WARNING: This chapter contains scenes that may upset people, if you do have any problems with these scenes; please feel free to contact me through PM's.
May was unbelievably worried.
She hadn't seen, or heard, from Ash since Giovanni's funeral.
That was nearing a month ago.
May was aware that Ash's phone had broken, the morning of Giovanni's death, just before Ash had entered the exam hall, so she had gone out and bought him a new one, as an eighteenth birthday present.
Ash's eighteenth, a day May had been looking forward to, until Giovanni's death, when Ash started retreating into his shell. His eighteenth was only a couple of days away, and May wanted to help cheer him up, so she had been arranging a surprise party with Delia.
Delia was happy for the distraction as well, Giovanni's death had been a massive shock to the poor woman, and she was grateful for May's company.
Ash had reverted to his pre-funeral routine, shutting himself in his bedroom, and ordering Pikachu to electrocute the doorknob, preventing any hope of entry.
May knew that Ash didn't even have Pikachu with him, as the yellow mouse was either with Delia – when May went over to plan Ash's birthday party – or over at Professor Oak's lab with Ash's other Pokémon.
Ash had stopped attending school, he had even missed an end of month assessment – both practical and written parts – and May was getting more and more concerned about her best friends wellbeing every day that passed.
She was currently on her way to Ash and Delia's – from school – to continue helping Delia plan Ash's eighteenth birthday party.
May really wanted to make the day special for Ash, to try and cheer him up somewhat, she could understand why he was feeling so down, he and Giovanni had had the closest father-son relationship May had ever seen, but that didn't stop her wanting to get Ash out of his rut.
May also needed some advice from Ash, she knew it was unfair to put any extra strain on him, but she was getting desperate.
Drew hadn't stopped bothering her, constantly ringing and texting her, following her around, pestering her, and every time he did, May told him to leave her alone.
But he refused to.
May could still picture Ash breaking his jaw, and the sound that echoed through the corridor, and as wrong as it may be, May couldn't help but grin when she pictured it.
Drew was an asshole. May couldn't even remember what she had seen in him, maybe it was that he appeared sweet and loving, constantly giving her flowers and compliments, but she was starting to think it was all an act.
May couldn't stand the sight of him anymore; she just wanted to get him out of her life permanently, she could go to her mother or even Delia for advice, but for some reason she was drawn to Ash for this advice.
She couldn't figure out why.
May was walking from school, Eevee perched on her left shoulder, Pikachu on her right – May had started taking Pikachu with her to school, so that the mouse wasn't alone all day, what with Delia back at work, and Ash secluding himself from society, May felt sorry for Pikachu being by himself all day.
May had noticed that Eevee was constantly trying to cheer Pikachu up, whenever Pikachu appeared upset or down, May noticed Eevee would talk to him, and Pikachu would perk up, she found it adorable how the two interacted with each other.
May wished that Ash would let her be his Eevee.
May wanted to be there for Ash, to help him through it and try to make him feel better, but he was hiding himself away, not giving anyone the chance to help him.
As May neared Ash's house, she could hear loud noises coming from inside, she listened more intently and figured out that it was an electric guitar, being played very loudly.
May ran up to the front door, and used the spare key which was hidden under the doormat to get inside, where the music was even louder than out in the street, May assumed that Delia was still at work, otherwise she never would allow music that loud. Even just entering the house, May could tell that the guitar was being played extremely aggressively, and she knew exactly where it was being played.
Ash's room.
She crept up the stairs, not like she could be heard over the guitar anyway, but she wanted to make sure. Pikachu and Eevee were silent on her shoulders, making sure not to make any noise either.
May reached the top of the stairs, and for the first time in two weeks she saw Ash's door open, only by inches, but even with just that small gap, May could tell it was pitch black inside the room.
The guitar stopped briefly, before it started up again, slightly less loud this time, and May was aware of Ash singing.
(Yes, another song, World So Cold – Three Days Grace, if you wanna listen along)
I never thought I'd feel this
Guilty and I'm broken down inside
Livin' with myself nothing but lies
May slid the door open slightly, so she could look into the room.
I always thought I'd make it
But never knew I'd let it get so bad
Livin' with myself is all I have
I feel numb
I can't come to life
I feel like I'm frozen in time
Ash had his back to May, with headphones on his head, and his guitar strapped over the shoulder, he appeared to be recording the song onto his computer, which was in front of him, on the far side of the room to May. May could only see the outline of Ash, due to the only light source being the computer itself, but she could see a microphone clipped onto the top of the computer, extending out towards Ash, which confirmed her suspicions that he was recording this song.
Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away
Livin' in a shell with no soul since you've gone away
Livin' in a world so cold, counting the days
Since you've gone away, you've gone away
May felt a panging sensation in her chest, caused by the lyrics, the passion, and the ferocity that Ash was singing the lyrics with, it was the second time she had felt like this, knowing that Ash was singing about his father.
Do you ever feel me?
Do you ever look deep down inside
Starin' at yourself, paralyzed?
I feel numb
I can't come to life
I feel like I'm frozen in time
Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away
Livin' in a shell with no soul since you've gone away
Livin' in a world so cold, counting the days
Since you've gone away, you've gone away from me
A thought struck May whilst she was listening in to Ash, maybe, he felt that the only way he could convey his emotions were through singing? Once again, his singing had brought her to tears, Ash was singing them so powerfully, she could only assume he was getting a sore throat.
I'm too young to lose my soul
I'm too young to feel this old
So long, I'm left behind
I feel like I'm losing my mind
Do you ever feel me?
Do you ever look deep down inside
Starin' at your life, paralyzed?
Livin' in a world so cold, wasting away
Livin' in a shell with no soul since you've gone away
Livin' in a world so cold, counting the days
Since you've gone away, you've gone away from me
I'm too young
I'm too young
Ash's head dropped as soon as he finished singing, and May heard a click, which she assumed was Ash finishing the recording, and she made a bold decision.
To let Ash know she was there.
May pushed the door open further, allowing light to creep into the room, alerting Ash to the presence of another human.
"Ash…" May said softly, taking a careful step into his room, Pikachu leapt off her shoulder and onto the bed, where he wanted to sit and watch the scene, Eevee swiftly followed, and placed herself down ever so close to the electric mouse.
Ash jumped slightly when May spoke.
"Heh… May… Didn't see you there…" Ash said, his voice sounding broken and hoarse, he lifted his head and looked at the ceiling; "Don't particularly want you seeing me like this…" he added quietly, with a short snort like chuckle.
"Ash… You need to stop this…" May said gently, taking another step towards Ash, who still had his back to May.
"Stop what, May? I… I'm…" Ash's voice broke, he couldn't even form the words in his throat, May put a hand up to her heart.
"Ash, you need to let us help you get through this," May said, saying everything as softly and gently as she could, taking another step towards Ash, who still hadn't turned his back, May couldn't see his face, due to the darkness in the room.
May took another step towards Ash; she was so close she could feel the heat pouring from his back, and she was so close she could smell him.
May frowned.
Ash smelt strongly of alcohol.
"Ash, have you been drinking?" May asked, quietly but firmly, feeling tears building in her eyes again.
"Why shouldn't I? At least it makes me feel something more than crippling sadness," Ash said quietly, taking a swig from a bottle that had been hidden in the shadows on his desk, May put a hand to her mouth as Ash guzzled down the last of the bottle, not even flinching as the alcohol scorched his already sore throat.
May caught a glimpse of what he was drinking.
Vodka.
Straight from the bottle, straight down his throat, straight into his stomach.
May let the tears flow down her cheeks as Ash staggered on his feet slightly.
"How much have you drunk today?" May choked out, Ash didn't notice the tone she spoke in, he was too dazed from the alcohol, combined with lack of sleep and food; he was almost drunk.
"Umm… three…" Ash said, hiccupping, holding up four fingers, before frowning, giggling, and then bring down one of his fingers.
"Ash… I'm fixing you; I don't care if it kills me!" May sobbed, letting the tears run freely down her face.
This made Ash turn to face her.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow, May looked up at him, but still couldn't see his face, due to the lighting issues.
"Starting right now," May said determinedly, walking towards the curtains and pulling them wide open, before turning around and facing Ash once more.
May's eyes shot wide open and she couldn't hold in a gasp.
Ash was in a right state; his hair had grown alarmingly, and was hanging over his sullen, dark eyes, which held none of the bright life that May was accustomed to. Ash obviously hadn't shaved either; strong dark stubble had covered all of his face, making him look like a homeless middle-aged man.
He was remarkably skinny; too, May was almost certain that if Ash lifted his shirt, she'd be able to see his ribs poking through his skin.
Ash looked lifeless, broken and weak.
May needed to help him; she couldn't leave her best friend in this state.
May stepped forward, and without hesitation, threw her arms around Ash's neck, burying her face into his chest.
"Ash, we're going to help you get through this, no matter what!" May promised, clinging tightly onto her best friend, who was stunned.
Ash felt a guilty feeling rising in his stomach.
Well, it was either that, or the Vodka.
Ash suppressed the guilty feeling, why didn't he have a right to mourn his father in the way he chose?
But was it fair to put his loved ones through this?
Was it fair his father was taken away from him so soon and unexpectedly?
But was it fair that he was driving himself to death and putting extra stress on his mother who was already struggling?
Ash was torn inside.
So torn that he had driven himself to tears in May's arms; clinging onto her tightly as the tears flowed freely down his unshaven, tired face.
Ash allowed two words, broken and cracked, to escape his lips.
"Help me."
-IYCSMN-
May had managed to get Ash to shave, get his hair cut, and eat, fitting all this in before his birthday, before promising to treat Ash to a fantastic birthday.
She definitely delivered on that.
The duo went out by themselves, with May deciding to treat Ash to all his favourite things, to help lift his spirits as much as she could.
May did this for two reasons, one, to get Ash out of the house so that Delia could get all the guests in and two, to make sure that Ash's mood improved.
Obviously, May wasn't expecting Ash to get over Giovanni's death in one night, but she prayed that she could see at least a glimmer of an improvement in Ash's mood.
May looked at herself in the mirror, finally satisfied with her appearance.
(A/N: Bear with me here, not at all good at describing appearances!)
She was wearing a pink dress top which came down to her thighs, with sleeves that came down to half way between her shoulder and her elbow. The design of the top was like a normal t-shirt, until it reached May's hips, then it started to turn into a more purple-like colour, with flower like patterns on it. May was wearing black skinny jeans underneath, with some white canvas shoes.
May's brunette hair was cascading freely down her shoulders, but she still had to add something to her hair anyway; she had put on some silver eye shadow, and applied some mascara to her eyelashes, making her usually vibrant sapphire eyes, even more stunning. May had also put on some lip gloss, making her lips sparkle too.
After all, it was Ash's eighteenth birthday; she had to pull out all the stops.
May applied the finishing touches to her outfit, slipping on the sapphire necklace that Ash had bought her, and then put on the green bandana that Ash had also bought her; both objects were given to her as her tenth birthday present.
May looked herself over in the mirror and felt satisfied about her look, she smiled to herself.
She couldn't lie; she had been looking forward to this outing for ages.
It was a chance for her and Ash to spend some quality time together.
May just prayed that she would be able to improve Ash's mood, as he was slipping dangerously close to a mental cliff, and May couldn't bear to see what would happen if he fell over that cliff.
May shivered as the image of the unshaven, broken, drunk Ash came flooding back.
The sullen look in his eyes, the paleness of his skin, the frailty of his entire figure, made May feel sick.
May hoped that Ash had gotten past the hardest part, and could now start rebuilding himself mentally.
Obviously, May understood how badly Ash felt, Giovanni was the closest person to Ash, in the entire world; Giovanni was there for all of Ash's major life events, but he was going to miss arguably the most important parts.
Ash had explained it perfectly in his improvised speech at Giovanni's funeral.
May shook the thought away, today was about Ash, and making him feel better and getting him to enjoy a momentous occasion.
After all, it's not every day you turn 18, is it?
May smiled as the memory of Ash's tenth birthday came flooding back; she had said almost exactly the same thing that very day.
May glanced at the clock on her wall, the time read 3.45pm, meaning she was meant to be meeting Ash in fifteen minutes, so they could spend the afternoon/early evening out and about together, then get home for Ash's surprise party around 7pm.
May grabbed her purse off her bed, giving Eevee a quick pat on the head, and rushed down the stairs, a giddy feeling building in her stomach.
Her mind was telling her that this was just going out for some fun with her best friend, but her heart was screaming something else.
Date.
May couldn't shake the feeling, she was as nervous as she would have been had this been a date, yet it had been suggested as just hanging out.
May jumped the last couple of steps and walked to the entrance to the lounge.
Peeking her head round the corner, she saw Caroline and Norman sat on the sofa watching the television.
"I'm going out with Ash, make sure you go round and help set up like you promised!" May said cheekily, grinning at her parents, who turned to look at her at the sound of her voice.
"We will May, I think it's lovely how much you've been helping Delia, Arceus knows she's needed the company," Caroline praised, giving May a warm feeling inside, the latter smiled at her mother.
"I'll see you all at the party!" May said happily, as she turned and walked out the door.
She didn't even have a chance to close the door before she realised how cool it was outside, and so she darted back inside and grabbed a black cardigan that was hooked onto the banister, and then headed over to Ash's house.
May noticed Ash waiting patiently outside his house, seemingly not knowing what to do with himself, as he was pacing up and down the path to his house.
Ash was wearing black skinny jeans and white long-sleeved polo shirt, the sleeves clung tightly to his arms, and even though he had lost a lot of weight since Giovanni's death, his muscles were still evident through the shirt, which flustered May slightly.
She felt like she was the five year old again, meeting Ash for the first time and being dazzled by his every move.
In that moment, May realised why she was nervous, why it felt like a date to her.
In that moment, May realised what it felt like to be truly in love.
May had never loved Drew; she had mistaken infatuation with love. She loved the idea of being in love.
May walked towards Ash, her eyes not moving from the birthday boy, a small smile creeping onto her face.
She was in love with her best friend. What on Earth could be better than that?
"Hey there, birthday boy," She said playfully, snapping Ash out of his pacing routine, he looked up at her and smiled.
"Hey there, Miss Maple," he replied, a little smirk playing on his lips.
May had missed that smile so much.
So so much.
May lunged forward and clasped Ash into a tight hug, which surprised the raven-haired trainer momentarily, before he returned the embrace.
"Happy birthday, Ashy," May said slyly into Ash's ear. He shivered slightly as May's breath tingled his ear, fortunately, May didn't notice.
"Thank you, Amy," Ash replied, cheekily; sticking his tongue out at May as they pulled apart.
"I told you not to call me that!" May feigned anger; playfully hitting Ash on the shoulder.
The duo shared their first laugh for over half a year, warmth spreading through both the teens' bodies as they enjoyed each other's company.
Ash offered his arm to May.
"Shall we go, Miss Maple?" He asked, a big grin stretching across his face.
May smiled equally as broadly.
"Such a gentlemen," She replied playfully, linking arms with Ash.
The two headed off towards the town centre, where they were going to see a movie, and then go for dinner, which would take the time up to around 7.45pm, May estimated, which gave Delia and May's parents fifteen minutes extra to sort everything out and get all the guests in.
Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"May… I know this is about having fun and all… But do you mind if we quickly stop by my dad's grave?" Ash asked quietly, still rubbing the back of his neck, May smiled softly at Ash.
"Of course, today is all about you," May said encouragingly, rubbing Ash's arm that was linked with hers – with her opposite arm.
Ash smiled appreciatively at May.
"Thank you, May."
-IYCSMN-
Ash and May stood side-by-side, overlooking Giovanni's grave.
"I got so many weird looks coming here the last couple of months," Ash said quietly, shooting a glance at May.
"Why?" May asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Ash smiled sadly.
"The state I was in, the way I looked," Ash said quietly, "I used to sneak out of the house when I knew no one was in," Ash explained, noticing a second confused look from May.
"I came here to get away from… me, really," Ash said, looking from his father's grave up to the sky, "I was so stuck in my own head, but coming here, and speaking to him… gave me some form of sanity," Ash explained, looking back down at Giovanni's grave as he spoke.
May hugged him from the side.
"I'm so sorry, Ash," she said, looking up at him from the side, Ash smiled sadly once more.
"It's so hard, y'know? He was always there… and now…" Ash started to say, before his voice cracked, "He's just gone," he finished quietly, before clearing his throat.
"Anyway, let's go put some fun back into my life," Ash quipped, trying to lift the general mood, smiling over at May, who returned the smile.
-IYCSMN-
Time flew by for the two teens.
As May predicted, the movie that the two decided to go and see ended up taking the time to just after 7pm, and with dinner still to come, May knew that Delia and her parents were going to have plenty of time to get everything ready.
May was delighted with the progress that she saw in Ash, she knew he wasn't over his father's death, and knew he never would be, but the fact that he was laughing and joking gave her a hell of a lot of belief.
Dinner was amazing.
May felt like she and Ash were on a date, they sat at a beautifully placed table, with an amazing view out the window, and an amazing view across the table.
They laughed, joked, were moved to tears by laughter, and above all to May, they talked, it had been months – pretty much since she and Drew started dating – that her and Ash had spent some proper time together.
May loved every second of it.
The duo were nearing the Ketchum residence, and May knew that everything was set up – she had received a text during dinner – and so there was no need for any stalling, straight down to business.
"May… I wanna thank you for tonight, I really did need it, you've made this a wonderful eighteenth birthday," Ash thanked her, gratitude extremely evident in his voice, as he smiled over at May.
"It was my pleasure, Ash, I'm just happy to see you smiling and laughing again," May replied, linking the fingers of her right hand with Ash's left as they walked, making both their hearts skip a beat.
Ash was really surprised.
He felt happy.
Something he genuinely thought he'd never feel again.
It wasn't that he'd gotten over Giovanni's death. No. That would never happen, Giovanni was always such a huge part of his life, and there was no way that Ash was ever going to get over it, but Ash finally felt that he had… accepted it.
Ash smiled to himself, feeling that there was no way that this night could turn sour.
Ash was wrong.
This was about to become the worst night of his life.
They approached the house, and Ash pulled out his key from his pocket.
"You coming in for a bit?" He asked, turning his head to smile at May, and to receive a response.
"If you don't mind," May replied, trying to hide her smirk as Ash nodded.
"Of course, silly," Ash replied, winking as he stepped inside.
May's grin escaped when Ash walked into the living room and switched on the lights, to a raucous "SURPRISE!"
Ash physically jumped, startled by the volume of cry, he turned to face the large crowd in front of him.
It was an identical moment to his tenth birthday.
Another smile broke over Ash's face.
A yellow blur smacked into his chest, slightly knocking him off balance.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu squealed happily, nuzzling Ash's neck.
"Hey Pi!" Ash replied, squeezing Pikachu tightly in a hug, before he was hugged once more, this time it was his mother.
"Happy birthday honey," Delia said happily, looking up and smiling at Ash.
Even though Ash was only just turning eighteen, he was an impressive size, being much taller than his mother and May, and even having a few inches on Norman.
"Thank you mum!" Ash replied, Pikachu shifting onto Ash's shoulder as the latter hugged his mother tightly.
For the next hour and a half, Ash went around everyone, receiving many hugs – especially from old friends such as Brock, Gary and Dawn – and many congratulations and cards, containing money.
But the night was torn apart by two gifts, from the two people Ash held closest.
It started with his mum.
Ash was sat on the sofa, with everyone surrounding him, watching him open his cards and presents, until there were the two aforementioned presents remaining.
May sat on one side of Ash, with Pikachu and Eevee curled up together on her lap, watching the birthday boy's face intently, a small smile on her face.
"Here you go, Ash, this is my present to you, on the day you turn a man, I couldn't be more proud of you," Delia said proudly, tears building in her eyes as she held, what appeared to be, a small box out to Ash.
"Thank you mum," Ash replied, hugging his mother briefly before he unwrapped the box from its wrapping.
Ash lifted the lid off the box and gasped as he saw what was inside.
It was a silver watch.
Not any silver watch.
It was his fathers.
Ash stared at it, unable to move, due to Ash's eidetic memory; he could remember his dad wearing this the day he first started to talk, and that memory played over in his mind.
The call for dinner, the first words, Giovanni and Delia's surprise, the first conversation.
Ash felt the crippling sadness start to fall over him once more, but he shook it off.
Ash took the watch out of the box and clipped it onto his wrist, before turning and hugging his mother once again.
"Thank you, mum, I love it," Ash said, as he tried to prevent his emotions taking over him.
"I wanted you to have something of his, and what better than the watch he wore the day you were born?" Delia asked rhetorically, smiling at Ash through tears as the two pulled apart.
"Thank you everyone for coming, and making this a special eighteenth birthday for me," Ash said to the large gathering, bowing slightly to show his gratitude.
"There's still one left, silly!" Ash heard from his left hand side, he turned to look at May, who was smiling back at him, holding out her present to him.
Ash looked quizzical. He'd already had a gift from the Maple's.
"This is just from me," May said shyly, blushing as she passed the present over to Ash.
It appeared to be a similar sized box to Delia's present.
"Thank you, May," Ash thanked May, smiling at her, as the two blushed lightly.
Ash once again ripped off the wrapping paper, and was surprised at what was held within.
May had bought him a new phone.
Ash's jaw dropped as he turned to look at May, who didn't make eye contact with him, looking away shyly and blushing.
"You said that yours broke before your exam on Valentine's Day, so what better present for your eighteenth?" May asked, shrugging nervously.
Ash turned and hugged May tightly.
"Thank you, May, I love y- it!" Ash said, literally biting his tongue after he spoke, hoping that May didn't notice the – almost – slip of the tongue.
Ash had almost accidentally confessed his feelings for May.
Maybe if he had, the night wouldn't have ended the way it did.
"I'm glad you do, Ash, now there's no excuse to ignore my texts!" May joked, as they pulled apart, her heart skipping a beat when she thought Ash was going to say "I love you."
"Maybe I just misheard," May thought sadly.
"Oh, by the way, Ash, I hadn't heard from you that day, so there may be a few angry messages from me if you use your old SIM card," May said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck.
Ash smirked slightly, before he pulled out his wallet and unzipped a little secret pocket on the inside, pulling out his old SIM card.
Ash inserted the SIM card before he turned the phone on.
After waiting a couple of minutes and setting up the phone, Ash let the messages flood onto the phone.
That's where everything went wrong.
It stood out immediately.
Through the crowd of missed calls from May and his mum, one stood out.
Dad.
"What is it, Ash?" May asked, noticing an instant change in Ash.
"Th-There's a voicemail from my dad…" Ash whispered, not having the physical capability to speak any louder.
May watched as Ash slowly lifted the phone to his ear, pressing play on the voicemail.
May watched as she saw something change in Ash's features.
May watched as something inside Ash's head snapped.
May watched as Ash excused himself and hurried out the room.
May watched as Ash raced down the street.
May watched as she saw Ash slip over the mental cliff.
"I'll go after him," May said, gently placing the sleeping duo of Pikachu and Eevee onto the sofa, before she rushed out the house after Ash.
There was no way she'd be able to see him in the distance, it was too dark and he was too far ahead for that to happen.
May thought to herself as she walked swiftly in the direction she assumed Ash had gone in.
Where would Ash go? May tried to think of places she knew that he would want to go.
After a few moments of wandering aimlessly in the direction Ash had left in, a thought struck May.
Giovanni's grave.
May rushed towards the church that had held Giovanni's funeral and burial, praying that that was indeed where Ash had gone, having no other leads.
May turned a corner and saw the church in front of her; she couldn't see Giovanni's grave from where she stood, so she continued to pray that this was where Ash had gone.
He had had a good ten minute head start on her, so she needed this to be where Ash had gone.
May rounded the corner of the church, into the cemetery behind it.
May wished she hadn't, as the scene in front of her made her feel physically sick.
May screamed.
Ash was lying next to Giovanni's grave, an empty bottle of Vodka next to him, and another one clasped in his grasp.
Strewn across his body were what appeared to be painkiller tablets.
Ash had tried to commit suicide.
Ash had tried to commit suicide.
Ash had tried to commit suicide.
Ash had tried to commit suicide.
May tried to process this in her head, but she couldn't.
Ash had tried to commit suicide.
If May didn't act fast, Ash would commit suicide.
Blinking back tears, May jumped into action, moving Ash into the recovery position, while ringing for an ambulance.
"Hello, ambulance service, how can we be of assistance?" a female voice asked.
"Please help… my friend's tried to commit suicide!" May sobbed into the phone, choking as she spoke.
"Please try and remain calm, miss, we'll help as quickly as we can, where are you?" the woman asked.
"Sir Aaron's church, Pallet Town," May replied, through her tears as she checked Ash's pulse with her left hand.
It was excruciatingly slow.
"The nearest ambulance unit is on its way, what has your friend done, miss?" the woman asked, May looked down at Ash to try and get a clearer understanding.
"He's drunk a whole bottle of Vodka, and a quarter of a second, and I think he's either tried to, or has, taken painkillers on top," May cried into the phone, tears streaming down her face.
"What is your friend's name, and have you contacted his parents or guardians?" the woman asked.
"Ash Ketchum, but I haven't contacted his mum, her name's Delia," May answered.
"Thank you miss, we'll be sure to contact his mum to make sure she knows what's going on, the ambulance will be with you any moment now, would you like me to stay on the phone?" the woman asked gently.
"No, but thank you so much for your help," May said, trying desperately to control her emotions, but as soon as she hung up the phone, she clung onto Ash and cried into his shoulder.
May felt herself being pried away from Ash.
May saw Ash being lifted onto a stretcher and slipped into an ambulance.
May felt herself being guided into the same ambulance.
May saw Ash fighting for his life.
The End?
I'm really not sure where to go with this now! I've got an epilogue in mind, and two possible sequels/an extra chapter guiding Ash through his recovery, the sequel would be a spin-off to the epilogue.
But I'm not sure whether to add another chapter with Ash's mental recovery, or do it as a sequel, then follow that up with the epilogue and then the sequel?
It's all up to you guys!
Whether this is the last chapter or not, I want to thank everyone for their incredible support, all the reviews, followers and favouriters!
REVIEWS:
Amalgam24: … GET OUT OF MY HEAD! Thank you. I'm very sorry to hear about your dad. There's nothing wrong with crying about things like this, it is a very difficult subject especially for people who, unfortunately, have experienced the loss of a loved one.
RanaTheBanana: Thank you very much! I've always doubted myself, one of my main characteristics, and so it fills me with happiness and pride to receive such high praise, and it really is appreciated! Don't worry about long reviews, I love them!
Majoramiruddin: I agree, Ash could've done a hell of a lot worse, and I wanted him to, but I felt a broken jaw was satisfactory.
DarkLord28: Again, I'm very sorry to hear about your dad, I'm fortunate enough to still have mine in my life, but I can only imagine that for you, and Amalgam, that it is very tough to deal with, my thoughts are with both of your families. On a side note, I'm glad that I was able to make that scene emotional, as it was a key scene.
Aamaylover: Thank you so much! I'm really happy I was able to make the funeral scene as emotion-filled as I did. That's incredibly high praise, thank you!
Ashura Satoshi: Wow… Thank you so much! That review is probably the best I've ever received! Dude, your work is really good too, don't doubt yourself as I'm a massive fan of yours too! As I said before, it's a very emotionally charged chapter, I almost cried myself writing it lol! Urggh, you have no idea how much I wanted to have Ash murder Drew, but, as I said before, I felt the broken jaw was satisfactory, especially when you throw in the May break-up/slap! Unfortunately, I don't use beta readers, I do it myself, so often end up skim reading and missing the typos, which is frustrating for me, yeah, I do feel that description is a thing a struggle to write well, hopefully there was a bit more in this chapter! I felt it was the perfect title for this chapter, as it was the whole reason I wrote this story to be perfectly honest, and the song itself is just beautiful (lyrics wise). Thank you so much for your reviews, Ashura, they mean a lot to me.
Ultratron562: Thank you, I'm really glad at how well received the emotions of chapter four was received, and thank you for your review!
LegitEmi: It's just a tearfest up in here! Haha! I had to add some humour somewhere, why not the review replies?
Advanced-ZeroX: Thank you, I'm glad you like the story and I'm glad I was able to make it beautiful, as it's a very emotion-based story (something I'm not used to writing).
And judging by all the reviews, the tissue companies have got their money's worth!
I genuinely mean all my thanks to the reviews on this story.
Be sure to let me know whether you want another chapter (Ash's recovery), or straight to the epilogue!
Peace out hombres!
~AF~