My Lover's Keeper

32. Namikaze-Uzumaki (Part 3)

Kurama cried himself to sleep in his father's arms. The man had felt absolutely terrible about not noticing his son there.

He kept him close as he waited for the doctor. Until finally the man showed up.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Fujiboshi..."

"Where's Furukawa sensei?" Minato looked at the man.

"Your wife's case was transferred to me since Furukawa sensei is a gynecologist." He sat down next to the man. "Your wife wasn't pregnant. The home test came back a false positive. It happens"

"So she's sick?" Minato knew he shouldn't have left for work. He had a feeling he should have stayed by her side.

"We got her diagnosis two days ago. Your wife has stage 3 ovarian cancer. Yesterday we discussed a treatment plan. We're going to have to keep her in the hospital until we run the proper tests"

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"I can't tell you that with absolute certainty. It's invasive epithelial ovarian cancer. More specifically, high-grade serous carcinoma. Unfortunately it also is the type with the lowest survival rate simply because it's rarely detected early."

"How-...how low are we talking?"

"The five year survival rate is almost at 30%. But these are just statistics...we're tackling this as fast as we can to give her the best chance" he reassured him. "I'm sorry-..."

"I know my wife" Minato took a deep breath "she'll beat the odds no matter how small. Because she's a fighter. She's always been." He had seen her fight her entire life. She had gone through pregnancy in the middle of war and managed with a baby. Heck, she told him about how she walked through a forest full of mines in Uzushiogakure almost every day.

The difference between this and all of her other battles is simple, this one was an internal one. And he may not be able to fight it for her but he will be by her side.

The doctor had answered all of Minato's questions then he could finally go see his wife.

She felt a familiar gentle touch and opened her eyes to see the sapphire gems of her beloved husband.
"Minato"

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry...Minato, I know how much-..."

"Shh it's okay...you're all that matters to me" he hugged her. "I'm quitting my job to look after you and Kurama"

"But-..."

"We have some savings and we can manage with our military service checks...you can't ask me to keep travelling and let you fight another time by yourself. I have to be by your side. We'll manage. It's a small bump we'll get over, okay?" He kissed her softly and she nodded kissing him back.

🍙🍜🍙🍜🍙

Kushina was thankful she had Minato by her side.
But that late February day, she voiced a concern that her doctor had brushed off.
"I feel...pregnant" she said. "But I haven't been...intimate with my husband since I started treatment..." She knew this was rather normal to talk about with her doctor but it didn't make her feel less awkward or nervous. She always felt at ease with her gynecologist, something she wasn't experiencing with this doctor "Even before that...we've been-... Following your guidelines."

"What do you mean by you feel pregnant?" The doctor raised an eyebrow as the statement was strange.

"Like I'm pregnant..." She frustratingly spoke. She stressed that she was still late, that she's been experiencing nausea but she swore it was different.