How to Change a Life

May's eyes fluttered open, immediately realizing she was awakening in the newly familiar scene of the hospital room. The woman yawned as she stretched her back in the chair, interlocking her hands and stretching them above her head. She'd still yet to fully open her eyes as she did this.

As she finished stretching out her lower back, she hesitantly opened her eyes. She couldn't really help it at this point, the room was far too bright now with the light coming in through the window to still be comfortable with her eyes closed. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the clock. Seeing it read 9:00am, May decided she shouldn't go back to sleep, even though she wanted to at the moment. She knew that she would be more awake in just a matter of minutes.

As she sat there, her eyes scanned the room, assuming that everyone else was probably up already; Brock and Delia had almost always woken up before her over the past week. Though, she knew this was because she would usually stay up a bit later than them, just thinking about things in the silence night provided.

May was surprised to see that both Brock and Delia were still sleeping peacefully. She could see that both of them had small smiles on their faces as they remained in their dreams. She couldn't help but giggle when she noticed that Brock was holding his pillow close to his chest like a teddy bear rather than resting his head on it.

The reason they'd slept longer, May concluded, was because they were so comfortable having finally been able to sleep in a normal position on something that wasn't the ground or a chair. The cots were by no means the most comfortable things in the world, but they sure as hell beat the alternatives.

May smiled, happy that her new friends were able to be comfortable here for once. And as much as she would've liked to have slept on one of the cots, May was surprisingly comfortable sleeping the way she had been. She'd gotten very used to sleeping this way. Plus, having Ash so near to her made her feel more comfortable and safe than she normally would have.

What no one knew was that May had an extreme distaste for hospitals. After an incident in her youth, she began to hate hospitals and could never be calm while in one. This lead her to not be able to sleep much whenever she was forced to stay in a hospital. But that hadn't been a problem for May this time. Because of the immense amount of comfort and safety Ash provided for her, she was able to fall asleep normally and peacefully.

It was at this moment when the brunette let her eyes wander to the raven haired trainer, briefly pausing to take note that both Pikachu and Torchic were still snoozing at the foot of the bed. May was glad to see that Ash still had his eyes closed, asleep.

She knew that sleep was when the body repaired itself the most. And even though Ash had the majority of his severe injuries healed, he still had to deal with all of the cuts and bruises that remained littered across his body.

May began to wonder how the large gash on Ash's back was healing. She remembered the doctor saying that it was healing fine due to the stitches that'd been administered when they first got here, but she couldn't help but wonder if the miracle that had seemed to heal Ash managed to help that injury along as well.

She felt a bit badly about the fact that Ash would have such a large scar on his back due to the fall, but she didn't allow herself to dwell on this for long. She knew he wouldn't mind. In fact, he'd more than likely think it was cool. Plus in May's eyes, it would make him look brave and heroic. A reminder of what he'd done on that day. And it really was true what they say: chicks dig scars.

May smiled at the thought as she looked at Ash's face and watched him sleep for a few moments. His mouth was open just slightly, and May could hear his rhythmic breathing. She smiled toothlessly at the man as she continued to stare.

It was at this moment that May remembered everything she'd said the night before. Instantly, she turned bright red and looked away from the trainer's face, even though he wasn't even awake, and wouldn't be able to see her blush. May's face was on fire as she remembered exactly what she'd been told last night, and what she'd said back to him.

Looking back at it, she couldn't believe her boldness. Despite never having been in a situation like the one she was in the night before, it was still unlike her to be so bold with her words. She chalked it up to the fact that Ash telling her something so personal, so difficult for him, had made her want to make him feel better. Of course, she meant every word of what she'd said, she just couldn't believe her mouth had allowed her thoughts to pour out so freely.

In the end, she was glad that she'd said what she did. She really wanted Ash to know just how incredible he was and that what he was doing really was making a difference in the world. She respected and admired the man immensely, and she was happy that he knew what she thought about him now. A person like Ash deserved all the praise in the world in her eyes.

She managed to bring her gaze back to the man. She felt a smile pulling her lips upward, just from looking his way.

"He looks so cute when he's asleep..." May thought to herself offhandedly. And though she once again turned red at her thoughts, she didn't look away this time.

After she'd spoken to Brock earlier in the week, she'd accepted the fact that she was harboring a crush on the man sleeping in front of her. And now that herself and Ash were once again able to have talks like the one they had the night before, she knew that her feelings would only grow deeper and deeper...

Most people wouldn't be able to develop feelings for someone so quickly, and May knew that. Though, the difference in this situation was that this 'someone', was Ash Ketchum. In May's eyes, it made perfect sense. He was a one of a kind person, and that led to this one of a kind scenario.

And though it'd happened so suddenly, May felt no doubt about her feelings. Most people try not to rush into having feelings for someone until they've known them for a good while; it was typically hard to gauge if the person they just met would be the same person a few months in the future. Many were worried that somewhere down the road, the person's true colors would show, and they would not be the same person they'd thought they were.

But May wasn't worried about that in the slightest. After everything she'd been told, everything she'd seen, she knew that the Ash she saw in front of her was the only Ash there was. With Ash, what you see is what you get.

And May felt confident in saying that she really knew who Ash was. And after the conversation they'd had the previous night, she knew him better than most people on the planet.

She was still having a hard time believing that Ash was so willing to share his difficult past with her so soon, especially when he typically kept it a heavily guarded secret. Though, she was immensely glad that he did tell her as it made her understand him better. It deepened their friendship, their connection, even further. If nothing else, him telling her about his past showed that he felt he same deep connection that she did, which made her very happy.

At this time, the first of the gang began to stir, Pikachu. And as he shifted while waking up, he'd also accidentally woken Torchic up as well as the two were sleeping very closely together. Pikachu rubbed his beady black eyes with the back of his paw, which May found adorable, before the yellow pokemon looked to see May smiling at him.

Seeing her instantly made Pikachu wake up quicker as he put on a large smile at seeing his newest friend awake and smiling at him.

"Pika chu pi." Pikachu spoke quietly, waving a paw at the girl.

May chuckled and reached over to pet Pikachu's head. "Good morning, Pikachu."

Pikachu was very much enjoying the petting he was receiving before it suddenly came to a stop. Torchic, who'd become slightly jealous at seeing May giving Pikachu all of her attention, jumped into May's lap. This caused both her and Pikachu to chuckle. She was still a very young pokemon after all.

"Good morning to you too, Torchic." May said softly, not wanting to wake anybody by being too loud. She pet Torchic with her free right hand.

At this moment, May realized that her left had was still holding onto Ash's; after stretching when she'd first woken up, it seemed she'd reclaimed Ash's hand in her own. She'd actually forgotten about this; it just felt so natural. She allowed herself to stare at the two intertwined hands for a few moments.

It was then that Ash began to stir. May noticed, but still couldn't bring herself to retract her hand. It didn't take long before Ash opened his eyes, adjusted to being awake, and looked toward May. Immediately, he shot the woman a tired smile.

"Good morning, May. Did you sleep well?" May could still hear the sleepiness in Ash's voice as he spoke, but he would get past that quickly.

May smiled toothlessly and nodded her head. "Yes, I did. Sleeping in a chair is actually surprisingly comfortable to me."

Ash chuckled as he began to become more alert. "Well, I'm glad to hear that."

Just after Ash spoke, he took notice of the fact that May had her hand interlocked with his own, causing him to blush ever so slightly. May followed his gaze to their hands, going red and immediately forcing herself to pull away in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry, Ash I-"

Ash simply smiled at the girl in front of him as he cut her off. "Don't apologize, May. I really don't mind. It's kind of comforting actually."

Ash then reached toward May and placed his hand atop her own, indicating that he was perfectly okay with the contact. The two shared a smile before Ash pulled his hand back once again. He then looked toward the clock, seeing it was 9:10am.

He then did his best to look over the foot of his bed to see if his mother and Brock were still asleep. He could see Brock clearly, but he could only really see half of his mother due to the angle he was at. Though, this was more than enough for him to tell that they were both still sleeping soundly. This made the man smile.

"Glad to see those two are enjoying the cots. It sure was nice of the professor to buy them for us." Ash mentioned offhandedly, earning a nod in agreement from May.

"Yeah, I can't wait for when he comes by today. He said he would come check in daily with Mightyena and the cubs after all." May stated before giggling at a thought she just had. Ash was still smiling, but also tilted his head in confusion. Noticing this, May continued. "I was just thinking about how crazy it is that Mightyena and her cubs are gonna be living with the professor now after just a little more than a week ago, they were trying to maul us, and had us ran up a tree."

Upon hearing May's explanation, Ash giggled as well; it was a pretty strange turn of events. "Yeah. I don't think they trusted humans very much before we helped them out. But once they realized they could trust us, I guess they really took a liking toward Professor Birch in particular for some reason."

"Yeah, you reviving Mightyena was definitely not something she was expecting, you could tell by her expression. She'd obviously never experienced a human's kindness before you came along. And now, they have a happy, safe home for herself and her cubs. I'm sure they'll have to go back to the wild some day but for now, they have a wonderful place to live and grow." May spoke happily. She'd taken a liking to the pokemon, as they all had, and she was happy that they had such a nice place to call home.

With all of the land that stretched behind the professor's lab, there would be no shortage of space for the pokemon to roam and become friends with other pokemon that lived there.

"I knew that I couldn't capture Mightyena as she had to care for her cubs, so them being at Birch's lab is the best thing for them for sure." Ash said, earning a nod of agreement from the brunette.

It was then that May and Ash heard some shuffling from over the foot of the bed. Surprisingly, both Brock and Delia sat up at nearly the same time, rubbing the tiredness out of their eye's with the palms of their hands.

They then turned to see Ash and May, wide awake, staring at them. Both Delia and Brock smiled at the two and wished them good morning. They then did the same to the to the two pokemon seated nearer to the them at the foot of the bed. Brock and Delia then took some time to wake up completely.

Ash clapping his hands together, and began rubbing them together. "So...what's on the agenda for the day?"

Despite his question, Ash already knew the answer.

Brock pretended to ponder, his thumb and forefinger on his chin, a thinking look on his face. "Hmmm...let's see...Well, at 12 o clock, we have sitting around... annnnddd that's about it."

Everyone chuckled at Brock's words, and Ash also sighed. He was never one to be good at staying cooped up in one place for too long. If May, Brock and his mother wouldn't have been there, he was sure he would go crazy.

"Well, I'll tell you one thing I plan on doing..." Ash started, gaining everyone's attention. "I want nothing more than to take a nice, hot shower today. I'm usually not one for such things, but I'm still kind of sore and it just sounds amazing to me right now."

Delia nodded at her son's request. "Okay, Ash. We'll see what the doctor says about that."

Ash appeared a bit discouraged as he realized he would have to ask the doctor's permission to do something as simple as taking a shower, but he nodded none the less, trying to remain positive.

It was then that he realized something. Not so discretely, he lifted the neck of his hospital gown and smelled himself. He hadn't even really thought about it but to his knowledge, he hadn't bathed in over a week, for obvious reasons. But even despite that, he still smelled clean.

Confused, Ash addressed his friends and mother, who'd seen what he'd done and were expecting a question. "This might be a strange question but, why don't I smell bad? I mean, I was out for a whole week, so I haven't exactly been able to shower."

Delia smiled as a wicked idea popped into her head. Sure, she was a responsible mother, but she liked to have a bit off fun every once in a while...

"Oh, you were given sponge baths!" Delia responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, causing Ash's eyes to widen.

Delia wasn't lying about the sponge baths. A few times over the course of the week, a few nurses, some male, but mostly female, would take Ash to another room and give him a sponge bath. It seemed bit strange to them all, but the nurses said that they did this all the time, and it wasn't weird for them in the slightest. But Delia was planning to make a few little changes to the story she would tell Ash...

"S-Sponge baths? From who? Was it a guy, or a girl?" Ash questioned hesitantly. He wasn't sure which answer was worse. If it was a guy, he would certainly feel uncomfortable about it and if it was a woman, he would be embarrassed beyond belief. He was forced to accept that either way, he wasn't going to be winning in this situation. Though, he certainly didn't anticipate what his mother said next...

Delia was trying her best to hold in her laughter, and was doing so expertly. At the moment, she still held her typical motherly smile on her face, even as she said what she did next.

"Why we did of course! Myself, Brock, and May!" Delia spoke cheerfully, as if what she'd just said wasn't incredibly weird.

Somehow, Ash's eyes widened even further upon hearing his mother's words, and his face turned a deep shade of scarlet. He couldn't even begin to fathom the idea that this could've been a prank as he was simply too shocked to think straight.

"May...saw me naked...? Or worse...Brock saw me naked!?" Ash thought to himself, incredibly embarrassed by both outcomes. He was just as embarrassed by the idea of his mother having seen him naked. Of course, she had before, but that was when he was just a young boy. Now, he was a full grown man. Just the thought of it alone made Ash cringe.

May's eyes were almost as wide as Ash's. Obviously, she knew that this wasn't true, but she was too surprised that Delia had said this to find the words to deny it. Instead she sat there, her face as red as Ash's, not knowing how to react.

"Oh God...Ash is going to think I'm so sort of...pervert or something!" May exclaimed in her mind, very much worried about her thought becoming a reality. She really didn't want Ash's view of her to be tainted, especially when this story wasn't even true.

Brock's eyes had even almost opened past the usual slits they were before he realized what the young mother was doing. His thoughts were further confirmed when Delia turned her head and winked at the man, letting him in on the joke. Upon realizing this, Brock smiled and did his best to hold in his laughter.

The two let the mother's words simmer for a while, finding enjoyment over the two younger people's reactions. But after a few moments, Delia thought that they'd suffered enough. Immediately after she began laughing, Brock did as well, Delia's laugh being the catalyst. Even if they wanted to, there was no way they couldn't hold it in anymore.

It took a few moments for May and Ash to even realize that Brock and Delia were laughing but when they did, May instantly realized that they'd gotten her good. She knew it wasn't true from the beginning, but she was too shocked to be in on the joke. Ash on the other hand, was confused. Why would they be laughing about this...it was incredibly creepy.

"You should've seen your faces!" Delia exclaimed between fits of laughter. Upon hearing his mother's words Ash realized that she was just messing around with him. His blush remained on his face, much like May, as he was embarrassed for falling for such a prank.

But he knew how to take a joke, and May did as well. It didn't take long before the two victims began laughing as well.

"That was incredibly mean, Mom! I thought you all had seen me...you know! I can't believe you would do that to your own son!" Ash fake pouted and crossed his arms, causing everyone else to laugh even harder. After a few moments, the laughter finally calmed down.

"Oh, honey, it was just a harmless joke. Of course, we didn't give you sponge baths. That'd be incredibly weird, especially to us." Delia stated, earning vehement nods of agreement from both Brock and May.

"Wow Delia..." May started, garnering the woman's attention. "I never knew you had this side to you. You're pretty funny!"

Delia smiled gratefully at the young woman's words. "Thank you, May. I may be a mother, but I still like to have a bit of fun every once in a while."

Ash scoffed, his arms still folded across his chest. "Yeah, at my expense..."

Everyone giggled at Ash's words once again as they knew Ash wasn't actually angry.

"But you really had me going there..." Ash revealed, causing all eyes to fall on him. "I actually thought that I'd gotten a sponge bath, and by you three no less. Talk about uncomfortable."

"Umm...Ash?" Brock spoke slowly, causing the man to look at him, shooting him a questioning glance. "We might not have been the one's to do it, but you did receive a sponge bath. A few of them, actually..."

"WHAT!?" Ash exclaimed in shock. He could tell that they weren't kidding around this time. Plus, it seemed it was the only way he wouldn't be stinking up the place at the moment.

"Oh, it's not a big deal, Ash. A few nurses would come in every few days or so and give you a sponge bath. They didn't want to leave you all smelly. They said that they do it all the time, so don't even worry about it." Delia said to her son, who still appeared to be freaked out.

"I feel so...violated" Ash knew he was being overdramatic, but he was just very uncomfortable with the situation.

"Oh relax, dear. They didn't do anything they hadn't done a million times before. Plus, they had you keep your underwear on, so they didn't even see anything." This revelation from his mother calmed Ash down a great bit. He mainly felt uncomfortable about the idea of some random people, male or female, seeing him completely naked. But now that he knew they hadn't, he felt a bit better.

That is, until his mother continued. "Plus, the female nurses were very impressed. They gave quite a few compliments about you. A very pretty one even asked me how old you were!"

Ash blushed once again as his mom spoke. He felt incredibly awkward about the situation, but not as much as he had before. He supposed he could live with this, just as long as they hadn't seen him naked.

May felt familiar feelings return to her as she remembered when the nurses had said these things. She found it a bit strange how they were telling them, his friends and his mother, that they liked Ash's physique, but it didn't bother May too much; the were obviously simply admiring. In fact, it even made her daydream a bit about what he may look like under his shirt, and she very much enjoyed the thought.

But then she remembered being broken out of her thoughts when one of the nurses came closer to Delia and asked with complete seriousness how old Ash was. It was clear to see that she was hoping he was over 18 for... obvious reasons. May felt an incredible amount of jealousy as she heard the pretty nurse speak.

Delia saw the death glare that May was shooting the nurse and had to suppress a giggle at the sight. She decided quickly that she would help May out by saying that Ash wasn't looking for a girlfriend as he was focusing on pokemon battling, despite being of age. The nurse was noticeably disappointed, but accepted the excuse and left the room.

May remembered being appreciative toward what Delia had done. And after seeing the young mother wink at her, May knew that her crush on Ash was now known by the young mother as well. Though, she didn't really mind this. She knew that Delia would never tell Ash her secret. She was actually kind of glad that she had someone else she could talk to about it should she ever feel the need to.

"You know what, let's just forget about all of that. This was definitely not the first thing I wanted to hear when I woke up this morning..." Ash spoke with exasperation, causing everyone to chuckle once again, nodding their heads ad voicing their agreements.

The group talked about menial topics for another 30 minutes or so until the clock read 10:00am. As if he was waiting for just the right time, Ash's doctor walked in right as the clock's second hand struck 12.

The doctor immediately shot a friendly smile to those in the room. "Good morning, everyone. Glad to see you're all awake. Hopefully you managed to get a good nights sleep. Especially you, Ash, as we have a bit of work to do today."

Ash tilted his head in confusion at the doctor's words. "What do you mean, doc? What is it I have to do?"

"Well, even though you appear to be significantly better, there's a chance you still may have trouble walking normally without a bit of practice. Even if your spine hadn't been slightly injured during the fall, just laying in bed for a week would certainly make walking difficult at first." The doctor explained.

The slight spinal injury was something the doctors had found after their initial diagnosis. It wasn't anything that they were too worried about, and Ash still had all feeling in his extremities, even when he first arrived. Though, the doctor still wanted to make sure that he would be able to go back to being 100 percent normal as soon as possible. And walking was obviously very, very important, especially to a man on a pokemon journey.

"Well, doc, I felt okay yesterday. I walked all the way to the bathroom. Of course, I needed a bit of help both ways, but I certainly felt better after being on my feet for a bit." Ash revealed to the doctor, who was slightly surprised by this. He wrote this down on his clipboard before looking back up at Ash.

"That's great to hear, Ash. Sounds like we won't need to do as much as I originally thought. And though I wish you would've asked before you tried to walk, I'm glad to hear that you were able to get around effectively." The doctor said to Ash.

Ash smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head before responding. "Hehe...Sorry doc, I had a bit of a bathroom emergency. I didn't really have a choice."

The doctor simply smiled in response. "Don't worry about it, Ash. It's not a big deal. Even though you feel okay walking, I'm still going to have you do a bit of physical therapy each day, just to keep your legs awake. Plus, it will most likely feel good to get out of bed every once in a while."

Ash nodded his head before tossing the blanket off of his lower half, and shifting so that his legs hung off the bed. As she saw him do this, May stood from her chair, and pulled it back as to give Ash more room.

"So, are we going to do this now?" Even though he'd already prepared himself to stand, Ash thought it better to make sure that this was to be done now. Plus, Ash really wanted to get up and walk around at the moment, now that the idea had been put in his head.

"Sure. We could do it anytime today so if you want to do it now, then that's no problem. I actually want you to do this twice a day just so you're up on your feet for longer." The doctor explained, receiving a nod of understanding from not only Ash, but the others who were listening intently as well.

The doctor the motioned toward Brock and May. "Could you two stand on either side of Ash, just in case he has any trouble. I would hate for him to fall"

Both May and Brock were happy to comply and took their positions on either side of Ash's body not touching him or holding him, but ready to catch him should he fall.

Ash slapped his legs a few times, thinking this would help get the blood flowing through them before he would stand up. He took a deep breath, and made the transition from sitting to standing perfectly.

The doctor appeared to be pleased by the result, and wrote a note down on his clipboard before looking at Ash once again. "Okay, well done. Now, I want you to walk to me. Even if you feel fine, take it slow. I don't want you to overexert yourself."

Ash nodded in understanding before preparing to take a step. He was confident that he would be able to get to the doctor without a problem as he was already feeling better than he had when he'd first tried to walk the previous day. His legs were nowhere near as shaky, instead they held strong. He actually looked to be standing quite normally.

As Ash moved his left foot forward, May and Brock moved with him, still prepared to catch him should he fall. Though, it didn't seem the man would need them. The strides took a bit longer as he had to use more strength to will his legs forward since he hadn't used them in a while, but his steps held strong. And after a few moments, he reached the doctor, whom had been standing about 15 feet away.

Ash let a huge smile cross his face when he reached the doctor. He pumped his fist triumphantly, similar to when he would win a gym badge. "Alright, I did it! I feel almost normal, doc!"

The doctor matched Ash's smile, genuinely happy that it seemed that Ash wouldn't need more extensive the physical therapy. Though, he would still have him continue with it, just to give Ash a reason to stand up and move his legs as to strengthen them back to normal; he doubted this would take more than a couple of days. But because of how well he'd done, the doctor didn't even really feel the need to be there when he did his walking around.

"Yes, I can tell. I must say, you once again impress with your ability to heal so quickly. If I had to guess, I'd say you'll be back to normal in a few of days at the most. You're already much, much further along than I would've expected from somebody who'd suffered an injury as severe as the one you did. It's looking very good for you, Ash." The doctor finished with a smile.

After seeing this man completely beat the odds and survive, he'd gained a new appreciation for being a doctor. And seeing his patient doing so well made him glad that he was able to help people, even if he wasn't sure just how much of the reason Ash's life was saved was because of him.

"Thanks a lot, doc. You've been really helpful through all of this." Ash spoke sincerely, very thankful that he was lucky enough to have been injured so close to such a great hospital. The doctor nodded hi head in recognition of Ash's thanks, before Ash had a thought. "Actually, I don't think I ever got your name?"

"Richard Miller, or Doctor Miller. You can call me anything you want. I've actually come to quite like the moniker 'doc', as you've been calling me" Doctor Miller spoke sincerely, his tone bright.

Ash nodded his head. "You got it, doc."

"Okay. Well, since I'm here, I might as well take a look at your back. I need to replace the bandages anyway." The doctor told the man. "This would be much easier if you were laying down, if you don't mind."

Ash nodded at the doctor's words, before he began walking back toward the bed. Brock and May still followed closely, even though they could tell Ash felt even better walking on the way back than he did earlier. It didn't take long at all for him to reach the bed. It was currently unoccupied from the two pokemon who were previously laying on it; they'd jumped to the floor, out of the way when Ash had first gotten up.

Ash lay down on his stomach, leaving his back partially exposed as the hospital gown was open in the back. Ash was thankful that he had his boxer briefs on, or else this would've been really embarrassing.

After the doctor had gotten into the position that he wanted to be in, the others gathered around the bed as well, very curious to see how the massive cut was healing. At the moment, it was still covered by a very large bandage, but that would be coming off soon enough.

Doctor Miller acknowledged Ash before he began. "I'm going to take the bandage off now. Let me know if you feel any pain or pulling that doesn't feel right."

The doctor didn't think it would happen, but there was always a chance that a stitch could've stuck to the sticky part of the large, makeshift bandage.

Seeing Ash nod, the doctor proceeded to slowly and carefully remove the bandage after he pulled the gown open more. Brock, May and Delia all watched in morbid curiosity as more and more of the immense gash could be seen every second. Once the whole bandage was taken off, the three became horrified by the sight.

The cut was so immense, that it was almost hard to believe. Plus, the area surrounding it was black and blue from what was clearly very deep bruising. They could also see a number of other bruises on his back. It wasn't a pretty sight.

The doctor examined the slash closely and nodded his head. "It's looking better, Ash. The bruising is starting to go fade a bit and the gash is closing up nicely as far as I can tell."

"You're saying that the bruising is going away...?" May questioned incredulously. It was still so black and blue that is was hard to believe that the doctor actually considered this to be 'fading'.

May met the brunette's gaze before responding. "Believe me, it was much worse before. This is a vast improvement from when he first got here."

Doctor Miller's words shocked Brock, May and Delia. This was actually the first time that they'd seen the man's back without the bandage on. They'd only changed the bandage a couple of other times during the week, and none of them had wanted to watch as because Ash was still comatose at the time, they believed that it would only remind them of the severity of the situation.

The doctor shuffled around a bit in a cabinet off to the side before returning with a bottle of common hydrogen peroxide. "This is going to be a bit cold, but it shouldn't sting at all."

With that said, the doctor poured a controlled amount of the bottle's contents up and down the entirety of the cut. Ash flinched slightly as it first made contact with his skin as he realized that the doctor was right about the liquid being cold.

Everyone watched as it bubbled up. Of course, they'd all used this stuff on common cuts one would get in everyday life, but seeing a gash this long bubble the entire way was a sight to see. Despite the fact that the cut was still bubbling, indicating infection, the doctor wasn't worried. It wasn't bubbling badly, and each day they were getting rid of the chances of serious infection more and more, especially as the slash closed up completely, which the doctor was confident would happen before Ash left the hospital.

The doctor then grabbed a towel and dabbed up and down the cut, drying it off. He then reached for the long replacement bandage and went to work on placing it over the gash. He did it slowly and precisely, making sure not to catch any of the stitches in the sticky part.

It wasn't long before Doctor Miller was complete. "Alright. That'll do it."

With that said, Ash flipped himself over on the bed and sat up. "Thanks again, doc. I appreciate it."

Doctor Miller smiled. "It's no problem, Ash. I'm just doing my job."

It was then the doctor remembered something he had to share with the group in the room. Seeing the expression on the man's face change to one of remembrance, everyone waited to hear what he had to say.

"Because you're no longer in critical condition, we'll be moving you out of ICU. We'll be putting you in room 126, in the general ward. If you walk out of the doors to the ICU, you'll see another set of doors to your right that will lead you to your new room." Doctor Miller explained.

Everyone was happy at the news. Even though they knew that Ash was doing better, the fact that he was to be moved out of intensive care just helped cement the fact that he was going to be okay.

"That sounds great, doc. When will I be moved?" Ash questioned, hoping it would be after he was able to take the shower he desperately wanted at the moment.

"Well, the room should be finished being set up in about 10 minutes or so, so we can make the transition anytime after that really." The doctor told Ash, while also explaining what else was going to happen.

As the doctor spoke, Brock's eyes went to the two cots he'd helped bring in earlier. He fond himself wishing that he'd been told about the room switch before they'd brought the cots into the room. It was looking like he would have to move them again...

Brock stood to his feet, gaining everyone's attention. Seeing that all eyes were on him, Brock explained. "Well...then I better get ready to move these cots to the new room. That'll be fun..."

Everyone immediately understood what the man was doing as he explained his actions. Since they were in the process of setting up the new room, Brock thought he should move the cots now. Though as Brock was bending down to grab one of the cots, the doctor halted him with his words.

"You don't have to do that, Brock. Once I leave here, I'll let one of my friends on the janitorial staff know that these need to be moved to another room. He owes me a favor anyway. You did already carry them in once after all." The doctor told Brock, earning a smile from the man.

It was easy to see the relief on his face, causing the others in the room to giggle at his reaction. Brock nodded his head in appreciation, earning one in return from the doctor.

"Alright, that should be it. I'll be taking my leave for now but remember, the new room is number 126." The doctor reminded the occupants of the room.

The man then turned to leave, only to be stopped by Ash's voice as he remembered something.

"Wait, doc!" Doctor Miller turned around to face the source of the voice, Ash. "Would it be okay if I take a shower? I know I'll have to walk a bit more than normal, but I really want this."

The doctor sighed as he thought over the request. "Well...the showers aren't too far away from the room, I suppose. But I would have to replace your bandage again after you get out of the shower, most likely..."

"Please, doctor." Doctor Miller was surprised that the pleading hadn't come from Ash, but from the beautiful brunette woman, May, whom he noticed was currently giving him puppy dog eyes. She knew how much Ash wanted this simple luxury, and she wanted nothing more than for him to be as happy as possible.

The doctor sighed once more before relenting. "Alright, alright. How could I say no to that look. Plus, it'll be good to get you moving around, I suppose. Just make sure someone escorts you to the showers, just in case. It'll be the furthest you've walked since the accident, so do that just to be safe.

"This'll also work out for the room transition. Whomever doesn't escort Ash to the shower can move to the new room as soon as it's done being set up. That way by the time you're done with your shower, you can go straight to the new room." The doctor added.

Ash nodded happily at the doctor before asking one more question. "And do you think I could change into my real clothes when I'm done in the shower? Now that I'm walking around, not having a back on this hospital gown is a bit...too breezy for my liking..."

The doctor chortled at Ash's words before thinking over his request. Typically, they always had their patients wear the hospital gown for the entirety of their stay. But in some cases, they would allow patients to wear normal clothing, as long as they wouldn't get in the way of anything the doctor's may have to get to. And really at this point, Ash was only still in the hospital for monitoring, so he didn't see the harm.

"I suppose so, but only if they still allow access for the doctors to do anything they may need to do. Actually, it'd help if I could see the clothes if you wouldn't mind..." The doctor requested.

"Sure. Brock, can you grab my clothes from my bag. It's up against the wall next to you." Ash asked of his friend, who happily complied.

Once he grabbed it, he showed each piece of clothing to the doctor.

After seeing them, the doctor addressed Ash once again. "You can wear the T-shirt without the jacket, and if you have shorts instead of those pants, that would be better; more comfortable too."

Without being asked, Brock reached into the bag again and successfully found a pair of black athletic shorts. Seeing this, the doctor smiled.

"Perfect. I see no harm in allowing you to wear these. But just know, at some point I may need to have you put on the gown again if something should come up." The doctor told the raven haired man.

Ash nodded in acknowledgement before the doctor finally made his leave. Ash then met May's gaze. "Thanks for the assist on the shower thing, May. Those puppy dog eyes are a killer."

May chuckled at Ash's words and nodded in appreciation. "Yeah, they're kind of my 'secret weapon', or something like that."

The two shared a laugh at their banter before the room fell into a comfortable silence once again. As this was going on, Ash prepared himself to stand to his feet. Feeling significantly better now, it didn't take long at all for him to stand.

"Alright, I'm gonna go take that shower now." Ash said as he slowly made his way to the door, only to be stopped by the voice of his mother.

"Hold it, Ash! Remember, the doctor said someone has to come with you. So just wait a minute so we can figure out who should go." Delia told her son, causing him to sigh; Ash had never exactly been a patient person.

"I'd be happy to go along." May spoke up. "It's not like I'd really be doing anything here anyway."

Ash smiled as he faced May, happy that the deliberation didn't take long at all.

"Great, thanks May. Let's get going!" Ash spoke happily.

After May responded with a nod, the two walked out of the room. The pace they were walking at was much slower than normal, as Ash didn't want to push himself too far so soon, even if he was feeling better. Because the showers were a fair distance away, and their walking speed was slow, they would have a minute or two before they'd reach them.

"Man, I'm super excited for this shower." Ash mentioned offhandedly, not wanting to walk in silence. "But it's strange, I'm normally not one for such things. I usually just shower to get clean, not really to enjoy it."

"Well, you're said you were still sore, right?" May questioned. Upon seeing Ash nod in the affirmative, May continued. "Then it makes sense. A hot shower is great for alleviating soreness. I could really go for a shower too, actually..."

May had mentioned the last part without really meaning anything by it, she was just going to shower sometime after Ash, but Ash took it as her saying she wished to shower now. And since they were already going there, Ash didn't see a reason why she couldn't shower as well.

"Okay, this is perfect then! You can shower at the same time I do. That way, you won't just have to sit around and wait for me to finish." Ash said to the brunette.

May blushed lightly at the suggestion and responded quickly. "O-Oh...no... I'm...okay."

Ash was confused by the girl's response. "Why not? It's not like we'd be in the same place. I mean, I'd assume there would be a men's and a woman's shower room."

"Actually, there's not. The doctors told me that something was wrong with the woman's room." May responded, explaining the situation.

Ash became even more confused by May's words. "But...you and my mom have showered since you've been here. So...how did you do it then?"

"Well, they obviously couldn't only have a men's shower room, so what they did was cut the men's room in half." May paused, seeing if Ash was following. After seeing on Ash's face that he couldn't picture what she meant, she tried her bet to explain it better. "The room has showers on both walls. So what they did was hang a long curtain right down the middle of the room, separating the two sides, one for men and one for women."

Ash walked in silence for a few moments, trying to picture what May was saying. After a while, he thought he had an idea of the layout. Plus, it didn't really matter as he'd be seeing it soon anyway.

It was then Ash began to really think about what May was telling him. Why was she so uncomfortable showering if there was virtually no chance of them seeing each other while doing so?

"Then what's the problem?" Ash started. "It sounds like the room is split up, so there's no chance of us seeing each other."

May put her head down slightly as they walked as the blush returned to her face upon hearing Ash's words.

"I know, it's just..." May trailed off, not knowing how to argue his point.

"And you've showered everyday while there were others in there, probably some guys too, right?" Ash questioned, trying to push his point further.

May thought for a second and simply nodded. She did remember hearing the showers from the male side running a few of the times she was in there.

"Then there shouldn't be a problem, right?" Ash wasn't trying to pressure her, he just wanted her to be able to do what she wanted, to not feel uncomfortable. And obviously, she wanted a shower and this way, she wouldn't have to come back later. "If you don't want to, that's totally fine. I just thought it would be more convenient this way."

With Ash's infallible reasoning, May decided to just go along with it. A shower really did sound nice at the moment, and they would be on separate sides of the shower. It really shouldn't have been a problem.

Once this was decided, the two finally reached the entrance to the shower. Ash immediately saw what May was talking about. Starting right at the doorway, a curtain cut off half of the room. Ash noticed the right side of the doorway had a sign that indicated it was for the men.

Before he entered, he turned to May, smiled jovially, and gave her a two finger salute. "Alright, see you on the other side!"

May watched as Ash entered and immediately went out of sight. May sighed and steeled herself before entering her own side. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem for her; it hadn't been for the entirety of their stay at the hospital. But this time was a bit different. It wasn't some random guy showering on the other side.

It was Ash.

And for some reason, she couldn't get over the fact that herself and Ash were going to be showering, completely naked, in what could be considered the same room, at the same time. Her face was hot and she doubted the heat would go away until they were both fully clothed once again

Both May and Ash were surprised to find both of their sides free of others, leaving them the only people in the room. After taking note of this, both parties turned on a shower and allowed it to warm up. They then began to undress.

"You doing okay over there?" Ash spoke teasingly, knowing May would be able to hear him over the curtain.

Ash's voice made May jump slightly, as she was completely lost in her thoughts. But for some reason, hearing Ash's teasing tone of voice helped calm her down quite a bit. This would only be weird if she made it so, she realized.

With a smile, May responded. "I think I should be the one asking you that! I mean, you are the one who just woke up from a coma a day ago."

May heard Ash laugh at her words, causing her to smile brighter.

"You've got a point there, May. But I'm doing just fine." Ash responded back, the laughter still being heard in his voice.

Once the two were completely bare, they both approached their respective shower. May was still covering her private areas with her arms and hands, even though she knew no one would see her. Even after becoming more comfortable, she still couldn't get over the fact that she was naked so close to Ash. And he was as well...

May entered the shower, hoping the pleasant hot water would relax her even more. The water was soothing to both parties, especially Ash whom was dealing with soreness.

"Now this is just what I needed..." Ash spoke to himself, though May could still hear him, causing her to giggle.

But again, this caused her to think about the situation yet again. Without really meaning to, May's mind began to wander to a...different place.

She knew Ash was in shape, that much was clear, and she created what she thought his body would look like in her mind. She allowed herself to enjoy the image before she snapped herself out of it. This was not like her at all. She decided to just begin washing herself with the soap and shampoo the hospital provided and force her mind elsewhere. Though, she wasn't exactly convinced she'd be able to keep the images from flashing in her mind again.

Though, May had no idea that Ash's mind was in a similar place. He hadn't really thought about it before now, but with the running shower being the only sound, his mind began to wander.

When he finally realized that himself and May were both naked at this moment, he couldn't help but blush. Maybe this was why May had been so hesitant to shower at the same time as him, Ash rationalized.

And he wasn't proud if it, but he did allow his mind to wander to May's figure. She was an incredibly beautiful girl, that was clear from the start. Her hourglass figure would would surely catch any man's attention, and Ash was no exception. And with the knowledge that she was showering at the moment, Ash couldn't help but let his hormones take over and cause his mind to picture her.

She was more than ample up top, and Ash couldn't help but let his mind picture what she would look like. That being said, she was also seemingly perfect everywhere else, and his mind didn't allow him to forget about that either. It was only a few moments that he allowed his mind to run this way before he forced the thoughts out of his head.

"What am I doing...? Sure, she's pretty, beautiful even, but I shouldn't be thinking like this. It's disrespectful to her." Ash thought to himself. His mom had always taught him from a young age to respect women. And in his mind, what he was doing was disrespectful to May, someone he would never in a million years want to offend.

Somehow, Ash had managed to keep the amount these images popping back into his head to a minimum and began to enjoy his shower once again. At one point, he even began singing one of his favorite songs...

...and loudly.

May couldn't help but laugh at Ash's off-key singing before joining in herself. May was incredibly happy that she felt comfortable enough around Ash to goof around and sing around him, even despite the fact that her singing voice was less than professional level. Ash was thinking something similar. He once again found himself very glad that himself and May's friendship had progressed so quickly.

By the time the two finished their not so great rendition of the song, May's shower turned off. Though, she noticed Ash's was still running. She then reached for a towel and began drying herself off while still behind the curtain of her individual shower. Once she was dry enough, she wrapped the towel around herself so that it covered her private areas and left the shower. Even after she was fully dressed, she still heard Ash's shower running.

"You almost done in there!?" May questioned. She didn't actually need for him to hurry, she was just teasing him. She then made her way back into the hallway, but stood right by the entrance so she would still be able to hear Ash and vice versa.

"Yep, just finished!" As Ash spoke, May heard his shower turn off.

Ash dried himself off and began to get dressed.

May smirked and tapped her foot in mock impatience. "Would you it hurry up!?"

While Ash could tell she was just kidding around, he decided to 'respect' her wishes and come out now. Only thing was, he wasn't completely done dressing himself...

Ash didn't respond but after just a few moments, he appeared from the doorway, smiling at May.

"Sorry for taking so long. It just felt so nice in there!" Ash spoke jovially, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

May currently didn't have the capacity to respond. Her eyes were glued to Ash's form. He was currently wearing everything...

….except for his shirt, which was being held in his hand instead of on his torso.

May literally couldn't stop herself from staring. It was almost exactly how she pictured. He was chiseled beyond belief. A strong, broad chest led to a set of perfectly defined six pack abs. May was too stunned, too enamored by the sight to move. Her face turned bright red immediately, but she couldn't bring herself to look away.

"His... body is...Wow..." May thought to herself. Even in her mind, she was breathless. She could feel the drool building up in her mouth.

May didn't even notice the smirk appear on Ash's face, noticing that his plan worked to perfection.

Deciding she'd had enough teasing, Ash spoke in a fake hurt voice. "My eyes are up here, you know?"

Hearing Ash speak seemed to be what was needed to break May out of her daze. She shook her head quickly and met Ash's gaze, her face turning even redder. She immediately noticed the smirk on his face.

May turned around and ducked her head, hoping to hide her blush. "Jerk..."

Ash laughed at May's words as he knew that she wasn't actually mad.

"I'm more than just a piece of meat!" Ash continued the teasing.

This time, May actually giggled at his words. Again, May felt incredibly strange about the fact that she'd became comfortable with the situation so quickly. Even standing in front of Ash with his shirt off, May felt more comfortable than ever now that she was passed the initial shock of it all. And that's what allowed her to retort.

May turned back around, her blush retreating with a smirk on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. She looked at Ash in a mock lecherous gaze. "You can't walk out here like that and not expect a girl to look, now can you? I'm just admiring the view..."

The boldness in May's words actually surprised Ash slightly and caused him to bush, which May noticed. Seeing this, she dropped her arms to her sides and began laughing.

Seeing this, Ash shook his head and chuckled as well whilst putting his shirt on his body.

Ash motioned to himself. "There...better?"

May pretended to be considering which form was better for a moment. "Hmmm...I'm not so sure..."

"Oh shut it..." Ash spoke in a fake annoyed tone with a smirk as he walked past the girl in the direction of his new room, causing May to giggle once more before following closely behind.

"And I'm totally gonna get you back for that little stunt back there, mister." May spoke, sternly. Though, the broad smile on her lips betrayed her tone completely.

"I look forward to seeing you try, Ms. Maple." Ash responded back with a smirk, earning one in return from the brunette.

"I'll tell you what though." Ash started, gaining May's attention as the two now walked side by side. "That shower was exactly what I needed. I feel even better than before!"

May smiled happily at the news. "I'm glad to hear that. Everyday, you get stronger, and everyday is one day closer to leaving this place."

Ash scoffed. "Yeah, I really want to just get on the road and start my journey. Don't you feel the same?"

May took a moment to think about what Ash had said. Sure, she was incredibly excited to travel the world, but over the past week, she'd almost began to dread the thought of leaving on her journey.

As it stood now, once Ash and herself went on their respective journeys, they wouldn't see each other again for god knows how long, if ever again. This thought alone depressed May more than anything ever had before.

Despite what she was feeling, May tried her best to put on a fake smile and respond happily. "Yeah...definitely."

When Ash stopped walking and looked at her with concern written all over his face, May knew that she hadn't sounded convincing at all.

"May, what's wrong?" Ash asked, concern coating his words.

"I don't know what you're tal-"

"Please don't do that, May. You can tell me." Ash cut off the brunette. Ash's soft and concerned tone struck May's heart. She could tell how concerned he was for her, how much he cared about her, and this was just making the idea of them separating that much harder.

Seeing she wasn't responding, Ash let out a sigh before steeling himself and forcing May to meet his gaze. "May, I'm not gonna push it if it's something you don't want to talk about, but I want you to know that you can tell me absolutely anything. I'll never judge you, or get mad at you, nothing like that. You've done so much for me May, and I just want to be there for you."

May looked at Ash, once again in wonder. She could clearly hear all the care and concern in his voice and it warmed her heart. And though she wanted to tell him what was on her mind, she just couldn't bring herself to do so at the moment.

May smiled as genuinely as she could at Ash and pushed all the negative thoughts out of her head. "There's just a couple of things on my mind, nothing major. And I know you're here for me. You have been since we first met. I trust you more than anybody in the world, but I just need to think over some things before I talk about them. I promise, I'll tell you soon, okay?"

Ash reluctantly nodded his head. He really wished she would just tell him what was wrong now, but he knew better than to force something out of someone. If she didn't want to talk about it, then he wouldn't force her to. It was her choice if she wanted to share, and Ash would always respect that.

"Okay, May. But let me just say this...I've never met anyone like you, someone who I connected with so fast. Never have I become such great friends, best friends, with someone I met so recently. And you're just that, May, one of my best friends. That will never change. And I will always, always be there to help my friends. So when you feel ready to talk, I swear on my life that I will be there to listen and help in any way I can." Ash finished, speaking with an incredible amount of conviction. Ash took matters of his friends very, very seriously.

Ash's words were enough to being tears to May's eyes, though they didn't overflow. Without a second thought she lunged forward and hugged the taller man as tightly as she could. She'd never had a friend as close as Ash, and hearing him say all that he did made her feel incredibly cared for. She knew she would have to bring up the topic of traveling sooner or later but for now, she just wanted to relish in this moment.

The two stayed embraced for almost a minute. During this time, a number of doctors and nurses walked by and looked at the duo, smiling at them.

While still embracing the man, May spoke while giggling. "You know...I've never really had a best friend before."

After she spoke, the two broke the hug and smiled softly at each other.

"Well...no matter what happens with anyone else, from now on, you'll always have at least one friend in me. Once you become a friend of mine, it stays that way. And that means for life." Ash finished sincerely before he was wrapped up once again in what was becoming a familiar embrace with the brunette.

This hug only lasted for a few seconds, but it meant just as much. The two then continued their walk to Ash's new room.

The two walked in a comfortable silence, both thinking about various things. May's mind, however, was on one thing in particular.

May smiled to herself. "You know...the day everything went down...I think that might have been one of the best days of my life."

Ash looked to the girl next to him, slightly shocked. Though, he then began chuckling. "That's not really something I'd expect to hear from someone who almost fell off a cliff that day."

May giggled at Ash's words before speaking sincerely. "But seriously, even despite everything...It all worked out in the end. Plus, if none of that would've happened, I never would've met you."

May finished timidly, slightly embarrassed about what she was saying; indirectly, she was telling Ash that meeting him was one of the best things that'd ever happened to her. That being said, she simply couldn't bring herself to care too much about her embarrassment at the moment.

Ash smiled softly at May's words and the adorable timidness in her voice before thinking himself.

"You know what? I think you're right...That has to be one the best days of my life as well." Ash spoke softly and truthfully, causing May to smile brightly. Ash place an arm around May's shoulder and pulled her close for a momentary side hug as they walked before letting her go.

Even thought they'd been connected for less than a second, she still couldn't help but miss Ash's arm being draped over her shoulders like it was. She realized right then what needed to happen. There was no way that she was letting them split up. Forget waiting for him to ask. She didn't care what had to happen, she was going to go with him on this journey, no matter what.

She just feared rejection so much. She was still worried about the idea of slowing him down, and she didn't know if Ash may feel that way as well. If Ash thought that her being there would slow him down, then he surely wouldn't want her to travel with him, right? If he were to say no to her request to travel with him, May wasn't sure she'd be able to start her journey right away; she'd be too upset.

Plus, now that she had someone she could consider a best friend, she couldn't stand the idea of traveling alone. Plus, she would also have another close friend in Brock along with them. And after everything that Brock had told her about their journey's, May wanted nothing more than to be a part of them, to experience all of these incredible things side by side with her best friends. Adventure always seemed to find Ash, and she really wanted to experience those adventures by his side.

Also, as much as she was embarrassed to admit it, Ash was the first person she'd ever had a real crush on. After talking to him, hearing about all the things that he'd done, and learning of his past, she could safely say she had feelings for him. And if they split up, she'd never have the opportunity to see where these feelings could possibly lead. It very well could be just be a heat of the moment type of thing, with her simply admiring the man an incredible amount, but she'd never know if they were to split up. That being said, she sincerely doubted it was a 'heat of the moment' type thing.

She told herself that she would tell him before they were to leave her house to start their journeys. After all...

That would be her last chance.


A/N: Theres chapter 7! I hope you all enjoyed. Honestly there really wasn't much support in the form of reviews last chapter at all. There were only 2 reviews (which I appreciate very much from Idotpart1 and MANbearPIG01), and that's kind of discouraging as an author, especially since that was one of the longest chapters of the story. That being said, I know that not every chapter will be reviewed a lot, and as long as you all are still reading, I am happy. But please, try to leave a review on this chapter. They really keep me going! See ya!