Wishing

Sakura stares at the whitewashed walls beside her and sighs.

Be careful what you wish for.

For the past few years of her prison-like marriage with Sasuke, she’d been wishing for a chance to go to the hospital again. Her wish was granted, though she wishes that it was granted in a different way. And now, she thinks that perhaps, she should have been more specific with her wishes. Really, if they held another “Best Comedian Contest”, fate would definitely win.

As it is, she is sitting on a chair in front of one of the doctor’s desks. And she realizes that if she only she didn’t quit her job, this office would have been hers. And she wonders, if she didn’t quit, would things have been different?

“How many months, doctor?”

She stares the doctor straight in the eye, not betraying the fear she’s feeling. And she thinks that she might have stared a bit too intensely as the doctor is squirming uncomfortably. So she closes her eyes. When she opens them, they are soft again, and this time, the doctor clears his throat, pushes up his glasses, and replies.

“Eight.”

She bears the news calmly. And she surprises herself for being so calm. But perhaps it’s because she might just get the freedoms she’s been yearning for. Still, it doesn’t keep her heart from constricting painfully at the thought of her husband.

And she thinks about the eight months she still has and how she’s going to spend them. She pats her stomach and smiles sadly.

“Eight months… just enough to bear my baby.”