Chapter 7 – Broly Wakes Up
"There," Bulma said, discarding the needle in a medical waste bin. "Now, all we can do is wait."
Both Cheelai and Lemo leaned in close, expecting something to change after the anti-virus was injected. Seconds passed, yet nothing.
"It's going to take at least a couple of days before he's completely cured," Bulma told them. Cheelai was still a little lost, pointing at Broly. "Is it going to work, though?" she asked.
Bulma looked exhausted as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I've never had to work this fast on crafting an anti-virus before. I honestly don't know."
The deflated expression on Cheelai's face didn't help, either. Lemo patted her shoulder and rose. "We'll take the risk. I trust you know what you're doing, Doctor Bulma," he told her in passing. They both waited for Cheelai to say something, but all she did was nod her head.
"I, I suppose I should as well, shouldn't I?" Cheelai said, lightly brushing her hand across Broly's hair.
Bulma fought against the urge to fall asleep, shaking her head after she nodded off. "I've informed the nurses after I gave them the vials. They will be coming in to inject a new dose quarterly each day. I have company over to look after Bulla for me. So you might expect a couple of visitors shortly."
All those words caused Bulma to expel a huge yawn before she stretched her limbs. Lemo gave Cheelai's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"I'm confident it'll work," he said. He gripped Broly's hand. "You'll never have to be alone ever again, big guy. That is a promise we can all make together."
"Where are you going?" Cheelai asked as Lemo turned to leave the room.
"Back to the kitchens," he said, grinning proudly. "I've gotta prove to those chefs that their cooking isn't up to the standard that needs to be met if Beerus the Destroyer is coming."
"Des-Destroyer…?!"
As if watching Broly fight for his life wasn't bad enough, hearing news of a Destroyer paying a visit made her want to faint. She stalked up to him and grabbed his collar, pulling him towards her. She wore her best smile, yet the twitching in her eye made Lemo gulp.
"You better cook like a madman in that kitchen, mister, understand?" she said, releasing him. Lemo smoothed down his top, coughing into his fist. "I know what I'm doing."
"Hmph!" was all Cheelai said after glaring at him for a moment. She didn't acknowledge him once after she sat again, leaving Lemo both bewildered and annoyed. "Either I'm going to be the death of us all, or she'll be the death of me," he mumbled to himself.
Cheelai fought the urge to sleep as well as suppress the mild throbbing from the bump she took yesterday. She didn't want to pass out, knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Broly. The room looked blander than the room she had at the Capsule house on Vampa. It lacked the feel of a place that would encourage someone fighting for their life to continue fighting. All Cheelai could do was force herself to stay awake to motivate Broly.
She'd love nothing more than to walk outside. Scratch that, she wanted to shower, now. Breathing in this damned Freeza Force uniform added to her disgust. All the blood, which wasn't hers, her sweat and her tears generated a lingering stench she could no longer ignore. It weighed heavily against her decision to remain at Broly's side until he at least woke up. Not even she was certain there were any tears left to shed. She wanted to save some, at least for when Broly was cured again. He had just been healed from his battle days ago, only to suffer a setback of his magnitude. That thought almost made her cry again.
"No more tears, Cheelai. You're a grown woman; act like one," she said, scolding herself. As she rose from her chair, her eyes locked onto those of a pair of boys watching from the door frame, freezing everyone in place. Cheelai blinked, waiting to see who would make the first move. Dammit, I wish I hadn't dropped my blaster!
"Who are-?" she began asking before one of the boys, a miniature-looking Goku with overalls judging by the same hairstyle, climbed over the other boy with a lavender-colored bowl cut.
"Hey miss, is that a Saiyan like our dads?" the boy asked, rushing to Broly's bed.
"Hey! Back off!" Cheelai said, interjecting by standing defiantly between the boy and Broly.
"Goten, I told you this wasn't a good idea," the bowl-cut lad said behind him. The boy named Goten kept looking past Cheelai to get a good view of Broly, but that only vexed her further.
"Whether he's a Saiyan or not is none of your business. Now get out of here!" she shouted, trying to shove this kid out of the room. Instead, he easily moved out of the way and hovered over the bed.
"But he has the same look, though!" Goten said, pointing at Broly. "Dad said he fought him a few days ago!"
The other boy, wearing black shorts and a green-colored t-shirt with the Capsule Corporation logo on it, waved him off. "That's Goten. I'm Trunks. We heard about something big happening when we overheard Dad and Goku talking."
"Did he and our dads fight again?" Goten asked, landing behind Cheelai. "Trunks, you should see that big wound on his shoulder! It looks really gross!"
"Big wound? Lemme see!" Trunks said as she brushed past Cheelai. Her eye began twitching again as she spun to see the boys hovering over Broly's torso, poking at his bandages.
"Leave him alone!" Cheelai screamed. Both boys were so spooked they almost fell on top of Broly, knocking aside medical devices hooked to him. They scurried away from the bed as Cheelai scrambled to re-adjust the devices.
She rounded on them. "What the hell is wrong with you two?!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Trunks said. "I, I was curious, too."
"Can we stay, though? We promise we won't bother him," Goten said, standing at attention.
Cheelai was about to scream them out of the room when she realized she wasn't all that different from these troublemakers when she was their age. Poking her head where she ought not to, getting into trouble at the orphanage after she stole some fruit from the kitchen to eat by her favorite tree and narrowly avoiding arrest while living solo caused a huge sigh to leave her mouth. "Fine, just stay over there as far away from Broly as possible," she told them.
They both hopped onto the bed she had occupied earlier and watched Broly attentively while she fetched a glass of water to take pain medication for her headache. All this shouting and aggravation left her throat parched and her head pounding.
The boys leered towards Broly to the point where she had to glare at them to force them back. Their attention turned to her now.
"What?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Are you an alien like Jaco?" Goten was the first to break the silence. Cheelai spat out her water. "Wh-what?!" she said, coughing.
"What kind of a question is that, Goten?" Trunks asked. Goten didn't clue in on his lack of subtlety, pointing instead at Cheelai. "But she has green skin like Uncle Piccolo and Dende, and I heard my brother say they were from another planet called Namek!" he replied.
Comparing me to Jaco? The nerve of this brat! Cheelai screamed in her head. Does the idiot gene run in Goku's family or something?
"I'm not from here, no," Cheelai finally said after collecting herself. She downed the rest of her glass and took a seat in front of the boys. "I was born on another planet, but the Freeza Force eventually took it over."
"Freeza?" Goten said, gulping.
"Yeah, that scary guy who sent his goons to steal our Dragonballs and mom's dragon radar, remember?" Trunks added. Both boys nodded before turning to Cheelai. Cheelai was forced to cover herself as they examined her outfit. "Eyes up here, you two!" she shouted at them, pointing at her face.
"Say Goten," Trunks said, directing him to her battle armor. "I swear I saw something like that on those goons. Does that mean…?"
"Ah!" Goten shouted. "That means she works for the scary Freeza guy!"
"Excuse me?! Look, you brats! I most certainly do not work for that bastard!" Cheelai shouted, rising to tower over them. They cowered before her glare. Her headache was eventually going to upgrade itself to a migraine at this point.
"But how come you wear the same armor as dad does?" Trunks said. Cheelai raised an eyebrow. "Your dad?" she mumbled until it clicked. "You mean Vegeta?"
Trunks nodded affirmingly. "Yeah! Dad and Goten's dad both fought that guy while that Freeza jerk had our Dragonballs!"
Cheelai had a feeling they didn't get the whole story and backed off enough to sit on her chair. "Alright, fine. If it shuts you both up, I'll tell you everything I know so far up until we got here," she told them. That brewed quite the excitement as they shifted on the bed to lean closer, eyes wide with anticipation and curiosity, both smiling eagerly. She rolled her eyes. "And don't interrupt me, either. I hate repeating myself."
"Gotcha!" Trunks said.
"So what happened?" Goten asked.
Cheelai narrated what she had been able to see of Broly's fight with Goku and Vegeta. She explained how this other fighter appeared and nearly killed Broly had she not made her wish on the Dragonballs but couldn't go any further when the boys' faces were inches away from hers, eyes lit with wonder.
"Really?!" shouted Goten.
"Then that must mean our dads fused like we did!" Trunks added. They bombarded her with question after question.
"What did he look like?"
"What was his name?"
"I bet it was as cool as Gotenks, right?"
"Like Vee-ku! Or maybe Gogeta?!"
"Yeah! I think they probably went with Gogeta!" Goten finished before Cheelai had enough of their questions.
"I don't care what he called himself!" she screamed. "Your dads would've killed Broly if the Dragon hadn't sent him back to Vampa!"
"Oh, yeah…."
"Right," Trunks said. They both eased back onto the bed. "Sorry, miss. But, if our dads had to fuse, then that must mean that guy's really strong, right?" Trunks said as he pointed to Broly.
"That's only because his dad treated him as more of an animal than as his son," Cheelai said, crossing her arms. "I want to help him act like an actual person."
She glanced with a sad look at Broly. "It's just he has a lot of anger he can't control."
"Our dads are pretty strong too when they're angry," Goten said, which Cheelai found odd since it came across as more offended than curious. Still, she decided she had enough of explaining everything to these kids and went back to watching over Broly. "Stay if you want, but leave him alone," she said to them.
"The woman's right," Vegeta said from the doorway. The boys gulped, turning to see him. "Trunks, your tutor's here. Go."
"Okay! Excuse me, miss!" he said, hopping off the bed to run out of the room.
"Kakarrot's been looking for you," Vegeta said to Goten, who kept glancing back at Broly. "But what if Uncle Broly wakes up? Can I come back to say hi?" the boy asked.
Uncle Broly? Cheelai thought. It would've been comical had her mood been improved, but she couldn't ignore this kid's enthusiasm. "We'll see," she said.
"I'll give you enough time to go back to Vampa to gather your belongings," Vegeta offered. "I'll monitor Broly for you."
As much as she dreaded returning to that vile planet, it'd be nice to retrieve her toiletries and clothes so she could change into something decent for once after a nice long shower. It was too good an offer to pass up.
She saw Goten run to rejoin Goku, who was with what she believed was his family. There was another couple with a baby girl in the woman's arms. She wanted to introduce herself, but they had already left when one of the building's staff members greeted them to lead them out of the medical wing.
When she caught up to Goku, he was in the middle of pleading with the woman next to him. She was dressed quite conservatively, focused less on appearance and more on demeanor. Her attitude seemed more parental than spousal with the way she continued mouthing off at the Saiyan. In any case, Cheelai was pleased that someone in Goku's life kept his idiocy in check.
"Aw, Chichi, I still need to give Broly a senzu bean when he's cured," Goku told her.
"Then give it to Vegeta or Bulma. Gohan and Videl can stay while Pan has her playdate with Bulla, but you're coming back with me immediately!" the woman named Chichi said. Cheelai approached them, drawing her attention. "Oh, hello there," Chichi said to Cheelai, bowing. "You're one of the people Goku brought back with?"
"Y-yeah. I'm Cheelai," she said, waving at her. She turned to Goku. "Vegeta said he'd buy me enough time to go back to Vampa to get our stuff. Since you're the one with the teleportation, you can get me in and out of there as quickly as possible, so I can avoid looking at those ugly bugs again."
"Yeah. I figured you'd want to do that at some point," Goku said. He offered his hand while touching his forehead with his other two fingers extended. "I remember the energy of those creatures on Vampa, but I need a moment to concentrate."
Although she did forgive and apologize to him, there was still some reluctance in her level of trust for this Saiyan. She'd rather trust Vegeta before Goku if that meant anything to her.
She expected the sudden jolt that came from teleporting from one location to the next, but when seconds passed without anything happening, she craned her neck with her eyebrow raised. "Well?" she asked.
"Sorry, but something's not right," Goku said. "I can't lock onto any source of energy on Vampa."
Cheelai snatched her hand away, planting them both on her hips. "Are you serious? How can you not sense those creatures? They're like all over the place!"
"Normally I would, but each time I checked, there was nothing. So something must've happened to the creatures, or maybe to Vampa itself," Goku said. He pondered, hand to his chin, then snapped his fingers. "King Kai, you there?" he called to the ceiling.
Cheelai looked to Chichi for some answer, but the woman waved it off. "Don't mind him. He tends to speak to his god friends from time to time."
Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight…
Ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine…
Cheelai nearly screamed from hearing the voice in her mind. She couldn't have been the only one hearing the voice, could she? She wasn't sure if it was coming from the ceiling or down the hall. The way it sounded was freaking her out.
Goten cupped his hands to his mouth. "Hey! King Kai! Dad's trying to talk to you!"
Huh? Wha? Ninety-nine…ninety…GAH! You made me lose count!
"What were you trying to count, King Kai?" Goku asked.
Blades of grass. I was on a roll, yet again you picked the worst time to interrupt me!
"Sorry 'bout that!" Goku said. "I wanna ask if you knew anything about what's going on at Planet Vampa right now?"
Planet Vampa? Why'd you want to know about that place?
"I'd like to know," Cheelai said to the voice. If it got it out of her head faster, she better get straight to the point. "I have a few items I need to retrieve."
Eh? Who've you got there with you? King Kai asked Goku.
"This is Cheelai," Goku said. "She's friends with Broly."
"And Lemo, in case you forgot," Cheelai said. This brainless lout will make her rescind her apology if he keeps acting this aloof around them. She looked back at the ceiling. "Look, I don't know whether Goku told you about what's happened these last few days, but we had an accident on Vampa involving a giant worm that infected Broly with a virus. Goku was able to bring us here to Earth so that we could save his life."
Ah yes, now I remember. That was quite the battle you had, huh?
"Probably!" Goku chuckled. Cheelai sighed heavily, snagging the Saiyan's orange gi. "Will you cut to the chase already?" she yelled.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Goku said. "Can you find out what happened, King Kai?"
Eh, sure. Not like I have much else to do today, King Kai said in an annoyed tone. Vampa…Vampa…ah, over here…
Cheelai hated all this waiting. The more time spent waiting, the more time she was missing out on whether Broly's condition would improve or worsen depending on the effectiveness of the anti-virus. On the other hand, she could see the look of empathy on Chichi's face, which, if she had a mirror, could see for herself the grief she had been through these last couple of days.
Oh crap…!
Both Goku's and Cheelai's eyes widened.
Vampa's been destroyed! King Kai shouted.
"What?! Destroyed? How?" Goku asked.
Freeza. This is his handiwork. I know it! And what's worse is that his vessel is on its way to you!
Cheelai's heart sank, as did her knees. "Oh god…!"
Chichi caught her before she fell forward. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"What'll I tell Broly when he wakes up? H-he cared so much about Ba," Cheelai whispered, loud enough for Chichi to hear. The rest of Goku's conversation with the voice he called King Kai was nothing more than background noise, buzzing in her ears. How can she break the news to Broly?
"Thanks for warning us, King Kai," Goku said, adding to Cheelai, "We should pass the message along to Vegeta."
He looked to Chichi, expecting her to protest, but she gave him a nod. Goten gulped. "That Freeza creep's coming? I gotta warn Trunks!"
"You'll stay with me, Goten!" Chichi said, grabbing the back of his shirt before he ran off. "Goku and Vegeta can handle it! I want you back home to catch up on your schoolwork!"
Goten pouted but nodded. Chichi helped Cheelai back to Broly's room. "Is there anything I can do for you, Miss Cheelai?"
"Huh?"
The news of Vampa's destruction left her head spinning, coupled with the lingering headache. People were blurred out; time was inconsequential again. What could she say to Broly that wouldn't trigger another outburst? What about Lemo and his belongings? All they had left now were the clothes they wore and an injured Saiyan to look after. She clutched Durien's pendant in her hand through her outfit, grimacing. And here I thought joining the Freeza Force would give me solace in my grief.
"What?!" Vegeta shouted after Goku explained the situation. Cheelai quietly sauntered back into the room to sit back in her chair after passing by the two Saiyans.
"This is bad," Vegeta said after glancing at Broly. "We don't know when Freeza will arrive. Whether Broly recovers or not won't matter. The last time he was here, he only used the moment to allow Broly's father to have his son fight us while he had the Dragonballs. This time he'll be coming for Broly, himself."
"Are you sure?" Cheelai asked. Goku nodded to confirm Vegeta's suspicion. "Yeah. Freeza could easily take Broly in his condition back with him while using his soldiers to distract us. But knowing him, Freeza'll want Broly's power for himself to use against us since he knows how uncontrollable he is while he's angry."
It was a terrifying notion, watching Broly fall under Freeza's control. Even more terrifying is how dangerous he was to everyone around him when he's no longer aware of his actions. Pure brute force, that's all that remained of Broly's sense of self, directed at the first person he set his sights on. Then Cheelai had an idea.
"What if we redirected his anger back at Freeza himself?" she proposed. Both Saiyans looked at her curiously, but Vegeta was the first to smirk, catching on to her idea.
"We have the advantage of knowing what happened to Vampa," Vegeta said. "Once Broly discovers what happened, he'll focus his anger on the source of the destruction and force a retreat."
"But for how long? Freeza will no doubt involve innocent bystanders," Goku said. "It's a risk we'll have to take," Vegeta replied.
To everyone's surprise and relief, Broly began slowly opening his eyes, drawing their attention.
Lemo worked himself into a frenzy in the kitchens, rapidly chopping ingredients with a knife. The staff was amazed at how fast he worked, which drew the ire of the head chef.
"Stop gawking at him and get back to work!" she shouted. Lemo was too engrossed in his work to care about some chef glaring at him while working her staff.
They were at least courteous enough to provide him with a uniform and cooking tools. The head chef was confident enough in herself and her staff that she wanted him to see the amused look on her face when she watched him fail in front of Lord Beerus.
Lemo double-checked his measurements, his knife work precision, and tasted everything, working like a madman on a deadline. Each dish was completed with such focus that if Cheelai was in the room with him, she'd thought Lemo was working with a doppelganger.
Once Lemo finished plating his dishes, he scrutinized each one with a sigh. "Not my best work, but it's a start. At least this Earth has similar ingredients to work with."
The presentation of the dishes astounded the sous chefs. Lemo brought them before the head chef, and even she had sweat beads streaking down her face. She turned her head in a huff, snapping her fingers to bring her creations before Lemo.
"So you have pleasant-looking dishes, chef Lemo. But I can assure you ours are of a finer quality!" She casually handed him a fork. "Eat and weep at perfection."
Lemo said nothing. He didn't need to say anything to these people, not when it came to competition. None of the chefs he competed with while serving in the old Cold Force even measured to what he could make. He left them all weeping in their aprons, with much satisfaction, he might add.
The dish he decided to try was a grilled fish. He could taste fresh herbs and lemon, ideal for what he expected in a fish, but the look on his face didn't change. He set the plate aside and tried the other dishes. He went through scallops, pasta with shrimp, two different kinds of soup, and a tiramisu. After the last bite, he set the fork down, staring blankly at the chefs.
"Adequate. Acceptable if you're cooking for the company," Lemo told them. "But if you presented this to Lord Beerus, he'd destroy you all on the spot."
He stood and waited for the head chef to try his fish. Her hands shook as she broke off the flaky texture with her chopsticks, marveling at how easily they slid through. After a few bites, the chopsticks fell from her hands. She needed to hold herself against the table to prevent herself from falling. She stared aghast at the fish, then at Lemo.
"Chef? Is something wrong?" asked one of the prep cooks. The head chef ate the rest of the fish until the plate was clean. Lemo's lips curled into a grin, watching the defeated look on the woman's face as she turned to address her staff.
"I'm sorry," she told them. "I, I can't compete with this."
The sous chefs were left aghast, but each began tasting the rest of Lemo's dishes. Then, one by one, they were left in the same state as the head chef, unable to stand because of how godly the food tasted once it hit their tongues.
"What did you do to make this? How could you have improved on our signature fish?" the head chef asked.
"I could teach you," Lemo said, eyeing his fingernails before brushing them against his uniform. "Unless you still intend on competing with me?"
"No!" the head chef cried. "We'd rather not be destroyed, thank you very much!"
The head chef, sous chefs, and prep cooks stood in a row, bowing before Lemo. "Please teach us your ways, Chef Lemo!" they said in unison.
"Excellent! We have five days until Lord Beerus and Whis arrive. In the meantime, I'll be working you all to the grindstone day and night until you master universe-class cuisine! I expect nothing but your undivided attention from now on. If you can't commit to that, then leave and never come back."
When no one left the room, he nodded with a satisfied smile. "Then let us begin."
Cheelai kept reminding herself that she was a grown woman, but the sight of Broly opening his eyes again enticed her to cry again, only tears of joy rather than grief. He gritted his teeth as his hand reached to touch his wounded shoulder.
"Broly, let it heal," she told him. Broly blinked when he saw Cheelai. "Cheelai…?"
She took his hand and caressed it against her face. "Yeah, it's me," she told him through tears she didn't think she'd still have. "Thank goodness you woke up."
Broly looked past her at the two Saiyans behind her. He recognized Goku's face as someone who had been nice to him and his friends, bringing them those items. But when he locked eyes with Vegeta, he growled, reaching out with his hand. Cheelai held him back. "Broly, don't!" she yelled.
"His father must have constantly told him about what the King did to the both of them. The idea of revenge is still fresh in Broly's mind despite the idea being Paragus's alone," said Vegeta. Goku aided Cheelai to secure Broly, gently pushing him back onto the bed.
"It's okay, Broly! Vegeta's not your enemy! No one's here to hurt you!" Goku told him, but Broly was still in the throes of building his anger to unleash at Vegeta. "Hey! You're going to hurt yourself even more!"
Their struggle to hold Broly down was an even bigger effort for Cheelai, who noticed that Vegeta was preparing himself to engage the Saiyan should he free himself. "Broly! Please stop! You're in no condition to do anything!" she pleaded. But all Broly replied with was a sinister-sounding "Vegeta…!"
Cheelai could no longer tolerate his anger. Reaching back with her hand, she laid it hard across Broly's face, eyes wide with fury. "THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU STOP THIS, RIGHT NOW!" she bellowed.
It didn't matter that the palm of her hand stung after slapping Broly as hard as she could. It only mattered that Broly's rage ceased. He looked at her with a handprint on the side of his face, stunned.
"I know you're scared, Broly," Cheelai said but struggled to keep her voice steady. She knew it was going to deteriorate into sobs soon enough, watching the pain on his face. She didn't mean to slap him, but what else could she do? "I have been crying non-stop for three days since you saved my life. But I can't stand seeing you like this! I'm tired, Broly! Physically, emotionally, mentally, I'm so tired!"
"Let's leave them alone," Vegeta told Goku before they left the room. Cheelai touched Broly's face, which was still hot to the touch. His fever was still high, but she wasn't sure whether it had gone down or not.
Wiping her nose after a few sniffles, she showed him Durien's pendant, opening it before him. "I lost someone important to me before I met you and Lemo. He meant everything to me but left a void that I couldn't fill after he died."
Broly reached out to touch it, unsure how to react. "You had a friend that you lost, too?" he asked.
"Yes. I loved him more than anything. This pendant to me is as valuable as Ba's ear is to you, Broly," Cheelai said, closing it to slide it under her top again. "I didn't think I was ever going to fill that void until I met you and Lemo."
She brought his hand back to her face, kissing it. "I almost lost you once before, even though I only just met you. I don't want to go through that again, not like this. That's why you cannot give up, and you cannot give in to your anger, ever."
"I don't know how," Broly said after a brief pause. He stared at the ceiling. "I hurt people when I'm angry. I don't want to hurt people, Cheelai."
There was a hint of his anger behind what he said, but it had a lot of hurt, doubt, and fear mixed with it. Cheelai touched his face. "It's okay."
She nudged it to face her. "It's okay to be afraid, Broly. I know your father did some horrible things to you and forced you to hate someone you've never met before. But Vegeta isn't your enemy. Neither is Goku. No one here wants to be your enemy, Broly."
It was apparent that Broly processed all of this in his mind. Cheelai squeezed his hand again. "Vegeta is not your enemy. Can you repeat that for me?" she asked him
"Vegeta is not my enemy. He is a friend, like Ba?" he asked.
"Yes! Just like Ba! Ba helped train you, right? How about you have Vegeta do the same?" Cheelai asked. I must be going crazy, too! I'm asking Broly to fight again! No! No, stop doing this to yourself! Training isn't fighting! Please do this for him.
"Cheelai?" Broly asked. Cheelai noticed that Broly had a look of concern on his face. She paused, redirecting his hand to Ba's ear and closed his hand around it. "Ba's ear never left you," she said.
Broly sported a grin as his hand clutched the pelt. There was a measure of relief on her face, looking at that smile of his again after all she's been through. But if Broly was awake now, that must mean something good had to have come from this anti-virus Bulma injected into him.
The woman in question returned with a small case in her hand. "Hi! I heard the news from Vegeta. Hi Broly, how are you feeling?" Bulma asked Broly. She had a vial of her anti-virus ready to fill another needle, which she retrieved from its case. Broly shook at the sight of the needle and moved away from it while still on the bed.
"Broly! It's okay! It's something to help you feel better! You got attacked by the Underdweller, remember? It infected you with something bad. Bulma made something that'll make it go away. You don't have to be afraid of it," Cheelai said, soothing Broly's arm and chest. She gulped at how firm his muscles were when she touched them, but now definitely wasn't the time for that level of admiration for Broly's physique. The only thing that should concern her about his physique is that this anti-virus cures him before eating one of those senzu beans Goku said would heal his injury. She'll cross that bridge, eventually.
Her words relaxed Broly enough for Bulma to reach over with the needle to inject another batch of the anti-virus into his I.V. The unsettling sight of all these things hooked into his body caused Cheelai to soothe him again with her gentle touch and voice.
All this agitation wore him out, with very little strength left in him after all those outbursts, both in his dreams and after he woke up. He glanced at the bags of ice near his body, of what was still close by before they were tossed away from his body. He began to shiver from the sudden sensation of the ice against his body once the women re-adjusted the bags. Bulma grabbed a blanket from the adjacent bed while Cheelai draped Ba's ear over Broly's chest up to his neck.
"It's still a long battle ahead," Cheelai told him. "But you're strong. I know you can beat this now that you're awake."
Despite his shivering, Broly searched the room. "Where is Lemo?" he asked.
"In the kitchens, cooking," Cheelai told him. "I don't know how long he'll be in there, for."
She turned to Bulma. "You didn't have to come, Bulma. I thought you needed to sleep."
"I took a nap. I'll have plenty of time to sleep tonight," Bulma told her. "I'm on my way to spend time with Bulla, but I did arrange rooms for both you and Lemo at the residence wing."
She handed her a pair of keys. "Once Lemo's done, you can give him his key."
"But what about clothes? We don't have anything to change into," Cheelai said. She didn't want to give away what happened to Vampa, not yet at least. But she knew she needed at least something to sleep in unless sleeping in the nude was her only option.
"Already taken care of. You'll have everything you need once you settle in for the night," Bulma said, but both women could hear something akin to a whimper from Broly.
"Aw, I know you just woke up, Broly," Cheelai said. "But I haven't showered in days, and I badly need a good night's rest. We'll make sure to see you first thing in the morning, okay?"
"You'll come see me?" Broly asked.
"Of course," Cheelai said, making her "OK" sign for the first time since before the Vampa incident. "Lemo'll be stoked to see you awake again."
She elected to stay by Broly's side for the next few hours, reiterating what had happened after he fell unconscious from blood loss. She told him more about her relationship with Durien and the hope that when Broly was back to full strength again, she could have new adventures in space with both him and Lemo. She carefully omitted the part where she felt conflicted about her feelings for him. Those would have to wait for a while before she was ready to let go of her burden.
Once night fell, Cheelai gave Broly's hand another squeeze. "I don't know if you'll be able to sleep tonight, but I think these anti-virus doses have been helping. You certainly look better than you did this morning."
"Can you stay here, Cheelai?" Broly asked.
Cheelai chuckled under her breath but shook her head. "You're going to be okay, Broly. You're not alone. You've seen the same nurses come in and out of the room, right?"
He nodded.
"They're all here to help you. I won't be too far away," Cheelai said. She kissed the back of his hand. "I'll see you in the morning."
Locating an exhausted Lemo from outside the kitchens seated on a bench, she pressed one of the keys Bulma gave her into his palm.
"What's this?" he asked.
"The key to a room at the residence wing," she told him. "Bulma had rooms arranged for us."
"Oh, ain't that nice of her," he said. "Shouldn't we have Goku take us back to Vampa to get our stuff before we retire for the night?"
It dawned on her that Lemo had not been informed of the tragic news yet. She slumped herself on the bench beside him and leaned forward. "About that," she said.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Freeza destroyed Planet Vampa," she said, glancing at him. Lemo closed his eyes, leaning back to bump the back of his head a couple of times against the wall. "Dammit," he mumbled.
"Did Freeza hear our wish to the Dragon to send Broly back to Vampa? Could that be how he knew?" she asked. Lemo shook his head.
"No, he was nowhere near when we made the wish. We hightailed it out of there in our ship, remember?" he said, but Cheelai could tell the gears were working their way in his brain, causing his tone to be sour. "It must've been him."
"Who?"
"Paprika," Lemo said, looking at her. "I wouldn't put it past him to place a tracking device on our ship before we ran off with those data chips."
"Are you sure?" Cheelai asked.
"He's the kind of slimeball who makes sure all his 'clients' are monitored once he deals with them, should they ever decide to double-cross him. He must've been desperate to try and cut a deal with Freeza of all people."
"And he led Freeza right to Vampa," Cheelai said. Her face went pale.
"My math's been lacking lately, but if I remember my Astro-cartography from when we left Earth, Freeza's probably going to arrive here within a week, maybe longer. Which means Broly will need to be back to full strength before he arrives."
Lemo couldn't help but laugh. "It's funny, given the timeframe of all this. Lord Beerus and Whis are expected to show up in around five days, giving me a small window to teach these amateurs how to cook at my level. One can only imagine how angry Beerus would get if Freeza interrupted his banquet!"
"How can I sleep now?" Cheelai said. "Two people who can destroy the planet are coming here with high expectations."
"We'll be fine, Cheelai," Lemo assured her, patting her thigh. "You've been through enough. I haven't felt uncomfortable once since we arrived here. I even slept well on the futon they provided us in Broly's room."
He rose, stretching his arms. "But since I got a room with an actual bed, I'm looking forward to it. You should too."
They followed the path to the residence wing, locating their rooms off the tags attached to the keys Bulma gave them. When Cheelai entered her room, she could see the medical building from the window once the curtains were pulled apart. "See, Broly? I'm right across from you," she said.
It was fancy, far fancier than the room she slept in at the Capsule house. It was roomier to start, with a door that opened to the bathroom across from the bed. Everything she needed was available, which was a relief. Peeling off the battle uniform for the last time, she tossed everything into a trash bin, relieved to finally be rid of it.
After experiencing the best shower she's ever had in days, she found a cute pair of violet silk pajamas. With one last look at the medical wing, she shut off the lights and lounged herself on the bed, happily sighing that she had something comfortable to sleep on for once. Things were starting to go back to normal, at least, which meant she could enjoy sleeping peacefully for the first time in a long while.
Little did Cheelai and Lemo suspect the following morning was the incoming Galactic Patrol ship that exited from hyperspace. Jaco and Abbalo navigated Earth's planetary system, which to Jaco had been done numerous times. He always chose the long way around once he approached the asteroid field separating Earth from Mars, but this time for sure, he would take the direct route to shorten his trek.
Once the ship stopped before the asteroids, Abbalo looked up from her digital pad. "Mister Jaco? Why did you…? Oh…!"
Once she had a good look at the asteroid field, a confident smile curled from her mouth. "You can do this, Mister Jaco. I believe in you," she said, casually pushing a few buttons to activate the ship's shield array. Abbalo knew the inner workings of a Galactic Patrol ship far better than Jaco did, something she remarked when she noticed that the parking brake was still on after they left H.Q. His obliviousness to any sort of maintenance amused her in some way, but all she cared about was that Jaco had built the confidence to navigate safely.
"Make sure you remember your simulation training, Mister Jaco. Relax your shoulders and take a deep breath," she said, coaching him.
Jaco swallowed, relaxing his grip on the throttle. "I can do this. I can do this. I've done the simulation countless times, now! I was able to make it to seventy percent at the last session despite my pleading to Abbalo," he mumbled to himself. Abbalo giggled to herself as she went back to work on her notes.
Jaco fired up the thrusters again. He navigated through the asteroid field, pale in the face but still focused. When he cleared it, his hands were still glued to the throttle. Abbalo raised her arms in the air. "Congratulations, Mister Jaco! You cleared it!"
Jaco still looked frozen in place, his hands throttling the controls. He looked catatonic. "Mister Jaco? You cleared the asteroid field without hitting a single one! Mister Jaco?"
She waved her hand in front of his face. "Oh dear, was it too much for him?" she said. Poking his face, she loosened his grip on the controls before taking a few more notes. "Computer, resume course to Planet Earth, would you?" she said to the onboard navigational computer. It responded with a few blips, running the ship on autopilot.
She marveled at the sights of distant galactic formations before they reached Earth's orbit. She switched the autopilot off, slowing the ship to a stop.
"Mister Jaco, we've arrived at Planet Earth," she told him. Unfortunately, Jaco still looked unresponsive, despite her best attempt to shake him out of it.
She shook her head. "I'm going to regret this," she sighed. Grabbing Jaco's hand, she pressed it firmly against her chest, biting her pride. "I must never tell anyone of this. Patrolman's honor! But this is to save Mister Jaco!"
She squirmed and squeaked at the feel of Jaco's hand squeezing. It seemed to work as the Patrolman began mumbling under his breath.
"Hm? Something feels off about these controls," he mumbled. When he saw where his hand was, he screamed, retracting it back so fast it nearly hit the top of the cockpit. "Miss Abbalo! What is the meaning of this?!"
"I'm sorry, Mister Jaco! You were unresponsive after we cleared the asteroid field! It was a necessary sacrifice of my pride, sir!"
Jaco made a squeezing motion with his hand, frowning. "I suppose I can overlook this incident, Miss Abbalo. Now, where are we, currently?"
"Orbiting Planet Earth. You cleared the asteroid field," she reiterated, which nearly caused Jaco to go catatonic again. "M-Mister Jaco! Don't faint on me!"
"I, I cleared the asteroid field?" he said.
"Y-yes?" Abbalo said nervously. "I'm proud of your accomplishment. You're overcoming your fear quite admirably."
"Of course I did," Jaco said, collecting himself despite the lingering urge to pass out. "Officers and agents of the Galactic Patrol must exercise bravery in the face of adversity. Those asteroids simply knew their place, is all."
He looked better after Abbalo's warm, reassuring smile before he took control of the ship to descend into Earth's atmosphere.
Once they landed, Jaco switched everything off before opening the hatch. "Come, Abbalo. Doctor Bulma should be in this building."
They landed on the concourse behind a large domed building with the name "Capsule Corporation" on the front. After many visits over the years, Jaco knew this place like the back of his hand, despite his first encounter outside of Metro West with a different scientist.
Abbalo was mesmerized by the sights of the landscape. "Goodness! This planet is beautiful, Mister Jaco!"
"We're not here for sightseeing, Miss Abbalo. We're here to apprehend that loathsome thief," Jaco reminded her, leading her to beneath the balcony where he could see Bulma enjoying a cup that emanated a steaming liquid. He paused and gulped when he saw Vegeta holding a baby girl in his arms, feeding a bottle of milk to her.
"Crap. I was not expecting this. I was hoping to speak with Bulma alone," Jaco mumbled but quickly composed himself to clear his throat. "Miss Bulma? May I have a word with you?"
"Oh, is that the woman with the sag-" Abbalo said before a quick, high-pitched groan from Jaco's throat cut her off. He put his finger to his lips.
Two sets of eyes looked down at them, one from what Jaco described as a permanent, frightening scowl. Averting those piercing eyes, he was about to scold Abbalo for waving at the two so casually.
"Jaco? This is unexpected," Bulma said. "What brings you here?"
"Hi, there! I'm agent Abbalo of the Galactic Patrol! May we ask a few questions if you have a moment?" Abbalo shouted from below. Jaco cleared his throat. "Leave the questions to the professional, Miss Abbalo. This is my investigation, after all," he said, leaning towards her.
Vegeta said nothing as he continued feeding the baby in his arms, nor did he bother to acknowledge the Galactic Patrol any further.
Once Bulma descended to the concourse, she did a double-take at Abbalo's chest with her eyes before sipping from her cup. "So, what do you need to ask me?" she said to Abbalo.
"I'll field the questions," Jaco said before Abbalo could open her mouth. "I have been on the trail of a thief who stole one of my old ships along with a priceless artifact that we confiscated from a raid by members of a Thief's Guild. We have reason to suspect that she is hiding here on this planet with an associate we suspect to be a…Saiyan," he said, emphasizing the word in a low voice to keep Vegeta from overhearing. "Do you know of any other Saiyans besides Vegeta and Goku?"
Bulma's cup nearly fell out of her hand. She carelessly let some of the hot liquid pour out from the mug before she composed herself. "Um, p-probably…?" she said.
"This is the criminal we're seeking," Abbalo said, tapping on her digital pad to display Cheelai's image on the screen. Bulma's eyes widened when she saw the image.
"You're kidding…! She's a fugitive?" she exclaimed, snatching the pad out of Abbalo's hand. She breathed a heavy sigh.
"So she is here," Jaco said, crossing his arms. "Please direct us to her so that we may arrest her if you would."
Bulma gave the pad back to Abbalo. "W-wait a moment, Jaco. My Hippocratic oath as a Doctor, medically speaking, is to tend to the sick and injured. The Saiyan you're talking about is under our care at the medical wing. Can you at least let us tend to him in the meantime?"
"The Saiyan is not under investigation, Doctor Bulma," Jaco said. "Our only concern is Cheelai. Your position could be construed as harboring a fugitive, which could implicate you as well if you so much as to deny us the authority."
Bulma pinched the bridge of her nose. Taking another sip, she put on her best, friendliest face she could muster. "Jaco, you know me long enough that I'd never do something illegal, right?" she told him. She traced a finger along the side of his head, which made him jolt with a shiver. "If she's some petty thief, surely you can wait a few days more?"
"She has several charges against her, Miss Bulma," Abbalo said, drawing up the info. "Theft, resisting arrest, and holding an establishment hostage, to name a few. We estimate that she could face prison time between eight to ten years. Possibly longer."
"Doesn't your prison system have bail I could pay or something?" Bulma asked. "Besides, if you take her away, that Saiyan we're looking after will get quite upset. You wouldn't like him when he's quite upset."
"H-how quite upset are we talking here?" Jaco asked nervously. He didn't expect the direction this was going. Nor was he ready for what Bulma might say.
"Saiyans are quite prone to anger, as you already know," Bulma explained with a grin on her face. "But this particular Saiyan? He gets so angry that he can't control himself. As a result, neither Vegeta nor Goku was strong enough to beat him in a fight."
They all looked to Vegeta, who glanced away in a huff, red in the face. The baby girl giggled in his arms, which suppressed his moment of outrage to play with his hand when he reached for her face. Abbalo gushed with a wave. "She's so cute!"
"Focus, Miss Abbalo," Jaco said. "So what you're saying is that I can't separate the thief from the Saiyan?"
"At your own risk, Mister Jaco," Bulma said, sort of mocking Abbalo's tone. Abbalo looked to Jaco. "Mister Jaco? What should we do?"
"I still insist on speaking with the criminal in question," Jaco told Bulma. "She must understand what she got herself into by hiding in the coat-tails of a Saiyan."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Bulma said, frowning. She hovered over Jaco, leering at him.
"I-I stand by my statement!" Jaco cried. "I will not move from this spot until I see Cheelai standing before me, Saiyan or no Saiyan!"
Bulma shrugged her shoulders. "Suit yourself."
She exchanged a look with Vegeta before entering the building, which the Saiyan took as a sign to watch the two of them from above. That unsettling glare of his kept making Jaco look away, whistling random notes from his mouth as he looked anywhere but at Vegeta.
Bulma stopped Lemo before he returned to the kitchen. He was dressed in his chef's outfit, hauling a bag of potatoes on his shoulder. "Bulma? Everything alright? Nothing was wrong with my breakfast, was it?" he asked. His face dreaded hearing negative news about his cooking, but Bulma knew that wasn't what she needed to discuss.
"Oh, no, nothing like that. Your coffee was the best I've ever had, period. But we do have a problem concerning your friend, Cheelai," Bulma said, handing him her empty mug.
Lemo passed off the items to the prep cooks before sitting at a table with Bulma. Once she explained the situation with the Galactic Patrol, Lemo was left with a grim expression. "Well, this is a predicament," he said.
"I don't want to turn her over, though," Bulma said. "Not after what she's been through."
"You don't strike me as the kind of person who would stab people in the back. If those space cops are looking for Cheelai, we can probably hide her away somewhere. You must have some sort of ship to travel space with, right?"
Bulma immediately shook her head at the question. "That would make it worse. I can't break galactic law harboring a fugitive, Lemo."
"No, I suppose you couldn't," Lemo said, sighing. "What do you suggest we do, then?"
"We go ask her," Bulma said. "Can you spare some time from the kitchen?"
Lemo glanced back at the swinging doors. "Well, now that I've got them under my wing, I can help out somehow. But don't keep me too long."
They rushed to Medical Building #2, where Cheelai visited Broly first thing in the morning. Bulma was impressed that she chose a sleeveless blue buttoned top with a flowing skirt underneath, her heart-shaped pendant hanging freely in front. She no longer looked like a grieving mess since she first arrived but rather looked like a normal, energetic, and pretty young woman. She was busy staring out the window when they arrived.
"Cheelai, something's come up," Lemo said. The woman turned around. "Yeah, I saw them," she replied. She began walking towards them, intent on leaving the room.
"Hold on, where do you think you're going?" Lemo said, stopping her with his hand out.
"What I must," she said determinedly.
"Are you sure that's wise? What about Broly?" Bulma asked.
"All that idiot space cop cares about is me," Cheelai said. "If it means Broly can be kept safe, then I might as well turn myself in."
"What the hell are you saying?! That's nothing like you at all!" Lemo exclaimed. "What happened to you? It's like the Cheelai I knew got replaced by some alien or something."
Cheelai took Lemo's hand. "Lemo, I had time to think things through when I was by myself last night. I'm beginning to feel confident that Broly will survive this, and I'm no longer in any sort of danger. If I can make a deal with the Galactic Patrol in exchange for serving time, maybe we can get them to protect Broly from the Freeza Force."
Everyone's attention was on Broly now that his eyes were opening. Cheelai approached him, taking his hand. "Hey, there," she said.
"Hey, big guy, how ya feeling?" Lemo asked.
Bulma fetched a thermometer to take Broly's temperature. "Don't bite on this," she instructed, placing it in his mouth. It only took a moment to examine the number, but Bulma was relieved to see the result. "Your fever's gone down."
Cheelai squealed with delight, wrapping her arms around Broly's head. "Oh, thank goodness!" she yelled.
"Indeed," Lemo said. He looked out the window at the Galactic Patrolmen, engaged in their own personal conversation. Then, glancing back at Cheelai and Broly, he drummed his fingers along the windowsill.
"Are you going away, Cheelai?" Broly asked. His still sounded weak, but now that his fever had gone down, the tone of his voice improved.
Cheelai's face sank. "You overheard what we talked about?" she asked. They didn't need much insight to determine how hurt those eyes of his looked. The woman couldn't avoid having her face go paler now that she realized what she was doing to the Saiyan.
"Broly, this is a difficult time for me. I'm sorry I haven't been the best person for you to be around. I often let my selfishness get in the way, which caused a lot of problems, in case you haven't noticed," Cheelai explained. She guided his hand to her face.
"Why do you want to leave?" Broly asked. His question dug the dagger deeper in Cheelai's heart. "Please stop looking at me like that. It's hard enough for me as it is trying to recover from all these emotions," she said, averting his gaze. She took a deep breath. "I need to go for your safety."
"I don't understand. Why do you need to keep me safe? I want to keep you safe, Cheelai. Both you and Lemo," he said. He eased his hand to caress her face, which caused Cheelai to react as if struck. "Broly, don't," she said sternly.
"I'll give you some time alone to think it over," Bulma told them, realizing it served no purpose involving herself in their business. Nevertheless, she trusted that they knew what Cheelai was getting herself into and didn't want to stop her.
Cheelai waited for Bulma to be out of the room before she turned to Broly again. "I've done a lot of bad things in the past before I met you and Lemo. The Galactic Patrol has been looking for me because I stole one of their ships. Lemo, don't give me that look; I told you about that before, didn't I?" she said. "I can't have either of you involved in this. If I turn myself in, I can plead with them to protect you from Freeza and his soldiers. At least that way, both you and Lemo would be safe here."
"Maybe you don't have to," Lemo said as he continued staring out the window. Cheelai raised an eyebrow. "I have an idea. Wait here for me, would you?"
Before she could say anything, Lemo left the room in a hurry. She was even more confused than Broly but decided to take a seat beside the Saiyan. "So, um, do you like what I picked? I got sick of that dirty battle uniform. I'm glad I won't wear something like that ever again, that's for sure," she said with a chuckle. It was an unorthodox question, but the redness in Broly's cheeks after he got a good look at her seemed to indicate he approved of her new outfit.
It seemed to take Lemo forever to return, judging by how much time had passed since she stayed at Broly's side. She adjusted his pillow a couple of times and kept him cool with a cold washcloth she dabbed his face and chest with. Once Lemo did return, Cheelai's jaw dropped.
"What the hell are you wearing?" Cheelai said when she saw Lemo dressed in full battle armor, gloves, and boots.
"Your stay-away-from-jail ticket," Lemo said with a confident smile. "My what?" Cheelai replied, lifting her eyebrow.
Lemo approached Broly from the other side of the bed and draped the Saiyan's arm around his shoulders. "C'mon, big guy, I gotcha. Can you stand?" he asked.
"I don't know," Broly said, confused. Cheelai was even more confused. "Lemo, what the hell are you doing? Can you tell me what you're up to?"
"You gonna stand there, or are you gonna help me?" Lemo said, staring at her. Cheelai sighed heavily and draped Broly's injured and heavily bandaged arm around her shoulders. "You better know what you're getting us into, Lemo," she grumbled at him. She unhooked everything from Broly's hand and arm to free him before he swung his legs over the side of the bed.
Applying pressure on his feet for the first time in days, Broly hobbled forward, nearly crashing the three of them into the bed adjacent to his. Both Cheelai and Lemo let out a cry before steadying themselves to hold Broly aloft. "Easy does it, big guy!" Lemo shouted.
"Do you realize how awkward this looks for us?" Cheelai said, alluding to how short they were compared to Broly. "Yes, I'm aware, but it's necessary for when we go meet the space cops," Lemo replied. "Let's go."
They guided Broly slowly until he could put more weight on his legs. Once they exited the medical building, they followed the path to the concourse, where a surprised Jaco stood there with his associate.
"Be quiet and follow my lead," Lemo whispered to them. Then, he released Broly to straighten himself out, marching forward towards the Galactic Patrolmen.
"You there!" Lemo said in his best-sounding commanding voice. "What is the meaning of this intrusion? Are you planning to risk violating the cease-fire agreement between Lord Freeza and the Galactic King?"
"Violating?!" said the short male Patrolman. "Who do you think you are accusing a long-serving member of the Galactic Patrol of violating our most sacred agreement?!"
He straightened himself out and leered towards Cheelai. "I am Patrolman Jaco of the Galactic Patrol! I am here to place that woman under arrest for multiple infractions of galactic law!" he shouted.
"That woman is a soldier of the Freeza Force under my command!" Lemo said. "Commanding officer of Freeza squadron F-205, serial number C-002-996. I have been under strict orders to retrieve these two soldiers so they can be returned to active duty."
"Amazing!" the woman beside Jaco said. "I didn't know you had a Saiyan serving under the Freeza Force!"
"But I'm not-" Broly started before Cheelai elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Not in an ideal condition to return to active duty!" she said, cutting him off. "I've been trying to convince Commander Lemo here that Broly needs a few days to heal from his injury, but you know how it is with the Freeza Force."
"Silence!" Lemo barked. "You know the penalty for deserting the Freeza Force! You and your friend should count your lucky stars that Lord Freeza is a merciful emperor nowadays."
"I was assigned for a covert operation, Commander," Cheelai said, playing along. So this was Lemo's idea. She wanted to laugh at Jaco's ineptitude but hoped that their stunt would convince him.
"Then what was all that talk with the bartender about finding a new planet to settle?" Jaco asked, arms crossed. "This is all rather suspicious to me."
Before Cheelai could speak, Lemo waved his hand to cut her off. "I'll field the questions, soldier. Is it true you were assigned a solo mission to obtain information on new planets for Lord Freeza to barter?"
"Yes," Cheelai said. "I would have returned to you had I not been informed that Broly was injured in a battle on Freeza Planet 338. As tough as this Saiyan is, even some enemies can prove difficult."
"Still suspicious," Jaco said, stroking his chin. Abbalo tapped furiously on her digital pad, apparently taking notes of the whole encounter. "And what of your business with Paprika? I was under the impression that the Freeza Force does not deal with black market businessmen."
"An informant of the Empire," Lemo interjected. "Paprika conducts his business while acting as an informant to Lord Freeza so he could track clients for him in case they decide to cause an uprising or revolt against the Emperor."
"Why are these soldiers not in their battle uniforms? Casual attire? Or whatever this large Saiyan has decided to wear?" Jaco queried, approaching Cheelai and Broly.
"We are using this planet as a small base of operations until we return to the fleet," Lemo informed him. "Proper attire does include cleanliness, does it not?"
"Yes, yes, that is quite true," Jaco said, nodding. He glared at Cheelai before off-loading a huge audible sigh. "It would seem that we have reached an impasse, Commander. As long as Cheelai here is under your command, I am at the mercy of the cease-fire agreement, much to my disgust. Come, Miss Abbalo."
Lemo kept his façade going as he watched a dejected Jaco escorted back to his ship by Abbalo, rubbing his back. "It was a good try, Mister Jaco. Someday we'll have the authority," she told him. Lemo continued watching them with his hands behind his back, standing in a militant pose until the ship left the planet.
Once he was certain they were in the clear, he exhaled a massive breath he had held onto. His legs began shaking, causing his body to wobble as he turned to face Cheelai and Broly. He did not expect the woman to jump into his arms, hugging him.
"That was amazing, Lemo! I can't believe how well that worked! Your acting even had me convinced!" she shouted, showering his face with kisses. Lemo let out a shriek before pushing Cheelai off of him. "Cut that out! I hate having your slobbering lips all over me!"
"Sorry!" Cheelai giggled. "Hey, Broly! We don't have to worry about the space cops anym-AH!" She only had moments to catch Broly before he slumped forward. Lemo joined her to hold him steady. "Sorry! I didn't mean to let you go for that long!"
"C'mon big guy, let's get you back into your bed. I think the worst is over for now until you're back at one-hundred percent," Lemo said, aiding Cheelai with Broly's arm draped over his shoulders.
Returning Broly to his room was a chore for the two. Not that they felt the trek back took as long as it did meeting Jaco, but the numerous fainting spells Broly had while on their way slowed things down. With some additional help, Broly was eventually back on the bed and hooked back to the machines with a fresh injection of the anti-virus. Cheelai didn't want to sit down on a chair, opting instead for the bed. "I need a break," she said.
"Can't blame ya," Lemo said, waving her off. "But, I gotta mosey back to the kitchen and catch up. Beerus and Whis are going to be here soon. Fitting that it's a weekend coming up since we don't need to worry about keeping the staff fed on top of working on our banquet arrangement."
"I need a break, but I don't know if I should leave Broly alone like this. At least not until he's cured," Cheelai said, sitting up. "He might get lonely without us near him."
"He's recovering; that's the important part. The worst is behind us, now," Lemo assured her. "Figure out what you want to do. I won't stop you. Just make sure not to keep the poor guy out of the loop if you do."
"I won't," Cheelai said, smiling for what seemed like forever ago. At least Lemo was glad to see some measure of positivity return to that face of hers.
He tugged at the battle uniform. "Ugh, kill me if I ever have to wear something like this again," he said, grimacing at the tights and body armor. "The more important uniform awaits me in the kitchen!"
Cheelai had a nice chuckle to herself, watching Lemo fumble with the battle uniform as he left the room. She looked admiringly at Broly, the grin on her face improving.
"Knock, knock," came Bulma's voice as she peeked in the doorframe, holding her baby daughter in her arms.
"Hey Bulma," Cheelai said, waving at them. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the baby girl. "Oh my gosh, she's so adorable! She looks so much like you!" she added, gushing at the infant whose hair was tied in tiny pig-tails.
"This is Bulla," Bulma said. "Say hi to Cheelai!"
Bulla waved both her arms at Cheelai with a huge smile on her face. Cheelai's warm expression met both mother's and daughter's as she took the infant's hands to greet her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, little one."
"I thought it was weird when Lemo asked me to borrow one of the battle uniforms I make for Vegeta," Bulma said. "He dashed right up to me, said there was no time to explain, and I guess the rest spoke for itself."
"If Lemo hadn't improvized such a crazy scenario that convinced Jaco I was still in the Freeza Force, I would've turned myself in," Cheelai said. "I can handle a few years if it meant they wouldn't bother Lemo or Broly. He would've had all the time in the world to train with Goku and Vegeta until I served my sentence."
She went back to Broly's side and caressed his face, brushing his hair back. "I spent the last three days being a selfish jerk to everyone that I should've put Broly's needs above my own. I guess there's still so much about Saiyans I don't understand yet."
"They're not that complex. Keep them well-fed, stay out of their way, and they'll do their thing, whatever that may be. I kept that mentality, though Chichi has her own method of keeping Goku grounded," Bulma explained. She playfully wiggled her finger in front of Bulla's face, instigating a fit of giggles. It amused and amazed Cheelai at how organized Bulma could be despite all the chaos these last few days.
"You're starting to look better," Bulma said of Cheelai's facial expressions.
"You think so?" Cheelai asked.
"I believe it. Do you feel better, though?"
Cheelai patted Broly's chest. "I'm…relieved. Relieved that Broly is going to pull through."
Bulma approched Broly as well. Bulla reached out with her hands towards the sleeping Saiyan, but both women could see that the infant was staring at Ba's ear instead.
"I'm relieved," Cheelai repeated, albeit more reluctantly, "but I think it's time I evaluate and get my emotions in check before I decide to move forward. I don't want to go through another meltdown like I did a couple of days ago."
She hoped Bulma had an inkling of what she'd like to do this weekend. Finally, the realization crept up on the woman's face, which was a good sign.
Bulma retrieved her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. "Hi, this is Bulma. Clear my calendar this weekend and reschedule my appointments. Yes, all of them. Something's come up. Let's just say," Bulma said, grinning at Cheelai, "I'll be treating a friend to a relaxing vacation."