Chapter 42: Different 

The x-rays didn't take long. Piplup and I waited right outside the room to avoid the radioactivity. When we were allowed back in, the doctor was putting the x-rays on a board for us to look at. 

"You're lucky, it's a clean break. Hardly any damage done otherwise." The doctor pointed to the bones. My brain was on overload and didn't really take in much. Dawn wasn't paying attention, either, still looking frightened. 

Irritated, I asked what mattered most, "So are you going to put a cast on her? How long until she gets it removed?" 

"Oh, I don't think she needs a cast. Just a splint," the doctor said more cheerfully. "I'd say if she wore that for about a month and then did special exercises after removing the splint for another two weeks she'd be good as new. She'll be back to normal in no time." 

Hm. That didn't seem too bad. But still, it wasn't my wrist. And it was my fault. 

"Can you get the splint on her now?" I asked urgently. The sooner she got better, the better I'd feel. 

"Sure." The doctor was halfway out the room when he called, "Any specific color?" 

"Pink," I called back. Dawn's head jolted up to meet my eyes. And then, suddenly, she smiled. A brilliant, warm smile that I didn't feel like I had the right to receive.  

"You chose my favorite color," Dawn said, still smiling, when Doctor Rosin's footsteps faded away. 

"It's for your wrist, not mine. Would you choose any other color?" I asked. 

"Maybe blue... to match my eyes." Her smile widened. 

"Ah. I should have known that. Want me to go tell him to get a blue splint instead?" 

"Nah. I'll survive with pink. I'm pretty sure it's the new black, anyway." She leaned back casually in her wheelchair. 

So now she was being playful at a hospital, which she hated being at. I looked at her curiously. "Are you sure there's nothing more wrong with you than a broken wrist?" 

"It's just..." she broke off, looking confused. "I've never felt like laughing in a hospital before. And you knowing which color I'd want for my splint without asking. It's just really comforting. Thanks, Paul." 

I looked at the floor, feeling more guilt wash over me. "Don't thank me. I'm the one who broke your wrist in the first place. If I hadn't run off without you, this wouldn't have happened and we wouldn't be dealing with Doctor Bozo." 

"Well, you're right. It is your fault." She paused. "I've never actually had anything broken anything before. Not even a toe." 

Or your heart? I almost asked, not understanding how a question like that could even pop into my head at a time like this, much less any other time. I shook my head as if to clear it. "Still, Dawn. I shouldn't have run off like that. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." 

Her blue eyes found mine, measuring my sincerity. "Good. You're going to be waiting on me hand a foot for the next month now that I have your word that you won't run away." 

I frowned and she started laughing, but cut off abruptly with a sharp intake of break, staring painfully at her bad wrist. Worried, I put a hand on her leg before pulling away, not wanting to touch her without permission. Still, my fingertips felt extremely warm where I'd touched her skin, which had been smooth as silk. 

"It hurts to laugh," Dawn said with disappointment. 

"That's ok. I'm not very funny. You won't have to worry about that for the next month." 

She frowned. "You're funny sometimes." 

I raised an eyebrow. "Since when?" 

She shrugged, apparently no examples coming to mind. I sighed, then asked gently, "So... you're ok?" 

"Yeah." Dawn smiled. "I'm ok." 

I returned the smile. Seconds later, Doctor Rosin came through the door with a box in hand and stopped, staring at the two of us as I stepped back a few paces. 

"Was I interrupting something?" the doctor asked smugly. 

"We were just discussing how incompetent you were at going to retrieve a simple box," I stated lightly. 

"Hmph." The doctor rolled his eyes. "Your girlfriend is much more pleasant to talk to than you are." He began talking to Dawn about the splint and how to strap it on. 

Girlfriend. The word rolled through my brain, testing the sound. I'd always pushed it aside before, or refused to let people believe that Dawn and I were together. Even letting people think I had traveled around with her had my spine crawling in disgust before. Now, I felt the opposite. 

After a couple minutes of staring into space, I began paying attention to care instructions. I felt Dawn's eyes on me whenever she wasn't looking at the doctor, questioning me. 

"Alright, well, you're free to go. Remember- keep the splint on for a month and take that pain medication twice a day. Be careful, even after you take the splint off, especially for the first two weeks," the doctor chided. "And next time, don't come here with him." 

He pointed at me and walked out of the room. I smirked- I got on people's nerves like that. It was nice to know I irritated him more than he irritated me. 

"Ready to go?" I asked Dawn. 

"Yeah. I'll walk this time." She blushed, staring at her splint that covered her palm, wrist, and forearm. "Could you help me out of the chair? My wrist still hurts." 

I grabbed her bare upper left arm and helped her stand. She sighed with relief as she stood up. 

"Are you ok to walk by yourself?" I asked. 

"I think so. I don't feel dizzy or foggy anymore, like I did when I first fell. At least I hurt my bad hand. I'm a righty." She took a couple of cautious steps before nodding to me that she was ready to leave, Piplup trailing after us. 

We walked to the other side of the receptionist desk where I murmured to Dawn, "I'll take care of it." 

I paid with the hefty amount of cash I carried around, which I had kept secret from Dawn all this time, and walked out the door with her. 

"Since when do you have that much money?" she asked. 

"Since my uncle died. He took a great liking to me when I was little. He was pretty rich." Uncle Ben- one of the only family members I actually enjoyed seeing. 

"Oh. I'm sorry he's gone," she said sincerely. 

"It's not your fault. I do miss him, though." 

I hardly ever told anyone that I actually had a family member who had meant something to me. I was eight years old when he'd died. That was my first ever funeral I'd attended and, by that time, my parents had divorced and the only relative that didn't treat me like I didn't belong was gone forever.  

That was around the time I gave up on people altogether. 

We remained quiet for awhile with me only saying that we were headed back to the Pokemon Center- Dawn couldn't leave yet considering her wrist was throbbing in pain whenever she moved it. We would stay in town a couple more days. She seemed grateful that I hadn't even suggested traveling right away. 

"Paul?" 

"Hm?" 

"You didn't say anything when Doctor Rosin said we were a couple." 

"No, I didn't." 

"Why?" 

Such a short question with such a difficult answer. "Mostly because I didn't want to argue with him about anything else. He'd just keep being smug and tease us. I just wanted him to treat you so we could get out of there." I sighed. "And because he stunned me." 

She remained quiet, waiting for me to continue. Yet again, I was forced to think about how much more patient she was now than she had been before. How much easier she was to deal with when she just let me talk at my own pace. 

I continued, "I wasn't expecting him to say that. And my normal reaction... just wasn't there. So I said nothing." 

My eyes didn't leave her face, but she seemed to be hiding her reactions. She sighed. "I just can't figure you out today. You're acting...." 

"Different," I finished softly for her. 

Her eyes met mine and she nodded, touching my hand gently with her good one as we walked down the street.

Over the next couple of days, Dawn and I spent most of the time in the Pokemon Center. She didn't need constant reminders to take her medicine from me or to elevate her wrist, but there were tasks that she did leave for me. 

"I'm itchy," she complained about three days after the accident. 

"And what should I do about it?" I frowned from my bunk, looking through a Dragon Pokemon book that the Pokemon Center's library had. It was very interesting and informative and had given me many ideas for training Bagon- especially to develop speed. 

"Well, the doctor said lotion. I have some, but I'm still too scared to even touch my wrist." I saw her cringe at the thought. 

"So you want me to do it?" I asked slowly. 

"Yes," she said just as slowly back. 

I decided not to question her desires or what inspired them. Her pain should be my burden, not hers. "Ok, let's ice your wrist for ten minutes. Maybe that will keep the pain away while I put some lotion on you." 

Nurse Joy had been very helpful during our extended visit. She supplied us with as many ice packs as our hearts desired and answered any questions Dawn had about taking care of her wrist, which I was grateful for. I walked to the room where Nurse Joy had shown us the instant ice packs and grabbed a couple, squeezing one so that it became cold. I placed it on Dawn's wrist and went back to reading for a couple minutes while her wrist numbed. 

"Ok, it's been ten minutes." she announced. 

I got up and pulled the desk chair over to her bed. The splint was off and she had out her bottle of lotion, which I noticed was named something extremely girly ("A Kiss of Berry"). I reached for it and dabbed some onto my fingers, my nose shriveling as I realized I would have to wash my hands fifty times to get this smell off them. 

And then I noticed the smell. 

It was the Pecha Berry aroma that always hung around her. I stared at the pink spot on my fingertips. 

"You ok?" Dawn asked. 

"Yeah. I just recognize the smell, is all," I said gruffly. "Ready?" 

"I trust you."

Feeling very self conscious, I touched her wrist as if it would turn to dust if any more pressure was applied. Dawn didn't flinch, so I began rubbing the lotion in. Her skin was still cold from the ice. 

I tried not to think about what I was doing for the next minute as I finished putting lotion on her wrist. 

"Can you put it on up to my elbow? That stupid splint makes me want to tear my skin off," Dawn complained. 

I frowned in return. "Does your forearm hurt at all?" 

"No." 

"May I ask why I'm the one applying lotion, then?" 

"You're my serf, remember? Till you pay off your debt." 

I rolled my eyes. "I'm surprised you even know what a serf is." 

"I've been doing research. And listening to you talk. I learn a lot." 

"Like what?" 

"Lots of things. Mostly about you." 

"For example?" My interest had gone up in this conversation. I continued rubbing lotion. I'd reached the middle of her forearm by now, going slowly, telling myself I was annoyed by the chore of being close to her, making her happy. 

"Like how you avoid all the questions you don't want to answer with insults or complaints. And how you feel guilty when you do something wrong and you try the best to repay the person you wronged like a gentleman." 

I remained quiet for a minute, grudgingly replying, "I'm not a gentleman. Besides, I still shouldn't have left you without an explanation." 

Dawn argued, "Even the best people make mistakes, Paul. And not many people actually try to right their wrongs. How many other guys do you think would want to rub lotion on me?" 

"Plenty," I answered immediately, jealously and a hint of possession in my voice. I caught myself as I looked into her eyes and went back to just focusing on making sure the lotion was absorbed by her skin and keeping my tongue controlled, cursing myself for revealing so much to her with just one word. 

Just one more reason I hated talking. 

I moved to her palm, which seemed dry. Very gently, I traced it with my index finger for a minute before realizing I didn't have any lotion. She shivered and I stared into her eyes. She stared back. We were both leaning forward...  

"Dawn?" Nurse Joy came through the door, which had been open slightly in my hurry to get the ice pack to Dawn. 

I yet again scooted away from Dawn, feeling like the small moments between us kept being interrupted. Was there a reason for that, or was it just my imagination? I shook my head- I didn't believe in a higher power, fate, or destiny. It was just a coincidence. 

"Someone's here to see you. He claims that he's a friend," Nurse Joy sounded doubtful and suddenly the person I least wanted to see on any day, especially right at this moment, strode through the door- Kenny. 

"Dee Dee!" he exclaimed, coming to Dawn's bed side. 

She stared, dumbfounded, as he welcomed himself in. Nurse Joy looked close to calling security, but hurried from the room, obviously regretting believing that Kenny was actually Dawn's friend after seeing Dawn's horrified expression at the sight of him. 

But I wasn't paying attention to any of that. A hatred I'd never felt before coursed through me. This filth should not be here. He should suffer from a horrible, tragic event for even smiling at Dawn like that, for making her squirm uncomfortably, for interrupting our time together. Just seconds ago we were peacefully alone without pest interference. A Bug Buzz kill if I ever saw one. 

"Dee Dee," he said even softer. I could tell he was trying to give her some sort of Lillipup face, as usual. "I heard you hurt yourself. Zoey told me." 

"Zoey told you?" Dawn seemed to recover from her revulsion and glared at him. Obviously, her location was supposed to be private. 

"Yeah. She said I ought to stop by and cheer you up." Kenny sat next to Dawn, so close they were almost touching. She moved her hurt wrist, which was not in its splint, away from him. "I was on my way to Rustboro again when I heard. I just had to come back to see you." 

Dawn said nothing and avoided looking at the sheepish grin on Kenny's face, avoiding his smug eyes. 

"Leave," I ordered. The word hung in the air and Kenny set his eyes on me for the first time- his black eye was covered with makeup. What a pansy. 

"You're not the boss of me, Paul," Kenny said coolly. 

Oh, I could be if I wanted to, I thought happily. He was such a pushover. Still, I decided to go about this in a "gentleman" fashion. "Dawn?" 

She looked at me pleadingly. 

"Would you like Kenny to leave?" I asked her gently. 

Dawn looked down at her hands, her polite nature and her own desires clashing. 

Kenny, sensing his dismissal, pouted. "Awe, come on, Dawn. I'm not bothering anyone. I just wanted to know how you were doing. You hurt your wrist, right? This one?" 

Kenny reached to touch her left wrist. She pulled it away, but his fingers touched it and she yelled. Instantly, I grabbed him, making sure he was no longer touching Dawn, and hurled him off the bed. He landed on the floor, sour faced. 

I hadn't known my hatred could increase for him, but it did as Dawn's shout of pain still rang in my ears, caused by this pathetic parasite. If he didn't leave soon, I didn't know if I could control myself. Even with Dawn present. 

"Dawn?" I said more urgently. "Do you want him to leave?" 

"Yes!" she gasped, holding her wrist to her body and wincing. 

"Now Kenny, if you don't want me to blacken your other eye, you'll leave. Now," I hissed at him. 

His eyes narrowed. "I bet you're the one who broke her wrist." 

I had no response to that- it was my fault. Maybe not in the way he meant, but I was responsible for what had happened. Instead, Dawn retorted angrily, "It's not his fault! I'm going to give him permission this time to kick your ass if you don't leave in the next five seconds, Kenny." 

I smirked and Kenny's mouth fell open. "But-" 

"Four," Dawn counted down. 

Kenny swore and scrambled off the ground, rushing to the door, slamming it shut. I went to the handle and locked it roughly, wishing for a couple extra deadbolts, not that Kenny would have the brains or muscle to undo the first simple lock. 

Dawn bit her lip and slipped on her splint, looking like she was holding back tears- of anger or pain, I didn't know. She slumped back on the bed, staring at her wrist. 

I put all of my own anger aside and studied Dawn. "Are you ok?" 

"My wrist hurts." 

"What about the rest of you?" 

She sat back up quickly. "I'm sick of Kenny. I wish I'd never have to see him again." 

"I can always make some arrangements..." I said casually. 

Her blue eyes met mine and she smiled hesitantly. She scooted over and patted her bed with her good hand, giving me permission to sit. I did. 

"You were brave. The look on his face when you said you'd be ok with me kicking his ass." I chuckled. "That was priceless." 

I gave her one of my rare larger smiles. She returned it briefly before becoming thoughtful. 

"You're so different than him," Dawn said quietly. "It's weird. When we were kids, I used to love playing with Kenny, but as we grew up, I just found that I couldn't stand him. 

"And when I first met you, well, I didn't exactly like you very much." She smiled lightly. "But now..." 

Dawn seemed lost for words for a moment. So was I. 

She continued talking quickly, "I told Zoey on my Pokegear that I had hurt myself, but I thought they'd left town by now. I didn't know Kenny, at least, was here. I'd rather have gone through the pain of traveling than see him. I didn't think Zoey would tell him." 

"I don't think she likes me at all." 

"She doesn't know you." Dawn's eyes narrowed defensively. 

"Maybe she'd prefer you travel with Kenny, the penguin boy wonder?" 

"Don't be stupid." Dawn's nose shriveled. "She doesn't like Kenny either." 

"Still, she might rather you be with him than me. Isn't that what friends do? Try to "hook" up their friends?" I inquired. 

"Ugh! That's so...." Dawn couldn't think of a word for what it was, but looked at me with fear. "Do you seriously think that's what she did?" 

I shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not exactly liked by anyone but you, Dawn." 

Dawn frowned, "It's a shame. You make a very good friend." 

But could I make a good anything else? I wondered. Is that all I was? A friend, like Ash Ketchum was to her? My eyebrows pulled down in disgust. Dawn didn't notice- she was trying to figure out if Zoey was trying to manipulate her life. 

"I'm going to talk to Zoey tomorrow about this." Dawn nodded to herself. "And if she really was behind that, she's going to be in so much trouble." 

"Dawn?" 

"Yeah?" She looked at me with concern. 

I paused. There were so many things I felt I should ask her. Was I only a friend to her, nothing else? Did she agree with Zoey? Would she really put her foot down? "I was just wondering if there was anything I could do for you. Do you need lotion? More ice?" 

"Oh." Dawn looked at her wrist. "Ice, please." 

"Ok." I grabbed a new bag and put it over her left wrist. 

"...Thank you for taking care of me, Paul."  

"It's my pleasure. It's not that bad of a serfdom." I gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I hope you feel better soon." 

She blushed and our staring moment continued just where it had left off before we were so rudely interrupted.

Hey :)

I hope you liked this chapter. Dawn and Paul sure have come a long way. 

I'd like to thank you all so much for reading First Light. Without you guys, there wouldn't be any reason for me to write this story and show everyone my take on what would have happened to these two after their Sinnoh adventures. I've always felt like they had so much potential together and it seems like a lot of people agree :) And if you don't agree and are still reading, thanks a lot lol. Maybe I swayed your opinion :P

Pokemon Question of the Day: What's your favorite Pokemon song? It can be a theme song or just a song like "Pokerap" or "What Kind Of Pokemon Are You?". Personally I could listen to "Together Forever" all day long. Pokemon music is awesome ^_^

You guys are all amazing! Make sure to comment, vote, and follow me if you're loving First Light.

-Flips