June was awoken by a throbbing in her head. Groaning, she moved to roll onto her other side then yelped when her right arm painfully protested at the sudden pressure. She sat up slowly, trying her best not to jostle her brain any more than necessary.
"Good morning, June-ya. How do you feel?" The smug voice of a familiar captain met her ears.
She turned her head and saw Law leaning against the door frame, smirking and shirtless; obviously finding her discomfort amusing. Rude.
"I feel like an elephant used my head as a trampoline. Why the hell do 'ya keep such a dangerous bottle on board? I only had a little more than a glass and it absolutely killed me." June tucked her head between her knees, silently begging for the room to stop spinning.
"Honestly, I haven't felt like I needed to do anything with it because so far everyone onboard had known to avoid that particular bottle. Also, I wouldn't throw away a gift, that'd be rude."
"Consider locking that one away, I'm pretty sure it was brewed by some sort of masochistic asshole that just wanted to watch the world suffer." She lifted her head slowly and fixed her bloodshot gaze on the smiling captain. "I think I'm dying, Law."
He pushed himself away from the door frame and walked to his dresser. "In my educated opinion, I think you'll be fine." He selected a shirt and pulled it over his head. June tried to look away from the dancing muscle of his shoulders and back but failed; at least she would die with a good view.
"Don't worry though, you're in good 'eaths' here." He turned around and somehow managed to widen his snide smirk. June caught a glimpse of a mouth watering set of abdominals as the Heart Captain adjusted his shirt.
Maybe it wouldn't be the hangover that kills her.
"Eaths…." June's eyes drifted to the ceiling as she began to remember her drunken buffoonery from last night; her face heated. "Ah. Seems like I should say sorry for wakin' you up and bein' obnoxious."
Law snickered lowly, "Apology accepted, though as punishment for being rude and singing off key, you get to help Blake by washing dishes today."
"Fair."
"Mind if I ask what that song you were singing was?"
"Did 'ya like my performance?" June picked her glasses up off the floor and squinted at the room as her vision sharpened. "Maybe I'll let 'ya listen to that song whenever 'ya let me have my phone back." She stood up from her spot on the couch and stumbled off to the side then caught herself on the wall. "I need to get down to the cafeteria and find something greasy 'ta shove in my face."
"I thought you said it was like a snail, but it can play music?"
June stumbled back over to the couch, knelt to the floor, and pulled her suitcase from underneath then unzipped the top. "It can do a lot of things. Well, probably not anymore 'cause it can't get a signal here, but I have some music on it that you can listen to." Selecting her clothing for the day, she closed the top and slid the suitcase back.
On the couch she saw her tarot deck, June grabbed her cards and opened the top of the box. Law watched her shuffle the deck then pull a card from the top and flip it over; she scoffed at the card. It depicted a picture of a young, carefree man on the edge of a cliff carrying a knapsack and followed by a small dog.
"Number Zero, The Fool." she looked over her shoulder to the captain, "That's a bit too on the nose for me." June replaced the card, flicked her deck with her middle finger three times, then placed the cards back in their home.
Law walked across the room and sat on his bed facing her. "I didn't ask you this before because I was in a rush, but do those cards help you see the future?"
"Nope." June pulled herself back onto the couch and placed her clothing and cards next to her. "Some people believe they can but I just use 'em to organize my thoughts and help set an objective for myself each day; I ain't Hawkins."
Law sighed and leaned back onto his hands. "Thank you again, June-ya, for another unsatisfying answer."
She smiled brightly then hissed at another throbbing wave of pain in her head. "Anytime, Law. I have plenty more where that one came from."
"I hope you know that as part of your punishment, I'm going to have you suffer through that hangover."
June grabbed her clothes and stumbled off towards the bathroom. "Guess I cashed in all those empathy points yesterday then."
"I don't give out painkillers for bad decisions, June-ya." He called out from behind her as she closed the bathroom door behind her.
That day, June complied with her punishment however she swore her fingers didn't unprune for three days after washing what could only be described as an ever growing, ever replenishing mountain of dishes.
Later that night in the shower, June realized she had accidentally chewed a sore into the inside of her lip for the first time in years.
5 Days Until the Execution
THE SIX OF PENTACLES
Giving and receiving. Generosity and gratitude, particularly pertaining to wealth and health.
June sat on the patient bed in Law's clinic once again, swinging her legs back and forth. Again.
She stared unseeing at the floor, watching her legs swing back and forth into her line of sight.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
Her chest felt tight.
Law nudged forward his rolling table covered in the same wound care supplies as before and took a seat to the right of June. "How's your arm today?"
"It's fine. It smarts a bit if I raise my arm too high but other than that, I'm good." She abducted her arm away from her body in example and winced, Law put his hand on her elbow and gently pushed the limb back down with a smirk.
"First, don't do that. Second, I'm going to have a look at it and change your bandages."
"Alright, doc, go for it." June turned slightly to give him more access to her arm.
Law put on a pair of gloves and reached for her arm, gently lifting it slightly away from her body then began unravelling the gauze that had been taped down and revealed another square of dirtied gauze underneath. June grimaced and frowned. "Gross, I forgot how leaky burns are."
He took off the square and threw it in a nearby trash can. Law leaned in closer to the wound, roving his eyes over it and inspected the healing tissue. "It looks good, I think if we keep up with the care then you'll be healed up relatively quickly." He looked up at her eyes, quirking the corner of his lip upwards. "You'll have a pretty interesting scar though."
"'Ya think it'll flesh out that 'bad girl' image I'm cultivating?"
"Don't count on it." He leaned over to the table and grabbed the bottle of fluid and a towel. "You've got too much of an open, wide-eyed cute look. Unfortunately, no one will be shaking in their boots at the sight of you anytime soon."
June blushed deeply, "Y-you think I'm cute?"
Law placed a towel underneath the wound and poured the fluid over the top of it then traded out the bottle for a gauze square he used to dab away the moisture. "I didn't say that. I said you look more cute than hard-boiled."
She huffed and pouted childishly then looked away from Law to hide her flush. "You're more rude than 'ya look and that's pretty impressive."
He chuckled as he took off his gloves then walked over to the sink to wash his hands. "Come back to me if you ever have a bounty and I'll reconsider my opinion."
"I'm gonna make 'ya eat your words, you and Ikkaku both. I can totally be badass and shit."
Law sat back down, having donned another pair of gloves and grabbed the jar holding the same ointment he had used two days ago. "The only foul thing about you is that mouth of yours, June-ya, just accept it."
"I can't tell if that's an insult or a compliment."
"Why not both?"
June looked down at the smirking doctor. "You're kinda the worst, 'ya know?"
"Thank you." He began applying the ointment, eliciting a happy sigh from the woman above him. Law paused briefly then cleared his throat before finishing his application.
"I think that's my favorite part, that stuff feels like magic."
He traded the jar with a piece of gauze and covered the wound then secured it down with tape before lightly wrapping it. "Done, I'll see it again in a couple of days. Let me know if you notice anything."
June grinned. "Thanks, doc. I really appreciate 'ya, feels great." she tapped his leg with her foot. "Even if you're kinda the worst."
Law grunted in reply then stood up from his chair to wash his hands, his cheeks seemed a bit pink.
4 Days Until the Execution
THE THREE OF CUPS
Friendship and comradery. Encourages a gathering of one's closest friends.
The rec room was alive with the sound of raucous laughter and music. June sat alone on a barstool, watching the Heart Pirates sing, dance, and enjoy each other's company. Even Law, who was currently sitting on the couch she had made 'Bad Decisions' on, looked to be enjoying himself; the curl of his lips looked closer to a genuine smile than his usual smirk. The Heart Captain was currently engaged in a rather intense poker game with Penguin and Shachi and if the amount of chips in front of each person was anything to go by, Penguin appeared to be doing fairly well, Shachi was suffering.
And Law was making off like a thief.
June sipped her drink, choosing the way of ale rather than hard liquor this time around. She had cultivated a comfortable buzz, good enough to loosen her tensed muscles and quiet the ever growing feeling of vague dread within her.
She heard the thump of multiple glass mugs on the bar behind her. Swiveling around in her stool, she saw three men standing on the other side of the counter staring intently at her.
June decided to break the ice. "Uh, howdy?"
The man with a black pompadour spoke first, "Nice to meet you, I'm Locke this is Uni," he pointed to his left at a rather tall man with dark, bushy hair wearing a gray bandanna that covered the entirety of the bottom half of his face. "and Clione." Locke gestured to his right at a man with an odd shaped black beanie with a tail covering the majority of a head of brunette hair.
"We had a question for you." Clione spoke.
"An inquiry." Uni quietly expounded.
"A point of discussion if you will." Locke leaned forward towards June as he spoke.
"Go for it, what's up?" June sipped on her drink.
Clione cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered none too quietly across the bar at her. "Is it true that Captain has a rock collection?"
June held in a cackle and looked back at Law on the other side of the room, she figured having some harmless fun at his expense wouldn't be the worst thing she could do. She turned back around and leaned over the bar onto her elbows towards the trio, balancing atop her knees on the stool underneath her.
She whispered conspiratorially, "He does! He draws faces on his favorite ones and uses them as paperweights too, it's actually a pretty adorable collection."
Locke, Clione, and Uni leaned closer towards her in rapt attention at her words. "Is there anything else?" Locke whispered excitedly.
"He really likes cute things; his favorite pen is this one with a tiny bear head on it." June was actually pretty sure this was true.
The three men looked like June had just given them a precious gift.
Locke, Clione, and Uni all put a hand on top of her head. Clione spoke, "You're a good one, June. We'll be in contact in the future."
Uni ruffled her curls.
June nodded slowly, "Sure, alright. You're welcome, I guess."
After that cryptic exchange, they removed their hands from her head.
"So, tell us about yourself June. You're quite the hot topic on the sub right now." Locke smirked and placed his chin in his hand.
She thumbed the handle of her mug nervously and sat back into her seat. "Well, uh, sure. What do 'ya wanna know?"
The other two men mimicked Locke's pose, which looked rather uncomfortable for someone as tall as Uni. They began a rapid fire series of questions at her, causing June to dizzy herself having her eyes bounce between each person.
"Where are you from?"
"What's your favorite color of seaweed? Mine is teal, personally."
"Can you really tell the future?"
"How old are you?"
"What kind of accent is that?"
"Do you prefer long walks on the beach or relaxing picnics in the forest?"
"What number am I thinking of?"
"Would you dance with me?"
June laughed loudly and heartily; she wiped a tear from her eye and smiled at the trio. "Y'all three are a riot." She turned in her seat to Clione, "I see the future, I can't read your mind. Also, are 'ya jealous that your accent ain't as cool?"
Working her way down the line, she looked at Locke, "I'm from the South Blue, I'm twenty-four."
June ended on Uni with an impish smile. "I haven't seen a lot of seaweed so I don't have a favorite color yet but teal sounds pretty. I'm actually more of a beer under the stars kinda girl but maybe a long walk in the forest would be nice."
She extended her hand towards Uni who seemed to be smiling with his eyes. "Also, I'd love to dance."
Uni grasped her hand and led June towards the middle of the room, from behind them she heard Clione and Locke whistle and tease.
Despite the height difference, Uni was graceful and light on his feet as he danced June around the room. She couldn't see his entire face but his eyes were incredibly expressive and she could see the joy in his gaze. As she was dipped towards the floor, she whooped in delight and smiled a too wide grin at the upside down couch where Shachi, Penguin, and Law sat.
Shachi and Penguin were frowning and booing at Uni who simply shot the duo a thumbs-up; Law seemed bored. June's vision righted itself as Uni stood her upright again, the blood that had rushed to her head caused a feeling of giddy dizziness within her and her cheeks to flush.
Uni slowed their movements to a gentle sway near the aforementioned couch, June leaned around her dancing partner to look at the captain. "You want in on this next, Law?"
"I don't dance, June-ya."
"That's a shame, Uni's a great partner." She looked up at Uni and winked. "He's able to work around my two left feet."
Law smirked and gestured rudely at June with a single tattooed finger; she laughed and returned the sentiment.
Uni, Locke, and Clione spent the rest of the night asking June questions. Locke and Clione may have also stolen a few dances from her though neither were as skilled as Uni and she told them such. Uni smugly performed unnecessary spins and leaps when picking up objects or walking from one point of the room to another after the compliment.
The trio had also introduced her to the rest of the crew. She noticed that most of the Heart Pirates were wary of her, understandably so, but weren't outright rude. And despite the budding companionship she had begun to cultivate with a handful of the pirates, in the depths of June's heart she still felt numb.
3 Days Until the Execution
THE FIVE OF SWORDS
Conflict or disagreement with others.
June felt off.
It had been a gradual thing that had insidiously crept up on her. It had everything to do with the fact that she had yet to be able to completely process everything that had happened to her. This made sense, she had pushed everything deep, deep down into the most hidden pits of herself, promising that she would process everything when she was alone or events lulled.
But the thing was, it was impossible to be alone on this submarine. She was in such close quarters with the Heart Pirates that June was unable to find a room, corner, or empty box to cry it out or just think. Also, she felt like she needed to put up a front. June couldn't vent aloud that she felt lost in this world, that everything was unfamiliar and frightening. To take some of the edge off for the past few days, June had silently cried in the shower every night before bed, washing her grief and fear down the drain before putting on her pajamas and allowing Bepo to chain her wrist to the couch.
She felt empty, detached.
So very numb.
"Oh come on , June. You're just trying to fuck with me at this point." Shachi's exasperated tone carried across the table to her.
June sighed and put her fork down onto her plate. "Look, I warned 'ya Shachi. I enjoy sweet things as much as the next person but to eat a bunch'a sugar immediately after I wake up in the morning? The idea just makes my stomach hurt."
"But salsa? On some pain perdu? That doesn't hurt you in the morning?"
She took another bite, "Not in a way I don't wanna be."
June was pretty sure she got a quiet chuckle out of the captain next to her for that one.
Penguin chimed in, "Shachi, I don't understand why you make it your business every morning. Let the woman eat in peace."
June snickered and chewed her food. "Yeah, Shachi. Just enjoy your basic, bitch breakfast and let me eat my elevated, superior French toast."
"June, you're not helping." Bepo interjected.
Shachi slapped the table with both hands and pushed himself up, leaning over until his face was inches from June's, grinning. "Those are fighting words, you wanna piece of me then?"
"Sit your ass down Shachi, you can't just-" Penguin was interrupted by June who put her hand up. She met Shachi's gaze through his shades with a smile, "Only if I get to choose the competition, big boy."
This is what she needed, something to distract her and ease her frayed nerves.
His grin turned into a sinister smirk. "You're on, meet me in the training room after breakfast. Loser has to do The Line."
"The Line?"
Bepo leaned over the table, looking between the two. "It's the classic loser's punishment on the sub. The crew members stand in a line and the loser walks down it and gets spanked by everyone."
"Cool, fine. Now listen to your smarter half and sit your ass back down. I'm tryn'a enjoy my breakfast." June planted her hand in the middle of Shachi's forehead and pushed him back to his side of the table. She turned to Law who seemed wholly uninterested and reading the paper. "You're fine with me embarrassing your crewmate, Law?"
"I literally could not care any less than I do now about what you two idiots do in your free time." he responded monotonously then sipped his coffee.
"I'm gonna start a betting pool." Bepo stood up and walked to one of the neighboring tables. "Hey! Shachi and June are fighting after breakfast, loser does The Line! Place your bets!"
June took another bite of her breakfast and watched as the Heart Pirates all crowded around Bepo, offering up chores, items, and money as bets. She sighed happily as the pastry melted in her mouth, the spicy feeling of salsa perfectly complementing the savory and slightly sweet flavor.
After breakfast, June found herself standing barefoot across from Shachi on a training mat. The entirety of the Heart Pirates surrounded them, excitedly speculating on who the winner of whatever event was about to be announced.
Shachi rolled up his sleeves and smirked. "Ok June, what are we doing?"
"Leg wrestlin'."
"What the hell is leg wrestling?"
"C'mere. It'll be easier to show you if I just walk you through it." June walked to the center of the mat and sat down. "Sit next to me but face that wall." she pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.
Shachi sat down next to her and rolled his pant legs up to his knees.
"Alright, now we're gonna lay down and hook arms."
"I thought we were using our legs."
"That's later, genius, lay down first."
They both laid down on their backs, heads pointed towards opposite sides of the room and linked their right arms together.
"A'ight, now lift your right leg and I'll count up to three. We'll tap our heels on the ground for each number and when I say 'go', we link legs at the ankle and try to flip the other person backward by pushing their leg away." June tilted her head to get a better view of Shachi. "Think 'ya got it?"
"Sounds easy as hell. I'm gonna flip you so fast your damn back will break."
June shrugged and began the count.
"One." Tap. June briefly thought about how she was glad she had chosen to wear shorts today.
"Two." Tap. She glanced off to the side and took in the crowd of pirates cheering and jeering at the two of them. She wondered how many bets had gotten placed on her and Shachi today.
"Three." Tap. Her eyes landed on Law who looked mildly interested in the competition, his eyes watching their legs move up and down. He met her gaze and raised an eyebrow, June winked.
"Go."
The sound of skin slapping together rang out into the room and in under a second, Shachi had found himself with his knees over his head and shouting out an expletive.
"Match." June sat up and nudged Shachi's hip with her knee causing him to tumble over to the side in an ungraceful heap. She heard a fraction of the crowd cheer and the rest cry out in dismay and disbelief.
Shachi scrambled up into a sitting position. "What the fuck was that?!"
"That was me embarrassing you in front of your whole crew."
"Rematch! Best two out of three!" he laid back down into position, glaring at the ceiling.
June laid down next to him and decided to antagonize the man, "Oh Shachi, I didn't realize 'ya liked to get spanked in front of your friends. You wanna count too this time?"
He growled out a count while she laughed.
This time he lasted a fraction of a second longer but ultimately the result was the same:
Crotch to face. Ass in air. Defeat.
June stood up and watched the pirate crew around her trade their losses and wins. Bepo approached her on the mat and high-fived her. "Good job, June. I won a couple thousand belli off you."
From the floor Shachi sounded off. "Wow, Bepo, where's your sense of loyalty?"
"When it comes to money, there is no loyalty." Bepo smiled at the pouting man on the floor.
Penguin stormed onto the mat and kicked Schachi over. "You cost me my beer money, you ass! How could you get beat by that twig over there?"
"Hey, don't blame me! She's got hidden cannons for legs or something!" Shachi guarded his head from the incoming kicks.
While June watched Shachi take an absolute beating, she had not realized that Law had crept up behind her. "Nice job, June-ya."
She yelped and spun quickly to face the captain. "Fuck, Law! I gotta find a bell to put on 'ya so you stop scarin' my ghost outta me."
He looked pleased, "I wanted to thank you. Because of your win, Uni, Clione, and Locke are going to clean the outside of the sub next time we dock."
From behind her, she heard Shachi yell out, "Even the captain?! You're all traitors, every single one of you! There's absolutely no loyalty on this ship!"
"Congrats on your win Law, glad to help." June forced a smile and Law's eyes narrowed.
Something seemed off about June.
2 Days Until the Execution
THE SIX OF CUPS
Nostalgia and longing for a familiar and happy past.
June stood in front of the clothes washer, watching as her dirty clothing spun around in circles in a wet, soapy pile. She controlled the speed of the spin, when she noticed the machine losing momentum she would firmly step on the pedal beneath her foot to speed it up again.
She stood alone in the washroom at the end of the hall on the third floor, doing her laundry and crying silently. June was pretty sure she had never in her life cried as often as she had within the past week; and she had been through nursing school.
It had hit her suddenly. She had been doing her laundry, perfectly normal and fine, then she had thought about how in a couple of days if Law decided to go to Marineford she would probably be expected to assist in Luffy's treatment. That led to some panic, this was definitely a skill set she didn't have, which led to her thinking about what experience she did have, which led to her thinking about her job, which led her to the last time she worked.
Which led her to Ann and Miranda.
June didn't have a lot in her life, but she had them. They were her family.
Anytime she had a rough day, a worry, or just plain didn't want to be alone, they were always within reach. Lately, June had had nothing but rough, worrisome days and felt like there was no one she could lean on. Of course she had made friends with a few of the Heart Pirates but an overwhelming portion of them still were leery of her, which was understandable, she was a prisoner after all. Even the captain, who June was able to get along fairly well with, was still ultimately her captor and she, his prisoner. None of the pirates were outright rude, they were all good people, but none of them were her family.
None of them were Ann and Miranda who would never know what happened to June.
She sobbed quietly and pressed the pedal down again, June hoped the whirring of the machine in front of her dampened the noise of her crying.
The door behind her opened and June heard footsteps walk into the room. She quickly composed herself, glanced over her shoulder, then back at the washer. It was Tsu, one of the engineers that she had met a couple days previous during the party in the rec room. He was quiet, wore a paperboy hat that covered his eyes, and styled his long brown hair in twin braids that laid over his shoulders.
June cleared her throat, hoping her voice wouldn't sound too waterlogged. "Hey, Tsu. I'm 'bout done here if you're able to wait a few minutes."
"That's, uh, fine June." She could hear him walking to the side of the small room and set a basket on the table along the wall. "Are you, uh, alright?"
June turned her head slightly to the opposite side of the room and wiped at her face as discreetly as possible. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just bored, I hate doin' laundry."
"Uh, you sure? You look like you're upset."
Well, it was no use hiding her face anymore. She turned her head to look at Tsu and smiled, "I just really hate laundry."
Tsu nodded and crossed his arms across his chest. "Must be rough."
"What is?"
"Uh, all of it? Being uprooted and taken prisoner aboard a pirate ship. Even if you are pretty suspicious and the way you came aboard was, uh, questionable, I could see why you would be stressed."
June pressed the pedal down again, "Well, I won't make any excuses. I am pretty suspicious, I don't mean to be though."
"That's not really for you to, uh, decide though."
June sighed, "You're right." she leaned down to open the top of the machine and began wringing out the excess water from her clothing.
"So what are you gonna do about it then?"
She paused and looked up at Tsu who seemed to be watching her intently. June sniffled then gave him a wobbly grin, "Guess I'll just hav'ta win ya'll over by proving myself."
Tsu smirked then hummed an affirmative. "You know, I heard what you did on the way back from the auction house. You had every chance to run away, uh, not that the captain wouldn't have been able to track you down after." He watched June continue to squeeze out the water from her clothing. "Seems like he, uh, trusted you enough to set up an attack for him."
"Either that or he was desperate." June separated her underwear from the rest of her clothes, throwing them into her basket to take upstairs to dry. The image of Law falling into an attack towards the Pacifista played in her mind's eye. He had looked so strong and focused, it was an amazing sight to have seen. "Maybe that isn't it. Law doesn't seem like one to get desperate in a situation like that." She stood up and walked over to the other side of the room where lines of string spread out like a web for people to hang their laundry on.
"You're right, he doesn't." Tsu sounded so sure, the amount of trust June had seen shared between all of these crew members was striking. She thought about Miranda and Ann again, her heart ached. "I guess what I want to say is, uh, we're all watching you. Maybe one day you'll be less of a prisoner and more of a, uh…" He seemed stuck trying to find the right word.
June paused in hanging up a pair of shorts on a clothesline and looked at Tsu. "I don't ever expect to be a crew member or anything but if I could at least be a friend, that'd be nice."
"Maybe one day."
"Maybe one day." June echoed. She pinned a shirt to the line with a clothespin.
The Day Before the Execution
THE THREE OF WANDS
A sign of progress. A plan in place.
June awoke to the sound of her cuffs landing in the wooden drawer next to Law's bed. She slowly opened her eyes and watched the captain withdraw his 'room' then move over to the dresser to pick out a shirt.
They had developed a sort of routine over the past week. Law would wake up before her, grab some pants, and do whatever he did in the bathroom before coming back out and removing June's cuffs. He would then pick out a shirt and they would banter and tease each other while June picked out her own clothing and pulled a tarot card for the day. Afterwards, she would do her morning rituals in the bathroom and they would both head down to breakfast together.
Easy. Predictable.
Comfortable.
June readjusted the blankets. "Good morning."
Law slowly turned around while pulling down his shirt, June silently said good morning to his abs; his deep voice interrupted her salutations. "You're usually more chatty."
She yawned then closed her eyes and hugged deeper into her pillow. "Sorry, I'm not really feeling it today."
"Not getting enough sleep or something?" He moved around to sit on his bed close to her.
June peeked open one eye. "I mean, would you? Going from sleeping on a nice comfy bed to a moderately lumpy couch with a bracelet attachment?"
"I suppose you're right." Law grabbed his hat off the bed and stood to move towards the door. "I'll come get you after breakfast then. I'll be going over a tentative plan with the crew however, since you already know the finer details of what's happening tomorrow, I'm ok with you missing it. When I get back up here thoughI want to take you to the operating room and get your report."
"My report?"
He looked over his shoulder in the doorway. "If we get a patient tomorrow, I'll need a report."
And with that, he was gone and with him any chance June had for a good mood. She groaned and buried her face back into the pillow, working to block out the sudden wave of dread and anxiety that Law placed upon her with that request. She tried focusing on her breathing, emptying her mind; June rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
How was she going to manage this tomorrow? If Law did decide to go to Marineford, she was literally going to be put in the middle of a warzone. She also thought about her advice to Luffy, what if it wasn't enough? Also, they were about to head into time skip territory. June only had the vaguest clue about what the Heart Pirates got up to during that time.
She groaned louder and buried the heels of her hands into her eyes in frustration; June really needed to make a list of the arcs, maybe throw some theories in there. Anything to get her thoughts sorted. June put her hands by her sides again and stared back at the ceiling.
This wasn't going to work.
June pitifully rolled her body off the couch and landed on the floor with a dull 'thump'. She felt exhausted, emotionally and physically. All she wanted to do was get a good nap in but now she was having an impossible time getting comfortable on the couch. She rocked herself up into a standing position and began pacing the room, she felt an extreme need to move.
After a few minutes of working the feeling of restlessness from her legs, June walked to the wall next to Law's bedside table and leaned her forehead against the vertical surface. Now she was just tired, but the couch seemed so very unappealing. June thought it was a shame that there wasn't a bed that she could sleep in.
Except.
Her eyes slid over to Law's very attractive bed.
June was underneath the blankets before her brain even had a chance to think of every reason why she shouldn't do this.
She outright moaned in relief, it was the best and most comfortable thing she had ever felt. Fears and anxieties forgotten, June hugged into one of Law's pillows and the comforting scent of sandalwood enveloped her as her eyelids slid closed and she drifted off to sleep.
"June-ya?"
She awoke but elected to keep her eyes closed; maybe he would go away if June ignored him.
A hand gently shook her shoulder.
"June-ya, I think you got lost on the way back from the bathroom."
She groaned and opened her eyelids, Law was currently knelt down on the ground next to the bed making him about eye level with her. He looked highly amused. "You seem to have mistaken my bed for your couch."
June yawned widely and curled deeper into Law's sheets. "I'm not sorry, that was the best nap I've ever had in my life."
"Well, I hope you're feeling more rested; it's time to go to the theatre and get your report."
She whined pitifully and buried her face deeper into Law's pillow, the smell of sandalwood beckoned her unconsciousness. "You're the worst and I hate you."
Law chuckled, she could hear him walking towards the exit. "I'll see you in a minute, June-ya."
About fifteen minutes later, June stood pouting with her arms crossed in front of the Heart Captain who was currently sitting in a rolling chair smirking at her.
"Okay June-ya, if we go to Marineford tomorrow and pick up Straw Hat-ya I want to know what we are dealing with. Also, I want to know what your recommendations would be."
June's eyes narrowed, her frown deepened. "Is this a test to see how much I know?"
His smirk widened as he leaned an elbow on the table next to him. "Yes, I want to see how useful you are."
She felt a thrill of irritation and frustration shock her heart. "I'm a psychiatric nurse. Anything I have to say about surgery, wounds, and burns is gonna be really fucking basic, Law."
"Humor me."
June sighed and rolled her eyes to the ceiling; she thought for a moment before speaking, "I need a pen and paper."
Law pulled the items out of a drawer in the desk and placed the paper on the surface then held the pen out to June. She then walked over and slapped one of her hands on the desk in irritation and snatch the pen from his hand. The Heart Captain chuckled as he watched June draw a bulbous, featureless picture of a person, circle the chest, and write out a formula; he listened closely as she began to mutter to herself.
"How much does he weigh...He's only a few inches taller than me, shorter than Law, maybe about 5'7? If he's average weight for his height and gender then maybe about 140 pounds?" June paused and worked out an equation on the paper before continuing her mumbling. "63.5 kilograms. I don't think there'll be time to weigh him…" She looked up at Law who was currently staring at her in interest. "Hey, does your surgical table over there have a scale built into it?"
He looked to the center of the room at the table then back to June, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "No? Do you have those where you're from? I've only ever seen standing scales."
June nodded and disregarded his question to work through an equation on her paper. "Do you have IV pumps here or is everything done by gravity?"
"What's an IV pump?"
She frowned deeply and wrote out another equation. "Law, I just want 'ya to know that you're makin' me flex nursing muscles that I haven't used since school." June paused and a brief thrill of nervousness passed through her. "Wait, can I see what you use for peripheral IVs?"
Law stood up and walked across the room to a cabinet with various supplies filling the drawers, he plucked out a couple of boxes and came back to the table, placing the items atop it. June shakily opened the box and saw within it all the items required to start an IV. She picked up the needle and sighed with relief; it was a bit old-fashioned in its design but she was happy to see a plastic cannula covering the needle. The fear of having to use a full-metal, reusable needle left her.
"Are you ready?"
June sighed again, this time in exhaustion. She put back the needle, making a note to herself to become familiar with it later then picked up the paper she had been scribbling upon.
"Luffy has no significant prior medical or surgical history that I'm aware of. He will have suffered a full-thickness burn to the center of his chest, or approximately nine to ten percent of his body. There are no other significant injuries that I'm aware of aside from cuts and bruises although it should be noted that he has received two of Ivankoff's super doses and was near death in Impel Down so his body has been pushed entirely beyond its limits and despite his insane regenerative abilities he will probably struggle. It should also be noted that because of his Devil Fruit Abilities, his skin, organs, and bones stretch so that should make your job easier."
Law held up his hand for June to pause. "What are 'super doses'?"
"Think of it like super adrenaline. It basically tricks your body into ignoring its exhaustion and gives 'ya a power boost."
"Alright, continue."
"Depending on what happens at Marineford, he may be in a near catatonic state when we grab him. As soon as we bring him down, we will need to start two large bore needles; his arms should be fine so we can go in through the basilic so the lines don't potentially get kinked. We need to start him on a crystalloid fluid, I don't know what you have available. 2,520 milliliters within the first eight hours or 315 milliliters an hour which would mean about 79 drops per minute because we use gravity here, apparently. Give him another 2,520 over the following sixteen hours but we gotta monitor him for fluid overload or whether we aren't giving him enough."
June bit her lip and looked up from her paper nervously at Law who was currently wearing a neutral face.
"Go on, June-ya."
"I don't think there will be any inhalation injury but we should still assess for that. I'm unsure how far your ability enhances your surgical skill or what would even go into excising the wound so that'll be more for you to figure out but I'm guessing there may be at least a couple of surgeries from Marineford to Amazon Lily. We will have to put him on cardiac monitoring, respiratory support, and monitor his vitals constantly. I'm hoping we won't have to start a vasopressor…" She trailed off and bit her lip again; that was it, that was all she could remember about burn management.
Law smiled. "Wow, June-ya. That was actually a lot more than I thought you would know. If we go tomorrow, you're going to be my assistant for this."
She choked on her own spit and coughed harshly, June had expected this but it was still an unpleasant surprise. "E-excuse me? Wouldn't someone else on the crew be a better fit for this?"
"There is no one else. There are a couple of people who know how to read a vital sign machine so they can let me know if a patient needs my attention and I can tell them signs and symptoms to look for but there's no one who can actually assist me in care."
June groaned and covered her face with her hands, pushing her glasses onto her forehead. "I hate this. I've never been in an operating room before; I've never wanted to be!"
Law stood up and walked to the other side of the room where all his equipment and medications were stored. "Well, this was your idea, June-ya. You've got to follow through with it if I decide to pick Straw Hat-ya up." Law turned around and crooked a finger beckoningly at her once he reached the cabinets lining the wall. "Besides, prisoners don't really get a say in what their pirate captors tell them to do. Now come over here and I'll give you a tour and a run down of what my expectations of you will be."
She sighed and pushed the feelings of dread and frustration deep into the back of her mind as she walked over to join Law. They spent the following few hours in that room, discussing different equipment and June's skill set. Law set a tentative care plan in place and explained what his expectations of her would be as his assistant. June ended the day sitting alone at Law's desk in his office practicing using the unfamiliar IV start set on a scallion she had stolen from the kitchen.
It was difficult to maneuver the needle with her shaking hands and clouded, tear-filled vision.