.
"I like having you for my big brother."
Rain Main, 1988
.
Take Nine.
Sasuke didn't leave. He couldn't comprehend the thought of leaving, so he simply knelt rigidly on the floor as Kakashi conversed with the emergency services. He mentally kicked himself over and over- he knew what was wrong with Itachi. However, he'd been too caught up in himself to pay attention to what he now saw as obvious signs. Guilt ate at him, leaving him to meet Kakashi's gaze sadly when he hung up his phone.
Kakashi had relinquished his hold on the necklace, eyes boring into Sasuke as he quickly laid Itachi out on the floor in the recovery position. "You never mentioned that he's diabetic, Sasuke," he remarked quietly as he leant over, putting his face near to Itachi's. "Did you know?"
"Of course!" Sasuke protested. "But he's on medication. He should be fine." A thought hit him and he frowned, indicating the dog tags around his brother's neck. "How did you know that was a medical necklace?"
"I've said before the dog tags don't suit Itachi," Kakashi pointed out. "I made the correct assumption that he wears them for a medical reason, but never had the chance to test my theory. Sasuke- are you familiar with DKA?"
Kakashi had his face close to Itachi's still. Sasuke's blood ran cold as he realised what he was doing- memories filtered back through him of when he had first heard that phrase, years ago when his brother had been raced to hospital following a collapse much like his current one.
"Diabetic ketoacidosis," he replied slowly, the clinical phrase sounding foreign on his tongue. He paused before adding a soft afterthought, born of disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"I can smell fruit on him," Kakashi replied as he finally pulled his head up. "That's a hallmark of DKA. This is serious, Sasuke."
"He's medicated!" Sasuke repeated, raising his voice. "There's no way his blood glucose level should be high enough to cause diabetic ketoacidosis! He had this once before, but he wasn't diagnosed then so his sugars were all over the place."
"Perhaps he isn't as medicated as you think. He's Type II?"
"Yes."
"That's unusual," Kakashi murmured, hand on Itachi's wrist as he felt his pulse. "He's probably been unwell. An infection could trigger it in a non-medicated Type II diabetic, though it still isn't common."
"He's medicated!" Sasuke repeated once more, realising he sounded ridiculous but unable to stop the words from coming.
"Let the doctors be the judge of that, Sasuke."
"How do you know so much about it?" Sasuke eventually asked when they'd been waiting in silence, ears listening for the opening doors signalling the arriving paramedics.
"One of my members of staff collapsed on set with this a few years ago," Kakashi explained. "I got a crash course in diabetes for it. If I'd have known Itachi was diabetic, I'd have probably been able to work out what was wrong with him before it got to this stage. The amount of water he was drinking was a huge giveaway, but only with the knowledge of his condition would I have made the connection."
Sasuke didn't like the mildly accusatory tone. "You're not so observant now then?" He snapped bitterly, hating himself for not seeing it either.
"Right now isn't the time for fighting, Sasuke," Kakashi told him firmly. "Save it for later."
Sasuke fell silent, turning as he felt a hand on his shoulder to see Naruto's concerned face looking back at him.
"What's going on?" He asked quietly, eyes falling on Itachi. "Is he going to be alright?"
"I hope so," Sasuke uttered, hearing the sound of racing footsteps from paramedics at the end of the hall. Kakashi pulled himself to a stand, throwing his car keys to Naruto.
"Get in the car, I'll drive you both."
"I'm going with him!"
"No, Sasuke. You're going to get in my car with Naruto."
Sasuke attempted to protest, finding himself being dragged down the hall by one surprisingly strong blond instead. He struggled and fought right up to the door of the Cadillac, where he found himself propelled inside and strapped into his seat.
"He's in good hands," Naruto soothed when they were sitting in worried silence, eyes on the studio door in anticipation of Kakashi. "What's going on?"
"Something potentially dangerous," Sasuke sighed wearily, rubbing one hand on his forehead in both thought and frustration. "He shouldn't be like this."
"What did Kakashi mean when he said he could smell fruit?"
"It's a sign that his blood glucose level is so high he's got something called ketones in his body." Sasuke shook his head in disbelief once more. "This was how he was diagnosed in the first place. I don't understand."
"What happened?"
"He wasn't well," Sasuke murmured, turning away as he noticed the paramedics leaving the building. "He was getting headaches and he said he was feeling constantly thirsty, so he was drinking litres of water. He got kicked out of the class at school for doing it- that was a huge deal, because my brother does not get in trouble without a good reason. He passed out later that day, was diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and has been medicated ever since."
He cut his story off as Kakashi opened the door, jumping in the front seat. "They've got an IV in him," he explained. "Don't worry, Sasuke."
The words were empty. Sasuke wouldn't believe them until his brother was conscious and telling him so himself.
-.-.-
Sitting in the waiting room waiting for news was something Sasuke hated very, very much. The last time he'd been in the same position had been horrific enough- he'd been young, the details had been sparse, and he'd been convinced his adored brother was on his death bed.
This time around he was older and wiser, yet he still found himself fearing the same. This time, he knew too much.
"Sasuke?"
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, sitting across from him with a worried expression on his face.
"Come outside with me," Naruto suggested, beckoning and leaving without waiting for a reply. Sasuke hesitated, unsure he wanted to leave his post, but he eventually followed- he was partly curious and partly glad for the distraction.
"It always feels worse sitting around inside," Naruto explained once they were on a wall in the hospital car park. Sasuke watched as his companion glanced up at the stars, eyes clouded with a familiar emotion that Sasuke recognised immediately- fear. It couldn't be for Itachi though, Sasuke figured. Not because Naruto was cruel, but because from the look of it he'd been in a similar position before of waiting around for a positive answer and receiving only a life-shattering negative one.
"Your Dad?" He found himself asking, kicking himself the moment the words were out of his mouth. Tact was, apparently, not in his vocabulary.
"Yeah," Naruto replied with a shrug. "I sat around for three days like this, just waiting for them to tell me he was going to be alright."
Sasuke didn't need to ask what had happened. It had been big news, even outside of entertainment sources. Minato Namikaze was a man well known and respected by the general public- the news that he had been in a terrible road accident was like a shock through the heart of the nation, who had been waiting on tenterhooks for an answer as to whether he would pull through.
Casting a glance to Naruto, Sasuke felt suddenly sorry for him. The nation had been hoping he'd pull through, but Sasuke guessed Naruto had been hoping it more than all of them put together.
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
"Don't worry about me," Naruto replied airily, banishing all traces of melancholy to give Sasuke a supportive smile. "Just promise me you won't drive yourself mad waiting around for answers, alright? I've done it, it sucks."
"I've done it too," Sasuke replied before he could stop himself. Naruto eyed him curiously- with the cat halfway out of the bag and nothing better to concentrate on, Sasuke continued. "Last time this happened to Itachi he ended up in intensive care."
Naruto's eyes widened, his own follies seemingly forgotten. "It's that serious?"
Sasuke nodded, keeping his eyes to the floor. The doctors had confirmed Itachi was experiencing DKA- they had wired him to an IV on the scene and taken blood to test his blood glucose level once he was in the hospital. Sasuke wasn't surprised- the symptoms had been hallmark of it, and if he'd only been paying attention he'd have seen it.
"Come on," Naruto said quietly. "Let's go and get something to drink."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "If you think I'm going to leave my brother in the hospital-"
"No," Naruto interrupted. "We'll go and find the cafeteria. If you've done this before, you know sitting around thinking about it doesn't help. We can ask Kakashi to come and find us if he wakes up or there's any developments."
Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling Naruto was attempting to make sure the mistakes of the past weren't repeated, allowing himself to be propelled in the direction of the hospital cafeteria. He begrudgingly let Naruto buy them both a coke, nursing the drink with eyes investigating the stains on the table.
"Hey," Naruto prompted, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Leave me alone," Sasuke snapped at him, not lifting his gaze from the watermarks.
"Snapping at me isn't going to make him get better."
Sasuke pursued his lips in annoyance, but said nothing.
"I kept a bedside vigil for my Dad," Naruto murmured, his finger once again moving by itself, tracing the watermarks patterns on the table that held Sasuke's attention. "The press all wanted to get in and interview me but I couldn't face them, so I just stayed at his side. Dad was always careful to keep me out of the limelight so I wasn't used to the attention."
Sasuke had been aware Minato had a son, but as Naruto said- he was never in the full glare of the media. He wondered if in any of his old entertainment magazines whether Naruto would be in any of the photos, hiding behind his father nervously as a child. At the time he wouldn't have taken any notice but now he was gripped with an almost urgent desire to find out.
"I wish I'd had the space to leave and clear my head," Naruto eventually continued. "But at the same time it was our last days together. I wouldn't change that for anything."
"Are you trying to make me feel better?" Sasuke responded curtly. "Because all you're doing is reminding how potentially fatal this is."
"No," Naruto shrugged. "I'm trying to make myself feel better. I hate hospitals. I'm sorry if it's making you think like that."
"Of course it is," Sasuke hissed at him. "Can't we talk about something else?"
"Like what? You're the least open person I've ever met."
Sasuke laughed shortly. "I don't have much to talk about."
"Sure you do. Tell me about yourself, your childhood, your dreams- everyone has stuff to say, Sasuke."
"None of that is any of your business."
Naruto exhaled heavily. "Alright. How about... What's your taste in girls?"
Sasuke glared at him in the hope if he did, Naruto might spontaneously combust. "Shut. Up."
"Oh come on! Everyone has a preference! You like redheads, maybe? Or perhaps you like blondes?"
Sasuke picked up his coke with every intention of emptying it over Naruto's head. Naruto seemed to sense it, holding his hands up and shaking his head rapidly.
"Okay, I get it! You don't want to talk. You're the one who suggested we talk about something else, so why don't you start the conversation?"
"I have nothing to say to you."
"Uh huh. Keep on hating, Sasuke, I can see right through you."
"You can, huh?" Sasuke spat angrily, glaring at Naruto. "So tell me, Naruto- what am I thinking right now?"
"That you love your brother and you want him to be alright."
"Wrong."
"Bullshit. You're snappier than usual, you're-"
"Just be quiet!" Sasuke interrupted, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He refused to admit Naruto was right and he certainly didn't like the look of pity in his eye. No- it was empathy, which he hated even more because it meant the blond before him had once felt like he was and he wouldn't wish that on anyone.
"I should have noticed," he muttered. "I should have noticed what was wrong with him."
"Don't blame yourself," Naruto replied immediately, seeing where the conversation was heading. "That's never pretty."
"I know," Sasuke replied softly. "My brother went that route once. He-"
He cut himself off, realising he was about to say too much. Naruto eyed him curiously, but upon seeing Kakashi approaching their table, the conversation was lost.
"He's stable," he said quietly- Sasuke let out the breath he was holding. "They pushed the tests through quickly so his blood results are back. Sasuke, he doesn't seem to be medicated at all- at least, he hasn't taken anything recently."
The relief Sasuke felt was washed away immediately, being replaced by anger. "What?"
"His blood glucose level was over seven hundred," Kakashi continued. "I'm surprised he was able to function as well as he did. Concealing what was wrong in the manner he did was dangerous, though."
"I know," Sasuke muttered, eyes darkening. "I can't believe he's been skimping on his medication. He's normally more sensible than that."
"Now he's stable he should wake up soon," Kakashi pointed out. "But Sasuke? Don't launch straight into an interrogation. He needs time to recover."
Sasuke rose and left without a word, feet finding their way to Itachi's room on autopilot. Slipping inside, he took in his brother's form on the bed with a soft inhale of something akin to pity. Rarely did Itachi ever look as weakened as he did- pale and dressed in a hospital gown, hair splayed across the pillow as it threatened to pull free from its usual tie. He looked peaceful in his unconsciousness, attached to a heart monitor with an IV in his hand.
Sasuke took a seat, folding his arms and closing his eyes to the scene. Now he was here, he was going to wait for his brother to awaken, and then he was going to give him hell.
He didn't have to wait long. Roughly half an hour later, Itachi's face contorted in pain as his eyes fluttered open, falling on Sasuke's irate form in the nearby chair.
"What the hell happened?" He murmured, eyes straying to the IV in his hand as he raised it slowly in apparent shock.
"You fucking idiot," Sasuke snapped in response. "Why aren't you taking your meds?"
Itachi put a hand to his forehead, wincing in pain at Sasuke's loud tone. "I collapsed?"
"Yes, you collapsed. Your blood glucose level was over seven hundred, Itachi. You know as well as I do normal is between eighty and one hundred and twenty! You're lucky you aren't in a coma again."
"No wonder I feel terrible," Itachi finally sighed, letting his hand fall back to the threadbare white cover over him. Despite his sleepy demeanour, he cast a cagey glance around the clinical room- Sasuke caught it, knowing that despite his anger he needed to step in.
"Don't worry," he urged. "I know it's a hospital but I hope you understand there was no choice."
"I know," Itachi murmured, but he didn't look any more comfortable with the situation. "But it's still a hospital. I don't want to be here."
"You put yourself here! Didn't you realise what was wrong?"
"Of course I knew what was wrong," Itachi replied softly, not meeting Sasuke's eye. "It would have been difficult not to have done, considering the symptoms that presented. I'm surprised you didn't catch on."
"It isn't my job to keep watch on you."
"I didn't imply that. I mean that I was wired to a bottle of water, getting sent home from work with headaches- I was convinced you were going to work it out. It's the same symptoms as last time."
"You say that like you didn't want me to figure it out," Sasuke muttered bitterly.
"I didn't."
Sasuke glared at him, folding his arms angrily. "Well done- keeping secrets landed you in the hospital. Aren't you proud of yourself?"
He tried to bite back the sarcastic, acidic tone but he failed. Itachi looked marginally hurt by it, turning his attention to the thin cover over him on the bed.
"I'm sorry," he apologised, his voice low as he fingered the hem of the white blanket. Sasuke narrowed his eyes- Itachi Uchiha did not fidget like a child about things. "You're right that it's entirely my fault. I'm not medicated and I skipped breakfast, which will always make it worse- I should have known better."
"The doctors were wondering if you had an underlying infection or something," Sasuke remarked, sighing and trying to let the anger dissipate slightly. "You're telling me this happened because you were too stupid to remember to eat?"
"It certainly won't have helped."
"You are such a moron," Sasuke sighed, when he realised he was incapable of saying much else.
"That's a crown I suppose I should wear today," Itachi agreed quietly.
"If you knew what was wrong then why didn't you deal with it?" Sasuke asked when they'd been sitting in sombre silence for a while, both deep in thought.
"I cancelled my insurance and we don't have the money for medication right now."
"You what?!" Sasuke yelled, his displeasure rising once more. "Considering you have an underlying health problem, what possessed you to do that?"
He received silence as an answer.
"We could have found the money for medication," Sasuke tried instead. "We could have-"
"We could have done nothing," Itachi cut in firmly. "You know as well as I do how tight money is for us right now."
"Call Dad," Sasuke suggested. It was an idea he didn't take lightly- Itachi seemed to share his distaste, scowling at him for it.
"You know I would rather suffer than ask for his help."
"If you can't afford medication and you're too stupid to regulate your blood sugars yourself, then you need to ask him for money," Sasuke attempted to reason, unable to resist the jibe.
Itachi closed his eyes wearily, heaving a deep sigh before meeting Sasuke's eye. "Do you know why I skipped breakfast today, Sasuke? The answer isn't 'because I'm an idiot'."
Sasuke urged him to continue, rolling his eyes.
"It's because save for what you ate, there wasn't anything else to have."
Sasuke stared at him in shock, suddenly acutely aware that not only did Fate currently despise him, he was also becoming fast friends with the bastard known as 'guilt'.
-.-.-
Author's Notes: Well done to the people with correct guesses :) I tried to explain all the medical stuff that needed to be done so over the course of this chapter- anything I've missed should come next chapter, but if you have any questions just ask.
Thank you very much to Crazy PurpleSage for giving me a hand with medical insurance information. I'm very fortunate to live in a country with free healthcare, so it was all quite a new concept to me. It's appreciated my dear!
Once again, thanks for reading, reviewing, enjoying, etc. I can't believe this fic is about to hit one hundred reviews already! Thanks so much! :D
