Hi and hello! Chapter 25 is here, with an announcement: this story is once again being extended by one chapter. I know, I know, I keep saying that, but this one is really long and I didn't want to force too many events into one chapter. Anyway, let's charge into this week's installment! Curtain up!

A/N: The events of this chapter are based on my own research and should not be taken as typical. I've never had to deal with the birth of a child directly before, so any errors are a result of my inexperience (which explains why some steps might be missing).

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

INCONCEIVABLE

CHAPTER 25-TWO BECOMES THREE

Instantly, Sandra sprang into action.

"Alright, May, you sit tight for a couple of minutes. Caroline and Delia, stay with her. I'm going to call the hospital." She grabbed her PokéGear deftly from her pocket and dialed the number, tapping her foot impatiently as it rang. "Come on, come on, pick up," she muttered, and then she snapped to attention as a voice on the other end spoke. "Yes, my name is Sandra Kernighan. I have a young woman here who's just gone into labour, we need...yes...alright...we'll be there. Thank you so much." She turned to the others as she shut the PokéGear.

"Delia, Caroline, help May get downstairs. I'm going to have Biff bring the car around." She opened the phone again, and May turned to her mother, doing her best to smile despite her discomfort.

"I hope he hurries up, this hurts quite a bit."

"It'll be okay, May. Let's just get moving." Across the room, Sandra sounded frustrated as she explained the situation to her husband.

"Just bring the car around, okay? She's having the baby right now...no, not this minute, you idiot, but she will eventually! We'll be waiting for you outside, you can come up to the apartment afterward. Yes...just do it, Biff! There's no time to argue right now!" Shutting the phone, Sandra shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder about him...alright, listen up, everyone."

"We're all ears, Sandra." Norman and Ash stopped what they were doing to listen, and Max came in from the other room to do the same.

"Okay, here's the deal. I'm going to go to the hospital with Caroline and Delia to get May settled. I get the feeling they won't appreciate all..." she did a quick count in her head, "...all ten of us showing up at once, so once we get her settled in, one of us will call. Who here has a mobile device?"

"I've got my PokéGear, Sandra." Ash indicated the device. "Max, don't you still have your old PokéNav as well?"

"Right here, Ash." Max held up the yellow contraption.

"Excellent. You'll hear from somebody once things calm down...relatively speaking. Where are Mary and Kathryn?"

"Outside with the Pokémon," Max told her. "Do you want me to go get them?"

"No, that's alright, Max. Just make sure they know what's going on when they get back up here." Sandra took a quick look around the apartment, then her face broke into a calm smile. "She's going to be alright, guys. We'll take care of her for now." She turned quickly and hurried out of the apartment to follow the others down to the ground floor.

Once Biff had brought the car to the front of the apartment complex, Delia and Caroline helped May in as Sandra replaced her husband at the wheel. Ash had run down to give May some last-second comforting words, but he found as he poked his head in the window that he couldn't say anything. Still keeping up her brave smile, May simply kissed his cheek, and Ash pulled away to allow his mother to get in next to his girlfriend.

"Ash, she's going to be okay." Delia said as she gave her son a quick hug. "We won't let anything happen to her, don't worry."

"I know, Mom. I'm just trying to be a good boyfriend, I guess."

"Well, you're doing fine, honey. Just relax, it'll be over soon." Ash nodded and stepped back, wiping his brow as the car pulled away. Biff noticed his protégé's agitation and moved to stand next to him.

"You okay, kid? You look real tense." Ash sighed and looked at the ground.

"I'll be okay, Biff, I'm just a bit concerned about May. Was it like this when you and Sandra had your kids?"

"A bit. The situations were a little similar; Sandra had her sisters helpin' her out, and now she's workin' with your mom and Caroline." Biff chuckled; he obviously hadn't been in this situation for a while, but it was apparent he remembered his own experiences well. "Hey, don't get too wound up. If I know Sandra, she's gonna do everything she can to make sure this goes right. You've got nothin' to worry about." At that moment, Mary and Kathryn came around the corner, the latter looking more excited than ever.

"Oh, hi, Dad," Mary said quietly as she noticed her father standing there. "What are you doing here? Isn't Mom still around?"

"Uh..." From his expression, Biff wasn't able to think of a way to phrase the situation delicately, so Ash took over for him.

"Mary, your mom went with May to the hospital."

"Why? Is May okay? Why is she...?" Something clicked in Kathryn's mind as she squealed happily. "You mean the baby's coming? Oh, why wasn't I here earlier? When can we go see them? What are we..." Kathryn was talking a mile a minute once again, her thoughts outpacing her mouth. Mary stared in disapproval, while Ash sighed.

"Slow down, will ya, Kathryn?" Biff had re-composed himself, and chuckled at his younger daughter's enthusiasm. "One thing at a time. Yes, Mom's gone to the hospital with May, and the baby's on their way. We're waiting for her to call us over, 'cause they have to get May settled in first."

"Aw, man," Kathryn pouted, still as excited as before. "Why do we have to wait around? We should be over there now!"

"Kathryn, it's not that simple." This time Mary tried to calm her sister down. "They can't have ten people show up at once, it's too much to deal with, both for the hospital and for us. Mom's obviously gone with Ash and May's mothers to help her out, but the rest of us will have to stay here until they're ready for us."

"But when's that gonna be?" Kathryn simply would not give this up, no matter what anyone told her. "Why does it have to take so long, anyway? Why can't...?"

"Alright, Kathryn, that's enough," Biff laughed as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not gonna hurry anything up by askin' so many questions. Why don't we all go upstairs for a bit, and we'll head over when Mom calls us, huh?" Ash thought this was a good idea, as did Mary, so they all walked back upstairs to wait for Sandra's call to arms.

Around five-thirty, Ash's PokéGear went off, and he quickly flipped it open when he saw the caller ID. Sandra told him where May, Delia and Caroline were, and that she would meet the group in the hospital foyer when they arrived. Ash confirmed everything and shut the device, then turned to tell the others.

"Alright, guys, that was Sandra. May's settled, and my mom's with hers over there. The hospital's about a twenty-minute walk from here, so we should be there around six if we leave in the next five minutes. Everyone okay with that?"

"Sure, Ash," Max had been sitting at a table with Mary, discussing some training techniques he'd picked up, and now he jumped up, eager to go see his sister. Norman and Biff made sure everyone was accounted for, and they all started over to the large complex down the road. On the way, Norman and Ash dropped back so they could talk, while Biff, Max and the girls took the lead.

"You alright, son?" Norman's voice was calm, belying the tension he felt. "This is a big day for you and May, after all."

"I...I don't know, Norman. I know everyone's been telling me to relax, but I can't help but feel nervous. This is our first time doing something like this, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"From what I can see, you are doing what you're supposed to." Norman grinned at Ash's incredulous look. "Do you think I had any idea what I was doing when May was born? This is all part of being a new parent, you'll be fine."

"I hope so, Norman. The tension's killing me already, and we're not even there yet."

"Just stay calm. If you're calm, then by extension May should be. Well, I should hope so anyway. She's stressed out enough, she doesn't need to see you the same way." Ash nodded and turned to look ahead of him. Mary and Kathryn were arguing vehemently about something, and Max was shaking his head at their antics. Noting their similarity to May and Max on their travels, Ash chuckled and continued down the road to the hospital.

Upon their arrival, Sandra met the gang at the door.

"Okay, you're all here, good. May's on the second floor, to our right, Delia and Caroline are in there with her. I'll go back in there once we've found a place to set up shop for a while."

"Sounds good to me." Sandra led them up a flight of stairs towards the maternity ward. As they reached the area May was in, they were met by a smiling nurse.

"This is the group you mentioned, Mrs. Kernighan?" Sandra nodded, and the nurse's smile widened. "Great. Okay, here's the deal, guys. Miss Maple is in good hands, and the process is going well. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we can only allow three non-staff members to be with her at any time." She looked around. "Which one of you is Ash Ketchum?"

"That's me, Miss." Ash put his hand up as if answering a teacher's question. "Um, not to be intrusive or anything, but why are you looking for me in particular?"

"May's been asking for you, Ash," Sandra told him, and Ash's face reddened. "Ever since we got her settled, she's been asking us when you guys were coming. I think she wants you by her side, Ash."

"But..."

"No buts, Ash. Delia and I will rotate in and out, but the father of May's child should be there. Come on, we'll head over there now. Nurse?" The young woman turned to face Sandra.

"Yes, Mrs. Kernighan?"

"Can you show everyone else where they can sit down while this is going on? I'll take Ash over to the ward."

"Very well, ma'am." The nurse led Norman and the others towards a waiting area, while Ash and Sandra walked towards the ward. Sandra noticed Ash's tense expression and smiled.

"Ash, you have nothing to worry about. May is in the most capable hands available, and she'll be fine. Don't be so stressed; you'll scare her, and that would never do."

"I...I know, Sandra." Ash did his best to relax; he wasn't sure how long it would be, but he was going to witness the birth of his first child! He should be happy, right? "I'm just really nervous. All the stuff we put ourselves through, and it all boils down to this."

"Think of it as a reward for all your efforts." Sandra considered this, then laughed. "Well, not so much a reward, that's not right. But it is the beginning of something new and wonderful, and that should make everything worth it."

"I guess so." As Ash and Sandra reached the ward, they met Delia as she exited the area.

"Oh, Ash, you're here, good. May's waiting inside for you." The Pallet mother leaned close to her son's ear for her next words. "You stay by her, okay? She needs you now more than ever." Ash hugged his mother before she headed to meet the others, then followed Sandra into the ward.

May was sitting on a hospital bed at the far end of the ward, Caroline by her side. Ash couldn't help but smile a little; she was a fighter, despite her sweet demeanour. Sandra moved to stand next to Caroline, and Ash moved over to speak to May.

"Hey, beautiful," he found himself saying, and flushed; he didn't mean to say that! May smiled back despite the effort and discomfort.

"Hi, Ash," she answered, then winced as she felt another contraction. "You have no idea how much this hurts."

"I can only imagine," Ash said, grasping her hand. "I'm here for ya, May. Don't worry, we're going to be okay."

"Easy...for you to say," May grunted, squeezing his hand hard. "Sorry, Ash, I'm going to be kinda grouchy for the next few hours. Please don't take it personally."

"I won't, May. I understand, and I'll still love you no matter what." Tears came to May's eyes, both from emotion and pain, and they settled in for the long shift.

The hours went by, and the tension on the ward and in the waiting room was palpable. Delia and Sandra rotated every hour, so each one of them could rest as the process rolled on. As night fell, Sandra and Biff began to discuss how long they would let the girls stay, and Kathryn weighed in with her opinion that she should be allowed to stay all night.

"No, Kathryn. We can't say for sure how long this is going to be, and I will not have you up all night."

"But Mom," Kathryn whined, "I want to see the baby! I can't wait until tomorrow."

"Kathryn, your mother's right," Biff told his younger daughter. "We can't let you stay up too late, you'll burn out tomorrow. Sandra, what's a good cut-off time?"

"Ten o'clock, eleven at the absolute latest. Don't argue with me, Kathryn," Sandra warned as Kathryn opened her mouth to protest. "If my calculations are correct, the baby will be here just after then, so don't get your hopes up. Go play with your sister or something for now, please."

"Mom, Mary doesn't want to talk to me! She's too busy talking to her new boyfriend..."

"What did you just say?" Mary jumped up from her card game with Max to confront her sister.

"Exactly what I said, Mary!" Kathryn jumped onto a chair to address the group. "Listen up, everybody, Mary's got a crush on Max! They've spent so much time together, there's no other explanation!"

"Why, you little pest...!" Mary moved to do something, but Max ran over and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't get worked up, Mary. I've done this to May all the time; Kathryn's just trying to wind you up." Mary blushed and followed Max back to the table, and Kathryn stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"You can't deny it, Mary! You love Max, and I'm not gonna let this one go! I'll..." Sandra decided to end the nonsense before it got out of hand.

"Kathryn, stop it right now, or I will send you home immediately. Do you understand me?" Kathryn's shoulders slumped as she admitted defeat.

"Yes, Mom," she muttered, but kept throwing glances at the other two for the rest of the time. Mary and Max ignored her and continued with their game.

Ash couldn't believe this could take so long. May was looking exhausted, and each fresh contraction caused her to squeeze his hand and send spasms up his right arm. He looked at the clock, which now read a quarter past ten; Sandra had set everything in motion at around three, so he hoped it would end soon, if only so May could calm down and not break his hand.

Caroline, Delia and Sandra all looked burned out as well, although they all put on a brave face for May's sake. The latter two had been switching off every hour or so, but Sandra had settled in for the night shift while Delia waited with Norman, Biff and the younger group members. Sandra had been brilliant the entire time; she'd taken charge right from the start, and her experience made it easier on everyone involved.

An hour later, Ash was beginning to get drowsy when she heard a nurse shout.

"There's the head!" May cringed as she felt the pain, and she gripped Ash's hand even tighter.

"Ash, I'm scared." She spoke in a whisper, meant only for his ears, and Ash smiled as he stroked her hand.

"Don't be. It's almost over." Ash watched the nurses swarm the area, ready to help May out. They kept at it for another twenty minutes, watching for any sign of trouble, and encouraging May as the process continued.

"Alright, Miss Maple, here we go," the nurse told her, strategically positioned in case of a problem. "The baby's almost there, you just need to help them out. Get ready..." May braced, and Ash held on tightly, unwilling to let her go. "Now!"

"Go for it, May!" Ash cried, ignoring the people staring at them. May cried out in pain, and as the noise faded, a baby's cry echoed through the ward.

Boom! Had y'all going there for a while, didn't I? I apologize, we won't be finding out the baby's name or gender in this chapter, mainly because I didn't want to shoehorn everything into one installment. Next week, we will meet the baby (I know you guys have been waiting patiently, but I've gotta extend this by another chapter), and the story should come to an end pretty soon. Watch this space!

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