Shadows on the Heart Window to the soul
by mal1958
Chapter 2
Ash
Ash was in the kitchen tearing into his second stack of pancakes when he noticed that his mom had her memento box out and was looking through the contents with a wistful smile and eyes that seemed ready to release tears at any minute. He stopped eating when he saw her pick up a small envelope that had a red something poking out of one worn corner.
"What's that mom?" he asked slowly, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Something your father made for me," she smiled, then sniffed.
"I'm sorry, mom." he apologized quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt..."
"You didn't" she began and smiled a bit sadly. "You see we were both trainers on a second journey together. We were about your age at the time, and I just learned that my Mother had died. I was very sad at the time and thought that nobody cared for me then and your father gave me that." She pushed it toward him.
Slowly he removed the red thing and found that it had been covered in a clear plastic, like the one he used to keep Misty's picture clean. It had been folded to fit in the envelope and he looked to his mom. She nodded so he began to unfold it. It was a heart shaped piece of construction paper and on it was written:
** Property of Mark Ketchum -- Once given, forever given with love **
"Your father and I had a problem expressing ourselves," She continued when he looked up at her. "And that was his way to tell me that he loved me. It made me happy to know that I wasn't alone." Then she wiped her eyes and gave a nervous little laugh. "Now look at me, being a silly little thing."
Ash put the heart back into the envelope and replaced it in the box before he wrapped his arms around his mother.
"You not being silly." he said in her ear.
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A while later Ash found himself heading over to Professor Oaks Lab, practically being thrown out of the house by his mother. He was in a daze. He had comforted her, and thought that he had done a good job when she made a gagging noise. He had asked her what was the matter, but she simply said that she had a queasy stomach, and then told him to go to Professor Oak to get Pikachu checked out and get his medical records. She practically shoved him out the door, but with her usual smile before closing it after him.
"Hey, little buddy," He said to his pokemon who rode on his shoulder. "Do you think mom is acting a little weird?"
"Pikachu, pika pika, chu chu chaaaaa." was the response.
To Ash it was like the pokemon was saying *a little, but you are leaving again, and so soon*
They arrived at the Lab and Ash rang the bell, remembering the last time he had come here. He hoped that there would be no repeat of that. Then Tracy came to the door and let him in, smiling. Ash noted that there was a gurney already set up with a cushion just the right size for pikachu and he glanced at Tracy.
"Your mom called ahead," The young pokemon watcher explained. "She said that you would be by to get Pikachu checked out for a trip to the Sinnoh region. And Professor Oak was glad to know that. They are very picky on the pokemon that they let into the area and have to have the records of each one." he then scratched pikachu's head and frowned slightly. "Your going to have to leave pikachu here though and pick em up in the evening. With what happened yesterday, the Professor and his assistants are still sorting out all the poke balls that those two dumped into those sacks. It's a mess."
"Are you alright with that buddy?" he asked the small mouse who was crooning at the attention that Tracy was giving.
Ash saw Pikachu nod and felt him lifted from his shoulder, leaving a spot that seemed to get chilled slightly even though the temperature was warm. He watched as his friend was put onto the gurney and an assistant came over to wheel it away.
"Oh," Ash called out, causing the man to stop and glance at him. "If you need to get Pikachu to co-operate then just bribe him with some ketchup. That's his favourite treat." He saw the man smile and then nod. "I'll be back for you later this evening buddy, be good." and then they were gone.
"Feels weird not having him on my shoulder or near me." Ash remarked to Tracy, gazing at the door that his friend had been wheeled through.
"I know what you mean, Ash." He grinned at the trainer who was also a close friend. "I felt the same way when I had to leave Marill here for a while." Then he began to guide Ash to where the dining room was. "Professor Oak wants to talk with you, privately."
He pondered for a bit and soon found himself in the Professors dining room. The Professor sat at one side of a large dark cherry-wood dining table that looked able to sit at least eight people. The whole room was a direct contrast to the rest of his house/lab. The furnishings were old and well cared for wood, while the rest of the house seemed to have a more modern feel to it. Ash felt as if he had stepped back in time. He took the chair that Professor Oak indicated and waited, noting that the Professor was not his normal joking self.
"Ash, Delia, your mother asked me to have this chat with you." he began looking very seriously at the young trainer who simply nodded. "She has been lonely for many years since your father, Mark died. And I too have been lonely for many more years since my second wife Samantha passed away." he scratched the back of his head, in a gesture that reminded Ash of himself. "She asked me to talk to you on this because she was nervous about the way you would take it, and also was afraid. We fell in love with each other four years ago and now want to get married."
A thousand things flashed through Ash's mind at that moment. From all the times that Professor Oak had dined with them, to the times when she would accompany him on field trips and on rescue missions. He remembered the way she was starting to gather things together that his dad had given her and were packing them away. He wanted her to be happy, and he knew that Professor Oak would do that. He surprised even himself by not feeling shocked. He had always known that his mom liked the Professor, and all, but one thing seemed to nag at him. He looked up at the man who had just told him that he would like to marry his mom and smiled.
"I think that's great, Professor." he said, grinning. "I do know that mom is lonely, especially with me going off on all these adventures and journeys. I just want her to be happy and I know that you will help her with that."
Relief flowed over the Professor when he heard that and he seemed too regain some of his jovial manners.
"I am glad you said that, Ash." He pushed over a cup and poured some tea into it for the boy. "That was a big worry with me and the fact that you seem to be alright with it takes a big load off of us."
"I just have one question," Ash said as he put a spoon of sugar into the proffered tea. "Why didn't mom tell me? What was she afraid of?"
"I have to admit," He replied with a weary sigh. "That the fear was mostly mine." He sipped his tea and looked up at this young trainer who was going to be joining his family. "You see, I have more then one grandson. Gary is the son of the child that was born through my second wife Samantha. My first wife died and I was devastated. I had two children from her. Two years after her death, I started dating Sam, as I called her, and my son and daughter were furious because they thought that I was betraying the memory of Maggie, My first wife. The left me when they came of age and told me that they wanted nothing to do with me. I was afraid that you might feel similarly towards your mother and I was worried that she would go through the same thing I did."
"I'm sorry that you went through that Professor Oak," Ash began looking at his foster father to be with a sad smile. "And I'm sorry to say that your first two kids were dumb and selfish." and his tone was slightly angry. "They should have thought of you and your happiness, not memories. Just because you fall in love again doesn't mean that you fall out of love with somebody." He got a little wistful smile as he looked at the Professor. "My dad used to say that love was only unlimited resource there is, the more you give, the more you have to give."
"You're very mature for your age, Ash." He looked at the boy, no young man, with something akin to shock.
"I wish you could convince some people of that," Ash replied, thinking of Misty. "Some seem to think that I am so immature all the time."
"You are," Oak retorted simply, "but only some times. All people have that problem, even older people like me." Then he became serious again and looked at Ash, praying that the young man could and would handle the next bit of news alright. "Now I want to tell you something that Delia did not want me to tell you, and I hope that you can, first, keep it secret, and second, will take it well. I am stretching the lines of trust here, but after hearing you, I think that I can count on you."
"Sure Professor Oak," Concern now replaced the smile. "What is it?"
"Your mother is very ill," He began, watching how Ash would take the news. "she has a form of cancer in her reproductive organs and is taking medicine to contain it and hold it off. Now don't worry..." He held out a hand to calm Ash who was shocked and suddenly afraid. "The medicine is doing it's job and the doctors say that it will continue to do so for at least a year. At the end of that time she needs to have an operation that will remove the cancer and the organs that are affected, and she will. Then she will not be in danger at all."
"But Professor," Ash began, with the first tinges of terror in his voice. "Why doesn't she have that operation now? Why wait?"
"First," He said, having gotten up and moved to sit next to Ash. "The doctors are certain that the medicine will hold it off for the year. And second, and this is the main reason, your mother is pregnant."
All of a sudden things seemed to make sense. Her queasy stomach, every morning, the fact that there were five different partially eaten flavours of ice cream in the freezer. The time when he did the dishes and found his mom's pancake plate with remnants of Chocolate syrup and butterscotch topping on it. The fact that she was always tired, and seemed to have a constant backache. It all fit. He looked up and caught an image of a black haired boy with a goofy looking smile on his face in the mirror that was mounted on a sideboard, and chuckled. He felt a weight on his shoulder and saw that Professor Oak had placed his hand on it.
"Wow," Ash said finally, "I going to have a little brother, or sister. But why doesn't mom want me to know this?"
"She doesn't want it to stop you from doing what you have dreamed of doing, and I agree." Then he shook his shoulder slightly. "As to the cancer part, she thought that you would give up your dream and be worried sick. I told you because I believe that you should know, and I think that you could handle the news. You do realize that you must keep the knowledge of the last two things I told you a secret unless your mother tells you."
"I sorta figured that part out Professor." He answered with a grin.
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Ash got home and immediately went to his mother and hugged her, adding a kiss on her forehead.
"I hope that you and Professor Oak will be very happy." he said into her hair.
He felt her arms go around him and hug him tightly back.
"I knew that you would understand," She replied. "My baby is growing up so well."
"Mom," He began with an embarrassed chuckle while squirming a bit in her embrace. "I'm thirteen, not a baby."
"Ash Ketchum!" She exclaimed, gripping his shoulders and thrusting him out at arms length.
Ash hung his head, staring at the floor between the two of them, half from shame and embarrassment for having upset his mom, but also to take a quick look at her abdomen. It was a little bigger in the front, he noted, owing to the fact that Professor Oak had told him that they had "some activities" about four and a half months ago while he was in Hoenn. He suddenly felt a finger under his chin raise his eyes up to his moms.
"Ash Ketchum," she repeated more slowly. "You will always be my baby, even if your a hundred and thirteen." And the smile she gave him was so radiant that his embarrassment melted in an instant.
"Who knows?" He asked, since he forgot to ask that of Professor Oak.
"Besides you," She began, moving back to the sink to finish the breakfast dishes. "Gary, and Tracy, Oh and the Lab assistants since they are setting up a couple of the upstairs rooms for you, and any friends who come over."
"But mom," Ash said, bewildered. "Professor Oak said that the wedding was in three days,"
"Yes"
"That's not nearly enough time to send out invitations to our family and friends to come here for the event."
"It's going to be a small wedding, sweety" She responded. "Just you, Gary and Tracy, provided that Gary is still around here by that time, and a few neighbors."
"Uh uh!" Ash exclaimed drawing a shocked look from his mom. "You can't consider not inviting at least Brock, who likes you as much as a son could, and maybe even Misty who would love to be here to see that happen." Then he got a determined grin on his face. "And as for Gary, he'll be here if I have to nail his feet to the floor and trash his car."
The smile that she gave him made his heart soar. With a kiss on her cheek he told her that he would call Brock and Misty and went to the video phone. While he walked to the phone he wondered why he had even mentioned Misty. Brock had helped his mom out in the kitchen, and helped her in many ways besides that. He was more like a brother to Ash then a friend, and his mom now kept a room next to Ash's own room clean and ready just for Brock in case he came over. But Misty. He sat down at the phone and thought a moment. He would call Misty first. There was a good chance that she wouldn't want to come, but he found himself hoping that she would. He punched in the number for the Cerulean Gym and waited.