Reading of dispair
Chapter four: Eight of swords
Disclaimer: I do not own DB, DBZ, or DBGT.
After that long tiring night in the Anchor town hospital everyone had gone home except Piccolo, Jasmine, and Chichi. The three were constaintly at his side, keeping watch in case anything happened. Jasmine had volunteered to be the one to notify everyone else via cell phone if she heard anything new on Gohan's condition. However, at two in the morning nothing new about the current situation had arisen. It was painful for the three of them to sit there and watch Gohan in the state he was in. Chichi cried on and off, Piccolo was at a loss for words and Jasmine was going in and out of flashbacks from when she was an on field medic. Jasmine was one of those parachute military physcians that would halo jump from the planes and on the front lines of the battle field to tend to wounded soldiers.
However, this was when she was in the marrines. In a time before she became a commanding officer of the special black ops unit. She lived in the states before she learned what and who she really was. Like Goku she never knew about her haritage untill later in life when she met her mentor Erica Johnson. Erica trained her in the lycian military and she became the commander of the entire lycian army. Right now the lycian army was in stand by because of the war they were currently fighting. The truth was, Jasmine could get called in to action at any moment the King and Queen needed her. This worried her, she hoped they wouldn't need her so soon after the mission she completed on planet Yabe.
But what terrified her the most about that war is the fact that there were rumors going on about a terrorist group known as the Mistresshood developing a new type of chemical weapon. This weapon was said to contain a new type of nerve gas called C-37. A type of gas that would kill any being with one breath of it before they hit the ground. Jasmine believed they developed it because they found out about the abilities of Goku and the other Z fighters. However, they were just rumors. But that was the whole reason for putting the lycian army on stand by for further investigation. This irritated Jasmine to know end. She hated sitting around doing nothing, and if she knew the Mistresshood as well as she did then the rumors about the C-37 might be true.
She decided to leave the thoughts of the universal war aside for now and focus on Gohan. Jasmine wouldn't worry about the war untill she was called back into action. Every now and again Gohan would shift in the bed to try and get comfortable. Only, hospital beds were never very comfortable anyhow. Jasmine knew this because shortly before the androids showed up like Trunks said they would she suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalized for a whole weak. This didn't stop her anyway, to her this was only the fifth heart attack she had in her entire forty eight years of life. Gohan was the one to find her on the living room floor in her home face down and took her to the hospital.
Jasmine smirked at the thought.
"Well, the dept has been paid. We're even now kid." Jasmine thought while rubbing his arm.
As she was deep in thought a knock sounded at the door. Piccolo who was standing in the corner of the room opened the door to let Doctor Roebuck in. He stepped in and walked up towards the bed. Chichi looked up at him ready to start bumbarding him with questions until he broke the silence in the room.
"Mrs. Son, I just finished the phone call with the cancer specialist Doctor Reich. He faxed these papers to me for you to fill out regarding your son's treatment. The packet on the bottom of these papers is yours to keep. It's to tell you the things Gohan can and can't do, what is expected, and what to do if something goes wrong. Go over it and stay up to date on this. During each appointment he has we will give you more informational paper work for you to stay updated on his condition." He informed handing her the paper work.
"Okay, I'll start that now. Is there anything else we need to know?" Chichi asked hoping there wasn't.
Roebuck continued,"Yes, he will have to stay here for further observation just to make sure his recovery is going as planed. He will get to come home a day from now on wensday."
"Okay, will you call us in if anything new comes up?" Jasmine asked.
"Yes, and as for you Ms. Redback. You need to start taking better care of you heart. I noticed you haven't been in lately for any of your appointments!" Roebuck lectured.
"Damn! I'm sorry I got deported again for another mission. I'll just reschedual." She explained.
"I would hope so. You know you were born with a bad heart you need to keep that in check or the next corinary you have could kill you. And stop all that smoking that isn't helping it either!" Roebuck continued his lecture.
"I don't smoke that much any more. I've cut back from a pack a day to five cigarettes a day." She defended.
"Good now keep going til you quit completely." Roebuck contiuned.
Doctor Roebuck waited patiently for Chichi to finish the paper work. She finished it and had the date and time for Gohan's first kemo treatment appointment. When the doctor had the paper work he signed it and left the room. After a while of silence Piccolo broke the tension.
"What do you plan to do about the situation Jasmine?" He asked concerned.
"I'm going to the main desk to get the visitaion schedual and to give them my number in case I need to be here for Gohan." Jasmine stated.
"That's probably a good idea sense you live closer to the hospital. You could be here a lot faster than us." Chichi added.
"So, you want me to stay at my house tonight? Because I don't want to leave you alone in you condition. Grief does crazy shit to people." Jasmine suggested.
"Then have her stay at your house and I can help her bring her stuff over." Piccolo suggested.
"That's an even better idea. Let's do that. What do you think Chichi?" Jasmine asked looking in her direction.
"Yes, I'm going to pack right when I get home and come over." Chichi informed.
Just then the trio heard moaning coming from the bed. They turned around to see Gohan grabbing at the breathing tube trying to pull it out. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as if he was hyperventalating. Tears made their way down his face and his eye brows were furrowed in an expression of pain. Chichi and Jasmine ran to his side to hold him down right after Piccolo pressed the call nurse button.
"Gohan! Gohan, listen to me. It's alright. The nurse is coming to take the breathing tube out. Calm down." Chichi reasured him as she stroked his hair.
Gohan finally calmed down as the nurse entered the room. The nurse walked over to the side of the bed and gently removed the tube from his throat and replaced it with an oxygen mask instead. He calmed down considerably when the tube was removed. It was beginning to cause him discomfort. Jasmine covered him back up and stuck his tail back under the blanket in order to tuck him back in. Chichi's eyes widened when she saw that Gohan's tail grew back.
"Uh, Jasmine?" Chichi asked, immedeately grabbing Jasmine's attention.
"Yeah hon?" Jasmine answered.
"When'd Gohan's tail grow back?" She asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. I noticed it when he came to visit. He didn't have it before he left for my place this morning?" Jasmine wondered.
"No he didn't, either that or he was hiding it from me." Chichi answered.
"Well, we better tell Gohan what's going on before we leave so he doesn't fall back to sleep and wake up wondering where everyone went." Piccolo suggested.
"Alright. Hey Gohan honey." Jasmine whispered.
"Hmmm?" He weakly moaned as a reply.
"The hospital is keeping you for observation until wensday. We're going home and we will call you regularly so you don't feel alone okay? Your mother is staying at my place until then just in case you need anything." Jasmine informed.
"O...kay. Hey...mom?" He answered in a weak whisper.
"Yes, honey?"
"What's wrong with me?" Gohan wondered.
"Well..., she struggled for a moment until Jasmine placed a suportive hand on her shoulder,"Honey you have a rear type of stomach cancer called calife. It's caused by extreme mental or emotional stress."
"W...what? Oh, damn!" he whispered.
Normally Chichi wouldv'e told him to watch his language but, sense he wasn't all there she decided to let it slide for now. After Piccolo filled Gohan in on his condition Chichi and Jasmine kissed him good bye and Piccolo even thought he wasn't the hugging type hugged Gohan good bye before they left the hospital.
Once Jasmine and Piccolo arrived at the Son house hold they immediately begain helping Chichi pack what she wanted to bring to Jasmine's house. Chichi looked over at all the food that had gone to waste in the kitchen. Apparently she had just finished cooking when she noticed Gohan was an hour late coming home and recived that phone call from Jasmine. Jasmine then noticed Chichi looking in the kitchen as she was packing her knitting supplies.
"What's wrong Chi?"
Chichi sighed," I went to all the trouble of cooking this and it's gone to waste."
"Girl, it's okay I'll just buy you more food. I know you're struggling." Jasmine offered.
"Oh, no don't put yourself out. You're already letting me stay at your house." Chichi declined.
"How many times did you and Goku let me stay here when I broke down after David died? And who was here for me when when I had my fifth heart attack?" Jasmine asked in a matter of fact tone of voice.
"Well, I guess you're right on that." Chichi admitted in defeat.
"See? It all evens out. Piccolo, do you have her things with you?" She asked.
"Yes, I capsulized them. We're ready to go." He replied.
"Good, now let's go. we could use some rest and I'll make us a nice brunch after that rest. I trust you will inform Dende about what happened?" Jasmine said as she capsulized Chichi's knitting box.
"Yes, I'm going there right now." Piccolo said as he gave Jasmine the capsule contatiner with all of Chichi's and Gohan's things in it.
"Thank you so much for your suport. I appriciate every bit of it." Chichi thanked as Jasmine walked her out of the house. She locked the door and picked Chichi up to take to the skies.
After Jasmine and Chichi made it to the house they unpacked and got the sleeping arrangments set up. Jasmine unfolded the sectional and put some sheets and a comforter on it alone with two pillows for Chichi. Then she tacked the phone number to Gohan's hospital room phone on the bulliton board next to her house phone. She bid Chichi good night as they both went to bed. However neither of them sleaped that morning. For they both lay awake crying there eyes out in their pillows.
There you have it! Once again thank you for the reviews :)
Eight of swords means restriction.