It had been three weeks since Sakura started staying with Gaara and his siblings. Kankuro, though still struggling to accept that he was now an amputee, was getting better every day with Sakura's help. She promised that at some point, she would help him get a prosthetic leg. For now, he was able to get around on his own with some crutches she provided him with. There was one thing, however, that his pride wouldn't let him tolerate: needing help in the shower. He would complain the entire time and attempt to do it on his own, but this would always wind up with him slipping and injuring himself further. Despite Sakura assuring him that she has helped countless people bathe throughout her career, it was not enough to comfort him, but when presented with the option of having one of his siblings help, he'd shut his mouth. At least she allowed him the liberty of cleaning his groin.

When she wasn't at work or assisting Kankuro with his needs, she would help Temari at the flower shop with whatever she needed. With Gaara gone all day and Kankuro out of commission, Temari was extremely grateful for the extra pair of hands. This also allowed the two of them to get to know each other better, and she was coming to enjoy Sakura's company. It was just simply nice to have another woman around the house. Regardless of the fresh bond that was forming, Temari still had yet to question Sakura about the identity of her baby's father. And even though she hadn't received any solid confirmation from Gaara about it, she felt in her heart she already knew the truth.

Sakura had settled into their family nicely. She had completely forgotten the warnings from her closest friend about staying away from Gaara. As the days went on, the three siblings only appeared more like a normal family to her. They'd bicker and poke fun at one another, sometimes going a little too far, like when Gaara teased his brother for having a missing leg after Kankuro would make fun of him for his small stature. Frequently, the two brothers would gang up on Temari and criticize her cooking skills- among other things they knew she was sensitive about. Kankuro always took the lead on bullying their sister and if Gaara didn't join in with a word or two, it was always enough to encourage a smirk from him. Nonetheless, the three of them were still very close. Witnessing the bantering and their relationships had only helped to humanize them more to Sakura, who at this point rarely gave any thought to their criminal careers.

But alas, Kankuro was doing better now, so her job here was finished. As she sat upright in Gaara's bed that night, waiting for him to return, a lingering sadness weighed heavy on her heart. She felt as if she belonged here with the three of them, and she looked forward to the end of every night when Gaara would finally return home. Though he was far from a conversationalist, his body language did the talking for him, and she was quickly learning how to decipher it. Sometimes he'd have a word or two, maybe even an occasional sentence to offer up in response, but Sakura didn't mind how little he spoke. The once awkward silence between them had developed into something more comfortable. His physical touch was an incredible distraction, however, his mere presence had become enough to keep the loneliness and dark thoughts at bay. When he was around, the rest of the world went quiet. And even though he didn't say so, she believed he was starting to feel the same way.

As expected, he arrived home sometime around midnight. It was raining heavily. He dropped the duffle bag that he always brought with him and removed his shirt. He used it to ruffle his hair until it was somewhat dry, then tossed it into the laundry hamper and fought with his jeans, which were soaking wet and sticking to his legs. Once he accomplished kicking them off, he flopped onto the end of the bed and let out a deep sigh. He looked exhausted.

"Does it ever rain in Suna?" she asked him.

"No," he breathed, "not that I've seen during my lifetime." He lifted his head and started pulling his body up to where the pillows lay, burying his face into one. Sakura adjusted her position until she was lying on her side, facing him.

"I'm going to go back home tomorrow," she said.

Gaara turned his head to look at her with a curious expression. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No," she replied, "it's just that Kankuro is doing much better now… and that's why I've been staying here, right?"

"Hm," he hummed as if he had forgotten the real reason why she was here. Sakura hoped that maybe the next words out of his mouth would be him asking her to stay longer, or maybe he'd express his sadness for her departure. "Thank you… for helping him." It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she'd accept his gratitude.

"Of course," she said with a soft smile, "so, I… um," she cleared her throat nervously before continuing, "tomorrow morning before work, I have an ultrasound appointment…"

They hadn't discussed the baby at all during the last three weeks. Gaara looked confused, unsure of what she was talking about.

"You know, where you can see how the baby is developing… I uh… I wanted to ask you to come with me. Only if you want to, of course…"

Gaara closed his eyes and sunk into the pillow. "I will go," he said, slightly muffled. And within only a few minutes, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

xxx

"We're here," Sakura chimed, pulling Gaara from his early morning brooding. He rubbed his tired eyes before reluctantly pulling on the door handle to exit the vehicle.

Inside the waiting room, Gaara instantly became over-stimulated. There were various children's toys scattered all over the place; the walls were covered in brightly colored posters with photos of and information regarding the development of a fetus and children, the dangers of consuming drugs and alcohol while pregnant, and general pregnancy information. The obnoxious decor on its own was enough to give him anxiety, but the few screaming toddlers running around throwing toys, ripping up magazines, and the crying babies were about to send him into "fight or flight" mode. He looked over at Sakura who sat with her hands folded on her lap and her eyes closed, waiting patiently for her name to be called.

'How the fuck is she blocking this out?' He wondered. It had to be some sort of skill she had been working on her entire life.

Before the ultrasound technician could even finish saying Sakura's last name, Gaara shot up from his seat and headed toward her.

"This must be your first baby," the technician joked, referring to how quickly Gaara wanted to get into the other room.

Gaara's expression was unamused, but he let her assume that was the case.

Once they reached the ultrasound room, Sakura laid back on the exam bed and pulled her shirt up. At eleven weeks pregnant, her belly was still small, protruding only slightly. While the technician got prepared, Gaara sat down in a chair that faced the computer monitor. On the outside, he seemed his cool, calm, and collected self. But there was this intense anxiety building inside of him, like a glass filled to the brim that was about to overflow. He could hear Sakura and the technician discussing something, but their voices were muffled. His eyes remained locked onto the monitor. After a few moments, images began to appear on the screen as the technician searched for Sakura's uterus. It wouldn't be long before the image Gaara was anxiously anticipating would appear, and this wasn't the reaction he thought he'd have once he saw it. He was petrified. Until this moment, seeing the tiny fetus with his own eyes, Sakura's pregnancy hadn't been a real thought to him. But now, it was hitting him like a freight train.

In contrast to the internal reaction Gaara was having, Sakura watched in awe as the tiny fetus wiggled its disproportionate arms. Although it was still mostly blob-shaped, the head had formed now and was beginning to look more human.

"Wow…" Sakura said, "I can't believe how much it's changed since the last time I saw it."

"They certainly grow quickly," the technician stated as she snapped a few photos. "It's still a little too early now, but by your next visit, we should be able to tell the sex. Is that something you're interested in, or do you want it to be a surprise?"

"Hmm, I don't know," said Sakura. She looked over at Gaara. "What do you think?" Her question passed right through him. "...Gaara?" His eyes were wide and remained focused on the screen. "Gaara!"

He snapped out of it and looked at her like a deer in headlights.

"Huh?" he had completely ignored everything that was said.

Picking up on the terror in his eyes, she decided not to repeat the question. "We'll talk about that later," Sakura sighed.

The technician nodded and handed Sakura a washcloth to wipe the ultrasound gel off her stomach. "Let me get some photos printed out for you and I'll send you on your way."

Fortunately, the drive back to Gaara's home was short. He was so tense that it was rubbing off on Sakura. Even as they were parked out front of the home, Gaara was still staring off.

"Hey…" Sakura said softly. She placed a hand on his thigh that pulled him back into reality, startling him slightly. "It's okay. I've already made my decision, but if you don't think you're ready for this, I'm not going to force you to be."

Gaara nodded slowly, though it didn't convince Sakura that he understood what she was saying to him.

"Here…" she dug around in her purse for one of the ultrasound photos and handed it to him. "Take some time to think about it. When you have an answer… you know where to find me."

Gaara gave the photo and Sakura a few quick looks before nodding again and exiting the vehicle. He watched as Sakura drove off before heading into the house. He followed the sound of his sibling's voices into the kitchen and stood on the threshold. Temari stood at the sink washing dishes while Kankuro leaned up against the counter with one of his crutches.

"Hm? Oh hey Gaara," Temari greeted him over her shoulder, "where have you been all morning?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Kankuro said, "I didn't think you could get any paler."

Gaara silently stepped forward and tossed the ultrasound photo on the kitchen table, staring intently at it.

"What's that?" Kankuro hobbled towards the table to get a closer look, but just as he was about to identify the photo, Gaara quickly snatched a bowl of fruit that was sitting in the center of the table and pulled it forward, vomiting into it. "Gross, what the fuck?"

"Gaara?! What's wrong?" Temari spun around from the sink. Gaara was visibly shaking. He took a seat at the table, closed his eyes, and covered his mouth with a hand. Temari approached the table and snatched up the photo. "So, it's true."

"What's true? What's going on here?"

Temari flipped the photo over to show Kankuro.

"What the hell is that?" Kankuro squinted at the photo. "Looks like a tumor?"

"It's a baby, you idiot," Temari scolded him.

"A baby? But… why…" Kankuro stared blankly at his little brother, then back at the photo. "I don't understand."

"You are so stupid," Temari sighed, "it's Gaara's! He's going to be a dad!"

"W-what?!" Kankuro almost lost his balance, "Matsuri's pregnant? Shit, you're trapped now, bud."

Temari slapped the back of Kankuro's head. "Don't say shit like that," she hissed.

Without a word, Gaara rose from his seat, snatched the ultrasound picture from Temari's fingers, and left the room. Temari and Kankuro listened silently as they heard Gaara's footsteps travel up the stairs and down the hallway, followed by the sound of his bedroom door slamming shut.

"What the hell is wrong with you," Kankuro whispered harshly at his sister, rubbing the back of his head, "it's true, anyway. Matsuri is awful, and now there's no getting rid of her."

"It isn't Matsuri's," Temari matched his harsh whispers.

"Huh? Then- then who? He doesn't even talk to anybody besides us…" Kankuro stared off as if he were trying to solve the world's toughest math equation. Then, after a moment, Temari swore she could see the lightbulb turn on behind his eyes. "That nurse girl?"

Temari nodded.

Kankuro raised a clenched fist and grinned wildly. "Haha, alright!" he cheered. "She seems pretty cool, and she's smart!" He lowered his fist and frowned. "And she's hot, too, so what's his issue?"

Temari slapped a hand over her forehead. "I doubt this was planned," she sighed, frustrated, "he wouldn't even talk to me about it when Sakura first started staying here."

"You've known for that long?"

"Well, I wasn't sure of it until now," Temari said, "and you know how he gets when you push his buttons…"

"You were suspicious for that long, and you didn't say anything to me about it?"

"Because you would've acted like a jackass!"

"Fuck you, I'm not a jackass," he said, scowling like a jackass.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she groaned and placed her hands on her hips, "what matters is that we help our brother and Sakura however we can. With how messy our lives are, they're going to need it…"

"You're right…" Kankuro agreed, "...and what about Matsuri? Does she know?"

"I don't know anything about that," Temari said, shaking her head, "but I sure hope Gaara figures that out before it becomes a problem for all of us."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Gaara was lying on his bed holding the sonogram photo close to his face. Him? A father? A tiny human that would be fully reliant on him? He had never given any thought to being a parent. After spending only minutes in that waiting room earlier, he wasn't even sure if he liked kids. Children were loud and needy. Despite that, he was not one to abandon his family.

Closing his eyes, he let out a deep sigh and slid the photo into his front pocket. This was real, whether he wanted it to be or not. His opinion of and lack of knowledge when it came to children was not his primary concern, though. Children were feeble and innocent, easy targets for the violent gang that knew every detail of his private life. If they had any reason to do so, they would surely use his child as a pawn, and if he was to have anything to do with this child, he would have to find a way out of the Akatsuki. Doing so without causing any casualties was easier said than done, of course.

xxx

As soon as Sakura entered the staff locker room at work, she heard her boss calling her name. She turned around to see Tsunade poking her head in through the doorway.

"Yes, Tsunade?"

"Can you come to see me in my office real quick? Don't worry about putting your things away just yet."

"Uh, yeah, sure," Sakura replied nervously. She instantly began to panic. Tsunade had never requested her presence in her office, especially when she hadn't even clocked in yet. She followed suit across the hallway to Tsunade's office and closed the door behind her.

"Please, take a seat," Tsunade said, waving her hand at the empty chair before the desk. Sakura hesitantly took the seat, clasping her hands in her lap. Tsunade's eyes were hooked on her computer monitor. The sound of a clicking mouse and typing on a mechanical keyboard filled the awkward silence.

"So…um," Sakura cleared her throat. Tsunade held up a finger, motioning for her to hold on for a moment. She hung her head and focused her eyes on her hands, nervously tightening her grip.

After a few more moments of clicking, which Sakura swore was only getting louder with each click, Tsunade spoke. Sakura's head shot back up.

"So, Sakura," she started firmly, "how have you been?"

"Uh… fine?" she replied, apprehensively.

"That's good to hear," Tsunade said. "Do you have any thoughts on why I wanted to see you?"

"N-no," she stuttered. But, she did have some thoughts. As Tsunade shuffled some papers around on her desk, Sakura could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

'She knows.'

And this thought would be confirmed when Tsunade slid a few papers across the desk for Sakura to view. With only a glance, she knew what the papers were about, but she pretended to read them anyway.

"For the last three weeks, counts have been coming up short on certain medical supplies," Tsunade explained, "...and it seems that these counts are only coming up short after shifts where you work…"

Trying her best to look surprised, Sakura widened her eyes. "Oh…?"

"...Do you… know anything about that?" Tsunade asked, tilting her head, "anything you want to share with me?"

Sakura audibly swallowed and shook her head. She could feel her face getting hot.

"Hm…" Tsunade reached for her computer monitor and turned it for Sakura to see. Displayed across the screen were several images of Sakura leaving the hospital with a heavy-looking fabric bag. In the top right of each image were time stamps that correlated with the dates on the papers Tsunade had her look at first. Tsunade watched Sakura's face contort as she struggled to find something to say. "What's in the bag, Sakura?"

"I- I- I'm…" her eyes began to flood with tears. There was no lying her way out of this; she was caught. She choked on a sob before she could finally articulate a full word. It came out as a whisper: "Sorry." She covered her mouth with a hand in an attempt to stifle her sobs.

Tsunade sighed and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. She watched as Sakura desperately tried not to fall apart in front of her.

"I didn't want to believe it," Tsunade said softly, "this isn't like you at all." Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, silently agreeing that this was, indeed, unlike her. Tsunade pushed a box of tissues on the desk over to Sakura and she quickly obliged. She gave her a moment to calm down before speaking again. "Because it was nothing major, I don't have to report you to the board and I'm not going to fire you." Sakura peaked at her over the tissue she was holding to her face. "I can't allow this to go unpunished."

"I- I know," Sakura managed to say through sniffles.

"It's clear to me that there's been something going on," she noted, sympathetically, "you've been… off… for a while now. I'm not going to probe you about your personal life. But whatever it is, you need to get it together. You are one of our best nurses. We can't afford to lose you over some petty theft. I am putting you on unpaid suspension until further notice."

Sakura took a deep breath and gave her a pitiful bow. She rose from her seat and quickly turned around to hide the shame that was surely written all over her face.

"Sakura," Tsunade called after her just as she grabbed the doorknob to leave, "call me when you think you're ready to return. And we'll talk."

xxx

The obnoxious sound of buzzing against a metal nightstand pulled Gaara from the comforting embrace of sleep. He blindly slapped his hand around until he found the culprit: his cell phone. Checking the screen with one eye, the sight of the words "private number" sent a surge of energy through him and he quickly sat up.

"Shit," he cursed, realizing he had dozed off. "Hello?"

"Haven't you learned what happens when you keep us waiting?" Deidara's voice harshly came through the other line: "you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago."

Gaara jumped out of the bed and stumbled over his own feet as he made his way to the door. "I got caught up with something," he lied, "I'll be there in five minutes."

"Better not be a second longer," Deidara threatened.

His siblings could hear his quick footsteps racing towards the stairs, followed by a loud thump. He had jumped down the entire length of the staircase. They watched as he busted out the front door, leaving it open behind him.

As he stated, he arrived that the club within 5 minutes; not a second longer. He made his way through the lobby and entered an "employee's only" entrance, where he found an impatient Deidara waiting alone. He had his phone up to his ear and his eyes on a clock hanging on the wall.

"Never mind, he's here," Deidara said to the person on the other line, presumably Sasori. He ended the call and gave Gaara a sickening smirk. "Looks like your siblings get to live another day, kid."

The corners of Gaara's mouth twitched as he tried to fight off a scowl. 'Psychotic piece of shit.'

"Anyway, glad you could make it. Here ya go," Deidara held out a folded piece of paper. Gaara eyed it suspiciously. "Go on, take it. What, you think it's going to bite?"

When Gaara reached for it, Deidara jumped forward and released a quick shout to scare him. Gaara fell for it and flinched. Deidara cackled and flicked the piece of paper at Gaara. It bounced off his chest and landed on the floor. The redhead quickly bent down and snatched it up, shooting Deidara a hostile stare.

"Ah, don't get all riled up now," Deidara laughed.

He unfolded the paper to reveal an address located in Suna scribbled on it. "...What is this?"

"You can't read?"

Gaara was quietly unamused by his sarcasm.

"The boss wants you to meet him at that address," Deidara explained.

"...Why? You couldn't have said this over the phone?"

"Nah, we're pretty sure all our phones are tapped, and this entire place is probably bugged," he said, nonchalantly. He snatched the paper back from Gaara. "Can you remember this address?"

"Yeah. I know where that is," he said.

"Good," Deidara reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. He lit the paper on fire and dropped it on the tiled floor, stepping on it once the fire had completely burned away the ink. "The cops here have no jurisdiction in Suna, but we still wouldn't want them finding that address."

"Is this the only reason I'm here?" Gaara asked.

"Yep." Deidara waved his hand at him to shoo him away. "Run along now. I'd get on the road tonight if I were you. Oh- and pick yourself up a few new burner phones while you're at it."

He left without another word. It seemed like such great lengths, making him leave his home to retrieve an address that he'd just have to memorize, and then threatening to kill his family if he wasn't there to retrieve it when they wanted him to. Certainly, they just enjoyed fucking with him.

xxx

Later that night, Sakura sat at her kitchen table, eyeing a pile of bills in the center and pondering what she had allowed her life to become. Hopeless tears rolled silently down her cheeks. She did not attempt to halt them. Tsunade's words echoed among her other thoughts: you need to get it together.

'How?' she thought. Who was she supposed to ask for help? Naruto, who wanted to put her child's father in jail? After spending every day with Gaara and his family for the last few weeks, she knew she didn't want that to happen.

A knock at the door made her jump out of her seat. She checked the time on her phone: 10:34 PM. 'It's late… who could that be?' She tiptoed over to the door and cracked it open slowly.

It was Gaara. She gently pushed the door open all the way. Almost instinctively upon meeting with those pale, jade eyes, all of her concerns, along with questioning why he was here so late, were pushed to the back of her mind. Despite seeing him earlier that day, his surprise presence instantly had butterflies dancing in her stomach.

'Oh no…' her brain warned her heart.

She recognized this feeling. It had been creeping up on her during the weeks she stayed with him, but she kept brushing it off, telling herself that the pregnancy hormones were clouding her judgment. And maybe- maybe that's what it was. But this time, the feeling didn't creep up. It hit her all at once and left her stunned, gawking at the man before her as if he were a knight in shining armor that had just arrived to save her from herself. There was no way this feeling was logical. Regardless of the pregnancy, he was just a man, maybe a new friend at best, that she had just been sleeping with. It wasn't that deep. There was no way she was falling for-

"...You cry a lot," he said, instantly tearing her from her wandering thoughts.

She used her sleeve to wipe her eyes and furrowed her brow in an attempt to look bothered by his blunt comment, but the smile forming at the corners of her mouth deceived her.

"You used the door this time," she replied.

"You locked the window,"

Sakura couldn't help but let out a quick, short chuckle. She took a few steps backward and gestured for him to come in, but he remained in the doorway with his hands behind his back.

"I came here to tell you that I have to go back to Suna for a while," he said.

"...Oh." her smile faded. "For how long?"

"I don't know," he said, "honestly, I didn't expect to be here in Konoha for this long."

"When… when are you leaving?"

"Now."

"... I see…" there was a hint of disappointment in her voice. She averted her eyes to the floor, afraid she might tear up again if she kept looking at him.

"I brought a gift," he said. She watched as he brought his hands out from behind his back and revealed something in his palm: a very tiny, round cactus in a very tiny pot. Sakura blinked and raised a brow. "It's a golden barrel cactus. They can live up to 30 years."

Sakura took the tiny cactus into her hands.

'What a weird gift…' she wanted to say, but instead, "Thanks…?"

"It's for the baby," he said.

'Still weird, but… sweet?'

"I'm sure the baby will love it," she said with an awkward smile.

Gaara reached into his pocket and pulled out a small slip of paper. "And this…" he said. There was a phone number on it. Finally, after a few months, he decided to give her his phone number. "If you need anything while I'm gone, don't be afraid to ask Temari and Kankuro. You are… family now."

"Family…?" she whispered under her breath. With cheeks that matched her hair, she stared at him with wide, admirable eyes. There was no denying it. He was so strange, but she was starting to really like him.

"I should go now," he said.

"It's late. Can't you… stay the night?" she asked nervously, "...just leave in the morning. It's going to be a long drive." As she anxiously anticipated his response, he stepped closer to her. Her gaze remained intently locked with his, unflinching, even when she felt his hands gently grasp her face.

His expression was stoic, but her question bothered him. He didn't understand why. He wanted to say yes even though he knew he couldn't stay, but why did he want to? He wasn't in the mood for sex and he wasn't tired, so what other reason was there for him to stay the night? There was an annoying feeling tugging at his heartstrings as he stared back into those large, beautiful emerald eyes.

Have you ever been in love? He hadn't forgotten that question she asked the night they met because he found it so absurd. Now that he was recalling it, nothing about their relationship had been normal- yet, there was something that felt so natural about it. Was this feeling the 'love' she spoke of that night or were they simply two broken people that had unintentionally found solace in each other while they were trying to forget their problems?

"Or maybe… I could come with you?" she offered up another option.

He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. Again, he wanted to say yes, but the potential repercussions weren't worth trying. Gaara wasn't even sure why he had been summoned in the first place, but there was also the issue of a major thorn in his side: Matsuri. He had hoped that after ghosting her for so long, she would've ended things and saved him the trouble, but she was relentless and as resilient as a cockroach.

His eyes fell on her pouting lips. He dipped his head down and kissed her. Knowing that this kiss wasn't going to lead to sex made it so much different- unusual, even, from the rest. It was sweet and comforting, like a cure for stress. But it was over too quickly. Gaara pulled away and stepped back towards the door.

"...Next time," he said, then turned around and headed out.

She watched him walk down the hallway until he turned the corner. For the first time since they met, she didn't question what she was doing.