Just One Week

XVII.

Needless to say, after that night I talked with Gohan, I didn't feel that pang of jealousy or envy anymore. No, it wasn't exactly because I knew I wasn't alone or the odd-one-out. The main reason was I didn't have enough time to feel such emotions. In my last few weeks of pregnancy, my stomach might as well have exploded. My back ached more than ever and I swore to myself that I would never put my body through this pain again. I wanted so badly to get up and move around, but I just felt too heavy to carry myself like that.

Videl also got bigger, even more so than me, to tell the truth. I assume that's because of her age, though. I knew Videl was going to have a harder time with her pregnancy than I. Girls her age, who are still growing, need as much calcium as they can get. And when they have another being inside of them, the baby gets greedy and takes all the good stuff for itself. Being that her baby had Saiyan blood in it didn't help matters any. On the bright side, Videl was in very good shape and that was a big plus.

Us two females decided to team up and spend our last few weeks of pregnancy in relaxation. Poor Gohan…I have to laugh every time I think about what we put that poor boy through. Of course, Goten and Trunks weren't left out of the picture. How fair would that be? At first, Trunks didn't want to have anything to do with "helping pitiful girls with big stomachs," but after Goten made some sort of game out of it, Trunks just couldn't help himself. So, in the end, we got all the guys to be our personal slaves.

I don't even have words to describe the night I went into labor. It was just so…hectic. It's funny, 'cause when I had Trunks, I knew it was going to happen almost twenty-four hours prior to his birth. But with this one…it came almost unexpectedly…

* * * * * * * *

It was about two-thirty in the morning, and Bulma was having a dream just like probably everyone else in Capsule Corp. One wouldn't think it was any special sort of dream, just one that made hardly any sense, no matter how much you try to make out of it. Of course, just like any other dream, there was no beginning and no end.

Bulma was sitting in the passenger seat of a car, speeding down a highway faster than she would have liked to. She didn't know who was in control of the vehicle for she didn't bother to turn to look. Her eyes were glued on the road as it zoomed past her, going quicker and quicker. She wanted to tell whomever to slow down, but before she had a chance to, there was an abrupt stop.

It wasn't a stop that jerked her forward; however, it was a smooth stop. She saw there was a "Road Closed" sign in front of the car and was going to tell the person driving to turn around. Before she had a chance to, though, she was somewhere else.

Now it was like she was in some sort of maze. She knew she was on foot this time, though she was still traveling as fast as she was when she was in the car. Bulma couldn't feel her feet move, giving her an instant feeling on what it felt like to fly. It was a narrow labyrinth; bushes that must have been thirty feet high were located on each side of her. Finally, she came to a fork in the path. Her body didn't bother to slow down, however, as it almost instinctively went to the left.

Before she got too far on that side, though, she went backwards, turned to the right this time, and once again began flying down the path. She was beginning to feel like she was in a cheap video game where you couldn't see your character moving, but you were literally his eyes.

Bulma flew down the passage for only a moment more before she came to another abrupt, yet smooth, stop. The bushes were now in front of her; she reached a dead end in the maze.

She ended up in what seemed like an abandoned apartment building. She was going at a normal walking pace now, looking around what must have been the main lobby. Hearing something fall behind her, she quickly spun around and was surprised to see Goku standing there. She took a couple steps towards him and reached out a hand. She tried to speak, but no words would come out, even when she saw him turn around and begin to leave.

Getting some control over herself, she began running after him, only to have a door slam in her face. Unfazed by the action, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, only to see Goku go through another door and slam it behind him. Bulma was determined, however, and opened that door. She saw Goku do the same thing again. Bulma approximated that this happened about four or five more times before she was finally able to open a door and see Goku standing right in front of her.

He was smiling down at her, but as soon as she was able to figure this out, his expression became sad, solemn. She felt confused, wanting to ask him what was wrong. The door slammed in between them before she had a chance. Without knowing why, she turned around and went for the door she just went through. Opening it, she was more than surprised to see Vegeta standing on the other side.

The Saiyan Prince allowed an evil smirk to cross his lips, his arms folded over his chest. Her legs stopped working in that instant as she watched in horror as he took a step towards her.

"It's time," his gruff voice rang throughout both of her ears, entering into her brain as though that was the only saying she knew of. She brought her hands up to cover her ears, her eyes clenching shut as she began to feel like she was drowning in the middle of the ocean where no one would ever be able to find her. Her heart felt like it was being punched from the inside; her pelvic area feeling strained for a reason unbeknownst to her.

Bulma gasped loudly, that being the sound that reasonably woke her from her nightmare. Her eyes snapped open to stare into the complete darkness of her bedroom, the light shining in through her window only allowing shadows to dance off her walls.

A pain shot up through her whole body, starting in her midsection, then traveling up to her head, only to quickly dash down through her legs. Gasping once again, she instinctively threw her covers off her, her eyes wide as she stared down at her body. She was only able to move her hips slightly to the side before the pain began to get unbearable. Her breathing began to come out in desperate pants now. Bulma could feel the wetness on and between her legs and knew right then that her water had broken.

She broke out in a cold sweat, her eyes, teeth, and fists clenching shut in a shaky manner. She even tried to moan lowly, to let out her pain. However, she found she had no voice and began to panic even more.

"Go…Gohan…" she whispered, hoping against hope that he would somehow magically hear her. Her lower area began to pulsate; silently yet so loudly warning her that she better do something quick. Without thinking, her hand reached over to her side table. Her fingers found her alarm clock first. Bulma wanted to grasp it firmly and throw it against the wall, hoping that someone would hear the crash and come check on her. Luck was not on her side, though, as she merely pushed it off the stand to make it land gently on the carpet.

"Stay calm, Bulma."

Her eyes opened immediately. She knew that voice…it was Goku's. But where was he? She didn't see him anywhere. Why was he hiding in the dark from her? How was she supposed to stay calm when he wasn't right beside her?

Before she could ask herself anymore questions, she felt an almost comforting warmth spread over her belly. Just for a moment, she didn't feel anymore pain. She was able to open her fists up and relax her aching jaw. Water was almost spilling out of her eyes from the strain she put on them and allowed herself to blink a few times.

"Gohan." She heard Goku's voice speak again.

"Gohan…" Bulma heard herself say, her heart skipping a beat when she realized she had her voice back. And then just as suddenly as it came, the warmth that surrounded her was gone and the pain once again shot through her like a bullet.

She squeezed her eyes shut again and grasped the sheets beneath her throbbing body, "Gohan!" After she screamed his name, she felt another pain hit her right in her stomach, making her inhale a gasp sharply and painfully.

Behind her closed eyelids, she was able to make out a light that came on, followed by a couple pairs of footsteps.

"Bulma! Are you okay? Tell me what you need," Gohan spoke urgently, his cool hand feeling extremely good when it rested on her forehead.

"I'll get some towels," Videl spoke up before Bulma could respond. The young girl was heard going into Bulma's bathroom, quickly coming back. The couple helped in lifting both of her legs so one towel could go under each. Videl handed Gohan the third towel, rushing back into the bathroom to wet a washcloth with cold water.

"I have a feeling this isn't going to take very long," Bulma said all in one forced breath. Another pain hit her, causing her to groan and throw her head back, feeling Videl slowly glide the cold cloth down her face, "or at least I hope so."

"Come on, Bulma, just focus on one thing and one thing only," Gohan demanded gently. He positioned the towel just right in his hands so he would be able to help deliver Bulma's baby as best he could.

Bulma was just about to start that oh-so-famous breathing routine when she heard two other voices coming from her doorway.

"What's going on?" a sleepy Trunks asked, rubbing his left eye roughly with his palm.

"What's wrong with Mom?" asked Goten, sounding a bit more alert and afraid.

Hearing that they were there only seemed to put more stress on her mind, a moan escaping her lips before she had any chance of holding it back.

Bulma felt the abandoned washcloth resting on her forehead now, Videl's voice sounding very far away suddenly.

"Nothing's wrong with your mom, you guys," Videl tried to soothe the two out in the hallway, "she's about to have your brother or sister right now, so I'm going to ask if you two mind maybe waiting in your room until then?"

Videl had to bite her lip in anticipation as she waited for their answer. She watched as the boys looked at each other for a moment and then back up at her.

Trunks spoke first, "Is it going to take very long?"

She shook her head, "I'm hoping not."

"Do you promise to come get us when she has it?" Goten asked innocently, his eyes big and watery as he heard hurtful sounds coming from inside his mother's room.

She nodded this time, "I promise."

They seemed to think about it for a few seconds more before agreeing silently and walking back to their room. Letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in, she ran back in the room, closing the door gently behind her. Videl had to begin holding her stomach as she felt it was beginning to slow her down. She went back up to Bulma's side and took her hand, squeezing it to let her know she could squeeze hers if necessary.

Bulma almost expertly did the "choo-choo" breathing, stopping almost every twenty seconds to give a hard push.

"You're doing great, Bulma," Gohan urged her on, small sweat beads sliding down the side of his face from his own nervousness, "just a little more…"

"Do you think we should call the doctor?" Videl asked, wincing just a little when Bulma squeezed her hand a bit too hard.

Gohan shook his head, "No, it's too late for that. Besides, Bulma has just as good equipment as doctors, if not better." He looked from Videl back down to Bulma, switching more of his weight to his right foot, "Okay Bulma…are you ready?"

Opening her eyes slowly, she looked down at Gohan with trust and gave a single nod.

"One…two…three…"

Before she could hear the demand, she sucked in a deep breath and pushed as hard as she could. She felt like the veins in her head were popping from the pressure and she could've sworn she passed out for about a minute…

~*~

And then I remember hearing a loud wail echoing off each wall in my room. The sound popped me out of my sleeping state and that's when reality kicked in. My hair felt disgusting as it clung to my neck and shoulders, my whole body felt sweaty and confined within my nightgown, and my thighs and legs were sorer than if I would have ran fifty miles.

My eyes never felt heavier, but I forced myself to open my lids and look at my new baby. Videl helped me sit up a bit as she put a few pillows behind me to support my back. I smiled as I caught sight of Gohan holding my baby carefully in the towel, wiping off some of the blood from her head. Yes, I am Bulma, so don't think that I wasn't totally unprepared for this moment! I told Gohan that I had what was needed to cut the baby's cord and wipe it off a little better in my bathroom.

As Videl and Gohan both went in to help, I allowed a small smile to linger on my lips. Even though childbirth was the most painful thing I ever had to go through, the end result always made it worth it. I let myself relax for a few moments before I realized that Gohan didn't even tell me if I had a boy or a girl.

When I heard they were about to come back in my room, I quickly put my covers back over me, getting comfortable enough where I could hold my baby properly. I smiled even more when I heard the baby calm down a little more, held securely in Gohan's arms as he brought it over to me to lay in my arms…

* * * * * * * *

Right away, Bulma made out that there was a little patch of blue hair on top of her baby's head, matching blue eyes staring up at her curiously.

"Congratulations, Bulma…it's a girl," Gohan announced to her quite happily.

Hearing that her baby was a girl seemed to make Bulma all the happier. She took great joy and pride as her and her girl stared at each other for the first time. With extreme gentleness, she lifted one hand to run a single finger over her daughter's chubby cheek.

"What are you going to name her?" Videl asked, smiling down at the scene and suddenly feeling anxious to hold her own baby.

"I think…I think I'm going to name her Bra," Bulma said confidently, smiling more after Bra giggled a bit when Bulma must have hit a ticklish spot.

"I'm going to get Goten and Trunks now," Videl stated, waiting to see Bulma's nod of approval before going.

While she was gone, Bulma took her eyes away from Bra for a moment to look up at Gohan. Her smile lessened, but she was just showing him how much she appreciated what he did, "Thank you so much, Gohan."

He smiled back at her and came up beside her to stare down at the new Capsule Corp. addition, "Hey, it's no problem. Really Bulma, you helped my mom in the exact position so it was the least I could do."

"Mommy!" Goten screamed as he came running in first, jumping up on the high bed to crawl up to her. When Bra heard the abrupt loud noise, she suddenly let out a clamorous cry of protest.

"Shhh, Goten, you have to be quiet around your new sibling," Bulma almost whispered to him, rocking Bra gently to get her to calm down before she started a crying fit.

Goten clasped both of his hands over his mouth in alarm before he was able to settle himself, "Sorry…" he said somewhat inaudibly.

"What are you…stupid? Even I know that you have to be quiet around babies." Of course, that was Trunks as he came walking in the room. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his gait calm and steady when he walked beside the bed to see the bundle his mother was holding. Though his manner made it seem like he could care less, the lavender haired child's eyes told a different story.

Goten, for the most part, ignored Trunks' little insult and put his full attention towards the baby, "Is it a girl?"

"Yes, she's a girl," answered Bulma, giggling a little when Bra looked up at Goten who was staring directly down at her.

"What's her name?" Trunks asked, his curiosity getting the better of him as he stood on his tiptoes and pulled the blanket down a little to see her face.

"Bra." She said, now watching as she helped Bra lean up a bit to look down at her other brother.

"Can we play with her?" Goten asked, trying to avert her attention back to him.

Bulma shook her head, "Not right now. Bra needs to get some sleep and so do I. Besides…" she looked to the side at her clock that Videl must have put back on her stand at one point or another, "It's after three in the morning. I think you two need more rest before playtime."

Goten and Trunks looked at each other and then sighed, "All right…" Very reluctantly, they started for the door, making sure to turn back to Bulma and give their best puppy eyes.

She giggled a little and waved her hand, "That's not gonna work right now. Go!" She said playfully, laughing again at the mock disappointment on both of their faces. She shook her head and looked up at Gohan and Videl who were holding hands, "And you two can go back to bed, too. Don't worry, I'll be all right."

"You want Bra to sleep in here with you tonight?" Gohan asked, reminding her that the three of them did put a nursery together for their kids when they were born.

Thinking about it for a moment, Bulma simply nodded and told Gohan and Videl goodnight before they went off to bed. Sighing a bit loudly, Bulma again pushed the covers off of her to fix herself and the bed up. She knew Gohan and Videl would have helped her if she asked, but Bulma felt they did enough already. Besides, her body ached to be moved in some way or another.

"Never again…" she moaned when she carefully got out of bed. But when she looked back down at the now sleeping Bra, a smile couldn't help but find its way to her again, "Yeah right…"

~*~

And that's the story of the birth of my second child. And believe me, I was more than overjoyed that it turned out to be a girl. Ever since I was a little girl myself I always dreamed about having a girl of my own. And now I got her. I guess Vegeta did something right after all.

Now that I think about it, I was very silly for feeling the way I did before. About being alone that is. Everyone helped me out with Bra. Gohan and Videl took her off of my hands a lot as they wanted to practice for when they had their baby, and Goten and Trunks could show her the time of her life. Yes, Bra was one happy baby, that's for sure. She was even happier (along with Goten and Trunks) when it was time for Videl to deliver.

For her, we all decided to take her to the hospital so she would have more care in case something did happen to go wrong. The worst thing that happened, fortunately, was that she was in labor for about fourteen-and-a-half hours. The poor girl…I couldn't imagine going through that. But she stuck it out, making Gohan stay right by her side the whole time. I would have been happy to do the same, alas; I had to keep an eye on Trunks and Goten. They got joy out of going into random hospital rooms and scaring the patients half to death.

Well, like it was planned, Videl and Gohan had a baby girl they named Pan. Goten and Trunks took to her the same way they did to Bra and wanted to play with her immediately.

And as I stood in the middle of the hospital room, I had to look around at my surroundings. Videl was sitting up in bed holding Pan close to her; Gohan sat beside the bed in one of the blue chairs. Goten was sitting on his lap and looking at Pan, Trunks standing on the opposite side of the bed and doing the same. I stood at the foot of her bed, holding Bra who was gripping my index finger. And though this was simply what a saw, I knew quite well that Goku was standing behind me, looking on at the scene very proudly.

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Sorry it took longer to get this one out. I just started school again and things are a little hectic. But hey, school was canceled today so I got free time. ^^ Now I just have a few things to say…

July: Thank you so much for your reviews! They mean a lot. And about what you said in your last review…the one where I tell people that Bulma will have another kid with Goku at the end (even if it's not true), well…I usually don't like to lie to them. . 'Cause then they'll be reading the rest and when it never comes, they'll start flipping out on me and I'll hear about it from them even more! So I'm just gonna say…

MAYBE!!!!

Quoth Aurora: Where is Vegeta you ask? Somewhere in space I assume. When is he coming back? …Hopefully never? Lol, couldn't really tell you for sure yet.

Bb: I –--cannot—-- make Bra Goku's baby, like I said before. I'd just feel too bad. I'm very sorry, and yes I know I answered other reviewers, but that's because I didn't know what to do at one point and they gave me ideas. And if you look up to the message I sent July then maybe I will half answer your review.

Crystal: Does Goku know about Bulma's pregnancy? …I dunno, does he? ::evil smirk:: Does he know what's going happening on Earth? …I dunno, does he? ::evil smirk:: Hahaha! …Okay, actually, in all honesty…I'm not sure yet.

Okay, well those were the reviewers were major questions or such. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I tried to make it a tidbit longer than the others. I can say one thing if any of you have the question of "When's Goku coming back?"

Answer: Just wait a few more chapters.