We Never Change

Months of trying to get pregnant proved fruitless for Jessie. She tried every method, every trick, everything and anything they could think of, but nothing. After a while, she began to get discouraged.

"James, what if I never get pregnant," she moaned one day.

"You will," he soothed. "It may take something more."

"Like what?"

He smiled. "You forget so quickly, my love. We used to have all kinds of ideas up our sleeve to catch that Pikachu."

"Yea, and those all ended up in failure, James," she said, eyes narrowed.

"There's something out there we just haven't tried," he explained. "The answer's out there somewhere. We just aren't looking in the right place." He handed her a newspaper clipping. It read, "Pokemon League Champion Becomes Father."

"What's this," she asked.

"Just read it."

" 'Ash Ketchum, five-time winner of the Pokemon League, and his wife Misty, both of New Bark Town, welcomed a seven pound, one ounce baby girl yesterday,' " Jessie read. " 'Rosalin Hannah is the first child for the couple.' So? How does that twerp's kid help us?"

"They may have some tips as to how they conceived," James suggested. "It never hurts to ask."

James and Jessie went to New Bark Town the next day, via the Magnet Train, to pay a visit to the new parents. Jessie looked at a slip of paper in her hand. "140 Birch Ln," she said. "This is it!" She knocked on the door.

"Just a second," a female voice called from behind the thick door. Misty Ketchum threw open the door, little Rosalin wrapped in a seafoam green blanket in her arms. Misty gasped. "Ash," she shouted. "What are you doing here," she yelled. Rosalin bawled. Ash pounded down the stairs, Pikachu at his heels.

"Team Rocket," he said menacingly. "How dare you bother us now? Our daughter has just been born. Go terrorize someone else."

"You've got us all wrong," James said. "We didn't come here to do anything bad. We just need your help."

Ash looked confused. "With what?"

"Please, just let us in," Jessie begged.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you promise not to hurt my wife or my daughter? Or try to take Pikachu?"

"Yes," Jessie and James swore.

"Okay, come in," he said reluctantly.

"Ash," Misty wailed.

"It's going to be fine," he said, kissing her forehead. "Go put Rosalin down." He turned to his guests. "What can I do for you?"

"First off, I'd like to you congratulate you on the new addition," James said. "Um, we'd actually like to ask you something."
Ash folded his arms. "What is that?"

"We're trying to have a baby, and we can't," Jessie said sadly. "We thought maybe you could tell us a secret or trick, something you may have tried to make conception a success."

Ash's dark eyes grew darker with thought. "Rosalin just kind of fell into our laps," he said finally. "We didn't plan on having children for a while still."

James's shoulders slumped. "I guess you can't help us."

"What are you eating, Jessie?" Misty appeared in the doorway of the front room. "Do you eat yams?" Jessie shook her head, puzzled. "They're great for fertility," she said. "It says so in Ladies' Home Journal."

Jessie looked at James. He shrugged. "Okay, I guess we could try that," Jessie said. "We should go. Thank you, though."

Jessie heeded Misty's advice, and within weeks of starting her yam regimen, Jessie found she was pregnant. Her pregnancy didn't hinder her work. She worked right up to her third trimester. The day the doctor had set for her maternity leave to begin, the executives of Team Rocket threw her a baby shower. She received all kinds of cute things for the baby. But the thing she clung to most were the words of one of the partygoers. "Once you have this baby, you're not going to make it back," she said darkly. Jessie looked at her sharply. She just nodded. From that day until the day she delivered, those words rung in her head. "No, never," she reassured herself. "I'll never turn my back on the Team."

The third trimester proved to be a test. Backaches, headaches, leg pain, yeast infections were just the everyday things she had to endure. It was hard for her to breathe often. The baby pushed up on her lungs. When it wasn't pushing up, it was tap dancing on her bladder. And if she wasn't already crabby before she got pregnant, she was positively a monster now. Her emotions ran the gamut. She also suffered from being removed from work. James attended to the daily affairs of Team Rocket. All she did all day was sit in front of the TV watching cheesy soap operas. It depressed her to watch her former favorite channel, the Bloomberg Business Television channel. It reminded her of what was out of her life. "Someday, I'll be back," she whispered, running her hands over her large belly. The baby kicked. Jessie sat up sharply. A small puddle was forming on the floor in front of her. "What," she said, bending over. Her eyes widened. She lunged for the phone. "James," she screamed. "It's the baby! It's coming!"

"What? Now," he shouted back.

"Of course now!" He threw down the phone and rushed to get her to the hospital.

James coached her through hours of childbirth. She screamed and screamed. Finally, after nearly a day and a half, their son emerged from the womb. "It's a boy," the doctor cried. The baby started wailing. "Jessie, look," James said, squeezing her hand.
Jessie lifted her head to look at her son. He was tiny and red. His small, thin arms and legs waved wildly. His face was scrunched up as he cried. The doctor wrapped him in a blue blanket and handed him to his mother. She cradled him, astonished that something this sweet and precious came from all that pain. Her heart soared for the dear little baby. "I love you," she said softly, kissing him.

"Let's get him cleaned up," the doctor said. Jessie reluctantly gave up her son. She was gripped by fatigue and soon fell asleep, James at her side. When she woke, she saw James holding their son, standing by the window. "James," she said, groggy. He brought the baby to her. "What should we name him," she asked.

James scratched his chin. "He looks just like you," he said. The baby did. Already he had shock of soft, thin red hair, the same color as his mother's hair.

"I think he should be James Lloyd Fauntleroy II, and we can call him Jamie," she said firmly.

The elder James' eyes shone. "That sounds perfect." He smiled and kissed his wife and his son. "I'm gonna go get some coffee. Need anything?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied. She looked at Jamie, who was sleeping peacefully. He smelled like baby powder. Her eyes misted over. "Little Jamie, I love you so much." Once you have this baby, you'll never make it back. Ugly words echoed in her mind. Ugly, but true. Fat tears slid down her cheeks. How could I force this sweet, innocent baby into a life of deception, crime, greed... I want Jamie to have the best life possible. I won't let him live the way James and I did. He'll always know that we love him and we want him. I'm going to give him the most normal life possible. Even if that means stepping away from Team Rocket... forever. She sobbed. James walked in, coffee in hand. "Jessie, what's wrong," he said, rushing to her side.

"James, I can't go on," she said, choking on the words.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I want to give Jamie the best. I can't-I can't stay."

"Stay? With me?"

"No, James. I can't stay with T-Team." Her sobs made her chest shake.

"What? You can't stay with Team? Oh," he said, getting what she was trying to say. "Jessie, are you sure? You said--"

"Forget what I said, James. This is an innocent, beautiful life we created. I won't corrupt him like we were! I won't stand for it!"

"Okay, okay, please, Jessie," he said, embracing her. "We can start over, move far away, do everything right for once. Please just calm yourself. Please." She clung to him. "It's going to be okay. We'll be good."