ABC
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers.
Kim turned to lay on her side and glared at the digital clock next to the bed. Beside her, her husband for nearly three years was sleeping and snoring lightly. She sighed. It was 3 in the morning and she didn't feel sleepy at the slightest. Normally, she would snuggle up to Tommy's strong, warm body that smelled incredible and let the scent that was absolutely 'Tommy' lull her to sleep; but not tonight.
As a high school teacher, the mentor/senior member of a group of spandex clad superheroes and not to mention the future owner of a karate school downtown, Tommy Oliver was one busy man these days. Sure, as a wife, mother, co-mentor and a gymnastics teacher, she understood the situation all too well. Still, he should've spared some time to be with his family.
Today for instance, she didn't even realize when he finally got in. She woke up to pee and found his arm drapped across her waist to hold her close, even in his sleep. At least he still remembers he has a wife…
Kimberly sat up straight on the bed and crossed her arms. She had to do something… But what could it be?
--
Tommy groaned with a loud voice when the alarm went off the next morning. He abruptly reached out his hand to slam the thing off and determined to go back to sleep. He turned to stretch out on his stomach and groggily felt the bed for his wife. When his fingers grazed the cool sheets, his eyes opened for a second. Thinking that she might have woken up to fix breakfast, Tommy closed his eyes again and threw the covers over his head.
After some time, he shivered when the cold morning breeze hit his bare back. Moaning, Tommy pulled the covers tighter and his eyes slowly fluttered open. 7.43. "Seven… forty three!" He jolted awake right that instant. "Oh shit," He should be in school in half an hour and he hadn't even done anything. "Kimberly!"
He dashed into the bathroom and after switching the light on, grabbed his toothbrush and turned on the shower at the same time. After a very quick clean up, he emerged back to his room and hastily pulled out the first dress shirt and slacks that caught his eyes and threw them on the bed. "Kim! Oh, I'm going to be so late…," He mumbled as he stripped off his towel and put on clean briefs. He didn't even bother to fix his short hair and let it dry naturally. Tommy kicked the door open while trying to get his tie done. He hated that thing. Usually Kim would be the one who helped him with his tie while he enjoyed his morning caffeine and some stolen kisses. What a blissful life… Except that he couldn't find his petite wife now. "Kim? Kimberly?"
The living room was empty and so was the kitchen. He had grown panic, thinking that Mesogog might have snuck into the house last night and captured the first pink ranger, when a note on the coffee table caught his eyes.
'Hey, Handsome!' Tommy could imagine Kim smiling brightly at him and even waving her hands enthusiastically. 'You see, Jesse will arrive this morning from Milan and I have to pick her up at the airport. I'm sorry if this is too sudden. I wanted to tell you yesterday but well, I didn't even get to see you all day. Anyway, I hope you have fun with Hope. See you later.
–Kim,'
Jesse was Kim's boss when she worked as a fashion designer in Florida. While Kim had retired from drawing and making clothes, the brunette still kept in touch with the woman that had given her her first job. What the hell was Jesse doing here anyway? Tommy crumpled the paper in his hand and let it drop to the floral carpeted floor. He really had no time for this…
He glanced at the clock and groaned. "Oh, great," If he didn't get to the high school in twenty, he would be in a kennel with Randall and that was the last thing he needed right now. He took his sack and glasses and turned to walk to the front door when Kim's words popped inside his head.
What did she mean by 'Have fun with Hope?'
"Aww, man, please no," Tommy turned around and practically ran towards the nursery which was located next to the master bedroom. And there she was, his two year old daughter standing in her white and pink crib, her small arms immediately reaching out for him when she saw his frantic father.
"Dadda!"
To Kim's credit, she had dressed the tot in her favorite lavender dress and even put on the white mitten. Right beside the changing table was the medium sized bag that kept all the things Hope would need. Tommy's jaw tightened.
He was being set up.
"Kim…," Tommy ducked his head in dismay, holding back his infuriation. He couldn't believe Kim would do this to him. However, as much as he wanted to curse and swear, he really had to leave the house right that second. Sighing, he moved to swing Hope into his arms, provoking peals of giggles from her, as his free hand snatched the bag.
"Dadda!" Hope playfully hit his chest, happy to be able to be with her father again after not seeing him for a while. It's normally had passed her bedtime when he got home and while they saw each other in the morning, it wasn't much.
"Yes, Princess," Tommy replied as he trotted down the stairs and headed to the car after locking the doors. He peered down to look his watch and sighed. He was officially late this morning although fortunately, he had his first period free today. The black Dino Thunder ranger put Hope into the car seat and buckled her up.
It wasn't long before Tommy started the engine and pulled out of the rocky driveway.
--
"Oh my God! Look at that!"
"What's her name?"
"Auw…that's cute,"
"Doctor Oliver, who's that? Is she your daughter?"
Tommy had never felt more embarrassed than he did right now. All those cute comments could be heard from the entire hallway when he walked passed the students with Hope in her babystroller. He was secretly grateful that they didn't purchase the babystroller with colorful hearts and stars that Kim had insisted on buying once upon a time. It was quite a surprise when he found the first period bell hadn't rung. He soon found out that his watch was fifteen minutes too fast. Tommy didn't know whether he had to be relieved or not.
"Yeah, thanks," He nodded curtly as another round of 'aahh and ohh' coming from a group of teenagers sitting near the lockers.
"She is totally adorable," A female student gushed and nudged her boyfriend to see their science teacher strolling with his child. "How old is she?"
"Thank you. She's two," Tommy asked, feeling more awkward than before. Everybody seemed to have their eyes on him and it didn't make him feel better at all. "Excuse me,"
Just like how Moses parted the Red sea, the crowd automatically stepped aside to give him room. He felt like an instant celebrity in the red carpet.
"She has your hair," A blonde that he recognized named Julie spoke. "Though her eyes are like her mother,"
"Really? Well, I never saw his wife so I don't know," Her friend said.
In two minutes, Tommy knew how adorable and cute Hope was, that she had his hair and nose, and more importantly, that he wasn't gay like some of his students had speculated. Now that was news for him. Gay!
Splash!
A bright light nearly blinded his eyes when Cassidy and Devin, the combo that had made his life miserable a couple of times, stepped in and blocked his way.
"Pink!" Hope said in merriment as her small finger pointed at Cassidy. "Dadda, pink!"
"Yes, Hope, it's pink," Tommy said and touched her head to smooth down her hair. From the corner of his eyes, he could see some students gushing and fanning their faces as if it was a big deal to see their teacher and his child interacting like a normal father and daughter.
Well, Tommy, you would do the same if you're in their position.
While all he wanted to say was 'You nearly blinded my baby, back off!', the only thing coming from his mouth was, "I really don't have time for this, Cassidy,"
"Doctor Oliver," The blonde girl smiled and stepped forward. "I'm the new editor of Reefside Gazette that will release its first issue next month. As a new teacher, I'm pretty sure that many of our students would like to know more about you-,"
He cleared his throat loudly and said with the best firm tone that he could muster, watching Devin kneeling down before Hope and making funny faces. "I'm sorry, but my personal life is not a story," He wasn't sure if Kim would be thrilled to see him and their daughter making the headline. Kimberly… Thinking about his wife and her tricky scheme made his hands clench and unclench tightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me,"
RRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr….
Saved by the bell! Tommy's face remained stoic although he was feeling incredibly relieved. "That's the bell," He remarked when Cassidy didn't move from her spot.
"Oh well, alright, alright," She sighed in defeat and swatted Devin's arm impatiently. "Devin, come on! Oh, please, I can't belive you didn't get this!"
"Well, Cass, I…-,"
Tommy used the time to slip away and resumed his trip to the teachers lounge. Perhaps he could convince somebody to take care of Hope while he was teaching, or better, he should call Hayley to see if she could come and take Hope with her.
"Whoa," Rhett snorted when Tommy opened the door and wheeled Hope inside. When she normally couldn't remain still whenever she was in crowded new places, Hope was behaving extremely well this morning. Tommy glared at his fellow teacher. "Who's this little cutie? Man, I know that you love your daughter so much, trust me, I know. I have two daughters myself, but I never thought of bringing them with me. Should do that next time,"
"Very funny," Tommy commented wryly and looked around. "Where's everybody?"
"They have gone to their classes," The Mathematics teacher answered as he playfully pinched Hope's pink cheek. "And there's a special schedule for today. The school will end at one, so you have your first class right about… five minutes ago,"
"Oh, Shi…Geez," When Rhett regarded him with a funny look, Tommy went on, "Kim would kill me if she knows I'm swearing in front of Hope,"
"Well then, good luck," Rhett gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Because you're going to need it," At Tommy's long suffering look, he continued, "There's noone free, you will have to bring her with you,"
His day had gone from bad to worse.
--
"Now do your test and silent, please," He said the last part with more desperation in his voice than he would've liked. Tommy plopped down on his seat, trying his best to ignore the hush giggles and knowing looks coming from his students. Connor was still laughing mutely on his seat that Tommy was tempted to throw him a chalk.
"Cute kid, Doctor Oliver," His red ranger remarked, inviting a round of laughter from the class. "What's her name?" Connor asked innocently while the truth was, he perfectly knew what Hope's name was. Kim had even forced him to help her change Hope's dirty diaper more than once.
Take a deep breath, Tommy… Yeah, like that…
"Go back to your test," Tommy simply responded. While he kept one eye to his class, he moved Hope's babystroller back and forth. However, his attempt to put her to sleep was completely useless.
"Dadda!" Hope squeaked and the room broke into laughter once again. Scratching his chin, Tommy fought not to blush when she squirmed in her seat and said again, "No seat! Daddy!"
Sure, he knew that his little girl hated to be put in her stroller for a long time, but he couldn't let her wander around the class, now could he?
"Maybe she's hungry," Ethan said with a snort and received a playful kick from Kira who sat next to him. "It's okay, Dr. O,"
"I didn't even know that you're married," A tall brunet named L.J. quipped and the class was filled with amused murmurs. "Who is she? She must be one lucky woman,"
Tommy turned to face the class and shook his head in irritation, feeling his patience draining fast. "The clock's ticking, guys. I won't give you any extra time,"
"Clock!" Hope suddenly chimed in. "Dadda, no seat! No! No!"
"Silent!" Tommy hollered to the class and he turned to his teary-eyed daughter. She bit her lips hard and gave him the look that he could never say 'no' to; a skill that she must have learnt from her mother. Tommy gently swept her into his arms and her face brightened visibly.
"I wish I had a camera with me," Connor said half jokingly, not raising his head from the paper test to avoid his laugh from breaking free.
"Okay, guys, that's enough," Tommy grumbled with a deep frown, his voice turned darkly. Sadly, it was not too convincing to get angry with a two year old smiling and giggling cheerfully in his arms, especially when Hope landed a kiss on his cheek. "Guys!" He nearly yelled when the class broke into fits of laughter once more. It was such a rare experience to see their teacher seem to unguarded and lost like a puppy.
Still grinning, the students complied, realizing they had a test to be finished. But boy, it was difficult to concentrate. Sighing, Tommy turned to look at Hope and smiled sadly. He swirled her soft curly locks around his finger and cuddled her close. "Thank God that Mommy has feed you, because Daddy can't leave the class right now,"
"Mommy!" Hope's whining could be heard clearly in the quiet classroom. "Dadda, mommy!"
"Mommy's busy, Sweetheart," He whispered, his hand moving up and down her small back. Talking about Kimberly… Where was she anyway? Her cellphone was dead and he had a good feeling that she had turned it off on purpose, just like she left the house without bringing Hope when she knew he had class today. When Hope wiggled in his arms, he knew that she wanted him to set her down. Tommy reluctantly put his little girl on her feet, allowing her to cling to his much bigger one.
He followed her walking aimlessly while at the same time pretended to be oblivious to his students' silent laughter. Hope stopped at the Tyranosaurus Rex model and jumped excitedly. "Dino! Dad, Rex!"
"Ohhhh… Look at her!" Shelle, the smartest girl in the class breathed, totally forgetting about her test.
Tommy grinned ruefully and gave Hope her stuffed animal, hoping it could calm her down for a while. For a moment, she dropped to sit on the floor and play with her doll. Tommy took a deep breath of air and tore his eyes from her.
Please don't let Randall walk in right now… Not now. The news spread fast in this school, so he assumed it wouldn't take long before he fell to his doom. It's not that he didn't want to be with Hope, it's just now was not exactly the time for that.
Are you ready?
A loud voice snapped him from his reverie and he stared down at Hope with horror. He had forgotten that the yellow sponge stuffed animal in her arms could sing! He wondered if Kim deliberately put it in the bag.
Aye aye captain!
"Oh man, I can't hold it any longer!" Trent who sat on the front row said and burst out laughing. It wasn't long before the whole class followed suit.
Oh…There's a pineapple under the sea, SpongeBob Squarepants!
Tommy's face was burning red and Hope pouted when he quickly reached for the stuffed animal. "How to stop this thing?" He directed the question to the class as the song kept on going and going.
"You can't," Kira volunteered to answer between giggles, her eyes tearing slightly from laughing so much. "My niece has the same stuffed animal and you can't make it stop. You have to wait until it finishes,"
"Perfect,"
As SpongeBob continued singing (though for Tommy, it sounded like it was screaming) his theme song, Hope started to wail. All the fuss had given him a headache. Kim would not get away from this! He squatted to Hope level and an unpleasant smell made him cringe. "Oh, Sweety…. Do you really have to do this now?"
"Do you need any help, Doctor Oliver?" Someone offered but he really could care less.
"You do bring her diapers, don't you?"
"Please don't do it here!"
Tommy licked his lips and massaged the bridge of his nose. To add to his stress, Principal Randall's voice suddenly boomed across the room.
"Doctor Oliver! What is happening here?"
Jesus.
--
"Hey, Honey, you're home," Kimberly called out from the kitchen when she heard someone open the door. "How's your day?"
Need to ask? He groused to himself, feeling mentally and physically tired to reply. He sank deeper on the couch and loosened his tie. When Kim walked into the living room and dropped a kiss on his head, his wall crumbled. "Kim, what the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea what happened today?" Cassidy had asked him if she could do an exclusive interview with the Olivers, a proposal that he refused almost instantly.
His wife arched her eyebrows and made her way to the sleeping Hope. She gently picked her up before sitting beside him and letting Hope to lay her head on her chest. "She missed you," Kim said simply.
"Yeah, but you couldn't just do that," He snapped, frustated. "I could've lost my job," The only person who could match Randall's fury was Rita… and Kim when she was pissed.
"But you didn't," Kim pointed out. Seeing Tommy's firm face, her shoulders slumped and she raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, I admit, it's wrong to do what I did, but I couldn't help it! You barely had time to be with your family, Tommy. While I can understand that, your daughter can't. When was the last time did you just sit and spend time with her?"
He opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out. He ran his fingers through his hair with annoyance. Kim was right, just like she always had been. "Look, I'm sorry. I was just-,"
"Even before the divorce I only met Dad for like, two times a week. I missed him terribly and mom was too busy with her problems to notice," Kim murmured, looking down at the sweet bundle in her arms. "I didn't want Hope to go through that,"
Tommy wrapped his arms around her slender figure. He had heard the story when they were teenagers and now he had done the same thing her father did. "I'm sorry, Beautiful," He leaned over to kiss her forehead and tightened his embrace. "And I'm sorry, Princess," Tommy tenderly traced Hope's petite nose, smiling when she sighed in contentment.
Kim grinned when she saw the sanity was back in those dark brown eyes. "It's okay," She leaned her head to rest against his chest and asked softly, "So, now that I know you had so much fun with Hope, could you bring her again tomorrow? Jesse might need someone to show her around…," She stopped, feeling his body stiffen.
"Kim,"
"Just kidding, Handsome,"
:: Wow, it's the longest oneshot I have ever written. Well, thank you for reading. Your reviews are very much appreciated. No flame please. Thanks!
-Yuuri :)