I have a one shot problem, and I admit it. I need to stop...I have AP tests XD This will probably be the last one for a little bit. Because I seriously have to study...let's see if I can actually stick to that XD

Oh, and I've reccieved alot of questions about a sequel to Here We Go Again (since so many people wanted Ash and Misty to have another child.) I'm not gonna lie...I've been trying to write the new story, and I've been having alot of problems with it :/ It's just because I've only written about Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth for SO long, and I came up with them a really long time ago, that adding another kid isn't sitting right with me. Everytime I start that story...I don't like the way it's coming out. So I'm going to keep trying, but for now, just be patient :) I have to be happy with my writing! I'm not going to publish something I'm not satisfied with ^^

Michelle: 2 Months Old

First Cold

"Uh, Misty…"

"Ash, I just got back from having a battle. Can't you take care of Michelle for five minutes?"

"That's not the problem…"

"Then what is it?"

"Um…her snot is all over me…"

Misty raised her head from out of her folded arms and furrowed her brow. "What in the world are you talking about, Ash?"

"Exactly what I said! It's everywhere!"

"How is her snot getting everywhere?" Misty rolled her eyes.

"Because her nose is running…"

Misty's eyes widened. "What? No, no, no!" She jumped out of the kitchen chair she was sitting in and ran into the living room, her face looking absolutely frantic. She locked her eyes onto Ash, who sat on the couch with the couple's 2 month old daughter against his chest.

"Is it bad that her nose is running?" Ash frowned.

"If it's running that much, yeah," Misty hurried over to Ash and leaned in to look at the baby's face. Michelle looked right back at Misty, although her face was more pale than usual. Her nose was completely red, and, just as Ash had said, running like a faucet.

"Is she sick?" Ash gasped.

Almost immediately, Michelle began to cry, reaching a tiny little hand out towards Misty as she sobbed.

"Oh, my poor little baby!" Misty wailed. She took the infant into her arms and held her close, not caring that the baby was rubbing her face against her body and getting snot all over her shirt. "You're a sick little thing, aren't you? This isn't fun, I know."

Michelle kept crying, squirming in Misty's arms as she struggled to get comfortable with this illness overtaking her.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Ash's face looked frantic. He jumped up and gently touched Michelle's back with the tips of his fingers, hoping to help soothe the young child.

"It's probably just a cold, so I think so," Misty frowned. "But she's still only two months old, and because of her weaker lungs, I'm a little worried. I think we should take her to the doctor just to be safe."

"Good idea," Ash sighed. "Do you want me to call him?"

"Yeah, I've gotta get Michelle to calm down," Misty nodded, kissing the top of her still hysterical daughter's head.

Ash nodded and walked into the kitchen, leaving behind his young wife and even younger daughter. Michelle let out a few more tortured cries, which only broke Misty's heart even further.

"Arceus, I hate to hear you cry like this," Misty whined as she rocked the baby back and forth. "You sound like you're in pain…my poor, beautiful baby…please, it's okay."

Misty continued to pace the floor, gently bouncing her daughter up and down. Michelle moaned and gripped Misty's shirt in her fist, squeezing it as she uncomfortably squirmed in her mother's arms.

In the kitchen, Ash had picked up the regular phone and dialed the number of Dr. Neal, the pediatrician who Dr. Aaron had suggested to the young parents. He waited impatiently for the physician to pick up, nervously drumming his fingers against the counter top as the sound of his baby girl wailing in the other room caused his heart to drop repeatedly.

"Hello?"

"Oh, Dr. Neal!" Ash sighed. "Thank Arceus you picked up."

"Ash?" Dr. Neal questioned. "What is it? Has something happened with one of the babies?"

"Yeah, Michelle is a little sick," Ash frowned. "Misty thinks it's a cold."

"Could you give me some of the symptoms that Michelle is experiencing?"

"She has a really runny nose, and she's been crying a lot more than usual. That's all that I can think of."

"Has she had a decrease in appetite?"

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Ash's eyes widened. "Michelle is usually a picky eater anyway, but she's been getting better. This morning, though, when Misty was trying to feed her, Michelle didn't really seem to want any of it. She ate for a few minutes, but then she stopped, and every time Misty tried to get her to eat more, it only made Michelle upset."

"Any sneezing?"

"A few times, yeah."

"And does she have any signs of a fever?"

"I didn't check, so I guess it's possible…let me check," Ash lowered the phone and covered the speaker, calling out, "Misty! Can you feel Michelle's forehead and tell me if she's warm?"

Misty took one of her hands and pressed it gently against Michelle's small forehead. The baby whined unhappily and gripped Misty's shirt more tightly. Gasping quietly, Misty walked swiftly into the kitchen and stared at Ash in horror.

"She's warm," Misty whispered.

Blanching out in shock, Ash uncovered the phone and shakily informed the pediatrician, "yes. She seems to have a little bit of a fever."

"This definitely sounds like a cold," Dr. Neal confirmed. "But since she is younger than 3 months old, I have to make sure that it hasn't decimated her immune system yet. How long has she had these symptoms?"

"I think since last night."

"So definitely not a week?"

"No."

"You said before she had a lack of appetite. Is she refusing to nurse completely?"

"No."

"Is she bluish around the lips or nose with any trouble breathing?"

"No, thankfully," Ash sighed. He had been very concerned about that, since Michelle's lungs were still rather weak.

"Good. That means that right now the cold isn't in danger of becoming pneumonia."

"Uh…pneumonia?" Ash murmured.

If he had glanced over at Misty, Ash would've seen the ultimate look of horror cross his wife's face. The gym leader looked like she was about to burst into tears, or hyperventilate, or both. Eventually, he did peer over at her, though, and saw the terror. Gasping, he shook his head and mouthed the word no to her. Misty sighed and held the baby more tightly, stroking the back of Michelle's soft, orange hair.

"Right. In very young children, an untreated cold can end up turning into something a lot more serious such as pneumonia. But you called for help soon enough that it more than likely won't become something like that."

"Thank goodness," Ash sighed tiredly. "So, what do we do now? How are we supposed to help Michelle?"

"Well, I would like for you to bring her in for an examination," Dr. Neal continued. "While I'm positive it's just a cold, Michelle's underdeveloped lungs give me some cause for concern. I'm not saying she'll have any extra problems or be put in danger, but I want to be on the safe side with her."

"I agree," Ash nodded. "What's the closest appointment we can get?"

"I'm free today at 2. You can bring her in then, if you want."

Ash glanced at the clock. It was just past 1, meaning they had a little less than an hour to get ready and go. "That sounds good."

"Great. Until then, you might want to moisten the air in your house, or at least a single room, with a humidifier. That will clear up Michelle's sinuses to some extent. You can also use saline and a suction bulb to clear up her nose."

Ash grimaced at this. It sounded terrible, but he was really sick of all the mucus and drool…he didn't realize just how messy babies were.

"And that's it?" Ash asked.

"For now. I will determine what else can be done upon examining her."

"Thanks doc," Ash rubbed his eyes. "We'll see you soon."

Hanging up the phone, Ash put it back on the receiver and turned towards Misty, who was still holding Michelle against her chest. The baby had calmed down to a degree, but she was still whining and occasionally letting out a small sob here and there.

"Well?" Misty breathed. "What did he say?"

"The doctor said that more than likely, it's a cold," Ash rubbed the back of his neck now. "But he still wants to examine Michelle just to be sure. We have an appointment at 2."

"That's in less than an hour," Misty noted.

"Mmhmm," Ash nodded.

"Okay, we have to get Michelle ready," Misty continued to bounce the baby, who hadn't calmed down anymore. "It's cold outside, so we have to make sure she stays nice and warm when we take her out."

"And what should we do with Aiden?" Ash bit his lip.

"My parents are home," Misty replied. "Can you call them for me and ask if they'll come over to watch Aiden for just a little bit? I'll get Michelle ready while you're doing that."

"Sure thing," Ash took possession of the phone once again, watching as Misty nodded and headed towards the stairs, the still miserable infant beginning to wail in her arms.

XXX

Ash groaned and rubbed his temples. "Misty…I feel really bad for Michelle, and I wish there was something I could do to help her, but all of this crying is starting to give me a headache."

"Ash, I can't stop her," Misty sighed. "I've been doing everything I possibly can to calm her down: holding her, rocking her, bouncing her, rubbing her back, I've even tried to feed her! But none of it is working. Not even the ride in the car calmed her down! She just feels really, really sick and it's hard for her, the poor little thing."

Michelle was still sobbing in her carrier, staring up at her mother as she wailed. Misty felt miserable. It was as though the baby was begging her mother for help, to make the illness go away, and there was nothing Misty could do to make everything all better. As a mother, it was awful.

"I know, baby," Misty murmured, lowering the hood of the bright pink wool coat that Michelle was wearing. "You feel icky. I'm so sorry, little girl. Mommy is going to do everything that she can to help you."

Michelle screamed, and in response, Ash further buried his face into his hands. Frowning, Misty quickly took off the light pink blanket that covered Michelle's small body and unstrapped the girl, lifting her out of the carrier in order to bounce her up and down once again.

"Try taking her coat off," Ash glanced up at Misty. "Maybe she's too hot now that we're inside."

Nodding, Misty gently slipped off the jacket and left in the carrier, leaving Michelle in only her yellow fleece footed pajamas printed with purple stars. Humming softly, Misty kissed the baby's head and held her against her chest.

"Please, sweetie," Misty begged, "no more crying. Mommy hates it so much when you cry."

Still wailing, Michelle looked over at her father and held a small hand out towards him. Frowning, Ash gently rubbed her fingers, which led the young girl to squeak in the midst of her sobs and grab hold of her father's index finger.

"Calm down, princess," Ash murmured. "This can't be good for you when you're sick! Mommy and I are right here…we're going to help you, baby."

Michelle hiccupped and finally stopped crying. She still had some tears slipping out of her eyes and falling down her cheeks. She was red in the face and still breathing heavily, but otherwise she appeared to have calmed down.

"She really does listen to you, Ash," Misty smiled up at her husband.

Chuckling, Ash just shrugged and replied, "I don't even think she knows what I'm saying. I've just noticed that if you're really gentle with the babies, like you talk calmly to them and don't act too crazy, they tend to relax and listen to you. If only because you sound so nice."

As Ash continued to quietly comfort his daughter, Dr. Neal emerged from the back and called Michelle's name, causing Ash and Misty to look up.

"Hi doc," Ash grinned, trying to free his finger from Michelle's hand. It didn't work, however, as Michelle just squeezed tighter and stared at her father with an expression that, if Ash was correct, seemed to read just what do you think you're doing? I need that.

"Sorry princess," Ash whispered, smiling at the baby. He stood up, making sure to keep his arm lowered so Michelle could continue holding onto his finger. Giggling, Misty got up as well, holding onto Michelle's carrier on her free right arm.

The young parents followed the doctor into an examination room, where Misty, who was used to visiting the pediatrician at this point, put Michelle down on the smaller table that was meant for babies. Michelle began to whine immediately once she was put down, concerning Misty once again.

"Come on, baby," Misty sighed, playing with the infant's hair. "No more fussing!"

"Has she been exceptionally cranky?" Dr. Neal smirked as he closed the door.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Ash moaned. "Screaming and crying and wailing…it never seems to end!"

"She cried the whole way here," Misty added.

"Yes, that sounds like a sick baby to me," Dr. Neal nodded sympathetically. "Poor thing. I'm just going to give her an examination to make sure that my suspicions are correct."

As soon as Dr. Neal stepped into Michelle's view, the baby lost any composure she had regained and started to scream her little head off. She flailed her arms, kicked her feet, and yelled just as loud as she possibly could.

"I'm gonna need to take a whole bunch of pain relievers once we get home," Ash grabbed at his head.

"Ash, how could you be so insensitive to our little girl?" Misty bit, making sure to keep her hand on the baby's head in an attempt to soothe her.

"I'm not, I told you how bad I feel!" Ash frowned. "I wish she wouldn't cry so much, but there's really not much we can do about it!"

Misty opened her mouth to respond with an even angrier comment, but Dr. Neal cut her off before she could speak. "Yes, a baby's first illness can be very stressful on the parents." Misty turned to look at the pediatrician, who simply smiled at her. "It's alright. Especially because Michelle is so young! This isn't something easy to cope with."

Smiling sadly, Misty continued to stroke the baby's hair. Moving closer to Michelle, Dr. Neal undid the Velcro on the front of Michelle's pajamas and put his stethoscope buds in his ears before placing the metal circle on the baby's chest.

At the contact, Michelle screamed again, and Misty was beginning to become completely unnerved. Looking over at Ash, she pleaded, "Ash, please help me."

"Huh?" Ash looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"You calmed her down before," Misty motioned her head towards Michelle. "Could you try and do it again?"

Ash seemed taken aback by the request, but either way, he nodded and stood up, approaching the small examination table and covering Michelle's very tiny hand with his much larger one. Still wailing, Michelle looked up, locking her tearful eyes onto her father.

"Hey there, baby girl," Ash smiled sweetly at his daughter. "Sorry, but Daddy doesn't like it much when you scream. It hurts my heart to see you so upset! It hurts my ears too…"

Michelle whimpered but ceased her screams of pain and discomfort. She cooed up at her father, no longer caring so much that the doctor was giving her an examination. Ash chuckled and gently played with the small girl's fingers, causing her to turn her head and watch his every move.

"You're curious about what I'm doing, right?" Ash whispered. Michelle babbled and relaxed her body, breathing more gently which, in turn, made the doctor's job much easier. Misty, meanwhile, just watched Ash in amazement. He was completely natural with the babies, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"It's just as I thought," Dr. Neal pulled up and took the buds out of his ears. "A cold. Her lungs seem to be pretty clear, which is good."

"Thank goodness," Misty breathed out shakily. "So, what can we do for her?"

"Not much, unfortunately," Dr. Neal sighed. "Since she's only 2 months old, she can't take any medication yet. You'll just have to use a humidifier to moisten the air in her room, clean her nose out, and feed her less often. I would also try and keep her away from Aiden, since a cold is highly transferrable."

"And the fever?" Misty inquired.

Retrieving an ear thermometer, Dr. Neal checked the baby's temperature, who still didn't fuss at the contact thanks to her father. Once the instrument beeped, Dr. Neal examined the screen and smiled gently. "It's a very mild fever. Just barely at 99. I would only be considered if her temperature was at 100.5."

"Okay," Misty felt so relieved. She was still upset that her baby had a cold, but she knew that it was bound to happen eventually, and there was really nothing she could do to prevent it. There were just too many viruses floating around in the air.

"You can bring her back at the end of the week for a follow up," Dr. Neal suggested. "Hopefully by then she'll be feeling better."

"Thank you doctor," Misty smiled at the older man. Leaning down, she fixed the front of Michelle's pajamas before walking away from her to fetch the carrier.

"Misty?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to pick up Michelle?"

"I think you should carry her," Misty trilled, holding onto the carrier as she approached Ash and laid a hand on his strong bicep. "You seem to be the perfect medicine for our sick little princess."

Laughing, Ash nodded and reached down to gather his young daughter into his arms. He cradled her tiny body, beaming as she stared up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Mommy thinks that you need a big dose of snuggles from Daddy," Ash cooed. "What do you think, beautiful?"

Michelle made no sound, but tilted her head until it gently bumped against Ash's chest.

"Alright then," Ash rubbed his nose against Michelle's much smaller one, which was red from all the sniffling she'd been doing. "One prescription of love and hugs coming right up!"

"You're so cheesy," Misty laughed, walking towards the door of the room.

Twisting his mouth, Ash peered down at the baby once again and asked, "Do you think I'm cheesy?"

Michelle stuck her little tongue out, but still made no other noise.

"See? You love me," Ash grinned. "Mommy is right! I am the perfect medicine for you!"