"Seeing our kids in pain is the last thing we want to witness because whatever pain they feel, we feel it twice. And we wish the pain is ours." ~Unknown
"She's not waking up."
"I don't expect her to."
Minette stopped seizing, her body growing lax in Ace's arms, giving Chopper a chance to properly splint her broken bones. He kept a form of professionalism, but he couldn't stop himself from dripping in a cool sweat of panic. He doesn't expect her to wake up, but he's also uncertain about her recovery. He doesn't have another anti venom kit - having thought he wouldn't need all of it on the trip - and even then, the side effects of injecting so much in very little time is unclear. She could go into shock, or what's left of the untreated venom could override the enzymes trying to cure her.
"What do you mean - you don't expect her to wake up?" Ace concerned.
"I mean," -Chopper frowned, heavily wrapping her leg as a temporary cast in case she seizes again- "she just went through three terrible convulsions all in a matter of twenty minutes. I'm surprised she can still control the right side of her body."
The cave grew still, the two men watching him work - at a loss for words - and Luffy stared through the small hole above. Chopper was about to start casting her other foot and broken toes when Luffy's voice echoed through.
"Does one leg look longer than the other?"
Chopper paused and sat back. Side by side, her legs lay motionless but one was visibly a few inches shorter than the other.
"A dislocated knee?" he hummed. He leaned in to pinch her patella and feel her fibula and tibia on either side. They were in tact. He moved up and didn't have to put too much pressure on her hip to feel her femur grind and roll around loose tendons.
"The loss of feeling in her foot and ankle aren't only because of the bite," Chopper said, "but because she dislocated her hip and shot a nerve."
"She's done it to her knee before," Zoro said. "I set the damned thing myself and had to watch her cry - I'm not looking forward to this."
"Good thing she's not waking up then," Chopper muttered.
Minette's leg was already stiff with the cast, so lifting it was no problem, the only consolation was finding just how she dislocated it. If it's in front of the pelvic, it's an easy fix - but if it's behind, they'll have to roll her on her stomach and risk another seizure. Luckily, as Chopper felt for the positioning of her join, he found it was above. With little to no effort, Chopper lifted her leg, positioned it over the socket and pushed down and up. A loud -pop- bounced wall to wall and Chopper move on to the next injury.
Minette didn't even flinch.
After another ten minutes, Chopper sat back and wiped his brow. "A shattered leg, a dislocated hip, a snake bit, broken toes, and a broken thumb - please tell me she fought back."
Ace sighed, "The injuries to her leg are by stepping in a bear trap. We were ambushed. The rest is from defence. When I got to her, Dahmer was missing an eye."
"Dahmer?" Chopper asked.
"The guy who's been after Mouse," Zoro said.
"Yeah," Ace nodded. "Well, the kid got a few hits in, I can tell you that much but none of the rest. I was fighting his underlings before I found her like this."
"She ended the fight?" Luffy echoed down.
Ace looked up, a frown pulling at his lips. "No… She almost lost her head."
Chopper checked her for any more injuries and once she was cleared, he called for Luffy's helping hand. Literally. The rubber boy stretched down the hole and carefully lifted to young girl through the air and roiled her into the safety of his chest. When she was laying peacefully in the shaded sand, he hoisted the other up and out of the sinkhole.
When they were all out, Chopper secured Minette to the sleigh Zoro's been pulling and used his lap as a pillow for her head. The swordsman struggled to pull the extra weight at first, but soon found his rhythm. Chopper continuously checked her injuries to make sure no sand had gotten past the thick layer of medical wrap and infect her open wounds.
Luffy was dragging behind the group, behind the sleigh specifically, but his whining about the hot weather stopped when they found Minette. Chopper caught his gaze every now and then, his expression growing more worried each turn.
"Meat isn't going to help this time, is it?" Luffy frowned.
Chopper was surprised at how defeated he sounded, his usual optimistic side gone. "She'll pull through," Chopper assured.
Luffy's frown deepened and his gaze tore away from the girl's face. "Do you think she's not waking up because she gives me all her meat at meal time?"
"I don't think that's the reason why, Luffy," Ace said.
"She's been shot in the head," Zoro stated. "She can make it through anything."
Chopper looked over his shoulder to Zoro. Sweat was dripping down his forehead, his breathing labored, and his eyes cold. He glared into the distance, determination moving his body forward. Zoro wasn't speaking to Luffy, but himself - trying to assure himself that she will be alright.
Chopper didn't tell him about how different the injuries are to each other - he'll let him believe his own words for a little while longer.
The sun was dipping under the horizon, casting the sky a brilliant mix of pink, purple, and orange. It was silent as they walked and though the temperature was starting to drop again, Minette's fever still raged on. The girl squirmed in discomfort from the heat and the war going on inside her body. Her eyebrows knitted together and her mouth opened with quick shallow breaths.
The sleigh stopped and Chopper looked up to find everyone staring, anticipating one of two things - her eyes to open, or to be pulled into another seizure. When she did neither, they carried on.
"Isn't there anymore you can do, Chopper?" Zoro asked.
The doctor wiped the sweat from her brow. "No. The bite isn't from a normal snake, but a man. I can give her more antibodies just incase there's an infection, but the fever from the venom will just burn it off."
Chopper caught Luffy staring again.
"You made a promise," Zoro muttered to Ace - who was now pulling the sleigh with him.
Chopper didn't turn, leaving their conversation between them only, but he can't help but listen.
Ace whispered, no doubt trying to keep Luffy from getting upset and the doctor from hearing. "You think I don't feel bad already?"
"No, I expect you to feel like shit."
"I would trade her places in a heartbeat - hell, I should've just walked away as soon as I saw the tracks. I don't need you to forgive me, I need her to wake up."
Zoro hesitated, and Chopper could feel his piercing gaze on the back of his head, then in a rougher but quieter voice: "Tell me you killed him."
Chopper wasn't surprised by his question, he always knew Minette and him were close. She was always the first he pulled behind him when there are enemies near, so Chopper can only imagine what Zoro is thinking right now. How sorry he must be that he wasn't there to save her - but Ace must be in the same boat. He broke his promise and let her get hurt on his watch all in one day.
"I can assure you," Ace said, matching his tone, "he's never coming back."
The conversation grew stale and Chopper found his gaze locked on Minette's pinched face - his lips pulling to a frown. Her head lulled to the right then tossed to the left - no matter how much the external temperature dropped, she was still burning as if the world around her was on fire. Chopper posed his hands on either side of her face, keeping her head from rolling anymore and straight. She was able to breath better, though she still puffed with short pants, and she seemed even less comfortable being restrained to the position. Every positive had its equal and opposing negative, Minette's just happened to be self regeneration with a lack of ability to heal from external non biogenic substances such as seawater and venom. Chopper wondered what other fatal things Minette's power couldn't protect her from.
"Chopper," Luffy said. "She stopped breathing."
The sleigh stopped pulling but Chopper ignored their worried eyes. He bent over, his ear hovering over her nose and mouth. He couldn't see her chest rise and fall nor was she panting as heavily as before, but she was breathing, though it was faint. Chopper sat straight and let his eyes scan her body. Her fever was still raging and her fingernails were turning blue, but now something was wrong with her chest. He slung his backpack from his shoulders and dug around - still carefully hiding what they had found earlier.
"What's happening?" Ace asked.
Chopper ignored him, still coming up with the prognosis, and pulled out his stethoscope. He quickly put the two ends in his ears and reached under her clothes to press the flat sensor to her chest. Her heart was racing 160 a minute - well over a normal heart rate at rest and during exercise. Most snake bites don't cause the heart to raise, but to slow down as the blood turns solid and unable to move around the body. Venom wasn't doing this to her heart.
He moved to the left side of her rib cage and was pleased to find air was flowing smoothly; but when he moved to the right side, that pleasure was washed away with growing concern. There was no noise on the right side, and her chest felt stiff and bloated.
"Not good."
"Not good? What do you mean not good?" Luffy asked.
Chopper shuffled around his bag again. Muttering, he said, "Her heart rate is 160 over 80, fever has spiked since the last check, discoloration in her fingernails and now lips, and no air flow through her right lunge. Prognosis: pneumothorax."
"Less gibberish, Chopper," Zoro said.
Chopper pulled a short tube, medical tape, and a scalpel from his bag. He held his idioms and finally looked at them. "The anti venom stopped her blood from clotting but what was left of the poison is attacking her lungs. No air is getting to the right side because it collapsed. Normally, it's detected before it gets to such a terrible stage but she isn't conscious to tell us about chest pain."
"What do we do?" Luffy gapped.
Chopper frowned, a new determination gleaming in his eyes. "Zoro, I need you to sit behind her and keep her in a semi straight position. Ace, I need you to heat up the tip of your dagger and keep it ready."
"And me?" Luffy said.
"You get to hold the tube once it's in."
"Wait, wait, wait," Zoro countered. "You're putting the tube inside?"
"It's the only way to relieve the pressure. If anymore air builds up, it could press against her heart and stop it."
Without further questions, everyone went into position. Zoro sat where Chopper once was, holding Minette in place as Luffy, Chopper, and Ace kneeled on her right side. Chopper lifted her cloak, unbuttoned the one side to her overalls and lifted her shirt. With his scalpel, Chopper made a small incision between her fourth and fifth rib and cut deeper until he poked through to the air pocket. When he retracted his dagger, a loud - woosh - of air escaped her chest. Kneading the tube through, Chopper bonded it to a small tear in her lung and pushed air through. Minette's jaw dropped open and her chest heaved - gasping for air.
"Shrimp?" Zoro said. He held her still, looming over her and holding her cheek. Her face was no longer twisted in any sort of pain. "Can you hear me? Mouse?"
"She's still not continuous, Zoro." Chopper sighed as he took Ace's heated blade and mended the muscle and skin around the tube Luffy held. The blade was blistering hot and made Minette's flesh sizzle, but she didn't move or open her eyes. He handed Ace his dagger and moved on to taping her chest wound and securing the tube in place. "And hopefully, she won't."
"What? Why?"
Chopper found his stethoscope again and put it to her chest. As he listened, he said, "A person has to have quite a few painkillers for this procedure. It's invasive and unnerving. If she wakes up now, with the chest tube still in, it's gonna hurt. A lot." He unplugged the pieces from his ears and sighed, a small and tired smile pulling at his lips. "But her heart rate is slowing, air is flowing nicely, and that seems to be the last effects of the venom. Despite it all, she'll make a full recovery."
Luffy threw his hands up and cheered. "Yay! Mouse is okay!"
"She'll be alright?" Ace asked.
"Yup. I have no doubt that she'll be as good as new in a few days."
Ace sighed, smiling. "That's good." He stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Then, I must get going."
Luffy whined. "So soon?"
"I still have to find the criminal."
"And you're first mission with Mouse is over?" Zoro questioned.
Ace caught is glare. "They're never coming back." He turned to Luffy, his smile bright. "Oh, and keep this."
He threw Luffy a wad of paper. Luffy caught it and examined it. "It's just some paper."
"That scrap of paper will let us meet again." Ace turned serious. "Luffy, the next time we meet with be at the Pirate Summit. Come find me."
"Got it."
Ace turned, but hesitated. He gave Minette one last glance, then looked to Zoro. "I know he's slow, but thank you for keeping him on track thus far and... thank you for trusting me with her."
Zoro only nodded.
As Ace walked off, Chopper and Luffy waved as Zoro pulled the sleigh again. Chopper made sure that Minette's chest tube was safely tucked under her shirt and cloak so no sand got into the tube, and things were starting to look up as Minette's fever continued to drop.
Not too far into the night, the sky still lit with the afterglow of the sun, Chopper caught Nami's terrible perfume and pointed them in the correct direction. When they reached the rest of the group, the sand was pale blue from the full moon and stars.
"Hey!" Luffy called from a high sand dune, startling the others into attention. "We've got Mouse!"
Able to stand the cold, Chopper stood from the sleigh and transformed into his heavy point. He carried Minette down the dune along side Zoro and greeted everyone's smiling faces.
Before anyone could ask and grow worried, Chopper quickly informed everyone of Minette's stable condition. They were all concerned, of course, but they were content with the fact that she was healing properly and set up camp for the night.
When dinner was concluded and everyone retreated to their tents to nod off for the night, Chopper sat with Minette next to the fire, trying to burn off the last of her fever when Zoro appeared from his tent and sat beside him.
Zoro reached for Minette's hand under her thick blanket and said nothing.
Chopper looked to him but couldn't think of anything to say. The swordsman was obviously still worried about her and that's probably the reason why he wasn't sleeping. Despite traveling with her and seeing what miraculous power she holds, why does he still question her ability to stay alive?
Chopper lowered his gaze to their intertwined hands, though, Minette's fingers were lax in the gentle swordsman's. A thought came to him then, and he reached to remove the stethoscope resting around his neck. He handed it to Zoro. "Here."
Uncertain, Zoro took it. "What's this for?"
Ignoring his question, Chopper looked into the fire and smile. "You know, when I first met Mouse, she was so shocked that she was alive."
"Probably because she had been shot in the head."
"No," Chopper laughed. "I had given her a stethoscope and put it on her chest. She genuinely shocked me when she said: I'm alive. As if she hadn't known she already was."
Hesitantly, Zoro put the pieces into his ears and leaned in. He put the sensor to the young girl's chest and listened and listened and listened. He concentrated solely just on her heart beat and he found himself smiling at it's smooth rhythm.
Chopper lifted her into his arms, checked to make sure the tube wasn't disturbed, and sat next to him. He watched Zoro's face, how genuinely bright and happy and full of hope it was by just simply listening and holding Minette in his arms.
Chopper smiled, looking into the fire. "I don't think she believed in her own existence until that moment but now she has you and me and all the others to remind her to continue believing."
Zoro leaned back against the log and held Minette securely to his chest all the while keeping the sensor in place. Chopper leaned against his shoulder, staying awake to check on Minette's condition throughout the night as Zoro dozed off to the tune of her heart.
Leaving him to his own thoughts, Chopper thought about the Devil Fruit Minette had him keep in his medical bag. He promised he would keep its existence from the others so they can experiment with it latter, but what would be the emotional effects tied to Minette when they do? She told him what she wanted to gain from finding out how they did it, but… what if the reason why crushes her?
It's a sure mystery, but Chopper doesn't know if he wants to witness the end.