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�That was the end of the first day?� Fred asked as Madeline just shook her head no. This had to be the densest person that they could send to ask about their ranger career, however short lived it was. It made sense that they would send someone who would not ask the right questions, but that was definitely something that none of them wanted to deal with.
�No, that was only the end of what Kim and Tommy had to say to us. We still haven�t gotten to the first practice and everything that they had to tell us later that day,� Maddox said as Fred let out a sigh and Madeline looked over at him warily. He knew that things were not going to go well right now.
�There is more?� Fred asked as Madeline managed to hold in the first comment that came into her head. She knew that if she said that then she would be thrown out and Sam would slant the story to where it sounded like Kim and Tommy were the devils in disguise on earth. He had never been able to fully get over the truths that they had made him face and none of the others wanted to risk anything happening to Kim and Tommy because something was misconstrued.
�No, we are here wasting the government�s time because they think that these people that they picked to be on their PANEL wasted government dollars. We have to get you to understand that the government is being a bunch of assholes and that all they have done is perform the service that was asked of them,� Madeline said as Garrett nodded his head in agreement. He had never seen a government do this sort of thing before to people that had been helping them.
�Well, I guess we should go back to the story,� Fred said as Madeline nodded her head yes and then looked around at the others. All of this was something that they had seen coming for a long time, but they would get to that day later.
�Let�s see how well you do,� Tommy said as he settled across from Sam on the mat and Madeline and Maddox began sparring together.
�You are far too confident,� Sam said as Tommy threw his arms up in the air and Jason and Kim smiled. They knew if he was this frustrated right now then everything else was not going to be pretty for Sam.
�You know that he is about to get his ass handed to him on a platter, right?� Jason said as Kim nodded her head yes. They both knew that the man had been the one thing that had plagued the other two for the past several months and she was sure they would appreciate Tommy�s nice ass whooping. Tommy had to be able to figure out exactly where they were skill wise and he knew where both Madeline and Maddox were. He, however, had absolutely no clue where Sam was and had to test him to see exactly what was necessary.
�I wouldn�t expect it any other way from Tommy,� Kim said as Jason looked down at her. He could tell that she was becoming more worn down lately, even if Tommy didn�t want to admit that to any of them. He knew that Kim must start taking better care of herself or their child might not survive. All of them knew that the stresses had become more than they ever wanted to face, but as rangers they had always been able to pull through, the thing was they could not risk having the stress overwhelm them in the way that it seemed it might. �What�s that look for?�
�It�s not for much of anything,� Jason said as he pulled her over to a bench and they sat down. He felt like he had to be honest with her, even if now was not the best time to do that. He knew just how likely it was for her to breakdown in the middle of everyone, but he knew that if he waited there could be worse repercussions than a few tears shed. �You just have looked worn down the last few weeks. I can�t help but be worried about you, considering the past issues that you have had in recent years with similar situations.�
�But I am worn down Jason, there is no denying what all of this has taken out of me,� Kim said as he looked at her and she just shook her head. She didn�t want for him to press the issue, when Tommy had not even said anything about it to her. �The last few weeks have been rough on me. Tommy hasn�t been coming in until late and I can�t sleep without him and last night I got up at three and threw up for three hours. I haven�t had it easy, Jase, but we�ll make it as long as no monster becomes involved.�
�I know, but it shouldn�t be affecting you this much. You�ve been stressed the entire time, but it seems you aren�t taking it as well as you were a few months ago,� Jason said as Sam landed on the ground with a thud a few feet away from them and was scrambling to his feet as Tommy continued to approach. �Have you talked to your doctor about it?�
�What is there to talk about Jason?� Kim asked as he gave her a look and she sighed. The real reason that she hadn�t talked to a doctor had nothing to do with the doctor and everything to do with Tommy�s mental well being. She did not want for her husband to get anymore stress on him than what he already had. �I don�t want to worry him, he�s had enough on his mind without any of this coming up. I�ll talk to him when I have to. It�s not bad enough for me to mention it to him right now.�
�You need to Kim, that baby means a lot to the both of you and I know that neither of you will be able to live with yourself if something happens that either of you could have prevented,� Jason said as Kim nodded and she looked over at her husband and watched as he was steadily breaking the black ranger down. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he felt her gaze, but she could not pull her eyes away from him. �Do you need to go today?�
�I�ll talk to him tonight and we�ll get an appointment as soon as we can,� Kim said as Jason nodded. He couldn�t really expect much more from her, as he was asking a lot just for her to go. He knew that the reason she had been so quiet was Tommy, there was nothing else that would make her be this quiet.
�What�s so serious?� Tommy asked looking over at the two of them, not liking the look that he saw in his wife�s eyes when they met his. She only looked away quickly from him when she didn�t want him to read into her expression too much. He knew that something must be wrong for her to look away like that, but he didn�t want to think about it. He wanted for all of it to just be a figment of his imagination.
�Don�t worry about it, we�ll talk later,� Kim said as Sam nailed Tommy in the shoulder and he turned to the man and then slammed him to the floor and walked off. It was going to take Sam awhile to gather himself up from that blow and Tommy knew that he needed to take care of his wife before he took care of the rangers.
�No, we�ll talk now,� Tommy said as he pulled her up and she looked over at Jason, begging him to come up with something that would satisfy Tommy�s curiosity for the moment. She didn�t want for him to demand that they go to the doctor today when he heard everything, but she knew that was likely to happen with him. She knew that he was going to be mad at her and she just didn�t want to hear it from him. She didn�t know if she could stand his disappointment right now.
�No more sneak attacks,� Jason said as Sam had been sneaking up behind Tommy ready to strike him when the opportunity presented itself. �The two of them have some important things to talk about and that does not include you.�
�So he can just walk off during a practice session?� Sam asked as Jason nodded his head yes. Tommy had free reign and he also had a lot to worry about other than the ranger responsibilities.
�He�ll be back,� Madeline said as she and Maddox continued to spar. �He just needs to talk to Kim, it�s not like they�ve had any time this past week.�
�They should have had plenty,� Sam said as Jason just shook his head. There was a lot that they had to teach this guy, quickly, or he would find himself in a world of hurt that would come directly from Tommy.
�Newsflash, they own a dojo/gymnastics center about three blocks away from here, while Tommy was searching for rangers, she�s had to run it by herself. He has been getting home at all hours of the night because of meetings he has been forced to have and he barely has enough time to say hello to his own wife anymore. So don�t think that is enough time and if that is your definition of enough, we need to have another long talk,� Jason said as Sam barely nodded. He was not sure that he could endure another lecture from Tommy or from Jason at this point. It seemed that all of the rangers held their morals to a very high standard and he needed to figure out a way to meet those standards without completely changing, although he got the feeling that they would all love that to happen to him.
�What�s wrong?� Tommy asked as he pulled her into his lap and looked into her eyes. He was worried about her, they all knew it, but he could see that there were some things that he had missed in the last few weeks while he was busy being a ranger scout. He had promised himself that if he saw her getting worse, he would hand it over to one of the others. The problem was, that they barely spent five minutes a day talking over the last few weeks and he hadn�t had time to notice that she was growing more tired and irritable. He had just thought that it was normal stress, but he could now see that it was not.
�It�s just been stressful these past couple of weeks,� Kim said as Tommy gave her a skeptical look and she then sighed. He was not going to let her get away without giving him a true explanation. �I just haven�t felt so great.�
�Why didn�t you tell me earlier?� Tommy asked as she just shook her head.
�You�ve had so much on your mind lately, I didn�t want for you to have to worry about me,� Kim said as he just stared at her. He could not believe that those words had come out of her mouth. Didn�t she know that she mattered to him more than any other person in the work? �Please don�t look at me like that, Tommy.�
�You are my wife, I am supposed to worry about you,� Tommy said as Kim just looked away from him. This was exactly how she expected him to react to everything and he hadn�t even asked exactly what had been wrong with her...yet. She knew that it was coming; she just hoped that he would take it all right. �I want you to tell me what�s been going on, I need to know that you�ll be all right because I can�t think about anything else if you are not doing well.�
�I�ve just been drained Tommy, you know how it is when you�ve got a lot of work. I just have to get used to pulling more weight at the dojo, I�m sure that I�ll be fine in a couple of weeks,� Kim said as Tommy shook his head and she sighed. She hated that he could see through her so easily. She just wanted for him to take what she said as face value, but he was reading into everything else far too much. �I�ve been having some dizzy spells, but other than that, I�ve been fine.�
�Do you need to go to the doctor?� Tommy asked as she nodded her head yes and he then nodded his own, trying to take it in and not get mad at her. He knew that if he got mad at her, then it would not help her at all and that was what he wanted to do right now. He wanted to help her, not make her withdraw from him. �Go ahead and call and see if you can get an appointment for today, if not get one as soon as you can and until you�ve gone, the dojo is going to have to stay closed.�
�Tommy, I�m fine to run it, I just have to get used to it,� Kim said as he shook his head no and she let out a frustrated sigh.
�You�re not Kim, if you were you wouldn�t be having morning sickness again,� Tommy said as Kim just looked at the floor. He definitely had a point there that she could not fight, no matter how hard she tried. �Baby, I just don�t want anything to happen to you, but don�t worry, I�m sure that you�ll be back there soon.�
�I�m worried that the doctors will tell me that I can�t do anything Tommy. I don�t want for that to happen, I want to be able to be with you through all of this,� Kim said as Tommy could see the concern in her eyes and he quietly looked down. She was putting him in a very tough spot right now and they both knew that all too well. He needed her there with him, but he also knew that she couldn�t risk her health right now. If she did risk her health, then there was a very good chance that something would happen to the baby, and he knew that they would not survive that again.
�Just call, I need to go back out and try to get that kid into fighting condition,� Tommy said as Kim nodded and then pulled out her cell phone and began scrolling through it for the doctor�s number.
�You okay?� Jason asked as Tommy shook his head no and then looked over at Sam who was now picking on Madeline, who had the look in her eyes that she was about to pull out all the stops.
�I have some stuff that I shouldn�t have neglected,� Tommy said as Jason just looked at him with at look that clearly said �I told you so�. �I don�t need a speech, I�ve gotten enough of one already.�
�Don�t feel bad, you didn�t see it because you didn�t want to see it, Tommy. You wanted for Kim to be healthy and fine and she has been, but these last few weeks have knocked her for a loop. It was a lot on all of us when we found out that we had to put a ranger team together in only a few weeks,� Jason said as Tommy managed to nod his head, but he felt absolutely disgusted with himself. It was his wife and their child that were in danger and he had completely ignored all the signs that she was under too much pressure. He knew that he would have seen it, if he would have looked for it. He just thought that Kim would tell him if something was going wrong with her, but she didn�t want to worry him, which was something that he loved about her, but right now it was pissing him off. �If you want to I can finish up all the stuff that you had planned for today and you can just take her to the doctor.�
�No, it�s my job, Jason, whether I like it or not I have to be the one to work with them right now,� Tommy said as Jason nodded as Tommy let out a sigh and headed for Sam. The emotions that were bubbling up in him always made him a deadly fighter and he now felt sorry for the man that would stand across from him.
�I�m just trying to teach her some proper technique,� Sam said as Madeline cut his feet out from under him and he fell to the ground with a thud as Madeline glared down at him. �Seems to catch on well.�
�I don�t have the patience for it today, Sam,� Tommy said as he pulled him up and Madeline gave him a concerned look. She couldn�t remember Tommy looking like this before and she had known him the longest out of the five rangers. There was something in his eyes that made her want to take a step back and rethink everything that she had just agreed to do.
�You are supposed to have legendary patience,� Sam said as Kim walked back in and sat down next to Jason. �You had a fight with your wife and you�re preaching to me?�
�We didn�t have a fight, believe me you�d know if we had a fight,� Tommy said as he looked back at Kim and she just shook her head and he let out a sigh. �Great.�
�She all right?� Madeline asked as Tommy just shook his head no and then turned back to them.
�There is a lot we have to do today and I need to get an honest assessment of your skills. I know what the other two can do,� Tommy said looking Sam in the eyes and he just nodded. He could respect that the man had a lot on him right now.
�He�s not happy,� Jason said as Kim just looked at him. What had he expected from him? Because she certainly had not expected from him to be jumping for joy when she told him that she was under the weather and had been for the last few weeks and had just avoided telling him about it. �You couldn�t get a doctor�s appointment, could you?�
�No, they can�t fit me in until next week,� Kim said as Jason just looked at her. �I can�t do anything about it, it was the earliest one that they had.�
�You know that is going to piss him off,� Jason said as Kim nodded. She knew that he knew that they were going to have to wait for awhile and that was not something he agreed with.
�He already is mad, Jason and he�s mad at himself which makes it worse,� Kim said as Jason looked over at her. �He blames himself for not knowing what�s going on with me and yeah he would have probably noticed before I did that something was wrong if we didn�t have all this shit on us, but I don�t blame him. I didn�t tell him, I wanted for him to be able to have some time when he was able to not worry about me and focus on the rangers before I had to tell him exactly how I feel.�
�I know, but that�s just the way that Tommy is,� Jason said as Kim watched Sam land on the floor with a thump and Tommy then reached down and pulled him up. It was obvious to all of them that he had done all of the assessment that he could do today. His mind was in a very dangerous place right now and he did not need to have to fight anything or anyone. He knew that he might injure them and that was something that he wanted to avoid at all costs.
�I�m going to take you home and then I�ll be back here to help with the other crap,� Tommy said as Jason nodded and Kim just looked up at him. She could not believe that he was making her leave. �Please, don�t give me that look Kim. I need to do this for my own sanity, okay?�
�Okay,� Kim barely whispered as he pulled her up from the bench and walked her out the door as the others watched them go and then looked at Jason.
�What�s wrong?� Madeline asked as Jason just shook his head. He was sure that Madeline did not want to know what was going on. �Jason, what�s wrong with Kim?�
�I don�t know and that is something that scares me and I know it scares Tommy. There�s a lot of other things that have gone on that you don�t know about with them. They didn�t tell you everything, they didn�t tell you a lot of the problems that they have had, so just let them be cautious. They have to be,� Jason said as Madeline nodded and Maddox just looked over at her, wondering what in the world it could be to have Jason talking to them like this. �Garrett and BethAnn will be here soon, so I don�t want for you to scare them off with everything you�ve learned, because you are going to hear worse before it�s over.�
�What could possibly be worse?� Madeline asked as Jason just looked over at her. There was a lot that they hadn�t been told and he was sure that Tommy was going to drop all of it on them tonight. He knew that Tommy couldn�t just let it be, not after everything that he found out today that he didn�t wish to know.
�He was going to try to ease all of you into the information that we have, but it seems like he�s going to just tell you everything, not that I blame him. The nights that he has spent away from his wife are haunting him right now. Tommy cares about that woman more than he cares about whether or not a monster is defeated, so if he has to choose, it�s no choice; he�ll choose her every time,� Jason said as the others nodded. They knew enough to be able to figure out that the two of them were close. They did expect it from a husband and wife, but with everything else, they knew that there was always a chance that Tommy might decide that he needed to do something with the ranger world and leave her alone. Now they knew where he stood and that it was much more firm than some of them had thought it would be.