F A M I L I A R

Recovery

There was a rhythmic beeping in my ear that finally woke me. My body felt three times heavier than I remembered it being, and I felt numb and cold. Wherever I was also smelt strongly of old people and sterilization, and I decided to open my eyes to confirm my suspicion.

Yeah, its a hospital alright.

I've woken up in a hospital bed on several occasions, and never once has it been a pleasant experience. So far, it didn't look like today would be an exception, but at least I was alive.

I moved my gaze from the ceiling, and took account of the room I was in. My bed was surrounded by one of those light blue privacy curtains, making me feel a bit claustrophobic. Looking down, I noticed my right leg was in a cast that extended just below my knee, and was elevated in the air, hanging from the ceiling. My left leg was under the blanket, but I could tell it was bandaged as well just from the limited movement. My right arm was in a sling and was covered in soft bandages from my hand to my shoulder, and my left arm had an IV drip attached to it. So, essentially I was completely confined.

As I laid there and started trying to remember what happened, I found myself wondering a lot of things. Was I back in Konoha? Did we complete our mission? Where were the others? I started racking my brain, trying to figure out what the last thing was that I remembered before I blacked out.

Kiba.

He was the last thing I remembered.

He... he saved me. I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him.

I could hear the rythmic beeping start to pick up speed as I relived those last few moments over and over. My eyes started to burn and my vision became blurry. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep my tears from escaping.

What if...

My throat caught fire, and I held my breath. I couldn't even bring myself to think the words that I feared.

Suddenly, I heard a door creek a few feet away. I snapped my eyes open and forced my left hand to move to wipe my tears. A nurse walked up and moved the curtain, allowing me to get my first glimpse of the room around me. Everything was brighter now, and I squinted to adjust to the light difference. I noticed a vase of miscellaneous flowers at the foot of my bed. It provided the only other color in the room besides white and powder blue.

"Why, hello," the nurse greeted. She had pink hair and seemed genuinely nice as she smiled at me. "I noticed your heartbeat increasing and came in to check on you. I guess its a good thing I did." She smiled a kind smile at me, but I was in no mood to return the gesture.

"Where am I?" I asked, hearing my voice for the first time since I awoke. It was scratchy and low, suggesting I needed to drink some water.

"You're back in the Hidden Leaf Village," she said as she walked over to the sink on the other side of the room. "Would you like some water?"

"Yes please," I agreed, clearing my throat and attempting to sit up some. I winced audibly at the pain and the nurse quickly turned. "Oh don't move, you might reopen your wounds." She returned with a paper cup of water and reached down next to the bed, handing me a remote. "You can use that to lift your head. That button there."

After I sat myself up, I downed the little water cup in one gulp, "Can we possible open a window?" I asked. "It's a bit stuffy in here."

She nodded and turned towards the windows on my left, sliding one open. I closed my eyes and smelt the fresh air. It always made me feel a little more alive.

Dandelions.

I bit my lip and stared down at the cup still in my hand, "Do you know how my team mates are doing?" I asked, not looking at her. She was rummaging in a drawer to my side.

"Hinata and Shino are perfectly fine. They have a few bruises, but nothing too serious," she answered, filling a syringe. "They actually were just here to check on you earlier today."

I looked up at her as she inserted the syringe into my IV drip, "This will take away some of your pain so you can move freely and get the feeling back in your joints."

"What about Kiba?" I asked with a bit of urgency in my voice, completely ignoring what she just said.

She put the needle down, sighed, and gave me a serious look. "He's... stable now. You both were in pretty serious condition when you got back a week ago, but he was barely hanging on. Lady Tsunade had to work through the night to get him out of critical condition."

A week ago...

"How bad was his condition? Is he awake?" I asked, not caring that I was bombarding her with questions. I couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for Kiba's state, but I was glad that he was still alive.

"No, he's still recovering. We stabilized you two days ago, so it's expected that he won't be conscious for another couple days," she said. "He had a lot of injuries, but I promise Lady Tsunade was able to repair his internal organs."

I went silent for a moment, staring at my leg in its cast.

His internal organs...

I bit my lip. "Can I see him?"

"Possibly tomorrow," she answered with a smile. "In a couple hours I'll come back to clean your bandages and we can see how much weight your left leg can stand at this point."

"Okay," I nodded reluctantly.

"Just click this button here if you need anything," she said, handing me the remote for the bed again. She smiled at me one more time before she left me by myself. I turned my head and stared out the window, listening to birds chirp far in the distance.

~~~~~

I awoke to the sound of my hospital room door closing. I guessed that I must have fallen asleep without realizing it. I raised my left hand to wipe the sleep from my eyes, and looked over to greet the person who entered my room.

"Oh, hey Hinata," I smiled at her as she approached. I was happy to see a familiar face, especially hers. I noticed that she had another bouquet of flowers in her hands. "You didn't have to buy me any flowers."

"I-I'm glad to see that you're doing better," Hinata smiled at me. "I was beginning to worry." She ignored my words about the flowers and replaced the now wilting ones with the ones in her hand.

"Yeah, apparently I was knocked out for a week," I said, watching her as she pulled up a chair from across the room to sit by my side. I tried to smile again, but I faltered slightly, remembering that I wasn't the only one in the hospital. "So, what happened anyway? Did you guys capture the rogue?"

She nodded, "Yes, Shino's b-bugs encased him in place and I was able to shut down his chakra network, but it did take some time. H-he was very strong. We probably couldn't have finished him if you hadn't worn him down."

I shook my head and motioned to my foot in it's cast, "It doesn't look like I slowed him down at all." I paused, "How did you know where we were?"

"Oh, Akamaru c-came and lead us. Kiba sent him to get help."

My face darkened at the mention of Kiba, and I looked away from her to the window. I bit my lip to keep from coming undone.

"Y-you know, Sakura said she w-would be back soon to help you practice walking," Hinata said, and I was thankful that she changed the subject. "I can s-stay and help too if you like?"

I turned back to her and gave her a questioning look, "Sakura?"

"Yes, she is y-your nurse and also a f-friend," Hinata replied. "I forgot that y-you haven't been introduced to everyone yet." 

I gave her a small smile, "Well, in that case, you should definitely stay. I would like that a lot."

"P-perfect!" She beemed, getting up from her chair. "Let me go tell her you're awake." 

"Hey, Hinata?" I stopped her just as she got to the door. "Thanks for being a friend."