Author's Note: So I wrote this oneshot for several reasons. One being as I mentioned on my profile, this will be my tenth fanfic I have ever written, so I wanted to make it special. I started writing with the development of the Ketchum family's background/relationships and because of that I wanted to commemorate this family I have turned into a headcanon for myself and even for some of my readers. Thank you to all readers/reviewers for your continuous support of my work. It means more than I can express. It truly does. This oneshot is dedicated to my betareader and supporters of my work.

Now please enjoy! :) And HOPEFULLY it is mostly clear of errors. I read it twice just to be safe.

PG-13 CONTENT: Rated T for adult situation (but all content is pretty mild). I had a hard time deciding if this oneshot should be K+ or if it's border line T for the content in regard to pregnancy. I guess I just wanted to make sure it isn't too mature for a young audience. Call me a prude, but I want to play it safe and responsibly for my readers. :)

Pokémon/Pocket Monsters belongs to Satoshi Tajiri. My original characters belong to me.

After the Rain

Oneshot

There wasn't much he could do.

Besides twiddling his thumbs, getting ice cubes every now and again, and sitting anxiously for hours on end with no clue as to when it'd finally come- It had been close to fifteen hours. Fifteen whole hours he had been slumped in a chair and feeling utterly useless and scared out of his wits while listening to the pitter patter of descending rain. Not that he wasn't used to the smell of floor cleaner and the sight of stretchers, casts, and barf pans. His mother owned the very hospital he was at, making him accustom to the intense environment very early on as a young boy.

What was bothering him was...

How much longer? he wondered, swiveling his gaze to the room a few doors down. Why isn't she asking for me? Why hasn't anyone given me an update?

So many questions and hardly any answers. Clearly, the first step in fatherhood demonstrated that the journey ahead was not going to be a cakewalk. But he was patient.

The young man still felt the original jolt of when his wife frantically shook him out of his deep slumber, and the feeling of her hands prying for his attention. Her contractions were growing increasingly painful and too close together for comfort that he needed to be woken. At the time, he was just into his first hour of his catnap that early evening, needing one desperately after long tiring day at work. Apparently though, that wasn't the wisest move on his part.

Panic couldn't even fully describe his behavior. He shot awake violently, realizing the situation in a quick haze and stumbled off the bed hardly knowing where he was going, what he was doing. Barely awake he wildly gathered their packed suitcases, and in the process of gathering all the necessities he nearly forgot his scared and crying wife upstairs. So he raced back into the house, his shoes halfway slipped on as he picked her up into his arms and straight to the car without turning back. The ride over to the hospital was another nightmare altogether, trying to follow the directions to the Viridian Hospital without sweeping them into a horrible accident...

The man sighed. He really needed some coffee.

Only nineteen years old, married barely a year, and poof! A baby was on the way. A baby that certainly wasn't planned, but certainly was no regret either... He was undeniably horrified nevertheless. And hungry. So famished, he scarcely recognized his frazzled state from all the stress and apprehension. He had no interest in an ounce of food even after the gracious extent of his in-laws and the constant prodding for him to ingest something from the nurses. Sleep couldn't even consume him, not when he called his wife's parents of their arrival at the hospital, or when the nurses insisted it would be quite a long while before the baby would arrive, or when the hallway fell almost silent except for the sound of skittering feet.

Nothing.

Nothing could ease his anxious mind. He just wanted it to come. For her to be safe and out of the pain...

Eventually, he stopped looking to his right, for all he found was his father-in-law harshly glaring at him, silently cursing the young man who picked his little girl's flower too soon. Then, there was the man's mother-in-law who tried stay composed and positive for the three of them. In a sense, he was glad to have them there. Much more than his own parents. If his folks dared to stroll through the waiting room unexpectedly, the young man was sure he'd suffer from a severe panic attack. No. He wasn't going to deal with that. They weren't there and certainly wouldn't be informed till after the birth...

Besides his wife's folks being present, there was his sister-in-law too, who, brought along her own baby girl. The child found utter entertainment in the toys stowed away in the big magical bag mommy brought, keeping herself occupied during the wait. But for the father to be... In just a few minutes to a few more hours, he was going to have a child to look after as well. To hold, to reassure, to give all the necessities a good parent would provide. He saw how natural his sister-in-law was at raising her own child, and only hoped he would do as well as her. After all, she was taking care of her precious angel all on her own.

Too engulfed in his worries, the young man hadn't noticed his niece waddle up to him, and wait for his attention. The cast of pigtails with polka-dot decorated hairbands caught his eye, and tiredly he beamed a soft grin at the girl.

"Hey Danielle," he greeted warmly. "Ready to meet your cousin?"

The little lavender haired girl simply giggled at her uncle as petite hands reached for his open lap. She was holding onto what appeared to be a plump and squishy igglybuff plush that was in the company of a stuff pichu and mantyke in her watermelon printed toy bag. Soon after understanding what she wished, he brought her up gently on his lap and let her sit there with slowly kicking feet as she cuddled her toy.

Soon, Danielle's mother leaned forward in her seat. She had hoped her daughter wasn't causing a disruption to her rather anxiety ridden brother-in-law. "Danielle?" the woman called, trying to catch the two year old's attention.

However, her eyes were captured by a pair of exhausted ones. Nevertheless, there was a gentle smile. "She's all right, Ophelia," the soon to be father assured, not bothered at all by the little one's rambunctious nature.

Relieved and pleased by the sighting, Ophelia released a grin in return and nodded.

Another loud crash of rain drops shattered themselves on top of the hospital roof.

As the rhythmic pounding of full water droplets filtered the man's ears, he continued to watch his niece cuddle the soft toy and soon, bounce off his lap for another plush friend instead. Danielle. It was a pretty name for a girl. Dani though, is what she was usually called by. Her own little special nickname...

Names. What were he and his wife going to call their child? Was their child going to have a shortened version of his or her birth name? They had talked about it plenty of times, his wife creating a rather lengthy list. The thought of her working so vigorously on narrowing down the names made the young man bare a faint smile at last. He imagined how beautiful she glowed in her growth, one hand gently resting on the nest of the kicking baby inside, the other holding the list of possible names. She was so submersed in thought she didn't even recognize her husband staring at her, admiring how beautiful she was to him. How her auburn hair lay in a nicely groomed single braid, how her flowing blush pink dress brought out her soft complexion, how her chestnut eyes occasionally glimmered at the names that stuck out to her... And her smile.

Her angelic smile.

He thought she'd make a perfect mother. A real natural with her already caring touch for Pokémon on her parent's farm and the plants she grew so tenderly. Then there was her heavenly voice and her ever so giving and accepting personality. She was a star to him, and he was her dim midnight sky. But what about him? Was he cut out for any of it? For being an adequate father? The young man wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about a lot of things in regard to himself. He so desperately wanted to be the best father possible, given he never really had a fatherly figure to look up to as a child. He and his father had a very complicated relationship, and he didn't want that broken familial connection to continue down the family line. No. He wanted to find a way to be his own person while still attempting with all his strength and patience to be the provider, listener, and giver he was required to be.

Who he wished to be.

Yet even with the willingness it was most certainly a scary reality to accept. To plunge into without looking back. How many trials and errors was he going to have to face before getting it right? How many letdowns was he going to make before the repercussions set it? How many times was he going to be a big disappointment... He didn't know the first thing about raising children. Other than typical facts an average person would know. Or more so, the chatter parents gave about their personal experiences, none in which he could obviously relate to.

So in the long nine months, he had done everything in his power to prep the newborn's arrival as well as study up for his own personal benefits. An ideal baby's room was decorated, a huge surprise to his wife when he showed the final product off to her on the day of the baby shower. Tons of needed supplies was gathered for the baby to have a proper start, and everything in house that was remotely dangerous to a newborn was either removed or put up so high the child wouldn't even be able to reach the items till he or she was in their teens. He had done every imaginable act a parent should do to ensure a safe and healthy environment. Not to mention, thoroughly reading dozens of parenting books. Yet, he still felt unprepared. With that, the man assumed he would simply have to figure out and accept most of the events to come through the twist and turns of every motion. He just hoped that his supposed 'natural fatherly knack' would kick in the minute the baby was placed in his arms. Touching his wife's protruding stomach and feeling the little kicks within the womb already made his own stomach dance with butterflies of excitement.

And completely petrified him at the same time.

With another deep breath, the man dipped his head into his hands. Then, he exhaled. Brooding over his worries without expressing them to anyone wasn't doing him any beneficial favors. Still... He didn't want to fail. He didn't want his flaws to stand in the way of becoming a loving parent.

He didn't want anything to go wrong.

Within minutes, soft footsteps echoed down the hallway and eventually stopped close to the man's chair. A feminine shadow was cast as a voice spoke to him. A familiar voice.

"Jayce Ketchum?"

His head rose quickly with anticipating eyes. "Yes?"

Was it time? Was it finally happening?

"Your wife is fully dilated and ready," the nurse, who, had been trying to keep the father to be calm and even, explained with a faint smile. "Would you like to come in?" she offered, gesturing down the hall to the daunting door. "She's been asking for you."

Finally, Jayce Ketchum's anxiety consumed him in one exhilarating gulp. It was now or never.

"Yes," he breathed, smiling back. "I would like that very much."

Her eyes were so severely bloodshot from all the crying, and her small gasp of happiness at seeing her husband bound through the door was weak.

She still had her hair entangled in the sloppy braid she put it in before heading off to read for the evening, but now several strands had slipped out only adding to her disheveled appearance. She was in the worst state he had ever seen her in, and felt terrible that he had put her there. Even if it all was consensual.

"Jay," the young woman started breathlessly, her chest rising up and down repeatedly as her husband entered the delivery room. He was all dressed up for the occasion, in a perfectly clean hospital gown and a look of guilt crossing his face. She felt so horrible he had been sitting out there so nervously, that she had yelled at him claiming it was "his entire fault" and for him to get out. God knew it was both of theirs, and that she honestly didn't mean a word of it. The contractions, the pain, it was all just too much. Her nerves were on fire, her own thoughts terrifying her of what was to come next. What would happen if something went horribly wrong.

And that she didn't recognize that he too was experiencing the exact same feelings.

"I'm sorry!" she blurted between shallow breaths. "I didn't mean what I said! I'm just in so much pain-"

"I know, Delia." Jay came to his wife's side immediately, gently combing back the loose wet strands of her hair. His calm touch soothed her pricked nerves. He wasn't angry with her. He could never be. "It's okay, I'm here-"

"I don't want you to go anywhere!" Delia continued to cry out, desperate for him to hear her. "Please, stay. I need you now more than ever."

"Even if I faint?" he chuckled, trying to stay lighthearted during such a serious time. It was the only thing keeping him placid up to that point, because he was sure that if he saw any graphic imagery he might end up passed out on the floor. Then they'd have an even bigger problem.

His wife grinned back with a sweet chortle. "Even if you faint. Oww..." Another sharp pain exhilarated through her body, teeth clenched together as her fingernails dug into the sides of the bed. That continuous miserable jabs she was enduring was wearing the poor woman out, and at this rate, she wasn't sure how much longer she could tolerate another discomforting throb.

Jay leaned forward and graced Delia's forehead with a firm kiss. "Shh," he soothed, not knowing what else to do but be as tender as he could. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere. Just squeeze my hand as hard as you need to."

At the loving gesture of her husband's hand reaching out for hers, Delia placed her sweaty palm in his grasp and instantly clasped down for support. She bared a very meek smile as her chestnut eyes beamed back at Jay. "Okay- Oh, God," she suddenly cried, clamping his hand into the first tight grasp of the delivery ahead. "Oh, God! Jayce!"

Her voice rose loudly with whimpers, tears streaming down her flushed face as she let out a vicious gasp. Jay appeared utterly mortified by his wife's current state, his guilt growing thicker and strong as he witnessed the agony she was being put through. But he had to remind himself that what was about to come was a miracle in itself. A little being they were going to treasure for as long as they both shall live was about to come into the world. One that could never be replaced by another. One that they made so beautifully together.

Their darling creation that would bring them only closer together.

Putting on a brave face, Jay endured the ferocious grip his wife put him in and dared not to look down to see if his hand was turning a different shade of color. "I'm here, I'm here..." He instead cooed to her again, trying to stay optimistic. "You're doing great, Dee-Dee."

While Delia tried to focus on Jay's endearing words, Delia's sufficient and experienced doctor soon loomed over the end of the hospital bed in his traditional garb, and prepped himself with a mask and gloves. Two nurses were by his side in case of assistance, all dressed relatively similar while wearing their own version of a composed expression as they were about to take on a unsettling task.

As he snapped his last glove on, the physician looked to his patient with a calm expression. "All right, Delia," he started evenly. "Now with your husband here and everything clear to go, you can start pushing. Are you ready?" he double-checked.

Ready? A rush of too many emotions poured from the young woman's mind and morphed into a panicked cry. She wanted more than anything for it all to be over, but was she actually prepared for what was to come?

"N-no! Jay, I'm so scared!" declared Delia, turning to her husband with wide bloodshot eyes. "What if something bad happens! What if I can't do it-"

"Nothing bad is going to happen," her husband promised. The look in her eyes, the desperation to be comforted, to lean on him for support- Jay wasn't going to run away. He was going to stay right there, even if he did end up blacking out. He wasn't going to budge a muscle. He wasn't going to leave his wife. He wasn't going to make her feel scared or discourage. He was going to lift her up. Reassure her.

"You're going to be okay, Del. It's going to be okay," empathized Jay, his lips forming a benevolent grin and his icy blue eyes glimmering solicitously. "We're in this together. I love you."

The last three words made Delia's heart sing even with the indescribable pain rising. Squeezing Jay's hand, she breathed the words she had been longing to say. "I love you too."

Those were the last words Delia spoke before the delivery officially began. But Jay was right by her side the whole time. Like he swore he would be.

So they went through the natural motions nature intended them to experience. More and more challenging it became as Delia began pushing, feeling the tribulation she was under with great vigor and ineffable aches across her body. Jay watched his wife's face turn as bright as a ripe tomato, her eyes watering profusely like a gushing waterfall, her forehead dripping with trails of sweat, her throat releasing the most horrific screams he ever heard. It sounded as if she was suffering; dying perhaps and there was nothing he could do to ease her pain. All he could was remain as cool as possible, supporting her through every second till their newborn was greeted by light and faces of its own kind. And allow his hand to go numb. After a while, Jay couldn't feel his hand anymore. But he didn't care. All that mattered to him was that Delia wouldn't exert her body to a dangerous level, and that the baby would come out safe and healthy.

Several breaks were taken in between as Delia caught her breath and persisted to try once again with a constricted face. Still frightened by the concept of pushing a living being from out of her body, she was undeniably thankful to have her husband there like he always had been. The feeling of his fingers gripping hers alone motivated the young woman to keep trying. The sound of her husband's baritone voice aided Delia in digging deeper, in finding that strength she always gave him. And now in return, he was giving it to her.

With minutes passing by, the encouraging words from her upbeat doctor, the helpful nurses, and her overly dedicated husband helped propel Delia to the final and most difficult push. A long shriek tore from her throat as she mustered all her strength to successfully endure the last vital push. Her agonizing cries however, were cut short by another shrill cry altogether. The doctor, eyes gleaming down with a soft fondness had his arms reached out. He was carefully holding the new being in the cramped hospital room, silently scanning over the origin of the bawling. Then, he smiled.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum. You have a beautiful baby boy," the physician announced, holding the child up with care for the new parents to see.

He was finally here. Fifteen excruciating hours later, seven pounds and sixteen ounces of wails and pathetic stretches of arms welcomed the presence of the Ketchums' newborn son. At exactly seven-twenty in the morning. Everything the Ketchums had gone through felt like an utter whirlwind. But after vividly seeing the end product, both Delia and Jay knew it was worth every push and severely squeezed hand.

At the sight of their screaming infant, Delia's eyes lit up with a new shimmer Jay had never seen before. It was a stunning shade of her usual chestnut color, softening into something candid and undeniably affectionate. "A boy!" repeated the new mother happily, her head falling back onto the pillow with deep breaths. She did it. They did it! Delia took a moment to marvel at the miracle of life, then, her eyes wandered giddily up to her astonished husband, squealing in delight. "Jay, we have a little boy!"

"Yes," he answered, eyes wide and beyond amazed as he gawked at the little fidgety boy that was his. "We have a boy."

The profound cries and soon fading into soft coos made Jay's heart turn to mush. He eagerly wanted to extend his arms out.

Soon after the birth, Jay severed the umbilical cord with the doctor's assistance, and eventually his newborn was handed over to him in a wrapped downy blanket. Their son came out with a full set of short gooey midnight tresses and birthmarks on each of his cheeks. Marks Delia liked to lovingly call, "kisses from angels". There were no words to describe how remarkably giddy Jay felt. It was a pure feeling he had never felt before, nor wished for it to ever vanish into thin air. Everything about his newborn son... To feel is incredibly soft pink skin, to his airy dark tresses- He was absolutely stunning. The most gorgeous baby Jay had ever laid eyes on. And he was theirs. All theirs to cherish, love, and raise into an impeccable person.

But Jay knew he couldn't hold his son forever. Someone who he felt, much more deserving than himself, had the right to tenderly hold their bundle of joy. Someone who worked extremely hard to bring him into the world. Eyes drenched with tears longingly looked to the infant wrapped in cloth, and without words Jay knew what to do next. He couldn't resist letting a big smile escape from his lips as he handed their son over to his eager wife. With her arms stretched out, Delia carefully seized the baby into her grasp, and naturally cradled him like she was a pro, stroking his face and hair gently with every touch. The infant's cries had grown softer, but Delia shushed him soothingly nonetheless, beaming down at him with teary eyes and a motherly smile making her first connection with her baby.

Jay came to his wife's side, gently wrapping an arm around her and joining in the warm gawking of their newborn son.

"We did it," Delia breathed shallowly, both relieved and undeniably joyful to hold their precious bundle of life.

Jay nuzzled his forehead against hers, and soon kissed it. "You were incredible," he said proudly in her ear, still able smell the sweet scent of her sweat glistening against her soaked forehead.

"And you were diligent," she teased with a gentle chuckle. "Oh Jay..." Her long eyelashes fluttered at their baby. "Isn't he perfect?"

Perfect. Adorable. Utterly Precious.

"Yes," breathed Jay again gingerly. "Yes he is."

"He looks so much like you," his wife commented. "Like your own little shadow."

The baby's pigment was a beautiful blend of his parents', and while it was hard to tell what his final eye color would be, Jay had a feeling they'd end up being close to resembling the chestnut eyes he so longing stared into. But as for the hair, those uncanny marks, and the black strands of hair- yes. He was definitely his father's son in most physical aspects.

Still even at that, both parents had so many questions about their son. They both wanted to know everything about him. What he will like, what he will be finicky over, what inspires him, what he dreams, what makes him tick... If he'd like Pokémon just as much as his old man or if he'd take up the hobby of gardening natural wonders like his mother. Either way, they couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. Young and inexperienced as they were, the baby was in the presence of the two people who were determined to make him feel safe and welcome. There was not one moment in which they didn't want him and now finally having him in their grasp knowing he was healthy and fully developed without any complications... It was beyond satisfying.

"So... what shall we call this little guy?" Jay inquired warmly.

Delia paused for a moment. Then, she answered. "Ashton. Like the tree."

That name was familiar to Jay, one in which that was in Delia's tops choices if the child came out male. Something to do with nature Delia explained. That and her rickety homemade swing from her childhood still hung on a proud standing ash tree on her parent's enormous property. The name- it just felt right to her, and Delia didn't need to question her decision. And Jay agreed full-heartedly.

"Ashton... I like it," Jay said with another smile. "But I think we should call him-"

"Ash?" she finished.

Jay softly smiled again. "Yeah," he breathed. "Ash..."

"Our Ash," Delia repeated, sighing pleasantly as her thumb graciously crossed their son's plump cheek.

From the touch, their beloved Ash relaxed and his ever so tiny hands reached upward for something. What it was, no one knew, but Jay seized the chance for his own hand to come in close contact. And without any hesitation, Ash's little fingers curled over his father's big ones. From that single encounter, Jay broke out one more mellow smile that only a father could bore. Then, a pooling of joyful tears collected in his eyes creating a rich shade of blue.

A cast of early morning spring sunlight shined through the hospital window, highlighting the newborn as the angel he was. Then, the glass reflected the outstanding colors of the rain's aftereffect.

Jay's heart melted all over again as his son started to drift off to sleep. The worries, the anxiety, they were all gone. As if all his concerns had been washed away by Ash's shining presence alone.

Ash was everything to him. He was the thing worth living for, the thing that would forever depend on him and Delia. And Jay wasn't going to fight it. It was then and there with the touching joining of fragile hands, Jay swore he'd work hard to be the best father possible. He found his purpose. Balancing the roles of a gatherer, a nurturer, and a protector. Jay wanted to be there for it all. He wanted to witness his child's first word, his first steps, see Ash off on his first day of school, see his imagination evolve with every scribble drawing, to lend a listening ear when his son had a rough day at school, to be the shoulder he needed to cry on... Or on a brighter occasion, when his son made a great achievement or when they as a family celebrated another birthday... Or maybe, the day Ash might ask to go on a Pokémon journey and for Jay and Delia to be the ones to send him off into the vast land of Kanto...

Jay wanted to be all those things a father should represent, to be a part of all those vital moments that he only had one chance to savor and remember. He wished to bring about a healthy balance that would ensure a bright, spirited, and well-rounded boy, who could look up to both his parents; able to seek either one of them when in need of guidance and comfort. It was a challenge Jay was ready to face head on with Delia by his side. And while he was still scared like any new father, he was very much excited too bring their innocent angel home to the valley they called home.

Welcome home, Ash, Jay greeted silently, his eyes casting the warmest hue they had ever bore. You've got us forever, squirt. We're not going anywhere. You're safe and sound...

It was then after the rain lightened that Jay saw a rainbow had truly been born.

THE END

A/N: And there you have it folks! Just for the record, the whole idea of Ash being born in the morning with rain/a rainbow appearing is in reference to Ho-Oh. I just couldn't help myself. XD And since it has been speculated Ash was born in May, it makes sense there would occasional showers with beautiful rainbows following afterwards. :) Still even at that... it's kind of bittersweet, isn't it? Considering Jay won't be there for all those wonderful moments. Oh, the feels of it all!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this short and sweet oneshot. And as always, reviews are very much appreciated!