55. Waiting

"Gold, you need to relax," Red said, watching the Hatcher pace back and forth in the waiting room. He, Yellow, Blue, Silver, HeartGold and SoulSilver had arrived at the New Bark Town hospital when they heard the news that Crys was in labour and Gold was wound up tighter than a Spoink's tail. He hadn't stopped pacing or twitching and Yellow was worried he would stress himself into an anxiety attack so she had gone to make some tea. The remaining Dex holders sat in different chairs, either watching the clock or conversing. Silver was the only other one watching Gold with vast amusement.

"HOW CAN I?" Gold shouted at Red. His left eye was twitching crazily. "Crys is in there having a child...and I'm stuck waiting in this Arceus-damned hellhole-"

"Quit it!" HeartGold snapped. He got up from his chair and went over to the older man. Taking him by the shoulders, the Affectionator shook him hard enough to loosen Gold's goggles. "You gotta be CALM. Worrying isn't going to solve anything!"

Gold stared at HeartGold with wide eyes and stopped talking. HeartGold released him and Gold went back to walking around. Silver snickered and a thoughtful expression came over his face.

Luckily, at that moment, Yellow walked in with a tray of tea and coffee. SoulSilver jumped up, anxious for the coffee, and Yellow handed a cup of tea to Gold. "Sorry, Gold, but the hospital doesn't allow Cosmic Power in here."

"Yeah right," SoulSilver said as she stirred her coffee. "The last thing he needs is to get drunk on his kid's birthday."

Yellow shot SoulSilver a look that said don't you dare and sat down with a cup of tea for herself. She looked over at Gold and sighed when she saw he hadn't even touched the special tea she made for him. "Gold you're very finicky..."

"Hey Yellow..." the Healer turned to look at Blue, who had a very snarky grin on her face. "Just wait until it's you in there. Red will worry himself into a heart attack!"

Yellow spat out her tea and turned bright red. SoulSilver groaned and smacked Blue's upper arm. Red, on the other hand, grinned at Blue and calmly said, "Ah but I'm used to situations like this." He was about to remind Blue of the Team Rocket trouble, the issues with the Shitenou and when they got petrified but Gold suddenly screamed again.

"BUT I'M NOT! What if it's a miscariage? What if Crys gets hurt? What if the baby can't breathe? What if it's deformed?"

Everyone groaned again and SoulSilver slapped her forehead. Red had enough of Gold's worrying and glared at him. "CALM DOWN."

Gold shuddered and plopped down in a chair. It was obvious the happy go lucky man wasn't going to stop worrying anytime soon. HeartGold got up to try and comfort his senior again. "Here's an idea. Try thinking of Crys holding your child in her arms...smiling when you walk in...in perfect health..." He kept putting those thoughts in Gold's head and the Hatcher actually smiled. He sat back and reached for the tea Yellow gave him. Satisfied, HeartGold sat down next to SoulSilver.

"Hey Gold."

Gold froze when he heard Silver call to him. "Y-Yeah?"

Silver smirked and said in a low voice, "Eleven toes."

The atmosphere changed immediately with those two words. Gold was back on his feet and screaming and eveyone else glared daggers at Silver. Blue was holding her stomach and laughing so hard. Yellow jumped up and patted Gold's shoulders, trying to stop his screaming.

"Gold, snap out of it! The baby is NOT going to have eleven toes! Please, you're going to have an anxiety attack at this rate! Sit down and just drink some of my special tea. And ignore Silver," she added, glaring at the redhead.

"Listen to Yellow, she's the smart one," SoulSilver called. A thought came over her and she added, "Hey Gold, did you decide on names?"

"N-Not yet..." Gold replied. Still shaking, he sat back into his seat and Yellow put the tea in his hands, instructing him to drink. Silver and Blue were still laughing and HeartGold and SoulSilver shot them murderous looks.

"This is hilarious..."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my shoes, Silver!" Gold snapped.

"Yeah, seriously. Quit irritating him," HeartGold added. Silver pretended to think and shook his head. He was about to say something else when the hospital doors flung open and two people practically flew in.

"I hope we're not too late!" Jasmine, the Olivine Gym Leader said with a gasp. Emerald was right next to her, fixing his gadgets and putting them away.

"Jasmine, where were you?" SoulSilver asked. "I tried calling your gym and I kept getting the answering machine!"

"At the farm," Emerald answered before Jasmine could. "We had to buy Moomoo Milk and other things."

"And I had wanted to pet the Miltanks..." Jasmine added sheepishly. "I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry, you haven't missed anything," Yellow said. "The baby isn't born yet. We're all just waiting right now..."

"And watching Gold spazz!" Blue added. Jasmine and Emerald ignored her and went over to greet Gold. Emerald looked up at his figurative brother in law.

"Ruby and Sapphire said they're sorry they couldn't make it here. But they send their best wishes."

"Oh yeah, same with Clair and Pearl," SoulSilver threw in. She was from the dragon clan and an old friend of Clair's. Pearl from Sinnoh had taken a real shine to her best friend. "I think there's been another clan meeting today."

"It's okay..." Gold said.

"Yeah, we'll tell them the news later," HeartGold said.

"Like how many arms the kids will have," Silver added.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jasmine and Emerald stared at Silver in shock and Yellow lost it. "ONE MORE WORD OUT OF YOU AND RATTY'S GETTING THINGS TO CHEW!" she shouted at Silver.

Everyone's attention was now on Yellow and Red jumped up to try and calm his fiancee. The silence was broken five minutes later by Crys screaming from down the hall.

"There goes a contraction...hey, Gold!" SoulSilver broke off when she saw Gold heading towards the doors. "GOLD!"

"CRYS NEEDS MY HELP!"

"NO!" Red and HeartGold quickly grabbed Gold and restrained him.

"If you go in there, you're just going to start trouble!" HeartGold snapped.

"You KNOW you're not allowed in there!" Red added.

"She's in PAIN! That's my WIFE!"

"SHUT UP!" Emerald suddenly yelled. "Gold, that's also my non-blood SISTER in there! You don't think I'm worried? I've known her a lot longer than you have but I'm not going in there! Sit the hell down and SHUT UP."

Red and HeartGold dragged Gold back to his chair and Yellow put her tea in Gold's hands again with the demand to drink it. Jasmine took Emerald's hand and went to sit down. She turned towards Gold with a gentle look and softly said, "Please, Gold, try to restrain yourself. Why don't we think of names?"

"How about Worry or Trouble as a reminder of what Gold's going through?" Blue said.

"Not funny," SoulSilver snapped.

"Then what about Cheating for what Gold does at the Game Corner?" Silver suggested. SoulSilver started to argue with him and HeartGold rolled his eyes.

"I've got it!" Yellow said. "How about the name Turquoise if it's a boy?"

"Oh that's adorable!" Jasmine said, clasping her hands together. "It's perfect!"

"But what if it's a girl?" Emerald asked.

Jasmine thought for a moment. "How about Topaz? She would be yellow in colour like her father and be a jewel like her mother."

Gold sipped the tea and thought about the names. After setting the empty cup aside, he nodded. "I like them both. Turquoise for a guy and Topaz for a girl...it's perfect. Thanks, both of you."

"We're glad to help," Yellow said. Jasmine nodded.

"I'm gonna be a dad...hell..." Gold stared down at his hands. "What if..."

"No more what ifs, Gold," Red said. "You're going to be a dad and that's that. Nothing's going to happen."

"All we can do is wait right now..." HeartGold looked up at the clock. "I wish it would happen soon..."

Silver broke his argument with SoulSilver and smirked at Gold again. "It might take time to get all the arms and legs ou-"

"WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT!" Gold snapped. Silver's smirk vanished and Blue's eyes widened. SoulSilver laughed and plopped down in her chair again.

"How long have we been here anyway?" Blue asked.

"A few hours..." SoulSilver glanced at the clock. "And judging by Crys's screams, it's going to happen soon." Emerald and Gold visibly twitched.

Red, on the other hand, decided to tease his fiancee. "Hey Yellow, I was going to suggest Orange as a name, but that would probably be a better name for our kid, hmmm?" Yellow squeaked and blushed.

"What are you whispering about, Red?" HeartGold asked.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHING!" Red grinned. Emerald groaned and rested his head in Jasmine's lap.

The waiting game had resumed.

"Hey Gold, I think you'll like this," SoulSilver piped up fifteen minutes later. She had her Pokegear opened up to the photo function and one particular photo was on display. Curious, Gold stretched over to see it. It was the picture Crys had taken of Silver and Blue at Ruby's birthday a few months ago. They were all hanging around in the pool and Blue decided to pull a prank on Silver. She had jumped him and stuck her tongue out in Crys's direction, who had a digital camera on hand. However, this photo was clearly doctored. Silver's eyes were five times their size and Blue's tongue and lips were blown up to cover her face completely. The caption below the picture said, "WACKY TONGUE WAVING LIP INFLAITABLE BALLOON WOMAN."

Gold stared at the picture while SoulSilver tried not to laugh. His mouth twitched and he suddenly burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Silver snapped, putting his book down. Blue looked irritated and HeartGold's lips curved into a smile. He had already seen the picture. Leave it to his SoulSilver to come up with a way to break the tension.

"It's nothing that concerns you, Silver," he said.

"Or maybe it does!" SoulSilver cracked. Silver and Blue jumped up to wrestle the Pokegear away from the Beserker when Crys's screaming suddenly stopped. Everyone stood still and they heard a new sound coming from the hallway.

It was the cry of a baby.

Yellow, Jasmine and SoulSilver's jaws dropped. Blue just looked irritated as usual. The guys looked towards the doors anxiously and a doctor burst into the waiting room. "Is Gold here?"

"Right here!" Gold jumped out of his seat. "Is Crys alright? Can I see them?"

"That's a nice change," Red remarked. Yellow and HeartGold nodded in agreement.

"Just a second. I want to give the nurses a bit of time to clean up. But I must congradulate you, Gold. You're now the father of a very healthy baby boy," the doctor announced.

Jasmine and SoulSilver squealed. "A BOY!"

"And from the looks of him, he looks like his dad! He's already got a lot of black hair on his head!" the doctor added.

"That's wonderful!" Yellow smiled.

"What about his eyes?" Blue asked.

"Babies can't open their eyes right away because they're very sensitive. Especially when they're first born. They did spend nine months in darkness," the doctor reminded her. "Now look, I'm willing to bet you all want to see Crystal and the baby. So why don't you all follow me?"

Red, Yellow, Emerald, Jasmine, Gold, SoulSilver and HeartGold started to follow but Silver and Blue hung back for a bit.

"Should we, really?" Blue asked. "Shouldn't it be family time only?"

"Come on...Silver, you're coming too," HeartGold urged them. Silver muttered a 'fine' and they caught up.

Blue suddenly smiled. "Aw, guess this means we can't be mean anymore. Come on Silver. Your best friend's a dad now. Let's be nice for a while." She took his hand and squeezed it, earning a slight blush from her lover.

"Hey Emerald..." Jasmine said thoughtfully. "If Crystal is like a sister to you, would this make you an uncle?"

Emerald started to answer, but SoulSilver popped up between them both with a grin. "I'd say so."

"Hey!"

They finally came to a door with Crystal's name on it. The doctor put his finger to his lips and quietly opened the door. Crystal was lying on the bed in an upright position, looking asleep. A team of nurses was in a corner of the room. One of them broke free holding a bundle in a light blue blanket and stared at the group. SoulSilver pushed Gold forward and whispered, "Go on Gold, it's your son..."

Unsure of what else to do, Gold approached the nurse with the blanket. She passed the bundle to him and smiled sweetly. Gold looked down at the tiny figure nested in his arms and tears came to his eyes. "Guys...look...it's my son."

The group huddled around Gold and the baby, hoping for a look. Choruses of "Awwwwwwwwwww!" and "He's so cute!" came from the women and smiles came from the men.

"I'm glad you think my son is adorable. This means I can have a look at him too now," Crys's voice came from the bed and everyone looked over. She was clad in a hospital gown and her pigtails were taken out of her hair. She looked ragged and tired but she was smiling. "Come on, Gold, let me see him."

"Sure, love." Gold carefully nudged his way through the crowd and went to his wife's bedside. Crys raised her arms eagerly and took the baby from him and her eyes began to shine.

"He looks so much like you...he looks so perfect!" Crys gushed. She unwrapped the blanket near the baby's toes and counted them. "Ten fingers and ten toes...not eleven," she said. Silver visibly flinched.

"You heard me, didn't you?"

"When I wasn't screaming, I could hear Gold screaming," Crys said. "You were tormenting him, weren't you Silver?"

"Meh." Silver shrugged. "He's going to have to put up with it when Junior there grows up. I figured I'd help him get ready for it."

"Liar," SoulSilver mumbled, earning a glare from Blue.

"We were thinking about names outside..." HeartGold piped up.

"Yeah!" Yellow smiled. "And the one we came up with for a boy was Turquoise!"

"Turquoise..." Crys said softly, putting the baby on her chest. "I like it! I think it's perfect!" She looked over at Emerald and her face lit up. "Emmy...I'm glad you came here. I thought you would have settled in Hoenn instead."

"I did, for a while..." Emerald said. "But Jasmine asked me to move in with her after we started dating. 'Sides, this means I get to be closer to you, big sis."

"Good. This kid needs an uncle," Crys said in her well known bossy tone. "No one else will do the job better than you, Emerald." The small trick master grinned.

SoulSilver pulled out her Pokegear and took a few pictures. Gold settled on the bed beside Crystal, not taking his eyes off baby Turquoise. Blue drifted off into her own thoughts and a dreamy look came over her eyes.

"The waiting was worth it, Gold..." Crys whispered. "Nine months of pregnancy and just a little more for him to be born. Now we're parents...I still can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Gold gave his trademark grin to his wife. "But you're right. It was worth it. Hey, wait a sec...we never thought of godparents!"

"We'll all be godparents!" Red said. "This'll save you the trouble of choosing!"

"Is that even possible?" Silver asked in annoyance.

"Sure it is," Yellow said, cuddling into Red's side. "The Dex holders are like one huge family. It makes perfect sense!"

"Red hair..." Blue mumbled. SoulSilver glanced over at the Evolver and started laughing, which broke Blue's train of thought. "What's so funny?"

"I know what's on YOUR mind, Blue-chan," SoulSilver said with a grin. The guys started to chuckle and looked over at Silver. Yellow and Jasmine giggled as soon as they got the joke. (Gold and Crystal were too busy kissing.)

"WHAT?" Silver growled with major annoyance. SoulSilver put her Pokegear away and put her arm around Silver in an exaggerated way.

"Well, Silver..." she said to her senior. "Let's just say we ALL know Blue wants your bad romance...and your babies."

"SOULSILVER!" Blue screeched.

"KUDOS!" SoulSilver yelped before running out with a very angry Blue on her heels.