Part Three
SAKURA'S POV
Flashback
I trusted Sasuke so when I pulled into Ino's driveway and saw Sasuke's car parked, not one red flag went off in my head; not a single one. He'd never, and Ino definitely would never, he's waiting for me because he knows who I turn to or so I thought. I've had a key to Ino's apartment since she moved in, the girl slept like the dead so instead of banging on the door for 10 minutes I was given a special privilege, just for me.
Her front door literally opens into her living room; it was too much to bear when I stood there for at least 3 seconds, thinking to myself 'what the fuck is happening!' I slammed the door so hard behind me startling both of them. If it had been any other woman, Sasuke would have been the only one to blame because whether or not the women knew about me, he still chose to be intimate with her. Plot twist, the other woman is my best fucking friend! Not only does she know about me, she's going to be my Maid of Honor!
'Don't make a fool of yourself, Sakura.' I took a deep breath through my nose, as Sasuke fumbled with his jeans, Ino was shoved to the floor like the trash she is. The fear in Sasuke's voice as he pleaded with me, what do cheaters say? 'It's not what it looks like?' It looks like my best friend has her mouth wrapped around your dick, but I kept that information to myself. I see no point in arguing.
"The engagement is off." I took off my ring and threw it in some direction, Ino wouldn't even look at me as she sat there – trembling on the floor like it was her that was betrayed. I left, Sasuke ran after me but I saw Ino stop him, he actually listened to her! That was the icing on this fucked-up cake.
I drove, I didn't know where to go; I couldn't wake up Naruto, Hinata was most likely with him.
I didn't have a choice but to return to my parent's home, I was shaking as I sat in the car parked outside their home, I didn't want worry them but I was not going back to that apartment. He probably stayed at Ino's anyways, to finish the 'job'. I was disgusted and so disappointed in myself, I wasn't enough; he was so upset with me that he went as far to seek comfort from someone.
I hoped that Sasuke would have followed me to my parents but it was her car instead. What could she possibly say that would fix this? Nothing. She feels guilty, that's all this is, she's here to make herself feel better. I got out of my car and waited for her, she didn't change out of that short cocktail dress but instead of heels she wore slippers.
"Sakura…" She'd been crying, her mascara was running. "Sakura, I'm so sorry." She sobbed. "I didn't - we didn't plan on this, I swear. It was late, he was drunk and mad. I was drunk and upset, Shikamaru left the bar with Temari! Temari, Sakura!" So she took Sasuke home because of her love triangle? All because Shika decided that Temari was the better option.
"So because Temari took your man, you decided to take mine?" Tears coursed down my cheeks, I was calm despite how tangled my mind was.
I was so calm until I wasn't.
"All because of fucking Temari! You decided that you'd sink your nails into the next option, which happened to be Sasuke! My Sasuke!" I jabbed myself in the chest.
"Why didn't you come to me, Ino! Why did you have to do this instead! WHY! I'm always there for you, why would tonight be any different." Rage seethed through my veins, my ears were burning. I wanted to grab her and shake the life out of her, I wanted to punch her in throat, I wanted to hurt her back but even with all these thoughts rushing through my mind, the thoughts of revenge, the thoughts of her suffering like I am, it wasn't enough to heal my heart.
"Sakura…" Her chin trembled. "You're my best friend."
My body shook with anger. "Don't say that, Ino." I yelled at her. "Best friends sure as hell don't do this." I wiped away the tears but they wouldn't stop falling. "Please, I can't even look at you right now, after what I saw I don't think I can look at either of you ever again!" I was fuming.
"Get the fuck away from me." I lost two relationships in one day under an hour and half, everything that I knew, I don't know anymore, all the plans I had, disappeared. Never did I think that this would happen to me, and even if it did Ino would have never been the cause.
"Sakura... please." A gut-wrenching sob tore through her chest.
I turned away and didn't stop to listen to her, she called out for me but I ignored her. That was the last time I saw her.
End of Flashback
At times, the thoughts from five years ago cloud my mind, that night when Sasuke visited me turned into a whole other mess of problems but I wouldn't know about until three months after. I was accepted into Suna University to study Medicine, Ms. Senju pulled some strings and got me a paid internship at a small hospital. Everything happened so fast, I was always so busy that I didn't notice the slight change in my body, as a person that wants to become a doctor, I was a complete idiot for not figuring it out sooner. It wasn't until I was on my feet for a 14- hour shift that my body finally collapsed at the nurses station. When I came too, I was connected to an IV for fluids and a blood pressure cuff.
I remember my ears getting hot, the room started to spin and when I closed my eyes it was like a flash was going off. My blood pressure had dropped, my body was exhausted and I was slightly dehydrated so I fainted. Ms. Senju gave me the news of my 'condition', a baby is not a condition but to women like Ms. Senju it's a crutch, if I wanted to keep my baby I would have to leave the program because of the high-level stress environment; not to mention interns hardly leave the hospital. A baby can't survive on vending machine snacks and coffee, a baby should be someone's top priority.
A baby or a career.
I dialed Sasuke's cellphone number over a hundred times that day but I couldn't press call, every time I gathered up the courage I would back down and by the end of the day I was a nervous wreck. Ms. Senju gave me a week to come to a decision, a week! I couldn't call Naruto, he'd definitely call Sasuke and I couldn't blame him because he had every right to know but I didn't want to tell him, not yet.
Flashback
"I thought you weren't dating Sakura? How could you possibly be pregnant?" Ms. Senju rubbed her temples and groaned. "I need a drink."
"You and me both." I joked. Her honey eyes narrowed at me. "I was only joking." I felt like I was in trouble.
"Who's the father?" I tensed up, that's another problem! Everyone is going to want to know whose responsible for this – me – the baby.
"No one." I swear I could see Ms. Senju's eye pop a vessel.
"Listen here girl; I did not put all my knowledge into you for nothing, you owe me an explanation now!" I flinched at her yelling. I'm more scared of her than my own mother, oh Gods I'd have to tell my parents that I'm pregnant!
"You're scaring her; all this yelling isn't good for the baby." Thank the Gods for Shizune. "She needs rest, Ms. Senju."
She placed her hand on mine and squeezed. "Sakura, no matter what Ms. Senju says we support you but I will be honest with you. It's going to be hard, especially with a baby but you won't be alone." I took comfort in her words, I wouldn't be alone. She smiled sweetly at me before bribing Ms. Senju with alcohol so I could get some sleep before I was discharged.
End of Flashback
Shoda Haruno is my five- year old son, his birthday just past but he feels like we should celebrate him all year long. He's so full of life and curiosity, very smart for his age but sometimes he can have a temper. He's a miniature Sasuke, it's bittersweet when I watch him because I can see his father in his eyes – even though Sasuke hurt me, he also gave me something wonderful, a baby that I could never regret.
"Shoda, you have to listen to Aunty Shizune. Ok, mommy needs to get ready for the party." I kissed his cheek before handing him over to Shizune, she was going to take him for a walk around the hotel while I showered in peace for the first time in days. Little boys don't care about their mother's privacy, I was grateful for Shizune.
"Ok mommy." He held onto Shizune's hand.
"If he gives you any trouble just give me a call." Shizune has been watching my son since birth and I trust her completely but sometimes there are things that only 'mommy' can fix.
"Sakura, I helped delivered him. I think I can manage." She teased.
I stuck my tongue out at her playfully before she left the room, "We'll be back in a bit."
I was going to savor this shower because after today we go back home where a little boy that has no patience interrupts my whole life. I worked in Suna up until now; Ms. Senju informed me that she decided to move me here in Kirigakure with her because it was easier than traveling back and forth to mentor me, but secretly I think it was to be closer to Shoda, she can't help but adore him.
No one back home knows about him, my parents don't visit, we speak on the phone but it's never long, as a family we weren't exactly close -– I love my parents but we never saw eye to eye on anything.
Naruto was the only one I kept in contact with, he doesn't know about Shoda either, now that I've kept the secret so long I'm scared to release it. He knows that I had a career change, he knows where I live or lived I haven't told him that I was moving again. It wasn't like I was lying, I was just leaving out a very valuable piece of information.
I had to place my dream of becoming a doctor on hold and instead I transferred to administration work like Shizune, I assisted the Director in Suna with the hospital's day-to-day activities and such. Ms. Senju invited me to this banquet to mingle with the investors that were going to be supporting our hospital and my new job as her assistant; at least I didn't have to give a speech at the function.
"Sakura!" I heard Shizune yell from the front room.
"In the bathroom!"
Little feet stomped through the bedroom and into my bathroom; I had just finished curling my hair when I saw a very angry looking Shoda. Shizune was close behind him, "You want to tell her or should I?" Shizune crossed her arms; she seemed more authoritive this way.
"Oh no, what happened?" I kneeled in front of my son's pouty face; he jerked his face away from mine. "Shoda, tell me what happened?" I gently grabbed him by the chin and faced him back to me, his little arms dangled at his sides as he sulked.
"It's not all my fault, momma, the tall man didn't see me either."
"Tall man?" I looked up at Shizune. "What man?" I said as I stood up.
"Shoda decided that he wanted to race in the halls." I scowled at Shoda; he blushed lightly and looked away.
"After I told him repeatedly that running was not safe, next thing I know he's gone like lightening. He had me searching every hotel floor."
"Shoda, you know better." I chastised him for his poor behavior.
"That's not all; he bumped into the 'tall' man, slapped his hand away when the man tried to help him up and refused to apologize to him." I focused on my son.
"He was rude too, momma!" He whined and stomped his little foot. "He didn't say sorry for knocking me down."
I sighed, "Was the man okay?"
"He was fine, if anything he was a little annoyed." That irked me, but Shoda was in the wrong.
"Alright, I don't have a lot of time so we'll deal with this when I get back. I have to catch a taxi; Ms. Senju wants me there early to make sure we are prepared." I took my dress off the hook from behind the bathroom door.
"Aa. Go, I'll take care of everything here."
"Everything seems to be in place, Ms. Senju." I checked the final thing off the list. "We've cleared everything. The food is being prepped, the band is on stage and the guards are aware to be on high-alert this evening to unsure that nothing violent happens."
Tonight should be fun, I was looking forward to seeing someone.
"Perfect. You should change, everyone will be arriving soon."
"Of course." The dress I chose for the evening was a black off-the-shoulder neckline with a princess-seamed bodice, and it was worth every penny; matched with black heels, I left my hair down in soft curls with light make-up.
"He definitely won't be able to take his eyes off of me tonight." I whispered to myself.
Recently I've discovered dating, at first I dismissed the whole idea entirely but Shizune kept pushing me to get back out there. Sasuke was only man that I've ever cared for, he was the only man that I've ever loved and that ended terribly but I realized that 'dating' is not marriage and if I don't like the man then I don't have to see him again.
But I did like this man, I liked him a little too much. I was not trying to like him either, he resembled Sasuke too much I felt like it was weird, as if I was trying to replace Sasuke with him but every time I visited Ms. Senju, he made the effort to see me either in the hospital or for coffee and I guess he grew on me. Because now I sought him out after his surgeries or when I had down time, I would wander the hospital aimlessly hoping to catch a glimpse of his face.
Dr. Sai Hino was a very handsome neurologist, he's tall with a strong build and dark black hair that stands out on his pale complexion but somehow all that suits him very well. We met by chance in a meeting that Ms. Senju was holding for all the department heads to attend, I played oblivious to his lingering stares but when he approached me afterwards asking me to join him for coffee I respectfully declined because I had work to do.
After I turned him down the third time, he bought the coffee to me and we talked a lot and for a while. Sai knows bits and pieces about my past, about what happened with Sasuke and even about Shoda, I couldn't really keep him a secret when he attends work with me on some days.
When he asked about Shoda's father, he automatically assumed that the father bailed, we had our first argument that day, it wasn't Sasuke's fault. The guilt hasn't fully eaten me alive yet but when Shoda starts to question where his father is or why his father isn't around, my heart is going to break. I deprived my child of his father for five years now and I still wasn't sure when I would come clean, I just hope when I do that Shoda forgives me.
Thanks for all the reviews! It makes me happy! I can't believe this got so much feedback, I will try to be more thorough with my writing! Don't worry the blow up between Sakura and Sasuke is coming.