Title: A New Era
Author: Shera
Disclaimer: (makes hat out of tin foil and puts it on) We all must avoid the brainwashing!
Chapter 25
The rain fell in sheets from Sakura's view of the window. She leaned back on the couch and deeply sighed.
"We could go on a walk if you want to brave the weather," Lee suggested as he turned a page in his book.
"I don't want to."
"I could make you some of that special tea."
"Why so I'll have to get up and use the bathroom for the hundredth time today?"
"I do not know what to tell you then."
"Lee, I want this baby out of me," she said while kicking her feet.
"You are not the only one," he said quietly.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, dear. The doctor did say any day now."
She crossed her arms over her chest, "Pah, doctors. What do they know?"
He laughed a little, "Need I remind you that you are among those clueless physicians?"
If looks could kill he'd be stone cold dead on the floor, "Just help me up. I have to pee again."
"Alright," he helped her to her feet and she waddled to the bathroom. Lee wasn't sure how much more of her grumpy attitude he could take. He could handle the swollen ankles, the constant bathroom trips, and the strange cravings but Sakura really had a handle on being mean. It was no easy task bringing another life into the world he was sure. He was in no way diminishing that and yet he was ready to move onto the next step of parenting.
She reemerged with a scowl still on her face, "Let's try another walk."
It had been raining for two days straight which had probably aided in making her restless. Plus they had been trapped inside the apartment together for at least a week since Lee had already started his maternity leave. They put on their outer gear and stepped outside. There was very little foot traffic and the few people they saw were rushing off to their destinations. They went through town and around to where the docks where before going towards the tower.
Her feet began to swell so they went inside to find a place for her to rest. Lee led her to a bench and eased her down before sitting himself. He couldn't stop himself from asking, "How do you feel?"
"Like I'm going to be pregnant forever."
"That is not true," he started but she wasn't listening.
Instead she took to speaking to her belly, "You in there. You have to come out sometime. Preferably soon."
"Yes, listen to your mother," Lee chimed in.
"Still no baby?" They looked up to see Ino standing in front of them with an armful of folders.
"Not yet," Sakura confirmed.
Ino's face grew thoughtful, "When was your due date?"
"About six days ago," the pink haired woman grumbled.
"Maybe they'll have to induce you into labor but I think you have to be more than a week late."
"I was hoping that the baby would come on its own but that might be a viable option."
"Good luck you two. I have to bring these upstairs but I'll see you later." The blond haired woman disappeared down the hall.
"Is that what you want to do?" Lee asked holding her hands, "It is your choice."
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "We'll give it a few days before we see the doctor. The baby may decide to arrive on its own yet."
"As you wish," he helped her up, "Shall I make some more tea when we get home?"
"Maybe but believe it or not I have to pee again."
"I can believe it."
They returned to their apartment after another lap around the village. He went into the kitchen to find they were out of herbal tea. "Sakura, I am going to go to the store for awhile. Is there anything you would like?"
"No," she replied softly.
He kissed her cheek, "I will not be gone long." He grabbed an umbrella in favor of his already drenched jacket and went out. The store windows were bright against the gloomy skies as he approached them. Lee walked to where the home remedies were kept and found the herbal tea he needed. While he was there he also grabbed some fizzy tablets to add to her foot soak that she would need later. When he got to the counter the clerk asked him, "Still no baby?"
"No," he sighed.
"Just hang in there, man."
"Thank you," he took the little shopping bag and reopened his umbrella. The rain wasn't as heavy as before but was still coming down steadily. He could of ran the rest of the way home but he would only tire himself out that way. Plus he liked the serenity of the village at the moment. He eventually did make it home and was pleased to find his wife sleeping peacefully on the couch.
Quietly he approached her sleeping form and crouched beside her. Then he put an ear to her round abdomen and listened. He felt the heal of a foot push against his head. With a smile he covered the spot with his hand, "Hello little one. I need you to listen very carefully. You can not live inside mommy anymore and if you do not come out on your own then we are coming in after you." He felt the foot retract from where it came but he felt that his threat had been heard. Then he kissed his wife's forehead before covering her with a blanket.
Lee went up the stairs and turned the light on in the nursery. Together he and Sakura had finished the last of the finer details. Besides the gifts that the ladies gave her there were the things that her male friends had later supplied. With everyone's help the room was completely furnished. The homemade quilt hung over the railing of the crib as he gave it a gentle pat. Lee turned the crank on the mobile and watched it turn for awhile. The furniture was all a pristine white so Neji's mural was really noticeable with its bright colors of a setting sun over a beautiful beach. Lee sat in the rocking chair and looked at the little birds flying towards the horizon while he went back and forth. He got up from his seat and went back to the door as he turned off the light he thought, "This room is perfect but it is missing one thing. That is a baby to live in it."
Sakura found herself in her own bed. She could vaguely remember climbing the stairs sometime last night. Lee was sleeping peacefully beside her so she carefully slid off the bed so she didn't wake him. She tried to decide if she needed to pee or not. Nope, that wasn't what woke her up. As quietly as she was able she went back downstairs. She was feeling some discomfort in her abdomen but she had so many fake outs that she didn't get excited. Instead she turned the lights on so she could read in the living room. A few pages later and the sensation hadn't stopped but it hadn't gotten stronger either. She took note of the time and continued to read on. The pain was starting to get sharper and made it harder to focus on the ink that filled the pages. She got up and started to pace the room with said book. Still she could only read a few words at a time before her attention was drawn elsewhere.
"Alright then," she said out loud while looking at the clock again before going into the kitchen. She filled the kettle and set it on the stove so the water could boil. For awhile she leaned against the counter and just let herself breathe. The pain passed and she was able to read in peace just long enough for the water to get hot. She made herself a cup of tea and sat at the island sipping it while she finished another page. This went on for awhile until she realized how close the different waves of pain were to each other.
She went back upstairs to her bedroom. Lee was sprawled out on the bed since she wasn't there to keep him on his side. Sakura gently put a hand on his shoulder, "Lee, you might want to think about getting up soon."
"Mmm, why?"
"How do you feel about having a baby today?"
"That would be nice," he said sleepily.
"Yes it would but you really have to get up now." He rolled over and the pillow muffled everything he said. "Lee, my water broke while I was talking to you."
A moment passed while his half asleep brain made sense of what she had said. Then he bolted out of bed, "Sakura! We have to get you to the hospital!"
"I realize this," she said a little irritated. "Get dressed and I'll do the same then we'll go." He was panicked as he seemed to forget the layout of their room and kept opening the dresser drawers with her clothes in them. Sakura handed him some clothes that were his own before dressing herself. It didn't really matter what she wore because they were going to make her change once they got there anyway. She took another deep breath as another contraction started. After it passed she told Lee, "Grab the suitcase and let's go."
The hospital had never seemed so far away before now. Lee had shouldered the bag and had his free hand around her as they made their way towards it. The lights of the building were bright against the drizzly night sky when they arrived. The night staff nurse looked up when she heard them come in. She recognized Sakura's body language right away and came towards them with a wheel chair.
The nurse pulled a clipboard from her desk and gave it to Lee with a pen, "I just need you to fill out these forms while we make mommy as comfortable as possible."
Lee looked at the sheets like they were written in some barbaric language. "Honey, just give those to me." He did as he was told and she had them filled out in a minute flat. "One of the benefits of looking at medical forms all the time is that you already know all the answers." She handed the finished paperwork to the nurse.
"Alright then," a younger nurse came into the lobby to push Sakura towards the maternity ward. Lee followed behind with the luggage.
She and Lee both helped Sakura out of the wheel chair, "I just need you to put this on and then we can get you settled." The nurse went out of the room so she could have some privacy. Lee helped her tie the gown in the back and climb onto the bed.
"You ready to start this adventure?" she asked.
"With you? Always," he answered. The he sat in the chair beside her and held her hand.
Sakura dozed off after a few hours so Lee took the liberty of taking a walk. It was still too early in the day to be going around banging on people's doors and the nurse told him it would be several hours still. He went to the cafeteria to make a coffee from a vending machine. It poured thick into the cup,
"That stuff will kill you," Kakashi said from where he stood in the hall.
"It looks like it could," Lee replied swirling it around, "What are you here for?"
"I broke my hand and needed it to be mended. Is Sakura here?"
"Yes, she is sleeping now." Lee also answered the question the other was ready to ask, "Still no baby."
"Does anyone else know that you two are here?"
"I have not told anyone because of the hour it is."
"I see," Lee couldn't tell if the other man was smiling or not, "Seriously don't drink that. I'll go for a coffee run after all it's going to be a long day for both of us."
Lee bowed, "Thank you very much."
"I'll see you soon then," then he poof-ed away. Lee tossed the cup into a nearby trashcan and started to walk back to Sakura's room. He glanced out the window to see the first rays of sun fight their way through the rainy skies. It still had the potential to be a pretty spring day.
True to his word Kakashi found them in the maternity ward with coffee and some donuts. They went outside to have them since Sakura wasn't permitted to eat and they didn't want to in front of her. "Since I saved your life on this the day of your child's birth," Kakashi started, "I was just wondering if you two have settled on a name yet."
Before Lee could answer a roaring voice blasted towards them, "Now hold on a moment Kakashi!" Gai burst on the scene causing a few heads to curiously poke their heads out of their rooms to see what was going on. "You can't use your coolness to sway my precious student to your way of thinking."
"I saved him from drinking toxic coffee. I think he owes me one," he replied.
"Let's duel for the right to have the child named after us. Lee will choose the challenge," Gai said while pointing at the younger man.
"Uh," he thought for awhile to find a challenge that would be fair but related to the prize. Then her remembered what Sakura had told him about the shower, "Hold on for a moment." He ran off leaving the other two confused in his wake. When he returned he was carrying two baby dolls and two diaper bags. "Here is the challenge. You must correctly diaper your doll and whoever finishes first wins."
"Alright seems fair," Kakashi took his doll and bag before walking over to a window sill.
"Excellent! If I lose I will do five hundred jumping jacks." Gai said while enthusiastically taking his own.
Kakashi sweat dropped as they stood side by side at the window sill while they waited for Lee, "Alright men to your marks. Get set, three, two, one, go!"
They both started off well as they undid the snaps on the doll's clothing and removed the 'messy' diapers. Kakashi used the wipes and dashed a little powder on as well. Gai had pulled a whole wad of the wipes out of the container and used all of them. After a small mushroom cloud of powder surrounded him. Kakashi ignored the obstruction as he pulled a fresh diaper out of the bag. As the powder cleared Gai reached into his own bag to find one of his own. Kakashi was having problems with the tape on his and Gai wasn't doing much better with his own. Lee heard laughter coming from behind him. When he turned around Ten Ten was bent over laughing hysterically with Neji standing beside her.
"What's going on here?"
"Done!" both men said in unison.
"Gai-sensei challenged Kakashi-sensei to a duel to see who Sakura and I should name our child after but I do not know who finished first," Lee supplied.
Neji's face met his palm as he said more to himself, "If it's not one thing it's another."
Ten Ten examined their handiwork, "Well Kakashi-sensei's tape isn't on tight enough. A baby could easily wiggle out of it. As for Gai-sensei's a little cloud would follow after the baby." She shook her head, "You both have much training to do."
"We will train together, Gai-sensei. It will be just like old times!"
"Oh, Lee my faithful student, even now you haven't forgotten to work through all obstacles. We shall conquer this trial together and be better men for it!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Not to break up the love fest but can I visit Sakura?" Ten Ten asked.
"Yes, she was awake the last time I was in there," Lee replied.
Ten Ten cautiously opened the door to see her friend reading in bed, "Hello."
"Hi," the pink haired woman replied, "What's going on out there?"
The brunette shrugged, "The usual, Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are dueling over who is going to be the godfather of your child."
She sighed, "I should of known it was going to be something like that."
Ten Ten made herself comfortable at the vacant chair beside her friend, "You hanging in there?"
"I wish this part was over with."
"I know but soon you'll forget about this when you get to see their sweet little face for the first time."
"With their chubby little fingers and to- OW!"
Ten Ten grabbed her hand and held onto it as a strong contraction took over, "Lee, you better get in here!"
The door opened with Lee running in with a different nurse from earlier. The pain passed so Sakura released Ten Ten's hand. As the brunette shook it Sakura said meekly, "Sorry about that."
"Nah, I understand. Child bearing's a bitch," she was still shaking her hand when she left the room.
The nurse checked Sakura out as Lee replaced Ten Ten, "Looks like you're ready to deliver. Lee there are some scrubs in that cabinet that you can change into." She pointed as she used the paging system to alert one of the doctors.
"Lee, the scrubs go over your clothes," Sakura tried to not laugh as she watch him take his shirt half off.
"I knew that. I was merely testing you," He gave her a kiss, "You need to stay sharp with you medical knowledge."
"I'm sure that's what you were doing," she said snidely before she started to pant again. He finished putting the outer layer on so he could solely concentrate on her.
It was then that her midwife came in, "You ready to meet your baby?" Sakura thought the canter was unnecessary as was her perky attitude.
"That would be lovely," she said sarcastically.
Together the physicians positioned her the way they needed, "Okay Sakura, when the next contraction starts I want you to push with it." She nodded in understanding. Lee's hand tightened around hers as another came. "Push!"
She did as she was told, "Oh my God the baby does have my forehead!"
"Good girl. Just a bit more," the midwife encouraged.
"You can do it!" she heard Lee say as well. She scrunched up her face as she focused on the task at hand. With a deep breath she used her reserved energy and gave a final push. It took only a moment before a cry escaped the infant. The nurse took the newborn away to get it cleaned up as Lee covered her face with kisses. Sakura leaned back on the bed and briefly closed her eyes.
The crying ceased pretty quickly which concerned Sakura. Usually that wasn't a good sign. It could mean that the infant's lungs weren't fully developed and wasn't getting enough air. The mild panic stopped when the midwife returned almost immediately with the baby wrapped in a pink blanket. "Here you are all snuggly warm. She's really beautiful."
Sakura moved the blanket back so she could she her daughter blinking up at her sleepily. Her hair was dark just like her father's which caused Sakura to stiffen until her eyelids raised up enough to reveal baby blue eyes.
Lee put an arm around her shoulder as he leaned in to get a closer look, "Would you look at her?"
Sakura couldn't believe that she was finally here and completely healthy. Gently she moved her bangs so the baby could see better, "Looks like she's going to have my eyes."
Then she noticed that he was no longer standing beside her. She sighed because she had a pretty good idea where he was going. The door clicked suddenly as Lee ran out into the hall still wearing his scrubs. Everyone looked up at him expectantly.
"We have a little girl," he said with his eyes shining. His friends all stood to shake his hand or give him a pat on the back.
"Can we see her?" Ten Ten asked while bouncing on her heels.
"Yes of course!" Lee replied letting them into the room.
Sakura sat in the bed holding the infant in her arms. She looked up at the sound of their footsteps, "Hello, everybody." The group gathered around the bed to sneak a first look at the baby. "So who wants to hold her first?"
"Me, me, me!" Ten Ten said while easily taking the newborn away from its mother. "Oh Neji, look how sweet her face is."
He passed the infant off to Kakashi before saying, "We already have one at home we don't need another."
She found Kakashi's fingers very interesting as she played with them. He was reluctant to push the baby off to Gai but very carefully he did. Gai and everyone else waited for the baby to cry like the first time he had held Shouta. She didn't though because she was fascinated by the stretchy nature of the spandex suit he was wearing. Her chubby hand would grab the fabric and watch it snap back into place.
Her baby blue eyes then lingered on his face as tears formed in his own, "She's just so adorable!" Carefully Lee took his daughter back and let her snuggle into his chest.
"She seems like a very content child," Ten Ten said to Sakura.
"She barely cried when she was born. I thought there was something wrong at first."
"It looks like she's going to be a total daddy's girl though," the brunette replied as she watched the infant fall asleep in Lee's arms.
"So have you decided on a name yet?" Kakashi asked in a nonchalant sort of way.
Sakura shook her head, "Nothing we've agreed on."
"Well you two just keep thinking about it," Gai winked.
"Alright enough already," Neji said opening the door, "Everyone out. I'm sure these two could use some quiet time."
"Goodbye," they said in unison as Neji ushered the group out.
Lee carefully put the baby into the hospital pram, "She does need a name. We can not go on calling her 'baby girl Lee'."
"I thought that was really original though," she replied mockingly.
Lee's face grew thoughtful as he considered the issue at hand, "What if instead of after a flower we name her 'Angel'?"
"I want it to be something that won't let me entertain the thought of her working at a club someday."
Lee sighed, "What would you like to name her then?"
Sakura had been thinking long and hard about baby names for the last few months. Actually their daughter had inspired her choice, "Kameko." He looked down at their daughter, "Just like the day we met."
He smiled at his wife, "I like it."
A/N: Baby girl is finally here everybody! For anyone who's curious, Kameko means 'tortoise-child'. Yeah, I went there.