Title: Working the Night Shift

Full Summary: Based off on NBC's 'The Night Shift', love starts to enter the hectic world of the graveyard shift at Konoha General Hospital, where a group of individualistic doctors work hard into the night to save lives. Uchiha Sasuke, a troublesome ex-war medic, runs the night shift like it's his own. Haruno Sakura, a talented workaholic, is new to the night shift but not so new to the Uchiha, whom everyone adores. Along with many other friends and colleagues, the night shift at Konoha General Hospital just got a lot more dramatic and bloody.

A/N: This is very much AU. Relationships between the characters in this story will not entirely reflect the same relationships in the show. To those who are familiar viewers of the show, there will be some parts of the story, where similarities are present. But as 'The Night Shift' is not a completed show, this story will also have different events and a slightly different plot line. I am not plagiarizing a perfectly good show; I am using it as a writing reference.

Disclaimer: Any similarities to actual cases, persons, or events are purely coincidental. Medical terms will be used and descriptions may or may not be detailed. I'll try my best not to make you puke. Do not trust all the medical terms I'll be using. I'm neither a doctor nor a medical student. Everything related to medicine or scientific subjects are the results of a ton of research. I do not own Naruto and the characters. I do not own or am plagiarizing NBC's 'The Night Shift'. (Sorry for the long disclaimer and the author's note but I feel complied to warn you about what you're going to be reading.)

Medical terms marked with an * are explained at the end of the chapter.

"Uchiha," The police officer spat his name out like it was poison to his mouth. His name does bring waves of annoyance to the authorities. He's surprised he's still able to walk a hundred feet without a parole bracelet slapped down on his ankle -something every single officer, who was through with his antics, really wished he had.

Oh wait, that would mean regular visits to the office. They'd rather not see his face.

Sasuke smirked amusedly, much to his chagrin. "Ah, Officer Tashi! How are the kids?" It wasn't weird to be starting up a conversation with the officer. Besides, this is the thirtieth time Sasuke's seen him. He narrowed his eyes at him, refusing to answer. He reached for the keys in his back pocket and the keys dangled against each other as he hesitantly pushed it inside the slot to unlock the steel barred door.

He rose from his comfortable slouch, stretching like a cat after spending the night here. He sauntered to the disgruntled officer, who'd rather leave him behind bars then set him free to the world, full of smugness in his swagger. "Wonderful morning, isn't it, officer?" He sang sarcastically, knowing it would tick him off. "It's five in the afternoon, you punk." He merely grumbled in reply, harshly pushing him out of the holding cell and down the beige colored hallway.

"Just keep walking, Uchiha. And no more bar fights. Control that damn temper of yours." He chided tiredly for the millionth time. Eh, he's heard that 'Control that damn temper' thing a million times before. Good advice, but he never really cared to listen.

They entered the lobby and a grumpy looking old warden shoved his things into his arms with a contemptuous look. "Hope I'll never see you again." He muttered under his smoke-filled breath before storming away, hearing a commotion from another part of the police station.

"I'll miss you too, Officer Jinchi!" Sasuke called out snarkily. It didn't matter if the officer heard it or not. All Officer Jinchi had to do was glance at Sasuke's smug and awesome face and his mood for the day was down the drain.

"Now, get out of here!" Officer Tashi literally kicked him out of the doors, probably glad he didn't have to see him for the rest of the day. Hopefully, never again. Yeah, well, Sasuke didn't like them either. He frowned, dusting off his pants and making his way to his bike. Slotting in the key and twisting it, the engine started up with a roar and he grinned excitedly, glad to be back on his bike.

Two hours back to Konoha before he get his head served on a silver platter, trying to explain why he didn't show up last night.

"Let's go before her majesty kicks my ass." And the bike left tire marks on the ground as it sped off back on the road to Konoha General Hospital, a place that he'd like to call: His second home.

It wasn't long though before he came across a desperate situation that screamed, 'Sasuke, stop the damn bike and put your medic skills to use.' He was riding into the city, passing by residential areas when a crowd of medics and firefighters were gathered around a fallen telephone pole. Medics and firefighters only meant one thing: Someone needed to be rescued.

He parked his bike near a fire hydrant and rushed to the scene. He took in the fallen, bisected telephone phone, the blood and a man with a part of the telephone pole pierced through his stomach. Oh, shit.

"Sir, you can't be-" "I'm a doctor. What happened?" Though it was clear what had gone down –no pun intended- it was necessary to know the entire story. "Construction workers were trying to bring down the pole when it broke in half. The top half impaled one of the workers before he could do anything." The medic explained, regarding the metal piece, which still had wire attached to it, sticking out on the man's stomach.

"Just listen to me and he'll be fine." His jacket slipped off his shoulders and he tossed it to the ground, advancing on the bloody male. He's in shock, Sasuke noted. "Alright, pull the metal pole out." He ordered.

"But he'll bleed-"

"No, he won't, if we do a DPL*."

They shot him panicked looks.

"We don't have enough blood for a transfusion*." One of them argued but he waved his words away distractedly, glancing at the other paramedic sternly. "Grab me tubes, needle, scalpel. Now." He commanded strictly and the young male rummaged through the first aid bag by his side instantly. With his hands now covered with a pair of surgical gloves, he shot a ready look at the paramedic opposite of me.

"Pull it out on three." Sasuke instructed. "One, two, three!" With a strong heave, they quickly pulled the metal part of the telephone pole out. With the combined strength of two other firefighters, they had completely tossed aside the hazard. His focus was now the man, struggling to live on the cement ground. The man groaned in pain into the mask he had strapped on to his face. The bag valve mask was helping him breath and hopefully keep him breathing.

It was no surprise that blood came pouring out of the gaping hole that used to hold the pole. It was a gross sight, really. But doctors can't be choosers when they've pledged to save lives. Paramedics scrambled for tissue, cloth, anything to suppress the waterfall of blood. "He'll bleed out." Said one medic. Not on Sasuke's watch. "No, he won't."

Keeping silent, he stuck his hand into the hole to push it wider for his towel clamp to stick in. He found his renal artery and clamped down on it. "Use his blood." He instructed, motioning to a tube connected to an IV bag at the end. The paramedics immediately rushed about, their hands fumbling around in the frenzy. A medic handed him the contraption. Setting it down for a quick moment, he grabbed his scalpel, making a small incision to fit the tube before piercing it into the artery.

Murmurs of 'what the hell he's doing' and 'hang in there, man' whispered around him but the Uchiha heard nothing. They would see that he'll live for another day, a thought that persisted in his mind. His fingers worked quickly on the tube, red liquid flowing into the bag swiftly. He glanced downwards to check the bag and lifted his hands off the tube, turning to the medics to continue with his instructions. "Pump it back in him once it's filled up. Stack him with another IV bag or something." At that moment, the bag of blood filled up and he unscrewed the cap, handing it to the paramedic across from him. He glanced at him; a flicker of doubt crossed his eyes before screwing back on to a tube with an IV bag connected to it. The two-way tube began working its magic instantly.

"It's working!" One exclaimed in a mix of surprise and relief. "Where'd you learn that?" Sasuke looked up to find the same once dubious paramedic staring at him in wonder.

The Uchiha smirked –something about that smirk reminded the medic of a sinister aristocrat- removing his gloves in a snap. "Out in Sound Country."

Haruno Sakura became a doctor for a few reasons. One, she enjoyed saving lives. Two, she was well-interested in medicine and surgical procedure. Three, the pay was good. And lastly, four, she preferred to live frenetically rather than peacefully.

Thus so, the last reason in particular was the main reason why she really wanted that chief of staff position for the night shift. Ah, the night shift. A shift that doctors would gladly avoid than sign up for. Nobody really liked how all-over-the-place the night shift was. One moment you're treating a strangely sick patient in trauma one, the next you're trying to stop a hit-and-run victim from bleeding to death. Oh, the life of a regular night shift doctor!

But Haruno Sakura was never one to blend in with social norms. When she first set her sights on the business of the night shift after finishing up in the day, she fell in love instantly. The night shift had a special charm. Her day shift friends called her crazy for thinking to transfer into the night shift.

Sakura knew she was crazy. But once she was enamored with the fast-paced graveyard shift, not even the severe prospect of not being able to snuggle in bed for twelve hours could keep her away. And Haruno Sakura loved her sleep.

So, when the chief of staff position opened up in the night shift because their previous chief of staff had left the country, Haruno Sakura was determined to get that job. Even if it meant following Konoha's hospital administrator, Nara Shikamaru, around like a beat-up puppy.

"I'm sorry but we'll have to wait until the insurance company sends a technician over to reset her defibrillator." The professional voice of a doctor came from behind the blue curtain. She furrowed her eyebrows, unable to step away from duty calls.

"But she's in pain!" A male voice cried out offended by their doctor's lack of action. She peeked inside and saw a woman strapped to a ventilator* and in a hospital gown but she was bucking against her bed as if she were being punched in the chest. She frowned at the stationery doctor on the side. He didn't even look like he wanted to help her at all.

"I'm sorry but like I said, we have to wait for a technician-" "And have her be in pain for five more hours? Are you kidding me? That's wrong." She tsked and stepped into the room, moving to the suffering woman with compassionate eyes.

"I'm Doctor Haruno and I'll be deactivating your defibrillator with a magnet." She told the woman softly and moved to get a magnet from the counter.

"Excuse me, but this is my patient." The doctor emphasized snootily. She rolled her emerald orbs, shooting him a deadpan look.

"Really? Because it seems more like you're a bystander watching her in pain with the credentials of a doctor, who can stop the pain." The doctor gaped at her and she smiled sweetly at him. "Yeah, I thought so too." She placed the magnet over the patient's heart and listened as the beeping of the machine died down, representing her returning normal heart rate. She sighed in relief as the painful shocks disappeared and the creases on her husband's face dissipated.

"Now, you won't feel as if a boxer is punching you in the chest. Feel better?" Sakura smiled at the woman, who in return nodded weakly but the relief was clear on her face. "Now, we can get a technician in here and reset the defibrillator for you. And in no time, you'll be on your way."

Sakura bowed in return to the thanks that both the husband and wife were sending her. Before she left the room, she shot the impractical doctor a look of smugness, delighting in the expression of helplessness that crossed his face after she had done so.

Just then, Uchiha Sasuke rushed through the doors, wheeling in a man covered in white sheets with a few other paramedics. "I need a room and two units of blood! Someone please!" He hollered out, giving out orders immediately. He left the wheeled stretcher with the medics, certain that the staff or someone would guide them to an empty room.

"Good job with that impromptu DPL." An old doctor clapped him on the back and he laughed dryly. "Just saving lives." He spotted a pink haired female approach him after leaving a room. She raised a brow at his state, deciding to comment on his obviously rugged form.

"You look horrible." She said bluntly. Well, Sakura was never a person of sugar and sweets anyway.

But Sasuke wasn't one either. "Thanks, just going for the I-just-pulled-out-a-pole-from-someone's-mid-section look. Pretty trendy." Sasuke was made of sour gummies and bitter herbal medicine.

"I'm not referring to that. I'm referring to the fact that you," He removed his shirt and tossed it to her unceremoniously. "God, you reek of alcohol and jail." She cringed, catching the whiff of his scent mixed with alcohol and a little tinge of blood. He turned to face her abruptly as he entered the storage room, where scrubs and a bunch of other stuff were kept. If Sakura hadn't been fast enough, she would have bumped into his bare and lean chest.

"It comes with the package." He chimed sarcastically and she rolled her eyes, leaning on her dominant leg. "No, but seriously, Sasuke," She watched as he pulled on a blue scrub shirt over his torso. She kind of missed the view. "You're fighting." He paused for a moment before slipping the shirt on fully. "Again." He sighed, knowing where this was going.

"So? I've fought many times before. What difference does it make?" He shrugged, grabbing a stethoscope and hung it around his neck. Sakura frowned. She was worried for him given their previous association. However, having known the Uchiha for a long time, his stubbornness and nonchalance? Oh yeah, she had gotten used to that a looong time ago.

Deciding not to push the topic unless she risked a really ticked off Sasuke for tonight, she changed the topic into a more professional one. "And you also need to hand in some docs. You know what I'm talking about, right?" She tailed after him as he made his way to help out more patients in need.

"Yeah, sure." Came his airy reply but Sakura was not one to settle for a 'Yeah, sure'. She quickened her pace and stepped in front of the dark-haired male, who towered over her. She glared at him with her best stern look. "I'm serious, Sasuke. Saving lives and diagnosing patients is one thing but paperwork is important as well."

"Okay, Sakura, I'll do it." He caught the relief in her eyes as she found his answer to be sincere enough. Well, it went down the drain soon enough. "Someday." He muttered under his breath only to be punched in the gut by an irritated pink head. God, how he loved those punches!

"Do it." She demanded and Sasuke knew there was no escape now. It was either hand in the paperwork or get his ass mauled by the temperamental strawberry-haired doctor. Haruno Sakura's temper rivaled his to the point that even he himself is scared to double cross her. If she vowed to castrate you, she will castrate you.

"Okay, but, Sakura?" He called out to her retiring back. She halted and turned around expectantly. She was probably expecting a witty comment or a really, really sarcastic remark about how much nonexistent weight she's gained. Sakura was really expecting all that.

Instead, all she got was a smirk –that seriously called for her fist to be unleashed- and a teasing tone in his baritone voice. "You keep forgetting the –kun at the end of my name. I like it when you remember."

She rolled her green eyes, already used to Sasuke's unexpected comments. "I'll remember next time, Sasuke-kun." Sakura nodded and walked away, knowing that his triumphant, dark gaze was still on her back.

Damn Uchiha and his greedy need to feel special. Sakura preferred not to use the –kun suffix behind anybody's name. It was something that gave her the chills and something she grew out of. She called everyone by –san because it was right and it was polite. Then again, Sasuke always liked it whenever she added the dreaded suffix, reason being, well, he knew what made Sakura tick and that would be anything that reminded her of the childish gal she was in her childhood.

But if it was for Sasuke and Sasuke only, well then, Sakura didn't exactly mind. It was an inside joke between the two anyway. Not even their best bud, Naruto, would get it. Not even her best gal pal, Tenten, would understand. It was a Sasuke and Sakura strictly thing. So, Sakura would like to think that Sasuke, despite his nonchalance and sarcastic remarks, was actually close to her.

"Woah, man, what's up with you and Sakura-chan? Ticked her off again?" Sasuke felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and the male raised a brow, pushing the blonde haired doctor off.

"No, that's her way of showing she actually likes me as a human being." Sasuke shot back with a smirk and Naruto shook his head wryly. "I'll never understand the both of you. You see, Hinata and I were never at each other's throats when we were dating."

"We're not dating, dobe." Sasuke glared at the dumb ass blonde warningly. That was a topic Sasuke preferred not to talk about. "Oh yeah, that. Right, sorry for adding salt to fresh wounds." Naruto apologized though he wasn't actually sincere about it.

"Stuff between us romantically ended years ago." The Uchiha replied back monotonously. Naruto rolled his pair of cerulean eyes. "Oh, sure. I'll be the godfather of Sakura's and your children." Naruto clamped a hand down on Sasuke's shoulder only to get it ripped off harshly.

"Go change before I do it for you." Sasuke was smirking at his friend and from afar, it seemed that Sasuke was amused at whatever joke Naruto made. But the dark eyes of the Uchiha spoke differently and Naruto swore. Uzumaki Naruto swore that he saw his death in those eyes. And he knew that it would come true sooner or later if he didn't get his ass out of here.

"I'm out." Naruto left with a cheeky grin and a flamboyant salute. God, how Sasuke hated that idiot.

"Newborn baby, her BP*'s dropping, possible renal failure*." Duty calls.

In a flash, the Uchiha had reached the side of the newborn on the gurney. He listened intently as a paramedic reiterated the details that the infant's mother had provided. Congenital deformity with kidneys, no wet diaper, BP dropping from 93 to 84.

It was rather pitiful. A newborn baby lay in the center of the bed propped up by a pillow barely taking up a two palm-sized worth of space. "Renal failure?" He muttered to himself before placing the stethoscope over the baby's heart. Immediately he pulled back and went into action. "I need pediatrics; she's swelling!" He quickly guided the gurney over into a glassed room.

"Alright, let's-"

"Hold it!" Sasuke stopped his work only to face a bothered Nara Shikamaru. He never really liked the guy and his lazy tendencies. The lazy male was a workaholic though and his apparent sloth-like behavior disappeared at the sign of work. But it still didn't stop his complaints now and then. All in all, Uchiha Sasuke found Nara Shikamaru a hypocrite, but a hypocrite good at his work.

Nara Shikamaru, on the other hand having encountered the Uchiha once or twice before on several occasions, had nothing nice to say about the Uchiha as well. Shikamaru just didn't like the arrogance and the god-like way Sasuke carried himself. Everyone in the night shift adored him. If Shikamaru had a choice, he would have fired the goddamn Adonis a long time ago. However, the hospital was short on staff, especially during the night shift, and he was short on cash.

"What?" Sasuke spat out, continuing his work once again. Shikamaru groaned inwardly. Out of all the doctors that had to have this patient, it had to be the damned Uchiha!

"We can't treat her. We can't afford to treat her. We're going to have to move her to another hospital." Shikamaru said it. There it was. Now, he just hoped that the Uchiha would be a nice and calm citizen and step away.

Ah, how wrong was he…

"Uchiha Sasuke, did you hear me? I said-" "Yeah, I know what you said. Please close the door on your way out." Shikamaru opened his mouth to argue but decided against it, storming out of the room with a deep, dark scowl etched on his face.

Damn, troublesome Uchiha just kicked this hospital's administrator out of a room that he had funded to be built for. Why did God have to bestow upon his hospital a talented yet extremely difficult doctor? What did he do in his past life to deserve someone so troublesome?

"Shikamaru-san!" Oh, and there's the annoying voice of that day shift transfer. Haruno Sakura. "Shikamaru-san, can we please talk about that job offer?" And the recently opened up chief of staff position that she really wanted.

He stopped in his silent rampage to face the hopeful pink-haired female. He sighed tiredly. He'd just have to deal with her. She wasn't as bad as the Uchiha. "What do you want, Doctor Haruno?" He drawled in his tired voice.

She either ignored it completely or was too eager about the job to even notice. "The chief of staff position for the night shift that just opened up? I really want it." She grinned widely, clasping her hands together hopefully.

"I know you want it." Shikamaru's 200+ IQ would be ridiculed if he didn't. Shikamaru eyed the bubbly female doctor in front of him. Whatever helped her stay this energetic and alive despite all the hassle of the night shift, he wanted it. Desperately.

"Why?" Shikamaru asked because he was truly curious of her reasons. It wasn't every day that an exceptional doctor such as Haruno Sakura hounded his ass constantly for one small job in the night shift. And hounding his ass for more than ten days to be exact from the time he announced that the position opened up.

Sakura grinned excitedly. "Because I've fallen in love with the night shift." She's bat-shit crazy, Shikamaru officially concluded. "Right now, things are absolutely hectic without someone to run the whole shenanigan. That is why you really need a chief of staff. And that person is me!" She pointed to herself proud. Shikamaru had stopped listening after 'shift' because he knew that she would change once she actually experienced the night shift, the epitome of hell. "I know the pay isn't exactly a big difference from what I'm being paid but I don't care. You need a person to run the place. I'm the chief of staff you've been looking for." He sighed disinterestedly. She was just another one of those dreamers who believed that the night shift would be all glamorous and cool.

"And I can help you control Sasuke."

...

Oh.

"You're hired." She was a dreamer who could handle that Uchiha. And he wouldn't have to spend his mind thinking about the trouble the Uchiha's causing here or there for the night shift. Perfect.

A/N:

List of characters in which I have somewhat based off the characters in this story's personality so far in order of appearance:

TC Callahan – Uchiha Sasuke

Jordan Alexander – Haruno Sakura

Topher Zia – Uzumaki Naruto

Michael Ragosa – Nara Shikamaru

I know the story starts out and has similar events to the show's first episode but it will soon deviate from the story line. When I start brushing up on my medical research, most incidents will likely not come from the show.

Medical terms explained:

DPL – stands for "diagnostic peritoneal lavage"; surgical diagnostic procedure to determine if there is free floating fluid (most often blood) in the abdominal cavity (Credit: Wikipedia)

Transfusion – an act of transfusing donated blood, blood products, or other fluid into the circulatory system (Credit: Google definitions)

Ventilator – a machine that supports breathing (Credit: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

BP – blood pressure

Renal failure – a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter waste products from the blood (Credit: Wikipedia)

R&R. :D