Hello! Thanks very much for all of the kind reviews! You guys know how to encourage a soul :-). Sorry that this is a bit shorter than the other. It happened this way because I already had chapters 1-3 pretty much written as an entire story and am now having to go back and edit and separate them. This was the best place for a break between chapter 2 and 3. I hope you enjoy it!
The scents of the ship's infirmary were a mixture of wood, clean linen and sharp medicines and they completely overpowered the calming citrus fragrance from Sanji. The cook laid the limp Nami on a bed, careful to let her head gently down to the pillow. Sounds to her right told her where Law was; the captain was rummaging through drawers, orienting himself with Chopper's layout. Robin drew a blanket up to Nami's waist, something that the navigator was grateful for as the prospects of being examined by a strange doctor elicited a sudden twinge of embarrassment.
Law came up the side of the bed and she heard him set his sword against the wall. She felt him draw close and lean over her. A thumb rested gently on her eyelid while the other fingers buried themselves in her hair, steadying his hand on her scalp. With a careful motion, Law raised her eyelid.
With any knock to the head, concussion or worse is always feared and the pupils are a good way of gauging any potential damage. It took Nami a few seconds to realize that Law had raised her eyelid and was studying her pupil now, even as she was recalling the medical fact from her days as acting doctor of the ship. Instead of looking into the face of Law, she saw only blackness. He allowed the eyelid to fall back into place and repeated the procedure with the other. Again, no grey-eyed, black-haired man came into view- there was only darkness. Growing fear made her heart pound- why couldn't she see him?
At the bottom of the bed, Sanji paced and assaulted the other captain with clipped questions. Nami could feel his aggravation through the floorboards.
"Why won't she wake up?
Still leaning over Nami, close enough that she felt his exhaled consonants when he spoke, Law responded, "That is what I am trying to find out, Black Leg-ya."
Sliding a hand under her head and supporting her chin with the other, Law gently picked her head up and turned it to better see the contusion.
He drew away and rummaged around beside him for a few moments before he was back at her side. Several light objects fell on her chest and the sound of a bottle opening was immediately followed by the strong smell of peroxide. There was the sound of sloshing liquid and then Law was leaning over her again. The smell of the astringent grew very strong and then soft gauze was being dabbed at her temple.
It hurt.
Not just the sting that one would expect, but it was a deep hurt. An ache went down the entirety of her face and sent throbbing pulses through and across her skull. Though he was being gentle, even the little bit of pressure that Law was applying around the edges of the injured area was agony.
Law took one of the objects off of her chest and wetted it with the peroxide. They must be extra pieces of gauze Nami reasoned, thinking through the medical procedures and habits that Law might be following in order to keep her from focusing on the building pain in her head. With each gentle swipe, it felt as though he was going to push right through bone itself.
In the back ground Sanji continued to mutter threats to the ones who had done this to 'Nami-swan' and to ply the occasional question to the doctor. Law answered him each time; patiently, if not absently, fully focused as he was with his unresponsive patient. Robin had remained quiet the entire time that Law was examining the younger woman. Nami had no doubt that Robin didn't want to interrupt the doctor's concentration and was opting instead to wait for Law to tell her if he needed anything.
Law had stopped swabbing and was gently feeling around where the skin was broken. His trained hands felt down to the base of her head and then worked their way back to her temple. The closer he got to the actual wound, the more the pain grew and the deeper the throbbing pulse went. Bile rose in her throat and the very thought of throwing up and the resulting pressure that hurling would create in her head made her want to sob.
Panic and a deep fear that transcended anything she had ever experienced before had settled in her chest- she was alone. Two of her nakama and an ally were right beside her but she felt that she couldn't have been further away from them had the separation been physical. No amount of will was giving her limbs the strength they needed to reach out to them; her vision was gone and though she begged them to somehow know that she was there- right there- listening to everything that they said, no one seemed to notice. This was worse than the loneliness of Arlong's tyranny, and more painful for the worry that they would declare her unreachable and stop trying altogether and leave her alone in the dark.
Robin! Sanji! I'm here!
Hot liquid swelled behind her closed eyes and a single tear escaped and trailed down her cheek. Law noticed immediately and his hands fell away from her head. A large but lean hand rested gently on her shoulder.
"Nami-ya?", Law's voice was hushed
Beside her, Robin stirred, "Is she waking up?"
Law was silent for a moment and then his hand was gone.
"No. I don't think she can, though I believe that she may be aware of us, if even a little"
Nami's heart soared- bless this man! She didn't understand how he could possibly know that she was in there listening, but at last a ray of light was dawning. Her elation was short-lived; pressure had built to the point now that her entire head throbbed in pain. More frightening was that her senses were again slipping, though it felt different from the previous times when she'd lost consciousness. The words that Law and Robin were saying weren't just fading in and out, the very realization that they were talking was slipping away from her. One moment she could feel Law's hand on her flesh and the blanket across her legs and another it was gone. Her senses' ability to perceive and process her surroundings was becoming tenuous at best- it felt like they were failing. SHE was failing, and she couldn't even cry out.
Law's voice continued in the same hushed tone, "Nico-ya, I'm sure that I know what the problem is and it isn't good. It was a very hard hit and she needs surgery. Now. There's too much pressure on her brain. "
Beside her, Robin exhaled a tense breath and before she could say anything, Law continued.
"I can help her and, if all goes well, she'll be fine. I need you to get Black Leg-ya out of here and keep him out until I am finished. I need to use my abilities and I fear that if he sees what I have to do, he'll try to intervene. You can trust me to help her, but I need to be alone and I need to start now."
Robin stood where she was, "Understood. I'll think of something to keep him occupied." The older woman started to walk away and then stopped.
"Law-san."
Beside her, the rustling of a drawer's contents stopped.
"At the start, I relied upon Luffy's opinion of you to know how to act. However, I have seen enough of you for myself now to have drawn my own conclusion- I trust you- please help Nami!"
Law released a huff of air and Nami could see the smirk through her closed eyes.
"Of course"
With that, Robin moved away and Nami could hear her in the back ground talking in a low voice to Sanji. The cook's voice rose quickly in protest at being asked to leave the infirmary, but a few more quiet words from Robin finally resulted in a tense release of air from the cook.
"You'd better not hurt her, Law!"
"Sanji-kun, Trafal-san is hardly going to hurt Nami; we're in his way right now- come and help me make something to help Nami regain her strength once she wakes up."
Muffled grumbling carried her nakama away and the door shut, leaving just the two of them; doctor and patient. Law gave a long sigh and then moved to stand by her head.
"If I am correct, Nami-ya, it's possible that you can hear me, and if you can't- well, that changes nothing. If I don't operate, you will die."
Movement followed by the sound of a sword shifting slightly in its scabbard as it was picked up told Nami of his intentions.
"This may feel strange but there will be no pain. I'm going to begin, so relax."
Nami could say nothing, though her heart rate jumped. Her life was in his hands. As his signature Room appeared at his command- passing over her body and leaving a cool tingle on her skin- and the sound of the nodachi clearing its scabbard scraped throughout the room, a second tear followed the path of the first one down her cheek.
"Mes"
