Dying Star (Power Rangers SPD - Bridge Carson)

~ HADAR ~

"Astrid, wake up!"

She wouldn't budge. Bridge began to shake her. "Astrid!"

Astrid let out a heavy breath. She quickly sat up and looked around the room in a panic. She looked around the room in confusion, then she realized the chest pain she was having. She leaned against the wall to hold herself up, clenching her shirt right above her heart.

Bridge ran to the window, quickly opening it up to let some air in. He then sat down next to Astrid and helped calm her down. He looked down at her monitor. Luckily it hadn't gotten any higher than last time. And thankfully the numbers were starting to drop. "Do you need water?"

Astrid nodded, pointing to the water bottle sitting on her desk. Bridge grabbed the bottle and opened it up for her. Astrid took a big gulp of the water and let out a breath of air. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the wall. "What is going on?" She muttered.

"I'm confused."

Astrid turned to Bridge, still breathing heavily. "I didn't have a nightmare. I didn't dream of anything." She said.

Astrid tried to stand up, but she ended up stumbling down to the floor. Bridge was quick to help her up to her feet. "It's suffocating in here."

"How about we get you some food in the common room. I'm sure there's-"

"No." Astrid cut off. She shook her head and leaned closer to Bridge. "Just take me outside. I need more air."

Bridge nodded. "Alright."

~

The two sat on the fountain outside. It was freezing, but Astrid didn't feel anything. Bridge saw the goosebumps and gave her his jacket. She wanted to protest, but she didn't have the energy to do so. "Somethings wrong. This has never happened."

"Do you remember when it started?"

Astrid nodded her head. "I've always had the chest pain since I was a baby. But I was probably ten when I started having these nightmares. I told Jack and Z about it. After the third time, they took me to that doctor. They weren't sure as to why my heartbeat would rise, but I knew my nightmares were a trigger to them. So now I'm confused as to what could have possibly triggered it tonight. Maybe my body is going back to the way it was. Or since I have closure in my parents, I don't need those nightmares anymore."

It went silent. The only thing you could hear was the wind and the crickets. As well as the owls in the nearby trees. Astrid leaned her head on his shoulder. Bridge's body stiffened at the contact. "Maybe my body doesn't need a trigger anymore. It's decided to try and kill itself on it's own."

"But why would it change out of nowhere? Don't you find that quite odd?" Bridge asked. Astrid hummed in response. "I know there's a way to stop this. And I will find it."

"You can keep trying. But the only thing stopping me from dying so far is you coming to my rescue. But it can't be like this forever." Astrid frowned.

"What if we used the band I made. Maybe that would work."

Astrid shook her head. "No, using that only slows down my powers, not my heartbeat. So there would be no use for it."

Bridge dropped his head and frowned. Astrid looked down at his hands. His hands slowly balled into fist. Astrid lifted her head and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Don't take my situation so seriously. I think it might be best to stop wasting your time on me. I'm sure I'm going to die either way. There's no stopping it."

She stood up and stretched her arms out. Bridge grabbed her arm and turned her body to face him. He stared right into her eyes, now realizing what a pretty color they were. His eyes then landed on her lips, but he quickly looked away. "There has to be a way to stop it. And I know I can find a solution. Just you wait."

Astrid scoffed and rolled her eyes, then looked back at Bridge with a small smile while shaking her head. "You're acting as stubborn as Jack. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But you do you. It's not like I can stop you."

Astrid patted his shoulder and began making her way back inside. Bridge watched as she slowly began to walk back inside. He took off his glove and waved it in front of him. Her colors had died down, and her energy was very low. But despite that, it was still beautiful.

Bridge put his glove back on, the clenching his shirt as he watched Astrid disappear into the building. He could feel his face feeling hot. He lightly slapped his cheeks and then followed her inside.

Bridge watched and made sure Astrid made it back to her room. After that, he headed to the lounge and had a bit to eat. He was caught off guard when the doors opened up. He didn't expect anyone else to be up this late.

Jacked walked in and let out a yawn. He looked to Bridge and noticed him eating a sandwich. "Why are you eating this late?" Jack asked.

"I can't sleep. So I decided to have a snack." Bridge said.

"I don't think I'd count a sandwich as a snack." Jack walked over and took a seat next to his friend. He grabbed an apple and took a bit out of it. "So what's keeping you up?"

Bridge frowned, then put the sandwich down on the plate. "Astrid." He sighed. "I just worry about her."

"I assume she woke up in pain again. But I trust that you took care of her. She'll be fine in the morning. I'm sure of it. She always is."

Bridge frowned. He rested his head on the counter. If only Jack knew. For now, he was to keep this secret all to himself for who knew how long. Having to keep this secret all to himself was killing him.

Jack leaned against the counter and smirked. "Is there something else going on?" He asked.

Bridge looked at him confused. "Is it obvious?"

Jack nodded his head. "Spill the beans."

Bridge sat up and sighed. "I think I might be sick." He said.

Jack gave him a confused glance. "Sick? What do you mean by that?"

"Every time I'm near Astrid, for some reason my face feels hotter. And not only that, I can feel my heartbeat banging against my chest. I think I'm getting sick. Should I go to the infirmary tomorrow?"

Jack scoffed and shook his head. He stood up and patted Bridge's shoulder. "Oh, Bridge. You really are something else."

"Huh?"

"I'm going to let you figure it out for yourself. But when you do realize, don't be scared to talk to me about it." Jack grabbed the rest of the sandwich and started leaving. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

When the doors closed behind him, Bridge rested his head back on the counter in confusion. "What is he talking about? Maybe I'm not sick. Maybe I'm just going crazy. But then why am I like this? Is it contagious? No, that can't be it, because then I would probably have nightmares too. And it's not like it hurts me. It just feels weird."

He shook his head and lightly slapped himself. "I'm going insane."

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