Ages: 20-Ash, 20-May, 19-Grace, 30-Vince, 0-Minerva
- 11 -
"May, I-" Ash looked uneasy with himself. She shook her head, and put her hand against his mouth.
"Shh," she said. May felt his lips part slightly under her touch. "Don't worry about it."
"I was gone three-fourths the time! This baby was born, and I wasn't even here!"
"There's a lot of babies born without their daddies being there!" May tried to knock some sense into Ash.
"But they weren't there for a big reason; I wasn't here because of how pathetically weak I am!" Ash sank to the floor in a heap. May gave Minerva to a nurse and hopped down. She embraced him tightly.
"You aren't weak, Ash." she said softly, "You're quite the opposite."
"Prove it." It was obvious that, for some reason, Ash's confidence had dropped.
"Er." May couldn't think of anything. Ash looked at her.
"See?" he said, getting up and walking out. May sat there, bewildered at his behavior. She got up, and took Minerva again.
"Hello?" May looked up.
"What?" she asked, "Grace?"
"That's me," Grace said, "What's her name?"
"Minerva."
"Minerva.? Nice. Can I hold her?" she asked. May looked at her, and hesitantly gave the bundle to Grace. She looked up at May from the little face of Minerva.
"Uh, Grace, please give Minerva back." May said.
"Oh, I can't! I can't! She's too adorable to part from her!" Grace said. May frowned.
"That's nice, but, please, give her back!" May said. Grace looked evilly at her.
"Sorry, but, you remember your advise to me?" Grace asked. May frowned. Their conversation echoed in her head:
"You want a baby?"
"Duh!"
"Well, uh. Oh! Why don't you let, uh, let Ash have the child with someone else, and he let you adopt it?"
"That's an.odd idea, but logical, in a way. Well, let me think it over a few minutes. Go talk to Jessie or something for a few moments."
May looked at Grace. "But, the problem is, Ash ain't here," she commented slyly.
Grace realized that too. "Ah, but he is somewhere in this hospital!"
"I dunno. He left before you came, and isn't feeling very good about himself at the moment," May told her.
"Well, I think I'll take Minerva on a walk. Chow." Grace ran out.
"GRACE! GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!!!!" May yelled. Grace dead stopped. She turned her head and looked at May.
"Ha." She laughed. "Never."
A nurse saw that May was very angry about something. She trotted over, and pulled on her arm. "Mrs. Ketchum, you are suppose to rest!" she squeaked.
"But, Min-"
"Now, now! You need rest! I'm sure Minerva will be taken care of!" she said. May screamed at her to shut up.
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! MY BABY IS BEING KIDNAPPED!!"
"No, she is probably being taken to the nursery," the nurse cringed.
"No, no," May shook her head. She did feel tired, and had very little strength left in her. Her chances against Grace were very bad.
The nurse got her in bed, and left. When she had left, May smirked slightly. Knowing she had already made a scene, she added to it by screaming, at the top of her lungs, "ASH! AAAAASSSSSSHHHHH! HEEEELLLLLPPP!"
She heard chaos outside. Then, a strong voice said, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"Mr. Ketchum, she needs to rest!" a bunch of people tried to convince him.
"YOU CALL HER SCREAMING 'REST'?!?!?!?!?!"
"Ash!" Duplica walked over to him, "What's wrong?"
"They won't let me through!" he said, quieting down.
"Go!" Duplica ordered. "Go on ahead, Ash."
"Thank you!" he said. He opened the door slowly, convincing himself that something was very wrong. "May, what's wrong?"
"Ash." she looked at him, then started crying badly. He walked over and sat down next to her, holding onto her like the Earth would fall apart if he didn't.
"What's wrong? Where's Minerva?" he asked, forgetting about himself. May whipped at the tears with her sleeve, then looked at Ash.
"Well, I had Minerva (sob) and you left in a hurry, looking like you hated yourself (sob), then Grace showed up, talking about how adorable Minerva was, because (sob), as stupid as I am, I let Grace hold Minerva. She said (snifle) she couldn't give her back to me because of it. (sniffle) I told her to give the baby back to me, but she wouldn't. I tried to go after her to get Minerva, but one of the nurses stopped me, saying I needed rest. Ash, you have got to get Minerva back!" she cried.
Ash frowned at her. "But we're in a hospital! They don't allow a person to take a child out of the building unless it is the parents that are!" he said.
"Does she happen to work here or something?" May asked. Ash nodded.
"Yeah, why? Wait.oh." He stood up hurriedly. "Get some rest. I'll go look for Minerva."
"Alright, Ash." May let herself fall into the pillows, then turned and looked at Ash. "Oh, and when you find Minerva, be careful with her."
A smile appeared on him. "I know," he said, leaving to search.
Duplica walked in carefully. "Ash looked steamed," she commented.
"Yeah, I guess both of us are," May yawned.
"Why?" May told her what happened. Duplica gasped. "That is the last thing you and Ash should have to go through!"
"." May looked at her. Duplica said good-bye and left. Sleep decided to not come after all. Her thoughts revolved around wanting her baby found.
"THE HOSPITAL IS NOW LOCKING ALL DOORS EXCEPT IN EMERGINCY.." Rang over the PA.
"Come on Ash." May breathed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the door swung open.
"(weeze) I haven't had to run so fast! Dumb guard!" He grinned at her from the doorway. "How you doing?"
"I dunno. Fine, I guess," May said. She looked at him. "Well?"
Ash shook his head sadly. "Nope, nothing yet."
May frowned. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "We'll find her, Maisy Daisy."
That old nickname from when they were small children lifted her spirit up a bit. "Ash, I'm scared," she whispered.
"Shh, I know." Ash said, "Just get to sleep. When you get out of the hospital, we will look for Minerva some more." He pulled his shoes off, and shut the light off.
"Ash!" May grabbed his sleeve. They were back at the house. He pulled away from her.
"May, trust me, I know just what I'm doing!" he said, brushing past her and the pokemon.
"But-"
"I'll be back in a couple hours!" he said, climbing onto Night Breeze. He yelled at Night to go.
Knock, knock, knock. Jessie opened the door of Grace's house. It was a while later, and Night Breeze was hiding near the side of the house. "Jessie, where is Grace?" Ash asked her.
"In here," she said, escorting him through the house. She opened another door, and let him in.
"Oh, Ash!" Grace trotted over, and gave him a big hug. He pushed her away.
"Give me Minerva!" he snapped. Grace shook her head.
"No, Ash, I can't," she said. Grace saw him flinch slightly.
"And why can't you?" he asked, trying to stay calm.
"I.just can't."
- 11 -
"May, I-" Ash looked uneasy with himself. She shook her head, and put her hand against his mouth.
"Shh," she said. May felt his lips part slightly under her touch. "Don't worry about it."
"I was gone three-fourths the time! This baby was born, and I wasn't even here!"
"There's a lot of babies born without their daddies being there!" May tried to knock some sense into Ash.
"But they weren't there for a big reason; I wasn't here because of how pathetically weak I am!" Ash sank to the floor in a heap. May gave Minerva to a nurse and hopped down. She embraced him tightly.
"You aren't weak, Ash." she said softly, "You're quite the opposite."
"Prove it." It was obvious that, for some reason, Ash's confidence had dropped.
"Er." May couldn't think of anything. Ash looked at her.
"See?" he said, getting up and walking out. May sat there, bewildered at his behavior. She got up, and took Minerva again.
"Hello?" May looked up.
"What?" she asked, "Grace?"
"That's me," Grace said, "What's her name?"
"Minerva."
"Minerva.? Nice. Can I hold her?" she asked. May looked at her, and hesitantly gave the bundle to Grace. She looked up at May from the little face of Minerva.
"Uh, Grace, please give Minerva back." May said.
"Oh, I can't! I can't! She's too adorable to part from her!" Grace said. May frowned.
"That's nice, but, please, give her back!" May said. Grace looked evilly at her.
"Sorry, but, you remember your advise to me?" Grace asked. May frowned. Their conversation echoed in her head:
"You want a baby?"
"Duh!"
"Well, uh. Oh! Why don't you let, uh, let Ash have the child with someone else, and he let you adopt it?"
"That's an.odd idea, but logical, in a way. Well, let me think it over a few minutes. Go talk to Jessie or something for a few moments."
May looked at Grace. "But, the problem is, Ash ain't here," she commented slyly.
Grace realized that too. "Ah, but he is somewhere in this hospital!"
"I dunno. He left before you came, and isn't feeling very good about himself at the moment," May told her.
"Well, I think I'll take Minerva on a walk. Chow." Grace ran out.
"GRACE! GIVE ME BACK MY DAUGHTER!!!!" May yelled. Grace dead stopped. She turned her head and looked at May.
"Ha." She laughed. "Never."
A nurse saw that May was very angry about something. She trotted over, and pulled on her arm. "Mrs. Ketchum, you are suppose to rest!" she squeaked.
"But, Min-"
"Now, now! You need rest! I'm sure Minerva will be taken care of!" she said. May screamed at her to shut up.
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! MY BABY IS BEING KIDNAPPED!!"
"No, she is probably being taken to the nursery," the nurse cringed.
"No, no," May shook her head. She did feel tired, and had very little strength left in her. Her chances against Grace were very bad.
The nurse got her in bed, and left. When she had left, May smirked slightly. Knowing she had already made a scene, she added to it by screaming, at the top of her lungs, "ASH! AAAAASSSSSSHHHHH! HEEEELLLLLPPP!"
She heard chaos outside. Then, a strong voice said, "GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"Mr. Ketchum, she needs to rest!" a bunch of people tried to convince him.
"YOU CALL HER SCREAMING 'REST'?!?!?!?!?!"
"Ash!" Duplica walked over to him, "What's wrong?"
"They won't let me through!" he said, quieting down.
"Go!" Duplica ordered. "Go on ahead, Ash."
"Thank you!" he said. He opened the door slowly, convincing himself that something was very wrong. "May, what's wrong?"
"Ash." she looked at him, then started crying badly. He walked over and sat down next to her, holding onto her like the Earth would fall apart if he didn't.
"What's wrong? Where's Minerva?" he asked, forgetting about himself. May whipped at the tears with her sleeve, then looked at Ash.
"Well, I had Minerva (sob) and you left in a hurry, looking like you hated yourself (sob), then Grace showed up, talking about how adorable Minerva was, because (sob), as stupid as I am, I let Grace hold Minerva. She said (snifle) she couldn't give her back to me because of it. (sniffle) I told her to give the baby back to me, but she wouldn't. I tried to go after her to get Minerva, but one of the nurses stopped me, saying I needed rest. Ash, you have got to get Minerva back!" she cried.
Ash frowned at her. "But we're in a hospital! They don't allow a person to take a child out of the building unless it is the parents that are!" he said.
"Does she happen to work here or something?" May asked. Ash nodded.
"Yeah, why? Wait.oh." He stood up hurriedly. "Get some rest. I'll go look for Minerva."
"Alright, Ash." May let herself fall into the pillows, then turned and looked at Ash. "Oh, and when you find Minerva, be careful with her."
A smile appeared on him. "I know," he said, leaving to search.
Duplica walked in carefully. "Ash looked steamed," she commented.
"Yeah, I guess both of us are," May yawned.
"Why?" May told her what happened. Duplica gasped. "That is the last thing you and Ash should have to go through!"
"." May looked at her. Duplica said good-bye and left. Sleep decided to not come after all. Her thoughts revolved around wanting her baby found.
"THE HOSPITAL IS NOW LOCKING ALL DOORS EXCEPT IN EMERGINCY.." Rang over the PA.
"Come on Ash." May breathed. Just as she was about to fall asleep, the door swung open.
"(weeze) I haven't had to run so fast! Dumb guard!" He grinned at her from the doorway. "How you doing?"
"I dunno. Fine, I guess," May said. She looked at him. "Well?"
Ash shook his head sadly. "Nope, nothing yet."
May frowned. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "We'll find her, Maisy Daisy."
That old nickname from when they were small children lifted her spirit up a bit. "Ash, I'm scared," she whispered.
"Shh, I know." Ash said, "Just get to sleep. When you get out of the hospital, we will look for Minerva some more." He pulled his shoes off, and shut the light off.
"Ash!" May grabbed his sleeve. They were back at the house. He pulled away from her.
"May, trust me, I know just what I'm doing!" he said, brushing past her and the pokemon.
"But-"
"I'll be back in a couple hours!" he said, climbing onto Night Breeze. He yelled at Night to go.
Knock, knock, knock. Jessie opened the door of Grace's house. It was a while later, and Night Breeze was hiding near the side of the house. "Jessie, where is Grace?" Ash asked her.
"In here," she said, escorting him through the house. She opened another door, and let him in.
"Oh, Ash!" Grace trotted over, and gave him a big hug. He pushed her away.
"Give me Minerva!" he snapped. Grace shook her head.
"No, Ash, I can't," she said. Grace saw him flinch slightly.
"And why can't you?" he asked, trying to stay calm.
"I.just can't."