Present Day
"Well done Jason and Malcolm," Zordon said as Jason and Malcolm touched down in the Command Center in their disguises with the stones in their hands. "The world will not forget Kimberly now."
Jason nodded and held up his stone, "Malcolm's father gave us these right before we left," he said in a concerned voice, deeply worried that time would now be altered somehow. "What are they?"
"Alpha, take the stones and analyze them," Zordon said in a commanding voice. "I do not think that such stones will alter anything in the present, Jason. However, they may prove of some importance later on."
Alpha hurried over and took the stone from Jason, "Malcolm?" Alpha asked, suddenly noticing that Malcolm was pacing the Command Center and not really paying attention. "Malcolm, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Malcolm said, suddenly realizing that Jason and Alpha were looking at him. "Oh sorry, Alpha."
Realizing that Malcolm was still thinking about leaving the past as it was and his family the way it had ended up, Jason walked over to him, "We did what we had to do," Jason said in a gentle voice.
"I know," Malcolm replied in a soft voice. "It doesn't make it any easier to see him and then not…"
Letting out a sigh, Malcolm walked over to Alpha and handed over the other stone, "Any luck in locating Kimberly?" he asked in a concerned voice. "First Tommy ends up in the hospital and now Jason and I get sent back in time; it would be a lot easier for us to defend Earth as a team if we could find Kimberly."
"Capturing Kimberly is all part of Rito Revolto's plan to make the Ninja Powers useless," Zordon replied in a grave tone. "Because of his time in the Dungeon of Fire, Tommy is unable to use his Ninja Powers until he regains his strength naturally. With Kimberly's Crane Ninja Coin missing and Tommy incapacitated, the Ninja Zords cannot be combined, only summoned as individual Zords to fight evil."
Jason and Malcolm exchanged a worried glance, "Rito's time in the past came to a quick end because of his limited power supply," Zordon explained. "However, you must always be on guard; all of you."
"What about Katherine and Zedison?" Jason asked worriedly. "We saw both of them in mortal forms."
Zordon sighed, "They are currently powerless," he replied solemnly. "As you are in danger of becoming."
"We will work on a plan to keep that from happening," Alpha replied. "Go back and protect Tommy."
Laura stood by the hospital room window in silence, anxious for Adam and Billy to convince Dr. Oliver to go home and leave her with the guilt that she carried; why was Kimberly taken away and not her?
"Laura, are you all right?" Rocky asked as he walked over to where Laura was standing. "You look tired."
Laura looked over at the hospital bed where Tommy was sleeping and at the cot where Dr. Oliver had finally been convinced to have a sleep. "Where did Adam and Billy go, Rocky?" she asked softly.
"They went to the cafeteria to get you something for dinner," Rocky replied. "You've been here since Tommy was brought to the hospital and you also need to take care of yourself. You look tired."
Laura smiled, sighed, and walked back over to Tommy's bedside, "I've been tired since I was ten years old," she replied in a semi-amused voice. "I had to be the adult and take care of Ashley, so I learned how to operate on fumes alone. Even now, when Ashley's not here, that instinct hasn't really gone away."
Tommy suddenly opened his eyes and gazed groggily at the two of them, "Hey," he said in a tired voice.
"How are you feeling, Tommy?" Rocky asked in a concerned voice. "You're looking a little bit stronger."
Tommy sighed, "I'm still pretty tired, but the dizziness is gone," he replied. "Where's Uncle Frank at?"
"A nurse came in about an hour ago with a cot and finally convinced him to rest," Laura replied in a kind voice as she rolled the portable tray that now held a tray holding a covered item close to the bed. "She also left you some chicken soup and water if you're feeling up to eating. Do you want me to help you?"
Before Tommy could reply, Jason and Malcolm came into the room, "Hey Tommy," Jason said, smiling at his friend as he and Malcolm approached the bed. "How are you feeling now that you've rested more?"
"Did you guys find Kimberly?" Tommy asked in a faint, but hopeful voice. "Oh no, you didn't, did you?"
Jason shook his head, "We also learned that you can't use your powers again until you're stronger," he replied in a solemn voice. "Zordon told us that without Kimberly's power, we can't even combine the Zords. For now, though, you should focus on getting better and we need to focus on helping you."
"You won't be able to regain your strength if you don't eat," Laura said softly. "Kim would want you to."
Tommy sighed, "Yeah, I guess she would," he replied softly. "I'll try to eat if you guys help me."
"We're your friends, Tommy," Malcolm said in a gentle voice. "Friends help each other in everything."
Regret pierced Katherine's heart and she stepped away from Tommy's hospital room; she had intended on going in and apologizing for her behavior and what she had done to Kimberly, but her courage was gone after hearing Malcolm's statement about friends. In reality, she didn't deserve any friends.
A nurse suddenly approached her, "Miss Hillard, your brother is ready to go home," she said in a gentle voice as she noticed that Kat was near Tommy's room. "Are you a friend of Mr. Oliver, dear?"
"No, just a classmate," Katherine replied in a toneless voice. "I heard he was brought in this afternoon…"
The nurse nodded, "Yes he was, the poor dear," she replied in a motherly tone. "His uncle and a Miss Laura Hammond came in with him, but I think his uncle is resting. Anyway, the poor dear should be fine enough to leave the hospital in a few days if he rests and eats enough. He's certainly got enough visitors to last him a lifetime, but as long as they're quiet, I don't mind. Did you want to go in and see him?"
"No thank you," Katherine replied softly, certain that Tommy would be unforgiving of her actions and convince the Rangers to be just as unforgiving. "You said my brother, Mark, was ready to leave?"
The nurse nodded and smiled just as David came out of the room, pushing a tired looking Mark in a wheelchair, "Mark, how are you feeling?" Katherine asked, grateful for the distraction he gave her.
"Better," Mark replied in a sleepy voice. "David told me you weren't feeling well earlier, Kat."
Katherine sighed and walked over to David, "I was a little tired, but I'm feeling better now," she replied in a gentle voice as she slipped her hand into his. "If you're ready to go home, we can leave."
"Kat, why don't you take Mark down to my truck?" David asked as he handed Kat the keys. "I just want to make sure that Mark didn't forget anything. Warm up the truck and I'll be along in a minute."
Before Kat or Mark could protest, David ducked back into Mark's hospital room. Katherine sighed, released Mark's hand, and gently wheeled her brother towards the elevator. David, meanwhile, intended to wait until Dr. Oliver and Tommy were alone; he needed to talk to Dr. Oliver right away.
"…Okay, so I'll sit on Laura and you feed her the sandwich bit by bit if she doesn't eat by herself," Adam suggested as he and Billy stepped off the elevator with a wrapped sandwich, a bottle of juice, and a wrapped cinnamon roll on a cafeteria tray in their hands. "She's gotta eat something, Billy."
Billy nodded, "I'm sure we won't have to force Laura to eat as long as Tommy is still awake," he replied as they walked across the emergency room to the other elevator. "Laura's probably very hungry."
"…Mom, pass me the bucket," a familiar moan carried across the ER. "I'm gonna be sick again."
There was a horrible, loud retching sound, "Oh Eugene, poor baby," a gentle cooing voice suddenly carried over from a patient area. Adam and Billy exchanged a concerned look? Was Skull nearby?
The curtain suddenly pulled back and Adam and Billy were shocked to see Skull laying on the hospital bed in his street clothes looking pale, "Skull?" Adam asked, frowning at how sick Skull looked to him.
"Ah, friends from your school, dear?" Mrs. Skullovitch asked, smiling at Adam and Billy as she took the filled bedpan away and handed him a clean one. "Could you visit with him while I get a nurse, please?"
Skull groaned as his mother walked away and his nose began to bleed, "There's an icepack in that bowl over there," he said in an upset voice. "My mom said if my nose bleeds, I should use it."
Adam nodded, hurried over to the bowl, grabbed the icepack, and delivered it to Skull without so much as a peep, "Thanks," Skull replied as he held it to the side of his nose. "What do you want, dweebs?"
"Why are you in the hospital?" Billy asked gently. "Did you get hurt during that earthquake today?"
Skull sighed, "I've not been feeling well for a while and I almost passed out in front of my mom when I got home from school today," he replied in a deadbeat voice. "She brought me here and they took some blood and now I'm supposed to stay here overnight for observation. My first treatment's tomorrow…"
"Treatment?" Adam asked, wondering what treatment Skull was referring to. "Treatment for what?"
Skull suddenly looked very uncomfortable, "Chemotherapy treatment," he replied in a semi-annoyed voice as he lowered the bloodstained ice pack. "I had cancer when I was younger and I had some treatments that made me sick and the cancer went away. Now it's back and I have to have more."
"Skull, that's awful," Adam replied in a worried voice. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
Skull sighed and quickly unzipped his jacket, revealing a hospital shirt, "If you could help me take this jacket off so I can sleep easier, that would be great," he said in a tired voice. "And tell Bulk for me."
Adam and Billy set the tray down on a table and carefully helped Skull take off his jacket, "Thanks," Skull said as he lay back on his pillow, showing his arm that had a cotton ball taped to it. "I hate needles."
"Eugene, I'm back with a nurse," Mrs. Skullovitch said as she suddenly came back with a middle aged lady in pink scrubs at her heels. "Thank you so much, boys, for being a good friend to my Eugene."
Adam nodded as Mrs. Skullovitch gave Skull a hug, "Oh, my poor baby," she said in a soothing tone as she held Skull close to her. "Have a good evening, boys. My Eugene needs to get some rest now."
"Feel better, Skull," Billy said as he picked up the tray and moved back. "Let's go upstairs, Adam."
As Adam and Billy walked away, the curtain was again drawn, but Skull's secret was now known. Adam and Billy, however, wanted to keep it a secret...for now.
"I can't eat any more," Tommy said in a tired voice as he swallowed a mouthful of soup. "I'm sorry."
Laura nodded and returned the spoon to the bowl of soup which was still more than half full, "That's all right, Tommy, you did well," she said in an encouraging tone. "Five bites is really, really good."
"I'm tired and thinking about Kimberly is making me even more tired," Tommy replied in a faint voice as he took a deep breath to calm his troubled mind. "Now that I can't morph, I feel even more useless."
Jason sighed, "You can't morph until your strength comes back," he replied. "It's not permanent."
"Kimberly or your Uncle Frank wouldn't want you talking like that anyway," Malcolm cut in.
Tommy sighed and suddenly, Dr. Oliver sat up on the cot on the far side of Tommy's bed, "You're right, Malcolm, I don't want my nephew talking like that," Dr. Oliver said as he got up from the cot and walked over to the hospital bed. "I think that kind of talk is a sign that Tommy's getting tired and needs sleep."
"We'll come by again tomorrow," Jason promised in a gentle voice. "Hang in there and get some rest."
Tommy nodded, "Oh, if school's back in session tomorrow, I won't be there," Dr. Oliver cut in as he smiled at Jason, Laura, Malcolm, and Rocky. "I'm going to spend the day doing paperwork here."
"I'll let Mr. Caplan know for you," Malcolm promised in a gentle voice. "Have a good night, Tommy."
Rocky moved towards the door, "Do you need a lift to the shelter, Laura?" he asked worriedly.
"No, I'm not scared of the dark," Laura replied in a gentle voice. "I'll walk back to the shelter."
Jason frowned, "Laura, even in Angel Grove it's not real safe for a pretty young woman like you to be walking around alone at night," he said in a gentle voice. "If anything happened to you out there…"
"All right," Laura replied, blushing furiously at Jason's comments. "See you later, Tommy."
Dr. Oliver fought the urge to chuckle as Jason, Rocky, Malcolm, and Laura left the room, "Is it just me, or does Jason have a crush on Laura?" he whispered in an amused voice. "Tommy, what do you…?"
Suddenly concerned by the silence, Dr. Oliver looked at Tommy and smiled when he saw that Tommy had fallen into a deep sleep with the arrowhead half still in his hand. Chuckling softly, Dr. Oliver gently used the controls to lower the bed a little bit and then covered Tommy's chest with the blanket.
"Excuse me, sir?" David asked as he suddenly came into the room. "Are you Frank Oliver, by chance?"
Dr. Oliver nodded and walked around the hospital bed, "I just kicked everyone else out so Tommy could sleep," he replied gently. "I don't believe I've seen you before. Are you a friend of Tommy's?"
"My name is David Trueheart," David replied in a gentle voice. "I'm Tommy's brother."
Dr. Oliver's eyes widened in shock, "David," he said in a shocked voice. "I thought you had died…"
"No, I was adopted by a man named Sam Trueheart," David replied. "I thought Tommy had died."
Dr. Oliver shook his head, "I adopted him in San Francisco when he was little," he replied in a gentle voice, not wanting Tommy to wake up. "Before we came to Angel Grove, we lived in Reefside."
"I don't want to wake Tommy up right now," David said, knowing that whatever had happened to Tommy, it was fairly serious. "Can I come back in the next couple of days and see him while Mark and Kat are in school? I'm a senior and I have some spares, so I could come if you want me to come."
Dr. Oliver smiled, "That would actually be a very good idea," he replied, eager for Tommy and David to meet and get to know one another. "Maybe in the next couple of days, he'll have enough energy to start going for walks and get some of his strength back. For now, I think he should just stay in bed and rest."
"I think so too," David replied in a gentle voice as he backed away. "I'll see you later, Doctor Oliver."
As David left, Dr. Oliver walked back over to the cot and sat down. He gently took Tommy's hand in his own and was surprised at how cold it felt; Rito's torture had done a number on Tommy; a bad one.
"Oh Tommy," Dr. Oliver said with a deep sigh in his voice. "Hang in there; please don't give up, kiddo."
Where am I? Kimberly wondered as she opened her eyes and saw that she was in a dark, dungeon-like room with the only light coming from a small barred window in the corner of the room. Who am I?
"You are Kimberly Hart of Earth," Rito said as he appeared before her with his bone sword.
Kimberly froze at the sight of Rito, "Why am I here?" she asked in a worried voice. "It's cold here."
"You were a Power Ranger, but the Rangers left you behind," Rito lied as he showed her the Pink Ninja Morpher and Crane Power Coin. "You can use these to transform and destroy your fellow Rangers."
Kimberly made a face, "Why would I want to transform?" she hissed. "It sounds really disgusting."
"If you don't want it, I could use it," Rito lied in a distressed voice. "I am so weak from fighting…"
Kimberly suddenly looked sorrowful, "I wish I could do something to help you," she said, angry that the Power Rangers would leave her behind helpless. "Please let me help you if I can; really let me. You're the only one who seems to care I'm here."
"You can," Rito said as he took Kimberly's hand and pressed it against the Coin. "Give me your strength."
Power from the goodness in Kimberly's heart and from the Pink Ninja Crane Coin surged from Kimberly to Rito as the two held hands. Rito cackled madly and Kimberly smiled, thinking she was helping him.
"With your help, my dear Kimberly, we shall destroy the Power Rangers," Rito said in a gentle voice.
Kimberly laughed evilly and smiled, kissing Rito in delight, "It will be my pleasure," she replied, amused.
"No…Kim," Tommy gasped, breathing heavily as he fumbled around for his Morpher. "NO!"
Tommy's eyes popped open and he sat up breathing heavily enough that he threw up all over his blanket and gagged violently, "Tommy, you had a nightmare," Dr. Oliver said in a gentle voice as he stood up, leaned forward, and pressed the nurse's call button. "Breathe deep and relax, okay?"
"I can't breathe," Tommy moaned, fighting the urge to throw up again as a nurse hurried into the room.
Grateful that his nephew's Morpher and Falcon Power Coin were stored safely in his jacket pockets, Dr. Oliver carefully whipped the dirty blanket off the bed as the nurse hurried over to the cupboard to grab another blanket and a clean gown. Tommy wheezed and pulled off his gown, relieved when the nurse came back with a clean blanket and gown. As the nurse redressed Tommy, Dr. Oliver stepped back.
"There we go," the nurse said in a gentle voice as she helped Tommy lay back on his pillow and covered him with a very clean, much larger blanket. "Do you want a little medicine to help you sleep?"
Dr. Oliver nodded and smiled at the nurse, "I think that would be a wise idea," he replied, effectively cutting any protests Tommy might make off. "Tommy had a nightmare about what happened to him."
Nodding, the nurse put the dirty blanket into a laundry hamper and walked over to a locked cupboard in the corner of the room. She used a set of keys to unlock a cupboard and get out a small vial of medication and a tiny syringe. Seeing the needle made Tommy shiver, but he remained quiet.
Giving Tommy a sympathetic smile, the nurse came back over to the bed, put some of the medication into the needle, and inserted the needle into the IV line, "This is for your own good, Tommy," Dr. Oliver said, gently stroking his nephew's hand to keep him calm. "You need sleep without interruptions."
"Stay with me," Tommy whispered as he succumbed to the sedative and fell asleep. "Don't leave..."
The nurse stepped away with the empty needle and Dr. Oliver sighed; even now, Tommy had an intense fear of abandonment stemming from his time in state psychiatric care. As the nurse left the room, Dr. Oliver released Tommy's hand and tucked it under the blanket; hopefully, Tommy would heal someday.
As she saw Rocky's truck turn the corner, Laura stepped out of the shelter entranceway and sighed; she had no desire to sleep after experiencing the vision she had been granted during the ride from the hospital; she had seen Kimberly succumb to Rito's spell and vow to help him destroy all the Rangers.
No matter what Jason or Rocky said, Laura was determined to walk back to the hospital and keep an eye on both Tommy and Dr. Oliver just in case Rito tried to capture them again. She had her Morpher if there was any trouble and there was nobody at the shelter who would miss her anyway; hunger was no longer a problem as she had eaten in Rocky's truck and had thanked them all for caring about her.
Letting out a tired sigh, Laura began walking back down the dark sidewalk towards the hospital, silently hoping that she could get back up to Tommy's room without trouble. As she walked, Laura found that she was comforted by the quiet and the cool air; it gave her time to think and reflect on her past.
A loud horn suddenly sounded and Laura didn't turn; she walked even faster in the direction of the hospital and didn't stop even when she heard a car park behind her and car doors open and close.
"Laura Hammond?" Laura heard as she saw Katherine approach. "What are you doing out here?"
Laura frowned, "Out where?" she asked in a confused voice. "I'm walking back to the hospital."
"You're at the edge of town, headed towards the reservation," Katherine replied in a worried voice as the headlights from David's truck suddenly shone on them both. "Why are you out alone in the dark?"
Laura silently gazed around, horrified to see rocks and earth instead of buildings, "I must have been so deep in thought that I went the wrong way," she replied in a soft voice. "I decided to go back to the hospital and keep an eye on Tommy and Doctor Oliver. Katherine, you don't look angry anymore."
"No, Rito took the spell off me after he captured Kimberly," Katherine replied in a solemn voice.
Laura frowned, "I had a vision about Rito tricking Kimberly into giving him the Pink Ninja Powers," she said in a hushed voice. "He tricked her into thinking that the Power Rangers had left her there."
"Oh, this is all my fault," Katherine replied in a sorrowful voice. "I need to make amends to the others."
Letting out a sigh, Laura took a step closer to Katherine, "You were under a spell, just like I was," she said in a gentle voice. "I think what you should do is talk to Zordon and Alpha first; I don't doubt your sincerity, but I think they'll have better judgment than I. I'm too tired right now to think very clearly."
"Why don't you come with me and you can spend the night at the reservation with us?" Katherine suggested, wanting to make Laura feel included. "You could call your family from there and…"
Laura shook her head, "I'm an emancipated adult and I live at the shelter," she replied, suddenly feeling out of place around Katherine because Katherine had a brother and a foster family who loved her.
"Please, I insist you come out to the reservation with us tonight," David, who had left Mark in the truck and had overheard the girls talking, said as he approached them. "You obviously need some rest."
Fear suddenly filled Laura's heart as she saw David approach; they were lying and were going to take her back to her parents in Los Angeles. Why wouldn't they take her back to the shelter otherwise?
"Look, I'm not going back to Los Angeles even if Ashley is still there," Laura said as she backed away and then broke into a run back towards Angel Grove. "I've been through too much there to go back."
As Laura ran back towards town, Katherine hurried over to David, "I'll follow her on foot while you take Mark back home so he can get enough rest for school tomorrow," she said, worried for Laura's safety. "I don't know why Laura ran away from us, David. All I wanted to do was help her to a safe place."
Meanwhile, in the safety of the Lee Scott home, Jason and Malcolm were in their bedroom and each sitting on their beds preparing to go to sleep after reflecting on their trip back in time. Malcolm had calmed down about it and was half asleep, but Jason was awake and thinking about the spirit stones.
"…Kim don't do it," Malcolm suddenly mumbled in a sleepy voice as he suddenly swayed and fell off the bed and on to the plush carpet. Jason quickly rolled off the bed and on to the floor next to him.
Malcolm's eyes popped open, "What am I doing on the floor?" he asked groggily. "Jason?"
"You mumbled something about Kimberly and fell off your bed," Jason replied. "Are you okay?"
Malcolm sighed as he sat up, "I think Rito's going to use Kimberly against us," he replied in a groggy voice. "I just had this little nightmare that Rito convinced Kimberly to give her power over to him."
Beep-beep-boop-boop-beep-beep.
Frowning, Jason raised his communicator, "Go ahead Alpha," he said in a quiet voice as he gazed at Malcolm.
"Jason, sensors detect Laura is alone on the streets of Angel Grove, but we don't know where," Alpha replied.
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