Chapter 12- Watching You
Bulma, Goku, and Chuckie were now sitting in Vegeta's living room.
"So why didn't you take him to a hospital?" Bulma asked trying to keep the accusation out of her voice.
"Don't worry Bulma." Goku said before Chuckie could answer, "Vegeta's lived through a lot worse."
Goku's comment did nothing to reassure her. All it did was add to her curiosity. But before she could ask anything else, Chuckie answered her first question.
"We couldn't bring him to a hospital because he was at a bar when it happened and he is only 17. If anyone found out that a 17 year old was in Gee's much less working there, we would lose our bar and he would lose his job."
"Oh." Bulma said. "But when you said he'd been through worse what did you mean?"
Chuckie glared at Goku for having brought it up. "You tell her." She said to him,
"Well?" Bulma asked looking from one person to the other.
"Uh...Where do I start?" Goku said somewhat nervously. "Well when Vegeta was four, his mom was killed and he was beaten up really bad to the point where he was almost dead. It's said that his dad killed his mom and then tried to kill him too. He lived through it but was in a coma for a few months. That was pretty much what I meant."
Bulma was in shock. "Are you saying that his own father tried to kill him?" She said in a whisper trying to picture her own father trying to kill her. "That's horrible!"
"Yes it is." Chuckie agreed.
"But don't talk about it with Vegeta, or even tell him we told you. He doesn't like people to know." Goku said in a serious tone.
"Okay." Bulma said and then let her curiosity start running wild again. "But what did he do after that?"
Chuckie sighed inwardly and figured that they had might as well tell her the whole story. "Vegeta's father, was never seen again after that. After a few years, the police gave up looking for him."
"I meant to Vegeta." Bulma said.
"Oh" Chuckie said. "When he was released from the hospital, he obviously had nowhere to go. Therefore a young couple decided to take him in as foster parents..."
Chuckie went on to tell the story of how Vegeta met Zachary and then came to live in the apartment. Goku had filled in a few of the gaps with information he knew, like Vegeta's scholarship and everything.
After they had finished telling the story, and Bulma had finished asking questions, it was three o'clock. Seeing as school was already over, Bulma wasn't in a rush to go anywhere. Goku and Chuckie were however. Goku had football practice and Chuckie had to go to work.
And being that they couldn't possibly leave Vegeta alone in his condition, Bulma being the helpful person she is, had offered to stay with him for a while and let the other two go on about their business.
At first they had said no, but somehow or another, Bulma had gotten them to agree. Besides, Bulma would only be alone with him for four hours because Goku's practice would end at seven and he would come back to Vegeta's apartment and stay the night with him. Chuckie was just a few minutes away and in walking distance so if anything happened, Bulma would just call and she'd be right over. Goku had left her his number too. And although she couldn't see what could possibly happen in four hours she took the numbers anyway.
Now, she was all alone with Vegeta. This was definitely something she could brag about. But before she could start thinking of stories to tell people, she had to call her parents. They would probably be wondering where she was. She held off on dialing the number, though, to think about what she would say.
"Hi parents! I'm just alone in an apartment all up in the boom-docks with a comatose teenaged boy. But don't worry, another boy's coming over soon."
No. That would definitely not do.
Since she couldn't think of anything truthful and reassuring to say, she would just have to be vague on the details.
Thinking this, she dialed her mom.
"Hello." Bulma said as someone picked up.
"Bulma dear!" Good. It was her mom. She wouldn't ask as many questions as her dad would.
"Hi mom. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm at a friend's house."
"Oh that's nice dear. Will you be spending the night?"
Bulma was a bit taken aback by the question. "Uh...I doubt it." She answered.
"Alright. But if you do decide to stay, there are some clean clothes (capsules) in your purse."
"Okay mom. Bye." Bulma said, turned off the phone, and stuck it back in her purse.
With this done, she decided to go check on Vegeta.
Very quietly, so as not to wake him, she opened the door to his room. She, just as quietly tiptoed up to his bed.
Even with the room being mostly dark, she could see how handsome he was.
As if knowing that she was staring at him, Vegeta opened his eyes and slowly started to sit up.
Bulma just stood there and watched him for a second before realizing what was happening.
"Lie back down." She said pushing him gently back down. "You have to stay in bed."
Vegeta, although not knowing why or who the girl giving him orders was, complied. "I'm hungry." He said a lot more clearly than he had been talking a while ago. "You go get me something to eat since I can't."
Bulma figuring that he was still kind of messed up in the head and couldn't help but be rude, left the room and did as he asked.
When she came back, Vegeta was sitting up and leaning against the wall.
"I thought I told you to lay down." Bulma said seeing him after she had switched the light on.
"Well yeah. But I can't eat laying down can I?" Vegeta said grabbing the sandwich from the plate she was holding and taking a bite of it. He ignored the way his head was throbbing.
Bulma didn't even bother to argue back. She just found a chair and sat down in it, quite content to watch him eat.
"By the way who are you?" He asked as though asking if it would rain.
Bulma was totally offended. "I'm Bulma!" She all but yelled. "You met me a few days ago. I'm in both your English and Trig. classes!"
Vegeta looked as though he was thinking. "Oh yeah." He said as though not really caring. "You're Goku's friend." And then as an afterthought. "But why are you in my room?"
"Huh?" Bulma said forgetting her anger at him not remembering her. She blushed slightly at his question although not knowing why. "Um. I was watching you." She stated dumbly.
"Watching me?" He asked cocking an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Where's Chuckie. Isn't she here?"
"No she left."
"When?" he asked.
"A few minutes ago." Bulma answered.
Vegeta, instead of saying anything, looked at the clock on his bedside. His eyes widened as he read the time. Jumping out of bed, he exclaimed, "I gotta go to practice!' He didn't get very far because jumping up so fast gave him a dizzy spell.
Thankfully, before he fell, Bulma caught him. Since she had to bend her knees to support his weight, (he didn't weigh much, she just wasn't strong) her face was pressed against his chest. He was very warm, and she loved the feel of his muscles. She could've stayed that way forever.
Instead, she snapped herself out of her thoughts, and started pushing Vegeta back to the bed.
"But I got to go to practice." Vegeta protested.
"No you don't. Goku is probably going to explain to the coach why you aren't there, okay. So go back to bed."
Still Vegeta tried to break free of her hold. But his head was pounding and he couldn't think straight.
Bulma took advantage of this and pushed him with all her weight onto the bed. In the process, she lost her balance and fell on top of him. (didn't see that coming)
Bulma stayed like that for a few seconds, savoring the moment, before Vegeta pushed her off. It was rather fortunate for her that his eyes were clenched shut, or he would have seen how red her face was.
"Turn the light off." Vegeta whispered pulling the covers over his head and rolling onto his side. His head hurt like hell, now, and the lights and noises were making it worse.
"Why." Bulma asked kind of afraid of what the answer might be but hopeful at the same time.
"Because it's making my head hurt." Vegeta almost whimpered.
"Oh." Bulma said with a mixture of panic and dejection in her voice.
It was then that she remembered that they had not replaced the bandage on his forehead. She found it lying on the bedside table and went to put it back on him.
Vegeta, however, had other things in mind. He would not let her near his head, and would mumble 'leave me alone' every time she tried to pull the blanket out of the way.
Eventually they had compromised. Bulma had gotten a cold rag and placed it on his forehead. This had helped a lot and he had almost instantly fallen asleep.
Bulma yawned as she had finally gotten him dealt with. He was just like a big baby, all men were. She plopped back in her chair to wait for Goku, but instead fell asleep as well.