A/N: Guess who's finally done with the semester? I'm a full time student at uni, so finding time to write is nearly impossible. Sorry!
Words: 876
Promp:#019 - Tears
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
It had been a couple of months now. She had been visiting her dad every day for the past few months, sitting beside him, talking to him, sometimes even yelling at him or staring blankly at the sheets covering his comatose body. She came in a little later on Tuesdays, because she had the long shift at work, but never missed a day. Sometimes she would even bring coffee and a bagel.
He had been noticing her for some weeks now. He had only seen her in the cafeteria a few times this month. She was always smiling and laughing a bubbly laughter among others, as though she was compensating for her stillness beside her father. Her long blonde hair no longer flowed behind her with every step she took. Her bright blue eyes had lost their sparkle and her smile, her ever so beautiful smile was no longer sincere. He had been noticing her pretty early on. She had helped him out on a few occasions and intrigued him with her wit and charm.
"Car accident" some of the nurses had told him, when he asked about the patient in room 105. It must have been pretty nasty, since he had been in a coma for almost four months. Chances of him waking up were slim to none. She was smart, she must have known too. Kiba ran a hand through his messy hair, eyes never leaving the pretty blonde visible through the glass door. He felt sorry for her, he really did. Her dad was her only family, he had been told.
Returning his attention to the patient journals he was sorting, he glanced her way a few times. She never cried. Not once had he seen tears run down her cheeks. Maybe she cried in the privacy of her home, not wanting to show others. Maybe all her tears were dried up. Maybe she was waiting for her dad to draw his final breath, he didn't know. One thing was for sure, she was hurting on the inside. The pain she masked in front of others was so clear in those blue eyes of hers.
Kiba scanned the page for information and came to a halt. The handwriting was too smudged to be read. He would have to fill in the information himself. Grabbing a pen, he double checked the number of the room assigned to the patient. 105. He reached the door consisting of glass panels and slid it open. He could feel her eyes on him immediately.
"You should get some sleep." The words were out before he could stop himself.
"What?" Her head turned towards him. She had become so accustomed to only hearing the sound of her raging thoughts, her father's breathing and the beeping of the equipment, his voice sounded incredibly foreign.
"Go home and get some sleep. He won't wake up any faster if you stay here. I'll look after him." Kiba searched her eyes for something, but found only exhaustion. He proceeded to write down the information he needed and adjusted some of the tubes going in and out of the IV.
"I'm fine, really." Her eyes flickered to the heartbeat monitor. It was beeping steadily and rhythmically. How many times had she watched the pattern the monitor made, before it was memorized? There had been no significant changes for a long time. It haunted her, showed up in her dreams, always threatening to become a flat line.
"When will you stop lying to yourself, Ino?" Kiba asked her bluntly. He watched her eyes widen ever so slightly. Her eyes were so easy to read and so pretty to look at. He couldn't help but stare at her as she took in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. He knew it. She had been thinking the same thing all along, and now she had heard it from an outsider. He patiently watched her trying to compose herself.
"He's in good hands. You should know." His voice softened a bit. Aggravating her would do absolutely nothing to help, but he had to let her know that she could rely on others. He was more than capable, she had trained him herself.
"Go home." He urged her. Grabbing a spare scrap of paper, he wrote down the number of his cell and handed it to her. She grabbed it mechanically, glancing only momentarily at the digits under his name. He didn't say anything else, there was no need. She already knew what the numbers scrawled across the paper meant. She could call him if she needed anything.
He watched her look from the paper to her dad's sleeping silhouette and back. She put it in her pocket and nodded. Getting up, she grabbed her coat and bag and observed her dad again. He looked so peaceful, like he was in a deep slumber. How she yearned for him to open his eyes and yawn, before telling her about his crazy dreams. She locked eyes with Kiba one more time and turned to leave.
"He'll be fine." He assured her. She stopped mid-step and turned her head towards him.
"I hope." Before she shut the glass door, Kiba could have sworn he saw her eyes glisten.
Until next time (=w=)/