Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ You're What?! ❯ False Alarms ( Chapter 16 )

You're What?! Chapter 16: False Alarms

"What is taking so long?" Vegeta practically snarled in his anger as he paced around the hospital waiting room. Trunks, sitting Indian-style in one of the chairs lined up along the wall in which his father was pacing, looked at his dad and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, if they don't get out here soon and give me some news on your mother's condition there will be some doctors that will be happy they are in a hospital, because they are going to need medical attention when I am through with them!" At this declaration, Vegeta stopped his pacing and had turned toward his son; his right hand was balled up into a fist and held in front of him menacingly. Despite his nervousness about his mother, Trunks rolled his eyes at his father's tirade. Luckily, they were the only two in the small family waiting room.

Growling in frustration, Vegeta returned to his pacing. It had been a little over an hour since Bulma had been brought in to the hospital and they still knew nothing about what was wrong with her, much less if she and the baby were ok. The distraught mate glanced over at his son who was fidgeting in his chair, trying desperately to focus on what was playing on the small television that was set up in the room. The older Saiyan Prince could tell the boy was trying his best not to think about his mother. Apparently, his son was having about as much success as he was. Vegeta had taken up his pacing about a half an hour ago. He was not one to sit by idly when things were occurring and he hated feeling helpless; however, this situation made him feel completely powerless. There was nothing he could do at the moment to help his mate, and it was killing him. Sitting around wasn't going to help, and so, Vegeta had started to walk from one end of the room to the other in an attempt to kill off some of the nervous energy that was within him.

"She's going to be alright, isn't she dad?" Trunks asked quietly from his chair, finally voicing the question he had been bottling up for the past hour. Vegeta stopped in mid-stride upon hearing his son's words and slowly turned to face his heir. The warrior looked down at his son at a loss of what to say. He could tell they boy was trying his best to stay strong, to not show how truly fearful he was about his mother's state. He opened his mouth to speak, but then promptly shut it again. Vegeta looked into his son's blue eyes: her eyes. They were glassy with suppressed tears. Taking a deep breath and releasing a shuddering sigh, he came to sit next to his son and gave him the only answer he could.

"I don't know," he said gravely. "You're mother is a strong woman and so I am hopeful. However, I don't have much experience in this area." Vegeta admitted. Trunks looked at his father in confusion. How could his father be unsure? He was supposed to tell him that everything was going to be ok.

"What are you talking about dad? You were there when mom was carrying me, right? Didn't she go through something like this with me?" Trunks asked in hopes of getting any indication that his fears about his mother's health were unfounded.

"I wouldn't know. I wasn't around when your mother was pregnant with you." Vegeta replied through clenched teeth. Trunks backed away from his father in shock, his mind racing.

"But…but…mom always talked about you as though you were there! You couldn't have left her! It just doesn't make any sense." The lavender-haired boy exclaimed. He didn't want to think about what it meant if his father had left his mother because it may prove what a small part of his mind has told him for years: his father doesn't want him.

"You're mother manipulated her words to protect you from the fact that your father was a heartless bastard that left her to fend for herself when he found out she was pregnant. She was trying to protect you from me, against my wishes I might add." Vegeta explained, his voice tight and strained. At Trunks' scandalized face, Vegeta decided to continue. "Trunks, now is not the time to get into this. My past is not something that I am proud of. You've known that I am not a good man. Yet, I regret what I put your mother through then and I am here now. That should be enough for you."

Trunks looked up at his father with wide eyes. True, he had a lot of questions he wanted to ask his dad after finding out this new piece of information, but his father was right. Now was not the time. Slowly, Trunks nodded his head, showing his father that he understood what his father was telling him. They would deal with this later. Besides, his father was always true to his word. If he said he regretted what he had done in the past then he did, and it did speak volumes that he was here now and had been around for as long as Trunks could remember. An awkward silence fell between the two Saiyans, neither one knowing what to say to the other.

Before either one could break the uneasy silence, a doctor came into the room and looked at the family members before him. Immediately, Vegeta and Trunks looked up at the doctor expectantly. Flipping through some pages on a clipboard, the doctor gave the father and son duo a small smile.

"Hello. You must be Vegeta and Trunks. I'm Dr. Brown." The gray-haired physician said in a pleasant voice. He didn't get too much farther than his introduction before a low growl cut through the room.

"Enough with the pleasantries. What's wrong with my wife?" Vegeta demanded, springing up out of his chair in annoyed anger. Dr. Brown looked at the man before him, startled by his response. He hadn't expected to receive such viciousness, especially since he had come into the room in an amiable manner. Normally, family members took that as a good sign that their loved one was doing well. Shrugging the incident off as the husband being engulfed in his concern for his wife, the doctor decided to cut to the chase.

"Bulma is doing fine," the doctor began before getting cut off once again by the agitated Vegeta.

"What do you mean she is fine? She collapsed due to some extreme pain. That is not normal." Vegeta clipped out through clenched teeth. He slowly stalked toward the doctor, his eyes narrowed in a threatening manner. Immediately Dr. Brown took a step back with both of his hands up in a submissive gesture.

"Please, Mr. Vegeta, I understand your concern, but let me explain." The slightly frightened physician stated, his voice quivering ever so slightly. By this time, Trunks had gone to his father's side and placed a restraining hand on his father's arm, stopping his progress. Wrenching his arm out of his son's grasp, Vegeta glared down at his son before turning the glare back upon the doctor.

"Be quick with your explanation, doctor," Vegeta snapped, using his title sarcastically. He then crossed his arms across his chest, and although the doctor was a good foot taller than the prince, somehow Vegeta managed to look down his nose at him.

"Um, ok." Dr. Brown replied while visibly gulping. The man before him was positively menacing. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Dr. Brown began his explanation. "Your wife went into Pre-Labor, better known as 'false' labor. What this basically means is that your wife was experiencing the contractions of labor; however, there was no dilation of the cervix, and hence, no birth. It is a common occurrence for mothers that are in a second or subsequent pregnancy. Since the uterus has previously been through labor, it is more likely to be stimulated into contractions while not actually going into labor. The contractions can be just as painful as when an actual labor is taking place, which causes for the confusion. Yet, the contractions are irregular, there is no increase in either frequency or severity, and the pain is centered in the lower abdominal region rather than in the lower back. Your wife showed all these symptoms."

"What about the bloody fluid that she was emitting? Certainly that is not normal." Vegeta finally interrupted, not believing what the doctor was trying to tell him. Without missing a beat, Dr. Brown answered the question.

"Ah yes, the mucus membrane that you felt was Bulma's show, which is pretty much a blood-tinged mucus dispelled from a pregnant woman when she is at the very start of her labor. Normally the show is a large flow more commonly referred to as the 'water breaking'. It is not uncommon for a woman to expel a small show when she goes into Pre-Labor. Normally it is a brownish color; however, it is not unheard of for a woman to have the pinkish show that your wife had." Dr. Brown finished his explanation and looked at the husband and son before him. While the boy seemed greatly relieved at the news, the intimidating husband had an emotionless expression on his face. At least he didn't look like he was ready to tear him limb from limb. After a few moments of silence, which is normal when given information to digest, it was Trunks who voiced the next question.

"So, is my mother up? Could we see her?" He asked in uncertainty, not quite sure if it was ok for him to be asking questions.

"Oh certainly!" The doctor said with a smile. "I can take you on over to her right now, she is in room 314." Leading the two occupants out of the small waiting room, Dr. Brown turned toward Vegeta. "Mr. Vegeta, I've already talked to your wife about what has been going on. I'm sure she'll fill you in on the rest of her condition, such as the extremity of her pain, and the remedies she can take. I would recommend contacting your obstetrician as soon as possible though. He will want documentation of her visit here." The trio stopped outside of the door to Bulma's hospital room, the door was closed allowing the public figure within a measure of privacy. Vegeta gave a glare to the doctor before him.

"Feel free to leave whenever," Vegeta stated simply, his total arrogance returning to him in light of his mate's condition. Dr. Brown visibly drew back at statement and watched in shock as the two promptly entered the room and shut the door in his face. The disrespected doctor let out a huff of annoyance at being so easily dismissed.

"Asshole," he hissed under his breath as he overcame his shock. He gave once final glance at the door before rolling his eyes. He hated dealing with celebrities and their families: no respect.

Vegeta and Trunks looked at the woman that occupied the only bed in the room. She lay with her eyes closed, and by the measure of her breathing it was obvious that she had fallen into a light doze. The two Saiyan princes stood in the doorway as though afraid to move and awaken the sleeping mother-to-be, both of them just stood there looking over her. The only sound in the room was the slight beeping from the machines hooked up to Bulma. She looked quite pale, even more washed out than normal thanks to the stark white hospital sheets. The only color tinting her face was the dark circles resting underneath her eyes.

"She doesn't look too good," Trunks stated in a hushed whisper, not wanting to wake his mother up. At the sound of his son's voice, Vegeta ripped his eyes away from his mate and looked down at his son.

"She just needs some rest. You heard what that fool of a doctor told us. She's fine, so quit your worrying." Vegeta said a little more harshly than he would have liked. However, he agreed with his son, although he would not voice that opinion to Trunks. Before anything else could be said, a soft moan came from Bulma, and she stirred slightly in the bed. Two sets of eyes focused once again on Bulma as they realized she was waking up.

"Dende, what I wouldn't give for a cigarette right about now," the hospitalized woman said under her breath, not realizing that anyone was in the room with her.

"Well, it is encouraging to know you would endanger the health of your child for one measly, little death stick." Vegeta said with a smirk. Immediately Bulma's eyes snapped open and a hand went to her chest. On the monitor next to her, the steady heart rate speed up at the small scare she had received.

"Damn it Vegeta! Don't do that! And you know bloody well that I have not smoked since the moment I knew I was pregnant and it will stay that way!" Bulma screeched. She then took a deep breath in order to calm herself. Shaking her head she looked over at her two visitors. "Well, I guess if you were trying to give me a heart attack you chose the right place to do it at." The blue-haired genius quipped deadpan. She then shifted her gaze to her son and held out her arms. Her son was staring at her skeptically, like he didn't truly believe she was all right. "Hey sweetie! Don't I get a hug?"

Trunks looked up at his father, indecision clearly seen in his eyes. He knew his father hated shows of affection, and Trunks did not want to appear "soft" in his father's eyes. Vegeta scowled down at the boy, but then gave an almost undetectable inclination of his head in the direction of Bulma. Without a second's hesitation, the lavender-haired boy ran into his mother's arms and gave her a big bear hug. Bulma pulled her son to her and held him close, her one hand stroking the back of the boy's head. She closed her eyes and sighed in contentment at having her baby in her arms. Bulma looked over at her scowling husband and smiled before pulling Trunks away from her and kissing him on the forehead.

"Thanks sweetie, I needed that." Bulma said addressing her son as he came to sit on the bed next to her. She then brushed some of his hair away from his face; it was getting a little long. She'd have to cut it soon. "Sorry I had you worried baby," Bulma began strictly to her son, for she knew that Vegeta would never outwardly acknowledge the fact that he was concerned about her welfare. But, that was fine with her: she knew the truth.

"That's ok Mom. I'm just glad you are ok." Trunks said with in all seriousness. "You are ok, right?" He asked, voicing his doubts that his mother was truly healthy after seeing her sprawled on her bedroom floor just under two hours ago. Bulma let out a small chuckle and ruffled the boy's hair.

"I'm fine Trunks. Truly. I'm sure the doctor explained everything to you. I am just going to need to take it easy from here on out."

"You're talking about strict bed rest, correct?" Vegeta finally spoke up from his place by the door. Bulma looked up at her mate and nodded her head mutely. He had not taken any strides to move further into the room. Bulma took note of this and pointed to a chair that sat by the window to the right of her bed.

"Stop hanging out in the shadows Vegeta; come on over here and have a seat. You are going to be here for a while." Bulma stated and smiled at the resounding grunt of disagreement that came from her mate.

"Not if I have anything to do about it. We are leaving as soon as possible. I have more important things to do than sit around here in a hospital." Vegeta contested hotly.

"They want me to stay here overnight for observations, just to make sure that everything is normal." Bulma tried to clarify patiently.

"Why would you need to stay here if they say that everything is all right?" Vegeta asked angrily, not liking the feeling that information was being withheld from him. Bulma rolled her eyes and gave a light shake of her head.

"Settle down, Vegeta. It is just a precaution. They have to protect themselves as much as they have to protect me. It's like the old saying 'better safe than sorry." For now, I'd rather play it safe and be home tomorrow with no complications than leave now and have something happen." Bulma explained tiredly. The last couple of hours had taken a lot out of her. When it looked like Vegeta was about to object, Bulma tried a different approach. "The contractions haven't subsided completely either." Bulma stated conversationally, as though she didn't see Vegeta about to speak. "However, they are becoming more and more sporadic."

"How long will these contractions last? Are they likely to reoccur throughout the remainder of the pregnancy?" Vegeta asked sternly, letting the topic of when Bulma would be leaving the hospital slide for the moment.

"Although it has happened, the chances of me going into another false labor is very, and I repeat, very minute. That being the case, once these contractions settle, I should be pain free until this little one is actually ready to come on out. As for when these contractions will cease, I really can't say. The doctors don't think they should last any longer than 24 hours. I've been put on a heavy liquid diet, since non-alcoholic beverages can help stop the contractions of the uterus. I've also been given some Tylenol to help with some of the pain. It is one of the few medications that will not harm the fetus if taken in correct dosage." Bulma stated as well as any doctor could. Trunks still sat perched on the edge of his mother's hospital bed, half-listening to the conversation his mother and father were having. Most of his attention was focused on the monitors around him.

"Hey Mom," Trunks cut through the silence that had befallen the room after Bulma's last explanation, "is this the baby's heartbeat?" The young boy looked at his mother and pointed to the heart rate beating directly under his mother's. Bulma turned her attention away from her husband and down to the monitor her son was pointing at.

"Yep." Bulma replied simply, smiling at her son's curiosity. "That would be your sister's heartbeat. It's pretty strong, huh? I bet you someday she'll even be a match for you!"

"No way! I know she will be strong and all, but she will never be as strong as me. I'll make sure of it!" Trunks stated proudly, his arms going across his chest, which he had puffed out in an attempt to look big and intimidating. Bulma couldn't help the laugh that escaped her throat at Trunks' proclamation.

"We'll see. Don't count her out just because she is a girl." Bulma scolded lightly.

"I'm not! Girl or not, she can't be stronger than me because I am older." Trunks stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Being older won't make any difference if you don't keep training, boy. You can't let any distractions deter you." Vegeta jumped into the conversation. Trunks whirled around on the bed to look at his father, whom was now sitting in the chair Bulma had pointed out earlier.

"I'm going to keep training father. Why wouldn't I?" Trunks asked in confusion. Vegeta just let out a huff and promptly looked away from his son. Trunks just shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea what his father was talking about. It wasn't like he was going to lose interest in training as he got older. What could there possibly be in the near future that would hold his attention? Certainly not school, friends, or girls. Trunks almost shuddered at that last thought. Yuck, definitely not girls!

"Well, since we are on the topic of training, why don't you two gents head on out of here for awhile? I could definitely use some rest, and I am sure you two, Mr. Grumpy especially, could use a good workout. It's been a hectic day for all of us." Bulma said in a not so subtle hint to get some time to herself. She smiled disarmingly up at her mate, who was bristling at her little pet name for him.

"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" Trunks asked worriedly, feeling guilty for just rushing off to train while she lay in pain at a hospital.

"I'm sure honey. I don't think I am going to be very good company right now. I'm feeling very tired and I think a nap could do me wonders. Just promise me that you'll come and visit me after dinner. I don't want to be all by my lonesome all night long."

"I promise," Trunks declared and promptly gave his mother a hug. He then hopped off the bed and went to the door, turning around to wait for his father. Vegeta got up from his chair and move towards the bed.

"Go wait out in the hall. I'll be out in a moment." Vegeta commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. Trunks nodded in understanding and quietly left the room. Now, it was Vegeta's turn to sit next to Bulma. He looked down at her intensely.

"The boy is gone. Be honest with me. Is everything ok? Those pains must have been pretty severe for you to pass out like that." Vegeta stated the obvious, finally able to talk to his mate candidly now that they were alone. Bulma smiled softly and slipped her hand into her husband's, squeezing gently.

"For the last time, I'm fine. I know I scared you both, but everything is ok now." Bulma said in slight exasperation, at a loss of how to convince her family that she was perfectly healthy. "The pain I felt was intense; however, now that I know what was happening, the pain wasn't too much worse than when I went into labor with Trunks. As you know, I didn't have a natural birth with Trunks. The pain was too much. So, if this is the indication of what I'll have to go through when giving birth to this princess, then I am almost positive I'll have yet another C-section. No big deal, see?"

Bulma was hoping to ease Vegeta's troubled minded by telling him that this pregnancy was about the same as Trunks pregnancy; however, her husband seemed anything but relieved. Vegeta, for his part, placed one of his hands on the swell of Bulma's stomach and concentrated on the ki of his child. With one well-placed kick this small being could have its mother on her knees in pain. Closing his eyes at that thought, he whispered two words to her: I'm sorry. Bulma pulled back.

"Why?" She practically squealed in disbelief.

"I know that it is because of what I am that you are having such a difficult time carrying this child. A normal human birth would not be so taxing. I just regret putting you through such unnecessary pain." He said in a flat voice, his eyes staring at the monitors in front of him.

"Oh you lunkhead. Of course it is your fault!" She said with a laugh and it was Vegeta's turn to pull back. Bulma grabbed his hand again and brought it to her lips, lightly kissing his knuckles. "Haven't you learned anything from your stay here on Earth? It's always the man's fault." She explained with a cheeky grin. She then motioned for him to come closer. He complied, knowing full well what was going to happen. Just as he expected, Bulma kissed him full on the lips. Pulling away slightly, she cupped his face in her hands. "It takes two to tango, Vegeta, so I am just as much to blame as you are. I knew what I was getting into this time around. In case you haven't noticed, I am excited about this baby. I love you, I love Trunks, and I love this child. I wouldn't change a thing about this pregnancy for the world." Bulma stated sincerely and kissed him again.

"Well," Vegeta stated with a smirk, "I guess you are just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

"I guess I am," the blue-haired mother-to-be responded breathlessly. She then pulled back a little bit more. "Now, go on. Get out of here. You are wasting my precious napping time."

"I believe it is you who is wasting my training time," Vegeta countered as he stood up and started walking toward the door.

"Oh heaven forbid I waste anymore of your training time." Bulma quipped sarcastically. "I'll see you later Vegeta. I love you." She called out as he reached the door. Vegeta just turned to look at her and gave a nod.

"We'll be back." And with that, he walked out the door. Bulma sighed. One of these days she was going to get him to say that he loved her. Reclining her bed back, Bulma started to settle in to go back to sleep when her door opened back up and Trunks rushed in.

"I almost forgot," Trunks stated in a rush as he came up to Bulma's bed. He handed her a folded slip of paper. "It's my choice for the baby's name. Grandma helped me when I was talking on the phone with her just a little while ago. I asked her what were some of the other names she was considering when she was trying to name you. This one was my favorite. Anyway, I have to get going Dad is waiting. Bye mom! Love you!" Then, just as quickly as he came in, the tornado that was her son, left. Bulma blinked, stunned at how quickly her son and come and gone. Finally her mind caught up with her and she looked at the piece of paper in her hand. Unfolding it, Bulma read the name that was there and smiled. It was so simple, and yet, it was perfect. The baby within her gave a gentle kick, almost as though agreeing with the name in consideration. There, written in the bold handwriting of her son sat one word: Bra.

Whew! It's done. I have never had so much trouble writing a chapter, I just couldn't seem to get any ideas flowing that I liked. This is actually my second draft of this chapter. I wrote a different version, but I didn't like it. I'm still debating on this draft too. I guess it was just so hard to write because there isn't a lot going on in this chapter; it is mostly information. It is essential to the story, but tedious nevertheless. Hopefully, it is not too boring. Let me know what you think.

I was happy to see that many of you guessed that Bulma was actually going into labor. Those reactions played right on into my plot twist. I thought it would be a unique twist to have a false labor instead. I've not seen anybody use that approach before, so I hope it is an original idea.

Anyway, sorry for the delay in the update, I know plenty of you have been on my case! J With break coming up, it shouldn't been nearly as long for my next chapter. As always, thanks for reading everyone! I love you all.

Until Next Time…