Ash hadn't been able to find either of them any-where… only one place left to look. The only hospital in town.
"Ash, this could be a trap you know!" Iris exclaimed. "It wouldn't be beneath them to make a scheme like that to capture Pikachu." She told.
Ash exhaled. "No it wouldn't." He admitted. "But did you see the look on Jessies face?" he asked turning to Iris. "And how protective Meowth was, that was real. I've never seen Jessie vulnerable before. So this has to be for real." He told.
Iris swallowed. "at least let me go with you."
"No, please stay here." Ash asked. "This is some-thing I have to do." With a buquet of flowers in his hand, Ash stepped into the Hospital. By the desk he asked for James and was led to a room.
The door was closed.. Ash hesitated slightly as Pikachu sitting on his shoulder starred at the door.
Finally Ash sighed as he slowly opened the door, and was met with a rather awful sight.
Jessie was sitting all hunched on a chair in front of a bed, holding some-thing in her hands that she was looking at.
Meowth was curled up in the foot end of the bed, looking like he tried to rest but was unable to, and in the bed.. was James.
He looked awful! He was pall as a ghost, there was all sorts of things stuck into the young man, beeping away.
"Oh no." Ash whispered.
Jessie straightened by the sound of his voice and turned around so Ash got to see.. she had been crying again, and in her hand. It was James's uniform, then Jessies eyes squinted. "What are you doing here twerp?" she asked.
"Erh I.." Ash swallowed. "I just came to erh.. to apologies." He told. "And giving James these.. if you don't mind." He asked.
Jessie shrugged. "Do what you want, it's not like he can even hear you any-way." She snorted and turned back.
Ash swallowed, before he awkwardly tried to step closer, then he looked down at James's face.. the purple haired teen didn't even look relaxed, he looked restless and ghostly in his state, it was scary.
"Urh.." Ash hesitated. "Hallo James." He tried. "Heard you weren't doing to well I.. I.." Ash tried. "Here!" Ash then tried reaching forward the flowers. "These are for you! I mean! I.. I'll just go put them in some water!" he exclaimed finding a vase and then hurried to the sink to fill it with water. On his entire way Ash could feel Jessies eyes following him, and as Ash returned Jessie looked at him with a rather saying look.
"You really are pathetic." Jessie snorted. "A real goodie tooshie."
Ash's shoulder sagged as he exhaled deeply. "Yeah I guess so." I admitted.
"Just like him." Jessie then sighed as her eyes fell on James, then her hands clutched at his uniform.
Ash lifted his eye-brows as he looked at the uniform in Jessies hands, and noticed again that Jessie weren't wearing hers, but he didn't comment on it, instead he asked another question. "How this did happen?" he asked. "How did he?" Ash turned to James.
Jessie sighed deeply. "Team Plasma finally caught up to us, they wanted revenge for when we foiled their plans." She muttered. "They caught us and locked us up in their prison." She sighed. "The prison wasn't very nice, it was under ground so it was dark, wet and cold, and I don't think the food was very healthy either." She told as she wrinkled her nose. "We all managed to get sick before long, but at last we managed to escape or.. sort of." Jessie sighed deeply. "We were to exhausted to out-manouvre team-plasma, to sick to think clearly, on our way out we were stupid enough to become a perfect target for the blasters, they would have hit all of us if not.." she swallowed.
"If not what?" Ash asked.
At that Jessie opened her eyes which were ones again wet. "If James hadn't taken the blast for all of us, covering us with his own body until team plasma had run out of amo." She whispered. "Then he fainted.. and he hasn't woken up since." She told. "The exhaustion, the lack of light, the malnutrion, and now the blasts… his body couldn't take it." She told.
"Oh." Ash swallowed. "I see.. I.." This situation still seemed very awkward to all of them. "So what are you going to do now?" he asked.
Jessie shrugged. "I guess I'll stay here, not much else to do." She told, in an attempt to sound nonchalant, in spite clutching the uniform in her hands, so tightly that it almost ripped.
"You do realise this wouldn't have happened if you weren't Team Rocket right?" Ash asked with crossed arms. "Why don't you quit? James is rich enough to provide for all of you! You don't have to be criminials at all! Then stupid things like this wouldn't happen to you!" he exclaimed, trying to keep back his own tears.
Jessie hissed as she turned to Ash, taking Ash a back as her anger easily out matched his, tears falling down her eyes and her hiss being filled with venomn. "Do you know what this uniform means to us brat, do you?" she asked holding up James's uniform. "Do you?" she asked in a angry tone.
"Urh.." Ash blinked, swallowing now insecure of himself.
"For you, this might be the symbol of a criminal organisation, but for us, it's freedom!" Jessie told. "If there is one thing, neither I nor James can stand, it's to be captured or held down, we need to be free or we'll suffercate to death." She told as she stood up. "You know nothing about us you twerp! So why don't you beat it?" she yelled pointing over her shoulder.
That wasn't entirely true… Ash had learned a lot about these three.
He suddenly remembered how young they all were, James and Jessie were each only seventeen each, barely even. Not that much older than Ash himself, not nearly as old as all the poke professors around, or officers or nurses...
Jessies childhood had been tough, she had grown up being poor having nothing, and adapted a street-hard persona just to survive.
James had grown up an aristocrat, but every single aspect of his life had been controlled. From what he was supposed to wear, to how he was supposed to behave, to whom he should marry. So James had ended up running away. Not just ones but twice.
He still had a family, both a mom and dad and two grand parents, he elected every day not to go home to them, to be with team rocket to be… free?
"I'm sorry." Ash blushed as he looked down. "I'm sure James doesn't regret a single day with you guys, he cares about you a lot, I always knew that." He told. "And he has fun, you all have fun together don't you?" he asked. "I'm sure if he could go back and do it all over again, he would do the same things again." He swallowed and turned around. "I'm sorry to disturb you, I'll just leave." He told taking a step towards the door.
"Wait." Jessies voice interrupted and surprised Ash turned his head, to be even more surprised as Jessie was offering him a slight smile while a tear was dripping down her chin. "Thank you." She whispered, and that was it, as she for a slight moment looked like that at ash. And then her face retorted in her usual hard attitude. "Now beat it twerp!" she demanded.
Ash nodded as he smirked. "Sure thing! I sure hope James will wake up soon! See ya around!" he grinned waving at them as he exited the door.
