5 Years Later

Angel Grove

"Daddy, are you mad at me?" Ziggy asked as he followed his mother into Angel Grove High School after being sent home for not wanting to play at recess. "I just wanted to read."

Jason sighed as Ziggy clung to his hand, feeling secure by the EMS uniform he wore, "No, Ziggy, I'm not mad at you," he replied in a gentle voice, smiling at his son. "Reading during recess isn't a bad thing and I'd love for you to hang out with me today, but I have to work this afternoon. I hope your mom or your Grandpa Frank can help you do your homework til I can come back."

"People hate me cause I'm smart, Daddy," Ziggy spoke sadly as they walked to Dr. Oliver's office and saw that Dr. Oliver was working at his computer. "Hi Grandpa Frank!"

Dr. Oliver looked up from his computer and smiled, "Hello there, Ziggy," he spoke warmly.

"Ziggy was reading at recess and the school got a little upset because he didn't want to interact with the other kids," Jason explained as they went into the office. "They asked me to take him home for the day."

Dr. Oliver looked surprised, "I trust you've called Laura already?" he asked in a surprised voice.

"I called her on my way to the school and she said she'd come down here at noontime to get Ziggy, but she's teaching til then," Jason replied calmly. "My parents are out of town and I was hoping you'd be willing to watch him til then. I have to be to work by noon and I can't…"

Dr. Oliver smiled, "Do you wanna hang out with me for a little while, Ziggy?" he asked kindly.

Ziggy nodded and got into one of the chairs on the other side of the desk with his backpack, "He's one of the younger ones in that school anyway," Jason said calmly. "He's super smart and can absorb knowledge like a sponge, but his unwillingness to socialize causes upset."

"I just turned seven!" Ziggy said in an eager voice. "Can I read your dinosaur books, Grandpa?"

Jason chuckled, kissed the top of Ziggy's head, and moved out of the office, "Love you, Ziggy," he replied in a kind voice, grateful that he was able to have experiences raising children.

Ziggy's enthusiastic chatter filled Jason's ears as he left the school and went over to the Suburban he and Laura had bought along with a simple car after Kira and Nick had joined their family. Laura usually took the car to work, so Jason used the Suburban to get to work and kept his paramedic bag in the trunk in case of emergencies. Kira, Nick, and Ziggy took the bus to and from school usually, but Ziggy hated the bus because he would get teased for reading on it.

As Jason reached his car and dug into his pocket for his keys, the ground began to shake uncontrollably and escalated to the point where he thought the ground would open up. Jason immediately clung to the car and tried to hold his footing, but ended up closing his eyes in the process so that he could concentrate. He could hear cracking and shattering sounds around him as well as honking and screaming, but he held to the car because he would lose his balance.

Within seconds, the earthquake had stopped and Jason opened his eyes, horrified that there were cracks in the streets, uprooted trees, and severe damage to many buildings. The high school looked severely damaged and Jason's mind immediately drifted back to 9/11.

My family's in the schools. Jason thought, jerking his mind back into focus. I need my bag.

Quickly getting his paramedic bag from the back, Jason carefully moved around the large cracks in the sidewalk as he made his way back to the high school. He kicked one of the damaged doors open and immediately saw that the school had taken heavy damage. Debris was everywhere and lockers had toppled over, as had entire sections of walls. Whimpers, coughing, and crying could be heard coming from both the junior high and the high school hallways.

Swallowing hard, Jason quickly got his cell-phone out and dialed 9-1-1, "This is Angel Grove Rescue Lieutenant Jason Scott calling from Angel Grove Junior High and High School," he said in an anxious voice. "I was at the high school when the quake started and many are injured…"

"Daddy?" a faint voice called out from Dr. Oliver's damaged office. "Daddy, Grandpa Frank's…"

Quickly putting the phone away, Jason moved over to the office and was shocked to see the couches cracked, the desk completely split down the middle while the heavily damaged computer lay on the floor in pieces among books that had fallen off toppled shelves.

To Jason's horror, Dr. Oliver lay trapped under a toppled bookshelf with his arms extended as if he had been trying to push someone to safety. Books surrounded him and Jason saw Ziggy huddled in the corner closest to the doorway unhurt, but crying and deeply shaken.

"Daddy, Grandpa Frank pushed me out of the way when the shaking started," Ziggy wept.

Nodding, Jason moved into the office, "Just stay there, okay?" he asked gently.

Ziggy nodded, watching silently as Jason knelt down and began to check Dr. Oliver over.

Anxious sobs filled the hallway as Laura stumbled out of the staff room where she had been getting photocopies for her class when the earthquake hit. All of the lockers had toppled over and most of the lights had exploded and small cracks were all down the hallway.

"Laura!" an anxious voice called out. "Mrs. Scott, are you all right?"

Laura turned to see Skull, who had taken a job as the school's resource officer in order to be close to Spike, making his way towards her, "I'm fine," she replied anxiously. "What…?"

"I put in a call to 9-1-1 already," Skull replied in an anxious voice. "Are you hurt?"

Laura shook her head, "MRS. OLIVER!" a voice screamed from a nearby classroom.

Exchanging a look, Laura and Skull rushed towards the scream and were horrified to see a group of shaken students including freshman Kira standing around a pile of broken light fixtures that had pinned Miss Appleby, now known as Mrs. Oliver, to the floor. She wasn't moving or breathing and all of the students looked frightened, minorly injured, and were all in tears.

"The light fixtures were falling and she pushed us out of the way," Kira explained shakily. "Everything came down on top of her and she was electrocuted. I think she's dead."

Anxious sobs filled the room and Laura pulled Kira close, "Let's start evacuating students," Skull, who was shaken by the death of his old teacher, said worriedly. "Go to the muster point!"

Noise filled the hallway as Laura led Kira and other uninjured students out of the classroom, relieved to see that Adam and Tanya, who taught gym and music, were also doing the same thing, "Ziggy's down at the counseling office," Laura realized anxiously. "I wonder if…"

"Go," Skull replied calmly. "I have to keep evacuating people, but you go find your son."

Laura nodded and nervously made her way through the school, her heart plummeting when she saw the damage to Dr. Oliver's office. She silently moved into the damaged office and was shocked to see Jason and another paramedic securing an unconscious Dr. Oliver, who sported an oxygen mask and a neck brace, to a backboard, "Mommy!" she heard an anxious voice cry.

"Ziggy," Laura breathed a sigh of relief as she held her youngest close. "Oh, Ziggy…"

Jason looked up at Laura worriedly, "Doctor Oliver was pinned by a bookshelf when he pushed Ziggy to safety," he explained in a worried voice. "If you can find Miss Appleby, she…what?"

Laura swallowed hard, "She was electrocuted to death by light fixtures that fell on her when she pushed students out of the way, Jason," she spoke shakily. "Skull's evacuating students."

Suddenly, there was a muffled whimper, "Lieutenant Scott, he's waking up," a voice said.

Jason looked down and frowned when he saw Dr. Oliver slowly regaining consciousness while tears streamed down his face, "Doctor Oliver," Jason spoke softly. "Don't try and move."

"Grandpa Frank?" Ziggy asked softly as he crawled over to Dr. Oliver. "Grandpa Frank."

Dr. Oliver's hand shook as he tried to lift it and Ziggy took his fingers, prompting Dr. Oliver to gaze at him, "Mommy, where's Nick and Kira?" Ziggy asked softly, holding Dr. Oliver's hand.

"I think he's got a spinal cord injury," Jason spoke in a worried voice. "No reaction from…"

Laura sighed, "I'll get a hold of Rocky," she spoke softly. "He's the emergency contact."

Dr. Oliver sighed as the other paramedic suddenly injected something into an IV that was in Dr. Oliver's chest, "We need to get on the road," Jason said quietly. "Laura, take Ziggy."

Laura nodded and scooped Ziggy into her arms, "I'm going to the muster point to get Kira and then we're going to find Nick over at the elementary school," she spoke softly. "When I can get out of here, I'll take the kids over to Ernie's and call Rocky. Let me know how things develop."

Jason nodded and Laura silently carried Ziggy from the room, shaken over what happened.

Ignoring the shaking in his legs, Nick silently moved out of the school and silently waited at the muster point for the rest of his class. The weather was unusually cold, but Nick couldn't go back in for his jacket because he had been told to go to the muster point by another teacher.

"Hey!" a small voice said in an anxious tone. "Where's the rest of our class?"

Nick turned and was surprised to see two kids come over to him, "Hi Trent," he said, quickly recognizing his friend. "Silas, your dad's probably at the high school cause he works there."

"My name's SPIKE," Spike whined, hating the name Silas. "Where's our class at?"

There was a silence, "I don't know, but I'm cold," Nick said worriedly. "I couldn't get my…"

"Trent!" an anxious voice called out from the road. "Trent, I'm glad you're okay!"

Trent looked over to the road just in time to see a car park and an anxious looking Kimberly get out, "Mommy!" he said in an anxious voice. "Mommy, the whole ground shook really bad!"

Kimberly nodded and scooped Trent into her arms, "Aunt Kim, can I go look for my parents and Ziggy and Kira?" Nick asked softly. "Ziggy got sent home cause he wanted to read at recess."

"Nick, I want you to stay with me and Trent, okay?" Kim replied softly. "It's dangerous…"

Suddenly, as if he could sense something wrong, Nick took off across the grass in the direction of the high school, "NICK!" Kimberly shouted, feeling fear for Jason's child. "COME BACK!"

Trying to keep calm, Kimberly hustled Trent and Spike over to the car, "He probably went to the high school to find his parents," Spike said worriedly. "Miss Kim, will you take me to my dad?"

Before Kimberly could reply, Nick suddenly collapsed in the middle of the field, "NICK!" Kimberly yelled, quickly shoving Trent and Spike in the car. "Stay right here and don't move!"

Kimberly hurried across the grass just as Nick slowly sat up, "Grandpa Frank got hurt," Nick spoke in a shaky voice, tears running down his face. "I felt Grandpa Frank get hurt."

Giving Nick a confused look, Kimberly picked him up, "If your grandpa was hurt in the earthquake, your mom and dad will know," she spoke in an anxious voice. "Come on."

Once the car was loaded, Kimberly slowly drove down the damaged road past the schools and ultimately decided to go to Ernie's because she knew Malcolm had invested lots of money over the years into making it structurally sound. She quickly parked the car and unloaded the kids.

Upon entering the Juice Bar with Trent, Nick, and Spike, Kimberly was relieved to see that Malcolm, who was sporting a martial arts uniform, was silently setting up army cots all over the place while Katherine sat in a chair, silently holding an anxious little girl in her lap.

"Detective Stone said this'll be the safe zone for the students while the police and emergency services call parents," Malcolm explained as he saw Kimberly. "I just talked to Laura…"

Kimberly frowned as she noticed Laura sitting on one of the cots while Ziggy, who was wrapped in a warm blanket and curled up in a ball, slept in her arms, "Mommy!" Nick called out, spotting Laura and hurrying over to where she and Ziggy were sitting. "Did Ziggy get hurt today?"

"No, Nick, Ziggy's just really upset and I convinced him to have a nap," Laura replied softly, her eyes brimming with tears. "Nick, your Grandpa Frank hurt himself in the quake when a shelf fell on him and your Grandma Lizzie didn't survive because she was protecting students from falling lights. Your dad took your Grandpa Frank to the hospital, but I don't know how he is."

Nick nodded and sighed softly, cuddling himself against Laura, "Kira's at the school," Laura spoke softly, hugging Nick with one arm. "Will you come sit with Ziggy? I have to make a call."

Laura gently shifted the sleeping Ziggy to the cot while Nick sat next to him, "Kim, please watch them," she spoke in a shaken voice as she walked over to Malcolm. "I need to use the phone."

Understanding that Laura was going to call Rocky, who had left his contact number with very few people when he had left, Malcolm nodded, "Use the phone in my office," he spoke quietly.

Deeply shaken by Miss Appleby's death, Kimberly silently went behind the counter and started putting fries in the deep fryer and a tray of burgers in the oven, "Trent, go see what food's already prepared for today and put it out on the counter," she spoke softly. "Malcolm?"

"It's fine," Malcolm replied calmly. "Business is doing very well, so I can spare the food."

Kimberly nodded as Laura emerged from the office, having had a very brief conversation with Rocky over the phone about the earthquake. Ziggy suddenly started to cry in his sleep and Nick looked worriedly at Laura, who immediately went over to Ziggy's side and picked him up.

"It's okay, baby," Laura spoke softly, stroking Ziggy's back. "Do you want some juice?"

Ziggy nodded, his face buried in Laura's shoulder, "Okay," Laura spoke softly. "Hold on."

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" Trent asked in a worried voice, looking at Kimberly fearfully.

Kimberly frowned, "He's at work," she replied in a concerned voice. "Do you want me to call?"

Trent shrugged, "There's lots of stuff, but it's not cooked," he replied in a quiet voice.

"I'll start cooking it," Kat offered as she got up and walked over to Malcolm. "Take Laura."

Laura sighed, "I still can't believe you named your daughter after me," she spoke softly.

Malcolm chuckled and watched as Kimberly got a glass of apple juice with a straw for Ziggy, "Thank you, Auntie Kim," Ziggy spoke softly as Laura sat him at the counter to have the juice.

Ziggy quietly drank the juice and sighed, too shaken to speak as he felt his mother close, "Mommy, I don't feel good and my tummy feels a little sore from when I fell over the books all over Grandpa Frank's office," he spoke in a trembling voice. "I'm going to puke…"

Laura's eyes widened as Ziggy suddenly threw up blood all over the counter, prompting Kim to jump back and pull Trent with her. "Malcolm, Ziggy's hurt! Get some paramedics over here!"

Malcolm ran over to the closest phone as Laura gently picked Ziggy up and laid him on the mats, quickly unrolling the blanket to check Ziggy for injuries. Sirens filled the air and Laura was both confused and relieved when she saw TJ and Carlos come in with medical equipment.

"Lieutenant Scott sent us here to receive incoming," TJ said, frowning when he saw blood on the counter while Laura sat with Ziggy on the floor, checking him. "What happened?"

Ziggy sighed, "I was in Grandpa Frank's office when everything started shaking and Grandpa Frank saved me from falling books," he spoke softly. "I fell over the books during the shaking."

"Doctor Oliver was hurt in the quake?" Carlos asked in a worried voice. "How?"

Laura sighed, "A bookshelf fell on him," she replied softly. "He pushed Ziggy out of the way."

TJ nodded and knelt down next to Ziggy, "Hi Ziggy, I'm TJ and I'm a paramedic," he spoke softly.

The sun was setting by the time Jason made it back to the hospital after turning Dr. Oliver over to the care of doctors and going out on more calls. Many homes, businesses, and roads had suffered tremendous damage and many citizens had been either injured or killed in the quake.

After doing what he could with the rest of the city's rescue forces, Jason had been relieved by another shift and was now coming back to check on Dr. Oliver. After he checked on Laura's father figure, he was going to phone her on her cell and see what to do with the kids.

As Jason entered the Emergency Room, however, he saw Billy standing at one of the admit desks with several city officials including Detective Stone, all of them looking over seismology reports that Billy had brought, "…An external force triggered the fault line," Billy explained softly. "I can tell you that this earthquake wasn't natural, but I don't know the cause."

"Thank you for your report, Doctor Cranston," Detective Stone spoke quietly. "Mayor?"

As the mayor started speaking, Billy walked over to Jason, "Hey, are you here about Ziggy?" Billy, who had seen TJ and Carlos bring an injured Ziggy in hours earlier, asked softly.

"Ziggy?" Jason asked in a confused voice. "Billy, I'm here to check on Doctor Oliver…"

Billy frowned, "Ziggy puked up blood and complained about a sore abdomen at Ernie's hours ago, so TJ and Carlos brought him in," he replied in a worried voice. "You didn't know?"

"I had my phone off while I was answering calls to preserve power, Billy," Jason replied in a worried voice. "I've been answering and coordinating calls all afternoon. Where is Ziggy?"

Billy motioned for Jason to follow and Jason kept quiet as he followed Billy up many flights of stairs to the Peds and Peds Surgical Unit, "Ziggy was rushed here and my dad operated on him," Billy explained as they walked down the hallway. "My dad told me what room he was in."

Jason nodded and his eyes widened as they entered one of the hospital rooms: Laura was seated in a chair next to a bed where Ziggy was sound asleep with a hospital gown and blanket covering his small body while a tube sat in his nose, IV's sat in his arms, and a clip sat on his hand, "Jason," Laura spoke softly as she gazed at him. "Ziggy had to get his spleen removed and Kira took Nick to get supper for us from the cafeteria. Ziggy's on some strong pain meds."

"Thanks for showing me up here, Billy," Jason said as he walked over to Ziggy's bed.

Billy nodded, "From what I understand, Doctor Oliver's still in surgery for significant fracturing to the L1 to L5 region, pelvic, and hip fractures," he explained in a worried voice. "The quake's origin was around a place called Reefside and it wasn't a natural phenomenon. It was man made, but I don't know what caused it or why. I'm going to be running an analysis…"

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, "…Excuse me, I'm looking for my father," a familiar voice spoke in a quiet tone. "I got a call saying he had been injured in an earthquake and it's so crazy downstairs that I couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. I think I'm on the wrong floor."

"Jason, stay with Ziggy," Laura spoke softly as she got up. "Rocky…Rocky showed up to help."

Jason nodded and sat down beside Ziggy while Billy and Laura went out into the hallway, both of them surprised to see Rocky standing at the counter wearing boots, jeans, a sweater, and a trenchcoat with sunglasses over his face, "I got your call," Rocky spoke. "I came quickly."

"Good," Laura replied softly. "Billy says that he's still in surgery with serious fractures."

Rocky nodded, his expression somber, "I should move my bike and my other stuff," he said in a shaking voice. "Doctor Oliver knew this was gonna happen and I knew it was going to happen."

"What are you talking about, Rocky?" Laura asked in a concerned voice. "What do you…?"

Rocky sighed, "Tommy did it cause he's so desperate for the gems that he tried to replicate them again, but they're so unique that they can't be replicated," he explained quietly.

Billy groaned, but didn't say anything, "I'm gonna get my stuff off my bike and figure out where to go," Rocky spoke in a tired voice as he moved back to the elevator. "Please excuse me."

Ignoring the shaking in his hands, Rocky silently removed his sunglasses and carefully examined the swollen bruising around his eye, grateful that hospital bathrooms had mirrors. He was exhausted, hungry, and injured after Tommy had surprised him in Mexico and demanded the black gem; Tommy had beaten him badly, but the gem had vanished before he could find it.

Swallowing hard, Rocky sat on the bench that was in the paramedics' locker room, wondering if he could manage to get shirt off without lifting his arms. It had been a painful ride from Mexico, but he had made it and now he was in severe pain from whatever Tommy had done to him.

The door opened and closed and Rocky froze when he saw Jason standing there, "Billy thought it was weird that you were wearing sunglasses indoors," Jason said calmly. "What happened?"

"Dude, you gotta swear on your life that you are not going to tell Laura or Doctor Oliver," Rocky replied in an anxious voice. "I ran into a little difficulty in Mexico and the gem vanished."

Jason frowned, "I've been wearing the same clothes for the last four days," Rocky confessed in a shaky voice. "I can't lift my arms without hurting. Someone wanted that gem super bad."

"Someone like Tommy?" Jason asked in a stunned voice. "Rocky, did Tommy attack you?"

Rocky sighed, "It looked like Tommy, but it definitely wasn't him," he replied softly. "I…"

"Let's see your injuries, Rocky," Jason spoke gently. "I'll do what I can to help you."

Rocky nodded and slowly stood up, "Help me lift my arms," he said in a shaky voice.

Jason obliged and his eyes went wide when he saw the bruising all over Rocky's chest, upper arms, and torso, "Tommy did all this?!" he asked in a shocked voice. "All over that gem?"

Rocky sighed heavily and Jason silently led him out and over to the desk where a tired Dr. Cranston was working on charts, "Doctor Cranston," Jason spoke softly. "Got a minute?"

Dr. Cranston's eyes widened at Rocky's condition, "I, uh, was riding into town when the quake hit and I was thrown from my bike," Rocky lied quietly. "I also heard about Doctor Oliver."

"Well, Rocky, let's have a look at you," Dr. Cranston replied calmly. "Can you walk?"

Rocky nodded and quietly followed Dr. Cranston to an exam room, surprised when Jason stayed, "Jason, you've got a family to sit with," he spoke softly. "Ziggy just had surgery…"

"Get patched up and I'll run you to my house so you can rest," Jason spoke calmly. "Okay?"

Rocky sighed and nodded, grateful that Jason wasn't pressing for details on what happened.

"I'm staying with Ziggy tonight, but Kira and Nick don't really need to be here, Jason," Laura spoke in a tired voice as she stood up and stretched while Ziggy slept. "They should go home."

Jason sighed, "I drove by the house on my way here," he replied calmly. "It seems fine. I can hook up the generator."

Laura nodded and gently hugged Jason, "Rocky's really tired from the long ride, so he'll be staying over tonight on the couch," Jason said calmly. "I'll get his stuff before I go."

"How badly did Tommy beat Rocky up besides a shiner?" Laura asked quietly.

Jason gave Laura a confused look and Laura sighed, "Rocky's wrist was swollen and he looked as if he wanted to be by himself," she explained calmly. "He was also wearing sunglasses indoors."

"Doctor Cranston's patching him up downstairs," Jason replied softly. "How's Doctor Oliver?"

Laura sat back down, "I'm his other emergency contact and I've managed to learn that he's out of surgery, but the doctors are keeping him heavily sedated for pain relief," she replied in a shaken voice. "From what they know, Doctor Oliver will probably be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life and require a wheelchair as well as specialized equipment."

Jason nodded, his expression solemn, "I'll…I'll be paying for whatever he needs," a shaky voice spoke as Rocky came into the room wearing a loose shirt that covered bandages while sporting a blue cast on his left arm that extended from his hand to his elbow that was pinned to his chest by a shoulder sling. "I've been cleared and given pain meds. You don't have to..."

"You're going to our house and getting off your feet, Rocky," Laura replied firmly. "I know…"

Rocky sighed and scowled at Jason, "I didn't tell her," Jason replied. "She already knew."

"Go get some rest," Laura spoke in a gentler voice, saddened that Tommy had caused so much damage. "I'll be staying the night with Ziggy and I can also check on Doctor Oliver periodically."

Too tired to argue, Rocky silently allowed Jason to guide him from Ziggy's room and downstairs to where Kira and Nick were waiting, "Dad, I put Uncle Rocky's bag in the Suburban and I put his bike in the back," Kira said softly as they went outside to the vehicle. "What else can I do?"

"Get Nick loaded in the backseat and get in, please," Jason spoke softly. "Rocky, front seat."

Jason sighed as he came out of the storeroom carrying two heavy duty flashlights, one of which was on, "Here's a flashlight in case you need to go to the bathroom," he said as he entered the family room and saw Rocky sitting on his couch bed with his eyes closed. "Rocky!"

Rocky blinked himself awake, "Sorry, Jason, it's been a long day," he apologized softly.

Jason nodded and set the flashlight on the portable table where a glass of water and Rocky's wallet sat, "That's if you need anything during the night," he explained calmly. "Okay?"

Rocky nodded and cringed as he lay down, "I don't think Tommy's been in his right mind for a while now, Jase," he spoke quietly. "The Tommy we know wouldn't do such bad things."

"You mean the Tommy we used to know," Jason replied softly, quickly covering Rocky with a blanket so he could rest comfortably. "Things have been rocky between us since that whole fiasco on the moon where he put my wife in danger. And now look at what he did to you."

Rocky sighed softly, "This is nothing compared to what happened to Doctor Oliver," he spoke in a shaky voice, feeling tired even though Jason had fed him a decent meal. "It's so hard…"

"Rocky, stop and breathe," Jason cut him off firmly. "I don't think you'll have to make any decisions about Doctor Oliver's care for a few days. You left the hospital your number."

Rocky gave Jason a look, but was prevented from speaking by a knock at the door, "Visitors at this hour?" Jason asked in a confused voice. "Just stay there and try to get some rest."

Grateful that Nick and Kira had gone to bed without much fuss after a late supper simply because they were sad about their grandmother's death, worried about their grandfather, and upset about Ziggy being hurt, Jason silently walked over to the door and opened it.

To Jason's surprise, Malcolm was standing there with a cooler in his arms and Billy at his side, "You got your fridge and microwave hooked to a generator, right?" Malcolm asked kindly.

"Yeah, but keep the noise down," Jason spoke softly as he let them in. "Rocky's resting on the couch and Kira and Nick are asleep in their rooms. Laura convinced Rocky to come over…"

Billy's eyes widened in shock as he saw the banged up Rocky asleep on the couch, "Tommy and him had a little altercation in Mexico and the gem apparently vanished before Tommy could get it," Jason explained, leading them to the fridge and pointed to the generator that was powering it and the microwave so everyone could eat. "Rocky got a broken arm, heavy bruising on his face and body, and broken ribs. He's also exhausted from riding for four days straight because he didn't stop after escaping Tommy on his bike because he thought Tommy might try again."

"Tommy caused the earthquake when his plan to get the gem off Rocky failed," Billy mused.

Malcolm and Billy silently unloaded the cooler into the fridge and freezer as Jason silently walked over to the couch. Rocky's forehead was warm and his breathing was labored with pain.

Deeply concerned, Jason got his rescue bag and quickly checked Rocky's temperature with a thermometer in his ear, "Rocky, wake up," Jason spoke in a concerned voice. "Rocky…"

"What?" Rocky mumbled in a groggy voice, not opening his eyes. "I'm trying to rest."

Jason frowned and Rocky opened his eyes, "You've got a fever," he spoke worriedly. "I know you want to rest, but I should take you back to the hospital just to make sure…"

A shaky cough escaped Rocky's lips as he got up off of the couch, "I only stopped to gas up, go through Customs, and get water," he spoke shakily. "I don't think I can stand by myself."

Jason nodded and helped Rocky up, "Malcolm, can you stay with Kira and Nick?" he asked softly, guiding Rocky towards the door. "Billy, I'm sure Kim's wondering where you are…"

"Kim and Trent are staying with Kat and Laura tonight," Billy replied calmly. "Need help?"

Rocky sighed sleepily as Jason draped a jacket over his shoulders and helped him step into a pair of slippers, "I think I might," Jason replied, knowing that Rocky wasn't fully coherent because of being sick and on pain medication. "Malcolm, can you stay here tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll call Kat and let her know," Malcolm said calmly. "Feel better, Rocky."

Billy silently moved behind Rocky as Jason guided their sick friend out to the Suburban.

"Pneumonia?" Jason spoke in a worried voice as he sat beside the bed where Rocky, who had been checked and was now resting with IV antibiotics in his arm. "How'd you get that?"

Rocky sighed tiredly, wincing at the tube in his nose, "My immune system's always been shaky since the chemo and I didn't rest for four days because I figured Tommy would kill me," he replied softly. "Tommy taunted me about how I was weak because I had cancer and how his uncle gave me the gem because I was alone and no woman would ever want to marry me…"

Jason looked confused, "I was living with Dr. Oliver during my chemo and Tommy would often find me awake in the middle of the night throwing up," Rocky spoke quietly. "I eventually found out that the chemo had caused fertility issues and that's why I decided to become a teacher."

"Tommy played upon something that happened because you had cancer?" Jason asked in a stunned voice, both shocked and angry at Tommy's behavior. "Over some little gem?"

Rocky coughed and sighed tiredly, "Get some rest, Rocky," Jason spoke softly. "Okay? I'll be right outside."

As Rocky fell asleep, Jason got up and silently left the room, "I went up and told Laura," Billy said as he came down the hallway. "Ziggy's awake and is sad that his 'Uncle Rocky' is sick, but Laura talked Ziggy into staying in bed and drawing a get well card instead of trying to come see him. Ziggy doesn't seem to care that he just had surgery."

"Oh, Ziggy," Jason replied, a smile on his face. "Ziggy's always been a caring, free spirit."

Billy nodded, "Tommy used personal information against Rocky to try and get the gem," Jason spoke, his smile fading. "I don't know what's going on, but I want to put a stop to it."

"I may have a solution to the issues that Ziggy's been having in school," Billy spoke softly, changing the subject to alleviate Jason's anger against Tommy. "I'm a seismologist in Angel Grove, but I also oversee a special school in Reefside that educates students according to their strengths and also helps them with their weaknesses."

Jason sighed, "Social skills and his reluctance to interact with people outside of his family are definitely weaknesses of Ziggy's," he admitted quietly. "The school's been sending us notes that he refuses to socialize with his peers."

Billy frowned, "A ton of notes from school isn't a good thing for a seven year old, Jason," he replied quietly.

Jason nodded, "I know and it's only going to get harder for Ziggy as he gets older because he's not capable of socializing for long periods of time with people he doesn't know," he said softly. "Laura and I have tried enrolling him in playgroups, school clubs, after school things, but people get frustrated because he's scared of strangers and will only hang out with adults he knows, Kira, Nick, Trent, Spike, and nobody else. Ziggy thinks it's his fault and he ends up trying his best, but he just can't make it work. I know it's not his fault and I've tried telling him that."

"You know my dad can analyze assessments on kids, right?" Billy asked in a kind voice. "Ziggy knows him."

Jason sighed, "You think it's some sort of disability?" he asked in a worried voice. "Something serious?"

"Doctor Oliver does and he's kept notes on Ziggy's behaviors at Laura's request," Billy admitted softly.

Jason's eyes widened, "Laura's always been worried about Ziggy and she's tried telling me," he admitted.

"It's not your fault, Jason," Billy replied calmly. "It just is what it is. It'll be all right."

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