Not that Bulma didn't really expect it to, but things definitely changed after their island getaway. Vegeta was true to his word – he spent 95% of his time away from the residence on the Capsule Corp grounds.
Bulma knew better than to go after him in any way. If she had learned anything from the time it took to finally make peace with Vegeta, it was to respect his wishes and not to push her luck. He was blunt, but he was honest. He could respect her enough to tell her exactly what he expected. There were no games with him, as much as she thought there were in the beginning. But it wasn't easy, either. He was a fighter – a warrior – and if Bulma wanted to be with him, this situation is exactly what she would have to endure.
True to her word, Bulma would visit the gravity room to make sure that Vegeta had everything he needed. She made sure the house bots would change his bed and towels at least weekly. Daily, she would personally bring him the foods that she knew he preferred so he would never have to even think about where his next meal was coming from.
She would always look over at the door to the chamber itself as she exited the capsule. She often heard the sounds of energy blasts coming from within. She was happy, but still a little melancholy. I can't wait until these androids are a thing of the past.
Every so often, she would be treated by a very tired Vegeta crawling into bed with her very late at night. She would hear him come into her bedroom and wrap his arm around her waist as he went to sleep. Without fail, he was gone before she got up the next morning. And just as Vegeta had said, there was no sex. It was all business. From his visits though, she swore she felt his inner conflict. He missed her, too. That sustained her for now.
This was life at Capsule Corp for a total of six weeks.
OlOlOlOlOlO
That's when the night that changed everything happened. Well, it changed things for Vegeta, because he knew after that. Bulma, as smart as she was, was not so observant of the little things.
Vegeta decided that this was going to be a night he spent next to his woman. He wanted to feel her in his arms even if that's all that it was. He had already done this a few nights over the last six weeks, so he knew it was acceptable to her.
He showered and changed before heading back to the residence. He slowly opened up her bedroom door and, in the pitch black of the room, climbed under the sheets so he could be next to her. She was already sleeping – he could tell by the way she was breathing. Bulma barely moved as he nudged to be closer to her. He wrapped his arm around her waist and closed his eyes.
His dreams that night didn't take him very far. He wasn't feeling much emotion at all – he wasn't happy, sad, upset, or angry – he was just content. Bulma was there. He looked up and she was cooking breakfast for the family in the kitchen. She was smiling and laughing.
Vegeta looked over and saw that she was talking to her mother who was apparently making fun of some sort of cooking technique Bulma was trying to use. Mrs. Brief got up out of her seat at the table to give Bulma a hand. Dr. Brief was also at the table, being his usual patient self waiting to be served his morning meal.
Mrs. Brief took over for Bulma who pouted just a bit at being displaced. He could tell she really wasn't that upset. She didn't really like to cook anyway and was more than happy to let her mother take the reins.
A sound from just outside of the kitchen caught his ear. Bulma perked up when she heard it and she left the kitchen just for a moment. When she returned, there was a baby in her arms. The three other adults in the kitchen turned their full attention towards the baby. The baby stopped crying and was now fascinated with the three faces that now looked at him.
Wait, was it a him? Vegeta, still seated, tried to get a better look through the people who were now in his way. He couldn't quite see the baby – he could only tell it was there, in Bulma's arms. He stood up to try again to get a better look. Then….the dream ended.
Vegeta's eyes popped open back in the real world.
Odd. He had never had a dream like that before. Usually, he dreamt of training, or had nightmares about something happening to Bulma. Sometimes he was even fighting Kakarrot or his brat. But a baby? That was totally out of left field.
Wait. That's when he felt something. Something's….different.
He stared at Bulma who was still sleeping away. There it is again. It's coming from….here, he thought as he placed a hand gently on her abdomen. Every so often he would feel…well, it felt like a surge, or a small spark.
Is that….ki? His eyes then opened wide with understanding. Oh no. But she….she said she was protecting herself.
"It's not foolproof though! Nothing is!" he remembered her saying the last time she thought something like this might be wrong.
He sat there wide-awake pondering the situation and what it meant.
He thought of another time they sat there in this very bed talking. Bulma had said to him, "Don't get me wrong, Vegeta. I'm not trying to get pregnant. I'm just saying, if I did, would it be so bad? I would like to have children someday and I'm not getting any younger. When I thought I might be pregnant, that really got me thinking. I could totally do it on my own if I needed to."
She wants kids. Now it looks she is going to have one. And she is prepared to do it on her own. She'll have to – I can't just stop fighting because I have a child. She knows that. Maybe this is for the best. I'll have to see how she reacts. If she expects me to change…no, she won't expect me to change.
He slithered out of the bed when he saw the sun had started to rise outside.
I think it best if she finds out on her own.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Bulma had eaten a lot of food at the dinner table. Even she was surprised at how much spaghetti she had consumed that evening. By the time she was ready to head to her bedroom to get ready for bed, she was feeling a little bloated.
I can't believe I ate that much, she thought to herself. And now she just wasn't feeling right.
She put on a nightgown. As she sat in the chair in front of the dresser mirror, she looked down at her slightly protruding belly and put her hand on it.
Something's just not sitting right. Maybe I'm about to get my period.
She got up and took a small datebook out of a bag from the floor. She started counting days.
No, it hasn't been that long, has it? How did I miss it?
In fact, not only had she missed her last period, but it was supposed to have occurred quite a while ago. She had just been too preoccupied with work to even notice. It's not like she had had much sex anyway.
She counted again, just to be sure. But this was even before the trip to the island!
That's when the realization hit her. I bet….she started thinking. I'll go out and get a test tomorrow just to be sure.
OlOlOlOlOlO
Bulma ran out and picked up the double-pack of pregnancy tests early the next morning. She entered the store at exactly 8am when it opened. Unlike the last time she was late, she actually felt strange this time like there was definitely something off. Something was going on with her body and it just so happened that this strange feeling coincided with a missed period.
She went straight to her room when she got home and took the test. She placed the stick on the top of the sink and stared at it. Her eyes only averted their gaze so she could briefly examine her watch to see if the 3 minutes was up yet.
A small faint line showed up after only a minute. By the time the third minute had elapsed, the line was very dark and was about the same color as the reference line next to it.
I'm…pregnant. What am I going to do?
As so many other women had done before her, Bulma's first instinct was to panic. As soon as there was no way to deny it anymore, her mind instantly started whirring.
Vegeta….unmarried….reputation….alone….support…..friends….fat. Get hold of yourself Bulma!
She walked to her bed and lied down. Ok, so I'm pregnant. What's the first step? Tell Vegeta? No! Definitely not. He's training. He won't be happy anyway. He doesn't need this distraction. I won't tell Vegeta. I can't tell my parents either. They'll insist that Vegeta be told – or they'll just tell him themselves if they ever see him. I've been telling myself I want a baby. I'm in my 30's for goodness sake. I can raise a kid alone. I'm rich. And I have parents who have always supported me. I can do this!
Bulma had a new determination about her after having the opportunity to think about the situation. She had formulated plan in her mind about how things were going to work from here on out. The only question was what she was going to do when Vegeta finally figured it out for himself…after all, she wouldn't be flat-stomached forever. She decided she would cross that bridge when it was time but that she had more pressing matters right then and there.
Her first call was to her ob/gyn. It just so happened that the doctor had a cancellation later in the morning. Bulma hopped in her car and went to her doctor to make the appointment. They called her back to the examination room and had her change into a paper gown.
The door opened and in walked a middle-aged woman.
"Why hello Bulma," said the woman. "It's been a couple of years, hasn't it? You haven't been keeping up with your annual exams."
"Hi Dr. Olson. That's true, but I think you'll be seeing me a lot more often from here on out," said Bulma.
"Do you think you're pregnant?" asked Dr. Olson.
"I'm pretty sure I am," said Bulma. "I took one of those pee-on-the-stick tests this morning and saw two lines."
"I see," said Dr. Olson. "Let's have a look at you then."
Bulma propped herself up on the stirrups so the doctor could examine her.
"Wait a moment," said the doctor, who turned and stuck her head out the door. "Susan, come here for a second!"
One of the nurses walked up to the doctor and they exchanged words. The nurse left and Dr. Olson turned to face Bulma once again.
"I'd say you're pregnant," said the doctor to Bulma.
"Aren't you going to have me tested just to see for sure?" Bulma asked.
"I can tell by looking at you," said Dr. Olson. "You aren't just barely pregnant either…but I have a way to pinpoint it."
The nurse knocked and slowly opened the door. She brought in a machine with her and left it for the doctor to use. Dr. Olson prepped the probe. "Now, this might be a little cold, Bulma," she explained.
She put the probe into Bulma and adjusted it ever so slightly until she saw what she wanted to see. She hit a button on the machine and something started printing.
"You're about 8 weeks pregnant," said Dr. Olson. "Here is your baby." She handed the paper to Bulma.
When Bulma saw the picture, she started to tear up. "This is my baby?" asked Bulma.
"Sure is," answered Dr. Olson.
Bulma examined the photo. It didn't look like a baby. It looked like…a lima bean. But she knew better…babies certainly didn't look like babies until they were much further along. She would treasure this first look at her new son or daughter.
Dr. Olson cleaned up and Bulma put her clothes back on. They went over nutrition, future appointments and how they would work, and future testing including a more in-depth ultrasound and some blood tests.
Bulma thanked her doctor. Still grasping the picture, she headed back to her car and headed for the nearest bookstore. She wanted to buy a few books on what she could expect over the next 7 months.