*After not heeding Ginyu's warnings about what I say concerning the rights to Dragonball Z, Tenshi obnoxiously states that she does*
Captian Ginyu: I hope your wearing clean underwear, because I'm about to send you to the emergency ward!!
A/N: AHHHHHHHHHH!! Actually, This line is pretty funny, but.....ish. Anyhow! Thanks to all of ya'll for your astounding reviews! And thanks for not killing me for taking so long! I appreciate all of ya'lls bearing with me, and I want to pass around the *huggles* to each of you! *HUGGLES* Okay! Now that that's over with, I am thoroughly excited about this, so I'm gonna cut the short stuff and go on ahead with the chapter! *grins as crowd applauds Tenshi's shutting up* Finally, I hope ya'll all had a GREAT Christmas holiday. ENJOY CHAPTER SIX!
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"CHICHI!!" Goku shouted, rattling her frantically in hopes of bringing her to consciousness,.
"AWW, COME ON HONEY, PLEASE ANSWER ME!!" He pleaded desperately, but to his dismay, there was no response.
Goku remained frozen on the floor, his brain momentarily inoperable. All he was sure of was that she was hurt, bleeding....and he couldn't register one rational thought.
He was shaking, his mind was incoherent....He had never been unprepared in his entire life. He had always been so confident, so resourceful -- but now, he was nearly paralyzed in diffidence and fear.
After a second the dire situation finally took complete, unadulterated conception in his brain, and he nearly shuddered at the reality.
"She's going to die. She's going to die right now if I don't get help."
After that he scooped her up carefully, despite the fact he was trembling near to the point of convulsions. He raced out of the house and blasted into the sky. The wind licked at his bare arms and the chill in the air made his lungs burn as he filled them with the icy breath of the late noon zephyr. The wind slapped him and the shower of freezing rain that was just beginning to fall from the thick, black clouds overhead hit him aggressively, yet his eyes remained pried widely as he shot towards the hospital. In fact, he hardly noticed the weather at all.
Regardless of the fact that he was arguably the most powerful warrior on earth, he wasn't the world's best at flying. In fact, he hadn't even mastered the art of levitation yet, much less anticipated the severe energy drain that came as a result of flying for a prolonged period of time at extreme speeds. He began to slow down as his heart rate accelerated, driven by fatigue and even moreso by the fear that his wife and son were going to die. Spiting his plight, he pressed on even faster.
He was becoming lightheaded; the rain was coming harder and the chill in the air against his skin was nearly enough to encourage frostbite. The cold air in his lungs was causing him to cough insanely at intervals, and he could feel the mucus starting to form deep within his chest. But he kept going. He knew if he absolutely couldn't go on, then he could call for the Nimbus to come and take them the rest of the way. But it couldn't go as fast as he could even when he was on a ki low, and right now, time was everything.
His heart was racing so fast that he almost didn't notice her stirring. He jerked his gaze down to meet hers, which was disoriented and glassy. He didn't have a chance to question her before she murmured painfully,
"G...oku....it....hurts..."
"I know, I know. It'll be okay, Chichi, you'll be alright." He tried to encourage her, but his words dripped off of his tongue in a helpless resolve.
"I....can't....do...it." She clamped her eyes shut, and winced as the hard rain pelted her face. He drew her against him protectively, shielding her from the onslaught.
"Yes you can, you have to!" He tried to affirm, yet once again lacked his confidence.
She began to hiccup agonizingly, and she buried her head into his drenched shirt.
"I....can't...."
"You can, Chichi! I'll help you but you've got to fight! Remember all we've done, all we've been through? You know what we decided and you've 'gotta stick to it." He encouraged, all the time trying to make his pace go faster. She was bleeding harder, so much so that it was trickling down his arm. He shook the fear from his mind and sped farther.
She muttered something low, so low even he couldn't place it audibly, partly because his ears were ringing and he was coughing insanely through the latter part of her dialogue.
"It's okay, we're all 'gonna be alright, just hold on a 'lil bit longer."
***
Just as he was about to drop from exhaustion, the bright red cross of the hospital came into view through the blinding fog and rain. His heart, though emotionally and physically burdened, leapt for the first time ever at the sight of the large, twenty-story structure that normally repulsed him to his very life force.
"Hang on, We're almost there."
***
The hospital was buzzing quietly, the lulling sound of the rain on the roof and the gray, stormy skies gave staff and patient alike a sense of security. The bright halls contrasted the black clouds tauntingly, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary for such a quiet, November evening.
The front doors crashed open, breaking glass and splintering metal. The automatic doors met the same fate as well, since they didn't open fast enough for the youth's taste. The young man at the front desk caught his breath in his throat as the wet, shivering juvenile approached the desk rapidly, clutching another in his arms who was as soaked and worn as he appeared to be.
Goku opened his mouth to speak, but could only hack as the calm registered and his throat contracted. The man at the desk was extremely unnerved, and was about to call another branch of the hospital when a trio of nurses descended from the staircase, overcoats in hand and heading for the door. One of the nurses was familiar to Goku, and it was only a moment before he remembered her. Her name was Hoshu, the girl with the blue hair that was in the meeting when they first found out about the baby's condition. She noticed him at the exact same moment and came bounding towards him.
"Mr. Son, what's going on here?!" She exclaimed, her voice lacking the grit that he was accustomed to.
"She...She fell, and now she's bleedin'..." His sentence was interrupted by an army of gags and coughs. He cleared his throat hastily "She's havin' the baby right now!! Please help her!" Goku issued clearly, looking anxiously into her large eyes.
"Kami..." The nurse hissed, threw down her coat, and started yelling orders at the receptionist.
"Call the ER and tell them to have a stretcher ready ASAP! Alert them to have a surgeon on call just in case, and get Mayo down here right now!" She barked from down the hall, where she had grabbed Goku's arm and was rapidly leading him towards the Emergency Room.
***
"Lay her down now!" One of the doctors demanded as they approached. Goku laid her unconscious form down cautiously, and followed the assembly of personnel as they raced towards the nearest room.
When Hoshu noticed that Goku was following them, she whirled around to face him.
"Goku, you can't come in during this procedure, it's extremely important that we have full concentration."
He looked nervously at her, "I have to come in! She don't need to go through this by herself!" He stuttered.
"She's not, that's what we're here for, now go and wait and we'll tell you what's going on as soon a-"
"PLEASE! She might die, I...." He pressed his hand against his forehead and clenched his free fist to his stomach as it began to turn inside out. His apprehension was causing his gestures to come spasmodically, and bile to rise to the back of his throat.
"I need to be there with her. If she wakes up and I'm not there she might think that I don't care, or that she's all alone.....I...." His words started heading towards incoherency.
Hoshu was moved deeply by his emotion. She didn't know him well, but he always seemed confident and assured beyond his years. But now, now he seemed a complete wreck. He was sick, obviously.... fatigued, stressed and extremely frightened. She had never noticed before how young he actually was. Behind the toned muscles and Martial Arts Championship Belt, he was barely more than a child. In her opinion, despite the sculptured body and protruding veins, he didn't look a day over sixteen, yet he was facing a very real, adult situation. It was very likely he was going to lose his wife and son....more likely than she would let anyone admit to him. She placed a firm hand on his shoulder and spoke authoritatively,
"I never make exceptions.... But if she comes to, then I'll let you come in to be with her." She stated.
Goku was far from satisfied, but he nodded anyway.
***
"What in the world is going on here?!" Mayo screeched as he launched himself through the double swinging doors of the operation room.
"She had an accident and went into premature labor." Hoshu explained, "She started bleeding and hasn't quit yet."
Mayo threw on a pair of latex gloves and busied himself in trying to stop the blood. "How is she doing?!" He demanded.
Hoshu hesitated, "She's lost too much blood...."
***
Goku had been silently sitting in the next room, coughing his throat raw, but trying to focus himself nonetheless. He was trying his best to zone in on Chichi's ki level, which was surprisingly low, but steady. He had even found himself praying intensely, though he had never spent much time in prayer before.
"Lord, just don't let her die."
Suddenly, he felt an intense change in someone's energy level. It was low and reducing extremely fast....but it seemed to be doubling all at once.
"How is that possible?!"
Then it hit him, and no power in heaven, hell or earth was going to stop him from being beside her.... right now.
***
"What do you mean she's lost too much blood?!" Mayo insisted from across the table.
"I mean, I don't think there's any way she's going to make it." Hoshu replied.
"Well don't quit tryin-" He was interrupted as he felt the doors behind him swing open. He turned hastily to see Chichi's young husband enter the room breathlessly.
"What are you doing in here?!" They yelled simultaneously.
Goku didn't even have time to answer before the room filled with an ear-piercing wail. They turned hastily, only to see that somehow she had come back into consciousness. Goku knelt beside her and stroked her hair.
"It's okay, everythin's alright." He soothed her, yet the quake in his voice plainly betrayed the fact that he was in no situation to be calming anyone.
"Goku, I can't do this!" She gasped and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
"You can, you'll be okay..."
"Goku, get out NOW." Hoshu demanded as she snatched him by the shoulder, yet he didn't budge and didn't avert his attention one iota.
"I promise everythin's gonna be okay. Don't be scared, it'll be fine." He said again. Chichi looked up at him with dismal eyes, aggressive tears dripped from her black lashes and her face was distorted by agony.
"I....can't..." She wheezed.
He grabbed her hand and held it like a lifeline.
"Remember what we said every day? Every morning when you woke up?"
She winced, but nodded.
"Remember what we promised? That we wouldn't let this beat us, that you'd be okay and he'd be okay! How many times did I have to tell you that? How many times did you promise you'd try? I kept my promise to you when we got married, so keep yours to me..."
"I'm calling security RIGHT NOW." Hoshu threatened, but Mayo yanked her up mid-sentence.
"We don't have time for this, leave him alone, he'll suffer the consequences later! The kid's coming now!!"
Goku started and turned to Chichi.
"It's okay, he's almost here, don't worry, your gonna be fine." His voice trailed off as he craned his neck to see the expressions on the doctors faces, but as he did he heard his name barely whispered.
He turned to her hastily, just in time to see her eyes close, and her body limp.
Then the room was filled by a small cry.
***
An hour.
It had been an hour since the last time he had seen her. She was laying limp and unconscious on the hard, metal table. He had never seen the baby, though he had heard him before they were both taken to Intensive Care. As soon as the baby had screamed, he was gone, and Chichi was close behind him, headed towards the fourteenth floor of the hospital.
He had been warned that if he were to enter again without permission he would be banned from the hospital permanently. He shuddered, and drew the wool throw over his shoulders tightly. He was resting in the lounge now, instead of having to wait in the hard, uncomfortable chairs of the waiting room. Hoshu had taken him from the OR and into the lounge, to get some rest and attention for his terrible croup.
Despite her well-intentions, he found it hard to believe that she could wish for him to 'relax'. Chichi's ki was unreadable because of her unconsciousness, and the baby's was too new to hone in on. How could he possible 'relax' when he had no assurance of either's safety? He rested his head in his hands, curled up on the recliner, and edged closer to the space heater.
He had been resting only a short time when the lounge door opened slowly. He looked up and felt his innards knot as he distinguished who the person was.
Hoshu looked down at him kindly. Regardless of her harsh countenance, and her anger at him earlier for not leaving the operating room, she seemed quite....sympathetic.
"Oh no." He sat straight up and looked her dead in the eye.
"What's....." He managed, but stopped. All he was capable of was eye contact, there was no use in trying to speak.
She cleared her throat and spoke clearly,
"Goku, your wife's case was very serious from the start. You two had an option and you chose the one that gave her chances an extreme decline. You knew th-"
"Is she okay?" He interrupted hastily, gaining his usage of words once more.
She hesitated, and he cringed.
"She's.....she's not doing well, Goku. She's just lost so much blood, and her body wasn't made for childbirth anyway, which weakened her even more. She still has a chance, and if she makes it through the night, then she might be okay. But right now it doesn't look hopeful. When she regains consciousness, you can go in and see her. But, maybe you should be prepared to......say goodbye."
He stared intently at her, unable to register her words. She continued.
"And your son...." She ceased, not knowing how to continue.
"What's wrong with him?" His voice quaked.
She took a deep breath and began, though she didn't know how to make the words any less violent.
"He's got some severe problems, Goku. He's underweight, and it looks as if some of his vital organs are very underdeveloped. He's on support even as we speak."
Goku tried to ask what 'support' was, but his expression interrogated her before his words could. She answered,
"Support is a machine that keeps someone alive. Without it, they would die. If we unhook the machine from him, he won't be able to live." She turned away, unable to look him in the eye. No matter how many times she had to say it, it never came any easier.
"So....he's 'gonna 'hafta....live on this machine from now on?" He asked confused.
"Goku....he's going to die, eventually, this will only keep him alive until that time comes. The truth is, we're not exactly sure what to do with him. It's your and your wife's decision."
"What's our decision?" He asked blankly, though his insides trembled.
"He's hurting, Goku. We can keep him alive, but only for a time. As long as he's connected to the machine, he's in a lot of pain. However, if we take him off, the pain won't be as bad."
Her statement rang like a coroner's bell, though he wasn't exactly sure why.
"But, if we take him off of the machine, then he's 'gonna die." He stated defensively.
"Yes."
Then it became real.
There was no way he was going to be able to save his son. The infant of the earth's greatest warrior, The baby that was alive now because of him, the child that was as much a part of him as his own blood.... and he wasn't going to be strong enough to survive. It turned something inside of him, something deep that he was never able to acknowledge in peaceful times.
He didn't know what to do. How could he consent to kill his own child? But if he didn't, then it would end painful, dark and cold.... And that was no way for such an innocent thing to die. His mind raced and his heart sank. He had to respond, but he didn't know how.
"How long will he stay alive on it?" He asked, his voice breaking.
"Nightfall, at most."
"Can I see him?" He looked pleadingly into her eyes.
"Yes, but you'll have to wait a little while."
His gaze dropped to the floor and he nodded. She touched the top of his head,
"I'm sorry, Goku.... I'm very, very sorry." A tear ran from her eye, and she turned and left the lounge. Goku might have been moved by her emotion,
But he never even heard her.
***
"WHAT?" Mira froze, her eyes in full shock at Hoshu's declaration.
She nodded her head sorrowfully.
"But....But that can't happen! Not now! She wasn't supposed to be due for a month!"
"She fell and went into labor, it was all a big accident."
"But....Oh poor, poor Son-Kun." She grabbed her hair in her hands, her heart aching. "What about Chichi Son? Can I see her? Is there any way I can help her?"
Hoshu shook her head. "I don't know, that's Mayo's department. I know you've taken care of her a few times, but you'll have to see him and find out."
"Thanks, Hoshu, I will." Mira bowed traditionally, spun on her heel and headed directly for the Intensive Care wing.
***
After meeting with Mayo and getting his consent, Mira had proceeded to help in any way possible. Soon after, Chichi had come to consciousness, and though she was weak, she was completely rational.
Now Mira had the task of bringing word to Goku, who she almost feared to see. She loved seeing Goku, he made her laugh, and he made her day a little bit happier with his innocent disposition. She had seen him discouraged before, but never hopeless. She hoped that he wouldn't be, but she had analyzed by his aggressive nature, that he would either be on one end of the scale or the other. She took a deep breath and pushed the swinging door open.
Goku was staring into the heater, no emotion on his face at all. It broke her heart. Knowing his character, she would have rather seen him with any kind of expression, even a sad one, rather than none at all. It made her know how much he was hurting, yet wouldn't let anyone know.
She was filled with an emotion that she had never had before concerning a patient. She had always handled these situations professionally, and would try and conceal any kind of sympathy for the patient's sake. But Goku, he didn't seem like a patient, nor the husband of one....just a friend. A friend who was hurting deeply. And despite that it wasn't at all in her job description, Mira approached him and hugged him tightly. She didn't know how he would feel about it, since even with his wife he liked to keep proximity, but she was compelled to comfort him in some way.
After a moment of silence, she felt his hand rest on her arm, and she knew it was a halfhearted way of returning the embrace and letting her know that he appreciated her concern.
She retracted herself soon after, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Goku Son, she's awake. You can see her now."
His eyes, which had formerly been deadened sparked a bit, and he nodded.
"Do you want me to take you to her?"
He didn't answer.
"Goku Son?"
"What am I going to tell her?" He asked pleadingly.
***
"This is it, Goku Son." Mira stopped in front of the heavy wooden door labeled juu-ichi, room eleven on the ICU wing. She twirled around and stared at him sympathetically. His countenance had changed somewhat, from stone-faced to kicked puppy. His brows fell in an awkward stance for his happy physiognomy, and his eyes appeared to have weights laden on his iris's as he kept his gaze glued to the floor. His adam's apple bobbed up and down at intervals as he repeatedly gulped to wet his dry throat.
Had Krillin seen him he wouldn't have recognized him for the hopeless expression etched on his features. Bulma would have passed him as a stranger for the sad, tired look in his eyes, which always blazed as a great, onyx fire. And Roshi would have thought him ill for the slump in his shoulders and sag in his usually flawless posture. In fact, his appearance was too dire for even Oolong to kid about. He was drained -- emotionally, spiritually and physically.
And the worst was yet to come.
"Thanks." He murmured and tipped his head ever so slightly to her to compensate for a bow. He placed his hands on the door and took a deep breath, which resulted only in his hacking more crud from his ravaged lungs.
If the situation had been a pleasant one, Mira would have joked to him about laying off the cigarettes, but even her wit was cut at the sight of her friend's plight. She only wished there was more that she could do.
"Good Luck, Goku Son." She wished him softly. "Good Luck....."
***
The door creaked and Chichi opened her eyes a sliver. She hardly had a clue of her whereabouts, how long ago she had birthed, or even where she was, but somehow, seeing Goku enter the room made her feel better. Had she not been so gravely burdened by unanswered questions, she would have told him how good he looked in his tapered leg jeans and wet football jersey, and how cute his shoes sounded as they squished against the tile floor. His ebony spikes half-dry and in disarray framed his tanned face and large, black eyes too well for mortal reasoning. Though he was oblivious to his appearance, she knew that even if he was aware of it that he would never have guessed or even thought that he was the cutest thing on planet earth....or any planet for that matter.
And though she was laden with a thousand different worries and emotions, she couldn't help but note how great he looked. It soothed her a bit, and she wondered how in times of such terrible problems the mind always seemed to notice such peculiar things, like Goku's appearance, when it should be totally focused on the impending issues at hand.
Had she the strength she would have struggled to gain a sitting position, but she hadn't the energy to move. She didn't know her condition, or anything pertaining to any other matter. As soon as she had wakened she had asked for Goku, and they actually granted her request right away. In fact, it scared her how fast they had answered her call. But now that he was here, she felt some kind of pride swelling inside of her, and she managed to smile faintly.
"Hey." She rasped dryly.
"Hey." He replied, taking a seat cautiously on her bed, avoiding sitting on her or any of the wires attached to her body.
"Well, I did it." She stated somewhat triumphantly, and he noted how ironic it was that she could have such pride in such a weak tone of voice. He smoothed her bangs from her head gently and grinned halfheartedly,
"Yeah, you did."
She stared at him as his smile dissolved, and her heart began to beat oddly. His eyes captured a look of fatigue, yet there was the tiniest glow in their recesses.
"I'm proud of you." He answered lowly.
She nodded slowly, her lids sliding down closer to meeting her lashes. She kept them up somehow, even though her eyes kept tempting to roll to the back of her head. She cleared her throat and asked the question she had been avoiding,
"How is he?"
Goku wanted with all of his heart to avert her gaze, to not have to tell her what he knew would crush what was little remaining of her hope. He couldn't bear to see her weary eyes melt, and her quiet throat choke. He wished he could lie, tell her that their baby was going to live; that he was going to be able to walk, to laugh, to play... just like all other children. That he would be going home soon, to lie in the cradle that he had carved from the oak tree in their backyard; That her smile would show through when he smiled his first; That his own eyes would shine excitedly from his child's face when he dreamed of far-off lands and fairytales every night at storytime; That they would have the joy of hearing his high-pitched laughter when he frolicked in the yard at sundown;
But it wasn't to be.
He resisted the urge to let his countenance fall, or his eyes shimmer. For the first time in years he actually felt as if he could cry, but he couldn't.... for her sake.
Probability said that she wouldn't live through the night.... Neither would their baby. So he couldn't try to be strong.
He had to be.
"Chichi..." He began, unsure of what to say, and most definitely astray on how to say it,
"Our baby's....he's...."
Her eyes burned through him. Prior, they had been heavy and glassy, but now they were wide, attentive, and vaguely hopeful.
The latter emotion seared through him like a spear. She still had hope...He had told her to. How could he have ever falsely uplifted her like that? Now he felt even worse. An enormous lump began to assemble in his throat, so large it was hard to breathe around it. He laced his fingers around hers, and shut his eyes, unable to look into her own.
"He's not going to make it." He whispered.
He didn't open his eyes. He couldn't. He couldn't see the despair etched in every wrinkle of her face, or ragged breathing echoing through her spastic movements. She was weak enough, even unable to move... And to see her any more incapacitated would be unbearable.
Her eyes froze, and though there was no movement, they sheeted in disbelief. She trembled, and her stomach rose to the back of her throat. It seemed her liver quaked, and she felt every meal she had ever consumed haunt her with a passionate vengeance, all threatening to evacuate at any moment.
She wanted to cry; dishevel into a million tears, bawl for ages. But for a fleeting second she caught him in her sights.
Goku.
His head was bowed, and his steady hands quaked. He was suffering as much as she was. Sure, she felt that she was much more attached, being the mother and having housed the child for the past eight months. She knew his kick, she knew his tantrums, she knew his breathing even... But Goku, he was so childlike, trusting, aspiring, hoping for the best, and he had been forced to be the steadfast hold in the entire ordeal.
He had been the one to cook, to clean, to work overtime and provide for them, to make sure she took her medicine every day, to do everything that she was required to do, and keep up with his every day chores as well. And he had never complained once. He had been so good throughout, so strong, forever hopeful; She knew it was killing him just as much as it was killing her, so she had to hold her sobs for his sake. He had sacrificed many times over the months, so she felt that she had to sacrifice just this once for him.
But she was unable.
"Are you sure?" She gagged, her eyes melted, hoping that maybe just once, he was lying.
He nodded, never tearing his gaze from the floor.
She rested her head on his hand and cried. She held back the extreme sobs as best she could, but it was hard. She had thought that as long as she believed in her baby, that he would have to make it, but now the truth that she had been hiding from herself for so long had presented itself to her, and she couldn't help but cry.
"Chichi, that's not all." He stated quietly.
"He...He's hooked up to somethin', this machine that keeps him livin', it's all that keeps him alive. But it hurts him, he's hurtin' a whole lot right now, and he'll keep hurtin' as long as he's on it. But if we take him off, then he won't be hurtin' so bad anymore." He spoke softly, his eyes sheeting transparently.
Chichi swallowed hard. She knew what Goku was saying, and it tore her in two to know that though their son's life once lay in their hands, but now they had the option again. Why was it that this kept on happening? Was their baby, the thing made by them both, really so malcreated that he was destined to die? It was so unfair....
"Does he have a chance if we leave him on support?" She sniffled.
Goku shook his head, "She gave him nightfall."
"And he's in....pain?"
He nodded.
"Goku?"
"Yeah?"
"I...I think..." She stuttered and stopped, unable to proceed. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She tried to find the words, the words that would sentence him to death, but she couldn't. She breathed and tried once more to say them, but felt his hand tighten around hers. She looked up,
"I think so too, Chichi." He nearly whispered.
She understood.
"I guess we need.... To tell Mayo." She said softly, her voice wavering from sorrow.
"Soon." He added lowly.
She nodded, though she wished she didn't have to.
"Soon." She thought sadly.
***
"So that's your decision?" Mayo asked neutrally.
Goku nodded, for he couldn't find the words.
"And your wife had a say on this, too?" He drilled.
Same response.
Mayo tilted his head and began to walk for the door, but turned around to face the solemn boy.
"You know, I hope you realize now that children shouldn't be having children." He added haughtily, but softened when he saw Goku's countenance fall twice as hard.
He gulped visibly and Mayo nearly noted a shimmer from the corner of his eye. He lowered his head further and nodded.
Mayo felt something twist inside, and he turned towards the door and added somewhat sympathetically,
"But I believe that what your doing is for the best, Son. And I....admire your decision." He pushed the word admire through gritted teeth, though it was a sincere comment. He didn't like Goku, he didn't like anything about him. But he knew that, clod or not, he was very affected by his son's situation, and, being the nice guy that he was, decided to throw him some kind of sympathy in this his time of need.
Goku tried to salvage a faint smile, a word even, but he couldn't. He just shook his head in Mayo's direction.
Mayo started to walk out of the room, but heard his name rasped quietly.
"Can he....Can he come in with us when you take him off?" He requested, an unidentifiable emotion ran through his eyes and came out in his words. Mayo looked partly objectionable, sorting the request through his mind,
"Please sir?" He pleaded desperately.
Mayo turned. "Yes, I'll allow it. Go get Chichi ready, she'll want to be up for this."
Goku smiled faintly, "Thank you."
***
What was earlier a rainy, black day had calmed, and the planet's silver crescent star was shining beautifully from it's perch above the rolling, evergreen hills in the distance. The gray clouds from the early storm were still present, and moon and nimbus made an odd contrast to each other; though the clouds looked beautifully iridescent when the moon's beams hit them at just the right moment.
The lights in room eleven were turned off, allowing the nights glorious colors to tint the room in a silver glow. The long, white hospital bed was directly in the rays path, and the cot was enveloped in a surreal embrace, which seemed to drip in stardust.
Chichi had mustered enough strength to sit up in the bed, and Goku sat close beside her. Though her face shown distressed, she didn't cry. They had both agreed that since this was going to be the only meeting with their child that they should try to refrain from any kind of emotion that would taint the rendezvous.
Although she was weak, she jumped slightly when she heard the door handle turn.
He squeezed her arm, "You ready?"
She nodded, though her heart screamed objectionably.
***
Mira's silhouette graced the floor, and she walked into the dancing colors of the room, holding a small bundle. Her face was contorted sadly, yet she tried to stiffen it for their benefit. She placed the tiny child in Chichi's arms.
"Here's your baby, he's been such a good boy for all of us." She answered, tears tainting her happy eyes, "He takes a lot after both of you."
Mira felt her throat begin to contract, and she turned to leave the room.
"Call us when you need us." She whispered, then moved quickly out of the room.
Chichi carefully moved the folds of blanket from around his face, as if opening an elaborately wrapped gift, though what she saw when she moved it no present could ever offer.
There was a child beneath the white linen sheets, with big, dark eyes and smooth, ivory skin. Soft, black spikes framed his round face, and his nose turned up ever so slightly at the end. The doctors had been right, however, he did have some problems. He had a cleft pallet, and his right ear turned differently than the other, and she could tell just by holding him that his legs and lower body were severely disformed. But she hardly noticed. Despite his shortcomings, he was easily the most beautiful thing of all God's creations.
Though her heart tore, it expanded all at once. It was as if, momentarily, she forgot that he couldn't stay. She smiled at him and touched his face lightly.
"Hey there, honey, just look at you." She cooed, a mixture of endearment and agony speckled her silky voice. "How are you doin', huh?" She whispered softly.
Goku looked him over carefully. He had noticed right away that he didn't look like the other children he had seen...but somehow, it didn't matter. In fact, it only made him love him more. He laid his hand gently on the baby's head,
"You've got Mom's nose." He beamed sadly.
"And Daddy's eyes." She added.
"You've got her skin, too."
"And his eyebrows."
They stopped and watched him silently. His enormous, vibrant eyes darted back and forth from both of them. Curiosity was present in their depths, but it was overshadowed greatly by the hurt, as his slanted brows accentuated his pain. His breathing came suppressed, and he rasped slightly. His lip protruded and he tried to cry, but he didn't have the strength enough to do even that, so the tears rolled silently down his smooth cheeks from innocent eyes.
Chichi's heartbeat waned, and tears started to slide down her face.
"It's okay baby, I know it hurts." She cried softly. "But your 'gonna be all right. Don't worry, it won't hurt much longer."
Goku watched as she curled him closer against her chest. She began to rock him slightly, and he calmed a bit, obviously soothed by her movements. Then, she opened her mouth and began to sing. The words were enchanting, the melody haunting; Like the whisper of an angel describing the secrets of the universe, yet so old that everyone had forgotten.
"Hush now child, and close your eyes
Dream beyond the fair, blue skies
Open up your heart and ride
Upon the wings of morningtide."
Goku couldn't believe how beautiful she sang.... Though he had never had a mother, he somehow knew that Chichi's voice sounded exactly like a mother singing to her child. Her velvet voice coated the room, it was more calming than listening to the waves crash on the shore; And more comforting than a pillow of stratus. The melody was ethereal, like a surrealistic dream.
"Don't be afraid, come what may
We'll be together soon, one day
Just hold me 'til I hold you then
We'll be together soon again."
Her voice halted and she watched him through blurry eyes. His father's eyes, which happened to reside in his own sweet face, began to flutter slightly, his breathing calmed a bit, and despite himself, he yawned. His tiny body shook from a pain he shouldn't know, but he seemed much more at ease now. She blinked and her tears fell.
"Hey Chichi?" Goku beckoned her softly.
"Hm?" She inquired , never tearing her stare from her son's large, sleepy eyes.
"I...I don't think I'll mind if we call him Goku."
He saw her strain not to choke, and he had to suppress an emotion akin to it as well. Her shimmering eyes, lit surrealistically by the moon's dusty beams, looked straight down at her son, and they mourned visibly as she felt his heart rate decrease softly.
"Goku, are you ready to say goodnight, sweetheart?" She sobbed between her words quietly, her brows arching painfully. His eyes, which had shut, opened one last time, and glanced over both of his young parents before they closed again.
For what they both knew would be the final time.
She placed her hands over his, and folded them gently over his heart.
"Before you can go to sleep we have to say our prayers, honey, you know that." Chokes wracked her body, and she closed her eyes tightly, shaking in quiet sobs. The now christened Goku Senior bowed his head as well. It had been years and years, but he knew what was coming. He vividly remembered Gohan doing the same thing with him before bedtime every night as a child, and though he was verbally unable, his memory played the child's prose fluently, word by word.
"Now I lay me down to sleep..."
"I pray the Lord my soul to keep..."
"If I die before I wake..."
"I pray the Lord my soul to take..."
Suddenly, Goku wished with all of himself that he was unable to sense energy levels, because he felt the second after the last word of the prayer was uttered, his son's heart beat fain to stillness.
Chichi felt it too, though she had no way of sensing ki levels....
She just credited to a mother's intuition.
"Amen."
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A/N: *sniffles* I'm drained, you guys. Please leave a review and I'll talk later, when I can. But before I go, did ya'll see this coming? I hoped not to make it obvious... But I don't know if I did or not.
PS. Did the lullaby stink? I promise you guys I tried to find one, but honestly, does ANYONE know a lullaby besides "Hush Little Baby", or "Rock-a-bye Baby," Or "Lullaby and Goodnight"? Honestly, I looked, and couldn't find. There was an Irish lullaby Daddy used to sing to me, but I felt it would kindly detract from the whole 'Euro-Japanese' feel. So I had to make it up. Did it stink? (Please be honest, too!) Except for Mira, she's obligated to be nice to me. Besides, if I begged her to be mean, I swear she wouldn't....She's just too darned nice ^_^
Oh, and thanks to Sammie, Mira and Bear for the fanart! I am ecstatic about it and can't wait to see it! God bless you all!!