Chapter 5: A Hero Emerges
It was about 3 a.m. when Dr. Adams got the results from the tests on Ash's friends and family to see if any of them could possibly be a partial liver donor for him. He was hoping that they had found a match.
"Here are the results on those blood tests you took earlier regarding one of your patients, doctor." The young nurse said.
"Thank you. Now let's see what we have here. Hmm. Okay. Yes! I knew this was a good idea. We have a perfect match. One of Ash's friends is a match for a transplant for him. This is terrific. Exactly what I was hoping for." Dr. Adams exclaimed.
"Should we tell them now?"
"Not now. I'll tell them in the morning." Dr. Adams decided.
"That is a good idea." The nurse smiled and disappeared down the hallway.
"Tomorrow is going to be a great day." Dr. Adams smiled to himself as he went on with his rounds.
* * * * *
Gary woke up around 4:15 and couldn't get back to sleep so he decided to go and find a quiet place to think about things. As he was heading out the door, a soft prodding at his right leg drew his attention.
"Umbreon." (Wait.) Gary's dark type Pokemon was following behind him, not wanting to be left behind.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up Umbreon. I just needed to take a walk or something to think and clear my head. Wanna come with me?" Gary reached down and patted Umbreon's head.
"Umbre." (Yeah.) Umbreon said quietly as he followed closely behind his trainer.
"Thanks for coming this far Umbreon. I know this isn't much of a place for Pokemon. I really feel for Pikachu in this too. I know how he feels and how close he is to Ash because I've had you since you were an Eevee." Gary said.
"Umbreon umbre." (I know.) Umbreon agreed sadly as he walked over to where Gary had sat down in the hallway and placed his head on Gary's leg.
"What are you doing out here in the hall?" Tracey asked as he came up on Gary.
"I could ask you the same question. Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Gary whispered.
"Nah. I had way too much on my mind. This thing with Ash is really weighing on me." Tracey said.
"Yeah." Gary hung his head a little. "Me, too."
"Is something wrong, Tracey? Seems like there's something else on your mind than just Ash's situation." Gary pressed.
"Well, you're partly right. Actually what's been on my mind since we got here has something to do with Ash's situation." Tracey sighed.
"What are you talking about? I don't get it." Gary asked, clearly confused.
"I mean that I feel responsible for Ash's being here in the hospital. If I hadn't agreed to battle him then he wouldn't have overexerted himself and he never would have passed out. I just can't get this guilt out of my head." Tracey whispered.
"Why do you feel like that? You didn't make Ash have a weak liver. His being sick has nothing to do with you guys having a battle this afternoon." Gary sounded shocked.
"I don't know why I feel guilty but I do know that it's a very sickening feeling. To think I may be even a little responsible for this." Tracey shook his head.
"Tracey, let me tell you something. If you were responsible for anything, you were responsible for possibly saving Ash's life. If Ash hadn't collapsed and been brought here, no one would have known about the problem and it would have eventually killed him." Gary insisted.
"Yeah. I guess I never thought about that. Thanks, Gary." Tracey smiled as he clapped Gary on the back.
"No problem. Sometimes when bad things happen it's hard to think about all sides of a situation." Gary smiled in return.
"You know something? I really believe that you aren't all bad like you kept wanting everyone to believe. The person I'm talking to isn't the same Gary that kept harassing Ash all the time." Tracey commented.
"Well I was dumb and arrogant back then. I've changed a whole lot since then."
"Hey, why don't we get back to the others. By now someone's probably realized we left and they might be looking for us." Tracey suggested as he started down the hall.
"Good idea. Come on Umbreon." Gary replied as he went down the hallway after Tracey, his Pokemon at his side.
* * * * *
Back in the lounge, Carla woke up and was slightly alarmed to find Tracey was gone. She knew that he had been upset the night before and she figured he must have gone for a walk but it startled her because she didn't know where he was.
"I wonder where Tracey went." Carla whispered to herself.
A little while later, the others woke up and it soon became obvious that Carla was concerned about something.
"Hey, Carla. Is something on your mind? You've been really quiet this morning." Delia asked.
"I'm okay I guess. It's just that I can't figure out where Tracey is. He was gone when I woke up about fifteen minutes ago and he hasn't come back yet. He was a little upset last night after everything that's happened and it worries me." Carla admitted.
"Well, now that you mention it I don't see Gary around here either. He must have left for something because his Umbreon is gone too." Professor Oak observed.
"So that's probably your answer, Carla. If Tracey is gone and so is Gary it's probably safe to assume that they're in the same place." Brock deducted.
"Yeah, Brock's right. They're probably together someplace." Angelica agreed.
Less than a minute later, Tracey and Gary came walking into the room and were greeted happily by their friends who were obviously wondering where they had been.
"Hey, everybody." Gary said.
"Where have you guys been?" Carla asked, going to Tracey's side and hugging him.
"I couldn't get back to sleep earlier so I went into the hall to find a quiet place to think and Tracey ended up running into me a few minutes later and we were talking and lost track of time." Gary explained.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really didn't mean to scare you or upset you." Tracey whispered as he pulled Carla to him and kissed her lightly.
"I figured you were around here somewhere but it alarmed me because you got so upset last night. I wasn't as worried when Professor Oak realized that Gary wasn't here either and Brock guessed that you guys might have been together." Carla replied as she leaned into Tracey's arms.
"Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Brock asked.
"Yeah. I have an idea. Why don't we go and get something to eat and then we'll look in on Ash and Misty." Professor Oak suggested.
"I'm for that. Let's go." Delia agreed as she followed her husband out followed by the others.
* * * * *
In the hospital room where she had spent the night, Misty woke and realized that she had fallen asleep by Ash's side. She stood up and stretched out her back that was a little stiff from sleeping in a chair all night. Then she sat back down in the chair next to the bed where Ash was still sleeping. Misty managed a small smile when she saw this because when he was asleep Ash seemed at peace with the whole situation that he was facing.
"No. He's not facing this thing alone. We're going to face it together." Misty quietly corrected herself as she took Ash's hand.
Just then, Ash stirred and slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed that Misty was sitting beside him and Pikachu was sleeping near his head, Ash smiled.
"Hi." Ash whispered.
"Good morning. You look like you slept okay. I didn't wake you, did I?" Misty smiled.
"No, you didn't wake me. Actually I did sleep okay seeing where we are. You haven't left since last night, have you?" Ash wondered.
"Of course I haven't. After all you went through yesterday a herd of wild Tauros couldn't have dragged me away. I knew that you needed me. I love you more than anything and as long as I have control of the situation I will not leave your side." Misty answered with determination in her voice.
"I love you so much, Misty. It means a lot to me that you're here because I know it isn't easy for you. I know that hospitals freak you out quite a bit." Ash kissed his wife's hand and looked into Misty's blue eyes.
"You're right but the only thing on my mind right now is being here for you." Misty forced herself to smile through her fear as she hugged Ash to her.
"Pika pika, Pikapi." (Good morning, Ash.) Pikachu said as he woke up and climbed into Ash's lap.
"Hey, Pikachu. What did I do to deserve such a great Pokemon? Being late to get my first Pokemon was the best thing I ever did." Ash said quietly as Misty looked on.
"Pi pika Pikachu chu pika pi pika pi." (You deserve me because you are a super trainer.) Pikachu replied as he jumped into Ash's arms for a big hug.
A few minutes later, Dr. Adams walked into the room and smiled at the couple. Ash and Misty could both tell by the look on the doctor's face that the news he had for them was good.
"Hello, Ash. Hi, Misty. How are you feeling this morning, Ash?" Dr. Adams asked as he approached Ash's bed, shaking his hand and patting Pikachu.
"I'm feeling a lot better this morning, thanks." Ash smiled.
"You were smiling about something when you came in. Does it have anything to do with the tests you ran yesterday to see if any of us is a match for Ash?" Misty asked hopefully.
"Actually, yes it does. You don't miss anything, do you?" Dr. Adams laughed a little.
"Not that I know of. So what did you find out?" Misty asked again.
"Well, I do have some good news. Would you like to have your friends here before I tell you the results?" Dr. Adams offered and Ash nodded.
"I'll go get them." Misty offered. "Do you know where they are, Dr. Adams?"
"Yes. I saw them heading down to the cafeteria a few minutes ago."
"Thanks." Misty called over her shoulder as she took off running out the door and down the hallway.
* * * * *
Down in the cafeteria, the small group had just finished getting something to eat when Tracey happened to catch a glimpse of something, or rather someone, running down the hall.
"Hey, there's Misty." Tracey said.
"Misty! We're over here!" Gary called out.
"Oh. I'm really glad I found you. Come back to Ash's room with me right now. It's important." Misty exclaimed breathlessly.
"Why? What's wrong, Misty?" Delia asked terrified as Professor Oak clutched her hand.
"Dr. Adams has the results now and he says its good news and Ash wants to have all of us there." Misty beamed hopefully.
"Great! Let's go." Brock said as they all dashed after Misty back to Ash's room.
Once they all got back to Ash's room and Ash laughed as he saw them all try to squeeze in the small door at the same time which resulted in their falling through and ending up in a pile on the floor.
"If you guys don't be careful I'll have more than just one patient." Dr. Adams quipped as the other picked themselves up off of the floor.
"What are the results? Do we have a match for Ash?" Professor Oak voiced the question that Delia was afraid to ask.
"As a matter of fact, we do. We have a perfect match who can be a partial donor for Ash if they are willing." Dr. Adams smiled.
"Pika!" (Yeah!) Pikachu cried as he happily jumped up and down on the bed.
"Thank God. We have a good chance to get through this." Misty sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"So who's a match?" Gary spoke up.
"Well, this person has to be brave enough to step up to the plate and take a slight risk and make a sacrifice. This will be a very heroic move." Dr. Adams paused and turned to look straight at Brock. "So what do you think, son? Are you up for being a hero."
"Am I a match for Ash?" Brock asked in shock.
"Yes. You were the only one who matched him. So are you willing to be a partial donor for your friend." Dr. Adams asked again.
"Yeah. Let's do it. I'll do anything it takes to get Ash back to 100% as soon as possible." Brock said without hesitation.
"Thanks Brock. I really appreciate your willingness to do this." Ash said as he smiled at his long time friend.
"I agree. We'll never forget this, Brock." Misty cried as she gave Brock a hug.
"Great. We can go ahead with this tomorrow morning. That way you can both have today to prepare for everything." Dr. Adams said.
"Sounds like a plan. But can I ask one favor, Dr. Adams?" Ash asked.
"Of course."
"Well, I was wondering if it would be possible since I'm feeling fine for me to go home for today and spend today with my wife and the rest of my family and friends? Then we can come back in the morning and get the ball rolling. This means a lot to me." Ash was sounding very hopeful.
"Since you seem much better than when you were brought in yesterday I don't see why not. It couldn't hurt anything." Dr. Adams smiled as he rang for a nurse to come and prepare Ash to be released.
A short time later, Ash was ready to leave the hospital and they all went to Ash and Misty's to spend some time with all of them together as they prepared for the partial donation and transplant that Ash and Brock were going to be going through the next day. The outlook was suddenly much brighter than it had 24 hours earlier.
It was about 3 a.m. when Dr. Adams got the results from the tests on Ash's friends and family to see if any of them could possibly be a partial liver donor for him. He was hoping that they had found a match.
"Here are the results on those blood tests you took earlier regarding one of your patients, doctor." The young nurse said.
"Thank you. Now let's see what we have here. Hmm. Okay. Yes! I knew this was a good idea. We have a perfect match. One of Ash's friends is a match for a transplant for him. This is terrific. Exactly what I was hoping for." Dr. Adams exclaimed.
"Should we tell them now?"
"Not now. I'll tell them in the morning." Dr. Adams decided.
"That is a good idea." The nurse smiled and disappeared down the hallway.
"Tomorrow is going to be a great day." Dr. Adams smiled to himself as he went on with his rounds.
* * * * *
Gary woke up around 4:15 and couldn't get back to sleep so he decided to go and find a quiet place to think about things. As he was heading out the door, a soft prodding at his right leg drew his attention.
"Umbreon." (Wait.) Gary's dark type Pokemon was following behind him, not wanting to be left behind.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up Umbreon. I just needed to take a walk or something to think and clear my head. Wanna come with me?" Gary reached down and patted Umbreon's head.
"Umbre." (Yeah.) Umbreon said quietly as he followed closely behind his trainer.
"Thanks for coming this far Umbreon. I know this isn't much of a place for Pokemon. I really feel for Pikachu in this too. I know how he feels and how close he is to Ash because I've had you since you were an Eevee." Gary said.
"Umbreon umbre." (I know.) Umbreon agreed sadly as he walked over to where Gary had sat down in the hallway and placed his head on Gary's leg.
"What are you doing out here in the hall?" Tracey asked as he came up on Gary.
"I could ask you the same question. Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Gary whispered.
"Nah. I had way too much on my mind. This thing with Ash is really weighing on me." Tracey said.
"Yeah." Gary hung his head a little. "Me, too."
"Is something wrong, Tracey? Seems like there's something else on your mind than just Ash's situation." Gary pressed.
"Well, you're partly right. Actually what's been on my mind since we got here has something to do with Ash's situation." Tracey sighed.
"What are you talking about? I don't get it." Gary asked, clearly confused.
"I mean that I feel responsible for Ash's being here in the hospital. If I hadn't agreed to battle him then he wouldn't have overexerted himself and he never would have passed out. I just can't get this guilt out of my head." Tracey whispered.
"Why do you feel like that? You didn't make Ash have a weak liver. His being sick has nothing to do with you guys having a battle this afternoon." Gary sounded shocked.
"I don't know why I feel guilty but I do know that it's a very sickening feeling. To think I may be even a little responsible for this." Tracey shook his head.
"Tracey, let me tell you something. If you were responsible for anything, you were responsible for possibly saving Ash's life. If Ash hadn't collapsed and been brought here, no one would have known about the problem and it would have eventually killed him." Gary insisted.
"Yeah. I guess I never thought about that. Thanks, Gary." Tracey smiled as he clapped Gary on the back.
"No problem. Sometimes when bad things happen it's hard to think about all sides of a situation." Gary smiled in return.
"You know something? I really believe that you aren't all bad like you kept wanting everyone to believe. The person I'm talking to isn't the same Gary that kept harassing Ash all the time." Tracey commented.
"Well I was dumb and arrogant back then. I've changed a whole lot since then."
"Hey, why don't we get back to the others. By now someone's probably realized we left and they might be looking for us." Tracey suggested as he started down the hall.
"Good idea. Come on Umbreon." Gary replied as he went down the hallway after Tracey, his Pokemon at his side.
* * * * *
Back in the lounge, Carla woke up and was slightly alarmed to find Tracey was gone. She knew that he had been upset the night before and she figured he must have gone for a walk but it startled her because she didn't know where he was.
"I wonder where Tracey went." Carla whispered to herself.
A little while later, the others woke up and it soon became obvious that Carla was concerned about something.
"Hey, Carla. Is something on your mind? You've been really quiet this morning." Delia asked.
"I'm okay I guess. It's just that I can't figure out where Tracey is. He was gone when I woke up about fifteen minutes ago and he hasn't come back yet. He was a little upset last night after everything that's happened and it worries me." Carla admitted.
"Well, now that you mention it I don't see Gary around here either. He must have left for something because his Umbreon is gone too." Professor Oak observed.
"So that's probably your answer, Carla. If Tracey is gone and so is Gary it's probably safe to assume that they're in the same place." Brock deducted.
"Yeah, Brock's right. They're probably together someplace." Angelica agreed.
Less than a minute later, Tracey and Gary came walking into the room and were greeted happily by their friends who were obviously wondering where they had been.
"Hey, everybody." Gary said.
"Where have you guys been?" Carla asked, going to Tracey's side and hugging him.
"I couldn't get back to sleep earlier so I went into the hall to find a quiet place to think and Tracey ended up running into me a few minutes later and we were talking and lost track of time." Gary explained.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I really didn't mean to scare you or upset you." Tracey whispered as he pulled Carla to him and kissed her lightly.
"I figured you were around here somewhere but it alarmed me because you got so upset last night. I wasn't as worried when Professor Oak realized that Gary wasn't here either and Brock guessed that you guys might have been together." Carla replied as she leaned into Tracey's arms.
"Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Brock asked.
"Yeah. I have an idea. Why don't we go and get something to eat and then we'll look in on Ash and Misty." Professor Oak suggested.
"I'm for that. Let's go." Delia agreed as she followed her husband out followed by the others.
* * * * *
In the hospital room where she had spent the night, Misty woke and realized that she had fallen asleep by Ash's side. She stood up and stretched out her back that was a little stiff from sleeping in a chair all night. Then she sat back down in the chair next to the bed where Ash was still sleeping. Misty managed a small smile when she saw this because when he was asleep Ash seemed at peace with the whole situation that he was facing.
"No. He's not facing this thing alone. We're going to face it together." Misty quietly corrected herself as she took Ash's hand.
Just then, Ash stirred and slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed that Misty was sitting beside him and Pikachu was sleeping near his head, Ash smiled.
"Hi." Ash whispered.
"Good morning. You look like you slept okay. I didn't wake you, did I?" Misty smiled.
"No, you didn't wake me. Actually I did sleep okay seeing where we are. You haven't left since last night, have you?" Ash wondered.
"Of course I haven't. After all you went through yesterday a herd of wild Tauros couldn't have dragged me away. I knew that you needed me. I love you more than anything and as long as I have control of the situation I will not leave your side." Misty answered with determination in her voice.
"I love you so much, Misty. It means a lot to me that you're here because I know it isn't easy for you. I know that hospitals freak you out quite a bit." Ash kissed his wife's hand and looked into Misty's blue eyes.
"You're right but the only thing on my mind right now is being here for you." Misty forced herself to smile through her fear as she hugged Ash to her.
"Pika pika, Pikapi." (Good morning, Ash.) Pikachu said as he woke up and climbed into Ash's lap.
"Hey, Pikachu. What did I do to deserve such a great Pokemon? Being late to get my first Pokemon was the best thing I ever did." Ash said quietly as Misty looked on.
"Pi pika Pikachu chu pika pi pika pi." (You deserve me because you are a super trainer.) Pikachu replied as he jumped into Ash's arms for a big hug.
A few minutes later, Dr. Adams walked into the room and smiled at the couple. Ash and Misty could both tell by the look on the doctor's face that the news he had for them was good.
"Hello, Ash. Hi, Misty. How are you feeling this morning, Ash?" Dr. Adams asked as he approached Ash's bed, shaking his hand and patting Pikachu.
"I'm feeling a lot better this morning, thanks." Ash smiled.
"You were smiling about something when you came in. Does it have anything to do with the tests you ran yesterday to see if any of us is a match for Ash?" Misty asked hopefully.
"Actually, yes it does. You don't miss anything, do you?" Dr. Adams laughed a little.
"Not that I know of. So what did you find out?" Misty asked again.
"Well, I do have some good news. Would you like to have your friends here before I tell you the results?" Dr. Adams offered and Ash nodded.
"I'll go get them." Misty offered. "Do you know where they are, Dr. Adams?"
"Yes. I saw them heading down to the cafeteria a few minutes ago."
"Thanks." Misty called over her shoulder as she took off running out the door and down the hallway.
* * * * *
Down in the cafeteria, the small group had just finished getting something to eat when Tracey happened to catch a glimpse of something, or rather someone, running down the hall.
"Hey, there's Misty." Tracey said.
"Misty! We're over here!" Gary called out.
"Oh. I'm really glad I found you. Come back to Ash's room with me right now. It's important." Misty exclaimed breathlessly.
"Why? What's wrong, Misty?" Delia asked terrified as Professor Oak clutched her hand.
"Dr. Adams has the results now and he says its good news and Ash wants to have all of us there." Misty beamed hopefully.
"Great! Let's go." Brock said as they all dashed after Misty back to Ash's room.
Once they all got back to Ash's room and Ash laughed as he saw them all try to squeeze in the small door at the same time which resulted in their falling through and ending up in a pile on the floor.
"If you guys don't be careful I'll have more than just one patient." Dr. Adams quipped as the other picked themselves up off of the floor.
"What are the results? Do we have a match for Ash?" Professor Oak voiced the question that Delia was afraid to ask.
"As a matter of fact, we do. We have a perfect match who can be a partial donor for Ash if they are willing." Dr. Adams smiled.
"Pika!" (Yeah!) Pikachu cried as he happily jumped up and down on the bed.
"Thank God. We have a good chance to get through this." Misty sighed as she sat on the edge of the bed.
"So who's a match?" Gary spoke up.
"Well, this person has to be brave enough to step up to the plate and take a slight risk and make a sacrifice. This will be a very heroic move." Dr. Adams paused and turned to look straight at Brock. "So what do you think, son? Are you up for being a hero."
"Am I a match for Ash?" Brock asked in shock.
"Yes. You were the only one who matched him. So are you willing to be a partial donor for your friend." Dr. Adams asked again.
"Yeah. Let's do it. I'll do anything it takes to get Ash back to 100% as soon as possible." Brock said without hesitation.
"Thanks Brock. I really appreciate your willingness to do this." Ash said as he smiled at his long time friend.
"I agree. We'll never forget this, Brock." Misty cried as she gave Brock a hug.
"Great. We can go ahead with this tomorrow morning. That way you can both have today to prepare for everything." Dr. Adams said.
"Sounds like a plan. But can I ask one favor, Dr. Adams?" Ash asked.
"Of course."
"Well, I was wondering if it would be possible since I'm feeling fine for me to go home for today and spend today with my wife and the rest of my family and friends? Then we can come back in the morning and get the ball rolling. This means a lot to me." Ash was sounding very hopeful.
"Since you seem much better than when you were brought in yesterday I don't see why not. It couldn't hurt anything." Dr. Adams smiled as he rang for a nurse to come and prepare Ash to be released.
A short time later, Ash was ready to leave the hospital and they all went to Ash and Misty's to spend some time with all of them together as they prepared for the partial donation and transplant that Ash and Brock were going to be going through the next day. The outlook was suddenly much brighter than it had 24 hours earlier.