"Scan complete," Alpha's voice echoed through the small intercom in the biotube. "Hold still, please."
Laura sighed as the small person-sized tube slid out of the body scan machine that was in the medical area of the Power Chamber, "The results will take a few minutes to compute," Alpha stated in a concerned voice. "You can remove the med-suit and wait in the command area for the results."
Swallowing hard, Laura slowly sat up, got off the scan table, and quickly removed the radiation-proof jumpsuit that Alpha had made her wear over her clothes for the scan. She could see that Alpha was busy, so she was quiet as she walked from the medical area into the command area of the Chamber.
"Have you received your results yet, Laura?" Zordon asked as he suddenly appeared in his tube.
Laura shook her head, "Alpha said they would be ready in a few minutes," she replied softly as she leaned against one of the consoles and looked up at him. "I'm sorry for bothering you and Alpha…"
"It is not necessary to apologize, Laura," Zordon replied calmly. "Rita's visit was unexpected and you were obviously shaken by her powerful words. I am, however, concerned that you told no one else…"
Laura bit her lip, "I've never told anyone, not even Doctor Oliver, about how badly I was beaten by my parents and their friends," she replied in a nervous voice. "Detective Stone has an idea about how badly off Ashley and I were, but I never even told him the extent of what I've been through. I'm scared to."
"Your friends will not treat you differently if they know," Zordon stated. "They will not abandon you."
Tears filled Laura's eyes and she hugged herself, "Even if I can't have children of my own when I'm older, I can still be of use to the world," she said in a steady voice. "I'm not going to be useless to everyone when I'm not a Ranger anymore. I didn't have any powers for a while before and I survived that…"
"Laura, I'm afraid these results will take longer to process than I originally thought," Alpha said in an apologetic voice as he came into the command area. "The results won't be ready until tomorrow."
Laura sighed, "Maybe I'll just keep riding Tommy's bike around town for a while before I go back to Doctor Oliver's then," she replied in a calm voice even though she was anxious. "Thanks for your help."
Before Zordon or Alpha could reply, Laura tapped her Turbo Morpher and teleported away.
"Hey Jason, hey Zack," Rocky commented as he and Dr. Oliver spotted Jason and Zack come through the hospital's emergency entrance. "I thought you were upstairs with your parents visiting Malcolm?"
Jason shook his head, but didn't speak, "I was just getting back from Africa and I saw Jason in the park," Zack commented, secretly horrified to see Rocky in a wheelchair. "What happened to you, anyway?"
"I was attacked at the shelter a while back," Rocky replied softly. "I was a complete paraplegic for a while, but I'm able to feel things below my waist from time to time; however, I can't walk quite yet."
Zack nodded, "Do you know if my parents are still here, Rocky?" Jason asked tiredly. "I'm getting tired."
"I was just looking for you, Jason," Thomas commented in a gentle voice as he came down the hallway looking tired, but concerned. "You left before I had a chance to tell you that Malcolm woke up and I…"
Jason's eyes widened, "Malcolm woke up?" he asked in an anxious voice. "Could I go up and see him?"
"Well, Malcolm's resting right now and your mother is staying with him," Thomas replied gently. "I think we should let him rest for now and maybe around dinnertime we can come back for a visit, okay?"
Jason nodded, "Dad, I was hoping I could talk to you alone, actually," he said, feeling courageous because of his talk with Zack in the park. "I haven't been well since Billy died and I'm scared about it."
"We could go have something to eat at Ernie's and talk, if you'd like," Thomas offered gently. "Zack, it's good to see you back in Angel Grove; you're more than welcome to join us if you want to."
Zack quickly shook his head, "I have to go home and get settled," he lied, not wanting to tell Jason, Rocky, Dr. Oliver, or Jason's father that he was planning to sneak upstairs and try visiting Kimberly.
"Can someone help me back up to my room?" Rocky suddenly asked. "When Justin visited yesterday after school, I promised that I'd phone him today. He wants to do so some fishing this summer…"
Zack nodded eagerly, "I don't mind," he replied calmly. "That way you guys can get going."
"I'd stay and chat longer, but I really do have to go by the grocery store before it closes," Dr. Oliver said in an apologetic voice. "Tommy asked if we could have Katherine, Tanya, David, and Jason over for supper tonight, but I don't have enough to feed extra people. Zack, you're welcome to come too."
Rocky sighed, "Hey Zack, could you take me back to my room now, please?" he asked, not wanting to let everyone know that he was feeling left out because he wasn't strong enough to leave the hospital yet.
Zack nodded and silently wheeled Rocky off towards the elevator, "Dad, can we please get out of here?" Jason asked in a distressed voice, having had enough of the hospital. "I just want to relax for once."
Nodding, Thomas put an arm around Jason and led him out of the hospital. Worried that he had unintentionally hurt Rocky's feelings, Dr. Oliver sighed and walked off towards the back elevators.
"Hey, Tommy, isn't that your bike?" Adam asked, spotting a large red bicycle leaning against one of the trees at the edge of Angel Grove Park as he, Katherine, Tommy, and Tanya were walking back to Dr. Oliver's house to get Justin, Ashley, David, and the house ready for dinner. "Where's your helmet?"
Tommy frowned as he walked over to his bike, "Laura rode my bike to the hospital earlier today," he replied in a concerned voice as he looked around and spotted his helmet on the grass nearby. "Huh?"
"Do you think something happened to her on the way back from the hospital?" Tanya asked in a worried voice as she walked over to the bike. "We never did find out if Rita, Zedd, or Divatox survived the blast."
Adam suddenly looked worried, "If Divatox, Zedd, and Rita survived that blast, it would mean that Billy died for no reason," he commented in a worried voice. "Why haven't they attacked us again, though?"
"Who says that they haven't?" Katherine suggested in a worried voice. "They could have taken Laura."
Before Tommy, Adam, or Tanya could reply, Bulk and Detective Stone came riding down the street on a motorcycle; Bulk was driving while Detective Stone sat merrily in the sidecar with his sunglasses on. The bike stopped in front of where Tommy, Adam, Tanya, and Katherine were standing beside the bicycle.
"What are you kids up to?" Detective Stone asked in a curious voice. "Enjoying your Saturday so far?"
Adam frowned, "We're looking for Laura, Detective Stone," he stated worriedly. "Have you seen her?"
Detective Stone suddenly looked thoughtful, "I believe I saw her biking around about an hour ago," he replied in an intrigued voice. "If I see Laura again, I'll let her know that you're all looking for her."
"Aren't you worried about her, Detective?" Tanya asked in a confused voice. "Laura could be hurt…"
Detective Stone sighed, "I'll give Doctor Oliver a call about Laura if it will reassure you all," he replied in a slightly impatient voice even though he too was worried about Laura distancing herself from others.
"Should we look for Laura too, sir?" Katherine asked in a worried voice. "We're worried about her."
Detective Stone shook his head, "Angel Grove doesn't need any more fatalities," he replied in a firm voice, his heart aching at the sudden deaths of Trini Kwan and Billy Cranston. "Go enjoy your day."
Before Tommy, Tanya, Katherine, or Adam could argue, Detective Stone cleared his throat, "Next time you're at the hospital, kids, please let Mister Skullovitch know that he still has a place on the Junior Police Force if he wants it once he's well enough to resume his normal routine. Have a good day."
As Bulk tore off down the street, Tommy sighed, "Guys, why don't you just go back to my Uncle Frank's house and help David, Ashley, and Justin get ready for dinner?" he suggested, the mention of Skull suddenly reminding him of how Kimberly broke his heart and how it made him feel drained. "Okay?"
"Tommy, your uncle's not gonna be happy if you take off without telling him," Adam commented.
Tommy shrugged, "I just need some time by myself, Adam," he replied reassuringly. "I'll be okay."
Even though Adam didn't look convinced, he nodded and kept silent as Tommy took his bike and helmet and took off through the park, "When we get to Doctor Oliver's, let's act like nothing's wrong so that Justin, Ashley, and Mark won't be worried," Katherine commented as she followed Adam and Tanya down the street. "I think they've got enough on their plates right now and don't need added stress."
"Kat, I've been meaning to ask you if you or Mark heard anything about your parents yet?" Adam asked in a concerned voice as they reached the bus stop. "It's just been on my mind ever since Billy…"
Katherine sighed, "Nothing yet, I'm afraid," she replied softly. "That's why I just want to keep everything as pleasant as possible for Mark; he's still having nightmares of what happened on Muranthias."
Tanya nodded, "I've been having some of those too," she replied softly. "I can't believe it happened…"
As Adam, Tanya, and Katherine talked and waited for the bus, they were unaware that someone had been watching them from afar and was now going to use their sudden division to strike against them.
In what seemed like centuries, but was actually mere hours, the palace of KO-35 lay in ruins and Prince Andros stood among the bodies of his former staff in nothing but royal rags. He had no idea what had happened; all he knew that a sudden explosion had decimated things he had held dearly to his heart.
"Who would do such a terrible thing?" Andros asked himself in a shocked voice as he gazed around at the remains of what used to be his home and family. "We are a peaceful planet and do not believe in…"
There was a loud cackle and Divatox suddenly appeared, her ship having capability to beam her to the planet from orbit, "I know who destroyed your planet, Prince Andros," she said in a somber voice, hoping that her appearance wouldn't scare him off. "I also know where he and his warriors are."
"Warriors?" Andros asked, slightly nervous about the scantily clad woman standing before him.
Divatox nodded, "Zordon of Eltar provided the power that destroyed your palace and he took it from my warriors and I long ago," she lied in a somber voice. "He gave it to teens he calls Turbo Power Rangers."
Andros gave Divatox a mystified look, "Zordon and his Power Rangers are on Earth," Divatox stated in a crafty tone as she stepped closer to him. "They have just lost a friend, so they are emotionally scarred…"
"Their friend was killed like Karone was?" Andros asked in a somber voice. "Is Zordon really that evil?"
Divatox chuckled, "Zordon killed Karone and now he is planning to send his Power Rangers to do the same to you very soon," she lied, a cunning smile appearing on her lips. "You can stop Zordon, though."
Andros looked even more mystified when Divatox produced a mask and cloak out of thin air and handed it to him, "This will give you power to hurt the Power Rangers. "Start with the weakest Ranger, Laura."
Andros quickly put the cloak and mask on, "They will pay for destroying my planet," he said angrily.
As Andros disappeared, Divatox chuckled evilly and teleported back to her ship to watch him work.
"Kim, I thought I'd come back to see if you wanted me to get you dinner," Laura commented as she opened the door to Kimberly's room and saw Kimberly sitting cross-legged on the bed looking rather despondent. "I've got nowhere else to go anyway, so I figured we could hang out a little bit."
Kim looked surprised but nodded, "I thought you'd be hanging out with Jason or any of the others," she replied in a confused voice as Laura sat down on the bed. "I should see them, but I just can't bear it yet."
"Jason's been really distant towards me since Billy died, if you must know," Laura explained in a disturbed voice as she crossed her arms. "Adam, Tommy, Tanya, and Kat have just been polite."
Kimberly frowned, "I'm not surprised, though," Laura continued softly. "I saw Trini before she died and he never got to say goodbye. Jason only knew Trini was dead when I gave him that necklace of hers."
"What do you mean you saw Trini before she died?" Kimberly asked in a curious voice. "Where…?"
Laura sighed, "I was just coming to the shelter that night and I saw this little girl lying unconscious in the bushes in clothes that were too big for her," she explained, suddenly feeling very somber as she recalled the memory of the night before her life changed. "When she woke, she said her name was Aisha."
Kimberly looked absolutely floored, but before she could reply, she saw Zack wheel an exhausted looking Rocky down the hallway past her room, "I also saw Rocky and Zack that night," Laura said in an anxious voice as she stood up, ready to bolt. "Rocky told me that Trini had been hurt by a knife…"
The door suddenly opened and Zack and Rocky were there, "Hey Laura, what are you doing here?" Rocky asked in a surprised, but cheerful voice. "Won't Doctor Oliver wonder where you are?"
Zack, however, gave Laura an intrigued look, "You're the one who tucked Trini into that bed at the shelter and made her comfortable even after we were teleported to the Command Center," he said in an intrigued voice as he extended his hand. "My name is Zack Taylor and I want to say thank you."
"I didn't do anything extraordinary," Laura replied nervously. "My presence brings people pain…"
Kimberly winced, but before she could reply, a figure in a cloak and mask appeared in the middle of the hospital room, "Blonde hair, blue eyes, blue clothes," the figure hissed. "Laura, the Blue Turbo Ranger."
"Did Rita or Divatox send you?" Laura asked in a confused voice. "Why are you looking for me?"
The figure chuckled, "The almighty Power Rangers are just weak humans?" he asked softly. "It will…"
Worried that the figure could hurt Kimberly, Rocky, or Zack, Laura stepped up to the figure, "We are anything but weak humans," she replied in a determined voice. "Please, tell us why you are here."
"My home was destroyed by Zordon," the figure said in a mournful voice. "I am in unbearable pain."
Laura extended her hand towards him, "I can heal you," she offered in an anxious voice, unaware that Kimberly had grabbed her shirt or that Zack and Rocky had come closer to them. "Please, let me help."
"You wish to help?" the figure asked in a dark, yet determined tone. "Battle with me."
The figure suddenly grabbed Laura's hand and was about to vanish with her when Zack and Rocky grabbed to each other and to Kimberly. Because they were holding to Laura, all three teens also vanished with Laura and the figure. Suddenly, the empty hospital room began to quake violently.
"It's an earthquake!" Ernie called out in an anxious voice, hurrying into the kitchen to hide as the table holding Thomas and Jason's food was knocked to the floor. "Everyone take cover right now!"
Thomas quickly got to his feet and reached for Jason, but Jason was quickly thrown to the floor hard as he stood up, "Jason, are you all right?" Thomas asked, seeing Jason's pain-filled expression.
"I'm a little sore," Jason replied in a pained voice as the shaking stopped. "Dad, can you help me up?"
Thomas frowned, but nodded as he stood and offered a hand to Jason. As Jason slowly got to his feet, he grabbed his side and whimpered, but he managed to get to his feet and lean against his father.
"I think I might have hurt a rib or two when I fell," Jason said in a pain filled voice. "I need to lie down."
Thomas nodded and helped Jason walk over to a pile of mats that had fallen and scattered during the brief, but powerful earthquake, "Easy now," he said in a gentle voice as he helped Jason sit on the mats.
"It really hurts," Jason whispered in a pained voice as he laid back, took a deep breath, and winced.
Thomas sighed as Ernie came out from the back, "Ernie, do you have some ice?" he asked in a concerned voice as he knelt down next to Jason. "Jason fell and hurt himself during the earthquake."
"Yeah, I've got some in the freezer," Ernie replied in a worried voice. "Sit tight; I'll go and get it. While I'm in the back, I'll call for an ambulance to come and see if Jason needs to go to a hospital."
As Ernie disappeared into the kitchen, Jason closed his eyes, "I've been such a jerk to everyone since Billy died, Dad, and I'm sorry," he said in a pain filled voice. "Doctor Cranston tried to talk to me at the hospital earlier and I blew him off. Maybe I should talk to Doctor Oliver at school on Monday about it."
"That can wait until Monday, son," Thomas replied gently as he gently caressed Jason's hand. "Relax."
Laura was shocked to find herself, Kimberly, Rocky, and Zack on the hot sand of Angel Grove beach and Zack quickly realized that they were close to the spot where Aisha died. The four of them were standing on one side and the figure was standing by himself on the other in a stance like he was ready to fight.
"Zordon, Alpha, I'm at Angel Grove Beach and I'm in trouble," Laura said in an anxious voice as she raised her communicator and tapped a few buttons. "Zordon, Alpha; this is Laura. Do you read me?"
The figure chuckled, "It will not work," he replied in a hollow voice. "You cannot call for help."
"Please, take my hands and let me help you," Laura said in an anxious voice as she walked over to him with her hands out. "I don't want to fight you because you're in pain. Let me help you feel better."
For a moment, the figure was silent and then took Laura's hands, "OH NO, YOU DON'T!" an angry voice screamed as Laura felt some of her healing power transfer over to the figure. "YOU STOP THIS NOW!"
Suddenly, Divatox appeared and broke Laura and the figure apart with a wave of her arms. The figure immediately disappeared into thin air while Laura fell backwards on to the sand at Zack's feet.
"NO!" Divatox roared furiously as Laura shakily got to her feet. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, MISS BLUE!"
The beach began to quake violently, but Laura, Kimberly, Zack, and Rocky managed to stay upright and Laura quickly pulled out her Morpher, "Blue Turbo Power!" Laura shouted as she held her Morpher out.
Divatox roared furiously as Laura morphed and both Kimberly and Zack assumed fighting stance. Laura, however, took a few steps back and quickly touched Rocky's hand. Rocky managed to slowly stand up.
"Don't try and fight, Rocky," Laura whispered in an anxious voice. "I don't know if it will hurt you to."
Rocky scoffed softly, but said nothing, "If you want a party, try this on for size," Divatox scoffed.
Before anyone had a chance to react, Divatox fired laser shots from her eyes that were aimed at Kimberly and Zack, but both dodged the beams using their finesse from their own days as Rangers.
"Laura, you, Kim, and Zack should get out of here," Rocky whispered to Laura. "Don't worry about me."
Laura scoffed, "I'm not leaving you behind, Rocky," she whispered angrily. "I will not do that to you."
"Oh, are you having a chat with the cripple, Blue Ranger?" Divatox scoffed. "Let's have some fun!"
A sudden wind cropped up, blowing Laura away from Rocky and leaving him exposed, "Say goodnight, cripple," Divatox scoffed as she powered up her eyes again. "A few lasers, cripple, and you'll be fried…"
Not far from the action, Tommy, who had been walking around to try and mend his broken heart, saw that Divatox had Laura, Zack, Rocky, and Kimberly trapped. He tried to contact the Power Chamber and also morph, but neither worked, "Say goodnight, cripple!" he heard Divatox shout. "One, two, three!"
Tommy ran towards the group just as Divatox fired laser beams from her eyes towards and he was shocked to see Laura dive in front of Rocky and take the hit. As Laura crashed to the sand, Divatox flashed her hands at Kimberly and Zack and, before they could react, they both disappeared.
"Laura!" Rocky cried, ignoring the pain in his back as he knelt down next to her. "Are you okay, Laura?"
Laura was silent for a moment and then nodded slowly, "This isn't over," Divatox scoffed as she took a step away from the group and vanished into thin air. "I'll just go after the other Power Rangers next!"
"Where did Kimberly and Zack go?" Rocky asked in a pain filled voice as he slowly stood up and immediately put a hand on his back. "They were here just a moment ago? Where did Divatox…?"
Laura cringed as she slowly got to her feet, "Rocky, sit back in your chair," she said in a pained voice, placing a hand on her abdomen as she watched Rocky slowly sit back in his wheelchair. "Divatox's soldier took us from Kimberly's hospital room. Tommy, what are you doing down here at the beach?"
"I was just walking around," Tommy replied in a concerned voice. "What do you mean her soldier?"
Rocky coughed, "We'll talk about it later," Laura replied anxiously. "We should head back to town."
Tommy nodded and frowned as he looked up at the sky and saw dark clouds overhead, "Looks like we're in for a storm," he commented as he watched Laura carefully maneuver Rocky's wheelchair on to the path that would lead up to the road. "Laura, do you want me to push Rocky's chair for a while?"
Shaking her head, Laura silently pushed Rocky's wheelchair up to the road and wasn't surprised when Tommy quickly joined her, "You will soon know that I was serious about going after all the Rangers," Divatox's voice echoed throughout the dark sky. "Nobody will be free from the terror I unleash."
"Tommy, let's find a phone and call your uncle," Rocky said as drops of rain began to fall from the sky.
Tommy nodded, "There aren't any pay phones this far out, so we'll have to walk for a bit," he replied in an apologetic voice, mentally kicking himself for forgetting the cell-phone. "Maybe we can…"
"We are NOT hitchhiking into town, Tommy Oliver," Laura replied snappishly. "Let's just get walking."
Suddenly, a patrol car came driving by and quickly pulled over, "What are you kids doing out here in such terrible weather?" a voice asked as Rocky nervously stood up and held on to Laura for support.
"Detective Stone, what are you doing out here?" Laura asked softly, recognizing the voice.
Detective Stone shone his flashlight out the car window, "Laura Hammond, Tommy Oliver, and Rocky DeSantos," he commented in a surprised voice. "Rocky, I thought you were in the hospital?"
"It's a long story, sir," Rocky replied as he began to feel cold. "Could we get a ride back to town?"
Detective Stone nodded, "Of course," he replied gently. "I don't want any of you getting sick."
"Kimberly, wake up," Kimberly heard Zack's voice say in an anxious, but quiet tone. "Kimberly?"
Kimberly opened her eyes and was shocked to find herself sitting in a chair at Skull's bedside with her head resting on the bedrail, "Kim, are you okay?" Zack asked in a concerned voice. "I just woke up."
"Shh, Zack, I don't want to wake Eugene up," Kimberly replied as she quietly got to her feet and moved away from Skull so that he didn't wake from the deep sleep he was in. "How exactly did we get here?"
Zack shrugged, "That pirate lady must have sent us here," he replied in a nervous voice. "I wonder how Tommy, Rocky, and Laura are doing? I don't know why that pirate lady wanted to talk to Laura…"
"Zack, we're being watched," Kimberly said in a nervous voice, suddenly noticing Bulk lingering out in the hallway in his police uniform with a backpack in one hand and a pillow in the other hand.
Zack frowned just in time to see Bulk come into the room, "What are you two doing here?" he asked in a nervous voice as he walked over to the bed. "I just wanted to visit Skull before I went to the shelter for the night since it's not very far from here. I had to practically beg the nurse to let me come up here."
"Why are you going to the shelter, Bulk?" Kimberly asked in a worried voice. "Don't you live at home?"
Bulk cringed, "I kinda can't live there right now," he replied softly. "Anyway, I should get going…"
It was then that Zack noticed the faint bruises on Bulk's jaw, "Who beat you up?" he asked softly.
"It's none of your business," Bulk snapped as he backed away from them. "I gotta get out of here."
As Bulk hurried out of the room, Kimberly frowned and was about to say something when Skull suddenly whimpered and began to thrash violently in bed, "No, please stop," Skull moaned. "PLEASE STOP!"
"Zack, go get a nurse," Kimberly whispered in an anxious voice as Skull's monitor went haywire.
Zack nodded and hurried out of the room, "Eugene, please, wake up," Kimberly said in an anxious voice as she gently grabbed hold of one of his hands and gave it a squeeze. "Eugene, you're dreaming!"
Skull gasped and nearly gagged as he woke up in a cold sweat, "I was being beaten by some creepy gold guy," he said in a shellshocked voice. "I can't remember much except that and Billy talking to me…"
"You were hurt really badly by Goldar, weren't you?" Kimberly asked softly as she stroked his hand.
Skull sighed tiredly as a nurse and Zack came into the room, "What's the problem?" the nurse asked.
"I had a bit of a bad nightmare," Skull replied in a groggy voice. "Now I'm not feeling all that great."
The nurse nodded and looked at Kimberly, "You should go back to bed, Miss Hart," she said in a gentle, but firm voice as Skull suddenly gasped. "Now, Mister Skullovitch, I'm going to put this mask on you…"
"No, please don't touch me," Skull whimpered, visions of Goldar beating him flooding his mind.
The nurse looked concerned, but took the mask off the wall, "It's just an oxygen mask, Mister Skullovitch," she explained calmly, remembering what Dr. Cranston had told her about Skull's aversion to touch due to any torture he might have suffered by his monster captors. "It will help you relax."
"Gene, please," Kimberly whispered, slightly frightened by what Goldar had done to Skull's bravado.
Zack gave Kimberly a shocked look, but Skull suddenly relaxed, "Okay," he whispered groggily.
Kimberly sighed as the nurse gently fitted the mask over Skull's face, "Kim, go get some rest," Skull said in a slightly muffled voice as he released her hand. "I'll be okay tonight. Just having you care helps…"
"Goodnight," Kimberly whispered softly, sighing sadly as Skull drifted off into a deep sleep once again.
Zack cleared his throat, "Kim, I'll take you back to your room," he said in a gentle, but worried voice.
Kimberly nodded, stood up, and silently left the room with Zack, leaving Skull alone with the nurse.
"…I'm just glad nothing's broken," Jason commented in a tired voice as he slowly followed his father down the hallway towards the emergency entrance after getting x-rays on his ribs. "Oh, Dad, I'm tired."
Thomas nodded and gently put an arm around Jason, "When we get home, I want you to have something to eat and then go to bed early," he replied in a fatherly tone. "It's been a long day."
Jason nodded, but frowned as he suddenly noticed a tired looking Dr. Oliver talking with Detective Stone while a tired looking Rocky sat in his wheelchair surrounded by Tommy and Laura, "…I thought we were through with monster attacks for a while and now this happens," Detective Stone said in a concerned voice as Jason and Thomas passed by them. "At least the Power Rangers managed to help out…"
The mention of the Power Rangers hit Jason like a hammer; it was harder to be powerless than he had originally thought, "…Well, now I think I ought to take Tommy and Laura back to my house and Rocky should go upstairs to his room for the night," Dr. Oliver said in a tired voice. "Did you call his parents?"
"My parents aren't home," Rocky commented softly. "They went to my grandparents with my little brother and sister this weekend and won't be back until tomorrow. My parents can't afford to travel a lot with three mouths to feed and this was the first weekend in a long time that they could, so I told them that I'd be all right and I'm getting out of the hospital soon anyway, I think. I can manage fine."
Before Dr. Oliver or Detective Stone could protest, Rocky wheeled himself off towards the elevators without any help even though his back was aching from walking, "David, Adam, Tanya, and Katherine are at the house with Justin and Ashley and I think we should get home too," Dr. Oliver said tiredly.
Laura nodded and her gaze connected briefly with Jason's as she followed Dr. Oliver and Tommy out of the hospital and saw Jason and Thomas standing by a truck in the parking lot. To her, Jason's softened gaze was probably his way of telling her that he was sorry about being standoffish, but he needed time.
It's all right, Jason, so do I. Laura thought silently as she followed Tommy and Dr. Oliver to the area of the parking lot where Dr. Oliver's car was parked. She had to get through the rest of the night with her sore stomach and in the morning, when she talked to Zordon and Alpha again, she would mention it.
"Do you think Divatox will make good on her threat?" Laura asked as she looked at Tommy and Dr. Oliver and saw that Dr. Oliver was already in the car. "I don't know how much damage she can do."
Tommy shrugged and opened the front passenger door for her, "I don't know," he replied, deeply concerned about what would happened if Divatox made good on her threat. "Let's get out of here."
Letting out a tired sigh, Laura climbed into the car. She could sense that another bad storm was brewing, one that she wasn't sure that the Power Rangers could bear.
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