A/N: In the previous chapter I mentioned that there was something special about the hospital name. In the Saiyan Saga, after the fight with Vegeta, everyone is take to Wukong Hospital in East City. Wukong is the name of the main character from Journey to the West, which is what Dragon Ball was inspired from. Sanzang is another character from that tale.
Chapter 21: Like Father Like Son
"G-Gohan." Krillin stammered. He and #18 had been so distracted with their conversation that the demi-saiyan practically snuck up on them. In fact, Gohan had only found them because he sensed Krillin's ki. Being in the same location as where he felt Videl's ki diminish, he put two and two together and concluded he was there because she was there. He wasted no time in inquiring about her.
"Where is she?!"
Before either #18 or Krillin could answer, Vegeta, followed by Trunks and then Goten, landed in front of the hospital entrance and quickly made their way inside.
"Where is Videl?!" Gohan asked again as his voice began to shake. He could no longer sense her and he worried what the answer would be. As Vegeta approached the distressed husband from behind, he realized this was exactly what he had feared. Videl was somewhere in the hospital, fighting for her life… or perhaps already dead.
#18 finally spoke up. "The doctors are seeing her right now. We haven't heard much news since we came here. They were going to run some tests while prepping her for surgery."
"Surgery?! What happened to her?" He asked.
"She was involved in a car accident. While she was driving, a garbage truck slammed into her."
Things were now making sense for Goten and Trunks, who were curious as to why Gohan had taken off so abruptly, and why Vegeta had hastened them to follow. They were still unaware as to how Gohan could detect that something had happened when they were so far away. However, both knew this was not the time for those types of questions.
At that moment, a doctor had rushed though the ER entrance to the front desk, passing everyone. "I got a call, you have Videl Satan!" The doctor said as she tried to catch her breath. Almost as soon as he finished her sentence, Dr. Furukawa walked back out to the waiting area. "I have the test results for Videl Satan back and- Oh Dr. Kakinuma." He said noticing his colleague. "I'm glad you're here. As you know we have Videl Satan here because she was involved in a car accident. We just got some of the test results back." He handed her a folder, which she immediately started reviewing.
"Damnit!" She began to curse.
"What? What is it?!" Gohan asked as he approached them.
"Who are you?" Dr. Kakinuma quickly shot back. Like everyone else, she was on edge. After all, it wasn't every day that you get pulled out of a meeting because daughter of Mr. Satan was in a serious car accident and you're needed in the ER ASAP.
"I'm her husband. How is she? How's the baby?"
"You must be Son Gohan then." Dr. Furukawa commented. As he said this Dr. Kakinuma was quickly corresponding with some of the nurses as she initialed several forms and ordered calls to be made to the back where Videl was. Things were quickly escalating.
In response to the other doctor, Gohan shouted "Yes!" He was started to get irritated at the chaos that was developing as more and more people were rushing around them based on Dr. Kakinuma's orders. It seemed like everyone knew what was going on except him. Upon hearing Gohan's conformation that he was indeed Videl's husband, the Dr. Furukawa turned to yet another nurse and began to ask for various papers.
Despite the fact that he was trying to maintain his composure, Gohan's power spiked as the frustration of not getting any answers finally reached a tipping point. "TELL ME WHATS HAPPENING TO MY WIFE AND MY SON!" He shouted as he slammed his fist on counter, demolishing a huge portion of it. Everything came to an immediate halt and he now had everyone's undivided attention. "Please." His tone softened as he found himself begging for information. "Tell me what's going on with my wife and our baby."
The doctors looked at each other, then back at the distraught husband and father before them. They had never witnessed someone destroy the complete side of a desk before. Of course, it made some sense that the World Champion's daughter would marry a martial artist, but they were surprised nonetheless. Deciding that they had made a mistake in not giving him the attention he deserved, Dr. Kakinuma answered. "According to these reports both your wife and the baby are alive, but right now your wife is in very critical condition. The accident left her with many broken bones and deep cuts. As we speak, other doctors are working on her to remove some foreign objects that pierced deep into her arms and legs. However, that's not the biggest concern. Since no vital organs were damaged the biggest problem we are facing right now is infection."
"Gohan!" Yamcha shouted as he and Marron came running back from the cafeteria. He made his way through the crowd of healthcare workers to see some of the damage that had already been done. He had felt Gohan's power surge and knew that the destroyed counter that greeted him was a product of that.
Preoccupied, Gohan ignored Yamcha and asked for the doctor to continue. Dr. Kakinuma cleared her throat. "Ahem,… as I was saying, not only has she been severely injured but also a lot of bacteria from the garbage has gotten into her body. We have the antibiotics needed to treat her, which we have already begun to administer, but her body is incredibly stressed with the trauma of the accident. The plan is to tend to her wounds first, but there is a possibility the infection could spread and complicate matters."
This was hard news for everyone to swallow. They were all thinking the same thing. If Videl died, it would be because of the infection, which is considered a natural death; something Shenron cannot bring people back from. Subsequently, if she died then the baby would die as well, if not from the same infection, then by lack of oxygen and nutrients provided by Videl. Therefore, if she died, neither one of them would be able to be wished back with the Dragon Balls and they would be gone forever!
Gohan began to shake. "This could not be happening." He told himself. "This just could not be happening. This had to be a bad dream."
The doctors could tell how distraught Gohan was. In order to give him privacy and to avoid further damage to the lobby, both doctors took him into an adjacent room. As the others followed, Vegeta lagged behind and subtly pulled Goten and Trunks back towards the hospital entrance. "Wha-What are you doing dad?" Trunks asked.
"Listen." Vegeta told them, while his eyes remained fixated on Gohan's location. "All of us know that if his wife dies from an infection she won't be able to come back." He didn't bother for a response before continuing. "The doctor said that right now her body is too stressed because of the trauma from the accident. If her wounds were treated they could focus on the infection." He then looked at the two demi-saiyans. "Despite how much energy we exerted to get here, you two still remain the fastest out of everyone present, aside from him and myself. That's why you need to go to Korin's to get some senzu beans for Videl, before it's too late."
"Wouldn't getting Dende be better?" Goten asked.
"That would take too much time." Trunks answered. He knew exactly what was going through his father's mind. Without the senzu beans, both Videl and the baby could die and the resulting emotional strain on Gohan might push him over the edge. Of course, that is why his father was staying behind, to control the situation if it got out of hand. The two friends looked at each other. "Let go!" They announced in unison before sprinting outside and taking off into the air once again.
Shortly after taking flight Trunks had already thought of the best way to utilize both of their energies. "I'll go Korin's Tower as fast as I can to get the senzu beans. You lag behind to preserve your energy and stop once you've gotten 2/3 of the way there. When I get the senzu beans, I'll fly back to that point and hand it off to you so you can fly back here as fast as you can."
"Right!" Goten said as he gave his friend a head nod.
With that, Trunks powered up to his Super Saiyan form and greatly accelerated his speed. Based on the reactions that everyone had in the hospital, he could tell time was not on their side, so he had to make every second count.
Vegeta watched as the two disappeared over the mountain ridge towards Korin's Tower. Videl's fate, and possibly much more, rested in their hands.
"Vegeta!" Krillin said as he ran up to the Saiyan. "What's going on? Where are Trunks and Goten going?" Like the others he shared the same concern that Gohan might snap if Videl didn't make it, and he believed they would need everyone's support to help mitigate the situation.
The Prince turned towards him with his arms crossed. "They are headed to Korin's Tower to get some senzu beans. It might be the only chance Videl has." Krillin was about to ask him why he didn't go himself, but he realized he already knew the answer. As Vegeta walked away to join the rest of the party, Krillin looked up toward the sky, silently wishing the two teens good speed. He prayed that this day didn't end in tragedy.
Back in the private room the rest had been brought too, introductions were being made. "Son Gohan, my name is Dr. Furukawa. I was one of the doctors on staff in the ER when your wife first came in. I spoke with your friends and made the call to Dr. Kakinuma, who is the chief of Emergency Medicine at this hospital."
Dr. Kakinuma took over. "I'm terribly sorry this has happened but rest assured we are doing everything we can help your wife and child." She then opened one of the folders that had been handed to her. She turned to her colleague. "Are these the same X-rays you sent to my phone?"
"They are." Dr. Furukawa confirmed.
Placing the transparent sheets on a backlit board, Dr. Kakinuma further explained the extent of Videl's injuries. "This is a near full body X-ray of Videl. As you can see she has several broken bones and pieces of metal lodged into her body from the accident. That being said…" She placed a blown-up X-ray of Videl's chest and abdominal area. "her vital organs and the baby remained unharmed. Actually, what's remarkable is that the area around-" She was to elaborate more when her and Dr. Furukawa's beepers went off. They both looked down and read the message. "I'm sorry but we will have to cut this short." Dr. Kakinuma announced. "They need us in the back in the ER. Please feel free to use this room and don't hesitate to ask our staff if there is anything you need. You have my promise that your wife will receive the absolute best care here and we will keep you updated as we can."
"Thank you." Gohan said before the doctors left.
With the initial chaos now settled down, Krillin (who, along with Vegeta, was now in the room) walked up to his old friend's side. "We're here for you Gohan. We won't leave your side. You don't have to go through… this… alone." He dragged out the last part of his sentence as he realized Gohan was staring intently at the X-rays with a mixture of shock and curiosity. "What? What is it?" Krillin asked as he looked at the X-rays. It took him a few seconds, but once he saw it, he became drawn in. "What the…?"
"Krillin? Gohan? What's wrong?" Yamcha asked.
Krillin looked back at Gohan and then towards his friends behind them. "I think it's related to what Dr. Kakinuma was going to say before she left. Videl's extremities sustained a lot of damage but the center of her abdomen is perfectly clear. It actually looks like the scattering metal was-"
"Was deflected from that area." #18 finished his sentence for him as she finally saw what they had seen.
Yamcha thought he was starting to deduce what this all meant. "Do you mean to say Videl used her ki to protect the baby?"
Gohan shook his head. "No. The extent of her wounds suggested she wasn't in much control at the time and if it had been her ki, these deflection patterns would be different."
Krillin turned back to Gohan. "So, it wasn't Videl's ki protecting them…" He stated, trailing off at the end.
Gohan remained fixated on the images, as he confirmed what Krillin was thinking.
"…it was the baby's."