It took the 'thud' of him hitting the ground to get Chi-Chi's
attention. When she looked, Goku was at his side already. "Ah! What
happened!?" She squealed, turning off the oven and rushing over to her
husband and eldest son.
"I... don't know," Goku said, noticing that Gohan was panting and clutching at his heart. "Oh no..." Just then, Gohan started to scream out in pain.
"Gohan!" He gasped, picking him up and taking him to bed, but the writhing twenty one year old made it quite difficult for him.
Chi-Chi rushed in with a thermometer, and it took all of Goku's strength to pin down his son so his wife could get an accurate measurement of his temp. After a moment, the thermometer beeped and Chi-Chi pulled it away, attempting to close her ears to Gohan's screams of pain, and Goku allowed him to writhe again, unsure of what else to do.
"Oh Goku..." Chi-Chi moaned, sitting down in a chair, unable to believe the rating.
"How bad is it?" He asked, halfway knowing the answer.
"105.8..." She murmured. "The symptoms are all there... GOKU!" She wailed and began to sob violently. "Why Gohan?!" She wailed. "We don't have medicine for it this time!!!!"
"Chi-Chi! I...I promise I'll think of something!" Goku said, attempting to calm down his wife. "Go get something for his fever! Then get Goten or someone to call Bulma, maybe she can make more medicine!"
She nodded and ran out of the room, but before doing so, she ran into little Gochi.
"What's wrong with Gohe-chan?" She asked, seeing her older brother in pain.
"He's really sick," Her mother said quickly. "Can you call Bulma's house, Gochi?"
"Yeah mommy, I'm a big girl now!" She said. "But I want to make my brother feel better!" She insisted, going into the room as Chi-Chi ran off to get a wet towel for Gohan. "Daddy, where does he hurt?"
"His heart, dear," Goku said quietly, feeling increasingly helpless as Gohan's screams became more and more strained. The clawing at his heart became more violent as his voice became weaker. Finally, Chi-Chi came back with the towel, and laid it on her son's head. Gohan had become so drained of energy at this point; all he could do was take long, labored breaths.
"Goku, if we don't get him medicine soon..." Chi-Chi said softly.
"..Dad..." Gohan said weakly, although unable to open his eyes. Goku grabbed his son's hand and squeezed tight.
"It's okay, Gohan. We're going to get through this,"
"...It hurts..." He whimpered. Goku held him close, Gohan writhing slightly in his father's embrace.
"I'm going to call Bulma," Chi-Chi said quickly and left the room.
"I thought I was gonna call Ms. Bulma..." Gochi whined, but Goku placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Where is Goten, Gochi?"
She looked back at her father with her wide, black eyes. "He's over at Trunks' house, daddy,"
"Good, cause we're going over there soon,"
**********
Bulma was reprogramming a malfunctioning robot, when the phone rang. Absentmindedly, she picked up with one hand, while still working on the robot with her other hand.
"Capsule Corp, how may I help you?" She said, still completely focused on the robot.
"Bulma!" Chi-Chi cried, obviously upset.
"What's wrong, Chi-Chi?" Bulma said, dropping everything to listen to her friend.
"It's Gohan..." She sniffled. "He... He..."
A pang of deep, cold fear struck Bulma's soul. "What about Gohan?" She couldn't bear it if anything had happened to the first son of her best friend, Goku. The guy was like a son to her too.
"I think he came down with the viral heart disease..."
Bulma stiffened. "Are you absolutely sure, Chi-Chi?"
"All the symptoms are the same! It couldn't be anything else..."
"...What are we going to do...?" Bulma moaned. "The medicine hasn't come out yet..."
"We have a tiny bit of medicine here, can you possibly make more?" She asked desperately, her voice distorted by held back sobs.
"I believe so, get it over here as fast as you can," She said quickly.
"Alright, see you soon," And she hung up. Bulma didn't realize she was shaking until she tried to hang up the phone, and it clattered to the ground.
"What's up, Mom?"
She turned to face the door, and there was Trunks, looking quite concerned after seeing her mother shake. NOTHING made his mom shake, not even his dad's tantrums.
"Gohan..." She said, sitting down.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked, feeling fear overcome him.
"What about my bro?" Goten asked lazily, walked up as well. When he saw Bulma, he froze. She had a distant look in her eyes, her hands were shaking, and her posture implied something terrible. "...What happened?!" He exclaimed, determined not to resort to shaking himself. "What's wrong with my brother?!"
"...You remember... Us talking about... The heart disease...? The one... your father had... before you were born...?" Bulma looked up to Goten, her eyes unable to focus on him clearly, for she herself was still in a state of shock. He let it sink in, and Trunks lowered his head, not able to find words to comfort Goten.
"...The one with no cure...?" Goten asked, voice quivering. Bulma nodded. It started with his legs, they buckled and gave way to the hard, cement floor. He ignored the pain as he felt the rest of him tremble with terror of the future, one without his big brother. "...no..."
"Goten, I'm sorry-"Trunks went to say, but his words only made the other half saien angry.
"NO!" Goten screamed, adrenaline pumping though his system, and he ran away from them, and went to go see his brother, telling himself that he was going to be fine. "HE CAN'T DIE!"
Bulma and Trunks looked at each other with a look of defeated compassion.
"I... don't know," Goku said, noticing that Gohan was panting and clutching at his heart. "Oh no..." Just then, Gohan started to scream out in pain.
"Gohan!" He gasped, picking him up and taking him to bed, but the writhing twenty one year old made it quite difficult for him.
Chi-Chi rushed in with a thermometer, and it took all of Goku's strength to pin down his son so his wife could get an accurate measurement of his temp. After a moment, the thermometer beeped and Chi-Chi pulled it away, attempting to close her ears to Gohan's screams of pain, and Goku allowed him to writhe again, unsure of what else to do.
"Oh Goku..." Chi-Chi moaned, sitting down in a chair, unable to believe the rating.
"How bad is it?" He asked, halfway knowing the answer.
"105.8..." She murmured. "The symptoms are all there... GOKU!" She wailed and began to sob violently. "Why Gohan?!" She wailed. "We don't have medicine for it this time!!!!"
"Chi-Chi! I...I promise I'll think of something!" Goku said, attempting to calm down his wife. "Go get something for his fever! Then get Goten or someone to call Bulma, maybe she can make more medicine!"
She nodded and ran out of the room, but before doing so, she ran into little Gochi.
"What's wrong with Gohe-chan?" She asked, seeing her older brother in pain.
"He's really sick," Her mother said quickly. "Can you call Bulma's house, Gochi?"
"Yeah mommy, I'm a big girl now!" She said. "But I want to make my brother feel better!" She insisted, going into the room as Chi-Chi ran off to get a wet towel for Gohan. "Daddy, where does he hurt?"
"His heart, dear," Goku said quietly, feeling increasingly helpless as Gohan's screams became more and more strained. The clawing at his heart became more violent as his voice became weaker. Finally, Chi-Chi came back with the towel, and laid it on her son's head. Gohan had become so drained of energy at this point; all he could do was take long, labored breaths.
"Goku, if we don't get him medicine soon..." Chi-Chi said softly.
"..Dad..." Gohan said weakly, although unable to open his eyes. Goku grabbed his son's hand and squeezed tight.
"It's okay, Gohan. We're going to get through this,"
"...It hurts..." He whimpered. Goku held him close, Gohan writhing slightly in his father's embrace.
"I'm going to call Bulma," Chi-Chi said quickly and left the room.
"I thought I was gonna call Ms. Bulma..." Gochi whined, but Goku placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Where is Goten, Gochi?"
She looked back at her father with her wide, black eyes. "He's over at Trunks' house, daddy,"
"Good, cause we're going over there soon,"
**********
Bulma was reprogramming a malfunctioning robot, when the phone rang. Absentmindedly, she picked up with one hand, while still working on the robot with her other hand.
"Capsule Corp, how may I help you?" She said, still completely focused on the robot.
"Bulma!" Chi-Chi cried, obviously upset.
"What's wrong, Chi-Chi?" Bulma said, dropping everything to listen to her friend.
"It's Gohan..." She sniffled. "He... He..."
A pang of deep, cold fear struck Bulma's soul. "What about Gohan?" She couldn't bear it if anything had happened to the first son of her best friend, Goku. The guy was like a son to her too.
"I think he came down with the viral heart disease..."
Bulma stiffened. "Are you absolutely sure, Chi-Chi?"
"All the symptoms are the same! It couldn't be anything else..."
"...What are we going to do...?" Bulma moaned. "The medicine hasn't come out yet..."
"We have a tiny bit of medicine here, can you possibly make more?" She asked desperately, her voice distorted by held back sobs.
"I believe so, get it over here as fast as you can," She said quickly.
"Alright, see you soon," And she hung up. Bulma didn't realize she was shaking until she tried to hang up the phone, and it clattered to the ground.
"What's up, Mom?"
She turned to face the door, and there was Trunks, looking quite concerned after seeing her mother shake. NOTHING made his mom shake, not even his dad's tantrums.
"Gohan..." She said, sitting down.
"What's wrong with him?" He asked, feeling fear overcome him.
"What about my bro?" Goten asked lazily, walked up as well. When he saw Bulma, he froze. She had a distant look in her eyes, her hands were shaking, and her posture implied something terrible. "...What happened?!" He exclaimed, determined not to resort to shaking himself. "What's wrong with my brother?!"
"...You remember... Us talking about... The heart disease...? The one... your father had... before you were born...?" Bulma looked up to Goten, her eyes unable to focus on him clearly, for she herself was still in a state of shock. He let it sink in, and Trunks lowered his head, not able to find words to comfort Goten.
"...The one with no cure...?" Goten asked, voice quivering. Bulma nodded. It started with his legs, they buckled and gave way to the hard, cement floor. He ignored the pain as he felt the rest of him tremble with terror of the future, one without his big brother. "...no..."
"Goten, I'm sorry-"Trunks went to say, but his words only made the other half saien angry.
"NO!" Goten screamed, adrenaline pumping though his system, and he ran away from them, and went to go see his brother, telling himself that he was going to be fine. "HE CAN'T DIE!"
Bulma and Trunks looked at each other with a look of defeated compassion.
