Son Gohan frowned as he stood by the bathroom door. This was the third time his mother had to rush in there, and sometimes it would take a while, full of silence. Something was up. He waited for his mother to come out, and then he was going to take her to the hospital, whether she liked it or not.
Gohan was not stupid. He noticed Chi-Chi's depression and the effects of it. The constant crying at night, and the pain associated with her not eating enough.
She was sick, he betted. When was the last time he saw her enjoy a full meal? She never ate Bulma's soup…
Gohan heard the toilet flush and the door open. His queasy mother hobbled out, clutching her stomach. "Don't say anything, Mom. I'm taking you to the hospital right now," he said, and grabbed her hand.
He began to head forward, but Chi-Chi gave his hand a fierce squeeze, alerting Gohan to halt.
He turned around. "What?"
Chi-Chi gestured toward the sofa. "Stay here. I'm going shopping. Be good." She dismissed any of Gohan's second thoughts and grabbed her car keys on the way out of the house.
Gohan frowned again. What was she up to?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chi-Chi shook her head as she reached for a medicine box on the shelf. What was that? It appeared there were two of them, merging back and forth. The writing on the box seemed fuzzy. She shook her head again. Another dizzy spell.
Chi-Chi began to reach for it again, but she staggered, and tried regaining her balance. ….What's happening? I swear, I think I'm-
Chi-Chi felt her eyelids droop, and she felt very disoriented. She guessed sleep was taking its toll now. Yeah, it must be, because I think Goku is in front of me…
"Huh? Oh, Goku," she murmured, feeling surreal.
Chi-Chi shook her head. Okay, something was really wrong now. She turned to ask the nearby man for help, but she collapsed.
Hours later, Chi-Chi awoke to the faces of a doctor, a few nurses, and her son. She murmured thoughtfully upon her surroundings. "Mom?" Gohan asked, worried, taking her hand. Chi-Chi looked up. "Gohan… I'm sorry I worried you."
Gohan sighed. "I knew I shouldn't have let you gone alone. I'm sorry."
The doctor cleared his throat, and one of the nurses handed him his clipboard.
"Mrs. Son, it appears that you've been deprived of nutrients, and thus you are very weak. You have been also experiencing pain in your womb, vomiting, and dizziness, according to your son's statement. You'll need to stay here for a few days. Your son will be safe here."
"Thanks," Chi-Chi groggily answered. She turned over in her bed to continue sleeping, but she heard Gohan speaking.
"No, Mom, you have to eat."
Chi-Chi groaned, becoming aggravated. "I don't want to. I'm not hungry." Gohan sat on her bedside. "The nurses are gonna fix you something, and you have to try to eat it, ok? Please do it, Mom."
Chi-Chi faced him. "I'm tired, but I'll try…for you."
Gohan smiled and kissed her forehead. "Good."
Later, Gohan was watching his mother eat, so he would be sure she didn't skip another meal. "C'mon, Mom. It can't be that bad." Chi-Chi grimaced and picked at the lumpy, teriyaki chicken with her chopsticks.
"It's something your father would make," she joked half-heartedly. She smiled sadly. "Although, if something never did come out right, I appreciated the fact he tried."
Gohan smiled. "Just eat, please."
Chi-Chi was eating through her teeth, trying to forget the taste of hospital food. "I wish I had the strength to cook," she muttered. Gohan laughed. "Well, when the doctor says it's okay for you to go home, I'll cook for you."
Chi-Chi sighed as she took a sip of her orange juice. "I actually miss cooking for you and your father."
Gohan rubbed her shoulder, wishing she would forget about Goku. Whenever she thought of him, there seemed to be a bitter and sullen atmosphere present.
"Hey, Gohan?"
"Hm?" The Sayian boy looked at his mother, and noticed a soft, quizzical look in her eyes. "Do you think your father can speak to us from the Other World? I keep wanting to hear from him."
Gohan looked away. "He can, but I don't know why he doesn't. He might be training up in the Other World with King Kai. Are you mad that he doesn't speak?"
Chi-Chi shook her head. "I guess I'm a little disappointed."
Gohan flinched. "A little? Mom, he's your husband! He should talk to you! I can't believe he hasn't done anything. It's been over a week since he died. It's not fair."
Chi-Chi sunk back into her pillow. "It seems you were expecting a call too, huh? Well, I know your father will come through. He may have caused us great sorrow, but he told me he always thinks of us when he's away."
Gohan mumbled under his breath, "Then why hasn't he said a word?"
A few days later…
"Now, what were you doing before you collapsed in the store?"
Dr. Jinsei put on his glasses and fixed his concerned gaze on Chi-Chi, who was shy right now. "Um, looking for a pregnancy test." Jinsei smiled slightly. "Oh, I see. Well, if you'd like, we'll run a few tests." Chi-Chi nodded.
Later, it was confirmed that Chi-Chi was pregnant. Chi-Chi blushed and smiled softly, tears filling her eyes. "I wonder what the baby will be…"
Dr. Jinsei held up a phone receiver. "Would you like to call your family?"
"It's okay. It's just me and my son, Gohan," Chi-Chi explained. "Could you please bring him in here?"
Dr. Jinsei nodded, and Gohan was soon brought into the room. When it was just the two of them, Chi-Chi beckoned Gohan to come stand by her bedside. Chi-Chi took Gohan's hand in hers. "There's something I need to tell you."
Gohan nodded, and Chi-Chi continued, "I'm pregnant. You're going to have a baby brother or sister in nine months."
Gohan grinned. "Wow! A baby! That's awesome, Mom!"
Chi-Chi blushed and smiled. "Yes… I just found out, but when we go home tomorrow, we're going to have to go over a few things and do some shopping."
Chi-Chi looked up and thought of Goku. You planned this, didn't you? You were considerate, but it's going to be hard with just Gohan and me. It will be a pleasure to raise our child nonetheless. Thank you for making me a mother again.
Chi-Chi sighed, and looked up when Gohan gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Hey, Mom. You can make it through this. Whatever it is that you want me to do, I'll do it. We can do this together."
He looked thoughtful.
"But… I'm wondering, Mom. Are you gonna be happy with this baby? How did it even get inside you anyway?"
Chi-Chi blushed. "I'm going to be more than happy, Gohan. Um, let's just say the baby is a gift from your father. That's why he's called your Daddy."
"Yeah, a gift… Okay, Mom."
Chi-Chi smiled sincerely. "Honest."
Gohan looked away. "I didn't doubt you…"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sometime had passed since then. Gohan was in the living room, rubbing his mother's swollen stomach. He heard the moans of appreciation from Chi-Chi, and continued to rub. "Being like this must hurt, right? I wish I could do more for you, Mom. Are you hungry?"
Chi-Chi slowly shook her head. "I'm just tired. This baby is taking a lot out of me."
Gohan looked at her and frowned. His mother said she'd be more than happy to have this baby, but lately she was tired and in pain. Some days she could hardly move. She wasn't the only one who was suffering.
Gohan used his knuckles to knead into Chi-Chi's tender flesh, massaging in small circles. Go easy on Mom, will ya? He thought about the baby.
Suffering had also become a part of Gohan's life as well. He studied long and hard to please his mother. He even did so far as to risk his health, but it was for his mother's pleasure during her pregnancy.
He also cooked meals frequently to keep him and Chi-Chi alive. The first few months were almost disastrous, but through experiment, Gohan was developing his culinary skills.
He also attended to cleaning and the laundry. Living this way for months was frustrating, and sometimes, Gohan missed his father desperately. He never complained about his duties, though. He promised his mother he'd do whatever he could to help.
Yet, at other times, when he saw Chi-Chi cry, he became angry with his father for leaving, and leaving her pregnant. Didn't he know a baby would be a lot to care for? Why should Gohan have all these responsibilities on his shoulders?
Gohan was, at first, as sad as Chi-Chi. He was still a boy who needed his father. Then he began to feel guilty. If only he had convinced his father to fight first on the battle against Cell! He didn't care if he was the one to die. At least Chi-Chi would have her husband.
Being the only Son to come home to her was one of the most painful things Gohan had to go through.
The guilt turned to humility. Gohan regretted being so cocky and disobeying his father when he was told to finish Cell off while he was weak. Losing Goku on the battlefield increased Gohan's rage, but it also taught him that despite his Sayian blood, there would always be others who are stronger.
And finally, the humility turned into anger. None of this would've happened if Goku were still alive!
It's not fair… Gohan sighed. Why should he and Chi-Chi have to suffer for his rash decisions? He was angry with his father for grieving him and Chi-Chi beyond belief. Yes, Gohan was hurt, but he felt it was nothing compared to what his mother felt.
Everyday, it was getting harder and harder to ignore his mother's cries, the pain she felt because of the pregnancy, and the pain she felt emotionally.
It wasn't fair! Gohan had declared.
He became angrier when he couldn't help Chi-Chi sometimes, but he was very angry when neither he nor Chi-Chi got a sign or message from him in the Other World.
Had he planned this?
Gohan's rage grew. Had he planned this suffering?! Didn't he want to come back? You think you can leave Mom the gift to compensate the pain we both feel! It will never be enough, Dad! She needs you with her! And I pray everyday for your return. I think about you when I train or meditate.
The desire for your return can be so strong sometimes that I become surreal. It's like I hear you encouraging me in my training.
But you just fly up in the Other World. Dad! You just can't abandon your responsibilities and lay them on me! I'm a kid! I've gotta do what kids do.
That is, studying to make Mom happy. What are you doing, leaving us alone like this? Leaving Mom alone like this? Don't you care at all?
I think…
I think your return would be an even better gift than this baby you've given her! Mom wouldn't have to suffer so much. I'm not going to stand here any longer and watch her cry herself to sleep every night.
Dad…I hate you.
If it's up to me to change something, then I will….for Mom. She deserves better.
To be continued…
Chapter Three: Decisions
A/N:
(1) Things got a little angsty for Gohan, huh? Well, I kinda put myself in his shoes to sorta get an understanding. That would really suck.