Chapter 5: Hospital
He opened a pair of unfocused orbs, wincing as they made contact with the harsh light above him. Looking around, he saw nothing but white. The smell of bleach and antiseptic tickled his nostrils, and he heard a steady, hypnotic beating.
Something was covering his face and it wasn't his usual mask. He lifted a hand, one that was attached to an IV, to his mouth, lightly touching what was shielding it from view.
An oxygen mask…
Underneath the wrinkly, spotless sheets, he was wearing nothing but a thin, blue gown, his usual clothing nowhere in sight. Kakashi pulled the white blanket up to his chin, the lack of cloth on his body causing him to shiver.
Suddenly, the door swung open and Tsunade walked in, her heels clicking loudly as she walked to the IV pole next to his hospital bed to replace the emptying bag of fluids. She silently did her work with her back to him, ignoring his presence.
Kakashi, now fully awake, lifted his head from the pillows and turned toward Tsunade, expecting some kind of greeting. The hokage whipped around suddenly and roughly pulled off his oxygen mask, not even flinching when she saw his pale face. He gaped at the sudden action, unsure what to say.
"Would you care to explain what the hell you just did, Hatake?" She hissed dangerously, her manicured hands clenched into tight fists.
"…What?" he answered stupidly, the shock still etched into his expression.
"You know very well what I'm talking about! You overdosed!" She exclaimed, her temper rising to the surface.
"I do hope that you know you could've died last night. But I guess you probably do, considering it was a freaking suicide attempt—"
"No. I wasn't trying to take my own life…" Kakashi interrupted, his gaze fixed on the needle inserted into his wrist.
"What?" Tsunade asked in confusion. Why would he take the pills then? What other motive could he have?
"I took them because…the headaches. The headaches I told you about never went away. In fact, they've gotten even worse. That day…they were so unbearably bad that I didn't know what else to do. But I regret it, I really do. I'm very sorry for worrying you, Lady Tsunade." Kakashi bowed his head in a sincere apology.
"That's a really stupid thing to do, brat, and you'd better not do it again, or else. But…Headaches? You mean to say they're still there?" Tsunade inquired curiously, silently forgiving him.
I thought that after a few days, they would surely stop bothering him. This certainly doesn't sound too good…
"Yep, they are. Can you get rid of them?" Kakashi asked, cutting straight to the chase. Tsunade shifted her weight, her arms crossed underneath her chest.
"I'll have to look into that after I'm done treating your stomach ulcers, unfortunately."
"Stomach ulcers?!" Kakashi exclaimed, a look of fear plastered onto his face. Tsunade chuckled.
"Well, what exactly did you expect? If you didn't die, then there's obviously going to be some complications. Just calm down, I've already healed them for the most part with my medical ninjutsu, so you're safe, and we've also gotten most of that Ibuprofen out of your system. But, you're still pretty weak, so just take it easy and rest here."
"Oh. So…when do you think I'll be well enough to leave?" Kakashi asked politely, sinking back into the covers. He pulled the blanket over his face as a temporary 'mask', exposing only his eyes. Tsunade squinted her hazel orbs, considering his question.
"Hm…Well, it's almost evening, so that makes it about a day since you've been here. You'll probably be good to go by tomorrow night."
Great… Now I have to stay in the hospital. Instead of relieving my pain, I've just caused more problems…
Kakashi blinked his groggy eyes, struggling to stay awake. Although he had been unconscious for most of the day, he still felt strangely tired and sleepy.
It's the medication she's giving me…
Tsunade watched him rebel against his drowsiness with slight amusement. The poor kid's probably exhausted.
The hokage stepped forward and reached out a hand to his cool forehead, brushing back his silver bangs like a mother would to her son. He tensed up, not used to such affection.
She stood her ground, continuing to gently smooth back his hair. Slowly, he sank back into the pillows, closing his eyes in contentment. His breathing evened out and before he knew it, he had drifted off into a dreamless slumber.
"Get some sleep…You need it."
She retracted her hand and sauntered toward the door, dimming the bright, LED lights on her way out.
...
"Where is Hatake Kakashi's room?"
"It's the second one on the right, just down the hallway." The receptionist clarified with a smile, pointing in the direction of his room.
Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma nodded in thanks before treading to the copy nin's hospital room.
As soon as they finished training with their genin, the three jonin had rushed to the hospital, wanting to see for themselves if Kakashi was alright.
*Flashback*
Gai ran into the room that one of the nurses had ushered him into, plopping Kakashi onto the single white bed. Tsunade herself hurried in, Shizune by her side, assessing the situation with a serious gaze.
"What happened?" the hokage asked sternly, turning to Gai out of all people.
"I-I don't know! He was eating a-and then all of a sudden he started to vomit! Blood!" Gai tried to explain, making frantic gestures with his hands.
"Shizune! Run a diagnostic test on his GI tract! Look for any abnormalities."Shizune nodded briskly and set out to work immediately. She quickly pulled down the zipper of his vest and started inspecting his abdomen with her green chakra. The problem wasn't hard to diagnose at all; in fact, she caught it almost immediately.
"I found an ulcer on his stomach lining!" the assistant called, looking over at her teacher.
And a ton of undigested pills…
In the brief glance she shared with the hokage, Shizune let her know that there was something important that needed to be told, but saying it in front of the other three jonin would be violating Kakashi's privacy as a patient. Tsunade nodded curtly, understanding her silent message.
"Leave, now! All of you!" Tsunade shouted, pushing them out the doorway. She slammed the door in their faces, leaving the three gaping jonin outside.
...
Tsunade stepped outside the hospital room, wiping the sweat from her brow. The three Jonin waiting outside perked up when they saw their hokage's face, relieved that they would finally be getting answers after patiently waiting for so long, but anxious that the answers would be "bad news".
"How is he?" Kurenai stepped forward, wringing her hands nervously. "He'll be fine,"Tsunade told them, a slight smile on her face at seeing them still there. The three Jonin sighed collectively, thanking the gods that their friend wasn't dead or something.
"But Hokage-sama! What was that thing you said about the...the-"
"Ulcers,"Asuma finished for Gai, having the same question himself.
"Oh, that? It was just a mild stomach ulcer, caused by a run of the mill bacterial infection. We've already healed him up, so at this point, we're just administering antibiotics,"Tsunade lied swiftly.
Man, that was close…I hope they don't see through my bluff.
"Well, can we see him?" Kurenai asked hopefully. Tsunade shook her head.
"Unfortunately, I'm going to have to say no. They're still finishing up in there… But you're free to come back later."
If I let them in, they're bound see Shizune pumping his stomach; a surefire sign that he overdosed.
"Now run along. He'll be waiting for you."
*End Flashback*
Kurenai pushed open the gray hospital door and slowly walked in, the two males following closely behind her. She sauntered over to Kakashi's bedside window and put a few daisies in the empty glass vase. The Kunoichi perched on the window ledge, leaving Gai and Asuma to sit on the hard, plastic chairs that had been left behind for visitors to use.
The three gazed at his sleeping form, not wanting to wake him up. The blankets were pulled up to his masked chin, his chest rising and falling with every soft, even breath he took. His dark circles were gone, nothing but a memory on his fair visage. Even through the freshly washed mask, they could tell that his lips were slightly parted. He looked peaceful; his serene demeanor was so candid compared to his usual show of indifference and boredom.
"When's he going to wake up?!" Gai cried impatiently, not being able to handle the silence that had spread across the room.
"Shut up! Let him sleep," Kurenai hushed him quickly, hoping that his jabbering hadn't woken Kakashi up.
"This is so troublesome…you're both going to wake him up," Asuma said bluntly.
The copy nin slowly cracked an eye open, leaving the other one shut, of course. He lethargically glanced around for the source of the noise, surprised when he saw Gai, Asuma and Kurenai surrounding his hospital bed.
"What're you three doing here?" he croaked, voice raspy due to surviving on IV fluids since being admitted there. Three heads spun toward the new voice, their eyes wide at seeing him awake.
"Of course we're here! How could I leave my rival to suffer the pains of ulcers all alone! " Gai exclaimed, getting up from his seat. Asuma quickly pulled him down, an unimpressed look set on his face. He didn't even know what they were until a few days ago…
Kakashi blanched at Gai's words. Do they know I overdosed?
"Some bacterial infection, huh…I was wondering why you'd been losing your appetite at lunch. I guess that was the reason," Asuma said listlessly, looking out the window. Kakashi's eyes widened in confusion. Bacterial…Infection?
"You know, you could've told us if you were feeling sick. We wouldn't have forced you to come. Sorry, Kakashi…" Kurenai apologized, feeling terrible that they'd practically dragged him there, pushing him to the point of vomiting blood.
"Please, don't apologize. If you hadn't pressured me to come, then I would probably still be at home right now, in a condition much worse than this," he reassured her, a genuine smile on his face. I would most likely be dead by now…
Kurenai softly smiled back at him, glad that he wasn't upset with them.
"When do you get outta here, man?" Asuma drawled, in desperate need of a cigarette. One of the hospital policies was "no smoking".
"I'll be cleared to leave by tonight, without a doubt," he replied, remembering his conversation with Tsunade.
"Perfect, I've already planned it! We'll race to the hokage monument right after you get out! You'd better step it up though; it's 29 to 30, and I'm the one who's winning!"
*Everyone sweatdrops*
"Well, I guess I'd better go. I've got some errands to run, anyway." Asuma stood up and brushed the invisible dust off of his slacks. "I'll see you around, okay?"
The rest of them followed, Kurenai giving Kakashi a quick, one sided hug, being the only kunoichi out of all of them.
"Bye, Kakashi!" With that, the three of them slipped out of the room, leaving to do whatever they usually did in their free time.
Kakashi sighed and leaned back into the strategically placed pile of pillows, his arms resting above his head. As weird as it seemed, he still had a headache, even after getting a few days' worth of sleep. Although the throbbing was not nearly bad as it had been that night, it was still there.
*knock, knock*
"I'm coming in," Tsunade told him, not waiting for an answer. She strolled inside, her ever faithful assistant, Shizune, at her side. Kakashi sat up in bed, trying to show respect to his hokage.
"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked, crossing her arms under her chest.
"Um…I'm fine."
I already told her about the headaches before…telling her again would just be a bit annoying.
"We checked up on you earlier, while you were sleeping. You seem good enough to go home by tonight."
He didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the drab white wall in front of him. A trickle of sweat slid down his forehead.
What's this …feeling?
"We fixed your ulcers with healing chakra, so you can virtually eat anything now, but to be on the safe side, avoid anything with alcohol or caffeine."
His eyes were wide and his complexion was unnaturally pale, a sudden wave of fear and apprehension passing over him. It was like something very bad was about to happen; he just didn't know what it was.
"And you definitely can't take Ibuprofen, or any similar pills for a while-"
A cry ripped out of Kakashi's throat and he fell back into his pillows, his eyes rolling back into his head. The copy nin's back arched up painfully, all of his muscles contracting of their own accord.
"Kakashi?!" Tsunade rushed to his bedside, her brows furrowing at his sudden loss of consciousness.
Their eyes widened in shock as Kakashi crumpled into a seizure, his whole body convulsing uncontrollably. He gargled for a proper breath as his arms and legs violently spasmed, rhythmically bending and relaxing at his elbows and knees.
"He's seizing! Turn him over!"
A few nurses brushed through the door and calmly rushed over to the bed, grabbing parts of his twitching frame. With the extra help, they were able to turn Kakashi onto his side.
After a few minutes of nervously waiting for Kakashi to stop jerking, he finally let out a deep sigh and fell limp onto the bed, the worst of the seizure ending. Tsunade walked over to his IV pole and inserted some muscle relaxants into the pouch, knowing that his whole body would probably be in pain when he came to.
Shizune hesitantly pulled down his mask and separated his lips, letting the spittle that had gathered in his mouth trickle onto the white sheets. Instead of fawning over his admittedly handsome face, she stuck to her job; providing her patients with comfort and the best treatment she had to offer.
"…What's…happening?" he whispered, eyes only half open. His silver eyebrows were turned up in confusion, and his whole body felt strangely stiff and achy.
Shizune grasped one of his clammy hands in her own and gave him a reassuring smile. She felt for him; she'd never had a seizure of her own, but she knew that they were one of the most terrifying, debilitating things one could experience.
"You're alright now, everything's fine," she told Kakashi, the hand that wasn't holding his resting on Kakashi's arm, gently rubbing back and forth.
"Can you tell me your name?" she asked, assesing his mental state.
"Kakashi…Hatake."
"Good Job, Kakashi. Now can you tell me…the names of your students?"
"I...can't..." The jonin's expression twisted into one of unmasked bewilderment. Why couldn't he remember the names of his students?!
"That's okay, you'll remember sooner or later," Shizune encouraged him, smiling kindly.
"…I'm hurting…" he rasped, slowly losing his grip on consciousness.
"Lady Tsunade's giving you some muscle relaxants. When they kick in, you'll feel better in no time," she reassured him cheerfully.
Kakashi didn't respond. An overpowering tiredness weighed over him. Sure he'd been exhausted after missions and such, but he'd never felt this drained before. Shizune continued to stroke his arm, trying her best to comfort him. Kakashi's eyes drooped close, his breathing evening out.
"He's not leaving here tonight," Tsunade stated dryly, standing behind Shizune, who'd turned to face her teacher, a worried look set on her face.
"What are we going to do now, Lady Tsunade? This couldn't have been caused by the Ibuprofen…we already cleared his system of that…" Shizune said nervously.
"Just keep calm, Shizune, it's probably nothing too serious. Inspect his head for any injuries, and take some blood to check for any electrolyte or glucose imbalances." Tsunade started out the door.
"Wait, where are you going, milady?" The hokage paused and turned back to her assistant.
"I'm just going to check Kakashi's files. Now get to work." Shizune nodded and did as she was told, her green chakra hovering over his skull.
Tsunade brushed out the door and headed to her office, her pace picking up. She needed to see if he had some kind of underlying condition that could have caused the full blown grand mal seizure. Hopefully, it was just low levels of glucose, or something.
