Prompt 19

"I'm better when I'm with you"

"How are you feeling today, Tenten?" The light eyed, dark haired doctor asked his patient upon entering her room.

Tenten coughed into her tissue, hiding the specks of blood that now covered it. "A little better today, Dr. Hyuga." She sent him a wane smile, but she knew she wasn't fooling him.

Her doctor sent her a stern look in response. "You need to tell me when you're hurting, Tenten. If the treatment isn't working, I need to know so we can try something else."

We've already tried everything. She thought glumly. She had been diagnosed with leukemia three years ago and had since spent her time in and out of the hospital, receiving treatment. However, she was informed early on by her doctor that the treatment would only prolong her life—it would only delay the inevitable. Then, three months ago, Tenten had collapsed, and she has been in this tiny room ever since, her home for the rest of her short life. The only solace she got was from her daily visits by her kind doctor.

"Can you sit with me today, Dr. Hyuga?" He would, on occasion, when his schedule allowed it.

"I told you already; call me Neji." But he pulled up a chair and sat beside her, not being able to refuse. How could he, when he had fallen in love with this strong, incredible woman over the three years he had been treating her? It took every ounce of strength in him to keep things professional between the two of them. He had to—he was her doctor, and she was…

"I don't want the other patients to feel jealous, though. You already give me preferential treatment." She said it as a joke, but he didn't smile. Tenten noticed that he smiled less and less since she had been admitted to the hospital three months ago. She sighed. "I'm tired, Neji. Can you stay until I fall asleep?"

Pain gripped his heart. She was always tired lately; a sign that her body was shutting down. "Of course, Tenten."

"Thank you." She yawned and he helped her lay down onto the bed. "I like when you stay with me, Neji." She continued after she was settled. "I'm better when I'm with you. I don't feel any pain when you're here and I'm able to forget that I'm sick. Thank you for that."

Tears sprung to Neji's eyes at her words, but he refused to let them fall. He was her doctor and he had to be strong for her. What would she think of his abilities as a doctor if he were to break down in front of her? But oh, how he wished he could do more than alleviate her pain for a few minutes. He wanted to take her illness away from her for good. He wanted to see that bright, enthusiastic woman he had met three years ago when she first came to the hospital, before the disease gripped her and tore her apart. But even though she had long ago lost her long, silky chocolate hair, and even though her skin was far paler than it ought to be, Tenten was still the most breathtakingly beautiful woman Neji had ever seen.

Thankfully, Tenten hadn't seen the tears in his eyes. Her speech had left her exhausted and she now rested with her eyes closed against the pillows. She had taken hold of his hand when he was helping her lie down and she held it protectively against her chest. Her breathing slowed, signalling she had fallen asleep, but still he stayed—unable to leave her just yet. His free hand cupped the side of her face, thumb stroking her skin softly as he stared at her through watery eyes.

He knew it wouldn't be long now. She was getting weaker by the day, despite the tough front she put up each time she saw him. He knew she was scared—he had caught her crying a few days ago when she thought she was alone, and he hated being powerless to do anything. He was a doctor; he was supposed to fix people, not watch as they slowly wasted away in front of his eyes.

At last, Neji forced himself to stand. He still had other patients to tend to, and he would be in trouble if he didn't finish his rounds on time. He extracted his hand from hers and bent down to place a soft kiss to her forehead. As he turned around to leave, Neji wondered how he was supposed to live after she was gone. He knew it was selfish, but he thought she was getting the better end of the deal. Soon, she would finally be pain free and at peace, whereas he would have to go on living a life without her in it. And Neji wasn't quite sure how he would handle that; knowing that very soon he would never be able to see her again.

Some AU angst for ya'll, because I need to work on writing about topics other than fluff. It has a weak ending though, so I apologise for that.

Almost there! Only one more drabble prompt left after this one.