Chapter XI

"STOP! STOP! MAKE IT STOP!"

Goku cradled his son close to his chest and paced the room with him, trying to calm him down. However, this pain was beyond anything either he or ChiChi could imagine. Who knew the type of pain their only child was being put through this very moment?

Goku looked down at his son. The boy's face was a bright red color, as he let out his pain the only way he knew how and that was by screeching his lungs out. It made Goku's ears ache but he put up with it, feeling that his son had every right to scream. He would tolerate it and try as best he could to calm him down but that was getting harder and harder with how much pain he was in.

"DADDY! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"

"I know, I know, I know."

"MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE!"

"Daddy's trying, little man. Daddy's trying. Try and calm down."

"It hurts! It hurts!"

"I know, I know it hurts."

"Daddy, make it stop, please!"

Goku bit down his own tears, knowing all too well that if he broke out in tears it would scare his little boy to death. After all, he was Daddy. He was supposed to be strong, to be undefeatable. If Gohan saw his father break down in front of him then it would do nothing but make the poor child ever more petrified than he already was and that was the last thing he needed.

"Calm down baby." Goku kept his cradling, his comforting and his pacing up. It was all that he could think of to do. Krillin had immediately gone to fetch Bulma, to let her know that the boy's virus had taken the turn for the worst. Goku could only wait and hope that Bulma had something that could help. His heart was breaking as he could only sit and listen to his baby boy scream.

"Goku, try this!"

Goku turned to his wife as she ran in, frantic. She handed him a small glass of red looking liquid. "It's an old remedy my father used to use. It was supposed to block pain."

Normally Goku considered pain to be a good thing because it alerted one to when something was wrong but in this case all it was doing was causing his son misery. He took the mixture from his wife who started to speak gently to her son, "Gohan, Gohan. Open up, open up. Mommy made you something to help. Let Daddy give it to you, okay?"

Pain filled eyes greeted her. She stroked back his black hair and Goku sat down on the bed with him, gently urging the boy to open his mouth and drink. As much as Gohan hurt, he tremblingly opened his mouth. Goku poured the red liquid down his throat slowly. The boy made a face but he drank it down obediently and ChiChi brought him a small glass of sweetened tea as a reward. He sipped that slowly but his tears hadn't stopped.

Goku thought a moment and said "hey, ChiChi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you still have that old box we put away when Gohan moved to his big boy bed?"

ChiChi caught on immediately "I'll be back."

Goku nodded and tried to calm his son down. He was going to make himself sick if he kept this up. Actually…he was already making himself sick! Goku ran him into the bathroom and held him over the toilet just as the boy's stomach shifted into reverse. Goku shifted his arms to support his son's neck and gently stroked the boy's face and forehead, whispering soothing words, words that only Goku was allowed to say to Gohan, not even ChiChi could get away with the nicknames Goku was using.

"Daddy…it hurts…it hurt so bad…"

"I know it does Gohan, I know it does…"

"Make it stop…"

"Daddy wishes he could little man."

Gohan gritted his teeth and bit down into Goku's bare skin with his sharp teeth to muffle his coming scream. Goku gritted his own teeth but he let his son bite. If Gohan needed to bite then he would serve for a biting tool if he had to. Gohan's Saiyan fangs were still baby teeth thankfully, as were the rest of the boy's teeth so it didn't hurt quite as bad. Goku let him bite, stroking his hair as he did.

"Shh, it's okay, little man. Aunt Bulma's on her way over to see if she can numb the pain anyway, okay? Just keep fighting for me."

"I…I'm trying."

Gohan burst out screaming again and grabbed his mouth. Goku rushed him to the bathroom again just in time for the boy to spew out the contents of his stomach which unfortunately meant ChiChi's herbal remedy. This was bad. How could they possibly help his son when nothing could stay in his belly? Every medicine goku knew of for internal illnesses had to be swallowed. Even Trunks' original antidote had been an oral medication. Yet, his son was too nauseous to keep anything down.

"DADDY!"

"I know, little man… I know."

Gohan dug his nails into his palms, gritting his teeth so hard that they began to hurt like throbbing battle wounds. His stomach, in the past hour, had become his worst enemy. He began to dread even the smell of food, let alone the taste of it. Not even candy or ice cream would have appealed to him now and he knew that was a bad thing because of how much he and his father loved to eat. But that pain in itself was a minor thing.

There was the dizziness as well. Every time he opened his eyes he was afraid he would throw up and as it appeared to be as of late, that was becoming fact. He hated it because he knew he must be a heck of a burden to his father and mother this way. He kept trying to resist so that he could stop screaming but he ached far too much to not scream and with each scream his stomach heaved.

Then, there was the core of the pain; his heart. Never before had he felt such an intensive pain. When he'd been a little younger, he had gotten heartburn and things of that nature off and on but they were things of pleasure compared to the torment he was feeling right now. He felt like someone was ripping apart his heart with a serrated knife, layer by layer, ventricle by ventricle, atrium by atrium.

Tears erupted out of his eyes, trailing down his cheeks in such torrents that Goku buried his face against his son's so that Gohan wouldn't notice his own tears mixing with his. Goku couldn't hold them in anymore. While outwardly he seemed a fool that believed a way out of any situation, he knew full well how lethal the situation was at present. It was scaring him. He didn't want to lose his only child. Before Gohan was born he had thought that he was perfectly happy with his training. After he married ChiChi, he thought he was perfectly happy so long as he had her and his training. That all changed that one morning in May, so many years ago, six years ago…

Six Years Ago…

"Goku, don't wear yourself out."

Goku turned around and grinned at ChiChi from his position practicing his martial arts moves, to keep himself up to his strongest. It was the second most important thing in his life, right after his wife. He adored his training but he cared for his wife more. He didn't understand how anything could become dearer to him than her, despite how she yelled at him at points. He and ChiChi were due to become parents almost any day now so he looked forward to that with a huge grin. He had never been a father before but he remembered the love he had had for his grandfather and couldn't wait to shower a child of his own with the same type of adoration.

"Aw, ChiChi, I won't."

"Good, because the child's going to need all the energy you can muster."

"Is he gonna come out kicking?"

"With the way this one moves around, that wouldn't surprise me."

Goku grinned "I know and I can't wait! Wait until it sees its bedroom!"

Chichi smiled, despite herself. Goku was such a big kid at times and that was one of things that had originally attracted her to him. He would make an excellent father; she knew it in her heart. She didn't know if he would be such an excellent disciplinarian. He seemed too soft for that. However, she supposed that was what there were two parents for, to even one another out. She didn't doubt the child would be loved.

Goku turned from his training and walked over to his wife, getting down on his knees in front of her. ChiChi lifted her dress and Goku laid his cheek against her belly and was promptly rewarded with a firm kick. He squealed like a kid on Christmas morning. "Yeah! That's it, little one! Come on out so I can see you, okay? Daddy's got a lot of presents just waiting for you!"

ChiChi laughed at his enthusiasm and then she stopped cold. Goku eyed her "ChiChi?"

"Y..yes?"

"Are you okay?"

She swallowed, hard. "I…I think the baby took your words literally Goku."

"Huh?"

"I'm getting contractions."

"Is that bad?"

"No…it means the baby's coming!"

"Here? Now!"

"Well, not quite yet. My water hasn't brok-"

About the time she said that, it felt like Niagara Falls decided to pour out of her. Immediately following, she felt the contractions again, one after the other. She thought her first baby was supposed to be slow, not lightning fast! She slid her way to the g round, saying "Goku, it's coming now!" This wasn't how it was supposed to be! She was supposed to have time to get the hospital first!

"Now? Isn't it supposed to come in the hospital?"

"Yes but this baby of yours decided it wants out NOW!"

"You're gonna have it now?"

"YES! Now help me!"

"How? Whatta I do, ChiChi!"

The woman groaned, clutching at the ground with her fists, trying to suppress the pain. She had to stay calm as well as patient. This couldn't be easy on Goku either! Her body was going to deliver this baby one way or another but Goku had no instincts to guide him. She had to give him some type of guidance she supposed. Still, in the panic and pain, it was getting very hard to think.

"Remember where I said the baby would come out, Goku?"

"Yeah, the same place I put my-"

"GOKU!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you said."

"Okay, you need to…ugh! Put your hands around there. The baby's head is gonna come out soon and as soon as its shoulders are out, you can pull it out."

"uh…okay." He knelt down into position, looking completely baffled and probably a litte frightened for once in his life. "Support the head right?"

"..yeah!" She groaned and the training she'd received in some preparation classes urged her to push so she did. She did that again and again and again. Minutes seemed like hours but she could feel the baby slowly sliding out, although it was much rougher and harder than she had been trained for. It felt like she was trying to push out a rocky boulder not a baby.

"Uh…ChiChi?"

"What?"

"I think it's backwards."

"What do you mean it's backwards!"

"I see two little feet." Goku grinned like an idiot though. While sure enough he didn't yet see the head, he had already fallen in love with the small little feet. The toes were so little! They kicked a little bit, reminding Goku of a stuck deer. As he watched as he wife gave another weave, a small brown appendage slipped out next. "HEY! It has a tail, just like I did!"

"Goku! You need to get it out!"

"Well, you said grab the shoulders, I can reach those yet!"

"Can you see the thighs or the hips?"

"Kinda."

ChiChi gave another deep grunt, followed by another push. "There? Does that help?"

"I got the hips, ChiChi!"

She sighed in relief. "Okay, gently start to ease it out."

Goku grasped hold of the blood coated little legs and gently started to tug but it was hard. ChiChi said be gentle but this one wasn't coming out easily. Did he wanna stay in there or what? Goku upped his strength a little but he didn't want to hurt the baby and he didn't want to hurt ChiChi and he was afraid he would if he pulled any harder. ChiChi groaned and pushed, trying to help him but it looked like their child was stuck halfway! Their little bottom and legs were sticking out but everything above the waist was still inside the mother.

ChiChi groaned and pushed while Goku strained and gently tugged and slowly, ever so slowly, the rest of the baby began to emerge out of the mother. First the hips, then the waist, then up to the chest and two little shoulders and wild flailing arms. However, the baby's head remained wedged inside ChiChi. Goku pulled but it didn't budge. "ChiChi, the head's stuck!"

ChiChi paled. "Goku, you have to get it out before our child suffocates!"

Goku stared at her and sweat gathered on his brow. "It can die?"

"If you don't get it out!"

Goku gritted his teeth, "Brace yourself ChiChi. I don't know if this is going to hurt you or not."

"Just get our baby out."

Goku pressed his hands against the baby's head, forcing his fingers inside his wife a little bit. He felt her tense but right now getting the baby out was more important. He kept his strong fingers supporting the infant's neck and pressed his hands out and against the walls of ChiChi's opening, making a larger hole but also causing a small tear among the vulva. He felt it start to bleed but it wasn't too bad. He supported the baby's head and slid it the rest of the way out and into his arms.

The baby didn't move and its eyes were closed. Goku opened the infant's mouth and cleared the mucus and blood away before digging his fingernails into the baby's nose, rendering its air passages open. His grandfather had taught him a little bit about birth although he didn't tell him much. Goku turned the baby face down over his forearm and gave its bottom a gentle thump.

He got a wail as his reward.

ChiChi let out a sigh of relief, despite her pain and Goku turned the infant over in his arms, supporting the neck. The baby screeched, with quite the powerful set of lungs. Goku blinked down at his child, hardly realizing he had tears running down his cheeks. ChiChi forced herself to her elbows, struggling to see her child which her husband held more carefully than she thought he was capable of.

"Well, what is it, Goku? Did we get a daughter or a son?"

Goku managed to pry his eyes away from the baby's beautiful face to look down at the nether regions. "Has the same parts I do. We got a son!"

The baby wailed again and Goku stripped his gi shirt off, wrapping the baby in it. He moved to fall back onto his bottom as he sat by his wife who gazed at the infant lovingly but not more lovingly than Goku did. In fact, Goku looked completely mesmerized. He gazed over his newborn son's features: pale skin, wide shining eyes, a wisp of dark black hair and a fluffy short brown tail. The baby focused his huge eyes directly into Goku's and Goku felt overwhelmed by an ocean of emotion. Tears filled his eyes again and he smiled so wide he felt sure his cheeks would crack.

"Welcome to the world, my little man."

Present

"Here Goku!"

Goku turned, grateful when his wife ran back in. He snagged the blanket she had brought as she set the box down by the bed. He laid the blanket out on the bed, remembering the many times he'd wrapped Gohan in it when he had been scarcely big enough to lift his head. The baby would have been screaming forever and would cease the minute he was wrapped up. Maybe it would help his son now.

"Gohan, look at Daddy."

Tear filled eyes peered up at his face and Goku spoke gently. "Daddy's going to lay you down just for a minute okay?"

Gohan stammered out a "..k…kay."

Goku laid his son down in the large blanket, wrapping him up as if he were a little baby again before hoisting him back into his arms, cradling him into his chest. Gohan's tears didn't stop but the boy was trying to hold in his screams. Goku stood, pacing back and forth with him, trying to comfort him all the ways he knew, and all the while praying for Bulma to get here quickly.

"It's okay, Gohan, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

"Daddy…"

"Shh, you just relax. Daddy's not going to let you die. I promise."

Gohan buried his face, shaking and trembling. ChiChi stood, biting her nails and then looked outside, "Bulma's here!"

The human woman tore downstairs as Goku gazed down at his son, who was starting to breathe heavier. His screaming had stopped and he closed his eyes. Goku tightened his grip on his child as he heard Bulma running up the stairs. Turning, he greeted her, hoping for good news but she only said, "No cure, Goku. Not yet."

She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and ran to Goku who had his son swaddled in his arms like an infant. "He finally fell asleep, Bulma. Is that good?"

Bulma looked up. "If it's just sleep…"

"What do you mean?"

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Goku. Let me look him over."

Goku slowly handed his most prized possession over to his oldest friend. She laid him down on the bed and started to look him over but Goku was troubled. Gohan didn't protest, didn't squirm, and didn't move at all actually. Even when Bulma took out a needle and drew blood from him, he didn't even flinch. That wasn't like his son at all.

Batting away a fly that buzzed in his eyes, he sat down by his son's side and clutched his small hand in his large one, gently stroking the top. He didn't move, blink or anything. The only sign of life that Goku had was his son's chest rising and falling and the faint ki. But it wasn't the strong pulsing he was used to feeling and that frightened him.

"Goku?"

"Yeah?"

"I better up my work on that cure."

"Bulma, what's wrong with my son?"

"He's…he's fallen into a coma, Goku."

"He…he'll wake up, right?"

"I don't know Goku. I really don't know."

OOO

The insect headed into the mountains and into a mountain lair, landing atop the outstretched and wrinkled old hand of its creator. Wires were connected to the small eyes and a large monitor flashed to life, showing all the images of the horror Goku had gone through since his son had first fallen ill. The screen crackled and went blank with the boy's latest predicament.

Gero stroked his face thoughtfully. This was taking its toll on Goku but Gero saw a way to incorporate two new items into the agenda. The boy had fallen into the deepest parts of the virus now. He was in the darkest hour. In actuality, he would probably die before the sun rose. However, Gero took into account the boy's strength and lineage and decided a far more accurate time for his demise would probably not come until the next sunset.

"Still, Goku's guard is down. Perhaps this is the best time to test my accomplishments."

Gero walked down an aisle of white capsules, side stepping the ones still in process, those being Eighteen and Seventeen. However, he had a handful he had tried to improve upon, trying to determine the best design to use. If they succeeded in this task, then he could devote more time to preparing Eighteen and Seventeen for world conquest. It might save a lot of trouble or at least give him some insight into Goku's current abilities.

With a low hiss, he commanded, "Nine, Ten, I have an assignment for you two.