Sasuke didn't sleep more than two consecutive hours. He would wake up startled every few minutes hyperventilating and shaking. Sakura tried her best to comfort him and remind him that he was safe now. He would fall asleep again and his cough would wake him up again. If the cough didn't wake him up, the pain would.
After a long restless night, Sakura got up and made some breakfast for them.
"Hey" Sakura said gently shaking Sasuke's arm.
Sasuke abruptly woke up and started looking around until he saw Sakura and took a deep breath that was soon interrupted by a cough.
"I made breakfast, are you hungry?" she asked softly.
Sasuke opened his eyes and started hyperventilating again.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's your choice, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do" Sakura trying to calm Sasuke down.
Sasuke just shyly nodded his head without making eye contact.
"Do you want me to bring you breakfast?" Sakura asked gently.
"Kitchen is fine" Sasuke said trying to get up.
Sakura helped Sasuke up and he slowly made his way to the chair. Sakura wheeled him to the kitchen, and they sat to have breakfast. Sakura had made several handheld foods so he could easily pick them regardless of his two broken fingers.
Sakura began eating and soon Sasuke followed. He seemed very hungry. He grabbed chopsticks and started trying to grab the food. He was really struggling. All Sakura wanted to say to him was that he could pick up the food with his hand until she realized that it was not a matter of doing it right, it was a matter of control. Sasuke had been deprived of feeding himself like a regular person for so long that he simply wanted to feel normal again.
"It's really good" Sasuke quietly.
"Thank you" she answered.
"I have some medication for you. It will help with your pain" she said and was interrupted by Sasuke's cough "and your cough" she finished.
She went to the kitchen and put together a med cocktail.
"This will help your pain, this one will help the swelling, this one will help your stomach, these are your antibiotics for pneumonia and the UTI," she gave Sasuke the pills. She didn't mention the sedatives and antidepressants they were giving him.
Sasuke took the pills and gave Sakura soft smile.
On the other side of the world, Katsumi had filed the motion and was meeting with the judge overseeing the case.
"Your honor, we have evidence to indict Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force" Katsumi said
"You cannot indict them for performing their duties" the opposing counsel said.
"I agree" the judge said.
"Your honor, we have evidence that the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force tortured Uchiha Sasuke unjustly after his cooperation"
"Your honor, this is a vile attempt to tarnish the reputation of a distinguished organization based on the testimony of a dangerous criminal" the opposing counsel said.
"Your honor, we have evidence that my client cooperated was still subjected to torture and despite not having any more information, he was held without the right to trial" Katsumi said.
"Your honor…" the opposing counsel began saying.
"Save it" the judge interrupted "we are taking this to the grand jury to decide".
Back in the house, Sakura was reading a book and Sasuke was sitting on the sofa, next to Sasuke with his head resting on the back of the couch.
Sasuke was shaking a little and kept on moving restlessly.
"Are you cold?" Sakura said putting down her book.
"No, I am good" Sasuke answered in between shivers.
"Are you sure? Are you okay?" she said coming closer to him.
"Yeah, I have a headache, that's all" Sasuke said in a quiet voice.
She put her hand on his forehead and he rested his head in her cold hand.
"You don't have a fever" Sakura said "do you want to lay down a little?" she finished.
"Yeah, maybe" he answered.
She helped him to the room and laid him down on the bed.
She sat next to him and kept reading.
He kept on twitching around in the bed and pressing the cold pillow against his head.
"Can you turn off the light? It's killing me" Sasuke said a bit irritated.
"Sure" she said getting up.
"Can you hurry up?" he said even more irritated.
"Right" she said and turned off the lights.
She came back and sat back down. She saw Sasuke still shivering and got up to get him a blanket. She put the blanket around him while supporting her knee on the bed
"No, no, no" Sasuke said quickly.
"You don't want the blanket?" she asked.
"No, just don't move the bed please" he answered quickly.
"You okay?" Sakura said.
"No" he said while breathing heavily.
"what's wrong?" Sakura said.
"Nausea" he answered.
"Do you want…." She started to say.
"No more talking please" he said while moving his head from one side to the other.
"Actually, I am sorry" he kept on going "I am okay, I am okay, I am okay" he kept on murmuring while hyperventilating.
"Would you like me to take you to the bathroom?" she asked.
"No, no, no" he kept on saying.
The doorbell rang 4 times which was their code for special visitations.
"I gotta get that" Sakura said.
"No, no, no, don't go" he said while hyperventilating still.
"I will be back soon" Sakura said.
Sakura got to the door, and it was Katsumi. She let her in. They both walked to the room where Sasuke was staying.
"The judge wants to see you" Katsumi said.
Sasuke didn't answer, he kept hyperventilating and moving around restlessly.
"Now is not a good time" Sakura said "he is rather unwell now"
"I told the judge that" Katsumi answered.
"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura" Sasuke began saying rapidly.
"Hey, I am here" she said getting closer to him.
"Help me up" Sasuke said.
Sakura helped Sasuke sit up.
"My heart is beating really fast" Sasuke said to Sakura.
"It's okay" Sakura answered.
"My mouth is doing a weird thing" he said holding her hand.
"You are okay" Sakura kept reassuring him.
"I am going to be sick" he said quickly.
"And that's okay" she said trying to calm him down.
"I am going to be sick" he said again.
"It's alright" she said getting a trash can just in case.
"I am going to be sick" he said one more time.
"I am right here with you" she reassured him.
Sasuke began dry heaving without bringing anything up. Sakura put her hand behind him trying to calm him down.
After about a minute of torturous dry heaving, he finally began to slowly throw up his breakfast.
"It's okay, you are doing a good" Sakura kept saying while rubbing his back.
"Are you done?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so" he said.
Katsumi gave him some water while Sakura took the trash away.
"Are you alright?" Katsumi asked him.
"yeah" Sasuke said.
"As I was saying, the judge said that if you don't show up in her chambers tomorrow, she will toss the case" Katsumi said.
"He is in no condition to see anyone" Sakura said.
"And I agree with you, but the judge said that if I am not able to produce my witness by tomorrow, she will toss the case, send Sasuke back to prison, and charge us with obstruction of justice" Katsumi said in frustration.
"I'll go" Sasuke said weakly.
"It's too dangerous" Sakura said.
"It could prove a point though, if the judge saw your condition, it could prove what we are saying" Katsumi said.
"Alright, but you need to rest now" Sakura said to Sasuke and helped him lie down.
Katsumi and Sakura left Sasuke to rest.
"I have his blood work results" Katsumi said handing Sakura a list.
Sakura waited for Katsumi to leave before she looked at the results.
She looked at the results and cried once again for she knew that Sasuke's recovery was going to be anything but easy.
It was going to be a long journey before peace could reign again.