Chapter 37

It was day four when she stirred. Sarada was sleeping on the bed with her mother and her father. No one could get Sasuke to leave the hospital, even trying to get him to leave was met with excruciating pain; he had literally thrown Naruto from the window when Naruto had tried to get him to leave. And Tsunade wasn't about to make him leave, so he was staying right where he was. However, two days ago when the elders had come to demand he continue his mission he had trapped them in genjutsu then tossed their asses away from him as he then locked his wife's hospital door and kept everyone out.

It didn't stop Sakura's stream of visitors who trickled by.

Ino brought Sakura flowers daily, she also brought Sai and Inojin with her for some reason. Sasuke didn't mind but he glared at her whenever she tried to speak with him; he did not want to hear whatever she had to say. But he wasn't pitching her out of the room only because he knew her to be Sakura's long time best friend/rival. Inojin literally drove Sarada up the walls though and he'd find his toddler perched on shelves, windowsills, and even the ceiling fan. Sai though, well… he made Sasuke just look like a social genius, and though he knew for some reason Sakura and the former Root member got along well; it was tempting to knock Sai's lights out for calling her Ugly rather than Sakura.

Hinata, a very pregnant Hinata, visited often; without her husband because if Naruto dug on him… well, Sasuke had never really minded kicking the dobe's ass and he really didn't mind kicking he dobe's ass out the window. Hinata would just sit with him, she didn't really talk all that much, and her toddler would only try to get Sarada to play with him only for him to be punched when he took her bear. Sasuke found he didn't really mind Hinata's quiet company though, he could just ignore her and she didn't find offense it that.

Temari had visited with her husband and son; Shikadai seemed to be the only child who didn't bother Sarada so far, but that was probably because the Nara boy just wanted to nap and left her be. Shikamaru had tried to entice him into a game of Go but he had refused. Shikamaru had left him be after that when he'd visit. Temari apparently had been befriended by Sakura shortly after her move to the village and her marriage to Shikamaru. Apparently not many had trusted her when she had come here and she considered Sakura one of her best friends because of this. Sasuke just let her be if she left him alone, he didn't pitch her out of the room like he'd do to Naruto when Naruto started pestering him.

Kakashi was a daily visitor, no questions were asked about this, but he'd drop Sarada off in the mornings, bring them all breakfast, bring them all lunch, bring them all dinner, then return to take Sarada to his apartment for the night. Kakashi was rather like a worried father when he would come, checking up on Sakura and him to see how they were doing. Sasuke didn't talk but apparently Kakashi had figured out how everything was going for him and Sakura.

The other daily visitor was Tsunade, she would check Sakura over once and hour and steal Sarada for a few hours in the afternoon after lunch and before dinner. Apparently Tsunade was like Kakashi and very taken with his daughter. He didn't mind though, Tsunade was a tough woman but she was clearly a very caring one and she looked over Sakura with motherly concern. Sasuke didn't mind, Sakura had always seemed to worship her mentor, and looked up to Tsunade as if she were her own mother. Sarada also seemed enamored by Tsunade.

The other set of daily visitors were Sakura's parents. Haruno Kizashi would visit in the evenings when things at their bakery were calm and Haruno Mebuki would come in the morning with pastries for him. He hadn't ever really interacted with Sakura's parents, but the few times they would visit together he could see a lot of where his wife got her personality. Also, while they didn't seem to know much about him or his past crimes they did try to talk to him. And they were also not above swiping Sarada off; usually after breakfast and returning her just before lunch. Truthfully, he kind of liked them; they were funny, kind natured people, but Kami were they ever loud! But they made him feel… welcomed, not many made him feel welcomed here and they tried to make him feel welcomed in their family; even with their concerns and worries for their comatose daughter.

However, on day four, he was resting his brow on the very fingers he had lifted up and trying not to drift into the nap that was calling him. Sarada was with Tsunade at the moment, so he didn't have to worry about his toddler as he rested there. His eyes snapped open when he felt a finger on his brow twitch. Hesitantly he slid his eyes over to her, her nose twitched then as her upper lip curled back and a low moan escaped her lips. Her eyes were stirring behind her lids and he sat up as he stared at her.

"Mn," she moaned out as she slowly opened her hazy green eyes.

"Sakura," he breathed her name as he just stared at her.

"Hey, you're home," she smiled as she breathed weakly. She tried to pull her hand from his but he couldn't let it go. "Mn, what do you want for breakfast?" she asked sleepily when he wouldn't let her go.

He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he sat there staring at her confused, weak, sleepy form. She started looked around with bleary eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice rough as she tried to move.

"Don't move Sakura," he ordered sharply as he drew her attention back to him, his hand tighten it's hold on hers' on it's own accord as he stared at her. "Kami I thought I lost you," he whispered as he leaned over her then.

"Mmmnhm," she groaned as she moved. "Where are we?"

"We're at the hospital, in the village," he murmured.

"Which village?" she asked in a tired tone.

"I needed to bring you home Sakura, you needed the best," he explained.

"Ah, where's Sarada?" Sakura yawned as she tried to continue moving but he held her still. Her body had gone through quite and ordeal and he didn't want her to start bleeding again; she had on the second day and nearly died twice in surgery again; according to Tsunade.

"She's with Tsunade, she's safe," he assured her. And now she was alert as her eyes took in her surroundings and settled on him in distress.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You miscarried, you were bleeding so badly, I brought you here," he murmured. Tears welled up in her eyes but she didn't cry as she tried to sit up.

"Don't move, Sakura, you'll start bleeding again, I'll get Tsunade," he murmured and then he was up. Reluctantly he released her hand, his eyes scanned the village for Tsunade's chakra signature and found her playing with Sarada in the hospital gardens. Walking straight towards them without stopping he walked out to see his daughter learning to gamble from her honorary great-grandmother. Sasuke didn't know if he should be offended or worried at this point.

"Sakura's awake," he informed Tsunade as he picked up Sarada and her tattered bear; he would need to have that fixed or buy another one for her.

"Good, I'll go check on her. Is she coherent?" Tsunade asked as they walked through the hospital.

"Hn," he nodded.

"That's a good sign, I'll give her a look over, but I want her here for a while longer. That second bleeding nearly killed her," Tsunade explained. "I want to observe her and make certain it won't happen again."

"Hn," he agreed.

"Good, now give me a moment with her Uchiha and then you and Sarada can be with her," Tsunade said as she walked into the room. He nodded and sat on a bench with a fidgety Sarada who was staring at her mother's room door with keen interest.

"Hello Sakura, I'm glad to see you're finally awake; you had us worried for a while there," Tsunade informed her as she walked towards her. Sakura didn't smile, she was having trouble just keeping her heavy eyes open as she stared at her mentor.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Tsunade said as she started checking her over.

"Sasuke said I miscarried… is that true? Did I lose my baby?" she whispered in a harsh tone. She was hurting at the thought of losing her baby, but more than that she was filled with a self-depreciation, she had failed her husband in carrying a child when he had wanted to revive his clan. She had failed, and it was hurting her. Tsunade sighed as she sat on the bed and took her hand. Sakura stared at her mentor's concerned tawny eyes.

"Let me be clear Sakura, you'd have never been able to carry that child to term and it is not your fault your body lost the child. It was never a feasible child anyway, the chakra in it…" Tsunade trailed off.

"Sakura, the mixture of chakra in that child concentrated to the extreme; I've never seen that, but Sarada's chakra is the same way, except her is balanced; it's a dangerous mixture of your chakra and the Uchiha chakra. This child, it nearly killed you Sakura; it's amazing you even carried it as long as you did. The chakra concentrated and then imploded on the child and within you; your body had a bomb go off in it, Sakura. This is not your fault, and I'll show you the scans of your insides when you're ready, but it really does look like a bomb went off in you.

"However, before you ask, you can still have children, your natural regenerative abilities once the child's chakra was expelled from your system took over and mended you up really well. The seal did not affect the child, nor have you released your seal; which is good, and you'll need to explain that to Sasuke because he looked furious when I explained it to him. I have no doubts that this could happen again, and I have no doubts that you could have another child with Sasuke. I don't know why this happened, I just know that it did happened and you're a healthy, strong woman.

"But if you do decide to have another child with Sasuke I must insist I be your doctor to monitor your pregnancy. If chakra alone is anything to go by you might need more monitoring on your pregnancies than a pregnant jinchūriki; but that's not bad Sakura, we just… we'll need to proceed with caution when you're pregnant," Tsunade said softly as she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. Sakura felt the tears slip then.

"I failed him, can't even help him revive his clan if that's the case," she mumbled miserably.

"Sakura, from what I've seen these past four days, I don't think his clan is on his mind. You are, you and your health, and Sarada's safety but he hasn't once asked about you having more children or any of the other stuff you'd expect from him; he's only asked about you and Sarada," Tsunade admitted softly.

"He's not mad about me losing the baby?" she asked hesitantly.

"No, he's worried about you. He is apparently mad about you not telling him the cost of this seal and releasing it but he's not mad about you losing the baby."

"Can I see him now?" she asked in a small voice, she wanted to cry at the news she had lost her baby but she had been more terrified of him kicking her to the curb at the loss.

"I'll go get him," Tsunade said softly.