My baby.

I stare at the video screen in disbelief. I can't believe what Officer Jenny has just told me.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum," the grim-faced Officer Jenny continues. "We searched the entire area and there are no sign of any survivors."

"But…but there must be some mistake," I stammer. "Ash and his friends are on their Pokémon training journey. They couldn't have been on that ship."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Ketchum, but your son was among the passengers of the St. Anne. His name was on the ship's roster. Several of the passengers reported seeing a dark-haired boy in a baseball cap with a Pikachu matching your son's description on board shortly before the ship sank."

Oh God…My legs suddenly give way from underneath me.

"Delia!" A pair of strong arms grab me and help me onto the nearby couch.

"I'm…I'm all right, Samuel," I reassure him.

But that's a lie. My baby's dead. I'm not all right. I'll never be all right again.

"Thanks…t-t-hank you," I whisper to Officer Jenny before the tears start.

"Again, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Ketchum. You have my deepest sympathy." Officer Jenny sighed as she hung up the phone and the screen went black.

"Ash…oh, Ash." I can't stop the tears now. "My baby…my baby's dead."

A thousand images flit through my mind: Holding Ash shortly after he was born. Ash taking his first step. Ash saying "Mama" for the first time. Playing with Ash on the swings. Sending Ash off to school for the first time. Ash learning to ride his bike by himself. Ash leaving home to go on his Pokémon journey.

But Ash isn't coming back. He's never coming home again. He and his friends are lying at the bottom of the ocean.

Samuel sits down on the couch next to me and takes me into his arms. Thank God he happened to stop by at the time Officer Jenny called. I don't think I would be able to handle this alone.

But that's what I am now. I'm alone. I don't have anyone now -- no husband, no child, no relatives, no one.

I bury my face in his neck and cry. He's crying, too.

"Oh Delia," he whispers as he starts stroking my hair. "I'm so sorry."

I'm crying so hard now that I can't even speak. All I can do is hold him tight and sob uncontrollably.

My baby…my baby's gone. Gone forever.

I don't know how long I cried or what exactly happened, but I remember not being able to catch my breath then everything started slipping away. And then I sank into merciful oblivion.

To be continued…