she asked. "Any pains anywhere? Are you dizzy or have any nausea? Anything out of the ordinary?"

All eyes were on Tommy at that point, watching him and waiting for his answer.

"Nothing I wouldn't expect from what Conner told me early this morning," Tommy said after a moment. "I'm stiff and a little sore. My chest hurts and my feet hurt a bit, too. My head feels like someone was stuffing it full of cotton and I'm not sure I really want to look anything remotely close to food right now. Also—does someone want to tell me what I did to my right hand?"

Tommy carefully held up his hand with the last question, showing an impressive array of bruises across the knuckles on his right hand.

"Oh, that's probably from when you hit Rocky in the face," Ethan supplied. "And a couple of other places."

"I hit Rocky where?" Tommy exclaimed.

"I thought Conner said he told you," Ethan started to say.

"Short term recall problems are normal," Dana interrupted.

"They always have been for him," Hayley snickered.

"He told me I hit him," Tommy said, shooting a glare at Hayley. "Not that I punched him in the face. Is he okay?"

"He is going to be fine," Kat said quickly, taking his hand. "He just has a rather noticeable bruise on his chin. And he was saying just yesterday morning that it barely even hurt anymore—you've done worse in practice."

Dana moved up closer to the bed as she looked over the monitors on the wall behind him.

"I wouldn't worry too much," she said reassuringly. "Everyone is going to be fine from the looks of it. You all just need to take it easy and slow and let me know if anything doesn't feel right or anything starts to get worse. This afternoon we will sit down and go over everything when we have some privacy. But for now, just try and rest. In a little while we will send up some broth and tea for you to try. I don't want you having anything solid just yet. So, we'll start it off nice and easy after that we will see how it goes."

"You hear that, Tommy? If you're a good boy maybe this afternoon Dana will let you have Jell-O," Hayley said grinning at him from where she was sitting.

Kat snickered, covering her mouth with her free hand as Tommy glared at them both.

"Oh, come on Dad, Jell-O is great," JJ smiled, leaning against the edge of the bed.

"We will see about that later," Dana replied as she made some notes and turned back to the bed. "Is there anything that's bothering you right now, Tommy?"

"I want to see Adam and Rocky," he answered. "Is Adam awake?"

"I was just in there and everything is fine," Dana replied gently. "Adam is awake and they are doing as well as I expect them to be at this point. So don't you worry about them. Just focus on getting yourself better—alright?"

She patted his arm before she turned to walk back out, pausing by the door.

"Why don't I head down and see about getting you some tea to try for now," Dana said, looking back at Tommy. "I need to get something for Rocky and Adam anyways. Is there a kind you would like?"

"How about I go with you," Kat said, getting out of her chair. "I know what kinds he likes."

"Okay Tommy, if anything changes or you start to feel worse send one of them down the hall for help," Dana said. "Or you can hit the button on your bed there to let us know. Kat and I will be back in a little bit with something for you to try eating."

Kat leaned down and gave him a kiss before following Dana out the door. Ethan plopped down in the chair she had vacated, and JJ was still leaning on Tommy's bed. Tommy glanced around the room.

"Hayley," he said. "For my peace of mind—where are your children? Billy has to be doing my job right now, so I know they aren't with him. And you don't have them…"

"Are they under the bed again?" JJ asked, leaning over to look. "Nope. No one there."

"Again?" Tommy said.

"Rae snuck in when you woke up the first time yesterday," Ethan said. "Hayley didn't even see her sneak in."

"And she scared us all," JJ added, leaning on the bed again.

Tommy shook his head, not really surprised by the news. Ethan went back to his phone.

"But to answer your question—they are with Jason," Hayley said.

Tommy looked at her in surprise.

"You left your girls alone with Jason?" he said slowly. "Who has known them less than a week?"

"I'm sure they're fine," she said with a grin. "Besides, it isn't just the girls. He has all of the kids this morning. Except JJ."

Tommy frowned.

"Should he really—no, I have other things to worry about right now," he said, shaking his head. "Ethan—help me up."

"What?" Ethan said, his head shooting up from his phone.

"Help me up," Tommy repeated.

He threw his blanket off to the side and it landed on JJ.

"Dad!" JJ protested, pulling the blanket off.

Hayley sighed, rolling her eyes. But she didn't move or try to stop him.

"I don't think you're supposed to get up, Dr. O," Ethan frowned.

Tommy carefully shifted, lifting himself up on his elbows.

"No one said that," he said, looking at Ethan.

"Dana said—" Ethan paused, frowning.

"She said nothing about me staying in bed," Tommy said.

"Dad is right," JJ said. "Dana never said he had to stay in bed—she said to take it easy. But mom is still going to be mad at you…"

"Then we better make this quick before she comes back," Tommy said, looking at Ethan again. "Now are you going to help me or am I doing this myself?"

Ethan started to protest again, so Tommy pushed himself up a bit more and started swinging his legs around. Jumping up to try and stop him, Ethan dropped his phone and it hit the floor with a clatter.

"No, no, no," he exclaimed. "This is a bad idea."

In the corner, Conner shot awake when the phone hit the floor. He sat upright still tangled in the blanket, looking around sleepily.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Oh, good," Tommy said. "Conner, get over here."

"Dr. O?" Conner yawned. "What are you doing?"

"He's trying to get up," Ethan answered.

Conner frowned, trying to untangle himself.

"You shouldn't be getting up yet," he said quickly. "You're supposed to be resting."

Tommy had managed to swing his legs partially off the bed at this point, leaning on one side. He paused, breathing harder at this point, and closed his eyes as the room spun a little and he started to lose balance.

Ethan caught Tommy's arm to support him, trying to make sure he didn't fall off the bed. Conner finally managed to free himself and rushed over to the bed.

"This isn't a good idea," Conner said, helping Ethan steady Tommy. "Please lay back down before you hurt yourself…"

"You can't even sit up on your own," Ethan pointed out.

"That's why I asked for help," Tommy shot back. "And I'm going to have to go through this at some point—I may as well get it over with."

Ethan and Conner exchanged frustrated looks.

"Can't you just stick with sitting up then?" Conner asked. "Do you need to stand up right now?"

"I'm going to see Adam and Rocky," Tommy said firmly.

The dizziness temporarily under control again, Tommy continued working his way to a seated position with Ethan and Conner's help—trying to keep pressure off his chest as they went. He finally managed to get sitting up, panting slightly from the effort.

"Alright, you're sitting," Conner said. "Can this please be enough for right now? I'll go check on Adam and Rocky for you—and you can lay back down and rest some more."

Tommy shook his head, his eyes closed again.

"I would go find him a wheelchair before he stands up and falls on his face," Hayley said.

Conner and Ethan exchanged looks again.

"Alright," Conner sighed. "Stay there—I'll go find one…"

Conner quickly ducked out of the room to go hunt down a wheelchair.

"Dad, are you alright?" JJ asked anxiously.

"I'll be fine, kiddo," Tommy answered, reaching over to ruffle JJ's hair. "I just need to move a little slower for a while."

JJ nodded hesitantly and climbed carefully onto the bed to sit next to Tommy while they waited.

Jason stared at the food in the cupboard, rubbing his forehead. He had no idea what to make for lunch for eight kids. Going to the cafeteria was technically an option but trying to get them all down there and sitting by himself—with some help from Marc—just didn't seem like something he wanted to try. He was slightly regretting volunteering to keep an eye on the kids to let Aisha and Tanya get some more sleep since they were awake all night at the hospital with their husbands. Trini had taken off early that morning with Billy while Hayley had disappeared not long after. All of them citing business around the base. Kim and Jake had been there for a little while but Jake had needed to do something work related so Kim went to help him find a room where he could work in peace and they hadn't come back. Fortunately, the kids had been relatively easy to keep entertained.

Jazz and Lilla were sprawled on the floor in the corner of the living room coloring. They had crayons and colored pencils everywhere. Damien and Karly were at the kitchen table working on a puzzle. Karly had been a huge help in keeping Damien distracted so he wasn't getting into everything. She was patiently helping him put pieces into his half of the puzzle while she worked on her half. Liam was sitting on the couch with a small pile of books next to him. Izzy was helping him read, telling him any words he didn't know. Rae was the only one he wasn't sure of.

The four-year-old was currently sitting on the floor surrounded by a pile of metal scraps she was fitting together. Jason had no idea where she had gotten the metal or tools from—and he definitely had no idea what she was building. But she hadn't hurt herself and she wasn't making a mess so Jason was letting it be. Marc was watching her, occasionally making comments about what she was doing. Jason glanced over to check on her again.

"I don't think that goes there," Marc said, looking at the pieces Rae was holding together.

"Yes it does," she said.

"No, it doesn't fit," Marc frowned.

She wiggled the pieces together, securing them temporarily with some kind of clip.

"See?" she said with a smile.

"Oh," Marc muttered.

Standing up, he stretched and walked over to Jason in the kitchen.

"So, how long are we watching them?" Marc asked.

"No idea," Jason said, shaking his head. "Someone will come back eventually though. What is Rae doing?"

"I don't know," Marc shrugged. "Building something? I didn't ask what."

Jason frowned. Giving up on lunch for a moment, he walked over to Rae.

"Rae," he said, crouching down next to her. "I don't know where you got this stuff, but I don't think you should be playing with it."

"It's mine," she said.

Jason sighed and started to try and pick up some of the tools.

"Just because you found them, doesn't mean they are yours," he said patiently.

Rae scowled and quickly got to her feet.

"They are mine," she insisted. "I got them out of my toolbox."

Jason frowned.

"Your toolbox?" he said.

Rae sighed and walked around the back of the couch and Jason straightened up to see what she was doing. She came back out a moment later pushing a large box that had her name on it.

"My toolbox," she said.

Jason looked at it in surprise.

"This stuff came out of there?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Do your parents know you have it?"

"Yes," Izzy said. "And we are allowed to use anything we have in our toolboxes to do what we want. But we cannot take anything out of each other's toolboxes or out of mommy or daddy's."

Jason nodded but pulled out his phone to text Billy.

Billy, is Rae allowed to play with tools and random metal items? She's building something.

It took a moment, but Billy responded.

Billy: As long as it came out of her toolbox Rae may use it. What is she building?

Jason: I have no idea

Billy: Does she have a power source?

Jason: Billy, I didn't know how this stuff worked in high school. that hasn't changed. I don't even know what the thing is to tell you if it has one or not.

Billy: She does not have any chemicals, correct?

Jason frowned, looking down at Rae. She was happily working on her project again.

Jason: No. why would she have them?

Billy: No cleaning chemicals or anything?

Jason: No

Billy: Then you should be fine. Just keep them away from her.

Oh. Also, do not let her near potatoes.

Jason: Potatoes?

Billy: Jason…

Jason could practically see Billy rolling his eyes through the phone.

I know you understand the basic concept behind a potato clock. The same concept would apply to powering whatever my daughter is currently working on. Do not let her have a pickle for the same reason.

Jason: I will do my best.

Billy: Call me if it becomes an actual problem and I will come assist you.

Shaking his head, Jason put his phone away and looked back down at Rae.

"So, Rae, what are you working on?" he asked curiously.

"A death ray gun," she answered, screwing two pieces together.

Jason stared at her for a moment.

"Umm… honey, do you know what that means?" he asked as he pulled his phone back out.

Jason: Billy. She says it's a death ray gun

Billy: Oh.

Well, that is new. Where did she get that idea?

"Uh huh," she nodded. "I read about it in his comic."

She turned and pointed at Marc before going back to her project. Jason looked at Marc, raising an eyebrow.

"It was just a Superman comic, dad!" Marc protested. "Aisha gave it to me. It wasn't bad. I don't know why she's building weapons now."

Jason: The comic book Aisha gave to my son…

Billy: So, it came from Rocky's house. That seems accurate.

"Because Lex Luther did it wrong," Rae said, shaking her head. "So, I'm making it better."

Izzy looked up from the book she was reading with Liam.

"Mom always says if you are going to do something that has already been done, make sure you do it better than it has been done before," she said with a nod of approval for her sister.

Jason: Billy! Your oldest is encouraging this!

Billy: How so?

Jason: She just told me it was fine because she was making it better than Lex Luthor!

Billy: Oh. Well, that is a rule with Hayley if they are going to copy someone else's work.

Jason: You are not helping.

Jason sighed and put his phone away again, switching tactics.

"Why don't you put that away for now and we can have lunch?" Jason suggested.

The idea that Billy's child was building a death ray gun scared him a little. He remembered some of the things Billy had made in high school. The fact that she was only four didn't make him feel better. Neither did anything Billy has said in response to his texts. At Jason's suggestion, Rae paused and looked up at him thoughtfully.

"What's for lunch?" she asked.

"How about I make everyone a sandwich?" Jason said.

"No thank you," Rae answered, going back to her project.

"How about mac 'n cheese?" Jason said.

"With hotdogs?" Rae asked, looking up at him again.

"Sure," Jason said. "I think I can manage that. Want to come help?"

Rae nodded. Setting her gun down, she got to her feet and skipped to the kitchen. Jason sighed in relief.

"Hide that thing," Jason hissed to Marc before following Rae to the kitchen.

Marc nodded. Scooping it up, he stood looking around for a moment before running out into the hallway with it. He figured he'd have better luck hiding it out of the room, but he really wasn't sure where to go after he got out into the hall. As he stood there hesitating, three people came walking from the direction of the elevator. Two men and a woman.

"What's going on, kid?" the man in green asked.

Marc looked at the three of them with some suspicion. He hadn't met them yet and they were walking freely around the ranger floors.

"Sorry, you're Jason's kid, right?" the second man, wearing blue, asked as he elbowed the first man.

Marc nodded hesitantly.

"I'm Chad," he said, holding out his hand. "This is Joel and Kelsey. We're part of the Lightspeed Rescue team."

"Oh, hi!" Marc said, his hesitation gone as he shook Chad's hand. "I'm Marc Scott."

"It's nice to meet you, Marc," Kelsey said with a smile.

"So, what are you doing out in the hall?" Joel asked. "And what's that?"

"I'm supposed to hide it," Marc said.

The three rangers exchanged confused looks.

"Alright…" Chad said slowly. "But what is it?"

"A death ray gun," Marc answered.

"Cute," Joel snorted. "So why do you have it?"

"Rae built it and dad told me to hide it."

Their expressions quickly changed from amused to alarmed.

"Point that thing away from people," Joel exclaimed.

"It isn't finished," Marc said, snickering a little now. "It's just a frame."

"I think you should still give me that," Chad said, taking it gingerly out of Marc's hands. "Guns aren't toys."

The door to the suite slid open and Izzy poked her head out.

"You better hurry and hide that, Marc," she said. "Rae is almost done pulling all of the cheese out of the fridge. She is going to know you took it. Hi, Joel! Hi Chad! Hi Kelsey!"

"Hey, squirt," Chad said. "How about we come in and talk to your sister? Who's in charge right now?"

"Jason," Izzy answered, walking back in so they could follow her.

Inside, Izzy went skipping over to the kitchen and tugged on Jason's shirt.

"Jason, we have visitors," she announced.

He sighed.

"Izzy, you can't just let people in the suite," he said, turning around. "Oh."

He stopped when he saw the other rangers standing with Marc, Rae's gun in Chad's hands. Jason had met the rest of the Lightspeed team in passing the day before while they were trying to figure out what was going on with Rocky and Adam.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

The three rangers shook their heads.

"Nothing new anyways," Chad said. "Seems like you're having fun though."

He held up the gun Rae had been working on. Jason grimaced.

"I have no idea what even prompted that," he muttered. "Where did she even get the parts? And how on earth does she know even the basics for putting together a gun? This was never a problem for me when Marc was her age."

Joel chuckled.

"Been there, done that," he said. "All kids have their own quirks."

Jason looked at him in confusion.

"I'm a dad, too, Jason," Joel said. "Just wait until he learns to fly."

"You mean drive?" Jason corrected.

"Nah, I mean fly," Joel grinned.

"Wait—what?" Jason frowned.

"My daughter Amelia turns seventeen next month," Joel explained. "She'll be old enough to get her pilot's license. She's had her student one for a couple of years now. She could care less about her driver's license right now. Amelia's planning on just taking the test when she turns eighteen and skipping all the learner's steps."

Jason stared at him in surprise, but Joel shrugged.

"The point I'm trying to make," he said. "Is you just have to understand how to handle smart kids."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Jason frowned.

"Sorry, it's just that—as far as I am aware—neither you nor your wife are geniuses," Joel said.

"And you are?" Jason scoffed, crossing his arms.

"No, but my wife is," Joel countered with a smirk. "You met her—Angela?"

Jason nodded. Rae, having noticed them standing there, had walked over. She tugged on Chad's shirt.

"That's mine," she pouted. "I was almost done…"

Chad shook his head as Joel glanced down at her and then up at Jason.

"Plus, Jason," Joel grinned. "I'm pretty sure you aren't used to dealing with the super evil genius child of Billy and Hayley. She's a little out there."

Rae frowned.

"Excuse me," she said, demanding Joel's attention. "I am an incredibly evil genius."

Joel sighed, crouching down in front of her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "But you know you still aren't allowed to have weapons—no matter what your genius status is."

"It isn't loaded," Rae argued.

"But it's still a weapon," he countered. "It's against the rules."

Rae shook her head.

"There is no rule about non-functional weapons," she grinned.

Joel started to argue and then paused, frowning. He looked up at Chad and Kelsey who both shrugged. Jason just looked lost.

"There are rules?" he muttered to himself.

"Yes," Kelsey inserted.

"Well, I think that call is going to be up to your parents," Chad said as Joel straightened up. "So, I'm going to hold on to this until we can talk to them."

Rae crossed her arms, pouting. She went back to the kitchen when Joel turned back to Jason.

"See, handled," he said. "It's not that hard."

Jason scowled at him.

"Well, this is perfect then," Kelsey grinned suddenly, looking between Joel and Jason.

"What is?" Joel asked.

"This timing," Kelsey said. "Jason was struggling but you know how to handle them so you can just take over. Chad and I can handle taking the gun to Hayley or Billy. That will give Jason a chance to get some work done or even take a nap."

Jason, quickly catching on, grinned at Kelsey.

"I do have some stuff I need to do for work," he said. "But all of my stuff is set up on the Command level and I can't take the kids there. So, thanks, Joel!"

"Wait a minute!" Joel tried to protest.

But Kelsey and Chad were already out the door and Jason was following.

"Come on, Marc," Jason said.

Marc grinned, following his father as Joel continued to protest.

"I was supposed to go free Trevor!" he yelled after them.

"I don't know who Trevor is, but he can come down here," Karly offered, looking up from the table. "Mom always says the more the merrier."

All of the kids were now looking at Joel.

"Who's Trevor?" Liam asked.

"One of Carter and Dana's kids," Joel grumbled, turning away from the door. "He's watching his brother."

Liam nodded, his brow furrowed.

"Who are Carter and Dana?" he asked.

Joel sighed, looking around. The twins were on their feet now, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Who are you?" Jazz asked nervously.

"This is Joel," Izzy answered helpfully. "He does stupid stunts on the base and causes general chaos."

"Hey!" Joel protested, frowning at Izzy.

"What?" she asked innocently, smiling up at him. "That is what mom says. And daddy does not correct her, and he always does if she is wrong or exaggerating."

Joel sighed.

"Seems about right," he muttered.

Lilla had grabbed Jazz's hand and was whispering to her now. Neither had relaxed after Izzy's introduction.

"Where's my daddy?" Jazz asked quietly.

Joel hesitated. He knew the two girls had to be Adam and Tanya's twins, but he wasn't about to tell them their father was in the hospital.

"Uh… he's… he's sleeping," he said after a moment.

The girls frowned, exchanging a look.

"Daddy never sleeps after lunch," Jazz argued.

"My daddy does," Damien offered.

Karly rolled her eyes.

"Only when he works, Damien," she corrected. "And then you're not supposed to wake him up."

She looked over at Joel with a sigh.

"But Damien does," she added. "All the time."

Joel chuckled.

"So, he's Damien," he said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Karly," she said helpfully. "And Liam is my other brother. He was reading with Izzy."

Joel nodded, turning back to the twins.

"And your names?" he asked.

They stared at him, not answering. Both girls were sniffling.

"Where is mommy?" they asked.

"Joel!" Rae called from the kitchen. "Lunch has reached ebullition. You should come assess."

Joel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'll deal with lunch in a minute, Rae," he called back. "Finish picking out which cheese you want and put the rest away. Girls, your mom is taking a nap. I'm going to stay with you for a while, ok?"

They shook their heads and Joel sighed. Izzy tugged on his shirt.

"Joel?" she said. "Maybe…"

The twins looked like they were on the verge of tears, both of them still insisting on seeing their parents now that Jason was gone. It had taken Tanya long enough that morning to get them to be ok with staying with him. And only because Karly, Izzy, and Rae were staying, too. Damien had left the table and climbed onto the couch with Liam, grabbing one of the books. Liam protested loudly.

"In a minute, Izzy," Joel said, striding over to the couch. "Damien, leave your brother alone. Karly—what are the twins' names?"

"Jazzy and Lilla," Karly offered, coming to help with her brothers. "Damien, those are Liam's books. Yours are in your bag."

Joel had scooped Damien off the couch and gave the book back to Liam. He planted the younger boy on the floor next to his sister. Karly took his hand and led him over to a bag in the corner.

"How about lunch?" Joel suggested, turning his attention back to the twins. "And after we eat, we can see where your mom is, ok?"

"Joel," Izzy tried again, looking between him and the kitchen.

"Izzy, give me a minute," he said. "I don't want them to start crying."

She sighed. The twins were eying him hesitantly, but they finally agreed to wait until after they ate.

"I picked out the cheese," Rae announced, bouncing back out of the kitchen.

"Great," Joel said, nodding as he started to turn away from the twins. "Though Jason didn't tell me how long until the pasta is supposed to be done…"

"Oh, it is done," Izzy sighed.

"How do you know?" Joel asked, looking at her.

"I told you," Rae said from the kitchen.

Joel looked over and then froze.

"Umm… why is there water and noodles all over the floor?" he groaned.

"The pot boiled over," Rae said helpfully. "I'm not allowed to touch the stove or anything on it—it's in the rules."

"So why didn't you tell me?" Joel asked, hurrying to remove the pot from the stove to stop it from boiling.

"She did," Izzy said. "She said it reached ebullition. That means it was boiling…"

Joel sighed.

"Alright, alright," he muttered. "Let me see what I can salvage."

"What should I get Aisha for our anniversary?" Rocky asked, looking over at Adam. "I was thinking jewelry, but I guess she really doesn't wear much jewelry usually outside of the bracelet her coin is in…"

Rocky had his bed in the up position so he could sit, scrolling through his phone as he talked with Adam. Adam, on the other hand, was lying down with his eyes closed trying to sleep. His back was to Rocky.

"I don't know, Rocky," Adam muttered irritably. "Why don't you take her for dinner without the kids or something? Or if you really want help, why don't you wait until I haven't been poisoned to ask me? Maybe then I'll have something helpful to offer."

Rocky glanced over at Adam.

"I'm just trying to keep you awake for a little while," he said. "Dana or Angela are supposed to be coming back with something for us to eat—well, drink."

"I don't want to be awake when Dana gets back," Adam sighed. "Because I really don't want anything. And if I'm asleep she won't wake me up."

"You've got to put something in you," Rocky argued. "I don't want anything either, but we still need it."

The door opened, interrupting any further argument from Adam.

"Oh, Dana," Rocky said, turning to look. "We were—"

He stopped in surprise.

"Not Dana," Tommy said with smile.

"Tommy!" Rocky exclaimed. "You're awake for real!"

Hearing Tommy's voice, Adam opened his eyes and rolled over to see what was going on. Tommy was sitting in a wheelchair with Conner pushing him. Ethan and JJ were walking into the room behind him, as were Kira and Trent who had found them in the hallway heading into Rocky and Adam's room.

"I heard what happened," Tommy said. "So, I came to see how you were doing."

Conner wheeled him closer to the beds, stopping in between so Tommy could see and talk to both of them at one time.

"How are you feeling?" Tommy asked, looking between his two friends.

"I don't want to talk about it," Adam muttered.

"I've been better," Rocky said, shaking his head. "I never want to have my stomach pumped again."

Tommy winced on his behalf.

"Yeah… I'm glad I was unconscious for that part," he said.

"You were unconscious for all of it," Rocky grumbled. "So was Adam."

"So were you, Rocky," Adam pointed out. "You're just not enjoying the aftereffects—and neither am I. At least you don't have to take anti-seizure medication…"

Tommy looked at Adam with concern. Kira gasped, one hand going over her mouth. Trent put an arm around her shoulders. Ethan and Conner exchanged looks.

"You had a seizure?" Tommy asked.

Adam nodded.

"I don't really remember it," he said. "But I remember a little bit coming out of it before I passed out again…"

Tommy glanced over his shoulder at Conner and Ethan.

"I had no idea, Dr. O," Conner said quickly. "Or I would have told you earlier this morning."

Tommy didn't press, he just turned back to Adam and Rocky.

"What happened?" Tommy asked. "Do either of you remember?"

Both men shook their heads.

"The last thing I remember was getting ready to leave base," Adam said. "We had just gotten you back to sleep. There are a couple of other pieces here and there—I think we stopped for gas?—but other than that everything is just gone."

"Same," Rocky said. "Aisha told me I crashed my car though—but it's still drivable so I guess it wasn't too bad."

"Oh good," Adam muttered, closing his eyes again. "We can add car crash to the list for the week…"

Rocky shrugged.

"Maybe we should stay away from them," Ethan said, leaning over to Conner. "The problems seem to be spreading…"

Conner shook his head.

"If you believe Carter's theory, we're fine," he said. "It's them who are in danger—we're fine."

Tommy rolled his eyes as Rocky frowned at Conner.

"What?" he said.

"Carter thinks someone is hunting us, Rocky," Tommy said irritably. "That our identities have been compromised and someone who doesn't like the ran—that someone wants us gone."

He glanced at JJ standing next to him. The ten-year-old was fidgeting in place anxiously as he listened to the conversation.

"Does he have proof?" Rocky asked.

"If he does, he wouldn't show me," Tommy sighed. "And he got Billy to agree to the lockdown—so we're stuck for now."

"I think the three of us are stuck anyways," Rocky shrugged. "Aisha told me I'm not allowed up until tonight—and then I only get to move to my own bed to sleep."

"I'm not moving," Adam mumbled sleepily.

"Well, I intend to talk to Billy and get some more answers," Tommy said. "If we are going to lock all of us in here, I want to know why Carter thinks it's necessary."

"Dr. O, you should be resting," Trent said, finally speaking up. "Not running around the base."

Ethan snorted, shaking his head as Tommy glanced back at Trent.

"Don't even bother," Ethan said. "Conner and I have already had that argument with him."

"I've had it twice," Conner inserted. "I won round one—I think that's all we're getting."

"I'm sitting down," Tommy said, shaking his head. "It's still resting—"

The door opened behind them.

"Thomas Oliver!" Dana snapped, storming into the room. "What are you doing?"

Tommy winced at her shout. Adam, who had been drifting off to sleep, jumped and opened his eyes again.

"And there's the full name," Conner muttered as Dana came storming over to confront Tommy.

"Yup," Tommy sighed.

"What are you doing?" Dana said, hands on her hips as she rounded on Tommy. "I thought I told you that you were supposed to be resting—not getting out of bed."

"I told you I was going to see Rocky and Adam," Tommy responded.

"And I told you they were fine," Dana said, exasperated. "You were not supposed to get up."

"But you never said he couldn't," JJ inserted from the other side of Tommy.

"You do not need to help your father," Dana frowned. "He gets in enough trouble on his own."

"Sorry," JJ said, hiding behind Tommy.

"JJ, why don't you go make sure Rae and Izzy haven't locked Jason up somewhere?" Tommy suggested.

JJ nodded and took the opportunity to bolt from the room. Dana, in the meantime, had rounded on the four Dino Thunder rangers.

"What were you thinking?" she snapped. "You shouldn't have let him out of bed."

"What were we supposed to do, Dana?" Conner asked. "Strap him to the bed? Dr. O was getting up whether we helped him or not—I didn't really want to have to pick him up off the floor."

"Dana, it's not that big of an issue," Tommy interrupted. "I was careful, and we used a wheelchair. I'm fine."

"You are not fine, Tommy," Dana snapped, turning back to Tommy. "You could have passed out and fallen and hurt yourself. Taking it slow does not mean getting out of bed before you are ready."

Tommy sighed.

"I know my limits," he said shortly. "I'm not overdoing it—"

"You knew your limits before," Dana interrupted. "But you were poisoned, Tommy! You have to let yourself recover."

"It made me sick, Dana," Tommy snapped back. "It didn't kill me."

"But it did," Dana snapped back. "Tommy—your heart stopped. You were dead for several minutes before they brought you back—that doesn't just go away."

There was complete silence in the room for a moment. Tommy stared at Dana in surprise as did all four of the group behind him. None of them had heard that part of the events of Wednesday night. They knew CPR had happened, but no one had explained exactly how close it had come. Kira leaned into Trent in shock as he gripped her shoulder. Conner gripped the handles of the wheelchair so tightly his knuckles turned white, and Ethan just stared, wide-eyed.

"I wasn't aware of that," Tommy finally said.

"You stopped breathing on our way to the hospital," Rocky said quietly from his bed, staring at his lap as he gripped his blanket. "And then I lost your pulse—we were still two minutes away. Total of six minutes without a heartbeat… a few more minutes and they probably would have pronounced you…"

He trailed off, everyone looking at him now. There was silence for several moments as the group processed that information.

"Well, that explains the broken ribs," Tommy murmured.

"Yeah… that was probably my fault," Rocky said. "Sorry…"

Tommy shook his head.

"I'd rather have broken ribs than—" he started to say and then shook himself. "It's fine—I've been told I'm responsible for that bruise on your face."

Rocky touched his jaw, frowning.

"Oh, right," he said. "That and probably a few others."

"So how about we call it even?" Tommy said with a faint smile.

Rocky nodded, returning Tommy's smile. Dana took a deep breath.

"Now do you get it, Tommy?" she asked. "You can't just jump right back into anything—you have to take your time."

"I understand now why you are so concerned," he conceded.

She reached over and took the handles of the wheelchair from Conner—he didn't protest.

"You are going back to your bed," Dana said. "And you are going to stay there until Angela or I say you are ready to get up."

She turned the chair and wheeled Tommy out of the room without another word. Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent trailed silently behind her.

Back in Tommy's room, Kat and Hayley were waiting. Hayley was still sitting in the same chair she had been in when they left. Kat was standing by the bed, arms crossed as she glared at Tommy.

"You idiot," she snapped, glaring at him. "What were you thinking?"

"I needed to see them, Kat," he said. "But I'm sorry I worried you."

She just continued to glare as Dana wheeled him straight back to his bed. The four younger rangers were still standing just inside the door, watching in silence. Hayley shot a look at them but didn't say anything immediately. Dana stopped the wheelchair next to the bed and carefully started getting Tommy back into bed. He didn't argue, he just let her help him. Kat hovered, ready to help if needed.

"So, are you four going to come in or are you leaving?" Hayley asked, breaking the silence in the room.

The four rangers exchanged looks and then rushed the rest of the way into the room. They moved closer to Tommy's bed but still made sure to give Dana some space as she finished getting him settled. She did put the bed in the upright position so Tommy could sit for a while.

"Now, I'm serious about you taking it easy, Tommy," Dana said once she was satisfied that he was comfortable. "Your body is going to be weak for a while and you need to take things slow."

"Dana…" Tommy sighed. "I can't stay in bed forever."

"Tommy, the drug could be in your system for weeks still," she interrupted. "We still don't know what it was—so there is no way to predict anything. Like potential side effects. So no, I won't keep you in bed forever, but you do have to be cautious. We will take it slow, and I will let you know when you can start getting up again."

Tommy rubbed his forehead, frustrated.

"Dana, I get it," he said. "I didn't have all of the information when I got up. Yes—I technically died and I should have been told that—but I am fine now. I'm not going to overdo it."

Kat flinched.

"I'm still not ready to talk about that," she said, taking a shaky breath. "So, if we could just not…"

Tommy reached over and grabbed Kat's hand. He tugged her over to the bed and shifted a little so she could sit next to him, hiding the grimace from her as the movement jostled his ribs. He carefully put his arm around her and she leaned gently against him.

"I'm going to be fine," he murmured. "I'm not going anywhere. But if it makes you feel better, I'll take it easy."

She nodded.

"So, what should we be watching for?" Hayley asked.

"Well, since privacy has apparently gone out the window," Dana sighed. "Though why I expect privacy around all of you I don't know… There is always the potential of something more extreme—like the seizure Adam had or even major personality changes."

Kat gripped Tommy's hand. Dana held up a hand.

"But," Dana continued. "We haven't seen any signs of that at this point so the chances of anything like that are much lower. However, you could still experience smaller things like dizziness when standing and moving around or memory loss."

She listed off a few other things as the group listened.

"I have a question," Hayley asked, studying Tommy. "How are we supposed to tell the difference between old memory problems and new ones?"

Tommy scowled at her.

"What?" she said. "It's a legitimate question. If you start forgetting things, how are we supposed to know it's a new problem?"

"I'm not that bad," Tommy said shortly.

"Kat, would you like to weigh in on that?" Hayley smirked.

Tommy glanced down at Kat as she tried not to laugh.

"Honey, you are a little forgetful sometimes," Kat said, looking up at him. "But it's ok."

"See," Hayley grinned as Tommy frowned at Kat.

"Do you really need to be here?" Tommy muttered, scowling at Hayley again. "Everyone forgets things once in a while—I'm not that bad."

"Oh really?" Hayley said, raising an eyebrow. "Then where are your glasses?"

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"How am I supposed to know that?" he asked. "I haven't seen them since… sometime Wednesday? Maybe? Kat, did I wear them on Wednesday?"

Kat sighed but smiled.

"You did," she said. "But it was that morning. You weren't wearing them at the party."

"See?" Tommy said, turning back to Hayley. "I haven't even had them to forget them."

Hayley didn't answer. Instead, she reached over to the small table next to his bed and picked up a pair of glasses. She held them out to Tommy who just stared at them.

"How long have they been there?" he asked, frowning.

"Since yesterday," Kat said sheepishly.

"Ok, but that can't count," Tommy protested.

Hayley snickered.

"Fine," she said. "Then where is JJ?"

"I did not lose my son," Tommy snapped.

Hayley looked at him in surprise for a moment and then realized what she had said.

"Right," she said, quickly recovering. "Of course you didn't lose him. He just wanders off sometimes. How about your phone?"

Tommy shook his head, pausing for a moment before answering.

"I don't know where my phone is because no one gave it back to me after I woke up," he pointed out. "However, I do know where my communicator is. I found that this morning."

He held up his wrist to show he was now wearing it.

"Good job," Hayley smirked. "Well, I guess he isn't showing any unusual memory issues right now, Dana."

"You don't have to be here," Tommy snapped back.

Dana sighed.

"They are like children," she said, looking at Kat.

Kat just nodded in agreement.

"You aren't wrong," she said.

Tommy frowned, looking between the two women.

"Dana does realize I'm older than her, right?" he asked, looking at Kat.

"Well, if you would act like it…" she said pointedly.

"I would like to point out," Tommy said in protest. "That I am far better than Ryan ever is—and I was also missing important information."

"Yes, set your standards by my brother's behavior," Dana said drily. "Because he's a great example to follow. But remember—I'm in charge here. I know you are used to giving the orders, but on this floor that's my job."

Tommy sighed but didn't argue.

"So where did JJ go?" Kat asked. "Because I know I left him with you."

"He went down to the residential level to find Jason and make sure he didn't need help with the kids—specifically Hayley's," Tommy answered.

Hayley paused, thinking about that.

"Oh, well I guess that was probably a good idea," she admitted. "He has been alone with them since this morning."

"I didn't want him locked in a closet somewhere like some of their previous babysitters," Tommy continued, looking at Conner.

"That was one time, Dr. O!" Conner burst out.

The other three, despite their concerns for their mentor, snickered at their friend. The door sliding open drew all of their attention. Rocky stuck his head in to see what was going on.

"Rocky, what are you doing?" Dana frowned, turning to look at him.

"I just wanted to make sure Tommy made it back alright," he said sheepishly.

Dana huffed and stalked toward him.

"You are not supposed to be out of bed either," she said shortly. "You are both children who won't listen to directions. At least Adam is behaving."

"He's asleep!" Rocky protested as Dana started to chase him back out in the hall.

"Good, he's supposed to be!" she snapped back as the door closed.

The Dino Thunder rangers laughed a little at Rocky's face before the door shut. Tommy just shook his head as both Kat and Hayley snickered. The door slid open again and Chad and Kelsey walked in.

"Hey, he's awake," Chad said.

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Kelsey asked.

"I've been better," Tommy admitted. "But I'm alright. What are you two doing here?"

"Looking for Hayley," Chad said. "Here."

He placed Rae's project in Hayley's hands. She looked at it in surprise.

"What is this?" she asked, examining it. "It's crude, but potentially functional."

She looked up at the two Lightspeed rangers.

"Is this a prototype of something you want me to finish?" she said.

"Nope," Chad answered. "Your youngest built it."

"Rae?" Hayley said in surprise.

She examined the gun again, looking at it closer this time.

"Hmm…" she mused. "It's not bad. Almost done. Just missing a power source, really."

"That's seriously your only reaction?" Chad asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hayley shrugged.

"She doesn't have access to those yet," she said.

"Yet?" Kelsey yelped. "Hayley!"

"It's fine, Kelsey," she said. "What did Rae say this was?"

"Death ray gun," Chad said drily.

Hayley shook her head.

"There isn't enough space for a power source big enough to generate killing power," Hayley said, turning it over. "Although…"

She glanced over at the Dino Thunder team.

"The shape does remind me a little bit of the lifeforce extractor from the Mesogag era," she said.

The Dino rangers all flinched at the mention of the lifeforce extractor.

"No," Tommy said shortly.

"Relax," Hayley said, shaking her head. "I have no intention of letting Rae build a portable lifeforce extractor."

"Or any?" Conner said quickly, glancing at the rest of the Dinos.

"Without permission," Hayley said with a shrug.

"Hayley!" Tommy exclaimed.

Trent was shifting uncomfortably now, trying not to think about his time attached to the machine. Kira rubbed his arm.

"Tommy, it's fine," Hayley said. "You know I only ever build things like that so we can counteract their effects. But I'll talk to Rae later."

She paused again.

"Where did she get that name from, though?" she mused. "It kind of sounds like it came from a comic book."

"It was not me," Trent protested immediately. "I have never used that name in anything. And I mean, yes, the extractor is in my comics. But you can't get actual dimensions or specifications from it. I made sure of it. I don't want one of those things near me ever again."

Tommy muttered an agreement. The rest of the Dino Thunder team was onboard, too. Sighing, Hayley shook her head.

"Well, I should go check on Jason and the kids, too," she said, pausing. "It's after lunchtime and I should make sure mine ate actual food. I'll have JJ eat, too."

"Oh, Jason isn't with the kids anymore," Chad grinned, glancing at Kelsey.

The yellow ranger snickered.

"Then who is watching them?" Hayley asked, sounding a little concerned now.

"Joel," Kelsey smirked. "He was giving Jason a hard time about Rae, so I may have given Jason an excuse to leave and then left Joel with the kids."

The other rangers laughed.

"It probably served him right," Kat said, shaking her head.

Then she stopped.

"Wait—Jason had the twins," she said.

Tommy, Hayley, and the other Dino rangers looked at Kat and winced. They all knew what she meant.

"Well, yeah," Chad said. "Why?"

"They don't do well with strangers," Tommy sighed.

"Whoops," Kelsey said. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine, Kels," Hayley said. "I'll go check on them. The other kids were there so I'm sure they'll be fine. I really do want to make sure the kids got lunch."

"Speaking of lunch," Kat said.

She gave Tommy a kiss on the cheek and then slid carefully out from under his arm. There was a mug sitting on the table by the bed. Picking it up, she held it out to him.

"Drink this," she said.

"Kat, not right now," he said, shaking his head.

She raised an eyebrow and continued holding out the cup.

"She isn't going to take no for an answer, Tommy," Hayley snickered. "You should know better. So can you handle the cup, or do I need to go get you a straw?"

Tommy grabbed the pillow Dana had given him earlier and whipped it at Hayley. He regretted the sudden movement immediately, doubling over in pain. Hayley caught the pillow and rolled her eyes.

"I'd recommend not repeating that for a while," she suggested with some concern, tossing the pillow back to Conner instead of at Tommy. "At least not until Dana can give you something for the pain."

Tommy just shook his head, taking careful breaths as he waited for the pain to subside again. Kat was watching him with a mixture of concern and frustration, the cup still in her hand. Catching the pillow Hayley threw, Conner handed it back to Tommy. Nodding, Hayley left the room. Chad and Kelsey followed her out.

Hayley didn't find anyone in the Mighty Morphin' suite, so she headed for the cafeteria hoping they had ended up there. She saw them as soon as she walked in. Joel had brought all of the kids down there to eat since he hadn't been able to save the mac 'n cheese. Most of the rest of the rangers had joined him and the kids at this point—including Jason. Aisha and Tanya were awake and getting something to eat before they went back up to the medical bay to see their husbands. Trini and Billy were the only two missing—outside of the group in medical, of course.

JJ and Marc were at the window with Rae and Izzy, waiting for their food to come out. Lilla, Jazzy, Karly, Liam, and Damien were already sitting down to eat with their mothers. The twins were happily eating on either side of Tanya, though they kept shooting looks at Joel eating a short ways away with Trevor, Charlie, and Amelia.

Jason was sitting across the table from the two yellows and their children with Kim, Zach, and Jake. They were all helping Aisha and Tanya with their kids now. The two women had gotten a few hours of sleep but were clearly still tired.

"Do you think Tommy is awake yet?" Kim said. "I know Carter said he was up really early this morning. I want to see him, Adam, and Rocky."

"He is awake," Hayley said as she joined them. "But you may want to wait just a little while before you go up there. Dana is a little annoyed with him right now."

They all paused their conversation, looking at Hayley.

"What did he do?" Zach asked.

"He escaped his room," Hayley grinned, sitting down next to Jason.

Aisha and Tanya both sighed, shaking their heads. Neither one was surprised.

"Is he alright?" Kim exclaimed. "He isn't still hallucinating, is he?"

Hayley shook her head.

"No, he isn't," she said. "He slipped out to go see Adam and Rocky while Kat and Dana were out of the room."

"Of course he did," Tanya sighed. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised given his history…"

"Rocky is in trouble, too," Hayley added. "Because he also got out of bed."

"One thing," Aisha muttered. "I asked him one thing—stay in bed and rest til I got back."

"To be fair," Hayley quickly added. "He was just checking to make sure Tommy made it back to his bed alright."

Aisha still just shook her head and moved her glass back out of Damien's reach.

"Eat your carrots," she said absently.

JJ and Marc came over with Rae and Izzy who ran to sit next to their mother.

"Can I see Uncle Tommy?" Rae asked, climbing into the chair.

"Maybe after you eat," Hayley said, taking their plates from the boys. "Thank you, JJ and Marc, for helping get their food."

The boys nodded and went to sit down by Jason. Hayley got her girls settled down and eating.

"Are Billy and Trini not eating lunch?" she asked, looking around.

"They still haven't come down," Jason said. "Something about reports and a meeting? I left them on the Command level where I found them."

"Of course," Hayley sighed.

The conversation continued on for a while and then Trent and Kira walked in to join them.

"Did you two leave of your own free will or did Tommy start kicking people out?" Hayley asked as they stopped next to her.

"We have to eat at some point," Trent shrugged. "But we'll eat and then take food back to Kat, Conner, and Ethan. Dana might be done scolding Dr. O and Rocky by that point. She's come back once already."

"Where is Billy?" Kira asked, reaching around Rae to grab her a napkin.

"With Trini," Hayley said. "Jason said they were still working on the reports."

Trent had walked away to order food for himself and Kira. Kira sat down with Rae and Izzy.

"Do you want us to watch the girls for a while?" Kira asked. "So, you can go make sure Billy and Trini actually eat food? And maybe eat food yourself?"

Hayley hesitated, looking at her daughters.

"It's fine," Kira assured her. "I think we can handle lunch—and maybe we'll take them to see Dr. O after they finish eating. You two can help us take everyone lunch, right?"

She smiled at the girls who nodded eagerly.

"That would be great," Hayley said. "Billy was up late last night going through everything. He just doesn't have as much practice as Tommy—who just dismisses a lot of things after a glance through. Billy goes through all of the details before he decides."

Kira urged Hayley to go again as Trent headed back to the table with their food. Hayley thanked them again and gave her daughters a quick kiss before she went to find Billy.

A little while later, most everyone was finishing up their lunch and cleaning up.

"I'm heading up to the med bay," Kim said, looking around. "Is everyone else coming?"

There was a chorus of agreements from the rest of the rangers.

"Kira and Trent," Aisha said. "Would you two mind keeping an eye on our five for a little while, too? I think they would still be a little much for Adam right now…"

Tanya nodded in agreement.

"Sure, that's fine," Trent agreed. "We can handle them for a while. Someone else will have to take food up to the rest of our group though. No one wants to deal with Conner if he doesn't get lunch. And he's still refusing to leave Dr. O unsupervised right now."

Kira nodded in agreement as Tanya and Aisha both shook their heads. They didn't want to deal with a hungry Conner, either. Especially with him already on edge over Tommy and the other two men being poisoned.

"I can take it!" JJ volunteered. "I'm almost done eating anyways."

"That would be great," Kira smiled. "Thank you, JJ."

He nodded, taking another bite of his food. Marc looked at Jason, hesitating.

"Dad?" said Marc.

"Yes?"

"Can I come with you to see Adam, Rocky, and Tommy?" he asked quietly.

Jason smiled.

"I'm sure that would be fine," he said, glancing over at Aisha and Tanya.

Both women nodded. They were making sure their kids were done eating so Kira and Trent didn't have to clean up after them. Kim and Jake had already left the room with Zach following them.

Back up in Tommy's room, Kat had finally convinced Tommy to at least drink some of the tea. She was sitting on his bed again as he was talking on the phone. Conner was tossing a small soccer ball around in the air on the other side of the room while Ethan was leaning back in the empty bed with his computer in his lap.

"I'll be fine, mom," Tommy sighed. "They just want to keep me for a while to make sure there aren't any lasting side effects. Plus, probably some physical therapy before I get released."

He paused, listening to his mother on the other end of the phone.

"No, they still aren't sure what I was poisoned by," he said. "Some kind of drug or chemical... we aren't sure where I was exposed. That's why JJ and Kat are staying here with me. We're having the house and our suite at the resort deep cleaned to make sure there is no chance of re-exposure if that's where it came from."

He sighed, covering the microphone as he looked at Kat.

"Couldn't you have just called her for me?" he whispered. "She's never going to let me off the phone now."

"She's your mother," Kat said. "And you know she wouldn't be alright without hearing your voice—now pay attention."

The door slid open and Kim stuck her head in. Conner and Ethan both looked over but went back to what they were doing when they saw who it was.

"Tommy!" she exclaimed with a smile, letting herself in.

Jake and Zach followed behind her. Tommy looked over when she said his name but motioned for her to be quiet as he tried to finish his conversation.

"Mom, I've got to go," he said. "I'm not sure who has my phone right now, but I'll make sure Kat keeps you updated—ok?"

He paused again, smiling patiently.

"I will try to listen to the doctor," he sighed. "Love you, mom."

Shaking his head, he hung up the phone and handed it back to Kat. She put her cellphone back in her pocket. Kim, who had waited rather impatiently for him to finish, rushed over. Kat climbed off the bed, careful not to jostle Tommy.

"You're awake!" Kim said happily, gently hugging Tommy. "I'm so glad to see you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Kim," Tommy said, hugging her back.

As she let go, Kim put her hands on her hips.

"Thomas Oliver," she said shortly. "You can't say you're fine. You almost di—"

"Nope," he interrupted, shaking his head with a quick glance toward Kat. "I'm fine. I'm awake and I'm going to be fine."

Seeing Tommy's glance, Jake put an arm around Kim's shoulder.

"Kim, he's going to be alright," Jake said, pulling her against him. "Save some worry for Adam and Rocky, too."

"You've seen him through worse, Kimmy," Zach said, shaking his head as he joined them. "Tommy—let's still not repeat this again. You kind of freaked us out. And I thought we were done with this kind of thing a long time ago."

Kat sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't think we'll ever really be done," she said mournfully as she looked at her husband.

Tommy reached over and took her hand. The room door opened again.

"I don't plan these things you know," he said, squeezing her hand. "It just kind of happens…"

"Still man," Zach said, shaking his head. "Why is it always you?"

"I've been asking that question since the day we met," Jason snorted as he walked in.

Aisha, Tanya, and Marc came in with him. The two women hurried over to each give Tommy a hug.

"We're still asking that question," Conner scoffed, tossing his ball up and catching it again.

Tommy shot a glare at him and Conner smirked back.

"You are a bad influence," Aisha said, hands on her hips as she straightened up. "Rocky isn't supposed to be up—and neither are you."

"I asked for help," Tommy protested. "And I used a wheelchair—I didn't just walk over there by myself."

"I'm pretty sure that's still not on the list of things you are allowed to do right now," Tanya said, shaking her head.

She paused though.

"But were they alright?" she asked anxiously. "Adam was still sleeping when Dana chased us out to get some sleep…"

"He was awake—sort of," Tommy said. "Rocky said he was sleeping again when poked his head in. But when he talked with me he was alright. Still feeling the effects of being poisoned—but then I am still, too, a little…"

He shrugged and winced just a little from the movement. Seeing Marc still hovering near the door, Tommy shot a look at Jason.

"Are you coming in?" Tommy asked, looking back to Marc.

Marc hesitated, then nodded. He slowly walked over to stand next to Jason, who ruffled his hair. Marc swatted Jason's hand away.

"Dad!" he protested.

Jason just laughed, as did his friends. Marc scowled and then turned to look at Tommy.

"I'm glad you're ok, Tommy," Marc said quietly.

"Thank you, Marc," Tommy smiled.

"We're going next door, Tommy," Aisha said, patting his arm. "But we'll stop by again later. Take it easy—you aren't fourteen anymore."

"Thank you for the reminder," he said drily. "I will try to keep that in mind."

Aisha grinned at him and then she and Tanya headed for the door. Marc watched them go, fidgeting in place.

"Well, go on," Jason said. "Just be quiet if one of them are sleeping."

"I will," Marc promised, dashing off after the two women.

As they left, JJ walked in with a very full tray of food. Tanya held the door open for him so he didn't spill anything.

"I brought lunch!" he said proudly.

"Whoa, kid," Conner said. "Don't drop that."

Tossing his ball at Ethan, he ran to help JJ with the food.

"Here," Conner said. "I'll hold the tray, you give your mom and Ethan their food."

JJ let him take the tray. He took two plates off and walked one over to Kat.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she said with a smile.

JJ grinned and then took Ethan his plate. Conner took the tray with the remaining plates and found a chair to sit in.

"Is all of that for you?" Zach said, watching Conner.

"Yep," JJ confirmed. "I got him the same thing he had for lunch yesterday."

Conner grinned at Zach as he started eating his lunch. Kat had settled into her chair next to Tommy's bed to eat hers. Ethan had put his laptop away in favor of the food JJ gave him.

"How much does he eat?" Jake said, eyeing Conner. "And where does he put it?"

"A lot," Tommy said drily, shaking his head.

"I have a hyperactive metabolism," Conner shrugged. "And I like to be active. That means I need a lot of calories to keep up my energy."

JJ bounced back over to Tommy's bed. He paused, looking to Tommy for permission before climbing up on the bed. Tommy nodded, moving his feet out of the way, and JJ carefully climbed up to sit. He sat cross-legged at the end of the bed facing Tommy.

"Dad, can I get out my laser tag here?" he asked hopefully. "Marc and I can play with it in the gym."

Tommy hesitated, glancing over at Kat. Neither one answered immediately. They hadn't thought about the next day being JJ's birthday—but the subject of his present from Conner had very quickly reminded them.

"I'm sorry, honey," Kat said after a moment. "But I think we left it at the dojo on Wednesday… I'll have to see if someone can make a trip to get it first."

"Oh…" JJ said with disappointment. "Right…"

"Don't worry, kid," Conner said quickly. "If you don't get to play with it this weekend, we'll get it out once you're back home. We can still go run around in the gym though."

JJ nodded quietly. Tommy and Kat exchanged looks again. This was not exactly what they had planned for their son's birthday. Any further discussion was temporarily halted by Angela coming in the room.

"How are you feeling, Tommy?" she asked with a smile. "I heard all about your escape this morning."

Tommy sighed.

"I'm fine," he said. "Same as when I talked to Dana an hour ago. I even drank some of the tea she sent with Kat."

"Good," Angela said. "Then I have something for you."

Walking over to Tommy's bed, she held out a cane.

"Dana and I talked and we have a compromise for you," she said. "Since we are both very aware that fighting to keep you in bed for a long period of time is not worth the headache."

Tommy frowned, looking at the cane in her hands.

"And what is the compromise?" he asked suspiciously.

"I am going to leave this with you," Angela answered. "You can use it to get around for short trips—but you may not leave this room. And you will also not get out of bed without help for at least the rest of the day."

"If he can't leave the room, then where is he going to go?" Ethan asked.

"Well, he can walk to the bathroom," Angela answered with a smirk. "Or move to a chair. Just a way to start moving around slowly while not overdoing things. Does that work for you, Tommy?"

He didn't answer for a moment, thinking over the offer.

"Alright," he finally answered, taking the cane. "I won't use it to try and leave the room—or get up by myself for the day."

"Wonderful," Angela said. "Now—how are you feeling after drinking the tea? Would you like to try something else?"

She shooed Kim, Jake, Zach, and Jason away from the bed to give her space as she spoke with Tommy. The four of them exchanged looks and then excused themselves to go next door.

In the room next door, Rocky was still awake and sitting up in his bed. He had pulled Aisha into the bed with him when she started scolding him and she was now sitting in front of him leaning back against him as they talked quietly with Marc. The teenager was sitting in a chair next to Rocky's bed. Tanya was sitting next to Adam and holding his hand as he slept.

Kim opened the door and poked her head in before she opened it all the way. Seeing Adam sleeping, she warned the three men with her before walking in. Then she led the way into the room and headed straight for Rocky.

"How are you feeling?" Kim asked, giving Rocky a hug.

He hugged her back with one arm.

"I've been better," he said, shaking his head. "But I could be a lot worse. Still a little nauseous from having my stomach pumped last night but…"

He shrugged.

"Henry said Rocky's training saved them," Aisha inserted. "They can only guess on what happened before Rocky called dispatch, but it seems like somewhere along the line one or both of them realized something was wrong and he actually threw up to get the drug out before it could absorb any further into his system. If he hadn't…"

She stopped, shaking her head.

"Stop that," Rocky said, wrapping both arms around her again. "We're both fine. Though I wouldn't protest a nap. Preferably in my own bed."

Aisha elbowed him, being a little gentler than she normally would, and Rocky grunted.

"You are not getting out of this bed yet," she huffed. "Not after you didn't listen earlier. If you want to sleep, sleep here."

Rocky grumbled, resting his chin on her shoulder. Jason walked over to Tanya sitting in the chair next to her husband's bed and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a faint smile.

"How is he?" Jason asked quietly.

"He's just sleeping now," she said. "Rocky said he was awake for a little while, but he's still exhausted. Neither one of them really slept after everything with Tommy, and then they both…"

She trailed off, falling silent for a minute.

"Anyways," she said. "Umm… He wasn't as lucky as Rocky and the doctor said he metabolized a lot more of the poison than Rocky did. Which is probably what triggered the seizure. Dana says he's going to be on the anti-seizure medication for a while. They have to take it slow weaning him off it after they get things under control or they risk more seizures."

"I forgot about that," Jason said. "When did that happen?"

Tanya nodded.

"While he was at the hospital," she said, fussing with Adam's blanket. "That's why it took us so long to get him here… they didn't want to release him until they were sure he was stable."

Jason squeezed her shoulder.

"He'll be alright," he said quietly.

As they were all talking, Adam took a deep breath and shifted. Tanya squeezed his hand hopefully. Adam squeezed back as he blinked open his eyes.

"Tanya?" he murmured.

"Hi, sweetheart," Tanya said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he sighed, shifting again.

He frowned, realizing Tanya wasn't alone.

"Jason?" he said.

"Hey, Adam," Jason said. "Good to see you awake, man."

Adam nodded. Kim and Zach, hearing Adam awake, hurried over to see him. Tanya just held onto his hand. Jake was mostly trying to stay out of the way.

"How are you?" Kim asked, hugging him. "You both had us worried."

"I'll be fine," Adam said, hugging her back.

When Kim stepped back, Adam hit the button to move the bed into the sitting position so he could sit up. He stifled a yawn.

"Still tired?" Zach grinned.

Adam just shot him a look as Tanya moved to sit on the bed next to him.

"I was poisoned," he said drily. "I think it's probably to be expected that I'm tired."

"I guess that's fair," Zach said sheepishly.

Marc had vacated his chair by Rocky and was standing next to Jason, fidgeting in place. Adam smiled at Marc.

"I'll be alright, Marc," he said reassuringly. "Just give me a couple of weeks and classes will be back to normal."

Marc nodded, smiling himself. The door opened and JJ poked his head into the room.

"Marc!" he exclaimed. "Want to go down to the gym with me and Ryan? He said he'd hang out with us. Dad said it was fine."

Marc looked at Jason.

"Can I, dad?" he asked.

"Go on," Jason said. "Just don't break anything—and stay out of trouble."

Marc grinned and ran out of the room after JJ. After they left Jason frowned.

"Wait," he said slowly. "Who is Ryan again?"

Rocky laughed and explained.

"Tommy, I need to tell you something…"

Tommy, slowly eating the soup Angela had brought him a short time before, looked up at Kat.

"What is it?" he asked, frowning at the look on her face.

Kat hesitated and then took a deep breath.

"We had to tell JJ," she said. "With everything that happened and being here and… Well, we had to tell him that you are the first green ranger…and what that meant…"

He stared at her for a moment.

"Oh…" he finally said. "And…?"

"Well, he didn't seem too freaked out," Kat said.

Tommy sighed and nodded, running back through his interactions he'd had with JJ since waking up. Trying to decide if he was really alright with the information.

"Thanks for the heads up…" Tommy said after a moment, going back to staring at his soup. "I—I understand…"

Kat just sighed and shifted her chair closer.

"I'm sorry…"

Kira pulled her phone out of her pocket when it started ringing. She and Trent were watching the seven kids running around the cafeteria. They'd been planning on heading to one of the suites but hadn't gotten that far yet. Joel was still there with Charlie, Trevor, and Amelia. Charlie had been coaxed into running around with the younger kids by Izzy, but Trevor and Amelia were still at the table with Joel. Amelia was reading a textbook while Trevor was playing a handheld video game. JJ had left a while before to take food up to the medical bay.

"Hello?" Kira said. "Oh—Max. Uh… hold on."

Trent, playing with the kids, looked over at her.

"It's Max," she hissed, covering the microphone. "I need to stall him again."

Trent nodded and turned to Joel.

"Hey, Joel—can you watch them?" he asked quickly. "Kira and I are going to need to talk to her manager somewhere private."

Joel looked up quickly.

"Sure," he said. "Do what you need to. We'll be fine."

"Thank you," Kira said, spinning and heading for the door. "Max, I'm sorry, but I still don't have any real answers…"

The door shut behind her and Trent. Joel glanced around at all of the kids.

"Well, I guess if everyone is done eating maybe we should move out of the cafeteria," he said, standing. "Amelia—"

Amelia looked up from her textbook.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Could you and Trevor help me corral the kids and entertain them for a while?" Joel asked.

"Are you paying me?" Amelia countered. "You know my rates."

Joel sighed as he eyed his sixteen-year-old.

"Really?" he asked. "You can't just help?"

"Dad, I'm studying," she said.

"It's summer," he pointed out. "You should be relaxing."

"I'm going into my senior year of high school," Amelia snorted. "Do you realize how many AP classes I'm taking this year? I have to be ready or I'm never going to keep up with all of my work. Plus, I'm still working on college and scholarship applications. So, if I'm going to take a break from that that doesn't involve an airplane or a chemistry lab, it better be worth my time."

"Alright, fine," Joel said, giving up. "Trevor, come on."

Trevor looked up from his game.

"Nope," Trevor said. "I'm finishing my game and then Uncle Ryan said to meet him in the gym."

Joel sighed again but didn't argue. Collecting the rest of the kids running around the cafeteria, Joel herded them all around toward the big gym as he tried to decide how to keep them busy for an undetermined amount of time. Trevor said Ryan was going to be there already, so he could possibly help watch the eight kids he was suddenly in charge of again.

"Oh, wait!" Joel said as they passed one of the training rooms. "This will be better. Smaller space and I can still make some phone calls while I watch."

The room he had stopped them by had clear glass walls for observation purposes since it was used for training. The glass was bullet proof—as the room was used for a variety of training purposes—so he wasn't worried about kids running around or hitting the glass. And the only equipment in the room besides some tumbling pads and mats were some weights and a climbing ladder hanging from the ceiling.

"Those should be too heavy for them to move," Joel muttered to himself, eying the weights as he ushered the kids inside. "And the ladder is out of the way. Yeah. This is perfect."

He had the kids wait in the room with Trevor watching while he ran to get some balls for them to throw or kick around from the gym down the hall. He tossed the balls inside and smiled as the kids ran for them. Damien, who had been trying to pick up a weight with no success, squealed in delight as he raced after one of them.

"Alright, guys," he said. "I need to make a couple of phone calls. Have fun and play with whatever—I'll be right out here."

Satisfied that they would all be content for a little while, Joel stepped back out into the hall and pulled out his phone. He was still out in the hall a little while later when Kelsey came strolling by with Zach.

"Hey, Joel," Kelsey grinned. "I'm just giving Zach a better tour of our facility—how's it going with the squirts?"

Joel scowled at her.

"Thanks a lot for this," he retorted.

"What?" Kelsey asked innocently. "Weren't you the one saying you were a master father?"

"I did not say that," Joel sputtered. "All I said was Jason wasn't used to the super genius kids. It's different."

"Alright," Zach said, nodding as he watched something behind Joel. "So… since you're supposed to be watching super geniuses more carefully—shouldn't you be inside?"

Joel shook his head.

"Nah, there's nothing they can really hurt themselves with," he said. "The weights are too heavy for any of them to move and I pretty sure they've all fallen on a mat before. They're good. They'll just tumble around and chase balls for a while and burn off some energy."

"Oh, really?" Kelsey said, stifling a giggle.

"Yeah, I have it under control," Joel said confidently.

"Uhh… Joel?" Zach said, pointing behind him now. "You may want to turn around."

Joel frowned and turned to look behind him and then sighed. Damien had pressed himself against the glass and was blowing raspberries on it.

"So, I'll have to clean the glass," Joel shrugged. "That's not—"

"I don't think that's what Zach was talking about," Kelsey quickly interrupted.

She pointed and Joel looked to see what she was talking about. He groaned.

The kids had pushed some tumbling mats underneath the first aid kit attached to the wall and had pulled it down. Izzy had taken several rolls of ace bandages and looped them around part of the climbing ladder. She had created a basic pulley system and was using it to lift one of the heavy weights as high as she could before letting it fall back to the floor. Liam and Jazz were currently helping her pull on the improvised pulley to lift the weight again. Lilla and Karly were watching them.

"Great," Joel sighed.

"I'd be more worried about that one," Zach said, staring in the other direction now.

Joel and Kelsey both turned to look and froze for a moment.

Rae was standing on the other side of the room. She was wearing all of the PPE from the first aid kit—gloves, apron, and safety goggles. The four-year-old had pulled the defibrillator off the wall and now had it dissected on the floor. She was holding a wire in each hand about to touch them together. Charlie was waving his arms frantically at her as he tried to convince her to stop.

Joel scrambled to open the door.

"RACHEL!" he shouted as he yanked it open.

Rae froze, her head turning to look at Joel.

"What are you doing?" Joel demanded, rushing over to her.

She blinked at him, tilting her head.

"Checking for a live connection," she answered. "I put on the safety gear."

"That won't protect you from electrocution!" Joel exclaimed.

"But it's the only safety gear here…" Rae pouted.

Joel took a deep breath.

"Please just put that down…" he asked.

Izzy, who had now seen what was happening, dropped her weight again and came over to examine what her sister was doing—much to Joel's consternation.

"Do not worry, Joel," Izzy announced. "It would not work yet anyways. Rae did not plug the positive end in far enough."

Joel sighed in relief—only for Izzy to plug it in the rest of the way.

"Now it will work," she said proudly.

"Izzy!" Joel exclaimed, quickly catching Rae's wrists. "Why?"

"I was just helping," she said.

"Out!" Joel ordered. "All kids out of the room!"

Kelsey and Zach had followed him inside and quickly moved to follow Joel's order. They pulled Izzy away from her sister and chased the rest of the kids out of the room. Once he was sure the rest of the kids were out of danger, Joel shifted his grip and carefully took the wires from Rae.

"Alright, out, Rae," Joel said firmly. "Go."

Still pouting, Rae listened to Joel and left the room. Once she was out, Joel slowly set down the wires and backed away. He quickly exited the room and shut the door behind him, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Rae, why?" Joel asked.

"I already told you," Rae sighed. "But it wasn't on…"

"I'd rather be safe…" Joel said, shaking his head. "Kelsey, who's here who can take care of that? Or do we need to call someone in from the main levels?"

Kelsey frowned as she thought about it. But Zach was staring in the room.

"Uh… guys?" he said.

"What, Zach?" Joel asked.

Zach just pointed. Joel and Kelsey both turned to look. Rae was wrong—it definitely had power. A spark had jumped between the wires and started a small fire on the mat. Kelsey yelped and scrambled for a fire extinguisher before racing in to put out the fire.

"I'm here—oh."

JJ stopped just inside Tommy's room. He was surprised to see Billy sitting with Tommy and Kat. When Conner had brought him up, saying Tommy needed him, he hadn't expected to see anyone else. And Conner had stayed in the hallway with Trent.

"Dad?" JJ said.

"Come sit, kiddo," Tommy said, watching him.

JJ frowned but did as he was asked. He dropped into the empty chair by his father's bed.

"Ok, so what did you want?" JJ asked. "Conner wouldn't tell me."

Tommy took a deep breath.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said quietly. "I know your mom and Billy told you about me."

"Yeah," JJ nodded.

"I'm sorry…" Tommy said.

JJ frowned, not saying anything. So, Tommy kept going.

"Well, if you had any questions…" Tommy said slowly. "You are free to ask. And…"

He took another breath.

"And I understand if you are nervous or anything. It's understandable and I'm sorry... But all of that was a long time ago. I am still your dad and—"

"I do have a question," JJ interrupted.

"Ok…what is it?"

"Well, you were brainwashed, right?" JJ asked.

Tommy nodded.

"Essentially," he agreed.

JJ nodded.

"Ok. I still don't really understand all of it. Mom and Billy were talking about a spell and being possessed by a sword and something about a candle and a witch and—well, fairy tales are suddenly a whole lot scarier now that I know magic is actually real."

He stopped and Tommy looked at him.

"Was that your question?" he asked.

"What—no!" JJ said, pausing. "Wait. Did I even ask a question?"

Tommy sighed.

"JJ, what is your question?"

"Why are you apologizing to me?" JJ asked.

Tommy stared at him in surprise for a moment.

"Well, because I know what your mom and Billy told you may have scared you…" he said slowly.

"But then shouldn't mom and Uncle Billy be apologizing for scaring me?" JJ countered. "You weren't the one who told me."

"No, because they told you about my history," Tommy frowned. "And what I did and that would have been what—wait."

He paused, looking closely at his son.

"You aren't upset or scared?"

"No," JJ said, looking at him. "Why? Should I be? Cause, I know mom explained it weird, but it still didn't sound like any of it was your fault. I mean, how was a fourteen-year-old supposed to fight back against an evil witch? It kind of just sounds like the story from a bad movie. Besides, Uncle Billy said you helped them after they freed you. Right?"

"Yes, I did…" Tommy said, still staring at him.

"So, then why is everyone so afraid of the green ranger?" JJ burst out.

Tommy didn't have an answer, just staring at his son in shock. This had not been the response he'd been expecting. Kat and Billy were now exchanging amused looks. They both knew exactly what response Tommy expected from JJ. Tommy expected him to be freaked out by the concept and possibly even afraid of him. Tommy had been all prepared to have to prove to JJ that he hadn't changed and that there was nothing to be afraid of. Now he didn't know what to do. JJ tilted his head as he studied his father.

"Dad?" he said. "Is this why you always take the blame when things go wrong?"

Tommy frowned.

"Wait!" JJ exclaimed. "That's why mom is always talking about your guilt complex. Geez, dad. Self-centered much? It's not like you chose to do those things. And, if the witch hadn't given you extra powers and controlled you, you probably would have just fallen on your face fighting against the rangers."

"Thanks," Tommy said drily, shaking his head.

"Don't get me wrong," JJ shrugged. "I mean, you're a really good fighter and you were probably still good way back then. But against five rangers?"

He scoffed, shaking his head.

"That would be a little hard to believe," he shrugged. "There definitely had to be magic involved."

Kat, who had stayed quiet for the most part, was laughing now. She was stifling it as best she could, covering her mouth with her hand as she watched her husband and her son go back and forth. Billy was also snickering quietly next to her. Tommy was shaking his head.

"I really don't have the energy to argue that right now," he muttered, turning to look at Billy. "So, think what you want, kiddo."

Billy was smirking.

"Seriously, Billy?" Tommy said.

Billy just chuckled in response.

"Dad is just dramatic," JJ sighed, looking at Billy and Kat.

"He does occasionally display that tendency, yes," Billy agreed as Tommy scowled at him.

"Well, thank you all," Tommy grumbled.

"Seriously though," JJ repeated. "Magic. There is no way you would have been able to fight them otherwise. I mean, you can take Uncle Billy now. But when he was a ranger? No way."

He paused, looking between Tommy and Billy.

"Still way cool by the way!" he grinned at Billy.

"Ok, ok," Tommy said, shaking his head. "JJ, believe what you want. The point of this talk—well, I just wanted to make sure you weren't afraid of me…I am still your father and—"

"But why would I be afraid of you?" JJ asked. "Everyone has said you were under a spell. Including you. So, there shouldn't be a problem. Unless there's another evil witch involved. Are they a regular problem? I mean, I hope you would tell me if that was the case."

He shrugged.

"So, I'm not scared of you," he said. "Well, maybe sometimes for other reasons. Like when I forget to take out the trash."

He looked over at Billy as he explained.

"I forget one time," he grumbled. "It leaked and dad made me scrub the entire inside of the trashcan with soap and water. I had to wear these giant rubber gloves that swallowed my arms. It was nasty!"

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"It wouldn't have been so gross if you hadn't thrown milk in there," he pointed out. "And now you know better."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" JJ muttered. "The drain, not the trash."

"Yes," Kat chuckled, her laughter finally under control. "Life lessons to learn. Now."

She stood, pulling JJ out of his chair. Billy stood as well.

"We're going to give your father some space for a few minutes to process," she said. "And let Conner back in the room for a while."

"Ok," JJ agreed. "I'll come back later, dad."

He rushed over to hug Tommy. Tommy hugged him back with a smile.

"I love you, JJ," Tommy said quietly.

"Love you, too, dad," JJ said.

Turning, he followed Kat and Billy out of the room. It was quiet for a moment and then the door opened again. Conner walked back in. To Tommy's surprise, Trent was with him instead of Ethan. They both sat down in the now empty chairs by Tommy's bed.

"So, how'd it go?" Conner asked. "Kid seemed alright when he came out."

Tommy sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, he's fine," he said. "He said he's not afraid of me…"

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" Trent pointed out.

"Yeah…" Tommy agreed. "Just—well, surprising…"

"Why?" Conner asked. "Dr. O, your kid is smart. And we all know it's not your fault you tried to kill the other rangers. Just like it's not Trent's fault that he tried to kill us."

He grinned at Trent who rolled his eyes.

"The point is," Trent said, ignoring Conner. "JJ loves you, Dr. O. You mean more to him than your past. And you've never done anything to give him a reason to be afraid of you. Even if the green ranger did scare him a little. The fact that you two are one and the same? That's never going to be enough reason for him to fear you. He's far more likely to be scared of me if he were ever to find out I am the white Dino ranger and you were the black Dino ranger. Because I nearly succeeded in killing you—more than once. And he's read my comics, so he's well aware of that."

Tommy sighed.

"You're probably right," he admitted. "It's just—well, not the response I expected."

"And that's because you expect everyone to hold it against you," Conner shrugged. "We never have and never will. I learned that the hard way with Trent. People can change and you have to let them. But you also have to let yourself. You've been stressing about this conversation all afternoon because you always expect people to judge you for that past. I mean, seriously. How many times have any of us told you it doesn't matter? But you do this every time you have to tell someone else. So does he."

He elbowed Trent who shoved him back. The two were quickly bickering. Shaking his head, Tommy just settled back as he let them go.

A little while later, Tommy shifted, pressing the pillow to his chest so he could take a deeper breath. Angela was checking some of the monitors behind the bed, making sure everything was still registering correctly. Ethan, who had reappeared not long before, had gone back to his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he worked on a program. Kat was sitting next to Tommy's bed, checking a few messages on her phone, and Conner had gone back to pacing the room and throwing his ball up in the air. Trent had disappeared again, saying something about finding his wife.

"Hey Conner," Tommy said.

Conner stopped to look.

"Yeah, Dr. O?" he said.

"I need you to do something for me," he said.

Kat glanced up from her phone, eyeing Tommy suspiciously. Angela also paused—she knew Conner had been involved in Tommy's earlier escape. Conner hesitated, not wanting to cause more trouble.

"Relax," Tommy sighed. "I just want you to go check on Trini. She hasn't stopped by, and I know she has to know by this point. So, she's probably buried in the reports. I want you to make sure she's actually taken a break to eat something. Billy was distracted when he left so I'm not sure he'll remember to ask."

"Oh—umm… sure," Conner agreed slowly, glancing around.

Ethan, Kat, and Angela would still be there, so Tommy wouldn't be alone.

"And after you find her, take her computer and tell her to get some sleep for me," Tommy continued. "Because I'll bet she was probably up most of the night with Billy reading every single detail of each report to make sure they didn't miss anything."

Conner grinned.

"Probably," he said. "What about Billy?"

"Same thing," Tommy answered. "I would have told him earlier, but with JJ…"

He shrugged.

"I'll make sure they eat," Conner said, tossing his ball at Ethan. "I can probably get Hayley to help me—if she hasn't beaten me to it."

The ball bounced off Ethan's shoulder and he scowled at Conner. Conner just grinned back. He started heading for the door.

"I'll be back in a bit," Conner said, pausing in the doorway. "Anyone need anything from the suite while I'm down there?"

Kat and Ethan both shook their heads.

"Take a shower," Tommy said. "And maybe a nap yourself—I know you were up all night with me and a couple of hours this morning is not sleeping."

"I'm fine—" Conner started to protest.

"And so am I," Tommy interrupted. "So, shower and take a nap. I'll still be here when you get back. I don't want to see you for at least a couple of hours."

"Alright," Conner muttered before disappearing out the door. "Fine."

The room fell silent again except for the sounds of Ethan's keyboard and Angela fussing with the monitor settings. Tommy watched Kat on her phone for a few minutes. He shifted in place, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Are you alright?" Kat asked, glancing up at him.

"I'm just tired of these scrubs," Tommy sighed. "What are the chances of you getting me real clothes to wear?"

"I don't know if I should trust you in real clothes," Kat said, shaking her head. "It might encourage you to ignore Dana and Angela more."

"I'm not going to break the deal we made," Tommy sighed. "I just want my clothes—not these."

"So why didn't you ask Conner?" Kat asked.

"You want Conner in our room?" Tommy countered.

Kat paused.

"Ok, fine," she said. "You're right. But you promise you aren't going to make a run for it the minute I get you your clothes?"

"I promise," Tommy said.

Kat put her phone away and stood up. Giving Tommy a kiss, she headed out of the room.

"I'll be back soon," she said. "Ethan—watch him."

"I got it," Ethan grinned, not pausing what he was working on.

Kat left, the door shutting behind her.

"Ethan," Tommy said a few minutes later.

"Yeah, Dr. O?" Ethan said, glancing up from his computer.

Angela had moved on to updating charts and catching up on what she has missed over the morning.

"Feel like making a trip to the cafeteria?" Tommy asked.

Ethan frowned, a little surprised by the question.

"I already ate," Ethan said slowly. "And I'm not Conner—so, no?"

Tommy sighed.

"Not for you," he said.

"Oh…" Ethan said. "Then who—wait, are you hungry?"

He sat up, looking at Tommy in surprise. Angela also turned her head to look at Tommy.

"A little," Tommy admitted. "Drinking the tea helped."

"What do you want?" Ethan asked, quickly putting his computer away. "Actually—Angela, what is he allowed to have?"

"Well, he can have more tea," she said. "And maybe some soup."

"Or Jell-O?" Ethan grinned, remembering Hayley's comment from that morning.

Tommy rolled his eyes.

"If Tommy wants it," Angela chuckled. "What do you think, Tommy?"

"Sure," he sighed. "Jell-O."

"I'm on it," Ethan said, darting out the door.

Tommy shook his head and watched as Angela put up the charts.

"I'm going next door," she said, looking at Tommy. "Please behave yourself."

Tommy put his hands up.

"I'm behaving," he said. "I won't get out of this bed."

Angela raised an eyebrow but left without arguing. Once she was gone, Tommy carefully reached down for his backpack which was still sitting on the floor by the bed. He grimaced as he reached down for it, the movement putting pressure on his broken ribs. Slowly he sat back upright with the backpack and took a moment to let the pain subside.

Setting the bag down on the bed, he unzipped it and dug through one of the pockets. His hand came back out with a cellphone. He didn't have his personal phone, but he had found the ranger phone when Conner gave him back the backpack. Someone had put it away at some point to make sure it didn't get lost. Tommy zipped the bag back up and dropped it back down on the floor. Unlocking the phone, he scrolled through the contacts and dialed a number. Then he waited a few moments for an answer.

"Shane?" Tommy said. "Hey, it's me. No, it's not an emergency. I don't know who has my personal phone right now so this is all I have. Listen, I have a favor to ask you and your team."