Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with the first Winter themed chapter of this month. It's not exactly Christmassy and festive but I think it's pretty sweet. It focuses on James and Misty when they're in the hospital during the darkness saga and I had so much fun writing it. For me, it really captures James and Misty's friendship. Their ability to laugh together, be vulnerable together and be loyal to one and other. So I hope you enjoy :3

Ages:

Misty: 30

James: 37

Rey: Over A Month Old

Disclaimer: I own the stories and the OCs mentioned!

I looked up at the ceiling and although I snuggled further under the covers with Misty and exhaled a quiet breath, I couldn't help but notice my chest was no longer feeling as tight as I had gotten used to it being. I continued my soft focus on the ceiling above. Things were still the same. In some ways, they were different and they were improving, but in others, they were very much the same. But day by day and hour by hour, I had begun to feel slightly better and stronger too.

It wasn't strongly noticeable. It was a gradual improvement and a gradual gaining of strength but it was progress nonetheless. I was getting there. And as I cuddled even closer to Misty and allowed her to weakly stroke my head, I knew that we would get better together. And in turn, things would get better for us all.

I actually enjoyed being cuddled up in bed with the orange haired female. It stopped being as suffocating and aching and anxious for me as it had been for the first week and started being almost tender as I focused on the closeness rather than the situation. Though her hand on the top of my head was week and trembling, it was still affection. And I still enjoyed it. I was beginning to feel better. And one of the reasons for that, I knew, was because Misty started to feel better too.

She hadn't improved in leaps and bounds. She was still very shocked. She was still very weary. She was still very groggy. She was still very emotional. But thanks to the patience and the love of everybody around us – Delia, Jordan, Lynne, Ben, Katie, Jayden – just to name a few – she was finding it in her heart to keep on being strong for everybody else as well as herself. And of course, bonding with her new baby girl was helping too. Though that was bittersweet and understandably so, when it was a positive experience, it made her glow. And that in turn made everyone else glow. We all glowed with finally seeing better days.

But when we started to see not so nice days again, we had each other there to lean on. And one person you could most definitely lean on was the lavender haired ex-rocketeer. He was the person that we were all turning towards. The orange haired female was most definitely turning towards him. She was relying on him. She was enjoying him. And she was appreciating him too. As much as she could.

So that day in the hospital, was almost a pleasant one. The early December sun was cracking through the blinds in the windows and the temperature was a comfortable one. It wasn't too hot. It wasn't too cold. It wasn't too sunny either. But it definitely wasn't too dark. You could hear the birds and the Pokémon and the Bird Pokémon chattering outside.

Sounds further on in the hospital could be heard also. And they seemed to be pleasant ones. The first of the month had passed. Holiday joy was beginning. And that was yet another thing that was perking up the mood of anybody who entered the little private room. The holiday season was approaching. And we were most certainly going to enjoy every second and every moment and every part of it despite what had gone on.

I was determined to remain close to Misty and under the covers with her but after a few more moments of looking up at the ceiling; curiosity got the best of me. James was always a quiet and laid back man but in those moments, from going by just my ears, he was being especially silent. I poked my head out of the covers. I didn't have to worry over what I saw. Thankfully, I didn't have to look concerned at all.

Just like the atmosphere that was in our little room, he was looking very calm too. He was in his usual visitors chair beside Misty's bed and he had his glasses on. He had one leg resting over the other and on his lap was a book. It was the sweet little book that he'd been writing in since the newest baby Ketchum had come into the world. He was hard at work filling it in with his glasses on the bridge of his nose and his head tilting towards the pages in front of him.

His pen was making scratching soothing noises. I glanced over and up at Misty. I had forgotten that she was staring up at the ceiling herself and with headphones plugged into her phone to play relaxing music. I smiled to myself and cuddled closer to her a third time. The scratching pen noises would be just for me to enjoy. She was in her own world. Whatever little world that was, I hoped she was having a peaceful time.

I knew that James and I were sharing the same thoughts about Misty when, after I stopped looking at her, I looked back over at him and saw him glancing at his best friend as well. His green eyes looked sad but they didn't look like a heart-breaking kind of sadness. It was more a fond sadness. It was more a wistful sadness. But despite this, he smiled as well. It was a tiny; one sided smile in the corner of his mouth but it was a smile nevertheless. He really loved the orange haired female. He really loved his best friend. He would do anything for her. And he would do anything for her new little baby too.

And soon enough, we were both thinking of that sweet dark chestnut haired little baby girl who had come into the world over a month ago. But before we could dwell on her too much or our brains could go down the not so uplifting path of remembering the day that she was born, all of a sudden, it was like she knew that we were thinking of her. And it was like she knew that we needed stopping from our peaceful moods from turning grey.

From the other section of our private hospital room home, the sound of the small infant crying could be heard and even though it was coming from one particular place, it seemed to echo all around. James looked up right away. I glanced at Misty briefly and expected her to be in her own world. I almost hoped that she would be in her own world; it was probably a lot nicer place than our own! But maybe I was wrong to think that. Maybe it was the wrong attitude. And on top of that, I was mistaken.

Of course the orange haired female heard the sound of her new baby crying right away. She didn't sit bolt upright. She didn't move too much, she knew better than that. But she still moved her hand away from my head to use both to pull her earphones out of her ears. And as well as that, her gaze moved over to the lavender haired male. She didn't say anything. She didn't need to say anything. He knew. He was already on it. He smiled and didn't hesitate to put his writing diary down on the edge of her bed and stand up out of her chair.

"That's funny; I was just hovering over the number of times she's fed today and trying to remember because I guess I forgot to count." James spoke in a soft and calming tone to his best friend and didn't stop making conversation even when he headed round the corner to fetch the Ketchum baby. He smiled slightly more to himself. "I can write at least one time in it now though. The little baby is hungry and wanting Mommy."

Misty smiled slightly upon hearing James talk and she just nodded her head, waiting for him to appear carrying her baby daughter. I could feel her breathing deepen and quicken slightly as she prepared to see her child. I understood. It was a gamble each time wondering how holding onto the sweet infant was going to make her feel. But whatever happened or however she felt, she would always have James and I there to support her no matter what. Always.

Misty continued waiting and she continued breathing. The lavender haired male wasn't taking ages but he was taking a bit longer than always. He was probably just doing something simple like brushing the locks of the dark chestnut haired baby out of her eyes or wiping sleep from the corners of them or something like that. But to Misty, it was starting to feel like he was taking forever.

She was also slightly uncomfortable with how he'd left the diary on the edge of her bed. She had found the gesture very sweet and heart-warming that he'd writing about every day of the little baby's life on good days but when she wasn't feeling so strong, it filled her with guilt. After all, he'd only done that because she had been asleep for the first few days.

Ash had been gone. She'd been asleep. They'd both missed it all. So while she was waiting for her best friend to come back, I could feel her almost not letting the tips of her toes touch the corners of the book from under the covers. I wanted to help her, I really did, but I didn't want to make her feel bad either. I didn't know how I was going to push the book away from her without being obvious. So I just smiled at her reassuringly and supportively and waited along with her.

After a few moments and her noticing my smile, her breathing stopped being so heavy. And after just a few seconds more, she was no longer alone with me in the room. James had come back and he was with her baby too. The little girl was still wailing and wanting food but she didn't seem very grumpy. In fact, she was seemingly just crying to announce to everybody that she was awake. Her expression was very much bright eyes and pursed little pouty lips. And neither Misty nor I needed to fear about her reaction to the little child before because as soon as she saw her, she found herself smiling. James carried on doing so too.

"This little sunny girl made a bit of a mess in her nappy so that's why I took a little bit of a while." James spoke casually but gave Misty a bit of an answer as he came down to sit on the end of the bed. I was glad to see that he put the diary notebook on the floor as he did so but Misty had seemingly long forgotten it. The lavender haired male chuckled to himself slightly as he continued. He pushed his hair from his eyes. "Although if she's anything like my youngest, she'll have a feed that will go in and straight back out again. So we shall see if the change was worthwhile."

I rolled my eyes fondly and Misty pretended to narrow her eyes and wrinkle her nose too but she really did enjoy her best friend carrying on like normal. He was very kind and caring and helpful but at the same time, he was great at being light-hearted and humorous. It made Misty forget in some ways. It made her forget her difficulties. It made her forget her confusion. It made her forget her sadness. And it made her forget how she often got a little weepy after feeding her baby.

The lavender haired male helped the orange haired female up before he held the youngest baby Ketchum out to her after she'd unbuttoned her hospital pyjamas. He stayed close by her side while she positioned to feed her baby and waited for her to latch on in her own time but James didn't stay too close to her either. He didn't suffocate her. He was just there. But he couldn't stop himself from nonchalantly reaching out and stroking the baby's dark chestnut locks while she fed.

Misty noticed but she didn't say anything. She was too busy focusing on her baby. She was too busy focusing on her daughter. She held her close and she stroked her cheek while she hungrily fed. She felt a lump growing in her throat but she did her best to ignore it. She did her best to ignore the guilt and the sadness. She did her best to focus on the present. She focused on the here and now. And that was her precious little baby girl, in her arms and healthy and happy despite it all.

James had been the one there for everybody surrounding the incident since it had happened. He'd been number one listener and nurturer and caregiver. No matter what it was, he had done it and he was happy to do it. He understood the situation and the emotions involved even though it was also somewhat baffling to him.

He was often especially baffled towards some of what Misty felt but he also always supported her. And he knew her better than anyone. So he knew and he noticed right away when she started to stop smiling. He didn't know whether to do it at first but after a while, he decided it was worth a shot. Seeing Misty smiling all over again was always worth a shot.

"Such a hungry baby." He commented airily and with a smile and even though he stopped stroking the locks of the little girl, he didn't move away from her or her mother either. He just stayed near. He stayed being calm. And he stayed being supportive. He pushed his hair from his eyes and continued with fond eyes. "She reminds me of me eating all those chocolate puddings you used to make for me. The hospital one just doesn't quite cut it."

I glanced over at Misty casually but studiously. Like I mentioned before and like it was understandable given the circumstances, it wasn't always clear how she was going to feel or react to certain things. What James said was incredibly light-hearted and laid back but something in there or some word could easily make Misty feel sad or bad all over again. It was a truly tender time.

But once again, neither of us had to worry. The orange haired female was many things but she was certainly very brave. She never gave up. She would never give up. It wasn't hard for her to start smiling a little bit all over again at James' words. She even shook her head fondly too.

"Yeah you really are a sucker for my cooking." She responded with a joking cocky shrug that soon turned to a playful eye narrow when James shot her an innocent glance to hint how he really felt about the rest of her cooking. But she didn't focus on that. After sticking her tongue out at him and making sure the baby was still feeding properly, she continued with a shrug. "No one's hunger will ever beat Ben as a baby though. I swear that kid wanted solids sooner than he could smile."

"I think he popped out wanting food." James nodded in agreement and pretended to raise an eyebrow before his eyes widened playfully. He then shook his head fondly alongside Misty. He remained looking at her and remembering while she looked down at her feeding baby daughter and stayed stroking her cheek. "One thing he is definitely enjoying right now is Delia's cooking every night. I have to admit it is great when she brings some here for me but it'll never beat your pudding. Nothing ever could."

James said the last part of his words with a coy smile and another eyebrow raise and Misty smiled back. She had been listening to her best friend. He was right. And she enjoyed memories of her eldest son when he was her youngest daughter's age. But as the lavender haired male continued talking after his smirk, Misty stopped hearing everything he was saying and to tell you the truth, I did as well. She had started being a bit quiet all over again.

It would've been hardly noticeable to an outsider at first but I was most certainly not one of those. I was her husband's best friend. I was her best friend too. I was family. I noticed her brewing emotions as soon as they happened and potentially a little bit before. I moved closer to her side and looked over at her. James had quietened down too. The little baby had also. And after a few more seconds, she accidentally became unlatched from feeding and let out another wail.

Straight away, Misty let out a long and heavy sigh and leaned her head back against the bed head. She shut her eyes. She used her hand that had been stroking her daughter's cheek to rub her own forehead. She spoke breathlessly to James.

"God, I suddenly feel really tired…" she admitted to him in a short-winded way and kept her eyes shut when her head began to feel light and swirly also. She kept her hand on her forehead. She could feel that tingling as well. "I don't think I can keep feeding her."

You would've expected that the orange haired woman's voice was certain to crack at "failure" over feeding the little baby. But that wasn't true at all. And her voice didn't do that either. Instead, it just trailed off and became very low. It was like it took all the energy in the world to speak to her best friend. I tried to remain casual and comforting but worry was quickly filling my throat. It was so easy for Misty to feel very low and exhausted all over again.

And once she felt it a little bit, she felt it all at once. It had to be nipped in the bud. She had to be supported. But she could only feel that if she wanted to feel it herself. She felt like she couldn't continue feeding her little baby but she was still hungry. The youngest baby Ketchum was still hungry. She needed to ask her best friend if he would help her out. Of course she didn't even need to ask those words. He was ready right away. He nodded his head understandingly and stood up off the bed, making sure she was okay to keep holding her baby before he headed off.

"Give me two minutes. I'll have a bottle headed for her in no time." James simply told Misty and he gave her available hand a squeeze before he headed off, determined to make the formula in speedy time after he heard the infant's wails picking up volume.

I started feeling my ears twitching and my own head swirling at the increasing noise and worry over Misty but like you often did when you loved someone, I put the orange haired female first. I smiled at her and climbed out of the covers and rested my head on her lap. I was there for her properly. Needless to say, my face quickly crumpled when all of a sudden, the dark chestnut haired baby wasn't the only person that was crying.

It hadn't come on speedily or loudly or intensely but as Misty leaned her head further back against the bed head and squeezed her eyes together, tears started spurting out of the sides of her closed lids. She held onto her baby daughter tenderly and tightly while her shoulders shook. My heart started to crack. I nuzzled my cheek against her leg but it was no good. She was crying. Misty was properly crying. And it made it worse that it was so slow and forlorn rather than loud and dramatic.

I wanted her to be okay. I just wanted her to be okay. I didn't want her to cry. At all. I knew that it was to be expected and it was normal and even healthy too but I didn't like to see it. In a way it filled me with guilt that it was my best friend that was causing her tears. Of course, I couldn't be certain that he was the reason but c'mon – everything that had happened in the past month or two had been stemmed from his disappearance.

It was possible that we were both thinking about Ash's disappearance and we were still doing so when someone made an appearance. And that someone was James with a bottle and ready to feed the little baby Ketchum. But then naturally that priority almost slipped from his mind when he noticed that the child's crying had died down and in her place, her mother was crying silently. His eyes automatically widened with concern. He came to sit back down on the bed, reaching his hand out.

"Hey, hey, hey…" he mumbled soothingly but before his hand to reach all the way out to her bangs to stroke them comfortingly for her, Misty's eyes widened. She swallowed. She knew not to sit bolt upright but she found herself nearly doing that. With her spare hand that wasn't holding the infant; she quickly wiped her eyes and the sides of her cheeks. She sniffed. She nodded her head quicker than I had ever seen. She tried to move past her emotion. For once, she didn't want her best friend to see it and she didn't want to talk about it.

"I'm fine." She insisted quickly but not in a harsh tone. It was just an adamant tone. The tears had come quickly and they had gone just as speedily as well. She made that happen. She just wanted to be okay. Like how I felt for her, she just wanted to be okay as well. She didn't want to always be sad and James always be looking after her. She just wanted her best friend. And she just wanted to be best friends with her best friend. She tried to smile at him. "Can you just talk to me while you feed her? Just something really mundane."

It was rare for Misty to hide her emotions and feelings from James and it was rare for him not to overthink her actions. But that day and in that moment, both of those things happened. He pushed past his concern and what he had seen. And after he had accepted the baby from her and cradled her in his arms and checked the bottle temperature was correct, the corner of his mouth bravely quirked up. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and leaned up against the foot of the bed.

"Everything I say is mundane." He replied to her jokingly in a tone that matched his words while contradicted his smile before he thought for a moment as he started to feed the beloved young baby. After making sure she was suckling okay and feeling comfortable, he focused most of his gaze at Misty. He remained quiet for another few seconds before he shrugged and spoke. "I think Justin's been getting a lot of song ideas after visiting you a few times. And Jayden's doing great at looking after everyone back home. I know he's really enjoying seeing more of Katie."

I listened. Misty did too. We both continued with James continuing to natter on about life outside of the hospital. What Jessie was up to with the clothing line. Why Jaxon had gotten into trouble at school. How much of a stronger bond Dylan and little James were having since they started school together.

The orange haired female had asked for something 'mundane' but the truth was – or at least how I viewed it anyway – his words were some of the most interesting of all. I didn't look at Misty but I stayed close to her and near her lap.

It was easy to forget that there was a world outside of the hospital. Deep in my heart I knew that I wanted to be back in that bubble soon. And I wanted to take Misty with me. I wanted her to get well enough and then I wanted to take her with me. It's funny that I started thinking of her wellness at the moment that she started wobbling all over again.

And like always, James sensed it right away. He trailed off from his words and glanced at the baby when she hiccupped but then focused all of his attention back on Misty. His eyes softened even more with care when he saw his best friend's eyes filling with tears.

"Munchkin, you need to talk to me. Something is really upsetting you, isn't it? Just talk to me. I'm here."

His words were direct and he was hopeful of success with her but his tone was as soothing as ever. And his eyes were widening with heart-breaking fondness at the same time. He shook his head. He swallowed. He wanted to make it right for her. If he could, he would make it right. But she shook her head back.

"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to tell you." She told him adamantly and stubbornly and even though she felt the emotion in her throat, you stopped seeing it so clearly in her eyes. Her orbs had dried up. She was trying to protect herself. But soon enough, words and answers came tumbling out. Maybe it was the sound of her daughter hiccupping that persuaded her. "I don't want to tell you that it's you."

Needless to say, the lavender haired male's eyes widened right away and mine did too. James was expectedly the most concerned and surprised and he almost accidentally pulled the bottle teat from Misty's daughter's mouth as his mouth hung open gently. He shook his head again. He focused on feeding the baby but stayed focusing on the orange haired woman.

"Me?" Was all he managed to ask with a somewhat offended head tilt before Misty came out with even more. The tears were starting to fill her eyes again but they didn't come out. They didn't leak. Her voice was high pitched. She resisted shutting her eyes.

"Yes, you!" she responded, leaning her head back against the headboard again and her fingers finding each other to comfort one and other. For some reason she didn't stroke my head to feel okay. I had to be okay with that. She was close to breaking down but she explained. "You're being so nice to me and you're always here for me. You're always here for us. Even when I'm moody and giving up, you're always there! And I don't deserve it! You must hate me."

"Why on earth would I hate you?" James questioned and he asked in a breathless tone that Misty often had. He usually understood her but in that moment, he was bewildered as well as concerned. He hadn't expected any of that that day. He had been comfy leaning up against the foot of the bed but he moved closer to his best friend while she answered. She finally shut her eyes.

"Because I just gave up! He buggered off and I gave up. I lost hope. I felt like I lost everything. But I didn't. I had so much. I have so much but I still gave up. I had you but I didn't give you a second thought. Without him, I just gave up. What kind of best friend does that?" Misty explained herself and after a few seconds, her watery eyes cracked open. But she could barely look at James. She could find the words, though. "Why do I always take you for granted? Why do I never realise until it's too late or something terrible happens?"

I could sense the emotion in her words but they were directed towards James. And she eventually gave him a special and knowing glance too. So he could really sense the power of her words. He understood them all. And he felt them as well. He had to concentrate really hard on continuing to feed the baby so she wouldn't get upset as well. James tried to be solid but his own face crumpled slightly and he looked down. Misty continued with more shakes of her head.

"Why do I never tell you how brilliant you are until it's too late?" she persisted weakly and with one last shake of the head before she shut her eyes for good. She couldn't say anymore. And that was okay. Because it was James' turn to speak. He stopped looking down since it was time to burp the little baby and he did that to her over his shoulder while he looked at Misty's face and answered her. He continued speaking breathlessly.

"But I do that too, okay? I am very guilty of that. Maybe not to you but maybe I will one day. We all get caught up in our own stuff and it's okay. I will never hold anything against you. Not when I do exactly the same things." James told Misty and he waited for her eyes to open but they didn't. I swallowed. I watched and waited too. I nudged her knee cap but that didn't do anything. So the lavender haired male continued. Not to get her attention but because he liked telling her the truth. "I didn't tell Ash some stuff and I just realised that I regret that. I wish I told him that I respect him with you. I wish I told him that-"

Misty's eyes finally opened and they caused James to stop talking. He nodded his head right away. He understood. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to talk about her raven haired husband. My eyes filled with more tears but I didn't lose bravery as I rested my head on her leg. Misty didn't lose it either. She wasn't ready to hear about her husband or discuss him but somehow she found herself mentioning him. In a way, I knew that that was a very small path in the direction to her healing.

"I need to tell you that I'm sorry for not understanding you or appreciating you." The orange haired female told her best friend and he frowned right away but he didn't speak. He wanted to hear her words. He respected her enough to let her continue without interrupting. He couldn't stop himself from moving closer while continuing to burp the baby. "Sometimes… Sometimes I think that because… He… Was the first man that I remembered that loved me, I think that everybody loves like him. You don't though. You love differently. You're just… There. You're so laid back and quiet and you don't beg to be noticed. You just do nice things. And you've done so many nice things recently. And what have I done? Just moped."

"You're allowed to mope, Munchkin." James said thickly with emotion at her words and like Misty, he couldn't quite meet her eyes at first. She had said a lot of touching things. But after finishing winding the little baby and placing her securely on his visitor's chair, he managed to move even closer to her. And he looked at her too. His gaze was flickering but it was sincere. "This is what we do. We see the worst in each other. We see the best but we definitely see the worst too. You don't have to cast your mind too far back to think of some of the low moments you've seen me in. But it doesn't change anything. We love each other, Misty, we always have. We're still those two bloody outcasts. But we managed to make lives for ourselves."

"I'm so glad you're in my life." Misty told James in a choked up way and after she met his gaze for good a few moments ago, she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Her orbs were still shaking and tear filled but they were genuine. She didn't have anything else to say. That was enough. That was more than enough.

"I am so glad you're in my life too, Misty." James reached out for his best friend's hand and he didn't look away from her. His voice was hoarse with emotion. His eyes were pricking with tears. But he nodded his head sincerely at her. She tearfully shut her eyes and nodded her head back. James' thumb ran over her knuckles softly as he held her hand and spoke to her. "I don't know what I would do without you. You are my family. I couldn't be happier with how we ended up. We had some confusion along the way but I wouldn't want anything but our friendship. We might take it for granted briefly when life gets in the way but not really. I want you in my life. And I want you to bloody enjoy life. Because I enjoy mine and that's down to the fact you're in it."

Like Misty, I had to shut my own eyes too. A large and heavy lump filled my throat. My body shivered. I breathed out. I enjoyed James' words. I appreciated them too. But they made me sad also. I imagined myself saying those words to Ash. There were moments where I was still annoyed at him but it was speeches like that that made me realise how much of a bond we had. And that was the reason I was so disappointed with him. It was because I cared.

But in that instant, how I felt wasn't important. Those words resonating for me towards Ash but they were not for me, nor were they for my best friend. They were for James. And they were for his best friend. And when Misty heard them, her eyes opened once again and her eyelids twitched with a blink. She held her breath. They were so sincere. They were some of the most sincere words she'd heard in her life. Her eyes watered all over again. She swallowed. She wanted to respond. She wanted to respond in a worthy way but she just couldn't. How could she? That's how she felt.

James had been so loyal to her. And he'd been so kind. They'd had their iffy moments but at that point, they were almost invisible to her. All she could see was his tremendous loyalty and kindness and worth. It was overwhelming her. She felt so lucky to have such a kind-hearted and giving best friend. She wanted to give him everything back. She wanted to give him heartfelt words back. But she didn't know where to begin. So some other words came out instead. They flowed out slowly and thoughtfully and surely too.

"Hold me." She asked of him as she looked up at him from her position lying down. They were still holding hands. She still had tubes and wires coming out of her wrist and hand. But she had forgotten they were there. She most certainly forgot that they were there when her hand was linked to his.

James hadn't expected much out of Misty in response to what he had said to her. In her position, he certainly would've struggled with what to say. But when she effortlessly pushed past her vulnerability and asked something from him, he was surprised. But he didn't show it on his face. The only thing that showed by his expression was attachment for his best friend.

His eyes flickered once again. They glistened. He took a moment to glance over all her wires and tubes before he slowly shook his head. His eyes sparkled even more. But they were sparkling with sadness.

"I can't…" he told her in a whisper like tone and right away, he and I could see her face falling. Misty could feel it happen to her expression as she did so. She couldn't help it. She couldn't respond to her best friend's genuine words with her own ones so she wanted to do it with a gesture instead. But she was realising that that was impossible as well. Her face didn't fall too much. But it was enough.

James was really noticing. I was too. While he studied all of the wires and tubes and monitors and tried to figure out a proper way around them all, I scooted off the bed and sat with the baby instead. The rest was up to them. And luckily for them, they were both as determined as each other to be near each other.

The orange haired female didn't let her face fall for too much longer. She wanted to be done with moping. So she would be. Her expression remained unreadable but after a few more seconds, it became filled with quiet determination that her best friend often possessed.

Slowly but surely and with more care for herself than she ever had shown, she gently moved onto her side while making sure not to mess up all her vital equipment. She lay on her bed and on her side and looked up at James. He didn't take even a second to know what to do. His eyes filled with softness and with the same slowness and care, he moved down on the bed with Misty and lay down with her on the gap next to her that she had left with him. He moved close to her. She moved close to him.

On the bed, they moved close to each other. And because James had said himself that he couldn't hold her, she decided that she'd hold him instead. They moved even closer together and shut both of their eyes while she wrapped her arms around his neck. She then gently leaned her chin forward and rested it against his chest. Her eyes remained shut. James' eyes opened. He looked down at her.

He was still almost afraid of hurting her. He was still afraid of messing things up for her by ruining the wires or the monitors so he didn't hold her too much but he did what he could. While her arms were around her dear best friend's neck and her chin was on his chest, his hands slowly slid round to rest on her back. He touched her. And he held her. They remained together.

I watched. I was with the little baby on the visitors chair but in a way, we were both with James and Misty. We were both watching them and we were with them. But in the same breath also, they were in their own bubble. They were having a hug for the first time since the baby Ketchum had been born and it somehow felt like the first hug in very long time too.

Misty didn't let go of her best friend. Her eyes didn't open. Her arms didn't move away from him. Her chin didn't either. She was determined to stay there. James was okay with that. And feeling her feeling secure and loved, it made him not to afraid. He knew that he would never hurt her and he would always be cautious but he also knew that he was the last person that was going to hurt her.

So James leaned forward and he brushed his lips against her skin. He placed a kiss on her forehead. And it was this that caused Misty's eyes to fill with tears behind the lids. It wasn't a kiss from her dear husband Ash, but it was the next best thing. In fact, it was an equal good thing.

It was a tender thing. And she was lucky to have people around that loved her and cared for her and supported her. James was definitely a crucial example of this. He loved her. He cared for her. He supported her. He really loved her. And she really loved him. They were each other's missing puzzle link. And they would always be there to remind each other of their completeness.

The End.

There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 James and Misty have a very special place in me and Shannon's heart. If you know the film well enough, you will notice that the end of this story is inspired by Edward Scissorhands. I watched that movie just before writing this and was nervous to turn that tender scene into one of my own while making sure it still captured how good the original is. And while being true to James and Misty. I'm pleased with the outcome. I like the capture of their friendship here and like I mentioned before, their loyalty to one and other, their jokes and lightness together and their vulnerability too :3 Thanks again for reading and I will be back next Wednesday with another Christmas themed chapter so see you then!

AmyBieberKetchum signing out :P