Five Days Later:
It was now early Thursday morning, and Lily was finally starting to feel better.
Dr. Hashita said she'd even be able to go home tomorrow.
Happy Birthday, Lily: You Get To Go Home!
That was what was going through everyone's minds.
Elm was thrilled to be a part of this family; he still had Lily, plus two older brothers and an older sister—and a parent who wouldn't abuse them.
No, they had a parent—a dad who loved them more than anything else. A dad who would die for them. A dad who would give up something for them.
But most of all, Elm was happy that Lily was finally safe; he didn't really care about himself too much. Well, he did, but Lily was more important; she couldn't fight or stand up for herself like he could.
Lily still didn't understand what was going on; the only thing she understood was that people were being kind and loving to her—and she didn't understand why.
Lily still doesn't talk much—or let anyone touch her. When a nurse comes to change her gown, she cries and reaches for Trunks. But those are the only times she allows him to touch her.
As of the other night, Lily has started eating solid foods; a few days ago, she was allowed to begin drinking shakes. It seems that her favorite is the chocolate banana with both milk and orange juice. It was also discovered that she really likes bananas and oranges, and orange juice; she does not like apples.
Elm, on the other hand, likes bananas and apples and apple juice; he does not like oranges.
It was about 5:30 AM, and Trunks was asleep in his chair while Lily was up; she had to go potty. They had finally taken the catheter out two days ago. Usually, Grandma took her; Lily was never up this early.
She really had to go, but Lily knew she couldn't go by herself; she was much too small. And they didn't have a child's toilet—not that she knows about those yet.
She looked over at Trunks and took a deep breath, contemplating on whether or not to wake him; she didn't want to make him mad, but she really had to go.
Eventually, Lily got herself all worked up and started crying.
"Hmm? What is it? What's wrong?" Trunks asked, waking up instantly, dropping his foot that was resting on Lily's night table, to the floor.
He didn't understand why she was crying—until he saw how she was sitting and where her hands were; she was trying not to pee.
"Oh. Will you let me take you to the bathroom?" Trunks asked, standing up.
She looked up at him, face very red as tears ran down it; she didn't know if she wanted him to take her—but he had washed her up and didn't do anything.
After another few seconds ticked by, she couldn't take it anymore; she had to go. She lifted her arms and looked at him with big blue eyes.
"Come on." Trunks said with a smile, picking her up, took her IV stand, and then headed to the bathroom.
"Ok, here we go." Trunks said, pulling her gown up in front of her. He then sat her on the toilet and looked up; she went right away, staring at Trunks the entire time.
When she was done, she reached up to him and tugged on his shirt.
"Are you all done?" Trunks asked, looking down a little; she nodded her head.
"Does Grandma give you some toilet paper?" Trunks asked.
Once again, she nodded her head.
"Here you go." Trunks said, handing her some toilet paper so she could wipe; Grandma taught her how.
"Ready?" Trunks asked after he was sure she was done; she nodded, and he lifted her and took her to the sink so she could wash her hands.
Then came the flushing of the toilet… Lily didn't like the noise and cried as she hid her face in Trunks's shoulder.
"It's ok. It's ok. The toilet's not going to hurt you; it just makes that noise when you flush. It's normal and not going to hurt you. Yeah, I know—you don't like the noise, do you? Does it hurt your ears?" Trunks asked when he noticed her ears were flattened on her head; she nodded her head as he placed her back in her bed.
However, she did stop crying faster than when Grandma flushed the toilet.
"Ok; go to sleep so that you can still go home tomorrow." Trunks calmly instructed, lightly tucking her in; she just stared at him with her big blue eyes—until he fell asleep.
Lily sat back up and looked at Trunks, trying to understand what was going on.
Honestly, she was still scared, but she trusted him; she really did.
After a few minutes, Lily crawled over to the edge of her bed and started crawling on Trunks's leg and up to him.
As far as Lily was concerned, Trunks didn't wake up—so she couldn't get in trouble.
She made it to his lap and started using her hands to make "biscuits" (like a cat would do) to get comfy.
Once she was comfy, Lily curled up and fell asleep.
Trunks smiled as he carefully reached her blanket and covered her, placing his arm over her so she wouldn't fall.
Fifteen Minutes Later:
A nurse came in to check up on things and saw the two sleeping; she just smiled as she carefully checked Lily's vitals. Everything came out normal—better than normal.
She then left and ran into Dr. Hashita, who was going to check up on things as well; she just gave him the new information, causing him to smile.
"What does this all mean, Doctor?" The nurse asked, walking alongside Dr. Hashita.
"It means, she'll be able to go home today, instead of tomorrow. I think it's time; she's well enough. If you're the nurse to release her, just make sure Trunks knows she has to take it easy and watch out for symptoms in case they should come back. Let the other nurses know as well; I don't know which one of you will have the privilege to release her. I'm so glad she no longer has pneumonia; I almost didn't think she was going to make it." Dr. Hashita admitted with a smile.
"She must be a fighter." The nurse replied with a smile.
"Yes, I agree. Although, I think her entire family are a family of fighters." Dr. Hashita replied with a smile before they went their separate ways.
Two & A Half Hours Later:
A Little After 8:00 AM:
Bulma, Vegeta, and the kids just arrived at the hospital and were headed to Lily's room.
They were in the elevator when it jerked a little and stopped for a mere minute. But that minute was enough for Knickers to freak out; he already didn't like elevators as is.
Vegeta, as much as he didn't like elevators, was trying to remain calm.
Elm had his head buried in Bulma's shoulder.
"Kishu, Teddy, stop tormenting your brothers—and Grandpa." Bulma seriously told Kishu and Teddy as they bounced up and down in the elevator.
Meanwhile, Knickers stood in a corner with his hands over his ears; Vegeta stood stiffly in a corner, trying to remain calm and look brave for Knickers and Elm.
"Sorry, Grandma." Kishu and Teddy apologized as they stopped bouncing and looked down.
Once they got to the floor they needed to be on, Knickers ran out of the elevator while the others walked out; Vegeta was the final one out, walking very slowly.
"It could've been worse; we really could've been trapped in there. Now, let's go see your sister and dad." Bulma sighed as she looked at her husband as Elm lifted his head back up.
"Can I walk now?" Elm asked once everyone calmed down and ready to head to C8.
"Sure. But don't let go of my hand. Teddy, you take my other hand or one of Grandpa's—and Kishu, stay close and behave." Bulma said seriously.
"Yes, Grandma." All three replied while Elm and Teddy took Bulma's hand; Knickers was next to Vegeta and Kishu.
"We're all going home tomorrow, right?" Teddy asked when they got to Lily's room.
"Hopefully. As long as Lily continues to do well." Bulma answered as she opened the door to a mostly dark room; the only light was the sunlight peeking through the windows.
"Shhh… Dad and Lily are sleeping." Bulma said as they walked in.
"Where is Lily?" Kishu asked, looking at an empty bed.
"Isn't she in bed?" Vegeta asked, folding his arms.
"No." Kishu replied, causing Knickers, Teddy, and Elm (especially Elm) to freak out.
"Ok—remain calm; I'm sure she's fine. Maybe they took her to get last minute x-rays or blood work." Bulma calmly replied as they looked around.
"Or maybe she's still in the room, sleeping." Vegeta responded, standing on the opposite side of Lily's bed, staring at Trunks and Lily.
When Bulma saw what Vegeta was talking about, she just couldn't help herself; she started taking pictures left and right.
Trunks was leaning against the chair with his feet on the edge of the bed, holding onto Lily with one arm.
Lily had moved around until she was sitting on Trunks's right leg—her legs on either side as she leaned into his stomach, hands above her head, clutching his shirt, and her ears were up and twitching.
"She's so adorable!" Bulma joyfully exclaimed as Lily started rubbing her face against Trunks.
"Mom—could you stop taking so many pictures? The flash is too bright and is making too much noise…" Trunks mumbled as he stretched, waking up.
"When did that happen?" Vegeta asked, looking at Trunks as he placed his feet back on the ground and sat up.
"Mmmm…" Lily moaned as Trunks moved; she too started waking up.
"Well, good morning." Trunks gently said as Lily sat up all the way, rubbed her eyes, and shook her head; she then looked up at him a little confused, before looking all around her.
After a minute or two, Lily leaned back into Trunks, took a deep breath, and went back to clutching his shirt.
"Still so shy." Bulma softly said, looking at Lily.
"Yeah, but she seems to trust Trunks; that's all that matters, isn't it?" Vegeta asked, looking at his wife.
"For now, yes." Bulma responded with a smile.
"Good morning." A nurse said, walking in with a smile.
"Good morning." Bulma and the kids said with smiles; Vegeta just there with his arms across his chest.
"Are you ready for breakfast?" The nurse kindly asked, holding up the picture menu they'd been using to find out what she wanted.
"Ok—back to the bed." Trunks said, lifting Lily before gently placing her on the bed; the nurse set the menu in front of Lily.
'She's going to choose pancakes with syrup, sausage patties, toast, a fruit bowl consisting of oranges, bananas, kiwis, grapes and strawberries, and orange juice. Even though she's only had two breakfasts here, she gets the same thing. But we have to ask.' The nurse thought to herself.
However, this time, Lily chose French toast with syrup and shredded hash-browns instead of pancakes and toast; however, she still had the sausage patty, fruit bowl, and orange juice.
Trunks ordered eggs, bacon, toast, hash-browns, and coffee.
"Ok; I'll send this down to the kitchen and someone will be up with that in a little bit. But before I go, I have to check your vitals and such to make sure you're still able to leave tomorrow." The nurse said with a smile; she wanted to keep it a secret until it was time.
"Her temperature is normal—as are her blood pressure and pulse. Everything is looking good. I'll be back later. Have a splendid day." The nurse said with a smile before she left.
Ten Minutes Later:
"We have French toast with syrup, shredded hash-browns, sausage patties, a fruit bowl with oranges, bananas, kiwis, strawberries and grapes, and orange juice for Lily. Three sunny side up eggs, bacon, toast, regular hash-browns and a coffee for Dad." A lunch lady said with a smile as she delivered food.
"Thank you." Trunks said while Lily looked up.
"Lily says "thank you" as well." Elm calmly said. By now, everyone dealing with Lily knew that she and Elm communicated via their thoughts.
An Hour & A Half Later:
About 9:48 AM:
Knock. Knock.
"Come in." Trunks calmly responded, watching his kids:
Knickers was showing Elm and Lily magic tricks
Kishu was complaining because he was bored and wanted to go swimming
Teddy was watching TV and making plans for when they got to their new home with her new brother and sister
Elm was watching Knickers, Kishu, and Teddy
Lily was watching Knickers
Bulma dragged Vegeta to the gift shop; she had seen something she absolutely had to get Elm and Lily.
"Hello again." The nurse from before said with a big smile, holding onto a stack of papers—the same type as the ones that Trunks got for Elm.
"What's going on?" Trunks asked, looking at the nurse when he saw the pack of papers.
"Hi, Sweetie. Are you ready to have these removed and go home?" The nurse asked, somewhat ignoring Trunks.
"I thought she wasn't leaving until tomorrow. Is she well enough to leave today?" Knickers asked, looking from the nurse to Trunks.
"Dr. Hashita believes so. Yes, while it may only be one more day; she has been in here, stuck in a bed for roughly two and a half weeks now. We all believe that one day isn't going to do anything: she's been doing well for the past few days now. However, she will have to go slow and take it easy. That means no rough housing or anything like that. She needs rest, but also needs to be up, walking so that she doesn't lose the ability to walk. With all that said, if she should come down with a fever or her cough gets worse; please don't hesitate to take her to your local hospital. You don't live anywhere in North City, do you?" The nurse explained and then asked.
"No. Up until last week, we lived in West City; I recently bought a house in the country, a few miles outside of the city." Trunks answered.
"Ok. If she should start coughing any worse than she already is—or develops a fever higher than 100, please take her to the nearest hospital. Oh, and Dr. Hashita would like you to take the twins to see a pediatrician within the next month; there is a list somewhere in here. Names with an "M" are male doctors, while names with an "F" are female doctors. You can make your decision based on who you think the twins would do best with. Here are her papers. Are you ready?" The nurse explained before handing Trunks the papers; she then turned to Lily.
"What is she doing?" Kishu asked, looking between Trunks, Lily, and the nurse.
"She's going to remove Lily's IVs so that she can leave here and come home." Knickers explained, crossing his arms; that was explained just a few minutes ago.
"Oh… That's great! But I remember this part from when I had my appendix out. It hurt just as much as it did when they put them in." Kishu responded, causing Lily to recoil and back away from the nurse.
"Kishu!" Trunks exclaimed, really annoyed.
"What? It's the truth." Kishu said, defending himself.
"You didn't need to say that out loud; you've gone and scared your sister." Trunks explained as calmly as he could.
"Sorry…" Kishu said, looking down, guilty.
"*Sigh…* It's done and over with; we can't change that. Knickers, please take Kishu and Teddy and wait in the hall; we'll be out in a little bit. Don't ask about Elm; he won't leave his sister for this. Kishu, Teddy, listen to Knickers; he's in charge." Trunks said seriously.
"Ok." Knickers, Kishu, and Teddy, said as they went to the hall.
"And Kishu, you're not in trouble. I'm sorry for snapping, but you can't say something like that right now." Trunks apologized.
"Ok." Kishu said with a small smile; he rarely got an apology when he got in trouble.
"Lily, it's time to let this nice nurse take your IVs out so that we can get you dressed in the outfit Grandma got for you and then we can all go home. Ok? Elm and I are right here. Knickers, Kishu, and Teddy are waiting for us. And think about it; Elm had his IVs taken out and did just fine." Trunks calmly explained, looking at Lily as he laid his hand next to her on the bed.
"Yeah. The worst part was when the tape was taken off. Now, all I have are some bruises; my arms feel better as well." Elm calmly added in, taking her other hand in his.
Lily allowed Trunks to take her other hand as the nurse started removing all the tape.
"Now time for the IVs." The nurse calmly spoke, starting with the one in her upper arm. She then removed the one in her elbow pit, finally followed by the one in her hand.
The IV in Lily's hand was the worst because Elm was forced to let go so she could get it out.
Lily cried and cried; she, however, stopped when the nurse let her pick out her band-aids—sparkly rainbow.
"There we go. Do you need a cart for all her things?" The nurse asked.
"Uhh… Yes, please." Trunks said, looking at everything; there was—a lot.
"I'll be right back." The nurse said, heading out.
"Are you ready to see what outfit Grandma got you?" Trunks asked, looking at Lily; she slowly nodded her head.
"Ok—hold on." Trunks said, walking over to the closet.
"Let's start with the smallest one first." Trunks said, noticing his mom left the same three outfits in each size she found—including underwear and shoes.
"Ok—put one leg in each hole." Trunks said, starting with the underwear while leaving the hospital gown on.
"Flutterbys." Lily very softly spoke.
"Yes, those are butterflies." Trunks said with a smile as he got the outfit ready; he was happy she said something. It may not be much, but it's a start.
After a minute, Trunks removed her gown and replaced it with a light blue shirt designed with a rainbow and a unicorn and blue-jean skirt and purple socks.
"How does that all feel? Is anything too tight or too loose?" Trunks asked, looking at Lily; everything looked like they fit.
"Fit k." Lily softly answered, looking at her shirt.
"It looks like Grandma brought ribbons as well. Would you like your hair up?" Trunks asked.
"K." Lily softly replied, looking at the ribbons.
"One, two, or three?" Trunks asked; she held up two fingers.
"Pigtails it is." Trunks said, turning her around so that he could brush her hair and put it up.
The two blue bows were behind her ears, but they were still noticeable.
Like Elm, she still had that one strand of hair that stood up at the top of her head. However, she had long bangs that hung along her face and somewhat messy bangs just above her eyes.
Lily's hair, unlike any of the others, was a little wavy.
Trunks looked at both Elm and Lily and wondered how they would turn out.
Knickers is smart, loves to read and do puzzles, helps around the house, and is gay.
Kishu loves his video games or playing outside, nor does he like doing chores.
Teddy's a tomboy and loves playing outside, in the mud, and does not like anything girly; she does help around the house.
No matter what, he'd love them no matter what.
'She definitely has that natural flush Luna had.' Trunks thought to himself.
"Now, it's time for your shoes." Trunks said, picking up her shoes.
"No. No. No…" Lily cried, scared, backing away; she almost fell out of bed.
"What's wrong?" Trunks asked, confused.
"She doesn't like shoes; they hurt her feet." Elm explained.
"Baby, you have to understand that at most places, you have to wear shoes. But for now—you don't have to wear them. But understand you'll have to wear them if we go to a restaurant or something. Understand? I'll find you some kind of shoes that won't hurt your feet. Can we at least try one on?" Trunks asked, looking at her.
"Mmm… …K…" Lily slowly and softly answered, scooting back.
"Good girl." Trunks said, taking the right shoe and placed it on her foot; it was a little big on her.
"You'll just have to grow into these. Guess, we'll have to find you a size or two smaller." Trunks said, looking at the size of the shoe and her foot.
Just then, the nurse came in with a cart, and with Trunks and Elm's help, got everything packed up.
"Are you ready to get out of here?" Trunks asked, picking Lily up while Elm climbed onto his back.
"…Yeah…" Lily answered, holding onto Trunks's shoulders while Elm held onto him around his neck.
"Let's head out then. Both of you, hold on tight." Trunks sternly said with a smile as he started pushing the cart.
"K." Elm and Lily said at the same time.
"What's going on?" Bulma asked when she and Vegeta returned and saw Trunks and the kids—and the cart.
"We're leaving." Trunks replied.
"What about Lily?" Bulma asked, concerned.
"She's hanging onto my other side. Because she was doing so well, Dr. Hashita said she could leave today." Trunks explained, turning a little to show his parents.
"She's so adorable! Oh, I remember when Teddy liked her hair up like that!" Bulma cooed as she snapped more pictures.
"I don't like my hair like that anymore." Teddy said, looking at Bulma.
"I know, Dear; we love you for your individuality. And you still kind of wear your hair up. You're still my little girl." Bulma happily replied.
"Grandma!" Teddy cried, embarrassed.
"Trust me—it'll only get worse as you get older. And you still have me. Once you're old enough, I'm sure I'll do things that embarrasses you—all of you. I promise you that." Trunks said with a smile.
"Daddy!" Teddy cried, even more embarrassed.
"Where are her shoes?" Kishu asked, noticing she was only wearing socks.
"Yeah, where are they? Didn't you like them? I thought they were really cute." Bulma said, a little disappointed.
"Well, the smallest pair you brought were still a little big on her I liked them; they were cute and all… But she apparently doesn't like shoes." Trunks explained, shocking his parents and kids.
"She says they hurt her feet." Elm spoke up.
"Ohh. Ok. Well, let's get you out of here and to the hotel; we have one more night there. We thought we weren't leaving until tomorrow, so we registered for another night. Hey, I know; why don't we just spend the rest of the weekend?" Bulma suggested with a smile.
"Woman, I just want to go home…" Vegeta sighed, annoyed; he was happy his granddaughter was finally better and all, but he missed his bed and training room—and such.
"As much as I'd like to do that, I have to get these guys home, find these two new beds, dressers and such. I also have to take them shopping to find what they'd like. Also, we also have all the stuff to finish moving to the new house. We'll stay the night tonight, but tomorrow, we have to leave. Maybe when we're all settled and Lily's completely out of the woods, we'll do some kind of summer family vacation or something. Heck, I even have a large enough yard; you could completely take it over for a day or whatever and throw one of your parties or whatever there." Trunks calmly said.
"Ok! Sounds like a plan! We'll do both! Vegeta, grab the cart so that Trunks can concentrate on holding the kids. Come on everyone; let's go!" Bulma happily instructed, leading the way to the elevators.
"What have I done?" "What have you done?" Trunks and Vegeta asked at the same time, following Knickers, Kishu, and Teddy as they followed Bulma…