A/N: Woot woot! Last chapter, oh yeah! But this one's a little longer than the others. Thanks for all the encouragement, you guys! I really appreciate your reviews.
"This is completely impossible," Chi Chi muttered. She was trying to put away the dishes she'd just finished washing, but her huge stomach prevented her from reaching the upper shelf. There was no way for her to get closer to the counter, but she couldn't stand leaving clean plates sitting out. They belong in the cupboard! She weighed her options: wait till Gohan gets home from school; call Krillin; call Bulma. Gohan wouldn't be home for hours, and she knew Bulma and Krillin weren't going to come over for dishes.
Chi Chi sighed, "I need to be three inches taller or 40 pounds lighter." But at nine months pregnant, she was 5'2" and weighed 209 pounds. She absolutely could not wait till her pregnancy was over and she was able to move normally again. At least last time she'd had Goku around to help. She sighed again. "He was tall enough to put away the dishes." Finally giving up on the freshly washed plates, she shuffled over to the refrigerator. It was time for some food.
As she munched on her pickled turnips and chocolate frosting, she continued a quest for a name. The baby was due any day now, and she didn't know what to call him. Maybe I should just name him Piccolo, she thought gloomily. It'd make Gohan happy. Come to think of it, Goku would probably like it, too. But somehow, she knew she couldn't name her son after a huge, green alien. Besides, she'd never quite forgiven him for kidnapping Gohan.
She suddenly gasped as intense pain shot through her body. Oh, please! Chi Chi thought, panic rising within her. Not right now! She took deep breaths and tried to regain her composure. After the pain had passed, she said wryly, "Now sweetheart, you know I love you, but you really are terribly inconvenient." She looked at the clock to time her contractions as she put away the remains of her snack. Then she sat down at the table to patiently wait till it was time to go to the hospital.
I can do this, she told herself sternly. I am strong. I am a fighter. I kick the snot out of anything that gets in my way. It had been her mantra since that conversation with Bulma. But still, she would have given anything to have Goku there.
She waited alone, bravely, as the contractions became more severe and more frequent. When they were about five minutes apart, she calmly picked up the phone to tell the hospital she was coming. I am strong. I am a fighter. I kick the snot out of anything that gets in my way. Chi Chi smiled serenely. See? I can do this. And the baby will- no! I still haven't picked a name! What do I do? Never mind, I'll worry about it later. She took a deep breath and picked up her keys. Reality chose that particular moment to not simply hit her, but body slam her like a sumo wrestler.
"OH CRAP!" she shouted, forgetting that she never used that sort of vulgar language, especially not around children. She had also forgotten, incidentally, that she no longer fit behind the steering wheel! Strong, fighter, snot-kicking, she thought frantically, trying not to panic. She grabbed the phone.
"Bulma!" she wailed when her friend answered. "Heeeelp! Help help help!"
"Whoa, calm down. What's wrong?"
Chi Chi took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "I'm-going-into-labor-and-I-can't-drive-and-I-don't-want-my-baby-born-in-the-kitchen-and-Goku-is-lucky-he's-dead-right-now-'cause-if-he-wasn't-he'd-be-in-for-it-'cause-this-is-ALL-HIS-FAULT!" she finished, panting. Her panic had turned into anger without warning. She was angry about being alone, angry about being in pain, and angry about not knowing how she was going to get through this.
Bulma sighed. At least she's mad instead of just hysterical this time. She knew that when Chi Chi got mad, she could probably pick up a semi-truck if she wanted to. So this was actually a good thing. Smiling a mischievious smile, she decided to "help."
"Well, it's not totally his fault, you know. It takes two to tango, and you did your share," she said in the most annoying sing-song voice she could manage.
Chi Chi was incensed. "BUT HE STARTED IT!" she screeched before another contraction hit her, taking her anger in another direction. "Damn… that Cell…" she hissed murderously. "If he wasn't… already… dead I'd… kill him… myself!"
"OK, Cheech, just hold on. I'll be there as soon as I can. Try not to panic."
"Don't patronize me!" she snapped, having caught her breath. "Just hurry up."
After nearly half-an-hour, Chi Chi heard a car pull up. Finally! she thought, picking up her suitcase. Bulma rushed inside, Vegeta and Trunks in tow.
"So sorry I'm late! I had to drag the babies along with me. Absolutely no cooperation at all." Bulma grabbed the suitcase and started pulling her friend toward the door. "I called Krillin, he'll pick up Gohan, and your dad is -"
"Oh, wait!" Chi Chi interrupted, urgently pointing to the kitchen counter. "Could you put away the dishes first? I don't want to leave them out."
Bulma blinked at her for a moment, then reminded herself this was Chi Chi, after all, so it wasn't that weird a request. She then turned to her husband, who was standing near the sink, looking extremely uncomfortable holding his infant son loosely with one hand. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Vegeta, put those dishes away," she told him. He scowled at her and didn't move. "I MEAN NOW!" she barked. Grumbling, he walked over and picked up the plates. "In that cupboard, second shelf." He was just barely tall enough, but he put them away with a little more force than necessary and continued glaring at her.
With that, Bulma pushed Chi Chi out the door and helped her into the back of the aircar. When they were airborne, Vegeta dropped Trunks onto Bulma's lap. She threw him a puzzled look.
"I've had enough of this tiresome brat. You hold him."
"Perhaps you didn't notice, but I'M DRIVING AT THE MOMENT!" she yelled, completely fed up. It had been difficult enough getting him to come with her, and now he was giving her an attitude? She didn't think so. "UNLESS YOU CAN GET A DRIVER'S LICENSE IN 3 SECONDS AND DRIVE US TO THE HOSPITAL, YOU ARE HOLDING YOUR SON!" She picked the baby up gently and handed him back.
"Bulma?" Chi Chi asked weakly from the back seat. "I still haven't named him. What should I do? I can't think of anything."
Vegeta was in a very, very bad mood, and decided to take to take it out on Chi Chi. Smirking, he said, "Him? What if it's a girl?" And just as he'd predicted, she completely freaked out.
"A GIRL! BUT I HAVEN'T EVEN CONSIDERED ANY GIRL'S NAMES! WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She burst into hysterical sobs.
"I hate you right now. You know that, don't you?" Bulma asked him, grinding her teeth. Vegeta had a satisfied smirk on his face as they finished the drive to the hospital.
Goku, why did you leave me here like this? I know you just wanted to protect us, but this isn't fair. I shouldn't have to do this alone. You're supposed to be here, not just for me, but for our sons. They need you. I need you.
"You're doing beautifully, Mrs. Son. Just one more push and you're done."
Silent tears spilled down her cheeks. Chi Chi hadn't made a sound since they'd entered the hospital. She'd moved beyond pain, beyond grief. Everything seemed so surreal: the room, the doctors, her friends. Bulma and the others were waiting outside; when they'd asked if she wanted someone to stay with her, she'd just shook her head. All she wanted was Goku, and no one else could help her. Her hands tightly gripped the railing of her bed as they had for the past few hours, but she could no longer feel it. She wondered if perhaps she was dreaming. She pushed again anyway, like the doctor had told her to.
When a loud, plaintive cry filled the air, Chi Chi snapped out of her trance. Had she really done it? The doctors placed the squalling newborn in her arms. She smiled at him. He looked exactly like Goku had as a child, right down to the hair. And suddenly, the perfect name popped into her head.
"Goten," she whispered softly. The boy stopped crying. Goten. It had nearly the same meaning as Goku, but the last character meant "air" instead of "sky." It was perfect, just like him.
After the child had been bathed, he was given back to his mother. She'd requested that his tail be removed, but it didn't seem to faze the boy one bit. He was sleeping peacefully in her arms when her friends came in to see them.
"Mom?" Gohan ventured quietly. "Can I hold him?" Chi Chi motioned him to the chair beside her bed. When he sat down, she handed the tiny bundle to him. "Wow. He- he looks just like Dad…" he whispered.
The Ox King was the next to hold Goten, then Bulma and Krillin, before the child was handed back to Chi Chi. She looked at him tenderly, seeing in him all the qualities she loved in her dead husband. In that moment, she decided to raise him differently than she had raised Gohan. She would raise him the way Goku would have wanted. He would be trained in martial arts as soon as possible and not shut up inside with textbooks. From now on, she would be a different mother, a better one.
"You know what?" Bulma said suddenly, interrupting Chi Chi's thoughts. "I'll bet Goten and Trunks will have a lot of fun playing together before long. You'll have to bring him over so they can be friends, and we can visit!"
Chi Chi smiled. "That sounds wonderful." She just hoped Trunks wouldn't turn out to be too much like his father- Goten didn't need that kind of negative influence. Speaking of Vegeta, she owed him for the little "What if it's a girl?" incident.
"Vegeta?" she called boldly, seeing him leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. "Don't you want to see Goten?" She was sure that he was curious about "Kakarott's brat," as he termed her child, and would eventually take a look at him. Bulma grabbed his arm with her free hand and dragged him toward the bed. He pretended to be indifferent, but when he got a good look at the boy, his face twisted into an expression of horror. Chi Chi gleefully wished she had a camera to capture this moment for posterity.
"It- it looks just like Kakarott!" he cried hoarsely, unable to take his eyes off of the tiny copy of his arch-rival.
"I know!" Chi Chi chirped happily. "And just think, since he and Trunks will be spending so much time together, you'll get to see him all the time!"
A/N: Well, that's all folks! Hope you liked it. Please RR! Look, Oozaru Angel! I updated! bounce And everyone else, if you haven't read her "Z Senshi's Institution for DBZ Authors," you should. Funny stuff.
