Guys, look how QUICK I finished this chapter! Do you love me yet? :P I have severe senioritis, so at this point, I'm just writing and doing whatever I want. Yay! Also, this chapter was a little easier to write cause of the DRAMA. Hehe, I love me some drama :P

Last chapter, Delia and Brock met the baby! But poor baby Elizabeth seems to cry whenever she's being held by anyone who isn't her parents or siblings. We also learned that Daisy called up her parents, both of whom Misty is FURIOUS at. But now they're on their way to visit their daughter and newborn grandchild! How will Misty react? Let's see.

"Oooh, what an absolute sweetheart!"

"She's such a beautiful baby!"

"Just look at those big, green eyes! How gorgeous!"

Elizabeth was still settled in her mother's arms, staring up curiously at the three unfamiliar ladies cooing and fawning over her. They seemed interesting, although Elizabeth had no idea who they were. She pursed her lips and looked back at her mother, who was smiling at the strange, pretty ladies. They didn't seem to be bothering her Mommy. So were they good? They must have been.

Misty's sisters were still looking at the baby, although their husbands had already come and gone, deciding they needed to go home and tend to their daughters.

"Oh Misty, I just knew this little girl would be the most beautiful thing," Daisy smiled. She reached out and gently stroked Elizabeth's hair. The baby mewled softly, appreciating the blonde woman's tenderness.

"Look at those chubby little cheeks!" Violet squealed from behind her older sister.

"And she's just so tiny!" Lily clasped her hands together.

Aiden and Michelle watched the scene from their spot on Misty's bed, their eyes a little wide as they observed their aunts' actions.

"Daddy, did this happen when Michelle and I were babies?" Aiden asked.

"Yes son, it did," Ash chuckled. "All of the time, in fact. Especially with your aunts."

"Misty, do you mind if I hold her?" Daisy asked with twinkling eyes.

Part of Misty wanted to say no, for fear of Elizabeth crying again. But she also didn't want to keep the rest of her friends and family away from holding the little baby. None of them had done anything to upset Elizabeth, so Misty couldn't pinpoint just why the baby had cried the last two times she was held. Besides, Misty could trust Daisy with almost anything.

"I don't mind at all," Misty smiled at her oldest sister. "Just lean down and take her. I can't move too much."

Nodding, Daisy lifted the baby out of Misty's arms and held her close to her chest. Elizabeth began to whimper, and right away, Misty felt her heart lurch. Why in the world did the poor thing get so upset when other people held her?

Daisy didn't seem to notice the girl getting antsy. Whining, Elizabeth tilted her head back and stared at Misty. She looked so sad, and at this point, Misty just wanted to ask Daisy for her little girl back.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, couldn't understand why her Mommy was just looking her, and not doing anything to help her. Elizabeth didn't want to be held by this lady, she wanted to be held by her Mommy.

"Hey there, beautiful girl," Daisy cooed to the infant, trying to turn the little thing into her body so she could see the baby's face. "Come on; show me your pretty face!"

Elizabeth shrieked in an unhappy fashion, not liking the way Daisy was trying to move her. The blonde gasped and gently bounced the baby up and down, hoping to calm down her little niece. None of that seemed to be doing the trick, however, as Elizabeth was soon screaming and crying, still looking at Misty as she did so.

"My little girl," Misty whimpered, her own eyes filling up with tears.

"Uh oh, the hormones are back," Ash muttered to himself.

"Ah…here, you want to go back to Mommy?" Daisy asked the baby. Elizabeth's wails increased in pitch, causing Daisy to get nervous. Walking back over to Misty, she leaned down and put the baby back in the red head's arms.

"There there sweetheart," Misty nuzzled Elizabeth's face, "no more crying. It's okay, baby." Elizabeth hiccupped and stopped sobbing, keeping her eyes glued on her mother's face. Misty giggled gently and tickled the infant's nose, earning a tiny coo and half smile from the little thing.

"I didn't do anything to her," Daisy frowned at Misty.

"It's alright, I know you didn't," Misty shook her head. "Elizabeth seems to have a problem with people holding her. I wish I knew why, but I don't."

"Did she cry like that when Delia and Brock held her?" Lily asked.

"Yeah," Misty nodded sadly.

"Maybe she's just shy," Violet suggested.

"I guess that could be why, but I never thought she'd be a shy little girl," Misty shrugged. "She was always happy in my stomach when people talked around her or touched my belly. All of a sudden, though, she seems to be afraid of almost everyone."

Elizabeth gurgled and pulled one of her hands out of the pink blanket she was wrapped in, holding it up by her face and turning her eyes onto it. Squeaking, she stuck one of her fingers in her mouth and then turned her attention back to Misty. The gym leader heard her daughter making little noises, and peered down at the child. Seeing the girl with part of her hand in her mouth, Misty giggled and smiled lovingly at the tiny baby.

"So I guess Vi and I shouldn't hold the baby right now," Lily sighed.

"I wish you guys could," Misty looked truly conflicted. "But I think I've got to figure out why she's getting so upset first. I don't want to keep working Lizzie up."

"Can I hold her, Mommy?" Michelle tilted her head.

"I don't know Shelly," Misty twisted her mouth. Michelle had already held Elizabeth once before, and the baby hadn't cried. But that was before everyone else began holding her and she started to cry as though she was being tortured.

"Actually, Misty, that might be interesting," Ash scratched his head.

"What do you mean?" Misty straightened out her shoulders.

"Well, Elizabeth didn't mind being held by Aiden or Michelle before," Ash shrugged. "Maybe she's still okay with it. Wanna try?"

"I guess so…" Misty bit her lip. Michelle crawled closer to her mother and sat by her side, beaming up at the older red head. Grinning, Misty asked her young daughter, "Remember how I told you to hold the baby?"

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded, folding her arms in the way Misty had instructed her to do earlier. Very gently, Misty managed to get Elizabeth into Michelle's arms without having to move around too much. She did feel a small twinge of pain when she leaned over, and it must have been evident on her face because Ash had hurried forward and knelt down by her side.

"You okay?" Ash looked up at Misty.

"Yes," Misty straightened her body out and released a long breath. "Just fine."

With that established, the couple looked over at their older daughter, observing her interaction with the tiny baby. Elizabeth certainly seemed content in her big sister's arms, blinking her big eyes and making quiet little baby noises as Michelle smiled at her.

"She looks really happy with Michelle," Violet giggled. "How cute!"

"Yeah, it reminds me of the first time I held little Misty!" Daisy grinned.

"How do you even remember that?" Misty smirked. "It was 27 years ago!"

"Because that's not something you forget very easily," Daisy winked. "Especially since I didn't really get to hold Violet or Lily when they were born. I was too little."

"Mommy was a baby once," Michelle informed Elizabeth. The newborn infant gurgled and closed her eyes, deciding it was time for another nap.

"Why does she sleep so much?" Aiden looked at his mother.

"Babies need lots of sleep, sweetheart," Misty explained. "That's why she just falls asleep whenever she pleases. Little babies don't know time; they just go to sleep whenever they're tired."

"Oh, I get it," Aiden smiled.

"I think we should leave the little girl to sleep now," Daisy smiled at her two younger sisters.

"That sounds like a good idea," Violet agreed.

"You'll be alright here, Misty?" Daisy asked.

"Of course, I have Ash and my three babies," Misty smiled peacefully. "Besides, all of our friends have yet to see little Elizabeth. I'm never lonely here, don't worry."

"Do you want me to tell someone else to come in?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure May, Dawn, and Iris are all getting impatient to see her," Misty giggled. "Why don't you tell them to bring Drew, Kenny, and Cilan and come in?"

"No problem," Lily smiled before leading her two older sisters out of the room.

Misty kept admiring the sight of Michelle holding Elizabeth in her arms, while Aiden looked on and gently stroked the sleeping baby's hair. Ash did the same thing, mindlessly toying with Misty's delicate fingers as his eyes slowly trailed over to the sea of presents in the corner that grew steadily with each visit. He still needed to get Elizabeth something; his first present to her. He'd done it for Aiden and Michelle, so it was only fair that Elizabeth get something as well.

"Mist, do you mind if I go downstairs for a little bit?" Ash addressed his wife.

"Hmm?" Misty turned her attention onto Ash. "Why do you need to go downstairs?"

"I just want to look at something," Ash shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" Misty asked. "You haven't eaten since yesterday at the party."

Ash's eyes widened. He hadn't even realized that. All of a sudden, it hit him just how hungry he was.

"Oh man," Ash muttered.

"You forgot?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah, I did," Ash rubbed the back of his neck.

"See, that just shows how much you love me and your children," Misty's eyes began to sparkle. "You love us enough to forget about food! I never thought I'd see the day, Ash Ketchum."

"Well, that's because when we were 10 years old, you never thought you'd see the day where we were married and making babies together," Ash smirked.

"Haha, very funny," Misty deadpanned in a teasing fashion.

"You know I love you," Ash pouted playfully as he reached up to stroke Misty's cheek.

"Yeah, I do," Misty smiled.

"So, do you mind if I go downstairs?" Ash tilted his head.

"No, I suppose not," Misty ruffled Ash's already messy dark locks. "Just don't take too long, okay?"

"No problem," Ash grinned, giving Misty a sweet kiss on the lips as he stood up. Her lips curved upwards during the smooch, and she continued to smile at her husband as he walked out of the room.

On the way out, Ash walked past the group of friends that was going to visit Elizabeth, and they all looked rather perplexed by his leaving.

"Ash, where are you going?" Iris blinked.

"Downstairs," Ash replied.

"What are you going down there for?" Dawn squeaked.

"Umm…food," Ash lied. Well, it was only half of a lie. The real reason he was going downstairs was to find a present for Elizabeth, but he was afraid that everyone would judge him for not already having one. Of course, he hadn't realized how hungry he was until Misty brought it up, so he was going to get something to eat afterwards.

"Well, that would make sense," Cilan chuckled. "It's been a while since you've eaten!"

"Yeah, I'm starved," Ash blushed slightly. "I have to go quickly, though. I don't want to leave Misty alone too long."

"She won't be alone, she'll have us!" May giggled.

"I know, but I don't want to be too far away from her either," Ash's blush increased. Trying to shake it off, he continued, "Have fun with Elizabeth. She's a really beautiful little girl; I think you're all going to love her!"

"You know we will, stupid," Drew teased as he flicked a strand of green hair.

Scoffing playfully, Ash waved to his friends as he continued his trek down the hallway, silently hoping that none of his other friends would wander downstairs and find him attempting to buy a last minute gift for his newborn daughter.

XXX

"Come on…I just need something!"

Ash was repeatedly moaning and groaning to himself in frustration as he looked over the shelves full of baby gifts. There was lots of cute stuff, but he just couldn't figure out which one was absolutely perfect for his little girl. Much of it was pink, and to be honest, Ash didn't want to get Elizabeth anything that was pink. She had so much pink stuff already, and Ash was actually kind of afraid of it. All of the frills and ribbons…he wondered why everyone seemed to think Elizabeth was going to be so much more girly than Michelle ever was.

The Pokémon master's attention kept being drawn to the impressive collection of poke dolls. There were already a bunch in Elizabeth's nursery back home, in addition to a few more cute water type ones that Misty's sisters had brought for the little girl during their visit. He always felt that there was no better present for such a little thing than a cute, cuddly stuffed Pokémon. Michelle and Aiden both had lots of them in their own rooms, and seemed to love and play with each one almost equally. It also encouraged them to become interested in Pokémon, which Ash of course wanted to instill in his children.

As he browsed through the different stuffed toys, Ash caught sight of something peculiar from the corner of his eye. It sent a small shock through his system, although Ash couldn't be certain it was who he thought it was.

Breathing out softly, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder, staring out into the main lobby and receptionist area of the hospital. His eyes locked on a somewhat older couple; the man and woman talking to each other in what seemed to be quiet, contemplative voices to the woman at the reception desk. The man was about Ash's height, with dark blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. The woman, who was smaller than her husband, had very dark red hair, not quite auburn but not a bright red either. In a way, it reminded Ash of Elizabeth's hair color, although the woman's was clearly a different shade. Her eyes, a bright sea green that seemed to have flecks of emerald in them, were sparkling in the late morning sunlight, although they also held a sense of sorrow.

Quickly turning his head back towards the stuffed Pokémon, Ash could feel his heart speed up almost instantly. So he wasn't crazy…he had seen exactly who he thought he had seen.

Michael and Lynne Waterflower.

XXX

"Hi pretty! Hi there!"

Elizabeth watched Iris with distrusting eyes, her body lolling into Misty's as she released some quiet, throaty noises. The dragon master continued waving her fingers at the tiny baby, giggling as the little thing's eyes seem to grow wider with each wiggle of the older woman's fingers.

"She looks so confused," Iris giggled behind her hand. "Such a cutie!"

"Yeah, she's so beautiful!" May squealed as she clasped her hands together.

"Like a little princess," Dawn sighed dreamily. Michelle glared up at the bluenette, not happy that her nickname as being used for someone else. Noticing the young girl's displeasure, Dawn smiled sympathetically and apologized, "sorry Michelle. I didn't mean to use Daddy's special nickname for you."

"It's okay," Michelle nodded slowly. She was an easily forgiving girl.

"She is pretty cute," Drew nodded, kneeling down next to Misty's bed in the spot that Ash had previously occupied. He tilted his head, observing the baby in Misty's arms. Smiling gently, Misty moved the baby over towards Drew, allowing the green haired coordinator to get a better look at the infant.

"Aw, Drew, why don't you be all sweet with her, like you were with Rosie?" May grinned.

Drew looked up at his wife, blushing as his emerald eyes narrowed slightly. May smiled and nodded her head, encouraging Drew to do his little act. Sighing, Drew looked back at Elizabeth, who had averted her gaze from Iris to Drew. Chuckling quietly, Drew leaned in towards the baby and began to murmur in a baby talk voice, "hi there little girl. It's nice to meet you. How are you today?"

Elizabeth cooed softly, staring at Drew's face the entire time. She was intrigued by this man…he was pretty. Elizabeth liked the voice he was talking to her in; it kind of reminded her of her Daddy. So she just kept watching him quietly, waiting to see what his next move would be.

"Does she like to be held?" Drew looked up at Misty.

"Not really," the gym leader sighed.

"Maybe I could change that," Drew smirked down at the baby, who was still staring at him.

"Drew, don't aggravate Misty," May rolled her eyes. "She just said the baby doesn't like to be held!"

"But I think I could make her feel comfortable," Drew tried to reason with his wife.

"So stupid," May muttered under her breath as she shook her head.

"Could I try?" Drew asked Misty.

"Uh…I guess…" Misty bit her lip. She was still nervous that Elizabeth would burst out into tears from being held by another person she was unfamiliar with, and afraid that she would continue to feel like a lousy mother for putting her daughter in that situation. But she wasn't being a bad mother…Elizabeth was just being difficult! Right? "Here, take her," Misty placed the baby in Drew's arms, since he had them sitting on the side of the bed.

Smiling down at the newborn, Drew pulled her into his chest, not bothering to stand up. He wanted to stay close to Misty, so Elizabeth didn't feel separated or threatened. She whined a little at first, but soon calmed down, and kept her eyes on Drew's face.

"Well well, it appears that little Elizabeth has quite the affinity for Drew!" Cilan noted.

"Gee, why in the world would she like him?" Kenny snickered. Dawn smacked him on the shoulder, earning a quiet whine from the brown haired coordinator.

"That's weird…" Misty murmured, "She really does seem to like you, Drew."

"I don't understand why I'm such a baby magnet," Drew raised an eyebrow. "I've never met a kid who doesn't like me."

"It's true," May nodded. "Weird, and somewhat unbelievable, but true."

"It's funny, isn't it little girl?" Drew asked Elizabeth, once again putting his voice in a higher pitch. Sure, it was embarrassing to do this in front of people. Drew hardly even did it with his own children when other people were around. But since he knew Elizabeth had the habit of getting antsy with other people, watching her content in his arms was amusing for the coordinator.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, pursed her lips and continued to gawk at Drew. She was curious about this man, and decided she wanted to look at him some more.

XXX

What the hell are Misty's parents doing here? Ash silently panicked. How do they even know she was here?

His eyes once again slipped from the shelves full of poke dolls to his in laws in the lobby. Ash could feel his heart pounding in his throat. He felt almost lost; he had no idea what to do. Should he tell Misty? He knew she would be beyond upset if she saw them, and that was the last thing Ash needed at the moment.

Still glancing casually and secretively at them, Ash soon realized that they were heading into the store!

Damnit, damnit, damnit! Ash swore over and over again in his head. He couldn't be seen by them, because then they would trap him into a corner and begin questioning him. For all Ash knew, Misty's father could even beat him up. The man was quite protective of his daughters, although Ash knew for a fact that Misty didn't consider her father to be the most important man in her life. That, instead, was him.

They were moving closer and closer. Ash knew he had to come up with an idea, and fast. Looking down at the floor, he smiled and got a crazy, but effective, idea. Making sure no one was paying attention to him, Ash threw himself down on the floor and rolled underneath the lowest shelf, squeezing himself into the small space and watching his in-laws' feet as he hid.

He could hear their voices now, becoming more and more clear as the couple approached Ash's hiding spot.

"Michael, we have to bring the little baby something," Ash could hear Lynne prodding. "We left all that cute stuff for her at home and didn't have any time to get it!"

"Won't Misty understand?" Michael replied.

At this, Ash narrowed his eyes and tried to resist the sudden strong urge to trip the older man. To be honest, Ash had never really liked Michael. He was a Pokémon researcher, and seemed to only care about his work and nothing else.

"No, Michael!" Lynne growled. "We missed the birth of our granddaughter! She's not going to understand, and rightfully so!"

"Alright," Michael sighed, moving closer to the shelves that held all of the poke dolls. Inadvertently, he stepped on Ash's hand, causing Ash to nearly howl and blow his cover. Not wanting to do that, the Pokémon master instead drew his hand in closer to himself and silently whimpered, clutching the injured hand in an attempt to soothe the throbbing pain.

"Those little stuffed Pokémon are so cute," Lynne commented.

"Yes, but what's a little baby going to do with one?" Michael looked his wife dead in the eyes.

"Play with it," Lynne answered simply.

"A baby that young isn't going to play with anything," Michael refuted. "You're better off buying her clothes or something."

Ash watched as Michael and Lynne's feet moved away, his heart still hammering in his chest and the anger rising in his body. As Lynne passed by the shelves, one of the stuffed poke dolls came tumbling down, frightening Ash to some extent.

Picking up the stuffed Pokémon, Ash studied the cuddly thing carefully. It was a Teddiursa, very cute and innocent looking. It sounded stupid, but in a way, Ash felt bad for the little toy. It had been knocked to floor, unwanted. He felt that the adorable little bear should have a home…and he was going to give it to the stuffed Teddiursa.

Squeezing the stuffed Pokémon, Ash smirked as he thought to himself, Feeling bad for a poke doll…this is probably why Misty makes fun of me so much.

XXX

By the time Ash returned upstairs, the stuffed Teddiursa stored in a little gift bag and his stomach finally full, Misty was alone in the room. No Aiden, Michelle, or Elizabeth.

"Where'd the kids go?" Ash furrowed his brow.

"Aiden and Michelle were getting restless, so Brock took them outside for a little walk," Misty answered. "And that nurse, I think she said her name is Claire?"

"Uh huh," Ash nodded.

"Well, Claire came by and took Elizabeth back to the nursery. The poor little baby was tired from all the attention she's gotten and all the crying she's been doing," Misty smirked.

"That's good," Ash left the gift bag on a chair in the corner and walked over to Misty's bed. "More time to ourselves!"

"Kind of," Misty sighed.

"What do you mean kind of?" Ash blinked.

"Dr. Aaron wants me to go for a little walk today," Misty frowned. "I've been laying down for more than 24 hours now, and stuffed with all kinds of pain medication and cuts. He thinks it'd be a good idea for me to start getting up again."

"Can you handle that?" Ash sounded concerned. "I don't want you to push yourself."

"Sweetheart, I'll be fine," Misty assured her worried husband with a delicate smile. "But…" She trailed off, uncertain of herself.

"But what, angel?" Ash knelt down and stroked Misty's cheek. "You can tell me anything, you know."

"I don't want to walk around with a nurse," Misty sagged her shoulders. "They won't let me go by myself, which I can understand, I guess. But still, I don't want a nurse to come with me. I'll just look like an idiot. I know walking is going to be a little difficult at first…and I don't want to embarrass myself."

"You won't embarrass yourself," Ash cooed as he kissed Misty's shoulder. "They're nurses, Mist. They deal with this kind of stuff every day. They won't judge you or anything like that."

"That doesn't make me any less self conscious," Misty squeezed her eyes shut tight.

Smiling gently, Ash took Misty's hands into his and gave them a squeeze. "It's okay, Mist. No need to get all worked up. I'll go for a walk with you."

"You will?" Misty opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Ash.

"Of course!" Ash grinned. "What kind of a husband would I be if I said no? Come on, beautiful, let's get up and go!"

"Okay…" Misty smiled, although her voice was still hesitant. "I'm going to need help getting up though. And walking, too."

"You know that I'll help you," Ash patted Misty's leg. Giggling, Misty took the covers off of herself, exposing her legs to the colder air. Very slowly, she attempted to move, but as she tried to turn her body, a twinge of pain hit in the area where her incision was, causing her to close her eyes and let out a whimper.

Gasping, Ash jumped up and grabbed onto Misty, afraid that she would fall over. "Are you okay?"

"Y…yeah…" Misty breathed. "It's just…hard to move."

Frowning, Ash pressed his hand against the small of Misty's back, helping her to sit up. Misty gingerly inched her legs towards the edge of the bed until they were dangling over the side. Already, the gym leader had decided that she didn't like all of this nonsense. It was too painful. Moaning, she looked up at Ash in misery. He looked sympathetic, and maybe even a little guilty, but he quickly tried to cover that up with a cute smile and a little nod.

He pulled her forward very gently, until her feet were touching the floor. Misty gasped, not liking the cold tile against her bare feet.

"C…cold…" Misty quivered.

"Oh, I'm sorry angel! I didn't realize you didn't have anything on your feet!" Ash fretted. "Here, I have some of those nice, fuzzy socks for you right here!" He jumped up and fetched the pair of blue and green socks for Misty. Knowing that she couldn't bend over, Ash put them on her himself, grinning proudly at the pretty red head once he was finished.

He became concerned once again, however, when he realized that Misty's whole body was now shaking, even though her feet were covered.

"What's wrong, Misty?" Ash frowned.

"I…I didn't realize how cold it was when I'm out from underneath the covers…" Misty blushed slightly. "I'm sorry…I'm complaining so much…"

"No, you're not! Really!" Ash raced forward and kissed Misty's forehead. "Besides, you just had a baby. You can complain all you want, and I won't mind at all! I'm going to take such good care of you, Misty. Honest."

"I believe you," Misty giggled sheepishly. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Now, how can we keep you warm…?" Ash thought aloud as his eyes grazed the hospital room.

"There's a robe hanging up in the closet," Misty motioned her head towards the door several feet away from her bed. "I could wear that, I guess."

"Good idea!" Ash smiled. "See, even in pain and feeling all sluggish you're thinking better than I am!"

Misty laughed lightly as Ash made his way over the closet, retrieving the robe and hurriedly bringing it back over to Misty. He helped her put it on, which she thanked him for, and then to stand up, which wasn't as hard as Ash or even Misty thought it would be.

"You doing okay?" Ash looked Misty dead in the eye.

"Yeah, for now," Misty nodded.

"Okay, let's try and take a walk," Ash smiled at his wife, who wasn't looking too enthusiastic over it. "Misty, don't look so sad. It makes me sad! I want to see you happy, beautiful."

"I'm just nervous," Misty sighed, "I don't want to fall, Ash."

"I will never let you fall," Ash touched his nose to Misty's. "I promise you that, Mist. You just hold onto me, and I'll hold onto you. Can you do that?"

Misty slowly nodded her head, transfixed by Ash's soothing voice and twinkling eyes. Smiling, Ash separated from his wife and instead stood by her side, holding her by the waist.

"Walk," Misty nudged Ash's foot with her own.

Grinning like a little boy up to no good, Ash looked down at his wife and teased, "You're the one who's supposed to be getting used to walking again, angel!"

"Yeah, but you said you wouldn't let me fall," Misty leaned her head against Ash's arm.

"And I won't," Ash stroked her side. "Come on, let's go!"

Nodding, Misty began to move forward, Ash keeping his grip on her the whole time. It felt like an eternity, but Misty finally made it out of the room, and began to move down the hallway. Ash made sure that she knew she was being held onto at all times, and so far everything seemed to be going perfectly.

By the time they had reached the end of the hall, however, Misty was panting and leaning over at the chest. Ash frowned and moved Misty's red strands away from her face, revealing to him just how red her cheeks were.

"You tired?" Ash asked as he rubbed Misty's back.

"Y…yeah…" Misty puffed. "I wanna…sit down now"

"Well, you did make it to the end of the hallway," Ash smiled at his wife. "So I'm very proud of you! Here, I see a nice little place right up there with a big window and some couches. That looks like the perfect place to rest!"

"Ash, you don't understand," Misty whined. "I can't walk anymore. I feel like my heart is going to burst."

"Really?" Ash murmured. Misty hummed discontentedly and nodded. Sighing, Ash reached down and lifted Misty into his arms, causing her to shriek at the unexpected action. "There. Now you don't have to walk anywhere!"

"Mmm…you're the best husband in the whole, wide world," Misty smiled into Ash's chest.

"I try," Ash chuckled, Misty feeling the strong vibrations in his chest. He carried her over to the alcove that had two, light blue cloth couches facing one another, and a big window against the wall. Gently, he placed Misty down on the couch, on the side that was closest to the window.

"How nice, a change of scenery," Misty giggled. "I was getting a little tired of looking around my room."

"Yeah, they really like keeping you stuck in there," Ash chuckled as he walked over to the window. "I bet you could really use some fresh air! What do you say, Mist?"

"That sounds wonderful," Misty beamed at her husband.

Ash undid the lock on window and pulled the glass panes back, instantly feeling a warm, August breeze hit against his face. Grinning, he went back to Misty, sitting next to her on the pale blue couch and resting his elbow on his knee, leaning his cheek against his closed fist.

"What are you looking at?" Misty giggled airily.

"You," Ash smiled. "You're so pretty."

"I am not," Misty gasped.

"Yes you are."

"No way."

"Mmmhm."

"My hair looks like a rattata's nest," Misty whined.

"I'll help you brush it later," Ash offered, not bothering to change his position.

"I haven't gotten any sleep in almost two days," Misty sighed.

"It doesn't show."

"I now have another scar on my body…"

"It's beautiful. It's from having our daughter. I love your scar."

"Everyone is still going to think I'm fat," Misty furrowed her brow, looking down at her hands. "All of those magazines…you know I can't do any exercise for the next 2 months? They're going to want to know why I didn't lose all of my baby weight right away. I'm going to be ridiculed."

"Oh, who cares about them?" Ash finally took his arm off of his leg and rolled his eyes. Smiling, he once again took Misty's hands and continued, "You know all of those magazines are stupid. The only person you need to impress is me, and it's really not that hard. You impress me by being just the way you are. So what if you have a little bit of extra weight on you? You were pregnant, Misty. It's hardly your fault. You did all the right things, and because of it, we have a healthy, beautiful baby girl. For that, I love you more than anyone else could ever imagine. As long as you have me, you don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks."

"Oh, Ash," Misty smiled tearfully. They were happy tears, of course. Misty couldn't believe how sweet her husband was. She was absolutely the luckiest woman in the whole world.

Still grinning, Ash leaned forward to give Misty a kiss. She happily returned his action, the two kissing deeply and passionately on the couch. Both of them were sure they heard a nurse noisily clearing her throat in the background, but that wasn't about to deter either of them.

Misty inched closer to Ash, practically sitting on his lap. Ash, meanwhile, held his hands against Misty's hips, making sure to avoid the area where her stitches were.

The two were so busy making out, however, that they didn't hear the footsteps approaching the couch. Even if they had, they would've only assumed it was the same nurse who had expressed disapproval at their action. It was only until a voice broke through that they would realize it was anything but.

"…Misty?"

The red head tore away from Ash so quickly it shocked him back into reality. His eyes widened, not understanding why Misty had ended their kiss so abruptly. He looked at her face, which had suddenly drained of any color and left her a sick, ghostly shade of white. Her eyes were wide and panicked, with an unreadable expression bubbling under the surface. Ash wanted to say something to her, but he was too afraid.

Quickly, he looked behind the couch, to see who had caused Misty to react that way. At nearly the same time, Misty peered in the same direction, still looking absolutely sick to her stomach.

The couple found themselves staring at none other than Michael and Lynne.

Okay, I also love the husband and wife fluff. It was sooo easy for me to write the Ash/Misty scenes where he's helping her to walk. They're so cute, I can't :P

Right, so you see now that Misty's maiden name is, in fact, Waterflower. I'm going to explain all of this in the next story I plan on publishing once this one is finished ^^ And next chapter, you're going to see the...very interesting interaction between her and her parents. It's not really a normal parent/child relationship, I'll tell you that much.

Oh, so all of my readers/reviewers...you guys are seriously the best. I was gone for (what's in my world) FOREVER, but you still all came out and read and reviewed and gaaah you're all so awesome. Best readers ever! I can't wait to see what you guys thought of this chapter, so tell me!