Her latest onslaught seemed to seal the deal for her. Everyone truly left her alone now. She remained in her room, small, bitter, and weak due to the lack of exercise and energy she had. Her body wasn't regenerating red blood cells fast enough for her to be well enough to leave the hospital. She withered in that room. She spent most of her time napping, for she could only read the local newspaper so many times in a given day. One day when she awoke from a nap, she saw Ash sitting at her bedside, his eyes soft, as though he'd been there a while and was watching her sleep.
"Ash," she whispered. Never did his name sound so good to her.
"Hey," he said. "I'm glad I found you, finally. You've been awfully elusive." She cast her eyes down. "Those are pretty scarves. They match your eyes." He smiled.
"Thanks," she said, relieved that she'd fallen asleep with them on.
"I hear you don't get out much these days," he said. "Wanna take me for a walk?"
"What if someone sees me?"
"What do you mean," he asked.
"Do you know what happened to me?"
"You were in a car accident."
"Duh. But in the accident, I--"
"Brock broke his leg. What happened to you?"
She took a deep breath. "Okay, before I tell you, there's something else I have to tell you, because if I tell you this after what I really have to tell you, then..."
"Then I'll be even more confused than I am already?"
"I'm not making sense, am I?"
He shook his head and smiled. "Not in the least."
"Okay. Let me try it this way. Before the accident, Ash, I wanted to tell you that I--"
"You," he prompted.
"I--"
"I have to get a tissue, but I'm still listening to you," he interrupted. He put his arms to his sides and pushed the wheels on the manual wheelchair he was sitting in. He wheeled himself into the bathroom and returned with a handful of Kleenex. He turned to Misty expectantly, waiting to hear the rest of what she had to say.
Her mouth fell to the floor. "Ash, are you--?"
"Paralyzed? Yea," he said sadly. "It's not fun, let me tell you, but it's not as terrible as you would think. When they first told me, I thought I'd go insane. But now that I'm used to it, it's not as bad."
She was still beside herself with shock. "Will you walk again?"
Ash's face turned a bit dark. "Not likely. That's what the doctors say. But then again, they said it was unlikely that I'd live, but now look at me. I'm paralyzed, but I'm alive. I can use everything above my waist."
Misty loathed herself for being a vain monster. Her face was destroyed, but at least she could walk, run, swim, play. Ash could do none of those things. She peeled off the scarves and faced Ash, sobbing.
"I'm a monster, but not because of my face," she said. "I used to think this was the worst thing in the world. I was mean and cruel to my loved ones because I was jealous. Jealous of their perfect faces. I hated myself for being ugly. I smashed mirrors so I wouldn't look at myself. I even wouldn't see you because I was afraid you'd think I was as hideous as I've been acting." Sobs overcame her, and she collapsed on the floor next to Ash. He pulled her head into his lap and stroked her bald head as she cried. "But now I see that I am a horrible creature. You can't use half your body. You have every right to put everyone through all the shit I put them through. You'll never live a normal life again. And I was worried about some fucking scars. I'm so rotten Ash, I am!"
"No, no, it's okay," he soothed her. "I understand why you're so angry and hurt. I'd be just the same if I had gone through the window like you did. It's really a shock when something like this happens. I felt this way when the doctors told me I was paralyzed, probably for life. But, my friends and my mom still like me, don't they?" Misty nodded. "And, you still like me, right?" She nodded again. "Okay, then. To hell with everyone else. Now, what else did you want to tell me?"
She looked up at him. She wasn't afraid anymore. "Ash, I've having these feelings for you for a long time now, and I wanted to tell you when we went to the club, but I was afraid. I'm not anymore, though. But, can you be with a monster like me?"
"Monster? I see no monster," he said. "I see only the beauty that remains." When he looked at her, he didn't see the scars that covered her face. He saw the deep love in her sea-green eyes. He saw sweet happiness in her smile. "Can you learn to love a cripple?"
"Someday I hope I'll love you, Ash," she said. "And you're not crippled. You're still the same Ash I know. Your soul, your spirit, your good heart, they're not crippled, and those are the things that really matter."
"I knew my Misty was in there somewhere," he said. "Now, how about that walk?" She got up and wheeled him out into the garden.
Slowly, with time, their wounds healed, and they all returned home. Brock's leg healed completely, but the memories of pain and fear stayed fresh in his mind. Although their accident was a combination of events that could not be prevented, Brock went on a crusade to educate people about the dangers of drunk driving, for many people ended up like they did, and worse, due to drunk driving.
Misty and Ash's love grew more and more as the years went on. As time crawled by, her scars got smaller and less noticeable. The "smirk" scar was still as prevalent as ever, but the others healed enough that Misty got some of her old face back. With the help of therapy, Ash gained more mobility, but unfortunately, his spinal cord was severed, so there was no hope for him to walk again. He was, however, able to father a son, Derian. He took up work as Professor Oak's aide with Pokémon research, so he could be with his first love; raising Pokémon. Although they'd all been to hell and back, they'd been able to find the beauty that remains.
"Ash," she whispered. Never did his name sound so good to her.
"Hey," he said. "I'm glad I found you, finally. You've been awfully elusive." She cast her eyes down. "Those are pretty scarves. They match your eyes." He smiled.
"Thanks," she said, relieved that she'd fallen asleep with them on.
"I hear you don't get out much these days," he said. "Wanna take me for a walk?"
"What if someone sees me?"
"What do you mean," he asked.
"Do you know what happened to me?"
"You were in a car accident."
"Duh. But in the accident, I--"
"Brock broke his leg. What happened to you?"
She took a deep breath. "Okay, before I tell you, there's something else I have to tell you, because if I tell you this after what I really have to tell you, then..."
"Then I'll be even more confused than I am already?"
"I'm not making sense, am I?"
He shook his head and smiled. "Not in the least."
"Okay. Let me try it this way. Before the accident, Ash, I wanted to tell you that I--"
"You," he prompted.
"I--"
"I have to get a tissue, but I'm still listening to you," he interrupted. He put his arms to his sides and pushed the wheels on the manual wheelchair he was sitting in. He wheeled himself into the bathroom and returned with a handful of Kleenex. He turned to Misty expectantly, waiting to hear the rest of what she had to say.
Her mouth fell to the floor. "Ash, are you--?"
"Paralyzed? Yea," he said sadly. "It's not fun, let me tell you, but it's not as terrible as you would think. When they first told me, I thought I'd go insane. But now that I'm used to it, it's not as bad."
She was still beside herself with shock. "Will you walk again?"
Ash's face turned a bit dark. "Not likely. That's what the doctors say. But then again, they said it was unlikely that I'd live, but now look at me. I'm paralyzed, but I'm alive. I can use everything above my waist."
Misty loathed herself for being a vain monster. Her face was destroyed, but at least she could walk, run, swim, play. Ash could do none of those things. She peeled off the scarves and faced Ash, sobbing.
"I'm a monster, but not because of my face," she said. "I used to think this was the worst thing in the world. I was mean and cruel to my loved ones because I was jealous. Jealous of their perfect faces. I hated myself for being ugly. I smashed mirrors so I wouldn't look at myself. I even wouldn't see you because I was afraid you'd think I was as hideous as I've been acting." Sobs overcame her, and she collapsed on the floor next to Ash. He pulled her head into his lap and stroked her bald head as she cried. "But now I see that I am a horrible creature. You can't use half your body. You have every right to put everyone through all the shit I put them through. You'll never live a normal life again. And I was worried about some fucking scars. I'm so rotten Ash, I am!"
"No, no, it's okay," he soothed her. "I understand why you're so angry and hurt. I'd be just the same if I had gone through the window like you did. It's really a shock when something like this happens. I felt this way when the doctors told me I was paralyzed, probably for life. But, my friends and my mom still like me, don't they?" Misty nodded. "And, you still like me, right?" She nodded again. "Okay, then. To hell with everyone else. Now, what else did you want to tell me?"
She looked up at him. She wasn't afraid anymore. "Ash, I've having these feelings for you for a long time now, and I wanted to tell you when we went to the club, but I was afraid. I'm not anymore, though. But, can you be with a monster like me?"
"Monster? I see no monster," he said. "I see only the beauty that remains." When he looked at her, he didn't see the scars that covered her face. He saw the deep love in her sea-green eyes. He saw sweet happiness in her smile. "Can you learn to love a cripple?"
"Someday I hope I'll love you, Ash," she said. "And you're not crippled. You're still the same Ash I know. Your soul, your spirit, your good heart, they're not crippled, and those are the things that really matter."
"I knew my Misty was in there somewhere," he said. "Now, how about that walk?" She got up and wheeled him out into the garden.
Slowly, with time, their wounds healed, and they all returned home. Brock's leg healed completely, but the memories of pain and fear stayed fresh in his mind. Although their accident was a combination of events that could not be prevented, Brock went on a crusade to educate people about the dangers of drunk driving, for many people ended up like they did, and worse, due to drunk driving.
Misty and Ash's love grew more and more as the years went on. As time crawled by, her scars got smaller and less noticeable. The "smirk" scar was still as prevalent as ever, but the others healed enough that Misty got some of her old face back. With the help of therapy, Ash gained more mobility, but unfortunately, his spinal cord was severed, so there was no hope for him to walk again. He was, however, able to father a son, Derian. He took up work as Professor Oak's aide with Pokémon research, so he could be with his first love; raising Pokémon. Although they'd all been to hell and back, they'd been able to find the beauty that remains.