In Your Dreams: Chapter 46

The next several mornings were difficult. Goku would always wake up somewhere around 4:30 am and would immediately make a mad dash for the bathroom. The morning sickness wasn't letting up, and Vegeta was beginning to worry. Not because of the sickness itself, but because of the mental strain the event seemed to put on the younger man.

Each time Goku emptied his stomach he tended to become emotional. All Vegeta could do was stand behind the other Saiyajin and rub his back until he calmed down. The prince suspected Kakarotto was still trying to deal with the fact he'd been pregnant before; and that he'd lost the child.

It seemed like all the progress Goku had been making in putting his past behind him had suddenly been undone. Vegeta would wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of muffled cries and whimpers, and he would always discover that the source was his mate, who had once again begun to suffer from nightmares.

Occasionally these nightmares were so violent that they escalated into something Bulma described as night terrors. Kakarotto would suddenly wake up, but despite no longer being asleep, he would still be living in his nightmare, and he would fight and scream until Vegeta managed to calm him down. Sometimes it took minutes and sometimes it took nearly an hour.

One night Goku was convinced that Vegeta was actually Villa. The way the younger man had looked at him had sent shivers down the older man's spine, and it had taken every ounce of willpower not to let him go when he screamed and begged to be left alone. It wasn't right to hear Kakarotto, once the strongest being in the universe, beg a weak human for mercy. And yet it was happening nearly every night now.

Vegeta had eventually gone to Bulma and asked her what could be done about the night terrors, but the sleeping pills the woman had offered hadn't gone over well with Goku. The younger man refused to take anything that was in pill or needle form, and the suspicious glare in his mate's eyes always made Vegeta bristle in anger. He wasn't really mad at Kakarotto, but at the people who had made him this way. To this day he believed those bastards had died far too quickly for his liking.

Unfortunately, Goku's sudden change in behavior didn't go unnoticed by others. Those living at Capsule Corp were the first to notice, of course. Trunks had figured it out rather quickly. The demi-Saiyajin had noted the way Goku's hand would brush across his stomach several times throughout the day, and the way he would become defensive if anyone asked if he was alright. The boy had also picked up the new scent Kakarotto gave off that signaled he was pregnant.

Bura was the next to pick up on the changes, though her womanly instinct was more to credit than her observation skills. She'd noticed that Goku was eating a little more and that his skin, according to her anyway, was glowing. Once she had figured it out, it wasn't long before she contacted Pan and shared the news.
Since then the two harpies in training had done nothing but croon and fuss over Goku. Sometimes his mate would allow it, and other times he simply wasn't in the mood to be bothered and would hide himself away somewhere until the girls lost interest.

Vegeta had made sure that those who already knew of the pregnancy kept it to themselves until Kakarotto was ready to tell anyone else. The younger man's face still turned red whenever the baby was mentioned, and sometimes he would get flustered and angry when any questions were asked.

It was obvious Goku was afraid of strangers figuring it out as well, though at this point that wasn't going to happen. Still, the couple of times Bulma had managed to get the Saiyajin out of the house Goku had spent the entire time in public eyeing the people around him. If anyone happened to glance at his stomach --- and they weren't----, the younger man would immediately suspect that person knew he was pregnant, and he was convinced someone was going to come for him.

Such a level of paranoia was both amusing and disturbing to those who witnessed it.

Still, Vegeta was determined to get his mate through this. Goku was still insisting he wanted to go on with the pregnancy, and the prince decided that arguing with him wasn't going to help matters any. All he could do at this point was keep the other Saiyajin as safe and happy as possible.

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''So what are you going to name him?'' Pan asked excitedly as she bounced on the couch beside Goku.

The young woman had been pestering her grandfather ever since she'd found him unguarded in the living room watching TV and snacking. With Vegeta and the others away, she was going to take full advantage of her time alone with him.

Goku shrugged and continued to stare straight ahead at the TV screen as he popped another chip into his mouth. He was feeling lazy and had decided that a day of lounging was exactly what he needed. Unfortunately, Pan had chosen to visit and now she was pestering him.

Unsatisfied with the answer, Pan rolled her eyes dramatically and scooted closer. ''What do you mean? Haven't you thought about it? Is it a boy or girl? Are you showing yet? I can't tell with that baggy shirt you're wearing. Do you need more clothes? You want to go shopping? Maybe we can buy baby clothes too! When are you setting up the nursery?''

With his attempts to tune the babbling woman out failing, Goku found himself becoming more and more annoyed. He felt his eye twitch and the chip he held between his fingers broke as his grip tightened. The Saiyajin's jaw tensed up as he attempted to control himself, but when Pan's hand landed on his stomach, he lost it.

''PAN, KNOCK IT OFF!!!''

A heavy silence fell over the room, and Pan's large black eyes grew larger as she froze in place. Her hand still rested on the older man's stomach, and her mouth was still open from when she'd been spewing questions.

Goku drew a deep breath in through his nose and moved the woman's hand off his stomach before he drew his legs up to his chest and scooted into the corner of the couch. He took his bag of chips with him and eyed his grand-daughter for a moment before speaking again.

''Look, I'm tired and I just want to watch TV, ok? Now just isn't a good time.''

After a long moment Pan slowly nodded, and much to Goku's surprise, the woman smiled and hopped up off the couch. ''Wow! You're having mood swings already! I can't wait to tell Bura so she can log it into the journal we're keeping about your progress!''

The Saiyajin watched in disbelief as Pan dashed out of the room, and he sighed when she'd gone and turned back to the flashing TV screen. He was just beginning to relax again and enjoy is snack when another person walked into the room. For a moment Goku thought they might keep moving if he ignored them, but his luck just wasn't that good today. Instead the person moved around the couch and sat down besides him, much to his annoyance.

''Goku, I need to tell you something.''

The Saiyajin sighed and flipped off the TV, knowing by the tone in the voice this wasn't going to be a quick conversation.

''What is it, Bulma?''

The blue haired woman smiled, though Goku could tell she was nervous about something.

''Well, I've been thinking a little more about the future... and you know... that eventually you're going to need a doctor to deliver your baby...''

Goku immediately cut her off as he sat up straighter in alarm. ''I though you were going to do it!''

Bulma sighed and gave an apologetic smile as she reach over and patted the man's knee. ''Goku, I have limited medical knowledge. I can do blood tests and read test results, but I'm not a real doctor. Should you need a C-section, I'll be useless to you. Now, I know someone who I trust to help during the delivery---''

''No.'' Goku's voice dropped a couple octaves, and Bulma shivered under his suddenly intense gaze. ''You may trust him but I don't. If he tells anyone they'll come for me again.''

The older woman shook her head. ''Goku, no one will come for you. Dr. Villacastin---''

The similarity between Villa's name and this doctor's name seemed to trigger a response in the Saiyajin, because Bulma immediately noted the way Goku's color drained from his face. The younger man shook his head and stared at his oldest friend as if she were a complete stranger before jumping up from the couch.

''I said NO!'' he suddenly shouted.

Bulma struggled to come up with a way to calm the younger man, but all words seemed to fail her as she watched Goku begin to tremble uncontrollably. Whether it was due to fear or anger she wasn't sure.

''What's all the yelling about?''

Both sets of eyes turned to Vegeta was he entered the room, and Goku pointed at Bulma accusingly.

''She wants to bring in some doctor to look at me! Dr. VILLAcastin!''

Bulma stood and furrowed her brow at the nearly hysterical Saiyajin. She raised her hands in front of her and kept her voice low and steady in an attempt to soothe him. ''Now, Goku, let's be reasonable. You know I'd never let anyone harm you. I can't help that his name is similar...''

''Similar?! They're probably related!'' Goku cried.

Vegeta frowned at his mate's agitated state, and he took a step toward the other man before speaking. ''Kakarotto, calm down and be rational. Not every doctor is like Villa. Some only want to help.''

Goku again shook his head and buried one hand in his hair as he grew more frustrated. ''I don't CARE! I don't want any of them near me! EVER!''

Vegeta growled and began to move forward when the younger man suddenly turned and stomped toward the door. He managed to snag Goku's wrist and bring him to a stop, but he nearly let go when angry eyes suddenly turned and seemed to burn right through him.

''You said you wouldn't let it happen again, Vegeta!'' Goku hissed lowly; so low Bulma couldn't even hear him a few steps away.

Vegeta looked at him for a long moment, surprised by the intense emotions he could feel rolling off of his mate. He hadn't realized Kakarotto was still so deeply affected by what had occurred in the lab, but now that it was all coming back to the surface, the prince realized the younger man had only been suppressing it all this time, not dealing or healing from it. He'd been a fool not to notice.

''Kakarotto, I made you a promise and I intend to keep it. However, should you need medical attention to deliver this baby, then you need to trust Bulma and thi---''

''You weren't there before.''

Vegeta froze at the whispered words and fell silent. He looked into Goku's suddenly sad eyes, confused by the words he'd just heard.

''What?''

The younger man drew in a trembling breath and looked down at the floor. ''You weren't there when they came for me the second time. Why?! You should have sensed it, Vegeta!''

The older man was sure the shock he was feeling was plain to see on his face. Did Kakarotto harbor some resentment toward him for not being there the second time Villa took him captive? He'd never given him any kind of impression of that before, but that was apparently the case.

So did that mean his own mate didn't trust him with his safety? Did he have no faith in his ability to protect him or even trust his judgment?

It was a hard pill to swallow.

Words seemed to fail him, and his silence didn't seem to bring any comfort to his mate.

After a long moment Goku looked back up at the older man. This time his expression was harder to read than before.

''Vegeta, I figured out a long time ago the only person I can really depend on is myself. I'm making my own decisions and I'm TELLING you there will be no doctor. I don't want ANYONE there, in fact. Not Bulma and not YOU.''

Vegeta could hear the small gasp from behind him, and he knew Kakarotto's words had hurt Bulma just as badly as they'd just hurt him. He chose to handle it a different way, however.

The older man frowned and tossed the other Saiyajin's wrist away before folding his arms across his chest. He took a step back to show Goku he was free to go.

''Fine. If that's how you feel you can do it on your own. I won't interfere.''

A strange flicker of emotion flashed across Goku's face, but it disappeared before Vegeta could interpret it. ''Fine,'' the younger man croaked, his voice suddenly strained. ''Just fine.''

Vegeta held his hand up to stop Bulma from going after the other Saiyajin when he turned and left the room. He waited until the hurried foot steps faded and he heard the front door open and close before turning to face the woman.

''Vegeta...He doesn't want to do this alone. He's just angry and afraid right now. He feels like we're betraying him...''

''I know that, woman. He's being stubborn right now, so let him have some time to himself to sort through his jumbled thoughts. When he's calmed down and is more rational we'll try again.''

Bulma looked as if she wanted to argue a little more, but she nodded instead. ''Do you think he'll be ok?''

The older Saiyajin grinned and walked across the room, scooping up the discarded bag of chips Goku had been eating from earlier. ''I'm tracking his movements as we speak. He'll be fine.''

To be continue...