Goten ran up to Gohan and tagged his arm. "You're it!" He said, running away. Gohan followed.
Hala walked up to her older sister and tugged on her pant leg. "Sister, can we go to the river? I like it there."
"It's the Son's house. Ask them,"
Hala raced up to Gohan, and asked the same question.
Looking down at the small girl, with a smile on his face, he told her, "If you want to, we will,"
They walked through the woods for quite some time, Gohan and Sihate each carrying their siblings on their backs.
Reaching the river, Sihate put her sister down next to it's eroded bank, and sat down under the nearest tree.
Gohan walked over to the water, Goten still clinging to his back. "You want to swim?"
"Yes!" a scream in the older boys ear was his reply.
Gohan lifted the boy above his head, and threw him into the water. Lightly, as not to hurt him.
"Now me!" Hala screeched, running over to the boy.
Sihate sat under the shade of the tree recalling everything that had occurred over the past few days. Nothing made sense anymore. All she could think of was what her mother had to go through, while she was gone. She had not been there for her mother when she was needed. Maybe if she had been there, she could have made a difference, she could have changed her mother's fate.
~~**~~
"Are you comfortable there?" Chi-Chi asked her new house guest.
"Yes, thank you," Sihate had decided to stay the night at the Son's home, because she had lost track of time, and upon calling her mother it was made clear that she was to stay there for the night, to prevent anything from happening to her on the way home in the dark.
Sihate had been told to stay in Gohan's room. She had refused to bother him by taking his room, but Chi-Chi had insisted that she 'simply must stay in Gohan's room, because it would be improper to have a guest in our home, and a woman no less, sleeping on the floor.'
Sihate fell asleep with warm thoughts running through her head. It was night's like this that she loved. To be able to see the stars from anywhere, after spending the evening with her best friend, in what had become a second home to Sihate.
Sihate awoke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Dry tears clung to her face. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had to get air. Throwing her covers off of her warm body, she walked over to the open window.
She took in three deep breaths when the door swung open, flooding light into the room. Sihate winced, as her eyes adjusted. She found Chi-Chi standing in the doorway, dressed in a red robe and night gown, with black slippers.
"Get the phone Sihate, it's important." The woman said in a voice, trying to be calm, but carrying a note of frantic worry.
Sihate walked out to the phone. She picked it up, unsure if she wanted to hear the message from the other side.
"Your mother and sister have been in a car accident. Your sister is fine. She has a bump on her head, and that's about it. Your mother was not so fortunate. She is in critical condition, and may not make it through the night." The doctor on the other end had told her. She would have broke down into tears, right there had she not been in such a rush to get to the hospital.
"I have to go." Sihate ran out the door still wearing only the large shirt, that Gohan had lent to her, as a night gown.
Gohan walked out to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's going on?"
"Go after her!" Chi-Chi yelled.
Gohan looked down at his boxer short pyjamas, then looked back at his mother with an expression that seemed to ask 'are you crazy?'
"Just go!" The woman shouted again. Gohan grabbed a pair of pants lying on the back of a chair, and Chi-Chi tossed her night gown to him, for Sihate. He ran out the door and flew after the girl.
Sihate noticed the boy catching up to her, and without meaning to, sped up. All thought was banished from her mind as she flew. She could get there faster if she did not think about anything.
Landing at the hospital, she bolted through the doors and took no notice of the several people she had run into. Sihate had been running so fast she had no time to stop when she reached the receptionist's desk, so she ran into it.
"Where is my mother? Conners, Alecia Conners is her name! Please, where is she? I was told she's in critical condition!" Sihate asked, out of breath.
"One moment please," The lady behind the desk told her.
Sihate was waiting impatiently, when Gohan ran up beside her. He now had pants on, but no shirt.
"Fourth floor, room forty four, and the elevators are over there," The woman pointed to her left.
"Make sure Hala is okay!" Sihate yelled as she ran to the elevators.
Sihate waited for an elevator and when it's great doors opened, it was revealed that there was not enough room for her. Once again Sihate took off, this time for the stairs. She ran the four flights, in seconds.
The girl ran up and down the hallways, stopping only when she reached a dark room, with the number forty four written beside it. She turned the corner, unhappy with what she found. A woman lay on the hospital bed, machines attached to her from everywhere.
The woman's only movement was a slight rise and fall in her chest, as she breathed. She was a beautiful woman with long flowing chestnut coloured hair, and fair skin, that was normally smooth and soft. Today her skin was covered several painful bruises and gashes of many sizes.
The young girl pulled a chair up next to her mother, and whispered in the woman's ear, "Are you still, here?" She waited for a response.
A slight movement of the woman's index finger told the girl that she was not alone. She hugged her mother lightly, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already was.
"Sihate? Sihate? Anybody home?"
~~**~~
Sihate found herself being dragged from her memories, by human interaction. Someone was hitting her on the head. She welcomed this interaction, she had had enough of those painful memories.
Looking up, Sihate found the intruder of her thoughts to be her little sister. "We're leaving now, Sihate."
Hala walked up to her older sister and tugged on her pant leg. "Sister, can we go to the river? I like it there."
"It's the Son's house. Ask them,"
Hala raced up to Gohan, and asked the same question.
Looking down at the small girl, with a smile on his face, he told her, "If you want to, we will,"
They walked through the woods for quite some time, Gohan and Sihate each carrying their siblings on their backs.
Reaching the river, Sihate put her sister down next to it's eroded bank, and sat down under the nearest tree.
Gohan walked over to the water, Goten still clinging to his back. "You want to swim?"
"Yes!" a scream in the older boys ear was his reply.
Gohan lifted the boy above his head, and threw him into the water. Lightly, as not to hurt him.
"Now me!" Hala screeched, running over to the boy.
Sihate sat under the shade of the tree recalling everything that had occurred over the past few days. Nothing made sense anymore. All she could think of was what her mother had to go through, while she was gone. She had not been there for her mother when she was needed. Maybe if she had been there, she could have made a difference, she could have changed her mother's fate.
~~**~~
"Are you comfortable there?" Chi-Chi asked her new house guest.
"Yes, thank you," Sihate had decided to stay the night at the Son's home, because she had lost track of time, and upon calling her mother it was made clear that she was to stay there for the night, to prevent anything from happening to her on the way home in the dark.
Sihate had been told to stay in Gohan's room. She had refused to bother him by taking his room, but Chi-Chi had insisted that she 'simply must stay in Gohan's room, because it would be improper to have a guest in our home, and a woman no less, sleeping on the floor.'
Sihate fell asleep with warm thoughts running through her head. It was night's like this that she loved. To be able to see the stars from anywhere, after spending the evening with her best friend, in what had become a second home to Sihate.
Sihate awoke in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Dry tears clung to her face. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She had to get air. Throwing her covers off of her warm body, she walked over to the open window.
She took in three deep breaths when the door swung open, flooding light into the room. Sihate winced, as her eyes adjusted. She found Chi-Chi standing in the doorway, dressed in a red robe and night gown, with black slippers.
"Get the phone Sihate, it's important." The woman said in a voice, trying to be calm, but carrying a note of frantic worry.
Sihate walked out to the phone. She picked it up, unsure if she wanted to hear the message from the other side.
"Your mother and sister have been in a car accident. Your sister is fine. She has a bump on her head, and that's about it. Your mother was not so fortunate. She is in critical condition, and may not make it through the night." The doctor on the other end had told her. She would have broke down into tears, right there had she not been in such a rush to get to the hospital.
"I have to go." Sihate ran out the door still wearing only the large shirt, that Gohan had lent to her, as a night gown.
Gohan walked out to the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "What's going on?"
"Go after her!" Chi-Chi yelled.
Gohan looked down at his boxer short pyjamas, then looked back at his mother with an expression that seemed to ask 'are you crazy?'
"Just go!" The woman shouted again. Gohan grabbed a pair of pants lying on the back of a chair, and Chi-Chi tossed her night gown to him, for Sihate. He ran out the door and flew after the girl.
Sihate noticed the boy catching up to her, and without meaning to, sped up. All thought was banished from her mind as she flew. She could get there faster if she did not think about anything.
Landing at the hospital, she bolted through the doors and took no notice of the several people she had run into. Sihate had been running so fast she had no time to stop when she reached the receptionist's desk, so she ran into it.
"Where is my mother? Conners, Alecia Conners is her name! Please, where is she? I was told she's in critical condition!" Sihate asked, out of breath.
"One moment please," The lady behind the desk told her.
Sihate was waiting impatiently, when Gohan ran up beside her. He now had pants on, but no shirt.
"Fourth floor, room forty four, and the elevators are over there," The woman pointed to her left.
"Make sure Hala is okay!" Sihate yelled as she ran to the elevators.
Sihate waited for an elevator and when it's great doors opened, it was revealed that there was not enough room for her. Once again Sihate took off, this time for the stairs. She ran the four flights, in seconds.
The girl ran up and down the hallways, stopping only when she reached a dark room, with the number forty four written beside it. She turned the corner, unhappy with what she found. A woman lay on the hospital bed, machines attached to her from everywhere.
The woman's only movement was a slight rise and fall in her chest, as she breathed. She was a beautiful woman with long flowing chestnut coloured hair, and fair skin, that was normally smooth and soft. Today her skin was covered several painful bruises and gashes of many sizes.
The young girl pulled a chair up next to her mother, and whispered in the woman's ear, "Are you still, here?" She waited for a response.
A slight movement of the woman's index finger told the girl that she was not alone. She hugged her mother lightly, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already was.
"Sihate? Sihate? Anybody home?"
~~**~~
Sihate found herself being dragged from her memories, by human interaction. Someone was hitting her on the head. She welcomed this interaction, she had had enough of those painful memories.
Looking up, Sihate found the intruder of her thoughts to be her little sister. "We're leaving now, Sihate."