New Beginning (Pearlshipping-AshxDawn)

Chapter Twenty-three

Ash and Dawn had been told by the doctors that everything that they could do to save the kids had been done, it was now up to Alex and Julia themselves. The doctors were now just playing a waiting game of seeing if the children's conditions got better or worsened. The head doctor over Alex and Julia's care had told Ash and Dawn, "Whether or not they survive now depends on what's inside of them, their inner strength, their willpower, their desire to live, and their survival instinct. Just...prepare yourselves in case they can't make it,"

The children weren't the only ones in the hospital. Johanna, after being submitted to the hospital, had fallen into a coma. She had been in the coma for two weeks, just like how the children had been asleep for two weeks. The attack that Team Rocket had imposed on her had caused her to lose a lot of blood and she had suffered severe head trauma. She was alone, staying in a separate room. Because of her age, her body was weaker than a normal adult's. Her chances of surviving were slim, just like Alex and Julia's chances.

They had all been kept in quarantine during the first week before anyone except the doctors were able to see them. Even then, only Ash and Dawn were allowed to see them, no one else. When inside the rooms, they were required to whisper and not allowed to move them around.

The whole ordeal was deeply hurting both Ash and Dawn. But Ash was staying strong for Dawn's sake. He was all that she had at the moment and he needed to care for her in the most difficult point of her life so far. For the last two weeks, he had been with the Elite Four, helping them deal with the aftermath of what Cyrus and Team Rocket had tried to do to the world. Ash had also been training his Aura power after what it had done to help him when he had been captured by Team Rocket.

Dawn, on the other hand, was taking the situation a lot harder than Ash was. Her mom AND her children were on the verge of dying, all because of Team Rocket. She felt so helpless, just sitting and watching them, knowing that there was nothing that she could do for them. With every day that passed, she felt like a little piece of her was dying with her family.

She was beginning to waste away to nothing. She barely slept or ate as the days passed by, spending her days with Alex and Julia in their hospital room. Each day, she kept waiting, hoping that they would wake up and she would be there if they did.

Currently, that's where Dawn was. She was holding Julia's limp hand as she hummed a song. Then the door opened and Ash quietly walked into the room, instantly hearing his wife humming the beautiful tune.

"That's beautiful, Dawn." he said as he placed a kiss to her head. "I've never heard that tune before."

"It's a lullaby that I've always hummed to Julia while she was falling asleep as a baby. My mom hummed it to me when I was a baby, too." Dawn explained.

Ash nodded his head and looked at the kids. His shoulders heaved in a silent sigh.

"Visiting hours are almost over for the day, it's time for us to go home. I have supper waiting for us in the car...Chinese takeout."

She nodded her head at Ash's words and stood up. She leaned over and kissed Julia's forehead and whispered to her, "I know that you're strong, baby. After everything that you've gone through since you've been a little girl...I know that you can get through this. You can overcome this. Everyone misses you and you have so many people who love you, sweetie. You still have your whole life ahead of you, so you have to wake up. Don't give up, so many love you. I can't wait to see your smile and hear your laugh and voice again, and to see you awake. I love you, always."

Ash was whispering to Alex, "I know that you can get through this, Alex. We all miss you and love you so much. You can't give up...you have too much to live for. I know that you're strong enough to fight. Just keep fighting and don't ever give up, Alex. I love you, bud."