Hush Little Baby

Mr. Tomo of East Groceries loved Tuesdays.

In fact, it wouldn't be farfetched to say that Tuesdays were his favorite day of the week. Oh sure, the weekends were all well and good and Fridays were nice too, but Mr Tomo knew without a doubt that he could always count on Tuesdays to pull him through any financial mess he might be in, and that alone made it a day he always looked forward to. It was a Tuesday that footed the bill when his wife broke her arm and couldn't bake for a month. It was a Tuesday that fixed the leak in his roof, and even helped pay for his daughter to go to college. Yes, Mr. Tomo loved Tuesdays very, very much.

And he always smiled a little brighter when the reason he loved Tuesdays so much walked through his door.

"Mrs. Son! How good to see you again today!" Mr. Tomo exclaimed happily, his smile widening a bit as another figure followed the woman through the entrance to his store. "And Gohan too, I see! My goodness you're getting big, young man!"

"Hello, Mr. Tomo." Son Chichi responded absentmindedly as her eldest son gave a polite bow to the older man, her eyes already scanning the shelves as she bounced the baby in her arms a few times to keep him from fussing. Hopefully, this little shopping trip wouldn't take long. Goten was a little cranky today for some reason, and she wasn't running at 100% herself...

"Would you like to see some of our new items, Mrs. Son?" Mr. Tomo asked eagerly, not put off at the woman's dismissive greeting. "We have a new jam in stock, all the way from Yahhoy!"

"No thank you, Mr. Tomo. I've been trying to avoid feeding my sons anything that's too sweet." Chichi said firmly. She didn't need to have eyes in the back of her head to know that Gohan's face fell at this bit of news. Gohan had always possessed a bit of a sweet tooth, though like most Saiyans he'd eat pretty much anything when push came to shove.

"But Mom, what about-!"

"No buts, Gohan!" Chichi stood firm, giving her super powered son a look that had him shrinking back in fear. "A boy your age needs to eat right to grow up strong, smart and healthy!" Never mind the fact that he could balance a semi-truck on his pinky while doing college level calculus. Or that the only day he had gotten sick in his entire life was the chicken pox he had when he was nine.

Chichi smiled a bit at that memory as she made her way down the first aisle to look for food suitable for her ravenous half alien sons. Though Gohan had only been bedridden for a week, Goku had gone into a blind panic at the sight of his pox-covered son, convinced that Gohan was dying and needed immediate medical attention. Apparently, the Saiyan had never had the disease himself, so it fell onto Chichi to explain what chicken pox was. Even after that, Goku still wasn't fully convinced that Gohan was completely out of danger. After all, the androids would be attacking in less then a year now, what if something happened and they tried to go after Gohan first? With that logic, Goku had kept a near constant vigilance over their son the entire time the half Saiyan was bedridden, with no small amount of help from the ever attentive Piccolo.

Between those two, a fly wouldn't have been able to bother Gohan in that room, let alone an android. Chichi thought wryly, though her heart warmed at the recollection of the loving- if a little clumsy- protectiveness her often oafish husband could bestow upon her and Gohan when he thought that they were in trouble. And, though she would never, EVER tell him as much out loud, she also felt reassured by the loyalty and affection her son had won from the surly green alien who trained him. After all, Piccolo had died for her son once before, unhesitatingly and unflinchingly, and she knew that he'd do so again if need be.

Out of all of Goku's friends, he was the one Chichi trusted the most to bring her baby home alive.

Not that there was any need for that now, thank goodness. Since Goku's death, the world had become peaceful. It was almost bizarre for the Son family, actually. For years now, there had always been a sense of waiting. Waiting for Gohan to find his way back home to Chichi, Waiting for the Saiyans, or Goku or the Androids. Waiting for the Cell Games. Now though, there was nothing left to wait for. Goku was dead, and was determined to remain so. No new enemies had reared their ugly heads determined to destroy the earth, either. For the first time in as long as Chichi could remember, the dark shadows that constantly plagued her family were gone, never to return.

"Hey Mom?" Gohan broke in, unaware of Chichi's musings. "After dinner today, is it okay if I go out on my own a little bit?"

"You mean go see Piccolo." Chichi corrected in a knowing tone, holding back a smirk when her son flushed guiltily. Her boys were so easy to see through sometimes. "Don't think you can fool your own mother, Son Gohan. I might not be able to do the things you and Goku do, but that doesn't mean I don't know about what's going on in my own home. Like the vase that I had in the living room, which is now broken and buried under the tree by the lake?" Gohan's guilty flinch grew more defined at the mention of his wrongdoing, his eyes going big at the fear of his mother's wrath.

"I'm sorry Mom!" Gohan burst out. "I didn't mean to! I was just playing with Goten, and I didn't notice-!"

"Calm down, Gohan." Chichi chuckled. "I was thinking of getting rid of that ugly old thing, anyways. It was a present from Bulma's mother. Honestly, that woman has the strangest tastes..."

"So... you're not mad?" Gohan asked hopefully.

"Not so fast, young man." Chichi shot back with glare that cowed the young half Saiyan. "There's still the matter of you trying to hide something like that from me."

"I'm not going to get to see Piccolo today, am I?" Gohan asked miserably, sensing a punishment looming in the near future. Chichi's lips twitched treacherously at the sad sight her Super Saiyan son made at the threat of her judgment.

"I want you back by eight tonight. And there better not be any blood this time!" Chichi decreed, smiling when Gohan lit up like a roman candle. Gohan had been marvelous lately, with his schoolwork and giving her help with little Goten, so she could let his misdeed slide, just this once.

Besides, she really did hate that ugly old vase. The only reason she left it out was because Goku had destroyed her nicer one when he accidentally broke the wall once while training.

"YES!" Gohan cheered happily, earning a giggle of delight from Goten. Grinning, Gohan relieved her of the baby's weight, giving Chichi the freedom to use both of her hands. Goten made a few happy baby noises and started grabbing at his brother's hair (which was starting to get a little long again, now that Chichi noticed it. Perhaps another haircut was in order...) As Gohan playfully bounced the child in his arms.

"I don't know why that old grouch still insists on using you as a punching bag every time you see him." Chichi harrumphed halfheartedly at her son's jovial response to her permission to see his mentor. "He's the only one who's still keeping up with that nonsense, other then Vegeta. Even Krillen's put all that behind him now." It had been a welcomed surprise for Chichi, when she last spoke to Goku's best friend at Bulma's last get together and he started talking about wanting to find steady work, and maybe start a family.

Chichi hadn't missed the not-so-discreet looks Krillen gave Eighteen the whole time he was speaking with her, either.

Honestly, she was happy for the former fighter. Thrilled, actually. It felt wonderful to know that they could all get on with their lives now. Bulma was married and had a son, Yamcha was looking for real work, Krillen was thinking of proposing to Eighteen (who was a sharp, sensible woman and would make a wonderful addition to their extended family). And most importantly, her sons were safe. Gohan was doing all his schoolwork, and there were even letters from some very prestigious colleges lately, hoping to woo Chichi into sending her boy to them in the future. And Goten was like a little blessing, left behind by Goku to help put their broken family back together.

"He's just being cautious. It's how Piccolo is, Mom." Gohan explained cheerfully as he made faces at Goten, making the baby giggle. "Piccolo doesn't want anything to happen to any of us, so he always likes to be prepared for anything. And I think he's worried that I'll be a target now too, because of... well, you know."

Oh, Chichi knew alright.

"Well if you ask me, that Piccolo needs to learn to let go." Chichi huffed. "There's no need for that kind of paranoia!" Not anymore, anyways.

"It's fine Mom." The twelve year old insisted. "I don't mind training, once in a while. Especially when it's with Piccolo." It was true too. While Gohan had never been a fan of fighting, sparring with his mentor was a familiar past time, made better now by the fact that now he was simply training because he wanted to, rather then as preparation to face some looming threat that would mean the end of the world, should he fail. Chichi seemed to understand this, which was why she didn't complain too much when Gohan came back home from visiting Piccolo with new cuts and bruises.

"Maybe, but it's not necessary anymore." Chichi reminded her son firmly, frowning a bit at the sudden lightheaded-ness that hit her. Perhaps she was more under the weather then she first thought. "You should be focusing more on your studies, Gohan. Not all that violence and insanity your father and his friends pulled you into."

"Yes, Mom." Gohan replied, as he always did when Chichi said those words. To the half Saiyan's surprise though, Chichi didn't respond with her usual rant about his future. Frowning, the boy glanced over at his mother, eyebrows knitting together in concern when he saw the way Chichi was clutching at her chest. "Mom? Are you alright?"

Chichi never got the chance to reply. Darkness had begun to close in on the edges of her vision, and the last thing Chichi was aware of before she completely blacked out was her son's panicked scream...

"MOM!"

A strange numbness had settled over Gohan as he sat waiting on a stiff gray couch in front of a TV, which was playing some talk show. Gohan didn't know which one. He wasn't watching it, really. Just staring as he waited for the numbness to subside. In his hands was a can of soda. The half Saiyan couldn't really recall how it got there, but he was pretty sure the nice nurse that had led him to the couch had given it to him after they had convinced him to let the doctors take care of his mother, who was struggling to breathe when he brought her in. He hadn't drank from it. Hadn't even opened it, actually. His mom would get mad at him if he drank a soda after she had just gotten done saying she didn't want him having unhealthy sweets anymore.

Listlessly, Gohan set the soda on the coffee table in front of him, frowning a bit as the TV show's audience laughed loudly at something the host had said. Forcing himself to focus, Gohan looked around the waiting room, his eyes settling on baby Goten, who was sitting in the corner by the box full of colorful plastic toys and books about colors and animals. Oblivious to everything going on around him, Goten was happily chewing on a toy truck. Getting to his feet, Gohan crossed the waiting room to the baby, pulling the toy free from Goten's mouth.

"Don't do that, Goten." Gohan chided, his voice soft and a little hoarse. Swallowing, the half Saiyan felt a lump in the back of his throat. "You know that doesn't go in your mouth." Screwing up his face, Goten began to cry in protest at having his chew toy taken from him. Setting the toy aside, Gohan picked his baby brother up, holding the child close.

How long had it been now, since the doctors took his mom away? Gohan felt more then a little out of it, and silently scolded himself for his inattentiveness. He was a warrior for crying out loud. Keeping his mind about him in stressful situations was supposed to be second nature for him by now. Finding a clock on the wall, Gohan frowned at the hands for a moment, still feeling a little out of sorts as he tried to translate the clock's face. 2:43. That was the time. It was 2:43. They had left their home a little after lunch, so he'd probably been waiting around two hours now.

Was his mom going to be okay?

The feeling of being scared for his mother was a new and terrifying one for Gohan. Sure, he'd always had to worry about nearly everyone else in his life growing up- his friends, his dad, Piccolo, even humanity in general on more then a couple occasions- but his mom was never in danger before. She was Mom. Always there at home, after the dust had settled and the enemy had been vanquished with a home cooked meal and a frying pan's wrath. Mom never got hurt. Never got sick even. She was Mom.

"Gohan? Gohan!" Startled at the sound of his name, the half Saiyan looked up to see one of his father's oldest and dearest friends running across the hospital lobby to throw her arms around him and drag him in for a hug. "Thank God you're okay!"

"...Bulma?" Gohan ventured, a little confused. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? You didn't think I was going to sit around tinkering in my lab after that nurse called and told me there was an emergency here, did you?" Bulma demanded with a scowl. Gohan blinked in confusion for a moment longer, before remembering that the nurse from earlier had asked Gohan if there was anyone she could call from him when she brought him that soda. He must've given her Bulma's number without even thinking. "What's going on here, anyways? What happened? Is anyone hurt?"

"It's... Mom." Gohan answered, a little hollowly. "We were shopping, and Mom just collapsed. She wasn't breathing really well, and her heart was beating so fast..." Bulma's face drained of color at Gohan's description of the episode that had brought them to the hospital, her nails biting into Gohan's shoulders for a moment before her grip relaxed and she took a deep breath.

"Did the doctors tell you anything yet?" Bulma asked, eyes serious and focused wholly on the boy in front of her. God, Gohan was still a child, and he had just lost his father. If anything happened to Chichi now, too-

Steady, Bulma. The genius reminded herself sharply. You're the adult here. Act like one, for crying out loud.

"Not yet." Gohan confessed. "I don't think so, anyways. I don't know." Understanding the half Saiyan's confusion, Bulma gave him a gentle smile as she straightened up, offering a hand to the young warrior.

"Let's go see if they have anything to tell us, okay?" Bulma suggested kindly. Nodding, Gohan slipped a hand into hers, relieved that it was Bulma who was here for him now. While he loved the rest of his dad's friends, many of them had the habit of forgetting he was much younger then all of them and treated him more like a very small adult. Normally, he didn't mind this much- Gohan was remarkably mature for his age, and very intelligent thanks to all his studies- but on this occasion it was a relief to let someone else take control of things for once.

Right now, he wasn't a budding scientist, or the warrior who defeated Cell. He was just a twelve year old boy with a baby brother, who was terrified at the thought of losing his mom.

Following Bulma as she led him to the receptionists desk, Gohan watched silently as the heiress introduced herself and asked for an update on his mother's condition. The woman behind the desk smiled back and happily agreed to call the doctor out. A few minutes later, a tall man with graying black hair and intelligent blue eyes came out of the double doors, his gaze settling on Bulma immediately as he made his way over to the infamous blue haired woman.

"Mrs. Briefs?" The doctor questioned, offering the woman a hand to shake. "I'm Archimedes Sprin. I've been taking care of Mrs. Son since she came in."

"Is she alright, doctor?" Bulma asked, foregoing an introduction, though she did accept the doctor's hand for a brief shake.

"We've managed to stabilize her and she's responding well to the oxygen treatment we're giving her, but we haven't managed to pinpoint the problem yet." Dr. Sprin confessed with a frown. "We believe that it was some sort of complication with her lungs, but we're not ready to rule anything out yet. Has Mrs. Son been complaining about any chest pains or any other problems lately?"

"Never." Gohan responded, shaking his head in denial when Bulma turned a questioning look down to him. "Mom's always been in really good health." Of course, there was a chance that there had been a problem, but Chichi hadn't said anything so as not to worry her family. That was definitely something the proud woman would do.

"Chichi used to be a competitive-level fighter, before she settled down and got married." Bulma added when she turned back to the doctor. "And she's always lived a very healthy lifestyle. Lots of exercise and fresh air, healthy food, a non-smoker, minimal alcohol... I can't think of any reason for Chichi to get sick."

"With your permission, we'd like to keep her overnight for observation." Dr. Sprin said to Bulma. "You have power of attorney, so we'll need you to sign a few forms to let us perform a few tests to try and find out what's wrong. Mostly just blood tests, x-rays and CT scans. We'll need to know if Mrs. Son has any allergies to medicines as well."

"No, no allergies that I'm aware of." Bulma responded as she accepted the clipboard Dr. Sprin gave her, carefully reading the forms to know what she was signing. She was well used to dealing with doctors and hospitals, due to her friends and family constantly throwing themselves into danger. Since no one else in their group had health care or even very much money, Bulma had taken it upon herself to handle the medical necessities that often came with near-apocalyptic battles of good and evil. Obviously, it was a good thing she had thought to include Chichi into her care as well, though neither of them had ever thought it would be much more then a precaution when they did the paperwork while the boys were preparing to fight the Saiyans.

"We'll give you a call when Mrs. Son wakes up so you can pick her up after we've determined if she's in good condition to leave." Dr. Sprin said, accepting the signed documents that Bulma handed back. "I assume you'll be taking the boys back home with you?" At the mention of him, Gohan stiffened, which made Goten gurgle in protest in his arms.

"I'm not leaving until Mom is okay." the half Saiyan said firmly, leveling both the adults with a firm look.

"Gohan, sweetie..." Bulma started to protest, only to go still at the look the young warrior gave him.

"I'm not leaving before Mom wakes up, Bulma." Gohan repeated himself, not budging. Sighing, Bulma silently cursed Saiyan stubbornness.

"Alright. We should have someone here anyways, just in case." Bulma relented with a sigh. "I'll call my mother to come pick up Goten, then see if I can find us somewhere to wait."

"Mrs. Briefs, It's fine if you want to stay, but keeping a child around here probably isn't a good idea." Dr. Sprin protested, frowning a bit at the thought.

"It'll be fine, Dr. Sprin." Bulma said dismissively. "Anyways, I highly doubt I could keep him away even if I wanted to."

"He's been very quiet the whole time he was waiting, Doctor." The receptionist interjected when Dr. Sprin started to argue with Bulma. The woman flashed Gohan an encouraging smile when the three turned her way at the unexpected interruption. "I don't think he'll be any trouble, sir." Sighing, Dr. Sprin gave up when he realized he was outnumbered.

"I'll send a nurse out to keep you updated if anything changes then, Mrs. Briefs." Dr. Sprin informed them, turning to go back to the ER.

"Thank you, Doctor." Bulma said, pulling out her cell phone to call home. As Bulma explained the situation to her mother, Gohan glanced down at Goten when he started to fuss again, trying to ignore the bad feeling eating at the pit of his stomach.

Mom's going to be okay. Gohan told himself firmly as Bulma finished her call and hung up the phone, giving Gohan a kindly smile and offering to take him to the cafeteria. This was just an accident. Mom will get better, and we'll all go back home and put this behind us. Mom's going to be okay.

She had to be.

How fate could be so cruel to such a good, kind family, Bulma would never understand.

Sighing quietly, Bulma ran her fingers through Gohan's hair, careful not to wake the harried half Saiyan who was currently using her lap as a pillow as he slept on the uncomfortable couch. She'd woken up grouchy and hungry to find the young boy missing. After her initial heart attack and few minutes of graphic imaginings of what Chichi (and Piccolo, for that matter) would do to her if Gohan vanished when she was supposed to be keeping an eye on him, Bulma began to comb the hospital, eventually finding Gohan sitting in a plastic chair by his mother's bedside, fighting off the urge to sleep. A whispered argument and a guilt trip later, she managed to get Gohan to come back with her to the waiting room. After securing a promise from the half Saiyan that he wouldn't move an inch, Bulma took a trip down to the cafeteria to get a doughnut and some coffee, concerned at the boy's uncharacteristic lack of appetite. He hadn't eaten much the day before, and skipping breakfast was unheard of for a Saiyan. in the ten minutes it took her to get her coffee and come back to the waiting room, Gohan had fallen asleep on the couch. Bulma didn't have the heart to wake him up to try and get him to eat something when Gohan was clearly tuckered out, so she decided to let him be until he woke up. Then she would drag him to the cafeteria and strap in to a table if need be.

While she waited for Gohan to wake up though, Bulma couldn't help but consider all the misfortune that constantly visited the Son family.

It hardly seems fair that the world can take so much away from a family and give so little in return. Bulma thought angrily. She was going to have some choice words for the guys in charge when she finally kicked the bucket herself, that was for sure. Goku and his family saved humanity on an almost annual basis, and all they got in return was suffering and death. Goku gave his life twice to protect the ones he loved, and decided not to come back from the dead for fear that he'd put those he cared for most in danger. Then there was Chichi. She knew how much it broke the woman's heart to watch her boys fighting for their lives. And poor, gentle Gohan, who was right in the thick of it since he was four years old...

Oh yeah, she had some grievances to air with the ones running the show, alright.

"Mrs. Briefs?" Startled at the interruption to her internal fuming, Bulma turned to find a nurse standing there, waiting for her attention. The movement jolted Gohan awake, making the half Saiyan sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes, his attention already zeroing in on the nurse.

"Yes? Is there any news?" Bulma asked, hope rising in her chest.

"Yes, ma'am" The nurse said with a slight smile. "Mrs. Son just woke up, and she seemed fine now. We're just going to run a few tests and then she should be ready to sign out."

"Mom's gonna be okay?!" Gohan said, looking like this was the best news he'd gotten in years.

"She'll be ready to go in about an hour or so." The nurse replied with a smile. "I'm afraid she'll probably have to come back if the blood test and X-rays don't show anything, though, so we can give her a CT scan. I'm afraid our hospital's machine is booked solid today."

"Don't worry, I think we have one at home." Bulma said, relieved to finally be leaving the hospital. Thank goodness this mess was finally ending...

"Can I see her now?" Gohan asked with uncharacteristic impatience.

"Not yet." The nurse said sympathetically. "We need to finish the tests first, okay? I promise I'll come get you as soon as the doctor gives the okay, Gohan."

"Cheer up, kid." Bulma encouraged Gohan when the boy deflated a bit at this news. "Come on, let's go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat to kill a little time, alright?"

"But my Mom-!" Gohan started to protest.

"Chichi's tests are going to take an hour, Gohan. You have plenty of time to eat." Bulma stood her ground.

"I'm not hungry." Gohan said just before his stomach let out an enormous rumble. Bulma felt a twitch in her eye as she resisted the urge to smack the kid across the head. Not that it would've done much good, anyways.

A Saiyan turning down a meal. This has to be a sign of a cold day in Hell. Bulma thought flatly.

"You're not going to be able to do anything for your mom waiting here, Gohan. And I don't think Chichi will be happy about you starving yourself because you're worried about her." Bulma said sharply, her own 'Mom Voice' starting to edge it's way into her tone, making Gohan flinch. "I'm not asking you to go crazy, but you know as well as I do that you Saiyans require food even more then humans do, and you haven't had a decent meal in over twelve hours. Now we can do this one of two ways; Either you come with me willingly and eat or I call Vegeta down here and wait for you to pass out from hunger while fighting him, then tie you to a chair and force feed you. Which is it going to be?" Gohan gulped loudly as the blue haired woman loomed over him, holding her cell phone threateningly in her hands. While the chances of Vegeta actually showing up were pretty slim, it still wasn't something that Gohan wanted to chance around so many sick and injured people.

"The first one, Ma'am." Gohan decided meekly.

"That's what I thought." Bulma scoffed, pocketing her phone as she started to make her way to the cafeteria.

Girls are scary. Gohan thought, not for the first time in his life. While it was true the only girls he really knew were his mother, Bulma and Eighteen, that didn't change the fact that the three of them set a standard that made Gohan wonder why Krillen and Yamcha wanted to get married so badly. I wonder if mom will get mad if I take a vow of celibacy. Probably not. It won't interfere with my education, after all...

Gohan put these thoughts aside once he got down to the cafeteria, though. Despite what he'd told Bulma earlier, he really was starving. The last decent meal he'd eaten was lunch the day before, and while the cafeteria food was hardly gourmet, it tasted heavenly to the half starved Saiyan, who started to shovel it in as soon as he managed to find a seat.

"So Gohan..." Bulma started after the half Saiyan had eaten enough to sustain a small army, ignoring the stared Gohan's appetite was getting from the surrounding tables. "How's being a big brother treating you?"

"Alright." Gohan replied between inhaling his food. "It's kinda weird sometimes though, and the smells can get really bad." Bulma ducked her head to hide her smile as Gohan wrinkled his nose. Vegeta had said something similar about Trunks when he was in diapers. "But I really like it, though. Goten reminds me a lot of Dad sometimes."

"That's hardly a surprise." Bulma responded flatly. Goten was already nearly identical to his father in appearance, and it was likely the similarities would only become stronger over time.

"It's too bad Dad can't meet him." Gohan said sadly, voicing the thought that everyone had been having since they heard about Chichi's second pregnancy, but didn't want to say out loud. Bulma winced a bit. Crap. She was nowhere near qualified to deal with child angst, even if it was justified.

"Come on, Gohan, you know your Dad loves your little brother, even if he died before Goten was born." Bulma reassured Gohan gently. "And you and your mom, too! You guys were Goku's whole world!" Gohan smiled a bit at Bulma's attempt to cheer him up, but didn't say anything in response.

"I'm all full now. Can we go back to the waiting room please, Bulma?" Gohan asked politely. Bulma frowned a bit at the stack of empty plates at Gohan's side. While it was a lot by human standards, it still couldn't have put a dent in a Saiyan sized appetite. Sighing, Bulma decided that it would have to do. Gohan was clearly too worried about Chichi to think of his stomach.

"Fair enough, kid." Bulma agreed, standing as Gohan hastily began clearing his place and taking his empty plates and utensils to the trash. It was kind of funny, what a neat freak the little boy was. Not at all like his feral father at that age. Smiling as Gohan hastily made his way back to her with evident eagerness to see his mother again, Bulma tried to put her worries behind her, determined to remain optimistic about whatever the Son family was going through now. There was no way that the fates would be so cruel as to take both of Gohan's parents away, after everything the Son family had done for the world. Things would get better again for Gohan and Chichi. They had to.

Right?