Author's Notes:
Hi everyone,
First of all, sorry for the quick follow up update—I published the last chapter as I was running out of the house so I didn't have time to write a few notes.
Part of this story was inspired by a sweet suggestion from Teddy.
Also, just wanted to say thanks for all of the reviews and great feedback—this has been such an amazing experience for me writing this and I'm so glad that it's gotten such a great response too!
Peace, Love, and Dragonball.
Update Note:
Hey everyone!
I'm still alive, don't worry, and I haven't given up on this story or anything. I've just been really busy getting back to school and working on some other stuff. The next chapter is in the works and should be up by the end of the week if not sooner.
Peace, love, and Dragonball.
Chapter 6: The Dreaded Doctor's
The rest of the week slipped by with relative eventfulness—Gohan and Videl continued the early stages of their relationship, Mr. Satan was still afraid of Gohan, Goku was still always hungry, and Goten and Trunks were still pulling pranks. Now that peace had been re-established within the Son household, it seemed as though the days flew by in a blur, until the gang found themselves at Friday—the last weekend before Gohan and Videl would have to return to school for their last little bit until exams. It seemed like just yesterday that Gohan and Videl had been competing in the tournament on the first day of spring break, but here they were about to go back and start their preparations for finals.
Friday dawned dully on the Son household—the clouds were out and the whole area was bathed in a greyish tinge. This of course being the one-day that everyone had to get up early when it was so perfect for snoozing. Goten and Goku both had to go to the doctors: they both had physicals on the same day because their birthdays were so close together. Gohan agreed to tag along too—he anticipated his father's theatrics at the doctor's hadn't changed.
"C'mon kiddo, get up now," Gohan called into his brother's dark room, yawning at the same time, "let's go, mom says you gotta get up."
"Unnhhhhh," came a weak voice from the other side of the room, the sound muffled by the fabric of a pillow.
"Let's go, c'mon sleepy head," Gohan said, smiling to himself, "If you're not up when I get back I'll drag you out of bed.
Gohan turned around to head downstairs where his mother and father were both waiting. As he walked downstairs he glanced at his watch and recoiled at the time—it was 6:45. Their appointment was for eight o'clock, but his mother had insisted that they leave early. She didn't just want to appear out of thin air through Instant Transmission in the middle of an examination room. She wanted Goku to drop them off a good distance away somewhere secluded so that they could walk. What's more, she knew that her boys liked their shuteye, so she compensated a little for sluggish getting up.
"M-m-morning!" Gohan said through an enormous yawn, scratching his head as he walked over to the table where his father was seated, "Hey, dad, you look terrible. Sleep ok?"
"Sh-sh-sh-shots," Goku stammered, quivering in his chair as he tried to hold his mug of coffee steady through shaking hands, "I h-h-h-hate, n-n-n-needles."
"Oh for the love of—Dad, you're such a baby!" Gohan said exasperatedly, slapping his knee with his hand as his mother walked over with a cup of steaming coffee, looking disapprovingly at her husband, "Your seven year-old son isn't even afraid of shots, and here you are—savior of the universe, shaking in your boots about getting a lousy needle?"
"A-a-ahhhh," Goku responded, turning pale at the very mention of the word.
"Oh grow up," Chichi said sharply, rapping Goku on the head with a spoon for her coffee, "speaking of babies, where's your brother, Gohan?"
"I'm right here," Goten said crankily, rubbing his eye blearily as he walked into the kitchen, "and I'm not a baby! Just wait, when we go to the doctor's, you'll see how big I am on the thingy—you know the thingy that you measure how big you are?"
"The scale, sweetie," Chichi said with a smile, getting up and walking to the fridge, "what do you want, baby? Orange juice, milk?"
"Milk, please," Goten grumbled as he sat down, blushing at being called a baby, "Ouch!"
"What's the matter?" Chichi asked from across the room, "sit on something?"
"No," Goten said, rubbing his backside, "my butt really hurts!"
"Your butt?" Gohan asked, sounding suspicious.
"Yeah it really hurts! I must have bashed it sparring with you yesterday, Gohan."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," Gohan said uninterestedly as he took a sip form his coffee, "hey, your shirt's on inside out by the way."
"Thanks," Goten said grumpily, taking off his white t-shirt and putting it on properly, "hey, daddy is everything ok? You look sick, good thing we're going to the doctor's!"
"Daddy's not sick, honey," Chichi said, setting down a glass of milk in front of her son and sitting down next to him, "he'll be fine."
"Yeah d-don't worry about m-me," Goku said, trying to fake a smile, but failing, and instead looking as though he was sucking on a lemon.
"You're shaking!" Goten remarked as his mother attacked his unruly hair with a brush, trying to pull it into a presentable shape, "should I go get you a sweater?"
"Goten, he's fine," Gohan said, suppressing a laugh, he just doesn't like the doctor's.
"Huh?" Goten asked, perturbed, as his mother now tried to tuck in his shirt "I love the doctor's! I love sitting on the big chair, and the doctor always lets me pump up that thingy—what's it called again, Gohan?"
"The blood-pressure cuff."
"Yeah! That," Goten said excitedly as his father winced.
The family spent a few more minutes at the table, finishing their respective beverages and enjoying light conversation—all but Goku of course. Chichi insisted that all her boys wear coats—despite it being the middle of May.
"Alright! Up you get, let's go!" She said at seven o'clock, "Goku, sweetie, are you ready to take us?"
"Y-yeah, sure," he said, tripping over his own feet as he got up, "just hold onto m-me somewhere."
"Gosh, daddy," Goten said, alarmed, as he grasped his father's pant leg, "you're shaking like a leaf!"
"O-okay, everybody r-ready?" Goku trembled, putting two fingers to his forehead and preparing to take off, "1, 2, 3!"
Everyone disappeared from the kitchen, vanishing into thin air and being hurtled through the air as light particles. It was a strange feeling—Goten had never experienced it before. It was kind of like a vacuum was sucking at his entire body simultaneously. It wasn't uncomfortable per se it was just unusual.
"Here we are!" Goku said moments later, looking around. It was strange, this didn't look like where he had been intending to go. He couldn't see any buildings. Then he looked down, and realized that his aim had been off and he'd put them about twenty feet in the air above a park, "Uh, I guess I missed!"
"You're damn right you missed!" Chichi shrieked, flailing her arms about in her eldest son's arms, "what were you thinking?"
"Ehhe," Goku blushed, scratching his head as the family descended into the empty park, "that's never happened to me before, sorry honey!"
Chichi grumbled and moaned all the way down the street to the doctor's office, mumbling threats of taking away Goku's dinner or making him do the dishes. Goku wasn't really in a fit state to pay attention however; he was too busy trying to walk without falling over his own feet. Goten and Gohan were having a passionate discussion about how much Goten actually grew since last year.
"I think I grew a lot—maybe ten feet!" he said excitedly, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as his brother looked on.
"Ten feet!" Gohan said, pretending to be shocked, "you gotta be kiddin' me sport, no way you grew that much!"
"Ah-huh," Goten said, jumping up and landing, "ouch!"
"What?" Gohan asked as his mother turned around, "mom, don't look at me, I didn't touch him!"
"No, it's not you!" Goten moaned, putting his hands over his rear end, "it hurts!"
"Good thing we're going to the doctor's now," Chichi said, although she had a vague idea of what the problem was, "you can ask Dr. West when we get there."
They arrived at the doctor's at quarter past seven, and they were the first ones in the door. When the nurse asked them why they had arrived so early, Chichi just shrugged and sat down and started reading a cheap magazine from the rack in the waiting room. Meanwhile Goku sat in a corner, shivering with apprehension, Goten played on the floor with some toys that he'd brought, and Gohan worked on some reading he had to do for school.
"Hey, sweetheart?" Goku said hopefully after about twenty minutes of tense waiting, "you know there's that movie that you wanted to see playing just down the road in ten minutes, we could still see it if we left now…"
"Forget it, Goku," Chichi snapped, not even looking at her husband as she turned the page of her magazine with vigor, "you're not getting out of this one."
"Yeah, dad, c'mon," Goten said chirpily, jumping onto his father's quaking lap and hugging him, "it's gonna be fine, don't worry, daddy!"
They waited for another forty-five minutes or so before they were called into the back of the office—with Goten leading the way proudly as he talked to the nurse about doctor stuff, and with Goku bringing up the rear as he cowered behind his oldest son. Of course, Goku and Goten had different doctors, so they split up and went to two different rooms. Chichi went with Goten to his, and Gohan practically dragged his father to his. Unbeknownst to her husband, Chichi had explicitly requested that Goku's examination be done after Goten's, so that all of them could be there for Goku to provide "moral support," as she called it. Though actually, she was just concerned that a second super saiyan's strength might be needed to hold her flailing husband back.
The doctor's had always been and interesting affair for the Sons—besides the fact that Chichi had a grown man husband who was afraid of going there, she had never told the doctors that her family was an alien race of super human warriors. It probably would not be a good idea to do so. For instance, when Goten was born, with a tail as all saiyan babies are, the entire building was in shock and thought that he was a mutant human—Chichi had to insist that he was fine so that they wouldn't put in him in intensive care and cause a scene. Another time when Gohan had been sick, he sneezed so hard in the examination room that he blew a hole right through the wall, startling the eighty year old woman next door who was in rehab from hip surgery. She had always used the excuse that her family was "unusual and unique," but that always got her funny looks from the men and women who had spent eight years or more of their lives studying medicine. She didn't really mind though, as long as there weren't any long-term investigations and as long as the doctors didn't call the press or anything, it was fine. She just wanted her family to be healthy.
"Hi!" a nurse said cheerily as she walked into the room where Goten and Chichi were waiting, Goten's medical records in hand.
"Hi!" Goten said, beaming and waving, "where's Dr. West?"
"He'll be in in a few minutes to do your physical," she explained, washing her hands in the sink, "I'm just going to take your height, weight, and a few other things. Now, please take off your shirt, shoes, and shorts and stand next to that scale on the door there."
Goten did as he was told and stripped down to just his teddy-bear printed-underwear, shivering in the cold room. The nurse had to do a slight double take when she saw Goten take off his shirt—she had never seen a seven year old with a chest and arms like that! Goten walked over to the scale and went on tiptoes, trying to make himself bigger, but he was scolded by his mother who told him to stand flat.
"Wow that's some hair you've got, huh?" the nurse asked rhetorically, laughing slightly as she tried to figure out where the hair stopped and where the head began so that she could get an accurate measurement, "you are, 41 inches!"
"Is that good?" Goten asked, looking at her apprehensively as she went over to record the data in her chart, "am I bigger than last time?"
"Yes, you are!" the nurse said, smiling at Chichi who also was smiling, "you grew two inches, wow! You're a giant!"
Goten smiled proudly and puffed out his chest, "See mommy, I'm not a baby, I'm big!"
"You sure are," Chichi responded, smiling happily.
"Ok, now stand on the scale over here please," the nurse said, gesturing towards a scale in the corner.
Again, Goten obliged and stood on the metal plate as the nurse came over and started balancing the scale. Her face got more surprised by the second as she continued to drop weights on and the scale wouldn't move. Finally, after she put a hundred pounds worth of weight on, it equalized.
"O-ok," she said shakily, walking back over to her chart and looking at Chichi concernedly, who was just smiling at her son, who now was also looking concerned, "you gained fifty pounds since last year, my goodness!"
"Is that good?" Goten asked again, looking more anxious still.
"Uh," the nurse said, feeling awkward as she looked over at Chichi, "Y-yes, it's very good! You must eat all your vegetables!"
"Ew, no way!" Goten said, sticking out his tongue in disgust and putting his hands up in front of his face.
"Well then what do you feed him, ma'am?" the nurse asked Chichi nervously.
"Nothing out of the ordinary!" Chichi said brightly as Goten came over and sat on her lap.
The nurse just stared at Chichi, looking shocked. This kid was over a hundred pounds at age seven! What's more, it wasn't fat or anything! It was all solid muscle! At age seven!
"Well, I've done all I need to," the nurse said after asking Chichi a few more questions about Goten at home, "Dr. West will be in shortly. Just have a seat on the chair. You can put your clothes back on if you like."
The nurse left the room and Goten put his shirt and pants back on and jumped up onto the table.
"OUCH!" Goten howled, jumping off the table again as tears stung at his eyes, "That really hurt!"
"Come here, baby," Chichi said soothingly, getting up and walking over to her son, who was rubbing his behind with both hands as tears ran down his face.
"It hurts right there!" Goten said as his mother felt around his lower back, feeling a pronounced bump right by his tailbone. She knew exactly what this meant, it was only a question now of when it would pop out.
"It's just a bump, sweetie," she said, pulling Goten's shirt down over his back as she went back over to her chair, "we can put some ice on it when we get home."
Goten went back and sat down, very gingerly this time, on the table as the waited for the doctor to enter. After about five more minutes, he did so, and started Goten's examination.
"Ok, take off your shirt for me, would ya?" Dr. West asked kindly, walking over to Goten and putting the stethoscope on his back, "take a big breath in.
Goten did so.
"And out."
Goten did so.
"And in."
Goten breathed in,
"And out."
As Goten breathed out, there was a slight audible "pop" as he felt the pain in his rear end go away and a long fuzzy tail emerged from the waistband of his pants.
"WAAH!" Goten shrieked in surprise, jumping off of the table and trying to look at the thing that had emerged from his pants, "AHH! Mommy what's this!"
"Ugh I was afraid of this," Chichi said, looking at the doctor, who was laughing, as she got up and walked over to Goten, who was currently running around in circles like a dog trying to get a good look at his new tail, "don't worry sweetheart, it's just your tail."
"What do you mean, just my tail!" Goten wailed, sounding scared and confused, "why do I have a tail!"
"You were born with it, sweetheart," Chichi said soothingly to Goten as she hugged him, trying to calm him down, "your brother and daddy both had tails, but theirs both got removed permanently."
"Oh," Goten said, calming down significantly now that he knew that he wasn't a freak. By this time also, he had gained feeling in his tail and could control it as though he had a third arm or leg, "wow this is cool! Look at me I've got a tail! I've got a tail!"
Goten's physical resumed after Goten had settled down a little more, and everything went off without a hitch. Chichi had insisted that Goten tuck his tail into his pants so as to not alarm people as they walked to Goku's physical.
"What's taking them so long? They must be prepping a giant needle! Where are they?" Goku said frantically, looking all around the tiny examination room as Gohan sat in the corner reading his book.
"Dad will you calm down!" Gohan said, sounding frustrated, "you're a grown man, relax!"
"They're gonna stick me full of holes!" Goku moaned, sitting down on the examination table and putting his head in his hands.
They had been sitting in the room for about twenty minutes when the door finally opened, causing Goku to jump off the table and about a foot into the air. But it was just Goten and Chichi, back from Goten's physical.
"Hi, daddy!" Goten said, walking over and sitting on a chair in the other corner, "I grew two inches and got 50 more pounds! And I've got a tail now!"
"Wow!" Goku said, genuinely surprised by how much muscle he'd put on over the last year, "that's impressive, son. And since when do you have a tail?"
"It just grew back, actually!" Goten said as he showed it to his father, who grasped it gently, "Ouch!"
"Oops! Sorry, Goten!" Goku said apologetically as Goten cringed with pain, "I forgot how much that hurts."
"It's ok," Goten said as he rubbed his tail, "and they had to give me a shot too, see?"
At that, Goten rolled up his shirtsleeve and showed his father a sesame street Band-Aid on his right shoulder where he'd been stuck.
"Yes he was very brave, Goku," Chichi said proudly, patting her son on his mop top head.
"Yeah I didn't even cry or anything!" Goten said as his father cringed at the sight of his son's Band-Aid.
"That's great, sport!" Gohan said approvingly as the door opened again, revealing a middle-aged man in a white coat, "enjoy having your tail back."
"Hello Mr. Son," the man said, walking over to meet Goku, who had retreated to the furthest location possible in the room, "I am Dr. Hughes, good to meet you."
The doctor put his chart down and sat down on a rolling chair and proceeded to take down Goku's information. He had found it strange that Goku lacked any medical records for the past seven years, but Chichi cleverly told him that Goku had been away on an expedition in the Antarctic for the entire time. Though this also seemed strange, and since there had been no certificate of death published when Goku had died at the hands of Cell, Dr. Hughes accepted this and continued with the examination. He asked various questions of Goku, many of which Goku was physically unable to answer due to complete and utter fear apparently paralyzing his vocal chords. Chichi answered most of the questions, doing her best not to look embarrassed on account of her husband. Gohan just kept his face hidden in his book, though he was blushing throughout the entire thing, and Goten played with his newly grown back tail, which made the doctor do a double take at one point.
"You look rather pale, sir," Dr. Hughes said after taking Goku's blood pressure and noticing that Goku was indeed white as a sheet, "shall I turn up the temperature in here?"
"Don't bother," Chichi cut in curtly, "you'll see why he's like this before too long now."
"Right, well, ok," the doctor said, a little bemused, "well it looks like you're due for a tetanus booster—it says here that the last time you got one was thirteen years ago. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Chichi said, bracing herself.
"Ok then," he said, getting up and heading outside to get the supplies, "I'll be right back then with the needle."
"DID HE SAY NEEDLE?" Goku piped up, his face going from white to green faster than a chameleon, "Get me outa here!"
"Oh no you don't," Gohan said, getting up and holding his father's arm so that he couldn't escape, "Come on, dad, sit down! It's just one shot!"
"Please!" Goku begged, straining against his son's grasp as Goten looked on in mild shock, "Anything but that! I'd rather be sick than get a shot!"
"Don't be stupid, dad!" Gohan said, struggling to maintain control over his father's resistance, "Goten, gimmie a hand here!"
Goten got up and held his father's other arm as he flailed wildly. At this point, Chichi got up and walked in front of him.
"Goku!" she said sternly, putting her arms on her hips, "if you don't calm down you don't get any dinner tonight!"
This threat registered somewhere in Goku's mind, and he actually stopped flailing for a couple of seconds and just stared into his wife's eyes. Chichi had just thought that she'd won the battle when the doctor came into the room behind her holding a needle, and causing Goku to erupt into another fit of flailing and struggling, much to the doctor's complete and utter shock. He'd seen the needle in his hands and just lost it.
"Hey doc!" Gohan managed, "hurry up and give it to him will ya?"
"Yeah, please do!" Goten struggled, "I'm not sure how much longer we can hold him back for!"
"WAAAHHHH! IT'S A N-N-N-EEDLE!" Goku screeched, his voice getting higher and higher as the doctor got closer with the shot, "PLEASE LET ME GO! GOHAN! GOTEN! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING!"
"Mr. Son calm down please!" Dr. Hughes said, flustered, "I haven't even stuck you yet!"
"Unbelievable," Chichi snorted with disgust as she crossed her arms and headed for the door, "you're such a baby, Goku, I'm leaving."
"AHH, CHICHI WAIT!" Goku hollered, "PLEASE STAY!
"There!" the doctor said, removing the needle from Goku's arm, "you're done."
"CHICHI COME BACK PLEASE!"
"Dad! It's over!" Gohan shouted, struggling to restrain his father, "he stuck you already!"
"WAAAH LET ME GO! PLEASE!"
"Daddy, calm down!" Goten struggled, "he's already done it!"
"PLEASE DON'T DO IT! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST PLEASE DON'T—"
"DAD!" Goten and Gohan shouted in unison, causing their father to stop struggling, "it's over! Calm down!"
"Huh?" he asked them, sounding confused. He then looked to his right and saw a sesame street Band-Aid on his shoulder, exactly like the one his son had, "oh, I see, erm."
By now Goku was blushing furiously at the scene that he'd caused. Not to mention his two sons who were downright mortified as they left the room. They checked out with the nurse at the front desk who eyed Goten's tail suspiciously as they left, and who had said that Chichi had left a few minutes ago.
"We should probably go find your mother," Goku said awkwardly to his sons as they exited the building, "I'll bet she's pretty mad right about now too."
"Yeah I'd say you'd better call up Bulma and ask if you can crash at her place tonight," Gohan said, taking out his phone and checking it for messages from Videl. It was only nine-thirty so he figured she wouldn't be up yet.
"Daddy you were such a baby!" Goten reminded his father, smiling cheekily at Goku, who blushed, "I didn't even cry when I got mine and I'm only seven!"
Goku didn't respond to that comment and instead searched the area for his wife's ki signal. After finding nothing and after asking Gohan, who had also found nothing, he decided that she probably was off walking blowing off steam somewhere and didn't want to be talked to.
Goku took his boys home shortly afterwards after a few more minutes of failed searching. It wasn't until he arrived back home that he realized that he'd sweated through his entire shirt stressing about the shot. He decided he'd take a bath, so he went outside to get the barrel and fire ready.
"Hey Gohan! Goten!" Goku called from outside as he stripped off his sweaty clothing, "the bath is ready!"
"Great!" Goten called, throwing off his clothes as he ran out of the house into the rain, which was now pouring down on them, "man I love taking baths in the rain!"
"Yeah It's great!" Gohan called, who walked out behind his brother, carrying towels.
"You know, Gohan," Goku said as Gohan stepped into the warm water, "your birthday is on Sunday! You're gonna be seventeen!"
"Oh my gosh I guess it is!" Gohan said, genuinely surprised. He'd been so busy worrying about first Buu and then the whole business with Videl and his family that he'd completely forgotten about it, "I totally forgot!"
"Wowie, Gohan!" Goten said sounding amazed that a person could be so old, "you're old."
"I'm not old!" Gohan said, blushing slightly as he crossed his arms, "at least I'm not a little kid like someone I know."
"Hey, I am not little!" Goten said defensively, puffing out his cheeks angrily.
"Guys, guys! Calm down!" Goku said, laughing, "anyway, Gohan, what do you want for your birthday?"
"Umm," Gohan said, scratching his cheek, which was now sporting a respectable amount of stubble, "I have no idea actually! I'm pretty happy with what I've got!"
At Gohan's response Goten looked around the area uncomfortably, trying not to look at his brother or father. He had no idea what he was going to get his brother, and even if he did, he didn't have any money to buy it with.
The guys talked a little bit more for a while, recalling that morning's craziness, and Goten proudly showing off his tail. Before too long however, they heard the phone ring from inside, and Gohan sprang up to answer it.
"It's for you, dad," Gohan said, smiling slightly as he walked out to the barrel with the handset, covering it with his hand to protect it from the rain, "it's mom, and she doesn't sound happy."
"Uh, ok," Goku said apprehensively, reaching out to his son to take the phone, "H-hello?"
"GOKU WHERE ARE YOU?" came a roar from the other side of the line that made Goten jump in the bath, "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR TWO HOURS FOR YOU TO GET ME!"
"Chichi, honey!" Goku said weakly as Goten and Gohan both started to laugh, "Relax! We tried to find you we really did, but you were masking your energy! Where are you anyway?"
"I'm at Bulma's for your information," Chichi said with a huff, "I would have thought that you could figure that out."
"Ok, Ok," Goku said, jumping out of the tub and pulling on his pants, "I'll be there in just a minute, hold on."
"You better be," she snorted.
"Ok, I'm gonna go get your mom, guys," Goku said as he put on his shirt, "meanwhile, why don't you kick out the fire and empty the water, ok?"
"Sure thing, dad," Gohan said as he beckoned for Goten to get out, "don't get killed, ok?"
With that, Goku was gone. Goten got out, and the two of them emptied the barrel in river and kicked out the fire that was underneath it.
It didn't take long for Goku to return—the two boys knew that their father was back by the sound of things being thrown and shouting in the kitchen. Chichi was obviously still furious at her husband. Gohan felt bad though—it wasn't dad's fault that he was afraid of needles, it was like a dog is afraid of lightning storms, i.e., unconditional. He felt like his mom was way overreacting, but that was her M.O. so he supposed he couldn't blame her either.
Goten and Gohan went back inside and found their father cowering in a corner of the room and their mother with her back to him at the sink, washing plates.