Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Coping: A Brief Story ❯ Part II ( Chapter 2 )

Coping: A Brief Story

Part II

Bulma stood in the kitchen humming to herself, while half-listening to the bickering of her children. This is what she enjoyed the most about her life. The sounds of her family in the mornings: her mother squealing about the new hybrid plant she was nursing back to health, her father talking aloud about tweaking his new formula to make a more improved capsule. The only thing missing was the sounds of her arrogant prince, berating everybody except her mother. Vegeta only pulled back his insults when her mother faced him. It always amused her.

"We're going Mama," called Bra hefting up her backpack, trailing after her brother. "Tell Papa that we'll see him after school."

Bulma blinked, finally noticing how quiet the room had become. "Okay, I'll see you at the hospital." She turned putting her hands on her hips regarding the pile of dishes with a disdainful eye. I'll get a servo-bot to do them instead; I have some paperwork to finish before dropping by to see ChiChi. Although, she preferred to go immediately to the hospital she knew Vegeta needed his rest to regain his strength.

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"And that's when he said that it was Pan who did it," laughed ChiChi.

Bulma chuckled at the story. "Poor Goten. Trying to protect his niece he got into worse trouble." She leaned forward for one of ChiChi's delicious cookies when her beeper went off. Bulma checked it, since it was the number to the hospital she sighed. "It seems that my own troublemaker is awake and causing mischief."

ChiChi smiled. "That's a good sign though. If he is up shouting at the doctors and nurses then he's going to make a full recovery." She clinched her hands tightly in her lap. She knew how anxious she had been for Goku to recover from his heart virus all those years ago. It always killed a part of her heart every time he died. "Do you want to use the phone and call the hospital?"

Bulma grinned. "That's my prince." She glanced down at her watch. "It's getting late, so I better get to the hospital to meet Trunks and Bra." She stood up gathering her things; walking with ChiChi to the door, she hugged her friend. "Take care, and tell Son-kun that he can visit Vegeta tomorrow."

"I will," said ChiChi as she waved goodbye to her friend. She turned back to her modest, empty home. "I guess I'll start dinner."

***********************************

Bulma walked into the hospital with a silly grin on her face. She was filled with excitement. She only had few minutes, before her children showed up to be alone with Vegeta. And she needed to be alone with him, last night had played havoc with her emotionally and physically. She didn't realize how big their bed was without two bodies trying to occupy the same space. She needed her Vegeta.

Bulma stopped as she saw Doctor Tao waiting at the front desk talking with a nurse. She flashed him a grin as she continued towards her husband's room. "Good morning, Dr. Tao. I'm just on my way to see Vegeta."

Dr. Tao grimaced. "Mrs. Briefs, could I please have a moment of your time?"

"What for?" she asked stopping, she did not like his bleak expression. "What's wrong?"

The doctor gestured in the direction of some chairs away from the nurses' station. "Could we speak over there, please?"

"What's wrong?" Bulma's heart began to pound.

Dr. Tao ran a hand over his face silently using every expletive he knew. "I'm afraid we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?"

"It's Mr. Vegeta. He's had an attack."

For the briefest second Bulma thought she was dreaming. "What kind of attack?"

Dr. Tao placed his hand on Bulma's shoulder. In some ways, she was like a daughter to him. Over the years, he'd come to admire and love her family and extended family. It hurt so much to tell her what happened. "He went into cardiac arrest. We did everything we could, but he had been gone too long when we found him. I'm sorry."

Bulma shook off his hand, backing away slowly. Somewhere in the back of her mind, some part of her knew why the doctor had stopped her. However, her heart rejected his news. "No. NO! You said he'd make a full recovery. I left because you said he was going to get better! Do not tell me he's dead!"

Dr. Tao walked forward, placing his hand back on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Is that all you can say," spat Bulma, slapping his hand away again. "I'm sorry? Vegeta is dead and the best thing you can say is 'I'm sorry.'" She brought a hand up to her face feeling the wetness on her cheeks, she had been crying and she never noticed. She swallowed. "I've got to go to him and make him wake-up. This is all a bad joke. I'll wake him up and...." Bulma sunk to the cold marble-speckled linoleum floor. "Oh, God." He's dead. "Oh, GOD!" She heaved out a cry curling up on the floor. "He's dead! VEGETA!"

Several nurses gathered around Bulma trying to move her from the floor. Dr. Tao called for a sedative to calm her down. She shook off any hands that got near her. Her husband, her mate, her lover, the father of her children was dead. It couldn't be, she argued with herself. There had to be a mistake. Vegeta was one of the strongest people in the universe; he wasn't easy to kill. He had been alive when she left. Alive! She gulped down some air as her sobs subsided, but the gut-wrenching pain in her stomach intensified. This had to be some elaborate joke. Bulma rolled over gazing into the pitying eyes of Dr. Tao, no this wasn't a joke.

Bulma stood up wiping her face. She knocked away the syringe that one of the young nurses was about to poke into her arm. "When did he die?" she asked softly.

Dr. Tao stepped forward with the file in his hand he flipped to the page to find the information. His face was full of devastation; this was the worst part of his job. "The nurse checked him at ten-thirty this morning and he was still alive, he was just sleeping. When she made her rounds three hours later, Mr. Vegeta was gone."

"I don't understand," whispered Bulma. "I don't understand. Vegeta is...was healthy. How could he have a heart attack?" She murmured the questions to herself not expecting Dr. Tao to answer.

"These things just happen, Ms. Briefs," replied the doctor handing his papers to the nearest nurse. "There was no warning, no violence. His heart just stopped."

Bulma nodded still not really understanding. All she really understood was her Vegeta was dead. "Is he still in his room?" her voice was raw from crying.

"Yes. Would you like me to walk you to the room?"

Bulma shook her head stumbling forward refusing any helping hands. She was already down the hall that led to her mate's room, the room where she had left him alive. She paused only briefly at the door, before she slowly pushed it open. She looked at the bed. There he was sleeping--exactly how she had left him. On shaky legs Bulma stumbled the rest of the way to the bed, reaching out she touched his face. His eyes didn't flutter open. His penetrating black gaze didn't scorch her. His fire was gone.

She picked up one of his hands. Ironically, he was still warm. Death was supposed to be cold like ice, not warm and inviting. She smiled. Vegeta always had to do things differently. She could almost hear his voice. "Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyajins does not die cold like a commoner. To die cold would be beneath me." Then he'd flash her, his trademark smirk.

"Oh, Vegeta," whispered Bulma, bringing his hand to cup her face. It smelled of the sandalwood soap that he'd bathed with the night before and of antiseptic, where the anesthesiologist had swabbed it for his IV. Bulma sat next to him on the bed rubbing his hand on her cheek as two tears slipped down her face. In the quiet room, no lung-machine breathed and no heart-monitor beeped.

It wasn't a joke.

Her prince was dead.

*************************************

Time ceased to mean anything to Bulma as she sat next to Vegeta on the bed holding his hand, stroking his brow, kissing his cheek. She told him how much she loved him, hoping her declarations would miraculously restore life in his body. But her wishes were for naught, her prince wasn't returning to her. Bulma began to memorize his face, its texture, and shape, while she struggled to accept that she would never hear his voice or feel his passion again.

"Mama?" came, a frightened voice from the doorway. Trunks and Bra were at the door, both ghostly pale and visibly shaken. Their eyes were on Vegeta. "We just heard. Is it true?" They approached slowly, their eyes still on their father.

Trunks clutched his sister's arm, as he felt no ki emitting from his father. Tears began flowing down his cheek. "Papa."

Bra turned into her brother becoming overwhelmed with tears. She pulled at his jacket until her knuckles turned white. This was not happening. This was just a bad joke. Her Papa was healthy. He trained everyday; he was invincible. He couldn't die. The prince never died!

Trunks clasped his sister to his chest methodically running his arms up and down her back for comfort. His own tears refusing to abate. "But he was fine," he protested. "How could his heart just stop? Papa's strong and healthy! He came in here for an infection. Dr. Tao said he was going to make a full recovery." He pushed his sister away. "I'll go find Dr. Tao and make him wake Papa up. And if he can't do it, I'll find a doctor that can."

Bulma stopped her son with a shake of her head. "It's too late, Trunks. He's gone. I've been sitting with him for a while now. He's still warm, but there is no fire in him."

Trunks frowned. "So, you're giving up on him? I know you've had your differences, but you can't give up on him. There has to be a way to bring him back. I refuse to give up on him!"

Bulma dropped Vegeta's hand. Her body shaking with restrained anger. "How dare you Trunks Briefs! How dare you even suggest that I wouldn't do everything within my power to bring your father back alive? I have loved your father even before you were a thought in the universe! If there was the slightest chance--I don't care how minute--I would bring your father back to me! He was my prince! Mine!"

Stupefied Trunks watched his mother slide to floor as tears of grief poured out over her face. "I'm sorry, Mama." He bent down wrapping his arms around his mother. "I didn't mean it." Trunks looked around trying to locate Bra whom he had forgotten while he comforted his mother. She had walked over to Vegeta's bed and was now lying down beside him. "B-chan?"

"...remember that time, Papa," whispered Bra, stroking her father's face. "But you broke your promise Papa. You told me you would always be with your little princess, but you're not here. You left me behind." She began to cry harder. "Please, come back, Papa."

The door to Vegeta's room slowly opened as Dr. Tao stuck his head through the slight opening. He eyed the grieving family, hating the fact that he had to interrupt them for what they needed to do next. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Ms. Briefs. We need to take the body down to autopsy."

"No," whispered Bulma, lifting her blue head from her son's shoulder. "You can't cut him open. I won't allow it. I can't condone you degrading his body after his death. We will take him home."

Doctor Tao shook his head. "I'm sorry Ms. Briefs, but it is hospital standard policy, when a patient dies suddenly under our care, we have to examine the cadaver to determine the accurate cause of death. It also helps when another patient is admitted with the same symptoms, the hospital would be on guard and prepared for what could manifest."

Trunks snarled. "I thought you said it was a massive coronary. Or were you just guessing?"

"No, weren't guessing," responded the forlorn doctor. "He did die of a heart attack, but we would like to know what brought on Mr. Vegeta's sudden coronary failure."

Bulma stood up wiping the tears from her face. "Well, you're going to have to find out the information you seek from your files on him. I will not sanction you slicing my prince up to save someone else's life when you couldn't save his."

Dr. Tao let out a sigh; his talk with the Briefs was not going the way he wanted. He knew they were in pain, but there was a window of time before the traces of what caused Vegeta's heart attack disappeared. "Ms. Briefs, I understand your pain, but it's hospital policy to examine the body after such a death."

"And I will tell you doctor," said Bulma holding Trunks back with one arm. "You are not getting anywhere near Vegeta, again. If you push me on the issue I will make a telephone call, I will own this hospital, and I will fire you and anyone else who gets in my way. I'm taking my husband home with me. Now!"

Trunks moved toward the bed picking up his father's limp body. He turned to Doctor Tao, the only human doctor that his father outwardly appreciated. "We can't allow his body to be further desecrated. He isn't a cadaver for your experiments; he's my father."

Bulma picked up her purse while she held onto her daughter with her other arm. "Thank you, Dr. Tao, but now Vegeta needs to be with his own people. Trust me when I say anything you learned from him wouldn't be useful toward anybody else but my circle of friends."

The Briefs clan calmly walked out the hospital toward a future without their prince.

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End. Part II. Created [04/16/02] and Finished [06/25/02]. This isn't where I had intended on ending this chapter but I decided to anyway since it was taking me awhile to finish this section I just decided to snap it in half. Please send all comments, questions, critiques, and flames to me, at pmchivas@hotmail.com. Dark Shadow Princess

Straightjacket Musings:

SLH--you belong in a straightjacket that's why you're here. Again, this whole story is dedicated to you; so just accept it, Something Like Human.

I decided not to bring Goku and the rest of the Z-senshi into this fic; maybe I will show their reactions in the last chapter. But for now I'm only going to focus on the people living at the Briefs Compound.

Question: Some of you might have noticed I use "Brief" and "Briefs" which one is really Bulma's last name? All the websites I have gone to have been conflicting and use both versions. Do any of you have some insight?