Saturday April 7th, 2018
New York City, NY
"Come on, Marc," Jason urged. "There has to be something you can pack. You can't honestly tell me you are going to use every single thing in this room in the next two weeks. How about these books or some of these games?"
Marc, sprawled on his bed, shook his head.
"If I pack all my stuff what am I supposed to do?" Marc argued. "Just lay around and do nothing. I need my things."
Jason sighed. He had just finished putting groceries away a short time before and was trying to get a jump on packing now that they were only a couple of weeks from moving day. Marc was being less than cooperative—and Will and Christine had both just laughed and walked away.
"I'm not asking you to pack everything," Jason sighed. "Just what you don't use all the time. How about your cold weather stuff? You could probably pack most of that."
"No," Marc scowled, defiant. "I need all of my stuff."
"That's the whole point," Jason said in exasperation. "You need your stuff to go with you. That's why you have to pack it. So, get a head start so you don't have to scramble."
"I don't need to pack because I'm not going," Marc snapped back. "I'm staying here."
Jason groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Marc, we've discussed this already," Jason said, trying to remain patient. "We are moving in two weeks whether you like it or not. And if you want to make sure nothing gets left behind then you need to start putting stuff in the boxes I gave you."
"Just leave me alone," Marc scowled, rolling over and turning his back to Jason.
Deciding it wasn't worth the argument at the moment, Jason turned and walked out of the room. Marc's stuff would get packed one way or another—though he would probably end up doing a lot of it for him. Out in the hallway, Jason nearly ran into Will as he headed for the front door.
"Where are you going?" Jason asked. "It's almost dinner time."
"I'm meeting up with friends," Will said with a grin.
Jason sighed.
"Is that a good idea?" he asked.
Will scoffed, crossing his arms as he eyed Jason.
"Why wouldn't it be?" he asked. "I'm not a loser who just sits around at home all night."
Jason narrowed his eyes, glaring at his brother-in-law.
"Dude, it's a joke," Will laughed, lightly punching Jason in the shoulder. "Besides, you know you can be a bit of a stick in the mud."
Jason just scowled in response, not amused.
"Hey, I have a great idea!" Will grinned. "Why don't you come with me? Live a little?"
"No thanks," Jason said, shaking his head. "I've got things to do here."
"Aww… come on, man," Will said, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "It'll be fun. You can come out and have some drinks and enjoy a good time for once. Make sure I don't end up in a gutter somewhere like you are always saying I'm in danger of doing. It'll be great!"
Jason shook his head, pushing Will's arm off.
"Not happening, Will," he said firmly. "I don't trust your friends."
"Well fine then," Will snapped. "You have no reason to complain when I call you a stick in the mud and a loser then, do you? You're the one who never wants to do anything fun."
Muttering to himself, Will stalked away and headed out the front door. Shaking his head, Jason headed into the living room with a pile of boxes. He was going to get something productive done while he could.
A little while later, Jason had just finished setting up some boxes and was trying to figure out where he'd put the markers for labeling the boxes when Christine wandered in. She'd been in their bathroom for the last couple of hours taking a bath. She was wearing a bathrobe now and slippers, her hair wrapped in a towel.
"What are you doing?" she asked, dropping onto the couch and leaning back. "You seem like you're in a mood."
"Just annoyed with Will," Jason said. "He was giving me a hard time about staying home to pack instead of going to some party with him."
"Well, can you blame him?" Christine scoffed, raising an eyebrow. "You aren't interesting after all."
Jason frowned slightly as he turned to look at her. She stood up with a laugh.
"I'm just kidding," she said, walking over to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You know I love you."
She looked around at what he was doing.
"Anyways, don't pack up the living room yet," she said. "I'm still going to be having people over in the next couple of weeks. We don't need bare shelves making us look like paupers, after all."
"Christine, I have to start with something," he said. "Preferably the things we won't actually need right away."
"Then why don't you pack up that stuff?" Christine asked, gesturing to his exercise equipment in the corner. "You can pack the rest the day before. It'll be fine."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed back toward their bedroom. Jason sighed and dropped into a chair. It was going to be a long two weeks trying to get ready for the move.
Late that night, Jason woke to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. Getting out of bed, Jason went to the door and looked through the peep hole. Seeing who was waiting outside, he sighed and unlocked the door. Will practically fell inside, Jason barely catching him in time to keep him upright.
"Whoa," Jason said. "Will, what on earth are you doing? It's like 3a."
Helping him the rest of the way inside, Jason shut and locked the door again as he waited for an answer.
"Will?" he said impatiently.
"What?" Will muttered. "You're the one always lecturing me about crashing at random people's places. So, I'm being a good little boy and coming home to sleep."
Jason sighed, eyeing his brother-in-law. He was clearly high on something.
"Where is your key?" he asked. "You do have one."
"No idea," Will shrugged, leaning back against the door. "Lost it somewhere."
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Great," he said. "Go to bed."
Will scowled and took a few steps toward his room, stumbling. He ran into Jason who caught him again and kept him upright. Will just laughed, slinging an arm around Jason.
"You know my sister doesn't really love you, right?" Will slurred as Jason practically carried him down the hallway. "You were just convenient. The kid was just to make sure you stuck around."
Jason scowled.
"Will, shut up," he said sharply. "You're out of your mind right now."
Will laughed.
"You just don't want to hear the truth," he smirked.
Even more irritated now, Jason dragged Will the rest of the way down the hall and into his room. Will swung a fist, trying to punch him. Jason caught his arm and stopped him, pushing Will into his room. Dropping Will on his bed, Jason spun and stalked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Leaning against the wall in the hallway, Jason muttered to himself.
"Will is just trying to get a reaction," he muttered, shaking his head. "He's just being a jerk because he's high on I don't want to know what."
Sighing, Jason straightened up and headed back to bed.
Sunday April 8th, 2018
Reefside, CA
"Tommy, I'll be back in a little while," Hayley said. "I need to get a few things from the grocery store before I open the café for the day. I'm leaving the girls with you."
Tommy looked up from the tablet just in time to see Hayley leave, the door swinging shut behind her.
"Hayley, wait—" he tried to call out. "Or not…"
Sighing, he looked around the room. Rae and Izzy were currently sitting at one of the tables coloring. Taking a deep breath, Tommy went back to working on the reports, occasionally glancing up to make sure the girls were still at the table.
"Uncle Tommy?" a small voice asked a while later.
Tommy jumped slightly as he looked up from the tablet. He hadn't heard Rae walk up to him.
"Yes, Rae?" he asked, setting the tablet down in his lap.
"Can we play a game while we wait for mom to come back?" she asked. "I finished my picture."
"I don't know," he said. "But probably. What do you want to play?"
"Hide and seek!" she exclaimed in excitement. "We hide first!"
"Rae, let's play—"
But she was already racing from the room.
"Something else!" Tommy called, quickly standing up.
Rae was gone. Izzy looked up from her coloring book after her sister.
"Where is Rae going?" she asked.
"Hiding," Tommy muttered, looking over at Izzy. "Want to help me find her?"
"But is that cheating?" Izzy asked, frowning.
"Not if we didn't agree to play," Tommy said.
"Ok," Izzy said. "I guess I can help."
Setting down her colored pencils, she climbed out of her seat to join Tommy. He headed toward the kitchen in the direction Rae had been running.
"Rae, come back to the dining room," Tommy called. "We aren't going to play hide and seek today."
He paused behind the counter, looking around expectantly. But Rae didn't come out. Tommy took a deep breath and walked into the kitchen. Izzy trailed behind him, looking around in corners and behind things.
"Rae!" he called again, hoping she had just not heard him. "Rae, where are you?"
She still didn't come out. Tommy took a deep breath, looking around the room as he tried to decide where else she could have gone. She had to be in the café somewhere.
"I have an idea!" Izzy announced behind him.
Tommy turned around in time to see Izzy disappear out one of the doors.
"Izzy, no!" Tommy exclaimed. "Stay here!"
But she was already gone.
"Rae, Izzy!" Tommy shouted, spinning in a circle. "I need you to come out right now. We are done playing."
Moving quickly now, Tommy searched through the kitchen and then back out into the dining area. There was no sign of either of the girls and they didn't respond to his repeated calls for them to come out. Getting desperate, he headed up the stairs from the kitchen to the small apartment above the café. He couldn't find them in the apartment, either.
Back downstairs in the dining area, Tommy dropped into a chair and tried to take a few deep breaths and found he couldn't. His hands were shaking now, too. Leaning forward in the chair when the room started spinning around him, he gripped his knees tightly as he continued to try to just breathe.
The sound of the door opening broke the silence around him.
"Tommy?" Hayley said. "Tommy—what's wrong?"
He looked up as she knelt down in front of him. Tommy started to answer and then shook his head, the words escaping him. Hayley frowned as she took in how pale he was. She could tell at a glance he was distressed over something. Tommy was shaking and breathing hard and, placing her fingers over his wrist, she could feel his pulse racing.
"Tommy, I need you to breathe with me," she said calmly. "Because I can't help until you can tell me what happened. So, breathe with me."
Taking a deep breath in and out herself, Hayley encouraged Tommy to follow her example. It took a few minutes, but Tommy eventually calmed down enough to answer Hayley's questions.
"What happened, Tommy?" she asked. "You were fine when I left. And where are the girls?"
Tommy shook his head, his heart rate jumping again.
"They're gone, Hayley," he said shakily. "I'm sorry… Rae wanted to play hide and seek, and I told her no and then she disappeared. And then Izzy disappeared while we were looking. They won't come out and I can't find them anywhere. I lost them and I'm sorry…"
He dropped his head in his hands, trying to focus on breathing again. Hayley stood abruptly, keeping a hand on his shoulder.
"Isabella and Rachel—come out right this instant!" Hayley shouted.
There was a short pause as Hayley watched the kitchen door expectantly. After a few moments it slowly opened and both girls slunk out, staring at the ground. They both realized from Hayley's tone—and the use of their full names—that they were in serious trouble. The girls both walked straight over to where she was still standing next to Tommy. When he saw them, all of the tension drained out of him as relief hit him.
"What were you two doing?" Hayley demanded.
"Playing hide and seek," Rae answered quietly.
"Did everyone agree to play?" Hayley asked.
"Yes—" Rae started to say and then her shoulders drooped. "No…"
Hayley started scolding them for starting the game in the first place and then completely disregarding Tommy's requests for them to come out. Tommy listened for a little while before standing abruptly. Hayley cut off her lecture, turning to look at him in concern.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he said shortly. "I'm going home."
"Tommy—"
"I'll talk to you later," he said, shaking his head.
Stalking over to the couch where he normally sat, Tommy snatched the tablet off the table and stuck it back in his backpack before slinging the bag over his shoulder.
"Should you be driving right now?" Hayley frowned as he pulled his keys out.
"I'm fine," he repeated. "I need to go."
He stormed out the door right past a very surprised Billy who watched him go and then turned to Hayley for an explanation. She sighed.
"Girls, go sit down at the counter," Hayley said. "We aren't done talking yet."
They scurried away and Hayley walked to meet Billy.
"Is Tommy alright?" he asked quietly. "He looked pale."
Hayley shook her head.
"He just had a panic attack," she said. "Because the girls decided to play hide and seek. Then disappeared and then didn't come out when he called."
Billy grimaced, guessing exactly why that triggered a panic attack.
"I need to call Kat," Hayley said. "I want to make sure he makes it home alright—and warn her that he's probably going to hole up in his office or the lab for a while…"
Billy nodded.
"I will talk to the girls," he said. "Did they say why they would not come out?"
"Not yet," Hayley sighed. "But I hadn't moved past lecture to actual explanations yet when Tommy took off."
Billy nodded.
"I will take care of it," he said. "Call Kat and explain."
Hayley stepped outside as Billy headed over to the counter to talk to the girls. Kat answered after only a few rings.
"Hey, Hayley," she said. "Did Tommy forget something?"
"No… we had a bit of an incident here," Hayley sighed.
"What happened?" Kat asked quickly. "Is everyone alright?"
"They will be," Hayley said. "But I left Tommy with the girls to run to the store and they decided to play hide and seek without his consent—and then they didn't come out when he called them."
"Oh no…" Kat groaned. "Is Tommy—"
"He had a panic attack," Hayley explained. "He was better when he left, but I'm still not sure he should have been driving. I wanted to warn you so you could watch for him."
"And understand when he hides in his office or down in the lab," Kat murmured quietly.
She sighed.
"He hasn't had a panic attack in years," she said. "Not even after the Draven issue."
"I'm sorry," Hayley apologized. "I never would have left them alone—"
"It's not your fault," Kat interrupted. "They're kids and they do things they aren't supposed to. I doubt even Tommy thought he'd have that reaction to a game of hide and seek gone wrong."
She paused.
"Thanks for the heads up," Kat said. "I'm going to go wait for him to get here. I'll let you know when he makes it back."
Kat hung up and Hayley turned to head back inside. Billy was sitting and talking sternly with their daughters about what they had done. When Hayley joined them, they looked at her.
"Is Uncle Tommy mad at us for not coming out?" Rae asked quietly.
Hayley sighed and shook her head, sitting down with them.
"He's not mad, sweetheart," she said. "But you really scared him when you wouldn't come out. Remember we talked about what happened to him and JJ and Aunt Kat a couple of weeks ago when they were gone?"
The girls nodded.
"When they were kidnapped for ransom?" Izzy asked.
"Mmhmm…" Hayley nodded. "When you two disappeared and stopped answering, it scared him because he thought something bad had happened to you."
"Oh," Rae said, sniffling a little. "Can we tell him we're sorry?"
"Later," Billy said. "We need to leave him alone for a little while. But we can call him later tonight, ok?"
Both girls nodded.
"Now," Hayley said, looking at them sternly. "What do you do the next time the adult in charge tells you the game is over?"
"We stop playing right away," Izzy said earnestly.
Rae nodded quickly in agreement. Billy stood.
"Alright," he said. "Come on. We are going to go home."
The girls followed Billy out of the café while Hayley hurried to finish getting ready to open for the day.
Monday April 9th, 2018
Reefside, CA
Kat settled into the recliner, balancing her laptop on her lap as she set her drink on the side table. The call was already connected, so she tried not to shift the camera around too much.
"Where are Tommy and JJ tonight?" Tanya asked curiously. "Normally you have to hide in your room to get any peace and quiet while we talk."
Kat, Tanya, and Aisha took time to video chat once or twice a week at least to catch up and spend some time with each other since it wasn't always practical to drive to see each other in person.
"JJ is catching up on some homework in his room," Kat laughed. "And Tommy is working in his office. So, I should have a little while before we are interrupted."
Tanya and Aisha laughed, too.
"Adam has the twins at the dojo," Tanya said. "They'll be home a little later."
"I left Rocky in charge," Aisha said. "They're—"
She paused, frowning and turning to look at something offscreen.
"I just heard a crash," she sighed. "I should—"
She paused and shook her head.
"Nope, I'm not going to check," she said firmly, getting comfortable again. "Rocky is perfectly capable of handling it."
Kat shook her head, laughing.
"I'm so glad I'm past the time of constantly needing to check on JJ," she chuckled. "Life is so much easier when he can pick up his own messes."
"What about Tommy?" Aisha grinned.
"I may have to check on him once in a while," Kat admitted with an amused smile. "He does get easily distracted sometimes."
Aisha and Tanya chuckled.
"So, how is he doing?" Tanya asked, serious now.
Kat sighed.
"He's—not good," she admitted, sinking back in her chair. "He's still just so stressed about what did happen and what could have happened to JJ. Plus trying to catch up on everything after being absent for so many days…"
Aisha and Tanya nodded sympathetically.
"And Trini and Carter really aren't helping," Kat continued. "I know they aren't doing it on purpose, but they're putting so much pressure on him to get caught up. But he just keeps getting further behind because he can't sleep and then he can't concentrate. It's all just compounding on him… and there's only so much Hayley and I can do to help…"
"I'm sorry, Kat," Aisha said, shaking her head. "That can't be easy on you, either. Rocky is still dealing with some nightmares, so I understand a little."
"It isn't anyone's fault," Kat said, shaking her head. "Unless you want to blame Draven. Has Rocky been talking to you about his nightmares?"
Aisha nodded.
"Yes, thankfully," she said. "So, it's helping."
"That's good," Kat sighed. "Tommy isn't—at all. He's shutting everything down instead. He's just so concerned about JJ and I—not to mention the other five who were taken—and trying to make sure we are alright that he isn't taking care of himself. His whole 'just keep quiet and keep my problems to myself because it's all my fault' thing—again…"
Tanya and Aisha both grimaced. They'd known Tommy long enough to know exactly what Kat was talking about.
"I just wish he'd talk to me about it," Kat said quietly. "Or Adam or Rocky. Hayley. Billy. Anyone. He's not helping himself by trying to ignore it."
"We are working on it, Kat," Tanya said. "I told you what Hayley and I have been working on. We're getting close, so hopefully you guys can hang on just a little longer. With some help from Karone and Andros we've found some exciting prospects—we just have to vet them."
Kat nodded.
"We're trying," she said. "And I'm sure it will be fine eventually. But Tommy is having a hard time just being in charge of children right now after JJ getting kidnapped right in front of him…"
"Ok, we're going to need more of an explanation than that," Aisha said. "He's a teacher, Kat. His job expressly involves being around children. Even if they are teenagers."
Kat sighed, pausing for a moment to make sure she didn't hear anyone coming. She explained what had happened at the café the morning before with Rae and Izzy.
"It ended in a full-blown panic attack," Kat said quietly. "He hasn't had one of those in years. The last one I can remember was before we got married."
"I've never seen him have one," Tanya frowned.
Kat shook her head.
"He keeps them quiet," she said. "Like most things he struggles with—he doesn't like to bother other people with it."
"But why is he suddenly having problems with kids?" Aisha frowned.
Kat shook her head again, but Tanya frowned thoughtfully.
"It's probably just a manifestation of his guilt for losing JJ," Tanya said. "Subconsciously, he probably doesn't want to risk that responsibility anymore. He'll have to face it eventually though or it's only going to get worse…"
Kat grimaced, closing her eyes for a moment as they all fell silent.
"Ok," she said a few minutes later, taking a deep breath. "Let's talk about happier things. I need something good."
"I'm not sure I can help with that unless you want me to just start talking about my kids," Tanya said sheepishly. "Not much has happened since we were there last weekend. And it's not like I can talk about work. It's private after all—and can be kind of depressing anyways…"
"I'm not sure I've got much either," Aisha admitted. "I've spent the past week dealing with school moms."
Kat chuckled.
"I know a lot of those," she said, shaking her head. "PTA moms can be the worst."
"She's not just a PTA mom," Aisha muttered. "She's a PTA monster."
"Are you talking about Jennifer's mom again?" Tanya asked, rolling her eyes. "What did the woman do this time?"
Kat tilted her head.
"Ok—Jennifer's mom?" she snorted. "I need more details than that."
Aisha shook her head.
"She just thinks she's special because her husband is a plastic surgeon," she said. "She always has a snide comment for everything and is constantly trying to make the rest of us out to be horrible parents because everything she gives her kids is apparently the best possible."
"Oh, good," Kat groaned. "One of those. I officially hate her on your behalf."
Aisha laughed.
"No, seriously," Kat grinned. "How can I help? Mess with her car? I could always suggest it to Tommy as stress relief."
Aisha laughed but Tanya shook her head.
"Nope, horrible idea," she said. "Vetoed. Violence should never be the answer to stress."
"I was just kidding, Tanya," Kat said. "But seriously, Aisha—can I help?"
Aisha sighed.
"No, it's fine," she said. "I can handle it. But you should have heard her at the meeting yesterday. She just kept going on and on about her spa day at the end of the week. Apparently, she is going to experience it for us since there is no possible way for us to experience it for ourselves—it's beyond our means."
"Seriously?" Kat groaned. "Wow…"
"Oh, it gets worse," Aisha said. "The reason why it's beyond our means? Because our husbands are just public servants and small business owners. They'll never have the means to treat us to true pampering like she experiences in her daily life."
Kat flinched.
"Did she really go there?" she asked, leaning toward the camera. "She's stooping to insulting Rocky and Adam?"
"It's not the first time," Tanya sighed.
"Nope," Aisha agreed. "But she's always so passive aggressive about it. Apparently my past visits to spas aren't comparable to the visit she has planned because—and I quote—"strip mall spas" don't count."
"Oh, really?" Kat snorted. "Is that what she thinks?"
"Yes," Tanya sighed. "We both have to listen to it every time the PTA meets. It's always something. This week it's her spa trip. Her bragging point? It's so exclusive that even she has only ever gone twice before. So, there's no possible way we could get in with our meager existence."
Kat groaned.
"I can't believe she's real," she said, shaking her head. "Did she grow up in Angel Grove? Do I know her?"
Aisha and Tanya both shook their heads.
"Nope," Aisha said. "She's a transplant with her husband."
Kat shook her head again, still in disbelief.
"So, what spa is she going to exactly that she feels the need to rub it in your faces?" she asked after a minute.
Tanya and Aisha exchanged looks through the computer screens and then burst out laughing. Kat just watched them in confusion for a moment.
"Ok, what is so funny?" she asked.
"It's just that, well," Aisha snickered. "She's going to the resort."
Kat stared in surprise for a moment—then she burst out laughing, too.
"Oh?" she sputtered a minute later, still laughing. "Really? Well—how about I make a phone call?"
Tanya and Aisha were still snickering, too.
"Don't do that," Aisha said, shaking her head with a smile. "You don't need to make your employees do extra work just for us to rub it in her face that she's wrong."
Kat snorted.
"Are you kidding?" she said. "They love appointments and staying busy. After all, they are paid a commission per appointment on top of their actual wages. All of them adore being booked solid—though they do try and keep a couple of empty slots here and there just in case. So, it really wouldn't be any trouble at all."
Tanya and Aisha blinked, looking at each other hesitantly.
"Should we?" Tanya asked.
"Oh, I'm already texting," Kat said, holding up her phone where they could see it. "This is totally happening. What's her last name?"
"Callahan," Aisha supplied.
"Thanks," Kat grinned, fingers flying over the keys.
She paused, waiting for a response.
"Oh, look!" Kat exclaimed a moment later. "There's room for a double massage starting just before she gets there. How does that sound?"
"That sounds perfect," Aisha laughed.
Kat nodded and started typing again, getting everything booked. The three women were still laughing a few minutes later when Tommy came walking out of his office. He stopped in the hallway, looking at Kat.
"What is going on in there?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kat looked up from her computer, still giggling a little.
"Not much," she said. "Just planning a spa day."
Tommy frowned.
"Then why are you laughing like—"
He stopped, shaking his head.
"Nope, never mind," he said. "I don't need to know. I just need a snack and some coffee."
"No coffee!" Kat scolded. "You need to go to bed soon."
"I've still got work to do," Tommy said. "Schoolwork to grade and reports to go through."
He turned and disappeared toward the kitchen. Kat sighed, going back to her call.
"Girl…" Aisha said, shaking her head.
"I know," Kat grumbled. "But I'm not quite desperate enough to try drugging him yet."
"I'm pretty sure that would only make things worse in the long wrong," Tanya pointed out.
"Yeah… you're right," Kat admitted. "But he's going to crash hard if he keeps going like this…"
Wednesday April 11th, 2018
Mariner Bay, CA
"Tommy, are you paying attention?" Carter sighed.
He was sitting at his desk, staring at his computer. Rubbing a hand over his face he tried again when he didn't get a response.
"Tommy?" he said.
"What, Carter?" Tommy finally answered.
"Have you looked over the proposed minutes for the meeting?" Carter asked. "I sent them to you two days ago. I figured we may as well cover a few other things while we have everyone together—"
"No, I haven't," Tommy interrupted. "I've been working on other things."
"The meeting is four days away," Carter said. "We need to finalize everything before Sunday—so I need to know if it's missing anything."
"I'll get to it tonight," Tommy said irritably.
"The sooner the—" Carter stopped realizing Tommy wasn't there anymore.
Frowning, Carter looked at his phone.
"Did he just… no, it must have dropped," Carter muttered, dialing the number again. "Except it shouldn't be able to drop because the ranger phone is practically infallible—as long as it stays in our dimension."
It rang several times before finally going to voicemail. Scowling, Carter immediately tried again.
"What, Carter?" Tommy snapped when he answered. "I told you I would look at it tonight."
"I was just trying to tell you I need it sooner rather than later," Carter said shortly. "I need to know if we need to make changes."
"Well, that's great, but I'm a little busy right now," Tommy said irritably. "JJ has a counseling appointment and I need to get him home. I can't talk about this anymore right now. Goodbye."
He hung up again and Carter stared at the phone in his hand for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Carter closed his laptop and stood. He needed a break. Shoving his phone in his pocket, he stalked out of his office to go find Dana. She should be home by now.
Dana was in their quarters when he got there. She looked at him in surprise when he walked in.
"Well, hello," she said. "I thought you were still working."
"I needed a break," Carter sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Just getting a little frustrated."
Dana frowned.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"It's just Tommy," he sighed. "He really isn't handling the aftermath of the Draven thing well and I'm having to deal with it. It's supposed to be his responsibility to get everything together for the meetings and then send it to me to double check—I shouldn't be sending anything to him. And I've spent so much time getting everything together for the meeting in the last few days that I'm now behind on things here on the base."
Dana sighed.
"I'm sure he's not trying to dump anything on you," she said. "He'll get caught up soon enough and everything will go back to normal. It isn't going to hurt anything here if you are a little behind this week."
Carter shook his head, dropping into a chair.
"You're probably right," he said. "It's just frustrating trying to balance all of the extra things. He's the one who wanted this meeting."
Dana smiled, sitting down with Carter.
"Just give him some time," she said. "He was held captive for almost a week. That doesn't just go away. And if he's still struggling in a few weeks well, there are protocols in place for emergencies."
Carter nodded.
"I guess," he said. "I'll just have to keep an eye on him."
"It wouldn't hurt," Dana agreed. "Now, since you are taking a break… what do you want to do for dinner tonight? Trevor and Charlie suggested Chinese."
Angel Grove, CA
"Alright, everyone inside the house," Aisha said.
She ushered her three children into the Park house, making sure the door shut behind them.
"Now, don't touch anything," she started to say. "We're just picking up Aunt Tanya and your cousins so we aren't going to be here—long…"
She sighed as all three took off into the house.
"Go find Jazz and Lilla!" she yelled after them. "And don't take any toys out."
Shaking her head, Aisha muttered to herself as she went to look for Tanya.
"Who am I kidding… they're going to go straight for the toys…"
Guessing where Tanya was since she didn't come out when Aisha let herself in, she headed toward the office. Aisha assumed Tanya was with a client—though she should be done soon since they were supposed to meet their husbands at the dojo. The door to Tanya's office was closed, so Aisha knocked quietly. It was mostly just to let Tanya know they had arrived.
"Come in!" Tanya called from inside.
Aisha paused in surprise and then shrugged and let herself inside. Tanya was sitting at her desk in front of her computer, smiling.
"Don't worry, it's just Aisha," she said, shaking her head. "Say hi!"
She turned her computer slightly so the camera caught Aisha standing just inside the office. Aisha smiled and waved when she caught a glimpse of JJ on the screen.
"Hi, Aisha," he said.
Tanya turned the computer back to face her.
"Now, remember," she said with a smile. "You don't have to wait til we have an appointment to call me if you need to talk. Give me a call anytime if you have a problem or just need someone to talk to, ok?"
"I will," JJ said.
"Ok," Tanya said. "Then go finish your homework and hassle your dad for me."
"But mom says I'm not supposed to bother him…" JJ said.
"You can just blame it on me," Tanya assured him.
JJ laughed.
"Ok!" he exclaimed.
Saying goodbye, Tanya closed the computer and stood to stretch. Aisha walked over and sat down in the chair by the desk as Tanya put a few things away in her filing cabinet, locking it up before she walked over to the door.
"So—and I don't need details—how's he doing?" Aisha asked curiously.
"Much better," Tanya said, sitting back down in her chair. "He really just needed to be able to talk about it openly. And it helps that I have more background on the issue than anyone else possibly could."
"That's great," Aisha said.
Then she sighed.
"I wish it was that easy to help the rest of them," she said.
"How is Rocky doing with his nightmares?" Tanya asked.
"It's getting better," Aisha said. "But they are still there. He said he's had a few at the station, too. That's fun to explain."
"But he's talking to you about them still, right?"
Aisha nodded.
"He is," she said. "They're mostly the same ones over and over with small differences. Sometimes he goes to fight Draven and his robots and suddenly his powers are gone and he's defenseless. Other times he'll still be strapped to the table, wide awake and forced to watch his friends hurt while he is helpless to do anything. And throw in the occasional old nightmare rearing its head…"
Tanya nodded in understanding. They'd all had variations on those dreams at some point in their times as rangers. And new experiences—whether firsthand or by proxy—often acted as triggers for old nightmares. She and Adam had both had a couple of their own while the other rangers were still missing.
"At least he isn't as bad as Kat says Tommy is getting," Aisha said quietly.
"I know," Tanya sighed. "If only we could bounce back as easily as kids. People are always talking about how easy it is to traumatize kids. But what they forget to mention is that, with the right kind of help, kids can also be extremely resilient. Obviously talking doesn't fix everything, but kids move on so much easier as long as they have the right support."
"That would be nice," Aisha agreed.
They both paused, turning to look when a crash came from upstairs. One of the twins, her voice muffled, let out an annoyed shout. Then Karly started yelling.
"Mom!" Karly shouted. "Damien is making a mess!"
Aisha and Tanya both stood, heading to find their kids.
"I also wish I had some of their energy," Aisha said drily.
"Let's just get them to the dojo," Tanya said. "They can burn off that energy there."
Upstairs, Tanya and Aisha quickly corralled the kids and ushered them back downstairs to get them ready to go.
"Everyone shoes on," Aisha said. "We're going to spend time with daddy at the dojo."
"Yep," Tanya agreed. "He's already waiting for us."
Liam frowned, tugging on Aisha's shirt.
"What is it, honey?" Aisha asked.
"Their daddy or my daddy?" he asked, looking up at her. "You both said it. How do I know?"
"Both, honey," Aisha chuckled. "Yours is just bringing Henry for a visit. We're going to have a snack with him."
"Ok!" he said happily.
Shooing the kids out the door, Aisha shook her head.
"I don't know where he gets his brain from," she said. "But it certainly isn't his father."
Tanya snickered as they got the kids in the car and started buckling them in.
"Aunty Kat says I get it from you," Liam announced proudly. "She says I get lola—loyalty from you. But I don't know what that means… is it good?"
Tanya smiled as Aisha looked at her middle child in surprise.
"Yes, honey," Tanya said. "Loyalty is a good thing. No one messes with your mommy's friends."
"Cause mommy is scary?" Liam asked.
"No," Aisha started to say.
"But you are, mom," Karly argued. "You almost made Jennifer's mom cry when she said mean things about daddy yesterday at school."
Tanya looked at Aisha in surprise. Aisha just shrugged sheepishly.
"I was tired of hearing it," she mumbled.
"You'll have to explain later," Tanya said, shaking her head as they both climbed into their seats.