Therapy Chapter 10: Together, a pokémon fanfic

Ash/Gary: 18

Misty: 18

Brock/Tracey/Rudy: 21

Daisy/Violet/Lily: 22

Chapter 10 – Together

There were sights and sounds to be seen and heard but Ash was oblivious to it all. His head was spinning, a tangled mass of information that couldn't seem to form into coherent sense. He felt confused, but he didn't care. The one thing he could make out from the jumbled heap that was his brain was that Misty was alright. Well, maybe not alright, but sitting next to him as he stood, torso reclined in a stretcher provided by the various EMTs that had arrived a few minutes earlier. She laid there, her eyelids fluttering as proof that she was still awake despite her palpable fatigue. A paramedic, who was still hovering around Ash, had asked him to make sure she didn't fall asleep whilst he prepped her for the ride (muttering something about not believing Ash to be capable of keeping an eye on her). He took her hand in his and squeezed it and he felt her squeeze back just as hard, a reassurance in his eyes. Misty was tough and she was going to be fine. She had to be fine.

All too soon he realized he was being separated from Misty and he reached out to seize her arm when a woman's voice knocked him back to the situation.

"Sir, she's in good hands. She needs to be taken to the Cerulean Hospital right away."

"But, can't I ride with her?"

"Do you have any relation to her?"

"Well no, but, we traveled together for years!"

The EMT smirked. "Sorry, but that doesn't count as a relation. A relative or significant other would have been acceptable. Besides, her oldest sister is going to be accompanying her and I need to get you checked over since you decided that all the medics should attend to her first."

"I just wanted to make sure she was okay. I don't matter," He paused for a second, and then mumbled to himself:

"I'm as good as her significant other."

The medic simply rolled her eyes and began look over him as he turned his sight to the now fading ambulance.

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Ash squirmed slightly as the nurse held an icepack to his head. He hadn't taken in the fact that the right side of his head had been bleeding rather copiously since he was too engrossed in the situation of Misty verses Rudy verses himself. He looked up at the clock. About an hour had passed since he had last seen Misty. He had no idea where she had been taken to in this hospital, nor had anyone he knew come by his room to check up on him. The door opened and a middle aged woman stepped inside. He correctly presumed that it was the doctor.

"Mr. Ketchum? Quite a night you've had. Did you not realize that you had been knocked unconscious?"

Ash fidgeted, eliciting another exasperated sigh from the nurse.

"N-no. I wasn't thinking about it."

The doctor's face turned stern. "You've suffered a mild concussion. I was told you felt some confusion earlier? You're lucky this was only a Grade I concussion! You have numerous cuts and abrasions on your scalp not to mention of few contusions! Speaking of which…"

She then nodded over to the nurse. Ash was about to ask what contusions meant in plain terms when the nurse promptly began to numb his head with a needle. Ash yelped and his reflexes had him groping his hand around but it was rapidly slapped away by the irritated nurse. After he had calmed down a little, he heard the doctor scribbling away and asked about Misty.

"Um, do you happen to know where a 'Misty Waterflower' was taken to earlier?"

The doctor looked up.

"The redheaded girl?" The doctor gave a small snort. Ash winced as he saw a needle and thread dangle from his scalp. "She looked fine if you ask me. Gave those medics a hard time, repeatedly telling them she was fine once they started to insert that IV into her arm even though she went unconscious for a good five minutes during the trip to here. Her sister could barely calm her down! But yes, I do know where she is. Fourth floor. They ordered an entire physical on her considering her circumstances tonight."

Ash looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, your friend was put in a compromising situation tonight. They're making absolutely sure that nothing happened to her. Get my drift?"

Ash swallowed dryly, understanding completely but not wanting to understand.

"But, I was there, I didn't see… I didn't see…"

"They always have to make sure. I was told that you weren't at the scene the whole time. I'm sorry you have to hear this from me."

"Done," chirped the nurse as she clipped off excess threads from Ash's stitches.

Ash patted his head slightly before looking back up at the doctor.

"Can I go now?"

"Yes, but before you leave please set up a post-op appointment to see me in about a week or so. And make sure you ice your head every 2 to 4 hours for about 20 minutes within the first 24 hours. That's all. Got it?"

Ash nodded and as soon as she opened the door he sprinting off towards the elevator, ice pack in one hand and clenched fist in the other.

Daisy watched from the far corner of the room as the two nurses sutured up some lacerations on Misty's head, cheek, and arms. She shuddered and looked away, not able to stomach the sight of the needle entering her sisters flesh. She brought her hands to her face and brought them up towards her hairline, sighing deeply as she did so. A hand on her shoulder reminded her that Tracey had returned from his phone call to Brock who was down at the police station with Violet, Gary, and Lily. She looked up at him.

"So?"

Tracey sighed and in a hushed tone said: "He's locked up for now but since Brock and the others don't know if he—" He paused slightly; "If he raped her… so they'll probably release him and hold some kind of trial. I'm not sure yet. They'll have to talk to Misty when she's ready to talk since she is the only one who knows what did happen."

At this point they looked up to see Misty awake and wide eyed, seemingly unaware of all the work that was currently being done on her. The right arm inserted with an IV lay limp in defeat and she seemed to have not heard anything they had just said.

Suddenly they heard a squeaking of sneakers following by a shrill slide on the linoleum floor. They stood up immediately, ran towards the half curtained window and saw a panting Ash being restrained by a nurse outside the door.

"I need to get in—can you just let me in?!"

"Sir, you can't just go barging into other peoples' rooms like this!"

"But I know her! We traveled!"

"Are you related?"

No but—"

"Well then you have to stay out here. Visiting hours are currently for relations only. Ash looked through the window to see a bewildered Tracey and Daisy. A thought occurred to him.

"But, he isn't related to her! How come he's in there too?" Ash said, pointing wildly at Tracey.

"I was informed that he would soon be joining her family—"

"WHAT?!"

"That's just what I was told," stated the bemused nurse.

"Ash?"

He turned to look at whose the voice belonged to.

"Yea?"

"We can talk out here," stated Daisy quietly. Although it had only been a few hours she looked as though she had not slept in days.

They dragged Ash over towards a waiting bench opposite of the window to Misty's room. Immediately he burst like a dam with unanswered questions

"Is Misty okay? Where is everyone? Why didn't anyone come to look for me? And are you two getting married?!"

"Ash, calm down. Misty is doing alright. They're stitching her wounds closed and they just finished her physical a few minutes ago. I was asked to step out and I made a phone call to Brock and the others. They're at the police station answering questions to the best of their ability. They're probably going to need you later on as well as Misty," Tracey said.

"I'm sorry we didn't come looking for you. I wanted to stay with Misty and Tracey had to keep switching from talking to me to the others. And no, we are not getting married. We just used that line so Tracey could come in with me," Daisy said, blushing slightly at the end. Her face quickly turned somber again. Ash had to get used to that face; it wasn't the norm with her at all.

"Like, they want to keep her here for the night. The results will be in tomorrow morning so… its best if you all just go home and get some rest. I'll be here with her so, don't worry," she finished while mustering up the best smile she could manage.

Ash opened his mouth to argue but she silenced him with her held up hand and a troubled look.

"Ash, I need to stay with her. I want to stay with her and talk with her. I think I need to… prove myself to her and I want it to get through that I do—" She stifled a sob. When Tracey tried to comfort her, she shifted uncomfortably, her shoulders hitching forward. It was as though all the weight of her guilt was finally being felt on her shoulders. She looked up and Ash and smiled and nodded towards Tracey.

"Besides, you need to go to the station now. I'll see you in the morning."

And with that, she turned to leave, letting the door shut lightly behind her. Ash felt Tracey physically taking his arm to steer him away from Misty's room.

"She'll be alright. Come on, I'll drive."

Ash chanced a glance back at the window, hoping to catch Misty's eyes. His heart panged as she suddenly looked up, as though she knew he was watching her. Her face, however, remained unnaturally blank. He grinned and raised his hand in a half-wave, but she turned away, listening to something Daisy had just said. He lowered his hand and trudged down the hall, lost in the optimistic thought that he would be seeing her soon.

Ash was very wrong. The next day he barely caught a glimpse of her. She had been speedily taken to the police station after the hospital had cleared her satisfactory. Her results came back negative, just as Ash had thought, but obviously there was other damage done. He and Misty both took turns separately speaking with investigators about the previous nights' events and what was to be done about it.

Misty collapsed onto her bed, heart racing and sweat droplets forming on her pale forehead. The anxiety attacks had been coming on more frequent in the past month, and she unfortunately knew what to expect. She braced herself for the mental anguish. She grasped her chest with one hand and her head in the other, trying to stop the thoughts she knew that were coming to engulf her mind. They were images from her past, coming on slow at first, but then increasing in speed and predictability. She coiled up into a ball as each picture flashed clearly in her mind: remembering her parents' attitudes towards her even at the age of 3; her sisters' taunting and upsetting words of worthlessness; her nasty attitude towards her newly made 'friends'; their reaction towards her irrationality; the day she was forced to leave; the day she made her biggest mistake to date; and all the events that had happened so recently. Everything that had happened was her fault. Suddenly her stomach was in her mouth and she raced towards the toilet, her legs nearly giving out on her from their prickling numbness. She retched, her body violently hitching forwards, bringing her nose into contact with the foul smelling contents, which made the burn in her throat worsen. Finally it was over. She slumped down onto the cold, tiled floor, hands cradling her head. The visible evidence was in the toilet but her poison was still sealed inside. She needed a release. She hadn't had one in awhile.

She cocked her head slowly to listen around and heard the front door shut loudly, the voices carrying out into the evening. Slowly, she stood up and clumsily fumbled around the porcelain vanity for the object she was looking for.

Ash continued to channel-surf as the rest of the gang left to celebrate the guys' last night staying with the Waterflowers. He wasn't really aware of their departure as he held up a hand in a silent 'bye' because the program on television he managed to find was too engrossing. The Indigo League Championships were finally here and he couldn't wait to see who was going to win. The commentators announced the competitors, an older looking girl from Celadon and a young boy from a small town in Johto. Scooting forward a few inches so that he was sitting on the very end of the couch, he clasped his hands together as he watched the boy call out a Nidoking, and the girl soon retaliated with an evolved version of Eevee, a Vaporeon. The water Pokemon jolted Ash's thoughts instantaneously towards Misty. He had declined going out with the rest of the group purely because he wanted to be within some range of Misty, even though it currently was relatively far away as she had not left her room in some time. As he glimpsed up at the ceiling he heard a sharp clanking directly above him that sounded like some sort of metal and then the rushing, surging sound of water from the bathtub faucet. Taking a chance he decided to check up on Misty and see if everything was okay.

Her bedroom door was unlocked and open about half way but he could see her bathroom door was shut. The water had been turned off and all was very silent. He tip-toed over and knocked silently, once, then twice when he did not hear her answer.

"Mist?"

He heard a sudden intake of breath.

"Damn it," she whispered quietly, inhaling quickly as she dropped the scissors onto the thick rug.

"What do you want?" she said, possibly a little too rushed. To the best she could she began to noiselessly move around and clean up the mess she had made with a towel and began to press bits of toilet paper to the wounds.

"All you alright? I heard something fall and I just wanted to make sure you were okay—"

Frustrated with the drying blood that littered the floor in caked globules she called out: "I'm fine, alright? I just dropped something. No need to freak out here."

"I'm freaking out? I just came up to see how you were doing!" He didn't realize his temper was rising right away since it was all too familiar.

"Nothing's the matter Ash, okay?! Stop trying to play the hero all the time and get out of my room!"

When she didn't hear him leave she unexpectedly found herself moving around the bathroom in an erratic manner, feeling flustered and restless. Not paying enough consideration to the spilled water that dotted the floor, she lost her footing and slipped, yelling as she went. She flushed at her stupidity and moved quickly to get herself back up as soon as she heard him fumbling around with the lock to get it open. She heard the lock 'ping' and the door hurtled open to reveal a stricken-faced Ash as he took in the surroundings of the bathroom. The ceramic floor and the fibrous towels that were thrown over the liquid pools were stained with blood as though it were a murder scene. The weapon a choice laid discarded on the floor, encrusted with her blood.

Ash looked at her in disbelief. She glared at him for a moment before finding his eyes on her upon her limp arms and then pulled them into her chest. He tore his eyes away from her, looking for a clean towel and give to her. As he moved, she moved with him, but in the opposite direction.

"Misty, you need… you need something for your arms. Here, take it!" He thrust the towel at her but she did not take it. Instead she turned away and brought a hand to cup her forehead.

Ash took a step towards her as to reason with her but instead slipped on the remaining water, and collided with Misty. In any other circumstances he might have liked the position he found himself in but instead he was now face to face and pressed against a terrified Misty. She was currently recovering quickly from the shock and began to shriek and pound on his chest violently.

"ASH! Get off me, NOW! Please, please just get off!" She said, screaming; she looked absolutely petrified.

Ash tumbled onto the cold floor and scrambled to get back onto his feet and assess the situation. She had removed herself from her previous arrangement on the floor and had curled up into a ball, sobbing softly whilst trying to disregard his penetrating stare of concern. The two remained in their respective positions for a few more minutes or so, until finally Ash turned away from her. With this she looked up, pleading silently that he would not leave her here alone, thinking she was some kind of hopelessly mentally-ill girl. Without words he turned towards her medicine chest, scooped up packages of gauze and a bottle of peroxide. Wiping off her tear-stained face she turned to observe him, quite incredulously, as he crouched down next to her and gently reached for her stained forearms. She obliged, suddenly feeling very embarrassed and uncomfortable. His face was pensive; his lips pressed together and brow furrowed in concentration as he began to clean and bandage her self-inflicted wounds.

As he finished, he stood up to return the borrowed items back into the chest. He stood before her for another few moments. Finally, he turned around and Misty panicked and then whimpered, thinking he was going to go. How wrong she was.

Instead of walking out of the bathroom to forget the whole incident, he collapsed next to her and put his face into his hands, sobbing. Misty's eyes widened in alarm as she realized just what Ash was doing. He was crying. She was oblivious as to why he was and instantly flung her arms around him to make him stop. She hated when he used to cry; it broke her heart.

"Ash, why—why are you crying?! Please, please stop… I don't want to see you cry! I'm the one who should be crying!"

He glanced over at her, laughing disbelievingly.

"I'm crying for you Mist! For you! I've been trying to reach you all this time I've been here, and the thought that my presence hasn't done anything to make you feel cared about at all kills me!"

He continued on, gesturing animatedly, as she sat, looking dumbfounded.

"Mist, I care about you so damn much and it took your absence from our group for me to finally figure it out! You have every reason in the world to hate me for being so dim-witted and ignorant back then, but I came to Cerulean because I wanted to see you and only you! I wanted to show you that I've changed and that I've matured! I wanted to prove to your skeptical face that I can come through for you! It's not all about winning and Pokémon and being the best anymore! It's about keeping a relationship going with a girl I should have never let leave me! I wanted to show you that, but all you did was push me away countless times. But I kept trying. Doesn't that show you that I'm dedicated to our friendship and you? Please, Mist, please, just let me in! Let your sisters in, let us in! We want to help you and get you better; nothing is more terrifying then seeing your best friend slowly fading away!"

He turned away, mortified by how emotional he had become.

"Please, just talk to me Mist. I can help you, I told you I would awhile ago I would; I told you I could be your therapy. I just want to see you happy again, like you were before you left. You were finally so happy when we were in Johto. I want that back so badly." He looked at her straight in the eye.

Shakily, he said: "I will never leave you again, because if this is what's going to happen, I won't be able to handle going through it again. Do you understand me Mist?"

She nodded mutely while feeling so much guilt arise in her head. The things she thought of him; how cynical of him and the others she was when all this time she had been blinded by her pain and self-pity.

She began to speak slowly, carefully choosing her words.

"I'm so scared that if I get better, everyone will treat me the way they used to… humiliate me, hurt me, hate me… I can't go through that pain again Ash… and—I'm terrified it will happen… it's all I've ever known…"

He looked at her with a bemused expression, and then tenderly placed his hand on hers.

"Never Misty. I swear."

He knew from her expression that she was trying not to cry; her shimmering eyes gave it away once again. She looked down at the floor before speaking again.

"I want you to know now… that I never felt anything for Rudy. I hated him from the day we met him in Trovita. The way he patronized you was agonizing for me to watch. That's why I supported you at the match; I wanted to show you how much you meant to me. But after not hearing a word from you for two years, I was desperate to not feel so alone. I was disappointed and angry and not thinking clearly when I accepted his offer to go on a date. From then on, he controlled me and I couldn't get free. I wasn't leading him on at all… that part is a lie. He inferred this when I told him that I didn't want to see him anymore the day of the fight you came home to. He thought I was trying to make you jealous. I don't know what I was doing honestly… I just wanted to make you pay for something that wasn't entirely your fault and I hate myself so acting so impulsively and childish."

She fumbled with the gauze that he had wrapped around her wrists. He lightly swatted her fingers away from the material and spoke quietly.

"You really should go to the hospital to have these stitched up, you know. I'm no doctor," he said with a small smile.

She looked away.

"They'd commit me to an inpatient program. I have other priorities now."

"What is more important than making yourself better?"

She looked at him.

"I don't know Ash… I suppose you're right. But I need your support in this, are you willing to give it to me? I think only you will be able to do that for me, honestly."

He then grinned his trademark, lopsided grin.

"It's quite an honor to be picked as Misty's supporter!"

She smiled a tiny smile herself, much to the surprise and happiness of Ash. He placed himself in front of her, sitting cross-legged and began to outline his plan to her.

"Tomorrow we're going to have you go to your therapist. Have her tell you what to do about this, like medication and more intense therapy if needed. And all of us will be there for you if you want—and I want you to have group sessions with your sisters. I think Daisy is really willing to try it. You really should give her a chance; she is sincere in her actions in every way. Tracey has really turned her around, Mist. And I'm sure your other sisters will be just as supportive."

She bit down on her lip with her face tilted downwards as her half-hidden eyes looked towards him.

"Since when did you start becoming the one to boss people around, that's my job!"

He tried to give her a stern look and failed miserably. She blushed slightly.

"Okay… I can do this… for you."

"For yourself."

He was about to grin again when it spontaneously turned into a large and loud yawn. He checked her bathroom clock; it read 11 PM. He got up slowly and took her in his arms.

"I'm staying with you tonight whether you like it or not, okay?"

"If you snore I will kick you so hard Ash…"

They both laughed. Something they both loved about each other: their laughs.

She looked at him hesitantly and solemnly after it died down and the room became quiet again.

"I want you to. I've always wanted you to say that Ash. Always."

"And I want my stubborn and hot-headed Misty back," he said with a light laugh.

She punched his arm carelessly as they walked over towards her bed. Both flopping down unto their backs they undid the soft blue coverings and crept into its warmth. Misty looked tentative, remembering the last time she had shared it with a male.

Ash sensed her apprehension and drew his arms around her and felt her slowly but surely start to relax into them. With Ash's arms around her she felt a sense of security and completeness and was wholly content. When she felt her eyelids drop, she began to welcome the peaceful sleep that she had so longingly desired to have with this special boy. Just as she dozed into unconsciousness, she heard Ash's voice crack.

"Misty… I want you to know that it's taken me 8 years to figure this out… and 3 to be able to figure out how to say it right, but… I love you. Don't you ever leave me and I won't ever leave you."

She turned around to face his frightened features and looked into his chocolate-brown eyes and confidently whispered back: I love you too, Ash.

Is this the end? No! I have decided to write an 11th chapter (and I'm SO sorry this took about 8 months to post since chapter 9). I got a message saying how much a reader liked my story and I got inspired to finish this chapter today. So, here's my gift to you all for being such faithful readers and reviewers!!

Chapter 11 will come when it comes… I'm preparing to take midterms soon and shall be busy until early May. Perhaps it will come then.

Once again, thank you so much! Spread the word of AAML! Read and review! Comment and critiques are welcome!

Tibblez and TwinkieTUTUS: you were correct! It's from Snow Patrol's Gleaming Action.

Dramonie101: thank you for the wonderful comments!

L'Fleur Noir: This one is more AAML 

Jade destiny: I re-wrote the last part of chapter 9 to try to make Misty seem stronger, please tell me what you think!

May and Dawn are the best: thank you!

Kalsar: thanks to your wonderful comment I finished chapter 10 today and have decided to work on an 11th chapter!