CHAPTER SIX
Nagato was a nervous wreck when the paramedics arrived to transport an unconscious Konan to the emergency room. He accompanied her in the ambulance, his eyes glued to her face for any signs of change as he clenched her delicate hand between his larger ones. He was relieved that the hospital hadn't been far away as his mind had gone blank, and he'd had to force himself to concentrate to answer the paramedics' questions. Her name is Konan. She'd just fainted and no, he wasn't sure why. He wasn't aware of any allergies and no, she wasn't on any medications. Healthy? Of course, she was relatively healthy and…what? Her last food eaten? Nagato had to ponder. Well, they'd shared breakfast together earlier that morning, but that had been all he could account for.
Upon arriving at the emergency room, the ambulance was met by a small medical team that had taken over and wheeled Konan's body upon a gurney into the ward. A nurse had politely escorted him to a waiting area and asked him to remain there patiently while they continued with Konan's assessment. Feeling useless, Nagato relented and crossed to a chair that he lowered his bulk into. It was then he realized he'd been holding his breath and released it on a deep sigh. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs and hung his head low.
What the hell was going on? She was fine when he left her at the apartment for the office earlier that morning, so what had caused her to faint? Had she been sick and he'd been unaware? He shook his head as he thought. Surely seeing Ino hadn't triggered the fainting spell…had it? Damn it, he cursed, hating the feeling of helplessness, of not knowing. He raked a hand roughly through his hair where he remained doubled over with worry. He was oblivious as to how long he'd sat there like that, as time had been insignificant, when his head snapped up at the sound of his name being called.
"Nagato?" He stood as Karui quickly made her way to him, her face twisted in concern. Omoi was close behind her. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded as she stood before him. "I just got a call that Konan was here?"
Nagato noted their dress, the stylish cut of Karui's jeans layered over her heeled boots, her long, fitted white turtleneck, and Omoi's own crisp jeans and casual cable knit sweater, and figured they'd already been out that night when they received the call. He felt guilty their evening had been interrupted. His hands slipped into the back pockets of his jeans as he spoke.
"Konan came by the office this afternoon when she fainted." He shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Whether due to embarrassment for his involvement with her, or due to the fit he knew it would send Karui into if she knew, Nagato hadn't deemed it a good idea to mention Ino. His brow furrowed.
"Fainted?" Karui repeated as her eyes widened in alarm. She had already been aware of Konan's pregnancy and wondered if there had been anything wrong with the baby. Her eyes curiously narrowed on Nagato. She was unsure as to whether or not he was aware of the pregnancy as Konan had sworn her to secrecy. "Has anyone spoken to you?" She asked, quickly glancing around as if searching for someone in charge.
As if on cue, the same nurse from earlier exited the double doors that led into triage, where Konan was being cared for, and proceeded to walk toward them. A smile spread on her face as she approached. "Are you the party for Konan?" She confirmed, and continued when they all nodded. "No need to worry," she assured, "she's in stable condition and doing just fine." A sigh of relief erupted from the three of them.
"Well, what's wrong? Can we see her?" Karui piped in anxiously.
The nurse smiled in understanding. "She is resting right now. Though alert, she is rather disoriented. You'll be able to see her shortly, but only briefly. She'll need to be admitted overnight as we'll need to conduct some tests. I'm afraid no concrete answers can be offered before the results are conclusive." She then turned to Nagato. "You are Nagato, correct?" When the tall man with the brick-red mane nodded, she continued. "No need to worry. The baby is doing fine." She offered a warm smile to all of them and a sympathetic squeeze to Nagato's arm in particular before returning to disappear behind the double doors.
The baby is doing fine.
Nagato's body stiffened with shock at the nurse's last admission. Baby? What baby? What was she talking about? Or rather, who? And why had she directed the words at him, as if he was the father? His eyes were wide with shock as they immediately shot over to Karui, who he was surprised to see eyeing him with an emotion he couldn't quite decipher. Why hadn't she looked as alarmed? Unless she knew something he didn't. His eyes narrowed. Just what the hell was going on?
Omoi, who had been content to remain silent thus far, stayed Karui with a hand on her arm as she came to stand in front of Nagato, her arms folded across her chest. "No, it's alright," she assured as she shrugged Omoi's arm away. Though she directed her words at her fiancée, her amber eyes burned into Nagato. "Actually, it's more than alright. It's good that he knows now." The corner of her lip curled with derision as she spoke.
"That I know what, Karui," Nagato stated, and he could feel his anger mounting. He'd desperately wanted to know as he was beginning to get the sinking feeling that he'd been kept in the dark about something important, and that it concerned him.
Karui's chin lifted challengingly. "You're a smart man, Nagato," she stated, her voice menacingly calm. "Surely you can figure it out."
"Karui," Omoi cautioned. It had been enough. It was evident to him by the way Nagato's chest heaved up and down with deep, audible breaths that he was in shock.
Konan was pregnant.
Nagato's mind swam with disbelief. How? When? And with whom? His breath all but stopped then, and his head swiveled toward the double doors that led to the triage area. Had he been the father? Of course he was, he quickly surmised with an impatient sigh, else the nurse wouldn't have directed those words towards him.
The baby is doing fine.
The nurse had stated that Konan was conscious now, so perhaps she and the rest of the medical team caring for her had been made aware by Konan's own admission? Why hadn't she told him?
No need to worry.
Tension was high with an admixture of emotions from him and him and Karui alike. But it was short-lived as the nurse returned yet again to state that they were able to see Konan now. She reminded them to keep their visit brief as she was going to be transported to a room shortly, and she'd still been a bit confused.
It was Karui who spoke up first. "I'll go," she stated. Her eyes hardened as she turned to Nagato. "Now may not be a good time for her to see you."
"Perhaps it's not your call to make," Nagato countered, aggravated at her need to assume control of the situation.
Karui's head angled to the side. Her instincts told her there was more to the situation than Nagato was letting on, and she had every intention of getting to the bottom of it. And if the blanched expression on his face was indication, he hadn't known about Konan's pregnancy after all. She sighed and adjusted her folded arms. "Be sensible. You're in no shape to face her right now. Besides, you look as if you've seen a damned ghost," she concluded. "If anything, to see you now would be to upset her more than she already is." She was relieved when Omoi had stepped in.
"Karui's right, man," he stated as he raked a hand through the short spikes of his white hair. He then clapped Nagato lightly on the back of his shoulder in a gesture of support. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride while Karui goes in to see Konan. I'll bring you back. Maybe you can see her then."
Nagato's eyes were turned towards the double doors that led to the triage. "Yeah," he conceded reluctantly, his voice a rough whisper. He turned and accompanied Omoi from the hospital and to his vehicle.
Karui stood and watched the two retreating figures before allowing the nurse to lead her to her best friend.
Later, in a nearby bar, Nagato slumped back wearily in a booth seat as his mind continued to process Konan's pregnancy. The alcohol not only managed to relieve the edge of his shock, but also loosen his tongue as he relayed to a highly amused Omoi all the events starting from his night with Ino back in Konoha to the present. He'd downed three bottles of beer already and was currently nursing his fourth as his eyes gazed levelly at his friend across the table from him.
"You knew," Nagato stated simply, referring to Konan's pregnancy.
Omoi frowned as he gulped a swig of his own beer before nodding. "To be honest with you, man, I thought you knew. I overheard Karui talking to Konan about it, but hey," he shrugged, "you know I don't get involved with whatever goes on with them." He waved his hand dismissively as he lifted his beer to his lips again.
"Right," Nagato agreed and nodded in understanding. In all honesty, he wasn't necessarily angry that Omoi knew; he only found out on a fluke. Nor was he annoyed that Konan had told Karui first. Their friendship was such that the two women were always in one another's confidences about something or other, so it had been nothing new. What had bothered him was that Konan hadn't bothered to tell him at all. After all, he was the father.
"But damn, man," Omoi started after a moment of silence. "Two babies' mommas?" The whistle he emitted was low and long. "Your ass was busy," he teased and chuckled. He immediately sobered at Nagato's dour expression. "Look, man, I'm sorry, but you have to know how this looks from my position." He took another swig of beer and thought to himself for a moment before erupting into chuckles again.
Nagato sighed, openly irritated, because he had been aware of how the situation looked. Within the span of twenty-four hours, he'd gone from being guilty of a one-night stand with a barmaid to impregnating two women. It sounded like a punch line to a really bad joke, and had anyone told him a few months prior that such would be his fate today, he'd have laughingly stated that he was smarter than that. Apparently he'd called his own bluff.
"Yeah, well, just be thankful it isn't you," Nagato retorted, but realized the hilarity of the situation as it was the stuff of talk show fodder.
Omoi scoffed. "Hell, I'd never live to tell the tale," he stated seriously. He shook his head as his thoughts shifted to Karui's fiery temper. To say she'd kill him would be an understatement. "Shit," he voiced his thoughts aloud as he continued to shake his head, "she'd cut my dick off and sew it in my mouth before sending me off to Buddha heaven."
A corner of Nagato's mouth lifted in a wry smile as he began to mentally compare the situations with Ino and Konan, and his feelings regarding them. While he deeply regretted being involved with Ino, he knew any relationship they fostered at this point would center solely on the welfare of the child, considering it was his child, he thought, as paternity had yet to be established. And what if it was his? Nagato sighed, his heart aching that he should ever bring a life into the world under such circumstances. He briefly entertained posing the option of an abortion to her, but thought against it. Though he believed the decision to terminate a pregnancy was solely a woman's to make, he just couldn't fathom making an innocent child atone for his mistakes with its life. He'd witnessed enough senseless deaths in his own short life than to exact such a cruel and unfair fate on an innocent being.
With Konan, the matter was altogether different. Though the news of her pregnancy shook him to his core, he immediately found himself warming to the idea of starting a family with her. He'd entertained the idea of children with Konan before, but the thought had only been fleeting, a bridge that they would cross in a distant future. Though, it hadn't been hard to imagine her cradling his baby in her arms as she would no doubt make for a very loving mother. And in the event they split which, much to Nagato's dismay, seemed the likely outcome, he would continue to be an integral part of their child's life, and never fail to let him know he was conceived from love.
Nagato released a hand from around his mug to massage a temple. He was sure he wouldn't forget this horrible and great day for as long as he lived. For not only had he been scared witless when Konan had fainted in his arms, but he'd also found out about her pregnancy. How was it he hadn't known? Nagato wondered, his eyes narrowing in thought. Didn't women usually exhibit certain symptoms when they became pregnant? Didn't they throw up or become irritable, or develop an aversion to particular foods…? His eyes opened wide as realization dawned on him. He had noticed Konan had been tired quite a bit and he'd often noticed the way she'd suffered dizzy spells, halting whatever task she'd been performing at the moment to press a hand to her forehead. Then there had been the strange way she had avoided the chilled wine that first night they'd had dinner together at the penthouse. His eyes narrowed in thought. And could the pregnancy actually have been what she'd wanted to discuss with him that morning he'd come to her home and confessed about Ino? He recalled the way she had become overly subdued, and though it really could have just been in response to the news about Ino, he now wondered if it could have been because she'd suddenly felt uncertain of her decision to tell him after learning about his involvement with the florist?
Nagato sighed. Knowing Konan, the latter had seemed more plausible, and his anger suddenly peaked that she had ever felt unconfident about what she'd meant to him and allowed it to deter her from telling him about the baby earlier. But hadn't he been to blame? He'd been content to continue their open relationship which, truth be told, hadn't been open after all. Since he began dating Konan, he hadn't seen anyone else, an admission he'd never shared with anyone, least of all her.
So, why had he done it? Why had he slept with Ino? What had propelled him to indulge in that single, most absurd action that had sabotaged all he'd had with Konan? Nagato asked himself for what had to be the umpteenth time. His hands released their hold on the bottle to absently toy with a few cocktail napkins on the table.
Nagato had been afraid. He had been afraid of what he felt for Konan. Life had dealt him harsh lessons in loss, first with the death of his parents, and then the death of Yahiko, a most beloved friend that had been a brother to him. He hadn't ever wanted to experience anything like that again. And though the incidents had occurred in his childhood, the pain he'd suffered created lasting effects that carried into his adult life, much like the rippling effects created by a pebble thrown into a body of water, and waves traveled outward in all directions. He'd remedied the pain by hardening his heart, for if he allowed himself to feel nothing, chances were he'd never hurt again. Yet, nothing had prepared him for his love for Konan. It had blindsided him. He often chided himself that he'd simply confused his brotherly love for her for passion, and had gone out of his way to prove it to himself by continuing his friendship with her as if nothing had been amiss. But the more time they spent together, the more he found they completed one another, like two well-fitting pieces of the same puzzle. She'd disarmed him with her ability to make him feel again, and it had scared him. He hadn't wanted to feel, hadn't wanted to risk the loss that always seemed to ride on its heels, and he feared the possibility of suffering that kind of devastation again. It was that same fear that had allowed him to take Ino to bed that night.
He'd initially gone to the bar to exorcise himself of the plaguing thoughts of Konan, to drown them in alcohol and be done with it, but it had been of no benefit as, for the life of him, he hadn't been able to get the damned woman out of his mind! Though he hated to think he'd ever used a woman the way he had Ino, he regrettably admitted that sex with her had merely been a means to assuage an ache, not unlike the taking of an aspirin to relieve an annoying headache. It had meant absolutely nothing. But regardless of the reason, the results had been the same, and it was going to cost him Konan, who was his heart.
Nagato sighed as he downed the last of his beer and pushed the bottle away from himself upon the table. He had a pretty high alcohol tolerance, and though he wasn't drunk, he was a bit buzzed. It was a good thing, too, as he had intended on returning to the hospital. He glanced at his watch. Konan would have been admitted by now, and visiting hours had begun.
He waited until Omoi had finished his beer before stating he was ready to leave. As his vehicle was back at his office, he had Omoi drop him off there and, after assuring his worried friend that he was sober enough to drive, headed back to the penthouse where he quickly showered and changed before driving back to the hospital. He was still unsure of what he would say to Konan, and the closer he came to the hospital the harder his heart pounded nervously in his chest.
He spotted a small gift shop and instantly pulled in the parking lot. Once inside, he quickly purchased a large bouquet of fragrant red roses, Konan's favorite. He was filled with a sense of urgency he couldn't explain as he returned to his car to gun the engine and resume his drive, and he cursed aloud as he seemed to catch every damned red light along the way.
Having finally made it back to the hospital, he quickly parked in the garage and entered. He wasted no time finding a clerk to assist him in locating Konan. He broke into a light jog towards the elevators where he caught one to the designated floor. Exiting the car, he took a couple of deep successive breaths in an effort to compose himself before approaching the nursing station.
"May I help you?" A nurse asked tiredly as she slowly lifted her eyes to Nagato.
"Yes, I'm here to see a patient named Konan," he stated, and waited as she flipped through a chart of papers.
"And your name, sir?" She continued in her phlegmatic tone of voice a she reached into a bag of chips that rested on the desk. She popped it into her mouth and munched noisily.
"Nagato," he stated. One of his brows shot upward when she frowned. "Is anything wrong?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't permit you to see the patient."
Nagato went still. "I'm not sure I understand."
The nurse sighed as she glanced at the bouquet in the crook of Nagato's arm before allowing her eyes to drag back to his face. "It is the patient's request that you not be allowed to visit her."
Nagato's intake of breath was audible. What? He quickly turned and glanced down the hall lined with rooms on either side. One of them contained Konan. He turned back to the nurse with a slight shake of his head. Surely he'd heard wrong, because Konan would never make such a request.
"Ma'am, I'm sure there's been a mistake. It's really important that I see her."
"That may be, sir, but the hospital's policy is clear regarding patient visitation rights that are strictly upheld. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you…"
"Look," Nagato intervened, cutting her off midstride as her voice droned on like a pre-recorded message, "I just found out today that woman is carrying my child," he explained, tapping the vicinity of his chest with his fingers for emphasis. "I need to see her."
"I'm sorry," was all she offered with a shrug of her shoulders as she set the chart aside.
"And if I go in anyway?" He was aware he still hadn't known what room she was in despite asking.
"Sir, if you persist, I'll have no choice but to call security."
Nagato lowered his head as he processed the nurse's words. Konan had refused to see him. Him, Nagato, the father of her child. He lifted his head to gaze once again down the hall. He sniffed once as the warm sensation of anger suffused his body. He glanced down at the bouquet in his arm and scoffed. Turning, Nagato proceeded back to the elevator. A janitor pushing a cleaning cart walked past as he headed past Nagato in the opposite direction. Nagato waited until the elderly man was in arm's reach before he forcefully chucked the bouquet into the garbage bin on the cart. He silently watched as the janitor continued to shuffle along quietly, the green wrapping paper of the bouquet sticking out awkwardly. Just then the elevator doors opened and he entered. He selected the button for the lobby floor before slumping against the wall, grappling with the feeling of rejection that enveloped him.
Nagato opted to return to the penthouse, but no sooner had he entered that he regretted it. The dwelling was permeated with all things to do with Konan, be it the scent of her perfume or the aroma of the food she prepared.
He angrily snatched a can of beer from the six-pack in the fridge and ascended a small spiral staircase in the corner of the living room to a loft that he reserved as his work space at home. He stopped short and cursed for, setting on the drawing table was a small paper rose that he'd idly made one evening when he'd stayed up late to get some work done and Konan had been asleep. He roughly raked a hand through his hair. He angrily descended the stairs to the living room where he popped the can of beer, oblivious of the frothy liquid that spilled onto the floor. He downed the cool liquid in a few gulps, mulling over the events of the past few days. His life had taken an unexpected turn for the worst, spewing misfortunes quicker than he was able to handle at a time, and he hated feeling helpless. He easily crushed the can in his bare hand and carelessly tossed it aside. He crossed back to the fridge where he grabbed the remainder of the six-pack and headed back out the door.