Only Time Can Tell

COURAGE

CHAPTER 7

COURAGE

BORUTO UZUMAKI

A nurse came to take them away. They were able to bring them back to life a lot sooner than my dad. My hands were shaking. I had just been there, with them. I they were right there. Totally normal. They went from being perfectly fine to...to this. It was Sarada who I had to thank, she went and ran to the nurses, she dragged them over without them knowing what was going on. She stood silently behind me.

"Boruto..." She said quietly. "They're going to be okay..."

I turned around in a blur, and hugged her. I wrapped my arms around her tight. Sarada was shocked, she was rigid like a board, but then after a few seconds, she softened and hugged me back. "They will be okay. Your dad, he's stable, everyone will be fine."

"I know..I just..." I said refusing to look at her, as I let her go.

"Boruto...it's fine."

I breathed deeply. "My mom...she said something about Sai. Do you know where he went?"

"Yeah...actually he's with Shikadai and Inojin in the waiting room." Sarada said slowly. "But why would....? Oh my God!" Sarada turned and ran.

"Sarada!" Shikadai cried with relief, Sai was half laying on the ground, with Shikadai trying to hold him. "He couldn't breathe. I was so scared." Inojin was standing alone, his eyes flowing with tears.

"Papa..."

"Boruto! What are you doing! Get a nurse!" Sarada screamed, kneeling by Sai, pressing her hands into his chest.

Whirling around I ran down the hallway screaming for a nurse. Once I had one I ran back to Sai, they took him away just like they had my mom and my aunt. Inojin disappeared, following them, wiping his tears away.

"Room 13!" One of the nurses screamed. "She's coding!"

Sarada's eyes filled with liquid fear. Her eyes turned blacker. That was her mother's room. Turning without saying anything to me, she ran.

I stood alone. My hands had stopped shaking. Everything was falling apart. The parents were supposed to fix everything, not fall apart. I looked into my dad's room, watching the rise and fall of his chest. He was supposed to fix everything.

I walked slowly into his room, pulling up a chair next to him.

"Hey..." I said. It was weird, talking to him while he was in a coma. But it was better than nothing. It was almost like he could hear me. "Listen...I know I've been a real asshole to you for a while now. But..." I took clumps of the hospital sheets in my hands. "If you're awake in there...please..." I felt tears prick at my eyes. "Please wake up."

I could almost hear him ask me to talk about something else. "Don't worry about Himawari though, I'm sure that someone will find you, she may be small, but she's capable. She'll go stay with Granny Tsunade or something..." I shook my head. He couldn't hear me, what am I kidding? "Mom's okay." I continued. "Her heart is strong, she'll be okay. You just need to pull yourself together."

I rested my head on his chest, listening to the slow beating of his heart. "Please." I whispered. "Wake up." I sat back up. Of course he couldn't wake up. No one had woken up yet. "If you make it through this. If you come back..." I said softly. "I'll forgive you. For all the time you weren't there, I'll forgive you. And we can do our bests to be a normal family again. Just come back, and we can figure all this out..."

"Boruto." I turned. Sarada stood at the doorway. Her hair was messier than before. Her eyes were red and tears had made their paths through the dirt on her face. She was in pain too.

"Hey, is Sakura okay?"

"They are going to surgery. They...they think that they can stabilize her heart that way..."

"Oh." I said. It was weird to be in a room practically alone with her. "I'm sorry."

Sarada pulled up a chair next to me. "They'll be okay...right?" She looked over at me, her eyes filled with fear. "That won't happen to us will it?"

We sat in silence for a long time. We watched the patter of rain on the windows. I counted my father's breathing. After a while, I worked up the courage.

"I will be here to catch you, Sarada." I felt blood rush up to my face

"What?" Sarada said.

"Really. I'll be here, I will carry you. I won't leave you. I'll be here."

Tears swelled in her eyes. "Boruto..."

"We'll be okay."

And we sat in silence just like it was supposed to be. I almost jumped when I felt Sarada's hand touch mine. Despite her icy demeanor, she has warm hands. She held mine, and I squeezed her's, looking away blushing.

We sat like that for a while. But then I felt myself falling asleep, and no matter how much I blinked, I could the inevitability of my eyes closing. So I gave up fighting it, and drifted off.