Author's Note: Thanks to InuSaiyan007, number 423601, Cappucine, TorankusuGohan, Thomas Drovin, Garowyn, LoveOfASaiyin, and AnimeLuv4evr for reviewing! Wow, guys- Eight people reviewed! I feel so loved :D
I'm sorry, guys, for not updating in a while! It's just that I've been so busy in the past weeks (with studying for midterms and what not), and also, I think I've developed a mild case of Writer's Disease. It's probably from a lack of chocolate intake... :) Yes, you've all been waiting for it - the chapter of Bra's birth! Only two or three more childhood chapters... and then we're set! Well, anyway, I tried to make this chapter as descriptive as my tired mind could muster... (Nothing too descriptive, don't worry!) I hope you enjoy it! And as for age... Well, all of you will know soon enough how old Trunks, Goten, and Marron are. Use your math skills, and pay very close attention to details! You might even catch some humor if you look hard enough:) (Hint: Goten is one year younger than Trunks; Marron is two years younger than Trunks in my story)
Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of DBZ.
Chapter 7: At Last!
8:28 A.M. Bulma finally opened her eyes, staring around the dim room bleakly. Discovering no one by her, she gave an audible sigh and turned to her side. Lying on a stiff hospital bed for seven hours and not being able to catch up on some extremely-needed sleep was paining her immensely. Now bored out of her wits, she began to poke at a bandage on her arm.
Earlier, a shot had been administered to her to relieve any pain that she would feel if and when she was ready to deliver. A small smile began to tug its way on her pale face. Goku hated shots. Then again, he seemed to hate anything related to a hospital... Such as babies being delivered.
At present, she was absentmindedly slipping a few grapes that the midwife had given her into her mouth. It was during her sixth handful (or maybe seventh - or eighth, at that) that she began to feel an increasingly familiar, sharp twinge of pain in her abdomen. Surely it couldn't be the contractions again! The doctor said the baby would be here by tomorrow... Could he have possibly been wrong?
"Oh, God," she whispered, pain shooting through her body. The Demerol she'd been given previously obviously had had no effect on her. 'Oh, no.' Dropping the last remaining grapes, she used her now-free hands to hold on tightly to her rotund stomach. "Someone... Get the doctor..."
In the waiting room...
Vegeta was the first one to awake in the waiting room. He had every reason to wake up as early as he had, for a significantly high drop in ki coming from his wife's hospital room warned him about what was currently happening.
He glanced around the room, his eyes resting on his son's, who was now awake as well. "Yes, Dad?"
"Do you sense her?" He closed his eyes, hoping that his greatest nightmares had not, as of yet, come true.
Trunks shut his own as well, seeking out his mother's energy. Even for a young boy of five, it didn't take him very long. "Yeah, I sense Mom. She's weaker than she was before," he commented, not realizing his bluntness.
"And that means..." his father started.
"It's the real thing," Trunks breathed, sitting silently at the tip of his chair. He irritably glanced over as Goku lazily opened one eye.
"Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep over here," he complained, now standing up straight and stretching. Stifling a few yawns, he added, "Whoa, do you sense Bulma's energy? It's a bit low... Do you think she's giving birth?"
Trunks shook his head slightly. 'Why he's my Mom's friend, I'll never know.' He then gazed up to his father in perplexity. "Aren't you going to go to her room? What if she needs help?"
"Did you just say 'giving birth,' Goku?" Chi-Chi demanded, slowly wrenching her eyes open. She seemed to straighten in her seat as Trunks bleakly retold the whole discussion. "What are we waiting for?"
"S-She's... labor... now..." It was apparent that Gohan had been awake for quite a while now, as he slowly muttered a few words dully under his breath. His wife stared at him skeptically as she listened half-heartedly to the conversation.
Having heard the word 'labor,' Goku shut his eyes tightly again, hoping no one would notice his 'going back to sleep.' Fortunately, no one did.
An uncertain silence filled the room as Vegeta and Chi-Chi rose to their feet abruptly. "Bulma's going to have the baby! We're going to check on her!" the latter exclaimed, almost tripping over her youngest son (who still lay on the floor sprawled out and snoring lightly) as she walked out.
Vegeta followed her to the doorway, pausing just as he reached the entrance to the hallway. Retreating back into the waiting room, he narrowed his eyes menacingly at Goku. "Wake up."
No response.
"You were just awake a few seconds ago, you imbecile."
"Can't you see that I'm sleeping?" Goku finally asked, eyes still shut firmly. "When someone's eyes are closed, you should know-"
"Get up, you simple-minded-"
"Okay, okay!" Mumbling dispiritedly to himself, he rose to his feet. "As long as I'm not there when she gives birth..."
"Hurry up, Goku!" Chi-Chi painfully grabbed her husband's arm, taking off in a blind flight to Bulma's room. "I don't want to miss it!"
"How do you say 'I actually do want to miss it' in a nice way?"
Twenty minutes later...
"The baby's going to be born any moment now," Videl informed Eighteen, who had just woken up.
She nodded grimly, and gripped Marron firmly within her arms. The girl gave a high-pitched squeal but seemed to quiet down almost immediately, not understanding the real reason for her mother's restlessness.
"Mommy? What's wrong?" Marron finally wondered, after tugging on her mother's blond hair for quite a few minutes.
Eighteen sighed lightly, and gently removed her daughter's nagging hands from her hair. "Nothing's wrong, Marron."
"Of course there isn't," Gohan agreed, staring at the still-sleeping forms of Krillin and Goten. "There's nothing wrong about a new life in the world."
Videl managed a weak smile, wondering if his perspective on babies would change within a few months.
Meanwhile...
Bulma had since reduced her deafening screams to a long, unceasing moment of panting, and only paused from her strenuous pushing to wipe at her sweaty forehead every few seconds.
"Go, Bulma! You can do it! Bulma, Bulma! You can do it!"
It took all of Vegeta's willpower (and even some he wasn't aware of) to restrain himself from hitting Goku.
"You're doing fine, dear..." the midwife kept murmuring, stroking Bulma's tangled hair away from her eyes, while the doctor kept a proud grin on his face.
Vegeta frowned, viewing an uncomfortable sight. Standing right in front of Bulma's open legs, he struggled not to wince as he now held a small, bloody head within his gloved, disinfected hands. Upon first entering the room, he'd had to (unwillingly) assume the role of the obstetrician. The real doctor had felt it to be a 'good' idea for the father to be the first to see the baby, and who could argue with him, especially when Bulma was in excruciating pain to begin with?
The doctor was just standing there, ordering Bulma to "Push!" every once in a while. Vegeta's displeasure deepened significantly. Why did everyone want to depend on him for everything? Nevertheless, he shifted his attention back to the task at hand.
Goku finally ceased his encouragement to utter a few complaints. "Ouch! Bulma, you're doing fine, but could you loosen your grip on me? It's cutting the circulation in-"
"Shut up!" Bulma and Chi-Chi (who held the woman's other hand) both screamed.
Fortunately for the uneasy Saiyan, there were only a few pushes left before...
A few wails, an immediate snip, an anguished scream from Bulma, a little shriek from Chi-Chi, and a small thud closely accompanied the moment.
"Congratulations, Ms. Briefs. You now have a baby girl," the doctor finally spoke up.
A small smile tugged its way onto Bulma's tear-stained face as she saw Vegeta cradling the new baby protectively within his strong arms. Chi-Chi, still holding on to Bulma's hand, let out a small gasp. Grinning, the midwife and doctor both left the room to inform the remaining guests.
Vegeta held the small, pink baby, now wrapped in a bundle of cloth, in his arms, trying (without much success) to keep a small smile off of his face. The baby was still wailing, but not as loudly as before. After a while, she opened her firmly-shut eyes softly and stared in wonderment at the proud Saiyan.
She had striking blue eyes, just like her mother. In fact, if the baby had any hair, she would look exactly like Bulma.
Chi-Chi seemed to notice the resemblance as well. "Why, Bulma, she looks just like you!" she gushed, and then wisely lowered her voice in embarrassment as the baby began to whimper again. "What's her name, anyway?"
"What else?" Vegeta asked blandly, finally handing the newborn to her mother. "She named her after an undergarment again-"
"I think Bra's a pretty name," Bulma argued, secretly relieved that Vegeta had once again let her select the name of the baby. It wasn't as if he had had any good suggestions, anyway... "There are lots of words with double meanings. Just because it means one thing doesn't mean it can't sound pretty-"
"I get it! It's almost like your name!" Chi-Chi exclaimed. "But yes, she's precious. Right, Goku?" A slight pause, and then, "…Goku?"
At her question, Bulma and Vegeta glanced around the room, noticing that Goku had disappeared. "Kakarot?"
"Goku!" Everyone's attention was promptly turned to a figure on the floor. The dazed Saiyan had fainted upon the baby's first introduction to the world, and had been responsible for the small thud from earlier.
He now unconsciously muttered, "But Grandpa, we had fresh bear yesterday... Can we have fish instead?"
"Poor thing," Bulma murmured, much to the displeasure of Chi-Chi and Vegeta. She smiled as the baby offered a tiny yawn before slipping off to sleep. "You two shouldn't have forced him to be here."
Chi-Chi frowned, but held out her arms expectantly all the same. "May I?"
Sighing, Bulma handed the young infant to her friend, smiling slightly as Chi-Chi held her protectively close to her chest.
"Um, can we come in?" Videl's uncertain voice was soon heard from outside the doorway. Upon Bulma's approval, the group entered the room silently, with the exception of two very impatient and eager little boys...
"Is the baby here?" Trunks and Goten were practically fighting to push past the others in order to catch a glimpse of the baby. The latter successfully pushed his way past a flustered Gohan, running over to his mother. A small "Oomph!" could be heard as he began to jump excitably in place. "Well, Mommy, is he here?"
Trunks groaned - 'He's such a baby!' - but ran to his own mother's side all the same. "Is that my little brother?"
"Why are you so quick to assume the baby is a boy, dear?" Bulma asked him.
"You mean it's not?" Krillin asked when the entire group was finally inside the room. When Bulma softly shook her head, he grinned. "It's a girl, then."
"A beautiful one," Chi-Chi said, an enormous pride already detected in her tone. Had it been her own child, she probably would've already died in happiness. She handed the baby back to her mother, grinning as Bulma slowly fell asleep herself.
Goten finally ceased his jumping, now resorting to standing on tiptoe beside Bulma's bed. "A girl?" He couldn't believe it. Having had the whole concept of a boy in his mind the entire pregnancy, the birth of a girl was a very big shock. He watched enviously as Trunks timidly made his way to the other side of his mother's bed.
The boy gazed at the serene sight of his mother and baby sister sleeping, mixed emotions riddled on his face. Glancing up at his father, he quietly asked, "What's her name?"
He snorted in response, and motioned to Chi-Chi, who silently answered, "Bra."
Both mother and daughter opened their eyes at that moment, and Bulma tiredly stared at her oldest child. "Would you like to hold your baby sister, dear?" Without letting him refuse, she handed the quiet bundle to him.
He gazed at the little baby in his arms in wonderment, wondering how life would be once the baby returned home with them. Would she be a quiet baby... or would she be a demanding, bratty, impatient little...?
"Are you sure the little guy won't drop her?" Krillin suddenly asked, breaking the boy's thoughts.
Trunks scowled. "'Little guy?' You should talk." He turned back to his mother. "Was I bald like her when I was born?" he wondered.
Bulma grinned wearily. "No. You always had your adorable hair." Reaching a pale hand out, she ruffled his lavender hair and kissed him lightly on the forehead, secretly appreciating his calmness. Most new older brothers and sisters turned incredibly envious and jealous of the new addition to the family... hopefully her own son wouldn't be the same.
"Mom!" He quickly scooted away from the hospital bed, handing the baby back to Chi-Chi. Another small "Oomph!" was heard.
Bra gave a small whimper, and both parents stared back at her fondly, having already forgotten Trunks' embarrassment. Bulma could scarcely believe it. This was her daughter - her own little girl. Was this how her own parents had felt when her mother gave birth to her? It was simply a magical feeling, as Bulma bent her head to give her 'darling' a doting kiss on the forehead.
Gohan laughed. "Trunks, you're going to have to help your mother with the baby, okay?"
"Yeah, you're a big brother now," Marron added knowingly from Eighteen's arms.
The android said nothing as the others gushed and sighed and cooed. She wrapped a few strands of hair around her finger anxiously as she waited.
"Eighteen, would you like to see the baby?" Bulma asked generously.
She promptly refused. "I can see her just fine from here, thank you."
Bulma then directed the offer to Gohan and Videl, who also politely declined.
"I still can't believe your mother had a girl," Goten whispered a little too loudly to his friend. Trunks shrugged, but his blank expression quickly dissolved into a frown as the baby began to cry again, balling her little fingers into fists and kicking her tiny legs within her blanket violently.
Everyone visibly cringed. What had brought that on? Chi-Chi hastily handed the baby back to her mother, who did her best to quiet her down. "It's okay, dear," she kept cooing. When the baby was finally silenced, yawning slightly, the whole group stared at Goten expectantly, where the trouble had first originated.
"What? I didn't do anything!" he protested. He glanced around the room, avoiding the scowls from Eighteen and Vegeta, who hadn't wanted to experience a bout of crying so soon. "Where's Daddy?"
Bulma stared down at the floor, where she had been sure Goku was situated before the group had entered the room. A second later, she reddened significantly, immediately turning to her now-dozing baby.
Chi-Chi, however, didn't understand Bulma's actions, and having followed her friend's eyes, immediately spoke up. "Trunks, Goten... You're standing on him!"
Both boys glanced at the floor, and then stepped off of poor Goku, staring down at him in confusion. "What's he doing there?"
"How would I know?" Trunks asked him, realizing the reason for the "Oomphs!" earlier. "Tell your dad to get up!"
Gohan helped the dazed Saiyan up to his feet, and directed him to the closest chair. "Don't worry, Dad. You won't have to witness another birth in a long while."
Videl, again, managed a weak smile. Well, he didn't necessarily have to come to the hospital with her in a few months' time...
"Did you kiss the baby yet, Trunks?" Marron, finally being released from her mother's arms, walked over to the boys.
"Gross!" Goten was the first to answer. Trunks blushed and quickly agreed.
"You have to kiss her goodnight, you know," Bulma insisted to her son. "How is she going to grow up in a loving family if you don't show her some affection?" She glanced over at Vegeta. "That means you, too, mister."
"You can't force me to do anything, woman," he gruffly said, retreating to a corner as always.
Bulma narrowed her eyes menacingly. "You're right, sweetie, I can't force you to do anything," she said slowly, struggling to stay awake. "You'd kiss her goodnight without anyone saying a word."
What ensued was an enormous bout of laughter (much quieter than usual, of course). Vegeta, a bit flustered, flushed a vibrant crimson. He started to respond, but a newly revived Goku's sniggering shut him up.
So he ended up not saying anything. Staring down at his wife and daughter's now-sleeping forms, he walked out of the room. The others followed suit, all eager to get much-deserved sleep at their own homes.
Finally alone, Bulma opened one eye, gazing at her own little daughter. Remarkably, the Saiyan baby opened her eyes as well, staring up at her mother in bewilderment. Bulma could hardly keep a smile off of her face as the infant continued to blink up at her.
"My daughter," she whispered aloud, as if the experience was nothing but a dream. "My darling little daughter…" She gave her yet another caring kiss before slipping off into a well-desired slumber.
Author's Note: Aw… If I do say so myself! I hope this chapter was enjoyable to you guys! As for what's next… How will the baby act once she's brought home? And how will Videl and Gohan manage babysitting three overly excited little kids and one baby? Will she finally tell Gohan what she's been hiding? Or will she wait until her stomach begins to show more visibly? Find out the answers to these questions (and some others you might have) next time!
Ladii-Chocolate