I don't own DBZ…so sue me :p
Prologue
I stand in the kitchen staring intently at the list of instructions my wife had given me earlier. Truth is I can't make a head or tail of them, they are after all pretty complicated. They're not even in the same language! I turn them up the other way to see if they make more sense. Instantly I am actually able to read them! I grin sheepishly at my fifteen-month-old son who stares at me as if I'm a moron. I'd like to see him do any better, he was the one who tried to cook a plastic toy in the stupid thing.
"Ok…turn oven on at 180° …done…Put in chips…done….put in chicken nuggets…done that as well…I've waited 30 minutes…sooo they should be done!"
I open the oven and a blast of warm air hits my face. Gohan wriggles in his chair and lets out a cry of impatience. I tell him to hush, and absentmindedly try to take the tray of chips and nuggets out of the oven without oven gloves. I yelp with pain as I discover that they are incredibly hot, and rush over to the sink to cool my throbbing hands. Gohan raises his eyebrows in disbelief. Great. My not even one and a half-year-old kid already can do sarcasm.
I finally get the trays out of the oven, and serve them with flourish to Gohan. He sticks his hand in the plastic bowl, seizes a chip and squeezes it into a mushy pulp. Niiiice. I try to deter his train of thought by offering him a nugget, but he seems happier to spread the potato goo across his palms. I shrug and shove the nugget in my own mouth, I've already eaten but hey, I'm always hungry!
"Gokuuu?" My wife's voice calls from the stairs.
"Yeah?" I yell back.
"Could you…could you come here please?" She sounds odd, usually she just screams at me to 'get there now'. I cast a worried glance at Gohan, wondering whether it is wise to leave him alone with a plate of food. Chichi calls to me again, sounding pretty desperate, so I rush to the foot of the stairs.
"Chichi?" I say uncertainly, leaning against the banister. She comes towards me, breathing heavily as she struggles down the stairs. I gape at her in shock. She had been feeling ill earlier in the day so I agreed to cook Gohan dinner whilst she went to sleep. She had appeared a little white and shivery beforehand, but it was nothing compared to what she looked like at this moment. Her hair had come out of its bun, and was straggling around her face. Her eyes were watering uncontrollably, and her skin was deathly white. She was very sick.
"Goku, can…can you call daddy for me? I…I need him to drive me to the doctors!" She sways slightly on the stairs, and I instinctively step forward to aid her. As I catch her arm, she hurtles into my chest with a groan. I settle her on the stairs as gently as I can, then hurry to the phone in the kitchen.
Gohan looks at me in surprise as I stab in the familiar number and wait impatiently for Ox King to answer. I stamp my foot and sigh at Gohan, who has thrown his plate on the floor and squished food all over his highchair. Ox-king answers on the seventh ring.
"Hey Ox? Hey! It's Goku…Yeah hi, listen, Chichi's pretty sick. She needs you to drive her to the hospital she says…ok…ok…thanks! See ya soon." I put down the phone and haul Gohan out of his chair.
"We're goin with Mommy for a little trip!" I say to him, setting him down on the draining board and tackle his face and hands with a cloth. Chichi's ill enough without the sight of mashed food to turn her stomach. I leave him to attack the pots and pans cupboard whilst I go and check on Chichi, who isn't looking any better.
"Chi?" Your Dad'll be right over.
She doesn't respond.
"Come on ox!" I whisper.
"It's not that I'm afraid or anything!" I assure Gohan as we sit in Ox-king's car in the hospital carpark. Gohan looks up at me with his mouth open, seemingly fascinated.
"It's just that I don't like hospitals…or needles…so I thought I'd better stay in here to protect you from them!" I reason. Gohan ignores me and traces his finger along the window, liking the way he leaves a mark in the condensation.
"Rain'in s' pouri'n!" He sings to himself, chuckling at the heavy raindrops on the windows. I turn around and watch him in the back seat, reaching forward to pick out a stray piece of potato from his hair.
I jump as the car door clicks open, and see ox-king standing there.
"Goku… there's something I've got to tell you."