Power Rangers Zeo - Venusian Encounters by Heather Ray (the ebook reader TXT) 📕

here?" Daniel asked, turning away from the screen showing Tommy's vital signs, "I can probably get them up here, even though it's past visiting hours."

Hope shook her head. "I came ahead of them. I... I didn't want to leave Dad for too long."

Hope took her father's hand again, and stroked it gently. As she soothed his hand with tender affection, she began humming to herself. A faint navy blue aura built around her body as she sang an almost entrancing, serene melody.

Kimberly smiled as Hope sang her father's favorite lullaby. The lullaby he sang to Hope, when she lay in a cradle so many decades ago. Surely, Hope sang it far better. That was because the spirit of the Nightingale was always with her.

Through her sixty-four years of life, Hope Oliver, Princess of Venus Island, remained true to her name. She was a bond joining Kimberly and Tommy through the decades, even when distance tore them apart.

She was something of Tommy's that would live far beyond him. In a sense, his spirit and compassion lived in Hope, and since she was all but immortal, so was Tommy.

Kim knew that Tommy had wanted a large family. It was a dream he confessed to her ages ago, when they first began dating. It was one of his desires, to be a real father to a large, happy family. This was probably due to the fact that he had been adopted, and hadn't really known his biological family.

Kimberly couldn't give him that. They had one child, and as of now, no grandchildren.

Still, they always had Hope... the cherished, eternal personification of child-like innocence and purity, with a song that could soothe anything living.

Hope was truly a bright spot in Kimberly's long and often difficult life.


Chapter Ten

October 2007

"Hey, Kim!" called a voice, as the incessant pounding sliced into the queen's consciousness, numbing her body while enflaming the headache that made her cranium ten times heavier than it should be.

"Please," Kim moaned, burying her face into her feather pillow, "go away!"

"No can do!" the voice proclaimed, "You're gettin' us all really worried here, Kim. Now, open the door or I'll open it for ya!"

Kim grumbled under her breath, refusing to move. Moving was torturous.

She barely registered the sound of teleportation, as a power signature of orange light flooded the room. She then felt the bed move slightly, as someone sat on the edge of the bed.

"Sheesh, Girl!" Renee Ryan declared, a wry smile on her face, "You look like crap."

Kim peeked out from within the deep crevice she made in her pillow, and glared at her close friend. "Is that any way to talk to your queen?" she demanded weakly.

Renee giggled a bit as Kim forced herself onto her back. Renee gasped in shock when she saw how flushed Kim's face was.

"Are you okay?" Renee asked, her deep brown eyes wide.

"No," Kim groaned, touching her forehead with her sweaty palm, "I feel like I was hit by a truck. It just hit all at once!"

"I've never seen anyone sick on Venus Island," Renee noted, her eyes rolling around the room as she rummaged through her mind, "There aren't any doctors, medicines, or anything like it. The closest thing is healing spells for injuries, but that's different. You look like you've got the flu."

"But where could I have gotten the flu?" Kim asked, rolling her hazel eyes blankly.

Renee shrugged. "Maybe you got it when you visited Tommy."

Renee duly noted how Kim's face got increasingly red. Renee's eyes widened.

"Kiiiiim," she drawled, her eyebrow arched, "did you...?"

Kim smiled guiltily.

"And you didn't TELL ME

?!" Renee shrieked, folding her arms, "Man! This is unreal!"

"It's not any of your business, 'Ne," Kim said weakly, propping herself on her elbows, "A woman can have some secrets, can't she?"

"Not from me

she can't!" Renee affirmed, shrugging her eyebrows. Kim couldn't help but laugh at her friend's antics.

After the years of their "marriage", Kimberly and Tommy had been intimate on several occasions. Granted, since they lived apart they spent far less time together than any other married couple. Still, Kimberly didn't feel comfortable being confronted about her relationship with Tommy. It was the one part of her life that was sacred, and personal. Once she became queen, she accepted the role of a public figure. That necessarily included a blatant breach of privacy.

Suddenly, Renee's jaw dropped. Kim immediately stopped laughing, and stared at her inquisitively.

"Kim," she said, standing up from the bed and turning to her, "lie flat."

Kim conceded, worry furrowing her brow as Renee brought her palms together as if she were praying. Her hands began to glow with a faint aura of orange light, and she slowly separated her hands, and lay them on Kim's abdomen. Kim watched in silence as the orange glow intensified. Renee's slight frown of concentration melted into a warm smile as the light began to pulse.

"What?" Kim asked, panic setting in her eyes, "What are you smiling about?"

"Kimmie," she said gently, pulling her arms away, "you're going to have a daughter!"

Kim blinked, her eyes widening as she slowly reached down, and stroked her stomach in awe. "R... really?" she whispered faintly, her eyes transfixed on her stomach.

Renee's smile widened. "You got it, Girl."

Kim's forehead wrinkled into a troubled frown once again, and she nibbled on her lower lip slightly. "I... I wonder what Tommy'll say..."

Renee huffed. "You know he's gonna be thrilled about it!" she answered, "and it's not like you're placing a burden on him! She'll be the Princess of Venus Island."

Kim cringed slightly, glancing around the room more. She suddenly felt a wave of dizziness overcome her slight headache, and her mind began to swim. She knew Tommy had always wanted to be a father. It was one of his goals in life to be the center of a stable, happy family. A goal... he had to give up by devoting himself to Kim.

Now, he would have a child. But, she will be on Venus Island. She couldn't hide her pregnancy from the others, and it would be an outrage to have the Queen's daughter living with mankind.

Besides, she doubted Tommy really wanted to raise a child alone. He wanted a family

, and that included a wife.

...a wife he could never have.

"I've got to talk to him," Kim said, rolling her eyes to Renee as she tried to stand up, "I've got to tell him."

"Whoa, there, Honey," Renee said, gently restraining the dazed monarch, "You're in no condition to go anywhere

! I'll call him, and he can come here."

Kim frowned even more. "He... he doesn't much like Venus Island," she said quietly.

Renee chuckled. "And with good reason! This island has taken you away from him." Renee lowered her voice a bit when she saw Kim cringe slightly. "But, he loves you, and so he'll love being wherever you are. Especially once you tell him he's gonna be a Daddy!"

Kim sighed quietly, lying back on her bed and letting her muscles go lax. She then grinned weakly at Renee, letting her know her approval. As she watched Renee leave, the exhaustion of her condition overcame her, and she drifted into a light sleep.

"Hey, Beautiful," a voice said, and a gentle hand caressed her warm cheek, "time to wake up."

Kim smiled even before her eyes opened. Those six words, which drew her into the realm of lucidity years ago, triggered the memory of when he first became the White Ranger. She was overwhelmed at the sight of him, donned in the noble armor that would forever be the armor that fit him the best. She was so overcome with astonishment that she fainted

.

She was a different person then. She was a girl. Now, she was a Venusian queen.

"Hey," she breathed, trying to sit up. She did her best to smile, but she couldn't bring her muscles to respond properly. The result was a quiver of her lips, which brought a small frown of worry to Tommy's face.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, continuing to stroke her head.

"Tired, but not bad," she answered, glancing around the room. To her surprise, Renee wasn't there.

Maybe she's not as nosy as she seems,

Kim reflected, locking eyes with Tommy once again. She saw the worry that darkened his chocolate eyes, and reached out to catch his hand as it trailed down her cheek.

"What did Renee tell you?" she asked, holding his hand steady.

"She said that you wanted to see me," he answered simply.

"That's it?" Kim asked, slightly surprised.

"That's enough for me," he responded, a lop-sided grin spreading on his face. The grin faded slightly when Kim's grip on his hand strengthened.

"Tommy," she said, her voice beginning to quiver, "Th.. there's something I need... to tell you."

Tommy's eyes grew wide. Clearly, the worst possible scenario was floating through his mind. After all, Kim realized she looked like death warmed over. Maybe he thought she was dying.

She had to clear that up right away. "Tommy, um... I... we... are going to have a... baby."

The last word was whispered so quietly, Kim herself didn't hear it. But the amazed look on Tommy's face made it clear that he had.

"A... a baby?" he repeated, his voice not much louder than hers. She nodded, tears beginning to shine in her eyes.

"I'm... I'm gonna be a father?" he asked in disbelief. Slowly, his hand traced down her torso, and rested upon her stomach. His dark eyes were suddenly transfixed upon that spot, as if expecting the miracle that would happen in the near future.

"Yes," Kim said, carefully examining his face. She was dismayed by the fact that he didn't smile. His eyes were wide with shock... and maybe fear? "Tommy," she began, "I'm.. I'm sorry if..."

"Sorry?" he asked, turning to her again, "For what?"

Kim averted her eyes, and gently bit her lip again. Tommy recognized her nervous habit, and planted a tender kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Kim, this is wonderful!" he exclaimed, his face brightening as the shock slowly gave way to glee, "I'm going to be a father!"

Kim released a few weak giggles at Tommy's joy. "So, you're okay with this?" she asked hesitantly.

"Kim," he said, his own eyes watering, "I couldn't have hoped for anything more."