Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Bath ❯ He Looked Dead ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z

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Chi-chi scrunched up her face in thought. "I don't know Videl. But do you really think Paris is capable of something like this? She's such a sweet girl."

Videl leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "Well in my time with the police, a lot of the guilty people are the last you would suspect." She reached a hand back and flipped her braid over her shoulder. "Even if it wasn't her we should try and find her to tell her what happened."

"Daddy?" Gohan looked at Pan who had walked up beside him and grabbed his arm. "What happened to Uncle Goten?" Pan stared up at her dad with large brown eyes. "Trunks woke up and he told me to ask you."

Gohan looked over at Trunks. Bra had climbed up on the chairs and was trying to coax an answer out of him. Trunks only numbly shook his head at his sister. Gohan looked back at Pan. He sighed and pulled her in front of him. Gohan bent down so he was eye level with his daughter. Chi-chi and Videl watched silently as Gohan tried to talk to Pan. "Pan honey, some mean person tried to hurt Uncle Goten." Gohan continued when Pan nodded in understanding. "He got hurt badly, Pan, but some nice doctor's are going to fix him up."

Pan climbed onto Gohan's lap and laid her head on his chest. Gohan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Gohan looked over at Trunks to see he had pulled Bra onto his lap also and was crying into her hair.

The three families sat in the waiting room as they waited for news of one of their own. People came and went in varying degrees of health but they didn't move until lunch came. After they managed to choke a little lunch down under Chi-chi's motherly watch the group sat back down in their seats. They now all sat shoulder to shoulder as an audience would in a theater. Soon after lunch Dr. Melina returned with news of Goten.

Chi-chi immediately stood and stepped towards the doctor. "Dr. Melina, how is he?"

Dr. Melina removed her gloves and took the mask from her face. "Mrs. Son, Goten has managed to pull through surgery and has been moved to a private bedroom." Everyone let out a breath and smiles spread across their faces. "But I'm afraid he has slipped into a coma. Immediate family members only are allowed to visit him, but only one at a time please." The others voiced words of protest.

"But when do you think we'll be able to see him?" Asked Bulma, bringing her fist up to her heart.

"I'm going to give him about 2 days. But Dr. Kudamono will be able to tell you more. He will be taking over the care of Goten.

Trunks made a motion to satand but Bulma placed a hand on Trunks' knee before he said anything.

Tears shimmered in Chi-chi's eyes as she begged to be let in to see her son.

Gohan stood. "May I see him? I'm his brother."

Dr. Melina nodded. "If you'll follow me I'll take you to his room."

Gohan, Goku and Chi-chi stood and followed her down the hall to a door with the number 265 on it. In front of the door, Goku and Gohan let Chi-chi go in first. Goku and Gohan watched the doctors back as she walked away from them.

"Thank-you Dr. Melina." Goku called after her.

Dr. Melina just waved a hand over her shoulder, "No problem."

Chi-chi closed the door behind her with a soft click after she stepped into the hospital room. She walked up beside the bed in the middle of the room and gripped the railing. The afternoon sunlight shone through the window and brightened the room. Heavy cotton blue curtains that hung from the window were pulled aside. The soft beeping of a heart monitor was the only sound as Chi-chi gazed upon her son. Goten lied stiffly on his back on the white sheets of the hospital bed. His skin appeared even paler under his mop of black hair. A blanket had been laid over him and his arms were on top of it. An I.V. and a blood bag hung on a pole, the slow drip entered Goten's body through his wrists. His chest rose and fell, almost unnoticeably, with every breath he took.

Chi-chi reached a hand over to him and pulled the sleeve of his gown up a bit to reveal the gash on his shoulder had been stitched up. Chi-chi pulled the sleeve back down and with a gentle caress took his hand in her own. Chi-chi leaned down on the bars and stroked the back of Goten's hand with her thumb. After a moment Chi-chi reached a hand to Goten's head and pulled back his hair. She noticed three stitches had been placed on his forehead so she leaned down to kiss the other side of his forehead. With one last gentle squeeze Chi-chi turned around and left so that Goku could have a turn at seeing his son.

Chi-chi stepped outside of the room to see her Gohan and Goku talking to another doctor. This doctor was a balding man with a few whisps of grey hair growing from his head. He wore a white labcoat that stretched to fit over his middle and a smile that looked as if it had never left his face. When Chi-chi stepped out of the door he turned to her and stuck out his hand.

"Ah, hello. You must be Mrs. Son. My name is Dr. Kudamono." He said smiling.

Chi-chi nodded and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, doctor. Dr. Melina mentioned you would be looking after my son from now on."

He chuckled. "Yes, yes. Your husband here told me about her only allowing one person to visit at a time," He gave a sigh, "She's so protective of her patients. I see no reason why all three of you shouldn't be allowed to see Goten."

Chi-chi smiled, "Thank-you doctor. But what about Gohan's wife and daughter, when will they be allowed to see him, and our friends?"

"Aah, not immediate family. Friends as I call them," He said grinning, "I'm gonna have to agree with Dr. Melina on this one. Two days." He smiled. "Since I'm allowing the three of you in there, I'm asking that you be quiet." He said while bringing his index finger to his lips. "Well shall we all go see how the patient is doing?" Dr. Kudamono stepped towards the door and let the Sons enter before him.

"So he's been out of surgery for about 15 minutes now. I'll just give him a quick check over and then I must be on my way." Dr. Kudamono stepped over to the bed and began untying the knot of Goten's gown that was behind his head. He pulled the gown down and revealed his chest.

Gohan took a step back at the sight. Large stitches had been sewn into Goten and blood had dried around them. There were stitches on his hip and another set on the left side of his chest. There were also long lengths of cuts across his chest that had more stitches holding the flesh together. Dr. Kudamono gently made sure the stitched were secure and then covered Goten back up.

"Well it seems the stitches are holding just fine. All we can do now is wait," Said the doctor, "In my experiences with coma's I'd say he could wake in anywhere between a week and a month. Some internal organs have been cut though so I can't be sure. Your welcome to talk to him. It's been said that people in a coma can still hear." With one more smile, this one a little more sympathetic, Dr. Kudamono left.

Gohan looked at his brother for a moment. "Mom, Dad I had better go, Videl and Pan are just sitting in the waiting room. I'll go and tell the others what's happening too."

Chi-chi nodded. "We're staying the night so tell them we say bye." Goku nodded along with her.

With a whispered `I love you' and a kiss on Goten's forehead, Gohan left. He walked back into the waiting room and walked over to his family and friends.

Trunks immediately stood up. "What's going on Gohan? How was Goten? Can I see him?"

Gohan gave Trunks a nervous look. "The new doctor says that you should be able to see him in two days." Gohan held up two fingers. "He's allowing Me, Mom and Dad to see him at the same time, but that is all." Gohan sighed. "I'm going home and I suggest you guys do the same. There's nothing you can do."

Trunks sat down. "I'm staying here, what if something happens?"

"Mom and Dad are staying here, they'll watch him. Now go home, it's been a long day and it's only 1 o'clock."

Trunks stubbornly turned his head away. "No."

Bulma leaned over to him. "C'mon Trunks, you heard Gohan, there's nothing we can do. If you want you can stay with me and your father." She said comfortingly.

Trunks didn't answer.

With a gruff snort, Vegeta stood and grabbed Trunks by the collar. "You heard your mother, let's go kid." With that Vegeta started walking away, with Trunks in his grip.

Bulma sighed. "You'll call us if anything happens right Gohan?"

"Of course I will."

Bulma thanked him, grabbed Bra's hand and followed Vegeta towards the exit.

Videl saw the pain in Gohan's eyes at having to leave his little brother so she pulled him into a hug. "Oh Gohan." Videl leaned in and listened to the rhythmatic beating of his heart. They then began walking towards the exit with Pan trailing behind them.

Later that night when Trunks was in his old bedroom he lied in his old bed trying to fall in the escape of sleep. The thoughts of the events of the day ran through his mind, keeping him fully awake. Trunks no longer cared about who had done that to Goten. He just wanted to see his friend on his feet again. A small tear crept down his face as he fell into a sleep filled with visions of blood and fear.

Bulma lied down onto the bed beside Vegeta. Bulma stared at the back of his head for a moment before wrapping her arm around his waist. "Vegeta, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how I missed out on a full day of training for that kid."

Bulma frowned and crawled over Vegeta so she was in front of him. "Aren't you even a little sad? Do you even care that your best friends son was almost killed?"

Vegeta opened his black eyes and looked at her. "People die. And Goten didn't so why are you giving me a headache about it?"

"What about Trunks? He's a grown man and he's in his childhood room, probably crying, because of this. You know as well as I do he loves Goten, he made it painstakingly obvious this morning."

Vegeta groaned and buried his face in his pillow. "I'm not stupid. What do you want me to do about it? Freak out because he fell in love with his best friend? Or do you want me to be angry with him that he can't even protect him?"

Bulma was about to argue back but thought better of it. "I don't want to argue with you right now. You may not be upset, but I am. Goodnight Vegeta."

Vegeta wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Goodnight."

Videl flicked off the light of the bathroom and walked over to the bed where Gohan was reading a book with his glasses at the bottom of his nose. He was resting his back against the headboard. "You know we didn't have to leave that early."

Gohan licked his finger and flipped the page. "There was nothing I could have done, it was useless me being there."

"Are you going to visit him tomorrow? I don't mind staying home with Pan alone."

"Yeah I'll go see how he's doing."

Videl sat down on the bed in front of him. She pushed the book down the book and made Gohan looked at her. "What did he look like?" She whispered.

Gohan stretched his legs out and rested his head on his pillow. He then gabbed Videl and pulled her so that she was lying beside him. He pulled her into a hug and whispered into her hair, "He looked dead." Gohan buried his face into her hair as tears crept from his eyes.

Videl rubbed his back trying to comfort him. Videl was silent; she didn't press Gohan for anymore discription. They both fell asleep like that, not bothering to turn the light off.