My Christmas Rose

[TaJaDoru]

Author's Notes: This is an award-winning fic from Writers Institution from the Christmas Challenge. Trini and Billy are owned by Saban Brands and Christmas Rose, the baby, is owned by me.




This Banner By Illy from winning the Fun Challenge. Regular Banner by me.

Hours. That’s what the drive from Las Vegas to Angel Grove felt like. A drive that should have only taken three or four hours was taking almost ten hours. He was going to miss the birth of his baby girl, their little Christmas Miracle. Billy looked at the pictures that were hanging on the dashboard of his car, a blue Toyota Camry with yellow upholstery, thanks to Trini’s choice. He was amazed that his wife of so long was still as beautiful as ever while the last nine months--nine long and absolutely glorious months--had gone by. He was hoping that he’d get to the Hospital in time, but he knew that when the baby decided to come, that was it. She wasn’t going to wait for anyone, especially her father who had been at a Convention in the City of Lights.
_______________________

He had been standing at the podium, addressing a group of people that had come to hear him speak, and he heard the familiar six tone beep of his old Wrist Communicator, and he looked down. “I’m sorry, my friends. I’ve got to go,” he said, not leaving anytime spared for them to protest. He raced back up to his room and gathered his things, a suitcase with his clothes and he checked out of the Hotel, speeding out to his car and getting in, rushing as fast as he could towards Angel Grove. He knew that Kim was with Trini, the two never hardly separated anymore thanks to the baby and Kim’s knowledge of the pregnancy due to having been that way three times thanks to a certain Technicolor Ranger, but he knew that he needed to get there fast.
______________________

So that’s where Billy was, rushing home, stuck in traffic. He knew that Angel Grove’s former Rangers were gathered around the waiting room, more then likely Jason and Kimberly in the delivery room with Trini since he wasn’t there. What he didn’t know was that in the delivery room, complications had arisen.
________________________________________

Fear and pain. That was the two emotions going through the Original Yellow Rangers mind at that moment. Trini Kwan-Cranston was laying on the delivery table forcing out her daughter, who she had yet to name, and cursing Billy for not being there. She gripped her best friends hands, using them as support as she pushed, her entire being feeling like she was being ripped open. “I’m going to kill Billy when he gets here!” she shrieked, Jason fighting a laugh as she pushed against him.

“There’ll be plenty of time for that, Tri. I promise,” Jason said, wiping his friends face with a rag to keep the sweat from trailing down her body. “On the upside, at least he’ll be in the hospital.”

That single comment earned Jason a hit in his boys, sending the former Red and Gold Ranger to his knees, squeaking in pain. “Ok…I earned that one,” he growled, standing back up and taking her hand again.

Soon enough, at 9:43 P.M. Christmas Night, a little girl was born into the world, her features a mix of her parents: eyes like Trini’s and calm, but with the facial features of her father who had missed the birth. Suddenly, the baby was taken away, Kim and Jason shuffled out of the room and Doctors yelling about internal bleeding and needing to stabilize Trini before she was too far gone.

What seemed like hours later for the Assembled group of Rangers, the lead doctor came out, his hands--clad in rubber surgical gloves--were bloody, a solemn look on his face. “Mrs. Oliver…….Mr. Scott. I’m sorry,” he said, the single word feeling like ten tons of bricks on Kimberly’s heart.

As she hit the ground, Jason and Zach were there for her, letting her lean on them as she cried, her heart shattering.
_____________________________

Billy knew at once what happened when his heart ached, and he hoped that he was wrong. After a few hours of maniac driving, Billy pulled into the hospital parking lot, running towards where Trini was supposed to be, only to be met with a slap across his face thanks to a certain Crane.

“YOU BASTARD!” Kim yelled, falling into Billy’s chest and pounding her fists against his collarbone. “You bastard! You weren’t here! You said that you’d be there!” She looked up at Billy, tears and hate in her eyes that he didn’t know that the Pink Ranger was capable of. “Because of you not being here, she’s dead, Billy! SHE’S FUCKING DEAD!”

Jason pulled Kim back from Billy, the pain and understanding rising in the Blue Rangers eyes. After a minute, he hit his knees, tears spilling from his eyes. He knew that he should have rescheduled the conference, he needed to have been there to hold her hand and be there for her. What he didn’t realize was that all of his Friends, the Rangers that he served with and helped with, Tommy, Jason, Tanya, all of them, had gathered around him for a group hug of sorts, with Billy at the center.

The doctor came back out, and he cleared his throat, causing the Rangers to separate. Billy stood up, supported by Zach and Tanya, and he looked at the doctor. “Mr. Cranston? I’m sorry about your loss, but there is something that we need to do. Your wife died before she could name the baby. It’s a little girl.”

“Christmas Rose,” Billy said almost automatically. “As long as I have that little girl, my wife won’t be gone from my life.” Tanya gave his hand a squeeze, and he sighed. “Thank you, Doc. Can I see my daughter now?”

“Yeah. Come with me,” he said, leading Billy back to the Nursery where the little girl was wrapped up in a pink blanket with yellow booties. “There she is, sir.”

“She’s beautiful. God……Trini….I wish that you could see her,” Billy whispered, the nurse coming out and handing her to him. “Hi, small fry. You’re beautiful. You look like your mama.” He kissed her forehead, taking one of her small hands in his, the coolness of the skin like Trini’s.

“Billy?” Aisha asked, sitting beside him. “You gonna be alright?”

“I hope so, Sha,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s going to take some time, but I’ll be fine…….in a few days or months or whatever.” He was looking at Christmas, and he smiled at her. “She looks so much like her mother.”

“Billy….you need to see her and say goodbye,” Tommy said, stepping up and putting his hand on his friends shoulder. “We’ll be here when you want to talk.”

Billy nodded, and the doctor led Billy and Baby Christmas who was still in his arms to the room where Trini was still laying, having not been moved. Billy walked over, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t here, baby. I should have listened to you when you said not to go. I should have been here….” He laid his head down on the bed next to her, and he felt his shoulders shaking, tears falling all the while.
______________________________________________

Two weeks later, after a few calls, Billy had planned for her to be buried outside of the Command Center, the place that was familiar and where the first five and six Rangers became a family for the first time. As Jason, Zach, Tommy, Adam, Rocky, Justin, and Carlos brought up the casket they set it on a spot in the center of the Command Center, the spot that she would always stand when Zordon would be talking to them.

One by One, the Rangers went up and spoke, Jason first. “I can’t say anything that would take away the hurt, but I can say that I’ll miss her. She was the calm and serene one of us in the group. She always listened whenever we needed her, and she never pushed us about anything,” he said, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hand. “I loved her like a sister, and I’ll miss her like one. May the Power Protect you, Tri.”

Zach got up next, looking at the coffin and shaking his head. “She lived a full life, a life that she wanted to the fullest. She was one of the Original Rangers with me and Jason and Kim and Billy. She was the calm one, like Jase said. When we left for Geneva……she cried most of the plane ride, but she knew that it was for the best. I’ve known her long enough to know that she was crying because she was leaving her heart and soul behind,” he said, sighing. “She was always there for the people that she loved, even if it meant that she had to suffer without being about to talk about her own problems.” He walked off stage, and he walked over to Billy, enveloping his friend in a hug. “I’m sorry, man…I really am.”

“It’s alright,” Billy said, hugging Zach back. He looked up in time to see Kimberly and Tommy walking up, Kim clutching a yellow rose in her hand while Tommy sighed.

“When…when I first came to Angel Grove, her and Kim were the first to give me the benefit of the doubt and give me a shot, and it paid off. I’ve…I’ve become a better man because of knowing Trini, all the times that I could talk to her and get to know what she’d do in a situation, as well as everything that she taught us all about inner peace and tranquility and everything else. She was a fine Ranger, a great person, and an outstanding woman,” Tommy said, Kim opting not to say anything as she ran down off of the makeshift stage and ran back to Billy, giving him a huge hug.

“I’m sorry, Billy….I didn’t mean it at the hospital,” she whispered, her eyes closed. She looked up at him, opening her eyes for a fraction of a second to look at the tears in his eyes that were reflections of his, and she smiled weakly at him. “I know that she’s still with us, but it hurts……”

“I know that it does, Kimmy. I know….” Billy said, feeling Tommy pull Kim away and looking at his friend. “I guess…I have to say something, don’t I?”

“It’d be best, Billy. You knew her better then anyone,” Jason said, putting his hand on his friends shoulder and giving a squeeze.

He nodded, taking Christmas back from Aisha, and he walked up to the podium. “When…when I first moved to Angel Grove in the summer of eighty-nine, Trini and Kim were the first two that welcomed me. Trini always knew what I was trying to say, especially when I was getting into the “geek speak”. Like when we first met Alpha. That was years ago. Thanks to her, I was able to open up and become a better man, a stronger and more confident person, and…….I’ve got Christmas because of Trini. I know that the pain won’t ever fully go away, but I’m prepared to tell my daughter what an extraordinary woman her mother was.”

He looked over at the casket, walking over and putting his hand once more on Trini’s cheek, kissing her forehead. “I love you. I always will, I always have, and I know that you’re always watching us. May the Power protect you, Trini.”

He stood up, and he sat back in his chair, his eyes betraying the face that he was wearing. As the casket was closed and lowered into the ground, Kimberly started to sing Rascal Flatts “Here Comes Goodbye”, and Billy knew then that she was gone. He looked up, and he uttered a prayer.

“Zordon…..I know that the two of you are together now. Please just watch over her for me until I can meet her again at those Gates. Thank you for being there for her, and I always will remember you both. Thank you, Zordon. For everything,” he whispered, looking back down to his daughters sleeping features.

“Billy?” Zach asked. “Man….you’re gonna be alright. Come on. We’re going to Adam and Tanya’s place. We’ll remember her better there, man.” He put his hand on Billy’s shoulder, looking at the former Blue Ranger.
______________________________

A year had gone by since that day. Billy had been there at her grave every chance that he could get: New Years Day, Valentines Day where he would leave a small bundle of flowers, Easter where he would sit and tell her about everything that was going on with Christmas, who everyone had taken to calling “Rose” or “Chris”, her birthday and his, their Anniversary in the summer. He always took flowers, whatever was in season. He understood that the pain of losing her wasn’t supposed to go away all at one time, but he knew that it wasn’t supposed to consume him.

He knelt down beside the headstone one more time that year, Christmas Day, the day of her death and the day of the birth of their daughter, and he placed his hand on the stone, fighting tears in his eyes. “Hi, honey. I’m back again. God, it’s been a year and I still miss you like crazy. Everyday I wake up and roll over in the bed, hoping that you’ll be there with me like you were. I still feel you in my heart, in my soul, and in everything around me, especially here where everything began for us. I remember all the good and bad times, the times that we didn’t want to talk about but that I convinced you to talk about over a candlelit dinner and a bottle of champagne,” he said, smiling as he sat down, having spread a blanket.

Rose looked over at the headstone, and she stood up, waddling over and touching it. “Mama,” she whispered, her young eyes understanding at the words on the stone.

“Yeah, baby. That’s Mama,” Billy said, picking his daughter up and watching as she curled up into his arms. “Trini….she’s so much like you. She’s got your calm, your serenity, your peace, and she hardly cries unless something is wrong. Like the puppy. We got her a puppy. I say “we,” but it was more like the others. They wanted to see me and her smile, so they named him “Zordon.” He’s a ball of energy, but he was going fast one day in the house, and he skidded right into her. She started crying up a storm. Kim got to her first and got her calmed down, but I took over from there. She’s so beautiful, baby. I wish that you could see her……”

The last words that were spoken on that mountainside were simple, one phrase that embodied the soul of the person that Billy missed. “Merry Christmas,” he said, looking back one last time as Rose lifted her head up and smiled at her mother, knowing that she was watching them both.

As the snow swirled around the grave, a feminine figure was seen for a minute, her black hair like silk in the wind. She smiled out at her husband and daughter, wiping a tear from her eye. “Merry Christmas, my loves,” Trini whispered, vanishing just as quickly as she appeared.