A/N: So this is the second part to the Epilogue, and I hope you enjoy. Also, since I had been considering one, and I also received a request for one, I will be publishing a sequel, hopefully.
I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to review this story, it really made my day when I opened my inbox and saw all the review alerts. On this final note, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and I hope you all have a wonderful 2010.
Epilogue – Part Two – One Big Dysfunctional Family
The people in the waiting room were silent, but that didn't mean the room was silent, the room was filled with the sounds of labouring mothers.
Ash winced at the sound of a particularly loud screech coming from a room not far away.
"I won't cause you that much pain, honey," Misty assured him.
"Poor Drew," Emma sighed as her son, Ollie, who was sat on her lap, hid his face at another scream.
"It seems May is channelling the pain she feels into Drew's hand," Gary commented.
"Having babies is painful?"Brock and Emma's five year old daughter, Katie asked innocently from her perch on Delia's lap.
"It hurts more than a tickle, but a lot more than paying taxes," Delia answered with a smile.
"What're taxes?"she said, looking questioningly up into Delia's eyes.
"When mummy or daddy or I works, we earn money and the people who look after Kanto take some of that money off us so we can have free roads, schools and hospitals."
"But I don't want free school!" Ollie protested. "School is icky!"
"No it's not," Katie retorted. "You only say that 'coz you're stupid!"
"Katie," Brock scolded. "Your brother is not stupid, now apologise."
"Sorry Ollie," Katie said, subtly rolling her eyes. The five-year old turned to Delia, "Super Aunt Delia, can I go see Aunt Patricia now?"
"Sure dear," Delia replied, releasing the blonde-haired girl off her lap. Katie skipped joyfully across the room to her aunt.
The door to the waiting room burst open, making all those inside jump. Norman, Caroline, Max and one of Drew's sisters all sped in.
"We're not late are we," Caroline huffed in a panicked voice. The others shook their heads dumbly.
"Good," Norman replied, having caught his breath. "I don't want to miss meeting my precious grandchild."
"The baby sure doesn't sound precious," Max joked as another scream graced the corridors of the maternity ward.
"Oh no, that's Drew," Misty answered. The three Maples turned to stare at her.
"What?" Max asked incredulously. "That's my sister's husband?"
"Well Drew has always been a wimp when it comes to pain," his sister reasoned, slumping in a seat beside Delia.
As if to prove her point, a dazed Drew stumbled into the waiting room.
"It's a girl," he informed them dizzily then promptly collapsed on the floor. One of the nurses rushed over.
"Is he okay?" she asked the group.
"He's fine," his sister answered. "He's just a bit of a drama queen." The nurse nodded and walked back to her post at the desk.
"How lax are these hospitals getting?" Gary mused as he observed the scene from afar.
**~**~**
Two hours later, Ash and Misty were still sat snuggled in the same arm chair, while Brock, Emma, Delia and Drew's sister visited May, Drew (who had fortunately recovered) and their new baby girl. Norman, Caroline and Max had gone in search of a hotel and Gary and Patricia were currently looking after Katie and Ollie.
"Where're Dawn and Kenny?" Ash asked his wife.
"They stayed behind to help with the guests, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
They fell back into silence for a few moments, until Katie broke it.
"Aunt Patricia do you love me?" Katie asked innocently.
"Of course Katie," she replied with a fond smile.
"Do you love Ollie too?" she asked, with a small glance at her brother, on the other side of the room, slumbering on Gary's knee.
"And Ollie too," Patricia answered.
"What about Gary?" Katie answered, her innocence replaced by a mischievous smile. "Do you love Gary?"
"Erm, not that I don't but… I'm not sure… You see, it's complicated… I think that I…" Patricia stuttered about uselessly, flushing a deep pink.
"Aunt Patricia, I didn't ask you to stutter incoherently, I asked you if you loved Gary," Katie scolded.
Misty leaned up and whispered into Ash's ear.
"Well I'm not gonna object to that!" he cheered.
"Ash, that's not what I said!" she protested, grimacing at her husband. She shuddered theatrically, "Urgh, you're gross, we're in a hospital!"
All the same, the couple left the waiting room leaving behind a grinning Katie, a sleeping Ollie, a thoroughly embarrassed Patricia and a silent Gary who was pretending he wasn't eavesdropping on Patricia's conversation with the intuitive five-year old.
"Well?" Katie demanded. "Do you love Gary?"
Patricia sighed, seeing no easy way out. "I suppose I do," she mumbled. Katie clapped joyfully. Gary looked up sharply, an unreadable look in his eyes.
"Does that mean you'll marry Gary?" Katie asked. "Hey that rhymes!" she added, pleased with her poetry.
"I don't know sweetheart," Patricia said, smiling sadly.
"But you two look really pretty together!" Katie protested. "It doesn't make sense that you glare at each other and say mean things."
"It doesn't make sense to me either, Katie," Gary said from across the room. Patricia's smile faded as she met Gary's solemn gaze.
"If it doesn't make sense, does that mean you'll marry Aunt Patricia?" Katie asked gleefully.
"If she'll have me."
**~**~**
Delia stopped short of the waiting room door, sensing the tense atmosphere within. She gestured to Brock and Emma who came up behind her to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.
"If it doesn't make sense, does that mean you'll marry Aunt Patricia?" a gleeful Katie asked loudly.
"If she'll have me."
Patricia wasn't given the chance to answer before Emma released a loudly cheer of,
"Finally!" The three conscious people in the room whipped their heads around to glare at the door.
"What's happened finally mommy?" Katie called.
Emma almost skipped into the room, "These two numbskulls."
"It certainly did take a while," Katie answered knowledgably.
"Where are my son and daughter-in-law?" Delia asked as she and Brock followed into the room.
"Oh he and Misty left, he said something about 'not being able to say no to that'," Gary answered matter-of-factly.
Delia grimaced, "I know I said I wanted grandkids, but that's disgusting, we're in a hospital."
"Nice to hear you think so highly of me mother," Ash answered sarcastically.
"That was awful quick," Brock chimed, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"Brock you disgusting pig!" Misty shouted. "I would never do such a thing in a hospital!"
"What kind of thing?" Katie asked innocently.
"You're dad will tell you when you're thirteen," Emma answered, glaring at her now-sheepish husband.
"You know what," Delia mused. "We're just like one huge dysfunctional family."
"You can say that again!" Dawn chimed as she and Kenny entered the waiting room.
"Now where's this baby Drew went through so much pain for?" Kenny asked, amused. Delia pointed to the room just off the corridor.
They waited silently as Dawn and Kenny entered.
"Right," Ash began. "I give it five, four, three, two, one."
Bang on time, a loud squeal came out the room where May was, successfully waking Ollie.
"Oh my God, I get to be godmother?"
Misty laughed and smiled at Delia, "You're right mom, we're one big dysfunctional family!"
**~**~**
A/N: I'm actually quite sad that this story has come to its end. I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it. As I said before, I plan on writing a sequel, based on the gangs' ups and downs as parents. The cute Katie, seen in this chapter will be on the verge of becoming a teenager and everyone knows parenting isn't as easy as it looks, except Ash and Misty. Expect that around Christmas.
Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this story, it really means a lot to me. It really brightened my cold and snowy December (it snowed in Liverpool, that's now weird the weather's been) to receive your reviews. So thanks.
So for how, it's goodnight from me, and it's good night from him (and that phrase belongs to the Two Ronnies, not me)
Princess Tiger.