Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Running Free ❯ The Running Free Ch. 13 ( Chapter 13 )

 

One week later…

 

Naruto woke up, yet again with a faint hint of nausea. He hated the feeling of his stomach wanting to empty itself so early in the morning. This had been going on for the last few days and he was really hoping that it wouldn't be routine throughout his whole pregnancy. He glanced over at the clock and noted that it was almost six a.m., which meant that he'd have to get up anyway if he wanted to make it to school on time. He carefully slipped out of bed, so he wouldn't wake his two sleeping lovers. Speaking of Sasuke, Naruto needed to tell his professor that he had to leave class a bit early. Sasuke was having his first chemotherapy session and the blond wanted to be there for his boyfriend. He knew that Sasuke would want him there too, even though the younger Uchiha had vehemently told Naruto to stay for his whole class. But of course, Naruto had been stubborn and immediately refused. Sasuke hadn't tried to argue anymore after that, which Naruto knew was a sign that Sasuke did really want him there.

 

After his shower, Naruto thought for a brief moment about trying to eat something; then immediately thought against it, as the mere thought of food made his stomach churn. He looked up as he heard the rustling of bed sheets and saw Sasuke slowly get out of bed. “Hey, are you feeling alright?” Naruto whispered so as not to wake Itachi. He knew Sasuke hadn't been feeling well ever since he had come back from the hospital. Luckily the MRI Sasuke had received showed that the cancer had not spread past his stomach, but unfortunately he might need a total gastrectomy to get rid of the tumor; which meant that his whole stomach would have to be removed. Although this is what Sakura said, she also said that it was just a possibility. The oncologist, which oddly enough happened to be Sasuke and Itachi's uncle, might have a second opinion; based on the chemotherapy and how well Sasuke reacted to the drugs. Upon hearing this news, Naruto couldn't blame Sasuke for feeling like crap, his nerves were probably through the roof.

 

Sasuke had initially gotten out of bed for some water. He forgot Naruto had class and didn't expect anyone to be up. He had to steady himself for a moment, the feeling of dizziness swam through his head and he grabbed onto the nightstand for balance. He turned at Naruto's quietly spoken question and nodded in answer. “I'm alright, just a bit dizzy. How are you feeling?” Sasuke wasn't really worried about himself. He knew that today was going to be extremely difficult for everyone, so he was just going to try and stay as strong as he could for their sakes. Naruto had also been feeling sick lately and he knew it was the morning sickness starting to show itself already. Sadly, it seemed as though Naruto would probably have to suffer the nausea than just in the morning, considering the fact that Sasuke had woken up a few times during the night to the sounds of Naruto emptying his stomach.

 

Naruto walked up to Sasuke and wrapped his arms around the other boy, kissing him gently. “I'm alright I guess, just feeling a little sick. It's not too bad though.” He caught sight of the time out of the corner of his eye and he kissed Sasuke once more. “I have to go baby. I'll be back here before you have to leave, ok?”

 

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a bit at the reminder of his illness. He still hadn't quite come to terms with it yet. “I'd really like it if you stayed for your whole class. You don't have to be with me the whole time.” he said as he gave Naruto a serious look.

 

Naruto glared at his lover. “Sasuke, stop trying to act like you don't need anyone. It's alright to admit that you're scared, that you need us. Fuck, I'd want you two with me all the time if I was in your position. Stop being a bastard and let me be here for you.”

 

Sasuke was a bit taken aback by Naruto's little rant, he sounded so worried about him. He knew he'd be worried about Naruto if their positions were reversed. Now that he thought about it a bit more from the blonde's side, he couldn't help but understand Naruto's perspective. He hugged Naruto tighter and rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. “Thank you. I'm sorry; it's just really hard to deal with this. I didn't expect something like this to happen to me. I guess I am scared.” Surprise washed over him at his little confession. He had been scared ever since his doctor told him he had cancer. He would have never admitted it before. But something about Naruto, he can get you to confess anything. He felt a knot at the back of his throat and knew if he didn't calm down he would start to cry. He might have admitted that he was scared to Naruto, but he would never, ever cry in front of him; especially when his lover had his own problems to worry about.

 

Naruto knew how hard it was for Sasuke to admit that he was scared. Naruto lifted his head up so that he could give Sasuke another kiss. He really didn't want to go to class now, seeing as how Sasuke was really feeling about everything. Plus, his nausea was starting to steadily grow stronger. “I love you so much Sasuke. I'm going to be here for you whenever you need me.” He leaned into Sasuke's embrace and sighed in contentment as he felt his lover gently stroke his hair. Naruto looked up at Sasuke, about to say something, when his nausea got the better of him and he quickly ran to bathroom.

 

Sasuke cursed under his breath and followed the blond. He kneeled down next to Naruto who was currently emptying the nonexistent contents of his stomach and gently rubbed his back, softly telling him reassurances. He was sure, with all the noise Naruto was making, Itachi would most likely be awake by the time Naruto was done. Once the sound of retching stopped, Sasuke handed the blond a paper towel and a small cup of water. “Do you feel better?” He knew he shouldn't ask `Are you alright?' That would surely piss Naruto off. He asked him that once and Naruto's reply was, `What the fuck do you think? Do I look alright?' Yeah, that was a mistake.

 

Naruto took the offered items and leaned against Sasuke tiredly. He definitely wasn't going to school today. “A little bit. The nausea hasn't gone away completely.” He clutched Sasuke's shirt and maneuvered himself so that he was on Sasuke's lap. “I hate this Sasuke, I hate getting sick all the time. It's not just in the morning either, I get sick all the time.” Tears were making hot trails down Naruto's cheeks as he clung to Sasuke and buried his face in the raven's neck. “Please, don't make me go to school, I really feel like shit.”

 

Sasuke wrapped comforting arms around Naruto and stroked his hair. “Shhh, it's alright, don't cry baby. If you feel that terrible, you don't have to go to school.” He knew Naruto wasn't trying to get out of going to school. In Sasuke's view, Naruto seemed like he liked school. So for Naruto to actually miss meant that his lover was really feeling bad. “Why don't we go back to bed then? I'm still a bit tired.”

 

Naruto nodded and got up from Sasuke's lap. They walked into the bedroom together and surprisingly enough, found Itachi still asleep. `Damn, he can sleep through anything.' Naruto thought to himself as he climbed into bed with Sasuke. He wrapped his arms around his love and snuggled into Sasuke's return embrace. They would only have a couple more hours of sleep, since Sasuke's appointment was scheduled for eleven in the morning. As long as Naruto got to be with the younger Uchiha, everything would be right with the world.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

 

Naruto didn't really know what to do in his current situation. He was sitting in a waiting room with Sasuke and Itachi. They had just arrived at the hospital for Sasuke to see his oncologist. He felt incredibly useless as he watched Sasuke and his brother fill out paperwork, obviously Itachi would know more about the family history than Naruto would, so he wasn't feeling very useful. He jumped a bit as he felt a hand land gently on his shoulder. He looked up to see Itachi's worried expression.

 

“Are you alright?” Itachi asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to them. He had noticed the distant look in the blonde's eyes and wondered what was bothering his lover. He knew that Naruto was worried about Sasuke, but he seemed detached at the moment.

 

Naruto just shook his head. “I'm alright, I just feel like I'm not being of very much use.”

 

Itachi wrapped his arms around Naruto and gave him a quick kiss. “Just by being here, you're being supportive. I know Sasu wants you here and he would be an even bigger nervous wreck without you.”

 

Naruto nodded and rested his head against Itachi's shoulder. He watched as Sasuke stood up and handed the paperwork back to the receptionist. At that time a practitioner called Sasuke's name, and he along with Itachi and Sasuke, followed the woman through the door.

 

Sasuke was instructed to sit in a nearby chair while the nurse took his vital signs; blood pressure, temperature, height and weight, to determine the dosage of his treatment. He was then led into a room where he was asked to change into a hospital gown and to wait for the doctor. Sasuke was really starting to hate this routine. In the past month he had had to do this more times than he ever had in his life. Only a few minutes passed before the oncologist made his appearance. At this point, Sasuke was starting to feel nervous again. He had a lot of questions and hopefully the doctor could answer them.

 

Madara Uchiha had seen many cancer patients in his lifetime. But he had only seen a few cases where someone as young as Sasuke was the victim of stomach cancer. He was surprised when Sakura Haruno had called him to inform him of his nephew's diagnoses. Even though Madara wasn't very close to Sasuke, he still cared a great deal about his nephew. Even so, he still had a slight detachment when it came to treating family members if it came down to it. He believed that every patient should get equal treatment and he was not biased in the least. He was curious to know if Sasuke's father knew yet. Knowing how Sasuke was, probably not. He knew that Sasuke and his father didn't get along too well. Even so, he would do everything in his power to give his nephew the best treatment he could get, just like any other patient. He was one of the best in the country after all. “Sasuke, it's been a while. Sorry we had to see each other again under these circumstances, but I assure you, I will make sure you get the best care possible.”

 

Sasuke felt the urge to roll his eyes. Trust his uncle to try and make small talk in a serious situation.

That's how it always was ever since Sasuke was young. He didn't get along very well with his father, even as a little kid. He felt like his father never really noticed him much. His uncle, along with Itachi, were the ones to always reassure him and try to make the situation seem a little better. But sometimes, Madara could be a straight out nut case. “I know you will. Can I ask you a few questions before we start?”

 

 

 

 

“Of course, I'll try to answer as accurately as I can.” Madara expected this, which is why he came prepared. Every cancer patient had questions about their treatment. He suddenly remembered that there were two other people in the room. He glanced over at Sasuke's little blond and then, there was Itachi. For some reason, Madara never really got along too well with Itachi, something about the kid really got to him. He couldn't explain it. The two exchanged a glance for a moment before Madara focused his attention on Naruto. “How are you doing Naruto? I haven't seen you in a while.”

 

“I'm alright.” was Naruto's quiet reply. He never really felt comfortable around Madara. Maybe it was the fact that he freaked him out a bit. He didn't dare mention the fact that he was pregnant. That kind of information could possibly get back to Sasuke's father, and he knew Sasuke wouldn't want someone else telling his dad about his boyfriend's pregnancy.

 

Madara nodded with a smile and turned back to Sasuke, finally getting down to business and opened a folder containing his nephew's charts. “It looks like you're in stage two, also known as T2 out of four possible stages. This pretty much means that the tumor has grown into the muscle layer of the stomach wall, but has not yet spread to any adjacent organs. The reason you're receiving chemo is that we hope to shrink the tumor before surgery. If we do that, then the chances of a partial gastrectomy are more likely. Any questions so far?”

 

Sasuke nodded. “How will I be receiving the drugs?” He hoped he wouldn't have to use a pump. He read that, even though he would be able to receive treatment at home, he would have a tube going through his neck and out of his chest for who knew how long. Somehow that didn't appeal to him very much.

 

“This first session we'll give it to you intravenously. Based on how you do with this method will determine how you'll receive treatment from then on.”

 

“What drugs will you be using and what are the side effects?” This was the ultimate question for Sasuke. Being the intelligent man he was, he did full research on chemotherapy and he wanted to know if his results matched up.

 

Madara looked through the sheaf of papers and found what he needed. “For now, you'll receive a combination of ECF and ECX. ECF contains the drugs; epirubicin, cisplatin, and fluorouracil. This will be administered in three week cycles, depending on how well you do with this, will determine how long we'll administer this treatment. You'll receive epirubicin and cisplatin every 3 weeks as injections into a drip going into a thin tube in your arm called a PICC line.”

 

Sasuke knew what a PICC line was and frankly, it scared the crap out of him. It wasn't quiet a pump but it was close enough. He looked over at Naruto who had just asked a question.

 

Naruto, unlike Sasuke had not done any research beforehand, and now he wished he had. He had no idea what this doctor was saying. “Um, what's a PICC line?”

 

Madara knew the question would come up from one of the occupants in the room. He knew that Sasuke would have done his research so he probably already knew what he was in for. “PICC stands for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter.  This is a type of central line.  It is put into a vein in your arm, under local anesthetic.The line runs up the vein, inside your arm and ends up in a large vein in your chest, which is where the central line ends up.” 

 

Naruto's eyes went wide, he didn't know how invasive chemotherapy could be. “So then, Sasuke will have this in his arm all the time?”

 

Madara nodded in answer. “It's actually easier this way. Sasuke will only have to come to the hospital to get the drugs replaced.” He turned back to talk to Sasuke again. “As for the fluorouracil, you'll receive it non-stop into your PICC line all the way through your treatment.  The dose rate is controlled by a portable pump.  You have this part of the treatment at home, as an outpatient.You will have to come back here every week to have the pump refilled or replaced.”

 

Sasuke nodded and felt dread wash over him. This is exactly what he didn't want. But he had to agree with his uncle, it would be easier to have it done this way. He would be able to be home more, God knows he probably wouldn't want to go anywhere. “What about the side effects?”

 

Madara nodded. “Side effects are usually caused by the drop in your blood cell count. There will be an increased risk of getting an infection because it's harder to fight infections from lack of white blood cells and you can become very ill.  You may have headaches, aching muscles, a cough, sore throat, pain passing urine or feel cold and shivery.  Infections can sometimes be life threatening. You should urgently contact the hospital or myself directly if you think you have an infection. There's a possibility that you might suffer from anemia due to the drop in your red blood cell counts. You may feel fatigue or breathlessness. You may bruise more easily due to a drop in platelets. You may have nosebleeds, bleeding gums after brushing your teeth, or lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs.” He let that sink in for a moment before he continued. “You may also suffer from; loss of appetite, a sore mouth or ulcers, and skin changes, like rashes for example.”

 

Sasuke nodded. Concluding that his knowledge matched what Madara was telling him. “What about the ECX?”

 

“The only difference is the last drug, capecitabine. This is given as a tablet that you will need to take twice a day with lots of water. Take it with food, but make sure you don't take it more than thirty minutes after you eat. You will take the tablets for fourteen days and then you will have a week where you don't take them at all. You may experience soreness in the palms of your hands and the bottom of your feet, change in heart rhythm, numbness or tingling in your hands and feet, ringing in the ears, watery sore eyes, and abdominal pain.”

 

Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Of course he knew that Sasuke probably wouldn't suffer from all the side effects, but they all sounded pretty bad. During the time that the doctor was giving his explanation, the blond had grabbed onto Sasuke's hand and now had a tight grip on the appendage.

 

Sasuke tried to silently reassure his lover by squeezing Naruto's hand. He knew that it would be hard for Naruto to hear what was going to be happening to Sasuke, and Sasuke really hoped that Itachi would be able to console the blond. Not that Sasuke didn't want to, he had a feeling he wasn't going to be very much help.

 

After Madara concluded his explanation he closed the file and put it off to the side. “Any other questions before we start?”

 

Sasuke shook his head and looked over at his brother and Naruto who also gave negative responses.

 

“Alright then, why don't the three of you wait here for a moment while I get everything ready.” With that, Madara left the room, leaving the three boys to themselves.

 

Once Madara left, Naruto let his tears fall. He had been holding back for a while now. “Sasuke…” He couldn't continue as his feelings overwhelmed him. He felt arms around him and looked up to see Sasuke holding him gently. He let himself cry as he felt who could only be Itachi join them and he felt his older lover run fingers through his hair.

 

Itachi knew that Sasuke didn't have any answers for Naruto. His brother was feeling horrible about the situation to begin with so he couldn't really blame Sasuke for not knowing what to say to comfort Naruto. Itachi couldn't really say anything either, for what could you say in that situation, everything would come out wrong. He knew the three of them had a long road ahead, not only for Sasuke, but also for Naruto. Plus, the thought of telling their father about Sasuke was starting to nag at the back of his mind; that, and also about Naruto's pregnancy. Yes, they had a long road ahead.

 

TBC

 

~Dies~ So much research involving stomach cancer. Wow that took longer than I thought. Anyway I'm finally done!!!!!! Hope you liked it!

 

Next chapter: Telling Itachi and Sasuke's parents!!! That's going to be fun ~sarcasm FTW!~

 

The website I got all the info from is here:

http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=3922#ecf