When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse? - Fix You by Coldplay

Sakura

Hinata lay back in the bed, hooked to a saline drip, while I taped in another line. "I'm going to give you a banana bag, too." I turned it on, "Your blood tests should be in by now. Please alert a nurse if you need to use the bathroom." I gave Hinata a stern glance, "It's important. You know that."

She gave me a rueful smile, "I know. I just... I suppose things just got away from me."

"If it's alright with you, I've been studying psychology, and though I'm not ready to hang out my shingle..." I chuckled nervously, "I'm still your friend, and Ino and the others have been training me to help with the therapy sessions." Ugh, I'm running off at the mouth! "I'd like you to talk to me. That's what I'm getting at."

Hinata studied me for an almost uncomfortable amount of time. "Okay."

I smiled and gripped her hand, "I'm so glad, Hinata." She looked so defeated, I smoothed her hair back, "You'll probably start feeling better in an hour or so. I'm going to grab your labs. Try to sleep. I'll check in later."

I walked out of the room, but not before I stole another glance at Hinata. She did look defeated. I remembered her after the Chunin exam when her cousin took her out so mercilessly. I think she looks worse right now. I closed the door behind me, "Ah, are those Hinata's labs?"

The nurse on duty flipped back the cover sheet, "Yes. As you deduced, she was badly dehydrated. It's lucky her family brought her in when they did. Although, with the baby, they really should have been keeping a closer eye one her. I mean, why did she march off to..."

I interrupted her with a shocked whisper, "Hinata is pregnant?"

"Yes." She held out the clipboard with my friend's lab results printed in black and white. I scanned the page, 'HCG Positive'. I looked back at the nurse, "She couldn't have known. She wouldn't have let it get this far if she'd known."

The nurse gave me a sidelong look, "Which is why you should have taken a complete history, Haruno-sensei. You only remind us at every staff meeting."

I shook my head ruefully. "I do, don't I?" I let out a small breath, "This changes some things. I suppose I'd better get that history." I licked my bottom lip, "Thank you. I'll take care of this for now."

I reentered the room, to see Hinata still staring at the wall. "Hey," I started as she turned her head, "I'm sorry, and I told you to sleep!" I sat in her bedside chair, "I have your labs, and..." Suddenly, I felt my objectiveness slip, "Did you know you were pregnant?"

"Sa.." She snapped her lips closed. "I wasn't sure."

"Okay." That was normal. Even with morning sickness or having to pee all the time, some women just wrote those symptoms off until they miss a period. Which meant that Hinata probably hadn't been pregnant for a month yet. "When did you last have intercourse?"

Hinata's blushes seemed to be working as the girl turned a dusky pink, "The day we stopped in that huge clearing between Sand and Leaf."

I felt my brows scrunch, I really didn't want to ask, but it was standard. And had she been raped, well, I needed to know that too. "Do you know who the father is, Hinata?"

"Yes."

"Should I call him?" I touched her hand again, and she curled her fingers around mine, "Whoever it is, I will be discreet."

"You can't. He... died."

Too many shinobi had died from Konoha in the war. "I'm sorry, do you want to talk about it?"

"Are you my doctor or my friend right now?"

"Both," I squeezed her fingers, "I'm both, Hinata. If you need anything, all you need to do is tell me. I want to be here for you."

"I didn't get to see him one last time." Hinata's voice wobbled on the verge of tears she wouldn't be able to produce. "I would have done anything to do that. I should have gone with him. He should have trusted me; that I could have done what needed doing for him."

I closed my eyes, at least she seemed to be moving through the stages of grief. "He was protecting you. And if he took the time to let you know exactly how he felt before he left..." I smiled, "Believe me, he must have loved you, Hinata. He would have never hurt you if he could have prevented it."

She nodded, "Yeah. We argued about that. I almost..." She breathed out, "Maybe we should save this for our sessions?"

"Sure." I leaned in, snuggling her hand between my hand and cheek, "When you're ready. Now, about the baby, we'll take good care of you. I'm going to order a light lunch, and I want you to eat as much as you can. It'll come with pills. Multi-vitamins and a beta-blocker, your blood pressure is much too high. Be sure you take them, and let me or a nurse know if they make you sick. If you throw up, don't worry about it. That's perfectly normal, and is in fact, a good sign." I patted her hand and turned my smile up to eleven, "Though not so much knowing how dehydrated you are."

A few more hours would see me to the end of my shift. Hinata had eaten, and though she did throw up, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I stopped by her room on my way out, and looked in her window. She was sleeping, her body curled into a protective ball. The war had been hard on almost everyone, but some were not handling it as well as others. I needed to find her teammates.

I jogged out of the hospital, my intention set on going to find that baka, Kiba, or Shino. Instead I found Sai sitting with both of them at the top of the steps. "Hey."

"Sakura-chan," a small chorus sounded as they regarded me.

"I was just coming to find..." I laughed, "Not you, Sai, but the other two. You've heard Hinata is here?" Three nods, "Sai?"

"I was waiting for you. They joined me."

Shino gave a twitch of his lip, "We don't have a hospital hang up, but we were..." He sighed, "It's Hinata." As if that explained everything, except it totally did.

I gave him a hug, and Kiba doubled me. Even Akamaru whined and cuddled up to my legs. "She'll be okay."

Sai smiled with genuine relief, "I'd like to make her a drawing, if you think it's okay."

"Maybe tomorrow?" I suggested, and Sai nodded, "She needs rest today. I'm sorry, Sai, I'll come by your apartment later, okay? I have to talk to these two." Sai tipped his head in his own goodbye, and slipped off the steps, heading back into the street.

"So, what's up?" Kiba crossed his arms, reminding me so much of Naruto trying to look brave that I smiled.

"Why don't we go for a walk? Where can we talk privately?"

"Training grounds by the river." Shino adjusted his glasses, "Besides, it's a nice spot."

Akamaru barked once, bumping my leg for a pet, which I obliged.

"Hey! He's a ninken! No pets! He's scary!"

Akamaru barked again then ran down the steps wagging his tail. I chuckled, following him as the boys flanked me. I scraped my hair behind my ear, "It took the Hyuga almost a week to make it back from the battlefield?"

"Yeah." Kiba frowned, "Losing Neji was really hard on Hinata. The whole clan. He was pretty special to her."

Shino nodded, "They were as close as brother and sister, really. She spent all day that day, Neji's funeral, at the memorial grounds. She was so worn out, Kakashi-sama carried her home."

Kakashi? I hadn't seen much of him since he'd been getting ready to be invested as Hokage in just a few more days. "That is pretty bad. What else has happened?"

Shino and Kiba traded a look that I instantly recognized. I had teammates, too. They're trying to decide if I should be trusted. "I'm her doctor. I'm also her friend, if I'm going to help, it would be nice if you two could give me a little bit of trust, too."

"Sasuke came back, didn't he?" Kiba was looking forward, his jaw was clenched tight. "But Itachi didn't make it."

"Yes." I looked at Shino, who sighed. A soft buzz emanated from his clothing.

"Itachi was pardoned. He was supposed to become a civilian, but he didn't." He paused, his feet scuffing the dirt track, "Whatever he did..." Shino stopped, his head hanging down, "He loved her."

Kiba scowled at the other boy, "They went off together. We saw Hinata the next morning." The scowl transferred to me, "We never saw Itachi again."

"So..." Oh my god. "Hinata..." I darted a glance toward the hospital, "and Itachi? He was only here for, what? Like a week?" And the Uchiha fan snuffs another heart. I was instantly mad at myself for being that dismissive of her feelings. Or Itachi's. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. We're sure something happened between them. She did her best, but..." Shino shook his head and continued on, "We knew something was up. And when Naruto linked us all? I don't know what he felt from her, but we all felt his feelings. I don't think that did her any favors either."

I closed my eyes, and wished I had never tried to figure out what happened. Because no matter what Kiba and Shino knew or pieced together, I knew. The whole puzzle clicked into place. "I have to go." We had not even made it to the bridge that connects the inner village with the training grounds. "Guys, I hope I don't need to tell you this, but you should go to the hospital tomorrow. Hinata needs you. Badly." I turned on my heel and walked away.

I didn't get far when I was suddenly faced with my own Uchiha issue. Sasuke and Kakashi were walking toward the gate. The sun was falling, and it limned them in a soft halo. I ran to catch them up.

Hinata

I woke with the sun streaming in, and a nurse checking my drips. "Good morning, Hyuga-san."

I hadn't slept this long since the last time I was in the hospital during our first Chunin exam. I felt a little embarrassed, but amazingly, I felt a little better as well. "I have to use the restroom, if that's okay."

"Good. That's great, please leave a sample in the little drawer there by the toilet." She bowed her head a little, "Haruno-sensei has ordered the saline solution until tonight, but I can remove the other. You've eaten it all up!" I waited for her to pull the IV for the vitamin bag, and rolled the stand into the bathroom.

Finishing my business, I realized that walking hadn't hurt as much as it had yesterday. I had been foolish. I wasn't helping anyone, least of all, the precious life Itachi'd left me. I blushed, and ran my hand over my womb. There wasn't any evidence of it, and I wished I could sense it within myself. In another week or so, any Hyuga could look at my chakra system and see the mass of new chakras swirling there. I blushed hotter. Good thing there's etiquette in these matters.

I walked out when a soft cramp flared in my middle, I looked at the nurse still waiting for me in horror, "I'm cramping! Is that okay?"

"Does it hurt? Is it gone now?"

My hand went back, "No. No it didn't hurt. It is gone now."

"Baby is pulling in the covers, so to speak." She smiled, "I've had three, and the first pregnancy is scary sometimes. But, a lot of things are perfectly normal. If you ever have a question, or a pain comes and doesn't go quickly, tell someone." She nodded, "Climb back into bed, breakfast is on its way. Don't force it, but try to eat plenty. Growing a baby is hard work." She smiled, and opened the door, "One last thing, are you up to having visitors? I got word that there's two very anxious young men here to see you."

"Oh." Was I? I hadn't seen them since the funeral, and that pricked me, "Send them up." I smiled, "They've seen me looking worse." She closed the door and left me wishing I had a hairbrush or my good bra, for that matter. I must look like death warmed over.

"Hinata-chan!" Kiba burst through the door, Shino on his heels. "You look terrible!"

"Thanks." I shook my head at them.

Shino cuffed Kiba, but came around the side of the bed, "We were worried, it's not like you to stay away from us for so long. Can I give you a hug?"

"Of course, you too, Kiba. I'm sorry." They hugged me, and I don't know why I hadn't asked for their comfort earlier. Even if I was embarrassed or sad... It wasn't as if they hadn't been through it all before.

I felt the urge to cry, and though, for the first time in what seemed like too long, tears welled, they didn't spill. I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I'm sorry that I was so distant."

Shino and Kiba exchanged a look, but Kiba spoke, "We can't help if we don't know."

"We should have figured things out sooner. Isn't that what you mean, baka?"

Kiba's cheeks reddened under his tattoos. "Anyway. We were told we couldn't stay long. And we don't expect you to bounce right back to your old self. Take your time, Hinata-chan. Feel better. Talk to us if it helps."

Shino asked his teammate, "Was that unexpected?" Kiba grinned, itching under his eye, "He is right, though. Can we get you anything?"

The shame of not leaning on them, not realizing the depressive spiral for what it was, cut me like a knife. They were my closest friends. Maybe I didn't want to share every intimate detail with them, but I should have let them know long before that I needed them.

"Don't stay away." I nodded, "Come back everyday until I'm released, and then we'll figure out the next move." Both boys smiled, this is what they had wanted to hear, and it was the simple truth.

AN/ Ah. Sai. He my boi. I love him. He needs a cameo. Maybe more than one. She's about 4-5 weeks pregnant. That's approx. a week in the field, a few days at the final battle (Ugh), a couple days at the rallying point, a week coming home with Neji, a week for dad and sis to get wise to bad behavior.