The Storm
Things did get better.
The chaos that once ensued in the hospital was finally dying down.
Several days had gone by. Sakura was still helping the maternity ward and she was happy as she loved children. The boys seemed to be getting better. They were already going through the process of rehabilitation. Naruto was healing very fast thanks to Kurama's chakra and that meant he was back to being annoying. Sasuke was healing more slowly but it was a steady process. He is quiet most of the time and seems to be lost in thought. Sakura still can't believe he is back. She tries to give him space because she knows he has a lot to process. It's been a long and bumpy road. She knows that he is at least trying to get used to things and he is trying to be nice to them. She just wishes she could read him more easily. She wishes she could know what was going on in his mind, perhaps she just wishes that he knew that she was there for him. She wanted him to know that it was safe to talk to her. She was just shy. She kept second guessing herself when it came to talking to him. She was afraid she would upset him and that their friendship would never fully recover.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a horrible sight. The nurses were rushing what seemed like woman whose body was almost fully burned. She was begging them not to safe her and kept repeating she just wanted to die. They rushed to try to help her and soon sedated her. A woman was walking behind the nurses who seemed to have brought the lady in.
"Please help her, she was just desperate" the woman kept screaming and begging.
"Can you tell me what happened" Sakura asked woman as the other lady was rushed in to get help.
"Her husband was killed in the war" the woman said in between sobs "she is with child" ended the woman.
"She was desperate, please, she is needs help" the woman repeated several times.
"We are going to do everything that is in our power" Sakura reassured her.
They worked on helping this lady for hours. Sakura insisted on saving the baby as well. Hours later the baby was born. It was a beautiful baby girl. The mother eventually succumbed to her wounds. Her husband had died in the war, and she saw no future for her or her child. Desperation clouded her mind, and she did not see another way out. Sakura was devastated by these events. She tried to stay strong to inform the lady outside of the death of the mother and delivery of the child.
The news was difficult to break. The lady was only a neighbor who had pulled her out the house after she set herself on fire. She could not keep the baby but knew of family members of the mother who could raise the baby. She would send a messenger to them as soon as possible. It would take around two days for the news to get to their village and two to three days for them to pick up the child.
Once the lady had left, Sakura no longer had to keep herself together. She went to an empty breakroom and cried inconsolably. She cried for the motherless child, she cried for those who had died in the war, she cried was the mother who saw no way out, and for those who surrender to their darkest thoughts in moments of desperation. She cried for the children who would grow up with no parents because their parents had given it all in the war.
Eventually she was able to pull herself together. She went to check on Naruto and Sasuke, maybe that would help her take her mind off things.
Naruto was deeply asleep and snoring very loudly. Sasuke seemed to be asleep as well. She sat at the end of Sasuke's bed.
"Hey" Sasuke said softly
"Sasuke-kun, I thought you were asleep. I am sorry I woke you up" Sakura said as she jumped in surprise.
"There is no way I could sleep with him snoring like that" said Sasuke jokingly.
"I wish we had more rooms; the hospital is packed" Sakura apologized.
"Don't apologize, I am joking. Besides, he is good company," said Sasuke
Sakura responded with a soft smile.
"Are you okay?" Asked Sasuke with an alarmed voice.
"Yeah, why do you ask?" she responded
"I may not be the most observant person, but you were definitely crying" affirmed Sasuke.
"Oh, that's nothing. I am just tired" Sakura lied.
"I have seen you when you are tired, and I know that is not it" Sasuke insisted "you do not have to tell me if you do not want to, but don't lie to me" continued Sasuke.
"I just had a very difficult day, I just wished I could have done more to help some people" affirmed Sakura.
"Go on" mentioned Sasuke.
"I really do not want to overwhelm you with my work problems" Sakura answered.
"Believe me, your work problems sound a lot more interesting than Naruto's snoring" Sasuke insisted.
"Well, a woman lost her life while giving birth to her child" Sakura sighed.
"I am sorry to hear that" responded Sasuke "those things happen, and I bet there was nothing else you could do" he finished.
"I should have let the child die" She cried out as tears filled up her eyes "I just brought a child into this world whose dad just died in the world and whose mother set herself on fire trying to kill herself and the baby" Sakura struggled to say between sobs "I insisted on bringing a child to the world only to suffer. I signed her life sentence before birth. I wanted to save her under any circumstances but at cost of what? A life of suffering. This child will never meet her parents and one day will find out that her mom killed herself and tried to kill her" Sakura cried "What kind of person brings a child into the world to suffer? I don't even want to imagine what it is like to grow up without a mother or father to care for you, to love you" Sakura kept crying.
Sasuke said nothing. He just listened. He knew that was all Sakura needed at the moment.
Sakura stopped herself and began crying harder "Oh gosh, I am so sorry. I am a horrible person. How could I say something like that to you? I am so sorry" she began apologizing "what kind of person regrets saving a life? What kind of monster wishes she had failed to bring life into the world?" at this point Sakura was just speaking in sobs.
"Sakura" said Sasuke in a soft voice while approaching her hand with his "you did the right thing. Your hands were made to bring life into this world. Do not regret doing the most beautiful thing your hands were made to do. This woman needed help and you did all you could do to save her. Time was not on your side, but rest assured you did everything you could. Fight to make this world a place where this child will not have to suffer like her mother did" Sasuke reassured her. Sakura just kept crying and hugged Sasuke tightly. He returned the hug. He was surprised by her affection, but she was even more surprised with words that had come out of his mouth.
"Would you like to meet her" Sakura asked as she was calming down.
Sasuke hesitated to say anything but eventually responded "I would love to"
Sakura left for a while and eventually came with a very small baby girl in her arms.
"Sasuke" Sakura said softly touching Sasuke's shoulder "are you awake?" she asked "somebody wants to meet you" she finished.
Sasuke opened his eyes and his eyes met with the little baby's.
"She is very small" said Sasuke while sitting up "I had never seen a baby so small".
"Do you want to hold her?" asked Sakura
"I don't know, she is so small…." Said Sasuke hesitantly.
"You will be alright; I will teach you how to do it" Sakura reassured him.
"Alright then" said Sasuke while extending his arm to her.
Sakura accommodated the baby in Sasuke's arm and put pillows around to ensure she would not fall. Sasuke's eyes were fixated in the little human in his arm.
"May I?" asked Sakura while pointing to his shirt. Sasuke responded with a nob without even acknowledging what she was asking as he was hypnotized by the baby.
Sakura opened his hospital gown a little exposing his chest "hold her against your skin" Sakura suggested. Sasuke seemed confused by obeyed and eventually a soft smile drew in his lips as he gave the baby skin to skin contact.
"It is good for the baby" Said Sakura "mothers usually do this and it helps the baby"
Sasuke could not stop smiling as the little fell asleep on top of him.
"My mother wanted always wanted a girl" Sasuke said surprising Sakura.
"Do you miss her?" Sakura cut him in the middle of the sentence.
"I am sorry, you do not have to answer that" Sakura corrected herself.
"Don't apology" responded Sasuke "I miss her everyday" said Sasuke softly.
Sakura smiled back. It was the first time Sasuke ever mentioned his mom to her. He returned the baby to her.
"Please bring her back any time, she is much better company than Naruto" said Sasuke jokingly.
Sakura met him with a smile. There was peace once again.
