Hi and hello, folks! Chapter 24 is here, bringing with it the usual fun and...well, you know. What's in store this week? Let's raise the curtain and find out!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri do.

INCONCEIVABLE

CHAPTER 24-THE HOME STRETCH

Winter arrived with a hard chill that froze anyone foolish enough to stand still outdoors for more than a few minutes. With less than a month to go, the families' preparations for the baby's arrival seemed to go into overdrive, and Ash couldn't believe so much work could go into prepping for one new addition.

True to his word, Ash went out and picked up the bassinet May had indicated during their shopping trip a few months before, and he brought Max and Heracross with him to help out. His motivation for bringing Max along was twofold: not only would the younger boy keep him company, it would allow him to talk to Max about his relationship with his sister. Max had teased May constantly during their travels, so Ash wondered what might be going through his head now.

"Hey Max?" he asked as they headed back toward the apartment. He had instructed Heracross to carry the large box containing the bassinet, a task which the Single Horn Pokémon took to gladly; he'd been invaluable at the building site, so this kind of work was easy for him. Max turned to look at Ash as they walked along the busy thoroughfare from the shop.

"Yeah? What's up, Ash?

"Max, I kinda wanted to...to talk about some stuff with you. Relating to me and your sister." Max raised an eyebrow as he nodded.

"Okay, what kind of stuff?" Ash sighed as he wondered where to begin.

"Well, first off...what do you think? I know you like to tease her about stuff, but what's your reaction to my being with her?"

"To be honest, it's kinda weird." Max stopped to talk properly, and Ash signaled for Heracross to stop as well. "I mean, you two didn't even spark until she went off to Johto, and the next thing I know she's pregnant. It also never occurred to me what I might do if you two started...you know, dating and whatever. She never shut up about all that romantic stuff, whether it was a movie she saw or some celebrity couple she'd read about in a teen magazine. Normally I'd be on you two pretty hard, but you look like you hit the fast-forward button and didn't give me an opening to do so."

"And how about the baby?"

"It was a shocker. I thought Dad was gonna freak when he found out, but Mom kept him in check. You know how he is about this sort of thing, it caught him completely by surprise." Max chuckled. "It's kinda funny, you know, 'cause I'm gonna be Uncle Max in a few weeks. Imagine that, a kid my age becoming an uncle to his best friend's child."

"Yeah." Ash was relieved that Max wasn't too conflicted about the relationship. The two hadn't gotten off to the greatest start when they first met, but they had become firm friends in their time spent traveling together. The fact that Max had seemingly accepted it made it even easier. As Ash turned to continue down the road, Max spoke again.

"Ash, I've got to ask you something too."

"Fire away." Max swallowed before he continued.

"I overheard my dad talking to my mom about this, but I figured I'd ask you personally. Are you gonna marry my sister when things calm down?"

"Huh?" Ash knew Max couldn't have been eavesdropping on his own conversation with Norman, but the question was so similar that on any other day he would have been suspicious. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, Dad was real annoyed that May isn't gonna be married when she has the baby. Something about it not being the proper thing or something. Of course, he and Mom had a big fight over the idea, and I thought it was best to stay out of it. Are you really going to ask her, Ash?" Ash held his breath for a second, then sighed as he nodded.

"Yes, Max. I talked to your dad about it, and he gave me the go-ahead to ask her after the baby arrives. I'll probably wait until everything settles down again, but I do plan to ask her all the same."

"Wow." Max looked stunned, but unsurprised. "Man, I never would've believed it. My sister and one of my best friends, married with a kid already. It's so weird. I mean, one day we're traveling partners, the next we're gonna be in-laws."

"It's a funny old world we live in, huh?" Ash and Max both laughed, and they continued down the road towards the apartment.

Through everything, May and the other women continued their own preparations for the upcoming arrival. Since Caroline and Sandra didn't like the idea of May leaving the apartment for the doctor's, they had the specialist visit them every so often to check up on her. Most of these visits were fairly routine, and often involved a discussion of what to do in the first few weeks after the birth.

"From what I can see, you have a strong level of support behind you to begin with." the young doctor's assistant told May. "I'm assuming this is your permanent residence?"

"Well, we're not sure yet," May admitted. "We rented out the apartment a while ago, but we're still deciding whether to stay permanently."

"Alright, so I'll give you two versions of advice. If you plan to stay here, you should bring the newborn around every few days for a routine checkup, or a specialist like myself can come around instead. If you plan to move out—whether it's back home with your parents or somewhere else—make sure you find a doctor in the area and do the same. I can't stress this enough, Miss Maple. The care your child receives after birth is just as important as yours and theirs before."

"I understand. Thank you so much for your help." The assistant stood up, bowed to the group, and saw herself out of the apartment. May sighed and leaned back as far as she could. "I guess all we've got to do is wait, huh?"

"It's not easy, May." Caroline chuckled as she looked at her daughter. "You and your brother both took your time, let me tell you."

"I'm just tired of hanging around, you know? Even though I know they can't, I just want our little one to hurry up already. I want to hold them in my arms and get started being a mother."

"I know what you mean," Sandra answered, looking thoughtful. "Granted, being a parent is no easy task, but I understand why you want to move things along. You and Ash have been so patient this long, it's no surprise you're just waiting for this to end...or should I say begin."

"Begin?" May was puzzled. Sandra laughed as she clarified.

"Your pregnancy will end, but your life with your child will only be beginning. It won't be easy, but I know you and Ash will find a way to get it done." May nodded and closed her eyes; she felt exhausted even just sitting there, and she knew she had to get some sleep soon. However, her reverie was soon broken by her mother's voice.

"May, that specialist raised a valid question. Where are you and Ash going to live once the child is born?" May shrugged as she answered.

"You know, I never thought of that. I mean, I like it out here, but being so far away from everybody is a little strange. I'm gonna have to talk to Ash about it, since we're both in this together."

"I like this area, to be honest," Delia chimed in, adding her opinion for the first time. "It's a beautiful location, and it seems like a great place to raise a child. I wouldn't have minded living here when Ash was young, but I could never leave Pallet."

"I'm sure you'll think of something, May. You and Ash obviously worked together to make the decision to stay here."

"Actually, it was all Ash's idea." All three mothers gave May a confused look, and May continued. "I was dead-set against it at first. Since Morty, the local Gym Leader, was involved, I was afraid Dad would find out we were here because of his connections at the Pokémon League. But Ash came up with the cover names we used for so long..."—Sandra smiled at this—"and we settled in under those names. Once I got over my fear of being discovered, I was able to appreciate the area, and just went with it. In fact, that's what I've done for most of our time here."

"Just gone with it?" Caroline asked. "What does that mean?"

"I've been really passive this whole time, Mom. I didn't question too much until recently, I just took things as they came. Ash took most of the initiative; I think he was trying to take the pressure off me."

"That's my Ash for you," Delia sighed. "He was always a determined young man, it makes sense he would try to shoulder the full responsibility for the two of you."

"And he did. I appreciate everything he's done, but at the same time I wish I could have done more."

"Don't worry yourself, May." Caroline put her hand on top of May's, and May closed her eyes at the gesture. "You and Ash have done so much for each other these past few months, so don't go all pessimistic on me now. Things will come as they do, and you'll be ready. I know it."

The days continued to fly by. Ash, Max and Norman spent one long afternoon assembling the newly purchased bassinet. This involved a failed attempt to do so without the instructions, multiple wrong turns with them and a stream of colourful euphemisms from Norman, to Caroline's disapproval. Eventually, though, the assembly was finished and standing next to the bed, where Ash collapsed once they cleared everything up.

"Who knew such a small piece of furniture could take so long to put together?" he groaned. "Is this supposed to happen, Norman?"

"I couldn't tell you, Ash. It's been forever since I did something like this."

"Did you curse at it back then, too, Dad?" Max had been the quietest of the three during the assembly, but he was obviously surprised by his father's arsenal of expletives.

"Dial it back, son," Norman cautioned, glancing at the door. "Your mother is annoyed at me as it is, don't bring her down on you too."

"I guess you're right. I mean, I found that out firsthand, remember?"

"Yes, so don't tempt her, Max. She's got her hands full with your sister, don't give her any more problems to deal with."

"Fine, Dad," Max turned to Ash, who was still lying back on the bed. "Ash, you alright? You look burned out."

"I'm okay, Max, just a bit tired. I think the strain of the last few months is starting to catch up with me."

"Better not let it get to you, Ash," Norman told him. "You'll have plenty more to deal with down the road, so it's best to get used to the strain now. Remember what we discussed." Ash nodded and sat back up; he'd better get his act together if he was going to see this through.

As December faded into January, the wait for the baby's arrival became more and more tense. May was trying to stay calm and collected, but she could tell that Ash and her father were both coiled up like bedsprings from the tension, and her mother was showing signs of fatigue too.

Even though she'd never admit it again, May was getting more and more impatient by the day. It was as if the baby's arrival was like the Grand Festival, and each day was a Contest leading up to it. She knew it was no use hoping for things to move along, but it didn't take the edge off her impatience.

A week and a half into January, May was talking to her mother and Sandra when she felt a cramp in her stomach. She shook it off, reasoning that it was just a muscle spasm. However, she started to worry when it happened again half an hour later. The cramps continued for the next hour or so, and became more frequent and painful as time went by. May sat down on the couch to try and calm herself, but the cramps continued. Eventually, she turned to her mother with a panicked look in her eyes.

"May, what's wrong?" All three mothers' eyes widened as May closed her eyes and said the magic words through clenched teeth.

"I think the baby's on their way."

Whoa. Big time stuff there, I know. So next time will see the baby's arrival, and the story should be ending soon. With what I wanted to do with the closing chapters, I had to split this into two installments, the next of which is in the works. Watch this space until then, folks!

Alright, standard operating procedure remains in effect. Please read, REVIEW and tell me what you thought! Until next time, namárië!