[All disclaimers in Part 1. Get the kleenex ready.]
Part 16
*A week later
"Is it on straight?"
Billy fought back a smirk as he turned back to find Adam fiddling nervously with his bow tie.
"It's straight. Relax, Adam. You look great."
Adam sighed and turned to face the mirror. "I look like a corpse."
It was all Billy could do not to choke. He knew there'd been nothing meant in the remark, but it still jabbed at him deep on the inside. Adam did, indeed, look like a walking corpse. His flesh was almost purely white, gaunt and pallid, and there were deep circles beneath his eyes. His condition had deteriorated rapidly during that week, and Billy was silently amazed that Adam was still getting around without any sort of aid.
Billy forced a smile onto his face and pushed his own concerns to the back of his mind. "You look fine. Stop worrying."
The door swung open and Hank looked in. "Are you two ready, yet?"
"We're ready," Billy answered before Adam could protest. He caught hold of Adam's arm and herded him from the room. "Let's go."
* * * *
They picked up Billy's date first, and then Tanya. At both Billy and Marge's urging, Adam went to the front door alone, holding in trembling fingers a beautiful white corsage. He rang the doorbell, fighting the panic that was twisting his gut, hoping to God that Tanya wasn't repulsed by his weak appearance.
The door opened, and Mrs Sloan appeared. A broad smile lit up her face when she saw Adam standing there.
"C'mon in, Adam. Tanya's putting on the finishing touches now."
Adam allowed himself to be led inside the house, and through to the family room. Mr Sloan was waiting there, and he clapped the boy lightly on the shoulder.
"I have to thank you, Adam, before Tanya comes down."
Adam blinked, confused. "Thank me?"
"Yes. You made my little girl the happiest in the world when you asked her to this dance."
A red flush crept across Adam's pale cheeks, and before he could think of anything to say, another voice spoke.
"Daddy, I hope you aren't embarrassing Adam."
Adam looked around to the source of the voice, and his jaw dropped in shock. Tanya stood in the archway, radiant in a soft, yellow dress. It reached her knees, ending in folds that seemed to taper off. It bunched at the shoulders, falling off the shoulder and accentuating her smooth, dark skin.
Struck by nerves, Adam almost stumbled as he went to her, and thrust the corsage at her rather unceremoniously.
"Th.... This is for you...."
A smile lit up Tanya's face. "Adam's it's beautiful!"
He looked up at her shyly. "Not as beautiful as you."
Tears of joy filled her eyes, and she carefully pinned the corsage on herself, silently knowing it would be too much to expect him to pin it on himself. He took her hand then, and the two had to stand patiently together as Mrs Sloan took multiple photographs of the two.
"Mum!" Tanya protested finally. "We have to go! Billy and Marge will be waiting for us."
Mrs Sloan nodded, finding it difficult to hide the tears in her own eyes. "All right. Go on, you two."
"Have a good time," Mr Sloan added.
The two hurried out and down to the car. Marge smiled at the two younger teens as Adam opened the door for Tanya.
"Let me guess. Photo session for the folks?"
Tanya was bright red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. My mother is camera mad."
Marge laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. All mothers are the same."
The other door shut as Adam got in beside Tanya, Billy put the car in gear and they were off to the dance.
* * * *
"Well, looks like the blackmail worked."
Adam looked at Tanya in confusion as they entered the Youth Centre.
"Huh?"
Tanya smiled and motioned to the centre of the dance floor, and Adam finally saw what she meant. Jason and Kat looked glued to each other, lost in a romantic slow dance. Billy nodded approvingly.
"It's about time. He's had his eye on her for months."
Tanya glanced sideways at Adam. "How about we find a table?"
Adam nodded in wordless agreement, and the couples moved off into the crowd to locate a table for themselves.
* * * *
They soon found Tommy and Rocky with their respective dates, and joined them. Marge, not one to be left on the sidelines, quickly pulled Billy onto the dance floor, where they disappeared into the crowd.
"How are you doing, Adam?" Tommy asked quietly. Adam shrugged.
"Okay. Tired, I guess." He trailed off, not missing the look on Tanya's face. She wanted to dance, and for a brief moment he was angry at himself for even bothering to go. She would have been better off with a date that could actually do more with her than keep up idle conversation...
He looked at her again, and realised with dim alarm that she had no intention of sitting on the sidelines all evening.
"C'mon, Adam."
He gulped as she pulled him gently to his feet. "What...?"
"This is a dance. We're going to dance. C'mon."
Adam looked back to Tommy for help, but the Red Ranger only smiled and waved cheekily. A touch of vindication filled Adam as, only seconds later, Tommy's date pulled him from the safety of the table towards the dance floor.
* * * *
"Is this so bad, then?"
Adam smiled faintly as he and Tanya moved together on the floor. Despite his constant exhaustion, he'd been able to temporarily ignore it as the Dance progressed into the evening.
"I could get used to it," he murmured.
Tanya turned her head a little so she could rest herself just lightly on her shoulder, a move that wasn't so much for her own comfort as much as to stop him from seeing her tears.
"I love you, Adam."
The smile faded, and his chocolate-coloured eyes reflected the sadness and pain that they both felt.
"I love you, too."
"This has been the best night of my life," Tanya said softly, as the teens stood outside the Youth Centre after the dance had finished just after midnight. Adam hugged her to him and, before his nerves could get the better of him, he leaned down and kissed her gently on the mouth.
Nearby, the other teens exchanged bemused smiles; they desperately wanted to do something like cheer, but nor were they that insensitive.
"I have an idea," Kat said firmly. "How about we have a picnic tomorrow in the park?"
Tommy nodded. "Sure, sounds good." He hesitated, looking to Adam.
Despite having had a good time, it had taken its toll on the teen, and Adam seemed to be relying more on Tanya for support than she on him.
"Adam?"
He gave a half-hearted shrug. "I'll try and make it, but I'm not promising anything. I might sleep all day tomorrow."
It was meant as a joke, and they knew it, but no one could quite bring themselves to laugh.
"That's okay," Kat reassured him. Billy pulled up in his car and took the liberty of getting out to open the door for both Adam and Tanya.
"Billy," Kat told him, "we just decided that we're going to meet tomorrow in the park for a picnic. If Adam's up to it, will you bring him?"
Billy smiled and nodded. "Sure. If we won't be there, I'll let you know. Excuse us. I need to get these guys home."
"What do you think?" Rocky asked softly as Billy's car disappeared around the corner. Tommy's smile had completely vanished.
"It won't be long now. I thought he might have made it till Christmas, but it doesn't look like it'll happen."
"He isn't gone yet," Jason chided his best friend. "He might still make it."
Tommy turned a grim look on the former Gold Ranger. "Can you look me in the eye and tell me you really believe that?"
Jason opened his mouth to speak and faltered. Finally, he looked away, partly angry and partly miserable. Tommy nodded.
"Exactly."
Kat quietly stepped between the two boys. "C'mon, guys. Let's go home.
Adam isn't the only one who's exhausted."
Silence reigned for several moments, and then Tommy nodded.
"Kat's right. I'm beat, too. Let's go and we'll meet tomorrow in the usual spot by the lake."
A murmur of agreement swept across the group, and they turned and headed in different directions.
* * * *
It was no surprise that Adam was already asleep by the time they arrived back at the Cranston home. Hank was still up; something else that was no surprise to Billy. The older Cranston came out to meet them, and between them, they managed to guide Adam inside and into his room.
"How did it go?" Hank asked in a whisper as he removed the suit piece by piece from Adam's exhausted body. Billy smiled.
"You should have seen them. Once they started, I don't think they wanted to stop. It was great. Everyone had a great time."
Hank nodded, relieved, as they put Adam to bed. "Thank God for that."
"I think," Billy murmured, "that whatever happens now, Adam will be happy to go."
Hank paused to look down into the younger boy's pale features. "It isn't far away, Billy. You know that, don't you? He doesn't have much time left now."
"I know," Billy conceded. "I think we were still hoping it might go into remission even up till a few weeks ago, but now I think we've accepted it.
Even Tanya."
Hank straightened up and guided Billy from the room.
"It'll hurt, son. But it won't hurt so badly. We all know that Adam's content with his life. And more importantly, Adam himself knows it. It isn't so much a case of him being happy to go, now. I think he's ready to go."
Billy felt the tears in his eyes, and didn't even try to brush them away.
"So do I."
* * * *
Adam dreamed, though it was not the usual dream. In it, he was five years old, and was cradled in the arms of his mother. He didn't know where they were, but it was some place wonderful.
"There's nothing to be frightened of, honey. It's perfectly natural."
Adam snuggled in against her. "Will it hurt?"
"Oh, no baby. It won't hurt. You'll just go to sleep, and you won't wake up. And when you do, your father and I will be waiting for you."
"Now?"
"No, pumpkin. Not now. Soon, though. Very soon."
* * * *
Billy was woken by the first rays of light from the sun. He lay in bed for nearly a minute, lazily reflecting the previous night's activities. The dance had gone off without a hitch, and Adam and Tanya had barely left the dance floor all night. Adam had clearly exhausted himself terribly, but they all got the impression he felt it had been worth it.
Glancing at the clock, he rolled out of bed and headed out of his room. He paused to check in on Adam on his way to the bathroom, and he wasn't surprised to discover Adam was still sound asleep. In fact, Billy mused, he didn't think Adam had moved from the position they'd left him in when they'd put him to bed. Shaking his head, he disappeared into the bathroom to have a shower.
He was halfway through lathering his hair with soap when a frightening thought brought him to a complete halt. Adam hadn't moved at all during the night....
Panic struck and he frantically washed the soap out of his hair, grabbed a towel and bolted from the bathroom.
* * * *
"Adam?"
Billy crouched beside the bed and, when the younger boy didn't respond, he reached out to give him a light shake.
"C'mon, Adam, please wake up..."
There was no response; Adam didn't move. Billy fell back a bit, tears flooding his eyes.
"No Please, no...."
"Billy?"
Billy looked up as his father looked into the room.
"Dad... Adam...."
Hank Cranston strode into the room, his heart skipping a beat. Surely Adam hadn't slipped away through the night...
He hesitated, then reached out with trembling fingers to check for a pulse. Before he had a chance to do so, though, Adam suddenly moaned and shifted position, his eyes fluttering open.
Hank let go with a heavy sigh of relief as Adam's blurred gaze finally focused on him.
"Hank... Billy? What's wrong?"
Hank started to speak, faltering as Billy suddenly straightened up and fled the room. Adam started up slowly, confused.
"What...?"
Hank sat down carefully on the edge of the bed.
"It's okay, Adam. Billy just got a bit of a fright. He couldn't wake you up...."
Understanding dawned on Adam. "He thought I'd died."
"Yes. Don't worry, he'll be okay. Tell me, how are you feeling? You really wiped yourself out last night."
Adam smiled faintly. "I know... But it was so great. And I finally kissed Tanya."
A grin found it's way onto Hank's face. "Really?" He chuckled softly.
"Congratulations, Adam."
Adam settled back against the pillow contentedly. "You know, I think I feel okay."
Hank patted him gently on the shoulder. "That's good. If you feel like it, I'm cooking waffles for breakfast. Come out whenever you're ready."
He left the room before Adam could reply, hurrying down the hall to the kitchen. The truth was, he had been as badly shaken as Billy. For just that brief instant, when it seemed that Adam had died, the panic and fear he'd felt had been overwhelming. He wondered, with a feeling of nausea, just how they were going to cope when it did actually happen.
Billy appeared in the doorway, eyes downcast.
"Sorry. That was foolish of me."
Hank walked around the bench and pulled Billy to him in a quick, warm hug.
"No, son. It wasn't foolish. It was an honest mistake. And you weren't the only one who panicked."
Billy shook his head as he sat down at the table. "I... I couldn't help it. When I realised he couldn't have moved at all during the night, I just jumped to conclusions. It scared me so badly I think it reinforced the realisation."
Hank nodded his understanding. "I think it stopped us both from taking him for granted. We know we're going to lose him, and we don't know exactly when. Maybe we haven't accepted it quite as well as we think."
Father and son paused, staring at each other, and then Hank turned back to the oven.
"Adam says he feels all right. Perhaps you can take him to that picnic you said the other kids were going to have today. A bit of fresh air might do you both good."
Billy nodded. "I might."
* * * *
"You okay?"
Adam smirked a little as he and Billy walked the short distance from the car to the lake.
"Yeah. I feel pretty good, actually."
"Well, just say if you don't. Okay?"
"Stop worrying, Billy," Adam said with a sigh. "Please?"
Billy reddened some, and Adam slowed to a halt, turning to face him.
"Look, I know what happened this morning scared the hell out of you. It would have scared me, too. But we all know I'm at the end of the time line. I've already gone past the eight months that Dr Sutton predicted, thanks to Mondo. It could happen any time."
Tears overflowed down Billy's cheeks before he could stop them.
"What are you trying to do? Make me feel better?"
Adam hesitated, then spoke softly.
"Billy, I had another dream last night. It wasn't the frog, though. It was my mother. She was there, and she held me and told me I didn't have anything to be scared of. She said that when it happened, it wouldn't hurt at all That I'd just go to sleep and not wake up. And she told me that she'd be waiting for me with Dad."
Silence fell for a long moment as the two boys stared at each other.
"That's a nice thought," Billy conceded finally.
"I'm not scared, Billy. Not now. I'm just tired. I think I'm ready to go."
"Dad said that last night," Billy whispered. Adam hesitated, then stepped forward and threw his arms around Billy in a close embrace.
"Thank you, Billy."
"For what?"
"For staying with me. And not driving yourself crazy looking for a cure. Thank you for being my big brother."
Billy shut his eyes, hugging Adam tightly. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that Adam was effectively tell him goodbye, but he refused to think of it like that. His father was right, he realised. He hadn't fully accepted that Adam was going to die....
Adam gently detached himself from Billy's embrace.
"Let's go meet the others."
* * * *
It could have been the perfect day. Tommy and Rocky were sparring on a soft patch of grass, taking it in turns to put each other on the ground. Billy had gone swimming, as had Jason and Kat. Those two seemed to have turned into a couple overnight, much to the amusement of the others, and if they weren't kissing each other, then they were usually glued at the hands.
Adam and Tanya sat in the shade of a tree, watching the activity of their friends in content silence.
"Look at them," Tanya said, laughing softly as Jason lifted Kat out of the water, only to throw her back in gracelessly.
"She'll kill him for that," Adam agreed. Sure enough, when Jason wasn't paying full attention, Kat crept up behind him and pushed him down beneath the surface of the water.
Tanya looked sideways at Adam.
"How are you feeling?"
He smiled. "Good."
She was scared, he could easily tell. They all were, but they'd made champion efforts to hide it. He hadn't told her about the dream. It wasn't that he didn't believe she could cope with it; he just didn't want to upset her at all. The dance had been perfect, the whole night had been. Despite his reservations, it really had turned into the best night of his life.
He settled back against the tree and was just about to shut his eyes to rest when he saw the frog. It was right next to him, within inches of his hand.
Instinctively, he took his hand off the blanket, away from the small creature, and it moved even closer, until it was nearly touching him.
He stared at it for nearly a minute, and it stared back, its dark eyes telling him what he already suspected.
"Tanya?"
She looked back to him. "Mmm?"
He hesitated. If he mentioned the frog, he had no doubt she would panic. He didn't want panic, he wanted peace.
"Would you hold me?"
Surprise flickered in Tanya's eyes. "Sure..."
She shifted around and gently wrapped her arms around him, drawing him into her embrace.
"Are you okay?"
Adam paused in answering. His breath was heavy in his chest, and he was painfully tired all of a sudden.
"I'm tired," he whispered. "So damn tired..."
Confusion filled Tanya and then, for just a brief instant, she, too, saw the frog. Just for a second, and then it was gone again. Tears flooded her eyes as realisation struck home.
"It's okay, Adam. Just rest, if you're tired." She cradled him gently to her, lightly stroking his curly black hair. "Shut your eyes, baby. It's okay, I'm right here. Shut your eyes and rest."
* * * *
Tommy and Rocky finished their sparring and came back to the picnic blanket, laughing. The laughter soon faded when they saw Tanya, crying silent tears as she cradled Adam in her arms. Exchanging fearful looks, Tommy moved forward.
"Tanya?"
She looked up at him through a steady flow of tears.
"It's okay, he's just resting. He said he was tired... He asked me to hold him, so I did... And he's just resting, because he said he was tired..."
Tommy shut his eyes, but the tears came anyway. Behind him, he heard Rocky give a choked sob of grief, and heard the soft thud as the Blue Ranger collapsed to the ground.
In the water, Billy had seen that not all was right on shore, and the three teens in the water quickly made their way back to the group.
"What's wrong.?" Kat started to asked. She stopped. The tears of the others said all that needed to be said.
Billy walked around and dropped to the ground, next to where Tanya cradled Adam. He stared at his honorary little brother for several seconds before fresh tears filled his own eyes. He knew that, this time, Adam was not going to wake up.
"We love you, Adam," he whispered, touching Adam's hand just briefly. "Go in peace."
"He'll be with his mum and dad, now," Jason said, his own voice strained with the effort to hold off the tears. It was a useless effort.
"We should call an ambulance," Kat whispered in a trembling voice.
Tommy hesitated, staring silently at Tanya, who was crying openly by then.
"It can wait." He shut his eyes again, and his voice cracked with grief. "It can wait."
* * * *
Epilogue
Journal entry #1.
December 21
I lost my best friend today. We've been waiting for it to happen for a long while, and we all knew it would happen soon, but it hurt so bad when it did.
We were in the park. I was sparring with Tommy, and we came back and found Tanya holding Adam. He looked like he was asleep, but Tanya was crying. We didn't have to ask. I broke down on the spot. I don't think I've stopped crying all afternoon. My throat hurts. My eyes hurt. Everything hurts.
Billy found out for sure. He checked for a pulse. There wasn't one. Adam died in Tanya's arms. None of us did anything for a while. Jason finally went to call an ambulance, and Billy called his dad. Mr Cranston is taking care of the funeral arrangements. It's gonna be at St. Joseph's Church, in two days. They decided not to wait until after Christmas.
God, I feel so numb. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't ready for it. I think Adam was happy to go, though. He was ready for it, anyway. I have to tell myself, he's with his mum and dad now. It's the only reassurance any of us have.
I've never cried so much in my whole life. I didn't think anything could hurt as bad as this. I miss Adam so much, and it only happened this afternoon.
I'm trying not to be angry. I know Adam got everything out of life that he wanted in this last eight months. But it's gonna hurt for a long time. I miss you, Adam. I love you, little brother. Don't forget us, wherever you are.
Rocky De Santos.
The End
