The Heart Must Survive
Part 2: Love And Tears
Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm still buying my DVD player and Pokémon DVDs, so no sue me. Get it? Got it? Good.
Summary: After Ash is involved in a terrible accident, Misty must face the possibility that she may have to live without her soul mate...meanwhile, suspicions are rising that the accident may not have been an accident, and trust begins to wear thin...
A/N: I don't know what to say at this point other than get out a box of kleenex, and no flamers! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows as I finish this fic.
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"I'm getting really worried about Ash and Tracey," Misty said, staring out a window into the black rainstorm.
"They probably just stopped at the Pokémon Center to wait out the storm," Delia said, lighting the candles that were providing the room's lights now that the power had gone out. "Ash isn't a dummy. He's not going to run around in a storm, and he's not going to let Tracey run around in a storm, either."
"Yeah...I guess so," Misty said. She headed upstairs, trying to shake off the creepy feeling she had. She opened the closet door and ran her hand down the plastic that encased her wedding dress. She smiled as she thought of what Ash would think of it as she walked down the aisle...provided he wasn't a little sneak and didn't look at the dress before the wedding. "Nothing could go wrong now," she said to herself.
She heard the videophone ring and lazily wandered back downstairs just in time to catch Delia gasp and drop the receiver. She obviously wasn't expecting the news, but the lack of power had meant no screen.
"What is it?" Misty asked her.
Delia turned to look at her with eyes full of terror. "Misty...that was...the hospital...Ash was run down by a car..."
Misty felt her heart sink faster than the Titanic. "What?" she said. "You're...joking, right?"
Delia shook her head. "Come on, dear, we have to go."
* * *
Tracey was in the waiting room, nursing an obviously painful broken wrist, when Misty and Delia ran in. "Ash is in the E.R..." he said slowly. "He's been there ever since we got here...he tried to save me...the car was going to hit me...but he pushed me out of the way..." The events were clearly taking a toll on him.
Delia sat down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked, although it was clear that she was more worried about her son.
Tracey nodded. "I just broke my wrist, that's all," he said, guilt in his voice. He felt bad about getting off with only a broken wrist while Ash was fighting for his life. "Ash was the one that was hurt bad...I didn't even know what was going on until I saw him lying in the road...it's my fault this happened to him!"
"It couldn't be your fault, Tracey," Delia said. "You weren't the one driving that car, were you?"
Misty sat on Tracey's other side, not quite knowing what to say or to do.
"Misty...I'm sorry...I should have tried to take the hit...I never should have let Ash take it for me...I..."
Misty looked at him. "It's okay, Trace," she said. "I'm not mad at you or anything. It's not your fault."
The room fell silent. No one could think of anything to say.
Finally, after about an hour of contemplative silence, a doctor stepped into the room. "Delia Ketchum?" he said.
Delia looked up. "Yes?" she replied.
"I'm...afraid that your son was injured very badly in this accident. We've done all we can, but it's very unlikely that he'll pull through. There were just too many things that were damaged...his body's shutting down as we speak."
Delia's eyes were automatically filling with tears. "Is he...is he awake?"
"Just barely," the doctor said. "He's in a lot of pain, and we had to sedate him."
"How...how long...does he...does he have?" Misty choked out. She took Tracey's hand for no other reason than he was the closest one to her. She needed to know that someone was there, since she could tell that she wasn't going to be able to handle the reply.
"He may last until the end of the week, but we're not too hopeful...looking at it realisticly, I would say about two or three days."
"What all happened to him?" Delia asked.
"Well...we were told that he went under the tires of the car..."
Misty drew in a sharp breath and shut her eyes.
"And his injuries testify to that. His ribcage was very badly damaged, both of his legs were broken severely, he's likely suffering from a concussion...he was in a deep state of shock when he got here. Several vital organs were damaged as well, and that's what we think will evenutally kill him."
By this time, Misty had reduced to nothing but a sobbing heap. Tracey pulled her close, just to reassure her that someone was there for her, but he was in tears as well. Delia had her head in her hands, crying desperately.
"Maybe you should all go and see him...his condition might improve if he's around people he knows. We've seen that happen before."
* * *
The room was dark, the curtains closed and the lights off. It was obvious that the hospital staff weren't too hopeful for Ash's recovery. Ash was alone in the room and he was hooked up to a heart monitor and a respirator. His eyes were closed, scrunched up to testify to the pain he was in. His skin was paler than the pillows he rested on. He was shivering despite the blankets over top of him.
Misty sat down beside her fallen fiancé. "He looks so weak..." she said. "And in pain..." She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. "He's so cold..." She felt tears spilling onto her cheeks.
Delia could only stare. Her worst nightmare was coming true. She was losing her precious little boy.
Misty leaned over Ash's lifeless body. "Ash, can you hear me? Please, give us a sign that you're in there!"
As if Misty was all he needed to wake up, Ash's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before it became obvious that his vision was affected, too. "Misty?" he said in a strangled voice. "Is that you?"
Misty wanted to smile, but she saw so much pain in his eyes that she started to cry instead. "Yeah, I'm here," she said.
"Mist...my head hurts...and...so does...everything else..." Even speaking was hard for him.
"I know, Ash," Misty said. "But I'm here for you now."
Ash closed his eyes, only to open them again. "What happened to Tracey?" he said, panicked. "Is he okay?"
Tracey stepped into Ash's frame of view. "I'm okay, Ash," he said. "I just broke my wrist, that's all."
Ash shut his eyes tight, obviously upset that he couldn't save Tracey completely.
"Ash, you saved my life, man!" Tracey said. "I could be dead right now if it wasn't for you!"
Ash shivered violently, despite the mountains of blankets on top of him. "What did the doctor say about me?"
Everyone was silent. How did one tell their best friend (son, in Delia's case) that he was dying?
Ash picked up on it. "I'm dying, aren't I?" he said, his voice shaking.
"The doctors are only giving you until the end of the week, at most," Tracey said, trying not to burst into tears again. He failed.
Ash dropped his head back against the pillows, the news hitting him like a slap in the face. Then he turned to look at Misty. "Mist...I'm so sorry...I..." He reached for her hand.
Misty took it and held it tightly. "Ash...I don't want to lose you!" she cried.
"I don't want to lose you, either," Ash said. "But I guess fate had something else in mind for us."
"Who cares about fate?!" Misty cried. "I can't imagine life without you...you're my fiancé...and you've been my best friend since I was twelve years old!"
Ash saw the tears in his fiancée's eyes and reached up to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry, Misty," he said. "I should have been more careful...it's my fault..."
"No, it's not," Tracey said suddenly. "It's our fault for not listening to you."
"What do you mean, Trace?" Misty said.
Tracey's eyes were welling up. "There was a split second where I saw who was in that car...I didn't think about it before, but now that I give myself time to think...I know who it was."
"Who?" Ash said, anxious to find out who it was that had tried to run him and Tracey down.
Tracey's hands were beginning to shake. "It was Brock," he said.
No one knew what to say. Could they believe that, especially after what had happened between Brock and Tracey?
Tracey saw their looks and raised his hands. "I'm telling you, I wouldn't lie about it!"
"It's true," Ash said. "It was Brock...I saw him, too...but...I was...preoccupied trying not to die..."
Delia was the only one that seemed to be having trouble accepting it.
"It is logical," Misty said. "Do you remember? Tracey said that the car was heading for him, not Ash...and Ash just got hit because he pushed Tracey out of the way...and Brock did threaten to do something like this...right before we broke up that fight..."
Ash just couldn't believe it. One of their best friends had tried to kill him...
"What the hell is going on here?!" Misty suddenly cried. "Just when I think that everything is going our way and then Brock goes loco and tries to run my best friend and my fiancé down?!"
"Calm down, Misty," Ash whispered. "Please. Calm down."
Delia put her hands on Misty's shoulders. "Maybe we should leave," she said. "We all need some time to think this over..." She leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek. "We'll be back bright and early tomorrow, okay, Ash?"
Ash nodded slowly, silently wondering if he really was going to survive that long.
Misty was ten times more reluctant to leave, knowing that there was a good chance that Ash wouldn't last the night. "I love you, Ash," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "I'll be praying for you tonight."
Ash smiled at her. "And I'll be thinking of you," he said, knowing that the thought of Misty always helped him through his pain.
Delia and Misty left the room, but Tracey lingered for a minute. "Ash...I just...want to thank you...for what you did...you saved my life."
Ash smiled. "No problem," he said.
"I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for that."
"If you really want to repay me..." Ash paused for a minute. "You can look after Misty after I...after I'm gone."
Tracey frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Just...watch over her. Make sure that...she doesn't do anything...crazy...after I'm gone."
Tracey nodded. "You have my word, Ash," he said. With that, he began to leave the room. He paused for a minute to look back at Ash, who was falling into a deep sleep. "Please wake up tomorrow," he whispered. "Or Misty's heart is going to shatter..."
* * *
Misty stared vacantly at the TV, wanting to keep her mind off of the idea that her fiancé could be dying, but not really being able to. Her worst fear was getting that call that said that he was gone. But the prominent thought in her mind was Brock. Could he really have been the one to try and run Ash and Tracey down? She could reason that Brock would want to run Tracey down, but...
"Hey, Tracey?" she called out.
"Yeah?" Tracey called back from the kitchen.
Misty got up and walked to the kitchen. "I..don't want to..upset you by making you think about this over and over again...but...when Ash pushed you out of the way...did the car slow down at all? Did you see or hear the brakes?"
Tracey shook his head. "If I heard anything, it was the engine revving up," he said.
Misty stared at her feet. "Why would Brock do this?" she said.
Tracey was quiet. He felt bad enough about being forced to place blame.
Misty shook her head. "I thought he would be happy about Ash and me getting married..."
"Maybe he was jealous," Tracey said in a barely audible voice.
"What?" Misty said.
Tracey looked at her. "Maybe he was jealous...that...Ash finally found someone...maybe he had a thing for you or something..."
Misty wasn't upset enough to make a face at the thought of that. "Maybe..." she said.
"I don't want to say it...because...I'm just not this kind of person...but..." Tracey sat down at the table. Things were really taking a toll on him, Misty could tell as he buried his head in his hands.
"Hey, it's okay," she said.
Tracey sighed heavily. "I still can't believe that I saw him in that car...that he would want to run Ash down...I can understand why he wanted to run me down, but...not Ash."
Misty couldn't, either. There was just no way that it could be true...
* * *
Misty once again sat at Ash's side. But this time, they were alone. Delia and Tracey had both thought that it would be best to give them time to themselves.
The room was silent for the longest time until Misty spoke up. "I never thought I'd have to say goodbye," she said. "I always pictured us..getting married, having children...you becoming a Pokémon Master...raising a family...and now it's all over..."
Ash had basically accepted the fact that he was dying, but still hadn't accepted the idea of Misty being alone in the world. "You'll still get to do those things, Misty," he said softly.
Misty shook her head. "I don't want to," she said. "Not if I'm not with you." She carefully rested her head against his chest.
Ash stroked her hair. "It's all going to work out," he said.
"How can you be so calm about this?" she said. "How can you be so calm, knowing that you're dying?"
Ash sighed. "There's no way to stop it," he said. "So there's no reason to fight it."
Misty closed her eyes. "I don't want to be alone, Ash," she said.
"You won't be alone," Ash said. "You'll still have my mom there for you...and Tracey..."
"But I won't have you, and that's all I want!"
* * *
Delia jumped to her feet as Misty stepped in. "Misty, hold on a sec," she said.
"What?" Misty asked.
Tracey was sitting at the table, staring into the abyss. "I didn't want to be right..." he whispered.
"What's going on?" Misty asked.
Delia took in a deep breath. "We just got a call from the Pewter City Officer Jenny...Ash and Tracey were right....it was Brock that tried to run them down. Apparently, someone saw the accident and called in...the police found his car, and he confessed to everything..."
Misty could only stare.
Delia stepped over to her. "Misty, I know it's a shock...it's a shock to all of us..."
Misty collapsed into Delia's arms and started to cry again. It seemed like all she did lately was cry. "How could he do this?!" she cried. "What did we do wrong to make him do this?!"
"He said that...he was angry about the fight that he and Tracey got into..."
Misty decided that it was time someone found out the details. "Tracey...what happened back then?" she asked. "What did he say that got you so mad?"
Tracey didn't seem to hear her for a second, then he looked up. "Brock said that he wanted you and Ash to break up...he said that Ash didn't deserve you and that you needed to find someone that could make you happy...it didn't take long to figure out who he was talking about."
Misty couldn't take any more. She ran up to her room and slammed the door, bursting into hysterical tears. Everything was happening so fast...and none of it seemed to be going her way.
She stood up and walked to the closet, opening the door slowly. Her eyes fell upon the dress once again. She ran her hand down the plastic, but the touch was deriven from sadness instead of joy. "Oh, Ash," she said. "You just have to pull through...I know the odds are bad, but...we've had bad odds before and pulled through...you just have to survive...my life depends on it...I could never go on without you..."
A knock sounded on the door. Misty turned around to see Delia in the doorway. "Misty, I know this is hard for you," she said. "And it's hard for me, too."
Misty looked at her feet. "It should be harder for you than for me," she said. "Ash is your son. He's been your son all his life...he's only been my fiancé for a month or so..."
"But he was your best friend growing up, Misty. You spent your entire teenage years with him. You watched him mature and you were the first that he ever fell in love with...you may not have known him as long as I have, and he may be my son, not yours, but I think the time you had together...it's so precious...and you have just as much right to be upset as I do."
"It must scare you," Misty said. "To think that you're losing your son..."
Delia nodded. "I've never been this afraid in my life...but most of it is fear that my son's in pain right now...that he's suffering. You'll understand when you become a mother."
Misty turned away. "If I ever become a mother, you mean," she said. "I just can't imagine..."
Delia forced a weak smile and pulled Misty into her arms. "I'm always here for you, Misty," she said. "Even if it's not down on paper, I'll always think of you as my daughter."
* * *
Misty opened her eyes. She could hear sounds outside of her door. She wearily sat up in bed, a little annoyed at being awoken from the only sleep that she had been able to get since the incident.
The door suddenly swung open. Tracey stood there, a worried expression in his eyes. "Misty, you gotta get dressed," he said.
"What's goin' on?" Misty said.
Tracey paused for a second until he heard Delia call him. "It's Ash...the hospital just called...he's dying, Misty...he's only got a little bit of time left, and Delia wants to be there with him when it happens...I thought that you might, too."
Misty jumped out of bed as Tracey ran downstairs. She pulled on a pair of jeans and one of Ash's T-shirts and followed, trying not to let hysterics swallow her.
When they got there, the doctor looked like the planet had fallen on his head. "We tried everything we could to convince him to let us put him on life support...but he said that he would rather die on his own...and we have to abide by his wishes."
Misty didn't want to listen to any more, so she ran in past the doctor. She wanted to be with Ash, not with his doctor.
Ash had been disconnected from the heart monitor and the respirator. He was lying on the bed, his skin whiter than the pillows he rested on. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. He was too weak to do anything else.
Misty sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. She forced an incredibly weak smile as his eyes turned to her. "This is my worst nightmare," she said. "But...I guess it was in the stars...I...just want to say that...I love you, more than anything else in my life...and I want you to take care of yourself, wherever you're going...I'll never forget you...I swear on my life that I won't...you were my first love and you'll always be my first love...and I am going to miss you...so much..."
Ash blinked a few times to let her know that he understood and slowly mouthed the words 'I love you, Misty,' before she stood up to let someone else say what they needed to.
Tracey was obviously shaken and he looked like he was ready to just collapse at any moment. "Ash...you've been such a good friend...and you've taught me so much...you taught me to always go for what I want...not to let others interfere with who I am...and I gotta thank you for that time you went through so much just to prove to Brock that my name wasn't just a girl's name..." He smiled just a bit at that. "And I don't think I would be here today if it wasn't for you...you'll always be my best friend...and I'll miss you. I'll always remember you, though." He stood up and took over the task of comforting Misty as Delia sat down to say what she needed to.
Delia took Ash's hand in hers and just watched him for a minute before she spoke. "Ash...my little boy...what is there to say? I'm just so proud of you. You never gave up, no matter what you were faced with...and you always put others before yourself...I've always thought that you were put on this earth to heal the pain of others...and if you could even begin to imagine how you changed my life for the better...and you brought out the best in Misty, and in Tracey...we're all proud of you, Ash, and we'll all miss you."
Everyone - except Ash - looked up as two more people ran into the room - Professor Oak and his grandson, Gary. "We're not..." the professor said.
Delia shook her head, fighting back hysterics.
If there was ever a time when any of them was worried about the professor, it was at that moment. He looked like the solar system had blown up in his face. He seemed to not believe what was going on as he sat beside Ash. "Ash, I don't know what to say...I'm very proud of you. You were one of my best trainers...and you'll always be. You were the best friend that anyone could have asked for. I promise you that I won't let anyone in this town, or anywere else, forget about you. I'll keep bragging about you until I can't anymore. Please...don't forget about us, and none of us will ever forget about you..."
"Ash, I just want to say that I was a jerk," Gary said, tears forming in his eyes. "I was scared...you were always the better trainer, and I wanted to be...so I thought I could make it different by trying to break you down...but I never should have...because that just made me a horrible person...I'm sorry, Ash, I'm so sorry...you helped me with a lot of things, even if I refused to admit it..."
Misty sat back down beside her fiancé and took his hand. She lowered her eyes, praying, just like everyone else in the room. She could see that his strength was nearing nil and he was losing the battle for his life.
Ash looked around at the people in the room one last time. He rested back on his pillows and drew in one last breath. Then, his eyelids slowly closed.
They were never to open again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Okay, yeah, now I feel like a piece of crap...I'm REALLY, REALLY SORRY for killing Ash, but, hey, every story can't have a happy ending! And no, this ain't the end. I want to make Brock pay for what he did! And I have a lot more brewing here. So, stay tuned, if I haven't made scared you off yet.
Part 2: Love And Tears
Disclaimer: Yeah, I'm still buying my DVD player and Pokémon DVDs, so no sue me. Get it? Got it? Good.
Summary: After Ash is involved in a terrible accident, Misty must face the possibility that she may have to live without her soul mate...meanwhile, suspicions are rising that the accident may not have been an accident, and trust begins to wear thin...
A/N: I don't know what to say at this point other than get out a box of kleenex, and no flamers! Flames will be used to roast marshmallows as I finish this fic.
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"I'm getting really worried about Ash and Tracey," Misty said, staring out a window into the black rainstorm.
"They probably just stopped at the Pokémon Center to wait out the storm," Delia said, lighting the candles that were providing the room's lights now that the power had gone out. "Ash isn't a dummy. He's not going to run around in a storm, and he's not going to let Tracey run around in a storm, either."
"Yeah...I guess so," Misty said. She headed upstairs, trying to shake off the creepy feeling she had. She opened the closet door and ran her hand down the plastic that encased her wedding dress. She smiled as she thought of what Ash would think of it as she walked down the aisle...provided he wasn't a little sneak and didn't look at the dress before the wedding. "Nothing could go wrong now," she said to herself.
She heard the videophone ring and lazily wandered back downstairs just in time to catch Delia gasp and drop the receiver. She obviously wasn't expecting the news, but the lack of power had meant no screen.
"What is it?" Misty asked her.
Delia turned to look at her with eyes full of terror. "Misty...that was...the hospital...Ash was run down by a car..."
Misty felt her heart sink faster than the Titanic. "What?" she said. "You're...joking, right?"
Delia shook her head. "Come on, dear, we have to go."
* * *
Tracey was in the waiting room, nursing an obviously painful broken wrist, when Misty and Delia ran in. "Ash is in the E.R..." he said slowly. "He's been there ever since we got here...he tried to save me...the car was going to hit me...but he pushed me out of the way..." The events were clearly taking a toll on him.
Delia sat down beside him. "Are you okay?" she asked, although it was clear that she was more worried about her son.
Tracey nodded. "I just broke my wrist, that's all," he said, guilt in his voice. He felt bad about getting off with only a broken wrist while Ash was fighting for his life. "Ash was the one that was hurt bad...I didn't even know what was going on until I saw him lying in the road...it's my fault this happened to him!"
"It couldn't be your fault, Tracey," Delia said. "You weren't the one driving that car, were you?"
Misty sat on Tracey's other side, not quite knowing what to say or to do.
"Misty...I'm sorry...I should have tried to take the hit...I never should have let Ash take it for me...I..."
Misty looked at him. "It's okay, Trace," she said. "I'm not mad at you or anything. It's not your fault."
The room fell silent. No one could think of anything to say.
Finally, after about an hour of contemplative silence, a doctor stepped into the room. "Delia Ketchum?" he said.
Delia looked up. "Yes?" she replied.
"I'm...afraid that your son was injured very badly in this accident. We've done all we can, but it's very unlikely that he'll pull through. There were just too many things that were damaged...his body's shutting down as we speak."
Delia's eyes were automatically filling with tears. "Is he...is he awake?"
"Just barely," the doctor said. "He's in a lot of pain, and we had to sedate him."
"How...how long...does he...does he have?" Misty choked out. She took Tracey's hand for no other reason than he was the closest one to her. She needed to know that someone was there, since she could tell that she wasn't going to be able to handle the reply.
"He may last until the end of the week, but we're not too hopeful...looking at it realisticly, I would say about two or three days."
"What all happened to him?" Delia asked.
"Well...we were told that he went under the tires of the car..."
Misty drew in a sharp breath and shut her eyes.
"And his injuries testify to that. His ribcage was very badly damaged, both of his legs were broken severely, he's likely suffering from a concussion...he was in a deep state of shock when he got here. Several vital organs were damaged as well, and that's what we think will evenutally kill him."
By this time, Misty had reduced to nothing but a sobbing heap. Tracey pulled her close, just to reassure her that someone was there for her, but he was in tears as well. Delia had her head in her hands, crying desperately.
"Maybe you should all go and see him...his condition might improve if he's around people he knows. We've seen that happen before."
* * *
The room was dark, the curtains closed and the lights off. It was obvious that the hospital staff weren't too hopeful for Ash's recovery. Ash was alone in the room and he was hooked up to a heart monitor and a respirator. His eyes were closed, scrunched up to testify to the pain he was in. His skin was paler than the pillows he rested on. He was shivering despite the blankets over top of him.
Misty sat down beside her fallen fiancé. "He looks so weak..." she said. "And in pain..." She brushed the back of her hand against his cheek. "He's so cold..." She felt tears spilling onto her cheeks.
Delia could only stare. Her worst nightmare was coming true. She was losing her precious little boy.
Misty leaned over Ash's lifeless body. "Ash, can you hear me? Please, give us a sign that you're in there!"
As if Misty was all he needed to wake up, Ash's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before it became obvious that his vision was affected, too. "Misty?" he said in a strangled voice. "Is that you?"
Misty wanted to smile, but she saw so much pain in his eyes that she started to cry instead. "Yeah, I'm here," she said.
"Mist...my head hurts...and...so does...everything else..." Even speaking was hard for him.
"I know, Ash," Misty said. "But I'm here for you now."
Ash closed his eyes, only to open them again. "What happened to Tracey?" he said, panicked. "Is he okay?"
Tracey stepped into Ash's frame of view. "I'm okay, Ash," he said. "I just broke my wrist, that's all."
Ash shut his eyes tight, obviously upset that he couldn't save Tracey completely.
"Ash, you saved my life, man!" Tracey said. "I could be dead right now if it wasn't for you!"
Ash shivered violently, despite the mountains of blankets on top of him. "What did the doctor say about me?"
Everyone was silent. How did one tell their best friend (son, in Delia's case) that he was dying?
Ash picked up on it. "I'm dying, aren't I?" he said, his voice shaking.
"The doctors are only giving you until the end of the week, at most," Tracey said, trying not to burst into tears again. He failed.
Ash dropped his head back against the pillows, the news hitting him like a slap in the face. Then he turned to look at Misty. "Mist...I'm so sorry...I..." He reached for her hand.
Misty took it and held it tightly. "Ash...I don't want to lose you!" she cried.
"I don't want to lose you, either," Ash said. "But I guess fate had something else in mind for us."
"Who cares about fate?!" Misty cried. "I can't imagine life without you...you're my fiancé...and you've been my best friend since I was twelve years old!"
Ash saw the tears in his fiancée's eyes and reached up to touch her cheek. "I'm sorry, Misty," he said. "I should have been more careful...it's my fault..."
"No, it's not," Tracey said suddenly. "It's our fault for not listening to you."
"What do you mean, Trace?" Misty said.
Tracey's eyes were welling up. "There was a split second where I saw who was in that car...I didn't think about it before, but now that I give myself time to think...I know who it was."
"Who?" Ash said, anxious to find out who it was that had tried to run him and Tracey down.
Tracey's hands were beginning to shake. "It was Brock," he said.
No one knew what to say. Could they believe that, especially after what had happened between Brock and Tracey?
Tracey saw their looks and raised his hands. "I'm telling you, I wouldn't lie about it!"
"It's true," Ash said. "It was Brock...I saw him, too...but...I was...preoccupied trying not to die..."
Delia was the only one that seemed to be having trouble accepting it.
"It is logical," Misty said. "Do you remember? Tracey said that the car was heading for him, not Ash...and Ash just got hit because he pushed Tracey out of the way...and Brock did threaten to do something like this...right before we broke up that fight..."
Ash just couldn't believe it. One of their best friends had tried to kill him...
"What the hell is going on here?!" Misty suddenly cried. "Just when I think that everything is going our way and then Brock goes loco and tries to run my best friend and my fiancé down?!"
"Calm down, Misty," Ash whispered. "Please. Calm down."
Delia put her hands on Misty's shoulders. "Maybe we should leave," she said. "We all need some time to think this over..." She leaned over and kissed her son on the cheek. "We'll be back bright and early tomorrow, okay, Ash?"
Ash nodded slowly, silently wondering if he really was going to survive that long.
Misty was ten times more reluctant to leave, knowing that there was a good chance that Ash wouldn't last the night. "I love you, Ash," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "I'll be praying for you tonight."
Ash smiled at her. "And I'll be thinking of you," he said, knowing that the thought of Misty always helped him through his pain.
Delia and Misty left the room, but Tracey lingered for a minute. "Ash...I just...want to thank you...for what you did...you saved my life."
Ash smiled. "No problem," he said.
"I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you for that."
"If you really want to repay me..." Ash paused for a minute. "You can look after Misty after I...after I'm gone."
Tracey frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Just...watch over her. Make sure that...she doesn't do anything...crazy...after I'm gone."
Tracey nodded. "You have my word, Ash," he said. With that, he began to leave the room. He paused for a minute to look back at Ash, who was falling into a deep sleep. "Please wake up tomorrow," he whispered. "Or Misty's heart is going to shatter..."
* * *
Misty stared vacantly at the TV, wanting to keep her mind off of the idea that her fiancé could be dying, but not really being able to. Her worst fear was getting that call that said that he was gone. But the prominent thought in her mind was Brock. Could he really have been the one to try and run Ash and Tracey down? She could reason that Brock would want to run Tracey down, but...
"Hey, Tracey?" she called out.
"Yeah?" Tracey called back from the kitchen.
Misty got up and walked to the kitchen. "I..don't want to..upset you by making you think about this over and over again...but...when Ash pushed you out of the way...did the car slow down at all? Did you see or hear the brakes?"
Tracey shook his head. "If I heard anything, it was the engine revving up," he said.
Misty stared at her feet. "Why would Brock do this?" she said.
Tracey was quiet. He felt bad enough about being forced to place blame.
Misty shook her head. "I thought he would be happy about Ash and me getting married..."
"Maybe he was jealous," Tracey said in a barely audible voice.
"What?" Misty said.
Tracey looked at her. "Maybe he was jealous...that...Ash finally found someone...maybe he had a thing for you or something..."
Misty wasn't upset enough to make a face at the thought of that. "Maybe..." she said.
"I don't want to say it...because...I'm just not this kind of person...but..." Tracey sat down at the table. Things were really taking a toll on him, Misty could tell as he buried his head in his hands.
"Hey, it's okay," she said.
Tracey sighed heavily. "I still can't believe that I saw him in that car...that he would want to run Ash down...I can understand why he wanted to run me down, but...not Ash."
Misty couldn't, either. There was just no way that it could be true...
* * *
Misty once again sat at Ash's side. But this time, they were alone. Delia and Tracey had both thought that it would be best to give them time to themselves.
The room was silent for the longest time until Misty spoke up. "I never thought I'd have to say goodbye," she said. "I always pictured us..getting married, having children...you becoming a Pokémon Master...raising a family...and now it's all over..."
Ash had basically accepted the fact that he was dying, but still hadn't accepted the idea of Misty being alone in the world. "You'll still get to do those things, Misty," he said softly.
Misty shook her head. "I don't want to," she said. "Not if I'm not with you." She carefully rested her head against his chest.
Ash stroked her hair. "It's all going to work out," he said.
"How can you be so calm about this?" she said. "How can you be so calm, knowing that you're dying?"
Ash sighed. "There's no way to stop it," he said. "So there's no reason to fight it."
Misty closed her eyes. "I don't want to be alone, Ash," she said.
"You won't be alone," Ash said. "You'll still have my mom there for you...and Tracey..."
"But I won't have you, and that's all I want!"
* * *
Delia jumped to her feet as Misty stepped in. "Misty, hold on a sec," she said.
"What?" Misty asked.
Tracey was sitting at the table, staring into the abyss. "I didn't want to be right..." he whispered.
"What's going on?" Misty asked.
Delia took in a deep breath. "We just got a call from the Pewter City Officer Jenny...Ash and Tracey were right....it was Brock that tried to run them down. Apparently, someone saw the accident and called in...the police found his car, and he confessed to everything..."
Misty could only stare.
Delia stepped over to her. "Misty, I know it's a shock...it's a shock to all of us..."
Misty collapsed into Delia's arms and started to cry again. It seemed like all she did lately was cry. "How could he do this?!" she cried. "What did we do wrong to make him do this?!"
"He said that...he was angry about the fight that he and Tracey got into..."
Misty decided that it was time someone found out the details. "Tracey...what happened back then?" she asked. "What did he say that got you so mad?"
Tracey didn't seem to hear her for a second, then he looked up. "Brock said that he wanted you and Ash to break up...he said that Ash didn't deserve you and that you needed to find someone that could make you happy...it didn't take long to figure out who he was talking about."
Misty couldn't take any more. She ran up to her room and slammed the door, bursting into hysterical tears. Everything was happening so fast...and none of it seemed to be going her way.
She stood up and walked to the closet, opening the door slowly. Her eyes fell upon the dress once again. She ran her hand down the plastic, but the touch was deriven from sadness instead of joy. "Oh, Ash," she said. "You just have to pull through...I know the odds are bad, but...we've had bad odds before and pulled through...you just have to survive...my life depends on it...I could never go on without you..."
A knock sounded on the door. Misty turned around to see Delia in the doorway. "Misty, I know this is hard for you," she said. "And it's hard for me, too."
Misty looked at her feet. "It should be harder for you than for me," she said. "Ash is your son. He's been your son all his life...he's only been my fiancé for a month or so..."
"But he was your best friend growing up, Misty. You spent your entire teenage years with him. You watched him mature and you were the first that he ever fell in love with...you may not have known him as long as I have, and he may be my son, not yours, but I think the time you had together...it's so precious...and you have just as much right to be upset as I do."
"It must scare you," Misty said. "To think that you're losing your son..."
Delia nodded. "I've never been this afraid in my life...but most of it is fear that my son's in pain right now...that he's suffering. You'll understand when you become a mother."
Misty turned away. "If I ever become a mother, you mean," she said. "I just can't imagine..."
Delia forced a weak smile and pulled Misty into her arms. "I'm always here for you, Misty," she said. "Even if it's not down on paper, I'll always think of you as my daughter."
* * *
Misty opened her eyes. She could hear sounds outside of her door. She wearily sat up in bed, a little annoyed at being awoken from the only sleep that she had been able to get since the incident.
The door suddenly swung open. Tracey stood there, a worried expression in his eyes. "Misty, you gotta get dressed," he said.
"What's goin' on?" Misty said.
Tracey paused for a second until he heard Delia call him. "It's Ash...the hospital just called...he's dying, Misty...he's only got a little bit of time left, and Delia wants to be there with him when it happens...I thought that you might, too."
Misty jumped out of bed as Tracey ran downstairs. She pulled on a pair of jeans and one of Ash's T-shirts and followed, trying not to let hysterics swallow her.
When they got there, the doctor looked like the planet had fallen on his head. "We tried everything we could to convince him to let us put him on life support...but he said that he would rather die on his own...and we have to abide by his wishes."
Misty didn't want to listen to any more, so she ran in past the doctor. She wanted to be with Ash, not with his doctor.
Ash had been disconnected from the heart monitor and the respirator. He was lying on the bed, his skin whiter than the pillows he rested on. His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling. He was too weak to do anything else.
Misty sat down beside him and took his hand in hers. She forced an incredibly weak smile as his eyes turned to her. "This is my worst nightmare," she said. "But...I guess it was in the stars...I...just want to say that...I love you, more than anything else in my life...and I want you to take care of yourself, wherever you're going...I'll never forget you...I swear on my life that I won't...you were my first love and you'll always be my first love...and I am going to miss you...so much..."
Ash blinked a few times to let her know that he understood and slowly mouthed the words 'I love you, Misty,' before she stood up to let someone else say what they needed to.
Tracey was obviously shaken and he looked like he was ready to just collapse at any moment. "Ash...you've been such a good friend...and you've taught me so much...you taught me to always go for what I want...not to let others interfere with who I am...and I gotta thank you for that time you went through so much just to prove to Brock that my name wasn't just a girl's name..." He smiled just a bit at that. "And I don't think I would be here today if it wasn't for you...you'll always be my best friend...and I'll miss you. I'll always remember you, though." He stood up and took over the task of comforting Misty as Delia sat down to say what she needed to.
Delia took Ash's hand in hers and just watched him for a minute before she spoke. "Ash...my little boy...what is there to say? I'm just so proud of you. You never gave up, no matter what you were faced with...and you always put others before yourself...I've always thought that you were put on this earth to heal the pain of others...and if you could even begin to imagine how you changed my life for the better...and you brought out the best in Misty, and in Tracey...we're all proud of you, Ash, and we'll all miss you."
Everyone - except Ash - looked up as two more people ran into the room - Professor Oak and his grandson, Gary. "We're not..." the professor said.
Delia shook her head, fighting back hysterics.
If there was ever a time when any of them was worried about the professor, it was at that moment. He looked like the solar system had blown up in his face. He seemed to not believe what was going on as he sat beside Ash. "Ash, I don't know what to say...I'm very proud of you. You were one of my best trainers...and you'll always be. You were the best friend that anyone could have asked for. I promise you that I won't let anyone in this town, or anywere else, forget about you. I'll keep bragging about you until I can't anymore. Please...don't forget about us, and none of us will ever forget about you..."
"Ash, I just want to say that I was a jerk," Gary said, tears forming in his eyes. "I was scared...you were always the better trainer, and I wanted to be...so I thought I could make it different by trying to break you down...but I never should have...because that just made me a horrible person...I'm sorry, Ash, I'm so sorry...you helped me with a lot of things, even if I refused to admit it..."
Misty sat back down beside her fiancé and took his hand. She lowered her eyes, praying, just like everyone else in the room. She could see that his strength was nearing nil and he was losing the battle for his life.
Ash looked around at the people in the room one last time. He rested back on his pillows and drew in one last breath. Then, his eyelids slowly closed.
They were never to open again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Okay, yeah, now I feel like a piece of crap...I'm REALLY, REALLY SORRY for killing Ash, but, hey, every story can't have a happy ending! And no, this ain't the end. I want to make Brock pay for what he did! And I have a lot more brewing here. So, stay tuned, if I haven't made scared you off yet.