Papa's Baby Girl

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sasuke, though he was home almost all the time and did all he could to care for Sarada, was the most worried person in the world at the moment.

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but, he was worried enough that he had almost ran to the hospital to bring Sakura home for help, even though he decided against it a few minutes later.

All of his worrying was because of four-year-old Sarada waking up with a high fever and a cough, complaining of a stomach ache as well. Sasuke, who was still asleep when she came in and poked his forehead to wake him (which shocked him enough he was almost wide awake instantly), lifted her up into the bed and placed his hand on her forehead after she stated she felt sick. After he discovered she had a fever, and she started coughing a moment later, Sasuke almost headed for the hospital, but did not.

He knew he could take care of her.

Sakura had taught him a lot about caring for sick children after Sarada was born, just in case something like this happened one day and she was gone.

So, all Sasuke had to do was remember what it was Sakura nearly beat into him about taking care of a sick child. What he could remember was to get her wrapped up in blankets to make Sarada sweat out her fever, give her lots of fluids, and make sure she took the proper dosage of cough medicine, and Sasuke did all of this.

He got Sarada to sit with him on the couch, wrapped up in several blankets and even to take her cough medicine, which she said tasted "yucky", but she was able to have her favorite grape juice afterwards, which Sasuke assumed made it a bit better.

Sarada had multiple coughing fits throughout the day, causing Sasuke to give her just one cough drop each half hour to try and help clear up her congestion and ease her sore throat, especially after she ended up vomiting twice before she could even have something to eat.

At the moment, Sarada was laying down with her head in Sasuke's lap, trying to take a nap even though she felt worse than she had that morning when she woke up.

"When's mama coming home, papa?"

Sasuke couldn't believe how raspy his little daughter's voice was because of her sore throat. It sounded like she was fighting to speak, and that she would lose her voice if she spoke too much.

"She'll be home soon, Sarada." Sasuke said as he looked at the clock, seeing that it was nearly three-thirty. Sakura said she would be home at five.

"Mama will be home at around five o'clock."

"When's that?"

"Another hour and a half."

Sarada let out a whine, sitting up and hugging Sasuke around the neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Want mama."

Sighing, Sasuke nodded, hugging Sarada back before shifting her to where she was laying against his chest, trying to help her fall asleep in a more comfortable position. "I know, Sarada. I know. Until she gets home, you sleep. All right?"

Whining again, Sarada nodded and closed her eyes, grasping Sasuke's shirt as she attempted to sleep. Sasuke checked her forehead once more for a fever, and felt relief when he found it was starting to go down, hoping that meant his young daughter would be well in just a few days.

Just like when she was a baby...holding tightly to my shirt.

"I love you, papa." Sarada was half asleep when she spoke, but it still made Sasuke smile softly.

"I love you too, Sarada."

Sakura came home at exactly five o'clock and found the fast asleep on the couch, wrapped up in a quilt and Sarada without a fever.

Though, Sasuke ended up sick a few days later himself, and Sarada, following what Sasuke did for her, forced him to stay in bed covered in blankets as she sat with him to watch television.

Author's Note: These two chapters have been done for a few days, and I'm working on chapter 3 right now.

It may take me a bit to update this fanfic as I have others to work on, school, and I'm trying to get a grip on Naruto ending and Sarada's personality (or... what we've seen of it!)

Next chapter is going to be based a bit on an experience I had when I was four years old and is forever burned in my memory after 17 years. *shudders at memories*