Oooh, we're getting close to the end now! Exciting isn't it? Well, no, probably not. This isn't exactly an exciting and suspenseful story, but oh well, you get the picture. Well, no long introduction this time. I'll just get right into the story…
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A Shelter From My Storm
Part 8
Several months later, a very pregnant Bulma stood in the kitchen, making Vegeta's customary dinner sandwich. She winced slightly at the pain in her back as she leaned over to put the aforementioned sandwich in the refrigerator. Bulma sighed wearily as she made her way to the table where she sat with fatigue in a chair. She was not having a good day. First of all, she never really spent time with Vegeta anymore since he was so busy training for the arrival of the androids. Second, she was sore all over. Her back ached, her ankles were sore, not to mention the pain in her stomach! And that was the worst part, her swollen belly. She looked so enormous and bloated, it was disgusting.
As she sat there resting her weary body, Vegeta entered the kitchen and quickly grabbed his dinner. He sat at the table also, but did not acknowledge Bulma's presence. Anger rose in her as he rapidly finished his meal and began to get up to leave. To go train, no doubt.
"Vegeta, wait." She reached for his arm. Vegeta's eyebrow shot up in curiosity at this, "We need to talk."
"I have no time for your talking woman." Vegeta protested impatiently, "I must-"
"I know, I know! You must train, right?" she spat the words out, "Well, isn't that just convenient?! Mighty Vegeta! Ha! Can't even handle looking at big fat Bulma so you go hide in that damned gravity room!"
"What are you talking about?" Vegeta felt his temper growing short at the ludicrous accusations. "For one thing, I hide from no one, especially not weak human females! Furthermore, that is not fat on you, it is baby, you irrational woman!" Bulma's eyes went wide all of a sudden. The look on her face was not one of anger anymore, though. It was shock.
"Vegeta…we need to go now!" she told him as she ran into the other room, grabbing a packed suitcase.
"Where?" Vegeta asked in confusion at the change of subject.
"The hospital, you idiot!" she huffed back into the kitchen, lugging the baggage behind her, "My water just broke!"
"Hospital? Talk sense, woman! Water doesn't break! What are you saying?" he raved.
"I MEAN I'm having a baby NOW! So you better fly me to the HOSPITAL!!" she yelled in frustration. Vegeta stood in silent shock for a moment before obligingly lifting Bulma and her suitcase up and flying the frantic woman to the hospital.
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"Dammit woman!" Vegeta commanded as he stood next to the panting, sweating Bulma's bed, "Let go of my hand!"
"Shut up Vegeta!" she screeched as a contraction hit. Medical staff bustled around her, "You got me into this, so you get to suffer too!"
"Don't I suffer enough already, putting up with all of your petty complaining and pouting!" Vegeta shot back.
"Are you her husband sir?" a nurse with a chart asked him quickly.
"Ha!" Bulma shouted, glaring at Vegeta. "As though I'd ever marry this bastard!"
"Okay…but you are the father, correct?" the nurse asked Vegeta.
"It's her brat!" Vegeta growled at the nurse, "Don't ask me about it!"
"It's your son too, Vegeta!" she squeezed his hand as hard as she could, even though she knew she wasn't really hurting him at all. "Not as though you care! All you care about is your damned training!"
"We need you to push now, Miss Briefs!" a doctor called to her, struggling to be heard over the argument.
"Aaargh!!" she screamed as she followed the order.
"Stupid woman, don't you see why I train?" Vegeta hissed indignantly.
"Yes!" she snapped back, "You think that some day, you may be stronger than Goku! What a joke!"
"Woman!" Vegeta snarled angrily, "I work to save this puny planet from those androids and all you can do is complain and mock me!"
"Push again, Miss Briefs!" came the order. Bulma cried out again as she obliged.
"Shut up Vegeta!" Bulma glared at him. "Don't pretend to care! You don't even acknowledge my existence anymore!"
"Push!"
"What do you mean?" Vegeta asked when Bulma stopped screaming again.
"You never say more than two words to me!" Bulma shouted angrily.
"Push!"
"Words are meaningless." He hissed at her after she stopped screaming. "They are just words. True meaning is found in action alone. You humans rely far too much on words."
"Push!"
"Well, what have you done in the past few months to show you even know I exist?!" Bulma demanded, panting.
"Push!"
"Well?!" she screamed at Vegeta.
"I had you fix the gravity machine not three weeks ago!" Vegeta shot back triumphantly.
"Push!"
"Oh boy Vegeta!" Bulma snapped sarcastically, "Way to make me feel special! Oh stop, I'm getting all misty-eyed!"
"Push!"
"Aaagh!!" Bulma pushed, "I hate you Vegeta! You did this to me!! Aaagh!"
"Don't worry sir, she doesn't mean it." A nurse advised Vegeta, "This is quite normal."
"Push!"
"What! Why should I care if the woman hates me!" Vegeta scowled at the nurse indignantly.
"That's the point Vegeta!" Bulma screeched, "You DON'T CARE!!" she sobbed as Vegeta looked away uncomfortably.
"Push!"
"Is that damned brat out of her yet?!" Vegeta angrily demanded, glaring dangerously at the doctor.
"Uh…N-no." the doctor looked up in fright at the Saiyan's vicious voice.
"Well get it out!" Vegeta roared, "I'm sick of this!"
"Push!" the doctor resumed his command, eyeing Vegeta warily.
"Why don't you just leave Vegeta!?" Bulma screamed as she pushed, "You don't care! So just LEAVE!" she continued to sob in pain and agony.
"Push!"
"Stop your blubbering woman!" Vegeta scowled at her impatiently, "Get that thing out of you and stop wasting my time!"
"Push!"
"Easy for you to say!" Bulma yelled in rage, "You aren't doing ANYTHING here except PISSING ME OFF!!"
"Push!"
"Damned weak woman." Vegeta growled under his breath, barely loud enough for Bulma to hear, "Can't do anything by yourself." Bulma was about to protest angrily when she felt a sudden surge of power enter her body, pouring in through her left hand, which held Vegeta's own hand in a vice grip. She looked up and saw a look of intense concentration on Vegeta's normally angry face. Suddenly, she realized that he was lending her some of his own immense power to aid in childbirth.
"Push!" yelled the doctor. And she did. But with Vegeta's power coursing through her, along with her own inherent strength, the formerly strenuous task became considerably less taxing. She continued to stare at Vegeta in amazed graciousness. Bulma couldn't believe it. Vegeta was giving her his own energy to ease her pain. Maybe he did care after all.
"Push!" Bulma repeated her efforts, not allowing her eyes to leave Vegeta's face. His own eyes were shut in his concentrated efforts to give her enough energy to aid this process, but not so much that her body was damaged by the sudden power surge, so he was not aware of her scrutiny.
"The head is crowning! Push again!" the doctor called out. Bulma inhaled deeply and pushed hard. She grunted slightly as nurses bustled around in excitement.
"Push!" Bulma bit her lip to keep from crying out as she gave another mighty push.
"Okay, just one more big push should do it!" encouraged the doctor. Bulma closed her eyes and squeezed Vegeta's hand. She could use his help on this one, and she was glad when she felt a bit of an augmentation in the strength of the energy flowing into her. She pushed with all of the power she could muster, then ended her efforts and opened her eyes happily as she heard the loud squalling of a newborn baby. Relieved laughter escaped her lips in tired gasps as her eyes closed again, resting momentarily as she let go of Vegeta's hand.
"Would you like to cut the cord?" the doctor offered Vegeta a pair of medical scissors, which he ignored. The Saiyan instead lifted his hand up and let loose a tiny, weak ki blast, severing the umbilical cord cleanly and scorching a small hole in the wall behind it.
"Don't mind if I do." Vegeta sneered at the frightened doctor.
"Y-your s-s-son." The trembling doctor offered Vegeta the cleaned and swaddled child. Vegeta snatched the infant up quickly with one hand.
"Give me that before you drop it, you pathetic weakling." Vegeta smirked as he held the baby in his outstretched hand. He regarded his noisy son for a moment. "Damned brat, as loud as your mother, aren't you?"
"Uh…perhaps you'd like me to show you how to hold th-" a nurse stepped forward cautiously. Vegeta cut her off by sending a weak blast right past her head.
"Leave!" he commanded. The medical staff quickly evacuated the room, leaving Vegeta and Bulma alone with their newborn son.
"Vegeta?" Bulma called to him from her bed.
"What do you want now, woman?" Vegeta spun his head around.
"Can I see him?" she asked, too happy to be upset with Vegeta's brusque response. Vegeta walked over and set the baby softly down in her eager arms. She drew the warm bundle close. "Oh, he's so perfect! Look at him Vegeta."
"Hmph." He scowled at the child who had finally quieted.
"He has your face!" Bulma exclaimed in delight. "Look at that mouth! And those cheeks!" she cooed at the infant, "Are you a little Saiyan like your daddy? Yes you are!"
"Hmph." Vegeta grunted again. "He's hardly a proper Saiyan. Look at his hair! Your damned human genes ruined it woman!"
"What's wrong with his hair? I think it's beautiful." She softly caressed the lavender down on the baby's head. Vegeta poked it in disgust.
"It's soft! It probably won't grow like a proper royal Saiyan's hair should at all!" Vegeta pointed to his own gravity-defying hair as a sample for comparison, "It isn't even the right color!"
"But Vegeta, he's not full Saiyan." She reminded him patiently, "He's human too."
"He should be much stronger than Kakarot's brat, considering his bloodline." Vegeta stated proudly. They remained silent for a few moments as the child fell asleep in Bulma's arms.
"Vegeta," Bulma reached out with her free hand, finding Vegeta's own hand and grasping it, "thank you for helping me."
"I just wanted to speed things up." Vegeta attempted to sound indifferent. "I didn't want to waste my time here."
"Then why are you still here?" Bulma grinned at him smugly. She had seen right through him, one of the few times she had been able to read him.
Silence.
"I love you Vegeta." She pulled his hand to her face and kissed it softly. "You love me too, don't you?" she held the hand against her face.
More silence.
"It's okay Vegeta." She smiled slightly, kissing his palm. "I know you do. And when you finally find the strength to admit it to me, oh Mighty Vegeta, " she giggled lightly, "I'll be here, waiting to hear those words." She pulled his arm so that his face was above hers.
"Woman!" he finally found words. "Don't presume to know what I-"
"Oh, shut up." She cut him off, giggling once more as she pulled him down until their lips met.
***The End (Of part 8, that is)***