Sasuke found Naruto by the food, and they stood against the wall watching the party go on. Too stuffy for either of them, but Naruto seemed content to stand on the sidelines when snacks were involved.
"We just ate. How are you still hungry?" Sasuke asked with a face as Naruto shoved another desert in his mouth.
Naruto shrugged. "I don't turn down free food."
"You're father own's half the restaurants in the city." Sasuke countered.
"Tastes better when it's free," Naruto told him, popping another in his mouth.
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Who was the girl with your brother earlier?" Naruto asked with his mouth full.
"My father's assistant," Sasuke answered.
"Office romance?" Naruto wondered.
"I am not sure. I don't think so." Sasuke sighed. "I have no clue what is going on."
Sasuke glanced around the room and caught sight of her. She stepped away from his brother and headed her way across the ballroom. She looked like she might be sick. She passed through a door on the wall he and Naruto were loitering on. Those doors were usually close to keep guests from the rest of the house, but staff occasionally used them as a shortcut to the kitchen.
He shifted his attention back to the party until he heard and felt a faint crash behind him.
Sasuke waited a few moments, but with the following silence, curiosity got the best of him. He turned back to Naruto. "I'll be right back."
"Sure." Naruto shrugged, stuffing a small cake into his mouth.
Sasuke headed toward the door. He opened it and glanced down the hall, expecting a knocked-over table or maybe a painting knocked off the wall. He saw nothing until he looked down the stairs.
There was a heap of black hair and fabric. "Woah, hey." He scrabbled to landing, kneeling down to her.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Hinata groaned. She moved to sit herself up against the wall but flinched in pain. Blood poured down one side of her face from somewhere in her mess of hair. There was enough he couldn't see how bad the cut was.
Sasuke yanked off his suit jacket, balling it up, and held it to the side of her head. He turned his head and shouted to get someone's attention. "Can I get some help in here!?"
Hinata yanked on his shirt and shushed him, trying to push his hand away unsuccessfully. "Don't cause a fuss." Her arms moved sluggishly as she smeared blood on him, trying to silence him.
She leaned her head back and squeezed her eyes together. He followed her holding the cloth to her head. It must have been a hard fall. She was dazed.
"I'm going to get help." Before he could get out of her reach, she snagged his arm.
"The director wants no incidents," Hinata demanded. "Just give me a minute." She breathed heavily and winced as she adjusted herself.
Was she this dedicated to her work? Wow, she was an idiot.
"What happened?" He asked, pulling the cloth away to check in her hair for the cut. He couldn't see it in her hair and the blood.
"I don't remember. I was checking on the kitchen." Hinata took a moment to move her hand. She winced as she stretched her fingers out and back. "I was dizzy earlier."
"You should go to the hospital," Sasuke told her.
"I think it's just sprained. It could have been worse." Hinata reached for her purse and dug into it for her phone. "I have to tell Lee to check on the problem in the kitchen and to cover for me." Her shaking hand made it hard for her to get past the home screen. "I can have a staff member get a first aid kit, and I can clean up before going back in."
"You need a hospital." He told her again.
"It's not that bad." She groaned, trying to push him away again.
"Do you not see this." He pulled away one of his hands to show her the blood.
It took her a moment, but she seemed to finally understand. She moved her hand down to move the dress up her legs to reveal a nasty scrape on her thigh.
"That's it. I am taking you to the hospital." Sasuke tossed her purse in her lap and moved to pick her up.
Hinata squeaked and grabbed onto his shoulders to brace herself as he trampled down the rest of the stairs toward the garage. "This is your party!" She tried as he plopped her in his rental car.
"I am already covered in blood." Sasuke snagged her hand and had her hold the jacket to the head and put on her seat belt. "Make your arrangements on the way." He closed the door before she could move to unbuckle herself.
The doctors said she was suffering from exhaustion and had a fever. They attributed her dizziness to it and likely the fall. They set her up on a few IVs, she seemed disoriented, but she answered the nurse's questions.
With an x-ray done and clean, stitches in, bandages on, a nurse came with pain killers and a wet cloth to help her wash the blood and smeared makeup of her face revealing a healing bruise on the side that looked to be a few days old.
"How did you get that?" Sasuke asked, scrunching his face.
Hinata took a moment to look confused, but when her eyes fell to the makeup on the cloth, she understood. She looked embarrassed. "I've had a bad week."
Sasuke didn't like that answer. "How did you get it?"
Hinata looked up to scowl at him for the asking, but she faulted. "My father struck me for talking back to him. He's never hit me before."
"Your father." He repeated.
Hinata looked surprised at him. "Yes, my father, certainly not yours."
Sasuke shrugged and looked away. His father had never hit him, but he could get awful angry. "You just seem scared to disappoint him."
Hinata shook her head. "My father has always been disappointed in me. I have always known he was. Your father gives me chances to make him proud, and I will take every chance I can to." That was different than what Itachi seemed to think was going on.
Sasuke looked up at her and saw something he thought maybe he shouldn't have in her eyes. She quickly looked down.
"Sorry." She said quickly. "I'm not usually so rude."
"It's probably the pain meds kicking in. You should get some rest." He told her, in a few more moments, she was asleep. He looked at the time. The party was over. She got her wish. He wouldn't interrupt the party. Now, he was going to call his dad.
Fugaku sat in silence as the nurse came to check on Hinata. Just as quietly as she came, the nurse left, leaving him to frown up at Hinata's sleeping form.
This was his fault.
He pushed her too hard.
She had been running around doing his every whim, and he sabotaged her along the way. The caterers, the furnishing company, having her fallowed to find out she left with Itachi. He hadn't had anything on her. Even with Itachi, Itachi was offering his help. She wasn't asking for it. She was innocent. He thought if he pushed hard enough, he would catch her cutting corners or push it to be her assistant problem, but she never did. He hadn't thought that she would skip meals or stay up all night to make sure things ran smoothly.
And he forgot to reverse it all when the truth came out. He was too worried about his son's return and the event to think that she would have needed a break.
On top of all the time she spent away from home, he knew she was making meals where she could for him to fit in his diet. When did she sleep or eat for herself? She had even taken her lunch breaks to pick up things for her house.
When had she had time to call her sister? Had he kept her from her sister like her father was doing now?
Fugaku put his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. He was going to have to make up for this.
He should go right to Hitomi's grave and beg forgiveness. He should have done that before.
Fugaku felt an object butt his shoulder. He looked up to his youngest son holding out a drink from the vending machine down the hall. He sat down beside him and sighed. "What's going on?" Sasuke asked him.
Fugaku shook his head. "I made a mistake, and I need to make up for it."
Sasuke didn't seem to understand, but he thankfully didn't push. He was in no mood.
"You should go, get some sleep. I'll stay with her for the night." Fugaku told his son, giving him a heavy pat. "Wake your brother in the morning. Tell him then."
"He's going to have a hell of a hangover," Sasuke commented.
"Yes. Payback for all the headaches he gives me." Fugaku answered.
Hinata was cold and sore, her head ached, and she felt like she might be sick, but as she woke up, she looked around to notice she was still in the hospital. She looked for Sasuke, but in his chair was an older Uchiha resting his head back.
"Sir!" She squeaked.
Fugaku flinched awake and stared at her for a moment. "Hinata, your awake. How are you feeling?"
"What are you doing here?" Hinata asked in a hushed tone. Her throat was dry.
"Sasuke called once the party was over. He said you didn't want to ruin the party." Fugaku sat up and rolled his shoulders back.
"Sir, I'm fine. You shouldn't have come." Hinata exclaimed.
"I knew your father wouldn't." He said flatly.
Hinata pressed her lips together. He was right. Her next of kin didn't answer.
"I want to apologize again." He hung his head and bowed.
She waved her hands. Fugaku shook his head. "I overworked you, sabotage you, and made every assignment hard for you along the way. I was selfish, and it didn't even occur to me to set back what I had done before we reconciled."
"Sir. I'm fine. I probably just had a cold." Hinata tried to explain away.
"Don't lie to me." He snapped. Hinata froze up. "I know what the doctors said. I know how many hours you have been working. I know about the meals you've made for me. What I don't understand is why you didn't quit." He sighed.
"I did my job." Hinata tried feeling her heart clench as he hung his head.
"You did above and beyond your job." He corrected.
"My job is to do anything you ask." Hinata offered.
"Within reason!" He barked. "There is nothing reasonable about expecting you to do everything I had you do in a week. You don't need one assistant. You need a team, and I didn't even want you to have the assistant."
Hinata pressed her lips together. "It's over now. It was over the day father showed up."
He looked so old and tired with just a look. "You really are your mother's daughter." Fugaku sighed. "I think I can hear her now. 'It wasn't your fault,' 'I understand,' 'don't worry, I'm not mad,' 'you will do better next time." Fugaku doubled over, putting his head in his hands. "I will. I will do better this time."