To Love and to Love Again Chapter 6: Mr. Uchiha and Dr. Haruno
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
Sunlight filtered in through the curtains of the window once more and directly upon her closed eyes. Sakura squinted in frustration and sighed.
"This has got to stop," she mumbled as she shifted her weight on the bed. She turned to the alarm clock and forced herself to get up. Today was Sakura's first day at work, not to mention another first day for Sora. Since she wouldn't be able to pick him up from school from now on, she decided that he should participate in an after school activity. Sora had decided that he would take the karate class. Sakura assumed he would want to take art, but he claimed that he didn't need classes because he was already good at it. The club lasted an extra two hours after school which gave her enough time to pick him up.
Yawning, she stretched a bit before starting her morning routine of getting ready. After she showered, she picked out a pair of new scrubs that she got from the hospital. She had a few color choices that included blue, pink, and green. She decided to go with the pink scrubs today. She would also have to keep a pair of each color in her office. You never know when you need a new pair of scrubs. Sakura got dressed quickly and went to awaken Sora.
She walked into his room and woke him up. After informing him of the time, Sora bolted out of bed and headed straight towards the bathroom, but not before Sakura heard him slip on the rug again. After a quick inspection for cuts or bruises, Sora was in the bathroom freshening up while Sakura headed downstairs to make breakfast.
After breakfast, they got in the car and left for school. When they arrived Sora could see Akio and Akira walking towards the school together. He got out of the car and said goodbye to his mother.
"Bye sweetheart," she sang before driving off. Sora ran to catch up with the twins. They both turned around at the sound of their names being called.
"Hey Sora," Akio shouted as he and Akira stopped walking to wait for him.
"Hi guys. Where's Suki?" he asked as he scanned the area for her.
"Over there," Akira pointed out. Sora turned around to see Suki on a motorcycle with a man that kind of looked like her.
"Is that her dad? He looks cool," Sora thought as he watched the man pluck Suki off his bike and give her a kiss on the forehead. The man got back on the motorcycle and watched her make her way toward her friends. He locked eyes with Sora for a moment before leaving. Suki was running toward them with her book bag swinging in one arm and another bag in the other arm.
"Hi everybody," she greeted breathlessly due to the running. Everyone said hello in return before Sora asked if the man on the motorcycle was her father.
Suki giggled before saying "Nope! That was my Uncle Itachi. He drops me off at school now because my grandma isn't home right now and my daddy can't do it. He's so cool because he drives a motorcycle and then I get to ride in the back and it's really fun!"
"Oh…cool. I want a motorcycle when I grow up," Sora declared with an awed expression on his face.
"I want to ride one too," Akira said with the same dreamy expression.
"I want to take a nap," Akio said sleepily. The others laughed and followed him into the school before the bell rang.
Sakura walked into the lobby of Konoha Medical Center. First she had to locate Hinata at the nursing department and get her list of patients. Armed with the coffee from the cart that was recommended to her yesterday, she felt ready to conquer her first day.
She walked to the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor. Every floor had a nursing department but the main one was on the second floor. Sakura was anxious yet excited at the same time. Konoha Medical was the best of the best. It was the largest hospital in the country and had the most advanced technologies at its disposal, but what really intrigued Sakura was the patient care. In a recent study, KMC was rated number one in the country in patient care and had the highest success rates in recovery and treatment.
Sakura exited the elevator on the second floor, which contained the Intensive Care Units. She made her way thought the halls and spotted the nursing station just beyond it. As she walked closer, she saw Hinata putting some charts on their proper racks.
"Good morning Hinata," she greeted as she approached the nursing station. Hinata turned to her and smiled.
"Good Morning Sakura. Are you ready for today? It does get pretty hectic," she warned.
Sakura sighed. "What's with everyone trying to prepare me for rush hour? I guess I just have to prove myself,"she thought before saying "Yeah, I'm ready for anything. So what do I have today?"
"These patients are scheduled for today," Hinata said as she handed over the list. "You have three OB patients that need a general screening and one inpatient pediatric consult. Not much for today as far as appointments and rounds but the ER is another case altogether. You'll be on call for that if any children or expectant mothers rush through the door as well as general cases if they come up. Here's your pager."
She handed Sakura a small black pager with her name on it. "The patients are all downstairs in the clinic," she added as she struggled to hand the huge pile of files to Sakura. For only four patients, those were pretty big files.
"Thanks Hinata. I can't wait to see who my first patient will be," she said as she easily held on to all the files in one hand. "I don't see what Naruto's complaining about," she thought.
Hinata told Sakura to call her for lunch so they could get to know each other better. Sakura agreed to do so before heading downstairs. When the elevator doors opened, she was a bit surprised to see Sasuke sitting in the lobby. It was then that she remembered that he was going to be with her all day to see how she copes. It was a weird condition, but she just figured the hospital was just very invested in their doctors. She walked up to him and he stood up as soon as she approached him.
"Hello Sasuke," she greeted while shifting the files to her other arm. "Are you ready to see what I can do?" She saw him smirk.
"From what you have on your resume, I expect to be amazed. So are you ready to impress me?" he asked trying to read her expression. He smirked again when he saw her raise her eyebrow.
"I'm ready to help my patients and save some lives, but impressing you is the least of my concerns. If it happens then that's just a bonus," she replied before walking towards the clinic.
Sasuke wasn't expecting that answer but non-the-less, he was already a little impressed with her. Most employees were rather intimidated by him because of his status in the hospital not to mention his overall presence. His distant demeanor and dark appearance from his hair and eyes to his towering height made him very intimidating to approach.
With the exception of his friends and family, no one really spoke to him with confidence; especially women. Women were the absolute worst when they were around him. Either they were too nervous to say anything straight, or they were just too damn flirtatious. It was rare that he would meet a woman around his age that was neither nervous nor flirtatious. But then again, wasn't she married? If she were, then of course she wouldn't flirt with another man.
Sakura stopped walking when she realized he wasn't following her. "Are you coming Sasuke?"
Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts and walked towards her. Together they made their way towards the clinic. On the way, Sasuke would tell her of certain hospital rules and regulations that were basic but important to know for the entire staff. Sakura listened to him and absorbed all the info such as the emergency drills they have randomly about twice a year and the outside services she could contact if they were ever shorthanded with personnel. She also got the layout of all the floors.
They walked into the clinic and Sakura got to work. She gave the nurses the patient charts while she was prepping for the exams. For privacy and confidentiality, Sasuke was going to have to wait outside the patient's room.
"What was the point of him following me now? He can't even "observe" me," she thought.
"Dr. Haruno, the patient is in the room waiting for you," the nurse informed. "Also, Mr. Uchiha insisted that I be there with you and relay the exam to him as part of your evaluation."
"That's fine. Let's get started shall we?" she said as she and the nurse went into the exam room. The first thing that Sakura noticed when she walked into the room was that the girl looked pissed. She had long brown hair that was tied up and blue eyes. Her legs were propped up on the stir-ups with a sheet over them. She seemed young and really annoyed. Her breathing was a little irregular.
"Oh boy…first day, first patient and already I can tell she's going to be a handful,"she thought before approaching her and saying "Hello there…Meiko," she said while looking over her chart again. "I'm Dr. Haruno. What seems to be the problem with you today?"
"First of all, I think you already know why I'm here because it says so on the damn chart," Meiko snapped. "My legs are propped up and an ultrasound machine is right next to me. I had a positive pregnancy test and my stomach hurts. I want to know if I'm pregnant, that's my damn problem!"
Sakura wasn't affected by her attitude. She's handled tougher patients that this before. One time a patient tried to slice her hand off with a blade that they kept hidden in their shirt.
Sakura noticed that Meiko was getting paler by the second and her breathing became increasingly irregular slowly but surely.
"What's her blood pressure?" she asked to her assistant. The nurse flipped through the chart and looked.
"It's 140 over 90 Dr. Haruno" she replied. That was pretty high for someone so young.
"Let's do the ultrasound," Sakura suggested as she placed a glove on her hand and took the probe off the machine.
She lifted the sheet and stuck the probe into Meiko, who squirmed a bit. Then Sakura turned her attention to the screen and didn't like what she saw. The uterus was empty, but the pregnancy test came out positive. Judging by Meiko's blood pressure, abdominal pain, and ragged breathing, Sakura rotated the probe a bit and found the problem. "Oh boy"she thought depressingly.
"Hmmm… I found the problem. You have what we call an ectopic pregnancy, which means you are indeed pregnant, but the baby is growing in your fallopian tubes, instead of the uterus. This is a very dangerous condition and you're going to need surgery. But I'm sorry to tell you that the baby won't make it," she said as she removed the probe.
Meiko's expression was hard to read. Her face was contorted but that could have been from the pain or maybe it was the emotional blow of knowing that she's going lose the baby. She was breathing hard by now and she was a pale as ghost. Sakura turned to the nurse that was with her.
"Prep an OR (Operating Room) stat! Her left tube looks ready to burst any second and we don't want that happening. She won't survive the blood loss."
The nurse nodded and called for transportation.
While all this was happening, Sasuke was waiting out in the hallway of the clinic. "I should have come with her when she was doing rounds," he thought. There was no point in him being here if he wasn't allowed to observe her during GYN exams. It had been a little over twenty minutes when the door leading into the rooms was burst open and Sakura rushed out with a patient on the bed. There were two other nurses surrounding the patient attaching IV tubes and checking for blood pressure. The patient on the other hand was hyperventilating and thrashing around making it harder for the nurses to contain her. Sakura conversely remained calm but acted with urgency.
"Dr. Haruno!" he shouted. "What's going on here? he asked while speed walking in step with Sakura.
"The patient needs immediate surgery. We don't have time to wait around. She has to be admitted," she said without even glancing at him.
"I assume you'll be doing the surgery."
"Of course I will. She's my first patient here and I'll see to it that she's taken care of…," she trailed of.
She didn't have time to talk right now. She spent the rest of the time going to the basement level where the OR was located. She vaguely recalled Sasuke saying that he would be watching her from the observation deck.
After Meiko was transported to the OR, Sakura went and got prepped. She tied her hair back in a ponytail and placed a cap over her head. Then she scrubbed her hands and had a nurse put her scrub coat on. After she was gloved and got her goggles, she went into the room where Meiko was laying down, barely conscious. The anesthesia was starting to kick in.
Sakura walked over to Meiko and stood next to her. Meiko turned her head to look up at Sakura. She never really mentioned how she felt about finding out that she was pregnant. From her first impression, Sakura thought that Meiko was upset at having a baby and maybe would have wanted an abortion had the case been different. But as Sakura looked into Meiko's eyes she saw there was something else there; a small emotion that could only be described as regret.
"It'll be okay Meiko. I'm going to take care of you, so don't you worry about a thing," she soothed. Soon after, Meiko's eyes closed completely and the anesthesiologist stated that she was sedated and ready to go.
From up above in the observation deck, Sasuke could get a clear view of the hubbub going on. He saw Sakura stand next to the patient and talk to her before she went under. He looked around the room that was slowly starting to fill up with various people, mostly interns, who were informed of the surgery and were eager to watch the apprentice of the renowned Dr. Tsunade Senju at work.
Sasuke was also surprised to see Tenten walk into the room. She spotted him and walked right over.
"Hey Sasuke! What are you doing here? Watching our little flower up close?" she asked with mock playfulness. Sasuke looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
"I'm here to observe her methods. I want to know exactly who I invested our time and money into," he replied as he watched the surgery about take place. "What's the case?"
"Twenty-year-old female with an extra uterine pregnancy," she informed. "They're going in for a removal of the embryo and partial or complete removal of the tube itself. That's got to be the worst though, losing a baby when you find out your having one. I think I would freak if that happened to me."
"It's not like you're pregnant," he muttered. He looked over at her when she didn't say anything. She was looking at Sakura who was busy navigating her way through the patient's abdomen.
Sasuke watched her and waited a beat before saying "You're pregnant aren't you?"
Tenten looked up at him with an apprehensive expression was on her face. She had wanted to keep that a secret for a while, at least until she told Neji, but damn, Sasuke had to ask.
"… Yeah but you can't tell anyone, at least not yet," she ordered.
Sasuke shrugged. His face soon grew into a smirk. "Hyuga doesn't know does he?" he asked mischievously. Tenten refused to meet his eyes.
"I haven't told him but somehow I think that he already knows. Damn him and his superior observation skills!" she growled suddenly. "I swear it's like he can see through everything. There are no secrets from Neji. He's mocking me I tell you," she huffed before slumping down on one of the chairs. "It's like he's just waiting for me to spill the beans. Just once, I'd like to surprise him, but nooooo, he just has to know everything before everyone. Isn't it a rite of passage that a woman gets to tell her husband that she's carrying his child?"
She looked up at Sasuke who stared back with an uninterested face.
"…You don't care do you?" she asked. Sasuke tilted his head up and looked over at the surgery.
"No," he deadpanned. "But if you want to vent so badly then talk to Hinata or even Sakura. You two are friends aren't you?"
"Obviously Sakura's a little busy now and well…Hinata already knows. I swear it's like the observation thing runs in their family or something."
"Hn," he drawled, his tone clearly showing that he's reached his limit with the topic. "Just talk to Sakura. I assume you don't have a scheduled surgery today."
She shook her head. "No but I'm on call for the ER. I guess I will talk to her at lunch. Besides, she and I have a year's worth of catching up to do. As a dedicated godmother, I have to be updated on my godchild's life."
At the mention of Sakura's child, Sasuke was reminded of Suki's earlier inquiry about the relationship to the boy. He figured now was as good a time as any to get to the bottom of that.
"Did you know that Suki and Sakura's son go to the same school? They're even in the same class."
"Really? I knew that he went to same school but I didn't know he was in Suki's class. Did Suki and Sora become friends?"
"I guess their friends. They discovered that they both have you and Neji in common."
"That's right. How did I miss that? Oh well. That's just a unique twist of fate as Neji would so eloquently say it. Does Sakura know about this?"
Sasuke stared down at the operation and watched Sakura give orders to the surrounding nurses. "I'm not sure. She didn't mention anything about it so I can't really say, but I'll be sure to find out when she's done."
Sakura was nearly done with the procedure. Meiko's vitals were all good and the procedure was going well. Sakura carefully cut away at the fallopian tube until she could see exactly where the obstruction was. When she found it, she clamped each side with scissor like instruments and carefully cut it away. Then she removed the rest of the tube.
Sakura felt very heavy after she placed the tube containing the baby in the pan. There was nothing anyone could do about an ectopic pregnancy since it was virtually guaranteed that the baby would not survive the experience. But still, it was a life gone to waste before it even had the chance to live and to Sakura, that was a devastating thing.
After she removed the tube, she stepped back and allowed the rest of the surgical team to close Meiko up and place the stitches on her. Sakura still had patients to see today and could not spend all her time in the OR. She would follow up on Meiko before she left today. She went back in the prep room and discarded her scrub uniform and washed up. She went out into the hall where she was greeted by Tenten and Sasuke. Sakura had completely forgotten that he was watching the whole time as she was too absorbed in the procedure.
"Nice one Sakura! You were done in thirty minutes flat. As expected from the prodigy of Tsunade," Tenten praised as she slung her arm around Sakura's shoulders. "So Sasuke, what do you think of her now? A wise investment right?"
Sakura couldn't resist chuckling. Tenten was one of the best friends a girl could ask for. She was always sticking up for her and supporting her. Sakura noticed that there was something different about Tenten today though, and she had a feeling that she knew what it was.
"Nice work," he commended. "How many cases like that have you experienced before?"
Sakura merely shrugged. "A few. This was a fairly simple case compared to the others. We found the problem before the tube burst so…Neji!?" she shouted.
The others turned around and saw Neji Hyuga walk out of the OR room next door. He looked surprised to see everyone standing there.
"Hello Sakura," he greeted while walking towards them. "Your first day and already you're in the OR?" he asked as he gave her a hug and a small kiss on top of her head.
"I know right?" she joked. Neji offered her a small smile. He was the same height as Sasuke but he had long dark brown hair that was tied down in the back and very pale eyes like Hinata. He was wearing the same dark blue scrubs that Tenten was wearing.
"So you just got out of a surgery I assume. What was the case?" she asked as the four of them walked out towards the elevator.
"Twenty eight-year-old male was shot in the head by an apparently jealous girlfriend. The bullet went in but not too deep. It must have been a long-range shot," he figured.
"So what's the conclusion?" asked Tenten as she leaned on the wall of the elevator across from him.
"We can expect some speech impairment and some partial memory loss but other than that, he should make a full recovery," he answered as he turned to his wife. His eyes traveled down to her stomach for a split second before returning to her eyes.
Tenten narrowed her eyes. "Damn you, you hot sexy bastard. Just let me surprise you for once in your life,"she internally hissed. Just then, her pager went off.
"Well, duty calls," she chirped as the elevator came to a stop on the first floor. They all stepped out and Tenten immediately headed for the ER. Neji said that he had to fill out some post-op reports for the surgery he just finished and left for his office.
"What's next for you today?" asked Sasuke. For the most part, his whole morning was spent doing nothing but watching and waiting.
"Well, I have to check up on the remaining patients in the clinic and then I have one pediatric patient to catch up on. Shall we?" she asked as they started toward the clinic once again.
Later that day…
After Sakura was done with her clinic patients—much to Sasuke's relief—he asked Sakura to join him for lunch. Hinata had called earlier and said the she wouldn't be able to join Sakura today but maybe tomorrow.
They got their lunches from the cafeteria; chicken soup for Sakura and tomato soup for Sasuke. They went outside and settled at one of the tables under an umbrella. Sasuke took the time to relish the outdoors, as he usually took his meals in his office. He rarely left his office nowadays.
"There was something that I meant to discuss with you today," he said as they got settled.
"What is it?"
"My daughter Suki told me that she met your son yesterday at school."
Sakura's face brightened. "Oh yes, I remember Sora telling me he made a few friends at school. I didn't know that your daughter was one of them though. He didn't really elaborate much on names. My poor baby, he came home and after an hour he fell asleep so I didn't get many details."
"I wanted to let you know that Neji and Tenten are considered my daughters aunt and uncle as well. The kids found that connection themselves."
"So my son and your daughter have a special connection to each other. The world really is a small place then isn't it?" she mused, which reminded him of Ino.
"And getting smaller. My daughter has two other friends called Akio and Akira Nara. Their mother is Ino Yamanaka Nara who says that you two are friends," he informed. He resisted the urge to smirk at Sakura's stunned face.
"Ino Pig?" she shouted before realizing her volume and blushed. Sasuke smirked then. He found it amusing that Sakura would call Ino a pig. Must be and interesting relationship.
"Ino is a ballet dance instructor," he informed. "She has her own studio. Her husband is a good friend of mine who works in research named Shikamaru Nara. My daughter takes classes with Ino and her daughter Akira. I found out that she was friend of yours when I went to pick up Suki yesterday."
Sakura smiled. "Wow, I should call her. I haven't spoken to her since college. This is so weird isn't it? I mean Neji and Tenten, Naruto and Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru, even us with our kids are all connected in some weird way. That's got to be some kind of twist of fate. I'm a little overwhelmed by all of this," she admitted.
"Suki asked if Sora was her cousin," he added, making her eyes go soft.
"Aww how precious. Well, even if it's not biological, it is true that since Suki and Sora share and aunt and uncle, they would think that they're related. I think it's really sweet actually. Sora could use more family anyway," she quietly added.
He caught her tone though. "What do you mean?"
Sakura looked thoughtful for a minute. Talking about her personal history with her boss was a bit on the awkward side, but she already knew that Sasuke was a widower. It was only fair to share her side.
"It's just me and Sora," she began. "My father lives in Kyoto and I'm an only child so Sora doesn't have any biological aunts, uncles or cousins. I feel like I'm holding out on him by not giving him a family to be surrounded by."
"What about his father, if you don't mind me asking."
As soon as Sasuke said it, he wished he hadn't. The look on Sakura's face changed and she quickly looked at anything but him. Her face became blank.
"Sora…doesn't really remember much about his father," she said softly. "My husband Sai, died three years ago. Sora was barely two years old. So it's only natural that he wouldn't remember anything about his father."
Sasuke could only stare at her face. Her lack of a wedding ring suddenly made sense since she was a widow.
Her gaze remained away from him. A small breeze picked up and blew in her direction.
Sasuke studied her again. Her moderate length pink hair, which oddly enough suited her very well, was tied in the back with a hair tie while the layers in the front framed her face perfectly. Her face held soft yet definitive features that held the gentleness of a mother and the steadiness of a doctor. Her eyes were downcast but he noticed that whenever she was speaking of her son, they would light up and add warmth to her personality. Those pure green eyes were so reminiscent of his one and only daughter.
"…I shouldn't have asked," he finally said after a moment. She finally looked up at him and placed a small smile on her face.
"No…it's alright. After all, I'm sure you know what it's like, being a single father yourself."
"Not quite" he thought. "I suppose so. I understand where you're coming from though; however Suki has her grandparents and my older brother. They've surrounded her since day one. So she's not really alone but …I know she wants a mother," he said, surprised at how much he was opening up to the new doctor.
It may have been the memory of Suki crying her heart out that was burned into his mind. He would die before he let her feel that way again. But there was a certain sense of empathy with Sakura that no one else had. She knew what it was like.
"I know where she's coming from," Sakura sighed, pulling him out of his thoughts. "People think that when you grow up without a mother, it's easier because you don't know what you're missing, but that's far from the truth. I never knew my mom, but I still miss her. I always felt that she was missing. It's not easier to not know someone, it's harder."
Sasuke silently agreed. "I guess you never really know unless you've been through it. No one knows how hard it is to see your child suffer without a parent."
Sakura looked at him. "No one really does … except people like us I suppose."
"Hn… people like us," he repeated looking into her eyes. There was just something so intriguing about those eyes. It was strange because Aya had the same eyes and they didn't affect him like this. It just seemed like green eyes suited Sakura more.
She looked away from him. She tried not to let the resemblances bother her but she couldn't help it. Sasuke just looked so much like Sai. There were some obvious differences but it was just one of those double-take situations. You would always need to look harder to notice the differences. There was also Sora to consider. If he were to stand next to Sasuke you would automatically assume that they were father and son. It was a very uncanny triangle to deal with.
Sai had short dark hair capping his head, while Sasuke's stood up like poultry. Sora was somewhere closer to Sasuke in style. But there was something else that was clearly unmistakable. Sora and Sasuke's eyes were the same dark black color…just like Sai. Fate must really enjoy toying with Sakura's emotions. But even though the outside was almost the same, Sakura knew that they were both different people on the inside.
Sai had a very strange way of getting to know someone. He would often insult Sakura by calling her things like "hag" and "ugly". It was strange, but that was just his way of expressing his love. He was a wonderful man but you can only imagine how hard it was for him to land a date with her at first. But Sasuke was so different. He was very polite and formal. He obviously held a presence that demanded respect but he also gave respect at the same time. And he obviously loved his daughter beyond all reason.
There was an awkward silence as Sasuke and Sakura realized that they had been staring at each other for a little too long. They both looked away. Sakura absentmindedly stirred the remainder of her soup while Sasuke looked up at his watch.
"Well, your evaluation is done for the most part. I've got to get back up to my office. You did well today Sakura," he praised before standing.
"Does this mean that I've impressed you?" she drawled. He in turn, smirked at her.
"I thought impressing me was the least of your worries, Dr. Haruno," he replied. She raised her brow and smirked herself. His smirk was somewhat contagious.
"It's not important to me Mr. Uchiha. I just assumed that you were difficult to impress based on Naruto's eloquent description of you the other day," she returned, laughing when she heard him mutter something about a "Dobe".
"It does take something good to make me a satisfied CEO. KMC isn't the best hospital in the country for nothing. We only take the best and I expect nothing but the best."
"And you've got nothing but the best, so I assume it'll take something worthy of the medical books to get your appreciation," she said smiling.
"I suppose it would Dr. Haruno," he said looking into those green eyes again. Somewhere along the lines they both failed to realize that they had been somewhat flirtatious with each other's names.
Sasuke shook his head. "Come by my office before you leave today. There are some papers you need to sign regarding the evaluation."
She nodded and stood up as well. "Okay…and as far as Ino is concerned, could you tell me where her studio is located? I'd like to drop by and at least say hello after all these years."
"I've got her card in my office for Suki's sake. Just pick it up when you come by later. The class ends at 5:00 pm. What time do you pick up your son?"
"Sora is enrolled in a karate club at the academy. I have to pick him up by 4:30."
"That should be enough time," he said as Sakura's pager went off.
She took it off her shirt and checked it. "The patient from this morning is awake. I've got to go now. I'll see you later today Sasuke."
Sasuke nodded and watched her leave. She was different from other women. Granted she was the only woman he was associated with that was a single mother, but there was just something about her. Whatever it was, he was intrigued.
Sasuke picked up his tray and dumped it into the trash bin by the entrance. He then walked into the building towards the elevator. While he waited for the doors to open, he heard a commotion near the entrance and turned to see a woman in labor with her husband holding her hand in a wheelchair. They were wheeled away but not before Sasuke could see the smile that was on the woman's face as she looked over at her husband. He was also smiling but worried at the same time.
"Is that how it would have been if I had loved Aya?" he thought. The elevator doors opened and he stepped in, brushing aside his thoughts. There was a mountain of paper work on his desk that needed his attention.
Sakura made her way to through the halls to check on Meiko. It had been five hours since her surgery and the anesthetics had worn off. She grabbed Meiko's chart from the nursing station and left to find her room.
When she got there, Sakura stood in the doorway and saw Meiko sitting up in bed staring out the window.
"Hello Meiko. How are you feeling?" she asked as she came up to her bed. Meiko didn't turn around to look at her but responded anyway.
"How do I feel?" she repeated dejectedly. "I feel no pain…but I know I should," she said turning to face Sakura. "I was pregnant. I was pregnant and all the while, I wanted to get rid of the baby. I'm not ready for it yet and it was a stupid mistake. I should be glad it's gone. I should…so…" she started to cry, tears streamed down her face. "…Why do I feel so much regret?" she asked while wiping her tears away.
Sakura looked at the crying girl with sympathetic eyes. Her assumptions about Meiko wanting an abortion were correct but somehow, Sakura knew that if she found out she was pregnant then Meiko would have probably wanted to keep the baby. She wasn't a bad girl, she was just scared. Unfortunately for her, she wouldn't have been able to keep the baby anyway.
"Meiko," Sakura said softly as she took a hold of her hand. "You couldn't help what happened. I know you feel horrible about wanting to get rid of the baby but what's done is done. The baby wouldn't have made it regardless of your feelings. Don't blame yourself."
Meiko sniffled. "Do you have any kids?"
"Yes I do. I have a five-year-old son. I was your age when I found out I was pregnant with him. When I found out, I was scared just like you were. I was still in school and newly married. I thought a baby might ruin all my plans and complicate my marriage. But the second I knew for sure, my feelings completely changed. I fell in love with my child from the second I knew about him and he only made my life better."
"Yeah…you did the right thing but look at me. I wanted to kill my baby. How can I not blame myself? I'm completely evil," she wept.
"Meiko, you're not a bad person, and this was a horrible ordeal that you've had to go through. But take this experience and learn from it. You may regret your feeling towards the baby, but that baby was just not meant to be for you right now. If it happens again, you'll be ready."
Sakura could understand her pain. When you're a mother, there is nothing worse than knowing that you can't protect your child. In Meiko's case, it was inevitable. Sakura told her to rest up a bit and that she would check up on her again tomorrow. Right now, she had other patients to see.
The rest of the day passed without any more major problems to worry about. Sakura had just finished checking up on her last patient before returning to her office. She had to remain on the same level as that maternity ward in case she was ever needed for an immediate delivery.
She got all her things and went to the elevators. She still had to sign those papers for her evaluation and get the directions to Ino's studio. The elevator was stopped several times before she actually made it to the top floor.
"I should have brought a snack or something for the ride" she thought. She was relieved when the doors finally opened to reveal the same bluish-lighted floor that held Sasuke's office. The receptionist wasn't there so she opted to just knock on his door.
Sasuke was still nowhere near done with his paperwork for the day. Being with Sakura for half the day really took its toll. He was completely behind with almost everything. There was no way he could finish this and pick up Suki too. He mentally cursed, knowing he would have to take his work home with him.
Just then, he heard knocking on his door. His secretary had already left a while ago.
Sasuke walked over to the doors and opened them to see Sakura. She looked up at him and cracked a small smile. He seemed surprised to see her.
"You wanted me to sign those evaluation papers before I left," she reminded.
"…Right, come in," he said, opening the door all the way. He had completely forgotten about her coming by later and thus left his office a mess with papers scattered on his desk and various book from his library dispersed and opened at random pages.
Sasuke walked back to his desk and began to rummage through the pile of papers. He found her file containing the evaluation papers and handed them to her to read.
Sakura took the papers and sat down in one of the armchairs. "I see you're busy with paper work," she observed. She noticed that he looked stressed and tired. He had his blazer off and his tie was also loosely hanging around his neck.
"Spending half the day with you and your evaluation backed me up a bit," he responded as he took a seat in his chair.
She raised her brow. "…A bit? More like a lot. Look at your desk it's covered. I can't even see your picture frames anymore," she said as she signed the papers.
"I'll be taking most of it home with me. It has to get done somehow, not to mention I have my daughter to pick up."
"That reminds me, I also need to know how to get to Ino's studio." Sora would be getting out of karate in about fifteen minutes. She decided to take him along with her since he was friends with Ino's kids.
"Here's her card," he said handing her a white business card with Yamanaka Dance Studio written on the top. "It's actually no more than fifteen minutes away from here. Just go down the street and make a left at the shopping district. It's right next to a Chinese restaurant."
Sakura watched him rub his temples and sigh.
"Okay. Thank you but…are you okay Sasuke? You seem a little tense," she said, looking him over. It was a little distressing to see him look so tired, since he was just so keen on being involved with her rounds this morning. Being the CEO must be more demanding than a doctor. At least doctors didn't have to worry about the little things that keep the hospital going. Sakura found that she didn't like seeing him like this. Then again she wouldn't want to see anybody like that.
"I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about, just the everyday stuff," he dismissed while running his hand through his hair.
"Okay, well as a doctor, I'm going to tell you that you should find a way to decrease this work load. Too much stress can really do number on your overall health."
He looked at her evenly. "I don't really have the time to consider my overall health, Sakura. It's the price I pay being in the position that I'm in."
"Well, you should still get your blood pressure checked out. You're young Sasuke, don't push it. When was your last physical exam?" she asked in a somewhat demanding tone.
Sasuke resisted the urge to raise his brow. Who does this woman think she is? She's not his doctor…but nonetheless, he answered her.
"Over a year ago, but it's not necessary. This is the usual paper work load. I'm just a little behind. It's nothing to worry about."
"Never tell a doctor that it's nothing to worry about. That's up to me to decide," she proclaimed. "I'm going to tell your secretary to schedule a physical for you. If I'm not mistaken," she said to cut Sasuke off from protesting, "Hospital rules state that every employee is to be given a physical examination once a year to be updated in the registry and that includes you does it not?"
He gave her a displeased look and didn't answer, because he would have to agree with her.
"From what you just told me," she continued. "You're way overdue. You can't disregard your own rules can you?" she asked with a small smirk. It only grew when she saw his face change emotions from questioning, comprehensive, annoyed and then settling on defeat.
Sasuke looked at her inquisitive eyes. This woman was really something. No one ever commanded the Uchiha like that before. She left no room for argument and even cornered him with one of his own hospital policies.
"Why don't you do the physical yourself since you seem to be so keen on having me examined," he challenged.
If she was surprised at the notion, she certainly didn't show it. "Are you testing me Mr. Uchiha?" she asked an equally challenging voice. Sakura just loved a good challenge.
"I just want to see what else you're made of. If there's something wrong with my stress, then I'll commend you as a doctor for noticing and you can claim that you've officially impressed me," he added. Just talking to her made him feel slightly relieved in a sense.
"Like I said before, impressing you is just a bonus. Saving you from an early heart attack is the real prize here," she stated before standing up. "I'll have the nursing department schedule an appointment for you. As for right now, why don't you just pack up and go home. Don't you have to pick up your daughter soon? Just take off early and relax a bit."
"I'll consider it. But don't you have to pick up your son?" he asked. Now it was his turn to smirk when he saw her eyes widen and then look at the clock. It was 4:20 pm. She only had ten minutes to get to the school and just getting to the bottom floor would take too much time as it is. Sasuke thought it was highly amusing to see her so flustered. It somehow made her look cuter. The sound of a record scratching interrupted his thoughts. Cuter? Where the hell did that come from?
"Touché Mr. Uchiha," she huffed. "You may have won for now, but I'll be back and I will prove to you that you need to relax."
"I look forward to that… Sakura," he mumbled as he watched her leave.
She managed to get Sora without too much of a delay before heading over to see Ino. She took all of Sasuke's directions to get to the studio and on the way, she listened to Sora relay the events of his first day at karate club.
"…and then Lee Sensei told me that I was really youthful and that I could easily break the board if I trained hard enough," he said spiritedly.
Sakura smiled at him. He was wearing his little white karate uniform with the Leaf Academy symbol printed on it. He had obtained a white belt that was given to the students upon entering. Sakura thought he was the cutest thing ever.
Of course with Sora being Sora, he couldn't come back from karate without a few boo boo's. He had cut his little index finger from trying to break the board with his hand. This is why Sakura was hesitant about Sora joining karate. Sora plus karate equals more first aid kits.
"Mommy where are we going?" he asked.
"Well sweetie, Mommy has a friend that lives around here and I just want to visit her for a bit. I think you might be surprised. It's Akio and Akira's mommy," she answered.
"Their mom is your friend? How weeeeird!"
Sakura couldn't help but laugh. She parked in the area behind the school and walked towards the entrance. She could hear music from inside and remembered it from her days in ballet as the ever-classic swan lake.
She and Sora stepped into the studio. Sakura was met with the sight of large dance room with one of the walls being made up entirely of mirror with a bar on it. In the center of the dance floor were several little girls in white uniforms that were practicing how to twirl. The person leading them was unmistakably Ino. She currently had her back turned to the entrance so she didn't know that she had company.
"Okay girls, that's enough for today," Ino instructed. "You can all start packing up since it's almost time for your parents to come get you."
None of the girls moved. As a matter of fact they all seemed to be staring at something… or rather a certain woman with pink hair and a really cute boy in a karate uniform.
Ino turned around and almost had a heart attack.
"FORHEAD GIRL?" she shouted.
"INO-PIG!" Sakura shouted back. They immediately went over to each other and hugged like there was no tomorrow.
All the kids sweat dropped. "Grown-ups are weird,"Sora thought.
"I can't believe you're here Sakura," Ino squealed as she finally let go of her.
"I know and I can't believe it's you. Wow it's been so long, like what six or seven years?"
"It's been forever, but look at you little miss doctor. I guess that giant forehead had a brain behind it after all," Ino teased. The truth was that Sakura's forehead was never that big, but Ino would always tease her about it when they were in primary school due to her good grades.
"Yeah and I guess miss piggy became a dancer. I always thought you'd be a florist like your parents."
The two of them laughed and hugged each other again as they began going down memory lane.
Sora, who was feeling a little forgotten and uncomfortable with all those girls staring at him, walked over to the bars where Akio was slumping against the wall with the mirrors.
"Hi Akio."
"Hey Sora, what are you doing here?"
"My mommy wanted to come. I think she's friends with your mommy," Sora said indicated in their direction with his head.
"Really?" Akio asked as he looked over in their direction. He saw a woman with pink hair who was dressed like a doctor standing and talking to his mom like they were best friends.
"Sora!" Sakura shouted in their direction. "Come over here."
"Akio and Akira, you guys too," said Ino. The three children walked over to their mothers.
"Ino this is my son Sora," Sakura introduced proudly as she put one hand on his shoulder and the other on Sora's head.
"Hello Sora. I guess I'm your Aunt Ino," Ino said as she ruffled his hair a bit before bringing her kids in front of her "And these two are my twins, Akio and Akira. Say hi to your Aunty Sakura."
"Hi Aunty Sakura," Akira greeted with enthusiasm. She shoved Akio with her arm when he didn't say anything back.
"…Ow…oh…hi Aunty Sakura," he grunted with his hands in his pockets.
"Hi you guys. Wow Ino, twins. Go figure. Akira looks just like you," Sakura noted. "Akio takes after his father then?"
Ino rolled her eyes. "In more ways than one I can tell you that."
They both chuckled a bit.
"So this is your class then," Sakura said as she took a look around. The rest of the class was still looking over in their direction, too fascinated by the pink haired doctor lady and her really cute son. Some of the girls were whispering excitedly while pointing at Sora. "Oh boy, Sora has a fan club and at five years old? My baby's growing up!" she thought as she cried anime tears in her head.
Just then one little girl in particular caught her eye.
She was staring at them with the rest of the class. She had short black hair that went just above her shoulders and green eyes like her own. "That has to be Sasuke's daughter," she thought before the door burst open and a bunch of women came into the studio to pick up their daughters.
Ino excused herself and went to go oversee the students and parents. Akio, Akira and Sora all walked over to the little girl and the four of them began to talk to each other. Sakura walked over to them as well.
She knelt by the little girl and smiled. "Hello there. You must be Sasuke's little girl right?"
"Uh huh. I'm Suki," she greeted. "Do you know my daddy?"
"Yes I do. I go to work with him. I'm Sora's mommy," she replied smiling.
Suki stared at the woman before her in wonder. "She's so pretty,"she thought before saying "I like your hair."
Suki was a total girly girl. Pink was her favorite color, so Sakura having pink hair was labeled as the coolest thing ever in Suki's book.
Sakura smiled at her. "Well thank you Suki. I like your hair too. It's just like your daddy's hair. But you know what?"
"What?" asked Suki with a smile.
"I think you and me have the same color eyes."
She watched as Suki's eyes lit up.
"Oh yeah… your eyes are the same color eyes as mine. That's really cool!" Suki exclaimed.
"I think it's cool too," Sasuke said from behind them. They both turned to find him standing there with his coat slung over his shoulders. He looked a little better than the last time Sakura saw him.
"DADDY!" shouted Suki as she ran up to him and hugged his legs. "Daddy daddy daddy guess what!"
"What?" he asked as he picked her up into his arms for a hug and kiss.
"Sora's mommy is here and we have the same eyes," she exclaimed. Sasuke smirked and looked over at Sakura who stood up from her crouched position.
"I can see that Tenshi," he said as he let her down. "Did you find this place easily then?"
She nodded. "Yeah, you were right it's pretty close by. It was great seeing Ino again but I think bringing my son here gave him a fan club."
"Your son…" he trailed off while scanning the room. Sure enough, his eyes landed in the corner, where a boy with spiky black hair in a karate uniform was talking to the Nara twins. His back was turned to Sasuke so he couldn't get a good look at his face.
"Oh right…," she turned to find her son. "Sora… could you come here sweetheart?"
Sora turned around. He saw his mommy talking with a tall man that looked like the man from this morning but different. He was wearing a black suit and had spiky black hair that stood up in the back. Suki was standing right next to him.
For some reason, Sora really didn't want his mommy to be talking to this guy. He went over to them.
"Sasuke, this is my son Sora," she introduced as Sora stood in front of his mother and stared at the man before him in a somewhat hard manner.
"Sora, this is Suki's daddy, Sasuke," she explained.
There was a moment of silence as neither Sasuke nor Sora said anything. Sasuke looked down at the boy before him. He had the same black hair that both he and Suki had, but he had really dark eyes that were very similar to his own. If Sora and Suki stood next to each other, you would think that they were brother and sister.
"Hi Sora," he said after a beat.
"…Hi…Mr. Uchiha," Sora returned.
Sasuke noticed an underlying tone with that response. It seemed like the kid didn't like him for whatever reason. As a matter of fact, he was giving of an aura that said stay away from my mom and me. He stood right in front of Sakura in his little karate uniform and looked ready to kick someone if need be. He was trying to intimidate Sasuke. The way he greeted him was full of extreme dislike.
When Sakura said Sasuke's name, it was full of sarcasm and slight playfulness. When Sora said it, it was a warning.
Authors Note:
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