14th chapter! So this will be the second-last chapter! :( I hope you have enjoyed and please leave review or send pm if you liked this fanfic :)
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Finally their doctor got enough peace and guiet to check Sanji's wound. He removed the blood-soaked clothing and saw the deep cut in his back. It reached from Sanji's hips to his upper back, almost hitting his spine. If the cut had hit his spine, there would have been a change that he would have been paralyzed for the rest of his life.
"This is really bad, Sanji!" Chopper worried and tried to calm down,"The cut is really deep and really long, you will need lots of stiches! And you are probably suffering from a terrible blood loss!"
Sanji didn't understand how he could have had such a big wound when he felt nothing,"I am sorry, Chopper, but I can't feel a thing...I just feel...numb?"
Chopper's eyes got wider for a while,"It probably means that you have already lost lots of blood and your body is blocking the pain...Your body is sort of refusing to accept the pain but it will kick after a while..." Chopper explained seriously,"Can you stand up?"
Sanji nodded and tried to stand up but his legs betrayed under him,"Sorry, Chopper, maybe I can't after all..."
"Don't worry about it, I can take you to the infirmary...I have to operate your wound as soon as possible..."
"How about others?" Sanji asked, taking a look around him if anyone else had been injured in the battle. Even though he knew he needed some treatment, he could not possibly let Chopper focus on him if someone else needed his help.
"They have no severe wounds, Luffy has got a cut in his head and it's bleeding a lot, Usopp can't see properly because of the dust in his eyes, there is still some water in Robin's lungs and I have got a minor cut in my arm so it's nothing to worry about..." Chopper told but Sanji didn't hear him,"Sanji...?"
Chopper saw how Sanji suddenly got pale and passed out in front of him,"SANJI!"
...
"Is Sanji-kun okay?" Nami worried when Chopper had finished operating Sanji's wound.
"He is fine for now, he just needs a lot of rest, not moving around too much and time to heal..." Chopper sighed deeply. He was somehow annoyed that one of his nakama had to protect him when he wanted to protect one of them but he understood Sanji's point.
"He is one big idiot..." Nami said and sounded somehow desperate.
"Why?" Chopper inquired.
"Well, if doctor is there to tend our wounds, then who is going to feed the crew?! He can be irrespossible sometimes too!" Nami explained,"And you know our captain: he goes nuts without food!"
...
"Hey, who is going to prepare the food?" Usopp whispered at Brook when their captain couldn't hear them talking. If their captain heard a word about food, he would stop worrying about everyone and concentrate on food instead. They didn't want that to happen, of course. At least not yet.
"I have no idea, I see nobody suitable for the job! Even though I don't have eyes to see!Yohohoho!" Brook joked, trying to cheer up the sniper.
"I can do that much!" Nami volunteered suddenly.
"You? Can you cook?" Usopp asked and raised a brow.
"Of course I can!" Nami reassured and folded her arms.
Then Usopp realised that Nami had to have some sort of reason for doing this,"You are going to make Sanji pay for your job, aren't you?" Usopp asked and Nami winked at him.
"Nami-san is so harsh!" Brook joked and Nami punched the poor skeleton with her fist of rage.
...
Sanji woke up to a trobbing pain in his back. He was laying on his stomach and he probably shouldn't move with the wound he had. He couldn't remember passing out but he remembered getting injured while protecting Robin and Chopper.
"Sanji! You are awake!" Chopper cheered when he arrived to the infirmary,"How are you feeling?"
"You want me to be honest?" Sanji asked,"Well, my back hurts like hell!"
"No wonder...The wound damaged some of the muscles in your back and you lost a lot of blood...I have already done many blood transfusions..."
"But didn't you run away of the blood of my bloodtype back at Fishman island?" Sanji wondered.
"I sent Zoro searching for people with same bloodtype...Poor victims...he dragged them here and forced them to give up some of their blood..." Chopper shivered a little at the thought, "But thanks to him I was able to give you enough blood!"
Sanji tried to imagine the situation and chuckled slightly at the thought of Zoro threatening people to give their blood,"So, are everyone else okay?"
"They are fine! Just some minor cuts and bruises, that's all!" Chopper reassured,"But you should rest now when you have the change..."
"A chance? What chance?" Sanji inquired. He couldn't understood the doctor's point.
"Well, Nami has just finished feeding the crew so Luffy is silent...at least for a while..." Chopper explained and Sanji nodded knowingly.
...
Chopper needed someone's help to change Sanji's bandages. The bandages were soaking with blood and it was no good to let the wound brew for too long. Because some of the muscles in Sanji's back had received serious damage, Chopper needed someone to keep Sanji in a sitting position.
Zoro didn't know what he got himself into when Chopper asked for his help. Of course the swordman couldn't resist when the small doctor asked for his help but if he had know why needed his help, he might have refused.
"Of all the people,expecially the lovely ladies on board, you ask our shitty Moss-head?" Sanji complained at the blue-nosed doctor. He realised the doctor needed some help while cleaning his wound and changing the bandages but the situation was rather ridiculous.
"Well I wouldn't have volunteered to this either if I had known what his favor was about so our feelings are mutual,"Zoro grinned but made no move to leave the infirmary.
"Just try to bear with each other for a while at least!" Chopper sighed,"I will prepare the bandages and disinfectant and meawhile Zoro should GENTLY lift Sanji to a sitting position."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Zoro wondered.
"You mean you don't know how to be gentle? You brute!" Sanji teased but knew that the other male was pretty confused about the situation.
"Just slowly roll him to his side and then to sitting position. Remember that he shouldn't stress his back muscles so try to support him properly!" Chopper adviced and Zoro nodded slightly, "and Sanji, please try to relax as much as possible!"
Zoro hesitated a little before he took a hold of Sanji's healthy shoulder and healthier side before he turned the cook to his side. Then he slowly pulled him to a sitting position, looking carefully for any signs of pain in the blond's face.
"That's good, hold him like that",Chopper adviced,"Sanji, just lean your weight on Zoro and relax!"
Chopper slowly removed the bandage and heard a small hiss of pain escape Sanji's lips," Sorry, I am being as careful as possible but it might still hurt..."
"It's okay, Chopper, carry on..." Sanji reassured and focused on keeping his muscles relaxed.
Chopper and Sanji were surprised to hear Zoro gulp when Chopper removed the rest of the bandages. Chopper saw Zoro's serious facial impression but said nothing. He had never seen Zoro stare at something so...intensively.
"Okay, I will start to clean the wound...It might burn a little,"Chopper warned before he started to clean the wound and felt Sanji tensing his muscles immediately,"Try to relax, Sanji!"
Sanji did as he was told. He bit his teeth together and clenched his fists but refused to stress his muscles again. He unvoluntarily closed his eyes to focus properly on relaxing his muscles.
Nobody spoke a word in a while, staying completely quiet when Chopper cleaned the chef's wounds. Sanji didn't dare to speak when he suspected that his voice would betray him and Zoro had nothing clever to say in that situation. Sanji had actually expected the swordman to refuse more but he was surprised to notice how easily he helped the doctor.
Finally Chopper finished cleaning the wound and started to add new bandages to cover it. Sanji sighed deeply when the burning sensation in his back started to get easier slowly,"Okay, I have finished changing bandages...Zoro, lay him down to his right side carefully."
Zoro did as he was told but noticed how the blond suddenly relaxed in his arms a little bit too much,"Sanji?" The chef had passed out.
"Just lay him down..."Chopper sighed,"I think you need to hunt down some more people with bloodtype RH-?"
Zoro looked down at the pale chef and smiled a surprisingly gently smile,"I agree."
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