Sakura and I stood facing one another; staring and daring for the other one to look away.

Out of all my old friends, Sakura was the most effected by my sudden disappearance. I heard from Ino she was furious then sad then furious again because she thought I saw them or her as nothing more than objects to pass time and when I want to leave I can. Tears had started to form in my eye when I heard. Ino said she knew and she trusted my reasons for cutting off all connections then promised she'd talk to Sakura about it.

Sakura didn't take it too well and said Ino was siding with someone that had only used her. I guess I do deserve that. Not a day went that I didn't regret leaving at least a note on the fridge for my friends to find the next morning or at least calling them once and a while to see if they were doing well.

"Dr. Lee, is everything okay?" Hudson's voice cut me out of my train of thoughts. I shook my head once.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I cleared my throat. "Sakura Haruno born on March 28th, are you here?"

Her green eyes were still shaking with shock causing her answer to be shaky, "I-I'm here."

Normally, I would've let that go but the other interns were looking at me with anticipation to see how I'd react to that weak reply.

I reacted the way I promised I did. Making sure I could compose myself and not break down in the middle of the scolding, I took a while bunch of mental deep breaths to calm all my bouncing nerves.

"Dr. Haruno let me ask you something," I closed the clipboard. "If a patient came up to you, asking for a painkiller because he has arthritis and was awaiting treatment but couldn't fight against the pain, would you shakingly and unconfidentally give him the drug like the way you answered me a few seconds ago?"

"I-uh, I-"

I cut her off, "With you shuddering like that, he might as well endure the pain until the very end! I told you already that I need confident doctors, the world needs confident doctors! Not doctors who can't even form a sentence without shuddering, AM I CLEAR?!"

Sakura blinked at my sudden scolding increasing in volume.

"THIS ISN'T A GAME ANYMORE! AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, AT ANY GIVEN HEARTBEAT, SOMEONE COULD DROP FROM ANY TYPE OF ILLNESS IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE DOCTOR IS TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP THE PERSON ALIVE AND STABLE! IF A DOCTOR WERE TO HESITATE IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION, THE PATIENT DIES. DONE AND DUSTED! THEN WHY NOT JUST HELP KILL THE PERSON, HUH?!"

I turned to all the interns as I continued, "So I need absolute confidence and zero regrets with the decisions you make here in the ER. I don't want to ever hear shuddering or hesitation whenever it comes to performing any tiny job within this room or any place within the hospital or at home. I need 100% commitment and not students who have no idea what to do! Now, Sakura Haruno born on March 28th, ARE YOU PRESENT?!"

I glared at Sakura again. She was biting her lip at my words.

"Do. Not. Make. Me. Repeat. Myself!" I snapped at her. "Sakura Haruno born on March 28th Are. You. Here?!"

She gave me a short quick bow, "I AM PRESENT, MA'AM!"

I nodded with satisfaction, "I want each of you to help a nurse clean at least two dust pans before I give you your first official lesson. But the next emergency that comes in, I expect all four of you to be present in the EOR without a second to spare, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good," I said. "Everybody may go except Dr. Haruno. I'd like a few words with her. Dr. Hudson, can you please keep an eye on them?"

"Yes, of course," he smiled at me.

I nodded again, "Thank you."

Sakura and I stood awkwardly as the space cleared. She didn't initiate the conversation nor did I for a few minutes; both probably still trying to convince ourselves that the other is really there. Well, at least I am. Sakura's probably trying to figure out how to murder me as I think.

"How have you been?" I asked in Japanese, not wanting anybody passing by to understand the conversation.

"Do you really care, Hinata?" She hissed, "Better than ever until I realized you were the doctor taking care of us."

"Well, I'm sorry for causing the scene just now but I'm the one in charge and I was making sure you understood the seriousness of what happens here," I replied. "This isn't a game anymore, Sakura. This is life or dea-"

"You think I don't know that?!" she continued. "Even if you've been a doctor way longer than I have, we're still the same age and I still have common sense! I know this isn't a game anymore and I know what to do so you don't tell me what to do!"

"No Sakura," I shook my head. "I've had interns like you, thinking they're all high and mighty and better than me because they've been medical school longer than I have but this is someone's life in you hands. If something were to happen to them while you were not careful enough to try to save them, Sakura they die on you, they die on your hands. Not anybody else's and the, the guilt! Travels with you forever and every time you get ready to save another, their faces will never leave your mind!"

Sakura didn't retort at my comment. She stood there, pondering, on my words knowing what I said was true. I've had the patient dying on me once when I was an intern and believe me, it wasn't the best year of my life. Ever since then, I've done everything I can to keep any patient alive so the guilt wouldn't haunt me forever.

"I understand," she barely murmured.

"Good," I nodded.

"But that doesn't mean things between us are returning back to normal," my old friend snapped at me. "You still left without as much as a goodbye. Don't expect me to forgive you that simply, Hina. It's not going to happen."

I clamped my hands behind my back, "I find that hard to believe."

"Why?"

"Because you're already calling me, 'Hina' again," I gave her a small smile. "And about me leaving without a word, I apologized before and I'm going to keep apologizing but they're just empty words."

Sakura looked angry at my words.

"I need you guys to let me live my life without running it for me," I elaborated to my friend. "I know my actions were completely disrespectful towards all of you but I'm just asking you all to understand and just be happy with the choice I make for my life."

"I'm sorry Hinata," Sakura shook her head, slowly. "I'm sorry for trying to be a good friend that you don't know how to value."

She left me hanging with just that.

~~~~~~~~

Jason came back and showed me to my empty office a few hours later. I have just finished exploring the hospital and introducing myself to a whole bunch of the staff there. I even gave the janitor an autograph which he so happily asked for.

It's 2 in the afternoon and tonight was supposed to be my first overnight at this new hospital. Since there were no emergencies, I spent another hour or so organizing my new office.

Sakura is still angry with me and I guess she will never stop being angry. I'm not blaming her because I know after the months are over, we're back to our own separate ways with no interactions what so ever. It's best she remained angry with me through this time, I can handle it.

My phone beeped with a message on my desk. I put the cardboard box down on the computer chair before grabbing the phone.

Abused seven month pregnant wife arriving in 5. Ambulance warning: woman in middle of labor. Needs IMMEDIATE delivery on spot!

I dropped my phone into my lab coat and rushed out of the office. Dr. Hudson, whose office was directly across from mines, right on my tail along with the professor visiting from Yale University to see how I was doing. We ran into the hectic scene where the front desk nurse was barking at Maremi and Liam to get an EOR ready for the surgical procedure. Two other nurses quickly helped me dress into surgery ready clothing to take care of the patient.

"Get the other interns ready as well," I told the blonde nurse. "I want them all there."

"Of course, Doctor," she nodded before running off.

~~~~~~~

Sakura entered the room along with the beaten woman. Her bruises and scars where worst than I had predicted. A giant whip bruise spread across her pregnant stomach along with her bruises covering her eyes and all over her cheeks. Her arms and legs as well were injured beyond imagination.

That husband is getting what's coming to him.

Dr. Hudson and the Yale professor were sitting in the observation room directly above us along with other senior doctors ready to see the procedure.

Behind my mask, I took a deep breath. There's not one but two lives that could be in danger here. The mother is weak and giving birth to a pre-mature child. She needs extra attention and extra care now.

My interns were standing off in the corner, watching to see what I do next. The doctor that was on the ambulance came in a few seconds later and headed straight over to where I was standing. The woman was unconscious which can either be a disadvantage or an advantage in this situation.

"Distance of her cervical dilation?" I asked immediately.

"Full dilation was achieve on her way into the room," he admitted.

Suddenly, the woman screamed with a strange hint of a wail catching me and the doctor completely off guard.

"DON'T TOUCH MY BABY! PLEASE DON'T HURT OUR BABY, JOHNATHON!!!" she squealed.

"Ma'am, ma'am!" the Ambulance doctor called. "It's okay. Everything is okay! You're at the hospital and Johnathon is not here. It's okay, please calm down or you'll hurt your baby."

"NO!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!" she lashed out with a cry all the while, her fist colliding with the doctor's face. He stumbled back a bit in surprise.

It's time to get into doctor mode. I blinked twice at the heart monitor before turning back to the thrashing woman. The doctor was ready to come back to restrain the woman but I held up a hand to stop him. Turning to the interns and pointed out Maremi along with Sakura, they walked over without hesitation.

"The woman has been scarred by her husband and maybe all men," I explained quickly. "I'm going to need both of you to be the ones to hold her down."

They nodded and proceeded to begin with my orders.

The door of the room slid open as a doctor around my age entered, hands clamped behind his back. He wore the same attire as everybody else in the room down to the scrubs but his brown eyes did not gleam with respect nor interest. They were frozen solid over as he spoke to me under his mask, "You shouldn't be here. Let the specialist come and take care of it."

I sensed there was going to be some drama. My pale eyes glanced over to my new male interns. They looked at me with confusion before Fletcher caught the hint. He herded Liam out of the room to go and fetch the specialist without so much as a peep. Thank the lords the doctor didn't sense their departure.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry sir. The patient came to me first therefore I will do everything in my power to save her."

The doctor's eyes narrowed, "You might be all high and mighty to the media, Dr. Lee, but I'm going to have to say that this," he pointed to the ground, "Is reality sweetheart. Not something that can be covered by the media. You're here because the head of the Hyuga Hospitals violated some contract, but that doesn't mean you actually run the emergency room."

"Last I check I'm filling in for the head chief of the emergency room while she's on maternity leave," I replied, as respectfully as I could. "Therefore, everybody running about in the emergency room is under my watch. I'm sorry, doctor, but I didn't quite catch your name."

"Such as the Hyuga Hospital has their legends, the Uzumaki's have theirs," I could see a small smirk under his mask. "The name is Dr. Kabuto Yakushi, cardiovascular surgeon and specialist along with a few other specialties such as telling the head chief of the emergency room what to do."

I bit my lip. Yeah, I have heard of Dr. Yakushi or Dr. Kabuto as he preferred to be called. He's amazing at medical procedures I must admit. I've attended and watch several of his open heart surgeries.

"Dr. Lee!" the nurse monitoring the heart monitor suddenly shouted. "The patient's blood pressure is getting dangerously low!"

I bent over, removing my mask and looked straight into the eyes of the tear-faced mother, "It's going to be okay, Sweetheart. I'm here, I'll make sure your baby is going to be in your arms in the next few minutes. But I'm going to need you to cooperate and follow my every instruction."

"Step away from the patient, Dr. Lee," Dr. Kabuto said, slowly and dangerously. "Right now and let the specialists handle -"

"Last I check the specialists aren't here, Dr. Kabuto," I nearly snapped. "Instead, we're here so, excuse my words, make yourself useful and tend to the injuries the mother had acquired."

"The wounds are is not the things threatening the patient's life," he continued. "It is the baby that you cannot remove from her body without the eyes of an gynecologist or midwife."

I nearly slapped him right then and there but I was able to contain myself, "The bruises are not life threatening, yes I agree. However, it brings pain to the patient and as medical professionals, it is our moral and undoubtful duty to make sure our patients should never suffer from any type of pain!"

It was as if I did slap him across the face but it wasn't going to shut him up for long. So before he could continue I softened my features and returned to the almost sober mother.

She sniffled, "Y-your face is familiar? Have I seen you somewhere before? Ah, TV! You're Lady Satan, right?"

I nodded, "Or so I've been told."

And just like that, all the struggle, the fear, the anger disappeared from her face and she laid her head back down, "Then I am in good hands."

Just as I reached out to assure her that she is indeed in safe hands with me, a big hand wrapped around my wrist, holding me back.

I glared at the masked face of Dr. Kabuto who's eyes were beyond dangerous, "You are not to touch the patient without a -"

"A Gynecologist, Kabuto?" everybody's attention turned to the door of the EOR as a woman came in followed by another man putting on their rubber gloves. "We have arrived."

The midwife, I presumed, turned and I could see a smile twitch under her mask, "Now, let's get started, shall we, Dr. Lee?"

I nodded a thanks before turning my cold expression back to the opposing doctor, "If you're done nagging, I believe there is nothing left for you to do here, Dr. Kabuto. Why don't you leave? It's already crowded enough and we have two lives to save here."

His grip tightened a bit. I nearly grimaced in pain and yes, it was very painful. I could see his knuckles getting white under the rubber gloves.

"Let go of our chief, Dr. Kabuto!" Sakura suddenly spoke out. Surprising everybody, including me in the room.

Seeing as an intern has just snapped at him, Dr. Kabuto looked like he had lost face. He let go of my wrist, glared at me and Sakura in turn before exiting the room.

Sakura looked at me with a little hint of worry. I shook my head.

I pulled the mask back on, ignoring all the looks of surprise, "Begin with delivery. Liam and Fletcher come here and help as well."

The boys glanced at each other.

"Hurry! She's in her fetal expulsion stage already!" I snapped. "After this is all done, I'm going to transfer you both to the obstetricians for the rest of the month!"

They didn't wait to be told twice.