True Love Never Dies

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A/N: Yes, it's been a long, long, long time since I updated. This chapter has been giving me a really rough time. I'm not sure why, but this chapter was difficult to get the tone exactly what I wanted. Thank you for hanging with me! I sincerely hope this is worth the wait. Now, without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 10

Reality

The soft beeping of the electrocardiogram had long faded into a meaningless background hum to be completely disregarded. The hiss of oxygen slowly being sent into the prongs at the end of their tubing had also long since vanished.

"What's on your mind?" Videl softly asked as she gently rested her hand on Gohan's shoulder.

A slight jump betrayed Gohan's surprise. "Nothing much," he admitted with a weak smile. At this point, his previous thoughts were lost to him. Upon a closer reflection, he realized his mind had not been so much ruminating upon a single topic as simply wandering far from his current location and situation - far from the inevitable future they implied.

"Do you remember when we first met, and I thought you were up to no good?" Videl asked. A light smile stretched her dry lips to their breaking point. A thin trickle of blood slowly seeped from her lower lip, and it contrasted sharply with the grey-tinted pallor of her sallow skin.

"Here!" Gohan interjected as he quickly leaped to his feet and retrieved a box of tissues. "Let me," he offered, leaning over the bed's plastic coated rail to carefully dab at the injury.

"I can get it myself," Videl weakly objected.

With a tender smile, Gohan dismissed her raised hand and continued his ministrations. "I know." He smiled as he dabbed, again. "I want to do it."

Videl's face softened at his words. "Thank you," she whispered when he was satisfied with his work and removed the paper and its light pressure.

"Don't mention it." Before straightening, his fingers tweaked her chin. "Just one of the many services I provide."

Pale eyes - now, more grey than blue - watched Gohan's progress across the small, private room. He dropped the stained tissue into the room's low wastebasket. Upon his return, he took a cup of ice water in his hand.

Videl gave Gohan a grateful glance as he held a bent straw to her thin lips.

"Please, try to drink a little," he encouraged, as she leaned toward the beverage. As the tubing of Videl's nasal cannula fell toward the styrofoam cup, he caught it with his free hand and held it toward her chin. "If you're still feeling nauseated, I can get the nurse, again."

"No," Videl answered after taking a few sips. "I think, I'm good, right now."

"Oh, okay." Gohan sat the cup on the table. "I could get you something to eat," he quickly offered.

"Gohan," Videl sighed. Her emaciated hands fell to the pink woven blanket after she readjusted her oxygen tubing. "I'm fine. Really," she added as he shot her a frown.

"I just-" Gohan paused, sighed then shook his head. As he opened his mouth to reply, a knock sounded on the solid door. "Come in," he answered automatically.

"Miss Satan, Mister Son," Doctor Penaririn greeted the room's occupants with a tight-lipped smile. "How are you feeling today?" He applied a generous amount of hand sanitizer and approached the bed, rubbing the alcohol-based gel into his hands.

"I guess, I feel the same," Videl softly answered with a brave set to her features.

"I see." Penaririn nodded as he took his patient's measure. "Mister Son?" he called over his shoulder.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"If you don't mind, please step into the hall while I give Miss Satan a quick exam." Though the words were suggestions, the doctor's tone left no mistaking his words as anything less than a command.

Gohan deeply frowned as he glanced toward Videl for guidance in his next set of actions.

"It's okay." Videl feebly nodded. "Go. Get something to eat. I'll fill you in on the details when you get back."

"Are you sure?" he asked, still frowning.

"I'm not going anywhere," she weakly joked.

"I'll vouch for that," the doctor added with a tight smile. "Go ahead, Mister Son."

As Gohan debated his options, still not thrilled with the idea of leaving Videl's side, the growling of his stomach filled the room. "Well, maybe a snack isn't such a bad idea," he admitted. Blushing in embarrassment, his left hand scratched the nape of his neck. "Sorry." He leaned over the bed to peck Videl's cheek before exiting to wind the hospital's halls to the subterranean cafeteria and the barely palatable selections offered therein.

"How are you feeling today, Miss Satan?" Penaririn asked as the door closed behind her visitor.

"I'm fine," Videl answered as cheerfully as she could.

"Miss Satan," the doctor chided, "we agreed to be honest with each other. Am I right?"

Videl's eyes lowered as her bluff was called. "I know. I guess, I just..."

"You're used to trying to hide it?" the doctor supplied when Videl failed to finish her thought.

Grey eyes returned to the doctor's kind face as Videl realized he was absolutely correct. "First, it was just Pan. Then, there was Pan and Gohan..."

"And, you're still trying to protect them."

"Yeah. I guess, I am." Videl, again, with lowered her eyes.

"And, who looks after and protects you?"

"Well, I guess, I do," Videl answered after a slight pause.

"What about now, while you're ill?" The doctor pulled a chair closer to the bed and took a seat to be more on Videl's level.

"Well, Gohan does...and there's you, of course."

"Okay. Now that you've identified who's supposed to care for you, when do you plan on letting us know what's going on, so we can?" Penaririn laced his fingers around a knee as he settled more on the chair's edge.

Videl's face softened at the words. "Okay. Point taken."

"Alright. Now that we're being open and honest with each other: how are you feeling this morning?"

A pregnant silence passed before Videl softly sighed. "Tired. Weak."

"And, the pain?"

Videl winced. "It's...constant."

"What about the level?"

A swallow preceded Videl's response. "Worse than anything I've ever felt," she softly conceded. It was the truth. Even when she had been beaten nearly to death by Spopovich, she had not endured so much pain. This time, a senzu bean could not save her.

The doctor nodded his understanding. "What about the location?"

"My belly, back, chest and that headache I told you about before."

"The other tumors are growing," Penaririn admitted. "Before I came in, I looked at the rest of your chart, and with what you've told me, I think it's time we discuss the next step in your care."

"Hospice," Videl breathed with no small amount of apprehension.

"You've fought the idea. I know you don't want to alarm your daughter, but she's going to be hurt even worse if she doesn't know. And, this change will allow us to better meet your needs, such as managing your pain better and providing group therapy sessions with other people going through the same stages you're facing. Of course, Mister Son will be just as welcome on that floor as he is here. I know how you depend on him, even while you're trying to stay strong for him," Penaririn explained.

"I do," Videl whispered as she thought of all the love and compassion Gohan showed her everyday. She knew the move would be as difficult for him as it was for her, though she had never kept from him the certainty of her end. Somehow, moving into hospice care seemed like giving up, acknowledging defeat when she so badly wanted to fight!

"How much longer?" she asked, a single tear snaking down her face as she thought of her precious daughter and the greatest love of her life.

"Weeks. Maybe, a month at most."

Another long silence fell between the pair as Videl considered her options. Remaining on a regular floor of the hospital really was not meeting Videl's needs or the needs of her family. Pan needed to be advised of the full extent of the situation, and she needed to hear that from her mother before her mother was too mentally incapacitated to explain everything or reassure the girl. Even now, Videl was forced to silently admit her thoughts were not what they were even a few weeks prior. When Gohan was gone, she could lose track of hours at a time. At times, even with his presence, she found it difficult to remember simple facts or even accurately recall the recent past.

Truly, did she even have a choice?

"Go ahead," she consented. "You're right. We've got to make some changes."

"Okay," Doctor Penaririn agreed and rose to stand beside her bed. "I'll get the orders in and have you transferred. I'll be around to see you down there. And, Videl, this is never an easy decision for anyone, but it really is for the best."

"Thank you," Videl answered, staring straight ahead as the doctor left her room, leaving her to her thoughts.

"Mama!" Pan cried as she released her father's hand and rushed forward to throw her arms around Videl's neck.

"Hey there, sweetheart," Videl answered as strongly as she was able, glancing toward Gohan with gratitude from bring their daughter to her new room. "How was school?"

Pan frowned as she released her hold around her mother. "Do we have to talk about it?"

Rather than argue with her daughter, Videl allowed her fingers the luxury of stroking Pan's thick hair. "Pan, do you remember how important a good education is?"

After a long pause, Pan sighed, fighting a bout of petulance. "Yes, Mama. I remember."

Videl softly smiled. "Good. That's my girl. Just promise me- promise me you'll never forget."

Pan obediently nodded. "Okay, Mama. I promise."

Carefully, Pan crawled into the bed and rested her head on Videl's shoulder while her arm draped across Videl's emaciated chest. "Mama, I miss you. When are you coming home?"

Videl's boney fingers continued to comfortingly stroke Pan's hair and arm as the woman considered her best explanation. "Pan, honey, Mama is very sick," she answered in her most soothing tone, as she noticed Gohan nervously shifting near the doorway, where Pan had left him behind.

"I know, but aren't you here to get better? They even moved you to a new room today!" Pan pulled her head back enough to view her mother's expression, her eyes full of hope.

"Baby, not everyone who goes to a hospital gets better. Sometimes, they are there a long time, and sometimes, they die," Videl's voice diminished to a whisper with the last words due to both fatigue and the knowledge of the pain her future was and would continue to inflict upon her beloved child.

"Yeah. Old people do, like Grampa Hercule."

"Yes, that's true, but sometimes, even young people are too sick to get better." Videl paused before trying another angle. "Pan, you noticed I have a new room."

"Yeah. It's really nice, and the garden through the window is really pretty. But, what's that got to do with you coming home?"

"Pan, I need you to listen to me very closely and try to understand." Videl waited until Pan nodded her assent. "This new room is in a portion of the hospital specially designed for people who aren't going home. They call it the hospice wing. That garden outside is planted in the memory of all the patients who come here."

"They come here and don't go home..." Pan carefully considered this. "If they don't go home, where do they go?"

"Honey, they go join King Yemma," Videl explained.

Pan scrunched her nose at the answer. "But, King Yemma judges the-" The child's eyes widened, and her face blanched as the realization overtook her.

"Yes, Pan," Videl offered in a soothing tone as she watched her daughter's heart break for a second time. "I'm going to leave, like Grandpa Hercule, and go live in the realm of the kai."

"But, you can't!" Pan protested, tightly clinging to her mother. "You can't die! You can't leave me!"

"Pan, honey, I'm afraid, I don't have a choice," Videl attempted to calm the girl. "I would never choose to leave you. You know that."

"But, who's going to look after me? Who's going to take care of me?" she sobbed into Videl's shoulder.

"Pan, look at me," Videl ordered, tipping the child's face toward her own. "You're not going to be alone. I'll always be looking over you, just like Grampa Hercule. And, you'll have Gohan, your father, to love and care for you."

From his post near the door, where he had watched the discussion, feeling awkward and out of place, Gohan wiggled his fingers in a sheepish wave as chocolate orbs gazed at him in response to her mother's words.

"But, Mama-" Pan began before Videl cut her short.

"I know this is hard, but it's something I can't change," Videl firmly insisted. "What I need is a promise from you."

"A promise?" Pan sniffed and wiped at her tears.

"I know you're still unsure about things with Gohan, but he is your father. And, he loves you with all his heart."

When Pan's gaze traveled toward Gohan, he nodded agreement.

"I need you to promise me that you'll really give him a chance. If you do, I know you'll grow to love him. In the meantime," Videl insisted, "promise me that you'll be a good girl for him. Promise that you'll listen to him, and most importantly, be brave. You need each other right now." Videl softly kissed Pan's forehead.

Slowly, Pan's chocolates met Videl's greys, and she nodded. "Okay. I promise."

"Good," Videl answered as she relaxed in the bed. Her eyes closed and her chest rose and fell in rapid succession. The conversation with Pan had taxed her energy reserves.

"Mama," Pan whispered as she watched Videl effectively collapse.

"Mmhm?"

"I love you, Mama," Pan said as she tightly hugged her mother and kissed her sunken cheek.

"I love you, Pan," Videl answered with a smile, too weary to even open her eyes.

"Come on, Pan," Gohan called. "Your mom needs to rest. We'll visit her again, tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay." Pan sniffed before carefully climbing from the bed. As she reached the door Gohan held open for her, she paused and turned toward the bed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mama," she called before stepping into the hall.

As Gohan turned to follow, he barely made out Videl's voice calling his name. "Sit in the lobby, Pan. I'll be right there," he instructed before going to Videl's side. Gently, he took her hand in his and kissed her fingers. "I'm right here. What is it, Videl? I'm listening."

"Gohan, thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Gohan objected before Videl's fingers covered his lips.

"I need you to know, I don't regret us. I never did. You...have been the best thing in my life...besides Pan. I love you, Gohan, and I'm ready."

"Don't talk like that," Gohan countered as Videl's exhausted hand fell from his face. "I mean, I love you, too, and I'll definitely look after Pan. But, there's always hope!"

As no response came from Videl, Gohan watched her deep breathing and realized she had fallen asleep. Bending, he softly kissed her forehead. "Sleep well. We'll see you tomorrow."

After one backward glance, Gohan lowered the room's lights and went to the lobby to return to the home he would never again share with his beloved Videl.

A/N: Since this chapter caused me a great deal of difficulty, I am really looking for any criticism that may help me improve if I decide to rewrite this chapter, and going forward.