A/N: For the record, this isn't the easiest thing in the world to make interesting. But I'm trying. I read a bunch of forums for new dads for their experiences on the first prenatal doctor visit. I picked the typical experience that worked best for me.
By the way, I figured that if the Naruto universe could have closed circuit TV, trains, and video games, they could have ultrasound. I'm just assuming its less than the best available currently.
World of Dreams
Chapter 4
It was official. Neji hated waiting rooms and their clean, antiseptic smell.
This was only just now discovered, because he had never been in one before. Usually when Team Guy went to the doctor it was only for emergencies. No waiting required. He didn't realize before that there were rooms in the hospital where civilians and ninja that didn't need immediate care just…kind of sat there. With sniffling, whining, dripping children fighting over the sticky toy trains.
Across the room, some little girl with dark eyes and hair the color of a strawberry hadn't stopped staring at him for the last ten minutes, three small fingers in her mouth the entire time while snot dripped on her hand.
And he was here to ensure that TenTen brought another one of these tiny disgusting creatures into the world? Rather a counterintuitive action.
Reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the girl, nervous about giving her an opportunity to dash over and grab his hair with a sticky hand as children seemed so inclined to do, Neji looked at the form TenTen was carefully filling out. Only through years of having done so was Neji able to read her writing, and he felt a brief flash of pity for the doctor that had to interpret.
Neji's opinion was that this form was awful invasive. Any enemy ninja that got his hands on this could imitate TenTen so well; even he wouldn't think to check for a henge right away. It asked about her last menstrual period (listed as just over two weeks before their mission), what over the counter drugs and herbs she had used (just ginger tea, TenTen's favorite for curing nausea), whether or not she smoked, if she had had chicken pox (yes), and even if she had been exposed to cats.
Even if it would be kept in a secure place, Neji wasn't comfortable with so much information being accessible. Not that he really had a choice, of course. TenTen needed to see this Doctor Arai to make sure she and the baby were as healthy as possible.
He was responsible for her safety on the mission, and it hadn't finished.
This pregnancy was a result of his actions on a night when he should have been thinking straight. When he should have realized what could come from it, and find a way around. His actions on a mission, in the role of team leader. He couldn't help her carry these consequences, but he was going to make damn sure that he didn't fail her again.
Danger lurked everywhere and closer to home than she probably realized. Most in the branch family were free to marry as they chose, but not him. He was special. Not just because he was the nephew of the clan head, but also because he was so good at the clan techniques. He was expected to be above reproach in every aspect of his life, and for most of his life there had been talk of finding him a bride to produce strong heirs to protect the clan.
There were many of the more traditional members of the clan who would be furious with him. A few of the older elders, those of his grandfather's generation, who would insist he be punished for bringing such shame to the clan. Punishment could range from hours of training to death, depending on their mood.
Which was he was being so careful now. His Uncle was out of the village for the week, and until they had had a chance to discuss the situation, Neji was trapped in limbo. Within the clan, his uncle's word was law, and he could protect both of them from any retaliation a furious elder may decide to unleash.
None of this had been TenTen's fault, and he had to protect her.
TenTen was muttering to herself as she tapped the end of her pen against the clipboard. She was chewing her lip, and kept staring at the questions with a slight blush on her face. Leaning over slightly more, the Hyuuga genius struggled to see the exact question she was stuck on.
Middle of the page, second question under 'social history'. Within the past year, have you or your partner had any sexual partner changes?
Simple question, but it still made Neji's stomach sink to his toes. It was a discussion he had been hoping to avoid. "No. I haven't."
That night had been his first time. He had known the idea, and of course he'd experienced arousal before. After his first chuunin exam, his self control had become famous, but he was still a young male and he had…sometimes used his byakugan inappropriately. But never had he touched, held, kissed a female. He had done his best, under the circumstances. He still thanked his lucky stars that that had been the one night that TenTen had chosen to go without a disguise. It had made it easier to forget about the gun to their backs, and the danger that was forcing the action.
In truth, he had been intending to talk to TenTen for a long time before this mission. Though she lacked the family background and connections that some in the clan would have preferred, she was strong enough to please most of them and be an acceptable companion for him. He was the most comfortable with TenTen, and had wanted to see if something more couldn't develop between them.
Until this whole situation ruined it.
It had stung when, during her confession, TenTen had mentioned in passing that he was the only one in a year. This meant there had been someone before. Not that he had expected her to be waiting for him, logically, but still he hadn't expected to hear that she hadn't. Not from her. She couldn't be interest in deepening their relationship if she was seeing other men, and it stung.
He also hadn't expected this overwhelming urge to ask her how he compared to the others. Because it was childish and irrational. He had managed to control it, so far, and had every intention of keeping it that way.
Large brown eyes blinked at him, trying to process what he had said with whatever she had been so focused on. "Haven't what?"
"Had any," he was trying to come up with another word, but nothing came. "Any partner changes."
A small nod as the pen checked no, and TenTen rubbed her eyes before sighing audibly. "How about the next one?"
Within the past year, has anyone forced you to have sexual activities?
It was a struggle not to rub his suddenly tense hands on his pants and he fought the urge to swallow. It should be a simple question. It shouldn't affect him this much. "Answer it truthfully."
TenTen opened her mouth, but whatever she might have said was cut off by a female voice rising above the inane chatter of the waiting room. "TenTen?"
She jumped to her feet so fast it was almost amusing. Neji followed her across the room at a slightly more sedate pace, stepping over small blonde Yamanaka children and dodging the strawberry haired child's fingers as he did so. It would be nice to get out of this crowded place.
"I haven't had a chance to finish," TenTen said, almost too quietly to be heard, as she flashed the nurse her clipboard.
This was met with a kind smile and a gentle pat on the arm from the dark haired, dark eyed, rather busty nurse. "You can finish it in the exam room. We'll want to get you started." Her face darkened into a frown as she glanced over at him. "Are you the father?"
Later, Neji knew he would deny choking on air. Right now, it felt like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. She had said father. She had called him 'the father'. He hadn't thought those words himself in the eighteen hours he had known about TenTen's condition. It had simply been TenTen and the baby she was carrying. How to make sure she stayed safe until it was delivered. But once it was here, breathing and kicking, he would be a father. He would have a responsibility to that little life. He just had no idea what that responsibility would be, or how to go about it.
His face must have told the nurse everything, as she nodded knowingly at him. "Have a seat. We're going to run some tests first. We'll come and get you in about ten minutes."
A protest died on his lips at TenTen's relieved expression. She hadn't really wanted him here, and he hadn't thought to ask her why. He had simply overpowered her. Again. Wordlessly, he stepped back the way he came, and the two females disappeared down the hallway toward the offices.
What was he even doing here, anyway? Last night it had felt like the only option. He wanted TenTen to know that he wasn't going to just abandon her. Prove to her that he intended to shoulder as much responsibility as she was. It hadn't even occurred to him that she might not want him there, or how useless he would be. Never before had he been faced with a problem about which he could do absolutely nothing.
He couldn't carry the babies for her. He had no money to offer her, as nearly everything belonged to the clan. He didn't even have any experience with children to offer. When he, or she, arrived in this world, he wouldn't know what to do with it anymore than he knew how to fly. There was nothing he could offer but his support, and TenTen didn't seem to even want that.
A sharp tug on his scalp yanked the Hyuuga genius from his unhappy thoughts. With a wince, he tried to turn his head to the source, and was unsurprised to find the girl had moved to sit by him. Currently, she was using his hair as a tissue for her dripping nose, and took all his will power not to dart across the room away from the germy mess.
"Would you please let go?" Most people talked to children in kind voices, but in Neji's experience intimidation worked far better. Kids weren't idiots. They were slightly evil beings full of malicious intent. Best to handle them with caution, not kindness.
Unfortunately, this seemed to be one of the rare species of child that found neither his cold voice nor blank eyes the least bit bothersome. Strawberry hair fell in front of dark blue eyes as she grinned, pulling up freckled cheeks and revealing the wide gap of her missing front teeth. "I'm Ichigo, who are you?"
Mentally, Neji added 'lack of creativity' under 'lack of supervision' to his mental list of things to scold this girl's parents for if he ever found them. No one seemed to be coming for her, though. Best to just ignore her until she got bored.
This lasted all of twenty seconds before she gave his hair another hard, sharp tug. He couldn't think of a way to loosen her grip that didn't involve touching goopy fingers or harming the child, so maybe it was best to humor her and avoid further interrogation attempts on her part. "Hyuuga Neji."
"Are you sick, Neji-niisan?"
Why did everyone insist on calling him that? When Hinata said it, he didn't mind because she meant it with the utmost respect. Hanabi always used it in a teasing sort of way, and he could tolerate that. But every other rugrat in the village? Did no one teach their children the value of a respectful suffix anymore? "No, I'm not."
"Are you a ninja? Do you have an owie?"
"I am a ninja." He couldn't stop his mouth twitching ever so slightly at her choice of words. Did he have an owie? What ninja didn't? Just not the kind that any doctor here could fix. "I'm not here to see the doctor. My…" What did he even call TenTen anymore? They had been friends, but could he even claim that now? "My teammate is the one that needs to see the doctor."
"Does she have an owie?" The hand that wasn't clutching his hair made its way to the girl's mouth, and she sucked slowly on two of her fingers. Gingerly, with as little contact as possible, Neji reached over and removed them.
He thought of TenTen's eyes, frightened and darting, as she tried to tell him of her pregnancy. Her tense body language as she sat here, forced to divulge every aspect of her life to strangers. "Yes, she does."
"Are you gonna kiss it better?"
"Kiss it better?" He blinked down at the girl, who was staring back at him like he was an idiot.
She stood up on the chair, too large shirt sliding nearly off her shoulder, and kissed him directly on the tip of his nose. It was sticky, and moist, but surprisingly gentle. "You do it like that."
How he was supposed to respond to that, Neji had no idea. Fortunately, he was spared having to come up with a response by a nurse walking up to his side. "You can come see TenTen now. She's just about done."
"I have to go now." Once again he reached out, this time grabbing the clump of hair just above her hands and giving it a small tug. She let go easily, and Neji breathed a small sigh of relief. Really, where were the parents for this child?
"Bye, Neji-niisan," Ichigo grinned after him, waving her small hand. He tried not to shudder at the few strands of dark hair still attached to it.
This nurse, a younger girl with a brown curly ponytail, said nothing to him as she led him down the hall to some closed doors in the back. Checking a chart, she nodded to herself and opened one. "She's right in there."
Neji was dimly aware of nodding to her as he stepped into the sparsely decorated room. There was a counter, two chairs, and an examination table. TenTen was seated on the edge of the table, dressed in a hospital gown and looking very uncomfortable. The chair next to her was empty, and the one across occupied by a woman with frizzy blonde hair and large round glasses. She smiled at Neji as he entered, looking up from the clip board in her hands. "You must be the father."
Again he nodded, though he'd made no conscious decision for that act, and he dropped himself into the empty chair. Out in the waiting room, this had all somehow seemed far away. Now, he was here, with TenTen, talking to a doctor about their child as his stomach tried to decide whether to be sick or not.
"I was just telling your…" the doctor looked from him, to TenTen, and back for help with the word, but neither of them gave her any. "TenTen that the good news is, you are definitely pregnant! There are just some of things we're seeing in the tests looks a little off, but not in a way that you really should be concerned about."
"Off?" Why wouldn't they be concerned about off? Off meant things weren't normal, and if it wasn't normal the baby, or TenTen, could be in danger. That seemed plenty of reason to be concerned to him.
"She is absolutely adamant about the date of conception, and I don't doubt her. But, if that's the case, her hormone level is a bit high, as is the size of her uterus."
Neji opened his mouth to ask how she would measure that, but decided against it. He had enough of a grasp on anatomy to know where to gentle fist someone to kill, injure, or incapacitate them, but that was about it. And, as far as TenTen's body was concerned, that's all he really wanted to know.
"I've ordered an ultrasound, and the machine should be here any minute. We'll just make sure that everything is fine, and then we can schedule your next visit."
"If that's what you think is best." He glanced over at TenTen, hoping for some clue as to what he was supposed to say, but she wasn't looking at him. She wasn't looking at anyone, really, just staring off to the side with an unreadable look on her face.
There was a knock on the door, but the person on the other side didn't wait for a response before pushing it open. He should have been surprised to see Sakura wheeling in the machine, but he wasn't. Judging from the way she wouldn't look at them, she'd probably volunteered to bring it down, just to have her curiosity satisfied.
"Alright, TenTen, let's get you all set up, and then we'll have a look inside you, alright?"
An audible swallow from TenTen as she nodded, leaning back to lie down as Sakura adjusted the bed into a semi-reclining position. Neji looked away quickly as TenTen's gown was pushed away. If they had been married, or even dating, maybe he could have watched but it felt invasive now when they were barely on speaking terms. He probably shouldn't even be here. He'd forced this on TenTen, she didn't want him here, and maybe it really would be best for everyone if he just disappeared right now.
The steady thump thump noise that filled the room broke his thoughts, and he jerked his head up to the screen of the machine that was making the noise. He couldn't make out anything of the picture, just a bunch of black, white, and grey lines. It seemed to make sense to the doctor, though, as she smiled at him.
"That's your babies' heart beats."
"Heartbeats?" It was the first time TenTen had said anything since he'd entered, and he was surprised at how small and un-TenTen like her voice sounded.
"That's right." If possible, the doctor's smile broadened. "Congratulations, you're having twins. Isn't that wonderful?"
He managed to catch TenTen's eye for the first time all day, and her suddenly frighteningly pale face mirrored his own thoughts almost exactly. That wasn't wonderful news at all.
