Chapter Fifteen
Case Cracked

When Annabelle returned from the shower ten minutes later, hair still dripping wet around her shoulders, the last thing she expected to see was Paul, face-to-face with one of the eggs. No sooner had she stepped inside, Paul began motioning frantically to her.

"Come here, come here! God, I never thought you'd get here. Why do women take so long in the shower?"

"Chill your beans. What's happening?"

"It's hatching!"

"Wha? Hatching?" Annabelle dropped her wet towels to the floor and shouldered her way onto the bed with Paul. "Here, here, give me it…" she took the egg from Paul's hands and turned it over once in her palm. Her fingers found the tiny crack and she ran them across its length a few times. "When exactly did this happen?"

"I don't know, about five minutes after you left to shower?"

"And how much activity have you seen since you saw the crack?"

"Uh… It started tapping pretty loudly when the crack happened. I dunno, I think I'm still hearing taps every few minutes. It's difficult to tell…"

"Sounds like we're still in early stages then." Annabelle said with a relieved sigh, gently letting the egg back down onto the bed. "So long as nothing goes wrong, we should see it hatch before the end of the day."

"End of the day?" Paul repeated in surprise. "I thought these things hatched instantaneously? M-more or less?"

"Oh, don't be stupid. Does a woman have her first twinge of labour pain and then drop the baby five minutes later? Of course not. It can take hours. Days, even. I mean, I am a bit worried because I wasn't so sure this little guy was ready to hatch this soon, but hey. We're in a Pokemon Centre. If something goes wrong, we're in the best place equipped to handle it."

"You think something will go wrong?" Paul asked, nervously eyeing the egg as another sharp tap resonated from within.

"…no." Annabelle said after a moment's thought. "No," she said again, this time with more confidence. "I've seen hundreds of Pokemon born. I know what I'm doing. Even if the baby is a little premature, I can handle it."

"If you say so..."

"Listen, can you stay here with the egg?" Annabelle bounced to her feet. "I need to go downstairs and speak to Nurse Joy about getting some supplies for the hatching."

"Wha? Supplies?"

"You know, feeder tube, something to make hot water, towels. I wanna go now before we get too far gone with the hatching."

She was already halfway out the door before Paul could react. "Please take care of the egg while I'm gone, okay?"

As she closed the door, she heard an irate "Hurry up!" through the wood but didn't take any notice. She took in a quick breath and expelled it, steeling herself for the tasks ahead. Mentally running through a quick list of everything she needed, she jogged across the corridor and down the stairs into the main lobby.

The Nurse on-duty was being harangued by a gaggle of trainers that had all wandered in covered in blood and dirt, most likely the victims of a swarm in the National Park.

I don't have time for this, Annabelle thought in irritation. Was an egg hatching enough of an emergency that it would trump an entire group of injured trainers? Probably not. If there was a legitimate worry that the egg was going to be born premature, or there was a problem with the baby Pokemon, then yes, maybe she could be justified shoving her way to the front. But she was not a good liar – or a good actor – so she joined the end of the queue.

The group of trainers were eventually satisfied when the ever-patient nurse offered kind, sympathetic words, the promise of hot food and a hot shower, plus the keys to four rooms on the top floor. Also known as the quietest floor with easily the best rooms. When Annabelle reached the front of the key, she offered the tired-looking nurse a smile.

"Everything okay?"

"Oh my goodness, isn't that my job to ask you that?" the nurse trilled.

"Well, I figured I would. Those kids there seemed pretty… annoyed?"

"They somehow found a Scyther in National Park and got it really angry." The nurse laughed softly. "Oh, I shouldn't laugh but they thought a couple of Sunkern and a Qwilfish is enough to take one on."

"Pfft." Annabelle snorted. "That's hilarious."

"Well, anyway, what can I get you… Miss… Lawrence, isn't it? Annabelle Lawrence?"

"Wow, that's quite a memory." Annabelle said in awe. She had only ever signed her full name on the room paperwork and hadn't actually spoken it out loud.

"Oh, working here for so long, you pick up a lot." She said airily. "So, what can I do for you today?" she asked again, her voice a little firmer this time.

"…oh yeah!" Annabelle nodded. "Listen, I've got an egg that's due to hatch in the next… 12 hours or so, I think. I'm a certified breeder, by the way." She added when she spotted a slight hint of concern pass over the nurse's face. "I mean, I know it's not exactly PokeCentre protocol, but I was wondering if I could have a couple of extra towels, something to make hot water with and a feeding pipette? Assuming you have all these things here…"

"Oh, of course. We carry a lot of egg-care products. The nurses at this PokeCentre deal with a lot of eggs in the National Park, so that's not a problem."

"And it's okay for me to borrow them?"

"Well," the nurse hesitated. "Pokemon Centre regulations do require us to step in if we know of any trainers with eggs about to hatch, but if you're a trained breeder…"

"I have a breeder ID," Annabelle fished in the back pocket of her jeans and took out a slightly battered card holder. It only contained one card, which she handed over to the Nurse.

"Well, that checks out okay." The nurse smiled. Annabelle was glad she didn't linger too long on the embarrassing, baby-faced photograph of her plastered on the front. "Come along with me, I'll take you through into the supply room."

"Are you sure?" Annabelle trotted along behind the nurse, casting a backward glance to the unmanned counter. "What if someone comes?"

"Don't worry, there's a Chansey nurse on duty. She can handle things for a few moments. And if there's a real emergency, she'll come and get me."

The nurse led Annabelle into a walk-in storage room, filled to the brim with boxes upon boxes of supplies. Poking around on the middle shelves, she eventually pulled out a couple of towels which she loaded into a pile near to Annabelle. After a few more minutes of digging through boxes on the topmost shelf, she pulled out a couple of brightly coloured feeding pipette.

"I assume you have the formula you need?"

"I have formula suitable for most baby Pokemon, yeah. Standard issue stuff, nothing fancy, but suitable for most ages. I'm still not sure what exactly the egg is going to hatch into as we came across them by chance."

"Well, I'm sure you'll take great care of them when they do hatch."

"Thanks, Nurse. I really appreciate this." Annabelle knelt down to pick up the armful of towels. "I'll bring all this back as soon as the eggs hatch, I promise."

"Not a problem. I'll send a Chansey nurse up with a kettle and a tub later on, if that's alright?"

"That's perfect. Thanks for all your help!" Annabelle grinned, bowing her head in gratitude and quickly jogging back out into the lobby.

Pushing the bedroom door back open, Annabelle proudly showed off the collection of towels and feeding pipettes the nurse had given her. "Look! Look at all this!"

Paul's eyes honed in on the feeding pipette. "What… the hell is that?"

"It's a feeding pipette!"

"It looks like a baster… You know, that thing you use to baste meats. "

"Oh, you would say that." Annabelle let the pile of towels drop to the floor. "How's the egg doing anyway?"

"Nothing interesting's happened yet." Paul laid back on the bed.

"That's a relief," Annabelle perched gingerly at the edge of the bed. "Alright." She said, cracking her fingers. "You better get ready. We're in for a long night."

"Great…" Paul muttered.

As Annabelle predicted, several long hours passed. They sat in their room, carefully watching the egg for any signs of development. Yet aside from the odd tap every half an hour or so, very little happened to ensure Paul's prolonged interest.

Annabelle, on the other hand, sat cross legged on the bed, the second egg safely tucked up in her lap, intently staring at the hatching egg. Every time it moved or tapped, she barked at Paul for the time, then made a note in her book. And then when there was silence or no movement, she barked for the time again and wrote down "NO PROGRESS" next to it.

"Don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?" Paul made the mistake of asking.

"Of course not! What's not serious about a new life coming into the world?! I'm monitoring the baby's movement just in case there's any problems! I'd like to see you do this competently!"

"Okay, okay, I'm just saying. No offence meant." Paul held up his hands in mock innocence. He glanced at the half-eaten sandwich he had brought her from the cafeteria two hours ago. The bread was curling up at the sides. "Hey. You should really eat. You've barely touched that sandwich and if you're gonna be up all night, you'll need something."

"I'm fine." Annabelle replied briskly, marking something else in her notes. "No time to eat when Baby is coming."

"Oh for the love of…" Paul sighed in exasperation. "Nothing is going to happen if you take five seconds to eat. Look, how about if I watch and you go and get yourself something?"

"And what if it hatches and I'm not here?" Annabelle looked aghast at the mere suggestion of it. "You don't know what you're doing, do you?"

"What's to know? Egg cracks open, baby plops out. Easy."

"It most certainly isn't! Wh-what if the baby gets stuck? O-or if he's born with a build-up of mucus in the throat and he can't breathe? That happens, you know! Why do you think I went and got all this crap?"

"Alright, fine…" Paul mentally sidestepped those scary possibilities. "Well, at least let me go and get something for you?" he softened his voice just slightly. "You look pale. You haven't eaten a proper meal since this morning. And how do you expect to give any decent care to this baby if you can't even take care of yo—"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Annabelle flapped her arms at Paul. "Look, look, look…! Look at the top of the egg!"

Even as she said that, a tiny piece of shell flaked off from the top of the egg. Instantly, Annabelle reached out for it, holding it delicately between her thumb and forefinger. From the top of the egg, a thick, transparent goo seeped out. Annabelle leant forward and pressed her finger into the goo.

"Annabelle, what the hell are you doing?"

"I know it looks weird," she said. "But it's kinda like how doctors and midwifes check amniotic fluid when waters break in labour. Basically just checking to see if it's healthy."

"And is it?"

"Seems to be. Generally if it's green, brown or blood stained, you're in trouble. This is nice and clear, you see? Not too thick either. So yeah, doesn't seem to be any abnormalities." She showed Paul the dab of goo on the end of her finger.

"Yeah, you don't need to show me." Paul waved her proffered finger away.

"Oh look," Annabelle breathed out in wonder as the egg began shaking slightly and more cracks started falling away in the shell. "I think it's happening, look!"

"Oh God, do I have to?" Paul groaned, watching the thick, ectoplasmic gloop slop out from the egg and flood the towel it was sitting on. "It's disgusting!"

Then, suddenly, the egg gave a mighty shake and the shell collapsed in on itself. Annabelle's hands dove straight into the pile of broken shell and viscous gunk. Her hands closed around something and she pulled it out gently, revealing a bright red, wriggling creature. From where he was sitting, all Paul saw was a bloodied, hairless thing that looked more like a prop from a horror movie than a cute, newborn baby.

"That's it, I'm out of here!" He cried, standing up and grabbing his jacket in one fell swoop. "I'll come back when it's… cleaner!"

Annabelle didn't even pay Paul the slightest bit of attention as he burst out the door, Ledyba's Pokeball in hand, too fuelled by panic and disgust to sit there any longer.

.-.-.

Paul paced the outside of the Pokemon Centre, taking in big lungfuls of air. Unable to get the image of the squirming red creature out of his mind, he glanced around, taking in his surroundings and trying to replace one image with another. The Pokemon Centre was poised on the precipice of the National Park – although he realised with something of a heavy heart, it was probably closed to the public now. There goes that idea.

It was getting late. He wasn't quite sure of the time, but guessed it must have been somewhere around nine, maybe even ten o'clock. The lingering, salmon pink sky was slowly being swallowed up by the black of night. A freckling of stars above his head and in the distance, the smudge of a streetlamp. The chilled air hurt his lungs.

There was no-one else around. Somewhere above his head, he heard laughter coming from one of the rooms on the upper floors. He bowed his head and tried to ignore it.

"Come on, Ledyba." He released the tiny Pokemon and scooped him up. He began to walk, to nowhere in particular, just wherever his feet happened to fall. "It's been a while, I know." He murmured to the sleepy bug. "Maybe we should work on this training of yours."

"Leeeee…" the Ledyba groaned in protest.

"Not tonight, huh? Too tired?"

"Le!"

"Yeah. I don't blame you." He had wandered close to the gates of the National Park and was grateful to stumble across a bench. Collapsing into it, he cast his gaze upwards at the flickering sky.

For the first time since he had left, he wondered how things were going in Cherrygrove City. How the people at his old job were coping without him. If the kids he used to play the Trading Card Game were missing him. Or, if they had even noticed he had gone at all. A heavy sigh escaped him and his breath misted into the darkness.

"Le…" Ledyba touched Paul's leg with its tiny hand. "Le? Le?"

"It's alright, buddy." Paul said thickly. "We should probably go back inside. Don't wanna leave Annabelle on her own too long with the newborn… whatever-it-is."

He dragged his feet the whole way back. Even the Pokemon Centre lobby was quiet, the only movement coming from the Nurse pottering around behind the front desk. Ledyba still hoisted under one arm, he slumped through the many hallways and staircases until he got to their shared room.

He knocked once on the door. "You decent?" he called through the wood.

"Wha? Of course! Get in here!"

He pushed open the door and bowed into the room, Ledyba squirming from his grip and bouncing straight onto his bed. Annabelle was sat, cross-legged on the bed, a bundle of something in her arms.

"What is…?"

"We've got twins!" Annabelle blurted out, holding her arms forward.

Paul leant closer. Bundled into her arms was what looked like a bulky, almond-coloured mass. Then, he made out two small noses, eight twitchy legs and two pairs of eyes, still partially closed.

"What the hell happened…?"

"I was so preoccupied with the first egg, I guess didn't even notice the second egg hatching!" Annabelle laughed nervously. "I should have known better and checked the second one, but I was so excited when the first one hatched that I just… I don't know, got careless… I guess…" her voice trailed off, tinged with shame.

"Don't worry about it." Paul moved Ledyba away from the centre of his bed so he could sit down. "Anyway, what the hell was in those eggs anyway?"

"What, you can't tell?" Annabelle teased.

"Well, they're wrapped up so close together!"

"Easy, Paul. Here, take a closer look."

She offered her arms full of Pokemon nearer to Paul. It took him a moment, but finally, he recognised the white underbelly, thick claws made for burrowing and the distinctive brick-like pattern on the rough hide.

Of course. It was obvious, if he thought about the few Pokemon even available where they found the egg.

"Sandshrew!"

Author's Notes

Hi guys. Sorry for how long this update took. I've had a lot going on.

I'm sorry it's a bit shorter than it probably should be and I'm not all that confident with how this arc has gone, but hopefully I'll regain some quality and some motivation with the next few chapters.

Also, if anyone is a fan of Submit Your Own OC fics, be sure to check out The Neverending Meep's new fic "It's All in the Genes" which will be accepting submissions for between 3-5 original characters. The form should be released on the next chapter (which he's working on right now) so please give that a look, it would mean a lot to me and to him.

I'll see you on the next one, guys, thank you!