At Capsule Corp:
Gohan lays in bed, his breathing, for the first time today, is steady and even, as he sleeps deeply.
As for his filthy gi and other clothes, they had already been changed. His entire body is now wrapped tightly in bandages, with only his eyes, nose, and mouth exposed, it makes him look like a mummy that crawled out of an Egyptian tomb, which isn't far from what really did happen.
"Fifteen fractures throughout his body, multiple organs suffering massive internal bleeding, a cerebral hemorrhage, energy burns across his whole body, extensive muscle tears… and yet he's still alive. Saiyan's always shock me with their unbelievable vitality."
Bulma sighs as she speaks, carefully adjusting an IV filled with medication.
After finishing this, she pulls Trunks aside for a parental interrogation,
"Trunks, what exactly happened? Gohan was severely injured, but he is clearly still alive. But yesterday you…"
"Yesterday, Mister Gohan was lying in a pool of blood and water, he- he wasn't breathing... so I- I buried him… I'm sorry…" Trunks wipes his reddened eyes and lowers his head.
"Oh sweetie... Alright, tell me everything that happened yesterday. From beginning to end," She says, eyes softening a bit as she looks at him.
"Mm… okay."
Trunks nods, recalling the events of yesterday, and begins recounting his experience to Bulma in as much detail as he can.
"It happened like this. After Mister Gohan and I finished training yesterday, the androids suddenly appeared in Pepper Town and started killing people again."
"I wanted to go with Gohan to stop them, to help him fight! B-but he tricked me. He hit me in the neck and knocked me out..."
"When I woke up and rushed over, I was... I was too late. Gohan... was lying in a pool of blood and water, his mouth was half filled with it when I shook him, I tried to wake him up, I checked if he was breathing, for a heartbeat... But there was nothing. H-he was gone. I didn't feel any energy left in him... He... He was cold..."
As he said this, Trunks clenched his fists until they turned white, veins bulging on his forehead.
"After that… I buried him… I put some offerings by his grave and did my best for him."
Its exactly the same as what Trunks had cried to her yesterday about.
Not a single difference.
Bulma fell silent for a moment,
"Gohan is extremely lucky. He probably wasn't completely dead yesterday. You were reckless…" She nearly reprimands him, but seeing Trunks with his head low, eyes red and filled with tears, she hesitates, ultimately sighing.
"Haaaaa... As long as he's alive, its fine. Someone must be looking out for him up there. If something like that happens again, you know to bring him back here now. That's enough."
Trunks is clearly feeling terribly guilty right now.
After all, no one wished more than him for Gohan to still be alive. He respected Gohan deeply and admired him more than anyone else. He is the father he never had.
Bulma looks at him with sad, kind eyes, reaching out and gently rubbing his soft hair, holding him close as she comforts him.
…
Gohan slept for a full two and a half days.
On the third day, he finally opened his eyes.
He stares blankly at the ceiling for a while, remembering that he has been reborn.
He's now at Trunks' home at Capsule Corp.
It takes him another half minute before he finally manages to turn his head.
Trunks is lying asleep at the foot of the bed, sleeping soundly. He seems to be dreaming of something pleasant, if the smile hanging on his face is any indication.
Bulma, in her white lab coat, is busying herself with things around the room, flipping through notes one moment, then rapidly calculating something on a computer the next. Its hard to tell if she is trying to distract herself, do actual productive work, or both at once.
In the center of the room stands a half-finished machine with a very distinctive shape.
Gohan looks at the machine, the metaphorical gears in his mind turning for a long time before he finally realizes that this is probably the time machine.
Years later, Trunks would use this machine to go back more than ten years into the past to deliver the heart medicine that can cure Goku's terminal heart disease.
Goku, no, his dad, can be saved.
The timeline will split at that moment, and from then on it will become two different worlds.
Thinking of all this, Gohan swallows, feeling his mouth get very dry, his throat incredibly sore, feeling like muscle that is scraped raw.
"T-Trunks… water…" Gohan manages to mutter, his voice extremely hoarse and rough.
Then he lifted his mummy-like leg and nudges Trunks' arm, causing a slight ripple of pain to echo through his body with just this minor action.
"Ah! Who- What-?!"
Trunks jolts awake suddenly, his reflexes and mind on a hair trigger after the last few days, taking Gohan's last lesson, the one that he had given just before passing out, to heart.
His eyes flew open as he suddenly sat upright in place, his mind searching wildly for Ki signatures.
Then he saw Gohan blinking at him, eyes open and awake.
"Mister Gohan! Y–you're awake?! That's great— No its wonderful!"
His face is filled with joy, though he had clearly not heard what Gohan had said a moment ago.
"You brat, go get Gohan some water!" Bulma walks over and smacks Trunks lightly on the head with her notebook, annoyed.
"Ah— oh, right!" Trunks finally reacts. He picked up the water bottle by the bed, opened the cap, and brought it to Gohan's lips.
He drinks two mouthfuls, spilling one and a half, the water running down the corner of his mouth, soaking the bandages around his neck.
"I can do it," Gohan says after a few awkward moments.
He wriggles upright, carefully sitting up in place, his body still incredibly sore. Even this much movement being enough to cause his body to scream in protest.
Gohan, finding the bandages on his hand too obstructive, shakes his right arm slightly and carefully. A wisp of ki rippling outward, instantly loosening the bandages a bit.
He takes the water bottle from Trunks' hand gently and gulps it down in several loud swallows, draining it completely and letting out a soft sigh.
Bulma sits down beside him looking concerned,
"Gohan, how are you feeling now?" she asks, trying to make sure he is doing better now.
Gohan glances at Bulma, looking a bit sheepish,
"Much better. I'm just really hungry..."
As if in response, his stomach growled loudly.
"Mom, I'm hungry too," Trunks adds.
"That's good. Gohan, you rest properly and don't move around anymore, okay? I'll go cook for you."
Bulma smiles, looking over at Trunks before tugging his arm.
"Trunks, come help me."
"Okay mom." Trunks nods, turning to leave with her.
"Mister Gohan, Mom and I will go cook something. I'll talk to you soon!" Trunks says with a happy and innocent smile, clearly filled with joy to see him awake.
"Mm, alright, I'll rest for now." Gohan replies.
The two leave his bedside and walk toward the kitchen.
By now, Trunks' grandparents, Dr. Brief and his wife are dead. Trunks' father, Vegeta, as well.
In the Brief family, only Bulma and Trunks are left.
But Gohan has it even worse.
He is the only one left in his own family.
Chi-Chi and the Ox-King had both died more than a year ago—back when his left arm was severed.
[I know this is wrong, but I didn't write this so don't flame me for it!]
During the days he was unconscious, the androids attacked Mount Paozu.
…
When Bulma and Trunks started to carry out plate after plate of food, they see that Gohan has already put on his bright orange Gi and is standing in the middle of the room, carefully observing the half-completed time machine.
Bulma sets the dishes on the table, "Gohan! Why are you out of bed?! Your body hasn't recovered yet! You need at least another week of total rest!"
Gohan turned back with a sheepish grin.
"I feel totally fine already! I just need one good meal—once I eat, I'll be good, haha!"
"Honestly, you're becoming more and more like your father... Always so careless with your health." Bulma says with a stern shake of the head, a hint of wistful fondness creeping into her tone.
"But I really do feel fine now. I'm just extremely hungry." Gohan says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, laughing softly and looking away with embarrassment.
"How long was I unconscious?" Gohan asks after a moment, curiosity and a slight hint of nervousness creeping into his tone.
"Today is the third day. Go wash your hands. Once you're done, we can eat," Bulma says, taking a seat.
"No wonder I'm so hungry… I haven't eaten for at least three to four days,"
Gohan mutters, rubbing his stomach before going to wash his hands.
After everyone has washed their hands, they sit down and begin eating.
While eating, Trunks looks over at Gohan. After hesitating for a few moments, he finally can't hold it in and speaks up.
"Mister Gohan… that day, I thought you were dead. I couldn't feel any of your ki... your mouth was full of b-blood and water, you weren't breathing, there wasn't even a heartbeat, and your body had gone cold… so I… I buried you. I'm sorry." He says, voice shaking and eyes shut tight.
"Yeah, Gohan, what exactly happened back there?" Bulma asks, curiosity filling her as well.
Gohan looks at Trunks, then at Bulma, stuffs a huge piece of bread into his mouth in one bite, like he hasn't eaten anything in days, which is true.
After swallowing it, he speaks seriously:
"Saiyans have incredibly strong life force. But at the time, I really was no different from a corpse. If my will had been even a little bit weaker, I really would have died there. I kept thinking that the Androids are still around, that everyone was still in danger, that I would need to leave the fate of the world in Trunks' hands alone... so I struggled harder than I ever have before and somehow managed to claw my way back from the very edge."
"Trunks, we can't fail here. Otherwise, there will be no warriors left to protect Earth. It could very easily mean the end of humanity, and the world as we know it. We have to train hard to destroy the androids as soon we can. When I came back a few days ago, I could feel that you dropped your guard, you didn't even feel me until you heard me knock on the door." Which might actually say more about the severity of his condition than it does about Trunks' awareness, but he chooses not to mention that part.
"Yes, Mister Gohan!" Trunks nods vigorously. "As expected of Mister Gohan— he really knows how to pump someone up and give a speech! He is incredibly motivating!" He thinks to himself as he looks up at his mentor with stars in his eyes, a glint of steely determination finding its way into his gaze.