It's been a minute, hasn't it friends? I had to take a break from my other WIPs while I was focusing on Pokeshipping Week (which was really awesome this year!)
But this was one I just had to write. I was sick a little while ago, and coughing...I never cough, so it drove me crazy. Of course, in this story, it's a little different kind of crazy than what I had to deal with!
Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old
Cough Crazy
Ash quickly gazed up from his training session with Pikachu and Lycanroc to watch Aiden and Michelle as they played with some of his other Pokémon. He smiled to himself, appreciating how nice it was that the twins could both have lots of fun and keep themselves busy with his buddies. It was always great when he could just ease into his training and didn't have to worry about anything!
As soon as he was about to return to it, however, a sudden sound stopped him in his tracks and caused his body to go stiff.
Reluctantly, Ash looked over at the twins again. They were still busy playing, and both seemed perfectly happy, but then that dreaded noise happened once more…
A cough.
And this time, he also saw where it was coming from…
Right out of Michelle's mouth.
All the color drained from Ash's face, and his panic was immediately clear to both Pikachu and Lycanroc. They inched closer to their trainer, not saying anything but showing obvious expressions of concern. When Ash failed to notice them, Pikachu hopped even closer and nosed at Ash's ankle, earning his trainer's attention.
"Huh?" Ash breathed, blinking hard as he glanced down at his partner. "Oh, sorry Pikachu! I was just, uh…"
He trailed off, and Pikachu sighed sadly. "Pi Pipikachu, pika Pikapi?"
Ash swallowed thickly, turning his eyes back towards his children. "Yeah, it's Michelle. Do you guys mind if we take a quick break?"
He'd addressed that question to both Pikachu and Lycanroc. The two Pokémon exchanged quick looks before grinning at their trainer and nodding their heads. This got Ash to show off his own smile, albeit a small one, before he hurried over to where the twins were playing.
Aiden was busy climbing all over the sleeping Snorlax like he was a jungle gym. Michelle, on the other hand, was tossing a ball around with Infernape, giggling with delight whenever the flame Pokémon sent it back towards her. One of her giggles was interrupted by another cough, however, and that got Ash's anxiety flaring all over again.
"Michelle," he beckoned sweetly, catching the girl's attention. "Are you okay, sweetie? You're coughing a bit."
"Uh huh," Michelle replied softly, picking up the ball and throwing it back to Infernape. It seemed that she was done with the conversation, but Ash certainly wasn't.
"When did you start coughing?" Ash asked.
"I dunno," Michelle squeaked, smiling as Infernape rolled the ball back towards her.
"Was it this morning?" Ash continued. "I didn't hear you cough until now."
Michelle looked up at him, a hint of annoyance in her expression, and shrugged. Ash, meanwhile, thought he was about to go crazy. How did she not know when she started coughing?! Yeah, he knew she was only three years old, but still!
He was about to ask her another question but was cut off by the sound of giggles…and not Michelle's. Looking over his shoulder, Ash saw Misty walking towards them, laughing at something that Gary, who was accompanying her, had just said. With her father now distracted, Michelle quickly went back to playing with Infernape, once again reacting in delight at everything the fire type did.
"Mist," Ash called, waving his wife over.
She said something else to Gary before approaching Ash, the Pokémon researcher keeping stride next to her. "What's up?"
"Did you hear Michelle coughing this morning?" He asked nervously.
Misty hummed and shook her head. Gary, on the other hand, burst out laughing, much to Ash's frustration. "Psycho dad Ash Ketchum strikes again!"
"It's not funny, Gary," Ash grumbled.
"Ash, you realize a kid coughing is no big deal, right?" Gary continued. "They're like human petri dishes; always sticking things in their mouths that don't belong and picking up all kinds of germs. I'm pretty sure Sam has formed natural antibodies from the amount of gross stuff he does. You're going to tell me your kids aren't the same?"
"Michelle is different," Misty calmly replied. "You know she had that problem with her lungs. Any time she gets a cold or has a cough, we kind of get on edge."
"Both of you, or just Ash?" Gary teased.
Misty groaned and rolled her eyes. "Both of us, Gary. She is our daughter, after all."
"Right," Gary droned. "Ash is just way more hysterical about it than you."
Ash scowled at Gary but tore his attention away when Michelle coughed again. This time, Misty had heard it as well, and looked over at the little girl.
"See?" Ash murmured, glancing back at Misty.
She sighed and walked over to the smaller redhead, kneeling beside her. "Shelly, is that cough bothering you?"
Michelle whined, not wanting to answer. After her mother shot her an expectant look, however, Michelle frowned and replied, "On-y just a little."
Misty nodded before smiling reassuringly at her daughter. "Okay. We can take care of that!"
She picked Michelle up and kissed the girl's forehead before turning towards Ash.
"I'm going to take her to get checked out," Misty informed him. "I don't think it's anything serious, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. You can stay here and keep training; I don't think it'll take us very long."
"What? No way!" Ash cried. "I have to come. I want to make sure Michelle is okay. Besides, I know she's going to get nervous at the doc- "
"Shh!" Misty hushed, cutting him off. "Don't say it!"
"Oh, right," Ash hissed, inwardly cursing himself. "At the place! I just want to be there for her, that's all."
Misty's nerves seemed to settle as she smiled at her husband. "That's very sweet of you, and I really appreciate it. I'm sure Michelle will too."
Upon hearing her name, the toddler looked up at her mother and showed off her own smile. Misty giggled in response and rubbed her nose against the top of her daughter's head.
Ash beamed at the two before turning towards his young son. "Aiden, we gotta get going! Come on, champ!"
The boy, who had been busy running after Lycanroc and Infernape, skidded to a halt as his jaw dropped. "Alweady?!"
"Yeah," Ash replied sadly. "Michelle's not feeling great, so we're going to head out."
Aiden did not like that explanation and started to pout. "But I wanna pway mowe wif the Po-mon!"
To further prove his point, the boy wrapped his arms around Lycanroc and Infernape and pulled them in close to him. The creatures both mewled in delight, rubbing against the boy's cheeks as he laughed.
"Hey, you two can leave him here," Gary piped up, smirking at the concerned couple. "I'll keep an eye on the kid."
"Are you sure?" Misty asked hesitantly.
The Pokémon researcher blew out a puff of air. "Of course I'm sure! He'll be fine. Just make sure you come pick him up when you're done! If the wife and I wanted another kid, we would've had one by now."
"Yeah, I don't think you have to worry about that one," Misty assured him. "Ash would definitely have Pikachu raise our children before you."
The Pokémon Master immediately nodded his head. "It's true."
Gary clicked his tongue. "Gotta say, that one hurts, Ashy Boy."
Another cough from Michelle punctuated the conversation. Ash bit his lip before turning to look at Gary, who suddenly appeared a bit more serious and offered a stoic nod to the raven-haired man.
"Okay, Aiden, you can stay here with Gary, alright?" Ash offered. The young boy grinned and quickly nodded his head. "Pikachu, could you stay here and play with Aiden and the other Pokémon?"
"Pi!" Pikachu agreed, jumping off Ash's shoulder and joining the younger boy instead.
"Be good for him," Misty pleaded, her eyes set on Aiden. "I don't want to hear any bad reports when we get back!"
"Okay!" Aiden chirped.
Misty smirked at her son, unable to help herself. "Actually sweetie, I was talking about Gary."
Aiden burst out laughing, while Gary groaned and rolled his eyes. "Wow, Misty, you are just hilarious."
Ash couldn't help but to chuckle a bit himself as he glanced over at Misty, who shrugged her shoulders. "What can I say? It's a gift."
XXX
Michelle was young, but she wasn't stupid.
She'd been to the doctor's office enough to know what it looked like.
It wasn't like she'd been overly animated on the way over, but as soon as she was carried into the room by her mother, she'd gone totally stone faced. Ash, who hadn't taken his eyes off her, noticed right away and offered the girl an encouraging smile as he reached out to brush her cheek. This did nothing to lighten Michelle's expression, causing Ash to grow discouraged.
"Shelly, do you want to play with some toys?" Misty asked, pointing towards the corner where a small collection of playthings was gathered. Michelle glared at her mother and slowly shook her head, causing Misty to sigh. "Alright. Ash, could you just hold onto her while I check us in?"
"Sure," Ash replied, taking Michelle into his own arms. As soon as she'd been transferred, Michelle coughed again, leading Ash to frown and pat her on the back. "Poor thing. Come here, princess."
He walked over to one of the waiting room's chairs and sat down, placing Michelle on his lap. The girl still looked miserable, which only served to make Ash feel even worse.
"I'm sorry, Michelle," he murmured sadly. "But Mommy and I just want to make sure you're okay! That cough is a little scary for us."
Michelle's aggravation suddenly gave way to confusion. "Why? I not scawed!"
Ash smiled softly at his daughter. "I'm glad you're not! That's a good thing."
Michelle pursed her lips. "Why's Daddy an- Mommy scawed?"
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ash took a moment to think it over before beginning, "you probably don't remember, Shelly, but when you were a baby, you were…kind of sick."
"Sick?" Michelle repeated. "Wike a cowd?"
"No, not quite like a cold," Ash chuckled quietly. "See, you have these things inside of you called lungs that help you to breathe. But when you were a baby, yours were kind of weak. So, you'd sometimes have a hard time breathing. We had to take you to the doctor a lot so he could give you medicine and checkups and make sure you were doing okay. And you always were! You got a whole lot stronger, and now you're just fine. But Mommy and I still worry sometimes, because that was very scary for us. We like to be careful with that kind of stuff, because we don't ever want you to get sick like that again."
Michelle seemed transfixed by her father's story. Ash knew that Michelle likely didn't understand most of it; it was a lot for a kid who just barely three-years-old to comprehend. But he did know that she loved it when he told her stories, any kind of stories, so for now, he was just happy he had managed to ease her nerves a little.
Misty returned just then, and the first thing she noticed was the much brighter expression on her daughter's face. She leaned in as she sat down to get a better look, largely ensuring that she wasn't imagining what she was seeing. The closer she got, however, the clearer it became to her that Michelle's smile was as sweet and as genuine as they came.
"How did you do that?" Misty asked her husband, obviously impressed.
Ash shrugged, although the pride plastered all over his face betrayed that simple action. "I just told her the truth, that's all."
Misty was about to ask what exactly he meant by that, but she was interrupted by a nurse calling Michelle's name.
"You'll just have to expand on that later," Misty decided, smiling at her bewildered husband. "Let's go, you two!"
Ash quickly shook off his confusion and grinned at Michelle, standing up and holding the girl close to him. Michelle, in turn, wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and squeezed, restricting his breathing ever so slightly. The short choking sound he'd made upon impact caught Misty's attention, leading her to throw Ash a concerned look.
He, in turn, smirked and nodded his head towards Michelle. "She's still a little scared, though."
Misty smiled and nodded understandingly. Once they reached the examination room, Ash tried to put Michelle down on the table, but she immediately started to panic and claw at him in an attempt to stop it.
"Michelle, it's okay!" Ash assured her, managing to succeed in separating themselves. "Mommy and I aren't going anywhere! We'll be right here the whole time."
The little girl continued to whimper, becoming more fervent as the nurse approached her.
"Is it alright if I take your temperature?" She asked the fussy toddler politely, holding up the device to show her. "I promise it won't hurt!"
Michelle whined and shook her head.
"Shelly, it's important that you let the nurse take your temperature," Misty informed her daughter, reaching out to hold the girl's hand. "We want to make sure you don't have a fever! That could change the way we have to take care of you. I can hold your hand while she takes it, if that makes you feel better?"
Michelle didn't say anything, but she did squeeze her mother's hand more tightly. Taking that as an affirmative, Misty looked over at the nurse and gave the woman a smile, nodding her head. The nurse returned her smile and gently stuck the device in Michelle's ear, causing the girl to wince. After just a few seconds, she removed it and read the screen, beaming at Michelle.
"No fever!" The nurse happily informed the nervous toddler. "That's very good."
"Yay!" Misty cheered, gently swinging Michelle's hand. All she got in response from the little girl was a very tiny smile.
"All she's got is a cough, correct?" The nurse asked, tapping along on her tablet. "Obviously no fever, but also no runny or stuffy nose, no complaints about a sore throat, aches, or chills?"
"No," Misty confirmed. "She's acting like herself. We just heard her coughing while she was playing, but she used to have respiratory problems, so we don't like to mess around with that kind of stuff."
"Very smart," the nurse commended. "And what kind of cough is it? Just dry? Or does it sound like there might be some congestion behind it?"
Misty was about to answer, but Michelle unintentionally interrupted with a cough. The nurse giggled and said to the young girl, "why, thank you! That was very helpful!"
Although Michelle still looked nervous, she laughed very softly at the nurse's compliment, bringing her parents some much needed relief.
The nurse finished tapping on her tablet, and once she was done, she looked up at Ash and Misty with a kind smile. "All set! The doctor will be in shortly."
"Thank you!" Misty thanked the nurse. Once she was out of the room, the gym leader looked back over at her daughter and marveled, "you were so brave, Shelly!"
"I was scawed," Michelle murmured, not sounding very confident in herself.
"I know you were," Misty reassured the girl. "But you were still very brave, even though you were scared! That's exactly what a big girl does."
Michelle pursed her lips and looked away. "I'm a big giwl."
Ash and Misty exchanged looks before chuckling as Ash hopped up on the examination table to sit beside Michelle.
"You sure are!" He agreed. "Does this mean you're gonna move out on us?"
Michelle glanced up at her father and, as soon as she saw his little pout, started to giggle. "Uh huh!"
"Wait, really?!" Ash gasped. "But what am I supposed to do without my princess?"
"I visit!" Michelle declared.
"But what about my Pokémon? Like Pikachu?" Ash playfully prodded. "They'll miss you just as much as me!"
"I bwing my Po-mon to pway!" Michelle replied easily.
"Your Pokémon?" Ash asked.
"I think she means that when she runs off, she's going to become a Pokémon trainer," Misty surmised, smirking at her daughter. "Is that it, sweetheart?"
Michelle beamed and nodded her head.
"Ah, someone in here has big plans!"
The doctor had just slipped in, and Michelle suddenly reverted back to her quiet, nervous self, which he immediately took notice of and smiled sympathetically. Hoping to perhaps put her more at ease, the physician instead locked eyes with Ash, who was smiling cordially back at him.
"Do you need a check up as well, Ash?" He asked teasingly.
Misty started to laugh, and that's when Ash realized he was still sitting beside Michelle on the examination table. Chuckling nervously as he blushed, Ash hopped down and refuted, "nah, I'm good. I was just keeping Michelle company, that's all!"
The doctor chuckled understandingly and turned his eyes onto Michelle. "She's still anxious when it comes to me."
At this, Misty frowned. "Don't take it personally, Dr. Neal. You're wonderful! I think Michelle knows that too…even if it doesn't seem like it."
"That's quite alright," Dr. Neal assured the apologetic woman. "It's understandable why she feels the way she does. We'll just have to keep working to get her more comfortable!"
He turned fully towards the toddler, who quickly went rigid and started to whimper.
"It's okay, Michelle," he crooned. "There are no shots or needles or anything like that today! Does that make you a little less afraid?"
Although she still didn't look certain, the little girl did timidly nod her head.
"I'm glad," Dr. Neal warmly replied. "Now, what seems to be the matter? You've got a little bit of a cough?"
Another nod, just as hesitant as the one before it.
"We can take care of that!" Dr. Neal happily informed the nervous child. "But I'd like to listen to your cough first and see what it sounds like. Is that okay?"
Michelle murmured unsurely and looked towards her parents. They both smiled encouragingly at her, but that didn't seem to do much for the girl. When she saw Dr. Neal remove the stethoscope from around her neck, the child only started to become more frantic. It was in the middle of Michelle's latest fuss that she unleashed another cough, causing Dr. Neal to frown.
"Aw, there it is," he breathed. "Does that hurt, dear?"
Despite the fact that she was on the verge of a crying fit, Michelle managed to shake her head before coughing again.
"Her getting worked up is really triggering that cough," Dr. Neal noted. "Could one of you hold her so I can check her chest and lungs? That usually helps calm her down."
Without hesitation, Ash sat back down on the examination table and pulled the trembling Michelle onto his lap. "I've got ya, princess!"
As soon as Ash had a hold of Michelle, she calmed down significantly, enabling Dr. Neal to get close to her with the stethoscope. After a thorough examination, he smiled at the little girl before placing the medical instrument back around his neck.
"This is nothing to worry about," Dr. Neal informed her parents. "It's a very dry cough. Her chest and lungs are crystal clear, so this is likely something being caused by allergies or changes in the weather. I would recommend giving her some cough syrup until it passes. And if she complains about the cough or her throat bothering her, you can always give her one of these!"
The doctor reached into his lab coat pocket and produced a lollipop. Michelle's eyes lit up as soon as she saw the treat and took it from the man without hesitation.
"Oh, how nice!" Misty cooed. "What do you say, Shelly?"
Michelle shyly glanced up at Dr. Neal and managed to squeak out a soft, "-ank you."
"You're most welcome!" Dr. Neal chuckled, watching as Michelle immediately shoved the lollipop in her father's face, begging him to remove the wrapping.
"Sorry for rushing here for something so minor," Misty apologized, standing up and giving the doctor a quick bow. "But when Michelle coughs…"
"You get nervous," Dr. Neal finished for her once she'd trailed off. "Totally understandable! That experience was just as traumatic for you and Ash as it was for Michelle. You're both playing it safe, and that's the right thing to do. I would much rather see her now when it's no big deal than when it's turned into something much more serious."
"Could you tell that to Gary?" Ash coolly pleaded, getting to his feet with Michelle securely in his arms. She, meanwhile, was busy sucking on the lollipop he had dutifully opened for her.
Dr. Neal laughed heartily in response. "Nothing wrong with being a little overprotective, I always say! You can go right ahead and tell him that advice came straight from a medical professional."
XXX
"We're back!"
Aiden and Gary looked up from the gathered Pokémon to see Ash and Misty approaching them, Michelle still being held in Ash's arms. Aiden quickly jumped up and ran to meet his parents, instantly grabbing onto Misty's legs. Pikachu followed dutifully after the boy, gleefully returning to his perch on his trainer's shoulder and giving Michelle a cursory sniff and lick once he was settled.
"Mommy!" Aiden cried, gazing up at his mother.
"What is it, baby?" Misty crooned, scooping the toddler up. "Has Gary been scaring you?"
Aiden laughed as Gary shot back, "yuck it up, ya little- "
"We had fun!" Aiden squealed, interrupting whatever insult Gary was about to spit out. "We pwayed wif so many Po-mon!"
"I'm so glad to hear that!" Misty breathed, resting her forehead against Aiden's. "Daddy and I always worry when you're not with us."
"How many times do I have to tell you that I know how to take care of a kid?" Gary deadpanned, having finally met up with the family. Nodding towards Michelle, he asked, "so, how's Mini Misty?"
"She's fine," Misty replied, relief obvious in her voice. "The doctor said her cough is probably just from allergies or something like that. But it's not in her chest or her lungs, so it's nothing to worry about."
"I figured," Gary boasted, puffing his own chest out.
"That doesn't make you a doctor," Ash huffed, glowering at his former rival.
"Of course not," Gary snickered. "It just means I have common sense."
Ash sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I've had just about enough for today. I think it's time we headed home."
"Couldn't agree more," Misty brightly replied. "These two need to take their afternoon naps!"
Chuckling, Ash twisted his upper body and quipped, "Looks like Michelle's already there!"
The little girl was indeed fast asleep against her father's chest, bright red hair curtaining her peaceful face.
"Aw, that doctor's visit really wore her out," Misty cooed.
"Not surprising, considering how freaked out she was," Ash sighed.
"Well, clearly she gets that from you," Gary scoffed, pointing at Ash.
At this, Ash scowled. "You know, I get sick and tired of you acting like I'm a bad dad."
"Hey, I never said anything like that," Gary calmly argued. "You're actually a really great dad! But you're also neurotic. Those two facts can co-exist, you know."
Ash just stared at Gary or a moment before quipping, "it's honestly impressive how you can manage to both compliment and insult me in the same sentence."
Gary smirked at the comment. "Your wife isn't the only one around here with a special gift for rhetoric, Ashy Boy."
Misty quickly noticed the vein popping out of her husband's temple and playfully rolled her eyes. "Alright, seriously, we're out of here. I'm starting to think you two man-children are in more dire need for a nap than the toddlers."
Gary saluted the couple before turning his attention onto Aiden. "Do me a favor, pipsqueak. When you get home, show your mommy and daddy that new word I taught you. They'll be super impressed!"
"Okay!" Aiden chirped, grinning at the researcher.
Ash groaned and stared pointedly at his wife. "I don't regret taking Michelle to the doctor, but I do regret leaving Aiden with Gary."
"Yeah," Misty clicked her tongue. "Let's not do that again."
