How to Change a Life
It had been nearly 30 minutes since Ash had fallen, and May was still the same position as she had been since, still sobbing. The only difference was she was now holding Torchic tightly to her chest.
A few minutes after Ash had fallen, Torchic cautiously approached May. Torchic was incredibly sad as well. She really liked Ash, and she hated seeing one of the few people she trusted so upset.
"Torchic Tor." Torchic hoped to get May's attention. When May looked down at her, the pokemon knew her attempt had worked.
May grabbed Torchic and hugged her close as her tears continued to fall, "Oh, Torchic..."
Pikachu was sobbing to the side of May. He simply couldn't grasp the fact that his best friend was gone. The three Poochyena and the Mightyena, who were tremendously sad as well, were trying their best to comfort the small yellow pokemon, but it quickly became apparent nothing would help.
May hadn't moved in over 25 minutes, not since she'd picked up Torchic. The only thing that got her to move was when she heard the sound a vehicle. It sounded like it was on the ground below the cliff. Slowly trudging over to look, May saw Professor Birch parking his Jeep-like vehicle.
Seeing this, May shot up and ran, trying to find a way to get down to them. It actually didn't take too long, as there was a clear path just about a hundred meters to the right of the cliff's end. She hadn't noticed it at first, but when she saw Pikachu and the Mightyena along with her cubs running in that direction, she followed closely behind.
Sprinting their way down the hill, May and the pokemon quickly arrived at the scene. When they arrived, Birch was approaching Ash. May's eye's followed the man as she watched him kneel down down next to Ash's body and look over it. On his approach to the man's body, Birch noticed a broken branch on the ground near him. He assumed that the branch he was holding on to must've broken, causing Ash to fall...
To what appeared to be his death...
"Pika Pi..." Pikachu muttered sadly as he took in the sight of his best friend. It wasn't long before tears began falling from his eyes once again.
May gasped loudly, horrified at what she saw when she looked at Ash. His clothes were ripped, and he was covered in cuts and bruises. Even despite the fact that he was laying on his back, it was obvious that there had to be a large gash on his back as a pool of blood had formed underneath Ash's body and it.
It was such a difficult sight for her to see, she didn't even realize how inconsistent these injuries were with what'd happened...
All of this horrified May beyond belief. She couldn't believe that Ash had risked everything just to save her, and was now lifeless on the ground...
Or so she thought...
Birch, ignoring the blood pooling around Ash, moved in close and pushed two fingers into the side of his neck, checking for a pulse. May didn't notice this as she was becoming slightly hysterical at seeing Ash in such a state.
The Professor's eyes widened in shock and his heart began beating rapidly. He couldn't believe it.
Ash had a heartbeat.
It was faint, but there was no mistaking it.
And looking closer, he could see the rise and fall of his chest, indicating he was still breathing. Even though his breaths were ridged and irregular, this was still an incredible sign, a miracle. Birch knew he had to act fast.
"May, he's alive. He has a heartbeat." Birch stated quickly, hoping this would help May calm herself enough to help him.
The man's words broke through to May and caused her to stop bawling almost instantly. May looked almost confused at what she'd been told.
"What...?" May questioned. Her voice was still very obviously filled with pain. How could someone have survived a fall from that height? Especially as it seemed that he'd landed on his back and neck.
"Ash is alive, and we have to help him." Birch spoke with urgency in his voice. "If we're gonna save him, we have to get him to the hospital in Littleroot fast!"
May was elated at the revelation that Ash was still alive, but it just didn't make sense. He had to have fallen what looked to be more than 40 feet. So how did he survive?
As if reading her mind, Birch tried to rationalize how he could've survived, all the while simultaneously thinking of the best way to get Ash into the vehicle. Birch turned his head skyward, May noticed.
"This tree must've helped to break Ash's fall." Birch muttered to himself, though May still heard him. "Of course, that's why he's so cut up..."
The area below the cliff wasn't very dense like the forest it led into just a few meters away, but there were a few trees scattered around. And it looked like Ash had been lucky enough to have fallen through one of them, breaking his fall just slightly. Though judging by the large pool of blood forming beneath him, maybe it wasn't such a good thing...
Neither Birch nor May dwelled on the revelation. They had work to do. Birch moved himself so that he was standing over Ash's head.
"May, you grab his feet. I'll grab him under the arms. We have to move him carefully. We don't know the extent of his injuries, and any sudden or erratic movements could exacerbate anything that's wrong with him." Birch said as he slowly and carefully hefted Ash from under his arms, waiting for May to grab the feet before actually lifting him.
While Ash was a pretty large person, with him being tall and packing a good amount of muscle, May and Birch knew that together, they should be able to heft Ash into the jeep.
May moved forward instantly, grabbing Ash's legs tightly. She then waited for the Professor's cue.
Birched looked at May "On three, alright?" May nodded. "Okay. One...two...three!"
The two people lifted the man and carried him over to the jeep. They managed to lay him down in the back seat. May entered the back seat as well, lifting Ash's head and resting it on her lap. It was very cramped, but May felt compelled to do this.
The pokemon all jumped in as well. Torchic, Pikachu and two of the Poochyena were able to fit relatively comfortably in the front seat and the floor in front of the seat. Mightyena and the remaining poochyena managed to squeeze themselves into the far back, behind May and Ash.
Birch rushed to the driver's seat and started the car. He quickly turned back to May and spoke, "Hold on tight...This is not going to be a smooth ride."
With that said, Birch floored the gas pedal. The car lurched forward rapidly as the vehicle sped to Littleroot Town on the dirt road. May held on to the handle above her head, and kept the other hand on Ash's head, slowly stroking his hair as she stared at him. She was trying to make sure that the driving wouldn't cause him to move around too much.
She hardly noticed Birch's erratic driving, she was too focused on Ash and making sure he was safe. That he was still with them. Every time Ash would be between breaths, May would panic slightly, automatically assuming the worst, only to be reassured when he would take another.
Birch maneuvered through the small town and parked in front of the small, yet region-famous hospital. He wasn't in an actually parking spot, but he didn't care. What was important now was getting Ash help.
May was incredibly glad that they'd managed to arrive at the hospital so quickly. Immediately, she exited the car, placing Ash's head down softly on the seat as she did.
May noticed Professor Birch had run into the hospital and almost immediately after he did so, he returned through the sliding glass doors, followed closely by two hospital employees, one man and one woman, with the latter pushing a stretcher.
May and Birch assisted the two new arrivals in placing Ash on the stretcher. They accomplished the task quickly, and were all soon running into the hospital, pokemon included.
They continued through the hospital, with the two employees yelling at people to get out of the way as they rushed. The quickly approached a set of doors that held a sign reading 'ICU: Intensive Care Unit'.
Birch, May and the pokemon tried to follow the employees, but were halted at the door by a doctor.
"You can't go back there." The doctor told the group. After he said this, he realized who he was speaking to; Professor Birch was a well known figure in Hoenn after all.
Hearing the man say this enraged the people and pokemon in front of him
"Why the hell not!?" May exclaimed. "He needs us! I have to be there for him!"
The doctor looked at the girl sympathetically as he responded to her outburst calmly. He was very much used to this sort of reaction. "Right now, you need to give the doctors room to work so we can try to save his life. I know it's not easy, but this is truly the best thing you can do for him at the moment."
Upon processing the doctors words, those present realized that he was right; they would just be getting in the way of the only people capable of saving Ash's life.
Seeing that the two human's in front of him nodded in understanding, the doctor continued speaking. "Would you mind if I asked you two a few questions?"
May and Birch looked at each other, showing with their eyes that they were both up for it. Coming to an agreement, Birch turned back toward the doctor.
"I suppose. What do you want to know?" Birch questioned politely. It was clear to see he was very stressed and worried. May was no better. In fact, she was handling it quite a bit worse...
"Okay, first can you tell me the name of the man you brought here?" The doctor asked politely after he grabbed a clipboard off of the desk a few feet to his left.
"Ash Ketchum." May responded flatly. Even though she was willing to help the doctors out however she could, she wanted to get this over with quickly so she could focus on Ash once again, even though she knew that having all the time they were sure to have to worry about the boy was definitely not going to be easy.
The doctor's eyes widened slightly, "Ash Ketchum? The same Ash Ketchum who recently won the Indigo League?"
Both May and Professor Birch nodded at the man, indicating that he was correct. The doctor wrote down this information on his clipboard. He then looked at the two people once again.
"Would you mind explaining what happened? The more we know, the easier it will be to help Mr. Ketchum." The doctor stated calmly. Obviously these two humans, and the accompanying 6 pokemon were in great emotional distress, and reliving what'd occurred would surely be difficult. But he was being truthful when he sad that knowing exactly what'd happened would help them.
Birch looked to May, noticing she was looking down at the ground. Since it seemed she wasn't going to be responding, Birch decided he would explain. That is, until May surprised the Professor and started speaking, her eyes still remaining low.
"I was standing on the edge of a cliff and the ground crumbled beneath me. I fell, but managed to hold on to a branch growing out of the side of the cliff. Ash tied a rope around himself and had Professor Birch and the pokemon lower him down to me. He grabbed me and we were being pulled up when the rope began to break. Right before it snapped completely, Ash threw me up and I landed mostly on solid ground...H-He saved my life..." May paused, her emotions getting the best of her as she processed again just what Ash had done for her. But she knew she had to continue.
"He managed to grab the same branch that I did, but then that began to break as well... it couldn't support his weight. It snapped and h-he fell what had to be at least 40 feet...maybe more." May finished, her eyes never once meeting the doctor's as she spoke, her voice dark and low.
"He hit a tree on his way down, which helped to break his fall slightly. That's why he has so many cuts and bruises, and I also believe that was how he was able to survive the fall. But there is almost definitely a large laceration on his back as he was bleeding badly when we first got to him." Birch added, making sure to give all the useful information he could think of.
The doctor nodded his head and wrote everything down on the clipboard before clicking the pen closed and placing it back into his coat pocket.
"Thank you very much. This will be very beneficial to us. I know it was probably difficult having to relive that, but you really did help Mr. Ketchum's chances by doing so." The doctor speak seriously, hoping to raise the girl's spirits.
Though, May only nodded, her eyes still not leaving their low position. The doctor nodded at the Professor before turning around, and entering the ICU.
May still hadn't moved, but Birch was looking around. He saw a sign that said 'waiting room' on the wall behind him. He nudged May, who finally looked up at him. He then motioned toward the sign. Receiving a nod from May, the two began walking in the indicated direction, the pokemon following closely behind.
Apparently, the waiting room was just around the corner, so they found it quickly. There weren't many people there, which was a good thing, May and Birch supposed. The two took a seat, not really knowing what else to do at the moment.
Torchic hopped up into May's lap, which the brunette welcomed. She began stroking the pokemon's head lightly. Pikachu had taken a seat of his own directly next to May while Mightyena and her cubs took seats on the floor. May used her other hand to stroke Pikachu's fur.
They sat in silence for 30 minutes. Then 45 minutes. Then an entire hour had gone by with nothing being said. They had no idea what to say, but the silence was really eating at them both. Looking around the room, May noticed a line of video phones off in the corner of the room. There was about 6 of them, she noticed. This made her remember what she'd promised Ash she would do for him.
Though, she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it, to recount what'd happened again.
May looked to Professor Birch, who met her gaze. "I promised Ash I would call his mother, Delia Ketchum and his friend Brock Harrison to tell them what happened. Do you think you could..."
May trailed off, but Birch knew what she was getting at. Birch forced a smile. "Sure, I'll go call them now. I'll call Professor Oak first and he can give me their numbers. Plus, I'm sure he'll want to know what happened as well."
With that said, Birch made his way over to one of the video phones and called up his old friend. It was about 10 minutes before Birch returned. May had purposefully not watched or listened into the calls, as she didn't want to witness what kind of reaction his mother and his best friend would have to the news.
Birch sighed deeply as he sat back down. Although May hadn't wanted to see their reactions, her curiosity was getting the best of her. "How did they take it...?"
The Professor sighed once again, "Not great. His mother, Delia, told me she'd be here as fast as she could and hung up almost immediately after I finished telling her what happened. Brock seemed incredibly concerned, but not as surprised as I would've expected. He told me that Ash gets himself into dangerous situations all the time, but something like this has never happened before. He said he'd call Delia and rush to Pallet Town to pick her up so that they could come here together."
May nodded at the information. She was glad that two important people in Ash's life would be on there way soon. Ash needed all the support he could get.
The two sat in silence for a bit longer before May felt the strong desire to call her parents. She was having a hard time dealing with everything, and they had always been able to help her in the past.
"I'm gonna go call my parents." May told the Professor, who nodded in response. May stood from her seat and approached the video phone. Torchic was still in her arms, but she didn't mind. The small pokemon was actually helping her calm down, if only just slightly.
May dialed her parent's home video phone number and waited patiently for them to answer. Both of her parents were home most of the time, with her mother Caroline being a stay at home mom and her father, Norman working out of their home as it doubled as the Petalburgh City Gym.
After three rings, May's mother's face appeared on the screen and she smiled as she saw who was calling. She immediately looked away from the screen and yelled, "Norman honey, May's on the phone!"
May then watched as her father also came into frame. After he sat down, the two parents finally got a good look at her daughter. Her eyes were red and bloodshot, and her face was stained with tears .
"Hi mom. Hi dad." May's voice sounded incredibly broken, worrying her parents even more.
"Honey what's wrong?" Caroline asked, overflowing with concern. Norman wasn't feeling much better.
May sniffled as her emotions became slightly more intense before speaking again, "Just...a lot has happened today..."
Norman didn't like that May was speaking so cryptically. It worried him even more, if that was even possible. "May, you have to tell us what's wrong or we won't be able to help you."
May nodded in understanding. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. "Professor Birch was doing fieldwork in the forest when I arrived at the lab, so I went to find him. A lot of stuff happened out there, and I met this guy and-"
"What guy? Did he hurt you?!" For some reason, Norman saw red upon hearing his daughter's words. He immediately built his own story of what must've happened in mind. "Because if he did I swear to Arceus I'll-"
Now it was May who cut off her father. "NO! He didn't hurt me, he saved my life!"
May literally yelled at the screen, becoming incredibly defensive over the insinuation that Ash had hurt her. She would not allow the person who'd saved her be talked poorly of by anyone, even her own father. His name would never be sullied if she had anything to say about it. Norman was taken aback, and Caroline was even more confused and concerned at the revelation.
May took a few deep breaths, knowing she had to explain everything to them. "Just...let me tell you what happened..."
And so, May told her parents everything, only leaving out small, minute details that had no impact on the overall story. How Ash had driven away the Poochyena and the Mightyena. How he'd healed them, even after they'd tried to attack them. How the two of them became fast friends, with him telling her things she very much needed to hear. She did manage to leave out the real reason why she went on her pokemon journey; she just wasn't ready to tell them yet, and with everything else going on, it just seemed like the wrong time.
And of course, she told them about the most major incident. How Ash had risked his life to save her. How he'd fallen, to what she thought was his death, just to make sure she would live.
As May spoke, tears began flowing from her eyes once again, though her voice remained relatively level.
"He saved my life... and now he's hurt. He's hurt really, really badly all because he felt the need to save me. He was willing to give his life for mine..." It was this sentence where May's voice finally cracked. Another emotion was starting to rear its ugly head within her at what'd happened.
Guilt.
"May...where are you right now?" Norman questioned. Though, he had a pretty good idea...
"I'm with Professor Birch at the Littleroot Hospital. The doctors have been working on Ash for about an hour and a half and now, we're just waiting for any news."
Caroline looked at her daughter in compassion, "Honey, I'm so sorry all of this happened...I almost don't believe it. I'm so thankful that this Ash boy was there to help you."
"Yeah..." May agreed lowly, her voice clearly indicating that she was thinking something toxic.
Noticing her tone of voice, Norman questioned her, "May?"
May thought over what to say and if she should say it. Though, she quickly realized she should; she'd called her parents for support and help after all.
"It's just...It's my fault that Ash is hurt..." May started, her voice coated in despair. "He only got hurt because he was trying to save me!"
As May began crying once again, her parents looked on at their daughter with great concern. Her blaming herself for this definitely wasn't going to help anything.
"May, it's not your fault." Norman said, gaining May's attention through her tears. "Ash made a decision, a very noble decision, to do anything it took to make sure you were safe. You couldn't control the situation. You didn't cause this. It's no one's fault."
It is my fault,dad!" May rose her voice in anger. "If I had just moved away from the edge of the cliff right after I picked up Torchic, then Ash wouldn't be an inch away from death right now!"
May's bluntness surprised even herself and as she was reminded of Ash's condition. This caused her sadness to grow even more. Her parents weren't sure how to react to their daughter's outburst. They recognized that with the state she was currently in, there would be no changing May's mind.
"May...Why don't you just come home, and we can help you deal with thi-" Caroline was cut off, once again by her daughter.
"NO! I'm not leaving until I know that Ash will be okay! He saved my life mom, and I have to be here for him!" May spoked with such conviction that it surprised her parents. By saving her life and befriending her so quickly, it was obvious that this Ash boy had made a significant impact on their daughter already. They knew that there would be no way to change May's mind, so both parents only sighed in response.
"...Okay, honey. Do you think we could talk to Professor Birch for a moment?" Norman questioned softly. May nodded and left the screen after telling her parents she loved them, with them saying it back in response. It was a matter of moments, Birch's face appeared on the screen.
"Norman. Caroline. How are you?" Birch asked plainly.
"I think I should be the one asking you that, Adam." Norman responded, causing the large man to sigh.
"It's been a tough day, for all of us. May has been very strong though. And she's starting to come around to pokemon, I believe. That Torchic that was on her lap really likes her a lot and the feeling is very much mutual." Adam Birch was hoping that some positive news would shed some light on the dark day.
Caroline and Norman smiled weakly. Of course, they were happy with that particular development, but it was hard to show any joy when their daughter was in such pain.
Changing the subject to what they wanted to talk to Birch about in the first place, Caroline spoke, "Adam, May refuses to leave that boy's side. I know it's asking a lot, but do you think you could look out for her for the time being? Make sure she's okay, help her get through this, anything you can do would be greatly appreciated."
Birch smiled genuinely for the first time in a while as he nodded his head, "Of course, Caroline. I'd be more than happy too. Plus, I was the only other person at the scene so we sort of understand what the other is going through. I promise to look out for her."
"Thank you, Adam. We owe you big time. And when Ash wakes up...thank him for us. And hopefully someday soon, we'll be able to thank him in person." Caroline finished, with Norman nodding in agreement. Birch told them they didn't owe him anything and agreeing to do what they'd requested before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.
The Professor walked back over to May and took his seat next to her. She'd taken to staring at Pikachu in the seat next to her, whom was still crying over his trainer's condition. May's eyes were red and every once in a while, would produce a tear or two that would fall onto her legs.
Birch sighed at the sight. It was very obvious she was having a hard time with this If he was going to be there to help her, he decided now was a good a time as any to start.
"May." Birch started calmly, drawing her attention. "Ash is gonna pull through. We just have to have faith. We have to believe that Ash is strong enough to will himself through this."
May looked at Birch, but didn't know what to say. Recognizing that May wouldn't be responding, Birch continued.
"I know neither of us have known Ash long, but I can tell that he's a fighter. That he's been through hardships and overcome them. And from what Professor Oak has told me about him, everything I just said is the absolute truth." Birch finished, hoping May would respond to him this time.
May thought over what the Professor as said. The two sat in silence, with Birch watching May, who had turned her head and looked down at her lap. After a few moments, she looked back up and meet the Professor's gaze.
"He's definitely a strong person. I know I just met him but after talking with him for a while...I feel like I've known him my whole life. That's why this has been so hard. He's already made such an impact on me." May finally responded to Birch. It seemed his words were getting through to her. This realization caused Birch to smile slightly.
"He really respects you a lot, you know? He could tell by your actions and the way you carry yourself that your a good person." Birch's words caused a small smile to form on May's face. She'd come to the same conclusion as him and May felt great that she had made such an incredible new friend so quickly.
"And when Ash gets out of here, I can tell that you two are going to be the best of friends. It's clear that you're a lot alike." Birch added, hoping to raise her mood more.
The smile still remained on May's face as she responded, "Yeah, I got that feeling too. I really would like to get to know him better, and he told me he wanted the same."
May felt her cheeks heat up as she thought about what she'd said in a different light, a more 'romantic' one. But because her cheeks were already red from crying, Birch didn't notice. And besides, it was much too early to even think about stuff like that; they'd only just met after all.
"You know what Professor? You're right. Ash is going to get through this. And I'm gonna be there for him when he wakes up." May said, her confidence in the man growing.
"Pika! Pika Pi!" Pikachu even felt more confident upon hearing the Professor's words, and May's agreement . He always had faith in his trainer, but he was just so scared for him.
"That's the spirit, May. Now all we have to do is wait." Birch told the brunette.
And wait they did. And even though their confidence in the boy making it out of this alive had grown, they were still incredibly worried and stressed. Of course, there would always be a seed of doubt, no matter how confident they were.
Hours went by with no updates on the boy's condition. The two talked about menial things to try and pass the time but every once in a while, a long silence would overtake them, causing their thoughts and worries to nearly overwhelm them before they'd be able to push them to the back of their minds once again.
Pikachu and Torchic had taken to chatting with each other; even the Mightyena and her cubs got involved in the conversation. If there was no other positive of the day, May was glad to see that Torchic had seemingly gotten over her fear of Mightyena.
May was also surprised that the Mightyena and her cubs were still here. The obviously were very appreciative of how Ash had treated them earlier and wanted to make sure that he would be okay. Being reminded of Ash's kind nature warmed May's heart and made her smile genuinely. It wasn't easy to find a person like that nowadays.
The group didn't hear a word until 10:00 pm, 6 long hours after they'd arrived. As soon as the doctor from earlier appeared around the corner and walked into the waiting room, both May and the Professor shot to their feet and approached him. The pokemon also watched and listened intently.
Neither May nor Birch could read the doctor's expression, and that scared them greatly.
"How did it go doctor? Is he going to be okay?" Birch asked quickly.
When the doctor sighed, fear engulfed everyone present. They waited with bated breath to hear what the doctor had to say.
"Well...we did a lot of tests to see exactly what was wrong, how badly he was injured. We found he had some interior bleeding, which was a bit of a problem. Though, we managed to get that under control and while it could still be a problem, we're not worried about it much at the moment."
The doctor took a pause to allow his words to sink in. This was good news it seemed, so it should've calmed everyone down, but it didn't. It was obvious there was more that the doctor had to say.
"He had a long, deep gash on his back going from his right shoulder blade almost all the way down to his hip." The doctor used his hands to demonstrate the length of the cut. It was so immense that it actually shocked May and the Professor. "We managed to get that stitched up and it shouldn't be a problem. He'll have one hell of a scar though. He also has a minor concussion."
The doctor took a moment to think about how to phrase what he was going to say next. He could sense the emotional distress in the room and as a doctor and a human being, he wanted to make this as easy as he could for these people and pokemon.
"We had to perform surgery to repair the injuries he suffered to his internal organs. The surgery was a success, but... I'm afraid Mr. Ketchum is currently comatose." The doctor stated, deciding that being blunt was the best way to do this; he'd learned long ago that dancing around a tough subject always ended up making things worse in the end.
The man's words made May audibly gasp. She immediately felt hot tears return to her eyes.
Birch, who was taken aback by the news as well, asked the question on the minds of everyone in their group, "When will he wake up...?"
The doctor sighed once again, "It's not so much a matter of 'when'...more a matter of 'if'."
Everyone's eyes widened in horror as they processed the doctor's words May's hand shot to cover her mouth as tears freely streamed down her face. Pikachu, who'd jumped on May's shoulder when the doctor entered the room, was sobbing wildly.
Birch was too shocked to react. He'd truly believed that Ash was going to be okay but now, he wasn't so sure. He knew he still had to have faith, it was just so much harder to do after this revelation.
"What do you mean 'if'?!" May didn't know how she managed to speak with all she was feeling, but she did. And she spoke very loudly. Angrily.
The doctor took no offense to the outburst; he knew she wasn't angry at him, but the situation.
"Mr. Ketchum was hurt very seriously from the fall. Honestly, it's a miracle he survived in the first place. We've done all we can for him right now. We've given him a chance. For the time being, all we can do is monitor him and wait for something to change." The doctor finished softly, trying to lessen the blow.
Birch, whom had his head down, spoke lowly, "...What kind of odds are we looking at?"
"I'd say about...30 percent chance of survival...maybe less." The doctor told the two, striking their emotions further. "But that kid is a fighter, I can tell you that much. He should've died from that fall but somehow, he's still with us. I truly believe that if anyone can survive this, it would be Mr. Ketchum."
Both May and Birch nodded at the doctor's comment, not saying a word.
"Are either of you related to Mr. Ketchum?" The doctor asked. Even though he knew of the Professor, he didn't know if he was somehow related to Ash. And of course, he knew nothing of the girl.
Seeing them both shake their heads In the negative, the doctor sighed. Though, he quickly decided that he had to allow them to do this. He could possibly get into trouble for this, but he felt he needed to allow them to be with their friend.
"We usually only allow immediate family to stay with the patients, but I think we can make an exception this time. You two can go back and see him if you would like. Stay as long as you want, we don't have too many patients at the moment. He's in room 103. And this probably won't happen but if anyone in a suit and tie asks, you're his uncle and you're his sister. He would be a higher up coming to check up on things." The doctor added before taking his leave, disappearing behind the doors that led to the ICU.
The two humans and the pokemon stood still in complete silence for a few moments, allowing what they'd just been told to fully sink in. Tears were shed by all, even Mightyena.
Without saying a word, May walked through the ICU doors. Seeing this, Professor Birch and the other pokemon followed.
The quickly found room 103. Birch and the pokemon saw May standing still in the doorway. Birch knew that it had to be her emotions from actually seeing Ash in such a state that'd made her freeze.
May only moved to enter when Mightyena gently nudged her rear with her head. As everyone entered, May grabbed the nearest chair and pulled it up to the side of Ash's bed.
Everyone immediately took notice of how pale Ash was. How vulnerable he looked. It was such a stark contrast to how he'd been just hours earlier. It was very difficult for May to see him like this. As soon as May sat down, Pikachu jumped from her shoulder on to Ash's bed, curling up in the space between his legs.
After Pikachu settled in, May took Ash's right hand with both of her own and put her head down so that their hands were touching her forehead; her hands were missing the gloves she had on previously as she opted to only wear them when it was cold. She quickly looked up again, her lips quivering before returning to her previous position.
"I'm sorry, Ash. I'm so sorry..." May muttered, her voice low and full of despair.
Torchic looked up at May from the floor in sadness. She was sad for Ash, but she was also sad seeing one of her first real human friends in such a state.
Birch stood against the wall closest to the door and watched the scene in front of him. He didn't know what to do, what to say, and that frustrated him greatly. With no idea of how to act, he simply allowed May to talk to Ash and hold onto his hand tightly.
They spent the next hour in these positions. May had moved a few times, sometimes running her hand through his hair or gently caressing his cheek, but she always ended up right back at his hand.
After the hour had passed, Professor Birch looked to the clock hanging in the room. As he noticed the time, he thought it would be a good idea for the two of them to leave for the night. After the events of the day, they definitely needed a good night's sleep. And plus based on the doctor's words, Ash most likely wouldn't be waking up tonight.
The Professor approached the girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn her head to look at the man. Even while looking at the Professor, she never let go of Ash's hand.
"May, we need to get some sleep. You can stay at my place for the night. We should leave and come back in the morni-"
"No!" May cut the man off vehemently before returning her gaze to Ash's face. "I'm not leaving his side. I owe him at least that much."
For some reason, Birch hadn't expected this response from the brunette. "May, the doctor said he won't wake up... for a while. Us not being her for he night won't hurt anything."
May didn't respond immediately, nor did she look back at the Professor. 30 seconds had passed before May addressed the man again.
"You can do whatever you want Professor, but I'm not leaving Ash here alone... He saved my life. The least I can do is be here for him. And when he wakes up, I want to make sure I'm here so that the first thing he'll see is a friendly face. That the first thing he'll hear is how grateful I am to him."
Professor Birch was going to retort, but he knew there would be no use in trying to argue. Plus, May was an adult. He couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
May heard Professor Birch walk out of the room without a word, causing her to sigh. Though despite her thinking he'd left the hospital, the man returned a few minutes later with a number of blankets in hand. He'd gotten them from one of the hospital employees, whom was happy to help them out.
May looked at the man in surprise. Birch just smiled in response. "I just thought that if we're going to be staying here, we should at least try to be comfortable."
May smiled at the man in appreciation as he placed one of the blankets over her shoulders. She could see now why her parents were such good friends with this man, why they spoke so highly of him all the time. He truly was a good person.
Birch put down two blankets side by side for the Mightyena and her cubs to use. Torchic had opted to sleep on Ash's bed as well, though she was positioned closer to May than anyone else.
Birch took the final blanket for himself and sat himself down against the wall. He was exhausted, and he fell asleep almost instantly, even in what had to be a not so comfortable position.
May stayed up for another hour or so, just watching Ash. She was replaying what'd happened that day over and over but unlike before, she was only focusing on the good parts of the day.
When Ash had faced off against the Mightyena to get them out of that tree. The moments where herself and Ash had talked and connected so deeply. The parts where they joked around. Where he encouraged her, motivated her, reassured her.
How he'd saved her
To be honest, she still couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe anyone would put their life on the line to save someone they'd just met, even if they had connected almost immediately on a deep level. And yet, Ash had done just that. He cared about her well being so much that he was willing to die to make sure that she was safe. If Ash wasn't here in front of here, May doubted she would've been able to believe that such a person even existed.
While a part of her still felt guilty about what'd happened, it also made her feel incredibly special. Incredibly cared for.
Incredibly loved.
And Arceus, she wanted nothing more than for him to wake up. The most important thing was obviously that he would be healthy once again, but May also had other reasons for wanting him to exit the state he was in.
May couldn't think of anything worse than losing someone whom you'd connected with so intensely. Someone that made you feel as if you were lifelong friends, even after just one meeting. May wanted nothing more than to get to know Ash better, and knowing Ash wanted the same made her feel that much more special.
She really wanted to see how their relationship would continue to develop, and she could only do that if he woke up.
At this time, the exhaustion of the day finally caught up to her as May yawned. Looking around, she noticed everyone else in the room was already asleep.
May looked to Ash's face one more time, "Please come back to us, Ash. We care about you. And I promise I'll be here for you the whole time...because I know that's what you would do for me."
As May finished whispering, she placed her head down on the bed, her hand still connected with Ash's and a small smile on her face.
A/N: As promised, her is the next chapter just two days after the first one. And like I said, chapter 3 will be coming in two days time on the 9th. And I feel I should also say this: if after a chapter is posted and it gets a good number of reviews, then I'll release the next chapter the day after the aforementioned one was posted. Think of it as a way to encourage your feedback, as that is truly the most important thing to a writer. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to hear what you all have to think! See ya!