Just One More Kiss

Reviews from AFF.net

 

To all who reviewed this chapter: I’m sorry if it wasn’t’ what you would have liked but Grandlinegirl and I felt it was the right direction for Sakura. I mean, consider how she’d been acting throughout the story. And progressively becoming more insane on top of that. So again, I’m sorry if you didn’t approve but I hope you’ll stick with the story regardless. We do very much appreciate the feedback though and yeah we agree that Kiba could have come in sooner. We were just a bit caught up in the moment and sort of forgot about him.

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The steady beeping of the heart monitor was going to drive him crazy. Crazy! He’d been sitting there forever in the hard plastic chair beside the bed, just waiting for him to wake up. It had only been twenty minutes since he’d gotten out of surgery, but it felt like an eternity.



Minato ran his fingers through his hair and cupped his face with his hands, blowing out a loud breath. He glanced towards the unconscious man in the bed and reached out to gently sweep the bangs from his forehead, tucking them back into place.



“I know you just got out of surgery, but you need to wake up now,” he whispered, reaching for a limp hand and giving it a squeeze. “I can’t do this alone…”



The first thing Sasuke was aware of was pain. It felt like someone was sitting on him. He felt it mostly in his left shoulder and arm. Where was he? He could hear a faint voice but couldn’t make out who it was. It wasn’t his wife... her voice was higher than that, but he definitely recognized it.



Sasuke let his eyes open just a crack and regretted it instantly as nausea hit him full force but he held his stomach at bay and slowly turned his head, seeing bright blond...



“Naruko...” his voice was a mere whisper, his stomach clenched with nerves and nausea...



“Sasuke, it’s me,” Minato murmured, smiling softly and tightening his grip on the Uchiha’s hand. “It’s me, Minato. You just got out of surgery. Let me get the nurse so she can check you over and give you something for the pain and then we’ll talk.”



Standing, he headed out of the room and was gone a few minutes before coming back with a nurse in tow.



“Mr. Uchiha, I’m told you’re in pain.” She smiled kindly as she fiddled with his IV for a moment. “You’re hooked up to morphine. There’s a button on the bed here,” she pointed to it, “so when you need more, just hit it. You’re going to feel pressure for a while. They had to remove the bullet from you and your collarbone was broken pretty badly, so they had to insert a metal plate, but you’re going to be okay.”



Picking up his chart on the end of the bed, she jotted something down. “Your family is on their way here, okay? The doctor is going to be in soon to check on you.”



Patting Minato on the shoulder, she headed for the door. “If you need something before the doctor arrives, hit the call button.”



Minato nodded and took his seat beside the bed again, immediately reaching for Sasuke’s hand. “It shouldn’t take long for the meds to kick in since it’s connected directly to your blood stream.”



Sasuke just nodded, not caring at all about that at the moment. “Where’s Naruko? I want to see my wife... Did they tell you anything?”



“Naruko’s still in surgery,” Minato murmured, sighing heavily. “They rushed her in as soon as you guys arrived four hours ago. A resident comes out every hour to give me an update, but… Sasuke, it doesn’t look… It doesn’t look good.”



He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers as he tried to keep his emotions at bay. He had to be strong for Sasuke.



“She’s in bad shape, Sasuke. Her brain is injured from hitting the table and they don’t know the implications of that. They were talking about brain damage, and… Well, they just don’t know yet. As for the stab wounds… She lost a lot of blood. The glass punctured her stomach, her liver, her intestines… They’re doing everything they can, but her heart has stopped three times already and…”



Minato squeezed Sasuke’s hand. “Naruko will be okay. We both know how strong she is. She’s a fighter and she won’t let this beat her.”



Sasuke accepted the comfort but turned his head away from Minato. He didn’t want the man to see the guilt.



“It’s my fault...” he murmured quietly. “I pushed her too hard... I just... didn’t want her to get hit...” He couldn’t help the way his voice choked up as the feeling overwhelmed him and tears escaped his eyes. He had done it... he had hurt his wife... his soul mate; maybe even had killed her... How could he even live with himself?



“No, it’s not your fault, Sasuke,” Minato murmured. “It was the adrenaline. You were trying to save Naruko’s life. You reacted on instinct.”



He was quiet for a minute or two, his thumb gently stroking over Sasuke’s hand. “Sasuke, if you hadn’t pushed her out of the way, she would have died for sure. There’s no question about it in my mind. Kiba said Sakura was aiming for her heart. If you hadn’t pushed her, she wouldn’t have had a chance. You gave Naruko a chance to live. Now we just have to believe in her. Can you do that for me…? For her…?”



Sasuke nodded, looking back at his father-in-law, his right hand came up to wipe his eyes. “I don’t care if I have to take care of her for the rest of her life... I just want her to be ok. I don’t think I can live without her...”



“She will be okay, Sasuke. Now come on… You know her better than anyone else,” Minato sighed. “She’s strong and resilient. She’s never let anything get in the way of her dreams before. Do you really think this time will be any different? Do you really think she’d let a few injuries stand in the way of her and her future? Because I don’t. I know she’s going to pull through. She’s-”



The door opened and a man in a white coat came in. His dark eyes gave away nothing as he closed the door behind him. “Hello,” he greeted monotonously. “I am Doctor Sai. I am here to give you an update on Naruko Uchiha.”



“Doctor Sai,” Minato breathed, standing. He kept his hold on Sasuke’s hand, his own shaking. “How’s my daughter?”



“She is stable,” Sai answered, staring blankly at the worried blond. “We repaired the internal damage and she is in the ICU. If she makes it through the night, she should be okay.”



Minato nodded slowly and glanced at Sasuke, offering him a tiny smile. “Do you know anything more about her head injury?”



“No,” the doctor answered, picking up Sasuke’s chart and glancing through it. “We will not know anything until she wakes up – if she wakes up. However, with trauma of this nature, we expect there to be damage. It could be anything – a speech impediment, memory loss, vision loss… If there is something, we may be able to operate to rectify it, but it depends what type of damage it is.”



Sasuke felt relief flood his body at what the doctor said. His baby was alive... “Can I see her?” he asked quietly, his voice hoarse from dryness.



“She is not awake…” Sai said slowly, his brow creasing ever so slightly, as though he didn’t understand why Sasuke wanted to see his wife if she wasn’t awake. “We do not know when she will wake…”



Minato shook his head slowly. “Please, let him see Naruko. I don’t think he’ll be able to rest until he does, and he needs to rest.”



“Your meds are going to kick in any second, Mr. Uchiha. You won’t be conscious long, but I suppose I could bring you up there… One moment.” Sai disappeared into the hallway and didn’t return for a bit. When he did, he was pushing a wheelchair and had a cup of ice chips. Parking the chair beside the bed, he locked the wheels.



“You cannot stay up long, Mr. Uchiha. You have just had surgery. You need to keep your shoulder still.” Helping the raven sit up, he slowly got him into the chair and handed him the ice chips. He hooked the IV pole to the back of the chair and wheeled him from the room with Minato following behind.



The trip up to the ICU was silent. Sai pushed the chair down the long hall after getting off the elevator and stopped outside of a room. Through the window, a body could be seen lying in bed. Monitors were hooked up to the blond and a tube was taped into Naruko’s throat to breathe for her. Her head was bandaged but her hair was still bloody. The blankets covered the many dressings over her abdomen and chest.



“I will give you ten minutes with her,” Sai instructed as he parked Sasuke beside the bed. He turned and swept from the room, leaving Minato and Sasuke alone with the unconscious blond.



“Do you want to be alone?” Minato asked quietly, turning his wavering eyes to Sasuke.



Sasuke shook his head as he took his wife’s hand in his. “I know you want to see her just as much as I do...” With that, he ignored Minato completely, his only thought being on Naruko.



He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the palm gently, letting her hand rest on his cheek. “Hey baby... I’m here... you’re going to be alright.” He could already feel his chest tightening as tears welled up in his eyes. “I love you so much Naruko. I’m so happy you’re ok... I just wish I could see your beautiful eyes...” He smiled faintly, his wife’s eyes instantly taking over his mind. “I can’t wait to take you home so we can be happy... remember? We still have so much to do...”



Minato wiped a tear from his eye and turned to leave the room. He needed to let them have their moment, as much as he wanted – needed – to see his baby girl. And he had something he needed to take care of right away to ensure that the moment carried on.



He was still gone ten minutes later when Sai returned.



“Mr. Uchiha, you will need to get back into bed now.” Without waiting for an answer, he took the break off the wheelchair and spun it around – only to wheel it across the room to the other bed.



“It seems Mr. Namikaze is a good friend of the chief’s and has called in a favor. Therefore you will be staying in this room.”



“Thank you...” It was a mere whisper but he knew the doctor heard and he was indeed eternally grateful to both the doctor for allowing it and to Minato for giving him the wonderful gift.



After settling down in the bed, he turned up his morphine, his pain having flared up from his movements, as his head turned to look at his wife. He knew she would be alright, he just knew she would be.



Xx



Beep. Beep. Beep.



Sasuke really needed to turn off that alarm clock, because it was annoying.



Beep. Beep. Beep.



Why wasn’t Sasuke turning it off? Wait – why was the alarm clock even on? Did they have to get up for something? What was happening?



Beep. Beep. Beep.



She shifted – or tried to shift – but couldn’t. Was Sasuke lying on top of her or something? And why did their bed feel so… wrong? It was scratchy and the pillow was lumpy. She knew for a fact that their mountain of feather pillows was not lumpy.



Beep. Beep. Beep.



Come on, Sasuke! Turn the damn thing off!



She opened her mouth to ask Sasuke what the hell his problem was and promptly choked. There was something in her throat… Something blocking her air. Why couldn’t she breathe? What was going on? Why couldn’t she move and why wasn’t Sasuke turning off the alarm clock?!



The beeping turned to a shrill wail and suddenly voices were all around her.



“She is breathing on her own. Take the tube out,” a calm voice instructed. “She is waking up and fighting the tube.”



There was an uncomfortable sliding in her throat and then the blockage disappeared. She gasped for breath, her eyes flying open – only to see nothing. But she could tell there were people around her, poking and prodding her body.



“W-What’s going on?” Naruko croaked, her voice harsh from the thing that had been in her throat. “What’s going on?! Where am I and why can’t I see anything?! Take the thing off my eyes!”



Two days had passed with no change from Naruko but Sasuke never gave up hope. Both days he had made sure to go to her bedside and talk to her, telling her he was there and that she was going to be alright.



Sasuke had been reclined in his bed when Naruko had shown signs of waking. He had pressed the button for the nurse and watched as they went to work. He wanted desperately to go see her but there were people everywhere around her and he couldn’t get out of bed by himself yet.



“Naruko... I’m here baby... it’s ok.” He spoke loudly so his voice could be heard through the murmurs of the hospital staff as they checked over his wife. Oh god... she was finally awake...



“Sasuke?” Naruko called, turning her head towards his voice. “Sasuke, what’s going on? What’s happening?”



Sai cleared his throat quietly, making the blond jump. “Naruko, you are in the hospital. In the ICU to be specific. You were brought here after you were attacked and you have been unconscious for two days. Your husband is in the bed on the other side of the room.”



He pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket and leaned closer. Clicking it on, he shined it in Naruko’s left eye, looking for a reaction. There was none, so he moved on to the right.

“Can you see anything?”



Naruko shook her head as her hands began to tremble. “No… No, I can’t see anything,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “Am I… Am I blind or something? What’s going on?”



“You hit your head,” Sai answered. “Do you remember that?” When Naruko nodded, he slid the flashlight back into his pocket after turning it off. “You hit your head hard and your brain was injured. It is minor, but still injured. You are blind, it seems, but it may only be temporary. We will run some tests and see what is going on.”



Sasuke felt his stomach clench. Naruko couldn’t see? Although he was extremely relieved that it wasn’t anything more serious, it still worried him. What if it was permanent? How was that going to affect their lives? He shook his head mentally at that thought. How could he even think like that? He should be concentrating on supporting his wife, no matter what outcome.



“Can someone bring me over there? I want to be next to my wife...” Sasuke just wanted to have at least some physical contact with Naruko, knowing that would make her feel a bit better. To know he was really there.



“One second, Mr. Uchiha,” a nurse answered as she made her way over to the bed. She helped Sasuke up and across the room, letting him perch on the side of the bed.



Naruko turned her head and knew, just knew, that it was Sasuke. She groped blindly for his hand and when she’d found it, she laced their fingers together.



“So… I could be blind forever,” she whispered. “I might never be able to see again.”



“We do not know that yet,” Sai answered her. “The injury is minor, like I said. There is a good chance we can save your vision but we will not know for sure until we get a scan done. We will have you taken down in an hour.”



“Sasuke,” Naruko whimpered as tears gathered in her useless eyes. “Sasuke, I don’t want to be blind. I want to see you again…”



The raven pulled his wife against him, mindful of his shoulder and her head, his fingers caressing her back gently. “I’m just glad you’re alive baby... They said it could clear up but I just need you with me. You have no idea... I thought...” He couldn’t finish as he let his tears fall. He was too drugged up still to care about others seeing him, he was just so relieved to be holding his wife.



Naruko turned and threw her arms around Sasuke, squirming as close as he could. “I’m so sorry you were scared, Sas. So sorry. I don’t even know what that must have been like…”



A nurse rounded the bed to add more morphine to Naruko’s drip. After that was done, she started checking over her wounds, starting with her abdomen.



“You’re okay, right? Well, I know you’re okay, but… You’re okay, right?” Naruko stammered. “You were shot, Sas! Are you hurting? Or… you’re moving so that’s good… but tell me. Tell me how you’re doing.”



“I’m alright baby... it just got my shoulder. They had to put a plate in to help repair my collarbone. But don’t worry about me.” Sasuke kissed his wife’s lips for the first time in what seemed like forever. “I’m so sorry baby... I didn’t mean for you to get hurt like this... I was just trying to get you out of the way...”



“Of course I’m worried about you!” Naruko hissed, smacking Sasuke’s side, gently. “You’re my husband, you doof, of course I’m worried! You took a damn bullet for me!”



Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing for a second until she felt calmer. “Don’t you dare apologize, Sasuke Uchiha. I mean it. I would have done the exact same thing for you. You’re my husband, my soul mate. I would take a bullet for you any day.”



Before Naruko knew what was happening, she was bawling her eyes out. She curled herself around Sasuke and rested her head against him, her hand clinging at his shirt. “I’m the one that’s sorry… If I hadn’t said all that stuff to provoke her, none of this would have happened… And now you’ve got a plate in your shoulder and I’m fucking blind, and… I’m sorry I did this.”



Sasuke rocked the blond back and forth, trying his best to comfort her. “No... No baby, you didn’t do anything wrong. Sakura was obviously planning on doing it anyway, she brought the gun to the bar for a reason... And she was already psycho by that point. None of this is your fault and I won’t let you keep thinking that.”



“I thought I was gonna die… I thought I was gonna die and I was gonna leave you all alone,” Naruko whispered. “I didn’t want to leave you alone. We aren’t finished yet, Sasuke. We have so much to do, and… And I don’t want to wait. Maybe it’s just the nearly dying thing… but now that I’ve been close to losing it all, I want to have it all… I want to adopt babies and I want to move into a big house but keep our little condo… I want to have my surgery as soon as possible and I want to live… with you and our family and be happy and alive…”



“We will baby... I promise we will...” He was interrupted as the door opened and Minato rushed in, heading straight for his daughter.



“Naruko... honey you’re awake...” He took her into his arms, careful of her injuries and kissed her forehead. “I was so scared honey...”



Naruko didn’t have to see to know who had burst in the room. There was only one other person it could be. She wrapped her arms around her dad, hugging him just as tightly. “I’m sorry I scared you, dad, but I’m okay. Apart from the blind thing… but they’re going to try and fix that.”



Sasuke didn’t move as Minato sat next to him on the edge of the bed. He had no desire to move away from his wife, his arm remaining around her shoulders.



“I’m just glad you’re alive... both of you...” The older blond eyed his son-in-law and gave the man a small smile before kissing his daughter’s cheek. “The doctor said you might be able to go home soon...”



“I’d love nothing more than to go home,” Naruko sighed. “I hate hospitals. I just… I know they need to run the tests for my eyes… I don’t… I have no idea what I’ll do if I’m blind. How would I live being blind? I could never see my husband again, or you daddy… And we were talking about adopting, and… I can’t be blind.”



Sasuke pulled the blond closer, letting her rest her head against his shoulder. “They said it could be temporary... I know it’s scary to think about but you have me and your dad to help you through it, not to mention my family...”



“I know I have you guys, but I still don’t… I wouldn’t be able to do anything. I couldn’t drive anymore or go out by myself. Hell, I wouldn’t even be able to get around our amazing condo!” Naruko spat, panting hard. The movements made pain flare throughout her abdomen so she focused on her breathing to calm herself down. “Sorry. I don’t mean to snap at either of you, but this is scary…”



Minato took his daughter’s hand in his and squeezed gently. “I know honey but we don’t even know what’s going to happen yet, you might be able to fully recover your eyesight. Let’s just focus on you getting better and cross that bridge when we get there...”



“You’re right,” Naruko admitted, sighing as she pressed her cheek against Sasuke. “I’ll just focus on getting better and try not to think about…” She trailed off as she yawned widely, her eyes beginning to droop. “I think I need to sleep for a bit… Will you be around, daddy?”



“Of course I will... however long you want me to stay.” The blond smiled at his daughter and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “I’m going to get some coffee... I’m sure you and Sasuke want to talk alone.” With one last kiss to the tan cheek, he stood and headed out of the room.



Sasuke tried to get as comfortable as he could on the small bed but it was almost impossible. He didn’t really care though, he just needed to be close to his blond. “Do you want me here? I can hold you while you sleep...”



“I want you here. I always want you here,” Naruko whispered, squirming closer to her husband. She couldn’t turn and curl up with him as she normally did, but just being beside him, feeling him, was enough.



“I’m exhausted… I guess ‘cus of the injuries and the pain meds they have me on.” Her eyes were almost closed and she didn’t think she could keep them open any longer. “Love you, Sas. I’m gonna sleep now…”



“I love you too...” Sasuke ran his fingers through his wife’s hair, aiding in the oncoming sleepiness most likely. “You sleep as long as you want. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” His shoulder hurt like hell, the pain had increased from him sitting up for so long but he didn’t let it bother him; Naruko was the only important thing on his mind.



The nap turned into full-on sleep and Naruko rested peacefully for a few hours. Her body was trying to heal, and it needed the rest. When she finally awoke, she was groggy and sore all over. Her eyes slowly opened and she groaned as light assaulted them.



Which meant she could see.



Blinking a few times, the image became clearer and clearer until she could make out the big window opposite the bed she was lying on. She could see people walking by outside of it. But the entire picture wasn’t there unless she turned her head.



“I can see…” she whispered. “Sasuke, I can see! Only in one eye, but I can see!”



The raven woke from his light sleep and looked at the open eyes of his wife. What she said finally registered in his brain and he couldn’t help but smile.



“What did I tell you?” His voice was a bit weak, a combination of his exhaustion and the pain wearing him down. He knew he should probably lie down but he didn’t want to leave his wife’s side.



Naruko grinned widely and turned her head to look at Sasuke. “God, I missed looking at you,” she breathed, reaching out to run her fingers over his cheek. But with her eyesight back – kind of – she could now see that Sasuke was in pain.



“Go over there and lie down,” she instructed, pushing him gently. “You’re hurting, and you need to go lie down. I appreciate that you sat here with me, Sas, but there’s no point in me being healthy if you aren’t.”



She hit the call button for a nurse to come and give him more pain meds, but also to tell them that she could see. “Go, Sasuke. I’m fine and I’ll be right here.”



He hesitated for a moment before finally nodding and kissing the blonde’s lips and standing, slowly heading to his bed which was too far from his wife’s in his opinion.



A nurse came in a second later and looked over the two of them. “Who hit the button?”



“I did,” Naruko answered, smiling softly. “Um, my husband is hurting, and I think he needs something for his pain, and I… I woke up and I can see out of one eye now.”



“Good! I was hoping that would happen. I’m going to page Doctor Sai after I leave and he’ll take your for some tests. You were sleeping before and he didn’t want to disturb you. Now…” She headed over to Sasuke and eyed him sternly. “You stayed over there with your wife too long, didn’t you? I saw you when I came in about an hour ago…”



She shook her head, but her lips had twitched into a small smirk. She quickly dosed the raven with some more pain meds. “The doctor should be in in a few minutes… And, Mr. Uchiha, please stay in your bed. I know you want to be with your wife but if that shoulder doesn’t heal, you’re not going to be any help to her once you go home…”



Sasuke nodded but still didn’t like it. “Can you at least move the bed closer to hers?”



“She’s going to be leaving in a few minutes, but once she’s back… maybe. We’ll see how things are.” The nurse offered a small smile before leaving the two alone.



Two minutes later, the doctor walked in and immediately began readying Naruko for transport. He didn’t even bother greeting them. “I am going to take you for a scan and we will see what is going on in your brain. It is a good sign that you have regained vision in your right eye.”



“How long will I be gone?” Naruko asked. “Can you have Sasuke’s bed moved closer to mine?”



“I… do not see a problem with that,” Sai answered. “You will be gone about twenty minutes or so.”



Naruko gave a little wave as she was wheeled from the room and off for a scan. Little butterflies erupted in her stomach; she’d never had a scan and she knew nothing about them. All she could do was hope for good news.



Sasuke would have done anything to go with Naruko and been with her through the tests but he knew the nurse wouldn’t even consider it. He sighed as he tried to relax, glancing over at his wife’s empty bed every few seconds, not liking her absence at all.



It actually took less than twenty minutes for the test to be complete, but lying in that robotic tunnel was kind of… scary. Naruko had a hard time staying still but managed it somehow. She was still more than relieved as she was removed.



A few nurses helped her back into her bed with minimal moving and soon she was being wheeled back to her room. “The doctor will be back in a moment to talk to you. And, we’re going to move your husband over.”



Naruko smiled gratefully as Sasuke’s bed was moved close, with just enough space between them for a person to fit.



Sasuke’s eyes were focused on Naruko as he reached over and took her hand. “How was it? I wish I could have been there with you...”



“It was fine.” Naruko laced her fingers with Sasuke’s and offered him a little smile. “I’m just glad I’m not claustrophobic, because that little tunnel sucked.”



A knock on the door interrupted them and Sai stepped inside. “Mrs. Uchiha, I had a neurologist go over your scan with me and we have come to the conclusion that the vision in your left eye will not return. The damage is too extensive. If we tried to operate, chances are that we would only cause further damage and you would lose your vision – in both eyes – permanently.”



Sasuke squeezed the blonde’s hand in comfort. “Will she lose any more vision?”



“Not unless something happens to cause more damage. If, say, she fell and hit her head again, then there is always the possibility that that could happen.”



Naruko stared down at her lap, trying to absorb everything. At first, she felt crushed but that feeling didn’t last long at all. After a few seconds, all she could feel was lucky.



“I’m actually not upset,” she smiled. “As long as I can still see out of one eye, it’s okay. Can I live normally like this?”



Sai nodded. “Yes, you can. You can even still drive, although there is a special test you have to take.”



Naruko’s smile grew and she squeezed Sasuke’s hand back. “Thank you, doctor.”



After the doctor left, Sasuke turned onto his side to face the blond. “I’m so proud of you baby... you’ve been so strong throughout this whole thing. I knew you would be though.”



“I didn’t do anything,” Naruko sighed. “Really, I didn’t. I mean, yeah… I guess it’s kind of amazing that I’m not upset about being blind in one eye, but I can live with it. As long as I can carry on normally – or as close to normal as possible, I’m good. I just wish we could go home… But they said it’d be a couple days. I miss home.”



“I know baby... me too. I can’t wait until I can hold you in our own bed... They may have to keep you longer though.” Sasuke didn’t like it but he knew if he was released before his wife, he wasn’t going home... He would stay with her until she was released as well.



“As long as you’re here with me, they can keep me as long as they want,” Naruko smiled, sliding her hand from Sasuke’s. She kissed the tip of his fingers and then reached over to press them against her husband’s lips.



“We’ll be okay, Sas. Maybe this was just what we needed. A kick in the ass to get us moving in the right direction.” She smirked and slid her hand back into Sasuke’s, squeezing gently.



“Our future starts today…”

TBC