The blaring sounds of her alarm clock and the sunlight streaming into her bedroom made her throw her arm over her face in an attempt to block out that annoying shriek and light. Hinata groaned, trying to reach for her phone to hit snooze for the uptenth time, but the alarm shut off on its own to be replaced by her ringtone.
Sitting up, a tired and very annoyed Hinata finally found her phone. Clearing her throat, making sure that it didn't sound like she was just waking up, she accepted the call.
"Good afternoon, Hinata! It's me, I was just calling to let you know that we're meeting for our appointment at about four? The clinic is closing early today, and Tsunade couldn't reach you."
The sounds of rustling, and incoherent words filled her ears as the Uchiha woman spoke with haste. Hinata looked at the clock hanging above her television and nearly groaned.
She had two hours to get there; she'd be late again.
"I completely forgot, I'm sorry." She stood up from her bed and opened her closet to find the most comfortable outfit she had — which was just a pair of jeans and an oversized shirt.
"That's why I called you." Sakura laughed, "if you're late, I'm sure it will be okay. Have something to eat, take a shower, brush your teeth, and get a taxi or whatever."
"How'd you—"
"I called earlier and you asked for 'a few more minutes' before you hung up."
She mentally facepalmed, "I thought that was my alarm."
"Nope! I'll let you take care of your business, so I'll see you later." Sakura hung up.
Throwing her phone onto her bed, she grabbed her towel and went to take a much needed shower and wash her hair. Waking up was her least favourite thing to do, no matter what time of day it was. She would always be too tired — it's why she never bothered to be committed with anything.
Work, school...relationships.
Stepping out of the steaming bathroom, she towel dried her hair while she got ready. With her bag slung over her shoulder, her headphones resting comfortably around her neck, and a half eaten sandwich she didn't finish the night before in her mouth, Hinata left the small apartment. Skipping the wait for the elevator, she took the stairs instead.
Outside was not as hot as she thought it to be, although the sun was high in the sky and there were barely any clouds, the air was cool.
Checking the time, she decided to walk to the subway station feeling lucky that she wasn't that very far from it. The problem was that the clinic was practically across the city from where she lived.
Hinata wasn't one to take public transit. Then again, she wasn't one to step out of her house unless it was absolutely necessary. She always felt like people stared at her, but that might just be her mind playing tricks on her. Or, they really were staring.
She knew why. Everyone knew why.
Her eyes were odd, she was even weirder. With skin so pale contrasting with her dark blue hair and equally pale eyes, she was a sight to see — and she didn't like that. Back in her hometown, no one would have cared because they all looked the same. Here, she was different.
Tsunade would argue that being different was great! No one was the same, but living in a city with outgoing residents, tan skinned people, blondes, brunettes, and black haired kindred while being the complete opposite wasn't great.
She ran down the escalator stairs with her head down, twisting and contorting her body to get past anyone standing in her way, Hinata let out a breath she didn't know she was holding once she was able to stand on that platform away from everyone.
With no cell service underground, she switched her playlist to one she had saved and hummed along. The ride to her meeting would take a while.
Chapter Two: Offered Support
This time she really was the late one but only by a few seconds. Hinata watched as the married couple entered the clinic as she walked towards the door. By the looks of it, they didn't even notice that she was there.
Turning her music off, she put her headphones inside her bag and took a deep breath as she stood in front of the door.
This was it; the time she was preparing for. She was about to get pregnant for a couple who couldn't carry their own child. All these months talking to herself, and reminding herself why she was a surrogate — and now it was finally happening.
Opening the door, she waved shyly at Sakura who made a move to hug her but stepped back once she realized how tense Hinata was.
"Are you okay?" She looked at her with concern, glancing at her up and down as if to assess how she was doing.
"I'm fine, I'm just...nervous." She gave her a tight smile and nodded to reassure her, "I'll be okay."
"We can reschedule—"
"No, that won't be needed. It's already too late to do that anyway." Hinata motioned to Tsunade who had snuck into the waiting area without either of them realizing.
The blond woman smiled at her, silently thanking her for actually coming out instead of ditching the anticipating couple. "Let's get you guys into a room. This will be over before you know it."
Sakura left Hinata's side and immediately held onto Sasuke's hand as she followed Tsunade. Hinata walked behind them, hearing them talk in hushed voices, a habit she was starting to get used to since they've done it quite a few times when she was present. Whether that was because they didn't want her to hear or it was to accommodate Sasuke's displeasure of loud conversations — was none of her business.
"Alright, I'll need Sasuke to either turn around or step out of the room so Hinata can remove her pants and undergarments while I get the specimen ready." Tsunade put down her clipboard.
"Do you have to call it that?" Sakura giggled, "'specimen' sounds a little old fashioned."
"Would you like me to say Sasuke's sperm instead?" Tsunade rolled her eyes as she left the room with Sakura following close behind.
Which left Sasuke and Hinata standing awkwardly inside. She shuffled around quietly, doing as Tsunade said and slipping a gown over her shirt. Sasuke remained facing the door, his head down while he scrolled through his phone as though she wasn't there to begin with.
Lying comfortably on the exam table, she played with her fingers. Trying to come up with something to say, she settled on the easiest talking point she could think of. "How's Sarada?"
Sasuke stopped his scrolling, "she's fine."
"That's good." She hummed. The room filled with silence for a few seconds again. "You can sit down since I'm done changing."
He did just that without muttering a word. Not for a while at least. "You're a Hyuga." Sasuke stated, as if he didn't need her to verify that statement since he knew she was.
"How'd you know?" She raised her eyebrow, craning her head to look at him. Although the placement of the chairs in the room was to provide privacy for anyone accompanying other clients, it sure was hard for someone lying on the exam table to see them.
"Your eyes." He put his phone away and made himself comfortable, leaning back against the chair with his arms crossed.
"You've met a Hyuga before?" She stared at the lights above her, noticing the dull buzzing sound they made.
"I went to school with one." The tone of his voice shifted, like an unpleasant memory surfaced.
"It wasn't easy to deal with them, was it?" She almost laughed.
The door opened, interrupting their conversation. Sakura gave them knowing looks, a mischievous smile on her face as she moved out of the way for Tsunade to come inside. "Seems like you two were getting along."
"Hn." Sasuke pulled out his phone again.
"Alright, Hinata, this might feel a little weird." Tsunade pulled her stool closer to her, making sure that she was covered properly.
"I know what it feels like to have it inside me, Tsunade." Hinata rolled her eyes.
"That's not what I meant. We can't exactly heat up the instruments too much so it might feel a little cold. Trust me, it's okay to cringe or make faces during the process. After it's inside, we'll wait a few minutes and then you all can leave."
"You're not planning on drinking after this, are you?" She joked, understanding the tone in Tsunade's voice.
"A little self celebration never hurts anybody." Tsunade winked, "I'm inserting the speculum, then the catheter and the sample."
Hinata's stomach twisted upon penetration, she curled her fingers into the fabric of the clinical gown. Never did she expect for Sakura to reach for her hand and give it a small squeeze. She closed her eyes, her eyebrows knitted together once the cool feeling of the catheter entering her uterus came.
Tsunade was right, this is weird.
It was over before she knew it.
Hinata opened her eyes to see Tsunade smiling at her and Sakura with tears in her eyes. "Is it done?"
"Not quite — you just need to wait about fifteen minutes, then you can go home and continue living normally. I shouldn't have to tell you that you're not supposed to smoke or consume alcohol, should I?" Tsunade took her gloves off and put the tray to the side. "There might be some mild cramping for a few days, but it shouldn't be too bad. After two weeks, you should get a pregnancy test done."
"Thank you so much." Sakura squeezed her hand again, "you too, Tsunade. This means so much to me — to us."
Hinata gave her a smile, her eyes trailing to Sasuke who nodded in thanks instead. Her eyes returned to Sakura, even if she didn't like how talkative the woman was sometimes, her company was better appreciated whenever she realized that Sasuke wouldn't provide any sort of comfort to anyone beside his family.
"I'll leave you three alone. Someone would come and let you know when you can go home." The older woman left them after cleaning her working station.
The trio sat in the room, Sakura was quite jittery while the two others were sitting there silently.
"Sarada wanted to come today." The pink haired woman said. "She's at her grandparents house, and this isn't exactly the place I want her to be in."
"That makes sense..." Hinata nodded, not feeling up for conversations but shutting the woman down would be rude.
"You know, she hung up that picture the two of you coloured. She wanted to put it on the fridge."
"Did you let her?" She was very curious. If the Uchihas were like her family, she would feel a little bit unsettled about bearing them a child. Then again, they wouldn't exactly qualify as clients if they neglected their children.
"If we did, the fridge would be filled with many of her drawings. So, we hung it up in her room instead." Sakura laughed.
Even if it was barely noticeable to the laughing woman in front of her, Sasuke watched as Hinata seemed to frown at the answer.
She never shared it with anyone, but Hinata had an interest in the arts. Growing up, she always wanted her works on display but as a Hyuga, that was never possible. If it wasn't a degree in medicine or science — anything of 'substance' — then it would never be hung on the wall. "One drawing on the fridge wouldn't hurt."
"It wouldn't, but we're not always there to put up anything she finishes. Our last nanny would make a collage out of those drawings, but since she left, Sarada hasn't really drawn anything." Sakura sighed, "you should see her bedroom wall. It's practically filled with colouring pages, drawings, and blurry pictures she takes."
"Maybe one day I will."
"Right, you were supposed to come over for lunch last week, but you had to do some blood work you missed." Sakura checked the time, "how about you come over this weekend? Sarada will be back home on Friday, I have work but Sasuke is free."
"You're always busy." Hinata said in amazement. "You're a..?"
"Chief of Surgery at Saint Andrew's Hospital." She perked up, "not a single day to relax, I'm grateful for whatever time I get off of work."
"Wow." She was taken aback, "I mean, that's a lot of work. And you're a mother, I bet Sarada is proud of you."
"She is, she goes around daycare talking about how cool of a doctor I am. She's why I keep doing it." Sakura patted her hand, "it's been fifteen minutes. We'll be waiting outside so you can get changed."
"Oh, I didn't realize." Hinata sat up.
Waiting until she was left alone, she put on her pants and grabbed her things after discarding the gown in the wash basket. Staring at herself in the window, her reflection barely visible, she fixed her hair.
Now all she has to do is wait two weeks to let Sakura and Sasuke know whether or not the procedure was a success.
Just as Tsunade said, someone knocked on the door and told her she could go now. Leaving the room, Hinata met the couple in the waiting area.
"We'll see you this weekend?" Sakura asked again, Hinata didn't exactly agree to the date they set.
"I'll give you a call to let you know if anything changes but sure, that would be nice." She took her phone out of her bag.
"Oh, wait, I should give you Sasuke's number since he would be the one there." Sakura was about to ask for Hinata's phone until Sasuke held his hand out instead.
Staring at his opened hand, Hinata looked at him for a moment and unlocked her phone before handing it to him. She watched as he entered his number, and saved it under 'Mister Uchiha'. Once she got her phone back, she smiled.
"Thank you. I should get going, the subway runs at odd times and I wouldn't like getting on a crowded one." She tucked her short hair behind her ear.
"You took the subway here?" Sakura held the door open for her.
"I don't have a car, even if I have my license."
"I'll call an Uber." Sasuke said, knowing that Sakura would have asked either way.
"You don't have to, that's fine." Hinata shook her head, really not wanting them to spend any money on her.
"The sun is setting, by the time you get to the subway — or your home, it will be dark out." He ignored what she said, turning around as he talked on the phone.
"Sorry, there's no changing his mind once he decides on something." Sakura whispered. "It's good sometimes, like now. Trust me, it's his way of thanking you."
"Oh..."
"It should be here in five minutes." Sasuke hung up.
"Thank you."
"Hn."
"Should we wait until it gets here?" Sakura asked, "what if there's a complication?"
"You guys can go ahead—"
"We'll wait in the car." Sasuke ignored her again, already unlocking their car. It was much different from black one she saw almost two weeks ago.
"You can sit in the back while we wait." Sakura motioned for Hinata to follow them.
There was no use protesting, so Hinata followed them to their car. The wait for the Uber really wasn't long, the moment it arrived, she said her goodbyes. Sighing as soon as she sat down inside the SUV, Hinata gave the driver her address and put on her seatbelt.
If this is what it was like to have the Uchihas care about her a tiny bit, she didn't know what would be in store when she becomes pregnant.