One Piece and its characters belong to Eiichiro Oda. Dominica belongs to me.
A month had passed and the boy was up on his feet on his own without needing any more help from Dominica. She had to admit, it was much easier for her now that she did not have to help him with every little thing, like going to the bathroom, bathing and most of all; she did not have to redress his wounds anymore. The swelling in his face had receded and disappeared a long time ago, the cut had healed nicely without leaving a scar; the frostbite had been treated in its early stage and not done any damage to skin or nerves which had all been a huge relief. His ribs still ached a bit but it was nothing a few painkillers couldn't fix.
One early morning she shook the kid awake and told him to get dressed before fixing them both some breakfast.
"What's going on?" Law asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes, stumbling over Bepo who faithfully kept close to him. "We're going into town. Here, eat." She said and handed him a plate with scrambled eggs while she herself ate a sandwich. She had tried once to give him a sandwich. He had taken a few bites before she had taken pity on his sour expression. He detested bread with a passion, she had learned.
"Into town?" Immediately he was awake and seemed to be terrified of the prospect of leaving the cabin. While she became curious about it she decided to leave well enough alone. She would not keep him for much longer anyway. Once his ribs stopped aching she would find him a home and leave him there. She had no time for children. "That's right. We're going into town." She nodded and he returned his eyes to his breakfast, appearing to have lost his appetite, if the manner of which he just poked his eggs instead of eating was any indication.
"I received a call earlier. Someone needs me to check on them and I thought you would like the idea of leaving these walls for a few hours." He did not look up. While the thought of going outside to breathe in fresh air was exciting, the fear of being found by the men from the facility effectively pushed away any thought of leaving. The punishment they dished out to those who disobeyed... the thought made him shudder. He had been safe inside the cabin. No one knew that Dominica had been nursing him back to health. If he left they would find out. They would find him and bring him back and punish him and-
"I also thought you would like the idea of examining a patient with me." She said off-handedly and he froze. She smirked as she saw the gears in his head work overtime. He was safe inside, no one knew about him hiding here, but to examine a patient, a real patient, oh the possibilities! The experience he could gain! They sat in silence for a few more minutes before he began to eat again.
"Only for a few hours." He muttered, sounding very displeased but she knew better. He was excited, curious. He could deny it as much as he would like but his eyes could not hide his emotions and his body could not hide the excited tremors which coursed through him.
"Only for a few hours." She agreed, pleased that such a simple promise had managed to coax him with her. If she introduced him to the townspeople she was sure one of the families there would want to take him in. Once both the boy and the cub had finished eating she pulled out a scarf and a jacket, handing them over to the boy. The jacket was too big for the boy, she noticed, as it swallowed him and had him waddling like a penguin. She knew she had to get him a new one, and a pair of shoes too before she gave him away because the ones he had used when she found him were falling apart. She grabbed her nodachi and slung it over her shoulder, opening the door and letting the two out before her as she grabbed her bag of supplies and went out after them.
Bepo jumped around in the snow, yapping happily. He seemed to be happy to be allowed out again for a longer period of time than just ridding himself of bodily fluids and such. Dominica had to smile at the sight. Law though, stood by the door, completely still, eyes looking back and forth as if he was waiting for something to jump out and attack him. She walked past him and Bepo followed but suddenly he began to whine. Dominica turned around and saw that Law still hadn't moved.
"Trafalgar. Come on." The boy looked up at her but seemed terrified. She raised an eyebrow before fixing her bag to her sword and held her free hand out. "Come on." She called again and he moved forward. He did not expect her to grab his hand though and pull him with her. She did not utter a word during the walk and neither did he. He just took the comfort she gave him and held onto her hand for dear life. He also noticed how she leaned forward and how tall she was. She must have been pushing 6 feet and 9 inches. Bepo was running back and forth in front of them, yapping happily still. He was a ball of boundless energy but Dominica could not blame him. He had been kept inside for a whole month after all, only being allowed out to relieve himself. She felt a bit bad for it but the moment the bear ran around her feet causing her to stumble and almost fall face first in the snow the guilt evaporated.
"Sit!" She said firmly and the cub did as told quickly, feeling anger building up in the woman. She crouched down, pulling Law with her. "Roll on your back." The cub did as told.
"Stand." He did that as well.
"Two legs." He pulled itself up on two feet but after a few seconds he fell on his back. Dominica let go of Law's hand and rubbed her jaw, falling deep in thought. "We're going to do a simple experiment when we get home." She said and stood up, letting Law hold her hand again. It did not take long before they reached the small town and the grey-eyed boy noticed how everyone greeted Dominica as they walked down the streets. It seemed like she was well-known and liked in the town.
"Good morning Dominica!" A few men called and she nodded in their direction.
"Dominica! Another patient?" An elderly man called and she nodded. "Yup. By the way Mr. Mick, could you prepare the usual for me and the kid around four o'clock? No bread, by the way." The elderly man laughed and nodded.
"Will do girlie." Law looked around curiously as Dominica led him down the streets and to the other end of town where she knocked on the door of a rather worn looking house. Not many moments passed before the door opened and a middle-aged appeared.
"Oh, Miss Dominica." He said and opened the door wider, allowing her to come in. "Good morning, Mr. Jones. I hope it's alright that I brought company with me?"
"Of course, of course." The man smiled and closed the door behind them. "Perhaps the boy would like a cup of hot chocolate? It is rather chilly out today." Mr. Jones asked and Law looked up at Dominica, uncertain but she nodded and urged him to follow the older man.
"Go on. Mr. Jones will show you where I am afterwards."
"B-but-" He began but she cut him off by crouching down and ruffling his hair. "Here, Bepo will come with you and keep you company, okay?" Mr. Jones held out a hand and Law glanced at Dominica once more, who nodded again, before grabbing it. She worried for the boy who seemed a bit frightened by leaving her presence when only a month before he feared being near her. If he did not grow out of it, which would take a long time she suspected, he would not be able to live his life to his fullest. She would not always be there for him, she was sure of that. No, she was going to make sure of that.
Well, she had a patient to visit.
"Hello, Mrs. Jones. How are you feeling today?" An elderly woman with a cast on her arm lay in bed, smiling at the younger woman.
"Oh, Dominica. I'm feeling good today." The doctor smiled and sat down on the chair beside the bed and pulled out her stethoscope, letting it rest around her neck and a wooden spatula.
"Say 'ah' for me, please." The old woman did as told and then Dominica moved her shirt up so she could check on the old woman's heart. Nothing out of the ordinary there. She made the woman lean forward and put the cold metal on her back.
"Now, deep breaths, Mrs. Jones." Just then Law walked inside with Bepo close after and they both stared at the two women.
"Oh, who is this?" Mrs. Jones asked and the blonde smiled. "Another patient of mine, Trafalgar Law and you know Bepo of course."
"Yes, the little that cub wouldn't leave you alone." Mrs. Jones chuckled. "But I haven't met the young man before. And I'm sure I haven't seen him in the town before either."
"Yes, well he's from a neighboring town." Dominica said quickly and the old woman smiled at the boy. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Trafalgar."
"Y-you too, Mrs. Jones." Law stuttered and the old woman laughed. "Call me Anne, dearie. Which town are you from?"
"U-um I-I…" He looked very uncomfortable and the doctor cut in. "You remember when I told you that Bepo came back with his paw bandaged, don't you, Mrs. Jones?" The old woman nodded.
"That was Trafalgars doing. Do you mind if he comes over and watch me finish the check-up?"
"Oh, of course not. Come over here dearie." Mrs. Jones, now known as Anne, forgot her own question and Dominica motioned the boy over. He hurried to leave the treshold and put his cup of cocoa on the night table before he immediately grabbed a hold of Dominica's shirt, causing Anne to chuckle.
"He's so attached to you." She said to the blonde who only smiled while continuing the examination and shook her head in denial. "He's a bit shy around unfamiliar faces, that's all. Alright, it seems like everything is as it should be. How's your arm?"
"Oh, it's terribly itchy but other than that it's alright." Dominica nodded. "That's good." Then she turned her teal eyes on Law.
"Trafalgar, this is Anne Jones. A week ago she fell and broke her arm and she's very prone to getting sick so I'm doing weekly check-ups on her. You want to come with me every time and watch, right?" The boy nodded eagerly causing the elderly lady to laugh.
"I'm not that prone to getting sick." She waved her arm and Dominica laughed with her. "I'm just doing my job Mrs. Jones."
"Indeed you are." Law felt Bepo nuzzle into his free hand and he petted the bear on the head. "You two are really attached to each other, aren't you?" Anne noticed and Law snapped his eyes up to her but before she noticed his fearful expression Dominica's hand fell onto his head and ruffled his hair, calming him almost immediately.
"Yes, they are, aren't they? Bepo is the one who stumbled upon Trafalgar, or was it the other way around?" She glanced down at Law who was still clutching her shirt. The boy nodded and stuttered out that he had found Bepo caught in a trap. "So Trafalgar patched Bepo up and sent him on his way. Bepo came to me and led me to the boy."
"What about your parents' dearie?" Anne asked with a frown. Law looked down. "I-I don't have any."
"Oh my." Anne's hand flew to her mouth and Dominica felt a frown tug on her lips. She knew of his pain, and it gnawed at her mind. Before she could stop herself, she found herself speaking words that were the complete opposite of what she had planned. "I'm watching over him for now though. He's got a sharp mind and shows an interest in medicine, so I thought about teaching him a little while he's in my care." Law's eyes snapped to her face to find the blonde grinning down at him. He blinked wide grey eyes at her in disbelief.
"Is that right?" Anne stared at the boy. "You want to become a doctor, child?" A sudden, wide and pure smile spread out on Law's face.
"Yes!" Anne chuckled. "Oh my, how cute you are. Well, it's good that you start early then. I can imagine that Dominica's going to be a tough teacher."
"He'll manage, I'm sure." Anne beckoned the boy over to her and he hesitantly obeyed. "Don't you turn into a second Dominica now, Trafalgar, and get all those hideous tattoos on your arms and body."
"Hey!" The teal eyed woman exclaimed and pulled the boy back. "They're not hideous!" She pouted and Anne laughed at her.
"Yes, yes they are." The younger woman shook her head and chuckled as well. Law had seen her tattoos but he didn't find them hideous at all. They were, in his eyes, rather cool looking and now that Anne had told him not to get them his natural childish side wanted to have them.
"He'll decide for himself when he gets older if he wants tattoos or not." The younger woman said firmly before moving Law towards the door. "Well, that's it for today Mrs. Jones. I'll be back the same time next week."
"Oh, are you leaving already? Won't you allow us to treat you to lunch before you leave?"
"No can do, I'm afraid. I have to find new clothes for Trafalgar but don't worry; Mr. Mick is giving us a free dinner later today."
"Oh, that old coot. Say hi to him for me."
"Will do!" Dominica called over her shoulder. "Come Bepo." The bear jumped to its feet and followed them outside as they said their goodbyes to Mr. Jones.
"Are we going back now?" Law asked but she shook her head. "We need to get you some new clothes first, something more practical." She stared at him deep in thought for a few moments until he started to squirm.
"Dominica-ya?" She blinked before she told him to follow her. "This way."
"B-but it's not safe-" She turned around and crouched in front of him, tapping his head carefully with her nodachi. "See this? It's a sword. I happen to be very good at using it." He held his head and his lower lip trembled causing her to sigh. He was just a kid. A traumatized, terrified kid. She had to be gentler about this. He may have felt that she was threatening him at that moment and then all of her hard work at getting the kid to trust her would go down the drain.
"It'll be okay Trafalgar. I won't let anyone get you, okay? Trust me."
"Y-you promise?" He sniffed and she realized just how close he was to bursting into tears. Children really were more sensitive than adults. "Yeah. Pinky promise." She held out her pinkie and he slowly, unsure of the meaning, intertwined his pinkie with hers. Suddenly a bear paw was laid over their fingers and the bear yapped causing Dominica to laugh.
"See, Trafalgar? Bepo will protect you too." This made the boy feel a little bit better and he allowed himself to be dragged through the little town though he still cast fearful glances over his shoulders every now and then, just to be sure that they were not being followed or watched.
