CHAPTER 7 A New Door Opened
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A blinding light was the first thing that came into my vision as I slowly opened my eyes, adjusting from the darkness. I squinted at the rays beaming down on me and soon realized that I was lying down on a table. I was numb all over until a stinging pain in my forehead came into action.
"Ow!" I exclaimed, propping myself to my elbows. I began to move my hand to where the pain was but someone stopped me, pulling my hand away.
"It's all right, young man, just lay back down. I only have a couple more stitches to go."
I looked up to see a middle-aged man staring back at me, obviously a doctor due to his white jacket and the stethoscope hanging around his neck.
"What?" I groggily questioned, slowly easing myself back down.
"I know you've been through a terrible ordeal but you're in a hospital now. You're okay, minus a few bumps and bruises. Oh, and we had to stitch up this cut on my forehead, but other than that you'll be fine," he reassured me.
"Are my friends..? Are they..?" I trailed off, desperately waiting for an answer.
"Don't worry about us, man."
I turned at the sound of another voice answering and saw Brock standing in the door. He seemed relatively unhurt except for the casual cuts and bruises plus the sling that was holding his left arm. I managed to smile at him as he entered the room slightly.
"Are Misty, James, Jessie...?" I began to question about the others when I noticed Jessie, hobbling in the door on crutches, a cast on her right leg going up above her knee.
"They're fine, twerp. Each one only had a flesh wound, thank God," she immediately answered and informed me before I had even gotten the words out. I managed a weak smile and the doctor helped me to sit after he finished stitching me up and treating the wound.
"Thanks," I said, peering at the doctor gratefully. He smiled, excusing himself out of the room and as he did so I noticed James entering. He was buttoning up his shirt and I saw a bunch of white bandages wrapped around his lower ribs where the bullet had struck him.
"Hey," Jessie spoke gently upon seeing him. She struggled to turn in his direction on her crutches. "What are you doing up?"
"Eh, you know me, can't stay lying around for too long," he responded impishly. "But I think I should be asking you the same question, here, come on, sit down," James told Jessie as he helped her into a chair and sat on the arm of it. As soon as he was seated he leaned down and kissed her on her head, before leaning down further and kissing her full on the lips. Brock grinned at the scene and I looked at the two of them, surprised by the fact that they had obviously gotten together over the time while I was knocked out. I made eye contact with James who just smiled and winked at me. After my shock had settled in I managed to return the gesture.
"She's in the room down the hall," he informed me, and I instantly knew he was referring to Misty as well as Jessie and Brock knew. For once in my life I did not deny the fact, the truth had been revealed and I had to go deal with the aftermath of it. Offering a weak smile at the three of them, I stood up, exited the room, and made my way down the hall.
I slowly walked into her hospital room, peering in the door. I opened it fully as the smallest of smiles formed on my face as I saw her once again. Even lying there battered and bruised and lying limp in the bed she was still the same beautiful Misty that I loved. I entered the room, shutting the door behind me and sat down on a chair near her bed. I stared at her profusely, deep in thought. My minds soon lingered back to the events that had happened. The kiss.
I don't think that ever in my life a simple kiss could mean so much to me that it penetrated itself so deep in my heart. I hoped with all my might that she had done it out of love but my rational half considered that her actions were caught up in the heat of the moment and the fear of dying.
I sighed heavily, bringing my hand up to move several strands of auburn hair off of her forehead. To my surprise, her eyelids fluttered at the simple touch until her aqua orbs were wide open and staring at me confusedly.
"Ash? What..?" she murmured; having the same reaction I had when I first awakened.
"Shh," I soothed her, brushing her hair back. "It's okay. It's over. It's all over."
"Are you..? What about the others..?" Misty trailed off, her words becoming jumbled.
"They're all fine, don't worry."
"What about Giovanni?" I winced at the name and I could see the fear rising up in her expression.
"He's been taken care of," I reassured her firmly.
A huge sigh of relief escaped her and she propped herself into a sitting position. "Good," she muttered somewhat bitterly. We gazed in one another's eyes without saying another word. An awkward silence suddenly began to exist between the two of us and I knew I had to do something to break the tension.
"Misty..."
"Ash..."
We both laughed, easing the tension slightly for a moment. I held my arms up, gesturing for her to go first. She took a deep breath and the serious tension began to exist once more.
"Ash... about what happened back in the Team Rocket HQ..." I cut her off abruptly. I already knew what she was going to say and it would break my heart to hear her actually speak it. She was just caught up in the heat of the moment, I understood it. It made perfect sense that she kissed in fear of losing me. It made perfect sense that she didn't do it out of love.
"I know, Myst, don't worry about it," I mumbled, averting my gaze downwards. My voice came out strangled and I surprised myself as I felt the tears welling in my eyes.
"I just wanted to let you know that I meant every bit of it."
I blinked, reeling from the shock of her words. I looked back up towards her, confusion lining my features. Had I heard her right? She meant it? I stared at her confusedly and waited for her to say something.
"When I kissed you... it wasn't just the adrenaline talking." I then noticed a quality I rarely ever noticed in her. She seemed almost nervous. Confident, cool Misty seemed scared about speaking her mind. She took a deep breath before continuing. "Ash, after Giovanni... r-raped me," I saw her hesitate as she uttered the words before continuing. "...and I was lying there... I thought that was it. For a minute there, I thought I wasn't going to make it... that I was going to just lay there and die. And that's when I realized..." I listened attentively and she exhaled once more as she began to speak again. "...that I would never want to go without having the chance to tell you... how much I love you."
"W-what?" I stammered, unable to get out any other reaction. She sat up more and soon we were face to face. She reached over and took one of my hands, placing in both of her's.
"I am in love with you, Ash Ketchum," she stated bluntly, not breaking her eye contact from me once. "I have been from the moment I first laid eyes on you and I always will be until the last moment I lay eyes on you. Nothing can ever change that. And even if you don't feel the same way, I just thought you should know, because it's something that I cannot keep to myself any longer."
My head was spinning, my stomach was doing somersaults, and my heart was beating so hard it felt like it was going to leap out of my chest. I had been shocked when she kissed me, but to now learn this news from her, stunned me ten times more than I had been. I couldn't believe my ears.
Misty was in love with me.
It was something I never deemed possible, even when she kissed me, but now she was actually confessing exactly what I felt for her and fearing I did not feel the same way. Talk about your classic ironic situation.
"D-do you really mean that?" I tenderly questioned her, as I hesitantly and shakily raised a hand to caress her cheek. To my glee as soon as I moved my hand up to her face, she placed hers over it forcing it down.
"With all my heart," she murmured delicately, her words coming out slightly shaky as well. Our eyes locked as we held our gaze on one another intently, answers and secrets revealed within the simple stares. As I peered into her aqua orbs deeply, I then noticed a different emotion being portrayed back at me towards them... a feeling I had always prayed to see from her... love.
I began to lean down towards her, the distance between our faces decreasing as we did so. And as we shared our second kiss, the happiness and purity running through me were an acceptable substitute for the shock and surprise I had experienced the first time. I now knew that the feeling was mutual and her actions had not been out of adrenaline or vain. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, never again to return. My anxiousness, resentment, and fear no longer had to exist and the charade I had been putting on for years could disappear. And there was no better feeling in the world to me, than me knowing that every relief stated was now indeed a fact... and not a fantasy.
I loved Misty, and most importantly... she loved me back.
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A/N: Just the epilogue to go now and that should be up soon ;) Thank you to every one who has reviewed so far =)
