Why Can't You (Book 2)

Say Hello to Goten

He would not panic. Gohan refused to panic and put more stress on his mother. His heart may be racing, his hands may be trembling, but he would not panic!

"What do we do? Are you hurting really bad? What should I do? Should I get water? More pillows? Maybe I should run out and get Mr. Popo." He paced back and forth across his mother's bed and an his ha nds through his mop of gold hair. He and his mother had stayed in Super Saiyan form for months and the heightened level had become like a second skin.

"No, no, relax Gohan." Rikku wanted to laugh as she looked up at her boy and propped herself up on her bed. "Trust me we're okay here." She wiped her forehead. "Mr. Popo put a kit with everything we'll need. It's in the bathroom. Grab it and bring it here."

Gohan nodded and shot off to the bathroom. After a few panicked seconds of searching Gohan grabbed a box labeled "Emergency" and ran back out with it. "I got it." He knelt at the end of the bed and opened it up. Inside were fresh towel, a large baby blanket, scissors, and sanitizer. "now what do I do?"

Rikku walked him through the process she remembered from when he was born. They kept her comfortable, practiced the process of actually delivering. When she felt it was time she gently squeezed Gohan's hand and panted. "You can do this Gohan. I trust you completely." She said doing her breathing and closed her eyes when another wave hit.

Gohan wanted to gross out. The whole process of baby delivering was weird, and uncomfortable. He kept his eyes more on his mother's face and waited. She pushed, and screamed. Her scream was nothing like what he had heard when she pushed into her ascended saiyan form. Instead it reminded him of when she had been crushed under Vegeta's fists wailing in agony. It hurt and he wished to god it would all stop!

He found the head of his baby brother, and swallowed hard as he turned him as his mother had instructed. He could feel the hot sticky blood and wanted to vomit. His mother continued to scream and he told her to push again. For ten grueling seconds Gohan thought it was all over. He couldn't do it anymore. He didn't want to do it anymore! He just wanted to make it stop!

Then the baby slipped out right into his hands, and his baby brother wailed and cried with his first breath of life. Suddenly all the hours of painful labor pains and sickening birth was all worth it. He found himself crying as he cleaned him up and wrapped him tightly in a bundle. He took a moment to just hold him. His brother... he had helped given birth to this tiny bundle. He couldn't believe it.

Rikku smiled up at her sons. Her face was pink and her aura died into a faint gold glow. She was surprised Goten didn't just come out Super Saiyan. He was so beautiful, and the moment before her touched her heart and made it swim with love. Gohan had this admiration and happiness in his eyes as he looked down at his baby brother. She felt the first happy tear drip down her cheek. "You see. I told you."

"We did it mom." He handed Goten to her and curled up against her to watch his brother settle and admire the room around him. "Hi Goten. Hi."

"Yes we did." Rikku said in a faint voice. She felt so tired, but so happy. "I'm so proud of you Gohan. I'm sorry you had to go through all that." She took her free hand and brought her eldest son closer and kissed his forehead.

"It's alright. It was worth it I think."

"Definitely." she felt funny. Her eyes blurred as se looked at Goten's face. "Take him Gohan." Gohan took his brother and looked at his mom.

"Are you okay?"

"I think..." Riku's eyes drooped and she went limp on the bed.

"Mom?" Gohan panicked. "MOM!"

Vegeta was beyond pissed. This had just not been his day. Not only had he failed to defeat cell but that idiot of a woman had disobeyed his orders! "Let me through! I'm busting down that door!"