Disclaimer: Do not own.
Gohan looked at the papers on his kitchen table. His laptop was open, an excel sheet with his medical records, medical expenses, and how much money he has saved throughout the years. The papers around the table were bills, possible treatments, studies of his lungs, and the machine that can save his life. The machine was unique, complicated, and expensive.
Running a hand through his hair, Gohan placed the stack of papers back on the table. He glanced over at his black bank book. Whenever he had extra money, he would deposit it in his savings. He hoped that he would be able to save enough to afford the surgery. Grabbing the book, he opened it up to see how much money he had. Looking at the excel sheet on his laptop, he sighed.
He had months, maybe fewer, maybe more. It was taking a toll on him. Gohan could feel his body getting weaker. Dr. Barns prescribed him some medication to help, but the only thing the medicine did was make him tired. A few times he fell asleep in his office. He dozed off one time during band practice, and woke up with a marker mustache. Dr. Barns said it would take a while for the medicine to work, but Gohan didn't have much time left.
Sitting back and looking at the mess on his table, Gohan tapped his little black book on the table. He looked around the apartment at his guitars, his keyboard, and his cats sleeping on his couch. He looked back at the papers on his desk.
Nodding at the thought in his head, Gohan gathered all the papers on his desk. He walked towards the kitchen and grabbed his metal trashcan. He tossed the papers in there. Gohan opened his fridge, grabbed a beer, grabbed the can, and headed outside on his balcony. Gohan opened the beer and took a sip. He poured some of it in the trashcan.
The cold air made him shiver. It wasn't the greatest idea to be outside at one in the morning in February in his sweatpants. It wasn't too late to grab a shirt and a pair of socks. Laziness took over Gohan, and decided that a shirt and a pair of socks wouldn't matter. Reaching into his pant pocket, Gohan pulled out a matchbook. Taking a match, he lit it on fire, giving it a second to burn. Before burning his fingers, Gohan dropped the match into the trash can.
He watched as the paper caught one fire. He took a sip of his beer, his face showing no affection.
"What do you think about this Goku? Or wait, they have one in blue! The red one or the blue one?" Chi-Chi had two dresses in her hand. Both were simple dresses, short sleeves, each one with a black belt. Goku and Goten were sitting on a padded bench, along with two other men waiting for their women to finish shopping. Goku had his elbows on his thighs, hands holding up his head. Goten was sitting next to him, swinging his legs back and forth. "Goku are you even listening?"
Goku was looking up at the ceiling, his mind wondering elsewhere. He sighed as he recalled the karaoke concert two weeks ago. Boss performed a song, and as the crowd cheer he disappeared. He never came back to the stage.
When Goku was singing, attempting to at least, Seymour said to stare at a person. Looking at a person was weird, so he looked at beer on the bar. Every so often he would glance up and see Boss. Every time he did, they locked eyes. He didn't turn away. When he was done singing, Boss came on stage to sing. Goku didn't know he was going to do that, but didn't have an issue letting Boss sing the last song.
Boss was a performer, and used the stage whenever he could. That night he stood there, and that song…
Goku's song hit Boss a certain way, Boss' song hit Goku as well. Even at the end, Goku stood there wondering if what Boss sang would be something Gohan would sing. Boss admitted that he ran away from his family. Maybe it was a closure of some sort.
"Goku!" Goku blinked, and saw Chi-Chi staring at him. Not sure what she asked, only one thing popped into his head.
"My hobbies are reading and sports," he said. Chi-Chi's face dropped. Goten looked at him confused.
"Oh Goku." She rubbed her head, the red dress moving as she rubbed. "You're spacing out again. I need to know what dress to wear to Bulma's dinner."
"The purple one."
"I'm not holding a purple dress."
"Oh, then the gold one."
Chi-Chi threw both dresses at Goku. The blue one landed on Goku's face, the other on his shoulder. Goku removed the blue dress, and handed it back to Chi-Chi. She huffed as she grabbed it.
"I liked the red better," Goten said. "It matches her face when she gets mad."
Goku chuckled. Chi-Chi rubbed her temples, and walked away. He felt someone elbowing his ribs. The one guy next to him pointed to a woman by the mannequin.
"Dude, check her out. Her rack is huge," he said, drooling slightly. Goku got a better look, and recognized her. His face lit up.
"It's Mai," he exclaimed, as he got up from the bench. Goten jumped off, smiling as well. He trotted over with Goten in tow. "Hi Mai!"
Mai saw Goku coming towards her. Her face turned a shade of pink.
"Uh…hi Goku," she said.
"What's wrong Mai?" Goku looked at what she was holding. "Wow, your bras are bigger than Chi-Chi's!"
Mai stood there with her mouth opened. Onlookers looked at Mai and her bra. Some men smirked at her while the women shook their head. One woman looked at her small rack and frowned.
"Please tell me your wife is here," Mai said.
"She's looking for dresses. She was right over…" Goku looked to where he thought Chi-Chi was. "I guess she went to another part of the store."
"Or hiding in a clothing rack."
Chi-Chi peeked her head through a close rack. She was hiding in a circular one when Goku announced Mai's bra. At first she wanted to run up and smack Goku upside the head, but she overheard some women remarking how his wife allowed him to talk to other women in the bra department. As much as she wanted to hit those women as well, it would look bad if both she and Goku caused a scene.
Poor Mai.
"Aren't there clothing stores where you live," Mai asked. Five hundred miles was a long way to go dress shopping.
"There are, but Chi-Chi wanted to come by here. We're going to Bulma's house after here. Trunks did something, and Bulma needs our help," Goku said.
"Trunks said he met someone new too," Goten said. Goku rubbed his hair.
"I guess you're going to make a new friend too, huh," Mai asked.
"You bet! He said that his new friend came out of the box!"
Mai sweat drop. She had no idea what he was talking about.
"Well I see you guys are busy, so I'm going to continue to shopping. Tell Chi-Chi I said hi."
Mai turned around.
"Wait Mai!" she clenched her eyes, and grinded her teeth. So close.
"Yes Goku," Mai said, faking a smile. She just wanted to leave, and hide her head in the ground.
"I've been trying to reach Boss, but every time I call I get a weird tone," Goku said.
"He somehow threw his phone in a fire," Mai answered, moving her hand back and forth. "He has a new number. I think he's at the music store today if you want to see him."
"Maybe Chi-Chi can let us go to the music store," Goku said to Goten.
"Oh boy! I wanna see Boss," Goten said, jumping up and down. He stopped. "Where did Mai go?"
Goku and Goten looked around. Mai went to the closest rack she could find to hide. Her head peeked out, waiting for Goku and Goten to leave. She leaned back, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Does this mean I'm safe to leave," Chi-Chi asked. Mai noticed Chi-Chi hiding in the rack as well. "Hehehe."
"Where are you Chi-Chi? I wanna see Boss," Goku yelled through the store.
"Mai! You dropped your battle ready armor," Goten yelled. Both women moved to the middle of the rack, hoping that no one in the store could see them hiding. "This battle ready armor covers my whole head. Does Mommy's battle ready armor fit on top of your head?"
"Eh, your mother's battle ready armor is not that big."
"Mai sweetie, can you hold this dress," Chi-Chi said pulling the dress off the hanger. "I'll be right back."
Chi-Chi left the rack, breaking the plastic hanger in half. Mai watched in horror as Chi-Chi stormed her way up to Goku, throw one piece of the hanger at Goku, and starting hitting Goku with the other one. Chi-Chi jumped on top of Goku's shoulder and starting hitting Goku with the hanger and her fist. Mai made sure she got the whole thing video. She sent it to everyone with the title 'who does this remind you off?'
Goku rubbed his head. He didn't understand why attacked him like that. She told him to leave the store, and threw some display shoes at him. She threw some clothes as well, and mannequins, actually…anything that was within her reach. If the store manager didn't stop Chi-Chi, Goku was pretty sure his wife would have killed him.
At least he got out of clothes shopping.
Goku was able to see the store in the distance. He saw Boss coming out, and shaking someone's hand. He didn't know who the person was, and assumed it was another friend of Boss. The other guy walked away. Boss pulled out a cigarette out of his pocket, and looked at his phone. Boss' lips turned. His nose scrunched up. Goku watched as Boss held his phone out, and flip it off.
"That's odd," Goku mumbled. What did his phone do to make him mad? Boss looked at his phone again. Figuring that it was a good time to talk to Boss, Goku looked both ways and crossed the street. Goku stopped suddenly as a biker pedal by. Goku stepped out of the way, and saw a car approaching him. He dashed out of the way, along with a few other cars.
Screeching of the tires, screaming of the drivers, and metal hitting metal, Gohan looked up at the noise that was happening in the street. He watched as Goku stood in the middle of a car pile-up. His mouth opened, the cigarette falling out. Sounded like a real good time to his lunch break.
Goku kept apologizing to the drivers, and looked to where Boss was. He was gone.
Leaving the mess he made, Goku quickly entered the music store. He saw Mike behind the counter, using a pricing gun on music books.
"Excuse me, do you know where Boss is," Goku asked, Mike looked up from his pricing.
"He stepped outside," he said, pointing at the door.
"I saw him with a friend, and when I walked over he was gone."
Mike priced a few more books.
"That was someone he interviewed." Mike gather the books, and carried them over to the rack of music books. He started to sort them out, filing the in their genre. Once all the book were put away, Mike turned around and saw Goku still standing by the desk. "Did you need help with something else?"
"I just want to know where he went so I can get his new cell number. Do you have it?"
"I'm not allowed to give out his cell phone number to people I don't know."
"But I'm his friend," Goku whined. "My name is Goku."
"Never heard of you." Goku frowned.
"He had to have mentioned me before."
"Are you in his band," Mike asked. Goku shook his head no. "Then I don't know you."
"Do you know Vegeta?"
"Everybody knows Vegeta. Customers know Vegeta, my girlfriend knows Vegeta, even the mice that run around in the store know Vegeta.
"Oh! I'm friends of Vegeta."
"He never mentioned you either."
"Well, he calls me Kakarot." Mike gave a blank expression.
"Listen, since you are a 'friend' with Boss, you should know that he's ignoring you," Mike flat out said. Goku frowned. "If he doesn't want to see you, he will dodge you like the plague. He's like a cat. He'll come to you when he's ready."
"I guess," Goku said, disappointed. He sigh. "Thank you for your help."
Mike watched as Goku walked through the doors. There were people standing there, cops too, all questioning him about the giant accident. Goku put his arms up in defense, and was taking steps back when people started yelling at him. With two fingers on his forehead, Goku disappeared. Mike did a double take as he watched the whole thing happen.
"He just…disappeared," Mike said. Gohan popped his head from behind the desk. The coast was clear, and Gohan stood up.
"His one act he was gone for a year and a half," Gohan said. He rubbed his bandaged hand.
While burning some papers on his deck, he examined the phone in his hand. With a new plan set in his head, he was wondering if he should text someone. It was late, closer to three in the morning, and out of habit of throwing pieces of paper in the fire, he threw his phone in the fire. As he watched it burn he soon realized that his phone was not supposed to be in the fire.
Being the genius that he was, Gohan reached into the burning fire. He didn't grab his phone the first time, or second, he pulled his hand away. With a deep breath he reached back down in the fire, and grabbed his poorly melted phone. Melted plastic burned his skin, and he threw his phone over the balcony. That's when he noticed how badly he burned his hand. He screamed from the pain, kicked the trash can, which was still on fire, all over his deck.
Gohan ran inside, ran cold water over his arm and hand, wondering what his next move should be. He still had a landline, with numbers programmed, but explaining to whoever he was going to call that he put his arm in a fire, and may or may not need a ride to the hospital, was something he didn't want to do.
Still deciding what to do, he smelled smoke. He walked out of the kitchen, and saw his curtains on fire. It was spreading on his carpet. Forgetting how to put out a fire, Gohan ran in circles screaming. His neighbors woke up, smelled the smoke and saw the fire, and called the fire department. The firemen arrived, the cops arrived, and because his name was mentioned by the chief of staff as he made a phone call, Videl was there too.
The cats were fine, the apartment has some damage, and the only thing that had major damage was Gohan's arm. His guitars, keyboard, and cats were safe in the parking lot. He ran inside, passed the firemen for one more thing.
'It's okay! I remembered to grab the condoms!' Gohan remembered saying to Videl. The fire department heard, the police department heard, and Gohan's neighbors heard. One of his neighbors gave a cheer at his rescue.
Videl called Seymour, now four in the morning, to tell him what happened.
'Again?!'
Gohan sat on the emergency room bed, Videl had her speaker on. She looked at Gohan.
'What do you mean again?' She asked. He bit his bottom lip.
'I swear to God Videl. Your boyfriend has burned his hand many times by dropping something in a fire, a pot of bowling water, even a fucking science project! He fucking stuck his arm in acid because he didn't believe the teacher when she said it will burn off your skin!'
Gohan did not have a lot proud moments in his life. Being half an alien, he didn't know how far he could go from being seriously injured. The car accident proved how badly you could be injured, and it went all downhill from there.
Quite frankly, Gohan wasn't the smartest under pressure.
Or smart.
He really should be supervised.
"It's really cold outside," Gohan said, putting his arm down.
"You should start a fire to keep warm," Mike commented.
"Just because I promoted you to manager doesn't mean you can be mean to me."
"You stuck your arm in a fire."
"To save my phone!"
"Why do you stick your arm in hot things Boss? Why? I cannot fathom why you keep doing this! My kid brother, who has failed fifth grade twice, knows not to stick his body parts in a fire!" Gohan opened his mouth. "I swear Boss, if you ask me to name all the elements on the periodic table, I will seriously scream. I don't care that a high school dropout can name them all."
"I was going to tell you that I am going out to get a hoodie," Gohan said. He tried to snap his fingers in a Z shape, but he was using his wrapped up arm. He winced in pain. "Snap. Snap. Snap."
Gohan made the Z snap motion.
"Just go," Mike said, returning back to the desk.
KAMI!
Gohan walked down the sidewalk in the WORLD'S MOST COMFORTABLE HOODIE! It was a normal gray hoodie. No designs, no fancy logos, just the warmest, softest hoodie he had ever worn. He couldn't help but smile as he walked. He still wore his leather jacket in the winter, but sometimes another layer of clothing was all he needed. Even though he burned his arm earlier, and going on over twenty four hours of no sleep, today was turning out to be a good day.
The ground underneath him shook.
People around him began to scream, and soon many were running. Gohan looked up, and saw the tallest…thing he has ever seen. His mouth dropped as he saw the long tail, the green and red legs, and what looked like a skull for a head. He was taller than any sky scraper Gohan had ever seen.
Around this tall monster, Gohan saw Goku and Vegeta as super saiyans. While others ran, Gohan didn't know if he should to, or try and help.
'What use would I be anyway,' Gohan thought. One hit and he would be dead, plus he only had one good arm. Deciding to blend in with the crowd, Gohan took one more look, waiting for a sign of some sort. There was one, and it was flashing in front of his face. "The bar!"
He wasn't strong enough to fight. He wasn't quick enough to block any attacks, but as a super saiyan…
Gohan watched as the giant monster swung his arms around, knocking Piccolo. Maybe they'll be able to move the giant beast away, and he'll be able to escape. As he watched Goku and Vegeta fight the monster, the bar was getting in more danger. There needed to be a distraction of some sort, but without the power or speed Gohan was useless. One more step from the monster, and the bar was gone, along with whoever was working.
Gohan formed a ki ball in his head, and threw it at the monster.
The stray ki blast caught the attention of two super saiyans, a fusion of two half saiyans, and a Namekian that was just getting up from the ground. The monster, Hirudegarn, turned around to see attacker.
Yellow hair, teal eyes, and a yellow aura surrounding his body stood Son Gohan. Hirudegarn roared, and stomped his way over.
'Annnd this is how I die,' Gohan thought as he went into attack more. He glanced over at the bar, and saw the door opened. Seymour popped his head out, and saw exactly what was causing the commotion. Hirudegarn saw Seymour, and decided to lift up his leg to crush it. Gohan powered up and flew over. He reached his arms up to stop the foot, and found out someone thought the same idea.
"What the hell are you doing," Vegeta yelled, stopping the foot with his hands,
"You should know by now. I'm always at the wrong place at the wrong time," Gohan yelled back, using his hands as well. He winced as he felt the pressure on his hand. Gohan looked down at Seymour. "Get everyone in the bar out, quick!"
Seymour hesitated. Gohan winced some more, cursing at his dumb luck earlier this morning.
"Get your ass out of here," Vegeta yelled. Seymour didn't move.
"I promise the bar will be fine! I won't let this…what the hell is this thing?" Gohan screamed out in pain. His hand was killing him. "Whatever it is, if you don't run not only will the bar fall apart but me as well!"
Seymour took one last look at the bar, and quickly took off.
"On the count of three, we push up," Vegeta said. "One…two…"
"Three!"
They powered up. The foot started to go up, and with a final scream, Gohan and Vegeta were able to push Hirudegarn over. The monster landed on his back. Gohan held his arm. The bandage was tearing apart. There was blood.
Goku wasn't able to move. His son…Gohan was alive. Goku powered up, and flew over. Before he reached Gohan, Hirudegarn's tail push him back up. Knowing the fight was more important, Goku flew in front of Hirudegarn. He put both hands to his side.
"Ka…me…ha…me…" A blue energy ball formed in his hands. Hirudegarn swung his arm, and hit Goku before he launched his attack.
"Ha," Gohan said, pointing at Goku who hit the ground. Vegeta put his hand on his forehead, and shook his head.
"Is that Gohan?"
At the sounds of his name, Gohan looked who called him. White genie pants, black vest with yellow puffs, and really…really long blonde hair. Whoever it was had a really bad fashion taste.
"Gotenks," Vegeta answered. Gohan understand the fusion, but the hair?
"Where is his eyebrows," Gohan asked.
"Super saiyan three."
"It's weird looking."
During their conversation, Hirudegarn destroyed a few buildings. Gohan noticed him making his way over to Piccolo. Gohan quickly flew over as Hirudegarn powered up for an attack. Hirudegarn shot a power beam towards Piccolo. Gohan quickly flew down, and grabbed Piccolo. To his surprise, Gohan was able to get Piccolo out of danger. Gohan landed on top of a building, letting Piccolo rest.
"G-Gohan," Piccolo whispered. Gohan looked at his friend. Hirudegarn was getting mad, and found his new target on a certain demi saiyan. Gohan quickly jumped away from Piccolo. He started to fly the opposite way of the bar, hoping the giant would follow him. Gohan looked behind him. He stopped when he didn't see the monster behind him.
"Where did he go," Gohan asked out loud. Something caught the corner of his eye, and when he looked he saw Hirudegarn. Hirudegarn's fist was up in the air. Gohan was unable to dodge, and was hit on his upper back. He was sent flying on the ground. Leaving a dent in the ground, Gohan slowly got up. Hirudegarn raised up his foot, and stomped it down. Gohan jumped out of the way, and watched as the monster vanish.
Even though he was rusty, Gohan was still able to sense Hirudegarn. He jumped up on a few buildings, and felt the monster's ki approaching.
"Kamehme…" Gohan started to power up. Once Hirudegarn appeared, Gohan released his Kamehameha wave. "HA!"
The attack hit Hirudegarn dead in the chest. He cried out. Gohan was a bit surprised that he could still do that attack, but not surprised when Hirudegarn didn't have any damage. Hirudegarn slapped Gohan, making him crash into a building nearby. Blood and spit released from Gohan's mouth.
"Galick gun!"
A purple ki blast made its way to Hirudegarn. With that distraction, Hirudegarn made his way over to Vegeta. Goku was next to Vegeta, powering up for another attack. Gotenks spat out a few ghosts to attack. With everyone distracted, Gohan found it the perfect opportunity to escape.
He push himself off of the building, but was stuck. He noticed his brand new, super comfy, hoodie was stuck. The only way to get out was to slip out of his hoodie. He started to squrim as he powered out of super saiyan. He slid out, landed on the ground, and held his chest. To his surprise, his felt okay. Sure he was hit pretty hard, but he wasn't dead.
Looking back he watched as Vegeta, Goku, and Gotenks continue to fight the monster. They were away from the bar. Gohan pulled out a cigarette from his coat pocket, and found it broken. With a pout, he crumbled up the cigarette, and dropped it on the ground.
Goku powered out of super saiyan three. He sat down on the ground, catching his breath. Finally, Hirudegarn was defeated. He looked around and saw everyone else near him.
Everyone but Gohan.
Goku stood up, and looked around.
"Gohan?"
He knew he wasn't dreaming. He recognized that ki from anywhere. The turquoise eyes, the blonde hair, and that power. Why did Gohan show up now, and not when Buu came to Earth? There had to be a reason, and Goku needed to know.
As Goku flew around, he noticed some pedestrians on the ground. There were many who were injured, some dead, but no Gohan. One thing was for sure, they needed to get the dragonballs to wish those poor people back to life.
Goku stopped flying when he heard something flapping through the wind. The gray hoodie that Gohan was wearing was there. Goku flew over, and noticed it stuck. Pulling out some rubble, Goku grabbed the hoodie, and held it close.
"He's alive, are you happy now," Vegeta asked as he floated near Goku.
"He's around here somewhere. I have to find him," Goku said. Tired from the fight, Goku felt some adrenaline rush through his body. He reached out to sense Gohan, but the ki he felt earlier was gone. He took off, Vegeta followed.
Goku looked down at the ground, finding someone with blonde hair. He passed by the music store, and saw Boss outside smoking a cigarette. Boss was real good at remember people, and if Gohan passed by Boss was sure to see him. Vegeta noticed Goku flying towards Boss, and followed.
Goku landed in front of Boss, who noticed the world's best hoodie in the fighter's arm.
"Boss, have you seen Gohan," Goku asked. "He had blonde hair and greenish blue eyes."
Vegeta landed next to Gohan, who looked pretty well from battle. Gohan's injured hand was in his pocket. He noticed Gohan looking at the hoodie. Dropping the cigarette on the ground, and stomping on it, Gohan reached out his hand.
"I'm Gohan. Give me my hoodie," he said, moving his hand for Goku to give it to him. Vegeta gasped.
"Stop joking around Boss. I need to find my son! I just saw him!" Vegeta fell on the ground.
"I'm Son Gohan. Give me my hoodie," Gohan repeated. He moved his hand once again.
"If you're not going to help then just say so." Goku powered up and flew away. Gohan still stood there, hand out. He looked over at Vegeta, who was still sitting on the ground.
"Well I told him! He ignored me!" Gohan threw both hands up in the air. Vegeta noticed his bandaged hand re-wrapped. It was wrapped like a mitten, unlike the wrapping he had before. Vegeta finally got up from the ground.
"You gave up your identity for a piece of clothing," Vegeta yelled.
"You never wore that hoodie! You have no idea what it feels like to have angels wrap you in golden fluff," Gohan said. He shivered.
"You're an idiot."
"Well it was either help or watch the bar get smashed. Seymour worked really hard on it."
"Do you think I would let that creature destroy the bar? I will let him destroy my house before I let it destroy the bar! It gets me away from-"
"Achoo!" Gohan stood frozen. He covered his mouth when he realized that he sneezed on Vegeta. Vegeta looked down at his chest, and noticed that he was covered in blood. Gohan placed a finer underneath his nose, and looked at his finger.
It wasn't his nose that was bleeding.
Vegeta growled. He opened his mouth to say something, but the terror in his eyes stopped him.
"You're bleeding," he said, pointing at Gohan chest. Gohan looked down, and saw his white shirt with blood soaking through. Gohan looked down his shirt.
"I have a rib popping out," he said. Gohan looked back at Vegeta. "Okay, so we are casually going to go to the hospital. We're not going to freak out; we are going to take our time. Everything will be fine." He spoke in a low tone.
"What the hell were you doing back there," Seymour yelled. Gohan and Vegeta watched as Seymour ran over. He stopped quickly when he saw the blood on Vegeta, and on Gohan's shirt. "We're not going to freak out. We are going to take you to the hospital, and get you fixed up."
"I have a rib bone poking out of my chest."
"…the hospital is not that far. We can help you walk, and we're going to get there without freaking out."
Seymour talked in a low voice as well. He saw the collision of cars, the cops, and knew that it was impossible to get an ambulance, especially with the destruction that was down the road.
"Vegeta, can you fly Boss to the hospital? I can make it there by walking," Seymour said.
Vegeta nodded.
"Put your arm around my shoulder," Vegeta demanded. Gohan lifted up his right arm, wincing. Vegeta carefully grabbed him by the waist, and carefully flew up. Seymour started to walk quickly.
As soon as they arrived, they noticed the hospital was packed. People who were nearby when Hirudegarn attacked were there. They walked inside, and noticed that it was a mad house. Vegeta carefully released Gohan. They stood there as nurses were giving directions on which patient goes where, and who was an emergency.
"Where do we start," Seymour asked.
"I think I can put the rib back," Gohan said.
"You are not popping the rib back in," Seymour exclaimed.
"I can pop it back in."
"Don't you dare Boss!"
"I seriously think I can pop it back in."
By now, the nurses and a few patients were watching Seymour and Gohan. A nurse came up, one Seymour and Gohan knew.
"Karen, his rib is popping out of his skin. Is there any way we can put him somewhere," Seymour asked.
"I'm going to pop it back in," Gohan said.
"Don't touch it," the nurse Karen yelled.
"I think I can do it."
"Boss, you have to have someone look at it. You can't fix this yourself!"
"I'm going to pop it back it." Before anyone could react, Gohan used his palm on his good hand, and hit the spot where the bone was sticking out. The hospital went silent. Vegeta could only watch Gohan's stupidity. After a moment of silence, Gohan spoke again. "I really shouldn't have done that."
Gohan clutched his chest.
"Someone get a gurney," Karen yelled.
"I'm pretty sure I broke the rib bone," Gohan wheezed out.
"You idiot," Seymour yelled.
"I think I can pull it out."
"You've done enough damage! Someone is going to look at you."
"Don't pull it out," everyone in the hospital shouted.
"I can feel it. I'm gonna pull it out."
"Boss I swear if you-" Seymour froze as Gohan reached into his shirt, Everyone stared as Gohan made faces. His face lit up. Between his fingers was a bloody bone about the size of his pinky finger. A few people made faces, some threw up, like Seymour.
"I pulled it out," Gohan said. He coughed. "I should have left it there."
"Where's Dr. Barns," Karen yelled. Gohan coughed up blood, and collapsed on the ground.
"I really shouldn't have done that," he said between his teeth. "Why did I think it was a good idea?"
"Are you in pain?"
"Now I am."
"You were in shock Boss."
"Now I'm in pain." The gurney came with three other nurses. Gohan coughed up more blood, his chest still bleeding. Dr. Barns appeared, and saw Gohan on the ground. "I think I can get up."
"No," everyone in the hospital shouted. Seymour used his shirt to clean his mouth. The fake plant he puked on had better days.
"Get his ass in for an x-ray," Dr. Barns yelled. "If there's a line, make him wait."
"I can get up," Gohan breathed out. He huffed a few times. "See? I'm standing."
"Your ass is still on the floor!"
"I admit I made a horrible mistake." He coughed up more blood. "But I can breathe…so that counts for something, right?"
"Well if you can breathe then your lungs are fine. You are still bleeding out on the floor."
"It could be worse." Dr. Barns placed both hands on his face.
"Get him…somewhere," he said.
Seymour and Vegeta watched as nurses picked Gohan up, placed him on the gurney, and took him away. Dr. Barns disappeared in the madness.
"You know, as many times I've seen him be rushed in here, if he dies I don't think I'll be sad," Seymour said. "His stupidity today just…he is asking to die today!"
"Are you adding in the burn on his arm," Vegeta asked.
"I have no idea what he is on, but I don't want him on it."
"He told Kakarot who he was." Seymour looked at Vegeta, confused. "Ugh, Goku. He told Goku that he was Gohan."
"What?"
"Kakarot didn't believe him. Boss was more concerned about some clothing he had."
"The hoodie?
"The hoodie."
"I don't know how you can write a five page text about a hoodie," Seymour said, folding his arms. "I need to stay here to make any life changing decisions. If I give you the keys, can you close the bar and somehow bring drinks here?"
"Whiskey in soda bottles? Done." Both stood still. "I need to make new friends."
"You need to stop hanging around Boss." Seymour handed Vegeta the keys.
After hours of searching, Goku flew slowly back home, hoodie in hand. Goten went home after the fight, surprised that he was able to see his older brother. Goku was certain that Goten told Chi-Chi about Gohan's guest appearance. Landing in the front yard, Chi-Chi swung open the door. Yep, Goten told her.
"You saw Gohan," she shrieked. She hid with Bulma missing the fight. "Was he okay? Was he healthy? Did he say anything? Goku why aren't you telling me anything?!"
"Chi-Chi calm down, please," Goku said. "I'm just as surprised as you are. I didn't think I would see him again, but he was there! Chi-Chi…Gohan is alive!"
"My baby!" Chi-Chi wrapped her arms around Goku. She felt the hoodie up against her, and pulled away. "What's this?"
"Gohan disappeared before I could talk to him. I think he left this for me."
Goku handed Chi-Chi the hoodie. She held it close to her, and sniffed it.
"It smells brand new," she said, examining it. "He must have just bought it. I can't even tell if he's keeping himself clean! Oh, I don't care. My baby is alive!"
"Where's Goten? He was close to Gohan," Goku said. Chi-Chi nodded towards the door, and Goku ran inside. He saw Goten on the couch, and once Goten saw Goku he jumped off.
"Daddy! I saw Gohan! I saw him with my own two eyes," he said as he started to jump up and down.
"Did he say anything to you?"
"He said Gotenks was weird looking!"
"Anything else?"
"He was asking Vegeta why super saiyan three didn't have eyebrows," Goten answered. "And then he went to save Piccolo."
"Was that it?"
"They talked a lot about super saiyan three having no eyebrows." Goku sighed. "He did say another thing?"
"What?"
Goten looked up.
"Um…something about…" Goten pouted, tapping his foot. "I can't remember."
"Ah c'mon Goten, think," Goku said, waving his arms in the air. "What did he say?"
Goten stood there. A minute passed.
"I think he said something about you," Goten said, "but I can't remember what he said. Oh, Trunks might remember!"
"Something about me," Goku repeated. He couldn't help but smile.
"I remember! He said that super saiyan three doesn't look good on you either." Goku fell on the ground. As he laid there, Goku just laughed.
For some reason, that would be something Gohan would say.
Seymour dozed off in the waiting room. Vegeta felt uncomfortable sitting in the chair. Everyone was contacted about Boss, and Seymour promised that once he got an update so would everyone else. Videl stayed for a few hours, and Seymour insisted that she should go home. She refused, and fell asleep on two chairs she put together. A nurse gave her a blanket so she would stay warm.
Six hours passed. Dr. Barns did other surgeries, and updated worried families. Some were good, most were not. Vegeta just sat there, uncomfortable, waiting to hear something. The door opened, and Dr. Barns appeared. He locked eyes with Vegeta, and nodded. Vegeta nudged Seymour, who woke up. He, like Vegeta, saw Dr. Barns and quickly woke up. He stood up, and greeted Dr. Barns.
"He has a room," Dr. Barns said with a heavy sigh. "It was nothing serious. His lungs are fine, just a few broken ribs, cuts and bruises, and the bone he pulled out is now screwed in to protect his lungs. He can't work, no heavy lifting, but he will recover."
"Seriously?" Seymour was a bit shocked with the results. "All he needed was minor surgery?"
"And he complained about it as he waited. We did x-rays and an MRI, and nothing was life threatening. His lungs…Seymour he doesn't have time. This could have killed him."
"Can I see him," Seymour asked. Dr. Barns saw Videl sleeping, and Vegeta still in the chair.
"Only you," Dr. Barns responded. "He's awake, but we gave him some pain medicine so he may fall asleep on you. Visiting hours are over, so Videl and Vegeta won't be able to see him until morning."
Seymour nodded. He looked at Vegeta and gave him a thumbs up. Vegeta nodded.
Dr. Barns told Seymour what room he was in. Seymour took the elevator, seventh floor, and looked for room 706. Once he found the room, he noticed Gohan had a neighbor, sleeping, with minor bandages on the body. Gohan had the window view.
Gohan was in a blue gown, oxygen being pumped through his nose. He didn't have a tube down his throat, he wasn't attached with many wires. Seymour was not used to seeing Gohan in simple hospital attire. He was usually in ICU, fighting for his life.
Seymour always hated how Gohan looked in the hospital bed, but seeing him like this wasn't something he was used to. Noticing a chair by the bed, Seymour grabbed it and pulled it closer to Gohan.
"You awake," he asked. He didn't know if Gohan was conscious or not.
"Just practicing dying," Gohan responded. His eyes were still closed.
"What the fuck did you do?"
"Save the bar." His voice was quiet. "How bad did I mess up?"
"Got some screws in you, but that's it," Seymour answered, chuckling. He became serious. "What the hell Boss? Why did you throw your phone in the fire?"
Gohan slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head towards Seymour, and weakly smile.
"Only you know the truth. You always know when I lie," Gohan said. He still smiled, but it was fading. "I'm throwing the white flag Seymour."
"Boss…"
"I can't pretend that everything will be okay Seymour. I'm dying." Gohan turned his head, and looked at the ceiling. "I was going to run away, and die somewhere where no one can find me. I couldn't do it. I couldn't run off like I did when I was eleven. I still need her Seymour. I don't want to leave Videl."
Gohan's heartrate increased.
"The last thing we need is an attack right now," Seymour warned.
"Is she here?"
"Sleeping on some chairs."
"Please bring her here." Gohan looked at Seymour; his eyes were glassy. "Please."
Vegeta watched as Seymour woke up Videl. He couldn't hear what they were saying. Videl bowed in front of Seymour, and disappeared in the elevator. He broke protocol, but Boss needed her right now. Seymour walked back towards Vegeta, his face showing exhaustion.
"He'll heal," Seymour said. He started to walk past Vegeta. "He's quitting."
Vegeta didn't need an explanation on what Seymour meant. He watched as the elevator doors close on Videl, and went home.
"I'm fixing it."
A week out of the hospital, and Gohan was in denim overalls. His arm was still wrapped up, and yet he stood there with two paint containers on top of the bar. His leather jacket was missing, as he stood there in a long, white sleeved shirt. A skull bandana was wrapped around his forehead.
"Why," was all Seymour asked.
"It needs paint, the doors need to be fixed, and you can sell it to whoever wants it," Gohan explained. Seymour looked at Gohan with a blank expression. "What else am I going to do with it Seymour? When I die it will be in your name. We should at least make it look decent to sell."
"I thought you didn't want to sell it."
"There's nothing I can do when I'm dead."
"You should be resting."
"As much as I love your wife and kids, your couch is a horrible place to sleep," Gohan said. Due to the fire in his apartment, Gohan was forced to seek shelter elsewhere. He gathered his cats and music instruments, and stayed at Seymour's place for a while. The kids loved him. He made Mickey Mouse pancakes for breakfast, and helped them with their homework. Even Seymour's wife liked having him around. Seymour…not so much. "I'm bored Seymour."
"Write new music," Seymour suggested.
"But I have to be in the mood." Gohan whined. He even stomped his foot on the ground. "I'm working on one song, but I can't get the right music to go with it. The lyrics are done, but I don't know the tune."
"Then figure out the tune."
"But I get frustrated." Gohan hit his head on the bar. "I texted the others. If they are there, they're there. If not then I'll do it by myself!"
"Then why did you bring the paint here?"
"If you were Mu-Ma, what color would you paint the living room?" Gohan decided to fix up Mu-Ma's house. Besides the horrible smell in the kitchen, Gohan wanted to make it look good. It was in a quiet neighborhood, neighbors all around, and a fenced in front and back yard. The front of the house needed gutters, TJ broke them, and the grass needed to be cut. (The weeds grew up to two feet.) The interior needed work, new paint, some holes needed to be patched, and some new hardwoods floors wouldn't hurt.
Gohan already purchased the paint for the rooms, wooden floors, and brand new carpet for Mu-Ma's bedroom. She loved having her carpet in her room. TJ and Gohan were used to hardwood floors, especially since they slept on the floor more than the beds. Drinking had its pros and cons, and since they passed out on the floors they were used to the hardwood. Vomit was easier to clean on hardwood than carpet.
"The dark tan," Seymour said, pointing to the can on the left. "Get rid of the puke green she had."
"I was thinking the dark green for the living room," Gohan said, pointing to the can on the right.
"Make that a bedroom color."
"Which bedroom? I don't want my room to be green."
"Do you want TJ's room green?"
"He hates green."
"Then repaint Marie's room."
"But she has a pretty green."
"She doesn't have a pretty green, it's puke. The green is too dark for the living room. Why did you buy it?"
"Because it is a pretty color, and I want to put it somewhere…just not my room," Gohan answered.
"You're not going to be living there Boss. Why does it matter?" Gohan frowned.
"It is Mu-Ma's house. She likes green, so it will be green!"
"Then paint the living room green," Seymour said loudly.
"I will!" Gohan looked at the paint can with the green thumbprint on the lid. "Is the green too dark?"
"For fucks sake Boss. Why," Seymour asked.
The door opened at the bar. Gohan and Seymour were too busy talking to notice someone walking in.
"The living room should be a light color, right? When it's dark outside the house would be darker," Gohan said, putting his elbow on the table. He put his chin on his hand. In the bar, Chi-Chi got face to face with the customers. One man was sitting at a table with a beer. Chi-Chi stuck her face in front of his. "Tan is such a boring color."
"Why not a yellow," Seymour suggested. Chi-Chi went to the next table, carrying a book in her hand.
"Yellow isn't bad."
Chi-Chi walked into the kitchen.
"Not like a bright yellow, pastel I think they call it." Seymour tapped his hand on the green can. "Turn the attic into a bedroom and use this color. It will be four bedrooms instead of three."
"We'll need to expand the house. If a family of six moves in you only have one bathroom," Gohan mentioned. "Oh! Bathroom in the master bedroom."
"Oh, good idea. Turn the walk in closet into the bathroom."
"And add a closet next to the bathroom. I think we can really make it look nice." Chi-Chi walked out of the kitchen. She looked around, and decided to look behind the bar.
"Do you know where the blue prints are," Seymour asked. Gohan turned his lips.
"If I can't find them I can check the library," he said. Chi-Chi looked underneath the bar. "They should have records of that, right?"
"Maybe you can find them on the internet." Chi-Chi perked her head up. She noticed the paint cans on the counter.
"That green is way too dark," she said. Gohan and Seymour both jumped.
"What are you doing behind the bar," Seymour yelled. Gohan clutched his chest, still recovering Chi-Chi's surprise attack.
"Goku said he saw Gohan around here. I decided to look around and find him."
"You can't be sneaking up on people looking for your son." Seymour rubbed his temples. He noticed the book in Chi-Chi's hands. "Why are you carrying a book?"
"I'm glad you asked," Chi-Chi said with a smile. She placed the book on the counter. Both Gohan and Seymour looked over to see what it was.
"Cellular Biology?" They read out loud.
"You read it right boys. My son Gohan was learning about cellular biology right before he went missing. He never finished his homework, and I decided to find him so he can finish it."
Gohan looked at the book. He never had any interested in cellular biology. Marine biology was more interesting than cellular biology.
He looked over at Chi-Chi.
"You are seriously looking for your son so he can finish his homework," he questioned.
"Just because he left his family doesn't give him an excuse to leave his studies," Chi-Chi confirmed. Gohan twitched his nose. "Maybe you can learn something from him. Gohan would know that dark green paint wouldn't look in the living room. Dark colors don't look good at all. You can get away with a burgundy color in the dining room, but that color is horrible in a small house like your mothers."
Gohan scrunched up his brows.
"Boss," Seymour said quietly.
"I bet Mu-Ma would have liked an egg white color. Oh, and stencils in the living room would look nice," Chi-Chi continued. "A bookcase in the living room would be a nice touch, and hardwood floors with a nice rug. We can get a cheap vase and put flowers in it. A house looks so much better when you have flowers everywhere."
"Chi-Chi those are lovely ideas, but Boss and I have this covered," Seymour said, noticing Gohan getting upset. "We have some ideas ourselves."
"I've seen Mu-Ma's house Seymour. The ideas you two have won't work!"
"No one asked you Chi-Chi," Gohan yelled. The bar got quiet.
"We have this covered," Seymour repeated. He pushed the books towards Chi-Chi. "The guys here are middle aged men, not teenagers reading up on…science."
Chi-Chi put her hands on her hips. She took some steps forward and looked up at Boss. Gohan looked down at her, showing her no fear. Okay, maybe some fear. He has seen his mother's anger many times before. He would have met her halfway, face to face, but the little fear he had made him pull back.
Chi-Chi raised a finger at him.
"There is no need for you to raise your voice at me," warned Chi-Chi. Gohan didn't back down. "We are going to go to her house, go in each room, and figure out what paint we need."
As much as he wanted to yell at Chi-Chi for butting in his business, it wasn't a bad idea to go in each room. It was a spur of the moment decision he made today.
"As long as we can use the green, cause I already paid for it," Gohan said. He looked over at the paint cans. His head perked up. "The back room can be green!"
"Back room," Seymour and Chi-Chi questioned. Gohan grabbed the paint can.
"Where we practice." Gohan pointed to the door leading to the back room.
"Boss no," Seymour said.
"Boss yes."
"Boss no."
"Too late. Gonna paint now."
Gohan grabbed the paint can and walked away.
"You can't paint in your condition," Seymour yelled. Chi-Chi opened her mouth, and Seymour put his hand in front of her mouth. He really didn't want to get into detail. Gohan stopped. He looked at the green paint can in his hand. He then looked at his bandaged hand.
"Piccy-san," he whispered loudly with a smile.
"Boss no."
"Boss yes!"
Gohan placed the paint can on the table. He stepped outside, and cupped his hand over his mouth.
"Piccy-san," he shouted. Seymour, who was still in the bar, moaned loudly. "Piccy-san! I know you follow me you stalker you! I need your help Piccy-san! Where are you Piccy-san?"
"He's quite a handful," Chi-Chi said to Seymour. She giggled. "So how did we do at the fundraiser?"
Seymour looked at the entrance. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. He placed it on bar with a smile.
"Since Bulma said she's matching, we made $40,000 with donations," he said with enthusiasm. "We have $80,000 total. I know Boss has been saving money. The account is in both our names, so I'll be able to see how much is there."
"That's really good," Chi-Chi said looking the paper. "Still not enough though."
Seymour pulled out his phone. "I'll just look into the account and see what we have in total."
Chi-Chi watched as Seymour typed in his phone. Chi-Chi still had a flip phone, just like Goku. She wasn't up to date with technology like the others. As she watched Seymour type in his phone, she noticed his excitement was replaced with something else.
"Is everything okay," she asked. Seymour let out a breath. He tapped his cell phone on the bar, his other hand covering his lips. He nodded.
"We only have $80,000." Seymour placed his phone on the bar.
"I thought you said he had money."
"He did, and now he doesn't." Seymour put his phone back in his pocket. He rubbed the side of his nose. "Shit."
"What happened to the money he saved," Chi-Chi asked. Seymour sighed once more.
He looked at the paint can on bar, and frowned. "I have an idea."