As she passed through the entryway, Misty made sure to make a quick stop by the mirror. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length, sunset orange hair to fluff it up a bit then adjusted the scarf around her neck. With a nod of approval, she grabbed her purse from the hook on the wall and yanked the door open.
"I'll be back before dinner!" She called out over her shoulder, her voice echoing throughout her house. "I have a load of laundry in the dryer, when it buzzes, take it and fold it, nicely." She added, making sure to add emphasis on the word, nicely. Her husband had a tendency to rush through things, especially when it involved chores.
Misty had barely made it a step outside before she heard the thumping of feet coming up from behind her. With a roll of her cerulean colored eyes, she turned around to face her husband of six years. It was obvious that he was confused by her sudden departure.
"Wait, you're leaving?" He asked, eyebrows deeply knitted. His loosely fitting grey t-shirt was damp around his neck, telling Misty he'd just gotten out of the shower. She couldn't remember the last time he'd actually taken the time to clean himself off.
"Seriously, Ash?" She groaned, giving him an annoyed look. All she received in return was a shrug and shake of his head. "I'm meeting your Mom for lunch, then we're going shopping." She reminded with a wave of her hand.
"Oh, right, I forgot," Ash replied, his hand reaching up to rub the back of neck, something he did when he was embarrassed. "Have fun?"
Misty just rolled her eyes again and stepped out so she was halfway outside the door. She was already running ten minutes late and she was starting to feel guilty for leaving Delia to wait for her to make an appearance.
"Love you!" Ash shouted, he voice cut off by Misty shutting the front door. Typical Ash to forget about plans she'd made and told him about nearly two weeks ago. Knowing he'd forget, she even wrote it down on their calendar and circled the date with a bright red marker. Sometimes the young woman really worried about her husbands' mental health.
She hopped into her car for the 20 minute drive that lead from Cerulean to Pallet Town. Right before they got married, Ash and Misty had looked for a home in Pallet. Ash had always talked about living near his Mother and Professor Oak's Lab so he could visit his Pokémon. They had almost placed a bid on a house when Daisy, Misty's oldest sister, announced she was moving to the Kalos Region to pursue her career as an actress. Soon after, Violent and Lily decided to leave too, which left the Cerulean Gym completely empty. There was no question that Misty had to uproot her own life plans to take over the Gym as the sole Leader. Ash had been disappointed, understandingly, but he followed without complaint. They moved into Misty's old house and were, now, extremely happy about the choice they'd made.
However, that left Delia practically alone in Pallet Town, so Misty made sure to visit her at least twice a week. Misty really loved Delia, not just because she was the love of her life's Mother, but because she was just an amazing woman. Misty would have stayed close to the older woman even if she and Ash hadn't gotten married.
Misty pulled up to the local diner in downtown Pallet, spotting Delia outside on the patio. It was an absolutely beautiful day, the sun high in the sky and a light breeze flittering through the air.
"Hi, Delia!" Misty greeted, waving as she made her way up to the table. As she stepped into the shade courtesy of the shop's awning, she moved her sunglasses from her face to the top of her head.
Delia offered up her brightest smile as Misty leaned down for a hug. The older mother loved Misty like she was one of her own. From the first time she'd met the carrot-top back when she was traveling with Ash, Delia had always secretly hoped she and Ash would end up together.
"And how is my favorite daughter-in-law doing, today?" Delia inquired as Misty took her seat across the table. When she had removed her sunglasses, Delia instantly noticed how worn out the younger woman looked. She was dragging quite a bit and the spark that was always present in her eyes wasn't as bright.
"Starving," Was Misty immediate response. She had already picked up the menu and was scanning it very intensely. For the past couple weeks, Delia had picked up on Misty's rapidly growing appetite. Misty had always been a petite eater, but now she had one that could rival Ash's, and that was something Delia knew her daughter-in-law wouldn't ever want to be compared to. "I've been craving a hamburger and fries all day."
The word "craving" caused Delia's heart to race as she started to make the connection. For several weeks, Misty had been worn down and she was eating handful after handful. Even Ash had complained a few times about Misty getting snippier with him than normal. All of these symptoms were definitely all leading up to one thing…
"Are you pregnant, Misty?" Delia blurted out. She hadn't meant for it to come out so suddenly, but she just had to know.
Misty choked on the sip of water she'd been taking after hearing the out-of-the-blue question. She coughed for a bit and tapped roughly on her chest to calm herself down.
"What are you talking about?" Misty wheezed.
Delia gave her one of those stern, motherly looks that she used to demand for more information. Ash received that look almost every time he came down for a visit and it was extremely powerful.
"No, I'm not pregnant!" Misty practically shouted, her voice filled with defense. This was not a conversation topic she'd expected to have with Delia today.
"Are you sure, honey?" Delia inquired, her tone extremely skeptical. It matched the raised eyebrow look she was sprouting on her face. "You seem very run down lately, dear, and your eating habits have changed," She continued, noticing the confused look on Misty's face. "Last weekend you ate more than half of my homemade cookies and that was after you ate two helpings of dinner."
She watched as Misty fell back into the metal chair, her facial expression switching from one of bewilderment to one of awareness. Her mind was flying at warp speed, trying to piece together what her mother-in-law was saying. The more she thought about the situation, the more everything started to hit her. Her cerulean colored eyes that were swimming with nervousness flew up to meet Delia's, who was staring at her with concern.
"I can't be pregnant," Misty whispered to herself as she began mentally counting back the days in her head. Once she calculated the dates, her face went completely pale. "I'm late."
At that statement, Delia lit up. There was no doubt in her mind now. This was the most exciting news she'd heard since Ash had told her he and Misty were engaged.
"I can't believe it!" Delia began, tears of happiness pooling in her amber eyes. "I'm going to be a grandma!"
Misty didn't hear her as she placed her left hand lightly over her mouth. She and Ash hadn't really ever talked about having children simply because they hadn't had the time to. Ash was busy with his league duties and Misty had a Gym to run. They'd had a few conversations about the topic when they were first married, but work took over, and here they were, six years later. Misty had always thought she'd have kids and Ash hadn't been completely against the idea. It just hadn't been a priority.
Now Misty's entire world was spinning.
Lunch passed painfully slowly for Misty. Delia spent the time making small talk, trying to release the tension in the air. She told a story about her last visit to Professor Oak's Lab and how she got to meet some Pokémon from the Kalos Region. Even when their food came, Misty sort of just pushed it around almost like it was a toy.
As soon as the waiter came back with her copy of the check, Misty was out of Pallet Town like a bullet. As soon as she was past the sign that said, "Welcome to Cerulean City", she stopped at the convenience store down the street from her house.
She purchased the first three pregnancy tests she saw off the shelf. The plastic bag hung off of her arm like dead-weight as she walked into the house. Then she found couldn't even keep her hands still enough to open the boxes.
A century passed during the five minutes it took for the test to calculate a result. The entire wait her heartbeat was roaring in her ears blocking out any sounds and thoughts. She glanced down at the timer on her phone, realizing her wait was over.
One by one, she checked all three tests, her eyes filling to the brim with tears after reading the results on each one;
Because they were all positive.