May's eyes fluttered open to the sound of constant beeping from a machine. She turned her head around to see a heart monitor and an IV linked into her arm.
At the end of the hospital room was a tall slim man dressed in a casual business outfit with black slacks and a white shirt with a red tie. He had black hair and piercing gray eyes that could pass as benevolent or intimidating, whichever was needed.
"Dad," May tried to say, but it came out as a croak. She felt her tongue and vainly tried to move it. It was stuck like glue to the roof of her mouth.
"Hey sweetie," Norman Maple greeted, giving her a kiss on the forehead, "You're awake. The Navy flew you back; you're now in Wagner Naval Hospital."
He reached down and put a cup with a straw to her lips. The water she sipped felt as if it was a first rain on a desert. She drank greedily, as it washed away the thick coating and sluiced its way down.
"How are you feeling?"
"Good," May was about to ask about Ash when the door opened and a boy, about seventeen years old came into the room and embraced her.
"May, holy crap. I thought I lost you."
"Don't worry Max," She cheerfully played it off, "You can't get rid of me that easily."
"Of course not!" Max rolled his eyes behind the wire rimmed eyeglasses, "I wouldn't want you to miss out on my games!"
"Games?"
"Max got called by Coach Baldwin to try out for the starting quarterback." Norman proudly said, although May detected the slightest undertone of him flaunting her younger brother's newest accomplishment over hers. "If he impresses them, he could start as early as the summer training camp."
"That's great news!" She looked around, "Where's Ash?" The last time she saw him was when they were separated on stretchers to be wheeled into the medical wing after the Navy helicopter flew them onto the corvette.
"He's out of surgery and doing okay."
"Surgery?" May cried, "Oh Arceus, what happened?"
"He was stabbed and it required several stitches."
"He barely paid attention to it," She suddenly felt stiff, "He carried me up those cliffs and swam us to shore all while having been stabbed."
"May, what are you talking about?"
"Can I see him?"
Norman shook his head while gesturing for Max to leave. "That is not going to happen. He is speaking with the doctors right now."
May was about to ask where Dawn was, but held her tongue, as her father was not very fond of her. "Please. He saved my life."
The owner of the Maple Software Firm realized that he was not going to win this argument and sighed, "If the doctor says that you can move. You can visit him."
He left the room without another word and returned in twenty seconds.
"Alright, doctor said it was fine. Come on."
May removed the IV and gently eased herself off the bed and took Norman's hand, struggling to stand at first, but eventually had regained her balance.
It was definitely odd seeing a man in business clothes escorting a woman in a hospital gown down the aisles of the ward, but none of the Navy nurses or medical staff seemed to mind.
They stopped two rooms down where Ash was talking to both a nurse and another man about his height with dark brown hair. He wore the same fatigues as when the former had when he rescued May and looked rather tired himself.
Ash wore a clean white gown and had his head against the wall. His eyes were shut as he spoke, but it was always a bit of a frown. Something was bothering him and he was not happy about it.
May glanced up at her father before she slowly turned the knob to the door and made her way inside.
He noticed the door opening and closing and opened his eyes.
"See?" Norman put a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "He's perfectly fine. Now let's get back to your room."
"No, something's wrong with him." She looked over at him as well as the two that Ash were speaking to, "Can I speak with him in private?"
Ash had caught on to their conversation and looked over at her, "Damien, mind if we could have a little privacy?"
"Sure thing," Hammond put a hand on the nurse's shoulder and escorted her outside. Norman gave Ash another curious look before kissing May's forehead. While the Lieutenant had given a vibe that he didn't necessarily like, he was still quite grateful that he was responsible for his daughter's rescue, "I'll be in the restroom. Be right back."
May made sure that she and Ash were alone before she sat on the bed. He was younger than she had expected, previously envisioning him in his early thirties, but instead he looked maybe twenty-four or twenty five. However, he had moved and acted with the confidence of someone twice his age. "Hi Lieutenant."
"Miss Maple." The reply was curt and a bit chilly, "Feeling okay?"
"Yes thank you." She looked at him in concern, "What about everyone else?"
"All the hostages from the concert were rescued. So far, they are all unharmed."
"How come you didn't tell me?"
"Tell you about what?"
"The stab wound!"
"May, you were seconds away from possibly being raped, in panic when the explosion happened and had a lot to take in the last few hours back there. I wanted you to focus on your own safety and well-being and let me take care of myself." He gave her a small smile, his cold demeanor melting away, "Besides, it's nothing I haven't suffered before."
"Then what has you so down?"
Ash was back to his distant self, silent for a few moments, but when he spoke, he had lost all the fire in his words, "The helicopter pilot, Captain Gibson, who was going to extract us was shot three times while we were getting you out. After hours of internal bleeding and unsuccessful surgery, he didn't make it."
Now May realized that Ash had paid nearly no attention to the almost trivial stab wound trying to rescue her and the others. The attempt had cost someone their life.
"I'm sorry," May lowered her head. "I shouldn't have,"
"May it's fine," Ash dismissed it with a wave, but it had still deprived him of morale. He rubbed his temples with his free hand. Before he had a chance to continue, they heard the door snick open.
"Dad," She started, already knowing who it was, "This is Ash. He is the man who saved my life. Ash, this is my father, Norman."
"Mister Maple," Ash grunted as he tried to sit up and extended a hand.
"Lieutenant, take it easy. You've been through quite a lot." He still shook his hand, taken a bit aback by his appearance. Ash had a rugged look that made him quite an attractive person, almost as if he was an actor stepping off a movie set. "Thank you so much for what you did for May here. I have no idea how I can repay you."
"You don't have to sir," Ash shot May a knowing grin, "All I did was take care of the bad guys. May escaped with me and got back mostly on her own." He noticed that she reached up to scratch her head in embarrassment. "May, you're one tough lady. As much as a soldier you were last night, I would not like to see you back on the field. Understood?"
"Yes," She couldn't help but giggle a little bit. The notion did not go unnoticed by her father.
"May, how about we give Ash some time to unwind?" He looked over at him, "Please let me know if you need anything."
As they walked out, Ash quietly wished that it was only Norman who would have left.
May kept pace with her father as they headed to the desk to sign papers, clearing their release.
"Hey dad?"
"Yes dear?"
"I want to do something for the family of the pilot who died."
"Of course," Norman said, "That would be very thoughtful."
"No, I don't mean like a big check, how about we see what charities the family was involved in and actively contribute."
"Don't see why not." He was still a bit puzzled on why she was speaking so passionately. Shouldn't she be seeking comfort instead of wanting to jump back out into the world?
"And I want to get my own place soon."
That didn't bode well with him. "May, you can't be serious! You can hardly take care of yourself!"
"You haven't even let me try to!" She protested, "I've constantly asked for one chance so I can prove that I don't need either yours or Drew's protection and can handle things on my own!"
Norman was about to scold her, but held his tongue, partially remembering what she had to go through over the last full day, "May, I understand that you've been through a lot over yesterday, but I'm not fully confident in your abilities just yet. How about you take some time off of classes, relax a bit before you finish your degree and we can discuss things from there?"
Before May could reply, the door to the hospital entrance opened and a man just shy of six feet tall with a slim build walked in. He wore casual jeans with a black shirt underneath a light purple jacket. Upon seeing May, he quickly made his way over to them.
"May, thank Arceus, you're okay." He gave her a chaste kiss.
"Thanks Drew," She couldn't help but blush. It deepened when he gestured to her side and she saw that he had inserted a red rose in her pocket.
Norman, seeing the two together breathed a sigh of relief, "Drew, I'm going back to my house to get a few extra things before we head out. Just make sure you get to the airport on time. The plane's leaving at three in the afternoon. Get May's stuff too."
"We're leaving?" She asked, "Where?"
"To Unova," Drew answered for her, "Norman and I have to go for business tomorrow on one of the largest investments in two years. Why don't you come with us? I've heard that Castelia has some great places we can go out to dinner when I'm done. I already called your professors at Broadstone and they've agreed to postpone your assignments until you're healthy enough to return."
May felt that this was a chance to defy both of them for once, as her father still had the final say in matters between them. Why couldn't he be confident with her on her own like he was with Max? "No. I don't want to go to Unova and I still would like to get my own place. Please? Sure, it was a tough night, but I also realized that I can do more than just sit in your bubble and instead, do something I want to do."
"Listen to what you're saying," Norman tried to reason with her, "Three days ago and this stuff would have never come out of your mouth." He paused before bitterly accusing Ash, "Is it him? Is he the one that is filling your head with this nonsense?"
"Why do you talk of him like he is a threat?" She protested, looking over to Drew in hopes of some support. Instead, he gave her a sorrowful look and averted gazes, "He saved my life and he made me rethink how my life has been run."
The older man was about to snap back with an already brewed temper when the hallway door opened and Ash Ketchum walked in, accompanied by one of the nurses.
"So be sure to take one of the prescribed painkillers if you continue to feel intense pain. The stitches will dissolve after a week, so you will not have to come back for that. If the pain persists through the drugs, head back here or one of the hospitals in the Petalburg area."
"Many thanks,"
"No problem Lieutenant," She extended a clipboard, "Just sign here and you're free to leave. Have a nice day."
After parting ways with the nurse, Ash passed them and looked back, "Mister Maple." He switched his gaze over to May and Drew holding hands, "May."
"You must be Lieutenant Ketchum." He let go of her hand and extended it out to him, "Drew Hayden, May's boyfriend."
"Ash Ketchum," Gingerly squeezing it, he found it a bit unusual to have someone his age to title himself as a "boyfriend" but to each his own. "How are you doing?"
"Grateful," Drew gave him a once-over, "I'm so thankful that you rescued May here."
"I would have done it with anyone else," Ash replied, "Listen, I just got a visit from one of the reporters from BuzzNav's Mauville station. They're wanting to do a press conference with me and May this evening."
"I'll fill in for her," Norman stepped forward.
"Actually they specifically asked for May."
She sensed a slight bit of tension between them and decided to intervene because it could have gotten heated, "Dad, it'll be okay. Besides, I told you, I'm not really looking forward to the trip."
"Fine." He said, "Drew, why don't you take her home and get ready?" He faced Ash, "I'm guessing they're going to be informing us?"
The Commando nodded, "Right when all of you walk out the door." He slipped his hands in his pockets and turned to leave, "You have a nice day Mr. Maple. See you later tonight."
The good news is that my work shifts have been moved to a later time. While that means an update can come earlier, it also means I'll be working until late at night and that can get exhausting!
And is there tension already starting to brew between Ash, Norman and Drew? Yeah, I'd say so, but it's also noteworthy that the latter doesn't seem so worried about Ash and May's budding relationship.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, you give my writing purpose.