Chapter Ten: Green Eggs without the Ham
Kell sat in his office, staring at the file on his desk. He hadn't opened it. This wasn't a normal file like all the others that belonged to patients. This one didn't have a name printed neatly on the front of it. On the inside were not medical charts or a medical history. You wouldn't be able to find a list of immunizations in this file.
No, this was Roroana Zoro's file. It was different. There would be pictures, and sketches, and letters, little things of significance. Not a single thing relating to his past, present, or possible future medical condition. Kell hadn't opened it for exactly a year and nine months. There was a period after Zoro left where Kell thought he'd come back. He'd sit at his desk and look through it everyday for hours, until Cathy came looking for him insisting he do his job and stop "moping". He had a hospital to run. Of course this ritual began only after he had stopped making attempts to sneak out in the night and try to hitch a ride on a boat to find the other man. Cathy caught him every time. It was times like those when Kell wondered why he'd hired the woman. He knew now that without her, his life would be a wreck.
He closed his eyes and silently thanked Cathy for her persistence and booby trapping skills.
He opened his eyes and looked at the file again.
//You had every right to leave. Even today I won't admit to you that I know you knew. I used you. I was surprised it took you as long as it did. But that just means you really trusted me. You may have even loved me. I know I loved you. I didn't mean for it to turn out like that. I didn't even mind when you were ruining my business. I wasn't planning this.
Only when...
Only when I saw how much business improved, and how much more I could do for my staff and the people of this town did I decide to do it. Two thousand new jobs Zoro. Two thousand. I could do that for people. This town may seem fine now, and you were never here long enough to realize it, but when you came along this town was suffering. Two thousand jobs was only a fraction of what I could do for this town and its people. Pirates were customers who I could count on to pay. If I knew they would pay, I could guarantee my staff a decent wage. I wasn't doing it to fill my own pocket...
Noble as my cause may have been, I used you. I never wanted to, and I hated myself more and more everyday. But I couldn't bear to ask you to leave. Firstly, you wouldn't have done it, and secondly, I didn't want you out of my sight. I loved you. I needed you. I lived in fear everyday that you'd find out. My worst nightmare came true, and I didn't even get a chance to explain it to you.
I still haven't. I can't. I try, but the words won't come
out. Zoro...I still love you. I nearly died when you came through
that door in his arms. I know my heart stopped. You've changed so
much. That scar...Would you still have it if you had stayed with
me?//
"Dr.
Jax...oh good Lord, not that file again. Now you listen to me young
man, we've got five patients waiting for a kidney transplant, and
we've only got three kidneys! This is not the time to be moping over
that swordsman. Now come down to the first floor and I'll make you a
nice cup of tea while you sort this out with the Donor Hospital from
Gunken Island."
Kell looked at Cathy. The look on her face was one of those, "Better-take- the-chance-now-while-I'm-still-nonviolent" looks. Kell sighed and smiled and tucked the file into his drawer.
"You're right Cathy. Let me find their charts and I'll be down. You are talking about the Hooting Owl crew right?"
"Whoever in this good world would call themselves the "Hooting Owl" crew is beyond me. Might as well slap a tattoo on your forehead that says "Idiot"." Cathy said shaking her head and "tsking" as she left.
Zoro once again awoke in the comfortable bed and, again, the ceiling fan was there to greet him.
"You've got to stop passing out Zoro. It can't be good for you." Came Nami's voice. He felt a warm wash cloth being pressed to his head.
"Where's Sanji?" He said sitting up.
Nami smiled. "He's down in the kitchen. Apparently the cooking staff was very excited about having Zeff's prodigy in their hospital. They insisted he come down and cook breakfast for the hospital staff and some of the patients."
"Ah..."
"He didn't really want to go, but I forced him to leave your side for the morning. I think he needs a bit of a break." She said as she dipped the wash cloth into a bowl and rung it out.
"...I...need to talk to Kell. Do you know where he is?"
"No. I saw him once this morning. He seemed pretty busy. The hospital is pretty full right now. Oh! Guess who's here!"
"Who?"
"Shanks! His crew just showed up this morning! Remember how I said they were pretty well known around here? There's this big party going on down at one of the taverns to celebrate their coming here. Luffy and Usopp are down there right now actually. You should have seen Luffy, he was ecstatic! And as soon as Usopp heard his dad was here...are you even listening?"
"Ah."
Nami frowned. "Jeez, I thought you'd be more excited!"
"I am...I just..." Zoro squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm tired. And I really need to talk to Kell. And I don't want anymore reasons to stay here any longer, and Shanks' crew popping up outta nowhere is probably going to make Luffy want to stay for a while. At least as long as they stay. And God only knows how long that will be."
Nami nodded, understanding. "I doubt they'll be staying long. They said they were in the middle of something, but they wouldn't say anything about it. They only came by to re-stock on supplies."
Zoro sighed. "I need to find Kell." He started to get up.
"Are you sure you're well enough? Why don't you wait until later? When things have calmed down a bit around here-"
"I'll be fine. I'm hungry. I'm gonna go down to the cafeteria and see what Sanji's cooked up."
"Okay. I'm going to the tavern, I'll be back sometime this afternoon." Nami followed Zoro down the stairs and to the entrance of the hospital. She said goodbye as he turned around to head to the cafeteria.
//I
haven't been down here yet. God it's changed. It looks like a
hotel...a really expensive one.//
Zoro
admired the paintings and fancy furniture as he made his way back to
the cafeteria. When he ended up instead at the O.R., he got
confused.
//This is
the way I took last night...wasn't it?//
"Cafeteria's
not there anymore hun. We moved it towards the back of the hospital
so we could put it near the garden. Right lovely garden we have now."
Zoro smiled. He turned around and saw Cathy standing behind him with
a clip board. Everything about her was the same. Same outfit, same
plumpness, same rosy cheeks, same kind eyes.
"Cathy-"
"Right mess you are. What are you doing out of bed? I've got specific orders that you're not to leave your room young man!"
He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I got hungry and the cafeteria's disappeared. But...this must have been the way I took last night..."
Cathy smiled. "Not likely m'dear. There's two kitchens now. There's the staff kitchen, and the patient cafeteria. My guess is you were in the staff kitchen last night. Small, cosy little place? Looks just like a normal kitchen?"
Zoro nodded.
"Aye, that's the staff one. If you're looking for that crazy young cook, he's in the patient cafeteria. I'll take you there, even if it is against Dr. Jax's orders. You look simply starved to the bone. No meat on you at all. What have you been eating on that ship anyway? You all look too skinny if you ask me. Even the cook! And a skinny cook is bad luck."
Zoro just smiled as he followed Cathy to the cafeteria and listened to her complaints and disapprovals. "And that young girl, barely got any clothes on her at all! And a tattoo! And that stretchy boy, eating all the time but ever gainin nothin'. Right unnatural if you ask me. Strange fellow that one with the nose. Always tinkerin with things. And that skinny cook, always lookin after ya. Almost like you were a treasure or something. Strange folk yer travelin with young man. I hope you stay out of trouble. Though probably not, judging by that scar on your chest. Ah, here we are! Since you're a patient I can't allow you back into the kitchen, but you just sit there and I'll go get your friend-"
And she was off, through a pair of double doors and into the kitchen. Zoro immediately smelled Sanji's cooking. Eggs. His stomach started to complain at its emptiness. He surveyed the cafeteria. It was huge. It looked much like a nice restaurant. Several patients in their nightgowns and wheelchairs were sitting at tables and chatting animatedly to other patients or visitors. One side of the cafeteria had an entire glass wall. Through it you could see a beautiful walk through garden with statues and tall flowers. In the middle of the wall was a door through which you could get to the garden.
//Well at
least he put some of that money to good use. I feel right at home in
this place. Things don't feel so...sterile-//
"Nice
isn't it? Must've cost quite a bit."
Sanji was standing beside his chair admiring the garden. "Zeff woulda loved to see this. The chefs are superb. It's a lot like Baratie's back there. They were impressed by what I had to show 'em though. That Cathy sure is a character. Keeps complaining about how skinny I am." He sat down across from Zoro. "Feeling better?"
"Tired. No more symptoms from what I can tell. At least, I haven't had a headache or a fit of nausea yet. And I'm hungry."
Sanji smiled. "Figured as much. I'm having something brought out for you."
"Thanks."
"Did Nami tell you that Shanks is here?"
"Yeah. Look...I'm going to talk to Kell, as soon as I can find him. I realized that when I left, I never gave him a chance to explain-"
"Are you saying there's a possibility that there was a good reason for why he used you?"
"No I'm just saying I never-"
"And this is the kind of man you said would keep medicine from you to keep you here?"
"I'm talking to him. I need to. Besides, it shouldn't matter to you anyway."
//But
it does jackass...I don't know why...but it does. I don't want him to
hurt you anymore... I'm really afraid that... yhat he MIGHT have had
a good reason...What if you accept it? And stay here?//
"Zoro,
what happens if he did by some chance have a good reason? Not that I
believe there is ever a good reason to use someone, but what if he
did have a good, unselfish, saintly reason? What then? Happily ever
after? What do you do then?"
"How the hell should I know! And why do you care anyway? I never asked you to get involved in my personal life." Zoro snapped.
"Well maybe if you'd stop dragging your dirty laundry everywhere." Sanji matched Zoro's glare. He took a deep breath. "I'm not trying to get involved. And you're right. It's none of my damn business. But it's not like I was the one who waltzed in here to announce that I was going to talk to my ex."
Zoro stared deadpan at the man across from him. "Alright, I'm sorry."
Sanji rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette.
"WHAT IN THE BLUE HELL ARE YOU DOING YOU HOOLIGAN! YOU CAN'T SMOKE IN A HOSPITAL!" Cathy came out of nowhere behind Sanji and whacked him upside the head with a hospital chart.
"Shit! Jeez all you had to do was tell me to put it ou-"
"I'll take no lip from you young man! Being around Zoro for so long I would have thought you'd know what respect is! Now, if I even so much as think that you're going to light up in here again I'll throw you out!" Cathy turned on her heels and walked briskly out of the cafeteria. Several of the patients pointed and sniggered at Sanji, who was grinding his cigarette violently onto the top of the table.
"My God Zoro, how did you deal with that woman?" He said angrily.
Zoro grinned. "Well, I never smoked, so I never got on her bad side."
A young waiter came by and set down a plate heaped with eggs and some sort of green sauce and a glass of water. He smiled and nodded at Sanji then left.
Zoro looked wearily at the green sauce that was dripping on his eggs. He picked up his fork and poked the oozing mass.
Sanji sighed. "Have I ever steered you wrong before? Eat it or throw it away but please don't play with your food. Leastways not in front of me."
Zoro pouted and scooped the goop onto his fork. He took a deep breath and shoved it in his mouth. Sanji looked at Zoro eagerly as he chewed and swallowed.
Zoro looked at Sanji and picked up his glass of water. He took a drink, still looking at Sanji. He picked up his napkin and dabbed at his mouth, still not taking his eyes off Sanji.
"Well?" Sanji blurted out.
Zoro looked at his plate and picked up his fork. He scooped more of the eggs onto his fork.
"Ketchup."
"What?" Sanji said, puzzled.
"Ketchup. The green crap tastes like ketchup. So it tastes like ketchup and eggs, which is how I always eat my scrambled eggs." He shoveled down another mouthful.
Sanji's jaw dropped. "...Ketchup? It tastes like...ketchup? Gimme that!" Sanji snatched Zoro's fork and made a jab at the swordsman's plate. But Zoro was too quick. He yanked the plate out of the way and made a grab for his fork. But Sanji was also quick. He dodged Zoro's attempt to recover his silverware.
"Dammit Shanji! U'm chryin da eat muh food dammit! Gimme muh damn furk back!" Zoro said with a mouthful of green eggs.
"Ugh, swallow your food before you attempt to speak! And I won't give it back until you let me try some! I worked hard on that sauce and to be told it tastes just like ketchup is a serious insult!" Sanji said with a hint of arrogance in his voice.
Zoro glared. He looked at his plate and back at Sanji. He swallowed. "You ain't getting none of this. I'm fucking hungry and there's no way I'm letting you get your grubby hands on my food."
Sanji grinned evilly. "How are you going to eat it without your fork?"
Zoro glanced at his fork in Sanji's hand.
10 minutes later Sanji and Zoro had been thrown out of the cafeteria.
"I can't believe you shoved your face in my eggs. MY EGGS. That was gourmet food! And what did you do with it? YOU PUT YOUR FACE IN IT!!!"
Zoro grinned and belched. Loudly. Sanji grimaced.
"My compliments to the chef."
