Bump Buddies: Take Two

|Part Eleven|

|YOU|

I woke up in the hospital. The smell on antiseptic and the striking brightness of the white room all hit me at once, making me nauseous.

"I'm gonna puke," I grumbled before rolling to my side. A trash bin appeared as my stomach heaved.

Once the room stopped spinning I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand, looking up to see who was next to me. I had expected Sasuke, or maybe Kurenai, but it was neither. Even Kakashi would have been less surprising than who was smiling down at me.

"Feeling better?" Genma asked.

I ignored his question. "What are you doing here?" I asked instead.

"I recruited you for this job, it's my duty to make sure you're okay." He took his senbon out of his mouth and twirled it in his fingers, giving me a cheeky smile. "I was also worried about you."

My face grew hot and I had to look away from him. "How long was I out?"

"A day," he replied.

"What happen after I passed out?"

Genma frowned. "A lot."

He didn't say anything else and gestured for him to continue with my hand. "You can't tell me a lot happened and not elaborate."

Genma sat in the wooden chair at my bedside and let out a long sigh. "Lord Third is dead. He died in his fight against Orochimaru, whose whereabouts are unknown as of right now. The search for a new hokage has already started. The council is pressured to find someone before our enemies catch wind of Lord Third's death."

I sat silent for a moment. I liked Sarutobi as our hokage. I was young when the fourth hokage passed, and didn't really know much about him, so Lord Third was the only leader I knew. It was strange to think of the village without him.

"What about Sasuke? Where is he?"

"I'm not sure," Genma said. "But I can find out, and tell him to come see you."

"How long do I need to be here?"

Genma shrugged. "I'm not sure. They don't share medical information with non-family members."

A knock broke off our conversation and I look towards the door. Kakashi stood in the frame, watching us curiously.

Genma cleared his throat and stood to leave. "I think I'm gonna head out, now that I know you're okay. I'll get Sasuke to come see you."

I mumbled a thank you and waited for him to leave. Kakashi stepped to the side as Genma approached the door, then watched as he left.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Kakashi, pulling his attention back to me.

"Checking on you."

"Awe. Were you maybe worried about me, Kakashi?" I teased. When he didn't answer I cleared my throat and shyly looked away.

I felt Kakashi's eyes watching me. It made me feel much more aware of the pale hospital gown I wore. I didn't want to imagine what my hair looked like.

"Excuse me?" I looked up to see a nurse peaking into the room. "May I come in?"

I nodded and she approached my bed. She eyed Kakashi before clearing her throat. "Unfortunately, I can only share private medical information with—"

I cut her off. "He can stay. I don't mind."

Nodding, she continued. "As long as you aren't feeling sick or nauseous, you can go home. However, because we couldn't pinpoint exactly what the toxin was, we only used a general treatment. You'll have to do a weekly check in with our clinic to ensure your recovery is successful."

I agreed and the nurse offered to help me stand in case I got dizzy, but before she could Kakashi stepped in front of her.

"I'll help her," he said, holding his arm out for me to take.

Using him to brace myself, I stood up. The wave of nausea hit me instantly and my stomach turned upside down. Kakashi quickly sat me down and lifted the trash bin, but nothing came up.

After a moment, we tried again and this time I was able to move around the room with Kakashi's help. It was enough to satisfy the nurse, and she approved me to go home.

"Your clothes are on the nightstand. You're free to go once you're dressed," she said, then left.

Kakashi released me so that I could dress, but just as I was about to untie my gown, I noticed he was still watching me. "Do you plan on turning around?"

Kakashi tilted his head. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

We held eye contact. Neither of us moving. After a moment he sighed in defeat and turned around.

"Why are you still here anyway?" I asked, undoing my gown.

He completely ignored my question. "Is he the reason you were asking me about romantic relationships?"

By he I knew he meant Genma. I didn't know how to answer him. Or more accurately, I didn't want to answer him. Each time this topic was brought up there was a chance of him calling things off, and I wasn't ready for that yet.

"I'm not ready to make a decision about it yet. So it doesn't matter," I replied.

"Did he ask you on a date?"

"Dating isn't against the rules."

"That means yes." There was a pause. "Do you plan on going?"

Yes. I planned to go, and was genuinely excited at the idea of it. Not just because it would be my first date, but because I truly enjoyed Genma's company.

I didn't get to answer before Kakashi moved on to his next question. "Would you say yes if I asked you?"

The flutters in my stomach returned. I was beginning to get used to them, and everything in me wanted to say yes. The hopeful part of me wanted him to ask me right here and now, but I knew better. "Would you ever ask me?"

Kakashi turned around as I finished dressing. Hands buried in his pockets. "No. I probably wouldn't."

Though I had expected it, his answer still hurt.
"So nothing has changed."

Kakashi shook his head. "I guess it hasn't."
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I have wifi, I have cell service, but I do not have nice air to breathe haha. It's incredibly smokey here, but I'll try not to complain because it's been raining and the fires have slowly been getting more manageable.
That being said, I'm fricken exhausted. Like I said I'm getting married in about two weeks, have a toddler who is an absolute menace to society and now have found out I'm pregnant. So I will do my best to keep the updates rolling but if I disappear for awhile please don't be alarmed.
Stay safe everyone