"Carrying it For a Friend" Chapter 2
Sakura sat outside of the hospital, getting some air after working a on a few patients that were in a car accident. Everyone was in stable condition, and now all they were waiting on were the blood test results and for the police to show up for her statement. Sakura knew that she could trust her nurses to watch over the patients while she did her own thing.
They had learned to not bother her with things, unless they really needed her attention. She was usually the only doctor in the ER during the night, so she had a lot to do. It was a good thing she had a capable staff to assist her.
Especially with her "delicate" condition, as her boss always put it. She knew how stubborn and capable Sakura was, but she always made sure to tease her about her lack of energy and other things that came along with being pregnant. This always caused the others in her department to join in with the jokes. It was their way of showing that they were behind her through the process. Kind of like how family is.
Sakura took a drink of her hot tea and let herself relax. She had her feet propped up on the concrete ashtray that was next to the bench she was on to help relieve her swollen ankles. She was glad that she worked the night shift, because it was less likely that someone would walk by and wonder why a hospital staff member was laying across a bench with her feet propped up like she owned the place. Didn't she have any real work to do?
The young doctor snorted at the thought of nothing to do. She could only dream of a slow night in the Konoha General Emergency Room.
"Excuse me, Dr. Haruno." A hesitant voice caused Sakura to open one of her eyes and look up at the person standing in front of her. It was one of the new orderlies.
"Yes, what is it?"
"There are officers wanting to get your statement on the condition of the patients from earlier. I was told to come and get you."
Sakura sighed and forced herself up in a seating position. She quickly finished off her tea and tossed the empty cup in the trash.
As they walked back into the hospital, the young orderly kept glancing down at Sakura's loose scrubs, as if she were trying to figure out if there really was something under her shirt.
"Tell me, what is your name again?"
"Mitsuki Kazura."
Sakura stopped before they got to the doors and turned to her and smiled. "I know that there must be all sorts of things that people have told you about me, and I'm hoping that they're all good things."
She hesitantly nodded, wondering where the doctor was going with her words.
"I think my favorite rumor that I've heard recently is that I'm pregnant from a one night stand I had when I went to Italy a few months ago, and that the father is some sort of high standing surgeon in the Italian medical community. I'm now apparently keeping it a secret because he's a married man with four other kids." Sakura chuckled at the thought of how elaborate some stories were. She looked back down at the nervous girl next to her and gave her a gentle smile. "I am pregnant, but the baby isn't mine. I'm having it for my friends."
"O-oh." Mitsuki blushed and nodded, now understanding a little more about her boss.
"If you ever have something that you want to know for sure, always ask the direct source. Okay?" She patted the girl on her head and entered the hospital.
Sakura saw two uniformed officers waiting for her at the reception desk when she entered her department.
"How can I help you, officers?" She greeted the two men.
"Ah. You must be Dr. Haruno." One of the two held out his hand for her to shake. "I am Officer Hatake, and this is my partner, Officer Uchiha."
Sakura smiled and shook the white-haired man's hand, then looked up to the other officer standing in front of her.
"Oh, it's you." She stated, surprised to see him there of all people. "You're the one from the graduation ceremony."
"We have some questions about some of the patients that came in tonight." Sasuke said, all business and ignoring the recognition she showed. He didn't even seem like the man that teased her a couple of months ago at all.
"Right..." She turned and motioned for one of the receptionists to bring her the files she had set aside to read to the officers. "My office is this way. Please, follow me."
The doctor led them to the private room, and offered them a seat. She had gone through this many times with other officers, but it felt like the more time she spent going over the routine information with Officers Hatake and Uchiha, she felt herself getting annoyed. She tried to keep her gaze on both of the officers as they asked their questions, but she kept finding her focus drifting to the raven-haired officer.
He really seems like he has a stick up his ass or something. She thought as he kept questioning her on her patients. It was like he didn't approve of the answers she was giving them. Almost as if she was uneducated and had no clue how to read lab reports. He kept motioning for her to give him the files so that he could look for himself, which she begrudgingly did.
Officer Hatake tugged at his collar, feeling uncomfortable with the air changing in the room. He definitely noticed how Dr. Haruno looked like she was ready to snap. The Uchiha, on the other hand, kept asking her questions as if he were interrogating her.
"And you're positive that there was no alcohol or drugs in Mr. Onigawa's system."
Sakura clenched her hands into fists and forced her face to smile in a professional manner. Her voice, however, betrayed her. "Absolutely."
"I think we've got everything we need." Officer Hatake quickly stood from his seat, urging his partner to do the same. Sasuke casually looked over the files again, then nodded his head in agreement. He put them back together and handed them to Sakura.
"Thank you for your time."
Sakura snatched the files from his hands. "Of course."
"Have a good night, Doctor." Officer Hatake said, and left the room.
Sasuke walked out after him, leaving Sakura fuming in her office.
"That ass." She grumbled under her breath and sat down. She looked down at the files and noticed a small card sticking out that wasn't there before.
Business is business. Coffee after hours? -S
It was hastily written, almost like he had casually done it like he had been taking notes as they spoke. She turned the card over, which had his information on it. He circled his cellphone number and next to it he scribbled "reply?".
Sakura looked up at the door that the two officers had just left, shocked that he did that with out her noticing. He wasn't being an ass to her like she thought. He was just being thorough.
She quickly took out her phone and put in his number. Sakura was about to compose a new message, but she stopped herself.
Is this really right for me to do? She absently rested a hand on her abdomen. She was only sixteen weeks, so her scrubs had hid the slight bump from people very well.
Sakura really wished that she didn't work the night shift, because she could really use the advice of her best friend right then. There was one person that she did know that would be up at that time of night that she could get advice from... She sighed as she found the number and clicked it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sai... Are you busy?"
"No, it's kind of a quiet night where I'm on patrol. Is something wrong?"
"I was just..." She hesitated, then shook her head to make herself get her act together. "Would it be wrong for me to date someone right now?"
It was silent on the other side of the line.
"Sai?"
"Are you sure that I'm the one you should be asking?"
"Ino is sleeping, so you're the only one that I've got right now."
"Right..." He sighed. "I don't have a problem with it, and we all know how long that Ino has tried to get you with someone, so I am pretty sure that she'd be okay with it. It's your decision."
"That doesn't help me at all." Sakura groaned.
"I'm not good with girl talk."
"Well, thanks for trying." She mumbled. "I'm gonna go, now. Be safe tonight."
"Always."
They hung up, and she went back to her text message screen.
Well, kid. It's not like it's going to be a huge deal, right? She thought to the child growing within her. It's just coffee.
She hit send, and sighed. "It's just coffee."
Sasuke was typing up the report that his partner was supposed to be doing himself. He growled and glared over his shoulder at Kakashi when the computer froze yet again mid-sentence.
"Can you not do something about this damn thing?"
"Now, now, Sasuke. Think of this as a learning experience." Kakashi waved off the rookie's glare and returned to the book that he was reading.
The younger officer slammed his fingers on the keyboard in front of him, silently cursing his father for not wanting to update any of the tech in the PD. He believed that it was much too complicated to have to keep up with updating the computer system every month.
"I'm going outside while this stupid thing restarts." Sasuke growled. This was the third or fourth time he had to do a hard reset of the stupid thing, which meant that he was going to have to start all over on his report yet again.
Once he was outside, his phone buzzed a few times. Cell signal inside of the department was nonexistent, apparently.
There were a few drunken texts from the dobe, one from his mother to make sure that his night was going smoothly, and one from a number he didn't recognize. He smirked when he remembered how angry he had left the doctor when he left the ER. It had to have been her.
He opened the message, and chuckled to himself.
Business may be business, but it doesn't mean that you have to be an ass about it... I guess coffee sounds okay... I get off at 7. I don't have a car, so you might as well pick me up at the hospital.
Sasuke didn't know why this doctor amused him so much. He never found other women he encountered as interesting as he found her to be. There was just... something about her that made him want to know more.
Sakura walked out of the hospital doors just as the sun was rising. She stretched her arms over her head and breathed in deeply. This is what freedom felt like after a long night in the Kanoha General Emergency Room. She loved her job, and she loved the people that she got to work with. It was rewarding, but very taxing.
She looked around for the young officer who had promised to come and pick her up after their shifts ended.
"Hey, I'm over here." A voice called out to her. She turned to where it came from, and did all that she could to keep her mouth from falling open at the sight of what she saw him driving.
"Are you going to keep staring, or are you going to get in?" He chuckled.
"I'm sorry, my mother taught me not to get into cars with strange men." Sakura folded her arms across her chest, giving him a snide come back.
"That's funny, because my mom told me not to pick up strange women, but here I am."
Sakura rolled her eyes and smiled. She liked that they played off each other's words. Not even Ino could keep up with her a lot of the time, which Sakura just blamed on her being blonde.
"How was your night?" She asked once she was buckled in the passengers seat.
"The calls weren't bad. It was the reports that I was ready to pull my hair out from." He replied as he backed up the car. "You?"
"It was fairly quiet, aside from that accident." Sakura answered. "Work is something that I really would rather not talk about, though. I've had enough medical talk for the last twelve hours."
"Fair enough." Sasuke nodded. "So, do you have any ideas on where you'd like to go?"
"Somewhere that has food."
"Oh good, so Best Buy is out of the question." He chuckled, earning a glare from Sakura. "I'm kidding. There's a place that I know of. I just hope that you don't mind idiots."
Sakura raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Eh?"
"Just trust me. It's not as bad as it sounds like it's going to be."
They drove for a while, and ended up on the edge of Kanoha. There was nothing but trees for a while, but when Sasuke took them a little past the city limits Sakura saw a bright red sign with the words "Kushina's Kitchen" on it.
"I've never heard of this place before." Sakura said when she got out of the car.
"It's owned by family friends." Sasuke explained. "It's not anything fancy, but the cooking is just as good as my mom's."
He held the door open for Sakura, letting her go in first.
Sasuke was right, it definitely wasn't anything fancy. Just a few wooden tables, and a bar that blocked customers from going into the kitchen. It could have been because it was so early in the morning, but to Sakura, it felt like it hadn't opened for customers yet.
"Hey, anyone home?" Sasuke called when they reached the bar.
"Sasuke? You're here early." A feminine voice answered. "Give us a minute, the boys are still doing prep."
"Take your time, Mrs. Uzumaki."
"Are you sure that it's okay for us to be here? They aren't even open yet."
"It's fine. They always feed me when I get off my shift. I actually like coming here because it isn't that crowded until lunch time, when I am fast asleep."
Sakura still felt like she was intruding. It didn't matter if Sasuke knew them. They didn't know her, and because of that she felt like she was invading on their opening duties.
"Are you hungry or not? I could always take you home, you know."
Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but her stomach did it before her voice could. She glared down at her abdomen. Thanks a lot, kid. She thought angrily. It didn't matter how much she seemed to eat since she got pregnant, she never felt satisfied, and her stomach reminded her of that.
Sasuke chuckled, which caused Sakura's cheeks turn red from embarrassment.
"Sorry about that." The same voice from before caught moved their attention to a woman that had just entered the room from the back of the kitchen.
She had scarlet hair, tied up in a ponytail to keep it pulled back from her face. She wore a yellow dress with a stained apron over it, and surprisingly she walked around barefoot.
"Oh, you brought a friend with you this time." She beamed at the two. "I'm Kushina Uzumaki. Welcome to my restaurant."
"Hello." Sakura returned with a polite smile. "I'm Sakura Haruno."
"Is there anything you two would like to drink?"
"My usual." Sasuke answered.
"Water for me, please."
"Black coffee and water, coming right out." She smiled, then turned around and began to yell into the kitchen. "HEY! BRING OUT SASUKE'S COFFEE AND A GLASS OF WATER FOR HIS LADY FRIEND!"
"WAIT! TEME BROUGHT A GIRL?!" A voice yelled back.
"GOOD FOR HIM!" Another yelled.
There was clanging coming from the back after that, then the sound of shattering glass. Sakura flinched, and looked to an unphased Sasuke and Kushina that were carrying on a conversation like nothing was wrong.
"HEY, WATCH IT! THAT'S HOT, YOU KNOW!"
"YOU SPILLED ICE ON THE FLOOR, I WAS TRYING TO KEEP FROM SLIPPING!"
"WOULD YOU TWO QUIT FOOLING AROUND AND BRING OUT THEIR DRINKS ALREADY?!" Kushina yelled to the two people in the back.
A couple of seconds later, two blonde men came walking out of the kitchen. The younger carried Sasuke's coffee, while the elder had Sakura's water. They had to have been father and son.
"Hey, it's the lady that ran away after she saw my eggs."
Sakura gave him a weak smile. "Yeah... Sorry about that."
"No offense taken. His cooking isn't really that great." The older man teased.
"NOT COOL, POPS!" The younger one yelled.
"It's true, though." Sasuke casually agreed as he took a drink from his mug.
"I hope you know that I spit in that before I brought it out."
Sasuke spat out the drink and began to choke, causing laughter to bubble out of the younger blonde.
"HA! YOU SHOULD SEE THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE!"
Kushina hit him in the back of the head as hard as she could.
"MA! What was that for?" He whined, holding the spot where a bump was surely forming.
"Quit fooling around. I'm sure Sasuke is tired after being up all night, so hurry and take their order." She glared.
"Fine, fine." He rolled his eyes.
"Like you're supposed to, Naruto."
The younger man gave an exasperated sigh, then turned to Sakura. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, son of the great Kushina, whose food you are about to have the privilege to eat. How can I take your order?"
This time it was Sasuke's turn to start laughing.
"SHUT UP, TEME!" Naruto jumped over the counter and kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall back from his chair. Sakura started to get up to make sure that Sasuke was okay, but she felt Kushina's hand stop her.
"Don't worry about it." Kushina shook her head. "This is normal for them. Has been for years, now. I'm going to go to the kitchen and start on Sasuke's food. Go ahead and tell my husband what you would like, okay."
Kushina left the room and retreated to the back, leaving Sakura with the scuffling men that were throwing punches at each other while they rolled on the floor, and the older blonde man who watched the two with amusement.
He turned and flashed Sakura a handsome smile.
"So, miss. What would you like?"
"Erm... What do you have?"
"Anything you want. My darling is a great cook."
"In that case..."
A few minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke finally stopped fighting and sat down with Sakura in the middle.
"You two seriously haven't grown up at all." Minato shook his head.
"You're one to talk." Naruto grumbled.
"It's ready." Kushina came out of the kitchen with plates expertly balanced on her arms. She placed one plate in front of Sasuke, and three in front of Sakura.
Sakura blushed when she felt Sasuke and Naruto stare at how much food she ordered.
"Thanks for the food." She quickly said and took a piece of bacon from one of her plates.
Once she finished her food, a little while after Sasuke had finished his, she leaned back and placed a hand on her stomach. Sakura felt completely satisfied.
"That was the best food that I have had in forever."
"I'm glad you liked it." Kushina laughed.
Sasuke yawned and stood up to stretch. "I think I'm ready to get out of here. My bed is calling for me."
"I agree." Sakura nodded and followed his lead. She bowed to the Uzumaki family, thanking them for their hospitality. She started to bring out her money, but Sasuke was quicker than she was.
"Sasuke, you know that you're family. You don't have to-"
"Just take it. I want you to."
Kushina sighed and took the money, then kissed Sasuke's cheek. "Thank you for coming by. It was nice to meet you, Sakura."
"Same here. I enjoyed it."
On their way back to Kanoha, Sakura fought her body to stay awake. Her full stomach had intensified her fatigue.
"This is the turn, right?"
"Yeah." She yawned. "It's the fourth building on the left." Sasuke pulled up to the side of Sakura's apartment complex. "I really had a good time. Thank you for inviting me."
"So, same time tomorrow, then?" He smirked at her as she was about to exit the car.
Sakura smiled, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "Sure."
"I'll see you then."
Sasuke waited to pull away until Sakura was safely inside of her apartment.
"Where have you been?"
Sakura jumped when she heard the voice of her best friend. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to make sure that you ate."
"I did." Sakura smiled and felt her face become heated. She noticed how beautiful the pattern on her carpet really was.
Ino's face lit up when she saw the dreamy state that Sakura was in. "You had a date?! Who with?! Spill the beans, forehead girl!"
Sakura sat down next to Ino and began to tell her about her night.
"And then he brought me home and asked me if I wanted to do this the same time tomorrow."
Ino squealed and hugged Sakura. "That's so great! So he doesn't have a problem with you being pregnant, right?"
Sakura's smile faded, replaced with a look of guilt.
"You didn't tell him?!" Ino put her hands on her hips. "Sakura, what if this becomes serious? What if you sleep with him and he thinks that it's his? What if the idea of surrogacy freaks him out?"
"I'm planning on telling him when the time is right, Ino. I just met him for crying out loud." Sakura groaned and laid on her back. "Who knows? He could just be looking for a friend to hang out with after his shift ends."
Ino rolled her eyes. Sakura was always dense when it came to men and romantic emotions.
"You do know that you won't be able to cover up your bump with your scrubs for much longer, right?"
Sakura sighed. "I know. It's all I see when I look at myself in my mirror when I'm naked."
Ino crawled on to the couch next to Sakura and hugged her tight. "Thank you so much for doing this, Sakura."
"I'm happy for you and Sai." Sakura placed a kiss on Ino's cheek. "You deserve this baby."
In that moment, Sakura decided that Sasuke's feelings wouldn't matter. She hoped that he would understand why she was doing this for Ino, and that he would support her like everyone else. It's not like the baby was going to tie them down... Right?