He was lying down and didn't know where he was, or why he was there. No on had actually told him yet. All he knew was that he wasn't at camp; he had gotten into a bit of a fight with Goku and his stomach hurt really bad. He slowly opened his eyes and realized that he was in the hospital. "What the…" He spoke hoarsely.
"Vegeta?" He heard from his side.
He turned his head and tried to focus his eyes. "Bulma? Why am I here?"
"Well… what do you remember?"
"I remember… coming back to the cabin because you were going to kill yourself… and… Goku blurted out something about me having sex with Melanie, which I didn't. And I got mad… and I tackled him. After that I don't remember." He rubbed his head.
"And what do you know now?"
"I know I'm in the hospital, and my stomach hurts a lot."
"What do you think happened?"
"I think Goku got mad." He laughed slightly. "No, seriously, what happened, Bulma?"
She leaned over him and kissed his forehead. "He stabbed you in the gut because you were going to kill him."
"I wouldn't have killed him."
"But you had the potential of killing him with the way you were going at him." She ran her fingers through his hair. "And now we aren't sure of what to do because we want to tell them what happened, but if we do, Goku might go to jail. What do you think we should do?"
"Tell them that I did it to myself."
"What?" Bulma's mouth hung agape. "Are you out of your mind? They'll send you on the first bus to an asylum!"
"They won't send me to an asylum. They'll send me to a home for people who are a threat to themselves. I'll be fine." He hugged her tight and kissed her shoulder. "I promise."
"Couldn't we say it was an archery accident or something?"
"I suppose you could, but I doubt they'd believe it."
"Couldn't we just buy them into believing it?"
He laughed. "I'm sure your family could, Bulma."
"I'm going to."
"You do that." He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep once more. Morphine will do that to you every time.
Bulma walked out into the hallway and passed a doctor. "Excuse me, I'd like to know some information on my boyfriend."
"Yes? What is it you want to know?"
"When can he be released?"
"When we know what caused the injury and he is full well to go home, Ms. Briefs."
"Well, you see, at camp we have archery classes and Vegeta was teaching one. One of the other guys couldn't do very well, he was a little "special" I suppose you could say, and when he went to shoot his arrow he stumbled a bit and it hit Vegeta."
The doctor looked quizzically at her, but wrote down the information on his chart. "Well, all you'll have to do now is wait a few hours for everything to go through the computers and for his parents to give consent that he can leave."
"Oh… doctor, his mother's dead and his father is in prison…"
"Oh? That's too bad… so he's emancipated?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, than he'll need a guardian to give consent."
"Oh, okay then." Bulma walked out into the waiting room and Goku immediately jumped up.
"How is he?"
"He's fine, Goku. He needs a guardian to give him consent to leave though."
"He doesn't have a guardian…"
"I know that. How old are you?"
"Eighteen, why?"
"Could you give consent?"
"I suppose… I pretty much am his guardian…"
"Good! Come back here with me!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him back into Vegeta's room. "Hey Vegeta, I have a visitor for you."
"Mmph… who?" His eyes were closed and he looked like he was in extreme pain, as if the morphine was wearing off. He sat up, hissing a bit.
"Calm down, its just Goku. Vegeta, could he give you consent out of this place? Since you're only seventeen they won't let you out without approval."
"I suppose he could, yeah. Hey Goku, what's up with stabbing me, man?"
"I don't know… you would've killed me, you know that?"
"Yeah, I'm sure I could've. I was mad."
"Why?"
"Because you told her something that wasn't true at a very bad time, you'd be mad if it was Chi-Chi, right?"
"Oh yeah." A doctor walked into the room.
"Well, hello there. Vegeta, how is everything going?"
"I need morphine."
As if not hearing, the doctor smiled and nodded toward Bulma and Goku. "Have you figured out who is going to give him consent?"
"I am." Goku spoke quietly.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Really? You don't look eighteen…" Goku gave the physician his drivers' license, proving that he was eighteen. "Okay then, if you'll come with me, we'll get everything cleared up and all the papers signed.
"I need morphine!" Vegeta yelled.
"Oh, yes. Well, Vegeta, I'm sorry but I can't give you morphine. You're leaving."
"So what do you suppose I'm to do about this terrible, wretched pain in my abdomen?!"
"Take pain killers, just not too many."
"That isn't going to be of assistance!"
"Not as much, but you'll have to learn to deal with a bit of it." The doctor exited the room, Goku trailing behind.
Bulma sat down next to Vegeta and dabbed a rag she had dampened over his forehead. "It isn't that bad, Vegeta…"
"How would you know?"
"I wouldn't, but I can tell you that you're alive."
"What's so great about living? All you're guaranteed in life is death."
"Vegeta… don't think like that. You should be happy to be alive. There's so many possibilities out there for you."
"Bulma… I've chased down a 'possibility' before. It's nowhere near as close as people think…"
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I went to Hollywood. I wanted to be a singer, I really did."
"Oh, you'd make it! I know you would! Vegeta, you're amazing."
"Not according to them. I tried. I tried my hardest, and still they rejected me. I went to school there for two years, just so I could have more opportunities to do bigger shows. Nothing. It's terrible how they treat artists out there." He sighed. "And besides, I'm single. How could I possibly be happy without someone to love me?"
"Vegeta…"
"No, don't even go into that stupid 'you-could-get-any-girl-you-want' speech. I know I could. Hell, I could get any guy I want if I wanted to, but that isn't the point. I don't just want someone, I need someone. But they don't want me back at the time and I don't blame them, but I can wait until they do."
"What are you talking about?"
"I told a girl not too long ago that I wanted to be with someone else, and she let me go. I thought she was all right. I came to realize that I didn't feel affection for the other girl, I was going to go back with the love of my life, but when I had gone back to my cabin she was on the edge of suicide and I realized then that I had broken my last heart. If she never forgives me…" He looked Bulma in the eyes. "I'd totally understand. But I'll wait for her anyway."
Bulma wanted to cry. She didn't hate him, her heart wasn't broken because of him… she loved him. "Vegeta… I don't hate you…"
"I know you don't. But don't tell me I didn't break you."
"You didn't."
"Don't say that, I know I did. People don't want to kill themselves for no reason." He cupped her cheek in his hand as her tears hit his palm. "No reason to weep, Bulma." He kissed her softly and lay back down. "Just please, don't wait too long to forgive me, okay?"
Goku burst through the door. "Come on, guys, lets go." Vegeta stood up quickly, and realized that he was wearing one of those ridiculous hospital gowns.
"You've got to be shitting me."
Goku laughed and threw Vegeta a pair of frayed, torn up camo shorts. "Here ya go, I knew you'd want these."
"Thank you. I didn't want to have to drive back to camp in that stupid thing…"
"Who said you were driving?"
"I did." Vegeta smirked and threw the gown off; thankfully he was still in his boxers. Bulma blushed and covered her face with her hand. "Where are my boots? Why are you blushing?" He smirked at her and kneeled in front of her. "You've seen me in less." She became redder and he kissed her cheek.
"Your boots are in the corner."
"Gotcha." After putting his boots on, the trio walked out of the hospital and Vegeta nearly jumped in surprise. "My baby!"
