Chapter 6 caught in the rain

Ash and May went for a walk one evening while camping in a forest near a small town. When they left it was sunny but unfortunately for them it got cloudy very fast and before long it started to rain. It didn't take long for the rain to build up and they found themselves wandering a dark forest under a rain shower without an umbrella. They walked closer together in search of the camp as their body temperature started to drop as they became soaked. Both were trembling from cold but May was particularly cold because she didn't have a jacket. Ash on the other hand did have a jacket and despite being cold himself he took it off his back and wrapped it around May's shoulders. She looked up at him and realized what happened

"Aren't you cold?" she asked

"I'll be alright" he said and she nodded slightly.

They kept searching for the camp as the rain grew ever so strong. By now Ash was the one shivering like an earthquake, realizing she had to be fair with him, May removed her arm from one of the sleeves and wrapped it around her boyfriend and he thanked her meekly. After walking for about fifteen minutes Ash stumbled and fell to the ground

"Ash!" she yelled and came to his aid

"Are you okay? What happened?" she asked as she helped him up

"I don't feel so good…" he said tiredly which made her concerned. She placed her hand on his forehead and her fears were confirmed

"You're burning up…" she said as Ash was on the verge off fainting. She laced her arm around his shoulder and helped him to his feet

"Come on Ash we have to find shelter. Hang in there…"

"Yeah…" he muttered tiredly. She carried him across the forest as she could hear thunder in the distance getting closer. When lightning flashed nearby she shrieked in fear but the light gave her a glimpse of Ash's face. He very pale. Getting desperate, May was about to ask Beautifly for help when she spotted a cave with a faint yellow light inside. She hurried towards the cave

"Hang in there Ash… we're almost there…"

All Ash could do was moan miserably

Finally, they reached the cave and got in and May was immediately overwhelmed by the warmth of the fire.

"May, Ash are you alright?" yelled Max and Brock as they ran to greet them. May was panting and was exhausted from carrying Ash's weight for so long. She took a few steps more towards the fire and set him down gently on his back and sat down

"What happened to you guys?" asked Max as he watched his sister catch her breath.

"We… got caught… in the storm… and couldn't… find you guys…"

"How long have you been out there?"

"About… half an hour…" said May as she removed her Bandana and squeezed the water out of it.

They sat in silence for a few seconds until they heard Ash cough sickly

"What's wrong with Ash?"

"He got sick when we were out there. Where's the first aid kit?"

"I got it right here" said Brock

"Bring it over…" said May as she struggled to catch her breath. When she got the kit she took out the thermometer and placed it in Ash's mouth. After a few minutes it beeped and she took it out

"Oh no…" she said sadly

"What? What does it say?" asked Max

"He has a fever of 40 degrees C… where's the aspirin?" she asked and fumbled to find the medicine bottle. When she found she tried to wake Ash up

"Ash?"

He didn't respond

"Ash can you hear me?" she asked and placed her hand on his shoulder. Seeming to be sensitive to physical contact due to his fever he stirred

"Ash can you sit up?"

All he could do was breath heavily

"Come on Ash sit up for me. Sit up…" she said as she tried up pull him up as Brock helped support his back. She opened his water bottle and placed two aspirin pills in her hand. She gently opened his mouth and put one of the pills on his tongue and poured some water in his mouth

"Now swallow…"

With a good amount of physical effort Ash swallowed the medicine and then coughed loudly.

"Come on Ash one more, one more; then you can sleep for as long as you want…" she said and he gradually opened his mouth and she poured some more water in there and gave his cheek a little a tap to signal him that he can swallow. He struggled to force the water down his throat.

"That's it… there you go, there you go…" she said as he swallowed and his breathing slowly steadied itself. She gently set him down as he fell asleep while still having fast and shallow breathes. May yawned loudly as she rubbed her eyes

"Hope you're not getting sick May" said Brock

"No I'm fine but I'm just tired that's all…" she said and yawned again. She lay down on the cave floor beside Ash and closed her eyes. When she came to, it was morning and Ash was still sleeping beside her. His breathing has seemed to stabilize a little bit but was not yet back to normal. She looked around the cave to find that the campfire has died out and her friends were still asleep. Feeling she had nothing better to do she lay back down and closed her eyes.

She was glad Ash was doing better but she was still a little worried about him given his high fever. She slept till the afternoon and was woken up when she heard Ash stir. He sat up and rubbed his head

"Oh my head is throbbing…" he muttered

"Ash you're awake" she said and sat up

"How do you feel?"

"Oh… I have a migraine…"

Worried about his wellbeing May gave him some water which seemed to help a bit

He groaned and massaged his temple

"Lord save me… where am I?"

"You're in a cave in the forest. This where we set up camp last night"

"What happened last night? Last thing I remember is giving you my jacket to protect you from the rain"

"You blacked out after that"

"How long was I out?"

"Aside from being half awake for a few seconds to take your medicine I'd say about sixteen hours. It's noon now"

"So what have you been doing this whole time?"

"I've been sleeping too to be honest"

Ash nodded

"If I blacked out in the rain how did ii get here?"

"I carried you" said May.

The idea of close physical proximity of that kind made Ash blush and she smiled

'Don't worry about it. It's okay" this seemed to sooth Ash a little bit

"Thanks for helping me out May…" he said and she smiled

"Hey… anything for my best friend…" she said and he smiled in return.

She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek which made their smiles widen

"How's your fever?"

"Better, thank you"

After a short pause she spoke

"What do you say I make us some tea?"

"Sounds good to me" he said and she nodded and started preparing it when Ash spoke

"Tell me something May…"

"What?"

"Where' your bandana?"

She looked at him and blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed that he saw her without it…

To be continued…

Well there's another cute fluffy one… I hope you like it…

Reviews are most welcome…