Reading of dispair
Chapter three: Page of swords
Disclaimer: I do not own DB, DBZ, or DBGT.
Gohan laid in Jasmine's arms unconscious and not breathing. Panic and adrenaline shot through her veins faster than lightening as she gently but quickly placed him on the cold tile floor. She lowered her head to listen for a heart beat. Luckily she found one and immediately begain CPR (Cardio pulminary resesitation). Clasping her hands in the correct possition she begain the chest compressions. After five compressions she tilted his head back, pintched his nose shut, and gave him two breaths.
"Come on Gohan breathe! BREATHE!" She screamed mentally as she continued on with the procedure.
Every second he remained there not breathing or without a response made her heart and stomach drop to the ground. Jasmine franticially worked to get oxygen in his lungs as his pale face begain to turn a light shade of blue.
"OH COME ON DAMN IT, BREATHE!" She cried inside her mind.
Had her mind's walls been made of glass, they would've been trembling at that last mental scream. She looked down at Gohan only to see that he gave no responce. At this rate she wanted to scream and cry in agony but she couldn't afford to, for time was running short. Jasmine worked faster to revive him, so much so that she was losing breath herself and her chest begain to ache with excessive effort. When she bent back down to give Gohan another breath his eyes shot open and he coughed forcefully. He wheezed with each intake of air and was too weak to move from the floor. Jasmine's eyes lit up in an expression of hope as he begain to speak.
"W...what, happened?" Gohan rasped with a wimper.
"Don't move, I'm taking you to the hospital!" Jasmine ordered franticially.
No response was made by Gohan as Jasmine grabbed her keys and wallet. She then came back to pick Gohan up off the floor and opened the door. No sooner did she open the door, she ran outside and kicked it shut with her left foot. She manuvered Gohan to her right arm to lock her door and blasted off into the air.
Jasmine flew at lightening fast speed to get Gohan to the hospital as soon as possible. Every now and again she'd look down at him to check on him to see if he was still conscious. She would encourage him to talk to her to keep him from slipping in an unconscious state again.
"Gohan, talk to me! Talk to me about anything, anything at all! How was your day? What'd you have for breakfast? Or just count! You here me, anything!" Jasmine rambled franticially.
"Aunt...J..Jaz, what...happened?" He rasped trying to find the enough breath to speak.
"You just passed out on my living room floor and stopped breathing right before you tried to leave!" Jasmine exclaimed.
With that much said Jasmine landed in front of the Anchor town hospital emergancy room entrence. She thanked the heavens above that the place wasn't busy and that it was only a twenty minte flight there. Jasmine was also glad that she could fly because driving in the traffic jam in the streets of Anchor town rush hour was brutal. Not only that driving there from Acorn avenue would take at least thrity minutes to an hour. And she did not have that kind of time to kill at all. Just as quick as she landed, she made a dash for the front counter with her face and body full of anxeity. The desk resceptionist looked at her and motioned for her to sit down. Jasmine became impaitent and shouted at her.
"LOOK, I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR REGISTERATION RIGHT NOW! MY NEPHEW JUST PASSED OUT ON MY LIVING ROOM FLOOR AND STOPPED BREATHING AND I HAD TO RESESITATE HIM! HE NEEDS IMMEDIATE MEDICIAL ATTENTION NOW!" She screamed.
"Alright ma'am, I'm paging the ER right now." The resceptionist answered, intimidation very clear in her tone of voice, "Paging Doctor Roebuck, we have an emergancy patient in need of immedate care." She announced over the ER loud speaker.
Jasmine craddled Gohan close to her chest. She was greatful to see Gohan still awake looking at her through half closed eyes and breathing shakily. Her heart was beating erraticlly from the CPR, the flight there, and the previous yelling at the resceptionist. This wasn't good for her heart condition, but at that moment she didn't care. It was all about Gohan. Suddenly, the double doors burst open to reveal a medic team with a gourney as they haistfully made thier way to her. Doctor Roebuck which Jasmine had known all to well from her previous visits to the ER ran up to her with his arms stretched out. She then placed Gohan gently in the doctors arms as he loaded him on the gourney to take him back to a bed in the ER. Jasmine fallowed close by to stay with Gohan. And if she wasn't seeing things he looked a little frightened.
After the med team got Gohan to a bed the resceptionist came to get Jasmine to register Gohan. Jasmine was still shaky and full of fright for Gohan's sake. The terror she displaied made the resceptionist question mentally rather Jasmine was the boy's mother or aunt. For she wore the same type of anxiety that a scared mother would for her ill or injured child. Once she was at the registration desk the resceptionist begain the questionaire. She pulled out a pen and information sheets for Jasmine to fill out. Jasmine wasted no time at all filling out the paper work so she could get back there with him. She then handed the woman the documents and she proceded to read through them.
"Hmmm, okay so you are is aunt?" She asked.
"Yes, I'm going to call his mother when you're done with me." Jasmine replied still a little shaken up.
"Okay ma'am, we're all done. He's in bed five." She informed gently.
"Oh please don't call me ma'am I feel old. And sorry I yelled at you." Jasmine apologized.
"Oh, I'm sorry honey. And it's okay. I have plenty of screaming moms with sick children in here all the time." She smiled as she lead Jasmine back to bed five.
Once she was back at bed five the resceptionist placed a thin, plastic band with Gohan's birth date, name, and age around his wrist as Doctor Roebuck came in with a clipboard in hand. Jasmine sat in the empty chair in the corner of the room holding Gohan's left hand. Gohan weakly tried to reach up as if he were searching for someone.
"Aunt...Jaz, Aunt Jaz. Where are you?" He cried as the pain in his chest and stomach tore mercilessly though his adolesent body.
"I'm right here. I'm not going anyware." She reasured as she rubbed his arm in a comforting jesture.
Doctor Roebuck placed his clipboard on the small end table and begain examining Gohan. However, Gohan felt pain each time someone touched him in his torso. Roebuck stopped and poked his head out of the curtain and motioned for a nurse to come to him.
"I want you to get blood work done on him immediatelly. And I want the results back stat."
"Yes, right away Doctor." The nurse replied as she left for the blood work kit.
"We're going to do some blood work on him. Some of his symptoms concern me." Doctor Roebuck informed.
"Alright, but I need to make a phone call to his mother." Jasmine replied.
"Okay, I'll let you know when the nurse come back to draw his blood. You know how kids hate having their blood drawn."
"Okay, thanks Doctor." Jasmine said as she pulled her cell phone out of her pants pocket.
She immediately scrolled down to Goku in her contacts list and pressed talk. No sooner did the phone ring once Chichi picked up the phone.
"Jasmine? Where is Gohan? He was supose to be home an hour ago?" She spazed.
"No time for that Chichi. We're at Anchor town hospital in the ER. Gohan collapsed at my front door as he was leaving to go home and I had to bring him in. Hop on the nimbus cloud and be here now!" Jasmine informed the screatching mother.
Once Chichi hung up, Jasmine went through her contacts again to call Krillin, Yamcha, and Bulma. She assumed Bulma would push Vegeta into coming and Krillin would tell Piccolo as well. She never could get a hold of Teinshinhan and Chouzu because they had no adress or telephone for that matter. Once the telephone calls were made she put her phone away and saw the nurse come in with the blood work kit in tow. She put the carrier on the end table and pulled out the nessary supplies to draw Gohan's blood.
"Gohan?" Jasmine called out to him.
"Hmmm?" He answered in a weakly.
"The nurse is here to draw your blood okay?" Jasmine informed.
"O...kay." He mumbled holding out his arm.
"At least your not like your pitiful thrid class idiot father brat!"
Jasmine turned around to see Vegeta and Bulma standing in the curtain.
"Oh Vegeta behave! This is a hospital for god's sake!" Bulma complained as she gently smaked his arm.
"I'll say what I want woman!" Vegeta snapped back.
Just then Chichi Came in and rushed to Gohan's side. She grabbed Gohan's right hand and sobbed.
"Oh, my poor baby!"
Gohan slowly opened his eyes to see his mother weapping by his side.
"M...mom? When'd...you get here?" Gohan weakly whispered.
"Oh, it's going to be okay. Mommy's here." She reasured as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Jasmine, Yamcha and Piccolo just arrived." Bulma informed.
"Good, what about Krillin?" She asked.
"Right here. And I managed to get Tein and Chouzu to come too. They're out in the lobby with Olong, Purar, and Master Roshi." Krillin stated as he came in.
"Wonderful. Thank you guys." Jasmine replied.
"Hey, you know we're always here for Gohan." Bulma interjected.
Once the nurse finished drawing Gohan's blood she took it back to the lab for testing. Everyone else was in the lobby waiting anxiously for the test results. Only Jasmine and Chichi were in the room with Gohan keeping a watchful eye on him as he fell in and out of sleep. Finally at eight forty five Doctor Roebuck reentered the room with his clipboard in hand.
Chichi turned on the water works again as she asked shakily,"How is he Doctor? What's wrong with my little boy?"
Roebuck gave a sigh as he answered,"Well, Mrs. Son we found that his blood cell count is dangerously low. And theres some bleeding coming from the stomach. I need to preform a MRI on him to see why is stomach is bleeding in an abnormal way. It may explain why his blood cell count is so low."
Chichi cried harder only to have Jasmine pull her into a comforting embrace.
She looked up at him and replied," Do what you have to do Doctor. Here Chichi, stay with Gohan and I'll inform everyone else."
By the time the nurse wheeled Gohan back to the MRI room Jasmine had already informed the Z fighters on his current statis. Everyone was in shock as they couldn't comprehend why Gohan could have gotten so ill so quickly. Seconds felt like hours as everyone was waiting once again for more test results. Then Doctor Roebuck reentered and gave a startling revilation.
"We have the MRI results and they don't look good at all."
"How so?" Bulma asked.
Doctor Roebuck replied,"Gohan has pylups in the inner lining of his stomach. We need to preform surgery on him to remove them and do a byopsy."
At this moment Chichi had fainted and the rest of the group was in total shock as well as a loss for words. No one knew what to say or how to respond to that. So many thoughts ran through Jasmine's head as she connected the dots to a possible conclusion. She was a doctor herself as well as a solider. She knew what pylups ment.
"Oh god no! Please don't let it be what I think it is!" She mentally spazed with an expression full of horror.
At this time at nine fifteen Gohan was preped for surgery and Roebuck let everyone see him off before he disappeared into the white abyss known as the surgical room. Of course he was out of it for he was already given propaval before the anasthesiologist came in to put him out for surgery. Once he was out like a light on the gourney everyone watched the med team wheel him back into surgery with mixed emotions evident on their faces. Piccolo who was normally calm and detatched wore a look of worry and concern. They all returned from the lobby to wait in suspense just like before. The tension in the air was so thick not even a knife could cut it. You'd need a chain saw to even scratch it.
The coco clock in the lobby chimed midnight as the little birdy popped out and begain to chirp. Of course Vegeta was getting agervatited with all the waiting so he blasted the chirpping bird with a weak energy blast.
"Vegeta!" Bulma yelled annoyed.
"What woman!" Vegeta snapped in agitation.
"Stop doing that! It's bad enough I had to pay for the last load of public property you distroyed. I can't take you anywhere!" She retorted.
"The damn thing was getting on my last nerve. And I only woke up with one left!"
Jasmine looked over at them,"Jesus Vegeta, will you for once act like you got some damn sense? You're a grow ass man! Act your age not your boot size, shit!"
"Shut up woman! I hear enough bitching from this woman right here. I don't need you in my ear or on my ass for that matter!" Vegeta snapped back.
"Kiss my ass, space monkey!" Jasmine shot back.
"What was that?" He yelled back.
"You heard me prince of all trolls!" Jasmine came back aggressively.
"Cool it you guys! This is no time to start a fight." Piccolo cut in.
"Did anyone ask for your two sense namek?"
"Piccolo is right guys. We came here to suport Gohan not turn this place into a fighting tournament." Yamcha stated.
"Right so hush Vegeta!" Bulma ordered.
Vegeta's patients was running thin as he shut up anyway with a loud growl. Finally without further a do, Doctor Roebuck walked back in still in his surgery scrubs and informed the Z fighters on Gohan's statis.
"Doctor, what did you find?" Chichi asked trembling saddness eviedent in her voice.
"The removal of the pylups was succsesful and I have the test results of the byopsy right here. Gohan is in recovery right now if anyone wants to go see him he's in room twenty two." He anounced.
"Alright, what about his condition?" Jasmine asked terrified about the results.
"Well, I regret to inform you that Gohan has a very rear type of stomach cancer called Calife. ( cal . if) This type of cancer is only found in lycian children his age and is the result of extreme emotional or mental stress. The stress causes the pylups to form on the inside or outside of the stomach and can cause frequent vomiting, mood swings, weakness all over the body, pain in the joints, chest, and stomach, decreaced appitite, wieght loss, and frequent urges to urianate. He may also expireance dizzy spells upon standing, low blood cell count, and fatigue. I'm calling in a cancer specialist to get him started on a round of kemotherapy." Roebuck stated in saddness.
Everyone in the room had mixed emotions. Chichi yet again fainted alone with Purar, Bulma burst into tears, Piccolo was too shell shocked to even say anything along with the rest of the group.
Olong interjected,"Wait doc, Gohan's half saiyan."
"How in the hell can the brat have a lycian cancer?" Vegeta cut in.
Jasmine was quick to answer,"Saiyan and lycian phyciology is damn near identical. I've heard of this cancer before. It can affect saiyans as well. However it's more common for them to get it when they're much older."
No one said anything for at least ten minutes. The doctor took it as a que to leave them in peace to come to terms with what he just anounced. At twelve thirty two Chichi were the only ones left in the room. Chichi was sitting in the chair on the right side of the bed holding Gohan's hand with her head on the bed sound asleep at twelve fifty. Jasmine was sitting in the chair on the left side of the bed holding his other hand. Piccolo was standing at the end of the bed watching over Gohan intensely.
Jasmine looked at the awful sight before her. Gohan had a breathing tube inserted down his throat and a heart monitor on his chest. There was an IV in his right arm and he was peacefully asleep. Even though Jasmine swore she'd never cry again, a few tears made their way down her emerald green eyes. She felt like a piece of her soul just died. And she hadn't felt like that sense her feincee Charlie had passed and then later four years ago her childhood friend David. It had been a long night and it lead her to think, for she believed Chichi was thinking the samething she was.
"Goku, your son needs you. Why'd you choose to stay gone?"
There a little longer than expected!
AN: Page of swords means an upsetting message.
Hope this answered you question Son Gokyu!
Till next time and thank you to
Son Gokyu and Schubkie for reviewing:)
BTW: CALIFE is a cancer I made up for this story. It isn't real. It's something lycian children under extreme mental and emotional stress get. Saiyans can have it too just not as common as lycians and tend to get it when they're way older.