Thank you all for my reviews! Because of that and because it is Christmas, I'm posting TWO CHAPTERS! Yay, so Merry Christmas to all and I hope you enjoy these two chapters as I think they are quite important in this story for now :) Sorry this chapter is fluffless and doesn't focus on Naruto or Sakura but I had to get these parts done and out the way so we can move on!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... (It would be an awesome Christmas present though!)
PS: I have no medical knowledge whatsoever, so I'm sorry if I mess anything up!
Chapter 17 – Apology
Tsunade sighed, 'C'mon Sakura, live, you've got to live!' she thought, "Shizune, give me a scalpel, we have to get her lungs working!"
"Coming Tsunade-sama," Shizune called. "Here," she hastily handed over the metallic knife. 'Sakura-san, you have to live. We're all working so hard to save you, so please live!' Shizune thought, carefully monitoring her heart.
'Sakura, what happened, you've got a broken leg, arm, two fractured ribs and your left lung has been damaged. How could you have done this to yourself? How could you have let that car run straight into you?' Tsunade questioned, stabilizing the pinkette.
"This left lung is worrying me Tsunade-sama, should I remove the rib?" Shizune queried. "I'm scared that if we don't move it now, it'll suffer irreversible damage," she stated.
"Go ahead, just make sure it doesn't bleed out with the rib there to stop the blood flow," Tsunade replied, voice strained. 'Damnit Sakura, how could you let yourself into this mess?'
"Lung stabilized," Shizune sighed. "What should I do next?"
"Cesarean section, the baby wouldn't have made that crash," Tsunade ordered. "As much as I want to hope it did, there is no way. So get that baby out of her before we have more problems."
Shizune nodded, "Permission to check heartbeat?" 'The baby can't be dead; Sakura-san and Naruto-san were looking forward to this baby. I have to try and save the baby if it isn't already dead.'
Tsunade hesitated, "Permission granted, just hurry it up!"
"Right away Tsunade-sama," she replied, grabbing her stethoscope. 'C'mon baby, I need a heartbeat!' she thought wistfully. 'C'mon, c'mon,' she prompted, hope draining. "There's nothing," she whispered, heart-wrenching.
"Then perform the c-section now," Tsunade demanded. "I've got enough problems trying to stabilize her leg, so get to it!" she growled, hope dwindling. 'Will Sasuke Uchiha still want to take care of you now, knowing that you no longer carry his child?' she questioned, stringing the bone back together.
Shizune hesitantly nodded, scalpel in hand. 'I'm sorry baby, but Sakura-san's life is much more important now,' she thought, puncturing Sakura's bulging stomach. 'I'm so sorry, we tried everything but everything just didn't work.'
"Shizune!" Tsunade barked. "Don't hesitate, life is precious so save Sakura-san's!" she exclaimed. "We don't have time to waste," she continued softly. "As much as I want to save the baby, saving Sakura is much more important."
'She's right, Sakura-san is much more important,' Shizune thought, mind clearing.
'I'm sorry Sakura-san, we tried, and we really did. But this time, we needed more than just trying.'
----
'I hate hospitals,' Sasuke thought, gaze downward. 'All they do is hurt. They aren't here to save lives, they ruin lives. They are the harbinger of death,' he continued, grimly.
'Itachi has always been at hospitals, they've all tried to heal him and take away this sickness. Yet all they've done is done is bring him more pain. They've only added on the amount of days he'll have to live with the pain. Why can't they let him die in solace?' he questioned, gaze upon the pale Itachi.
'He's been sick ever since he was born, just like Obito. But unlike Obito, he isn't getting any better. All that's happening is he's getting worse,' he grimaced. 'Why is Obito getting better? Ever since last night he's been fighting the sickness, fighting to stay alive. Why can't you do that nii-san?'
'Maybe he doesn't want to fight because he doesn't want to be here anymore. Maybe he wants to die so he can forget about the pain. He hasn't had the greatest of lives, has he?' he sighed. 'He's too nice. He and Obito are the only nice Uchiha's. They don't deserve to be Uchiha's. They're too nice to be part of the Uchiha family. They've always been mocked, been given the lowest end of the deal.'
'An Uchiha is supposed to be strong, cold and emotionless. Yet Obito and Itachi are the opposite. Why nii-san? Couldn't you have just been a normal Uchiha? Why do you have to leave me? You and Sakura can't both leave me.'
He warily turned to the clock. 'Sakura has been in the operating room for over three hours now, she shouldn't be in there for that long. She only got hit by a car right? That isn't too bad, so she shouldn't be in there for so long.' He trembled, the façade was shattering.
"Sasuke, you don't have to be like this."
Turning, he faced the concerned expression of Rin Inuzuka, an Uchiha to be. "Rin-san, what are you doing here?" he questioned. "Obito only gets out tomorrow doesn't he?"
"I came to check up on him and Itachi but I saw you here," she softly replied, delicately touching his shoulder. "You shouldn't suffer by yourself," the Uchiha-to-be stated. "Talking and sharing always helps."
"If I don't want to?" he queried, gaze cold. "Why should I burden others with my pain? How will that help? All it leaves you with is someone else also feeling pain."
She sighed, "No, it leaves you with someone who understands."
Sasuke trembled. "Telling someone always helps, it means you've got someone to lean and rely on," Rin offered, gently enveloping him within her grasp. "I'm not forcing you to tell me Sasuke, but I'd like to help. Not only as Obito's wife, but as someone you can trust."
"I understand how you feel Sasuke," she said. "With Obito I felt so helpless, so weak. I couldn't do anything for him, not to mention that I had pushed him away my entire life. I didn't deserve to be-able to comfort him, I didn't deserve to be selfish by wanting him to live."
'Why, how, can she read me like that?' Sasuke questioned, slowly relaxing.
"But then I realized why I wanted to be selfish," she continued, voice croaking. "I realized that I love him."
'Love him?'
"I realized that I had been such a fool," she joked. "I realized that I had pushed him away, depriving him of the one thing he wanted the most."
"What did he want the most?" Sasuke asked, hesitantly returning the embrace.
"Me."
Onyx eyes widened, frame tensed and limbs froze. "What are you telling me Rin-san?" Sasuke queried in disbelief.
"Maybe Itachi doesn't want to live thinking that his beloved brother hates him. Maybe he doesn't want to live thinking that his brother would rather have him dead," she said, lip quivering.
"So am I the reason nii-san won't get better?" he asked, voice cracking. "Am I the reason Itachi is dying?"
"Shh, not you, your feelings, your actions," she hushed. 'He really does love his brother, under that mask of his is a poor, confused little boy,' Rin thought, tightening her grip.
"So if I…I ha…d to te…ll Itachi that I lo…ve him, he'll get better?" Sasuke questioned, shivering.
"It worked with Obito and you know, he and Itachi are similar," she responded, releasing him. "So tell him Sasuke, next time he wakes, tell him that you really do love him and I guarantee that he'll get better."
"Will he even wake up?"
"I'm positive that he will," Rin confirmed.
Sasuke sighed, shuddering. "Thank you Rin-nee."
"Anytime Sasuke, anytime," she whispered.
'We are almost family after all, and family sticks together.'
----
Tsunade growled, 'It's been five hours, yet we still can't fully stop Sakura's bleeding, nor can we fully stabilize her without something else happening,' she thought. 'First a bone chip pierced her liver and now an artery is blocked. Damnit, Sakura, damnit!'
"Tsunade-sama, blood pressure is rising!" Shizune exclaimed, eyes wide. "Her heart rate is increasing, she's going into shock!"
"Crap," Tsunade cursed. "She's going to have a fit, get me an injection now!"
Shizune complied, "Here."
Grunting, Tsunade thrust the injection into Sakura's arm, watching as her heart slowed and her blood pressure dropped. "She should be f-
But she was interrupted as the heart monitor squeaked, indicating that Sakura's heart was stopping. "Damnit, we're going to have to re-start her heart!"
Shizune nodded, grabbing the needed apparatus. Carefully placing the 'shockers' she began, "Clear."
Nothing.
"Raise it!" Tsunade ordered, voice hysterical.
"Clear!"
Nothing.
"Once more!"
"Clear!"
Tsunade sighed, 'Her heart started.' "She's not out the woods yet but we're damn well going to get her out!"
----
"Sasuke," Itachi asked, voice strained. "Is that really you?"
"Nii-san," Sasuke replied, "It's me, and I've finally come to visit you in hospital."
"I see so, what brings you here, news from father?" he questioned, eyebrow raised. 'Sasuke wouldn't visit for any reason.'
"No, nothing from father, I just wanted to visit you," he responded. "Can't I do that?"
"You can," Itachi stated, suspiciously. 'Yet he seems so nervous, as if something is eating at him.' "How's Obito?"
"Obito is doing well; he's supposed to be discharged tomorrow because of the wonderful results he's been giving. The sickness is almost completely out his system," Sasuke replied. "They've been calling his recovery a miracle."
"Well it is, he did have a disease that wasn't known in any medical books," Itachi weakly smiled. "Just like me."
"Rin-nee told me that he began to recover after she confessed to him."
"Confessed what?"
"Her true feelings," Sasuke began, "That she had always loved him behind the wall she set up. Behind the mask she realized that her feelings had been blocked by her infatuation to Kakashi."
"So it seems we'll have another Uchiha in the family soon," Itachi joked, coughing at the end. "At least father will accept her since she is from a good bloodline. You know father, only caring about a person's attitude and status."
"You'll be here for the wedding, won't you nii-san?" Sasuke questioned, gaze low. 'I have to tell him now, before it's too late.'
"I don't know about that Sasuke," Itachi offered weakly. "But I'll try my best."
"You will!" Sasuke exclaimed, "You will because I…I…" he paused. "I want to… apologize, nii-san. I want say sorry for how I've treated you. I want to apologize for pretending that I hate you, because I don't. I could never hate you."
Itachi frowned, "Sasuke, what are you getting at?"
"I…I…I want to say that I do love you brother. I don't hate you, I love you and I want you to get better."
----
'Where am I?'
"Sakura-chan, why did this have to happen to you?" Mizuki Haruno wailed, tears cascading.
'Why am I in so much pain?'
"I didn't mean for you to be like this, I didn't ever want this to happen," she continued, voice quivering, straining.
'Why can't I remember anything?'
"I can't stand seeing you like this, so weak and helpless," she stated, cradling a pale hand. "Sakura-chan, you have to get better, you have to get better for mommy."
'Why is my mother crying?'
"M…o…m?"
Mizuki froze, "Sakura-chan, are you really awake?"
Sakura meekly nodded, "Hi mom."
With a cry, Mizuki embraced Sakura, frame trembling. "Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, I thought you would never wake up. Please don't ever do this to me again!"
Sakura laughed, ignoring the immense pain. "Where am I mom? Why am I in so much pain? Why can't I remember anything? Why are you crying?" she questioned, voice cracking.
"Oh Sakura," Mizuki called. "You… you… were knocked over by a car last night, don't you remember?"
"I was knocked over?" she repeated, dumbfounded. "Will you elaborate?"
Mizuki nodded, clutching Sakura's hand. "Last night, I don't know what happened but you were knocked over by a car and got intensely injured. Tsunade and Shizune worked the entire night to pull you through, saying you're lucky that you only escaped with a broken leg, arm, a punctured lung, liver and a few broken ribs. There were complications when they operated as well; first you went into shock, almost causing a heart attack so they injected you. Only to find that slowly your heart stopped beating; they had to jump start it."
'All that happened to me?' Sakura questioned, eyes widened. "And… and… baby-chan?" she mumbled, heart pumping. 'Baby-chan can't be dead; baby-chan just can't be dead. Baby-chan could have survived that, right?'
"I'm… so…rry but they had to perform a c-section," Mizuki paused. "Baby-chan didn't make it."
Sakura froze, mind computing the information. 'Baby-chan is dead?' she queried, alarmed. 'Baby-chan just can't be dead,' yet the hollow hole within her stomach confirmed the statement.
Baby-chan was dead.
"I… I… I…" Sakura mumbled before a cry of pain escaped her chapped lips. She burst into tears, pain clutching at her soul. 'I can't believe that baby-chan is dead. Four months, four months and baby-chan just died? This can't be right; one damn car couldn't have taken my baby-chan just like that.'
"I'm so sorry Sakura-chan," Mizuki hushed, gently wiping the pinkette's never-ending tears. "I don't know what to even say," she began. "But I just want you to know that I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for kicking you out the house, I'm sorry for thinking only about the fact that you had an Uchiha baby, I'm sorry for arranging that marriage and I'm sorry for being the worst mother in the world."
"Mom…" Sakura mumbled, newfound hope building, "I'm sorry too mom. I'm sorry for hating you."
"This accident made me realize how much you mean to me Sakura-chan, I'm sorry that it had to go this far for me to realize it but I really want your forgiveness."
"You got it mom, you got it long time ago," Sakura admitted. "I'm sorry for not telling you earlier."
Mizuki nodded, "I promise that from now on I'll be the mother you always wanted, we'll be happy."
"And I promise to be the daughter you always wanted," Sakura replied.
'And we'll live life together from now on, won't we?'
Aw, happy ending ne? Well sort of... Sorry there's no Naruto in this but you'll see in the next chapter why! Then I have a new story idea (Because I'm quite bored) but I'll go more into detail later...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Lorelock :)