"Looks like we're blasting off again!" Team Rocket
cried, as they were once again set soaring into the wild blue
yonder by Pikachu's thunder-shock. They landed almost a kilometer
away, their fall broken by the branches of a thorny tree.
"Me-OUCH!!" The little cat pokemon yelped, copping a
backside full of thorns. His human counterparts were not exactly
comfortable either, and though their uniforms helped shield most
of the tree's thorns, they still had their fair share of
scratches. Jessie was quick to climb down the tree and onto the
ground, complaining all the way.
"James, this is all your fault!" She snapped to her
partner, who made his way down the tree just in time to receive
the full force of her anger.
"MY fault?!" He replied. "If you hadn't decided to
stay and gloat to the twerps we'd be half way to the Boss with
Pikachu by now!" His mood was distinctively more sour than
usual. He had thought that he had done everything according to
plan, and that there was no way Jessie could blame all this on
him. After all, he had put hours into digging and covering a pit
in the middle of the road whilst Jessie had just stood around and
barked orders. She wouldn't even give him a break when he felt
like he could collapse from heat exhaustion.
"But YOU were the one who dug the stupid hole!" She
yelled back, irritated. "If you hadn't been so damn lazy and
had dug deeper, that little yellow rodent would never of been
able to climb out and shock us!" How could he be saying this
was her fault? She had spent a long time coming up with the
blueprint for their trap, perfecting every last detail, whilst
James had been mucking around playing 'I spy' with Meowth.
"Well at least I actually did something, you just sat back
and watched me do all the manual labour! Just like you always do.
You're so lazy, Jessie!"
Jessie was obviously upset by his comment, and was about to
whack him when Meowth intervened.
"Hey fellas, quit arguin'!" He pleaded, jumping down
from the tree's branches and landing gracefully on his feet.
"Alright, so we blew it dis time, but we gotta start lookin'
towards da future and start plannin' our next attack!"
"Huh, why bother, James'll just screw it up again
anyway." Jessie snorted, turning her back on them both and
folding her arms.
James' face fell at her harsh comment. Why was she always so
mean to him? Didn't she realise how much he loved her? He was
always trying to show his affection for her- clinging to her when
they were frightened, complimenting her, and always forgiving her
when she beat him up. Yet she seemed to care for him about as
much as the dirt they were standing on. He was getting quite fed
up with her attitude.
"If anyone's going to screw it up it'll be you,
Jessie!" He protested. "You always act like you're Miss
High-And-Mighty, yelling at me and Meowth all the time and
beating us up. Well I'm sick of it! For God's sakes, grow up and
take some responsibility for yourself!" Jessie was a little
hurt hearing such words from the man she loved. She had never
heard him speak to her like that before. Was he beginning to hate
her? She didn't mean to be so aggressive, but she had become used
to masking her emotions with hate and anger.
This situation was no different, and Jessie quickly turned her
sadness into rage. "Why you!" Jessie pulled out
her fan and lunged to whack James over the head with it. Then he
did something she had not been prepared for- he blocked it. The
force of the impact sent the fan flying from Jessie's hand, and
in the heat of the moment, James grabbed it.
"How does it feel, Jessica?!" He growled, and slapped
her across the face with the makeshift weapon. Jessie
instinctively put her hand to her face, and took a few steps
back. Meowth just looked on, his eyes wide and his mouth open. He
had never seen James do anything violent before, save when the
feline had been playing up and received a few soft slaps from
him. Nothing like this.
Calmer now, James just then realized his actions. He had just whacked his best friend, his love, across her face. He went a little pale, and dropped the fan. But before he could make his profound apology, Jessie had ran off into the surrounding wilderness. She didn't want him to see her cry.
"Yikes!" Meowth commented to the remaining Rocket.
"I didn't see dat one coming!" James sat down on the
ground.
"I didn't mean it." He said softly. "I really
didn't mean it. My anger got the best of me, it was in the heat
of the moment."
His feline friend sat down next to him.
"She'll get over it." He said encouragingly.
"Maybe." Came the sad reply. He looked up into the sky.
"I'm sorry, Jessie."
The woman in question was a couple of minutes away, sitting
against a tree in a clearing and staring into her compact mirror.
The mark from the fan had left a red mark across her face. Jessie
thought about how many times she had hit James. She was now the
one on the receiving end. The tears on her cheeks were not the
result of the physical pain she felt- she was tough enough to
overcome that quite quickly. No, the reason she cried was because
she felt that James now resented her.
"And he has every right to hate me." She whispered to
herself, reflecting on all the times she had acted so terribly
towards him. Jessie pulled her knees to her. "I don't
deserve him." She muttered between sobs. "I don't
deserve love." The female member of Team Rocket lay down on
the grass, curled up in a tight ball to try and comfort herself.
She sighed and closed her eyes. Her head had started to hurt
quite badly, and she was not feeling well. In fact, Jessie had
been feeling light headed all day, and the night before. She
closed her eyes.
James and Meowth were beginning to set up camp in the same
area that the fight had taken place. James had wanted to go after
Jessie, but Meowth managed to convince him that she needed some
time to herself. Both moved in silence as they unloaded the
balloon which, as usual, James had been able to guide to their
exact location using a remote control he always had hidden on
him. He rolled out the sleeping bags whilst Meowth rummaged
through their things in hope of finding something decent to eat.
He managed to find two of tins of pumpkin soup that were already
a week past their used-by date. At least it wasn't long until
they received their paycheques from the Boss- then they could go
and restock their supplies. James finished setting up where they
would sleep, and looked at his watch- 5:51pm. Time to get a fire
going before it got late.
"Meowth, I'm going to find some firewood." He said,
walking off into the forest as his friend climbed out of the
balloon with their dinner.
"Alright," the pokemon replied, "but don't be too
long! I'm getting hungry." Meowth sat down on a nearby log,
using the two cans of soup as a footstool. "I hope he find
Jessie while he's out dere." He thought to himself. Despite
his normally rough attitude, he really did care about his
friends, and though their fighting was sometimes amusing, serious
fights like this made him feel depressed. Jessie and James were
all he had in the world.
Meowth was going to have to wait a while for his dinner,
though, because twenty minutes later James was still looking
through the scrub. Any other time he went out for firewood he
would be back with in five minutes, if not less. But this time,
he wasn't looking for firewood. He was looking for Jessie. He
just could not let her spend the whole night out in the
unfamiliar wilderness, all alone. James sighed, as a single
thought passed through his mind- she probably hated him now. He
still couldn't believe what he had done.
"Now there's no way she'll love me." He thought to
himself. "I'm just a spineless coward. But Jessie
she's brave and strong, not to mention beautiful. She could be
out going to parties, maybe even be a model. Yet she still stays
with me and Meowth, chasing after little yellow rats. She's such
a good friend." He though for a moment. Yes, she was a
wonderful friend. A friend, and nothing more. James hung his
head.
The young Rocket's thoughts were interrupted when he spotted
Jessie, still lying on the grass. His Jessie. James sat down next
to her, reluctant to wake her. But he would rather get her back
to the camp now rather than spend hours trying to find their way
back on the dark. He shook her gently.
"Rise and shine." He said in a soft voice. She did not
stir. "She must be really tired." He thought. He waited
a moment, then shook her again, this time a little harder. Still
no response.
"Jess?" Only then did James notice her face- it was a
ghostly white. "Jessie?!" He yelled, worrying. When he
still got no response, he pulled off his gloves put the back of
his hand under her nose to see if she was still breathing. He
felt an ever so slight breeze against his hand, and went to check
her pulse. It was so faint that he had difficulty finding it.
"Oh shit!" He gasped, trying to stay calm. He pulled
out his mobile phone, and was about to call the Team Rocket base
for medical assistance, but stopped when he remembered how far
away the base was. It was not even in the same town they were
currently residing in. Instead, James dialed the city's emergency
number and ordered an ambulance, giving them quite accurate
directions considering they were in the middle of nowhere.
"Hang on, Jess." He whispered to his love, taking her
in his arms. He took off his and Jessie's jackets with the big
red 'R' on them and threw them into some near by bushes, so that
when the ambulance arrived, it would not recognize them as
members of the elite criminal organization. The last thing the
needed was a prison sentence. What was wrong with her? He
couldn't even try to help her if he didn't know what was wrong.
Instead, he simply rocked her in his arms, as if it would somehow
sooth her. Her face, though shockingly pale, was still beautiful.
He could not remember the number of times he had gazed at her as
she slept. He loved watching her sleep. Unless she was having a
nightmare, she never looked angry or irritated. She just looked
serene and peaceful. And with her make up off, her natural beauty
shined through. She reminded him of an angel his
angel his Jessie. If anything ever happened to her he
quickly dismissed the thought.
His thoughts were interrupted by the distant sound of sirens,
getting closer by the second. At least the hospital was only five
minutes away. It was a good thing they had landed so close to the
city.
"She'll be fine." James thought to himself, holding her
closer. "She's strong. She'll probably wake up in a few
minutes and start yelling at me for holding her." He smiled,
but frowned when he looked at her face more closely. There was
still a faint pink mark on her cheek from the incident earlier
on. He hadn't realized he had hit her that hard. He felt sick as
he recalled the event.
The ambulance roared into the clearing, and the driver got out
of the van, followed by two paramedics from the back of the
vehicle who were armed with a stretcher.
"Is this the patient?" He asked James, gesturing to the
woman in his arms. He nodded, relinquishing his hold on her as
the paramedics lifted her onto the stretcher.
"Would you like a lift to the hospital?" One of them
asked.
"Yes please." James replied, and the driver showed him
to the passenger's seat. Meowth arrived just in time to see the
paramedics taking Jessie into the back of the ambulance. James
was just about to shut the passenger side door, when his furry
friend ran up to him.
"Hey, what's goin' on?" He demanded. "I came here
thinkin' dem sirens was da cops, and I was gonna warn yas. Now I
find Jessie in da back of an ambulance?" The driver slammed
his door, and started the engine.
"We gotta go." He told James, who was closing his door
and winding down the window so his accomplice could hear him.
"Meowth, pack up our stuff and meet us at the
hospital." James instructed. "I'll explain everything
there, alright?" And before Mewoth could say another word,
the ambulance drove off, sirens howling. He stood there for a
moment, more than a little confused, before quickly making his
way back to the camp to do as James had said. What was wrong with
Jessie? He knew that it had to be serious, not only because of
the ambulance but because of the look on James' face. He had
looked extremely worried, and quite frightened. The cat pokemon
panted, getting back to camp in record time, and immediately
started to pack up their belongings.
"I hope she's okay." He said aloud, rolling up the
sleeping bags.
* * *
James sat in the waiting room at the hospital, caught in the
same daze he had been in during the whole journey in the
ambulance. He could not even think straight enough to worry about
what might happen. Instead, he just waited anxiously for a doctor
to come out and tell him what was wrong with Jessie. He was the
only one in the waiting room, save a little Eevee, who was curled
up asleep on a chair whilst its master underwent surgery. Any
other time he might have tried to steal it, but this time the
thought did not even cross his mind. James sighed and looked out
a large near-by window. The last of the sun's rays had
disappeared from sight. He glanced at his watch, which read 7:15.
He had been here for about half an hour, and there was still no
sign of Meowth. Just then, the door opened and James saw a
familiar group of people and their pokemon walk in the hospital's
doors, and went up to the desk in the reception area. The twerps.
Ash, who could barely walk, was being supported by Misty and
Brock, whilst Pikachu was jumping around nervously. They said
something to the woman behind the counter, before following her
down a corridor. What were they doing here? Not long after James
started to wonder about the situation, his furry friend finally
made his way into the hospital and ran up to him.
"James!" He yelled. "What's goin' on here? Where's
Jessie?"
"The doctors took her down that way on a stretcher."
James replied, pointing down a corridor. "I don't know
what's wrong with her. I think they're doing some tests."
Meowth paused for a moment. "Is she gonna be okay?" His
friend shrugged, not really in the mood for talking.
Unfortunately for him, though, he was going to get into quite
a heated conversation, for just then, the twerps emerged from one
of the wards. Ash was on crutches, and his friends were by his
side. It was Misty who first spotted the two Rockets.
"Hey, it's them!" She yelled, racing up to where the
two sat, leaving Brock to help Ash on his crutches. "It's
because of you that Ash twisted his ankle!" The girl
screeched, accusingly pointing her finger at them. "When we
fell into that stupid pit you guys dug, his leg got caught under
him, and because we had to climb out, I totally ruined my
manicure!" She stopped talking when she realized James was
paying her absolutely no attention whatsoever, staring vacantly
into space instead. Meowth, however, was on the verge of fury
swiping her.
"Look, we're kinda in da middle o' somethin' here," he
stated, "so why don't you three twerps get da hell outta
here before I use yas as a scratchin' post!" Ash, Brock and
Pikachu caught up with Misty.
"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Brock asked.
"Probably trying to steal some pokemon, as usual!" Ash
replied. James glared at the youngsters.
"For your information," He hissed, "I've got more
important things to do right now than steal a bunch of
furballs!"
The Twerp Trio paused for a moment.
"Then what are you doing?" Misty snapped. James felt
that that was none of their business, but knew that unless he
answered, they would keep bugging him.
"It's Jessie." He said softly, staring at the floor.
"We got into a fight and she ran off. When I found her, she
was unconscious and hardly breathing. I could barely even find a
pulse." He waited for a some sort of smart comment from his
enemies, but they said nothing. Ash looked at Misty and Misty
looked at Brock.
"Is she going to be alright?" The older of the three
asked.
"I don't know." Came the reply. Another awkward silence
passed, before Misty walked up to James and put a hand on his
shoulder.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." She said reassuringly.
"We'll leave you alone." And with that, she gestured
for her friends to move out of the hospital. Not a word passed
between them as they made their way back to their camp.
Meowth jumped up on the chair next to James.
"As much as I hate those twerps, she's right." He told
his partner in crime. "Jessie's tough, she'll over come
this." James just nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose."
Just then, Nurse Joy walked up to the pair.
"Mr.?"
"James," said person spoke, standing up from his seat,
"just call me James. How's Jessie? What's wrong with
her?"
"Yeah!" Meowth said. "She's gonna be okay,
right?"
Nurse Joy was surprised when the cat pokemon started talking like
a human, but decided to let it pass. She had to tell them about
the situation.
"I'm afraid it's not good." She replied. "Jessie
has a genetic defect in the part of her brain that controls
unconscious functions, like her heart beating and her
breathing."
"So what are you going to do to fix it?" James asked.
Joy pursed her lips.
"There's not really much we can do, sir." She replied.
"We can put her on life support, but it would only buy her a
few extra hours, during which she would be brain dead
anyway." James felt his knees turn to jelly, and he fell
back into his seat. Meowth was still confused.
"Dis is crazy!" He snapped. "She's been perfectly
fine all dese years, even through electrocutions, bombs and being
blasted off!"
"There aren't usually any obvious symptoms, aside from
occasional drowsiness." Joy replied, then turned to James.
He sighed, almost afraid to ask the question on his mind.
"How long does she have left?" He finally managed to
speak.
"We suspect it will get worse in a few hours." Joy
said. "Then she'll just close her eyes like she's going to
sleep and slip away. It won't be painful. The doctors are just
finishing doing their tests. I'll come out and get you when you
can go and see her." She turned to leave. "I'm
sorry." She said, sympathy in her tone, and then went on her
way.
Meowth watched her leave, then sadly shook his head.
"Not Jess. She's too tough to let somethin' like this beat
her." He said, trying convince both James and himself.
"I bet dat before we know it, she'll be out here whackin' us
with her fan for worryin'." Jessie and James were Meowth's
two very best friends, and the thought of losing either one of
him made him feel sick. Putting on a brave face, he started to
walk away.
"I'm goin' down to da cafeteria, ya want anything,
Jimmy?" James shook his head, and his friend went to get
some dinner.
* * *
Jessie opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling of her
allocated room in the hospital. Where was she? What had happened?
Looking to her left, she saw a doctor scribbling something onto a
chart. When he looked up, he saw that her eyes were open.
"I see you're awake." He said, putting his pen back in
his shirt pocket.
"Where am I?" She asked, feeling rather weak.
"You're in the hospital." He replied. "You were
brought in by a young man with blue hair, about your age."
*James.* She thought. "But why am I here?" The doctor
frowned, and pulled an old wooden chair up to her bedside to
explain the situation to her.
Meowth stared into his dinner, consisting of a plate of
lukewarm chips and tomato sauce. At least hospital food was
within his price range. The day they received their wages for the
month would be much anticipated. The thought of his occupation
brought another realization to mind- the Boss. It was regulation
to report any kind of serious injury or hospitalization to the
Head Quarters immediately. Not that it was usually necessary,
considering that the vast majority of the time such cases were
brought to the Team Rocket hospital back at the base. Giovanni
would probably get mad at them for putting Jessie into a public
hospital, for if it was found out that she was a Rocket, the
police could trace her back to the main Head Quarters and shut
down the organization. Meowth decided to wait a while until he
and James informed them of Jessie's predicament.
"Just until Jessie gets better." He said to himself,
finishing off his chips and getting a coffee to take back to
James. "I wonder how he's takin' it." The cat pokemon
wondered on his way back to the waiting room. He had seen the way
that his two human friends looked at each other. It was a bond
that went deeper than friendship. They were in love, plain and
simple, and he wished that they would just stop with the
tomfoolery and admit it to each other.
James had his head in his hands, and looked as if he was
half-asleep. But he knew it would be a miracle if he got to sleep
tonight, or the nights to come. He wanted to cry, but the tears
just would not come. Was Jessie - his Jessie - really going
to he did not even want to think about it, trying hard to
deny it. After all, like Meowth had said, Jessie was one tough
biccy. But what if she really did die? James thought back to
their fight earlier that day. He had not meant to hit her. The
moment the fan came into contact with her face he had regretted
it. And now she was here. James hoped and hoped that, through
some miracle, Jessie would forgive him.
"Not that I deserve it." He thought to himself. He just
thought it would make it easier for her if her last while on
Earth was free of tension and anger. James had spent almost half
his lifetime with her. No matter what obstacles they had faced,
she had been right there by his side the whole time. They had
been through so much together, and James felt that so long as he
had Jessie with him, he could take on the world. Like the time
they had been aboard the burning Saint Anne. He had been so
terrified to cross to safety on Bulbasaur's vines. In fact, that
was the only time in his whole life that he truly thought he was
going to die. But Jessie had stayed right there by his side,
refusing to leave him, and it was because of her that he had
lived.
One time James had worried that he might have lost her. The time when he was about to be forcibly betrothed to Jessiebell, the devil in disguise. After he had escaped from her and gotten into the Mewoth balloon, he had thought that Jessie and Meowth were long gone, and that he might never see them again. But he eventually spotted them, walking with their heads down. Jessie had looked particularly sad that day. And then he had swooped down in the balloon and pulled her on board, sailing off into the sunset with his beloved. They had stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. He often found himself lost in those beautiful blue eyes of hers. Jessie
"How are ya doin'?" A familiar voice asked, and
James looked up to find Meowth staring up at him, holding a foam
cup. He blinked a few times- for a moment he had been so caught
up in his day dreaming that he had forgotten where he was. Meowth
handed him the still-warm cup.
"Thanks." He said, putting it on a nearby coffee table
for the moment. Meowth clambered up on to the chair next to
James, who looked at him with a sad seriousness.
"What are we going to do without her?" He asked,
partially to himself. "The three of us have been through so
much together. She's always been the strong one and"
James stopped, knowing that if he continued, he would start to
cry. Meowth seemed to sense his feelings, and put a comforting
paw on his shoulder. Seeing the short-tempered pokemon being so
sympathetic was a rarity, but under the circumstances, James
hardly even thought about it.
"Let's not think about dat right now." He said.
"Jessie's still with us for now, let's make the most of the
time we have left with her." Meowth paused for a moment,
briefly debating with himself weather or not to ask the question
on his mind, but finally managed to ask. "Are you gonna tell
her you love her?" James shuffled about in his chair and
closed his eyes, not wanting to make eye contact.
"Maybe." He replied. The cat decided not to push
anymore.
When James opened his eyes again, he saw Nurse Joy approaching
him and his friend.
"You can see her now." She said, gesturing for them to
follow her. Meowth was quick to abide, but James hesitated.
"You go in first, Meowth." He finally said. "I
don't want to start blubbering all over her. I'll be in
later." Meowth paused for a moment, then nodded,
understanding how James felt. He followed Nurse Joy down one of
the wards and into Jessie's room. It was a small room, furnished
only with a bed and a chair, but it was cozy. A large window near
Jessie's bed allowed her to see out into the tops of the trees
surrounding the hospital.
"Just press the assistance button if she needs
anything." Joy said before leaving, closing the door on her
way out. Jessie summoned the energy to sit up in bed to greet her
friend. He could see that her eyes were red from crying.
"Hi, old buddy." She said weakly, a sad smile on her
face. The sight of her almost brought Meowth to tears, and he
jumped up onto her bed and gave her a big hug. Normally she would
have whacked him, but now that the end was in sight, she had
decided there was no need to cover her emotions as much as she
was used to. Instead, she returned the hug.
"Aw, Jess." He pined, burying his furry little head
into her shoulder for comfort. "Pull yourself together,
Meowth," He thought to himself, "this is the
last thing she needs!" Getting a grip of himself, the
pokemon sat down on the bed next to his good friend.
"So how are ya doin'?" He asked her, knowing full well
how pathetic that question was.
"Ah, I've been better." She answered, giving him a pat
on the head. It was comforting having such a good friend there
with her. "Where's James?"
"He's still takin' it all in." Meowth responded,
sighing. A silence broke their conversation before he spoke up
again. "We've had some good times together, huh?"
Jessie smiled. He had never seen her this friendly.
"Yeah, we sure have." She replied thoughtfully.
"Every day has been a new adventure. Even getting into
fights with the twerps has had its fun parts. I'm just glad I've
had you and James to share all those experiences with."
Meowth and Jessie talked for a long time about everything and
anything. They reflected upon the time when Giovanni had first
sent Meowth to work with the bike gang fresh Jessie and James,
and how much of a push over his Persian was. They laughed about
Meowth's love for fried chicken, Jessie's love for hairspray, and
James's love for bottle caps. Even the most pointless topics came
up in conversation, like how everything in hospitals was always
white, and why massive ships could float whilst tiny pebbles
sank. Eventually, the conversation slowed down a bit, and they
found themselves talking about their main activity.
"So how many times do you think we've tried to catch that
twerp's Pikachu?" Jessie wondered.
"I dunno," came the reply, "but I think we've
absorbed so much electricity, we could power a small town for a
month!" They looked at each other for a moment, then burst
out laughing. There were many words to describe their lives, but
boring was certainly not one of them. Regaining their composure,
the pair grinned, and Jessie patted Meowth on the head. He knew
it was time to say his goodbye.
"Well, I'd better stop hoggin' ya and let James have his
turn." The pokemon said, knowing that she deserved to spend
the remainder of her time with her beloved.
"Alright." Jessie replied sadly. She was going to miss
him a lot- that is, if you could miss someone when you are in the
afterlife.
"I'll never forget ya, Jess." Meowth said, biting his
lip. "You're like family to me, and I'm always gonna miss
ya."
"Thank you for being such a great friend." She said
back, and the two embraced. When they let each other go, Meowth
hopped down from her bed, and made his way to the door. As he
opened it, he looked back on Jessie one last time.
"I'll see ya when I see ya den."
"Yeah catch ya later, old friend."
Meowth smiled sadly and left. He had made it no more than three
paces before he broke down and cried.
* * *
Jessie looked out her window. It was a full moon that night.
Her eyes wandered across the sky, laden with a blanket of stars.
She smiled as she remembered something her mother used to tell
her.
'If anything ever happens to me, I'll be watching over you
from the stars.'
"Hi Mum." She murmured, mesmerised by the stars. She
then closed her eyes, and said a little prayer.
"Dear God,
I know I've done a lot of bad stuff in my life, and I know I've
caused a lot of people a lot of trouble. I always thought that I
could change my ways later on in life, but here I am on my
deathbed, and I've done nothing to make up for it. All I can
think of to say is that I'm sorry. Really I am. I ask for your
forgiveness for all the terrible things I've done. Please keep
James and Meowth in your care, and me too when my time comes.
Thank you.
Amen."
* * *
James stood up when he saw Meowth, who was still wiping away
tears, walk back into the waiting room.
"Your turn, Jim." He whimpered, climbing onto a seat
and curling up.
"Are you okay?" James asked the pokemon, who simply
nodded in reply. The young man sat back down in his seat. "I
can't go in there." He finally announced. Meowth lifted his
head, rather surprised.
"What? Whaddaya mean?"
"Why would she want to spend her last moments with me after
what happened today?"
Meowth got up, and whacked James on the head.
"Listen ya moron, she's in dere waitin' for ya ta see her.
When I was with her, she wasn't complainin' about what a ninny
you were, she was reflecting on all da good times we've had
togedder. Jessie's not mad at ya, James. And you're da one she
needs with her when her time comes." James thought for a
moment.
"Do you think so?" He asked.
"I know so." Came the confident reply. "Now go in
dere, and enjoy the time you have left with her." The
blue-haired Rocket took one last look at his friend before
finally heading down to where Nurse Joy had told him Jessie was.
As he walked along, his mind was entangled in a web of thoughts.
What would he say? Would it ruin her last few hours on Earth if
he told her he loved her? What if he never told her? And what if
Meowth was wrong and she really did hate him? However, all these
thoughts subsided like the tide the moment he walked into her
room. She was lying down, no longer having the energy to sit up.
"James?" She said softly. "Can you please turn the
light off? I think that the moonlight will be enough." James
obeyed, and sure enough, as soon as he turned off the light, the
room was dimly lit with the moon's beautiful beams. He walked
over to her bedside and sat down on the wooden chair. She looked
like a goddess in this light.
"Jessie." He whispered, as he wrapped his hand around
hers. "I'm so sorry about what happened earlier today. I was
such an idiot, I didn't mean to do it, I swear. I'd never hurt
you on purpose and-."
"Shhh. James, don't worry about it." She hushed
soothingly. "I'm just sorry about the way I've treated you
all these years. I mean, how could you put up with me?"
"It's easier than you think." James smiled lovingly. He
reflected for a moment. "We've been through so much
together."
"Yeah." She answered. "Ever since Pokemon Tech.
It's hard to believe that was eight whole years ago." Her
partner nodded.
"We've been together for such a long time." He said,
looking down at her. Her eyes were so beautiful. They reminded
him of a deep, deep ocean, one he could swim in and be lost in
forever and ever. She returned the gaze. There was a look in his
eyes she had never seen before, one which she could only describe
as warm and loving. Time seemed to stand still for the two
unrequited lovers as they looked into each other's eyes; just
like it had the time in the hot air balloon after hey had escaped
Jessiebell. They both felt as though they could be lost in each
other's gaze for an eternity.
James knew that it was now or never. He leaned over and gently
stroked her forehead.
"Jessie," He said tenderly, "I love you."
Jessie closed her eyes as his words echoed throughout her mind.
Had he just said what she had been waiting years to hear? Yes, he
had. When she opened her eyes to reply, what she said came
automatically.
"I love you too, James. So much." James leaned down,
and the couple kissed a kiss they had been waiting a long time
for. When their lips finally parted, Jessie moved over in her
bed.
"Come here." She motioned to James. He climbed into bed
next to his loved one, and pulled her into his embrace. Jessie
wriggled as close as she possibly could to him, and for a few
minutes, they just lay there, enjoying the warmth and feel of
each other's bodies. Never before had they felt so content. It
didn't matter what lay ahead, because right now, they were safe
in each other's arms.
"James," Jessie said, breaking the silence, "if
anything ever happens to me, I'll be watching over you from the
stars." Her loved one replied by kissing her hair, and
softly stroking her cheek. "You know what we should
do?" She asked. "We should ask the Boss for a holiday.
God knows we deserve one."
"Yeah." James answered. "We can go to the beach
where it's nice and warm, and just kick back."
"And then," Jessie continued, "We can ditch Meowth
and have some 'alone time'" Her gaze once again met
James's, and as was before, they kissed for what seemed a
lifetime. Their hearts beat in time with each other. When they
broke the kiss, Jessie put her arms around James' neck.
"Tell me what we're going to do." She said, her voice
full of hope. "Tell me about all the good times that lie
ahead."
"Well," James replied, resting his chin on her head,
"after we get back from the best holiday of our lives, we'll
quit Team Rocket. Then, I'll get you a beautiful engagement ring,
and we'll get married at a lovely old church, and lots of people
will attend. And then we'll get a nice little house and start a
family. We can even have Meowth as a pet!" Jessie giggled,
snuggling closer to him. He could feel her heartbeat against him.
"We'll love our kids, and they'll love us. And years from
now, when we're a hundred years old with tonnes of great great
grandchildren, we'll look back on our lives together and think
about how lucky we were to have had each other." James
looked down at Jessie. He could feel her heartbeat slow down.
They gazed into each other's eyes one last time.
"Prepare for trouble." Jessie whispered. "I love
you James."
"Make it double." He replied tenderly. "I love you
too, Jessie." She sighed, and closed her eyes in both
tiredness and contentment. A few moments later, James could no
longer feel her heart beating against him. Jessie was gone.
* * *
James held onto his beloved long into the night. It was past
midnight when he finally got out of bed, and tucked her in as if
she was going to sleep. He kissed her on the forehead.
"Goodbye, my love." He whispered as the tears began to
fall. He looked out the window through which the moonlight
spilled. The stars were shining brightly tonight. Jessie's words
echoed in his head. 'If anything ever happens to me, I'll be
watching over you from the stars.' He leaned over the bed
and put his hand to the glass, reaching out to the stars. "To
extend our reach to the stars above." He thought.
"I'll always love you, my Jessie." James whispered to
the celestial bodies. As if in response, a bright star twinkled
in the night sky. He smiled sadly. "Always."