Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dude Looks Like A Lady ❯ Chapter Fifty-Seven ( Chapter 57 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Innocence is Futile
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Dude Looks Like A Lady
By Raven Pan and Alison Sky
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Chapter Fifty-Seven
April 6, 799 Friday
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It was late afternoon, and Trunks wasn't due home for another few hours. The twins were taking their nap, and Truten was busy walking to the livingroom, grabbing a magazine or toy, and walking back and placing on top of Goten, who was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious... for a while now.

Surprisingly enough, Trunks's keys jingled in the lock. He entered, putting his briefcase down and kicking off his shoes. "I'm home!" he called into the house.

Truten turned and looked up. "Shhh... papa sleepy!" she giggled.

"At this hour?" Trunks blinked, tossing his jacket on the hook. "Where's Papa, Truten?"

Truten stood up, the tv remote control in her hand. She walked to the foyer outside the twin's room to where Goten was sprawled and put the controller on his head. "Papa sleepy!"

"Truten, can you go get me the phone?" Trunks asked, knowing she well could grab the portable by climbing onto the couch.

"You play too!" she giggled and walked back to the livingroom.

He knelt beside Goten, picking off the toys and magazines and things, then rested his wrist against Goten's forehead.

Goten was burning up, his forehead drenched with sweat. There was no reaction to Trunks's touch at all.

"Goten," He shook his shoulder, frowning. "Goten, wake up."

Goten moaned a bit, but didn't wake.

"Mama! Phone!" Truten said as she walked over, holding a toy phone.

Trunks shook his head, "No the real one, come with Mama," He said, picking her up and walking over. "How long has Papa been sleeping? Longer or shorter than one Hamtaro show?" he asked.

Truten thought, then held up two hands. "Two Hamtaro's!" she stated.

"An hour!" Trunks ran to the phone, dialing.... who should he call? Probably an ambulance, but he wasn't sure. Medicine was Goten's forte'. Swiftly, he dialed Gohan. "Pickup pickup..." he muttered, bouncing Truten on his hip.

"Son residence," Gohan's female voice came over the line.

"Please be Gohan!" Trunks half shouted.

"Trunks?"

"Thank Kami. Listen, Goten's passed out on the floor, for two Hamtaro's, and he's all hot and sweaty and he won't wake up! Should I call an ambulance?" He well remembered that last time he'd done so, it was for no reason.

"Of course!" Gohan squeaked. "Goten doesn't get sick, so if he's like that, it has to be something bad!"

"SHIT!" Trunks hung up on Gohan and dialed the ambulance.

Truten wiggled free and picked up a magazine, heading back towards her Papa to keep playing her game.

"Truten! Leave Papa alone," he said, waiting for the pickup. He swiftly gave them the address, then went to get the kids ready for a trip. He still hadn't figured out what to do with them though.

Truten jumped at Trunks's voice, then started to cry. "PAPA!" she screamed.

Trunks sighed, going to pick her up. "Shh, it's okay Truten, Papa's going to be okay. He's gotta go someplace to get better for a while, okay?"

"PAPA!" she cried, wiggling.

"Tru... ten..." Goten whimpered from the floor.

Trunks knelt next to Goten, the wriggling Truten in his arms. "Chibi, what happened? I called the ambulence, they'll be here soon...."

Goten just gasped. "Can't... breathe..." he gasped, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Just stay still, help's coming," Trunks's voice was filled with worry. "Hang in there, Chibi."

"Papa!" Truten cried, running over and hugging her father. Goten tried to smile, then winced and gasped, and was out again, shaking a bit.

"Truten go to your room," Trunks ordered, checking Goten's pulse again, then tilting his head to try and help him with breathing.

"No," Truten stated, hugging Goten tighter. Goten's breathing eased a bit, but other than his body trembling, he didn't react to her touch.

Trunks picked up their daughter bodily, and brought her to her room, setting her into it, "Tough luck," He handed her a cracker and shut the door.

Truten started to cry from inside, but it fell on deaf ears as Goten wasn't able to help. His face scrunched up like he was in pain, his breathing very rattled.

There was a banging on the door, and Trunks ran to open it, bringing the paramedics over to Goten.

Goten coughed a bit, very liquidy, followed by a low moan.

The paramedics worked quickly to get him on a backboard. "I'll follow you to the hospital," Trunks told them. "I'm his emergency contact anyhow." They nodded, and whisked Goten out, while Trunks swiftly went about trying to get the kids ready.

Truten was in the bedroom on the floor, her toys thrown around in a tantrum.

A moment later, Goku appeared right in the apartment next to Trunks. "What happened?"

"Goten's sick, I had to call the ambulance," Trunks said, working to change Teena's nappy.

"Here, Let me take care of the kids, you go after him."

Trunks looked up at Goku, "Are you sure that's alright?"

"Yeah, hurry up, go on."

Trunks nodded, handing Teena to Goku and taking off running.

Goku noted his ki disappearing, following the ambulance that held his son's... weak ki. "That's right Trunks... Goten needs you to be there for him."

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Gohan was waiting in the emergency waiting room, pacing back and forth. They had wheeled in Goten a few minutes before he had arrived, and he was waiting for Trunks.

Trunks appeared only a minute after Goten had gone through, running into the waiting room. He saw Gohan. "Where is he?" he asked, a panicked look in his eyes.

"Emergency room... they're working on him right now... what happened?!" Gohan asked.

"I dunno," Trunks ran a hand through his hair. "I got home, and Truten said that he was sleeping. He was passed out on the floor, for an hour! How come I didn't feel that?" cursed under his breath. "He woke for a moment and said he couldn't breathe... that's all I know."

"But you should have seen signs... I mean, to get like this, he REALLY had to be sick, Trunks... Goten's never been sick a day in his life." Gohan pointed out.

"I hardly ever SEE Goten anymore," Trunks muttered, falling into a chair. "He's hardly home when I am."

"That's wierd.... where would he be?"

"How'm I supposed to know!"

"You're his best friend, Trunks... you two always knew where the other was, especially when you can read each other's ki like a book."

"Yeah, well things change," Trunks muttered. "It's like I don't even know him anymore."

Gohan leaned forward. "What's wrong, Trunks? Something's wrong, I can tell from the look in your eyes right now."

"I told you, I don't know him anymore. We're strangers raising kids - he's hardly ever around. It's like, since we're suddenly both guys again - I'm not allowed to be his friend anymore! I don't get it, and it pisses the hell outta me."

"That doesn't sound like Goten, Trunks... " Gohan said softly. "Are you sure you're not pushing him away?"

"Why's it always my fault?"

"I'm not saying it is, Trunks... I'm just looking at facts... Goten's sick, very sick... and no one noticed it... and if he was pushing YOU away, that means you would have been paying attention to him... and you would have seen it."

"Listen, I've been working and taking care of the kids, and doing the grocery shopping. Just because I don't want to be gay is no reason I can't still be his friend!" He grit out.

Gohan sighed and leaned back. "You can't blame the guy, Trunks... he's been in love with you for two years now."

"Hn, no such thing."

"So you think... but the rest of the world sees that differently. So maybe if you just left the tiny world inside your head and came into the real one, you'd see things that were plain on your face!"

Trunks glared at the woman next to him, "Quit preaching to me Gohan, I don't need your lectures right now."

"Maybe you do, Trunks," Gohan growled a bit. "Maybe if someone gave you one earlier, Goten wouldn't be in there right now!"

"Are you saying it's my fault Goten's sick? Sorry, Gohan - but I didn't see 'pestilence' written on my forehead when I looked in the mirror this morning!" Trunks bit out angrily.

Gohan just sat back. "No one gets sick like that overnight," he remarked.

"I. Haven't. Seen. Him. Gohan. How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"You live in the same fucken apartment, Trunks! How can you NOT see him?!"

"He sleeps in a different room, I'm gone before he gets up, when I get home, he always goes off someplace! I don't know where, okay? I don't know what he's doing, or what he's thinking, or even.... shit, you better be glad you're a woman right now," he snarled, shoving his hand through his hair. "If I didn't care, would I be here right now?"

Gohan was about to say something, but a young nurse came to the door. "Ms. Son?" she called.

"Yes?" Gohan asked, standing up.

"We've stabalized your cousin... you can come in and see him now..."

Trunks jumped to his feet, "I'm coming too."

The nurse looked at Gohan. "This is Goten's best friend, Trunks Briefs."

The nurse blinked, finally recognizing the name. "OH!... well, we normally have a policy... only one at a time... but I guess... well... ok, it's late enough, just don't tell the doctors it was me who let you in."

"Thanks." Trunks had been ready to pull 'first contact' and 'finder/caller' if he had to. Anything to make sure, with his own eyes, Goten was okay. He nodded, still looking very worried.

"Last bed on your left. Just pull the curtain around when you get there so no one gets suspicious."

"Thank you, Nurse," Gohan said, and led the way.

Trunks followed swiftly on her heels, but once they got near the bed, he went close, biting his lip as he gripped the bed rail, looking down at Goten. Looking very frightened.

Goten had a nebulizer mask on, a foggy air going in and out of his mouth and nose. There was an IV hooked up, a nutrient pack connected, as well as a heart monitor. He was dressed only in a pair of scrub pants, and a cool cloth was over his forehead.

Gohan looked around, then picked up the chart and started to read.

Trunks heard the sound, "What is it Gohan?" he asked worriedly, absently pulling the curtain around the bed when he remembered to do so, going back to stand next to Goten, pushing back his best friend's bangs then gripping the bedrail again tightly.

"Pneumonia... acute... he has a pretty good amount of fluid in his lungs..." Gohan sighed and put the chart down.

"He's not gonna die... is he?" Trunks asked in a very quiet voice.

"I don't think so..." Gohan said. "I would trust the doctors right now...they should be able to take care of him. He's got a saiyajin body, after all... I'm sure he'll bounce back."

Trunks said nothing, watching Goten breathing, as if by doing so he would heal.

Gohan walked over and felt Goten's skin. It was cooling down a bit. "It was a good thing you got home when you did, Trunks.. "

"I almost didn't... I blew my stack at a meeting and called it closed early," he muttered, shaking. "He... I...."

Gohan reached over and touched Trunks' shoulder. "You're here now, Trunks... that's what's counts."

Trunks frowned, "I almost wasn't. Damnit, Gohan, I could have lost him - I can't live without Goten - he's my best friend!"

Gohan watched Trunks, and shook his head. "Maybe when he's better then, Trunks... you should find out why you think best friends have become strangers?"

"When he's better..." Trunks latched onto that phrase for dear life.

At that, Goten started to cough, and the monitor at his side started to beep a bit faster. A moment later, a doctor pulled back the curtain. "Out of my way," he pushed past Gohan to examine the readouts.

"What's happening, what's going on?" Trunks asked swiftly, fear still lacing his words. "What's wrong!"

"He's having another attack... please leave... we need room to work." The doctor waved a nurse over, and she came with a medical kit.

Gohan walked over to Trunks. "Come on, let's get out of their way.."

"I'm not leaving him," Trunks said, moving out of the way, but standing firmly in the area, watching Goten hawklike.

The doctor took off the nebulizer and they hooked him up to a better beathing tube while the nurse pulled out a syringe and hunted for a vein to put it in. "Damn, his skin is tough..." she remarked, not able to break skin.

"Look for a pore... it helps," Gohan called out. The nurse looked over her shoulder at Gohan, then nodded. She found a pore and pushed the needle in.

Trunks's hands worked in and out of fists at his sides, watching... waiting. Afraid.

It took a few more minutes, then the drugs and oxygen did their work and his breathing relaxed. The doctor sighed and picked up Goten's chart, making more notes. "I can't believe he let this get this bad... " he muttered.

At that, pain flashed across Trunks's face as he watched Goten. Why didn't he know?

"How bad is he, Doc?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know... the only time I've seen symptoms this bad have been from fishermen who've been out during storms in the fall - with weeks of being out at sea in the rain with little food or sleep. But from Goten's record, he's always been healthy, so I don't understand how this happened."

Trunks's hands gripped into tighter fists as he shook his head. "No, that's not right, that can't be right," he said softly.

"I can show you the chest X-Ray's, young man. His lungs are half filled with fluid... I'm surprised he wasn't brought in sooner... he's probably had a fever for a few days and been coughing for weeks."

"I can't believe I didn't know..." he looked lost.

Gohan just put a hand on Trunks' shoulder and squeezed gently. He looked at his brother: pale, weak, and still breathing raggedly. How could this have happened? What is happening between these two? she sighed.

Trunks pinched the bridge of his nose, "How could I not know...."

"I don't know, Trunks... that's something for you to figure out." Gohan sighed. "I have to go call mother... I'll come back in a bit, ok?"

Numbly, he nodded, moving back to the bedside, gripping the rail once more.

"We're going to move him up to ICU soon," the doctor stated. "Call a nurse if you notice something change," the doctor stated, then walked away.

Trunks nodded, but kept watching Goten. "Why didn't you tell somebody you were sick, Chibi?"

Trunks only answer was the steady rhythym of the breathing machine.

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