"Blood pressure is 115/75, so that's normal."

"Thank you, Sakura," said Hinata. "You're such a hard worker. The night shift must be hard."

Sakura smiled at her as she put away the blood pressure equipment and washed her hands. She then recorded the results on Hinata's check up sheet.

"Yeah...I get off at 11 today though. I'm exhausted...Ah! Anyways, regarding your blood pressure, it might fluctuate every now and then since you're pregnant but it seems like you're doing well in terms of taking care of yourself and the child."

"I see...I'm kind of scared. I know that giving birth hurts.

Sakura smiled at her with concern. "Of course, but that's the beauty of it, you know? You work so hard carrying it for nine months, then the day comes and you're pushing, and trying to get the baby out of there, and the result is a beautiful child for you to raise and love. It's totally clichéd, but it's great."

Hinata laughed. "I get what you mean. But you're right. The results do outweigh the struggles I'm going to go through while I carry this child." She then managed to get up from the patient's bed and onto the floor.

"Well, that's it for my daily check up, isn't it?" Hinata asked.

Sakura nodded. "That's it. I'll see you again in a month."

Hinata bowed and waved goodbye.

"Oh, thanks for the pork buns by the way. Sasuke saved some for me the other day and I had them for lunch. They were delicious!"

Hinata smiled, "You can come over and I can teach you if you want! Being on leave and not being able to do anything at home is so boring."

"I'll do that."

Hinata then left the patient's room and Sakura went back over Hinata's checkup history. Sakura left as well, walking to the medical records room. She smiled, thinking about Hinata's child. She bet that it was going to be just as cute as his/her mother, but then she thought about Naruto. That child was either going to be just as energetic as his father or just as calm and gentle as Hinata. She hoped it would be the latter. Then she giggled; maybe another little Naruto wouldn't be so bad.

She then heard her pager beeping and saw the words ER. Sakura groaned and then hurried away after putting Hinata's checkup sheets amongst her other files. She decided to take the stairs to the first floor and run past the elevators who had people lined up waiting to get in. The first floor where the emergency rooms are used to be so chaotic during the war but since that ended, the patients have been coming in normally as they would have before.

She finally managed to arrive on the first floor and she booked it to the front desk. A nurse who was waiting for her saw her and quickly ran to her.

"Ma'am."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Follow me."

Sakura followed the nurse to one of the rooms that held severely injured patients. Her eyes widened at the sight of the guy's black hair and knew immediately that it was Sasuke. He was sitting on the edge of the patient's bed, rubbing his newly bandaged wound.

"What the hell...what happened to him?"

"He came in earlier with a severe stab wound in the abdomen. He saved a child and her mother from her abusive father. Apparently the man is now in custody, but Sasuke got hurt in the process..."

"He saved someone?"

"Yeah, we fixed his wound just like you taught us so it seems that he's doing okay now...I know you and him are close, so I thought it would only be fair if I contacted right away."

Sakura sighed. "Didn't think he'd come to the hospital to get fixed up. He usually prefers dressing his own wounds."

"Yeah, but apparently your friend Naruto forced him to come here."

Sakura chuckled. "That Naruto. Well, thank you."

The nurse bowed and Sakura walked in the room. Sasuke was shocked to see her and he tried to hide his wound from her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Obviously I'm here to check up on you," Sakura grumbled, walking up to him.

"I've already been checked up on."

Sakura ignored him and put a hand on the bandage. He watched her as her face drew extremely close, close enough to where he could smell her perfume. Impulsively, he reached out his hand and caught himself. Self control, he thought.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"I've had worse."

"You were out late huh?"

"I was with Naruto and them again."

Sakura smiled. "Mm, that's good...well, the newbies did a good job tying up your bandage," Sakura told him.

"Newbies?! You guys let newbies do this sort of thing?"

"How else will they learn? We train them for a week and they shadow us for a day or two, so they're not completely new at this."

"Oh..."

"We haven't talked like this in a while, huh?" Sakura said, smiling and sitting on one of the chairs in the room. "Where have you been? Every time I wake up and go to sleep, you're never at the apartment."

"...well I've been meeting up with Naruto and the guys more often...catching up and whatnot...I've also been looking for a new place to stay."

Sakura raised her brows disapprovingly. "Your own place?"

"I don't deserve to stay with you."

Sasuke stopped and then cursed himself. He had a little too much to drink and was spouting all this nonsense.

Sakura stood up and placed her fingers on her forehead in confusion. "Wait...you don't deserve me?"

Sasuke didn't respond and he kept avoiding eye contact with her. She hated it.

"Sasuke, are you still caught up on what happened to us 3-4 years ago?"

"Forget I said that," Sasuke muttered. "I'm kind of drunk. Just leave already, please. I'm okay."

Sakura couldn't take his arrogance anymore and sighed. "Listen, I don't care if you're drunk. I've been putting up with you for the past couple of days since you got back, but honestly. How long are you going to keep up this charade of yours? I'm tired of always having to guess how you're feeling and it's unfair if you keep acting this way and not telling me how you feel."

Sasuke didn't respond to her and she crossed her arms disapprovingly.

"I won't leave until you talk to me."

Sasuke then got up and put on his clothes. He winced a little at the stinging pain, but again, he's had worse.

"Then I'll leave."

Sakura stood in front of the door and glared at him, but her eyes of anger suddenly turned to sadness.

"Sasuke, do not do this. I'm tired already, please."

Sasuke sighed, "Sakura...move out of the way. I'm going back to the apartment."

Sakura groaned and ran her hand through her hair in annoyance. "If you're leaving, I'm leaving."

"Wha-!"

"Don't you move from there! Wait for me! I'm going to get my things."

Sasuke, at a loss for words, grabbed Sakura's arm before she could leave the room. Sakura paused, he hadn't touched her since the night he first showed up. It was such an odd feeling.

"You have patients that need you right? You get off at 11? I can wait here for a couple more hours...don't do anything dumb."

Sakura hid her smile and turned around with a serious expression. "Wait patiently, okay?"

Sasuke watched her leave and he groaned. "What am I doing?! Dammit!"

He looked at his hands and sighed. "She never runs away when I hold her. Even before, she never-agh. Damn, this is all so frustrating."

He sat back down on the bed and decided to wait for her.

"Sasuke...sasuke?"

"Nn..."

Sasuke's eyes opened and he saw Sakura looking over him. He didn't notice that he'd taken a nap while he waited for her. He looked at the clock in the room which read 11:10 PM. He stared at her for a moment. When had she gotten so beautiful?

He reached out a hand to touch her face and she held his hand as he did so, sighing lightly. "Why did you try to kill me Sasuke?"

Her face saddened and her eyes starting get red and watery with tears.

"Why are you trying to kill me? What did I ever to you?"

As he looked back at the hand that was touching her cheek, it was instead his hand holding a kunai to her neck.

Sasuke screamed and threw the kunai away and it hit the floor with a big bang.

"Not again...NO!"

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke immediately got up and woke up from his dream. His hands shook and his forehead was slick with sweat. His vision cleared and he found Sakura on top of him, her hands on his shoulders when she shook him earlier trying to wake him up since he was moaning and moving in his sleep. He looked around and saw that he was still in the patient's room. It was just a dream. Thank goodness, he thought. He then flinched and grabbed his wound.

"Shit..."

"Don't move too much or you're going to hurt yourself and open up your wound."

He nodded and his face writhed in slight pain. "Damn, this actually hurts a little."

"Sasuke...are you okay?" she asked. She wiped his forehead and his neck with one of the hand towels. "You're sweating like crazy...did you have a bad dream?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura and reached out to her, but the image of her grief stricken face appeared in his mind and he pulled back and clutched his hands tightly, looking away from her. "I'm sorry...Sakura you really really don't deserve someone like me."

He felt Sakura's hands on his and she moved in closer. Her face that inches away from his, smiled at him. It was a completely different expression from the woman in his dream.

"What happened in the past stays in the past. I think two years is long enough."

"But I tried to kill you!"

"I KNOW!" Sakura yelled. Her lip trembled like she was about to cry but she stopped herself. "I know..."

Sasuke's head fell to the ground, beaten. "Sakura-"

"Sasuke."

Sasuke paused to listen and he looked up at her.

"You're a different man now. A changed man. Don't you see that? You saved that child and her mother and you're hanging out with your friends, you make sure I take care of my patients the right way by not making me go home early. Do you not see those little things that matter?"

"Yes, but look at the way I treat you. I don't know how to treasure you properly! You'll only hurt yourself more if you stay with me."

"Stop doing this to yourself. Sasuke, that part about you, you need to change it! You need to stop taking yourself for granted!"

"Sakura..." Sasuke then thought to himself. "Just give me some more time. Please."

Sakura furrowed her brows and responded quietly. "Two years is enough already...don't you think? You're okay now.."

Sasuke slammed a fist on the bed in frustration. "Dammit. Two years is a long time, I know. But Sakura...please. Try to understand...facing you after trying to do those things to you isn't easy for me."

"...fine. I understand."

Sasuke remained quiet and Sakura sighed and walked towards the door. There was nothing more she could do at the moment. She had to respect his wishes and give him what he needed. "I'll give you time to think, Sasuke. I'll go home first. Also...please don't get another apartment. It's a waste of money and...I need you."

She closed the door and Sasuke buried his hands in his face. "No Sakura. I'm the one that needs you."