Sunday May 20th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
"Jason!" Christine called from the stairs, holding a laptop in her hands. "Jason, are you home?"
Will came wandering out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee in his hands. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs to look up at Christine.
"He left like twenty minutes ago, sis," he said. "He went to the store. And that friend of his picked up the kid, too."
"Well, I just wanted to make sure," she said. "I want to talk to you about something and Jason can't be here."
He raised an eyebrow as she hurried down the stairs. But he didn't question her as he followed her back into the kitchen. They both sat down and Christine opened the laptop.
"I've been thinking about what you said the other day," she said, pulling up a few web pages.
"Umm… alright," he said. "About what?"
"About drugging Jason."
Will choked on his coffee. He spent the next few moments coughing, trying to clear his airway.
"I wasn't serious!" he finally gasped out.
"Why not?" Christine said. "I've been researching it and it isn't a bad idea. We just have to pick the right drug. As long as we don't give him too much, it isn't going to hurt him. I just want him to listen to me again and until I can get us out of here, I'm going to need some help."
"I don't think this is a good idea," Will said, slowly shaking his head. "There is a lot that could go wrong."
"Not if we are careful," Christine said. "Please? I need your help. I just need to give him enough of something that I can convince him to use the money to move back to New York. Once we get there the drugs won't be necessary anymore—especially if I also have access to the accounts."
Will still hesitated.
"I don't—"
"Don't you want me to be happy?" Christine said, looking like she was about to cry. "I can't be happy here, Will. I need to go back to New York."
He didn't answer for a moment as she continued to look at him with tears in her eyes.
"Alright, fine," he said, conceding. "I'll help. But you have to be smart about this or we could both be in a lot of trouble. What do you plan to use?"
Christine spun the laptop around.
"Well, these ones are going to work the best for what I want," she said. "I'm still working out how to get a prescription for them. Unfortunately, it isn't something I think I can get ahold of quickly. That's why I want to get started immediately."
Will started shaking his head as he looked.
"Bad idea," he said. "If anything goes wrong and someone catches on, they would be able to trace the prescription right back to you. You need to do something that isn't so traceable."
Christine huffed, crossing her arms.
"Like what," she said shortly.
"Well," Will said slowly. "I have some contacts I could hit up. The ones I like to party with once in a while."
Christine rolled her eyes.
"I don't think your party drugs are going to help me," she said.
"You would be surprised," Will answered. "In fact, I think I know just what you need—but it may take a couple of tries."
"And what is that?" she asked, not quite believing him.
"It's a street drug," Will said. "It's a mix of a lot of different things. But if it is mixed right, it will make Jason very susceptible to any suggestions you might make. Including signing over access of the accounts—and maybe even agreeing to move back to New York."
"And if it isn't?" Christine said slowly.
Will shrugged.
"We won't be giving him enough at once to kill him," he said. "Might make him sick for a little while. We just have to be careful with it until we get the right batch. But you are going to have to come up with some money—it's not going to be cheap."
Christine frowned, thinking. After a few moments, she nodded.
"I'll make it work," she said. "I'll get what I can out of the joint account. I won't be able to take too much at one time or Jason will get suspicious. I'm supposed to use most of that for things around the house or my snacks."
"Ok," Will agreed. "I'll make a couple of phone calls."
Wednesday May 23rd, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
"Mom, dad, we're here!" Jason called, walking into the house.
He held the door for Christine, Will, and Marc to follow. Jason heard his mother call from the kitchen.
"Go sit down in the living room," she said. "Dinner isn't quite ready."
The four of them went to sit down. Jason sighed as Will looked around with a smirk. Christine had insisted he come to family dinner this time around. Jason hadn't had an argument to keep him away. In the living room, Will immediately dropped onto the couch and slouched back, putting his feet up on the coffee table. Christine had claimed an armchair. She didn't look pleased to be there. Marc sat, too, copying his uncle as Jason shook his head. Before he could say anything, however, his mother walked into the room.
"Excuse you!" she exclaimed, looking at Will and Marc. "No feet on the table."
"Says who?" Will scoffed. "It's fine. I'm not hurting anyone and it's comfortable."
Jason winced as his mother stalked over to Will.
"It's hurting the finish," she said shortly.
Picking up a book off the table, she smacked his feet off the table. Then she looked expectantly at Marc. Marc quickly shifted his feet down and sat up straight on the couch. Mrs. Scott started to put her book back down. Will rolled his eyes, scoffing again as he muttered under his breath.
"Not that big a deal…" he muttered. "My gosh, bitch."
Mrs. Scott spun back around, book still in hand.
"What did you just say?" she demanded.
"Nothing," Will quickly scowled.
She glared at him but dropped the book on the table.
"That's what I thought," she said shortly. "Now."
She turned to the rest of the room.
"Dinner is almost ready," she said. "So everyone go wash up."
No one argued as she disappeared back into the kitchen. As Christine and Marc went, however, Jason caught Will by the arm.
"You need to cool it, Will," he said shortly.
Will just scoffed, rolling his eyes again.
"What?" he snapped. "Don't tell me you're scared of your mother."
"I'm not scared of her," Jason scowled. "I respect her. And this is her house. So, you should, too."
Christine, coming back from washing her hands, snorted.
"You are scared of her," she said, disagreeing with him. "Why else would you let her disrespect me like she does?"
She looked over at Marc, hovering in the doorway.
"Never treat your wife like your father treats me," she said irritably. "I never wanted you to be a momma's boy like him."
Jason scowled at Christine.
"If I was, we wouldn't have lived in New York for twelve years," he snapped. "We would have moved back here at least a decade ago. But I didn't for your sake. Now. If you have a problem, you aren't required to accept their hospitality. You are both welcome to go home and fend for yourself. Otherwise, stop being rude."
Christine sputtered as Will scowled, but neither argued. Jason just stalked away to go sit at the table. Soon they were all sitting and eating, but the atmosphere hadn't gotten any better. If anything, tensions were only growing. Will was continuing to be a problem. Demanding food, ordering people to pass him the salt, and even insulting the food.
"Is this really all you've got?" he muttered a while later, still picking at his dinner. "I'd've been better off with a microwave meal at home."
"That's enough," Mrs. Scott finally snapped. "Out."
Will looked at her in surprise.
"What?"
"Leave," she ordered again, pointing toward the door. "Now."
"You can't tell me to get out," he snapped.
"You best believe I can," she countered. "This is my house and my rules."
Will rolled his eyes and turned to Mr. Scott.
"Control your woman," he said, shaking his head.
Jason winced as his father scowled at Will. His mother had gotten up, disappearing into the kitchen.
"Nope," Mr. Scott answered. "You heard what she said."
"Hold on," Will sputtered in surprise. "You're actually going to let her talk to me like that in your house?"
"This is her house," Mr. Scott said evenly. "Her name is on the deed."
As Will tried to come up with a response, Mrs. Scott came stalking back in with a sturdy wooden spoon in hand.
"Move," she ordered Will, brandishing the spoon.
He eyed her nervously, scrambling out of the chair. Mrs. Scott chased him toward the door. Christine got up, loudly protesting as Will retreated from the room.
"Jason!" Christine exclaimed.
Jason, still sitting at the table, just crossed his arms and shook his head.
"I warned you," he said shortly. "So, I'll see you both at home. Keys are hanging in the hall."
Christine stared at him in shock for just a moment before spinning and stalking out after her brother. Mrs. Scott waited until the door slammed. Turning, she sat back down.
"Now," she said brightly. "Marc. How is karate going?"
Friday May 25th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
"Christine, I'm home!" Jason called, shutting the door behind him. "Are you ready to go?"
He stopped in the hall, listening for an answer. Christine popped out of the kitchen.
"Dinner is ready," she said.
"Oh," Jason said, a little surprised. "Alright. I thought we were going out tonight. That's why Marc is staying with mom and dad."
"Well, I thought maybe if we stayed in it would be better," Christine said. "After all, you're the one who keeps saying we should save money. So, I thought I'd try cooking. Will helped."
"What did you make?" he asked, following her to the dining room.
"One of your favorites," she smiled. "Come on, sit down."
Jason let her lead him to the table. Will was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is Will?" he asked. "I thought you said he helped."
"He did," she answered. "But he took his food up to his room so we could have some time together just the two of us. Look. I even got out some wine for us to have with dinner."
Jason looked at the food on the table, pleasantly surprised. This is not what he had expected to come home to. Especially given things had been tense between them most of the week. Christine picked up the wine glasses to pour their drinks while he started serving the food. She paused, frowning at one of the glasses.
"This has a spot on it," she said. "I'm going to get a clean one. I'll be right back."
By the time she came back, setting a glass of wine in front of him, he had filled both their plates. Christine sat down and they both began to eat. They talked while they ate, and Jason found himself actually enjoying a conversation with her. Something he hadn't enjoyed in weeks. They'd done almost nothing but fight since they moved back to Angel Grove.
After they finished eating, Christine popped into the kitchen and came back with dessert. Jason smiled, then stifled a yawn. He'd been feeling more and more tired as dinner went on. After dessert, they cleaned up and went to sit in the living room. Christine curled up on the couch next to Jason.
"This was nice," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"It was," he agreed, closing his eyes for a moment as he yawned again. "I'm sorry I'm so tired. I think I'm going to have to go to bed early tonight…"
"Not yet," Christine said quickly. "I mean, we can just sit here and talk a while longer—can't we?"
"I guess," Jason yawned, forcing his eyes open. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, I was thinking," she said, watching him closely. "You've been so busy with work you haven't really had time to finish settling all of your grandfather's accounts."
Jason frowned, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Well, no," he said. "But there were just a few bank accounts left to close. Nothing that needs attention right now."
"Right," Christine said. "But since I don't have a job yet I thought maybe I could help. If you sign the paperwork, it would give me access to the accounts and I could wrap the rest up for you. Then you don't have to worry about it anymore."
"I don't know," Jason murmured, his eyes closed again. "I'd really rather take care of it myself."
"I just want to help," Christine pouted. "I know I've been a pain since we got here—I want to try and make up for it. Please let me do this for you. I'll keep you updated on everything."
Jason didn't answer. Frowning, Christine sat up to look at him again. His eyes were still closed and his breathing had slowed.
"Jason?" she said. "Jason?"
She pushed on his shoulder, but he didn't respond. Nor did he react when she wiggled out from under his arm and got up from the couch.
"Jason!" Christine exclaimed, shaking him.
But he was out cold. Irritated, Christine spun and stalked out of the room.
"Will!" she shouted up the stairs. "Will, I need you!"
Will hurried down the stairs at her shout.
"What's going on?" he asked, following her into the living room. "Oh."
Seeing Jason passed out on the couch, Will took a turn at trying to wake him up. Nothing he did worked.
"Sorry, sis," Will said after a few minutes. "Guess that batch had too much sedative in it. He's out. And by the time he wakes up any chance you have is gone. We are going to have to try again."
"Great," Christine said, throwing her hands up. "I was this close to talking him into it. Now we have to start over again."
"It'll be fine," he said. "I'll tell my guys just a little less sedative, little more stimulant. If you were that close, it should solve the problem."
Christine scowled.
"Well, what am I supposed to do with him now," she said, gesturing at Jason.
"I'll help you carry him up to bed," Will said. "If we dump him there, he'll just think he had too much to drink and passed out in bed."
Christine rolled her eyes but didn't argue. Between the two of them they managed to get Jason up the stairs and dumped him in bed.
Saturday May 26th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
"Dad, I'm home!" Marc yelled, shutting the door behind him.
He kicked off his shoes and dropped his bag.
"Dad! Where are you? You forgot to come get me for class this morning and bring my stuff. I sat on grandma's porch for like an hour waiting for you. And they already left to meet friends for lunch so I had to walk home. Now I'm going to be late!"
There was no response from Jason, but Marc had seen his car in the driveway. Christine's car was gone, though, and neither she nor Will was answering their phones. Not that it surprised him.
Marc started looking around the house, still calling for Jason. When he didn't find him downstairs, Marc headed up the stairs to the bedroom. He knocked on Jason's bedroom door, but no one answered. Marc was starting to get anxious. He had never been unable to get ahold of his dad. His mom, sure, but Jason always answered.
"Dad?" Marc called. "Dad, are you in there?"
When he still got no answer, Marc let himself in. Jason was sprawled on the bed, still sound asleep and wearing the clothes he had worn the day before. Frowning, Marc walked over and shook him.
"Dad?" he said. "Dad, wake up."
Jason didn't react. Marc kept trying for a couple of minutes without success. Panicking, he tried calling Christine and then Will again—neither answered their phone still. He thought briefly about calling 911, but since Jason was just sleeping Marc was afraid they would just tell him it wasn't an emergency.
He tried waking Jason up again. Still no reaction.
Freaking out now, Marc tried calling his grandparents. They didn't answer, but he knew they were going to brunch and a movie with some friends so they may have left their phones in the car.
Then Marc saw Jason's phone sitting on the bed. It had fallen out of his pocket. Grabbing it, he started scrolling through Jason's contacts. He found Adam first but didn't even try calling him. Marc knew he would be in a class right now and wouldn't have his phone. He scrolled a bit more and found the number he was looking for and hit dial.
"Please pick up," he muttered anxiously as it rang. "Please pick up. Rocky!"
The moment Rocky answered the phone, Marc just started talking.
"Rocky, it's Marc. I need help. Something is wrong with dad. He was supposed to pick me up from grandma and grandpa's so I could come home and change before class but he didn't show up and grandma and grandpa were already gone so I walked home, and his car was here but he wasn't answering and I found him in his bed and he won't wake up an—"
"Woah, slow down, kid," Rocky said. "What is wrong with your dad?"
"He's asleep," Marc said. "Or it looks like it. His eyes are closed and he's breathing like he is sleeping but he won't wake up! I've tried everything."
"Ok. Hold tight," Rocky said. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes or less, alright? Is the door unlocked?"
"Yes," Marc said. "I didn't lock it when I got home…"
"Great," Rocky said. "Then stay with your dad. I'm already on my way. Keep trying to wake him up. If anything else starts happening that isn't him waking up, call 911 and ask them to send an ambulance. Ok?"
"Ok," Marc said quietly. "Please hurry…"
Marc put the phone down and tried again to wake Jason up. He continued to try, getting more anxious as he waited. Finally, he heard the door open downstairs.
"Marc, where are you?" Rocky shouted.
"I'm up here!" Marc shouted back, racing out to the stairs.
Rocky was in the front hall, his paramedic bag in hand. Aisha was with him. Rocky ran up the stairs toward Marc, followed by Aisha. Marc led them to Jason's room and Rocky took over. Aisha put an arm around Marc's shoulders as Rocky started checking over Jason.
"It'll be ok, honey," Aisha said reassuringly. "Your dad has been through a lot worse than whatever this is and been just fine."
Marc nodded, not taking his eyes off Jason.
"Jason," Rocky said, shaking him. "Jason, wake up. Come on, Rex, you are freaking out your kid. Marc, how long has he been like this?"
Marc shook his head as Rocky turned to look at him.
"I don't know," he admitted. "I spent the night at grandma and grandpa's because mom and dad were supposed to have a date night. He was in bed when I got home. I tried to wake him up and then started calling for help. You were the first person to answer…"
Rocky nodded, digging in his bag as he muttered to himself.
"Well, these should work," he said, pulling out a pair of tweezers. "Sorry, Rex, but you've gotta wake up."
Using the tweezers, Rocky pinched Jason between two fingers, saying his name loudly as he did. Jason jerked, groaning as he finally opened his eyes. Marc yelped in excitement, but Aisha kept him from running straight over to the bed.
"Good morning sleeping beauty," Rocky said. "How are you feeling? Can you sit up?"
"What?" Jason muttered, blinking his eyes. "Rocky—what are you doing here?"
Jason slowly pushed himself up, shaking his head as he tried to clear the fog.
"Take it easy," Rocky said.
As Jason finished getting himself upright, he suddenly realized how queasy he felt.
"I don't feel so good…" he muttered.
"Oh, I know that look," Rocky said, quickly grabbing the trashcan from next to the bed. "Hold this just in case."
While Aisha and Marc waited, Rocky checked over Jason again while Jason held the trashcan and tried to figure out what was going on. Content that all of his vitals were normal, Rocky grabbed the tweezers again and started pinching Jason in a couple more places.
"What are you doing, Rocky?" Jason asked irritably.
"Checking for nerve function," Rocky answered, pinching him again.
"Knock it off!" Jason snapped.
"Ok, we can rule out stroke then," Rocky grinned, putting the tweezers away.
Satisfied for the moment, Rocky turned to Marc and Aisha.
"Aisha, can you and Marc go get Jason some water?" he asked. "And maybe Marc some lunch? He probably hasn't eaten in a few hours since he was supposed to have class. Jason needs to sit for a little bit longer."
"Of course," Aisha said. "Come on, honey. Let's go see what you have in the kitchen."
Marc protested a little but allowed Aisha to coax him out of the room. Once they were out of earshot Rocky turned back to Jason.
"Alright Jason, what happened?" he asked, serious now. "Are you actually sick or did you have too much to drink last night? Marc said you were having dinner with Christine."
"I only had one glass, Rocky," Jason growled. "It tasted a little off and I couldn't figure out if it was the wine or if it was Christine's cooking making it taste weird. So, I didn't have a second glass."
"Alright, alright," Rocky said, holding his hands up. "What else do you remember from last night then?"
"Not much, really," Jason said, shaking his head and then grimacing and tightening his grip on the trashcan. "Really everything past dinner is a blur or nonexistent. Is Marc alright?"
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Rocky said. "He's just a little freaked out that you wouldn't wake up."
Jason frowned.
"How long was I asleep?" he asked.
"Jason, it's after noon," Rocky said. "Even if you ate a late dinner, you've probably been asleep for at least sixteen hours."
Jason rubbed a hand over his face.
"I don't think I've slept that long since…since high school maybe?" he said. "Unless I was sick. But I felt fine last night. Just tired."
"Well, you would need to go to urgent care to know for sure," Rocky said as he finished packing up his bag. "But I think it was probably a bad case of food poisoning combined with the wine. You did say your wife isn't the greatest cook. Top that off with how stressed you've been lately… well…"
Rocky shrugged.
"Just take it easy for the rest of the day," he said. "I'm not a doctor, but you'll probably be back up and back to normal by tomorrow."
Jason nodded.
"Can you tell Marc I'm sorry he missed class?" he sighed.
"You can tell him yourself," Rocky said. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that's the last thing on his mind right now. So, get some rest and eat when you feel up to it—but maybe don't actually go to sleep again for a while."
Growling, Jason smacked Rocky with a pillow.
A little while later, Jason managed to get up out of bed. He was still nauseous and a little lightheaded, but he wanted to go assure Marc that he was going to be fine. Rocky had texted Adam to assure him nothing was wrong with Marc since he'd never made it to the dojo and promised to explain more later. Neither Aisha nor Marc had come back upstairs other than Aisha bringing a glass of water up as requested. Rocky followed him down the stairs to make sure he didn't lose his balance, his medical bag slung over his shoulder.
"Dad!" Marc exclaimed, jumping up from the table as Jason walked into the kitchen. "You're up!"
Aisha smiled as she watched Marc run to hug Jason.
"I'm sorry I scared you, Marc," Jason said, hugging him back. "But I'm alright. Just a bad case of food poisoning. A couple of days and it will be like nothing happened."
Shooing Marc back over to the table to finish his lunch, Jason took a deep breath and walked over to the fridge. Rocky was still standing in the doorway. He leaned against the doorframe, watching Jason to make sure the other man wasn't going to pass out again. Aisha was focused on Marc, making sure he actually finished the sandwiches she had made him.
Digging in the fridge for a moment, Jason pulled out the leftovers from dinner the night before. He shut the door and opened the trashcan, dumping the contents of the containers into the trash. He followed that by grabbing the half-empty bottle of wine and dumping the rest of that in the sink before he finally sat down at the table.
"Do you feel up to eating anything, Jason?" Aisha asked, starting to clean up.
He shook his head.
"Not yet," he said. "But I promise I'll eat something later. I just don't think I could keep it down right now."
Aisha raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Rocky, but she didn't argue. Marc had just about finished his lunch.
"Marc, do me a favor," Jason said, rubbing his face. "If your mom ever cooks chicken—don't eat it. Just say you already ate and let me know."
"But mom never cooks…" Marc frowned.
"I know," Jason said. "But just in case."
Marc just shrugged. Aisha, done putting things away, walked back over to give Jason a quick hug.
"I'm glad you are alright," she said. "Take it easy and call us if you need anything. We'll let Adam know everything is alright."
"Thanks, Aisha," Jason said. "You, too, Rocky. I'm sorry about all this…"
Aisha shook her head.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Actually, it was perfect timing. Rocky was about to drop me off at the school."
Jason raised an eyebrow.
"Ok, that sounded a little bad," she said sheepishly. "But seriously. Remember the PTA thing? You saved me from having to stare at baked goods while the midgets attempted to perform cheer routines."
"Midgets?" Rocky repeated, an amused look on his face.
"Fine, not midgets," Aisha sighed. "Lovely little girls with their awful mothers."
Jason chuckled as Rocky snorted. Aisha just scowled at them both.
"Anyways," Jason said. "I'll let you know if I need someone to pick Marc up for class tomorrow."
Rocky nodded.
"I'm on shift tomorrow," he said. "But Aisha should be able to come get him."
"Of course," she said with a smile, grabbing Marc's now empty plate to set it in the sink. "You just take it easy, Jason."
"Anyways, we should get back to the dojo," Rocky said. "Adam isn't running a daycare after all. Hopefully Tanya is there to help corral our kids by this point because I'm sure Damien is doing something he shouldn't."
Aisha laughed a little and the couple headed out the door, leaving Jason and Marc alone.
"Tanya, I'm going to step outside and call Tommy," Adam said, poking his head in the living room. "I want to let him know what happened with Jason this morning."
Tanya, sitting on the living room floor with the girls, glanced up and nodded. Adam grabbed his phone and headed outside while he waited for Tommy to answer.
"Hey, Adam," Tommy answered after a few rings. "Couldn't go a Saturday without talking to me?"
Adam chuckled.
"It has been a while since I haven't talked to you or saw you on a Saturday, hasn't it?" he admitted. "But no. That's not why I was calling. Something happened with Jason this morning. I know you two aren't close anymore but—"
"What happened?" Tommy interrupted.
Adam quickly explained the events of the morning. Rocky had given him a full rundown after he'd left Jason's house that afternoon and returned to the dojo.
"So, we're going to keep as close an eye on him as we can for a few days," Adam said.
"Do you think this is ranger related?" Tommy asked.
Adam sighed.
"I don't think so," he said. "It was weird and out of nowhere, but there's nothing to indicate it had anything to do with that."
"So, nothing I need to reach out about," Tommy said.
"Not unless you want to," Adam confirmed. "But—"
"I thought you and Rocky were going to stop meddling," Tommy said drily.
"Sorry," Adam sighed. "You're right."
"It's fine," Tommy said. "I just don't think it would be a good idea if I suddenly reached out right now. Especially since it seems like it is personal and not ranger related. I'm not going to get involved unless I have to. And since I'm not that kind of doctor—as Hayley loves to remind me—I shouldn't have to."
Adam sighed again.
"Tommy—" he started to say.
"Just keep an eye on him," Tommy grumbled.
"We will," Adam promised.
Tommy just grunted in response, but Adam smiled. He knew, no matter that they weren't talking, that Tommy still cared about Jason. They had been through too much together for him to just stop caring. But Adam didn't press the issue.
"So, what are you doing then, since you didn't drive down here this weekend?" Adam asked, changing the subject.
"Getting some grading done and finishing up the reports for the week," Tommy answered. "I actually got to spend some time at the café with the students earlier, too, before my video appointment this afternoon. How was the dojo today?"
"It was a good day," Adam said. "I'm still trying to figure out tomorrow, though."
There was a pause.
"What about tomorrow?" Tommy asked.
"Well," Adam said slowly, hesitating.
"Just spit it out, Adam," Tommy said in amusement.
"I'm just trying to figure out how to keep an eye on Jason without hovering," Adam admitted. "Rocky is working tomorrow, so I'm supposed to check in on him."
"I'm sure a few texts aren't going to annoy him that much," Tommy pointed out.
"No, you're right," Adam said. "I'm actually a little more concerned about Marc than anything. I can always bring him to the dojo, but I'm not sure he'll want to after this morning. And I don't want to leave him cooped up all day but—"
"Does Marc like soccer?" Tommy interrupted.
"Uh, I have no idea," Adam said, frowning. "Why?"
"Conner has a game tomorrow," Tommy explained. "He's been bugging me about coming to a game and so has JJ. Conner has been on the road for the last month so…"
"He hasn't seen you since the incident, has he?" Adam asked, quickly getting what Tommy was hinting at.
"Not except for at the meeting last month," Tommy confirmed. "And he's paranoid. I wasn't in the best head space at that point. But Anton is going to be there and he's bringing the rest of the crew, too. We'll have the owner's box. You, Tanya, and the girls are welcome to join us, too."
Adam took a seat on a chair on the patio.
"Let me text Marc," he said. "See how he feels about soccer."
"Mmhmm…" Tommy said.
Adam put the phone on speaker so he could still hear Tommy and then shot off a text to Marc. Rocky had made sure Marc had both of their numbers after the incident that morning.
Hey Marc. It's Adam. Quick question. Do you like soccer?
There was a short pause before Adam got a response.
Marc: I don't think I want to join a soccer team. I tried once when I was younger and ran into the goal and got stuck in the net.
Adam chuckled.
Adam: More information than I needed. I was talking about watching a game. Not playing in one.
Marc: Sensei… with all due respect. The girls are cute, but I don't really want to watch little kids chase a ball around and trip on each other.
Adam laughed again.
Adam: I was talking professional soccer. Do you like watching pro soccer?
Marc: Oh! Yeah. Of course.
Satisfied, Adam switched gears.
"Marc says yes, he likes soccer," Adam told Tommy as he typed out another text. "But I need to check with Jason first before I actually invite him."
"That's fine," Tommy said absently. "I only just texted Conner anyways."
Adam: How would you feel about Marc coming to watch a pro soccer game tomorrow?
Jason: I'm not really feeling that well Adam. I know Rocky told you abut today.
Adam: Actually I was talking about taking Marc out of your hair for the day so you can relax. And keeping him distracted so he isn't worried all day. What do you think?
Jason: I can't really afford that Adam
Adam: That's not what I asked but the cost isn't an issue. I just need permission to take your son for the day
Jason: I'm not letting you pay for him Adam
Adam: I'm not paying either.
Jason: someone has to be paying
Adam sighed, shaking his head.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn, Jason?" he muttered to himself.
He heard Tommy chuckle in the background.
"That hasn't changed, has it?" he muttered.
Adam: It's free Jason. I literally just need your permission to take your son for the day. And preferably a copy of your insurance card in case of emergency since we'll be out of town.
Jason: Free?
Adam: Yes Jason. So stop worrying. Now can he go or not?
There was another brief pause before Adam finally got an answer.
Jason: Yeah. That's fine. I'll go ask Marc if he wants to.
Adam: I already have that covered. He said he was interested. I just wasn't going to tell him there was an actual invitation involved until I had your permission. But I also didn't want to bother you if he didn't like soccer.
Jason: Oh. Alright. that's fine then. What time?
Adam: Hold on. I'll get details.
"Any answer from Conner yet?" Adam asked Tommy.
"Nope," Tommy said. "He isn't answering right now."
Adam frowned. For Conner not to be answering Tommy was a little concerning. It was also a little strange that Tommy wasn't concerned, given how aware he'd been of everyone's locations the last couple of months.
"Uh… should we be worried?" Adam asked slowly.
"Nah," Tommy said.
"But if he's not answering you of all people—" Adam frowned.
"It's not the same," Tommy interrupted. "Conner isn't always great at keeping track of his phone, but he's consistent in keeping us updated. He's always sending stupid memes and other things to our group chat. As long as he has sent something within the last three hours there's no reason to be concerned. And it's only been an hour since he sent something, so I'm not too concerned. They do have a game tomorrow so he's probably practicing or getting in a run before he winds down for the night."
"If you're sure," Adam said.
"It's fine," Tommy assured him. "If I don't hear back in a couple of hours, I'll text Krista. Worst case is he probably left his phone in the fridge. Again."
Adam stared at the phone for a minute.
"The fridge?" he repeated. "Are you serious?"
Tommy chuckled.
"Completely," he said. "He loses his phone in the weirdest places. The fridge, under his mattress—not the bed, the mattress—in a shoe… and there was the time he actually left it in the freezer in a tub of ice cream. Krista made sure to let us know he was alright that time, though."
"What?" Adam sputtered. "How?"
"Something to do with a late-night snack," Tommy sighed. "You'd have to ask him. Eating in his sleep is definitely a thing for him some nights. But tell Jason and Marc the game is a go. I'll text you the game time in a minute. I just want to submit this report and I'll look up the schedule."
"Alright," Adam said. "As long as you're sure I'll let them know."
"Seriously Adam, it's fine," Tommy said. "Anton is going, remember? He's renting out the owner's box. So, we can take as many as we want as long as we stay within fire code guidelines."
"Oh, right," Adam said, texting Marc. "You did say that."
Adam: Hey Marc. I've got everything confirmed and permission from your dad. There is a game tomorrow and I'm taking you with me. Be ready at 10a and I'll be there to pick you up.
Marc: Really?
Adam: Really. So make sure you get some sleep tonight and I'll see you in the morning.
Marc: Thank you!
Adam: Of course
"I just sent you the details," Tommy said. "If you have any questions let me know and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Thanks, Tommy," Adam said. "I'll pass it on."
Jason was dozing in his chair when Marc burst into the living room.
"Dad!" he exclaimed. "Dad, guess what?"
Jason jerked upright, looking at Marc in surprise.
"What?" he said, blinking as he stifled a yawn.
"I'm going to a real professional soccer game!" Marc said, bouncing in front of Jason in excitement. "Adam texted me and said you said I could go and it's tomorrow!"
Jason nodded, glancing quickly at his phone. Adam had sent him a confirmation as well along with the times so he could make sure Marc was up and ready.
"Yep," Jason said. "You finished your homework already, right?"
"Yeah, it's done," Marc said, nodding eagerly.
"Alright," Jason said, standing up and stretching. "Then how about you start to get ready for bed. I need to get some sleep, too."
Marc frowned at Jason.
"Normal sleep," Jason quickly assured him. "Now come on. Upstairs."
Sunday May 27th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
Jason peered out the window when he heard a car. Adam's car pulled into the driveway and parked.
"Marc, Adam is here!" Jason shouted, heading to the door to meet Adam.
He heard a muffled shout from Marc and chuckled as he opened the door. Adam was walking up to the house.
"Hey, Adam," he said.
"Morning, Jason," Adam smiled. "How—"
They were interrupted by the sound of Marc stampeding down the stairs and toward the front door.
"I'm ready!" he exclaimed, bursting past Jason.
"Car is unlocked," Adam chuckled. "Sorry, but you'll be sharing the backseat with the girls."
Jason leaned against the doorframe as Marc bolted toward the car. Then he stopped, hesitating. Turning, he raced back up to the house and threw his arms around a surprised Jason.
"Bye dad!" he said. "Thanks for letting me go."
"Have fun," Jason said, hugging him back.
Grinning, Marc turned and ran for the car and climbed in. Adam chuckled.
"So how are you feeling, Jason?" Adam asked as Jason leaned against the doorframe again.
"Better than yesterday," Jason said. "But still tired. Rocky was probably right."
"He is once in a while," Adam said with a smirk.
"I guess," Jason chuckled. "So, I'm just going to relax and sleep today."
"Don't forget food," Adam said. "Make sure you eat something."
Jason nodded.
"I will," he promised. "I do know how to take care of myself when I'm sick."
"I'm just saying," Adam said. "And Rocky has the ambulance if you need anything. Food run, emergency stop, whatever—he said he'll just bring Henry with him."
"Yeah, I'd rather not," Jason said drily. "He helped enough yesterday."
Adam laughed.
"Yeah, I heard about the tweezers," he said. "Rocky can be rather inventive with his equipment."
Jason shook his head, muttering under his breath.
"I should get going," Adam said, glancing at his watch. "Don't want to miss the start of the game."
Jason nodded.
"Call me if he causes any problems," Jason said, nodding toward Marc in the car.
"We'll be fine," Adam said, shaking his head. "Rest and enjoy your day of quiet. We'll bring you a souvenir."
"I don't need a souvenir," Jason said, shaking his head.
"No one does," Adam grinned as he turned to head toward his car. "But you'll get one anyways. See you later tonight."
Jason rolled his eyes and headed back inside as Adam pulled away with Marc. Tanya waved from the front seat. Waving back, Jason shut the door.
Marc looked around excitedly. They had arrived at the arena a short time before. He was following Adam and Tanya down a hallway with Lilla and Jazz.
"Where are we going?" he asked curiously. "This isn't how you normally get to seats, is it? Don't we have to be outside in the stadium?"
"Depends on the seats," Adam chuckled, glancing over his shoulder. "Today? Not so much."
He paused by a door where an attendant was waiting.
"Name?" the attendant asked.
"Adam Park," Adam said. "Plus four."
The attendant checked the clipboard they were holding and frowned.
"Not on the list," they said.
It was Adam's turn to frown.
"What?" he said. "Are you sure? Check again, please. I'm here to meet Dr. Oliver."
"Dr. Oliver is already here," the attendant said. "But there is no Adam Park on my list."
Adam sighed.
"If he's here I'll just ask him to come out," he muttered, pulling out his phone. "He'll fix it."
"I'm sure it's just a miscommunication," Tanya said, putting a hand on Adam's arm. "Could you ask Dr. Oliver to step out and clarify, please?"
Marc and the girls shifted nervously behind the two adults as they waited.
"And your name?" the attendant asked, looking at Tanya expectantly.
"Tanya Park," she said. "He knows who I am."
The attendant glanced at the list again.
"I have that name," they said.
Tanya sighed as Adam scowled.
"Plus four," Tanya said, glancing at Adam in amusement.
"Come right on in," the attendant said, unlocking the door to let them in.
Adam was muttering to himself now as Tanya snickered.
"At least he is getting his sense of humor back," she said.
"I'm still going to kill him," Adam muttered.
"You can't do that in a public place," Tanya scolded.
"I have patience, I can wait," Adam retorted.
They walked inside with the kids in tow.
"I don't understand what just happened," Marc frowned.
"Uncle Tommy is messing with daddy," Jazz giggled.
"Mommy has earned VIP status," Lilla added.
"Daddy has to work on it," they finished together with a laugh.
Adam sighed, shaking his head.
"His second in command for years and this is what I get," Adam muttered. "Every time."
Inside, a group of people were already waiting. Marc knew Tommy and JJ but didn't recognize anyone else immediately. There were two women and three other men in the room.
"Did you need anything to eat or drink, sir?" Adam asked Tommy mockingly as they walked over to join the group. "Since I am apparently not here as a guest?"
"A water would be nice," Tommy grinned, turning to greet them.
Adam scowled.
"Tommy, what did you do?" Kat sighed.
The twins giggled.
"He didn't put daddy on the list," they answered.
Kat sighed.
"Tommy…" she said, shaking her head.
"What, Kat?" he protested. "It's not like I just put Tanya's name on the list. I put the kids on there, too. All three. And guest."
"And guest?" Adam exclaimed. "Is that all I am now? Just a guest? Really? After everything we've been through?"
Tommy just chuckled as Adam ranted at him—he knew his friend wasn't actually mad. Ethan, sprawled in one of the chairs, snickered as he looked at Adam.
"I wouldn't have even put 'and guest'," he grinned. "Maybe assistant."
Adam scowled, turning to glare at the younger man.
"I can add you to my list," he said. "And I can be patient—you'll come by my dojo eventually."
Ethan just grinned.
"You can do that," he said. "But I have blackmail."
He held up his phone, waving it at Adam.
"So, bring it on," he said.
Adam scoffed, crossing his arms.
"What could you possibly have on me?" he asked.
"I have something on everyone," Ethan smirked. "Cause it never hurts to be prepared. Billy and Hayley helped."
Adam frowned.
"You got Billy to give you blackmail on his friends?" he asked doubtfully.
Ethan just grinned in response. Tommy rolled his eyes.
"That's not the only thing you should want to talk to Billy about," Tommy muttered, looking at Adam. "Did you know he has videos of my fights? Apparently, they are for studying purposes to find my weaknesses."
"Really?" Adam said, looking at Tommy in surprise.
"Yep," Tommy said. "I guess Hayley is responsible for it—and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one she has something on."
"You aren't," Kat confirmed.
Tommy and Adam both looked at her in surprise.
"Wait—you know about them?" Tommy asked.
"Of course," Kat said, raising an eyebrow. "I gave Hayley some of the videos."
"Kat!" the two men exclaimed.
"Why would you do that?" Tommy asked.
"Because Hayley asked," Kat said. "You are the one who insists we should be prepared in case it happens—and that we shouldn't hesitate to take you down."
Tommy frowned at his wife. Walking up, Trent cleared his throat.
"Uh, maybe not the best place for this discussion?" he suggested, tilting his head toward the kids.
"Right," Tommy muttered. "Oh! Marc."
It had just occurred to him that Marc didn't know half of the people in the room. Adam looked over, realizing the same thing.
"Yes?" Marc said hesitantly.
He had been looking around in interest as the adults bickered.
"Come here," Tommy said. "I want to introduce you to everyone."
Marc nodded and walked over to Tommy and Adam. The twins had run over to JJ and were staring excitedly out the window of the box now.
"Marc, I'd like to introduce you to a few of our friends," Tommy said. "This is my wife, Kat."
Kat smiled.
"Hi, Marc," she said. "It's nice to meet you."
He nodded, echoing her greeting.
"And that's Ethan," Tommy said, point to the man in blue who was looking at his phone again.
Ethan looked up and waved.
"Trent and Kira," Tommy said, pointing out the man in white who had paused the bickering and the woman with him.
They smiled.
"And Anton," Tommy said, gesturing to the last man in the room. "You've already met JJ. Everyone, this is Marc Scott."
"Welcome, Marc," Anton said with a smile.
"The game is starting!" JJ announced excitedly. "I can see Conner!"
Everyone's attention turned to the start of the game as they moved to take a seat to watch.
Jason jumped when his phone rang, scrambling to find it. He'd fallen asleep in his chair watching TV.
"Hello?" he muttered, not looking at the caller ID.
"Hey, Jason," Rocky said. "You still doing ok? You never answered my last text."
"I was sleeping, Rocky," Jason grumbled, sitting up and yawning.
"Oh," Rocky said sheepishly. "So, I guess me calling to see if you were resting is kind of counterproductive?"
"Yep," Jason confirmed.
"My bad," Rocky said. "But while I have you on the phone—did you eat something for lunch?"
Jason sighed, looking at the time. To his surprise it was actually almost dinner time.
"Ah, no," he admitted. "I've been sleeping…"
"Make sure you eat some dinner then," Rocky scolded. "Then you can sleep til your kid gets home. So, me waking you up is perfect timing."
"Still not an excuse," Jason countered.
"Sorry!" Rocky exclaimed. "Oh, tunnel… break… up…gotta go bye!"
Rocky hung up and Jason rolled his eyes. A text message came through a moment later from Rocky.
Eat food!
Jason shook his head as he texted Rocky back.
Jason: You know you could have just said you had an emergency instead of lying about a tunnel. You are on shift right now
Rocky: right. I'll remember that for later. Seriously, go eat something.
Shaking his head, Jason got up out of his chair and stretched as he checked through some other missed messages. Marc had sent him a bunch of texts and pictures. Jason smiled as he looked through them. He texted Marc back as he headed toward the kitchen.
Jason: Having fun?
It didn't take long for Marc to respond.
Marc: Yes! This is awesome! I've never gone to a pro game
Jason: Glad you're having fun. Who's playing?
Jason smiled, glad Marc was enjoying himself. He'd have to thank Adam again later.
Marc: Oh. The game is over. We're having dinner now!
Jason: so you stopped on the way home?
Marc: No. we're still at the stadium. We're having dinner with the team!
Jason frowned, surprised by Marc's response. Adam hadn't said anything about meeting the team.
Jason: What? How? I thought you were just going to the game.
He quickly looked back through the pictures, taking a closer look at them. Examining the pictures, he realized they were actually taken in a box rather than in the stands. That was not at all what he had expected when Adam was talking to him the night before.
Marc: We did watch the game.
Jason: where did you watch from?
Marc: the owner's box! It was awesome!
Our group had the whole place to ourselves and there was food and we never had to leave the room!
Frowning again, Jason texted Adam to see what was going on. This was way more than should be covered by a free ticket.
Jason: I thought you said the game was free. The owner's box Adam?
Adam: It was. Gift from a friend. Stop worrying. I'll let you know when we're on our way back.
"Gift from a friend?" Jason grumbled to himself, sitting down at the kitchen table.
He paused as a thought occurred to him.
"I'm going to kill Kim," he muttered, dialing his phone. "She set this whole thing up."
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
Kim looked up from her book when her phone rang. Jake, sitting next to her, looked over as she picked it up. They were currently sitting in first class on a flight from Europe to New York. Kim set her book down in her lap to look at it. Seeing who was calling, she tapped the answer button and switched the phone to connect to the ear buds she had been listening to music on.
"Hi, Jason," Kim said brightly, smiling as she answered the phone. "How—"
"What were you thinking?" Jason interrupted.
Kim frowned.
"What?" she said.
"Kim, I can't believe you did this."
Kim sighed. She still had no idea what Jason was talking about.
"Well, I'm sorry," she said. "But sometimes my shoes don't match my belt. I like being a rebel sometimes."
There was a pause.
"What? No," Jason sputtered. "Kim, why are we talking about your shoes?"
Kim sighed.
"I don't know, Jason," she said. "It was the only mistake I could think of that I may have made today and since you were mad at me about something…"
She trailed off, shrugging. Jake shook his head.
"Not a mistake," he said with a smile. "You look good."
Kim beamed at him.
"Ok, never mind," she said to Jason. "No mistake on my end. Now what is your problem?"
"Why would you buy those tickets and not tell me?" Jason demanded.
"Well…" Kim said slowly, even more confused now. "We do fly commercially on occasion, Jason. I wasn't aware you wanted to know that level of detail about my life now."
"No," Jason said shortly. "The tickets to the game."
Kim sighed.
"Ok, listen, Jason," she said. "You sound stressed and I know you weren't feeling good yesterday, but I'm confused. What game are you talking about?"
"The soccer game," he snapped.
"Still confused," Kim said. "More details?"
"The soccer game today, Kim," Jason said in exasperation. "The one where you rented an owner's box so Adam could take Marc and get him out of my hair so I'd relax?"
Kim paused, frowning.
"Jason, I didn't give Adam tickets or access to an owner's box for a soccer game…" she said slowly. "Though it is a brilliant idea."
She turned to Jake.
"Jake—why didn't we think of that?" she demanded.
Jake raised an eyebrow.
"Don't look at me," he said. "You're the one who comes up with the ideas, I provide the stuff and sign the card like a good husband."
Kim scowled at him, but Jake just grinned in response. Shaking her head, she went back to Jason.
"Besides, Jason," she said. "I'm pretty sure Jake's team isn't playing today—right?"
She directed the last question at Jake. He shook his head.
"Not until Tuesday," he confirmed.
"So, I wouldn't have gotten Marc tickets today," Kim continued, talking to Jason again. "Unless Marc asked for tickets to a different team. I guess I could always—"
"Nope," Jake interrupted. "I'm not a traitor to my team. Won't be doing that."
Kim rolled her eyes. Jason sighed.
"Well, if you didn't and Adam says he got them for free then who did he get them from?" Jason muttered. "Adam wouldn't lie about them being free… And he said they were from a friend."
"Jason, Adam has a lot of friends," Kim pointed out.
"Who can afford to rent the owner's box last second at a professional game?" he countered.
"Maybe it was your mom?" Kim suggested. "I know your grandfather left her something."
"No. She wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret."
"You're right," Kim chuckled.
"Plus, I doubt she'd even think about or know how to go about renting out an owner's box," Jason continued. "She would have just bought him normal tickets but got a good seat."
"That's fair," Kim admitted. "So, who do we know who has connections in that area… have you talked to Zach recently?"
"No," Jason said, sounding a little guilty. "Not since… since that thing a few years back?"
"What thing?" Kim frowned.
"The thing we were all called for?" Jason said slowly.
"Was it a birthday party?" Kim asked. "I don't remember—"
"It was not a party, Kim," Jason interrupted. "But we were in costume…?"
"Oh!" Kim exclaimed suddenly, making Jake jump and look at her.
She gave him an apologetic look.
"Seriously, Jason?" she demanded.
"I hadn't been back to California since…" Jason admitted. "Not until I moved back…"
Kim sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Ok, we really need to have a reunion of some kind," she muttered. "Because that was nearly five years ago, Jason."
"Kim, focus," Jason said. "Tickets?"
"Right," she sighed. "So, not Zach. Obviously not Adam since he said they were from a friend and, like you said, he wouldn't lie. Probably not Trini—"
"I haven't spoken to her since the thing either," Jason interrupted.
Kim rolled her eyes.
"And she doesn't have soccer connections anyways," she continued. "Concert tickets maybe…"
She sighed.
"Which team was it even?" she asked. "It might help."
"Hold on," Jason said. "Marc sent me a picture with one of the players. I'll send it to you."
Kim waited for a moment for the text to come through. She looked at the picture for a moment and then started laughing. Jake raised an eyebrow but she just shook her head.
"Jason, I know who it was," she said.
"From the picture?" Jason said. "How? And who was it?"
"It was Tommy," Kim said.
"What?" Jason exclaimed. "No, it wouldn't be Tommy. There's no way."
Kim scoffed.
"And why not?" she asked.
"Well, first of all, Tommy hates me," Jason said. "So, there's no way he'd do something like this even for my kid."
Kim frowned.
"Jason, Tommy doesn't—"
"And second," Jason interrupted, ignoring her protests. "How on earth would he even afford something like that?"
Kim couldn't help it. She started laughing again.
"Ok, Jason," she said. "You're being completely ridiculous now."
"How?" he asked.
"Well, first of all," she said. "I doubt Tommy hates you. The rest? Well, that's a lot to cover over the phone—but it does emphasize my point that we all need to get together soon. Have you talked to Tommy recently?"
There was a pause and Kim waited expectantly.
"Briefly?" Jason said after a moment.
"Which means no," Kim sighed.
"What does that even have to do with this?" Jason demanded. "And you still haven't explained how you know it was Tommy."
"Easy," Kim smirked. "I can prove it was him with this picture."
Jake leaned forward curiously to look at the picture as Kim fiddled with her phone.
"That's McKnight!" he sputtered.
Kim nodded, then zoomed the picture in and pointed at another person in the background.
"Mercer," Jake sighed, sitting back. "He owns part of that team. And he's friends with Tommy."
"Exactly," Kim smirked. "So that's your answer, Jason. Anton was probably going to a game and invited Tommy, so he asked Adam to come and Adam decided to take Marc with him to give you a break. Mystery solved."
"If you say so…" Jason muttered.
Kim rolled her eyes, glancing at the time.
"Shouldn't you be eating dinner?" she asked. "It has to be almost six there."
"I'm working on it," Jason sighed. "Rocky is already on my case."
"Good," Kim said. "Now go eat something and relax. I'll talk to you later."
Hanging up, Kim shook her head and looked over at Jake. He had a scowl on his face and was muttering to himself.
"That traitor," he grumbled. "Going to that team's games… he knows they're my team's rivals."
"You're going to have to take that up with Tommy," Kim laughed.
Jake responded by grabbing his own phone and dialing. Kim just sighed and shook her head.
Los Angeles, CA
Hearing his phone ring, Tommy hesitated for a moment before pulling it out. It wasn't the ranger phone and most of the people who would call his personal phone on a regular basis were in the room with him. So, he figured he may as well make sure it wasn't his mother calling. Seeing the ID on the phone, he answered.
"Hey, Jake," he said. "Why are you calling? Normally you just text me."
"You traitor," Jake retorted.
Tommy frowned as he walked a little ways away from the group so he could hear Jake better.
"Listen, Jake," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I don't know what Kim has been telling you, but—"
"What?" Jake interrupted. "No. But we can come back to that later… I meant that you're hanging out with Mercer."
Tommy snorted.
"Yes?" he said. "Your point? That's not new, Jake."
"At the soccer game…" Jake grumbled at him.
"Ok, again," Tommy said. "That's not a strange occurrence."
"That team is rivals with mine!" Jake exclaimed.
"Oh, right," Tommy chuckled, glancing over his shoulder at the team. "I forgot about that."
They had won their game, so they were all riled up and playing with the kids from Tommy's group. A couple of soccer balls were flying around the space now that they were just about done eating. Conner saw him glancing over and gave Tommy a look. Tommy just waved him off and went back to his conversation. He did start heading back over to the group since it wasn't anything important.
"Anyways," Tommy said. "I'm here supporting a friend. What else am I supposed to do?"
"Hassle him mercilessly," Jake muttered.
Tommy snorted, shaking his head as he rejoined the group.
"Nah, we went through that phase," he chuckled. "I don't do that anymore."
"What?" Jake said. "What are you talking about?"
"I was talking about—" Tommy started to answer and then he sighed. "We really need to have that talk soon… when are you and Kim back in California again?"
"Ok, you've lost me," Jake sighed. "How did this come back to that?"
Tommy sighed, too.
"Everything comes back to that," he muttered as the other rangers in earshot nodded in agreement. "You'll get used to it eventually. There's a reason a lot of us stayed close."
"Who are you talking to, Dr. O?" Conner interrupted with a grin.
"Talking to Jake," Tommy said, shaking his head. "He's accusing me of being a traitor."
Conner snorted.
"What? No," he said. "If anyone in our group was a traitor, it was Trent."
Trent rolled his eyes at Conner as Kira shot him a scowl.
"I thought we were past that, Conner," Trent said drily. "It's been more than a decade."
"I didn't bring it up," Conner shrugged. "And I did say 'was' not 'is'."
Tommy sighed as the argument quickly started to spiral, covering the microphone on his phone so Jake wouldn't hear them until Tommy could stop it.
"But if Trent's a traitor, then you have to put Anton on that list, too," Ethan pointed out. "They did work together."
Anton frowned as Ethan just shrugged sheepishly.
"And if you want to get technical," Adam smirked. "Tommy is a traitor—even if it isn't for the reasons Jake thinks."
"Alright, alright," Tommy interrupted, glaring at Adam. "I'm sorry Jake…"
"Where did the conversation just go?" Jake grumbled.
"It spiraled," Tommy sighed. "I told you. Getting off topic happens a lot. Hence the need to have that conversation. Now. What were we talking about?"
"You betraying me by rooting for someone else's team," Jake said.
"Right," Tommy said, eying Conner as he continued debating quietly with the other three members of their team. "To be fair, I was friends with him first."
"But does it have to be that team…" Jake sighed, whining a little.
Tommy chuckled.
"Well, that's his team," he said with a shrug. "So, unless that changes… yes."
Conner was shaking his head at Tommy now.
"If it makes you feel any better, Jake," Tommy said. "I'm only here for him, not the game. And I may have slept through part of the second half."
Conner frowned at him, as did several of the other players who had heard the comment.
"And now the team is mad at me…" he muttered. "It's not like I was snoring, guys. Relax, Conner."
"I appreciate the attempt to make me feel better," Jake said drily. "And obviously you can be friends with whoever you want… but you're spending time with my rival. He's the worst."
Tommy chuckled.
"I don't know if I'd call him the worst," Tommy said. "I mean, sure… he's annoying, obnoxious, doesn't know when to shut up—"
"Excuse me?" Anton said, raising an eyebrow.
Tommy shook his head.
"Not you," he said, covering the microphone for a moment. "We're talking about Conner."
"Ouch, Dr. O," Conner said, clapping a hand over his heart. "And in front of my teammates, too…"
Tommy rolled his eyes as everyone laughed. Including Krista. Conner looked at her in surprise.
"Krista!" Conner exclaimed. "Not you, too!"
"Don't worry, sweetheart," she said, placing a hand on his cheek. "I love you anyways."
"I've been betrayed!" Conner cried, sinking dramatically to the floor as everyone laughed harder.
Shaking his head, Tommy snapped a quick picture of Conner on the floor and sent it to Jake.
"That should make you feel better," Tommy chuckled. "It's official—he's been wounded."
He paused, frowning when Jake didn't immediately answer.
"Jake?" he said.
"Sorry, Tommy," Jake said quickly. "Gotta go. We're about to land and I missed the announcement and I'm about to get a lecture from the flight attendant—bye!"
Jake hung up and Tommy stared at his phone for a moment in amusement. Then he put it away.
"Alright, Conner," Tommy said, kicking his leg. "Get up before I sick the kids on you."
Monday May 28th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
"Jason, you're here!" Rocky exclaimed as Jason came walking out of the locker room. "We weren't sure if you were going to make it this morning."
It was late Monday morning, two days after Rocky's emergency trip to Jason's house. Rocky and Adam were stretching on the mat in the gym. Jason was coming in for their daily workout.
"How are you feeling?" Rocky asked. "Should you be here?"
"I'm fine," Jason said, shaking his head. "I was just still a little nauseous when I got up yesterday. Which I told you yesterday. But I felt better today, so here I am."
"If you're sure," Adam said as Jason joined them. "Just don't push yourself too hard. We don't want to have to pick you up off the mat."
"I'm fine," Jason repeated, throwing his towel at Adam. "I haven't let Christine in the kitchen in two days and don't plan to anytime in the near future. So, there shouldn't be a repeat."
Adam and Rocky laughed. Catching the towel, Adam threw it back as Jason started stretching with them. They finished stretching and started getting stuff ready for their workout. Before they could actually get started, however, they were interrupted by Christine.
"Jason!" she called, walking into the gym.
Turning, Jason frowned and set down the weights he had just picked up. Adam and Rocky stopped, watching as Jason walked over to meet his wife.
"Christine, what are you doing here?" Jason asked. "I thought you had a job interview this morning."
"Oh, that's done," she said dismissively.
"And?" Jason asked expectantly.
"The people interviewing me were idiots," Christine said, rolling her eyes.
Jason sighed.
"Christine—"
"Don't worry, Jason," she interrupted. "I have more coming up. I'll find something."
"Alright," he said, not wanting to argue. "But what are you doing here?"
"Oh, right!" she exclaimed. "Since my interview was done early, I stopped by your office. But you weren't there. They told me you were here, so here I am. I thought we could have lunch and maybe spend the afternoon together. You're off early today, right?"
"Oh," Jason said, rubbing a hand on the back of his head. "Well, I was about to start my workout."
"You can throw weights around later," Christine said dismissively. "I want to spend some time with you before Marc gets off school."
"Not really," Jason said, shaking his head. "This is the only time of the day they both have open."
Christine scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"It's not like they have important things to do," she said. "They can work out with you later when you are free."
"Christine," Jason frowned, glancing back at his friends.
Rocky and Adam were just watching him expectantly.
"What?" she said. "Jason, I want to spend time with you. We haven't really spent any time alone together since we got here… except Friday night. And then you weren't feeling good…"
Jason sighed, hesitating.
"Please, Jason," Christine said, putting a hand on his chest.
"Alright, fine," he said, caving. "I'll skip my workout today. Just give me a couple of minutes to get changed."
Shooting an apologetic look behind him at Rocky and Adam, Jason headed for the locker room. They watched him go, exchanging looks with each other and glancing over at Christine. Christine eyed them.
"What are you looking at?" she snapped. "I know I'm better looking than either of your wives but keep your eyes and hands to yourselves."
She turned her attention to her phone as Rocky and Adam stared at her in shock. Neither one said anything for a moment. Then they both turned away.
"Maybe we should just not tell the girls about that," Adam said quietly, shaking his head.
"Too late," Rocky said, holding up his phone. "I'm already texting Aisha."
Adam just groaned, shaking his head. Behind them, Jason and Christine left the gym.