Two Years Later…
Marron laughed as the wind blew her hair wildly around her and the swing reached its peak before swinging backward to Trunks, who gave her another push. Goten jumped from his swing, flying through the air to land as far as he could from the swingset.
With a laugh he scratched a line in the dirt and called to Trunks Beat that!
"I will!" said Trunks, giving Marron an extra hard push and getting on the other swing.
Goten ran back and started pushing Marron while Trunks pumped and got the swing going faster and faster. Just as he was about to jump Bulma came out.
"Recess is over you three, come inside." She yelled, heading back in the house.
Goten pulled Marron to a stop and they started towards the house, followed by Trunks. They filed into the kitchen and sat around the table, pulling out their pencils again. Bulma approached with three very suspicious looking papers in her hands. She set the papers with print on them in front of the boys and a Braille version in front of Marron.
"Mom, do we have to?" asked Trunks after he read the heading across the top of the paper that read "Pop Quiz: Label the Continents".
"Yes you do." Bulma said for Goten and Marron's benefit while she nodded to Trunks. "Now get busy."
The three went to work on their quizzes in an uneasy silence. None of them liked pop quizzes, and this one had been particularly unexpected. As they worked, Bulma worked on the computer, typing up their homework so she could print it out in Braille for Marron. For a while the only sound that could be heard was of Bulma's typing and the chibi's pencils scribbling, then the doorbell rang. Goten leapt out of his seat and headed for the door while Trunks looked up confused and Marron cocked her head, listening.
"Oh, no you don't. I'll get it, you work on your quiz." Bulma said, leaping to catch Goten and sit him back in his seat before going to get the door.
She pulled open the door to find Goku standing there with an unconscious Chi chi in his arms.
"She just… collapsed." Goku said, his face looking like that of a little lost child.
Bulma's eyes widened in surprise and she reached forward to feel Chi chi's forehead; she was roasting.
"Bring her into the back, I'll be there in a minute." She said before closing the door and going back inside, leaving Goku to find his way to the back door.
"Finish your quizzes and put them on the counter when you're done." Bulma told the kids as she entered the room, printing out what she had done of the homework for Marron and putting it on the table along with the boys' assignments. "When you're done, work on your homework, I'll be back." She instructed before sweeping quickly out the door.
Goten thought silently to himself for a moment, then set down his paper as though giving up.
That was weird. he said.
"What was?" asked Trunks.
Bulma said that we should just finish our quizzes and then she gave us time to do our homework.
"Don't we usually have math next?" asked Marron.
Yeah. Goten answered.
"I wonder what's wrong."
Bulma carefully eased a thermometer into Chi chi's ear as she felt her forehead.
"When did this happen?" she asked Goku, who was sitting by the bed holding Chi chi's hand.
"I don't know. I found her on the kitchen floor five minutes ago." He answered, staring at Chi chi's sleeping face.
"Did she say anything about not feeling good earlier?"
"I don't know, I was out training with Vegeta."
Both stayed by Chi cih's side, unmoving until a loud digital "beep" caught their attention. Bulma pulled the thermometer out of Chi chi's ear and read it. Shaking her head, she slid it back into it's cover.
"She has a very high fever." Bulma announced, turning to Goku. "You should take her to the hospital and get her checked out."
"Is that all that's wrong?"
"I don't think so, but I don't have the equipment set up to check the other symptoms." She said.
"Okay, thanks Bulma. Can you watch Goten tonight?"
"Sure. Now get her checked out by a specialist."
"Okay." Goku said, carefully picking up his wife and heading for the back door. Bulma stood and gathered her things. She was worried about her friend, but it was no use wondering, there was nothing she could do but watch the chibis and stay calm. Sliding a clean cover on the thermometer, she slid it into her ear. Keeping it in her ear, she put all her things back where they belonged, using her free hand. Then the beep interrupted her.
"Ninety nine point three." she read, shaking her head and throwing out the disposable cover before filing her thermometer away. She had been feeling tiered lately. Maybe she was just overtired. An early bedtime would probably do the trick.
With that diagnosis, she headed back to the chibis and found them sting around the table, chatting.
"What are you doing?" asked Bulma, annoyed.
"We finished our tests so we thought we'd wait for you." Marron said, sounding far older than a mere kindergartener.
"I told you to do your homework." Bulma said, glaring at them as she picked up the tests and flicked through them.
"But Goten wants to know what's wrong with his mom." Trunks said, catching Bulma's eye.
"What?" asked Bulma, surprised.
"We sensed Goku-san taking Chi chi-san into the back." Marron answered. "We want to know what's wrong."
"Well…" Bulma explained, "Chi chi wasn't feeling very well so Goku brought her over and I checked her out and sent them to the doctor to get her some medicine."
"That's all?" asked Marron.
"Yes, now get out your math books do the next math box."
Trunks and Goten gathered their books reluctantly and helped Marron with hers before settling sown. The three started working and Bulma sat down at the table to relax. She must have been overtired if it had taken that much energy to hand out the tests.
Through the day, Bulma seemed to be on autopilot. She barely remembered putting the kids to bed, or grading their quizzes, or even reading to them from an American storybook they liked called Peter Pan. She had not been feeling well all day, and it couldn't just be lack of sleep that was pulling her down this much. Reluctantly she stumbled into her office and grabbed the oral thermometer, since it was closer than the ear version, and stuck it under her tongue. Finding her way back to the couch seemed like a horrible struggle, and it seemed like forever before a minute had passed. Pulling the little thermometer out, she found she had a temperature of 105 degrees. Her eyes widened, and she knew that she needed to get to a doctor. Struggling to her feet, she stumbled out to the Gravity Room to find Vegeta. She knew she shouldn't drive with a fever that high, seeing as she could hardly walk, and there was no telling how bad her condition really was. After what seemed like an eternity of struggling through a snowstorm in lead-lined boots, Bulma was pushing the button to open the door of the Gravity Room. As the door started to rise, time seemed to slow and the world started spinning. Colors started to blend together and fade into black while the ceiling seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Suddenly she was being held, and she didn't remember being picked up.
As the world started to fade again she said, "Hospital… high temperature… need to go to the …"and all was black.
Goten woke first, to complete silence. The hall was still dark and the tweeting of birds outside was the only sound he could hear aside from Trunks' snoring next door. He lay in bed for several minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet and comforts of his second bedroom for he was still at Capsule Corp. For several minutes he waited for Bulma to come upstairs and wake him, but nothing happened and when eight-o'clock rolled around Goten figured he had the day off. He carefully slid out of bed and crept down to the bathroom where he took a good hot shower and got dressed. Then he headed downstairs to get some breakfast.
As he passed through the living room, he found a familiar figure laying on the couch. Upon closer inspection Goten found his brother sleeping, fully clothed. Puzzled, he looked up at the clock; it was 8:25, Bulma usually woke them up for 7:00. Goten leaned over and placed a hand on his brothers shoulder, gently shaking him. He'd learned his lesson last time he'd surprised Gohan awake. It had taken his mom a week to fix the wall.
Gohan grumbled a bit and turned over, mumbling something about Videl and him going to see a movie.
Goten gathered his courage and shook his brother a bit harder.
This time, Gohan actually cracked his eyes open and asked, "What do you want Goten?"
Goten pointed at the clock mounted on the wall and looked down to see his brother snoring again. Wishing he could call his brother's name out Goten shook him again and actually helped him turn towards the clock. Gohan mumbled something about five more minutes. Then the half-hour chime rang.
Gohan looked at the clock and cursed as his eyes widened and he finally understood what his brother was saying. It took mere moments for Gohan to be off the couch and running around the house.
"Thanks Goten," he called over his shoulder, as he threw some papers, a pencil, and a textbook into his backpack. "Bulma and Vegeta went out and I don't know when they'll be back. I'll see you guys after school okay? Keep an eye on Marron for me." Gohan called over his shoulder, sliding into his sneakers and heading out the door.
Goten just stood for a moment digesting his brother's fastest ever clocked time for getting ready and the strange events of the morning. Something didn't feel right and it seemed to be staring him in the face, he just couldn't see it.
He thought about it as he dug out a bowl and spoon, some cereal and milk. Just as he was about to pour the milk over his frosted flakes a worried call disturbed his thoughts.
"Trunks! Goten! Bulma-san! Where are you?" called Marron from her room.
Goten sighed as he searched for a towel to wipe up the spilt milk and answered, I'm eating breakfast Marron. Do you need something?
"No, thank you Goten, I'll be down." Came the answer and in a few minutes Marron came downstairs dressed in a fuzzy blue T-shirt that reached down to her knees. It was her favorite.
"Where is everybody?" she asked, rubbing her haunting white eyes.
Bulma and Vegeta went out and Gohan went to school. It's just us and Trunks today.
"Gohan was here?"
Yeah. He spent the night on the couch.
"Why?"
All he said was that Bulma and Vegeta went somewhere.
"So we don't have school today?"
Nope.
"Yay! A day off! I'm going back to bed. Aren't you?" Marron asked.
No, I think I'll enjoy the quiet. Good night.
"G'night."
Marron carefully walked back to the stairs and guided herself up the railing. She could find her way around Capsule Corp. very well, almost better than she could her own home. It just took practice, and a bit of ki sensing As she settled in Goten curled up in his favorite overstuffed chair with a good book. It was one of his favorite stories about a pirate named Westly and an evil prince named Humperdink and several other characters that with equally amusing names like Miracle Max and Buttercup and the R.O.U.S.'s.
A few hours later when the cereal was settled at the bottom of everyone's stomachs and the milk was long gone, Vegeta came home. He was wearing his training clothes from the night before and almost seemed to be tiered, or worried. Vegeta could hide most weakness of any kind, from mental to physical, but this particular problem really seemed to be bothering him. His prescence in the room seemed somewhat less than usual. In other words, where normal people would usually cower in fear of the sayin prince, they would only whimper in fear. Not that much of a change for most, but the chibis, especially Trunks, really noticed it.
"Brats, we're going to the hospital, pack clothes for the night." He commanded as he started up the stairs towards his and Bulma's room.
No one dared anger Vegeta, especially in the condition he was in. So, in less than five minutes, everyone was standing in the kitchen with a full suitcase. Vegeta led them outside without a word and took off. Trunks ended up carrying both his and Goten's suitcases while Goten guided Marron. Marron could fly a little, but she wasn't that good at sensing ki yet, so she had trouble finding her way. Vegeta went along at his normal speed; too fast. Trunks could keep up, but barely. That left Goten and Marron struggling to stay within sight of the others while keeping high enough that they wouldn't be seen. When they finally got to the hospital, Vegeta was cornered by a doctor who was demanding he be checked out. Vegeta would have brushed him off, if it hadn't been for Bulma being wheeled by and ordering him to do as the doctor said.
The kids followed Bulma into her room and set their stuff against the perfectly sterile walls where the smell of cleaners was the strongest. The whole room looked like and smelled like it was constantly being dipped in sterilizer. Everything was bleached so white that it actually caused a glare and the walls seemed to resemble those of an insane asylum. Bulma was very weak, and before the chibis couldn't even get a good look at her, the nurse rushed them out the door so she could rest.
Another nurse passing by saw the three little chibis standing forlornly out in the hallway and stopped.
Kneeling down she asked quietly, "Do you have any other relatives you know that you can stay with?"
"Goten's mom is here somewhere." Answered Marron, nervously tightening her grip on Goten's arm.
"What's Goten's mom's name?" asked the nurse sweetly.
"Chi chi" Marron answered, her foot scuffing shyly along the floor.
"What's Chi chi's last name?"
"Son."
"Alright, how about I help you find this Chi chi?" asked the nurse standing and ushering the chibis down the hall to the front desk.
"Are you all brother and sister?" she asked.
"No." Marron said. "Bulma-san is Trunks' mom, Chi chi-san is Goten's mom, and my momma isn't here."
"Thank you sweetheart." Said the nurse. She turned to the computer for a minute and started typing and clicking away. Before long she asked, Do your friends talk?"
"Goten can't talk, and Trunks doesn't like to talk."
"What do you mean Goten can't talk?" asked the nurse, digging around for a piece of paper.
"He can't talk. Momma calls it 'mute'." Marron answered.
The nurse's eyes widened as she scribbled something on the paper. When she was done, she examined Marron more closely. The sunglasses hadn't seemed like anything important when she'd first met the kids. It was sunny outside after all. Then it hit the young nurse with all the subtlety of a bus; the little girl was blind.
"Sweetheart," asked the nurse nervously, "Can you see?"
"No." Marron said.
"You poor thing." The nurse said, suddenly pitying the children all the more. What with sick parents, disabilities, and no one to look after them, it was just horrible.
"Why don't you three come down into Son-san's room and I'll bring you something to eat?" she asked, coming out from behind her desk to stand beside them.
Goten smiled at this and a moment later, so did Trunks.
"Sounds good." Said Marron, knowing the boys were probably hungry.
"Alrighty, come this way." She said as she led them down the hall through endless corridors lined with gurneys, trays, medical equipment, and people. Soon they arrived at room 104 and the nurse stepped forward to open the door. Trunks took Marron's arm and let Goten go in first, knowing that he'd want to see his mother without having to worry about Marron.
The found Chi chi awake in bed, surrounded with what seemed like hundreds of machines. A fine film of sweat seemed to have formed over her body from the fever, and she almost seemed to be shivering. When she saw little Goten coming up to her bedside she smiled and reached a shaking hand out for his. He reached forward and grabbed her hand as though afraid she was going to fade away unless he held on to her.
"Do you want us to leave you with your boy Son-san?" asked the nurse, placing a hand on Marron and Trunks' shoulders.
"If you please…" Chi chi said, her voice with a harsh sound to it. The nurse swept Trunks and Marron away and left Goten with Chi chi, closing the door silently behind her.