(Sometime later)
Over the course of the entire day, the Z-fighters had remained almost completely vigil at Gohan's side, occupying their time between watching him, talking, and standing nearby, just to make sure everything was alright. On top of their periodic rotations in shifts, every once in a while the group would receive visits from the facility's main doctor, who would drop by the room every two hours to make sure the machines hooked up to the demi-Saiyan were still up and running, and that his condition was stable. But thanks to the presence of the teen's closest friends and family members, there was little to fear of any unwanted dramas or events unfolding. Having already dealt with a similar case seven years ago, you could say that a lot of them were already experienced in handling this sort of situation.
While Chi-Chi, Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, Paprika, and Bulma occasionally left the room to attend to business elsewhere and what not, the only ones who stayed were Videl and Piccolo, both of whom were making do with the environment available in the dimmed hospital room. The bedside lamp, the adjacent corridor, and the starry night sky beyond the window were the only sources of light the two of them had at their disposal, establishing a scene reminiscent of an old movie.
With the Namekian having rooted his feet to the floor in the corner of the chamber, his arms crossed and his eyes closed in silent meditation, the demi-Saiyan's girlfriend could be seen sitting by the teen's bed with her eyes fixated firmly upon his person. Not only was there an empty tray of food sitting on the table next to her, she also had a sheet laid across her shoulders for added warmth and her hands were wrapped around Gohan's in a gentle and comforting gesture. She'd maintained this position for a majority of her stay here, moving only to go to the toilet and to receive the vaccination from Bulma Briefs for the heart virus. Other than that, the girl hadn't done much else by way of activity and had resolved to remain as she was.
She wasn't alone in this department either.
Looking across the bed and toward the chairs positioned on the other side of the divan, Videl saw that Lime and Erasa were also present, and Goten was sitting comfortably on the former's lap. However, unlike the crime fighter, the journalist-in-training, the demi-Saiyan's younger brother, and his best friend from the mountains, had all fallen asleep at their stations. While the girl in the green halter top and jeans had assumed a very comfortable position lying across her crush's bedspread, her underclassman was sitting upright with the adolescent half-Saiyan cuddled up in her arms and a children's book opened up in front of them, which they'd both been reading together earlier that afternoon.
It was apparent to Videl that her two girl friends had tried to stay awake as long as they could. But thanks to all the stress and hysterics of the day, the pair found that they were unable to hack it, and so resigned themselves to collapsing wherever they were.
Smiling when she saw the trio snoring quietly alongside one another in the most adorable sight imaginable, Videl quietly grabbed up an extra blanket from the nearby desk. Unfurling it, she laid it over the two girls and the seven-year-old demi-Saiyan so that they wouldn't catch cold, and took a step back to survey the bed from a distance. The moment she did so, the poster girl then heard a gentle knock on the door and, turning around, watched as Zangya ambled on in through the entrance, dressed in a red jumper and jeans. When the young woman finally edged her way over to the raven haired fighter, she gave Gohan's bed a once over and glanced across at her friend.
"Is he doing okay?" she whispered.
Videl nodded, "Yeah. He moved around a few times and woke up once from a nightmare, but other than that he's been sleeping well."
This put a relieved look on the alien's face as she went back to assessing the teen's condition. "That's good. Hopefully the medicine will let him get a good night's sleep." After a few moments of contemplation and sparing a glance across at Piccolo, the Hera focused back on the human fighter and the weary look in her eyes. "And you? How are you coping?"
Adjusting the blanket over her shoulders, the crime fighter nodded and replied in a quiet voice, "I'm okay. Just hanging around and making sure Gohan's okay."
Smiling at her response, Zangya reached over and patted her on the shoulder, "You should get some rest. You've been up for two days straight. I'll keep an eye on him tonight."
The raven haired girl looked back at the female in surprise. "Are you sure? I mean… you haven't gotten any sleep for the last forty-eight hours either… and you sleep more than the rest of us combined."
An indifferent wave was her immediate response. "Ah, it's fine. My race can stay awake for weeks at a time and not even feel the slightest bit tipsy. I just do it because it feels good," Zangya replied, a confident smile on her face as she gazed back at her fellow martial arts partner. She then nodded in her direction and the exhausted expression on her face, "You on the other hand could use the break."
Videl then attempted to protest, "But…"
"Don't worry about it. Gohan won't be going anywhere. Just take a seat and kick your feet up for a few hours… give yourself time to cool off," the Hera said, being sure to offer the girl a reassuring once over.
Hearing and feeling the earnestness in her friend's voice, the raven haired girl swallowed whatever protests she had and responded with a beam of consent. However, just before she or Zangya could do or say anything more on the patter, the pair was suddenly startled out of their dazes when they felt a powerful energy signature approaching from up high.
Their gazes snapped towards the side of Gohan's bed at the exact same time Piccolo moved away from the wall, prompting the three of them to take fighting stances.
Even the previously immobile Android 16 reacted to the approaching life sign and, sticking his right arm out, he removed the gauntlet and produced a ki-powered Gatling cannon from underneath. "Intruder Detected. Proximity breached. Stand-by for engagement."
Seconds later, golden photons of light started to appear in the air and gather directly beside the hospital unit. The corporeal mass of energy speedily took shape and form and, once the shroud of matter had dispersed, it instantly revealed itself to be the familiar, plug-suit wearing form of Kana; the beautiful traveler from another galaxy. Glowing orange hair waving behind her as the nodes on her uniform died down, the star traveler's eyes darted about the room for a couple of moments before settling on the trio of fighters nearby.
When their gazes met, the Z-fighters relaxed, with the Namekian blinking at the woman in shock.
"It's you?"
"Kana?" Zangya murmured, watching the Seirei glance about the area before her eyes fixated upon the bed.
Hearing the voices of the Z-fighters, Android 16 quickly deduced through his vocal processing system that the group knew this stranger. So, responding logically, the red-haired android retracted his arm and reattached his hand, before quickly going into standby mode once again. However, unbeknownst to the others, the robotic man remained active and tuned in to the conversation that was sure to follow.
When she saw her close friend, crush, and former adversary lying underneath the covers, hooked up to what she assumed were health and life support monitors, the glowing freelancer gasped and moved towards him. "Gohan-kun." Dropping to her knees beside the teen, Kana attempted to reach out, but reframed from making contact, for fear she might trip something off that she shouldn't. Looking over the equipment and the tubes plugged into his arm, her gaze then snapped towards the others. "I-Is he-?"
"Don't worry, he's alright," Videl spoke back in a whisper, walking over to where the Seirei was positioned along with Zangya. When the crime fighter stopped behind her, she then knelt down next to the bed as well. "He had a rough night and a bit, but the doctors say he's going to be fine."
Hearing this, Kana quickly looked back at the teen and, when her holographic scouter popped over her left eye, she scanned the demi-Saiyan for any anomalies. "Bit: Analyze Subject." Her onboard computer beeping in her ear as all sorts of numbers and images flashed in front of her, the Seirei remained fixated upon the teen for a full minute in silence. Once the scan was complete moments later, she recoiled in shock and, gently, reached out to touch the boy on the arm. "No. H-How… did this happen to him?"
"That's the question we've been trying to answer for the past several hours," Piccolo spoke, crossing his arms and looking down at his student with a frown. He then addressed the visitor with his serious scowl. "Do you know what he has?"
"He has a pulmonary irregularity caused by cellular degradation on the left side of his chest cavity around the primary circulatory organ. It's a rare illness that occurs solely in primate-based life forms across the cosmos, and causes intense pains, fevers, and a number of other symptoms in the affected subject," Kana answered, using the information she was able to take away from her analysis. Regarding the teen with consideration and concern for several seconds, she then looked back at the group and narrowed her eyes. "But how did he receive such an illness. The last time I was in contact with him, Gohan-kun was in perfect physical health, with a strong cardiac cycle. There wasn't a single trace of a viral strain in his system."
"Well… Bulma thinks it's a hereditary infection that he received from his dad," Videl informed. When she saw the demi-Saiyan under the covers shift and a pained expression come over him, the teen reached over and grasped the stricken boy by the hand. When her thumb rubbed against the back of his knuckles, the agonized Gohan relaxed, and he went back to breathing normally once more. "She said that the microbes could've been lying dormant inside of him for the last seven years and reacted to an unknown stimulate in the atmosphere."
Processing this bit of data, Kana quickly stood up and, hologram scouter appearing over her eye a second time, she scanned every single record she had on Son Gohan. Once her search was complete, the Seirei shook her head and looked back at Videl, who she could see was staring up at her. "Impossible. My computer would've detected any foreign anomalies in his body the moment I scanned him. Even dormant spores inside a living host would've been picked up by my computer." She then glared down at the demi-Saiyan suspiciously. "An ailment of this grade affects the host within thirty-six cycles of physical assimilation with the body's cells, so the chances that it's been lying dormant inside of him are slim to none. I don't think he received it from spores either, as I didn't detect any irregular particles in his lungs. He must've received this virus recently… probably when he came into contact with a possible carrier."
"That's what I think happened as well," Zangya said, her words drawing the gazes of the others standing around her. When they all looked in her direction, the Hera narrowed her eyes on the boy and spoke, "Gohan was perfectly fine before he came down with this. He only started acting funny when he headed off to school yesterday morning."
The Hera's knowledge on the matter had Kana and the others pause for a bit. As they began wondering how Gohan could've contracted something like this, conjuring up all sorts of possibilities from old bedding used formerly by his father when he was ill to possible wildlife he'd run into, the silence soon began to overwhelm them. After a great amount of time had passed, the members of the group slowly returned to their previous positions, with Piccolo backing up into his corner, Videl settling into her seat alongside Gohan, and Zangya picking her spot at the windowsill, which she leaned against with her arms folded.
"At any rate, there isn't anything more we can do, except wait for the medicine to run its course and the virus to pass," Videl informed, looking up towards her boyfriend with her eyes reflecting hope and positivity. "It's all up to him now."
"Gohan is as stubborn a man as they come. He won't let something like this keep him down for long," Zangya added from her place, a smile framing her lips when she saw Videl and Kana look back at her. She showed them nothing but certainty behind her words, at the same time her face radiated with the warmth of expectation. "I can guarantee that once he gets up, he will bounce back stronger than ever."
Kana didn't hesitate in agreeing with her fellow alien, her own expression reflecting warmth and conviction as she nodded in agreement, "You're right. After all, he is the man who defeated me in battle… and the only one I would cross the entire universe to stand beside."
The words of the two girls put a smile on Videl's face and instilled in her an unyielding flame, one that burned with both happiness and pride. She was delighted to hear how much faith her friends had in the man that she loved, while at the same time she was driven by the desire to fight for him. She was determined to spur Gohan on in his recovery and be the first person he saw when he finally opened his eyes once the infection had passed. It was what she wanted to do as both his teammate and his girlfriend.
After these words were spoken, the group returned to the silence and proceeded to wait out the night. True to her words, Videl soon fell asleep alongside the demi-Saiyan, her hand wrapped around his in a gesture of unbending support and affection. Kana also joined the raven haired beauty in defense, standing by the boy's bed right up against the wall in meditation, with her hair bellowing behind her on an invisible wind and her suit's lights set on a light glow that brought warmth to the room. It was like she'd become the group's own mobile heater.
The same went for Zangya in terms of the company she gave; the Z-fighter remaining seated on the windowsill, periodically looking between the night sky above and the demi-Saiyan sleeping peacefully on the bed, surrounded by the people he loved… and who loved him in kind.
"With all my heart, I swear… I won't let anything happen to you, Gohan," Zangya thought as she gazed upon Gohan's face, watching him turn and exhale softly. Simply seeing his face had the woman's heart skip a beat. "No matter what."
XXX
(Early morning)
Waking up at the crack of dawn to the sun's gentle glow breaking through a light overcast, Bulma Briefs readied herself for the day ahead in the usual manner. After dealing with the ravenous appetite of her husband, who couldn't help but join her in the shower and 'rub her down' for an extra half hour following his awakening, and sending him down for an early breakfast, she then grabbed a cup of coffee from the lounge room and headed down to the hospital wing.
Passing by security guards and other employees just pulling in for the day shift, greeting each and every one of them in kind, the blue haired woman soon arrived at the room where her best friend's son was currently resting. Nudging her way through the door, she was quickly greeted by the uplifting sight of Videl, Lime, Erasa, Goten, Kana and Zangya, all scattered around the demi-Saiyan's room, dozing away. Though the latter of them was awake and watching over the teenager with an eagle eye, the rest of the team looked like they were all fast asleep, and enjoying whatever dreams the mercy of Morpheus had decided to bestow upon them.
Looking over into the corner of the room to her left, Bulma noticed that Piccolo was also present, head lowered and eyes closed in silent meditation. After counting up all of the heads that were currently sharing the same room together, the scientist cracked a smile and moved into the area. She made her way over to where Videl was lying and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.
A few gentle shakes were enough to wake the crime fighter, who looked up through a drowsy expression and a wicked forming of bed hair to see what the problem was.
"Oh… Bulma," the girl murmured groggily in surprise.
"Hey there, sleepy," the woman greeted, her voice loud enough to lightly wake the two girls snoozing on the other side of the cot. "Had a good night?"
Stretching her neck and arm, the raven haired beauty groaned in relief, "Yeah. It was alright. I had a really good dream too." She then looked over at Gohan and after seeing he was still with them, snoring away through a slightly tense expression, she turned to the woman in the lab coat and gestured in her direction. "What's up?"
Smiling lightheartedly at the teen, the president of the company thumbed over her shoulder and towards the door, "You could use a little pick-me-up. Come on. Mum and the boys are making breakfast over in the hall." She then looked at the crime fighter's classmates, where she also saw Goten's head perk up from its place on Lime's shoulder. "If I'm being completely honest, all of you could use a little break from your watch. A little bit of bacon and egg should definitely help to lift your spirits."
The prospect of food instantly brought the youngest of their group around, who looked up from his position to beam across at his best friend's mum. "We're having bacon and eggs for breakfast?"
"Uh-huh. Mum's also making Eggs Benedict and Apple Risotto for all of our special guests, so feel free to help yourselves," Bulma replied with a warm smile.
"Yatta!" Goten cheered, immediately springing off of his neighbor's lap to scamper out the door.
Chuckling at the sight of the child's sudden burst of energy, Lime slowly rose up from her seat and massaged her shoulders, "Actually… some hot chocolate and porridge doesn't sound too bad right about now." After rolling her muscles and making sure her body was in a suitable condition, she then turned her attention to the patient's bed. "How's Gohan? Is he doing okay?"
"He's still out of it, but he's fine," Zangya answered, hopping off of the window sill to get blood back into her legs. "The medicine did a good job in making sure he had a comfortable night's sleep. He didn't have any nightmares at all." She then looked over at Videl, who was also rubbing her eyes of the sandman's earlier visit. "I think it was all thanks to you, V."
The raven haired young woman in question smiled warmly in return.
A yawn emanated from Erasa's mouth followed by a cheery expression, "That's good." She then leaned over to gently pat the still sleeping demi-Saiyan on the arm, before turning towards her host and pointing sleepily out the door. "Is there a bathroom near the dining hall?"
Bulma nodded affirmatively, "Yes. Just down the corridor and to the left. You'll find the washroom facilities through the door on the far right."
"Thank you," the groggy blonde chirped, before slowly slogging her way out of the room. Swaying a little with every step, the girl in the green top was shortly followed by Lime, who assisted her friend in getting out the door without bumping into the frame.
Obviously both of them needed some R&R following their shift of the previous afternoon. Considering the positions they'd slept in, the duo weren't just sore, but also in need of a good wake-up.
After flicking back her hair and giving a well-deserved yawn, Bulma quickly turned her attention to Piccolo, who she could see was also awake and staring at them with his usual hard disposition. The scientist chuckled at his steely faced and waved reverently. "Hey, big guy. Wanna come down for a coffee with us? Even though it's not your favorite thing in the world, you really look like you could use with one."
Murmuring hesitantly to himself, the Namekian took a few seconds to think about her proposal. After running it through his head and performing a quick diagnosis on the patient, he then nodded and picked himself off of the plaster. "Why not? I think a glass of water should do me just fine." He then slowly strolled over to the exit, where he was shortly joined by the scientist.
Bulma followed him out with due haste, but not before sparing one last glance back at the demi-Saiyan under the sheets and then towards the remaining three girls in the room. The president of the company nodded to them, before disappearing round the bend and down the corridor.
Fully revitalized from her sleep, Videl removed the blanket from around her shoulders and laid it over the chair. Looking in the direction of her second most frequent training partner, the poster girl of Satan City smiled and nodded. "Thanks… for last night."
Zangya nodded in acknowledgment of her gratitude, "Don't mention it."
Satisfied from her sleep, Videl then looked over at their other extraterrestrial companion, who she could see was also awake, alert, and standing there with her fiery glowing hair wafting behind her. She was also looking in her direction with the most innocent look of curiosity on her face.
Figuring the woman hadn't experienced much of earthling culture, the crime fighter gestured their guest to follow. "I'm sure you'd like to try out some of the food we humans like to eat around here for breakfast. You game, Kana?"
Eyes lighting up as much as her suit, the Seirei gave a light cheer and jogged over. "Yeah! I'm game. Lead the way." She then cheerfully followed the teenager out of the room. Heck, she was so excited about the idea of earthling food that she practically floated the rest of the way out of the hospital wing and down the hall.
This left Zangya as the only one left standing in that chamber. Gazing down at the demi-Saiyan from her place by the window, the orange haired woman slowly inched forward to stand by his side, where she was able to clearly see the beads of sweat on his face and his expression twist a little in pain. When she heard him groan and saw him turn towards her, his fists opening and closing in response to his heart's spasms, the worried Hera acted quickly and, leaning forward, captured his hand in hers.
Squeezing it reassuringly, the orange haired fighter then slowly watched as Gohan's face relaxed and the pain slowly vanished from his expression. When she felt his grip loosen in hers, Zangya couldn't help but allow a loving smile form across her lips as her cheeks heated at the contact she was able to make with the teen.
She then released his hand, allowing the young male to turn over again. Being the caregiver that she was, the woman grabbed a dry cloth from nearby and wiped the sweat off of his face, making sure to clean him up so that none of his perspiration made him uncomfortable. Before she could do anything else to further her silent communication with the teen, a presence over by the door drew her attention across the room. There, leaning against the frame, she saw Vegeta standing with his arms folded and his warrior's gaze locked onto her.
His appearance didn't surprise the Hera at all, who set the towel down and turned to face him completely once she realized she was no longer alone.
The prince nodded to her and asked in an impatient tone of voice, "Well… are we going to do this or not?"
Smirking, Zangya disengaged from her post and marched towards the exit. "I was just spending some quality time with my friend. No need to give me the whole angry dad treatment, Veggie."
"Hmph. There'll be plenty of time for you to hang out with the brat once he's fully recovered. Right now, he can use some time to himself," Vegeta snapped, standing off of the wall to lead the way towards the Gravity Room.
Despite the man's agro state, the Hera didn't kick up any sort of fuss over it. Instead, she eagerly followed the Saiyan warrior from the resting area and out of the hospital wing. After the night she'd had standing guard over her crush, while simultaneously being left alone to her thoughts, Zangya was more than eager to partake in a little morning joust to ease her burning enthusiasm and restlessness. She had some ideas and stress that she needed to get off her chest, and what better way to work both out at the same time then by taking her frustrations out on Vegeta for an hour or so.
She had no intention of making the same mistakes she did yesterday. Today… she planned on getting a little bit back for herself.
Hopefully Gohan would be able to handle being alone for a little while without her. After all, both he and the rest of the gang were inside one of the safest buildings in the world, surrounded by the strongest people in the quadrant, as well as their closest friends and allies. What's more, the bedridden demi-Saiyan was receiving frequent visits from both the nursing staff and the main doctor on site, who walked in a little while after Zangya had left to double-check Gohan's condition, as well as to pull the curtains around his bed and the other units.
Needless to say, Gohan couldn't have been in better hands or in a higher class of facility.
What could possibly go wrong?
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