Chapter 8

The group maintained a solemn vigil in the hospital waiting room. Ash sat slumped in a chair, flanked on either side by Misty and Tracey, who were murmuring words of reassurance to their friend. Professor Oak sat in the chair opposite Ash and stared at the door to the surgery suite where Delia la with Sasami sleep in his arms. Professor Ivy had gone down the hall to call Brock.

God, please don't let her die, Professor Oak silently prayed, even though her knew that the chances of her surviving the surgery were slim. Hold Sasami very close to his body try not to cry on her because she mighty wake up after Professor Ivy got her to sleep in his arms.

I never had the chance to tell her how much I loved her. I never even got the chance to say goodbye.

Professor Oak looked over at Ash. What would become of the boy if Delia died? Will Ketchum had made it quite clear that he didn't want to be part of his son's life when he abandoned his family. Professor Oak didn't think that Ash didn't have any other relatives close by... no aunts, cousins, nor grandparents to take him in.

Feeling Professor Oak's eyes on him, Ash raised his head and ran his hand through his hair.

Something familiar about that gesture struck Professor Oak.

My God, he looks just like me. The hair, the eyes... everything. My daughter was the same eyes and Sasami and Ash's eyes look a like .

At that moment there was no doubt in his mind. If the worst did happen and Delia didn't survive, he would adopt Ash and raise him as his own. After all, the boy was his own. And Sasami would have someone to play with her.

"Professor Oak, how long do you think Mom will be in there?"

Professor Oak sighed. "I don't know, Ash. It depends upon how extensive her injuries are. The doctors will do everything they can for her." He stood up. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"No. I'm going to stay here with Mom."

"Misty? Tracey? Do you need anything?"

"No thanks, Professor," Misty replied.

"I'm okay," said Tracey.

"I'll be back in a minute, Ash can you watch Sasami for me." Professor Oak said as he hand her over to Ash and then left and walked down the hall to the vending machines. On the way, he nearly bumped into Professor Ivy, who was holding two cups of coffee.

"Any news?" she asked as she handed him one.

"No. How's Brock?"

"Taking it pretty hard, but that's to be expected." Professor Ivy leaned against the wall and sipped her coffee. "So how long have you and Mrs. Ketchum been involved?"

The question caught him off guard. "Uh... we've been neighbors for years."

"I don't mean that. How long have you been in love with her?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Professor Ivy smiled. "Women can sense these things, you know. I'm glad for you, really. I was afraid that I had scared you off of women for good." The two of them had briefly dated several years ago, just long enough to realize that they weren't compatible. But long enough to have a baby of they own there for the birth of they daughter Sasami.

"Oh, Felina," he sighed. "I never had a chance to tell her how I felt about her."

Sasami was walk over to her parents. Samuel and Felina saw her and Samuel toke the cup for Felina so Felina could pick her up. "What are you doing up Princess?" as Felina push sum of Sasami's hair out of her eyes. "I can't sleep... Mama." lay her head on her mother chest. Samuel rubber her back to try to get back to sleep. But her didn't go back to sleep like her parents want her to so Felina just held her in her arms. Then look back at Samuel.

"I think she knows, Samuel. Oh..." She had noticed that a woman in surgical scrubs had exited the surgery and was heading toward the waiting room where Ash and his friends were.

"Come on." The two of them raced down the hall to the waiting area.

The doctor entered the waiting room and addressed Professor Oak. "Mr. Ketchum?"

With amazement, Professor Oak realized that the doctor thought that he was Delia's husband. Professor Ivy try so hard not to make fun of what the doctor called Professor Oak.

"Here, that's me!" Ash spoke up. "Is my mom okay?"

Everyone started speaking at once.

"Is Mrs. Ketchum all right?"

"Is she awake?"

"How's her condition? Is she conscious?"

"What happened in there?"

The doctor held up her hands, motioning for silence. She turned and addressed Ash.

"Your mother lost a lot of blood." At one point during the surgery, Delia's blood pressure had dropped so low that her heart had briefly stopped. "But fortunately, we were able to find the source of the bleeding and stopped it. She's in recovery right now."

"Can I see her?" Ash asked impatiently.

"She's still asleep and probably will be for a while. Why don't you try to get some rest, and I'll let you know the minute she's out of recovery," the doctor told Ash sympathetically.

"Thanks, Doc," Ash said, fighting back tears of relief.

Professor Ivy put her arm around Ash so that he had someone to cry on. Sasami pet Ash on the head.

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Professor Oak felt his heart sink at the sight of the tall, brown-haired man that had entered Delia's hospital room.

"Dad! Dad!" Ash ran to his father and hugged him. "Officer Jenny found you, just like she said she would!" Ash started crying again.

"It's okay, son. I'm here now," Will Ketchum said as he hugged his son. "I was over in the Ilex Forest in Johto when I got her message about your mom. Officer Jenny from Azalea Town found me." He went over to the bed where Delia lay.

"How... how is she?"

"She's in bad shape, Will. The doctors are doing everything they can for her." Professor Oak's voice had suddenly taken on a harsh edge.

Why the hell do you care? You abandoned her and your son four years ago.

"But now that you're here, everything will be all right," Ash smiled at his father.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go talk to the doctor about her condition." Professor Oak got up from his chair take Sasami with him and left the room. Professor Ivy follow him out of the room try to catch up with him.

Once outside the room, he put Sasami down and slammed his fist into the wall. Sasami held on to her daddy leg and was about to cry. Professor Oak did not notice her.

How dare he? How dare he show up like this after all these years?

"Samuel, What wrong?" she said hold is other hand.

As far as he was concerned, Will Ketchum had given up on his claim to Delia's heart the day he had left her. But like it or not, he was still her husband. And Ash seemed happy to have his father back. Final noticeing Sasami cry he pick her up and rocked her back and front to stop her cry. Then pulling Felina close to him then kiss her on her fourhead.

The door opened and Will stepped into the hall.

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to see you here."

Professor Oak frowned and said nothing.

"Ash told me about how you saved Delia's life. I want to thank you for that."

"You're welcome," he said coldly.

"Look, I know I made a big mistake in running out on Delia and Ash. I was just so angry at her for not telling me the truth about you two. And having to look at my son every day and realize that he's not really mine... I just couldn't deal with it. Tell me if you find out that, that little girl you hold was not yours what would you do?"

"You couldn't deal with it? Did you ever stop and think about how hard it was for her? She... we made one mistake a long time ago, and you punish her and Ash by leaving them! And I love both my children." he said pull both Sasami and Felina close to him.

"I know, I know. I was wrong. I don't think I'll ever be able to make it up to them. But I want to try."

Professor Oak felt like the floor had dropped out from underneath him. He knew what Will was going to say next.

"Samuel?" Felina said looking into his eyes. (Felina was the power to see into the Futrue and can sometime feel what other people are feel.)

"Seeing Dee lying there in that hospital bed, I... I didn't realize until now that I still love her."

But I love her, too! I won't let you take her away from me!

"And Ash, I can't believe how much he's grown. I almost didn't recognize him."

"Four years is a long time, Will. Things have changed since then."

Will saw the challenge in Professor Oak's eyes.

"Dee is still my wife, Professor Oak. And even though Ash may not be my biological son, he is still my son. But I real can't say the same thing about your little brat there!"

Samuel want to hit him at that moment for called he own little girl a brat.

"Brat... How Darn you call MY DAUGHTER a brat she is not a brat is a perfect little princess send from heaven." Felina said with pure agner to him.

"Felina. Professor Oak's Bitch."

Now both Felina and Samuel want to just kill him for what he been saying about them and their daughter.

Suddenly, Ash opened the door.

"Dad! Professor Oak! Professor Ivy! Mom's waking up!" Ash said excitedly as he hurried back into the room. The two men and woman followed and stood at the foot of the bed. Delia stirred and her eyelids fluttered.

"Ash..." she murmured weakly.

"I'm here, Mom," Ash said as he grasped her hand.

"Samuel..." Delia continued.

Take that, Will Ketchum, Professor Oak thought puting Sasami on Delia's bed and as he reached for Delia's other hand. "I'm here, too, Delia."

"How do you feel Delia?" Felina said pushing some of Delia hair out of her eyes.

"Dad's here, too, Mom." Ash said as he nodded in Will's direction.

Delia's eyes opened. "Will?" She gasped in shock. "Oh my God!"

Make Sasami fall into her.

Professor Oak and Professor Ivy saw her heart rate jump on the monitor. The last thing in the world now she needed was another shock to her system. At that moment, the nurse on duty entered the room. She had noticed the activity on the monitor at the nurse's station, too.

"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum," she said as she started examining Delia. "How are you feeling?"

"Why don't we let the nurse finish her examination in private?" Professor Oak said, motioning to Will and Ash. "We'll be back in a few minutes," he told Delia as he went to get Sasami off the bed but Delia ask Samuel if Sasami and Felina could stand with her the three of them left and went outside to the adjacent waiting area.

Ash hugged his father again. "Mom's gonna be all right!"

"Yes, son. Looks like she's going to be just fine. We all are." Will flashed a triumphant look in Professor Oak's direction. "Why don't we get something to eat? Do you still like hamburgers and chocolate milkshakes?"

"Yeah!" Ash grinned.

"Why don't we go see if the cafeteria has any? I have so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin."

"Okay!"

"I'll go get the elevator," Will said as he started down the hall.

Ash turned to Professor Oak. "Are you coming, too?"

"That's all right, Ash. You go on ahead." He didn't particularly feel like being sociable.

"Isn't it great, Professor Oak?" Ash beamed. "My dad's back! Now we can be a family again!" Ash then ran down the hall to join his father in the elevator.

Professor Oak watched as the doors shut and the two disappeared.

Damn you, Will Ketchum.

Professor Ivy step out and saw Professor Oak and walk up to him. Then give him a hug.

If it had been just Delia, he unquestionably would've fought for her. But the problem was that it wasn't just Delia. He had Ash to consider. The boy was obviously overjoyed to have his father back. And like it or not, Will did have a point; Delia was still his wife and Ash was his son.

Damn you to hell, Will Ketchum.