#and anyone they do view as an equal becomes their trauma dumping ground until they leave

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

my personal favorite explanation for why all ricks tend to be the most intellegent person in their respective universes (like in an alternate s5 where there's no central finite curve) is that ricks who invent portal travel tend to go insane after seeing The Grand Scheme of the Multiverse's Design and they tend to neutrino bomb their own universes and/or kill themselves so any ricks who aren't "up to snuff" are dead. it's like the great filter

reading the rick and morty character guide and the short story introduction reads SO MUCH like cosmic horror

[sariasprincy]

Where it Happened iii - ItaSaku

Part i    Part ii    Part iii (here)    Part iv

Where it Happened part iii

It was a quiet night. The ICU patients were resting peacefully, the OR rooms were empty and the residents covering the ER moved with purpose but not urgency. Everything was calm – far too calm for Itachi's liking. The lull in cases made him restless, knowing that the stillness was usually the calm before the storm, and the urge to sit and listen to the ambulance scanner in the ER tugged on him, but he curbed his desire by busying himself with checking in on his patients and updating their charts.

The hour wasn't too late and so he took his time as he moved room to room. He ordered the necessary medications for the patients in discomfort and made sure not to disturb those resting before he wandered into the attending breakroom for a quick refresher. The coffeepot was mostly empty and he dumped out the leftover from the afternoon rush before he replaced the grinds with fresh ones and set it to brew. As it was being made, he checked his phone only to sigh to himself as he noticed he had another missed call from his mother. He knew he should return it as it was her second one that day, but with the time difference he knew she would be in bed by now and he hated the feeling of relief that swept through him.

However, his guilt faded as he found several unanswered texts from his older cousin and longtime best friend. They were mostly light-hearted and teasing as Shisui complained once again about his absence. It wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation but Itachi played along knowing that he was most likely passing time as he sought out the prettiest girl at the bar or binge watched all the sports games he had missed while being stuck in surgery.

He couldn't recall how many nights Shisui had showed up at his condo, a six-pack in hand and a grin on his face as he asked to borrow his television so he could see if his favorite team had won. Itachi never understood why his cousin insisted on viewing them at his flat instead of his own but he never asked. They were as close as brothers and if Shisui wanted to spend his nights on his couch, he wouldn't deny him.

Thinking of his best friend put Itachi in a somber mood. He missed Shisui and even though it had only been a few months since he had last seen him, they had been some of the longest days of his life. He hadn't realized until he moved how accustom he'd become to waking up in the morning to find his cousin snoring on his couch. But he wasn't ready to pay a visit home yet. The events from a few months before were still too fresh.

After answering Shisui's texts, Itachi replaced his phone in his pocket and reached for the coffeepot just as his pager went off. Automatically he grabbed it and quickly read the short, emergency message before he replaced the coffeepot on the burner and ran out of the room, his mug left forgotten on the counter.

With quick steps, he raced through the hall and towards the elevator banks that would take him down to the Emergency Room. Just as he suspected, the night had no plans of sitting still, not that he had any complains. Surgery always made the nights on-call pass far quicker and the thought of being in the OR woke him up more than any amount of caffeine could.

The moment the doors opened, Itachi reached for one of the trauma gowns on the shelf near the elevator and pulled it on as he made his way towards the entrance doors. Kakashi was already outside upon his arrival, two residents beside him.

"What do we have?"

The older male glanced at him and nodded in greeting before his mismatched eyes returned down the drive the ambulance would be arriving from. "Car accident victim. Sounds like a massive chest injury. You might be in for a busy night."

Itachi hummed noncommittally as he finished pulling on his gloves. "How far out?"

"Should be here any second."

As if on cue, an ambulance suddenly turned up the drive, their lights and sirens on. They silenced them as they approached the entrance. The moment the vehicle was put into park, the doctors moved. A paramedic jumped out the driver side door to greet them. "Fifty-four-year-old female, t-boned by a drunk driver. She had low stats in the field, but the emergency thoracotomy has stabilized them for the most part-."

Both Kakashi and Itachi glanced at the paramedic sharply. "Thoracotomy?" Kakashi repeated.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "Who gave you the authority to perform one?"

The emergency worker held up his hand defensively before he turned towards the back of the rig. "She insisted."

"She?"

Both men turned as he opened the back of the ambulance. Their eyes widened as the occupants to the rig were revealed. The first person that immediately caught Itachi's attention was Yamanaka Ino. She was sobbing hysterically. Her clothes were stained and ripped in places, but it appeared she wasn't critically injured as she was helped out of the back of the rig. The moment she was out of the way, Itachi understood what the paramedic had meant.

Haruno Sakura was sitting next to the stretcher. She was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a light jacket with her long, pastel pink hair down and falling around her in face and shoulders in soft waves. It was the first time he had seen her out of scrubs but that fact fell unnoticed as his gaze dropped to her hand. It was inside the woman's chest.

Kakashi turned to one of the residents. "Call down to the OR. Make sure they're ready for us."

The young woman hesitated, obviously not wanting to miss such an unusual surgery, but eventually she nodded. The moment she was gone, Kakashi returned his attention to Ino. "What happened?"

He grasped her arm but she shook her head, unable to explain through her tears.

"There was a car accident," Sakura said as she slowly stood, her attention focused on not letting her hand slip as they prepared to remove the gurney from the ambulance. "She has a tear in her right ventricle wall. I've plugged the hole for now, but my hand has been in here for twenty minutes and I can feel it widening. There's something sharp in here. I'm not sure if it's glass or bone."

"All right," Kakashi said. He reached out to Sakura as they prepared to move her and their patient out of the ambulance. "On my counter. One, two, three."

With careful movements, the doctors and paramedics helped the pair out as they made sure Sakura's hand didn't move an inch. They moment they were settled on the ground, Kakashi placed his hand to her lower back. "Jump on. We need to get to surgery."

Immediately Ino pushed forward, her blue eyes full of tears and her expression displaying her fear. "I-I can't…I don't-."

Sakura glanced up at her best friend. "Ino, we've got her," she said, her voice assuring but firm. She then turned to the remaining resident. "Stay with her. You do not let her out of your sights." Only once she received an acknowledgement did she redirect her attention back to the crying woman. "Go wait for me. I'll find you."

"But-."

"Ino!"

She broke down into fresh tears but stepped back and allowed them to pass. Without further delay, they rushed inside the hospital with Sakura standing on the side of the stretcher and Kakashi beside her with a supportive hand to her back. Only once they were in the elevator did the older male glance up at her. "You going to tell me what the hell that was about?"

It was a moment before she answered, "Our patient is Ino's mother."

Itachi looked up at her as the weight of their responsibility suddenly pressed heavily on his shoulders. It was always there whenever he entered surgery, but the fact that this patient had personal ties to a doctor within the hospital only made it all the more clear.

Itachi briefly met Sakura's eyes over the injured woman before the sound of the elevator drew her gaze upwards to the row of numbers above the door. He continued to watch her. She looked equal parts stunning and fierce in her fitted jeans and simple but classy blazer, and he would have thought her style to be flawless – if not for the fact she was covered in blood. Her arm up to her elbow was speckled red while her jacket was moderately stained. There was a bloody smear near her collarbone, but his attention too turned to the floor numbers as they neared the OR.

"Haruno, you are not going to be able to scrub for obvious reasons," he said, his gaze falling back to her. "Hatake and I still need to. The surgical staff will gown you and we will meet you in there. Do not remove your hand under any circumstances until I tell you to."

Even given their current situation, Sakura still managed to a weak smirk. "What do you think I am? A first-year?"

Itachi shot her a look but said nothing – nor did anyone else. The moment the doors opened, they pushed the stretcher out of the elevator. A team met them, and both Itachi and Kakashi turned away as the other members of the OR began prepping both Sakura and their patient.

The men scrubbed thoroughly, ensuring they didn't rush even as the desire to hurry and get into the room tugged on them. Kakashi was the first to speak. "How do you want to do this?" he asked as he glanced at Itachi out of the corner of his eyes.

"One step at a time."

His mind was already running through the outcomes of what could happen next. He mentally checked what would need to be done with each scenario, but the possibilities were endless. He wouldn't know exactly what they were dealing with until they got in there.

Washing the suds from his arms and hands, Itachi walked into the OR with Kakashi on his heels. He accepted the sterile towel from one of the nurses and dried his hands before he slipped into the gown and gloves. Sakura was looking far more familiar in her own surgical attire. One of the nurses had pulled her hair away from her shoulders and tied a mask over her mouth and nose, leaving only her eyes exposed. They were fixated on the patient's side.

"Shall we get started then?" Kakashi said pleasantly. His easy tone cut through the tension of the room.

Kakashi stepped up next to Sakura as Itachi automatically slipped into the primary surgeon's position across from her. He held out his hand. "Ten blade."

Together, he and Kakashi worked quickly but carefully as they widened the woman's chest around Sakura's wrist and revealed the damage they were dealing with. It appeared a rib fracture had caused the tear in the woman's ventricle wall and was threatening to do further damage with every beat of her heart. The only thing currently preventing her from bleeding out was Sakura's finger as she plugged the hole. He would need to repair the break before he could remove her hand. It wouldn't take long, but it was the damage to the patient's heart that was of far more concern. There was more blood than there should be.

With a practiced hand, Itachi repaired the break until it was no longer in danger of causing further damage and finally turned to her. "All right, Haruno, when I give you my word, I want you to take your hand out slowly and carefully."

He glanced up to see her nod, her eyes focused solely on her hand. His gaze flickered to Kakashi to get his confirmation as well before he returned his attention to the patient under his knife. Holding his hand out to his scrub nurse, he requested the necessary tools and exhaled slowly.

"Okay, now."

Gently Sakura removed her hand, paying special attention not to further widen the tear or cause any other damage as she slipped her hand out. The moment she was free, Itachi began working as Kakashi suctioned the blood out of his way. They moved quickly and efficiently as Sakura stepped away and allowed them room.

"All right, let me get scrubbed and I'll assist," she said.

Immediately Itachi glanced up at her before his gaze turned to Kakashi as he addressed her. "Sakura, we've got this. You should go find Yamanaka and update her."

Behind her mask, her eyes widened in surprise. "What? No, I want to help."

"I know, but right now she needs you more than we do," Kakashi explained patiently. "Besides, didn't you say you were in a car accident? You should get yourself checked out."

"I'm fine," she stressed.

Kakashi fixed her with a stare. "Sakura. Go."

She hesitated but after a tense minute, her shoulders slouched in acceptance. "Fine. But you'll page me the moment you're done?"

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else," he smiled.

With his promise, she finally turned and exited the room.

The moment she was gone, Kakashi briefly flickered his gaze to Itachi. "You better be able to fix this, otherwise she will never speak to either of us again."

Itachi peered up at him, his lips pursed behind his mask. "This is a very difficult injury. It will be a long one."

He could feel Kakashi's hidden frown, but neither male said anything further as they turned their attention to their work.

##

It was late – or was it early? Sakura didn't know. She had been up so long she no longer knew what time it was but nor did she particularly care to know as she continued to sit in the Attendings' Lounge and half-watch whatever cooking show was on television. Nara Shikamaru, one of the hospital's best Radiologists, had taken Ino some time ago to get her cleaned up and the small gash on her head checked out. Naruto had sat with her for a little while after they had left, but he had been pulled into an emergent surgery himself not long after, leaving her to herself.

Sakura had taken the lull in activity to shower and change into a pair of scrubs – both to wash the blood off herself and to pass the time – but it hadn't taken very long and she found herself growing restless the longer Kakashi and Itachi were in surgery. She knew the extent of Ino's mother's injuries and was aware that it would be a lengthy surgery but the longer she sat, the more worried she became. She had told countless family members in the past that their loved ones had died in surgery, but she didn't know how to tell her best friend that her mother hadn't survived. She wanted to be in there, wanted to know exactly what was going on, but she knew Kakashi was right for kicking her out; there was no place for emotions in the OR.

Staring blankly at the television screen, Sakura watched absentmindedly as the chefs prepared an intricate meal. The food looked delicious and at any other given point in time, it would have made her mouth water but at that moment, the only thing on her mind was the heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach and how she wished someone would bring her an update.

It was nearly an entire episode later when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Sakura turned her head slowly only for her exhaustion to vanish as she recognized Kakashi. He stopped at the end of the couch and quickly she stood to face him. It was then she realized he was not alone as Itachi leaned against the door frame, his expression tired but otherwise unreadable. The fact that they were both there made the lump in her stomach grow heavier.

"Please tell me I don't have to tell my best friend her mother is dead."

It was then that she realized there was a small smile on Kakashi's face. "You don't have to tell your best friend her mother is dead."

Relief swept through her so abruptly she thought her knees might give out on her for a moment and she dragged a tired hand down her face. "Oh gods…" she breathed. The stress she had been harboring all night vanished in that single exhale.

"There were some complications during the surgery," Kakashi continued slowly, "but we do expect her to make a full albeit long recovery."

"As long as she's stable."

"She is," Itachi confirmed.

Sakura glanced at him and breathed another sigh of relief before she swiped the remote off the couch and clicked the television off. "I should go tell Ino. Shikamaru took her up to MRI."

Kakashi stopped her with a hand to her shoulder before she could walk around him. "I think Uchiha can inform Yamanaka. Did you ever get yourself checked out?"

"'Kashi, I'm fine. It wasn't my side that was hit."

He gave her a stern look. "Sakura."

There was an undertone of warning in his voice that she had come to recognize while she had been an intern all those years ago. She knew she currently had two options: either she went to CT willingly or he would drag here there himself. Eventually she sighed. "All right, fine," she agreed reluctantly. "But it better be fast. My shift starts in an hour."

"I will cover for you," Itachi interjected. "Go get yourself looked at, Haruno."

Sakura glanced at him in surprise. "Oh. Okay."

Itachi merely nodded at the pair before he excused himself. She watched him take his leave before she followed him out of the room and turned the opposite way down the hall, intent on getting cleared as quickly as possible. She knew Itachi had been on-call all night.

However, it wasn't long before she realized she had a shadow. "Where are you going?" she asked Kakashi.

"I am making sure you don't get distracted on your way to CT."

She gave him a flat look. "Okay, dad."

"I love it when you talk dirty."

With a laugh, Sakura shoved him with her shoulder as they ventured further into the hospital. She would never admit it – though she was certain he already knew – that she was grateful for the company. It had been a long night by herself.

##

It was just past sunrise when Sakura wondered into the Attending's Changing Room. Her shift was supposed to have started a few hours ago but with her recent accident, she had been forced to wait for the necessary departments to clear her before she could resume her work. A yawn forced itself out of her mouth as she passed another attending and she nodded at them politely before she continued towards her cubby.

She spotted Tenten a few benches down but the older woman was busy talking to Hyuuga Neji, their Neurology Department Head, to notice her and she bit back her smile and averted her gaze as she watched them flirt awkwardly. It was then that she realized Itachi was sitting on another bench a few lockers down from hers as he stared down at his phone. Her sudden amusement vanished as a sense of guilt came over her. She had been too exhausted to remember to thank him for his work in the surgery and for covering her shift, and her lack of manners made discomfort fill her as she slowly approached her cubby.

Sakura glanced in his direction, but he didn't look up at her as he continued to stare down at his screen. She hesitated a moment before she eventually forced herself to speak. "Hey."

Itachi looked up at her slowly. "Hey," he echoed monotonously.

"I wanted to say thanks for tonight."

His expression didn't change. "I was doing my job."

"I know," Sakura nodded. She shifted to lean against her locker as she better faced him. "But thanks anyway. I couldn't have asked for better hands in there."

"You are welcome," he said.

A small smile crossed his face, softening his handsome features. It made an unusual feeling bubble in her stomach, but the look was gone as quickly as it had come before he returned his gaze down to his phone. It was then that she realized there was a slouch to his shoulders she hadn't seen before that was accompanied by a barely noticeable but tight expression on his face. He almost appeared sad.

"Are you all right?" she asked before she could stop herself. "You seem…" she trailed off, unsure how to word her next statement.

Itachi merely shut off his phone and pocketed the device before he glanced up at her again as he stood. The look was gone. "I am fine. You, on the other hand, should get some rest. You have been up all night."

The abrupt change in subject was not lost on her, but she didn't press. His business was his own. Instead she merely cocked her brow at him. "You've been up all night too."

"Yes, but I was on-call. And you were in a car accident."

"I was cleared."

"But you are exhausted."

As if to prove his point, she yawned. Quickly Sakura held up a hand to cover it, but Itachi merely stared at her, a smirk playing in the corner of his mouth. "Go get some rest. Page me when you are awake."

A frown marred her features but after a moment, she relented. "Fine. Thanks," she said, her mouth curving into a smile.

She turned away from him to retrieve her pager from her locker, but before she left to find herself the nearest on-call room, she chanced a glance back at the older male. He was riffling through his own locker. His expression was calm, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was bothering him, something was weighing on him.

But she knew it wasn't her place to ask and so she merely wished him a good night before she retreated from the room. Her only thought was on finding the closest on-call room.

tbc…