Episode 8

Few stitches and a brace later, she was ready to go home. She had to refuse pain meds as she was pregnant, so he had her squeeze his hand through the stitches.

The wrist was only sprained, but as she relied heavily on it to get herself up and in and out of the tub, she would need help doing so from now on.

Hinata sighed heavily on the way home. "I'm sorry.

"You fell. I don't see how that is your fault." It did cause problems. He would have to help her bathe, which was going to be a wonderful time, he was sure.

"I'm more of a burden than I was." She grumbled.

"You also white-knuckled your way through stitches in a nerve area. I think it's excused." Sasuke rubbed his eyes. It was two in the morning. It hadn't been that late when they left, and she had gotten the stitches within an hour, but she had to wait to be seen for her x-ray, then there was paperwork and an argument with a nurse that was flirting. It wasn't the fucking time, even if she wasn't his wife.

"You said I didn't hurt you." She pouted.

"I said I was fine." He corrected me.

Hinata groaned.

———

"I'll call the office in the morning and tell them you were in the ER and you won't be in for a day or two." Sasuke changed the subject. "And you sleep, no baths while I'm not home."

"It's not really an option." She raised her wrist.

"Was that a joke?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata puffed out her cheeks, blushing, and looked down.

"I think you're going to handle labor well if you can calmly call for help after bashing your head." He said as he took the blanket he wrapped her in that was now bloodstained toward the laundry.

"I feel like I need another bath." She whimpered.

Hinata was covered in blood and cold sweat. Sasuke was sure it felt disgusting. She also looked exhausted as he was.

"How about I sit you in the tub and run the shower, and you promise not to fall asleep in there." She nodded, letting him help her up. She was still a little weak from the blood loss.

———

"How's your head?" Sasuke asked, putting the tea in front of her.

"Horrible," Hinata mumbled. "Why aren't you at work?"

"I don't want to come back and find a pregnant woman bleeding out on the floor." He sipped his tea. "Also, I didn't get to bed till 4:30. I called both our offices and told them that we had been at the ER all night. The lady at your office was worried you went into premature labor."

"Oh, dear." She scrunched her face. He was sure it was going to be the talk of the office.

"I'll go back tomorrow. Just stay off your feet until I get home." She nodded. "How about I order lunch, and we watch some mindless tv?" He stretched, ruffling his hair.

She smiled, rubbing her casted hand over her swollen belly.

———

Sasuke snorted, covering his face.

Hinata frowned at him. "What?"

"Nothing." He tried to wave it off as she waddled around the kitchen. Yes waddled. He couldn't explain why he thought it was so funny. Maybe because she always walked so delicately now, she had no choice but to move from side to side to keep balance in her middle.

She rested a hand on her back and sighed.

"Your back is bothering you again?" He wondered.

She nodded.

"You should sit down." He told her.

"I want to finish this." She whined. She was doing that a lot more, just letting herself complain and whine when she didn't want to do what he asked or had a bad day at work. He wondered why she never did before, or maybe who was responsible for her father or Naruto. If he had to guess since it was new, it was Naruto. He was still pissed about that, it had been a month, and every time he noticed something that she was slipping out of his blood boiled.

She started wearing her hair up. Naruto liked it better down, so she never put it up. She liked trips to the market or mall just to look around. Naruto was too impatient. She loved sweets, but one time, Naruto mentioned she was putting on weight, so she was hesitant to ever eat them.

She had conformed to every little thing he complained about, and yet he left her anyway. He wondered if that made it worse. No, he was sure it made it worse. She tried so hard and came up empty in the end.

Well, not empty. Sasuke glanced down at her rounded belly.