Piccolo bounced his knee nervously as he sat with Jenny in the hospital room. Any minute now, the doctor was going to have her brought back to the OR for surgery. He already didn't like the way she looked in the hospital gown, the monitors hooked to her to make sure she was healthy enough to have the procedure. He promised himself that he would be calm for her today. That he would be her strength, her support. But on the inside, he was going to pieces.
He reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing her fingers in his own. He could hear his daughters out in the waiting room as Trunks and Catie played with them. Well, more like Alice sat quietly as Trunks read her a story while Paige ran shrieking through the halls and Catie chased after her, proclaiming loudly to her new mate that he'd better forget any ideas he had about them ever having children.
Piccolo was grateful that everyone had shown up to support Jenny. He knew what it meant to her to have her loved ones close by. In all honesty, it meant a lot to him, too. Just knowing that they were concerned enough to put their lives on hold and be there for his mate spoke volumes to him about how much these people really did care. The only ones who did not attend were Dende and Rose, but that was understandable. And Dende had already agreed to heal Jenny's incisions from the surgery as soon as she returned to the Lookout.
That relieved Piccolo. At least Jenny wouldn't be in pain from the surgery for very long. He hoped he could get her home before all of the medication wore off so that maybe she wouldn't hurt at all. Regardless, he was going to make certain that she took it easy for awhile. Jenny always spread herself too thin, trying to take care of everyone else all the time. It was her turn to be taken care of, even if he had to tie her to the bed. And no, not in that way. In fact, that seemed to be the furthest thing from their minds all weekend.
After making the initial rounds to their friends to fill them in on what was happening, he and Jenny had spent every moment together, just talking, reminiscing, promising each other that they would get through this. They brought their daughters to sleep with them in bed at night, just because they could. They wanted to spend as much time together as a family in case something happened. In case something went horribly, terribly wrong. He silently prayed that it didn't.
Piccolo had carefully packed Jenny's suitcase, making sure she had everything she could possibly need. He didn't know how long she might be in the hospital, but he was NOT going to leave her side for anything. He packed his own clothes in beside hers, letting Paige pick out a few things for her mommy, including a new novel Jenny had recently purchased.
Piccolo felt his wife's eyes on him and he turned towards her to give her a soft smile. "You're beautiful. You know that," he said and reached over to gently brush his thumb over the soft skin of her cheek. "I'm going to be right here when you wake up. I just want to get you home so you can rest and get better." He leaned over to kiss her forehead, her nose, her lips. "This will be over before you know it and we'll be normal again. Well, as normal as we ever were."
Jenny chuckled lightly, reaching out and cupping his face, squeezing his hand, "I know. We will make it. I just wish…" She trailed off. What could she wish for? She shook her head, "No, this past weekend was perfect. I couldn't wish it to be more different. I just wish I had more time. I wish I got this stupid thing after I gave you a son." She smiled, brushing her thumb over Piccolo's cheek, "I imagined he would look exactly like you. A little you, someone to give Paige a run for her money." She shook her head, "Our girls are wonderful, I just wish I had been able to give you that one thing."
She shifted on the hospital bed, looking up at the saline drip they had set up already. She looked back at him, "I love you. Just remember that, no matter what happens." She looked down at her hands, "I was reading about what my chemo is going to be like. Everyone reacts to it differently, so I don't know what's going to happen once I start. Who knows?" She looked back up at him, "Gramma Arthusia always told me to prepare for the worst, but hope for the best."
A pain pricked at Piccolo's heart as she mentioned the son they would never have, but he kept his expression calm. "You should call her," he said thoughtfully. "She would want to know how you're doing, what you're going through. Maybe she would have something that could help you." He sighed and just stared into her eyes for a moment. "Jenny, no matter what happens with this chemotherapy, we'll get through it together. I'm going to take care of you," he promised in a quiet tone.
Jenny smiled warmly at him, "I know you will, you always have. Been looking after me since we first met. Well, you know. Relatively speaking." She looked down at their hands entwined together and traced over the veins she could see on the top of his hand, "And Gramma knows full well what is going on. She'll call, or I will and there won't be a need to explain anything. Though, what she might suggest is a margarita and some shrooms…" She trailed off, smirking to herself a moment.
Piccolo couldn't help but to chuckle at that. Gramma Arthusia certainly had a different way of dealing with things, but it always seemed to work. "Maybe we can get her to make you some chocolate cake for breakfast," he said warmly and leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. He could hear the doctors approaching her room. It suddenly seemed all too quick, that their time together had been far too short. He silently begged the Goddess to spare his wife, to let her survive this. He opened his eyes to stare into her warm brown ones. "You're going to be fine," he assured her as the door opened.
Jenny looked at the doctors nervously before she looked back to her husband, her mate. "I know I will be. I know you'll come after me if I don't make it out of this," she said before she leaned forward and kissed him firmly, enjoying the act as though it would be the last time she ever got to. If she was going to go, she was going to take this with her. She finally pulled back, rubbing affectionately at his ear before she leaned back in her bed and let the nurse come to her bed, "Leave a light on for me."
He reluctantly pulled away from her as the nurses took her to the operating room. There was a hard knot in his throat as he watched her go and he sat back in the chair with a heavy sigh. He couldn't just sit in this empty room. He was far too nervous. Getting to his feet, Piccolo wandered out into the hallway and followed the signs to the waiting room where everyone was sitting together. They looked anxiously over at him as he appeared. "They just took her back for surgery," he announced in a surprisingly calm voice.
Goku shuddered and pressed closer to Sabriena and Tien, trying to hide behind them as he sat between them in the waiting room. He did not like this place one bit. It smelled funny and he jumped every time someone wearing a white coat walked by. He sighed and looked up at the Namek. "You want to go get some breakfast while we wait?" he asked hopefully.
Seventeen chuckled over from a corner, "Nice try, Goku. Pretty sure the biggest breakfast he has ever had was a bottle of Avon water." He was nervous too, but he couldn't figure out how to cope with the anxiety he was feeling other than to crack jokes. If it got him punched, all the better. A new bond of friendship had formed between him and Jenny during their time together under Vegeta's training at Tien's cabin and now he worried if he was ever going to get to see her again.
Sabriena cocked an eyebrow at her husband. "I already fed you this morning," she reminded Goku and slid her hand into his, twining their fingers together. She sighed and squeezed comfortingly at his hand. She knew how nervous the hospital made him. She could feel the way his energy was raised, the way he flinched every time someone in scrubs walked by. "If anyone tries to get anywhere near you with a needle, I'll Solar Flare 'em for you, okay?"
Tien snickered and clapped a hand to Goku's knee. "See? No need to worry. We'll just sick the wife on the doctors. She'll take care of our light work," he grinned with a wink. Perhaps Seventeen had the right idea; just keep everyone laughing by making silly jokes, try to not think about what was happening to their friend.
Goku grumbled and crossed his arms as he sank down further in his chair.
Alice blinked around at the waiting room, looked up at Trunks with wide eyes as she put a hand over the page he was reading before she wiggled herself out of the seat and toddled over to her father, looking up at him while she raised her arms and made grabbing motions.
Piccolo smiled down at his little girl and picked her up. "You're getting too big," he commented as he held her close.
She kissed his cheek. "You need it," she said quietly.
Piccolo swallowed and leaned his face into his daughter's pale hair. It amazed him the way she was able to read people, even at her young age of three years old. She was definitely picking up on everything Dende had taught her. "That's my girl," he said quietly to her. He suddenly looked up at Paige as she came squealing down the hall with Catie in tow and ran straight for Vegeta.
Vegeta smirked and scooped her up as she tried to hide from Catie. "What sort of mischief have you been causing?" he asked in an amused tone. She was breathless and grinning toothily, showing her little fangs. He could only imagine what sort of havoc she'd caused already.
Catie came to a halt in front of Vegeta and exaggeratedly leaned over and put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath, "Well for starters, she stole a wheelchair and decided it would be fun to go joyriding along the hallways. Screaming 'Weeeeeee!' at the top of her lungs so that everyone knew that she was having the time of her life." She wrinkled her nose and mock-scowled at the little girl who giggled.
Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder at the little half-namek who was trying to hide behind him in his chair. "Surely not," he said in an amused, disbelieving tone. He closed his eyes and shook his head as Paige blinked her big blue eyes at him and nodded. "And you didn't invite me?"
Paige's eyes lit up and she ran from behind the chair and grasped Vegeta's hand, pulling him down the hallway, "Let's go, Papaw!"
"Paige! Wait for me!" Goten cried and ran after her, ignoring his brother as he protested that they shouldn't be doing that.
"Not you, mister," Lindsey said and grabbed onto Phoenix as he tried to chase after them as well. "I swear to god, I'm going to put benadryl in a pez dispenser and start passing it out to these munchkins." She passed the two-year-old off to Gohan and sat back in the chair with a sigh as she rested a hand over her very pregnant belly.
"I wish they'd calm down," Gohan muttered as he settled his son in his lap. "I work in this hospital now. They're going to get me fired and I'm not even on the clock." He sat up straighter as Goten came running back up the hall with Paige on his back. "Slow it down, you two!"
Paige frowned at Gohan and blew him a raspberry before tightening her hold on Goten. "Again! Again!" she shouted, but frowned when Bulma walked over and picked her up.
"Now that's enough of that, young lady. We are in a hospital! There are many more sick people here who don't need little munchkins running around and causing a ruckus. You can do that enough at home and razz the servants there."
Vegeta came back into the waiting room looking more than a little irritated. "Get control of those kids," he barked at Bulma. His face was burning red and he angrily threw himself into a chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He'd been expecting to watch Paige race down the hallway in a wheelchair, but half-way there, she'd had an entirely different idea and he was less than amused in that moment.
Tora couldn't stop himself. "What'd the monsters do this time, Prince?" he asked, trying not to laugh at the pissed-off prince.
"Found the med cart and pushed it down a flight of stairs," Vegeta answered in a dry tone as he stared up at the ceiling. "They'll be picking up pills for weeks."
And although they all knew they shouldn't, the room erupted in laughter as Paige beamed proudly and Goten tried very hard to hide behind Sabriena.
Tora leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head and stretched out his long legs. He honestly hadn't known how long surgery would take before he came there, but when he'd finally asked, Bulma had said it could take several hours. The children were now all quieted down and sitting together on the floor of the waiting room, playing a boardgame they'd found among the books and things to keep them entertained.
He'd lost track of how much time had passed and was staring at the clock trying to figure it out when a familiar feminine voice drew Tora's attention. It was Android Eighteen, who was apologizing to Piccolo for running late. She had her daughter with her and the little blonde quickly ran over to join the other children in the middle of the floor. He gave little Marron a lazy wink and a grin before he settled himself back in the chair and surveyed Eighteen.
She looked good. He'd been worried about her; he hadn't seen her since he moved out of Capsule Corp. He used to see her quite a bit when she brought Marron by to play with little Trunks and Paige. A snort of slight amusement escaped him when she looked his way and then pointedly stuck her nose in the air and went to sit next to her brother.
She still blamed him for Krillin's death.
He sighed. It wasn't his fault. Fasha and Durian had killed Krillin. He frowned at the memory of them. Durian was dead and rightfully so. He'd been in on it when Fasha had banished Bulma to the shadow realm. His death was justified. But Fasha was still out there somewhere and by this time, she'd had her baby, he was certain of it. Not that he cared, the child wasn't his concern, but it worried him that Fasha hadn't attacked again. Unless she'd truly learned her lesson the last confrontation they had. He shook his head to himself. No. That wasn't Fasha's style. She was relentless in her pursuit and all those years stranded on that planet had made her more than a little crazy. She was planning something. He just wondered what it could be.
But Fasha wasn't what was really on his mind. It was Eighteen that his thoughts returned to. What started out as a promise to her deceased husband to watch over her had turned into a serious crush. He hadn't meant for it to happen. He just wanted to make sure that she and her daughter were safe. But her beauty struck him in a way that no one's ever had before. It wasn't just her physical beauty, which was striking, but it was her inner strength that he admired. After Krillin's death, she had pulled herself up by the proverbial bootstraps and had done everything in her power to create a normal life for her daughter again. She'd bought them their own little house in a subdivision just outside of the city (he'd overheard her saying she didn't feel comfortable at Kame house anymore once Krillin was gone.) And by all means, Marron seemed like a happy, normal little six-year-old girl, considering the circumstances.
He heaved another sigh and stared up at the ceiling. It was stupid to think of Eighteen like that. She loathed him. Perhaps it was because of her coldness towards him that he was so interested. It's like being told you can't have something. You might not have thought about it much otherwise, but once someone tells you "no" it just makes you want it all the more.
Oh, how Bardock would've teased him for this one. He cringed on the inside at the mere thought of it.
Seventeen chuckled at his sister's cold look. "So have you been sucking on lemons or are you just that happy to be around us?" he teased and bumped her knee with his own as his hand reached for Leelee's. He knew the answer. It was because Tora was there. But he just couldn't stop himself from giving his sister shit every chance he got.
Eighteen elbowed her brother as she watched her daughter playing with the other kids. She frowned when she saw Marron turn around and ask Tora if he wanted to play as well. Ask, that was a strong word, more like, "come play this now." She sighed as she watched the Saiyan happily comply to her daughter's wishes and lay flat on his chest in the middle of the floor to join their game. She wanted nothing more than to just punch his face in, but now was neither the time nor the place.
Seventeen snickered as Eighteen elbowed him. "Aw, c'mon. Give the guy a break. He's like one of the family now," he teased in a hushed tone. He understood why Eighteen didn't like the guy, but still Seventeen thought that Tora had more than proved himself. "You know, he really is trying to fit in here. You don't have to be such a bitch all the time."
Eighteen scowled at him. "I'm not being a bitch," she answered firmly. "I seriously doubt you'd enjoy being around him if his buddies had killed Leelee." She huffed and crossed her arms tightly over her chest as she threw one leg over the other and looked away from her brother. She was tired of everyone telling her to play nice, to give him a chance, to forgive. She wasn't ready to forgive and she certainly would never forget. It was because of his decision to join the Atlantians that her husband was dead. Tora had led his crew here to Earth to aid Kadar in that war. As far as she was concerned, it was his fault. She would never forgive him.
Piccolo couldn't believe how long this was taking. He didn't know whether he should be worried that it was taking so long; did that mean it was worse than they thought? Or was it a good thing it was taking so long, meaning they were really taking the extra time to care for his wife? He just wanted this to be over with. He wanted to take her home and curl up in bed with her and their daughters again. He appreciated that his friends were there, although he'd refused when they asked him to have a bite to eat with them or to grab a drink as lunchtime neared. Even going for a short walk didn't appeal to him. He stayed right where he was; he wanted to stay as close to Jenny as possible. Besides, they could announce that Jenny was out of surgery at any moment. He kept jumping every time that damn door opened, thinking he was going to get to see his wife, and then he would sigh and settle back to just sit and wait.
Vegeta was slightly reclined in his chair, one leg stretched out in front of him as he stared at a spot on the tile floor. Bulma's head rested on his shoulder and he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair over and over as he let his mind wander. Jenny was going to be just fine. She was going to recover from this in no time and they'd be back to sparring just like they used to. He blinked away the unfamiliar burning in his eyes; perhaps he was more tired than he thought.
Goku was holding Sabriena's legs, Tien was cradling her head as she slept on the floor. Everyone had woken up earlier than normal to be there for Jenny and Piccolo. Now they were paying for it in exhaustion. He watched the entire room; he could see that Vegeta had tears in his eyes, and Piccolo was nervous. The other girls had curled up and gone to sleep. He sighed as he looked up at the ceiling but jumped when Sabriena suddenly sat up as the door opened and a nurse poked her head in to ask, "Family of Jennifer wick?"
Piccolo and Vegeta both jumped up, each of them looking a little pale. "That's us," Piccolo said, his chest tightening. Oh gods, please let her be okay. "I'm her husband," he added, walking over to the nurse as Vegeta joined him.
Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, fighting the shaking feeling he had in his hands. He despised moments like this, where his fear got the best of him and he couldn't control his body the way he was used to. His muscles tensed, waiting to hear what the nurse would say.
"Is she alright?" Piccolo asked. "Can I see her?"
The nurse offered a smile to them both, looking around the waiting room at the expectant faces. She looked between Vegeta and Piccolo, speaking quietly so only they could hear, "Mrs. Wick is doing just fine. We have her in the recovery room and she's still asleep, so we can only allow three people in at a time right now. The surgeon was able to get most of the cancer and recommends she spends a few months on chemo just to make sure that it's gone for good. We are going to recommend that she stay in the hospital the next few days for observation and then we can set up a schedule. I can take three of you now to see her."
Piccolo heaved a sigh of relief, his knees nearly buckling under him. He shook his head, looking over at the wall for a moment, trying to compose himself. He couldn't believe the amount of relief that crashed through his system, overwhelming him in that moment. He'd been even more scared than he realized.
Vegeta closed his eyes, exhaling a long, slow breath through his nose. She was okay. A smirk pulled at his lips, thinking to himself that he'd known she would be just fine, even though in his heart, he had feared the worst. He turned his head and held out his hand, his voice a little harsher than he meant for it to be, "Bulma."
Bulma was at Vegetas side in an instant, his harsh voice not even phasing her. She let her hand curl around his fingers and they followed the nurse and Piccolo to the recovery room. She nearly gasped when they walked around the corner, seeing her daughter laying there, tubes sticking out of her, sleeping soundly.
Piccolo's step nearly faltered, seeing his wife like that. But he calmed his nerves and went to her bedside, pulling up a chair next to her. Being mindful of the tubes and wires connected to her, he gingerly covered her hand with his own. "You're okay," he whispered to her. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead before he rested his own against hers. He suddenly felt exhausted, dealing with hours upon hours, days of stress and worry. He closed his eyes for a moment, wanting nothing more than to curl around her and sleep, but he forced his eyes back open the next moment. He wanted to be the first one to see her wake up, to be smiling at her when she opened her eyes.
Vegeta sat in another chair in the corner of the room, watching her carefully. He wanted to think that everything was going to be fine, but he knew they weren't quite out of the woods yet. But that didn't matter at the moment. All that mattered to him was that she had survived the surgery and now all that was left to do was to wait for her to wake up.
Jenny woke slowly, like the world around her was water and she was slowly rising to the surface. She felt a dull pain, numbed from medication. She didn't know how to feel, how she was supposed to feel. She had dreamed of Gramma's house and warm sunshine. She had been eating chocolate cake and drinking tea with Gramma as they talked about cancer and surgery. She was sad to wake up. Gramma promised to visit soon and somehow Jenny knew that it was more than just a dream.
She looked around, seeing her mom and dad. And her husband who was looking at her with relief. She felt… lighter. Empty. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but her mouth was dry and her body was numb.
"Shhh," Piccolo soothed, brushing her hair back with his fingers. He felt his heart swelling as if it would burst when she finally opened her eyes. "The doctors got the cancer, with a little more treatment, you're going to be just fine," he said in a hushed tone. He couldn't wait for her to heal enough so that he could take her home and have Dende heal her the rest of the way. He hated being in this place.
"So sleeping beauty finally decides to wake up, huh?" Vegeta asked, a small smile on his face. "Told you you'd be all right." He didn't know what to say to her, how to make it better. He wanted everything to go back to normal, the way they would spar together, her sharp wit and her drive to always improve herself. He didn't like her being quiet like this, looking weak and sick. "You'll be back in the GR by the end of the week."
Piccolo sighed and rolled his eyes, praying silently that Vegeta was joking. It was hard to tell with him.
Jenny could barely smile back as she reached for Piccolo's hand, grasping at it the best she could while trying to manage a smile for her father. "How..." She swallowed, her throat was dry, "how much did they take out?"
Piccolo cringed at her question. The doctors had told her before the surgery that they would do a partial or full hysterectomy depending on what they found when they got inside of her. He swallowed nervously, meeting her eyes. "It was a full hysterectomy," he said, forcing his voice to remain level. Her ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus. They'd had to remove all of it. "But all that matters is that you're okay," he said, his voice just above a whisper.
Jenny felt sick. Everything was gone. There had to be something she could have done to prevent herself from being that sick, but it was far too late and now she had lost her chance to give Piccolo a son. She shouldn't have been so selfish. She should have gotten pregnant with his son when she had the chance. She closed her eyes, tears slipping out.
Piccolo felt a slight panic, seeing her tears. He didn't know why it startled him so, other than the fact that he just didn't want to see her sad. Being sick was bad enough, but being sad on top of it made him feel completely useless. "Don't," he said, brushing her tears away with his thumb. "Don't cry." He leaned over, kissing her softly. "Tell me how to fix it. How can I help you?"
Vegeta turned away from the bed, feeling like he was intruding on something. "Bulma, let's go tell the others that she's okay."
Bulma nodded and led the way outside. She couldn't imagine how Jenny was feeling. Such an important part of her had been cut out. And while they were trying for a third child, one that would never be now.
Jenny cried openly, shaking.
The nurse came back and nodded at her, "It's a hard time when there's a hysterectomy." She changed out the morphine bag and left them.
Jenny just pushed her face into Piccolo's shirt, " I'm so sorry baby… I'm so sorry. I wanted another one… I wanted to give you a son..."
Piccolo understood her heartache. He hadn't even had time to absorb the fact that they were never going to have any more children because he had been far too worried over his wife. He pressed his lips together, swallowing harshly. "It's okay," he said roughly. He worried that now that she was healed, he was going to have to face that reality. He felt a little cheated, like something had been taken from him. He cradled Jenny's head against his chest. "Shhhh. Shhhhh. It's okay, baby. I've got you."
She sobbed, feeling the medicine taking effect but she just couldn't stop. She finally settled back after a moment, wiping her eyes with her hands. "I don't… I can't… Gods, Piccolo..." She felt lower than low. She wanted to curl in on herself, but the pain was too much. "Please… please don't leave me. Don't leave." Her eyes were growing heavy and she couldn't keep them open for much longer.
"I will never leave you," he said fiercely, closing both of his hands around hers. "Jenny, stay with me. Listen to me," he said, leaning closer to lock eyes with her as she blinked sleepily. "You are my mate for life. FOR LIFE. I will never, ever leave you. I swear it." It had to be the medicine talking. Why on earth would she think that he would leave her? But just in case she really believed that, that he was capable of walking away from her, he had to put an end to that train of thought. "I'm never leaving you," he vowed fiercely.
Jenny managed a smile, her pain easing as his words carried her back to sleep. She drifted back to her dreams. It was the same one, filled with clove cigarettes, calmness, the salty sea air. She was exhausted and went back to Gramma's lap, laying her head on her legs, and went to sleep.
Trunks and Catie jumped up when Vegeta and Bulma came into the waiting room where the rest of their friends were waiting. The doctor had only spoken to Piccolo and Vegeta, leaving the rest of them to wonder what had happened. "Is she alright? What's going on? Can we see her?" Trunks asked, speaking about a mile a minute.
Vegeta held up a hand to silence his son. "She'll be fine."
Sabriena glared at him. "Fine? Fine? She's been in surgery for hours because of a life-threatening disease and all you can tell us is she's FINE?!" That seemed like a lame way of pacifying everyone and she didn't appreciate it. She swatted at Tien's hand as he grabbed her shoulder to calm her down.
Bulma placed her hand on Vegeta's arm before she turned to Sabriena. "She's doing as well as can be expected. They had to remove, well, everything. A full hysterectomy. They got the cancer and what they missed can be taken care of with chemotherapy. It's going to be a hard road for her. I know she and Piccolo were trying for a son. It's going to be hard for her to accept everything at once."
"They were?" Gohan asked, blinking at Bulma. He hadn't heard anything about that. Why hadn't he heard anything about it? Piccolo hadn't told him that. Of course, Piccolo was always quiet about personal stuff. The girls probably knew all about it. He sat back and huffed, not knowing what to think. Piccolo and Jenny both must be devastated.
Sabriena heaved a sigh, looking down at her hands. "I wish I could trade places with her," she muttered. She had no intention of ever having children. She would have gladly taken Jenny's place.
Goku gave Sabriena's shoulder a squeeze, he didn't want to think about what would have happened if it was Sabriena in Jenny's place. Tien would be out as well and feeling things no man should have to feel. "Is Piccolo there alone? Someone should be with him."
Vegeta gave a nod. "They needed a moment, but she's more than likely asleep again." He looked over at Goku and his mates. Sabriena looked worried sick.
Trunks had sat back down, he and Catie holding onto each other as she said a little prayer to heal their sister.
"Go on then," Vegeta said to everyone. "Take your turns going in to see her. But it will probably be more to the namek's benefit. It's doubtful she'll even know you're there."