I Never Dreamed
By: AMCM74
Chapter 25
"Mr. Briefs, we need your answer." The doctor looked at her clipboard. Even she could not look Trunks on the face.
"I don't know." Trunks whispered "I can't answer that." He looked around the room at the all the tortured faces.
The nurse pushed open the door. "Doctor, The baby is lapsing again."
"Mr. Briefs, we can't do anything with out you consent. The way things are progressing we may lose them both." Trunks heard a buzzing in his head. For the first time in his life he thought he was going to faint. Then a firm hand clamped down on his shoulder. He looked up and saw the last person he expected.
Mark Devero took a ragged breath. "You have to save the baby, Trunks. Pan would never forgive you if you let her daughter die." Trunks absorbed his words and found wisdom in them. "Beside, Pan is a Saiyan. She could pull through for us."
Trunks nodded. The doctor held out her clipboard. "These are the forms you need to sign. I am going to go prep your wife and call down to the O.R. There will be someone here soon to explain the procedure to you." With that she was gone.
Seconds later Pan was wheeled out of her room and down the hall. Trunks stood stiffly and held the clipboard in his trembling hands. He looked down at the papers he had to sign. He had to sign away Pan's life. His wife's life for that of his unborn, innocent daughter's, Aiko, That was the name Pan had wanted. Love child. Trunks looked at the papers as his hand moved quickly across each page. There were wet spots that were appearing on each sheet as he flipped through them.
"Mr. Briefs." He looked up to see another man in blue scrubs. "The doctor says you can come into the O.R. She thinks it best to have you there."
Trunks looked at the board again. "I think I am done with this."
"Alright I will go over it with you as we get you in a pair scrubs." He looked at the somber faces around him. You can all wait outside O.R. I will send someone out when there is news."
Trunks stepped into the room. The light was bright, and the room was slightly chilly. Pan lay with a huge sheet spread over her. The nurse motioned for him to sit by her head.
"We are already in. Mr. Briefs." the doctor said through her mask. "Do you want us to give you a step by step of what is happening?"
"You can just tell me the important stuff." He leaned over and touched Pan's hair. So soft and the sweet sent of lavender rose to great him, like a haunted memory. She looked so vulnerable.
"Well, how about, that fact we defiantly have a little girl here." The doctor replied, "She is a bit of a tomboy though. She doesn't seem to want to come out just now. Hunter, get me the suction." Trunk jolted when a few seconds later a loud cry of rebellion blasted through the room. Looking up he saw the doctor handing his daughter to a waiting nurse. "She is not happy about that was she?"
Trunks rose to his feet and watched his baby being carried across the room. The nurse waiting by the table smiled. "You can come over here if you want daddy."
Trunks looked to Pan then to the baby. "Your wife is holding very stable right now, Mr. Brief. I believe it will be fine."
Trunks moved over to watch the nurses cleaning off the kicking screaming baby. "Look at that. She has a tail!" One looked up at the other. Trunks' eyes his daughter. She did indeed have a tail. She was graced with soft wisps of raven hair as well. Though Trunks could make out the dark purple tint highlighting quite a few strands.
"Aiko." Trunks reached out with his ki. The baby stilled her fighting and opened her eyes to stare defiantly at her father. Their eyes locked. Matching blue Mediterranean skies. Then her bottom lip popped out and she let out a huge scream of disgruntled annoyance as the nurse rubbed her with the towel again.
"What is her name?" the nurse asked continuing her work. Grabbing up the baby's legs and swaddling her in a blanket
"She is Aiko Lingerie Briefs." Trunks smiled as the nurse handed the baby to her father. "At least that is what I told her mother I would call her. But if she keeps giving me that look I am going to call her Lemon." In response Aiko yelled louder. Trunks held his daughter for the first time. She felt so tiny and fragile in his hands but her yell belied that image. This child, which Pan had given him was even stronger then she seemed. He looked down at her and began to pity the poor boys that under estimated her.
It was in that glowing moment of total and undaunted love between father and daughter. The assistant spoke clearly. "Doctor. Her blood pressure is dropping."
"Get, Mr. Brief out of here." The doctor words caused Trunks to turn around and face the scene before him.
It seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion. The nurse ushered him with little Aiko in his arms to the door. The doctor reached out and grabbed a needle that was by her hand "She is going to seize. Everyone get over here and hold her down."
Trunks last image was of several delivery assistants grabbing his wife and pinning her to the bed. In his mind eyes he saw her a mere twenty-four hours ago. Sitting happily in a restaurant joking with Marron, as Mark scowled over at him, and Bra crashed her heel onto Devero's foot. One day. He hadn't even been married to her for one day. This couldn't be happening. The door slammed shut and this friends and family stood in front of him, all of them eagerly awaiting some word as to how things were going. He stood there the baby in his arms.
Videl stepped forward with a smiled on her face and looked at her screaming granddaughter. "Oh, she is so precious."
Trunks looked beyond her to Gohan. The hopeful expression in the other man's eyes died slowly. Turning from the group even a grown man like Gohan found solace in his mother's arms. Chi-chi embraced her eldest in quiet reserve.
"Mr. Briefs, the nurse at his side prompted. "We have to take the baby to the nursery for her physical."
He slipped the baby into his mother-in-law's arms. "Please take her. I have to wait for Pan."
Videl nodded totally unaware of the atmosphere around her. She was still to catch up in the wonder of her new grandchild.
It took almost twenty minutes before the doors opened. The doctor stepped out and leaned against the wall looking at the ceiling with a deep sigh. After a moment she faced the nervous crowed "It is a miracle." The doctor pulled off her mask. "She is stabilized and heading to I.C.U."
A loud cheer went up and the doctor smiled at Trunks encouragingly "The next twelve hours will be the real test. She is not completely out of danger, yet. But after the way she fought in there, I would bet Mrs. Briefs will not be going anywhere, but home."
Trunks hugged the doctor and stammered out a thousand `thank yous.
Marron and Goten flew down the hall in a dead run "Did we miss anything?" Marron gasped as she sought to gain her breath.
Everyone looked at the two in shock. Goten looked around in utter amazement at the looks he was receiving from his friends. Then to his mom he said, "What? I was hungry."
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Aiko Lingerie Briefs stretched and yawned as the group of on lookers pressed their faces to the glass window in front of her.
"She is so cute." Marron sighed sweetly as she watched the baby. "She looks so much like Pan, and yet those are defiantly Trunks's eyes."
"I don't know about that." Bulma out her hands on her hips. "I am the one who gave them to Trunks. So I bet they came from yours truly."
"Speaking of Trunks had anyone seen him?" Goten looked around.
"He said he was going up to I.C.U. to be with Pan." Bulma watched her granddaughter chew on her fist. Mark and Bra have disappeared too. I wonder where they are?"
"Are you ready Bra?" Mark held a huge bouquet of flowers and a mass of steaming balloons. He and Bra peeked down the hall towards Pan's room
"Yup, I got our little miracle pill right here." Bra held up a senzu bean. "Now all we have to do is get it to her with out all those doctors and nurses seeing it."
"Leave that to me." Mark snickered "Let's go."
As they burst into the hospital room Bra rushed to Pan's side crying loudly "Ohh Pan, You just have to live. You have to!" Faking huge tears she leaned over Pan's torso.
Trunks was pushed backward by his sister who smiled at him and flashed the senzu bean. She snatched it away and kept it in her balled up fist. Still faking her mournful cries.
Trunks looked awestruck as Mark followed her lead "Umm, excuse me. Pardon me. Oh sorry about that." He pushed his way in between the staff and the bed. Pulling down the balloons and letting them bounce the attendants in the faces. Then in one swift move he stuffed the fragrant flowers toward a few others. "So were do I put these" Pretending to try and set them down on the very expensive machinery.
"No, no, not there."
"Get those out of this room, this is a sterilized environment"
"What are you doing?"
Soon the room was bustling with people trying to push Devero back out the door. All attention was directed away from the three part Saiyans across the room.
"Good." Bra looked over at Trunks. "Now is our chance." She reached over and began to lift the bean to Pan's lips.
"No, Dende said it wouldn't work." Trunks grabbed Bra's wrist and looked with worried eyes.
"Stop being over protective, Trunks." Bra tried to wrestle her hand away. They looked like warring children, fighting over the last piece of chocolate.
Trunks pried her hand open, and took the bean. "Dende said it could hurt her." Trunks shook his head and looked at Pan.
"Mark told me what Dende said." Bra argued looking at the turmoil just outside the door. "Dende said 'in her condition', Trunks, as in pregnant. Well if you haven't noticed." She looked determinedly at her brother. Then she leaned across Pan to grab his shirt "She is no longer pregnant. So give her the damn bean already." Trunks looked down at the senzu bean uncertainly. "Come on, Mark cannot hold them off all day."
Trunks slipped his hand under Pan's head and tilted it back. "Come on, baby." He pressed the bean in other mouth and prayed.
Mark lunged through the door and slammed it shut. "Have you stuffed that tasteless Styrofoam peanut down her throat yet?" He leaned back on the door and locked his legs. Holding back the enraged staff.
Pan opened her eyes and began to sit up. "What happened?"
Bra pushed her back down. "Shhhh! You have preformed enough miracles for one day. Just lay back and play dead!"
Mark let go of the door and yelled "All right Pansy!" Instantaneously he was smashed into the wall by the opening door. "Ouch."
Trunks leaned over Pan and stoked her cheek. "Pan."
She looked over at him in confusion. "Trunks, what happened?"
"There was a problem. You are in the hospital." Trunks smiled at her warmly. He wanted nothing more then to lift her confusion and bask in her radiant smile again.
"She is awake!" One of the nurse said. "Someone go get her doctor."
"Hospital, but" Pan looked down at her arms with the I.V.'s still in her arms. Her body felt different. Lighter. Her breathing was coming easier. "Where is my baby?" Pan's eyes grew wide as she reached out for the rail of her bed. She was fully intent of pulling her body out of the bed.
The nurse ran over and grabbed her I.V. line and pushed a needle into it. "Mrs. Briefs you have to calm down, Please. You just came out of surgery"
Pan ignored her and rose to her feet. The drug started kicking in just as she straightened up. Wavering on her feet she began to tumble forward. Trunks grabbed her under her feet and pulled her into his arms. "Aiko is fine. She is down in the nursery. You need to rest now."
Pan was out cold before she was laid back down on the bed.
Pan woke up in a new room. Trunks was there next to her. He sat in a chair with a blanket resting about his shoulders. On the other side of her she saw a baby sleeping in the hospital bassinet. Sitting up she studied the name in the bassinet 'Aiko Lingerie Briefs'. Then this was her baby. Pan smiled as she pushed back her cap and saw the raven fuzz crowning her daughter's head. "He added the Lingerie anyway. Poor baby girl." Pan shook her head. Even her soft tone was enough to stir the baby. Aiko looked up at her mother with sleepy annoyance. The piercing blue gaze seemed to say 'Do you mind? I was sleeping here.'
Pan lifted her hand to her mouth to stifle the joyful laugh. "So you seem to have your Grandfather Vegeta's personality. Poor me."
The baby stuffed her fist in other mouth and moved it back and forth looking intently at her mother.
Pan wiped the tears from her eyes. "You are just so cute."
Aiko pulled her hand out of her mouth and screamed as loud as she could. In the silence of the night it echoed through the halls.
Trunks jolted awake. "Good grief, again? Are you ever full." He looked over and saw Pan lifting the baby for the first time. "Pan, honey, be careful. You may drop her."
Pan ignored him and cradled the baby. "There, there little one." She reached out and picked up one of the bottled and offered it to Aiko. Aiko immediately shut up and began working on her bottle.
Trunks got up and walked over to face his wife. Pan refused to face him. Trunks sighed. It seemed the worst wasn't over just yet.