Winter's Fate

Chapter 35

Chapter 35. (Send me on my way BY Rusted Root)

Naruto woke to spasms splintering up his back then to a tightness settling in the lower part of his belly.  Grimacing at the sudden rush of pain, he laid still rubbing his hand over the area as the ache lingered longer than the false contractions he was accustomed to. 'Breathe... in and out' mentally practicing the breathing technique he'd learned.

When it completely passed he tiredly rolled onto his back allowing his hands to glide up and over his aching hips. He glanced at the clock on the night stand which read 2:56 a.m. then stared at the sleeping form next to him contemplating whether to wake him or not. 
Yesterday after breakfast he called and talked to his grandmother just because it always made him feel better talking to her and he wanted to implore her medical expertise. He explained what had happened earlier with loosing his mucus plug and what Dr. Shultz told him and how worried Itachi had gotten that he was afraid the paler would end up on the verge of a panic attack. She gave him some sound advice reassuring him that he would be okay. Why? Because grandmothers always make things okay.

He could hear the wind howling outside the windows crying out that the typhoon had reached inland and was rearing its ugly head. Naruto looked at the baby monitor on his side of the bed. He could hear the very faint snores coming from their daughter. He laid wondering what she was dreaming about. Cho was a good sleeper. In fact it was nothing for her to sleep 10 to 11 hours straight. Itachi teased saying that they could've biologically created her in a different lifetime considering how many traits she displayed were similar between the two of them.

Choosing against the urge to wake the peaceful male, he slowly pushed himself up and with the help of the headboard was able to eventually pull himself further up against the pillows.

He rubbed over the bottom half of his stomach where the blanket had pooled down around his waist, breathing rhythmically. Every movement, no matter how small, left him exhausted. He laid there for a while until the position was putting too much pressure on his waist. Cautiously swinging his legs out and over the bed he leaned on his arm and gripped the edge of the the mattress in order to sit up as fully as he could.  The shift of his weight instantly made his sciatica flare with pain. With sedulous effort and the use of the trapeze bar he was able to get into a standing position, "Never gets any easier no matter how much I imagine it." He whispered looking behind him to make sure he hadn't disturbed Itachi before hobbling to the bathroom. 

Once he was done and back in the room, the same odd sensation returned, but this time leaving his stomach moderately firm not soft like before. A stent of concern that this might be it startled him but he elected to walk it off by getting a snack from the kitchen. 'Maybe they're just hungry', he thought convincingly.

Quietly exiting the bedroom with a hand cradling the underside of his middle and the other holding his back he slowly ventured down the soft lighted hallway. Thanks to the generator that was installed in the utility room, they always had power under circumstances such as this.  He pressed his fingertips into the small of his back to massage at the ache settled there before continuing his journey to the kitchen. It was enough that he had to stop twice to regulate his breathing and eventually use the wall for support. When he was about to pass the staircase he paused and glanced up to the baby gate stretched across the landing.

Albeit Cho was able to climb the stairs on her own which were wide and spacious enough that it was hard to tumble down them if someone should fall, Naruto still wanted to be cautious so he insisted upon the gate being put in place. He shook his head knowing that Iruka had the other baby monitor in the room they were sleeping so that he could hear their grandchild even though she was in the room across the hall from them .