Chapter Three – Tomorrow

Kendrix: KAO owns nothing, but the idea.

And I wanna believe you

When you tell me that it’ll be okay

Yeah I try to believe you

But I don’t

When you say what it’s gonna be

It always turns out to be a different way

I try to believe you

But not today, today, today

‘Tomorrow’ – Avril Lavigne

            Z ran into her and Syd’s room, crying, makeup all over her reddened face and her eyes were bloodshot. Syd looked up at her roommate.

            “Are you okay?”  she asked the younger girl.

            “Syd, tell me that you know,” Z demanded.

            “Know what, Mama?” she asked.

            “That I had sex with Sky!” Z exclaimed.

            “I know, Mama,” Syd nodded.

            “We didn’t you protection,” the young brunette sobbed.

            “Give it awhile, Z. You’re probably not pregnant,” Syd said. The yellow ranger sat next to her best friend.

            “Don’t say probably, Syd, don’t say probably,” Z begged in tears, hugging Syd’s waist and crying on her abdomen. Syd scooped Z in her arms and cradled her.

            “I’m sorry, Z,” she said. “I think we have some tests in our bathroom. You wanna take it?”

            “Can I take this early?” Z asked.

            “Z, it’s past your period, right?” Syd asked.

            “Two weeks,” Z nodded.

            “Let’s take it,” Syd said. Z nodded and they walked into the bathroom.

            Kat sighed, watching the screens for anything bad to happen. But like the past three weeks, nothing! Nothing happened.

            “Grumm’s up to something, Doggie,” Kat said, turning towards Abnius. “I can feel it!”

            “So can I, Kitty,” Cruger agreed.

            “Abnius, we’ve known each other for years now,” Kat said, getting off subject.

            “I know . . . and there’s something I need to tell you,” Cruger said, but paused to think of his words.

            “What is it?” she asked in concern.

            “I love you, Katherine Manix,” Cruger told her.

            She stood there, eyes wide and cloudy with tears, eyebrows raised, heart pounding in her chest, hands resting above her chest, body trembling, and her quivering lips not opening to say what she wanted to say to the man she had loved for forever.

            “You don’t have to say anything, Kat, I know we can’t go past what we already have,” he said, turning away.

            She shook her head, curls bouncing around her head.

            “When I said I love you while I was in the hospital, it wasn’t just the drugs I was on, Doggie. I really, truly love you! I always have and always will!” she exclaimed from her dry mouth, letting her tears fall from her brown eyes.

            “Kat, we can’t go any further, for the sake of the rangers and SPD’s foundation,” Cruger told her.

            “I know,” she said, turning her away.

            “When this is all over, Kat . . .” Cruger started.

            “This,” she motioned her hands around the head quarters, “will never be over! And don’t you dare say you will be with me! That is a lie! You will never be with me! Because you love SPD more then you’ll ever love me!” she shouted.

            “I will always love you, no matter what, Kat, or what you do,” he said.

            “Really?” Kat asked. She walked over and deleted the scrapbook of the rangers they made together off the computer. “Opps! I’m sorry. That was an accident.” She smiled at him mischievously. “Love me now.”

            “Always,” he said, pulling her into his arms. She hugged back, crying.

            Z picked up the small stick and saw what it said, bursting into tears. She ran straight to Bridge and Sky’s room, stick in hand.

            “I’m pregnant!” Z cried to Sky. She saw Sky, Bridge, and Jack talking. “Shit!” She turned around and ran into Syd’s arms.

            “I know, Mama,” Syd comforted her friend.

            Sky walked into the girls’ room and took Z from Syd.

            “Baby? Baby!?” he said, hands on her shoulders. “We will get through this together and we’ll love our baby and he or she will have a great life and we’ll be happy and we’ll get married and we’ll . . .” Sky started.

            “What!? Marriage!?” Z cried. “Sky, we just started dating, we didn’t even date, we had meaningless sex, and . . . damn, that came out wrong.”

            “Meaningless? So when I asked you if you loved me, you lied!” he yelled. Syd tried to walk out of the room.

            “STAY!” the two yelled. Syd sat on the floor Indian style.

            “I didn’t mean to say meaningless! It was very meaningful, Sky. I love you with all my heart. Don’t you ever say I don’t love you or that I lied about loving you!” she screamed. He sighed, wiping her tears and then placed his hand on her still flat stomach, which would eventually become larger.

            “We’ll take this one step out at time, day by day, Z, just you and me. I’ll always be here for you,” Sky assured her. She nodded, hugging him tightly. He hugged back, never wanting to let go.

            “I love you,” she cried in the crook of his neck.

            Syd slowly left the room and walked into the lounge.

            “You ready to be a godfather?” Syd asked.

            “Yeah,” Jack said, nodding. He motioned for her to sit next to her. She sat down and cried. He held her close and let her cry on his chest. “I know, Babe, I know.”

            “I can’t take her pain away! I just can’t!” she cried.

            “It’s killing you more then her, Baby,” he whispered, kissing her neck.

            Bridge rolled his eyes and left to the hospital. He had to go see her.

            He walked into a room and took his mother’s hand.

            “Hey Mom,” he said. “I still miss you. I hope you get better soon. Z and Sky are having a baby, maybe more as Z gets further, maybe she’ll find out she’ll have more. I wish you could meet her and Jack, they’re really great guys. Syd’s with Jack, I think, at least they act like it. Maybe they’ll get together someday. Commander and Kat are having their flings again.” He looked at the picture next to the bed and smiled. The picture was of him and his mother right after he was born. “I know you promised Dad to keep me safe when he died, but I really want to protect you now, Mom. I love you so much, Mommy!” He kissed his mother’s forehead. “I gotta go. Bye, Mom.” He left the room that had Taylor Earhardt-Carson sleeping in it.