"Make sure you pat the soil down too, dear!" Bulma's mother, Panchy, chimed. I carefully poured dirt in the hole surrounding the small sprout I was planting, gently patting the stop layer down to provide stability for the weak plant. I sprinkled some water on it and moved on to the next spot Panchy had prepared. There was something serene about gardening.
I didn't think about everything I'd been through, or wonder where my husband had been for the past few weeks. I just...focused on the plants. Poke a little hole with my finger, gently insert the sprout, support it, and fill in the dirt around it. Such a simple task but I had quickly become quite enamored by the process. Perhaps it was just a distraction, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Bulma emerged from the house with a pitcher of a yellow liquid on a tray.
"Time for a lemonade break!" She called. I stood, rinsing my hands with the hose. Bulma set the tray down and poured lemonade into the cups she brought out. She handed out cups as she filled them. The three of us found a spot to sit and relax for a few minutes in the shade. Bulma sat next to me, her mom across from us.
"Any word from Vegeta?" Panchy asked.
"Mom!" Bulma snapped. I looked down at the grass beneath us.
"No." I answered quietly.
"What? I was just asking!" Panchy said quietly. I assumed Bulma had been glaring at her for bringing it up. The knot in my stomach returned.
"He'll come back." I said quietly. "He knows we'll need him." Bulma nodded.
"He loves you. He'll be back." She said, putting her hand on my knee. The knot in my stomach turned into butterflies. I felt my face turning red...like a lovestruck teenager.
I could no longer deny my attraction to Bulma. I wanted her to hold me, tell me it would be okay. That she was there for me.
I wanted to kiss her.
My heart pounded in my chest. I tried to change the subject, but couldn't find anything to discuss.
"I'm gonna get back to work." Panchy announced, standing. I stared at the cup of lemonade in my hands. I hadn't even tried it yet.
"Kira, I've been thinking…" Bulma said. "If you think you're the reason you can't have a baby, why don't you let me do it for you?"
"I don't…I don't understand what you mean." I looked up at her, and she wore a smile that gave me hope.
"Here on Earth, science has allowed us to do some pretty remarkable things." She said. "We can take your egg, and Vegeta's sperm, and combine them inside of me. Think of me like...an incubator." I was caught off guard by her proposition.
Is this really an option? Is Bulma really willing to carry a child that isn't hers? Why would she do that for me? Unless… she cares about me more than I thought.
"That's…" I started. "I don't…" I wasn't sure how to respond. "That's incredibly kind of you. I couldn't ask you to do that."
"You're not asking, I'm offering." She said. "I want to help."
"Bulma, you've done so much for me...us...already...I can't…"
"Please, let me help." She replied. I nodded slowly.
"Why?" I asked. "Why have you done so much for me?" She moved her hand from my leg to my cheek, pushing my hair behind my ear.
"Let's just say...Vegeta isn't the only one in love with you."