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He was dreaming. Jesse was there, and she was so beautiful to him. He was in a tailored black suit, staring down at her in the most beautiful blue gown. She was sitting on the ground. It was a beautiful meadow. He knelt beside her as he caught sight of the Eevee sisters frolicking in the background by a lake. Silvedon and Rapidash were resting near a tree. James kissed her forehead. "I love you Jessie." She smiled as her eyes welled with joyful tears. "I love you too, James. I love you so much." He ran his fingers through her hair as he saw the look of contentment in her eyes. "Marry me Jess……be my wife." She touched his lips and said yes. He laid his head down in her lap and she smiled down at him. Her fingers felt so good stroking his hair and he closed his eyes. But something was so wrong with this dream. He felt safe and content, but wrong. He never wanted her fingers to stop caressing his head. He leaned into her hand and promptly fell from the chair.
James' eyes flew open and he landed on Jolteon. "Jolt!" as Jolteon scrambled from beneath him. She licked James' nose and yelped as Flareon bit her tail. Jolteon backed off. "Eui?!" Jamese looked up and saw Eevee perched on the edge of the bed. He looked at Brock, Misty, Ash, and Pikachu by the door, staring down at him. Meowth was behind him. He opened his mouth and heard the true sound of satin. "James?" He turned her head and saw that Jessie was sitting up. Her head was still bandaged and he could hear the fear in her voice. He forgot himself and clawed himself off of the floor. He stood there, staring at her, his mouth open. "Flare!" as Jessie ruffled Flareon's fur. "Jessie!" She nodded. "I'm alive." He stood there then, his hair a mess, tear-stained cheeks, and not a word that he could form coherently. He stepped to the edge of the bed and began to cry as he caressed her pale cheek. "I thought you had left me." She reached out for his hand and held it weakly. "I couldn't leave you James." He knelt beside her and traced her cheek. "God I love you Jess." She smiled. "I love you too." He held her tenderly then, gently rubbing her back as he buried his head in her hair, breathing deeply. She kissed his ear and whispered softly to him. "Don't ever let me go." He held her tighter. "I never will." He felt her grip on his shirt tighten. "Please tell me I won't be blind." James closed his eyes. He felt her tense. "James, tell me I won't be blind." James stroked her head. "I can't tell you that." She pushed into him, holding as if he would leave her. He let go then, standing up and looking around. James cursed as he searched his pockets. Jesse leaned back and sat still. James stopped and sighed. "Nevermind." He sat down and pulled her to him again. Misty wiped a tear from her eye. Brock looked to Ash and they both shrugged. Meowth smiled to himself as he curled up at the foot of the bed, content.
Two days later, they were all there when the doctor was to take the bandages off. She had had numerous tests to make sure there had been no further damage. She was still unsteady on her feet and shaky, but she was able to move. Her hearing was fine, and she would swore she was able to see light. James sat next to her, holding her hands as the doctor began to unwind the bandages. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Misty sat near the door. Jesse waited. She felt the doctor pause and she blinked. She felt panic welling deep within her. The doctor stared at her, as James touched her arm. The doctor examined her eyes and they all knew before he said it. "There's no response." James saw her stiffen and her voice was frantically high. "Oh my god, I'm blind?! No! No! Oh no….." She clutched at her eyes as James simply stared. The doctor shook his head. "In a few months, she may be able to have surgery which will bring back some of her sight, but not now. She needs to recover from the gunshot before we perform more surgery." And that was a fact. There was nothing more that could be done for her now
Jesse was beyond sobbing. She was wailing into a pillow she clutched before her. Flareon jumped up and lay down next to her, licking her face. This did nothing to comfort her. "I'm blind……oh my god, I can't see anything…." She kept muttering this over and over. Flareon and Eevee snuggled against her and she finally quieted, whimpering slightly. James simply kept murmuring to her, stroking her hair. Meowth was quiet as he sat near her head, not knowing what to say. Five years ago, Meowth thought, she would have dealt with this so much better. But she was not the belligerent woman James and Meowth had often called a bitch. She had evolved into a human being; a woman with actual feelings she felt safe enough now to share. Misty had gone to get a wet cloth for her forehead and Ash had gone to get another blanket. Brock stayed nearby in case James needed help with her. Jessie shook and James stroked her forehead, trying not to look into her dead eyes. They were bruised and had lost a lot of their color. They were the color of seaweed and he wanted to cry for her. She shivered and Flareon wrapped her tail over Jesse's body, mewing softly. Ash came running in, out of breath. He handed James the blanket and he wrapped it over her. Eventually, she fell asleep not by choice, but from exhaustion
Three days later, Jessie was released from the hospital. She had not said a word in those three days to anyone. The doctor had lengthy discussions with James about her; that her mental stability would not be right for a while and she would be angry. There was more and James knew this would not be easy. He spoke to Meowth before he went to the others. James invited Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu back to the house for several days as thanks for their help and so they could rest.
The butler greeted them quietly, nodding to James. He had a hold of Jessie's arm, guiding her slowly. She grasped at the doorframe, visibly distraught and frustrated. James let her go and she walked forward. Flareon and Jolteon walked ahead, standing by the stairs. Vaporeon and Eevee walked by her sides. James turned to the butler (Daniel) and spoke to him about her. Ash, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu watched Jessie as her arms moved, trying to find something familiar. She made it about 30 feet to where the floor dropped down a foot to the sitting room. James heard "Pore!" with Jessie's cry and turned to see her fall as she took the step and found no floor. Vaporeon jumped in front of her and broke her fall. Jessie sat up and felt the floor, no emotion on her face. James ran over to her and knelt beside her. He said nothing to her and helped her up. She shook him off angrily and moved away. Meowth went and sat by the fire, figuring that he was more help by being out of the way. She found the doorframe of the hall that led to the kitchen and then out to the garden and fields. She disappeared down the hall as Brock came over to James. "She's not going to be easy to deal with, is she?" James shook his head. "Nope. And there's nothing I can do for her." He shook his head.
Jessie felt her way and found the bay doors to the garden. She walked outside, tripping over the doorjam. Flareon and Jolteon followed behind quietly. She stopped once she could feel grass beneath her feet and breathed in. She fought the feelings of pain and panic flowing through her. She felt Flareon brush her leg. "Flare?" Jessie put her hands over her eyes and began to cry. Then it dawned on her….she couldn't even cry. She was sobbing and there were no tears. She clawed at her eyes and wailed. "Jolt…." Jolteon ran back inside and slid to a stop in front of James. "Jolt!" James looked down and followed her. Ash and Misty followed, Brock was talking to Daniel.
Jessie was on her knees, bent over, arms around her stomach. James placed his hands on her sides and rested his head on her back. "Jess…." She threw her head up and wheezed. "I can't even cry…" He turned her so he could look. It pained him terribly to look at her. She was right, there were no tears from her eyes. "I can't even cry anymore…." Her voice fell to a horrible whisper. He used to get lost in her eyes and could have stared into their depths forever. Now they were dead hulls. He shook his head and held her. The sisters stayed back, silent. Ash and Misty were dumbfounded as to anything they could say or do. Jessie still tried to cry, sobbing and angry there were no tears. She felt so small. James picked her up and carried her past Ash and Misty. Misty looked at Ash but said nothing. Ash placed a hand at the small of her back to usher her in. Misty looked back at him when she felt his hand and offered a small smile. He smiled back, not saying a word.
James said nothing as he carried Jesse up the two flights of stairs to their room. He put her down once they were inside and closed the door, only letting Eevee in. She stood there, arms half-outstretched, head down. James touched her arm and she flinched. "Jess?" She didn't move. "Jess, say something." She shook her head. He sighed and walked over to the chair by one of the windows, sitting on the edge. She eventually moved, feeling her way to the wall. She felt around the room as James watched her. She came to where the full-length mirror was and stopped. She stood there, then, blindly staring into the mirror. She clawed the mirror slowly, moaning in her throat. James folded his hands and shook his head. "Jess, I'm so sorry this happened to you." She leaned against the mirror, pressing her cheek against the smooth surface. James sighed. "Jess, please don't do this to yourself." She whirled around, almost toppling over. "How can you even say that?! I'm fucking blind! Do you understand that?! I'm goddamned fucking blind!! I can't see! I can't see you, I can't see myself, I can't see the sunrise or the sunset! I can't even see where I'm going! I am fucking useless now!" She stopped to catch her breath. Outside, Ash and Misty were leaning against the wall, listening. Brock had come up as well. Inside, Jessie had taken a couple of steps toward James' voice. James was standing now, prepared for this. The doctor had talked to him about her state of mind, warning that she may be self-pitying and blameful of everyone. His voice was calm. "Jessie, you need to calm down. We'll deal with this together." She hissed at him, leaning forward at the waist. "I don't want your fucking help! If it weren't for you and Eevee, I wouldn't be like this!" Eevee whimpered and flattened to the floor. James stiffened and his voice became cold. "Jessie, you can't blame anyone for this except those who shot us. We are not to blame!" Outside, Ash and Misty had a hand over their mouth, their ears plastered to the door, even though they could blatantly hear without doing that. Brock was behind them, stunned. "If Eevee hadn't been lagging behind and you hadn't fucking stopped, I wouldn't be like this!" Eevee slunk under the bed and James heard her crying softly. James shook his head, desparately trying to fight back the anger he felt. He said nothing and swallowed hard. She took two steps forward. "What's wrong, nothing to say?!" He tried to speak slowly. "Jess, you're angry, but you have to stop and slow down." She waved her arms. "Fuck you! Fuck all of you! I am a hopeless invalid now! I can't see! You cannot understand this! You cannot even begin to! You walked away with a limp that will heal! Hell, it probably has healed! I wouldn't even know! I will never heal!" James shook his head. It hurt him to hear her talk this way. "Jessie, you can probably get surgery in a couple of months….." She flung her arm and knocked a glass figure off of a table near her. It shattered at her feet. "And it may not even work! Hell, I may not even be ABLE to get it! It must be nice to think happy thoughts while I'm standing here, not even knowing where I am in my own bedroom!! I don't even know if I'm in my own house! I don't even know where you are!" She took a step and the glass crunched underneath her feet. She groped on the dresser for the frame. She felt it in her grasp and held it up to where she thought he was. It was a picture of the both of them, soon after her Rapidash had evolved. She was upon Silvedon, and James resting a hand upon her leg, both of them smiling and happy. She waved it. "I can never be this again!!! I can not ride, I can not see Silvedon, I can not see you! Of all, I can not see you!" She threw the frame to the floor then, shattering the glass and crystal. She shook her head violently, hair falling about her face. He wanted to cry for her; to hold her and make her believe it would be alright; that even if she didn't get her sight back he would still love her dearly and care for her. He sighed, trying not to choke on his words. She looked so helpless, but he knew to touch her was wrong right now. "Jess, I don't even know what to say to you to make you believe me." She shook her head. Her voice was high and frantic. "I don't believe you! Fuck all of you! You can all drop dead!" She trailed off into a pained wail and turned, feeling for the wall. James watched her feel her way for the door. She found it and it crashed open from her force. Ash, Misty, and Brock moved away quickly. She felt for the stairrail and made it downstairs, only slipping once. She was pathetic as she made her way to the garden doors. She clawed them open and went outside.
Ash, Misty, and Brock were completely stunned. They simply stared at each other, ducking into the room next door in case James came out. "Can you believe that?" Ash said as Misty and Brock just shook their heads.
James bent down and looked under the bed. Eevee had her head tucked between her paws and was crying. He called her out and she sullenly crawled out. He picked her up and talked softly to her, explaining to her that Jessie was not well right now and didn't mean what she said. This comforted Eevee a little and she stopped crying, sniffling quietly. Jolteon stuck her head around the doorway. "Jolt?" James left the room and motioned them to follow. He went downstairs and went to the kitchen. He was so tired now. He got the girls some food and sat down, running a hand through his hair. He explained to them about Jessie, that she was angry at not being able to see and might act like she didn't love them, but she really did, and she would be fine in time. They listened intently and looked at the floor. "Pore…." Vaporeon sniffled. They were very unhappy. He was hoping he wasn't just being hopeful and that she would be fine in time.
Ash, Brock, and Misty, with Pikachu lagging behind, came downstairs and wandered into the kitchen to find James still there, leaning over, holding his head. Pikachu jumped off of Ash and went over to Eevee, who would not eat, to comfort her. Eevee whimpered softly and Pikachu hugged her. Misty sat down across from James. "How is she?" He shook his head. "Not good." He looked outside at the sky. It would snow soon. He looked over at the sisters and sighed. "Flareon and Jolteon, go find her, but be kind." They bolted out the door, Vaporeon approaching Eevee and comforted her.
Jessie was infinitely frustrated that she was crying and no tears would fall. She made her way along the garden, finding the bench swing James had built for the two of them. She sobbed again and sat down upon it, angry at herself for yelling at him. She knew it was not his fault, or Eevee's, but she needed to hurt someone. She kicked at the ground and swung back and forth. She hiccoughed and heard a familiar little voice. "Flare?" She moved her head in the direction. "Flareon." She reached out and felt her head beneath her hand. She rubbed softly and sniffled. "Jolt!" Jolteon jumped up onto the swing and sat down beside her, nuzzling her shoulder. Jessie was so frustrated she didn't know whether she wanted to hug them or yell at them just to yell. She wanted to scream and never stop. Her hands clenched and unclenched. Anxiety cluched at her and the two girls knew this instinctively. Flareon tugged at her dress. Jessie stood. Jolteon kept contact with her left leg while Flareon was on her right. They guided her. "I don't want to go back to the house." "Flare flare!" (You need to). "Jolt!" (James is worried). She shook her head and stopped. "I don't care. I don't want to. Please." Her voice faltered. Flareon nuzzled her. "Flareflare" (It's getting dark). Jessie cringed and cried out. "I can't even know that!" Flareon flinched and Jolteon glared at her. "Joltjolt jolt" (It's winter. You have no coat on. You need to be warm). Jessie's knees gave and she sank to the ground. "Oh god I don't even know what time of the day it is…." She rambled on until Jolteon stiffened. "Jolt!" (Jessie, get up!) Jessie hugged herself. "Leave me." Flareon looked to Jolteon. "flare" (get James). Jolteon nodded and took off for the house.
James stood when Jolteon came in. "Jolt Jolt jolte" (Jessie won't come…she
will be cold). James sighed. "joltjoltjolt" (she is crying but it
is cold. She will be sick. She won't come with us). "Jolt Eon" (Flareon
is with her) James nodded and went to retrieve his coat. Brock and he followed
Jolteon while Ash, Pikachu, and Misty watched them go.