A/N: Hi, everyone! Welcome to chapter 9, the last chapter in this fic! I hope you all enjoy it, and don't forget to review!
Jessie wakes a few days later in a hospital bed. The blankets are pulled up to her chest, and she's dressed in a blue hospital gown. When she blinks open her tired, blurry eyes, the first thing she sees is Meowth laying curled up on her stomach, purring away. She smiles softly at the sight, and reaches out a hand to pet him, which only makes him purr louder.
The second thing she notices is the hand holding onto her own tightly. She looks to her left, and her eyes fill with tears when she sees James. He's sitting on a chair that is pulled up close to her bed. His eyes are closed shut, and tears sit on his cheeks.
God, how she loves him. How she needs him. He's her most important person, the one she loves more than she loves anything else on this Earth. She doesn't know what she'd do without him.
She gives his hand a gentle squeeze, and this seems to wake him. He stirs, and blinks open his eyes before they meet her own.
"Jess!" he cries out joyously upon seeing her. "You're awake!"
She gives him a smile. That is when the tears decide to fall. They slide fast and endlessly down her cheeks. James' eyes widen, and he reaches for her, carefully engulfing her in his warm, strong arms.
"Shh, Jeess. Shh," he murmurs. He combs his fingers through her hair, and presses kisses to her head. This only makes her sob harder. She clings to him, burying her tear stained face into his shirt. He holds her tighter, closer. "Please stop crying, Jess. I know you were scared, but it's over now. You're safe. I'm safe. Meowth is safe. Even the twerps are safe."
"The twerps?" Jessie chokes out, reluctantly pulling away from him and meeting his eyes. Yes, she remembers now. It was the twerps, along with Meowth, who had rescued her and James. The children who had once been her sworn enemies had rescued her from the hell she was trapped in.
"Remember, Jess?" James says, and gently brushes a lock of hair out of Jessie's eyes. "The twerps helped rescue us. I guess we can't really call them our enemies now, can we?"
Jessie is about to respond, but there is a soft knock at the door. "May I come in?" It is the voice belonging to a young sounding woman, most likely a nurse.
"Come in!" James calls, and the door opens. A young woman with long black hair and caramel coloered eyes enters, holding a clipboard close to her chest.
"Glad to see you awake, Miss Jessie," she says softly with a smile.
Jessie pulls reluctantly away from James, but keeping him at arm's length. He holds tightly onto her hand, gently massaging her knuckles with his thumb.
"Glad to be awake," she replies with a smile of her own.
"I'd like to talk about somethings with you, but, first, I think visitation is in order."
With that said, frantic footsteps are heard, and, soon, the room is filled with Ash, Misty, and Brock. Pikachu sits on Ash's shoulder, and Misty holds Togepi in her arms, close to her chest.
"Jessie!" Ash's excited, worried voice rings loud and clear. "Jessie! How are you feeling? Are you okay? Are you - ?"
"Breathe, Ash," Misty says, resting a hand on his shoulder. Pikachu smiles, and nuzzles his head againat his best friend's.
"Pika pi!" he squeaks out.
Jessie laughs softly at the sight. "I'm fine, Ash," she tells the young boy, who beams at her.
"That's good to hear," Ash says, smiling brightly. "And how are you, James?"
"As good as I can be," James replies, giving his former enemy a tiny smile.
It is Misty's turn to speak up. "God, Jessie, we were so worried about you and James when we haven't heard from you guys in a while. Then, Meowth came to us, asking for help. We got the police involved, and, thank god, we found you two."
"Yeah," Brock agrees, nodding. "Though you may have once been our enemies, and, yes, we did find you rather annoying, but we saw you as friends. Family, even. Especially after everything we've been through together."
Tears fill Jessie's eyes, and she turns to look at James, who is giving her a soft, comforting smile. "What do you say, Jess? Give up on our old Pikachu-stealing days and befriend the twerps… I mean Ash and his friends?"
Jessie nods. James reaches his hand out, and Jessie places her own on top of his. Ash, Misty, and Brock, even Pikachu, do the same.
"Hey!" a voice suddenly cries just as a furry paw is placed on top. "Don't be forgettin' 'bout Meowth!"
"Friends?" James says, looking up to his former enemies, then to his dear teammates.
"Friends," Ash agrees. "Together forever."
"Pikachu!" the electric mouse cheers from Ash's shoulder.
The nurse, momentarily forgotten, laughs, startling the group of friends. "I'm sorry to break this heartfelt reunion, but there are some important things I need to discuss with Jessie."
Suddenly nervous, Jessie bites down hard on her lower lip, fearing the worst. James instantly notices his partner's reaction, and, once again, engulfs her in his arms.
"Don't be afraid, Jess," he murmurs into her ear, before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Whatever it may be, we're going to get through this together."
Jessie gives him a tiny, watery smile, and pulls away from him only slightly to make eye contact with the young nurse.
"Yes?" Jessie presses.
"Since you were… raped, we had to take some blood tests to find out if you were HIV positive."
Jessie's face pales, and she shares a fearful look with James.
"Luckily, all the tests came back negative, so there is nothing to worry about."
Jessie breathes out a sigh she hadn't known she was holding in.
"But, there is another matter to be discussed."
"Yes?" Jessie says fearfully.
"… You're pregnant…"
Dun dun dun!
Oh, would you look at that - a cliffhanger! You want to know what that means? A sequel is in order! The first chap should be out in a few days or so, so be on the look out.
I would like to thank everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed this fic! It really means a lot! I'm glad people like my stories!
Welp, I guess that's it. I'll see you in the sequel! Ja ne! :D
