A/N: Please read my story "Alternative End" if you have not already done so. This is an AU fic and "Alternative End" sets the background. "From Father to Son" is a story request I received from XOXOSerenityXOXO. It was my first fan request and after reading the prompt she provided, I decided to take it on. A quick note for those who have read my other stories: due to popular requests I am no longer inserting Japanese words like I've done in the past. Especially after playing Assassins Creed, I understood where many were coming from in that it can be quite vexing at times. In the future I may add a –san ending to people's names providing the appropriate context but that won't be in this story. If you have any questions or comments, please PM me or leave them in a review - I always enjoy hearing from people. If you like this story and/or my writing style please check out some of my other works. Enjoy!

Day 01: The Return

A week had passed since Trunks left to return to his timeline after the defeat of Cell. With the creature destroyed and the Androids no longer a threat, a new age of peace was just beginning for the Z-warriors. It was a type of peace that had not existed since before Raditz's arrival on Earth. Therefore, this new era was long overdue.

…But fate can sometimes be tricky…

"Gohan." Chi-Chi knocked on the open door to her son's room.

…and it had one more surprise for everyone, with the potential to change everything.

"Hmm?" He acknowledged taking the time to pry his eyes away from the thick textbook he had started earlier that morning. Not surprisingly, he was already halfway through the reading material. It was yet another book to add to the collection that piled on his desk from the previous few days, in addition to several finished assignments.

His mother handed him a glass of water. "I thought you might be thirsty."

"Oooh yeah, I'm parched." Replied Gohan with a smile as he took a big chug from the glass.

Noticing the incredible amount of finished work that filled her son's desk, along with what he had already completed since that morning alone, she made a suggestion. "Gohan, why don't you take a break?"

"Huh?" His mother even mentioning the word seemed out of character, but then again, ever since his fight with Cell her attitude towards his studying had been a little bit more relaxed. She was still focused on making certain he was a top-notch student, but he was beginning to see a shift in how she handled it. "Are you sure?" He continued.

Looking over some of his papers, Chi-Chi was already quite impressed with the progress he was making. "You've been working non-stop for several hours. I think a break might do you some good."

"In that case I think I'll take a nap." He yawned as he bookmarked his page.

His mother smiled. "OK but I'll be preparing lunch soon." She took the now empty glass from him and left.

Gohan plopped onto his bed and quickly fell asleep as he basked in the midmorning light.

An hour had passed before he was woken by the calls of his mother. "Gohan, lunch is ready."

He opened his eyes, sat up, and yawned. "I must have needed that." He told himself. "I'm still a bit worn out." He stretched, pulling his elbows behind his back before a sharp pain in his chest made him stop. "Ahhh… pulled a muscle." He muttered. "I gotta watch how I stretch."

"Gohan?" Chi-Chi called out for him again.

"Coming." He answered back, getting out of bed. He made his way to the kitchen where he joined his parents, already seated at the table.

"Smells good Chi-Chi." Goku complimented the family began to eat.

"Yes! Thank you mom."

"You're welcome. Do you have enough?" She asked her son.

"Yes." He replied.

"Chi-Chi, could I get some more?" Goku requested. He already had two plates worth before him but he was quite famished.

His wife turned to him and handed out more food from a bowl in the middle of the table. "Goku, you never have enough." She laughed as the other two joined in.

"Hahahaha-oooh." Gohan felt the sharp pain in his chest again.

"Are you ok son?" His father asked.

"Yeah, I think I just pulled a muscle." Gohan answered.

"Do you think it might be from being hunched over that desk?" Chi-Chi wondered. "Sometimes you become so involved with a book you would forget to sit up straight."

Realizing the opportunity before him, Goku took action. "Yeah, that must be it. Say why doesn't he get out of his room for a bit and come with me to catch some fish in the river." As Chi-Chi turned back toward her son, Goku gave him a quick wink. His father was trying to save him from another afternoon of being cooped up inside.

With his mouth full of food he was unable to verbally respond but he followed his father's lead and nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Hmmm…" Chi-Chi contemplated. "Well, I guess getting some fresh air might help."

"All right!" Goku cheered but his wife cut his celebrations short. "Except you can't be gone all day. I want Gohan to get a least a little bit more studying done before tonight."

It was an understandable request. "Don't worry mom. I'll make sure to come back early."

With that, the family ate the rest of their meal before the father and son pair grabbed their fishing gear and prepared to set off.

"Now don't forget." Chi-Chi called after them as they made their way outside. "Don't be too long."

"OK mom!" Gohan replied.

"Hey Gohan." Goku said, drawing his son's attention. "I'll race ya." Without providing time for an answer, he flew off towards the river. "Hey no fair!" Gohan shouted back, laughing, as he flew off to catch up with his father.

"Those two." Chi-Chi smiled as she shook her head and watched them fade into the distance.

Within a matter of moments Goku landed at his favorite fishing spot, quickly followed by his son.

"No… fair." Gohan struggled to catch his breath. "You… cheated."

Goku let out a devilish grin. "Hehe. I couldn't help. But at least we were able to get you out of house."

"Ah…" Gohan was about to form an argument but realized his father was right. "This is true... Thanks dad." He smiled.

"Hey, you've been working really hard this past week to get caught up on everything. You deserve a bit of a break." Goku replied as he baited his fishing hook and cast a line.

"It is a nice day to relax and enjoy the outdoors." Gohan agreed as he did the same with his fishing line.

The two sat on the edge of a mound overlooking the calm river. The clear sky allowed them to sunbathe as they inhaled the fresh country air and listened to the quiet. They fished for a good 30 minutes without any luck, although they were more focused on simply enjoying the day. And they were both thinking the same thing. "This certainly was the life."

Finally, Gohan felt a pull on his line.

"Ooh, I think you got nibble." Goku remarked.

Gohan placed a firm grip of his fishing rod and pulled to test if the fish had bitten. He felt an immediate tug back and quickly started to reel it in.

"This is a big one." Gohan panted as he fought the fish. However, after several more cranks he slowly began to lose his fight. "Ah, it's… getting away from me."

Goku noticed there was some pain to his son's voice. "Hey, are you OK Gohan?"

"Yea… I'm just… losing… this fish." Gohan's struggle increased as his breathing became erratic and he started to sweat.

Something was wrong, but before he could say anything more, Gohan let go of his fishing rod (letting it fall into the water) and clung at his chest.

"Gohan!?" Goku shouted as he grabbed his son, preventing from him from falling into the river as well. "Gohan what's wrong?"

"M-My chest…" The demi-saiyan responded through painful, deep breathes. "It feels like… It feels like… it's on fire… It hurts."

He could feel his son's ki start to diminish as his anguish grew. This was serious. They needed help. Without further hesitation, he put two fingers to his head and they were instantly teleported back home.

Chi-Chi gasped, dropping the plate she was holding causing it to crash on the hardwood floor. She was startled from the sudden appearance. "Goku!" She shrieked, ready to scold him for scaring her like that. Then she noticed her son in his arms and her tone changed. "Goku, what happened?!"

"I don't know." He replied as he laid Gohan on the sofa.

The two hovered over their son while he continued to clutch at his chest, screaming in agony. "It hurts! It hurts!"

"We were fishing when he started breathing deeply and then he fell over like this. This can't be from a pulled muscle can it?" Goku turned to his wife for answers.

As she watched her son, she had a flashback. She had seen this before, this exact image, with her husband. But it couldn't be the same thing…. could it? Her mind raced as she tried to find an alternative explanation, but she couldn't. The symptoms were consistent with what she feared, causing her to face the realization as to what was happening. "No." She finally answered before making a dash to the medicine cabinet in their bathroom. "It's his heart!"

"What?!" Goku wanted to make sure he was hearing her correctly.

"The heart virus!" She yelled back as she frantically began to search for the vial of medicine that was used to cure her husband. "You had the same symptoms when Yamcha brought you here. It's the heart virus, I'm sure of it."

Goku looked back down at his son. Was it true? Was Gohan now infected with the virus that had almost killed him a few weeks earlier?

"Ah, found it!" Chi-Chi declared as she rushed back to her son. Goku moved out of the way in order to give her some room.

"Gohan, here take some of this." She tried saying in a calm, yet shaky voice. Tilting her son's head up, she opened the vial and put it toward his mouth…

…but nothing came out. It was empty!

"WHAT!?" She screamed as she shook the bottle. A very small droplet formed but that was it. "NO! It's gone! It's all gone!" Then she remembered that Yamcha had suggested that they both take some when Goku was sick, as a preventative caution. He must have taken the rest of it after her. She dropped the vial and quickly became frantic. "Goku, what are we going to do? Trunks told you that this medicine hasn't been created yet and he's not here to tell us how to make it or even to get more for us."

Goku didn't answer as he tried to think of something. This wasn't looking good. He knew the odds were against him, but he picked up the phone to call Bulma.

ring… ring… ring

"Come on." He grew increasingly impatient with each ring and began to search for Bulma's ki thinking teleportation might be the easier.

Before locating her, he heard a voice on the other end. "Hello?"

"Bulma!" He shouted into the receiver.

"Oh hi Gok-" She was quickly cut off.

"Bulma listen, I need to know if Trunks gave you any of the heart medicine he gave me."

"The heart medicine? No, he only mentioned giving you some. Why?" She quickly contemplated why he was asking these questions and assumed the worst. "Do you think it's back? Are you're getting sick again?"

"No, not me. It's Gohan. He fell over while we were fishing, clutching at his chest. Chi-Chi thinks it's the same virus."

"Gohan?" Bulma gasped.

Trying to think of his next plan of action, Goku stammered through his words. "I-I have to go… I'm going to take him to see Dende." He immediately hung up the phone and made his way back to his son.

"Let me come with you." Chi-Chi begged as her husband picked Gohan up in his arms. Leaving his wife alone at the house would only make her a nervous wreck. He nodded in agreement and she held on to him. Within an instant, the family was transported to the Lookout where Dende was assisting Mr. Popo with his gardening while Piccolo meditated nearby. Immediately, Gohan's cries filled the once calm sanctuary, violently catching everyone's attention.

"Goku, what's happened?" Dende exclaimed as he dropped his watering can and ran over to them. He was quickly followed by Piccolo. "What's wrong with Gohan?" The older Namekian added.

"He fell over like this while we were fishing. Chi-Chi thinks it's the heart virus. The one I was infected with." Goku continued to stammer, anxiety in his voice high. "Please Dende, you have to help him. We are out of the medicine Trunks gave us."

While Dende began his healing ritual Piccolo looked on as his pupil lay there, clutching at his heart. He remembered seeing Goku in the same state during his battle with Android #19.

Gohan's cries continued as Dende put more and more effort into his healing powers. Several moments went by and nothing seemed to change. The young Namekian was overcome with the resistance in Gohan's body. He was utilizing all of his power but something was still wrong. A minute later he broke from healing, almost falling backwards from exhaustion. "I'm… I'm sorry. My powers can't cure him." He said through deep breaths.

"What? Why not?" Chi-Chi screamed. Things were escalating so quickly, pushing her closer to the point of hysterics.

"Something is attacking Gohan from inside. It's mostly likely the virus you mentioned. It's doing damage to his heart, which I able to repair, but I'm not able to get rid of the virus itself." Dende felt guilty for his inability to help but the truth was he just didn't possess the power necessary to completely cure his friend.

"So it will continue to attack him unless we can do something." Piccolo noted.

In less than a few minutes things had gone from bad to worse. Chi-Chi began to lose control of herself. "Goku." She grabbed onto his shirt. "Goku, can't we use the dragonballs to help him?"

Painfully, Goku shook his head. "We used the dragonballs recently to wish back everyone killed by Cell."

"What about the Namekian Dragonballs?" Mr. Popo spoke up. Everyone turned towards him. "If the Earth Dragonball could help Gohan, the Namekian Dragonballs should be able to do the same. And with Goku's technique he could transport there in no time."

"Yeah, that's it!" Dende shouted. "And the Namekian people can even help find them, if they don't already have them in their village."

"It's worth a shot." Goku responded optimistically. "I'll need to get the Dragon Radar from Bulma, first." He turned towards Chi-Chi. "After that, you stay at Capsule Corp. with Gohan. Bulma and her dad should be able to take care of him while I'm gone."

"Wait." Piccolo stepped forward. "You're not going alone Goku. We're coming too."

"Huh?" Goku faced back towards his old rival.

"You'll need all the help you can get searching for the dragonballs on a planet like Namek. Besides, those who may not know you will be more likely to trust a Namekian. Dende and I will join you."

The younger Namekian wholeheartedly agreed with this plan. Knowing he would be leaving right then he faced Mr. Popo. "Mr. Popo, you'll have to stand watch over the Lookout while we're gone."

"I understand. Be safe Dende." His friend replied.

Without time to argue over it, Goku accepted the help offered to him. "All right. Let's hurry then!" Goku picked up his son as the others joined by his side.

Bulma held the phone to her ear while her father stood close by to listen. "And you took the last of it?" She asked

"Y-Yes. I had some after Chi-Chi. We thought it might prevent us from getting sick as well. I-I'm sorry Bulma, I had no idea it would come back." Yamcha stuttered. He was the first person she called to explain what was happening and she needed to verify that the medicine was indeed gone.

"None of us could have anticipated this Yamcha."

-Schwoon-

The group appeared before Bulma and her father.

"They're here! I have to go." She hung up the phone and sprung from her seat.

"I was just talking with Yamcha. He confirmed that the medicine Trunks gave you was all gone. Was Dende able to help?"

Earth's guardian stepped from behind Piccolo. "No, something is attacking Gohan from the inside. I can repair any injury done by the virus, or whatever is affecting him, but as soon as I stop the damage starts again."

"We actually came for the Dragon Radar. Since we are out of medicine the only other option we can think of right now is to use the power of the dragonballs." Goku explained.

"Didn't you use them recently?" Asked Bulma.

"That's why Piccolo and Dende are also here with me. I can transport us to Namek and we can search out their dragonballs. You mentioned before that the Dragon Radar worked in finding them on the old Namek. It might take a few days but hopefully we can wish for Gohan to be cured. In the mean time we thought you might be able to help care for him with Chi-Chi."

"Dad, what can we do?" Bulma turned to her father. He had been in the room when Goku first called and thus knew as much as his daughter about the situation.

Dr. Briefs considered what action to take. "Hmmm… There is an infirmary unit in this building. Bulma, you take them there and I will get my assistants."

"Right." She nodded. "Follow me everyone."

Bulma lead them down an array of long corridors until she finally arrived a large door with a window and a red cross above the entrance. After hitting a button on the wall nearby, the door slide sideways to reveal an elaborate medical room. There was a bed on a conveyer belt attached to an MRI machine, surrounded by various other devices. It was impressive to say the least but more importantly it helped to reassure Goku and Chi-Chi that they made the right decision in bringing Gohan here rather than trying to have Chi-Chi care for him alone while they were gone.

"Place him on the bed here." She motioned.

Goku gently laid down his son. As he stood up he reminded Bulma of the Dragon Radar. "Can we please borrow it for Namek?"

"Yes, of course! It's in my room. I'll be back in a few minutes." His friend said as she ran off.

Shortly after she left Dr. Briefs came into the room. "Well I have my three assistants here." He moved out of the way to reveal three large robots behind him. They scurried into the room towards Gohan.

"Please give them some space." He continued as he approached the wall close to the bed. After punching a few numbers in the control panel, several slots in the ceiling opened up to reveal more equipment and contraptions. The robots used this equipment to take a variety of measurements. One of the contraptions removed Gohan's shirt while the robots stuck a few sensors to his chest and arms, hooking them up to monitoring devices.

"W-What is all this?" Chi-Chi inquired.

"This is just your standard medical equipment. Right now my robots are checking his pulse, blood pressure, etc and sticking sensors on him that feed into the machine beside him to monitor his vitals." Dr. Briefs explained.

Seeing her son hooked up to all the surrounding machines bothered Chi-Chi. It seemed so unnatural. Yet, at the same time, there was a strange sense of comfort. Her son was clearly in good hands. And whereas a normal medical set up and procedure like this might take about 15-20 minutes, Dr. Briefs' assistants had it done in 5 minutes. As one robot began to draw blood that would be used for testing, she looked away and buried her face in Goku's chest, trying her best to hold herself together. Shortly after averting her eyes from the scene, she noticed that her son's cries began to fade until there was only the sound of the machines working. She quickly turned back around. "What's happening?!"

"They've just given your son a sedation drug to ease his pain." Dr. Briefs explained while the one robot handed him the vial of Gohan's blood. Then, almost as soon as it began, the contraptions ascended back into the ceiling, leaving only the monitoring devices. The robots filed outside almost running into Bulma as they hurried to the lab several doors away.

"Whoa." The blue-haired woman exclaimed as she dodged her father's assistants. She then made her way inside. "I got it. Here it is." She said, handing the device over to Goku.

"Thank you Bulma."

"We'll do what we can here. You be safe out there." She remarked.

However, before Goku could respond an ominous voice boomed throughout the entire room, catching everyone's attention. "Yo, Goku!"

"King Kai!" Goku shouted back. "I was just about to contact you. I need you to direct me to the new Namek again."

"That's what I wanted to talk with you about." Back on his small planet, King Kai grimaced as he tried to explain the news he had. "Earlier today I sensed something was wrong. When I checked in on you, your son had fallen ill and you were at the Lookout, as you call it, with him. I over heard your plans about Namek and got in touch with the elder Moori so that he could anticipate your arrival."

"Ah, Moori knows we're coming? He will be able to help us get a head start on our search." Dende said excitedly.

"Unfortunately, he won't." King Kai broke their celebrations.

"What?" Dende asked confused.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Goku, but he informed me that the Namekians have recently used their dragonballs to replace damage caused by a drought."

Back on Earth everyone in the room let out a collective gasp. "Y-You mean…" Goku struggled.

"That their dragonballs won't be active again for several months." King Kai answered.

"Goku, based on what Trunks said about the virus we don't have that much time." Bulma informed him.

"Damn it!" He cursed. Literally every plan they had was falling through as quickly as they formed. "Thank you for telling me King Kai. We'll figure something else out."

"Best of luck Goku." The god wished in all sincerity as he disconnected his telepathic link.

"Goku, what other options do we have?" Piccolo questioned.

"I DON'T KNOW!" The Saiyan snapped back. Truth-be-told he had run out of ideas. There was nothing left. Chi-Chi began to cry once more.

"Ugghhh, if I may." Dr. Briefs spoke up. "Chi-Chi, you mentioned to Bulma that you still have the vial the medicine came in."

"Yes." She said through her tears. "But there was nothing left."

"Was it kept sealed during all this time?" He inquired further.

"… Yes." She replied after some thought.

"Well then if you still have the vial, and it was sealed, there will most likely be a residual amount left. We can use that to create a chemical analysis on the substance." Dr. Briefs stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Of course." Bulma joined in snapping her fingers. "We can use the data from the analysis to replicate the medicine. Chi-Chi, where is the vial now?"

Her friend began to think out loud. "I grabbed it from the medicine cabinet, tried to give Gohan some, but found that it was empty so then…" She stared up at them wide-eyed. "Then I dropped it on the floor. It must be by the couch. I have to go find it." She started to run towards the door without evening thinking about how far away her home was.

"Chi-Chi, wait!" Goku halted her. "I'll go. You stay here."

"Oh Goku you have to find it!" She pleaded.

He tried to give her a reassuring smile. "I will, don't worry. You stay here and help Bulma." Once again, he put two fingers on his head and began to concentrate. Nobody was at their house, which meant he couldn't teleport directly to there. Kame House was the closest place he knew of. He quickly found Yamcha's ki and teleported.

Sensing her friend was on the verge of a nervous breakdown Bulma tried to redirect the woman's attention. "Chi-Chi, you were exposed to the virus as well, even though you never had symptoms. Yamcha told me that you both took the medicine as a preventative measure, correct?"

Chi-Chi nodded.

"Then we might be able to learn something from you're blood as well if we can get a sample."

"In the mean time I can run tests on Gohan's blood to confirm that it is the heart virus and run further tests to understand what type of virus it is." Dr. Briefs added.

Dende decided to offer a suggestion of help. "Bulma, I know this virus causes damage to the heart and, while I can't rid Gohan's body of it, I can use my powers to continuously heal him so as to prevent too much damage."

"That could buy us more time and help in the long run." Dr. Briefs suggested. Things were starting to come together.

Bulma agreed. As Dende got a chair to be seated next to his friend she turned to Piccolo.

"I know there isn't much I can do." He beat her to the question she was about to ask. "For now I'll just stand outside the door incase Dende needs anything."

She nodded. "Come on Chi-Chi. You can best help by letting me draw some blood. You can come right back after we're finished." Bulma said as she guided her out of the room.

Everyone shuffled out of the door with their assigned tasks as Dende began a continuous healing practice.

As Piccolo leaned against the wall in the hallway, Dr. Briefs, Chi-Chi, and Bulma traveled to a nearby room with a multitude of lab equipment. "Sit down here." Bulma motioned towards a chair by a desk. While she prepared what was needed her father went into a connected room to run his tests leaving the two women alone.

"Where's Trunks and Vegeta?" Chi-Chi asked while her friend tied an elastic band around her upper arm. "Oh, my mother took Trunks out for the day and she somehow managed to get Vegeta to go along. I swear he amazes me at times. Make a fist." Bulma instructed before applying antiseptic.

Chi-Chi sighed as she looked away. Everything that had recently occurred made her contemplative on life and it's meaning. "Don't ever take anything for granted Bulma. It can change so fast."

The blue-haired woman looked up before focusing back on her work. She stuck the needle in Chi-Chi's arm and undid the elastic band.

"I don't plan to." She responded gently as the vial started to fill with blood. "But Chi-Chi you have to have faith that Gohan will pull through this. He's a fighter."

Once again, her friend started to weep. "I know… And all I ever wanted him to be was a scholar… but… but…"

"But fate had other plans didn't it." Bulma finished her sentence for her and Chi-Chi nodded in agreement. Bulma withdrew the needle and placed a bandage on the wound. Setting the vial of blood aside in a holder and taking offer her latex gloves, she held Chi-Chi's hands in her own. "Chi-Chi the things your son has accomplished at his age are to be commended. While the other's have continued to fight for Earth Gohan has done helped them and at the same time become a great scholar."

She smiled upon hearing these words.

Bulma continued. "He's experienced many challenges in his young life but he's always faced them head on with honor and integrity. You have to understand that this is simply another battle he faces. It has nothing to do with him being a martial artist or him being a scholar, viruses don't differentiate between the two. He still relies on our support. Even if he's under sedation he knows we're here. You have to encourage him to fight against this infection and believe he will tackle this obstacle."

Chi-Chi took a deep breath. What her friend was saying was right. This wasn't something her son got from being a fighter. It was something that just occurred. Still, it made her think how fast everything was happening.

"It's just he's been growing up so fast. And now with this…" She took another deep breath. "This morning he was happy and healthy. Now, he's suffering from something that almost killed Goku. Everything can change in such a short time."

"It can." Bulma agreed. "And that's why you're right, that we can't take anything for granted. But at the same time you have to fight for the things you love and have determination power you through tough times like these. He's going to make it Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi embraced her friend in a hug. "Thank you, Bulma… Thank you."

-Schwoon-

"Goku?!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Bulma just called me a few min-" He was cut short. The Saiyan immediately jetted off the island towards his house leaving a confused, and worried friend. But he had no time to waste. He had to find that vial in order to help Gohan as quickly as possible.

After flying at amazing speeds across the ocean it wasn't too long before he was back home. Goku rushed inside and began his search. He positioned himself where Chi-Chi was when she had the medicine. "She said she dropped it on the floor so…" He thought aloud, looking around the area. He flung over the coffee table. Nothing. Next he turned over the couch. The vial was right there.

"Found it!" He shouted. After picking it up he put two fingers to his head and teleported one more time.

-Schwoon-

"Goku, you're back!" Bulma greeted, prying her eyes away from the microscope she was working with.

"I found the vial." Goku responded as he handed it over to her.

"Great! Have a seat right there and I will be right back." She went into the adjacent room, the one with the complex laboratory equipment, where her father was already hard at work. She gave him the vial and went back to Goku. Sighing, she approached the desk. She had asked him to sit in the chair in order to draw blood but with his fear of needles it wasn't going to be easy. "Now Goku, since you've already had virus we want to get a sample of your blood."

"OK." Goku replied nonchalantly.

"Just so you're aware, this has to be done with a needle." She commented as she started to set out her equipment on the desk.

Goku didn't say anything but rather rolled up his sleeve and rested his arm next to her.

"You're… You're not scared?"

"Right now I'm more scared with losing my son. I know there is only so much I can do at this point but I want to make sure I do everything I possibly can." He then looked toward the room Gohan was in and focused on his ki while Bulma drew his blood.

"How's he doing?" He finally asked as she started to wrap up her procedure.

"He's hanging in there Goku. Dende is with him right now helping to continuously heal any damage done to his heart. Of course we are still waiting on the results from his blood to confirm that it is indeed the heart virus."

"How long will that take?"

"It will be a few more hours. And the analysis on both yours and Chi-Chi's blood will provide us even more information, but those might not be available until tomorrow." Bulma quickly left to give her father the vial of Goku's blood and then sat back down with her old friend.

"You drew blood from Chi-Chi?"

"Yes, she might have been exposed to the virus and we know she took some of the medicine as a preventative measure. Yamcha did the same thing and is actually on his way here with Krillin to get some of his blood tested."

"What can I do in the meantime?" Goku asked.

"Comfort Chi-Chi. She's scared Goku, like I know you are. Help each other through this time."

"… Where is she now?"

Bulma let out a small smile. "Right where you'd expect her to be."

Knowing what she meant Goku got up and headed out of the room, but before turning into the hallway he looked back. "Thank you Bulma, for everything." He left and proceeded to the room Gohan was in. He was greeted with the sight of Chi-Chi looking on as Dende stood over their son. The soft glow emitted from his hands illuminated that section room in a peaceful glow. As he walked over to his wife he listened to the sounds of the dull buzz of Dende's healing powers and the constant beep of the heart monitor attached to Gohan. He sat in the chair next to Chi-Chi and put his arm around her.

Several hours went by before Yamcha eventually arrived with Krillin. Since both had exposure to Goku that day they provided their blood for analysis against that of Gohan's. They then joined in consoling the family during this hard time.

By the end of the night Bulma had called everyone in a room to deliver what they were all expecting.

"We have the results of Gohan's blood. It's what we feared, he has the heart virus."