Peppermint Stone {Peppermint Book 2}

-12-

Japanese Military Support Base

Hinata

"I need to check something," I smiled at my patient. "So can you open your mouth a little wider for me to see?"

The little girl was no older than six and she has never seen a doctor. With everything Kazuki gathered from her upon her initial examination before seeing me, he told me her family has been living in a literal cave for the past two years after an earthquake destroyed their house last summer. Her father worked everyday to fix the house but they were nowhere near done.

A cave full with germs and she had a whole bunch of unattended injuries from random scraps showed that if my medical team wasn't here now, she would lose her right arm and left leg.

I already addressed a majority of her wounds as well as checking for anything that could be harming to her in the future.

"You are not going to give me a shot, right?" She behind me at her mother who was sitting in the chair beside my desk.

I patted her knee softly, "So far its unnecessary but I promise if I do have to give you a shot, you won't feel a thing."

It's been a good twenty-four hours since my little tour with Naruto's team and I haven't been able to recover from it at all. Every single little action that happened in the car kept replaying in my head and causing my heart to make all these strange happy twists.

Happy twists? Does that even exist?

Anyway, I went out at dawn today again this time riding with Sasuke's car because Naruto needed to do something else. When we returned to base, he was already there and pulled the entire Special Forces along with about five other soldiers for a mission. Haven't heard from them since.

Until about five seconds ago.

Three frantic knocks echoed through my office right when I finished my sentence. I turned to see a blood-covered Hisao-senpai poking his head in. I moved to block the view from the little girl.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"All doctors are to report to the main room now Hinata," he said then disappeared.

The mother looked rather horrified with her surroundings.

"Doctor?" The little girl's eyes widened three times her size. The curiosity that flowed through them told me she wanted to understand what was going on.

I actually need to understand myself.

I gave her a kiss on her forehead, "I have to go but don't worry. I'll send in someone nicer than me."

She suddenly gave me a huge, trapping me between her tiny little arms. If Hisao-senpai didn't come in looking like he returned from a battlefield then I would probably squeeze her back.

"No! I only want you because you're so nice!" She cried.

Her mother had to peel her off of me. I gave my cute little patient one last hug before booking it out of the office as fast as I could.

The main medicure room was crawling with people in white lab coats and soldiers in others. My heart beat quickened when the groans of pain bounced off the walls. One of the beds was surrounded with my entire team.

I ran up to them immediately, "What is going on?"

But I didn't need an answer. The state the soldier was in...I would rather not ask how it happened.

His entire torso was literally drenched in blood signalling an injury to one of the organs. If I don't hurry, then it'll be too late. The soldier groaned everytime someone gently touched his arm; telling me that there were definitely other places where he was hurt.

"Leader!" Sai was the first to spot me, he was one of the people holding the soldier down. "What should we do?"

My heart began beating impossibly faster as I approached the patient. I didn't scream but he was definitely not a sight to behold.

The shouts and the scared movements were getting a little out of control.

Sucking in a breath I said just loud enough and stern enough, "Give him space."

The soldiers all looked at one another for a second before obeying. They were probably more shocked at how serious I was.

I stepped in and examined the patient. Applying pressure to his torso area, I wasn't surprised when he yelled the most around his stomach area.

Hanako-senpai appeared right next to me, awaiting instructions.

"I believe he has at least two bullets in him," I looked at her. "Flesh wound but we need to move quickly. He might also have a cut on his leg that must've hit an artery so we need to clean that first."

Kazuki and Hisao-senpai came up beside me as I instructed them to roll the patient into the OR for procedure. Mina also awaited instructions. She was then simply ordered to help Sakura and the other medics attend to the soldiers that were also injured.

Kazuki and Hisao-senpai rolled the patient through his crowd of comrades and straight into the OR with Hanako-senpai running in the opposite direction to grab our needed supplies for the surgery.

A single movement caught my eye as the soldiers dispersed to get their own wounds treated. Their captain stood in the far end of the room, his own uniform covered in blood but I could tell it wasn't his own. His entire face serious and they way his lips were moving showed that whatever the situation was, it was serious.

The image of a serious Naruto is one that I'm still trying to get used to. Everytime I see him, I always see the cute little goofball that I fell for ten years ago.

He uncrossed his muscular arm and continued speaking on the phone.

Wait, hold on.

A small trickle of blood ran down between his veins as he opened and closed his fist.

Naruto's hurt!

"Leader Hyuga!" Someone tapped my shoulder. "We're ready."

I looked at the medic then back at Naruto but he has disappeared. I couldn't help but begin to completely worry about what I just saw. It's just like him to hide an injury; just like him to let the doctors worry about his men first.

Dammit Naruto why are you so stupid?