I don't know how long I slept, but when I wake again, the sun is shining brightly through the white lace curtains. A snoring sound causes me to glance over at the chair next to my bed where I find Samuel is curled up there, sound asleep.

Poor man, I think as I watch him sleep. His head is cocked to one side, his hair is sticking out in all directions, his clothes are all rumpled, and he hasn't shaved in a while.

Then again, I probably don't look much better. But at least now I don't feel quite as bad as I did before. Besides, I can't lie in bed forever – I have too many things to do.

And the first thing I'm going to do is get something to eat, I decide as my stomach growls. I can't remember the last time I ate. Carefully, I slide out of bed, not wanting to wake Samuel. But the moment I stand up, my legs won't hold me and I feel myself falling…falling…

---

"Delia? Delia, can you hear me?"

Slowly, I open my eyes and I see Samuel, who looks like he's ready to kill me, hovering over me.

"What…what happened?" I murmur as I realize that I'm lying on the floor.

"You got out of bed and passed out again," Samuel growls as he helps me sit up. "The thud you made when you hit the floor woke me up."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you," I apologize when I see the anger in his eyes.

"Do you have any idea how frightened I was when I woke up and saw you lying there on the floor? My God, I thought you had fallen out of bed and hit your head or something." He brushes aside my hair and inspects my forehead. "Doesn't look like anything's bruised."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just that I was so hungry, and I wanted to go downstairs and make something for us to eat."

"Next time, wake me when you want to get out of bed," he admonishes as he helps me to my feet. My legs buckle again. "Look at you. You can barely stand." He helps me back into bed. "Do you think you can handle some tea and toast?"

"I think so."

"Be back in a moment," he says as he stretches his back and heads for the door. "And don't get out of that bed again, understand?"

I nod as he disappears down the hall. I lean back on my pillow, but I don't feel like sleeping now. I'm feeling restless – I've got to get up and get moving again. I hear the phone ring downstairs, but remembering Samuel's warning, I'm not going to get up and answer it. A few minutes later, Samuel, with a tray in hand, comes back into the room.

"Here," he says as he places the tray on my lap. "Go easy at first. You'll get sick if you eat too much too fast."

I pick up the cup of hot tea and take a sip. As soon as I swallow I can feel the energy flowing back into my body. "Who was that on the phone while you were downstairs?"

"Officer Jenny again. She said that they were planning a memorial service for the families tomorrow."

The realization hits me that there's not only Ash to consider. Other people lost their children, brothers, and sisters, too. "Those poor people. Their families must be devastated. I know that Ash mentioned that Misty had three older sisters, but he never said anything about her parents. And he told me that Brock had ten little brothers and sisters – those poor children. Did Officer Jenny say anything about the other two people that were on the ship with Ash and his friends?"

"Only that their names were Jessie and James and that they were members of Team Rocket. Delia, speaking of families, don't you think you should get in touch with…Ash's father?"

I drop my toast. "No! I can't do that!"

"Delia, I don't know what happened between you and Ash's father, but don't you think he has a right to know about what happened to his son?"

I shake my head violently. "No, Samuel. No. I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because…because Ash's father doesn't know that he has a son."

Samuel stares at me in confusion. "Delia, I don't understand. You told me once that Ash's father was on a Pokémon training journey."

I take a deep breath and look him in the eye. "Samuel, since you trusted me enough to share your secret with me, I'm going to share my secret with you. Ash's father…he's not a Pokémon trainer."

"He's not?"

"No. I just made up that story."

"Why?"

"Because…because I didn't want anyone, especially Ash, to know the truth."

"Why not?"

"When I was younger, I got into quite a bit of trouble. I feel in love with an older man who I later learned wasn't all he said he was. When I discovered that he was doing some things – some pretty bad things – I decided to leave him."

"That must've taken a lot of courage to leave someone like that."

"But after I left him, I discovered that I was pregnant with his child. Since he - Ash's father - is a very powerful man, I was afraid that he might come after me and take Ash away. So when I came back here to Pallet Town, I made up a story that I had been briefly married, but Ash's father had decided to go away on a Pokémon training journey. When Ash got older, I told him the same story. I didn't want him to know the truth about his real father."

Samuel reaches for my hand. "Delia, who is Ash's father? I won't tell anyone, I promise."

"Ash's father is the head of Team Rocket. His name is Giovanni."

Samuel's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "You…you were involved with Team Rocket?"

I lower my head in shame. "Yes. But Giovanni told me that it was just the 'family business'. I can't believe how naïve I was. When I learned what he was really up to, that's when I left him. But now…at least now I don't have to worry about Giovanni taking Ash away from me ever again."

"Oh, Delia," Samuel says as he squeezes my hand comfortingly.

"I'm…I'm okay, Samuel," I say as I push aside the tray. "I've done enough crying for a while. Right now, I've got to get up and get things ready for the service tomorrow. Besides, you need to go home and take care of your Pokémon."

"Don't worry about that. My research assistants are taking care of them. I'm going to stay here as long as you need me to."

I reach over and touch his unshaven cheek. "Thank you, Samuel." I move over in the bed. "Why don't you lie down and get some sleep while I take a shower? Your back must be killing you from sleeping in that chair."

"Delia, are you sure you can get up by yourself?" He hovers close to me as I stand up.

"Yes, I'm sure. The food helped a lot." I give him a gentle push towards the bed. "Get some sleep."

I go into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. I look horrible. Red, puffy eyes, my makeup is smeared all over my face, and my hair is flying in all different directions.

"Pull yourself together, Delia," I tell my reflection in the mirror. "Ash would be pretty horrified if he saw you now." I catch a glance of Samuel, who has already fallen asleep on the bed, and, strangely, feel a renewed sense of purpose.

Despite everything, life must go on. And rather than stop living, at least now I feel as if I do have a reason to go on.

To be continued…