Chapter 4: Concussive Dilemma
Ash's eyes opened to a burst of white light. He wanted to close them up but the sight started clearing up little by little. The eyes viewed a ceiling of some sort. His eyes still looked unsettled, still glossy from when Serena and Miette found him. He tilted his head gingerly. Even while his sight remained blurry, he could see Serena and Pikachu by his bed asleep. He's probably wondering where Bonnie and Clemont are. Cautiously, he turned his head to see neither of the two but someone else entirely. Miette slept on the recliner by the corner. He also found the monitor that read his vitals. However, he realized something else: he couldn't hear the beeps and boops from it. Maybe it was turned off to help the others sleep. He turned back to Pikachu whose ears twitched. He woke up and squeaked at Ash... but he didn't hear his Pokémon. Seeing no reaction, Pikachu got concerned. Serena got awakened by Pikachu's wailing and looked to see Ash alert, sort of. While her lips moved, no noise came out. Poor Ash couldn't hear what she said. He saw her lips move but no audio backed her up. Serena and Pikachu glanced at each other wondering what was wrong. Miette heard Serena's voice and woke up, asking her if there was a problem. Serena pointed to her ear and said something. It didn't take Miette long to come up with an answer. She snagged a whiteboard and marker before giving them to Serena. She wrote on the whiteboard, then gave it to Ash who read it.
"SO YOU CAN'T HEAR ANY OF US?"
Reading what was on the whiteboard, Ash shook his head. Pikachu sighed in hopeless frustration. Serena took back the whiteboard and cleaned it before Ash said something. It's too bad he couldn't hear his own mouth. Serena wrote something else before handing it to Ash.
"YOU'RE IN THE HOSPITAL. WE SAW YOU BADLY HURT."
Ash cringed at what Serena had written. He asked something which Miette got a clipboard from the foot of the bed. Ash looked at the clipboard and was shocked to learn what he suffered.
GRADE 3 CONCUSSION
FRACTURED SKULL
BRAIN HEMORRAGING
INTERNAL BLEEDING AROUND BASE OF SKULL
MILD EARDRUM RUPTURE
MILD EYE SOCKET DISLOCATION
EMERGENCY SURGERY: SUCCESSFUL
Ash got a bad beating. He slowly rested his head back on the pillow trying to make sense of what happened to him. He muttered something which Miette borrowed the whiteboard and wrote something else. She handed the board to Ash to look at.
"TEAM ROCKET HURT YOU WHEN PROTECTING SERENA AND PIKACHU."
Miette's written words clued Ash in to how he wound up in the hospital. Despite not hearing anything and his own voice, he seemed to ask something. Serena nodded and lisped something before walking out of the room. This left Ash with his best friend and her rival. Think about that for a minute. In the waiting room, Serena reunited with Clemont and Bonnie who were still worried about their friend from Kanto.
"Is he awake?" the youngest wondered. Serena's nod confirmed relief if only to know he's alive.
"...But he can't hear anything," she groaned. "That concussion and being comatose for three days has done a number on him." Knowing his condition startled the siblings horribly.
"So no matter what Dedenne and I have to say, he won't hear me?" Bonnie shrieked. Serena's head shook. Even Dedenne got upset over the news. "How is he suppose to know we helped save the Pokémon from Team Rocket?" Only a chuckle from Clemont provided an answer.
"I believe I can come up with a solution to this problem," he smirked as he adjusted his glasses. "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear on!" He presented two helmets with rods and wires all over and a tube connecting said helmets. "I call it the Mental-Wave-Connect-The-Two-Helmet-Communicator! I had a feeling we would need this for when we have difficult Pokémon to work with but I think this is a perfect opportunity to test it out. You see, this device penetrates the eyes, ears and mouth indirectly and connects to the brain stem of the ones wearing it. That way, any disability of mute, blindness and deafness is easily overcome by the two as they wear it!" Wow, what a mouthful.
"I wanna ask how you come up with these names," Serena moaned. All Bonnie wanted to do was see Ash.
"Listen, Ash still needs our support," she reminded. "I'd say we go check on him, now." Serena looked back at the door, thinking that Miette would exit from the room soon and allow him to rest.
"He still looked out of it. Once Miette leaves, we'll head back to the Pokémon Center." Inside, Miette fed Pikachu with a PokéPuff and reached in again with one more. Was she trying to fatten Ash's Pokémon? Whether forgetting he couldn't hear or perhaps staying focused on Pikachu, Miette said something before offering a PokéPuff to Ash. This time, Ash knew that Miette wanted Ash to feel better and there were slices of an Oran Berry on the pink frosting. Food and Ash felt a rumble in his stomach. Taking a bite, he tasted the juicy berry and smiled. Whether realizing his deafness or just a test to see of he understood the offer, Miette wrote on the whiteboard before giving it to Ash.
"I BET YOU'RE STARVING AFTER BEING OUT FOR A FEW DAYS. WAS IT GOOD?"
Ash didn't know that he was in a coma. He did nod to the question. That's when he asked one of his own, Miette saying something before exiting to see his friends. She got to the rest who were ready to leave. "We're going back to the Pokémon Center?" she asked.
"Yeah, well..." Clemont hesitated. "We'd rather let Ash sleep and recover. There's no way we'll leave him alone."
"That's right!" Bonnie backed up. "Ash has been there for us! We need to be here for him!" Miette figured they couldn't just walk back home without a reason and had something else in mind.
"Funny enough, he wanted to see you before visiting hours ended," she opened up. Bonnie and Dedenne's faces brightened at Ash's wish to see everyone.
"At last, I can put my invention to good use!" Clemont trembled in glee. Miette disagreed, shaking her head.
"We must not put anything but the bandages on his head. His brain is super sensitive and any loud noises would hurt him." Clemont fidgeted at being disallowed to use his helmet. "Let's just go in and see how he's doing." They reentered the room where Ash cuddled with a sleeping Pikachu. Bonnie shouted which woke the Electric Mouse Pokémon. More shouting from the youngest but nothing pierced the injured eardrums. Regardless, Bonnie hopped in bed and rubbed Ash's wrapped head. He winced a bit. Miette was right when she mentioned his head was sensitive. Clemont warned his sister about the condition Ash was under. The injured trainer spoke up to what he had to say despite not hearing his own words. This had Serena's hand working on the whiteboard.
"ONLY YOU COULD SAY THAT NO MATTER WHAT."
All Ash could do was shrug his shoulders. Out came more words that he'd wish he could hear. Seeing the rest have a laugh told him everyone was in good spirits. Ash spoke up with inquiry in mind. Whatever he brought up, Bonnie excitedly cheered and Pikachu leaped to Serena's shoulder. As they left his room and with Serena's back turned, Miette sneaked in a kiss on Ash's cheek. This made Ash blush a little, realizing that she also worried about his health. The clock struck 9:00 and visiting hours ended. His friends were on their way back to the Pokémon Center. Ash could only wonder about how long he'd be in the hospital with the concussion. 'How long will I be without hearing?' he wondered. 'It sucks that Team Rocket gave me this injury. Though now that I think about it, my mind has started clearing up ever since I woke up. I wonder if I'm getting better.' As he pondered about his condition, Miette stood steps from the entrance. She wasn't sure about leaving the hospital with Ash in the condition and knowing Team Rocket being around...
"Miette, come on!" Bonnie urged with Dedenne backing her up. Miette couldn't help herself and perhaps her kiss made her contemplate staying.
"You guys go ahead," she insisted. "Seeing Ash defenseless like he is..." Serena gasped at what leaked from Miette's enticing lips.
"You're not serious about staying after hours, are you?" she questioned.
"Don't you care for Ash as well?" Serena's mind raced. If Miette stayed to protect Ash, she could take advantage of his disability to make him fall for the boy who helped her back at the Kanto Summer Camp. "Team Rocket could break in and try to kill Ash so that they could go after Pikachu. I don't wanna give them a chance." To Miette, it wasn't about her wanting Ash but wanting to protect him and Pikachu.
"I doubt Team Rocket would go that far," Clemont theorized. "Sure, they'll do anything to capture Pokémon but hurting others to do so?" They did leave Ash to die after taking the Pokémon.
"How else did Ash wind up here?" Serena shouted. "A bad stomach-ache?" Hearing the blond, Miette tapped her free shoulder. Turning, Serena saw Miette shaking her head.
"We would be in trouble if that's the case," she reminded. "But leave Ash in our hands. You and little Bonbon can head back to the Pokémon Center." Clemont looked down, seeing a droopy Bonnie. She's exhausted. It started to get late and getting Bonnie in bed was Clemont's priority.
"I suppose so. Come on, Bonnie!" The little sister stumbled with Clemont out of the hospital and allowed the others to return back to Ash's room which is a good thing since he's fast asleep.
"I didn't really notice out cute Ash is when he sleeps," Miette giggled. "Did you?" Serena's cheeks burned red in embarrassment. Snapping out from the thought, she took a step back and wildly wove her hands out to deny any wrongful thoughts Miette may have offered to her.
"N-No!" she strongly denied. Of all the times she's yelled, it's a good thing Ash was temporary deaf now. Pikachu hopped back on the bed near Ash to stay away from any violence from the girls. "I haven't slept under the same ceiling with him, let alone the same blanket!" Miette felt she had the advantage by the two kisses to him. After all, Serena did admit not being that close to Ash ever since the camp. How could she not, there were plenty of opportunities to interact with Ash beforehand.
"You mean to tell moi that you've been with him since the Santalune Gym and never tried to close in? What exactly are you waiting for, an invitation? The more you stall, the more someone like me will take care of him like little Bonbon wants for Clemont." A lot of pressure mounted on Serena about coming clean. She fidgeted for an answer. Pikachu couldn't believe the argument between the two about the subject in the same room.
"Look, I don't want to rush my feelings for Ash and if it means biding my time, I'm waiting for the right time to tell Ash." Miette scoffed, Serena's explanation not the least satisfying.
"Then it's a lost cause. I'm sure I'll be a better girlfriend for him than you would." Serena's face boiled at the retort. "Besides, why did you become a trainer in the first place? To follow your favorite boy? Surely, you need a bigger calling than just to follow Ash around." Pikachu heard both sides and retreated to where it accidentally nudged Ash's arm. Feeling the arm, Ash woke up and looked to see Pikachu still around him. Realizing this made him rise out and glaring at the girls before looking at the clock being 9:15.
"What are you two still doing here?" he groaned. "Isn't visiting hours done for today?" The girls shot a surprised look back at Ash rising to a seat. They thought Ash awoke to their yelling, believing that his hearing had returned.
"A-Ash?" they gulped. Ash's eyes focused, his sight much sharper and clearer than when he first woke up.
"I see that you two are having a discussion about something." Now Miette and Serena were convinced that Ash could hear again.
"How long were you listening to us?" Serena asked. Ash turned to Pikachu and petted his partner.
"I think you're the one who wanted to stay, huh?" Pikachu huffed a chuckle to the question. Now the two others believed Pikachu inadvertently woke him, meaning that his hearing didn't return after all.
"Sorry about that," Miette apologized as she neared the bed. "But knowing Team Rocket, we couldn't risk leaving you alone." Ash felt relieved that someone chose to stay as protection.
"Thanks, you two. And no, I still can't hear but I can see better." This gave Serena a theory about how they were communicating.
"So you can read our lips?" she guessed. Ash nodded, making the girls feel better about his condition.
"I guess we don't need the whiteboard for long," Miette giggled. "But maybe the nurse can give you a hearing aid... at least until you can hear naturally." Ash wouldn't mind having something to hear his friends and his Pokémon.
"A hearing aid would be great to have," he accepted. "After all, how else can I have talks to you?" Serena's scoff hinted a way.
"Like we figured out, you reading our lips." Finally, Serena's head leaned in and gave Ash a kiss on the forehead. He's glad to have company like Miette, Serena and Pikachu. He could rest easily and maybe hear everything they had to say.
TO BE CONTINUED...