With Bated Breath

by Lady-Ravenhawk

When you're used to fighting battles based on physical strength alone, it is hard to accept that there are some enemies you cannot conquer. Faith and courage will be tested for two families when life-changing events turn everything upside down. But love can find you in the strangest places and strength in even the most dire of situations.

16. Mother, Mother

Goku never really got out of the house much. He was content to just stay at home, work in the garden, train, go to the parties he was told to go to. This was different. This was a shopping mall full of people while he followed Sabriena around to various shops, carrying her bags for her. His stomach growled loudly, despite the crowd of people around them talking. "Are we almost finished? I'm starving." He looked at the bundle of bags on his arm, barely even feeling them, "What are all these for again?"

"We're almost done," Sabriena laughed as she entered another store. "Goten needs clothes to keep at the cabin, plus I had to get him those surprises, I HAD to get new stuff for Lindsey's babies cause they'll be here soon, and now I just have to pick up a few things for Jenny." She stopped to look over a display of scarves and a small frown appeared on her face. It made her sad that Jenny would probably need them soon, but she wanted to make sure that her friend had nothing less than the best. "Dammit," she growled, "I can't remember Jenny's favorite color. I guess I could just get a bunch of them and she can wear whatever she feels like for the day."

Goku pressed his lips together as he looked at the scarves that Sabriena browsed through. It wasn't that he had a problem remembering, it was just that he couldn't understand someone needing so many. "Why does she need those scarves again? Did the surgery do something to her?" he asked as he pulled back. He hated hospitals and this was probably one more reason to stay away from them. "Or is she gonna get cold? She lost some weight the last time I saw her when I took her to Gramma's."

"No, honey," Sabriena answered as she chose several scarves and draped them over her arm before she turned to look at her husband. "It's the chemotherapy she's on. Her hair will start to fall out because of it. This way, she can cover her head. Women take a lot of pride in the way their hair looks. If hers starts to look thin or, you know, she completely loses it, then she can still make herself feel pretty."

Goku blinked down at the scarves and nodded, "I think I get it." He reached out and felt one, the soft silk a pleasant feeling against his fingers. "It's like she will have hair, but not?" He frowned, "I can't imagine what this must be like for her."

"I can't imagine it either," Sabriena said as she led the way to the counter and paid for the scarves. She ran her fingers through her own hair, frowning as she thought about what it would be like. "Gods, I wish this had never happened." She thanked the cashier before she turned to Goku. "So, you wanna run by the Lookout and give these to her and then I can make you a big lunch for being such an awesome husband?" she asked with a big smile and batted her eyes.

Goku smiled at her, holding onto her carefully, "That sounds like a plan to me. You know I never turn down good food. I just wish… you know, Jenny wasn't feeling so bad. I wish this wasn't happening to her, too." He took the bags from her and leaned down, kissing her forehead.

Sabriena let her eyes fall closed as Goku kissed her and the next thing she knew, they were standing on the Lookout. "Sneaky," she teased as he grinned cheekily. She looked around, searching for Jenny, but didn't see her anywhere. Instead, her eyes landed on a familiar car that was parked on the pristine tile. "Oh good gods, no," she breathed. She knew that car. She dramatically twitched her eye as a grimace split her face. She heard Karen's voice call out to her and she turned, forcing the grimace into a smile as she spoke through clenched teeth to Goku, "It's Jenny's mom."

"I haven't seen you in forever!" Karen exclaimed in a tone that sounded far too cheery and didn't fool Sabriena for one minute. Jenny's mom had never approved of her and had always tried to make not-so-subtle suggestions about Sabriena's choice in clothing, manners, and anything else she could think of to criticize. She wrapped her arms around Sabriena in a hug before she pulled back to look her over. "Jenny will be happy to see you. She's been so reclusive since we got here. I just don't understand why she's being so mopey. Oh here," she added and reached over to adjust Sabriena's shirt. "There. That's better. You don't want to walk around showing off your breasts. That's vulgar," she said in a hushed tone.

Goku blinked at the strange woman. "But, I like her shirt like that," he said in a confused tone as he looked down at Sabriena, gently tugging at her shirt. He looked back to the woman and smiled as he recognized her. "Hi Mrs. Wick! How have you been?" he asked happily as he adjusted Sabriena's shirt back to the way it was.

Karen blinked at him for a moment before realization dawned on her face. "Oh! I'm fine," she answered in a pleasant tone. She felt her face burn for just a moment as she remembered the only time she'd ever met Goku. That had been a horrible night; he and his friend had come to her house to rescue her and Kacie from her own husband. She blinked again and settled her expression into one of polite interest as she looked at Sabriena again. "So what brings you here?"

"I bought some scarves for Jenny," Sabriena answered as she reached into the bag and pulled one out to show her.

"What does she need those for?" Karen asked as she wrinkled her nose slightly.

Kacie came out of the Lookout, hearing the new voices. She rolled her eyes, "Oh it's you. Come on Mom, Sabriena brought them so she and Jenny can go clubbing. You know. Have sex with random men and all that."

Goku felt his hackles rise and he moved to step in front of his mate. "Hey, she bought them for your sister for her chemo treatment, not clubbing. I wouldn't let my wife out for sex with random men. Not that she would do that anyway."

Jenny's sister crossed her arms, a smirk on her face, "Oh, spending your money on something other than drugs and washed up men addicted to cocaine? That's a change."

Fury burned behind Sabriena's eyes. "Oh, so you're gonna throw Tumbler in my face now, huh?" she snapped. "At least I had sense enough to get away from him. And furthermore, I never was into drugs and he spent his OWN money on that shit! What about you? You still dating that married senior citizen I heard you were fucking?!" Her energy crackled around her and it took every ounce of will she had to not attack Kacie.

"Girls! Watch your language!" Karen snapped, her hand over her heart as if she thought God might strike her dead just from hearing such profanity. "Now really, that's no way for ladies to speak to one another!"

Kacie snorted and growled back at Sabriena, "You want to talk about senior citizens?" She looked pointedly at Goku. "Besides, at least he is a man who knows how to treat me like a woman," she said smugly.

Dende couldn't take it any more. Ever since Jenny's family had come to the Lookout, he had been suffering. It was hard to focus when he had opposing forces going at it, muddling up his clarity. He sighed and walked over, "Please, guests, I must ask that you keep quiet, my work is delicate and you are interfering with it."

Sabriena barely registered that Dende had spoken. She roughly shoved her shopping bag into his hands. "Here, Dende, hold my shit. I'mma pop this bitch," she growled as she balled up her fist and drew back to swing at Kacie. She gave a startled cry as Piccolo grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

"Enough," he growled in a low tone as he stared down at Sabriena. While he would have loved nothing more than to turn her loose on Jenny's sister, he knew Dende couldn't handle the anger and violence around him as he tried to work. Still holding Sabriena's wrist, he looked to Goku. "Why don't you take your wife and go see Jenny? She's resting in our room. She'll be happy to see you both," he suggested.

Goku blinked a moment, trying to register what happened before he nodded at the Namek and took Sabriena's bags from Dende before he steered his wife away from the chaos that would most likely ensue if they stayed. "I didn't think Jenny's mom and sister were that bad," he said as he glanced over his shoulder at them.

"They're pretty good at being fake when they want to be," she answered as she led the way to Jenny's room. "Piccolo should've let me hit her," she muttered darkly as she knocked on the door and opened it after Jenny mumbled for them to come in.

Sabriena rushed to Jenny's side when she saw her. "Hey, bitchcakes," she said as she hugged her friend. She wanted to cringe when she felt how boney Jenny was, but she forced herself not to. Jenny didn't need anyone trying to withdraw from her now. She squeezed her a little tighter before she gently pulled back and smiled. "Look at you. Kickin' that cancer's ass and takin' names."

Goku closed the door behind him and walked over to Jenny, trying to keep the shock off of his face as he set Sabriena's bag down at the foot of the bed before he sat down on her other side, leaning down to hug her tightly. She was unnaturally thin and it scared him. He could probably snap her in two if he wasn't careful. She hadn't been nearly this thin when he took her to see Gramma. "Hey there," he said, finally pulling back and cupping her face in his hand.

Jenny managed a smile for them, leaning her head into Goku's hand, feeling as if she could just let him hold her up. "Hey guys," she said before she looked at Sabriena, managing a sad laugh, "I'm not sure who is kicking whose ass, but I want my money back."

Sabriena gave a small laugh. It broke her heart to see Jenny like this, but she refused to show it. Jenny didn't need a bunch of people being all sad and shit around her. That wouldn't solve anything and it certainly wouldn't make her feel better. "I know you've been doing a lot of that chemo lately," Sabriena said and reached into the shopping bag to pull out the beautiful scarves. "So I thought I'd pick up something for you. I doubted anyone else thought of it."

Jenny's breath caught when she saw the scarves. It brought tears to her eyes and she lifted a hand to her hair. Sliding it through her short locks, she gasped out as a few strands came away in her fingers and she looked down at them sadly. "Kacie said I looked horrible, that I should try taking a shower every day and use special shampoo," she said miserably.

"Yeah, well, your sister needs to be kicked in the twat," Sabriena grumbled as she brushed the strands of hair from Jenny's fingers. She drew a deep breath, calming her temper, and smiled at Jenny again. "Don't listen to her. You're better than she is and she knows it. That's why she tries so hard to bring you down."

Jenny managed a laugh and moved to sit up straighter. She smiled when Goku helped her sit up against the headboard. "I think I want to keep him. He's quite handy. Can hold my head up, prop me up against things." She winked at the Saiyan to show she was kidding before she reached for the pile of scarves Sabriena had brought her. They nearly took her breath away, they were so beautiful and made out of the finest silk and cashmere she had ever felt. "Sabriena, this is way too much," she breathed as she let the fine fabric slip through her fingers.

"Shut up," Sabriena snapped quickly. "I don't have any bills anyway and Daddy would be happy to know I spent money on you." She glanced at Goku before she spoke to Jenny again, "You just want him to take you to see Gramma again. He does come in pretty handy though. I'll let you borrow him." She put a hand up to her mouth and whispered loudly, "He's pretty damn good in bed, too, if you need taking care of." She couldn't help the snicker that escaped her as she teased her friend.

Jenny laughed at that, "If I felt good enough for that. Piccolo satisfies me in bed quite well, thank you." She looked at Goku, smirking at the blush on his face, "Although, I would be up for an orgy after I kick cancer's ass. Look me up then. Mmm, can you just imagine? Though, I don't know if you and Piccolo would get along. Think of all the angry sex you could have though," she teased.

Goku blinked at Jenny, "An orgy?" He looked over at Sabriena. "Is that a food?" he asked but looked back at Jenny when she said Piccolo and Sabriena could have angry sex. "Wait a minute, she's my mate! She can't have sex with Piccolo!"

Jenny chuckled, "Goku, dear, we're joking. But just imagine it, those two having sex? Good lord, Dende would have a field day trying to keep the earth together." She chuckled and leaned her head back against the headboard. "Mmm, but imaging you, Goku and Tien having sex. Now that has merit. Have you ever thought about letting people watch?"

Sabriena stopped pretending to gag and stared at Jenny. "Okay, it's official. All those meds have made you completely loopy," she said. She shook her head and closed her eyes, fighting the urge to laugh even more. "Oh my god, can you imagine Tien's reaction if I told him about this conversation? He'd die." She gave in to her giggles and fell back on the bed, holding her ribs as she laughed. "I'm sorry, Jen, but there is not enough money in this world that could make me have sex with your husband. Not happening." She sobered a bit and reached for Goku's hand, still giggling a little. "Don't take us so literally, honey. We're just being silly. You know you and Tien are the only men for me."

Goku blinked down at Sabriena a moment before he looked back up at Jenny, the innocent expression on his face (as Sabriena called it). He wasn't sure what was serious and what was a joke now. "Is she being serious?"

Jenny could only laugh at the adorable look on his face. "I think she is, it's hard to be sure." She chuckled and leaned back, making herself comfortable. "I'm glad you guys came to visit. I wish I had the courage to have more visitors." She glanced over at her phone on the nightstand. The little light on it blinked at her, telling her she had missed calls. "Dad's been calling, but I..." She looked away, "I'm afraid to answer. He wants to know that I'm one hundred percent better, but I'm not. I don't know how he will react when he finds out I'm still sick."

"You'd think he'd figure it out," Sabriena muttered, moving to lay her head in Goku's lap as she looked at Jenny. "I mean, doesn't everyone understand how chemo works? It's a bitch. Then again, I don't think he pays much attention to human stuff, ya know." She shrugged and reached for Jenny's hand. "You could just answer him and tell him that you're not feeling well. What's he gonna do? Ground you? Talking to him on the phone won't kill you. And if he does get pissed, well, at least you're out of the line of fire. Let him take it out on Catie or Trunks instead."

Jenny chuckled and let her fingers curl around Sabriena's. She liked having her and Goku there more than she thought she would. The heavy weight of them both seemed to ground her in a way she didn't think possible. "It's Vegeta. What do you think he would do?" She honestly hadn't thought about it that much, "but you know he's like the first person I've ever really considered a father to me. I don't want to disappoint him. I don't want him to think he is wasting his time."

Goku reached out, brushing away the tears that slipped down her cheek. He let his other hand curl around Sabriena protectively, holding her shoulder securely. "He would know he's not wasting his time, Jenny. He doesn't understand these human things like I can, you know? He wasn't raised as an earthling like I was. He doesn't understand unless he sees that. He's a good man. If you explain it to him, invite him here, show him, you'll be surprised at how understanding he can be. You are thinking he'll be like Michael, but he won't. Hasn't he taught you that?"

Jenny bit her lip, thinking over Goku's words, "Maybe… But I just, I don't want to lose him. If he sees me like this, won't he decide that I'm not worth his time? That I'm not Saiyan material? That I am not fit to be his daughter?" Tears gathered in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "I can't take that right now. It would break me."

"Then don't," Sabriena said. "If you don't have the strength to deal with him right now, don't do it. He's not going anywhere. You can wait until you're feeling better before you go see him. And if he asks why you stayed away, tell him. Tell him you didn't want him to see you like that. Maybe that alone will sink in to him how bad you've been feeling." She squeezed her hand, giving Jenny an understanding look. "You don't have to put up with anyone you don't feel like fucking with right now."

"For once, I agree with Sabriena," came Piccolo's rich voice from the doorway. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him as he went to stand next to the bed. "The last thing you need right now is stress. And your mother and sister aren't helping matters. You don't need to focus on what everyone else thinks of you. You need to focus on getting better." He gently rubbed at her shoulder, a concerned look on his face, before he turned his attention to Sabriena. "And just for your information, no one could pay me enough to touch you, either."

Sabriena threw her head back against Goku's leg and laughed loudly. "See? We agree on more than you care to admit! Don't lie, Piccolo. You think this is sexy." And to emphasize her point, she squirmed seductively on the bed and blew kisses at him.

"Now I'm nauseous," he muttered and looked away from her. "Goku, control your mate."

Goku blinked up at his friend, his fingers running through Sabriena's hair carefully. "You think I can control her?" He looked down at her, a knowing smile on his face. "Behave," he said teasingly.

"NO," she answered firmly and turned her face to nip at his leg. She giggled when he jumped. "I can't help it. Jenny's got me thinking all sorts of naughty things now." She wagged her eyebrows suggestively at him as Piccolo groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Let me throw her over the edge. Just once," Piccolo murmured to his wife.

Jenny chuckled, leaning into her husband's touch before she tugged him onto the bed with her friends. "You can throw her or my sister off of the Lookout, not both. And remember, Sabriena knows how to fly, but my sister doesn't."

"Ah, it's lose-lose," he muttered and leaned back against the headboard. "Sabriena flies and Dende would never let me hear the end of it if I threw Kacie." He couldn't stop the smile that pulled at the corner of his lips. It was nice to hear his wife laughing again, to listen to her joke with her friends. He looked lovingly down at her, rubbing gently at her back. "You feeling any better?"

She leaned against him, nodding. "Since these two goofballs showed up. It's good to have company. See all the pretty things Sabriena brought me?" she said, fingering the scarves, her eyes tearing up as she looked down at them. They were lovely gifts, but to think that she would soon need them was almost too much. But she appreciated her friend's thought. "Thank you, Sabriena."

"No problem, chickadee," Sabriena answered as she sat up. "I'mma use the bathroom and then we better head home. Tien's gonna think we're not coming back." She pressed a kiss to Jenny's forehead, then disappeared out the bedroom door to use the bathroom across the hall.

Karen poked her head in the opened door and smiled when she saw Jenny sitting up. "Good! You're up," she said as she walked in. "Kacie and I were thinking about going out to dinner. I was wondering if you wanted to come with us."

Goku watched as Jenny turned a shade of green he didn't think was possible. His own stomach growled at the idea of food, but from what he understood from chemo, food was probably the last thing on Jenny's mind. He looked over at the woman standing in the doorway, "I'm sorry to butt in, but I don't think she's in any condition to go out and eat. I had to help her sit up in bed; she's still suffering from her last chemo treatment."

Jenny pressed her lips together, reaching out and giving Goku's hand a squeeze before she looked back at her mother. "You go on with Kacie. I don't want to ruin a perfectly good dinner," she said, wanting very much in that moment to just crawl back under her covers. Wasn't there like a knock first sign or something? Her mother should know better.

Karen sighed and frowned as she walked closer to the bed. "Well I just thought that if you got some good food in you, you might feel better." She looked down at the pile of pretty scarves in Jenny's lap and picked one up. "Oh good heavens, you don't need ALL of these. Really, your hair looks fine to me. That Sabriena just likes to show off her money," she said as she shook her head disapprovingly.

Piccolo found Jenny's hand and squeezed it, biting his tongue. Literally. He tasted blood and relished the pain for a moment to keep himself from lashing out at her mother. There was plenty of good food to be had at the Lookout. Hell, Jenny would've cooked it herself if she was able. Good food wasn't the answer. Couldn't this woman understand that?

Jenny looked up at her mother, her hands squeezing Goku's and Piccolo's respectively. "Mom, any time I eat, I end up throwing it back up. Eating makes me feel worse, not better. If you can find something to make my nausea go away, give me back my energy, then I will be happy to try it, but I can't eat. It doesn't stay down. Eating from a restaurant isn't going to make a difference and it's just wasting money anyway. If I ask, Sabriena could cook us all a gourmet meal in seconds."

Karen continued to shake her head as she looked through the scarves. "Well, I just thought that if you got some protein, it might help. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, dear," she said, although her tone wasn't quite convincing enough. "You don't need Sabriena to cook for you. I can cook if you want something here at home." She looked at one of the price-tags on a scarf and she frowned even more. "Oh, that girl. What was she thinking? This is too much. I see she hasn't changed one bit."

Jenny winced as she felt Goku's hand tighten around her fingers and she pulled back from him, letting her hand drop on top of his. "Mom, stop it. She has changed. She has a family now, a son, her husbands. And you know her father passed away; she has no one else to dote on. Especially since she lives out in the woods now. No electricity, no TV, no more parties, so don't talk about her like that," she said, leaning back. This was starting to wear on her. Where Goku and Sabriena had been a breath of fresh air, her mother was a strain on her soul she couldn't take. It was killing her. It hurt her so much. She looked away, giving Goku's hand a squeeze and then Piccolo's, willing them to understand. "I'm tired. I want to sleep now."

Karen's eyes narrowed. Husbands? Her daughter must have misspoke. "Alright, dear," she sighed and dropped the scarf back in Jenny's lap. "If you're sure you don't want to come with us, I guess Kacie and I will go by ourselves."

Sabriena sauntered back into the room and flopped on the bed next to Goku, tilting her head curiously at the expression on his face. He looked livid. She couldn't understand what could have happened in the few short minutes she was in the bathroom, but decided not to ask in front of Jenny's mom. "Here, let me put those away for you," she offered and gathered up the scarves, folding them one by one.

"Better get going," Piccolo said tersely to Karen. "Don't want to keep Kacie waiting."

"Okay," Karen sighed again and kissed Jenny's cheek. She paused and smiled at Sabriena, "The scarves were a lovely gift. That was so sweet of you to think of Jenny like that." And with that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Goku stared after the closed door, trying to get control of his breathing. His jaw worked back and forth as he tried to figure out what to say. How often did Jenny have to put up with that? He didn't know what to think. Was that the same woman who had been hiding in a bathroom, crying and begging to be saved from a drunken man with a baseball bat? "You know, you can come stay at the cabin if you want," he said before he looked at Jenny.

Jenny blinked at Goku, sorely tempted to take him up on his offer. "They'd just follow me, or nag Piccolo to tell them where I went. It's enough trouble as is, I don't want them putting a strain on Dende. We're so close to having peace." She closed her eyes and carefully moved herself to lay down on the bed, accepting Goku's help when he pulled back the covers and tucked her in.

Sabriena got up and tugged on Goku's hand. "If you guys need anything, all you have to do is ask," she said to Piccolo, who nodded. She twisted her fingers into Goku's and gave him a small smile. "Let's go home. The husband probably misses us."

Goku nodded and stood up, looking at Jenny and then to Piccolo, "We'll see you around. I'll try to bring Goten by soon. Check in on her and make sure you all are set." At Piccolo's nod, he wrapped his arm around Sabriena and pressed his fingers to his forehead, taking them back home.

Jenny watched as they vanished from sight and she turned towards her husband, curling in on herself. "I don't want them here anymore," she said, feeling terrible for saying it, but it was the truth. "They make me hurt and I don't want them here."

Piccolo's heart sank. Jenny was finally feeling better for just a moment and then her mother had to step in and suck the life out of the room. He moved to lay down, facing her, and he cupped her cheek in his hand. "All you have to do is say the word and I'll get rid of them. Really, Jenny. This is our home. They have no right to be here, making you feel this way. I will tell them to leave if you want me to."

Jenny felt the tears gathering in her eyes, nuzzling her face into his hand. "Does it make me a bad person to say that I don't want them here? I don't. I don't want them here, Piccolo. Please… send them away. Blame me, whatever you want. I can't. I don't think I will be able to survive them after my next chemo treatment. They will walk all over me. I don't think I have the strength."

"It doesn't make you a bad person." He met her eyes evenly, drawing his thumb across her cheekbone. "Are you sure you want me to tell them to leave? Because I will do it without hesitation. If that's what you really want, I'll do it." He meant it, too. He hated seeing his wife so upset, to see the toll her family took on her. To be honest, after that incident with Michael, he thought that her ties to her family were pretty much severed. It surprised him that her mother and sister showed up at all. Well, it was more than obvious that Kacie had been forced into the situation somehow by their mother. But why Karen decided to show up was beyond him.

Jenny nodded, hiding her face in his shirt. She was a horrible person to say so, but it was the truth. "Please."

"Okay," he said softly as he pulled her against his chest. "I'll handle it. You don't have to worry about it anymore. I'm not going to let them hurt you again. You're going through enough as it is right now. Let me protect you." He tipped her face up to him and pressed his lips to hers, slipping his tongue into her mouth to kiss her deeply. He pulled back, letting his fangs scrape lightly over her bottom lip as he met her watery eyes. "Rest now. It'll be dealt with shortly." He settled himself more in the bed and let her rest her head on his chest as he began to formulate a plan, trying to think of the nicest way to tell her mother and sister to get the hell out.