Story 6: Recovery (5-7-02)
Celeste opened her eyes to find herself laying on her back in a bed and staring at a white tile ceiling. She was a tad confused as to how she had gotten there. As far as she could remember, she had last remembered studying for an English class she had at the Educational Academy at Saffron. She tried to roll over on her side, but found the effort to move was very painful. A nurse by her bedside looked up from a chart she was reading beside Celeste's bed when she noticed the movement.
"Hello, my name is Nurse Ruka. Your large pokemon and Eevee brought you in here last night, you were unconscious. You seem to have suffered from a severe Pikachu attack, your body had gone into shock after having so much electricity sent through it. Your also covered with multiple Pikachu bites, scratches, and electrical burns. We're going to have to keep you here a couple days for observation, but once we're sure the shock won't set back into your system, you will be free to go." Ruka said as she stood up and adressed Celeste formally.
The memories of the recent events flooded Celeste's mind painfully. Her parent's deaths, her withdrawl from the Acadamey, her pokemon's inability to win against the weakest pokemon, and her Pikachu attack. Celeste began to cry as she realized she was currently failing as a trainer.
Ruka was rather alarmed. "What's wrong? If your wounds hurt, we can always give you some more pain medication."
"No, you've done well for me, thank you. A few days of rest are just what I need. All I ask now is that you leave me to myself for a bit while I collect my thoughts." Celeste said sadly.
"I understand how you feel. I will leave you alone now." Nurse Ruka said as she stood and bowed to Celeste before walking out of the room and shutting the door.
Celeste laid her head against the pillow and thought about her current situation. There really wasn't much she could do about it. Her parents were dead, and there really wasn't anything she could do with the 13 Eevee species they left, it wasn't like she could keep them happy at school. She couldn't even go BACK to the school until next year, since she had withdrawn. She was stuck with her weak pokemon, and there really wasn't anything she could do but train them. A tear ran down her eye as she thought of her parents and the journey that lay ahead of her to fulfill their dreams. She tried to roll over on her side again, determined that it would be more comfortable, but the pain stopped her yet again. She gave a hopeless sigh as she stared out at the beautiful afternoon through the window next to her bed.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Celeste heard a small voice ask next to her bed. She turned her head to look and saw that she was sharing her room with a small pale boy with many IV wires in his arms. He had thin, fair blonde hair, blue eyes, and a concerned expression on his face.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that I started training pokemon yesterday and I've already landed myself in the hospital and things don't seem to be going too well." Celeste said, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes so as not to alarm the small boy.
The boy's eyes lit up at the mention of Pokemon. "Really? You train pokemon? That's so awesome! My mom says when I get better, I'm allowed to train Pokemon too since my 10th birthday was awhile ago. " The boy then got a perplexed look on his face. "Say, you sure don't look ten. How's come today's only your second day of Pokemon training? How's come you didn't start when you were 10, too?"
"Well, my parent's wanted me to since they were Pokemon breeders, but I wanted to be a teacher instead, so I did that up until a couple weeks ago." Celeste said, figuring this kid didn't need to know the sob story behind it.
"A teacher?" The little boy made a face. "Don't you like training pokemon MUCH better than learning?"
"I'll tell ya, kid. Learning never put me in the hospital before."
"How'd you get hurt, anyway?" The boy asked, propping himself up on one elbow to listen to her story.
"Well, I was out training my Pokemon in Viridian Forest, and they were kinda losing and one got paralyzed, and when I was running to the Pokecenter I ran into some Pikachu, so I sent my Pokemon ahead to the center and stayed to recieve the Pikachu attack."
"Wow! You took a buncha Pikachu shocks for your Pokemon? You should be proud, not sad, to be in the hospital, your Pokemon would be dead by now if you'd have let them fight a bunch of Pikachu when they weren't winning against the other Pokemon in the forest! I wish more trainers did that, you hear a lot more stories of Pokemon abuse and overwork than you do trainers taking the blow for their Pokemon."
This made Celeste feel slightly better. Ignoring the pain, she propped herself up on one elbow as well to put herself with the same level with the boy. She continued the conversation with the charming youth.
"So kid, you never told me what YOU were in for."
"I don't really know. My stomach always hurts, and the doctors will only talk to my Mom. She says it's just my body can't handle certain foods, but they take me to the hospital a lot and I need to go through this big machine and have all sorts of stuff put into me with these tubes," He illustrated by holding up one of his IV-riddled arms, "I must have some really severe allergies, huh?" The child said with a perfect level tone and not a hint of fear in his voice.
"Wow, kid. You're a lot braver than I. I wouldn't be able to handle this on a regular basis." Celeste said with awe in her voice.
"It's nothing, I've been doing it as far back as I can remember, so it really doesn't bother me anymore."
"Say, you never told me your name, little boy."
"Hey, I'm not that much littler than you. Besides, you never told me yours, either."
"I'm Celeste. Now fair's fair, tell me yours."
"Ken. My name's Ken."
"Well Ken, it's a pleasure." Celeste tried to extend her arm out to the boy, but it caused her too much pain. She laid back down in the bed, fatigue suddenly washing over her as the severe pain subsided.
"Well, I get the gesture. Nice to meet you too, Celeste. That's such a pretty name, I've never heard it before. Sorry to have worn you out."
"No problem. I'll sleep for a bit, then see if my Pokemon are out there. The nurse said they're the ones that brought me here, so maybe you'll meet Eon."
"Eon? What kind's that?"
"Eon's my pet Eevee. It's been with me for 5 years, but it hadn't fought until yesterday. It's got a LONG way to go."
"Ok, I'd love to meet your Eevee. Just remember that when you wake up!"
"No problem." Celeste mumbled as she closed her eyes and let sleep tug at her consciousness.
She was vaguely aware of a nurse coming in and scolding Ken for waking me and overexerting himself before she drifted off. She had a vague thought that it was strange of the nurse to scold him for sitting up and talking, but she didn't have time to consider it for long before she fell asleep.
She woke up with the early morning sun in her face. Eon was sitting next to her in a chair with her pack, watching her with eager eyes. When it saw that she was awake, it squeaked happily and jumped into her arms.
"Eon! I'm so happy you're OK! Did you all three make it to the Pokecenter in time? Is Alpestreon all right?" She asked, looking into the blissful Eevee's eyes.
"Vii!" It squeaked while nodding its head.
Celeste squeezed it hard again, covering it with kisses and praises for a few minutes while both cleared their fears of the other's injuries. Celeste set the Eevee in her lap and sat up, her injuries feeling significantly better.
"How long have I been here? Did I sleep a day? Can I get out after tommorrow?" She fired questions at the Eevee, it nodding its head in response to each of her inquiries. She sighed happily.
"I'm so glad we can go back out after tommorrow! I'm ready to start training again, no matter what! Say, I want you to meet this boy over here, he really lifted my spirits yesterday when I was a little upset about us losing. His name's Ken. Hey Ken!" She turned and called to the next bed, suprised to find a curtain drawn. "My Eevee's here, didn't you want to meet it?"
There was no response from the curtain on the other side. Undaunted, Celeste sent Eon to pull the curtain aside and suprise Ken. However, when Eon pulled the curtain away, Celeste was horrified at what she saw. The little boy was laying on his side almost as white as the sheets he was laying on. He was wired to several more IVs and what appeared to be a heart monitor and several other machines to monitor his bodily functions. The boy seemed comatose. Celeste had the Eevee draw the curtain again, not wanting to look upon the poor little boy. Celeste and Eon spent the next several hours taking inventory of their supplies and making a list of stuff to buy in Viridian before setting back out into the forest. They also laid out an optimistic training scheduele to stick by for the coming weeks. While doing the scheduele, a nurse walked in to check on Ken in the next bed. While she was behind the curtain, Celeste began asking her questions.
"Excuse me, ma'am? What happened to Ken between yesterday and today? He and I were having a lively conversation, he cheered me up significantly yesterday!" She asked with a note of concern in her voice.
"Well, he shouldn't have been up talking after his treatment yesterday, regardless of how he felt. He knows better than that, and this time he should remember. His system can't take any kind of stress at those times." The nurse answered patiently.
Celeste thought of a careful way of phrasing her next question. "If you don't mind me asking, what is his condition? He really couldn't tell me anything past a severe food allergy yesterday, but it sounded a little more serious than a simple food allergy."
"That is confidential information, restricted to his parents and the treating staff." The nurse answered rudely. "I will answer no further questions about this boy, please allow me to finish my assessments."
Celeste stuck her tongue out at the curtain and returned to her Pokedex, laying out her plans and wondering when poor Ken would wake up. Ruka came in a while later to take her temperature and blood pressure and to change her dressings. Her burns were healing well and it looked as if Celeste would be let out the day after next, much to her delight. Ruka also brought her a meal, which she shared with Eon. After the two were finished and the tray put aside. The two watched a TV Ruka had put at the foot of her bed until the next meal, hoping that Ken would wake up. He never did, but the nurse's visits to his bedside became more and more frequent. Celeste ate dinner with Eon and studied her Pokedex, still hoping Ken would wake up. She gave up on him after awhile and decided to sleep, the sun having set long ago in a blaze of color that could be seen through the window.
Through the night, Celeste was awakened once by a group of doctors and nurses that had rushed into the room after several of Ken's monitors had begun making alarming noises. They quickly wheeled his bed out of the room. Celeste sat up and stared after them for awhile, wondering what could be wrong with the small, frail boy. She said a quick prayer for him before she returned to sleep, Eon tucked under one arm.
The next day she woke up and found the other side of the room vacant. She watched the sun rise silently with Eon, who was still half asleep. Ruka wheeled the breakfast tray in and began taking Celeste's vitals. Celeste decided to try her luck questioning Ruka about Ken's health.
"I was just curoius, what happened to the little boy that used to be in this room?" Asked Celeste, hoping to not get the rude response she had recieved from the other nurse.
"Oh, it's so sad. He died last night , there was nothing the doctors could do for him. His systems began to crash and the doctors had to try to perform emergency surgery, but it didn't help the poor boy. He sure was a sweet kid, a real fighter to be alive as long as he was."
Celeste felt a pang in her heart and tears sprang into her eyes. "What was wrong with him?" Celeste asked more boldly now, not fearing the wrath of a nurse.
"The poor boy, he had pancreatic cancer forever. He had to keep coming here for treatments and emergencies. His mother knew this would probably be one of his last visits, he was getting into advanced stages. Yesterday was one of the most active days the boy has had in a long time, I heard he sat up and had a lively conversation with you for a while. He hasn't been able to do that in AGES. We all thought that treatment might have worked for him maybe, but it was just his body's last little burst of energy before giving up entirely. Poor boy."
Celeste couldn't eat any meals that day. She wept openly in front of Ruka, who tried to comfort her. After Ruka left, Celeste cried into Eon. That boy had no idea what was going on with him. His mother had lied to him about his condition and had even told him he would one day be a Pokemon trainer. Celeste swore then and there that she would never lie to anyone about their chances of survival, and wished that noone would lie to her about her medical condition like that.
Her wounds didn't really hurt that badly anymore, but that physical pain was replaced with a mental anguish for the boy who had no idea he was going to die. Celeste's heart ached when she thought of all the things the boy might have liked to do before he died. She got even more upset when she realized she wouldn't be able to keep her promise of letting him see Eon. That day she was allowed out of bed and into other areas of the hospital, but she simply moped around with Eon in her arms, avoiding conversation with everyone. She went to bed that night with much difficulty in falling asleep, wondering why it was her misfortune to only be able to witness death and suffering lately. She pondered long into the night, but came up with a resolution that finally let her sleep.
The next day, she dressed, shouldered the new pack that Eon had procured for her, counted all her Pokeballs to be sure that everyone was present and accounted for, checked out of the hospital, and set off to the Pokemart with a new resolution in her heart.
Now not only would she train for her parent's dream, she would train also for the little boy who thought he was going to be a Pokemon trainer, but was lied to and had to die instead. The brave little boy who thought nothing of going to the hospital and going through cancer treatment, even though he had no idea what it was. The little boy who admired her for taking the blow for others and told her that standing up for weak pokemon was never something to be sad about. She did it for Ken now, too.
The last person on her mind when she sat out that morning was herself.
Celeste opened her eyes to find herself laying on her back in a bed and staring at a white tile ceiling. She was a tad confused as to how she had gotten there. As far as she could remember, she had last remembered studying for an English class she had at the Educational Academy at Saffron. She tried to roll over on her side, but found the effort to move was very painful. A nurse by her bedside looked up from a chart she was reading beside Celeste's bed when she noticed the movement.
"Hello, my name is Nurse Ruka. Your large pokemon and Eevee brought you in here last night, you were unconscious. You seem to have suffered from a severe Pikachu attack, your body had gone into shock after having so much electricity sent through it. Your also covered with multiple Pikachu bites, scratches, and electrical burns. We're going to have to keep you here a couple days for observation, but once we're sure the shock won't set back into your system, you will be free to go." Ruka said as she stood up and adressed Celeste formally.
The memories of the recent events flooded Celeste's mind painfully. Her parent's deaths, her withdrawl from the Acadamey, her pokemon's inability to win against the weakest pokemon, and her Pikachu attack. Celeste began to cry as she realized she was currently failing as a trainer.
Ruka was rather alarmed. "What's wrong? If your wounds hurt, we can always give you some more pain medication."
"No, you've done well for me, thank you. A few days of rest are just what I need. All I ask now is that you leave me to myself for a bit while I collect my thoughts." Celeste said sadly.
"I understand how you feel. I will leave you alone now." Nurse Ruka said as she stood and bowed to Celeste before walking out of the room and shutting the door.
Celeste laid her head against the pillow and thought about her current situation. There really wasn't much she could do about it. Her parents were dead, and there really wasn't anything she could do with the 13 Eevee species they left, it wasn't like she could keep them happy at school. She couldn't even go BACK to the school until next year, since she had withdrawn. She was stuck with her weak pokemon, and there really wasn't anything she could do but train them. A tear ran down her eye as she thought of her parents and the journey that lay ahead of her to fulfill their dreams. She tried to roll over on her side again, determined that it would be more comfortable, but the pain stopped her yet again. She gave a hopeless sigh as she stared out at the beautiful afternoon through the window next to her bed.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Celeste heard a small voice ask next to her bed. She turned her head to look and saw that she was sharing her room with a small pale boy with many IV wires in his arms. He had thin, fair blonde hair, blue eyes, and a concerned expression on his face.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that I started training pokemon yesterday and I've already landed myself in the hospital and things don't seem to be going too well." Celeste said, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes so as not to alarm the small boy.
The boy's eyes lit up at the mention of Pokemon. "Really? You train pokemon? That's so awesome! My mom says when I get better, I'm allowed to train Pokemon too since my 10th birthday was awhile ago. " The boy then got a perplexed look on his face. "Say, you sure don't look ten. How's come today's only your second day of Pokemon training? How's come you didn't start when you were 10, too?"
"Well, my parent's wanted me to since they were Pokemon breeders, but I wanted to be a teacher instead, so I did that up until a couple weeks ago." Celeste said, figuring this kid didn't need to know the sob story behind it.
"A teacher?" The little boy made a face. "Don't you like training pokemon MUCH better than learning?"
"I'll tell ya, kid. Learning never put me in the hospital before."
"How'd you get hurt, anyway?" The boy asked, propping himself up on one elbow to listen to her story.
"Well, I was out training my Pokemon in Viridian Forest, and they were kinda losing and one got paralyzed, and when I was running to the Pokecenter I ran into some Pikachu, so I sent my Pokemon ahead to the center and stayed to recieve the Pikachu attack."
"Wow! You took a buncha Pikachu shocks for your Pokemon? You should be proud, not sad, to be in the hospital, your Pokemon would be dead by now if you'd have let them fight a bunch of Pikachu when they weren't winning against the other Pokemon in the forest! I wish more trainers did that, you hear a lot more stories of Pokemon abuse and overwork than you do trainers taking the blow for their Pokemon."
This made Celeste feel slightly better. Ignoring the pain, she propped herself up on one elbow as well to put herself with the same level with the boy. She continued the conversation with the charming youth.
"So kid, you never told me what YOU were in for."
"I don't really know. My stomach always hurts, and the doctors will only talk to my Mom. She says it's just my body can't handle certain foods, but they take me to the hospital a lot and I need to go through this big machine and have all sorts of stuff put into me with these tubes," He illustrated by holding up one of his IV-riddled arms, "I must have some really severe allergies, huh?" The child said with a perfect level tone and not a hint of fear in his voice.
"Wow, kid. You're a lot braver than I. I wouldn't be able to handle this on a regular basis." Celeste said with awe in her voice.
"It's nothing, I've been doing it as far back as I can remember, so it really doesn't bother me anymore."
"Say, you never told me your name, little boy."
"Hey, I'm not that much littler than you. Besides, you never told me yours, either."
"I'm Celeste. Now fair's fair, tell me yours."
"Ken. My name's Ken."
"Well Ken, it's a pleasure." Celeste tried to extend her arm out to the boy, but it caused her too much pain. She laid back down in the bed, fatigue suddenly washing over her as the severe pain subsided.
"Well, I get the gesture. Nice to meet you too, Celeste. That's such a pretty name, I've never heard it before. Sorry to have worn you out."
"No problem. I'll sleep for a bit, then see if my Pokemon are out there. The nurse said they're the ones that brought me here, so maybe you'll meet Eon."
"Eon? What kind's that?"
"Eon's my pet Eevee. It's been with me for 5 years, but it hadn't fought until yesterday. It's got a LONG way to go."
"Ok, I'd love to meet your Eevee. Just remember that when you wake up!"
"No problem." Celeste mumbled as she closed her eyes and let sleep tug at her consciousness.
She was vaguely aware of a nurse coming in and scolding Ken for waking me and overexerting himself before she drifted off. She had a vague thought that it was strange of the nurse to scold him for sitting up and talking, but she didn't have time to consider it for long before she fell asleep.
She woke up with the early morning sun in her face. Eon was sitting next to her in a chair with her pack, watching her with eager eyes. When it saw that she was awake, it squeaked happily and jumped into her arms.
"Eon! I'm so happy you're OK! Did you all three make it to the Pokecenter in time? Is Alpestreon all right?" She asked, looking into the blissful Eevee's eyes.
"Vii!" It squeaked while nodding its head.
Celeste squeezed it hard again, covering it with kisses and praises for a few minutes while both cleared their fears of the other's injuries. Celeste set the Eevee in her lap and sat up, her injuries feeling significantly better.
"How long have I been here? Did I sleep a day? Can I get out after tommorrow?" She fired questions at the Eevee, it nodding its head in response to each of her inquiries. She sighed happily.
"I'm so glad we can go back out after tommorrow! I'm ready to start training again, no matter what! Say, I want you to meet this boy over here, he really lifted my spirits yesterday when I was a little upset about us losing. His name's Ken. Hey Ken!" She turned and called to the next bed, suprised to find a curtain drawn. "My Eevee's here, didn't you want to meet it?"
There was no response from the curtain on the other side. Undaunted, Celeste sent Eon to pull the curtain aside and suprise Ken. However, when Eon pulled the curtain away, Celeste was horrified at what she saw. The little boy was laying on his side almost as white as the sheets he was laying on. He was wired to several more IVs and what appeared to be a heart monitor and several other machines to monitor his bodily functions. The boy seemed comatose. Celeste had the Eevee draw the curtain again, not wanting to look upon the poor little boy. Celeste and Eon spent the next several hours taking inventory of their supplies and making a list of stuff to buy in Viridian before setting back out into the forest. They also laid out an optimistic training scheduele to stick by for the coming weeks. While doing the scheduele, a nurse walked in to check on Ken in the next bed. While she was behind the curtain, Celeste began asking her questions.
"Excuse me, ma'am? What happened to Ken between yesterday and today? He and I were having a lively conversation, he cheered me up significantly yesterday!" She asked with a note of concern in her voice.
"Well, he shouldn't have been up talking after his treatment yesterday, regardless of how he felt. He knows better than that, and this time he should remember. His system can't take any kind of stress at those times." The nurse answered patiently.
Celeste thought of a careful way of phrasing her next question. "If you don't mind me asking, what is his condition? He really couldn't tell me anything past a severe food allergy yesterday, but it sounded a little more serious than a simple food allergy."
"That is confidential information, restricted to his parents and the treating staff." The nurse answered rudely. "I will answer no further questions about this boy, please allow me to finish my assessments."
Celeste stuck her tongue out at the curtain and returned to her Pokedex, laying out her plans and wondering when poor Ken would wake up. Ruka came in a while later to take her temperature and blood pressure and to change her dressings. Her burns were healing well and it looked as if Celeste would be let out the day after next, much to her delight. Ruka also brought her a meal, which she shared with Eon. After the two were finished and the tray put aside. The two watched a TV Ruka had put at the foot of her bed until the next meal, hoping that Ken would wake up. He never did, but the nurse's visits to his bedside became more and more frequent. Celeste ate dinner with Eon and studied her Pokedex, still hoping Ken would wake up. She gave up on him after awhile and decided to sleep, the sun having set long ago in a blaze of color that could be seen through the window.
Through the night, Celeste was awakened once by a group of doctors and nurses that had rushed into the room after several of Ken's monitors had begun making alarming noises. They quickly wheeled his bed out of the room. Celeste sat up and stared after them for awhile, wondering what could be wrong with the small, frail boy. She said a quick prayer for him before she returned to sleep, Eon tucked under one arm.
The next day she woke up and found the other side of the room vacant. She watched the sun rise silently with Eon, who was still half asleep. Ruka wheeled the breakfast tray in and began taking Celeste's vitals. Celeste decided to try her luck questioning Ruka about Ken's health.
"I was just curoius, what happened to the little boy that used to be in this room?" Asked Celeste, hoping to not get the rude response she had recieved from the other nurse.
"Oh, it's so sad. He died last night , there was nothing the doctors could do for him. His systems began to crash and the doctors had to try to perform emergency surgery, but it didn't help the poor boy. He sure was a sweet kid, a real fighter to be alive as long as he was."
Celeste felt a pang in her heart and tears sprang into her eyes. "What was wrong with him?" Celeste asked more boldly now, not fearing the wrath of a nurse.
"The poor boy, he had pancreatic cancer forever. He had to keep coming here for treatments and emergencies. His mother knew this would probably be one of his last visits, he was getting into advanced stages. Yesterday was one of the most active days the boy has had in a long time, I heard he sat up and had a lively conversation with you for a while. He hasn't been able to do that in AGES. We all thought that treatment might have worked for him maybe, but it was just his body's last little burst of energy before giving up entirely. Poor boy."
Celeste couldn't eat any meals that day. She wept openly in front of Ruka, who tried to comfort her. After Ruka left, Celeste cried into Eon. That boy had no idea what was going on with him. His mother had lied to him about his condition and had even told him he would one day be a Pokemon trainer. Celeste swore then and there that she would never lie to anyone about their chances of survival, and wished that noone would lie to her about her medical condition like that.
Her wounds didn't really hurt that badly anymore, but that physical pain was replaced with a mental anguish for the boy who had no idea he was going to die. Celeste's heart ached when she thought of all the things the boy might have liked to do before he died. She got even more upset when she realized she wouldn't be able to keep her promise of letting him see Eon. That day she was allowed out of bed and into other areas of the hospital, but she simply moped around with Eon in her arms, avoiding conversation with everyone. She went to bed that night with much difficulty in falling asleep, wondering why it was her misfortune to only be able to witness death and suffering lately. She pondered long into the night, but came up with a resolution that finally let her sleep.
The next day, she dressed, shouldered the new pack that Eon had procured for her, counted all her Pokeballs to be sure that everyone was present and accounted for, checked out of the hospital, and set off to the Pokemart with a new resolution in her heart.
Now not only would she train for her parent's dream, she would train also for the little boy who thought he was going to be a Pokemon trainer, but was lied to and had to die instead. The brave little boy who thought nothing of going to the hospital and going through cancer treatment, even though he had no idea what it was. The little boy who admired her for taking the blow for others and told her that standing up for weak pokemon was never something to be sad about. She did it for Ken now, too.
The last person on her mind when she sat out that morning was herself.