WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR
AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER
Jason/Tommy friendship fic that takes place after "A Brief Mystery Of Time". Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. I only own the plot. Reference to "King For A Day Pts 1-2". I'm not sure how much time was supposed to have passed between "A Different Shade Of Pink Pt 3" and "Rita's Pita", but Katherine's flashback takes place before Kimberly left.
As the Rangers walked into Ernie's Gym And Juice Bar, Jason kept a subtle eye on Tommy. Though they had talked a bit after the events in the arena, Jason hadn't gotten a chance to really check on Tommy. Katherine, Billy, Tanya, Rocky, and Adam chattered as they headed for a counter. Suddenly, Tommy grabbed the back of a chair.
"Whoa," Jason said, steadying him.
"Easy," Billy stated, doing the same.
"Tommy? Are you all right?" Katherine asked in concern, as she and the others turned to him.
"You don't look so good, man," Rocky commented.
"Come on, Bro. Just sit down for a second," Jason instructed, pulling the chair out.
"I'll go see if Ernie has any aspirin or a cold compress," Billy stated as Tommy slowly did as he was told.
"Thanks," Jason responded, keeping his eye on the Ranger leader.
"Jason, is everything okay here?" Emily asked in concern.
"Yeah, everything's fine, Emily. Thanks," Jason answered. "In and out slowly, Bro," he coached. "Why didn't you tell us you were havin' the spells?" he reproachfully continued in a soft tone.
"Didn't wanna bother anybody. Thought I could handle it," the boy muttered as Billy came back with some Tylenol, a glass of water, and a washcloth. Jason took the aspirin and water, and handed them to Tommy, who immediately took the pill.
"Is he going to be okay?" Adam queried.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to sit," Tommy answered.
"What's wrong with him?" Tanya asked.
"Side effects from the brainwashing," Jason answered quietly. Katherine watched silently as Billy handed the washcloth to Tommy who wiped his face with it. She remembered Tommy doing the same for her shortly after joining the team. And so had Kimberly, before leaving for the Pan Globals. Her mind wandered. Katherine, Kimberly, and Aisha walked through the mall, talking and laughing.
"Kim, I still can't believe that you would trust me after everything that's happened," Katherine admitted.
"Hey, I told you: it wasn't your fault," Kimberly responded.
"I know. It's just going to take a while," Katherine stated. Kimberly smiled sympathetically. They continued walking.
"Hey, could we stop for a few minutes?" Katherine asked suddenly, grabbing Kimberly's arm tightly.
"What's wrong?" Aisha asked in concern.
"Ohhh, you're feeling swimmy aren't you?" Kimberly asked. "Aisha, go get a bottle of water, would you?" she continued, helping the new Pink Ranger slowly sit down. Aisha went to do as she requested as Kimberly led Katherine in a breathing exercise as she took out a small bag. Aisha came back with the water and handed it to Kimberly, who then handed the bottle, along with some Tylenol, to the blond girl. Katherine gratefully took it.
"That'll help with the dizziness," her predecessor assured.
"Thanks," she said.
"Tommy, are you okay?" Tanya asked, dragging Katherine out of her reverie.
"Yeah, I'll be all right in a sec," Tommy assured with a smile. "Thanks, Bro."
"No problem."
"You're always taking care of me, aren't you?"
"Hey, that's what friends are for." Tommy grinned and then reached up and grabbed Jason's hand and gave it a grateful squeeze.
THE END