CHAPTER 23:
Check-Up
Upon their return to the Check-In Lobby, the clock read 41:49:00.
True to Dr. Vidalia's word, the tour had precisely taken fifty Vidal-minutes, or "half an hour" - equivalent to 1.4 hours back on Earth. There had even been enough time for Dr. Vidalia to smoothly transition to greet a new group of visitors, leaving Trunks and Pan to explore further on their own.
The Check-in Lobby extended into a spacious Waiting Room, with a semi-circular layout accentuated by high ceilings and a sweeping glass wall that framed that meticulously landscaped garden.
Outside was a breathtaking view of a tree-filled hill, dotted with meandering paths and vibrant, shaded glades. Strings soaked in sweet nectar dangled from the eaves, attracting swarms of flitter-bugs and buzz-flies. Captivated children were drawn to the glass, tapping it eagerly to interact with the colorful insects.
Inside, the Waiting Room was crafted for comfort, furnished with plush chairs, an array of reading materials, and inviting sofas that tempted guests to unwind. Many visitors relaxed deeply, some drifting into sleep, while others were absorbed in their digital devices, enjoying the peaceful setting.
The Waiting Room itself was a haven of comfort. It was outfitted with plush chairs, reading materials, and soft sofas that invited visitors to relax. Many guests lounged deeply, some dozing off, while others were absorbed in their digital devices, enjoying the peaceful setting.
The aroma of caramelized onions wafted through the air from the nearby Cafeteria, located just beyond a set of automatic double-doors painted as two halves of a green bowl.
The subtle scent added a surprisingly pleasant layer to the serene atmosphere, though it did little to improve Goku's sour mood.
By the time Trunks and Pan found Goku, he was sitting grumpily in a quiet, cushioned corner by the far end of the Waiting Room's expansive glass wall. Despite the calming views outside, it was clear that Goku was visibly uncomfortable. He was shifting restlessly in his cushioned seat, appearing fidgety and awkward.
Catching sight of him from across the Waiting Room, Pan exclaimed in surprise and mild disbelief, "Grandpa! I'm surprised you're still here."
Goku fidgeted, noticing them, and his voice rose to project across the room, "I'm not gonna just leave you all alone with these doctors." He grumbled with eyes that darted around the room suspiciously. "There's always a bad needle, ya know?"
As she and Trunks approached the far corner, Pan put her hands on her hips and frowned at Goku's attitude, "Come on, Grandpa, that's just childish, and you know it! These doctors seem perfectly nice - and honestly? You're not being that nice to them. And you're just drawing needless attention to us."
Trunks barked a laugh at Pan's unintended joke as he amusedly echoed under his breath, "Needle-less."
"What?!" Pan spun at Trunks, "Now you wanna draw attention, too?"
"Woah!" Trunks raised his palms defensively, "I didn't say anything!"
"You're right you didn't," Pan huffed, and then plopped down onto the blue cushioned chair next to Goku.
As Trunks took a seat in a plush chair that sat across from Goku and Pan, Trunks looked around and realized that Pan was right - people were looking at them.
As soon as Trunks' gaze swept the room, the eyes glanced away in a wave of head-turns. He wasn't sure if he had been imagining the movement. As he blinked, trying to process what he saw, he thought he overheard a female voice remark as she walked by, "What incredible water."
Goku, who was continuing to fidget in his chair, sounded irritated and defensive as he continued to justify his behavior. "Do you remember Dr. Myuu and Dr. Gero? If we'd just let them go do their thing, imagine all the bad stuff they would have done by now. It never hurts to be cautious with doctors."
Trunks was growing weary of the ongoing debate with Goku. Despite Goku's vast experience, his biases remained stubbornly entrenched.
Still, Trunks made a last attempt to reason with Goku, "And what about my grandpa, Dr. Briefs? You were never afraid of him. He was a doctor too, you know."
Goku looked puzzled as he sputtered, "B-But that's different! Dr. Briefs wasn't like those other doctors. He didn't deal with needles n' stuff."
Feeling frustrated, Trunks countered, "That's exactly my point, Goku. Dr. Gero, and Dr. Myuu. weren't medical doctors either - they specialized in computer science."
Goku's confusion only seemed to deepen.
Trunks was incredulous, "Have you been confusing the types of doctors you're afraid of?!"
"No!" Goku retorted defensively, "I mean the kind that could turn you into robots or worse! With all the advanced technology here, you never know."
"Goku, this place doesn't turn people into Androids," Trunks tried to reassure him with feigned patience.
"But you never know. They would blend right in, right? And they know all this lab stuff too." Goku glanced nervously around, his anxiety apparent. "With a million years of research, who's to say there isn't one bad apple in the barrel?"
As Pan unpacked Giru from her blue backpack, she chimed in with a hint of annoyance, "Grandpa, you're starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist. Maybe you should keep quiet before more people start looking at you."
Whispers circulated through the room, and Trunks felt a flush of embarrassment as he realized they had become quite the spectacle. As his gaze swept the room, a wave of heads shyly turned to avert his eyes.
Goku lowered his voice, but his concern was still evident. "But really, Trunks, you never know when one of them might come at you with a needle."
–––––––
As they waited for the appointment, Goku's restlessness intensified. Each tick of the clock seemed to amplify his distress, drawing curious glances from others in the waiting room. Trunks, hoping to blend in more seamlessly, was uncomfortable with the continued attention.
By 41:85:00, Goku's patience had worn thin.
"We've been waiting half an hour!" he complained loudly, "How much longer?"
Finding humor in Goku's accurate yet completely misguided sense of time, Trunks gestured to the clock and explained, "Remember, Goku, the clock system here is different than on Earth. An hour is a hundred minutes; half an hour is fifty minutes."
"Fifty!"
"And if you convert fifty Vidal minutes to Earth minutes, we're really talking eighty-two minutes back on Earth."
"Nooo," Goku groaned, "Nobody ever told us that everything takes longer here."
"Welcome to a doctor's office," Trunks half-joked as he fiddled with his hands, and tried to ignore all of the stares.
–––––––
At around 41:95:00, Trunks began to suspect that the eyes that lingered on his team might not have solely been because of Goku.
Two nurses walked by, and as they passed Trunks' team, one of them glanced over, and stumbled a bit. After both looked in his team's direction, they giggled and one remarked about something "slippery," while the other laughed something about "his water," before they scurried away.
Trunks turned his head to his right and saw one of the Customer Service females flash a flirtatious smile as she batted long eyelashes at him, before coyly shifting her gaze away.
With suspicions aroused, Trunks began to pay more attention to what the nurses were whispering to each other as they passed by. He caught wind of the words "clear" and "river" as the female staff members would side-glance him and giggle among themselves before rushing off.
–––––––
When it fully dawned on him that all of the female staff was actually looking at him, Trunks felt a wave of discomfort wash over him. His unease grew as he overheard a passing nurse remark a little too loudly to her friend, "He's like rain."
This unwelcome attention started to trigger unpleasant memories and feelings that he did not miss from back home on Earth.
Trunks was often the subject of unwanted gazes and wishes. Whenever he stepped out in public, he was invariably stared at and frequently approached by admirers who would boldly declare their affections, treating him more like a celebrity than as a person. His mother only exacerbated it by objectifying him as marketing buzz for Capsule Corporation.
He never wanted any of the attention. Ever since he was twenty-five, Trunks learned to cope with it by emotionally checking out. He had hardened his heart to those stares.
He never wanted to be looked at; he never wanted to be touched. He wished he had a shields - walls - layers to protect him from the eyes… and the hands...
Feeling a familiar sense of insecurity, Trunks reached into his front blazer pocket to grab his black glasses. But… they weren't there.
Back home, they were always there - his glasses that helped to shield him from all of the prying gazes. But right now, he had left them on the ship. They were in the first drawer on the right, in his office desk.
He had stopped carrying them in his blazer a long time ago because of his growing trust in Pan and Goku, and how they both made him comfortable enough to drop his guard and simply be himself throughout their trip - for better, or for worse.
On his trip, looks didn't even matter. He was with family, who could be beautiful or appalling for who they were inside, without any judgment of their looks. It was exemplified by how he could laughably be seen as a Bullhead to Pan. In many ways, he loved that. Being able to be open was something he realized he treasured from his trip. Being true to himself had been healing, and motivating, and had enabled him to finally start to open up even more.
But now that other eyes were on him again… he felt unguarded, and strangely vulnerable.
His face suddenly mattered again. Judgment mattered again.
Now that Trunks remembered what it was like to have his face, he again hated the double-takes. He felt embarrassed by all the stares and attention. He wanted to make it go away.
"What a wave he is," a female staff member whispered to another as they walked by, "I wish he'd crash into me."
As his way of trying to ward off their attention, he decided to try a brand new method of communication - something he was never was able to do before.
He casually removed his brown gloves, and set them on the chair beside him.
With his bare left hand, he raked his fingers slowly through his bangs, purposefully angling his wedding band toward the room.
Keeping his wedding ring exposed, he pretended to scratch a fake itch alongside his temple. He subtly moved his hand in hopes that the orange-gold metal would glint a bit in the light.
Despite his not-to-subtle message, his wedding band hardly changed a thing. Women - and some men - who walked by continued to side-glance and do mild double-takes when they saw his face. Married or not, Trunks continued to attract attention.
Realizing he was up against an invisible and insurmountable beast, Trunks simply put his gloves back on, and decided to pretend to act normal.
Not wanting to start a scene, Trunks tried to keep his eyes either down, or fixated on Pan, his wife - who never once treated him differently because of his looks. She was real. His growing feelings for her were meaningful, and true.
Pan, at this point, was playing a hand game with Giru to pass the time. Under her breath, Pn hummed a traditional melody from the East, back home, that she was trying to teach to the little robot as they coordinated their hand game to the melody.
As Trunks watched Pan play, blissfully unaware of the stares directed at him, he reflected on his own youth, and how he used to be, when he was her age. In a way, she reminded him of himself, and how he had also been oblivious to all the stares growing up. Any attention he did notice, he misinterpreted, believing it was for reasons unrelated to his appearance.
Trunks had grown up with a far different impression of himself than most would realize. When he looked in the mirror, he could hear whispers of his father's voice, as he had shouted between blows.
Trunks was told that his ancestors would be ashamed of his face. He was taught that half-breeds were put down as mercy killings on Planet Vegeta.
Half-breeds like Trunks were mistakes that blackened his father's image. He didn't look like a Saiyan. There was no way to mask the shame that he was born into.
Since he was a toddler, Trunks always felt like he somehow needed to compensate for his face. Trunks often openly doubted his attractiveness, despite constant affirmations from his mom and grandma throughout the years. All of their assurances meant nothing, though, when his insecurity was further deepened by his first girlfriend, Mai.
Now that he was thinking about her, he relived the sense of shame that he felt whenever he remembered how she had made him feel.
From ages sixteen to eighteen, Trunks had tunnel vision for Mai, and had done everything he could to impress her, ranging from romantic gestures, to sporting fancy outfits. No matter what he did, or how hard he tried, or how good he ever tried to look for her, she never noticed or appreciated him.
Of course that fed into his insecurities. He didn't understand back then that she was being paid to downplay her attraction. To this day, it left him emotionally scarred. Back then, especially, he he often battled feelings that his face was worth being cruel to - that he didn't deserve kindness or real love. And then his toxic rebound after his breakup with Mai continued to foster that belief.
It wasn't until college when he first noticed the second-glances and double-takes. And once he began to see it, he had been woefully unprepared for the real world.
That was also around the time things began to get… darker in his life. That was around when he started making a lot of big mistakes that dragged him down. And for a while, things got a lot worse before they got better.
Seeing Pan's uninhibited joy and obliviousness to the stares, however, brought Trunks a profound sense of warmth and purpose. Watching Pan laugh in joy as she played with Giru, Trunks felt drawn to her light.
Knowing that she was unaware of the looks somehow gave him comfort and a renewed sense of duty, almost like a knight safeguarding her innocence from the darker realities of the world.
He cherished her ignorance of the curious stares, finding comfort in her untouched joy.
He never wanted her to notice those looks. He wanted to protect this little bubble of family, and safety that he finally had in his life. This protective instinct, coupled with the way her simple smiles made him feel valued, stirred something profound within him.
He wanted to guard her happiness.
He felt validated by her smile. He wasn't sure if he ever quite felt this way about someone before - to want to keep someone happy, as an active source of personal joy.
This feeling inside him… felt oddly protective, even though all he wanted to do was allow it freedom to grow on its own. This feeling felt comforting, and immensely rewarding. Somehow, his actions with her, and the things he wanted to say to her, all began to feel so much more… meaningful.
He wondered if he was beginning to understand Pan.
He wondered… if this was empathy.
"I'm hungry." Goku cut into Trunks' thoughts as he shifted uneasily in his chair and whined, "You said there'd be restaurants here."
For a moment, Trunks had forgotten Goku was there. As he had been watching Pan, he had unintentionally tuned everything else out, including Goku.
Recalling Goku's dramatics in the Cafeteria and his ongoing grumbles about being hungry, Trunks immediately felt irked again, anticipating how Goku would test his patience.
"You don't have to wait with us, you know," Trunks subtly suggested, hoping Goku would take the hint and maybe bring some of his tense energy elsewhere, "Why don't you go check out that Vidalia Onion Noodle Soup that the doctor told us about?"
"No! Bleghh," Goku grimaced and stuck out his tongue in disgust, "It comes with shots! I wanna go someplace else."
Trunks' patience thinned, "Then you're just going to have to wait."
Growing more agitated, Goku protested, "But we've been waiting for days!"
"It's been an hour, Goku," Trunks corrected sharply.
Goku's voice rose with his growing impatience, "When are they gonna call your name, then?"
Feeling increasingly irritable, Trunks checked the time on the large clock; it read 42:05:00. At this point, they were now running five minutes late.
"They should call my name any time now," he said with feigned reassurance, "But Goku, knowing how this is a doctor's appointment… we could be waiting another hour."
"What?!" Goku's reaction was immediate as he dramatically jumped out of his chair, "But if I wait that long, I'll die."
Trunks quipped, "Good thing you're in a hospital, then."
At that moment, a timid voice interrupted, "Mr. Tollunks?"
Trunks and Goku sprang up at the same time. They landed on their feet with hair standing up in surprise. They both had not noticed the staff member's approach.
They turned to see a short-haired female staff member standing beside them, with iridescent blue-gray skin that sparkled like small scale jewels under the clinic's lights. She wore a white lab coat that fell down to her ankles, and held a digital pad in her left arm like a clipboard.
"U-uh, Mr. Tollonks?" she repeated, glancing down at her digital pad. "Or is it Torankusu?"
Pan chuckled under her breath from her seat, amused by the confusion. Trunks, meanwhile, shot a puzzled look at Giru, wondering what the heck the robot had entered as his personal information.
"It's pronounced Trunks," he corrected as he emphasized, "With a C-H sound."
"Oh, how exotic," the short-haired female commented with a curious tilt of her head, attempting to mimic the pronunciation with pursed lips, "Chu-runks."
Pan chuckled again, finding the situation amusing, while Trunks felt a wave of awkwardness at the staff member's clear flirtations.
"Chu-runks," she echoed again, with an alluring undertone as her gaze intensified. "I am NP Negi; I'll be…" she looked him up and down, "... taking care of you today."
Trunks adjusted his blazer, trying to maintain professionalism. "Okay, NP Negi."
"Actually," she leaned in slightly, her smile widening suggestively, "you can just call me Negi, if you prefer."
Trunks noted the yearning in her expression - an unmistakable expression filled with hope and expectation. He knew that look.
He suddenly felt very uncomfortable with the nurse practitioner using his first name. Recognizing the need to maintain boundaries, he replied icily, "Actually… you can call me Mr. Briefs."
Her smile faltered slightly, as a flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes.
After searching his gaze for a moment, she finally straightened up and stepped back. Adjusting her blue goggles, she nodded, "Right, Mr. Briefs. If you'll follow me, I'll take your vitals now."
Trunks suddenly felt a sense of unease settle over him. He felt uncomfortable going with her.
He didn't want to attribute negative intentions to her without cause; she hadn't technically crossed a professional line. She had simply suggested a more informal interaction which he had declined, and she had respected that. This was a dynamic he was all too familiar with, often navigating similar situations with admirers back home. However, now, as a married man, the dynamics felt inherently different.
He couldn't explain why; if he blamed her obvious attraction for him, he also knew she hadn't technically crossed a professional line. She had simply suggested a more informal interaction which he had declined, and she had respected that. This was a dynamic he was all too familiar with, often navigating similar situations with admirers back home.
This also felt normal. A usual game that he was forced to play with every girl who took her shot with him. He used to handle it gracefully back home by tuning it out, or trying to ignore it.
But now… as a married man, the dynamics felt inherently different.
Before, he shied away from the attention, but now he didn't even want to think about those longing looks. He now understood more clearly why some might prefer healthcare providers of the same gender, particularly in more intimate settings.
He was taken. He didn't want anyone to even want him. He didn't want her thirsty eyes to feast on him. Just the thought that she could be attracted to him made him feel uncomfortable.
He suddenly understood why some people preferred to see doctors of their own gender. He never really thought of it before this. Now that he was married, he had to be more attentive about who would be allowed to be behind closed doors with him.
Wanting to avoid any potential misunderstanding or discomfort, especially now that he was married, he felt compelled to set an additional layer of boundaries.
"Can my wife come, too?"
He felt enabled and empowered by the word.
Pan's face lit up with a warm, joyful glow at being acknowledged as his wife in such a public and formal setting.
The word felt uplifting and thrilling to say. Somehow, it made him feel safer, like a warm blanket for his soul.
"O-oh your wife?" NP Negi seemed taken aback, glancing down at her digital pad with a flush of embarrassment, "You're married?" She suddenly looked sheepish as she confessed, "B-but the Database has you listed as single."
Realization dawned on Trunks, and he shot a heated glare at Giru, finally understanding the source of the confusion. "Oh really? I wonder what else was inputted incorrectly?"
Sensing Trunks' piercing gaze, Giru sprang up, "Danger!" and swiftly darted behind Pan's neck, nervously shaking as he grabbed onto her hair, "-Gir-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-ri-!"
"Giru!" Pan laughed and tried to yank him off of her neck as she stood up from her seat. "Quit it!"
As Pan giggled with Giru, Trunks noticed NP Negi making a subtle gesture to someone off to the side of the waiting room. She clutched her digital pad to her chest and shook her head discreetly.
From the corner, a chorus of disappointed sighs echoed, "Awwww."
Trunks glanced over to see a group of female nurses quickly breaking up their huddle by the wall, all raising their digital clipboards to hide their faces as they rapidly scattered.
Trunks felt his temple tick. He concluded that he would have preferred if they had all been staring because of Goku. It certainly would have been less bothersome.
NP Negi adjusted her stance, tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear somewhat nervously. Regaining her professional demeanor, she looked at Trunks and said more assertively, "If you and your wife would come this way, please."
The nurse practitioner walked toward the back of the lobby, where a set of double doors were labeled with an "Appointment Only" sign.
As Trunks set off to follow her, Pan stood up.
"Wait! What about me!?" Goku looked confused.
"Go eat some Onion Soup," Pan huffed as she stashed Giru into her blue backpack.
"I don't want hospital food," Goku complained, his face scrunching up in distaste. "I want to stay with you guys."
"Are you gonna be good?" Pan asked as she began walking
"I'm always good!" Goku retorted with a pout, trailing behind them.
Reaching the double doors, Pan turned back to Goku and asked with raised eyebrows, "You sure you're gonna be okay if Trunks gets a shot?"
Goku's face went pale as his bravado disappeared in an instant.
"On second thought," Goku looked out the window to the garden, "Maybe I'll take a walk."
–––––––
NP Negi led Trunks and Pan down a series of bright, sterile hallways before stopping at the door of a quaint exam room.
Inside, the room was furnished with a pair of small brown chairs set under a window that looked out onto a a tree-lined interior garden courtyard, where water trickled melodically from a fountain surrounded by white flowers and yellow butterflies.
The exam room housed a standard padded medical table which NP Negi motioned Trunks to sit upon. A silver sink with multiple faucets was nestled along wall lined with white lower cabinets. A long detailed tapestry depicting various alien anatomies ran along the wall, along with some pamphlets about various liquids.
Pan took a seat on one of the chairs near the garden window, making herself comfortable as she enjoyed the serene view. Trunks, meanwhile, perched on the edge of the medical table, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.
NP Negi, with her digital pad in hand, stood by the sink, reading her screen as he asked with a professional, yet curious tone, "So… Mr. Briefs… what brings you in today?"
Trunks took a moment to gather his thoughts, with his gaze shifting toward Pan. He then dropped his eyes down to his legs as he gathered his thoughts.
He shrugged and admitted, "Well… I'm normally pretty healthy. But I've been experiencing some things lately that I wanted to bring up to medical attention." His tone hinted a bit at his caution and concern.
"Sure, tell me about your recent symptoms," she encouraged as she raised her digital pad with her left arm. Her digital pen hovered above the screen, prepared to record his statements.
Trunks hesitated, his eyes briefly meeting Pan's before he continued. "I fell unconscious earlier today. I don't remember it, though. I was standing one moment, and the next, I woke up on the floor." His voice faltered slightly with the admission.
"Okay," NP Negi encouraged, attentively taking notes while tucking a stray bang behind her ear.
"Um…" Trunks' gaze dropped to his hands, folded uneasily in his lap, "I've been having… weird delusions lately, too."
"Delusions?" Pan interjected suddenly, knitting her brow with concern. "You never said anything about that."
Feeling a flash of irritation at her interruption, Trunks met her gaze firmly.
"I see visions, but it's like I'm someone else. I don't know how to explain it," he explained, trying to articulate the strange experiences he witnessed when he unfocused his eyes earlier.
"He's also a bit of a daydreamer," Pan added helpfully, with a slight tease in her tone, "And he didn't sleep much last night."
"Would you quit it," Trunks' patience snapped as an edge crept into his voice, "This is my exam."
"Okay, fine!" Pan threw her hands up in mock surrender, "I'll pretend I'm not here!"
"Thank you," Trunks muttered.
His attention returned to the nurse practitioner as Pan busied herself by rummaging through her backpack, eventually pulling out a white water bottle.
NP Negi looked up from her notes, one eyebrow raised as she observed the brief familial exchange. She then looked back down to her notes, and asked, "Tell me about what you see."
Trunks hesitated, watching Pan, who now sat attentively sipping her water. He hadn't told anyone on his team about what he had seen, and he hadn't formed words for it. It was difficult to describe his experiences, which felt more like intrusive memories than mere feelings or visions.
"Um..." he began, uncertainly, "All of the things I've seen today… are morbid..."
Pan's expression darkened with concern. Trunks could see that she had been unprepared for the gravity of his revelation. The look in her eyes was a reminder of why Trunks shielded her from darker chapters of his past.
"Interesting…" NP Negi continued to write.
Trying to avoid Pan's eyes, which he knew were probably filled with questions, Trunks looked to the sink as he continued, "Even just today, I felt like I've lived another life... but I can't remember any of it. Could it be some kind of imposter syndrome? Or an out-of-body experience?"
As he spoke, NP Negi reached into her lab coat and pulled out a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses that had small suction cups along the frame. She pressed them onto her blue goggles, and adjusted them on her nose.
"Have you ever suffered from anxiety?" she asked, looking concerned as she wrote down notes.
Trunks found himself caught off guard by the nurse's probing question. He paused, and his eyes drifted to the side in consideration.
Her simple inquiry opened a floodgate of introspection, hinting at the complexities of his symptoms and all of the potential underlying issues yet unexplored. He didn't realize just how hard a question like that could hit until she went straight for the jugular.
"Well…" Trunks shifted uncomfortably, his eyes wandering to the side as he contemplatively admitted, "... nothing's been diagnosed."
The nurse practitioner's gaze intensified as she pressed, "Any history of mental illness in your family?"
Trunks opened his mouth, and then felt like he had smacked against a stone wall - as if the wall he was crushed against was floating on lava, surrounded by fire and danger all around.
He felt unguarded, and uncomfortable. He felt exposed. His pride screamed within him to resist.
The questions were threatening to get deep… and things could get hot.
He was unprepared for this; he wasn't ready to start confessing certain histories yet. This was his medical history… it was his privacy…
Yet, he was conflicted. Pan was his wife; she had a right to know.
But not this way. Not now.
Trunks cleared his throat and tried to maintain a steady voice, "Pan, could you wait for me in the Waiting Room?"
Pan frowned in confusion, "Why? I'm fine here."
"Maybe you could check on Goku," Trunks suggested, hoping she'd take the hint. "See if he's found the cafeteria?"
Pan shifted uncomfortably in her chair, searching Trunks' face for clues. "Why can't I stay with you?"
Trunks felt cornered, and insecure. He wasn't ready to share certain details with her. Not yet.
"I think I'd prefer to be alone with the nurse practitioner for this part," Trunks finally said.
Pan's innocent expression began to reflect a mix of confusion and pain. "What can't I hear?" she asked, her voice tinged with emotion.
Trunks felt the weight of her gaze, and his resolve began to waver. "I just think it'd be better," he said, struggling to convey his unspoken meaning.
He hated how his whole body tensed with guilt, as if he were disappointing her. He just… didn't even want to think about some things. Especially not with her.
The nurse practitioner interjected with a calm voice, "If you like, Mr. Briefs, I can call Security to… ensure privacy for this conversation."
Pan's eyes suddenly flared in defiance.
Trunks immediately interjected, "No! That won't be necessary."
Realizing that pushing Pan away might only escalate the situation, Trunks reconsidered his feelings for a moment. He didn't want to make a scene.
"Actually, it's fine. Pan can stay," Trunks backtracked, offering her a reassuring smile that he did not feel inside.
Despite his reservations, Trunks acknowledged that Pan deserved to be part of this conversation. He needed to face whatever came, without hiding behind excuses or walls.
Pan was his wife. She had every right to hear his words.
Trunks knew he'd have to push through this. He kept reminding himself that he promised he'd be better for her.
Trunks never broke his promises. They were the only truths that he could ever control in his life.
Maybe it was better that she'd hear the truth; maybe it was better to remove the mask and reveal old bruises to his soul.
After all, this hospital had been around for millions of years. Maybe, if he trusted the process… there was a chance he could heal.
As the nurse, NP Negi, set her pen aside, she pulled out a pair of reading glasses equipped with suction cups and fixed them over her goggles with a meticulous snap.
NP Negi set her digital pen down on the pad she was holding, and then reached into her front left pocket. She pulled out a pair of reading glasses equipped with suction cups on their frames, and fixed them over her goggles with a meticulous push on both sides.
She picked up her digital pen again and asked as her gaze returned to her digital notes, "Ready to begin?"
"Yes," Trunks replied, though his voice lacked conviction. He glanced at Pan, feeling a wave of unease as he sat on the cold padding of medical table, then shifted his focus to the sterile metal of the sink behind NP Negi.
NP Negi looked up, her voice steady as she repeated her earlier question, "Any history of mental illness in your family?"
Trunks felt uncomfortable. He exhaled slowly, feeling the walls closing in. "I… see things sometimes. Things that aren't really there."
The nurse practitioner scribbled some notes in her digital pad. "How often do you see those things?"
As the nurse practitioner recorded his words, Trunks stole a glance at Pan. Her expression was a mixture of confusion and curiosity, which only deepened his discomfort.
Trunks hesitated, the weight of his secrets bearing down on him.
He felt exposed, under her gaze, and looked away, quickly, feeling vulnerable to her judgment.
He never told anyone about his ability, before.
It felt like a big secret of his, that he revealed. And it was harder, and more difficult to talk about this than he thought. He didn't know why…
No… he knew why.
If Pan knew about it, she'd know how untalented he actually was.
She saw him as a scientific genius. She teased him about it all the time. He worked hard so he could claim that kind of title… but… on his own, he was a mediocre student, at best. If not for his ability to see numbers and angles like afterimages, he'd never be able to do the things that he did.
The truth was that he was a terrible student in computer science, and he almost flunked out of school. If not for his ability to cheat, and to see things the way he did… he'd never have been able to graduate with an engineering degree.
His family knew the truth about that, and maybe Goten. But… never Pan. If Pan found out… maybe she'd see him as a liar.
She'd see him as stupid. As the failure that he was. He was just an imposter pretending to be who she thought he was. Maybe he really was a catfish all along.
He was just a fake. He was a fraud. He was a failure on his own. If he didn't have his visions he'd be nobody. He'd be reduced to just a handsome face and a hefty inheritance - attributes that had always attracted the wrong kinds of attention.
"How often do you see those visions?" NP Negi repeated.
In the quiet room, Trunks felt like he was seated on the precipice of an impending wall collapse, threatening to unravel everything he held dear.
He leaned forward on the medical table, and folded his arms protectively over his chest as he returned his eyes to the sink behind NP Negi, noting the multifaceted faucets adorned with color-coded buttons.
"All the time," he replied quietly, his focus momentarily captured by the various faucet handles.
"Are you seeing things right now?" NP Negi asked, her tone pausing with curiosity.
"No... But I could if I wanted to." Trunks allowed his gaze to soften, watching as the colored buttons stretched into dimensions of light-colored angles and metrics. The numbers recalibrated with each tilt of his head, detailing probabilities and specific functions for each handle.
His eyes were telling him that the faucets were for different types of water - and each button was for a specific temperature.
"So you can control it?" NP Negi probed further.
"Sort of," Trunks said, snapping back to clarity as he sat up straight. "For the most part."
The nurse's interest deepened. "Is there a family history of this?"
"Actually…" Trunks glanced at Pan, whose wide, innocent eyes mirrored her curiosity and concern. He had never shared this part of his life with her, and he felt guilt wash over him as he admitted, "...Yes."
He realized it wasn't fair for him to never mention something as important as this before she agreed to marry him. He was suddenly aware of the implications for their future.
After all… this might affect their children.
"My grandfather, on my mom's side - Grandpa Brief…" he explained, both to the nurse practitioner and to Pan, "...He could look at a blank sheet and see a complete blueprint. He described it as tracing visions that only he could see," he paused, and added, "like an artist."
"And these visions - these precise measurements you inherited," the nurse practitioner pressed on, intrigued, adjusting her glasses. "Are they accurate?"
Maintaining eye contact with Pan, Trunks nodded. "Yes. Down to a sixteenth of an inch."
The nurse's demeanor shifted subtly, a hint of admiration - or perhaps something more - flickering across her features as she toyed with her pen, and said in an almost sultry tone, "That sounds… almost like a clairvoyant ability."
Trunks smiled weakly, the label oddly comforting yet alien. "I suppose," he agreed, the label framing his experiences in a new light.
Her curiosity briefly gave way to her personal interest, with a gaze lingering on Trunks with renewed intrigue. Trunks noticed the shift in her countenance, but before he could say anything, she quickly regained composure by coughing quietly and adjusting her stance as she refocused on her digital pad. Her blue cheeks tinged with a purple blush.
The way she said her words gave Trunks pause. He saw that her gaze on him had shifted a bit, to a look of attraction again. NP Negi flashed a small smile to him, but then did a small cough, and adjusted her clear goggles, even though they had been securely fastened.
The nurse practitioner's next question brought him back to the practicalities of his visit. "Have you experienced any recent stress or significant life changes that might be influencing these visions?"
Trunks nodded slowly as the recent tumult of his life unraveled in his mind, and he glanced at Pan. "There's been a lot… recently," he admitted.
Pan chortled a bit under her breath as his understatement resonated loudly between them.
In the sterile light of the medical room, NP Negi tapped on her digital pad, her next question laced with a gentle concern that belied the gravity it carried.
"To delve deeper into the nature of these visions," she began, maintaining a tender gaze that slightly unnerved Trunks, "do you have any history of trauma?"
History of trauma…
The words hung heavy around Trunks. The question boded like an omen of thunderous confrontation on the horizon.
Trunks felt a knot tighten in his throat, his breaths suddenly shallow and insufficient, as if the air itself had thickened. He struggled to stay composed as he glanced briefly at Pan, who shifted uneasily in her chair, her face etched with worry.
He knew this wasn't the time or place to address this. But, he decided, if he stayed top-level, he might be able to get through it. Opting for brevity, he would allow himself time to address these issues later with Pan, at his pace.
Trunks kept his eyes on Pan, though his vision was unfocused, and he was trying to not envision anything at all as he answered vaguely, "Yes."
Pan seemed intrigued, and Trunks was not interested in going any deeper.
The nurse practitioner proceeded to check another box on her list. "And depression?" she inquired as her pen remained poised above her digital pad.
"Nothing diagnosed," Trunks looked again to the sink to distract himself, "But that's only because I've avoided going to someone about it."
Acknowledging his discomfort, NP Negi set her digital pad on the counter beside the sink. She then opened the top drawer and retrieved a medical scope with a light bulb attached. With a reassuring smile, she approached Trunks.
"Let's take a look inside your mouth, shall we?" she suggested warmly.
"My what?" Trunks replied, feigning ignorance while stifling the urge to recoil.
"Your mouth, please," NP Negi prompted, guiding the scope towards him.
With great reluctance, Trunks complied, opening his mouth open under the bright beam of the scope as the nurse examined his gums and teeth. Once she withdrew, he snapped his mouth shut, feeling exposed and vulnerable from the procedure.
He felt like he had just been examined like some kind of animal.
But then again… he was an alien here… Maybe this was supposed to be normal…
Cleansing the scope under two of the sink faucets, NP Negi continued her inquiry, "How has your sleep been lately?"
"Um…" Trunks bit his cheek. Choosing his words carefully, Trunks admitted, "It's been better."
"And you fainted just today, correct? With the morbid visions?"
"Yes," Trunks confirmed, wary of where this line of questioning might lead.
"Well," with a nod of professionalism as she put her medical device away and picked her pad back up, NP Negi reassured him, "You're in the right place. This facility is equipped with the most advanced medical technologies in the galactic universe, and a comprehensive Database spanning millions of years of research to address your concerns."
"Yeah, we heard…" Trunks managed a tight smile, "I'm eager to hear your insights."
The nurse practitioner put her clipboard down. "I hope you don't mind - we'll need to draw some blood-water for a detailed analysis."
At the mention of 'blood-water,' Pan couldn't mask her discomfort, a squeamish reaction that brought a brief moment of levity for Trunks amidst the tension.
"Blood-water?" Pan squeaked. She suddenly couldn't mask her discomfort as she shifted in her seat squeamishly. It brought a brief moment of levity for Trunks amidst the tension.
"Yes," NP Negi nodded toward Pan as she put on some blue nitrile gloves with small smack sounds, "We have a special needle for drawing blood."
"Oh," Pan paled as she put on a brave face.
NP Negi opened the second drawer and pulled out a giant sealed needle that looked a bit like a meat thermometer.
Pan's reaction was visceral. Her body tensed as she averted her gaze with wide eyes.
With professional calmness, NP Negi secured Trunks' arm, explaining the process as she prepared the site for the needle.
Despite the clinical setting and the unnerving size of the needle, Trunks found himself fascinated by the technology, particularly the integrated screen that would display his real-time data, and would automatically upload to their Database server.
The nurse practitioner raised Trunks' left arm to the armrest of his chair, and secured it with a rubber band, to constrict his blood flow. She walked Trunks through what to expect as she worked, "The needle will analyze your bloodwork in realtime as it is drawn. The data will be cross-referenced with our Database to help inform you of any medical concerns."
After sterilizing his elbow, NP Negi held the needle up to Trunks' arm.
"Eeehhhhhhggggggg!" Pan suddenly could not contain herself, and turned away, holding her face in her hands.
As the needle pierced his skin, Trunks focused on the technological marvel, appreciating the intricate details of the device despite the slight discomfort.
He found the blood draw process fascinating. As a scientist at heart, Trunks was intrigued by how the needle had a small screen on it - able to read and record data about his blood as it was being drawn. All of the technology here intrigued him, and despite slight moments of awkwardness, Trunks was thrilled to be among the first Earthlings to be seen by such an advanced hospital in space.
-WOOOOMMMMM-
The session was abruptly disturbed by a deep, resonating pulse that sent a shiver down Trunks' spine as if all of his blood had run cold.
The pulse traveled through the hospital like a liquid-metal ripple of static energy waves.
Trunks was immediately jerked back from his thoughts. "What the-"
As the wave passed through the room, Trunks could feel his hairs stand up on end. This felt frightfully familiar, as the entire building and many of its digitally-connected subjects began to resonate with small ripples of static ki.
The needle reading flashed, and the lights in the room flickered as the energy signal passed. Trunks looked at Pan to silently ask if she had felt the wave; her confusion as she looked around indicated that she had.
Sirens began to wail as a robot voice alerted over the intercom, "Danger! Danger!" Pan's blue bag began to vibrate, too, as Giru began to shriek a similar, muffled warning.
As the sirens blared, NP Negi pulled away from Trunks, looking up in concern as she set the needle with its completed blood sample aside. She then began to pull off her blue nitrile gloves.
The robotic voice over the intercom crackled as if it were being corrupted, "Danger! Danger! Dang-zhhr-! Da-kzshhh-! D-shhhhh! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-"
The digital intercom hissed as a droning static, until it silenced.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, Trunks watched NP Negi and offered, "Can we help in any way?"
"Not to worry," NP Negi reassured him as she picked up his blood sample. With a reserved smile, she nodded to Trunks, and then picked up her digital pad, "It may just be a drill."
Trunks looked at Pan with a face that indicated his doubt that it was a drill.
"Please remain here. I will see what's going on," the nurse practitioner nodded to Trunks and Pan, and then took Trunks' blood sample, "For your safety, please remain here. I'll start running your bloodwork."
The nurse practitioner opened the door, and added, "I'll be back shortly."
The open door revealed sounds of chaos and mayhem among the hospital staff. Doctors were running in the hallway, shouting about the Database going down, and that nothing could be done without the Database.
The lights flickered again, and then went back to normal.
After a moment of silence, a robotic voice projected from the hospital intercom, and calmly droned, "Conversion Complete; All Clear."
Just as the robotic voice droned, a cheer went out from hospital staff as they rejoiced that the Database was back up.
- Click -
The sounds of merriment that clicked away as the door shut.
Trunks and Pan were left alone in the small room together.
Trunks and Pan looked at each other, in question as Trunks shrugged, "I guess the crisis is over?"
Pan sat back down, shrugging with her hands going wide, "Hopefully that was the biggest crisis we'll see on this planet."
Trunks laughed, "I know, right? It's like we're a magnet for trouble."
They chuckled together, as Trunks thought how much he loved being able to laugh with Pan, even during times of crisis.
-WOOOOMMMMM-
Another pulse immediately pulled Trunks back to the present, and he felt suspicious of the strange ki static that had blanketed the hospital, similar to what he had experienced on the spaceship.
But then he started to think about it, and something began to make sense to him. Perhaps the ki static was the Database. That would make sense - as a multi-million year old digital consciousness that communicated signals through analog, static waves instead of digital bluetooth signals.
Now that Trunks began to connect the dots - that the ki static was supposed to be normal here, he didn't raise any kind of mental alarm.
After all, nobody else seemed to be distressed. Outside of the medical room door, there were more sounds of cheer, and joyful comments that were muffled by the door, but he was fairly sure they were about water.
–––––––
The nurse practitioner was away for a long time.
In that time, Trunks and Pan had made some conversation about the medical office, mainly conversing about a couple of the anatomical charts by the sink area. After they talked a little about the sink itself and its multiple faucets, they had grown fairly quiet.
Trunks noticed how even though they weren't saying anything, Pan kept glancing to Trunks, looking like she wanted to say something, but then she kept stopping herself. Trunks was fairly sure, by Pan's demeanor, that she was trying to work up a question based on what Trunks had answered to the nurse practitioner. Even though Pan didn't ask it, Trunks knew that he'd have to discuss these kinds of things with her sooner or later.
He tried not to think of it. She'd ask when she'd be ready to hear. He wasn't willing to volunteer anything that didn't need to be said. Anything Pan knew at this point was good enough, as it was.
His marriage was good. He was happy. And she was, too. They were alive; they were healthy…
Well… the health card was still on the table. The nurse practitioner was taking a long time to get back to them. Until there was any news, though, he at least could say to himself that he felt healthy. And he felt appreciative of life, and health… and Pan.
Trunks looked again at Pan, to see her taking a sip from her white water bottle as she was reaching inside her blue backpack to play with Giru, who was vibrating, almost uncomfortably.
His eyes turned to look out the window, which displayed an interior courtyard. Beyond some trees, he could see into a far window, which showed the main hall of the opposite hospital wing. He watched as staff passed some white cups around. The more cups that people drank, the more that seemed to be passed around.
Meanwhile, the hallway outside of the exam room had gotten quiet - a little too quiet. Trunks began to wonder if everyone had gone on a lunch break. He was beginning to question the hospital's efficiency, and was starting to lose his patience.
Trunks didn't want to look rude, though, by peeking out of the door.
Pan was the one to break the silence as she muttered grimly, "I'm hungry."
Trunks noticed how a couple staff members wandered through the interior courtyard and then lay down against a tree to take some naps.
"Me too," Trunks admitted, as his right leg began to shake in anticipation. Trunks was more than ready to spend a little alone time outside of the hospital with Pan.
"Should I go find her?" Pan wondered aloud, "She didn't forget about us, did she?"
Trunks recalled how NP Negi's sandy eyes had feasted on the sight of him, and then tried to rid himself of that thought. He turned his eyes back to the sink and mumbled, "I doubt it."
–––––––
After what felt like eons, there was a gentle knock on the door, barely perceptible.
At the time, Trunks was beginning to feel ravenous. His stomach growled louder than the knock, and Pan's stomach had been rolling like thunder. Both he and Pan were feeling moody and testy.
"Come in," Trunks uttered, feeling a twinge of sourness, but also a hint of elation, now that the wait was finally over.
The knob turned, and the door opened slowly.
As NP Negi came in, her beige eyes were unfocused in a state of miosis that made her eyes appear lighter, and more blank.
As she shuffled in a dream-like state into the exam room, her two hands carried a silver tray that held a glass vial and a small white porcelain cup, each filled with a translucent fluid.
NP Negi wore a haunted look on her face. Her odd expression seemed dazed, and her pupils were so contracted that they could hardly be seen against the grayish beige of her irises.
Something felt different about her. She looked like she had seen something, or heard something that had left her reeling. NP Negi didn't seem to have the same energy or pep in her step. She looked almost confused.
"The water is back on," NP Negi spoke dryly, and slowly, with a dazed stare that avoided his eye contact, and instead seemed unfocused in the direction of Trunks' lips.
Trunks blinked, feeling his earlier frustration melt away as he was now a little baffled and confused. "Oh, that's good..." He looked to Pan as he recalled their conversation about the faucets here, and then back to the nurse practitioner, "We didn't realize it was out."
He wondered if the water outage may have been related to her delay. He wished someone had explained that issue to them, but he was willing to let it go, as long as he could get out of here quickly.
"I brought you… medicine …" NP Negi tilted her head a bit as she stressed some words, as if processing them as she spoke, … to take with your… water."
The nurse practitioner looked down to the tray, seeming to stare beyond it.
Trunks looked at the contents of the tray, and wanted to trust them. He would normally have had no second guesses… but… NP Negi's entire constitution was off. She looked like she had seen a ghost.
Trunks wanted to make sure she lived up to her competency, so he sought some clarity about his medicine, "What's in the container?"
"They are drops…" the nurse practitioner thought for a moment, "... as a sedative…"
Trunks frowned and stiffened.
"... For your anxiety…"
His head swirled with thoughts, and defensive feelings. Memories danced like dolphins in the undercurrents of his mind, threatening to surface and toy with his emotions.
"One drop per glass of water," the nurse practitioner droned in a monotonous voice as if she were reading an instruction label, "It will ease your anxiety, help you sleep, and reduce your visions. Be careful not to take too much."
Trunks remembered all too well what a sedative could do to him. Sedatives made him lose control of his ki, and his body. He remembered only too well how the drug left him vulnerable, but he refused to lose himself to that memory.
He simply wasn't going to take it. It had been almost eight years since that incident, and there would never be an incident again.
"I don't want to take your medicine," Trunks stated coldly.
Pan was immediately confused and put down her water bottle. "What?"
"You must …" the NP Negi urged, "... with the water… "
"I don't do sedatives." Trunks remarked pointedly.
"Trunks," Pan spoke with a scolding tone from her chair, "She's giving you medical advice."
"I don't care," Trunks stressed stubbornly, "I'm not taking it."
"You must take it…" the nurse practitioner pressed in a stern tone, "... with the water… "
"See, Trunks?" Pan gestured to NP Negi, "It's not optional."
"Yes," the nurse practitioner agreed encouragingly, and then pushed the silver tray toward Trunks in her daze, "The water… is good…"
Trunks shifted in his seat as a tide of irritation swelled in his gut. Trunks felt a little embittered at the thought, that for all Pan's talk about empathy, she didn't seem to empathize with his position.
"I said no," Trunks stated with finality. "Please respect that."
NP Negi's features hardened into a scowl as her hands paused briefly with the tray.
Her gaze, empty and slightly unnerved, settled into a cold, hardened expression. She bent her head so that her light beige eyes seemed tinged with an eerie red glow as they narrowed fiercely. Her brows furrowed deeply, wrinkling above her nose as if she harbored a silent fury.
A tempest stormed behind her eyes as she processed Trunks' words. She looked angry, as if he had disobeyed some kind of command.
But then the moment passed, and she relaxed, as if the storm had calmed.
Rays of sunlight broke through the tense atmosphere as NP Negi projected a soft, reserved smile.
Her eyes were emotionless and stared at Trunks' mouth as she spoke in a warm tone. "I ran your bloodwork." She smiled, "And I have results."
Trunks wasn't sure what to make of the strange tension he felt in his gut. He noticed how she never took her eyes off his mouth.
"Results?" Trunks asked, feeling something was off, but also feeling conflicted because he was unsure of what was customary among this alien culture.
"The Database says," she paused and stared beyond his lips, "... you're… S-sss…"
A glitch seemed to happen in her speech as she began to slur - almost as if she were caught up in a thought.
"... S-ssslightly dehydrated."
Trunks blinked, and felt as if he were caught off-guard.
"Dehydrated?" he frowned.
That was not what he was expecting to hear.
"So… Just to be clear…" Trunks wondered aloud as he lowered a skeptical brow, "… Are you saying that everything that happened today was because of dehydration?"
"Have more water," the nurse practitioner seemed to show more energy and a fresh dose of resolve as she picked up the white porcelain cup from the silver tray, offering it with her left hand, "This is a fresh batch . It is very good."
Trunks looked at the cup in her hand, and considered it for a moment.
"HAH!" Pan laughed out loud, jarring Trunks from his thoughts. "What is that tiny thing?"
Trunks turned his eyes to Pan, and she seemed amused as she scoffed, "If you're dehydrated, Trunks, just take my water bottle."
She held up her white water bottle and offered it to him with her right hand.
Trunks looked at Pan's outstretched hand, and then back to NP Negi's outstretched hand.
He honestly wanted neither of them. Trunks just felt uncomfortable.
He stood, and shunned both offerings of water, "Honestly, I just want to get out of here."
"But the water -" the nurse practitioner urged.
"- Is there anything else to discuss?" Trunks interrupted her sharply, ready to walk out right then and there, "Any more results?"
The nurse practitioner seemed disappointed, and placed the white porcelain cup back on the silver tray. She blinked her blank beige eyes and stepped backward, toward the sink, still holding the tray.
"Regarding your bloodwork," NP Negi droned, staring past Trunks' mouth, "There was a… flag."
"A flag?" Trunks frowned. "Is that something bad?"
"Not necessarily," NP Negi stared beyond Trunks' mouth, "One of our… doctors… will consult you when available."
Trunks felt impatient as he asked grumpily, "How long until a doctor is available?"
"A doctor will find you," NP Negi droned.
Trunks stood up from the medical table, "Where should I wait?"
The nurse practitioner's eyes seemed to focus and then unfocus for a moment before she turned her gaze to meet Trunks' eyes.
Her hard stare seemed defiant, angry, and combative, as she stressed, "We will find you."
Something about how she said those words rubbed Trunks the wrong way. For a moment, her eyes had glared as if he were an enemy.
He didn't like how she looked at him, and his mouth. He also kept recalling the way she had made him open his mouth for her earlier…
He felt ashamed, as if she had forced him to do something personal, violating him right in front of his wife.
He was angry, and he felt emasculated. He wanted to be out of there.
He opened the door, and left.
"Wait, Trunks!" Pan hopped to her feet, to quickly follow him, but hesitated briefly by the door.
Pan's eyes locked onto the tray that NP Negi still held up.
Without any hesitation, she grabbed Trunks' medicine vial from the metal tray, and stashed it in the front pocket of her blue backpack, before she headed out to follow Trunks out into the hall.
–––––––
By the time Pan caught up to Trunks, he was storming through the building, marching forward like a bat out of hell.
"Did you see the way she was looking at me?!" Trunks seethed.
"What?" Pan blinked, unaware, "How?"
"She looked at me like some kind of dessert." Trunks raged, gesturing with his right hand.
"What?" Pan blinked as she followed Trunks, "Like she wanted to eat you?"
Trunks passed through the double doors, and re-entered the Waiting Room, where it still looked like an airport lobby. The subtle aroma of caramelized onions lingered in the air.
Trunks slowed his walk, and sighed, as he slowed to a stop in the center of the Lobby.
Trunks turned to face Pan, "N-no … Sorry, I…" He hesitated, not wanting to cause a scene. "Nevermind."
"What?" Pan spread her arms, looking frustrated yet curious as she clarified, "Did she try to eat you?"
"No," Trunks felt silly trying to even talk about it, "I might have been reading into things. I just…" Trunks let out a breath, and tried to find the best word.
Trunks continued, looking down as he walked, "...I just was very uncomfortable back there."
This was not uncommon for him. He didn't even understand why he was reacting so awfully.
He… just wasn't married before. He had hoped that by being married, it would help stave off some of the… attention.
Pan put her hands in her pants pockets and shrugged as she projected a supportive grin, "Well, at least you handled it a lot better than Grandpa would have."
Trunks laughed lightly, feeling some of his stress melt away with her lighthearted humor. He never could stay angry long when Pan was around him, and he also increasingly felt tremendous comfort and safety in her presence.
"Speaking of which…" Trunks gave her a soft, lopsided grin, "I guess until the doctor finds me about my results, we should probably find Goku. He probably died from fright here."
"I wish," Pan half-joked as she turned her grinning mug toward Trunks, "I already found him, and he's still up to no good."
"Where?" Trunks looked around the Waiting Room, unable to spot him.
"There," Pan pointed outside the Waiting Room's window wall, in the direction of the landscaped garden Courtyard.
–––––––
–––––––
–A: 6/25/24–
–F: 7/23/24–