"Soul's Bonds", Chapter 10
Told you updates would come faster. :) I am anxious to get this over with because I'm so happy with how it ends, and I'm writing other short sidestories/interludes within this continuum that I want to put up, too, but I can't because they spoil major events in this.
Anyhoo.
Enjoy.
Chapter 10 (Sky)
I felt really nervous for some reason I couldn't entirely explain as I rode my motorcycle back to the hospital to see Bridge for the first time since rescuing him. I knew some of my trepidation was due to my immense guilt about the fact that he was there in the first place- I still blamed myself in spite of the others' reassurances that I'd done all I could have. But there was something else eating at me, the stupid notion at the back of my head that I felt more than friendship toward him... His mom had told me he kept asking for me, so I was by myself, and the others were to come later if he were still up to it. As I parked, I wondered why he wanted to see me specifically, and not all of his friends, but put it on the back burner as I approached the intensive care ward. Mrs. Carson was standing outside the doors, waiting for me.
"There you are, Schuyler. I think they'll only let you in for a short while for now, since you're a friend and not family," she said, nodding inside as she held a door open for me. "I should warn you, don't take it personally if he doesn't even wake up when you come in. He's still very weak and in a lot of pain, and his meds knock him right out. Mind that he doesn't try to talk, too, because as much as he doesn't like not being able to, it's better for his throat. Oh, and don't be alarmed by the fact that he's restrained to the bed, either. It's mostly to stop his gloves accidentally coming off, because goodness knows he'll be having enough nightmares about this as it is without his powers making it worse. The less stress he has while recovering the better."
"Of course," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat as I followed her to the far end of the ward. Hospitals always gave me the creeps to begin with, and knowing I was about to be spending a lot of time here made me a little uncomfortable. The Commander had pointed out, and rightfully so, that the kidnapper might well come back to finish Bridge off once he found out that he'd been had and that his intended target was still alive. Therefore, we Rangers were now on guard duty until the criminal was arrested and contained, and of course we'd be visiting Bridge as often as we could.
"I'll wait outside," Mrs. Carson whispered, motioning me to go on in to the room alone. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, letting it out with a gasp as I saw Bridge. Several tubes had been inserted into his body and his wrists were attached to the bed with padded cuffs, the leather gloves thankfully still on his hands. He appeared to be out cold, so I was about to turn and leave when his eyes fluttered open. I stood still as he spotted me, and his face broke out into a weak smile. I relaxed and went over to him.
"Hey, little buddy," I said, smiling back. "You're a sight for sore eyes." He opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly pushed it shut with my hand. "It's OK, you don't have to talk to me. Remember, your throat needs to heal up properly. I can just sit with you until they kick me out, would you like that?" He nodded then looked around for a moment, chewing his tongue, before he raised the arm nearest me as high as he could, waving his hand and jerking his head toward it. "Uh... you... you want me to hold your hand?" He nodded again. "Should I take the glove off first?" Nod. I wondered for a moment why he was asking me to do this, then I remembered- if he couldn't communicate through speech, his psychic powers were the next best thing, and they were channeled through his hands. I knew his powers weren't developed to the point where he could communicate his exact thoughts or easily read mine through telepathy, but when I took a glove off and held his hand, I could feel his emotions quite clearly, and they were enough. Gratitude and hope were most prominent, along with some lingering guilt, regret, fear... and right before I let go, I briefly felt something a lot like love. I slipped his glove back on, thankful the room was dark, because I could feel myself blushing, though I didn't know why.
"So..." I said awkwardly. "We've all been having a hell of a time this week." He rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah, that's a bit of an understatement. I'm just... so relieved to see that you're alive and in one piece. That monster almost killed you." He nodded, then looked down. "What's wrong? No, wait, don't tell me," I began, but he cut me off.
"This... my... fault," he wheezed, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Stop that," I ordered. "It is NOT your fault. Don't stress yourself out by worrying about this too much, Bridge. Like I said, you're alive. That's all that's important." He shook his head.
"Computers," he croaked. "Stupid me... out... no weapons. My... fault. Should've died..." I finally covered his mouth with my hand, surprised and a little appalled that he thought this way.
"That's ENOUGH," I said as angry tears began to well up in his eyes. "Please, just stop it. Bridge... you had no way of knowing this could have happened. The computer error wasn't entirely your fault, anyway. Cruger admitted after the fact that he'd asked you to do too much and given you too little time to do it. You did exactly what you were supposed to when he suspended you- if you HAD gone out in uniform, with your weapons on you, you could have gotten in deeper trouble. And of course, you can't have predicted you were going to get kidnapped. Please... PLEASE don't blame yourself. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you... I'm the reason you're here in the first place..." I removed my hand from his mouth and wiped his eyes for him. He frowned, nodding at me and now looking even more tired. The effort he expended speaking seemed to have drained what little energy he had.
"Ok. So... sorry."
"No more talking," I told him sternly, adjusting his blanket. "You need to get better as soon as possible. We can't wait to have you back." I sat in a chair near his bed, unable to think of anything more to say. I could tell he was fighting to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. When he'd gone back to sleep, my mind turned to the emotions I'd felt through his hand, because I couldn't get that feeling... love, or was it really?... out of my head now. I wondered again- as I had often over the past few days- if there really WAS love felt between us. But then again, I argued to myself, it doesn't have to be the romantic type he feels for me, nor I for him.
All the same, if I AM falling in love with him, it would explain a lot, I conceded. Why I've been falling apart so badly. Why his being kidnapped and almost dying has affected me so deeply- me, Mr. Strength and Stability. I know what just happened shouldn't be easy to deal with no matter what, but would I be feeling this strongly about it if I didn't love him? Not even just as a friend?
We've lived together for over two years and I don't think I have ever felt anything beyond friendship and brotherly affection for him, I argued back. He's my friend... dare I even say my best friend.
Ahh, said a nasty little voice in the back of my head, but I'm also good at ignoring and denying my feelings. I didn't even realize how much I'd miss him til this happened. Maybe somewhere along the line, I've fallen for him and not realized it. And since he held my hand, maybe he saw it and INTENTIONALLY showed me how he feels about me. I've been wrestling with it off and on all week... could it be true?
I finally had to excuse myself and walked out of the hospital as fast as I could. I mounted my motorcycle and drove off, not back to the base, but to somewhere I could think alone. My conflicting thoughts were beginning to cloud my head, and I didn't know how to deal with it anymore...
* * *
Four days later...
I arrived at the hospital for my guard shift, a newspaper under my arm, to find Tessie crocheting something while chatting at the silent Bridge.
"Come on, I want to make you something, and a scarf is nice and quick. It'll be nice when it's cold out and it'll help you hide what's sure to be a hideous scar on your neck," she was telling him. "I can make it green and blue to represent your two Ranger colors- oh, fine, don't give me the puss, simple head shake is fine."
"What's the puss?" I asked as I walked in.
"That," said Tessie, grinning as she pointed to Bridge. "When he does his little annoyed face, puckerin' his lips and glaring. I nicknamed it 'the puss' because he's bein' a sourpuss." I looked at her strangely. "Hey, you try and find somethin' better to do when you have to sit here for 5 hours. No offense," she added to Bridge. "You're asleep a lot of the time, that is when you're not off in la-la, high-as-a-goddamn-kite land from your drugs, so I need SOMETHIN' to do while here. If you won't let me make you a scarf, then how about a green and blue blanket?" He smiled a bit and nodded. "FINALLY. I'll get right to work on it during my next shift. Sir," she said to me, bowing as she prepared to leave. "I'll leave you to your duty."
"Don't call me sir."
"Yes, sir." She gave a sardonic salute, gathered up her crocheting supplies, and walked out, laughing. I sighed as I occupied the chair she'd vacated.
"She just does that to annoy me, I finally figured out," I explained to Bridge. "Tess was in a really chatty mood today, I hope she wasn't bothering you." He shook his head. "I bet you just enjoy the company, huh? You rest if you need to, buddy. I'll be here if you need anything." I opened my newspaper to read, expecting him to go to sleep or watch TV as usual, but I could feel him staring at me. After a few minutes, I could no longer stand it and lowered my paper; he quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep, but I knew he'd been watching me. He might be thinking about the other day, I realized. Since he was able to feel my emotions as well as I could feel his- maybe even better- and reading other people was second nature to him, I was sure he'd seen something there... if there WAS something to see. During the two hours I'd spent driving aimlessly around Newtech City after leaving the hospital that day, I'd begun to think more and more that I DID have feelings for Bridge, and not recognized what they were or wanted to acknowledge them. Part of me was still doubtful, of course, and was convinced that the whole idea was ludicrous. Part of me wanted to just shove it out of my head and forget about it. But there was a part that was curious, that wanted to know the truth, that was maybe even excited about the idea... Finally, I shoved down my pride and fear and decided to ask, right then and there. I didn't know when we'd be alone again (especially since Mrs. Carson was there every minute she was able) and I really didn't want to ask about it in front of anyone else. I folded my newspaper and cleared my throat.
"Look, Bridge, I know you're awake. I want to talk to you about something. The other day, when you were holding my hand... I felt love from you. At least that's what I think it is. Was that... was that it?" He suddenly coughed a few times, then blushing a very deep red, turned his head away. I guessed from this reaction that he either hadn't intended for me to feel it, or perhaps had hoped I wouldn't know what it meant. "Don't be embarrassed," I said, patting his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with it, I'm not freaked out about it or anything, I just wanted to know. And... ... did you feel anything coming from me, too?" He looked back at me, tilting his head back and forth. "I've just... I've been thinking about this a lot over the past few days, because I almost completely fell to pieces while you were gone. It felt like... like there was a hole in my heart, or something. I'm so confused about how I feel, and you're so good at reading other people. Be honest with me- DID you feel anything in return from me?" He bit his lip and nodded, then looked away again. I rubbed my forehead, reluctantly letting the truth sink in.
So it WAS love. Somehow, at some point, I'd fallen in love with Bridge and not realized it... and he'd fallen in love with me and kept it hidden.
I hid behind my newspaper, but soon lowered it a third time, because he had turned his head back and was staring at me again, a tiny smile now playing across his lips.
"I don't really want to discuss it, if you don't mind," I told him. "I mean... me? In love with you? I don't know why I was thinking that. It was accidental, and maybe brought on by tiredness and... okay, okay, I see what Tessie means by 'the puss' now. Don't look at me like that. I know, you saw it before I did. Alright, so maybe it's true that we've fallen for each other, but that doesn't mean we have to act on it... does it?" He shrugged. "I mean, I'm not really all that uncomfortable with it," I said quickly. "It's just... you... me. Together. It's an odd combination, you know? I don't know what the others would think." Bridge smiled more broadly. "You don't care, do you?" Shake head. "I guess I don't either, then." I wasn't being entirely truthful, and he could probably tell, but nothing more needed to be said. I buried myself back in my newspaper yet again as he shifted a little and went to sleep for real, but I was barely taking in the words on the page. I was soon deep in thought, trying to force myself to come to terms with this new revelation about myself, that I was in fact in love with another man, wondering why I hadn't known it sooner. Then again, I'd never had any reason to ponder my sexuality for any length of time; as a police officer and Power Ranger, I thought I didn't really have time for love, anyway. I'd decided when entering the Academy that romantic relationships would just be unnecessary complications, so I'd try to avoid them. But decisions like that can be changed...
Could it work? Was this what I wanted out of life- a relationship with my best friend? Could I love him, in spite of his faults and the fact that he tended to drive me nuts? In spite of the fact, too, that we were in a very dangerous line of work, and would have to maintain a fair professional relationship? The more I thought about it, though, the more I actually started to like the idea despite myself. It could happen. It'd take some patience and a lot of getting used to for everyone, including me... but would being in love really be a bad thing, even if it was with Bridge?
When Z came to relieve me five hours later, accompanied by Mrs. Carson, I was glad to have an excuse to leave. I wanted to spend more time with Bridge, get to know him even better and get comfortable with the idea of being a couple with him, but at the same time the feelings between us were awkward for me to deal with. I wasn't sure how we should handle them, especially since it could be a while before he was able to even get up out of bed. What were we supposed to do until then, since we had such little time to ourselves? Would my lingering doubts be a constant weight on my mind and prevent us from ever going anywhere?
As I entered the parking garage and took my motorcycle keys out of my pocket, some sixth sense began tugging at me, warning me to be careful. A sudden violent gust of wind almost knocked me off my feet, and there was a whooshing noise behind me before I found a strong, armor-clad arm locked around my body, pinning my own arms to my sides, and a massive hand clamped over my mouth. I instinctively kicked at the assailant, but was only rewarded with pain when my foot made contact with metal. The arm squeezed tighter, and I was easily lifted off the ground even as I struggled to break free.
"Calm down," said a gravelly voice in my ear, making me shiver involuntarily- it sounded a lot like the alien that had kidnapped Bridge, but not quite. "I'm not here to hurt you... not yet anyway. I wanted to deliver a message to you. You bit off much more than you can chew when you deceived my comrade with the fake disk." Comrade? That thing had allies? "Beware, Red Ranger- my comrade and I are just two of several. Unless you and the rest of your little friends at SPD are willing to surrender peacefully to us, you're in for more pain and anguish than you can imagine. Tell Doggie Cruger this, or there will be an- accident- and that one in the hospital ward will be dead before the sun sets tomorrow. Nod your head if you understand." I did so, my heart pounding with fear. "Good boy." He vanished with another whoosh just as suddenly as he'd arrived. I fell to my hands and knees, breathing hard, sweat dripping down my face.
One bitty note: Bridge's sour/annoyed face being called "the puss" is a tribute to my godmother, who died in April. :) When she was still in the hospital, she was often too weak to speak, but said enough with her facial expressions, and my cousins (her daughters) nicknamed her annoyed face "the puss".
Anyhoo.
Enjoy.
Chapter 10 (Sky)
I felt really nervous for some reason I couldn't entirely explain as I rode my motorcycle back to the hospital to see Bridge for the first time since rescuing him. I knew some of my trepidation was due to my immense guilt about the fact that he was there in the first place- I still blamed myself in spite of the others' reassurances that I'd done all I could have. But there was something else eating at me, the stupid notion at the back of my head that I felt more than friendship toward him... His mom had told me he kept asking for me, so I was by myself, and the others were to come later if he were still up to it. As I parked, I wondered why he wanted to see me specifically, and not all of his friends, but put it on the back burner as I approached the intensive care ward. Mrs. Carson was standing outside the doors, waiting for me.
"There you are, Schuyler. I think they'll only let you in for a short while for now, since you're a friend and not family," she said, nodding inside as she held a door open for me. "I should warn you, don't take it personally if he doesn't even wake up when you come in. He's still very weak and in a lot of pain, and his meds knock him right out. Mind that he doesn't try to talk, too, because as much as he doesn't like not being able to, it's better for his throat. Oh, and don't be alarmed by the fact that he's restrained to the bed, either. It's mostly to stop his gloves accidentally coming off, because goodness knows he'll be having enough nightmares about this as it is without his powers making it worse. The less stress he has while recovering the better."
"Of course," I said, swallowing a lump in my throat as I followed her to the far end of the ward. Hospitals always gave me the creeps to begin with, and knowing I was about to be spending a lot of time here made me a little uncomfortable. The Commander had pointed out, and rightfully so, that the kidnapper might well come back to finish Bridge off once he found out that he'd been had and that his intended target was still alive. Therefore, we Rangers were now on guard duty until the criminal was arrested and contained, and of course we'd be visiting Bridge as often as we could.
"I'll wait outside," Mrs. Carson whispered, motioning me to go on in to the room alone. I took a deep breath and stepped inside, letting it out with a gasp as I saw Bridge. Several tubes had been inserted into his body and his wrists were attached to the bed with padded cuffs, the leather gloves thankfully still on his hands. He appeared to be out cold, so I was about to turn and leave when his eyes fluttered open. I stood still as he spotted me, and his face broke out into a weak smile. I relaxed and went over to him.
"Hey, little buddy," I said, smiling back. "You're a sight for sore eyes." He opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly pushed it shut with my hand. "It's OK, you don't have to talk to me. Remember, your throat needs to heal up properly. I can just sit with you until they kick me out, would you like that?" He nodded then looked around for a moment, chewing his tongue, before he raised the arm nearest me as high as he could, waving his hand and jerking his head toward it. "Uh... you... you want me to hold your hand?" He nodded again. "Should I take the glove off first?" Nod. I wondered for a moment why he was asking me to do this, then I remembered- if he couldn't communicate through speech, his psychic powers were the next best thing, and they were channeled through his hands. I knew his powers weren't developed to the point where he could communicate his exact thoughts or easily read mine through telepathy, but when I took a glove off and held his hand, I could feel his emotions quite clearly, and they were enough. Gratitude and hope were most prominent, along with some lingering guilt, regret, fear... and right before I let go, I briefly felt something a lot like love. I slipped his glove back on, thankful the room was dark, because I could feel myself blushing, though I didn't know why.
"So..." I said awkwardly. "We've all been having a hell of a time this week." He rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah, that's a bit of an understatement. I'm just... so relieved to see that you're alive and in one piece. That monster almost killed you." He nodded, then looked down. "What's wrong? No, wait, don't tell me," I began, but he cut me off.
"This... my... fault," he wheezed, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Stop that," I ordered. "It is NOT your fault. Don't stress yourself out by worrying about this too much, Bridge. Like I said, you're alive. That's all that's important." He shook his head.
"Computers," he croaked. "Stupid me... out... no weapons. My... fault. Should've died..." I finally covered his mouth with my hand, surprised and a little appalled that he thought this way.
"That's ENOUGH," I said as angry tears began to well up in his eyes. "Please, just stop it. Bridge... you had no way of knowing this could have happened. The computer error wasn't entirely your fault, anyway. Cruger admitted after the fact that he'd asked you to do too much and given you too little time to do it. You did exactly what you were supposed to when he suspended you- if you HAD gone out in uniform, with your weapons on you, you could have gotten in deeper trouble. And of course, you can't have predicted you were going to get kidnapped. Please... PLEASE don't blame yourself. If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you... I'm the reason you're here in the first place..." I removed my hand from his mouth and wiped his eyes for him. He frowned, nodding at me and now looking even more tired. The effort he expended speaking seemed to have drained what little energy he had.
"Ok. So... sorry."
"No more talking," I told him sternly, adjusting his blanket. "You need to get better as soon as possible. We can't wait to have you back." I sat in a chair near his bed, unable to think of anything more to say. I could tell he was fighting to stay awake, but it was a losing battle. When he'd gone back to sleep, my mind turned to the emotions I'd felt through his hand, because I couldn't get that feeling... love, or was it really?... out of my head now. I wondered again- as I had often over the past few days- if there really WAS love felt between us. But then again, I argued to myself, it doesn't have to be the romantic type he feels for me, nor I for him.
All the same, if I AM falling in love with him, it would explain a lot, I conceded. Why I've been falling apart so badly. Why his being kidnapped and almost dying has affected me so deeply- me, Mr. Strength and Stability. I know what just happened shouldn't be easy to deal with no matter what, but would I be feeling this strongly about it if I didn't love him? Not even just as a friend?
We've lived together for over two years and I don't think I have ever felt anything beyond friendship and brotherly affection for him, I argued back. He's my friend... dare I even say my best friend.
Ahh, said a nasty little voice in the back of my head, but I'm also good at ignoring and denying my feelings. I didn't even realize how much I'd miss him til this happened. Maybe somewhere along the line, I've fallen for him and not realized it. And since he held my hand, maybe he saw it and INTENTIONALLY showed me how he feels about me. I've been wrestling with it off and on all week... could it be true?
I finally had to excuse myself and walked out of the hospital as fast as I could. I mounted my motorcycle and drove off, not back to the base, but to somewhere I could think alone. My conflicting thoughts were beginning to cloud my head, and I didn't know how to deal with it anymore...
* * *
Four days later...
I arrived at the hospital for my guard shift, a newspaper under my arm, to find Tessie crocheting something while chatting at the silent Bridge.
"Come on, I want to make you something, and a scarf is nice and quick. It'll be nice when it's cold out and it'll help you hide what's sure to be a hideous scar on your neck," she was telling him. "I can make it green and blue to represent your two Ranger colors- oh, fine, don't give me the puss, simple head shake is fine."
"What's the puss?" I asked as I walked in.
"That," said Tessie, grinning as she pointed to Bridge. "When he does his little annoyed face, puckerin' his lips and glaring. I nicknamed it 'the puss' because he's bein' a sourpuss." I looked at her strangely. "Hey, you try and find somethin' better to do when you have to sit here for 5 hours. No offense," she added to Bridge. "You're asleep a lot of the time, that is when you're not off in la-la, high-as-a-goddamn-kite land from your drugs, so I need SOMETHIN' to do while here. If you won't let me make you a scarf, then how about a green and blue blanket?" He smiled a bit and nodded. "FINALLY. I'll get right to work on it during my next shift. Sir," she said to me, bowing as she prepared to leave. "I'll leave you to your duty."
"Don't call me sir."
"Yes, sir." She gave a sardonic salute, gathered up her crocheting supplies, and walked out, laughing. I sighed as I occupied the chair she'd vacated.
"She just does that to annoy me, I finally figured out," I explained to Bridge. "Tess was in a really chatty mood today, I hope she wasn't bothering you." He shook his head. "I bet you just enjoy the company, huh? You rest if you need to, buddy. I'll be here if you need anything." I opened my newspaper to read, expecting him to go to sleep or watch TV as usual, but I could feel him staring at me. After a few minutes, I could no longer stand it and lowered my paper; he quickly shut his eyes and pretended to be asleep, but I knew he'd been watching me. He might be thinking about the other day, I realized. Since he was able to feel my emotions as well as I could feel his- maybe even better- and reading other people was second nature to him, I was sure he'd seen something there... if there WAS something to see. During the two hours I'd spent driving aimlessly around Newtech City after leaving the hospital that day, I'd begun to think more and more that I DID have feelings for Bridge, and not recognized what they were or wanted to acknowledge them. Part of me was still doubtful, of course, and was convinced that the whole idea was ludicrous. Part of me wanted to just shove it out of my head and forget about it. But there was a part that was curious, that wanted to know the truth, that was maybe even excited about the idea... Finally, I shoved down my pride and fear and decided to ask, right then and there. I didn't know when we'd be alone again (especially since Mrs. Carson was there every minute she was able) and I really didn't want to ask about it in front of anyone else. I folded my newspaper and cleared my throat.
"Look, Bridge, I know you're awake. I want to talk to you about something. The other day, when you were holding my hand... I felt love from you. At least that's what I think it is. Was that... was that it?" He suddenly coughed a few times, then blushing a very deep red, turned his head away. I guessed from this reaction that he either hadn't intended for me to feel it, or perhaps had hoped I wouldn't know what it meant. "Don't be embarrassed," I said, patting his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with it, I'm not freaked out about it or anything, I just wanted to know. And... ... did you feel anything coming from me, too?" He looked back at me, tilting his head back and forth. "I've just... I've been thinking about this a lot over the past few days, because I almost completely fell to pieces while you were gone. It felt like... like there was a hole in my heart, or something. I'm so confused about how I feel, and you're so good at reading other people. Be honest with me- DID you feel anything in return from me?" He bit his lip and nodded, then looked away again. I rubbed my forehead, reluctantly letting the truth sink in.
So it WAS love. Somehow, at some point, I'd fallen in love with Bridge and not realized it... and he'd fallen in love with me and kept it hidden.
I hid behind my newspaper, but soon lowered it a third time, because he had turned his head back and was staring at me again, a tiny smile now playing across his lips.
"I don't really want to discuss it, if you don't mind," I told him. "I mean... me? In love with you? I don't know why I was thinking that. It was accidental, and maybe brought on by tiredness and... okay, okay, I see what Tessie means by 'the puss' now. Don't look at me like that. I know, you saw it before I did. Alright, so maybe it's true that we've fallen for each other, but that doesn't mean we have to act on it... does it?" He shrugged. "I mean, I'm not really all that uncomfortable with it," I said quickly. "It's just... you... me. Together. It's an odd combination, you know? I don't know what the others would think." Bridge smiled more broadly. "You don't care, do you?" Shake head. "I guess I don't either, then." I wasn't being entirely truthful, and he could probably tell, but nothing more needed to be said. I buried myself back in my newspaper yet again as he shifted a little and went to sleep for real, but I was barely taking in the words on the page. I was soon deep in thought, trying to force myself to come to terms with this new revelation about myself, that I was in fact in love with another man, wondering why I hadn't known it sooner. Then again, I'd never had any reason to ponder my sexuality for any length of time; as a police officer and Power Ranger, I thought I didn't really have time for love, anyway. I'd decided when entering the Academy that romantic relationships would just be unnecessary complications, so I'd try to avoid them. But decisions like that can be changed...
Could it work? Was this what I wanted out of life- a relationship with my best friend? Could I love him, in spite of his faults and the fact that he tended to drive me nuts? In spite of the fact, too, that we were in a very dangerous line of work, and would have to maintain a fair professional relationship? The more I thought about it, though, the more I actually started to like the idea despite myself. It could happen. It'd take some patience and a lot of getting used to for everyone, including me... but would being in love really be a bad thing, even if it was with Bridge?
When Z came to relieve me five hours later, accompanied by Mrs. Carson, I was glad to have an excuse to leave. I wanted to spend more time with Bridge, get to know him even better and get comfortable with the idea of being a couple with him, but at the same time the feelings between us were awkward for me to deal with. I wasn't sure how we should handle them, especially since it could be a while before he was able to even get up out of bed. What were we supposed to do until then, since we had such little time to ourselves? Would my lingering doubts be a constant weight on my mind and prevent us from ever going anywhere?
As I entered the parking garage and took my motorcycle keys out of my pocket, some sixth sense began tugging at me, warning me to be careful. A sudden violent gust of wind almost knocked me off my feet, and there was a whooshing noise behind me before I found a strong, armor-clad arm locked around my body, pinning my own arms to my sides, and a massive hand clamped over my mouth. I instinctively kicked at the assailant, but was only rewarded with pain when my foot made contact with metal. The arm squeezed tighter, and I was easily lifted off the ground even as I struggled to break free.
"Calm down," said a gravelly voice in my ear, making me shiver involuntarily- it sounded a lot like the alien that had kidnapped Bridge, but not quite. "I'm not here to hurt you... not yet anyway. I wanted to deliver a message to you. You bit off much more than you can chew when you deceived my comrade with the fake disk." Comrade? That thing had allies? "Beware, Red Ranger- my comrade and I are just two of several. Unless you and the rest of your little friends at SPD are willing to surrender peacefully to us, you're in for more pain and anguish than you can imagine. Tell Doggie Cruger this, or there will be an- accident- and that one in the hospital ward will be dead before the sun sets tomorrow. Nod your head if you understand." I did so, my heart pounding with fear. "Good boy." He vanished with another whoosh just as suddenly as he'd arrived. I fell to my hands and knees, breathing hard, sweat dripping down my face.
One bitty note: Bridge's sour/annoyed face being called "the puss" is a tribute to my godmother, who died in April. :) When she was still in the hospital, she was often too weak to speak, but said enough with her facial expressions, and my cousins (her daughters) nicknamed her annoyed face "the puss".