A/N: Hello, thank you all for returning. I want to take the time to educate those who do not know about the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal about what can occur after someone who was a heavy drinker like Bulma attempts to quit. Symptoms may occur from two hours to four days after stopping alcohol.
They may include headaches, nausea, tremors, anxiety, hallucinations, and seizures.
People may experience: shakiness, sweating, or loss of appetite
Behavioral: agitation, restlessness, or irritability
Gastrointestinal: nausea or vomiting
Mood: anxiety or nervousness
Also common: fast heart rate, tremor, disorientation, headache, insomnia, or seizures.
Chronic alcoholism is often associated with a disturbed gait and balance, likely caused by alcohol damage to neural systems. While some studies have suggested that abstinence can lead to partial recovery of gait and balance functions, questions remain about duration of abstinence and sample size. This study of both short- and long-term abstinence has found that alcoholics' gait and balance can continue to recover with long-term abstinence from alcohol but that deficits can persist, especially eyes-closed standing balance.
I hope that cleared up any questions that you may have had. Now, onto the story. Please review !
The next few months had passed by almost without error, as Bulma did her best to regain her son's trust and overcome her alcoholism. She had taken all the necessary steps, thrown out all the alcohol in the house, even the tiny bottles she hid in her purse. She had been going to Alcoholics Anonymous three times a week, and at last, her body was beginning to bounce back and she was feeling more energetic and more like herself.
October
It was a normal day at the Briefs residence, well, except that it was Halloween. It's no secret that in this house, the Briefs celebrated Halloween like any other family. Bulma smiled as she poured candy into a large bowl for the trick-or-treaters that would be sure to come, popping a piece of chocolate in her mouth and humming with satisfaction.
"Best thing about Halloween is the chocolate!" She said, and set the bowl down.
"This foolish holiday is all a means to an end, woman. Giving children rotten teeth, and waking up in the morning to toilet paper decorated trees. Not this year, they won't!" Vegeta growled, pacing back and forth by the windows on look out for children with cartons of eggs or toilet paper rolls.
"Oh, lighten up Vegeta! It's fun for the kids!" She said sweetly, tapping him on the nose with her fairy wand. She was dressed up as a more attractive version of the fairy godmother, with a pink tulle tutu that was bordering on dangerously short.
"Our brats are too mature for such childish things! Thank the gods!" He spat, crossing his arms and eyeing the candy bowl. He dipped one hand in deftly and took out a square of caramel conspicuously.
"Aww! Don't you look adorable!" Bulma awed, as she turned and Bra came down the stairs. Vegeta turned and snorted at the sight. She was dressed as an angel, with fluffy wings and a long white dress, with gold glitter sparkling everywhere.
"Thanks mom! I'm headed out to go pick up my friends!" She smiled, coming over and giving her a hug.
"Ok, just don't stay out too late!"
"I won't, I promise."
She gave her father a quick kiss on the cheek and he wiped it off briskly, turning away to chew on the large wad of caramel stuck to his teeth, the only thing keeping him from making a snide remark. The door closed behind her and Bra took a deep exhale, turning quickly to see her mother and father start bickering about whether or not she was too old to go out on Halloween. She took this as a sign they would be much too distracted, and tore off the white dress to reveal the scandalous garments beneath.
"That was way more than I needed to see, ugh." A voice came up behind her, where Trunks was eyeing her with disapproval.
Bra turned around quickly and snarled back at him, "Ew! Don't look then, weirdo!"
She covered her backside where the short white skirt was almost giving away her dignity.
"Does dad know you're wearing that?" He scowled, coming up and flicking the halo atop her head. Bra tugged on a purple lock of hair and pulled it so that they could see eye-to-eye.
"Listen, what they don't know, won't hurt them! And you better not tell them!" She growled, then took off, huffing.
"Where are you going?" He said, turning back.
"I'm going to the block party, and you're not invited! A stick in the mud like you just wouldn't fit in!" She said, then slammed the door of the car and took off. Trunks shook his head, sighing heavily. He reached for the doorknob only to have it opened quickly and saw Bulma's hopeful face waiting for him.
"Oh! Hi Trunks! I thought you were a trick-or-treater!" She said, blushing with embarrassment as he took in her sparkly get up.
"No... uh, I'm just getting home is all. Excuse me." He said quickly, and walked by.
"Wait! Um...Trunks?" Bulma said in a tiny voice, narrowing her shoulders.
He turned around and exhaled sharply.
"Yeah...?"
"Do you still like Twix?" She said, and held up a candy bar. He nodded, and Bulma stepped forward, not before stumbling in the high heels she was wearing and nearly falling. He caught her wrist and helped her up before she dumped the entire bowl of candy.
"Oh, kami... silly me!" She blushed, feeling ashamed. "I guess I'm still not great on my feet, huh...?" She said, shamefully and put the candy back in the bowl.
Trunks reached in and took a couple candy bars, then turned away.
"It was just those dumb shoes, Bulma." He said, then walked up the stairs, after he got changed he was going to follow Bra to the block party to make sure she didn't get in trouble.
Bulma set the bowl down and smiled to herself, kicking off the high heels and returning to her post at the door when the door bell ringed, and she happily ran to open it for the trick-or-treaters.
November
He watched the fall leaves flutter past as he tapped his pen nervously on the desk, distracted. There was a buzz at the door, and Trunks quickly looked up, straightening his grey blazer.
"Come in."
His assistant came in the door with a stack of papers, and set them on the desk.
"Here you are, Mr. Briefs. The designs you wanted for the prototype of the new hover jets." The young female assistant said, smiling at him shyly and twirling a lock of her blonde hair.
"Thank you. I'll look them over. That's all?" He said, picking up the papers and flipping through them.
"Y-yes. Well, there is the meeting with the CEO of National Air at 3:00, so we will need those papers right away, sir..." She squeaked, nervously.
Trunks sighed and put on his glasses, looking down at the paperwork before him. The assistant still stood there, shifting her feet back and forth.
"Are you done? I have work to do. And tell the incompetent technicians who made these, next time I need to have these documents much further ahead of time. Now I have to get these looked at, privately." He snapped, and the girl stumbled backwards out of the room, babbling her apologies to the handsome heir of Capsule Corporation.
...
"This design is all wrong! You need to rework the entire back sector! Do you not even understand how a hover jet runs!"
The muffled voice from inside bellowed, as Bulma froze in place at hearing her son's voice sound so much like his father's.
"You know what, you are so fucking incompetent that you are only a burden on this company! I'll redesign this entire goddamned jet myself! You're Fired!!"
Bulma jumped nearly out of her skin at hearing Trunks's curses, then the door blew open and a sobbing technician ran through, dropping papers and swearing to himself angrily all the while. Bulma bent down carefully and picked up the papers, sighing as she straightened them and hung her head, afraid to come in the office after Trunks's very public display of dissatisfaction with his employee.
"That's Bulma Breifs... you think she's back on the wagon...?" A voice whispered behind her, then another in answer.
"No way, just look at her! Who the hell does her hair? She's always been a boozehound...Remember that Christmas party a few years back...?" The other female employee whispered back, then they giggled.
"How could I forget! She danced with everyone on the dance floor but her husband!"
'Screeee!' There was suddenly a loud screech as Trunks pulled out his chair and stormed to the doorway, standing in front of Bulma protectively.
"Do you have any business here, ladies, or are you taking a lunch break on company time?!" He seethed, and they both apologized and hurried back to their desks. He ushered Bulma in and walked away to sit back down at his desk, angrily flipping through the papers there.
Bulma was still staring at the blue prints for the fuel tanks, chewing her bottom lip.
"I just don't get it! None of the technicians here can draw up a simple design to save their life! I have a meeting at three, and we're going to have nothing to show for it!" He growled, pounding his fist on the desk.
Bulma cleared her throat and Trunks looked up, suddenly remembering that she was there.
"Oh right, what did you need, Bulma? You know it might not be a good idea to come here during business hours..."
She nodded, then remembered.
"You forgot your lunch today, so I packed you everything you like... There's a chicken wrap and your favorite chips.. Um.." She stuttered nervously, and set the bag on his desk.
"Thanks, but I had a bagel and some coffee. Right now I don't have time for lunch. Just set it in the mini fridge." He said dismissively, distracted by the work in front of him. She put it in the fridge then paused by his desk.
"Uhm..."
"I really need to concentrate, was that it?" Trunks said, placing his cheek in his hand and furrowing his brow at the design before him. Bulma nodded, and made her way out the door.
"I'll see you later, then. Good luck... "
He didn't answer. Bulma hung her head and closed the door behind her.
...
The meeting hadn't gone well. National Air was speculative on the designs that Trunks had quickly sketched up, and as he explained that they would need extra time to perfect the design, the CEO stood up from the table and was about to leave.
"Please! Mr. Hashimoto! I assure you that my company can have the designs corrected ASAP!" Trunks said, standing up from the head of the table. The assistant to the CEO looked to him and sneered, "We will no longer require your services, National Air will disband our Union with Capsule Corps. Good day, Mr. Briefs."
"Wait!" Trunks said, then placed his head in his hands and pulled his hair as they began to leave the room.
"You cannot go in there! Miss! This is a private meeting!" A voice yelled from the opposite side of the door, then it opened and a familiar blue haired woman practically fell in, holding a large blue print in one hand. Trunks's eyes widened and he dreaded what was about to come out of her mouth as she walked up to the CEO and stood before him with her hands on her hips.
"Excuse us, Ma'am! We were just leaving!" The assistant snipped, the body guard of Mr. Hashimoto stepping forward.
Trunks flew to her side and started pulling on her arm, frustrated and embarrassed.
"Bulma! You have to leave! You can't be here!" He hissed, and watched as the stern face of the CEO changed to a curious expression.
"Mrs. Bulma Briefs? Daughter of Doctor Briefs...?" He said carefully, looking her over.
"Yes... I am her." She swallowed, and was startled as the CEO patted her shoulder.
"I was good friends with your father. I am so sorry to hear of his passing. Our company sends its regards. His work was a great help in getting our company where it is today. " He said and Bulma nodded, feeling tears budding in her eyes.
"Y-yes... thank you, sir..." She responded, and sobbed, lowering her head.
'You see, I'm here because I saw the blueprints and I had an idea on how we could fix them, um.."
"Are you an employee of Capsule Corps.?" The assistant hissed back, suspiciously.
"Bulma! You need to leave, I'm sorry everyone! She's clearly intoxicated!" Trunks said, and began to pull her away from the CEO to everyone's surprise.
Bulma gasped and raised her hand at Trunks, ready to slap him but she held back.
"I am not drunk, Trunks! I haven't had a drink in three months!" She cried out, feeling hurt.
"You're going home! You're embarrassing me in front of everyone!" He yelled back, and was about to forcefully remove her if he had to.
"Wait. Why don't we let her speak? Surely it couldn't hurt to take a few minutes out of all our busy schedules to see what she has come up with. After all, Mrs. Briefs was at one time a valuable asset to this company." Mr. Hashimoto said to the shock of his assistant, and Trunks. Trunks looked around the room and watched as everyone took their seats, and listened as she walked to the front of the room. He sat down beside her, swallowing nervously as she placed the blueprint on the board.
"You see, I happened to come across a copy of the blue print you've all been fighting over, and I realized that a very simple mistake was made on the onset of this design, and that was what ruined the entire design." She said, and pointed to a specific area with her pen. Everyone gasped as they saw where she was pointing.
"The fuel injector should not be attached to nozzle b. It should in fact, be attached to nozzle c, here, at the center of the compartment." She traced the lines where her corrections were drawn, then placed another blue print over that one and overlayed it with the light table.
"If we take a comparison to the hover jet made by myself and my father 10 years ago, you could see that even then the fuel compartment was more advanced. The difference is, that we used a system of gravitational injection, which eliminates the need for old fashioned fuel lines. With the addition of this part, the fuel pump will not need to work as hard, and in effect, your jet plane will be able to reach speeds of at the very least 45.55 miles a minute."
A hush of gasps went through the room, and Bulma stood back from her work proudly, looking to Trunks who seemed in awe of her ingenuity.
"But, its impossible! No jet in the entire world can go so fast!" Trunks said, standing.
"We need to consider this before we make any changes, we haven't even built the prototype!" He said, waving his arms.
Mr. Hashimoto stood and walked over to the blue print, looking it over closely and smiling.
"This jet plane was the first plane that our company used, 10 years ago when we were the smallest aircraft carrier in the world. With the assistance of Dr. Briefs and his gifted daughter, we became the most trusted airline in the world. I would be honored to use your design." He said, and reached out to shake her hand. Bulma gasped and happy tears budded in the corners of her eyes, and she shook his hand vigorously with both of hers.
"Thank you! Thank you so much! I won't disappoint you!" She said gratefully, and was surprised when Trunks set one hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her.
"No, Thank you..."
...
In the next month, Bulma turned over her designs and assisted the technicians with the prototype as much as she could, not being a hired employee of the company. Once the work was done, she felt proud of herself and was told by many that they wouldn't have been able to do it without her, and that they would all be heartbroken once the prototype was complete and she was no longer needed.
Her and Trunks sat down in the cafe for lunch, and Bulma set her plate down besides his.
"Whew! What a day! I'm starved!" She said with a happy giggle, and picked up her fork to begin digging into her salad. She wore a dirty pair of old bib overalls, and looked more like a janitor than a lab technician sitting next to Trunks in his pantsuit.
"Yeah, me too." He said, and picked at his own salad.
"I'm going out with the lab gals after work today! There's this new chic clothing store that we're going to check out, then maybe we'll go out for a bite. Don't worry though, I'm sure grandma would make you all something to eat!" She said sweetly, and popped the lettuce in her mouth.
"Are you sure that's a good idea...?" He said, with a warning tone.
"Hmm?" Bulma said, muffled by a mouthful of food.
"Well, you know, temptations..." He said, and rose one eyebrow.
Bulma swallowed and sighed heavily, "Trunks, I am not getting tempted!" She said with a roll of her eyes, and patted his hand. "Don't worry! I'll be fine!"
He paused a moment, then gave in, and continued to eat.
I really hope so... I don't want to see her go down a bad road again... Things have been going great, but I can't help but have that nagging feeling that tells me not to get my hopes up...
"Ok. Just making sure. You want to keep a good impression, you know those women like to gossip." He said, and pulled his hand away to continue eating.
"Alright, Trunks. I promise. I won't." She said softly, and smiled.
Bulma looked down at her food and felt her heart racing, as she smiled to herself and chewed.
I think he's finally starting to trust me again... I hope. He still calls me Bulma... But I know that for once, he's really proud of me. I just have to keep it up! I can't disappoint him!
December
The work on the prototype was complete, and now that National Air had approved it, Bulma no longer had any reason to come in anymore. She still hadn't regained a position in the company, but for awhile there, it had almost felt like she was a part of something. She walked out of the shop, wiping her hands on a grease rag and sighing.
"Bye, Bulma... We'll really miss you..." One of her friends said, with a sad expression.
"Oh, I'll be around, I'll come and visit!"
"But, can't you ask your son to give you a real position? Please, what are we going to do without you!?"
"I couldn't ask him that... It's not right." She said, shaking her head. She gave hugs to all the technicians and made her way out of the building, taking the elevator upstairs. The shop was below ground, whereas Trunks's office was on the 22nd floor. They were so far apart, she almost never saw him except for on lunch break.
The elevator door opened and Bulma was startled to come face-to-face with her son. Trunks was startled, then smiled.
"Oh hi, heading home? Want to ride with me?" He said, and Bulma nodded.
"Hey! Bulma!" One of the other techies called from behind, and laid one hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, is it really your last day??" He said, frowning.
"Yeah, all the parts have been put together, so I guess you guys don't need me..." She shrugged, blushing.
"Do you wanna go out with some of the guys tonight? We wanna give you a going away party! Drinks on us!" He said happily, patting her shoulder.
"Oh, um... I don't know..." She said, and looked to Trunks. His face had darkened and he stepped over to tower over the technician.
"P-President Briefs! I didn't see you there!"
"Are you aware that it is highly inappropriate to talk about consuming alcohol with your co-workers, not to mention, interpersonal relationships in the office are grounds for dismissal." He said lowly, and the technician backed away, fearful of his piercing blue eyes shadowed by a dark and intense expression.
"Y-Yes! My apologies! Um, just forget I said anything!!" He said, and ran off. Bulma sighed and shook her head, turning to Trunks.
"Thanks for saving me there... I didn't know what to say. I would like to go, but it seems all people want to do to have fun these days is drink." She said, frowning.
"What was that technician's name again?" He growled, and Bulma shoved him in the chest.
"Just forget about him, I'm not going, okay?!" She said, and stormed past.
Trunks followed her out to the parking lot, and Bulma continued to ignore him. She walked over to the bus stop and sat down, huffing. She still wasn't safe to drive, so it was either the bus, or walk home.
"Bulma."
She refused to look at him, turning her chin up.
"Mom..." He said softly, and Bulma looked up with widened eyes.
"It's not safe for you to go. I'm sorry, but you can't let yourself get in situations where you could be tempted..." He said, and put one hand out for her to hold so she could stand.
She sighed and took his hand as he walked her to the car. Trunks realized they were still holding hands and pulled his away, brushing his on his pants.
"Come on, let's go home..."
Bulma nodded, and got into the car.
He still doesn't trust me!
She thought, hopelessly, and stared out the window with large, sad eyes as they rode home.
He only called me mom to trick me into coming, didn't he? I'm just a pathetic excuse for a mother...
...