Broken
Romance/Angst- PG13
Summary: "The world breaks and afterward many are strong at the broken
places." Misty struggles to embark and overcome one of the hardest
fights mankind ever has to face. AAMR included.
--
For as long as she could remember she had always been a healthy
person. She had the common colds and flu bugs that kids always
experienced in her childhood but nothing serious or out of the ordinary.
When she first started getting sick, she had brushed it off as nothing.
It was just a simple result from the tiredness she had usually been
experiencing lately. But the truth was she had been tired for a long
time. Everyday had become an agonizing task for her for her to get
through. In a short distance she would have normally been able to walk
without any concern, required a break so she could sit and rest. Her
constant varying sicknesses combined with her always aching limbs slowed them
down as well. She had been in complete agony inside but as usual on the
outside she put up her tough act. She went about everyday just like she
normally would and tried as hard as she could to assure her friends she was
fine. She hid her secret very well, or at least that's what she thought.
They caught on eventually as she feared they would. At first they bought
her tiny excuses of not getting enough sleep or that she would be fine in the
morning, but soon they noticed the same excuses being used over and over again
as a feeble attempt to keep them from worrying. She was not one who
easily admitted when she needed help, they all knew that. They discussed
her privately as their worry grew for their female companion. Something
wasn't right and it was not until the day she nearly fainted in the middle of
the forest that they made an attempt to do something about it.
She had begged and pleaded them and tried to assure them that once again it was
nothing but her excuses were now in vain for they had seen enough. They
dragged her to the nearest hospital, it being the only place where medical
assist for humans was available. The doctor who had looked at her was
given her cell phone number and said he would call in several days when the
test results were in. It was that day he called back that had changed her
life forever.
When she hung up her phone nothing but utter shock ran through her body.
Her expression remained an emotionless mask of disbelief until she realized how
this would affect others as well. On trembling legs, she managed to bring
herself back to the hotel room they were staying in at the time. Her
friends sat on the floor engrossed in a video game that lit up the
television. Her surprise was soon replaced by fear as she desperately
tried to search for words to explain the news to them. And it hurt her
even more because of her two best friends sitting there, one of them was the
love of her life that she had been with for the past two years.
She sat herself down on the edge one of the beds behind them, muttering a quick
greeting. Her state was unnoticed by the two boys and she took the
opportunity to begin to plan the devastating speech she would momentarily have
to give. Her boyfriend turned around to make a comment to her and it was
then that he noticed her shaking hands and the fact that she was quietly
murmuring to herself. He dropped the game controller and sat on the
opposite bed's edge to face her, instantly asking her what was wrong. A
question she had been asked so many times during the past few months she would
finally be able to answer with the cold, hard truth. It was that truth
that caused her to suddenly burst into unstoppable tears.
Their other friend noticed this and quickly went to join them upon seeing his
male friend desperately trying to console his female one. After several
moments of sobbing into her lover's arms, she gulped trying to find the words
that she would be crushed to hear coming from either one of them to her.
Staring straight into the pools of chocolate brown eyes of her one and only
love she spoke of the news she had just been given.
A deafening silence overtook the room as the two of them experienced the shock
she had at first. The silence was broken harshly by the youngest one as
he shook his head fiercely denying what his she had informed him of. She
quietly tried to convince him it was true but once again he refused to believe
it. His common sense finally kicked in when he saw his older friend's
face draining of color next to him and the pained expression and tear stained
cheek of his girlfriend. His angry ranting ceased at a halt as he sat
back down on the bed staring blankly at the floor. She slowly brought a
hand up to his cheek feeling him tremble along with her. He then looked
up to match her gaze and placed his own hand over the one she had rested on his
cheek. As he slowly came to the realization and was able to comprehend
what he had just learned he hung his head and began to sob lowly, tears
cascading his handsome face. For it was at that moment, that his world
was shattered into a million pieces... along with his heart.
She had to watch more people she cared about crumble beneath her news as she
delivered it to them. She faced her family falling apart once again in
front of her eyes as she sat them down and informed them. It was then
when the distinct characteristic of each one of her sisters were exaggerated
along with their grief. Her eldest sister, always strong and protective,
had riddled herself with any guilt she felt responsible for instead of bringing
herself to shed the unshed tears bottled up inside her. Her second eldest
sister the sweet and sensitive one of the four, locked herself in her room when
she first found out, crying every last tear she possibly had inside of her.
As then of course there was her youngest eldest sister, the free spirited of
the bunch who was always getting in trouble for her crazy tactics. She
had felt nothing but anger as she listed to the news her only younger sister
had given to her. She was angry at the world, angry at her, but most of
all she was angry at the fact that another family member could be taken from
her.
Her boyfriend's mother, whom she considered as her own, had cried when she
found out. She cried for herself, she cried for the girl whom she had
practically taken in as a daughter, and she cried for her son whom she had
never seen more distraught then ever. She passed the news on to others
close to them and they too had the same reaction. It was truly a tragedy;
a tragedy that the young girl knew that she was the center of.
--
And now as Misty Waterflower sat on the bathroom floor in the Cerulean gym,
reflecting on the past events that had led up to where she was currently, she
had never felt more helpless in her life. She remained leaning against
the bathtub, breathing heavily, waiting for the effects of chemotherapy to
begin once again. The 'treatment' her body had to experience over the
past few months seemed anything but that. She had overgone radiation,
blood tests, bone marrow samples, spinal taps, and every other form of modern
medicine. Her body had been poked, pricked, and cut until she couldn't
take it anymore emotionally and physically. As much as the doctors and
her friends and family tried to assure her that there still was hope, she
herself had come to the conclusion that she was not going to survive the cancer
which had taken her.
Misty ran a hand through her crimson locks which were miraculously still
there. It was probably the only one of her distinguished trademarks that
remained. Her blue eyes had dulled along with her rosy cheeks and now
rested on her skin even paler than it had been before. She had been
crippled on the outside as well as in. Her exuberance and zest for life
was gone and replaced with complete and utter shame for the state she had been
resulted into.
The sound of the bathroom door opening jolted her from her thoughts.
"Daisy, I said I was fine!" she called out in a strangled whisper as
she tried to throw her weak voice across the room to her sister who had been
knocking on the door for nearly an hour. She looked up to find that her
assumption had been wrong and to see Ash Ketchum standing in the doorway pained
by how he found her. The tiniest of smiles formed on Misty's face as she
saw the object of her desire slowly approaching her.
He returned the grin and seated himself next her on the cold tile ground.
They sat in silence for several minutes. She leaned against his shoulder,
needing to feel the warmth of his body near hers because frankly, be was the
only thing that kept her from giving up completely. Brock, Tracey, her
sisters, Delia, Professor Oak, and all their other close friends were always
there for support but it was the one she was in love with who she would allow
to provide the comfort she needed. Ash was the only one who could bring
her back from going over the edge, and the only one who she would let keep her
from going over.
"We have to stop meeting like this," he commented lightly, trying to
make a joke.
"It isn't the most idealistic setting is it?" Misty inquired, sighing
as well.
"Hey." He looked down and tilted her chin so she firmly
understood what he was saying. "As long as I'm with you, I don't
care where I am," he stated, leaning to kiss her forehead.
"Now, come on, where's that smile?"
She looked downcast, sadness filling her even in his presence. "I
can't exactly seem to find it anymore," she whispered, averting her pained
expression towards him.
"Myst," he spoke quietly. "Don't be like this."
"Don't be like what? What, am I supposed to be happy and at peace
with the fact that I'm dying?" she spat out bitterly.
Ash winced at her question. "You're not going to die," he told
her, trying to sound as certain as he could.
This time her tone did not hold bitterness, sadness did. "You don't
understand, I know I am. It's something you can feel inside you, I can't
explain it.." she trailed off, her lower lip quivering.
"Misty," he murmured quietly, brushing the back of his fingertips on
the side of her face. "You have to keep trying, keep fighting.. and
you'll get better."
She shifted her weight from her arm around him and sat up for they were facing
one another. "I am tired, and I hurt, and everything I have ever
known is gone." Her voice broke as she began to lose her
composure. "I hurt and I can't do this anymore," she repeated,
her words coming out in sobs.
Ash immediately enveloped her in a hug, burying her face in his chest.
"Shh, it's okay," he whispered soothingly. "It's okay, I'm
here, I'm here.." He held her in his arms for a long time, keeping him so
close to her that they appeared to the human eye as one. Their grief was
equal, as was their fear of losing each other as they sat on the floor, tears
running down both of their faces.
--
Four weeks later Misty lay in a hospital bed trying as hard as she could to
accept the truth she had wanted to deny for so long. But the inevitable
had finally came, at eighteen years old she was going to die. This news
had not been as hard on her along with everyone as it had been when they first
learned she was sick. Everyone knew that eventually it was going to
happen and there was not a thing anyone could do to prevent it.
As much as Ash tried, he still had not been able to accept the fact that sooner
or later she was going to leave him. It was something so unbearable for
him, that actually comprehending and understanding it was more than
devastating. He knew that he was going to have to face life without
Misty, something he hadn't done for over eight years and that was what scared
him more than anything.
The harsh reality dawned on him once again as he walked into the hospital room
he had grown so accustomed with, Brock joining him in his entry as well.
As usual she lay there asleep like normal, her blue eyes closed to the world
around her. As Ash reached her bedside, he leaned forward lightly
pressing a kiss on her lips, causing her to awake. A smile formed on her
face and the slightest bit of hope gleamed in her eyes as she saw him.
"Hey, beautiful," he whispered to her, stroking a lone finger down
her porcelain cheek.
"Hey," she greeted him back, her voice hardly audible. She
looked to his side to see Brock approaching them. "Hey, Brock,"
she smiled.
"Hi, Myst," he softly replied.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Ash casually asked her.
Over the past month he had been spending as much time with her as possible, visiting
her every day. Her strength had diminished to the point where she could
barley keep her eyes open at times. He talked to her, read to her, fed
her, and did everything he could just to let her know that he was at her side.
Misty's eyes drifted to the slightly open window on the side wall, sunlight
pouring through it. A small peaceful grin enveloped her face momentarily
replacing her sadness as she thought of the countless adventures they spent in
the great outdoors. She needed to feel that again.
"I want to go outside," she murmured, her eyes silently begging them
to meet her request. "Please?" she requested quietly.
Ash brushed a few strands of hair off her face before lightly kissing her
forehead. "Anything you want, baby."
--
Ash carried Misty into the garden near the west exit of the hospital and Brock
followed closely behind holding the IV trolley. They stopped at an open grassy
field area and Ash slowly lowered Misty to the ground spreading his legs on
each side of her as he seated himself behind her. Brock sat beside them
watching the scene before him, Misty rested her head on Ash's shoulder as she
fell into a half-sleeping state. The two of them seemed so peaceful, so
serene, and if she had been wearing something other than a hospital gown and
robe, they would have seen like the perfect couple in love without anything
tearing them apart.
They remained like that for nearly an hour as Misty drifted in and out of sleep
trying her hardest to hold up an end of a conversation, but failing most of the
time. She fell asleep again in the middle of a sentence but this time
after five minutes she opened her eyes to face them both
"Ash, Brock," she whispered suddenly, arising from her temporary
slumber.
"Yeah, baby?" Ash asked, nuzzling her ear lobe.
"Will you remember me?"
They both froze at her question, unable to find an answer from their
mouths. Brock recovered first and he smiled reassuringly at her, grasping
her hand in his.
"How could we ever forget?" he simply inquired toward her.
"Even years later when I'm gone and you guys are all grown up?" she
questioned sounding somewhat anxious.
"Always."
Misty grinned at him. "You know, Brock, I really don't know what I
would have done without you. You were the only one able to keep me going,
make me feel better at some of the worst of times. Thank you for
that." Brock just nodded, moving a strand of hair behind her ear as
she continued. "You're one of the best people I know, just make sure
when you find the right girl that she's the one. Don't let any woman take
you for granted because you, Brock, have the arts of a hopeless romantic and
only the best deserves to have you." Nodding once more, he leaned
over and kissed her temple.
Struggling to keep her breath labored, Misty turned her head to look up towards
Ash. "And as for you," she began in an impish manor, trying to
make light of the situation although they both knew it was impossible.
"Misty, come on, let's not talk about this, let's just enjoy this time
that we have together right now," he protested trying to hide the sinking
feeling of the inevitable coming sooner than he would ever be ready for.
"But, Ash, this is the only time we'll have together again," she
explained softly.
He had known that this moment would come. The moment where she would be
taken from him never to be returned again. But now as he came face to
face with the moment he feared the most, he could in no way be prepared for it.
"No." Ash shook his head stubbornly. He tightened his
grasp around her frail form holding her tightly, as if somehow that would keep
her soul on earth longer. "No, don't say your good-byes, not yet,
please.."
"A-Ash, you know this has to happen," she stuttered, trying to keep
her voice steady.
"I know," he murmured into her hair. "B- but, Misty, I
don't want it to happen. Please, don't do this to me.. I - I can't take
it, please." He rocked her back and forth slightly pressing kisses
to her forehead and cheeks, drawing her body even closer to him.
"This doesn't change anything. I have loved you from the second you
walked into my life and I will love you forever even until the
afterlife." She gulped, trying to swallow the lump in her
throat. "You complete me, Ash. You're my hero, my savior, my
best friend, my lover, my other half, my life, my everything.." she
trailed off, her breath becoming shorter by the minute.
"Misty, no, please, I need you, I-I won't go on without you. I can't
live, I can't wake up everyday knowing that I won't be able to see your
face. I love you so much, more than life itself, a- and if you go then
it'll be like me going with you." Ash choked a sob, finally releasing
his unshed tears as he rested his face on the side of her's.
She began to cry too as she shakily raised her limp arm to wipe his wet
cheeks. "I'm s-sorry."
"No," he shook his head furiously. "No, no, no, please,
come on, don't leave me like this, not yet..."
"W-we'll meet again.. i-in o-our dreams." Her voice was barley
audible, her face turning a ghostly white and her lips shading blue. And
with her last ounce of strength, she tilted her head upwards as her and Ash
shared their final kiss. They locked eyes afterwards, pools of aqua on
pools of brown, tears glistening in both of them. Misty opened her mouth
to speak for the last time. "I-I'm not scared." Her
eyelids fluttered slowly before closing completely, her chest arose and sank as
she breathed her final breath on her final moments on earth.
And then once again they were cursed with a deafening silence once again broken
by Ash. He buried his face into her hair, holding her still form, crying
more harder than he ever thought he possibly could. Brock, finally being
knocked out of his trance of disbelief, could not find any words to help his
distraught best friend as he held what once used to be his live
girlfriend. He slowly and shakily moved an arm around his shoulder as
they both cried for what they had lost.
--
It was exactly two days and three hours later. Dark clouds hung low
overhead, blackening a world where sunshine usually dominated as if to match
the mood of which the day held. It was the day of final goodbyes.. the
funeral.
It was eerily quiet, the only sound being heard were the usual sobs in the
audience being muffled by the priest's words. Throughout it all, Ash
heard nothing but the shattering of his heart like he first had when he
discovered the news that would result in what he was facing
presently. Her sisters remained seated next to one another, all
three sobbing their hearts out for the sister they had lost. Delia was
crying as well, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief while keeping a death grip
on her son's hand. The occasional sobs escaped Tracey as well as Brock,
who had his hand rested on Ash's shoulder, trying to provide him support.
Ash was oblivious to all of this though. His face stained with tears as
his fixated gaze remained on the pure white coffin in front of him as an
inanimate reminder of his everlasting grief. As they lowered her coffin
into the earth, he turned to bury his head in his mother's shoulder, his body
trembling with unreleased sobs. The gentle arms that held him, provided
only the slightest comfort to the eternal pain he would hold inside
forever. The priest's final words drifted to his ears as he disappeared
and infiltrated his subconscious as he agreed so strongly with the cold harsh
reality he was stating.
"When someone is taken from you suddenly, there are no goodbyes."
The immense crushing pain grew numb in Ash's chest because as they buried his
love, it was as if a huge piece of his heart was buried with him. She had
fought the fight with every last remaining piece of strength she had, but to
Ash the struggle that she went through.. was not only a fight. It was a
battle, a battle that had taken his only love away from him and filled him with
nothing but utter despair. It was at that moment that he had never felt
more alone in his life, for without Misty, he was in pieces. He was
broken.. and would be forever.
Fin.
