Chapter 18
Law couldn't believe he'd managed to persuade Rosapelo into eating, and even twice. In the evening, when he was done with new admissions, he decided to pay the boy an unexpected visit - much to his joy, Rosapelo was awake - and it ended in the consumption of the onigiri that was left from the lunch. Actually, Law had to feed it to the boy, but the patient ate with enthusiasm nonetheless... or that was how Law decided to interpret the fact that Rosapelo devoured the rice ball with salmon without protesting. Since Law had a lot of paper work and preparations for tomorrow's surgeries, he quickly took his leave, promising to come the next morning, before 8 AM.
Reality, however, upset his applecart in a nasty way. The next day, just as he was finishing the morning procedures - he'd waked up past 3 AM again - his personal Den Den Mushi emitted the emergency signal informing that Law's assistance was being required immediately. In other words, someone's life was at stake. Along with the signal came the detailed location: this time, it was the second room in the operating theatre of the surgery department. Such signals happened a few times per year, and they meant in practice that Law ceased doing whatever he was doing and teleported via ROOM to the indicated position. Emergency in the operating theatre was usually caused by a sudden cardiac arrest with asystole, either as the complication of narcosis or the surgery itself.
"Man, twenty-six," Uni informed when Law appeared by the operating table and narrowed the Ope Ope no Mi activity to the patient. The head of the surgery department seemed to have rushed into the room some two seconds before Law himself. "Necrotising pancreatitis. A sudden haemorrhage during the scheduled operation, cardiac arrest due to hypovolemic shock, asystole."
With his Devil Fruit, Law reached inside the patient's chest and started the direct heart massage, simultaneously trying to find the source of the bleeding. The transfusion had been already started, but it wouldn't work unless the haemorrhage wasn't stopped. Still, no matter how he searched, he couldn't see any damage to the arteries; it seemed that the small vessels were bleeding, which indicated the coagulation disorder. In that case...
"Administer intravenously the prothrombin concentrate and Vitamin K," he ordered as he kept massaging. "And then platelet transfusion."
The staff started to execute his orders immediately. Law tried to close all bleeding vessels, but it was only a supportive action, for they were many of them, and of the microscopic diameter.
"Platelet dysfunction?" Uni asked and stared at the both operating surgeons before looking at the anaesthesiologist. "Damn."
Law nodded and said nothing; he kept massaging the patients heart to maintain the flow of blood from lungs to the brain and the cardiac muscle itself. Platelet dysfunction couldn't be exposed by the routine preoperative examination, although, if it was congenital, then the patients usually knew of it before meeting the surgeon. That man here was young and probably pretty healthy so far, with no chronic diseases, so Law could assume that the surgeon in charge of his treatment had had no reason to suspect such a disorder.
The platelet transfusion was started, and the haemorrhage finally stopped; the new blood quickly filled the patient's vessels. Law induced the electric activity in the sinoatrial mode, restarting the heart action.
"Maybe I take care of that pancreas while I'm at it, okay?" he said to the operating surgeons.
Of course, they agreed. To tell the truth, they both seemed mortified, although Law was far from blaming them. He knew that every doctor was prone to reproach themselves for everything, even if they didn't do anything bad.
Because of its location, the surgeries on pancreas were very risky, and Law wasn't amazed that the patient had been sent to Raftel, even if the disease itself didn't require the Ope Ope no Mi.. That was, normally it didn't require. The level of surgery in the Corazon Memorial Hospital, just like all other medical areas, was just the highest. Law guessed that the patient lived on one of the Four Islands, and the local surgeons hadn't dared to operate on him...
The necrotic pancreas was a nasty disease, in and of itself, but for Law's Devil Fruit everything was possible. He removed all pathology and, as a bonus, he rebuilt the parenchyma of the organ. Later, they should perform some diagnostics to know if the platelet dysfunction was congenital or caused by some external factor. The option that the patient had simply eaten lots of aspirin in order to ease his pain and had forgotten to tell his doctor about it, was one of the most lucid.
"I think he's fine now," he said, having finished the surgery. He looked at the monitor: the man's vitals were in norm. "You may close him. By the way..." He stared at the surgeons. "Which of you is in charge of his treatment? You should give the patient a morali... I mean, an educational lecture about the healthy lifestyle, especially in regard to the alcohol consumption. The explicit depiction of what happened today wouldn't harm him... In other words, you should make him understand that he was miraculously saved," he ordered with a proper dose of sarcasm.
The surgeon in question promised to do so. Uni smiled wryly from his spot by the wall that he'd spent the whole operation in, before nodding in approval and appreciation. Law withdrew from the operating table and used the Ope Ope no Mi to sterilise his clothes and skin; other patients waited for him, and he had no time to change. He looked at the clock: it was past eight, which meant he was already late for his scheduled surgeries, and he still had to finish what he'd left on the paediatrics. He could as well forget about visiting the Seven now; he would go there before the consultations. He informed Shachi and Penguin he would be slightly late, and contacted Clione to ask him to explain his absence to Rosapelo. Then he teleported to the paediatrics in order to waste no more time.
After eleven, when he was finally free, he used the same method to go to the hall of the seventh floor and headed for the psychiatry right away. Even though his stomach demanded food, he'd given up on the lunch, deciding to take a salad to the consultations. He just had to see Rosapelo, and nothing would persuade him otherwise. When he entered the boy's room - he'd managed to get used to this place already - he felt relieved, and despite meeting the head of the Seven there.
"You're done?" Clione asked upon seeing him.
"Yeah, but I had the next work afterwards," Law muttered and turned to the boy. "Hi, Pelo!"
Rosapelo was half-lying on the pillow, his eyes fixed at some point which certainly wasn't Clione, even though the psychiatrist was standing exactly in front of him, leaning forward with his elbows on the board of the bed.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come in the morning. There was an emergency case requiring my assistance," Law explained, sitting on the chair.
The boy didn't react.
"I think that Pelo is upset today," Clione said in a calm voice.
Law cast him a surprised look and then frowned at the thought that occurred to him. No, it was impossible. Not even a psychiatrists should be able to ascertain something like that in a person who kept lying and showed no emotions.
Unless...
"Why do you think so?"
"He protested against the drip."
Law curved his lips deprecatingly. "And that should prove he's upset? Maybe he doesn't want it anymore? Maybe he wants to eat normally? He ate yesterday, after all."
"Well, not today," Clione informed in that composed tone of his.
Again, Law stared at the boy, who wouldn't show any interest in him. Of course, it could be that with the arrival of the new day Rosapelo had returned to his previous attitue, that was giving up on living, regardless of what had happened yesterday... In that case, Law had a work to do, but it wasn't like he hadn't been prepared for it.
"Pelo, do you agree with what our favourite psychiatrist is saying?" he asked. "I don't believe you wouldn't eat something delicious," he muttered, wondering inwardly if milk soup could be counted as it. Well, after two weeks of starving it probably could. "Yesterday you did great."
Rosapelo was still staring ahead, as if he didn't hear. Law frowned again. Yesterday, everything had gone smoothly: the boy had come into contact with him the moment Law had appeared here. Was it Clione's presence that disturbed him...? But yesterday he hadn't cared about the nurse staying in the room the whole time. Well, maybe he particularly disliked the psychiatrists, such things happened all the time. Now, how could Law diplomatically ask Clione to go away from his own patient's room...?
Talking about food made him even more hungry; his stomach made it clear to everyone what it thought of such prolonged intervals between meals.
"Law, when was the last time you ate?" the psychiatrist asked.
"I ate breakfast," Law replied with irritation.
"I think it's already lunch time...?" Clione straightened himself up.
Law glanced at him askance. "Then, maybe you can make yourself useful and bring me a big sized salad from the canteen, when you're here already?" he muttered. "You're distracting me," he added with faked complaint. "Leave us alone, would you?"
Clione curved his lips in a sneer and rolled his eyes. "What salad?" he asked.
"With fish. And two onigiri. With anything but umeboshi. And something to drink. Yesterday, Mirva made me some green tea, thanks."
"My nurses make you tea?"
"She offered it herself!" Law defended himself.
The psychiatrist shook his head in a faked disapproval - had they been alone, he would've undoubtedly smack him on the head - and left.
Law turned to the boy, who didn't pay any attention to all that. "Sorry for that chit-chat. Clione and I... we've been knowing each other for ages, so we often banter like that." 'Banter' didn't seem the most proper word to capture their relationship, but Rosapelo didn't necessarily need to know that. "You see? He was as kind as to bring me lunch, so don't think poorly of him. The other onigiri is for you, of course."
Still no reaction. The boy was lying on the bed, as if he didn't hear him at all.
"Pelo...?"
Law became anxious. Well, that was how Rosapelo had been for the last two weeks, but not yesterday. Yesterday, he would look at Law, communicate with him by blinking and even try to move, to say nothing of eating. Today, he was once more that 'living dead' from before, who didn't wish for any contact. Why? Had his condition taken a turn for the worse?
Law activated the Ope Ope no Mi to assess the level of the physiological arousal in the boy. It was exactly like it had been earlier when Law had spoken to him. There was no deterioration, which should be comforting, but...
Clione had said that Rosapelo was in a bad mood today. Even if Law had decided it to be a nonsense, at first, now he wondered if the psychiatrist wasn't right, after all.
"Pelo, are you upset?" he asked with hesitation.
No move. No blink. No stare. And yet the boy's heart beat faster, and the blood pressure increased. The adrenal glands released another portion of adrenaline and cortisol. Everything indicated he was upset indeed.
With Law.
Law asked himself what he'd done to have deserved the boy's resentment... Well, he quickly corrected himself with resignation, in addition to everything else: those previous terrible things he'd done to him. True, yesterday Rosapelo had 'said' he didn't hate him... Had he changed his mind? Had he decided to show how he really felt about Law...?
Once again, Law felt that load in his chest, the one that had weighed upon him yesterday as he'd imagined that the boy hated him. Today he was even more certain he didn't want it... Still, he couldn't give in to the resignation, he realised immediately. He came here to help the boy. His priority was to make him recover. It was why he'd decided to spend his every free moment here and spare no effort to make Rosapelo feel better. Every free moment...
Ah.
"Pelo, are you mad at me for not having come this morning?" he asked with a sense of defeat.
Physiology informed him it was the case. Law stifled a sigh of irritation.
"I told you I had an emergency," he said patiently. "One of the patients required my immediate help. I had to operate on him to save his life. I'm responsible for every patient in this hospital. In situations like that, I drop everything... everything, Pelo, because saving one's life has the greatest priority. Every doctor does so. You must understand it. You can't-"
He stopped and then pressed his lips in a thin line. What had he wanted to say? 'You can't usurp me?' But he'd promised himself to never criticise the boy, never reproach him again, and that was what he was doing now. No, it wasn't the right direction, and he had to turn back before it was too late. He had to look at the situation from Rosapelo's point of view, not his own.
And once he did, all options fell on him like an avalanche, and the effect displeased him. The truth was he'd broken his promise, no matter the reason. Rosapelo didn't care about his explanation; he felt hurt, and that was all. Law had promised to come and then hadn't come. Maybe the boy had believed he would never come again? Maybe, regardless of Clione's message, he'd spent three, four hours, thinking that the only person he wanted to communicate with, would never appear? Maybe he'd reproached himself for it? Maybe he'd blamed himself for it? Maybe he'd felt betrayed? It was possible that his ailing mind - the psychotic depression was still a proper diagnosis in his case - magnified everything, attributed the unnatural proportion to every matter...
Law took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," he said honestly, for it was all he could do now. "I promised to come, and yet I didn't. There was an important reason for that, but it doesn't change the fact that I hurt you... failed you. I'm sorry, Pelo. I know, I've been apologising to you all the time..." he muttered with irony before assuming the serious tone again. "I really wanted to see you. I even waked up early to make it possible to spend that half an hour with you in the morning. I guess you waited for me to come, too, and I then didn't come. Believe me, it didn't happen because I didn't want to come here, only because I couldn't. I really wanted to talk with you, maybe even help you with your breakfast. Pelo... Could you give me one more chance?" he asked, fearing that he'd spoiled something that couldn't be repaired. "Please. I really wish for everything to be like it was yesterday..."
He made himself stop talking, for he sounded hysterical and didn't give the boy any room for replying, whatever it might be. Rosapelo's heart was beating fast, but the level of cortisol wasn't raising anymore. Law felt hope. Maybe the boy had an unlimited ability to forgive, which was more common in children than adults...? He suddenly realised he knew that from experience, when his mind was invaded by the freezingly cold and blazingly hot memory of the last promise that... Cora-san had made to him - and hadn't kept, maybe hadn't intend to keep it from the beginning... And then the memory of Law roaming around Swallow, where they'd been meant to meet, half-dead and more than half-insane, knowing deep inside that Cora-san would never come there... and knowing that he'd forgiven him that... forgiven him everything... and had only wished that Cora-san returned.
He gasped for air and clenched his teeth, trying to drive those pictures from his mind. He focused his eyes on Rosapelo, whom he should think of now. Cora-san... Cora-san hadn't returned - but Law had. He'd come here again and planned to keep coming. As long as it took.
"Even though I couldn't visit you in the morning, I knew I would do it a bit later. I didn't give up, not for a moment," he ensured in a firm voice, although he was trembling all over inside. Such was the price of interacting with another man, he thought distractedly: a constant uncertainty caused by the fact that another person had their own free will and made their own decisions. He could only try to convince him. "I like to spend time with you, Pelo, so I eagerly awaited our meeting. Everything went great yesterday, and I was in a very good mood for the rest of the day. How could I want to end it? I don't intend to. So, I hope that you aren't done with me...?"
Finally, Rosapelo turned his head towards him. He didn't do anything else, only stared at him with the intent gaze of his blue eyes... and yet Law felt relieved. He had no idea if the boy had forgiven him, but he at least had decided against shutting him out of his life, that was certain. Law had to do his best so that the boy didn't even consider doing so.
He smiled, although he was aware it turned out quite crooked. "One of these days, I'm going to have a heart attack because of you," he muttered without thinking and deactivated the Ope Ope no Mi.
And the darkness fell.
"...-aw-san... Law-san...!"
Brushing off a hand nudging his head, Law sat up and gasped for air. He had the impression of suffocating, but it receded after he took a couple of deep breaths. He run one hand through his hair, trying to orientate himself in the situation. It seemed he'd just fainted... Again, and in broad daylight, on the wa-..."
He froze, turning his head and meeting the anxious gaze of the blue eyes. Rosapelo.
"I'm all right," Law said, for it was the first thing that occurred to him. "I'm all right."
The next second he realised that Rosapelo was giving him an anxious look. The blank expression that had accompanied him for two weeks had vanished off the boy's face, and now there was a distinct emotion on it: fear. No wonder, Law thought sarcastically. One moment a guy talked to him, the next one he dropped dead. It was a good thing Law was sitting by the bed; thanks to that, he'd fallen on the cover. Ah, it explained why he'd been suffocating, with his nose and mouth in the linen...
Rosapelo had every right to be frightened, like every kid witnessing an adult fainting. Law remembered the last words he'd said to him, and felt like hitting his head.
"I don't have a heart attack," he assured the boy, who was still regarding him with anxiety, and added with emphasis, "I only fainted, it sometimes happens to me when I use the Ope Ope no Mi too much. But I'm all right now, I really am. Sorry for having scared you. No need to worry about me. I probably slept too little, and there's some time since the last time I ate, too..." He kept blurting out the explanations, whatever he managed to think of... He would say anything to calm down that kid and make him stop looking like death. It was a good thing that the boy had started to show emotions, but did it really need to be negative ones...? "But I'm not ill, nothing like that. I feel all right, Pelo."
He glanced at the clock. It was only eleven thirty, so his fainting had lasted but a moment. Clione hadn't returned from the canteen yet; it was only the two of them here. He looked at the boy again.
"Pelo, won't you tell anyone...?" he asked. "They would be worried, while there's no reason for that. And this time I came to quick-"
He stopped short. His heart had just managed to calm down after the sudden agitation, and now it accelerated again and was beating like it was trying to jump out of his chest. His eyes grew wide like saucers. He remembered that the moment he'd come to, he'd felt the fingers touching his hair. And he'd heard a voice. He'd heard his name, being repeated in a pressing manner. There was no-one but the two of them here, and he certainly hadn't had hallucinations, despite being on the psychiatry. Insanity wasn't airborne.
"Pelo... Did you call me...?" he uttered. It sounded like a question, although he could be perfectly sure of that... right? Well, maybe he wasn't, maybe it wasn't easy for him to believe that... "You called my name... you tried to wake me up... You did wake me up...!"
Rosapelo turned his face away without a word and pulled his arm closer... the right arm that had been on the very edge of the bed... where Law's head had been just a moment earlier.
Law would have never expected he would admit it: even syncope could have positive results... and his own syncope, on top of that, even though it'd brought him only harm so far.
He was still shocked by what had happened, although it was quite a happy shock. "Pelo... You called me...! You waked me up...! It's thanks to you that I regained my consciousness," he said ardently. "Thanks, Pelo! Really, thank you. If not for you, I would've lain like a log until Clione were back and panicked before bringing the whole of the hospital here, or at least Chopper..." he muttered and then shook his head. "But it doesn't matter. Like I said, I sometimes faint like that, the last time happened in December, if I'm correct. I bet they've already grown accustomed to it... What matters is that you helped me."
Rosapelo kept staring at the window.
"I'm sorry for talking about heart attack... It must've scared you. I must mind my words and not talk without thinking," Law went on with some displeasure, but he felt like smiling at the same time. "I didn't have a heart attack... but since I almost choked on the linen, we may take it that you saved my life, Pelo." It was an exaggeration, but it couldn't hurt anyone. "I think you should be proud of yourself. Thank you."
Finally, Rosapelo turned his head to look at him. The scared expression on his face started to fade.
Law smiled wider and nodded. "I'm happy," he said and noticed the boy's eyes grew wider, so he nodded once more, with conviction. "I really am. And I think that, in fact... you may tell Clione about everything," he added casually.
Rosapelo's lips twitched, and then the boy lightly shook his head - first left, then right - to refuse.
"Fine, so you won't tell," Law muttered... and stretched one hand to him. "We have a deal."
Rosapelo lowered his eyes on the offered hand to stare at it for several seconds before lifting his own one, slowly and with effort that could be seen in the tremble of its muscles. Law grabbed and squeezed it, looking the boy in the eye, before grinning again. He couldn't contain his happiness, and he hoped to infect Rosapelo with it, too. Unlike insanity, happiness could be transmitted much faster.
It was that moment that Clione chose for returning from his mission of providing Law with lunch. "I have a salmon salad and two onigiri, like you asked," he informed, passing the provisions to Law, and then took out a bottle from the pocket of his white coat. "Here is water. A nurse will bring tea soon."
"Thanks..."
"My, you're full of the joys of springs now. Has anything nice happened when I was out?" the psychiatrist asked, shifting the gaze between Law and Rosapelo. Like always, hardly anything could escape his attention.
"It has indeed. But it's a secret," Law replied, blinking at the boy. "In any case, Pelo's mood has already improved," he revealed and started to examine the groceries on his lap, before looking at the little patient again. "Now, the most important thing. Is it true that you haven't eaten today, Pelo?"
The boy affirmed, blinking.
"Don't you blink at me," Law decided, and Rosapelo glanced at Clione, who had taken his favourite place at the feet of the bed. Law guessed the boy didn't want, couldn't or feared to speak in the presence of someone else. "Okay, we'll talk about it later... But the matter of eating must be addressed now. I bet you waited for me, right? You liked being fed yesterday, so much...?"
The boy stared at him with hesitation before nodding, although Law had no idea which question he was answering to.
"Then, am I correct to presume you'll gladly have this onigiri? And milk soup when I come later?"
This time, the nod happened right away.
"Great," Law decided and unwrapped the rice ball. "Will you manage by yourself?"
Rosapelo scrutinised the onigiri in his hand before looking him in the eye again. He clearly wasn't certain.
"You should try," Law encouraged him. "I'll help you if needed."
The boy bent his elbows and raised his hands. Law put the snack in his fingers and watched Rosapelo eat. Just like yesterday, the boy took the small bites and slowly chew. When he grew too weak to keep the onigiri, Law did it for him and then helped him to drink some water. Rosapelo fell back onto the pillows. He seemed tired but wouldn't avert his eyes.
"You did great," Law praised him and glanced at the clock. "Now it's my turn. I'm really starving..."
As he ate, drinking the tea brought by a nurse, Clione took over the conversation. "I'm glad you feel better, Pelo," he said, and the boy looked at him before staring at Law again. "Your recovery is getting more obvious with every passing day. And it's really splendid that you're able to eat; it's the most important thing now. That's our hospital director for you," he added with a crooked smile. "He affects people in a good way... for the most of the time."
"For the most of the time," Law agreed, munching his food.
"But Law can't be here all the time," the psychiatrist continued. "Won't you let someone else to help you with eating...? Pelo...?"
Rosapelo shook his head slightly.
"I come here at eight, eleven, two, and seven," Law listed, having swallowed another bit of salmon. "It's like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper. I think it's enough for now...?" he asked both Clione and the boy, and neither of them objected. "But if it happened that I won't be able to come because of some emergency, then it would be good, Pelo, if you let someone help you..."
Rosapelo looked away and didn't reply. It was obvious he didn't like the idea.
"Think of it," Law asked him calmly; he didn't plan to force him to anything. He took the last portion of his salad on the fork. "Only... can you promise me that when I'm here, you will eat those four meals daily? Let's say... starting tomorrow? Then, we won't need a drip," he added encouragingly.
The boy stared at him intently for a moment before nodding.
"Great," Law said happily, putting the empty box aside. "What would you say if we made the whole list of meals for you when I'm back at two o'clock? I can assure you we have much wider diversity than just milk soup with rice and milk soup with noodles... although that's exactly what you're going to have for dinner today," he informed somewhat resignedly.
Rosapelo, however, nodded again, and Law gave him a wide smile, unwrapping his own onigiri.
"I'm glad. Twelve-years old boy should eat a lot."
Something flashed in Rosapelo's eyes, and he opened his mouth... only to close it the next moment. Whatever he wanted to say, and he clearly did, must have waited for the next occasion.
"Okay, I must go," Law announced, getting up. "I'll be back in two hours," he repeated, then devoured his onigiri in three bites and wiped his hands on the paper napkin.
"Milk soup will be ready," Clione promised, and Law graced him with a smile before leaving.
He was a whole minute late for the consultations, but he stifled the urge to teleport. It was just one floor, and, besides, he'd used the Ope Ope no Mi enough already. He told himself the world wouldn't end if he arrived two or even three minutes late... He could always put the blame on a dysfunctioning clock or something... and then realised he didn't need to explain himself before anyone.
Despite that he was jumping two steps at once, although this could result not only from the hurry but also his enthusiasm. He noticed that recently, every time he left Rosapelo's room, he felt light at heart... or most of the time. He smiled to himself. Well, it was much better than frustration or anger.
His good mood continued for the next two hours. The fact that he managed to keep from telling rubbish during the consultations, contributed to it, too. One person was probably disappointed: namely, the psychiatry resident. This time, Antero had brought two colleagues - Law remembered that one was from gynaecology and the other from orthopaedics - and there was a strong suspicion that he'd convinced them by the perspective of a good fun. As far as Law was concerned, he wouldn't put anything past the psychiatrists...
It was a real miracle that nowadays he kept coming to the Seven day by day of his own free will, and even several times per day, he thought with a crooked smile, opening the door to the said ward. After a few steps his smile turned warmer already.
"Law... Law...!" came a pressing whisper from the nurses station, and the next second Clione emerged from there. "Wait a moment."
Law obediently complied, although he wanted to see his patient already, not the said patient's psychiatrist.
"What?" he spat without malice. "I'm in a hurry."
"I'm glad that the poultice of Rosapelo works," Clione said.
Law raised one brow. "Not the opposite...?"
The psychiatrist observed him for a moment and seemed to want to say something very badly and refrain from doing so equally hard. In the end, he shrugged and stated in a snooty manner, "As you prefer." Then, however, enthusiasm could be hear in his voice and seen in his gaze. "The opposite is, too, right. Law, he's recovering before our very eyes...! I'm not talking about eating... Did you notice he pays attention to his surroundings? Even if he doesn't speak, he's in an obvious contact with others, at least in your presence. Normally, it would be the opposite, but we know that you're his anchor point in the reality. For now he doesn't want to notice anything else."
Law gave him an intent look. "He's going to speak today," he said after the pause. "Though I can't guarantee he will talk to you," he added in a critical tone, wondering if he wasn't retaliating against Clione for all those situations that the patients of the Seven hadn't even wanted to look at him and instead had craved for the head psychiatrist's help.
Clione, however, didn't seem to hold it against him. "That's out director for you," he repeated his words from two hours before. "The rest of us is no match for you..."
Law suppressed a sigh, remembering that the psychiatrists used to have quite a high threshold for teasing and it was very hard to be provoke them if they didn't want it themselves. In confrontation, a normal person had no chance, no matter how they tried...
"Let me remind you that the credit goes to you. If not for you, I would've never shown my face around Rosapelo again," he pointed out, and then something made him add, "Thanks," and this time his voice was much softer.
Surprise flashed in Clione's eyes, and then psychiatrist smiled with the corners of his lips. "Come on, I'm going to blush..." he said in an affected voice and even raised his hand to his chest in a theatrical gesture. "I won't say no to a bouquet of red roses as a thank-you."
"You can get one carnation, at the very most," Law retorted, losing at once all will to be nice that had surged in him a moment ago.
"Well... better a small fish than an empty dish," Clione replied slyly. "It will be the first time that you give me flowers. But make it red, okay? I'll look nice with it when we go to the All Baratie for a dinner," he added casually.
Ostentatiously, Law turned on his heel and went down the corridor. Really, give him an inch and he would take a yard... Inside, however, he admitted that the psychiatrist deserved to be thanked more than anyone. Once Rosapelo recovered, Law would have to consider the visit in the world's most renowned restaurant, especially that it wasn't far, only on the same island... He felt cold at the thought that, had Clione not got that crazy idea that Law handled the boy, the whole business wouldn't have shaped so well... and he wouldn't have experienced this joy that had been accompanying him for the last three days.
He didn't plan to wonder 'what if', though, only opened the doors to Rosapelo's room. The boy turned his head towards him, and Law waved at him.
The nurse rose from her chair. "I suppose you don't need me here?" she asked.
Law and Rosapelo looked at her and then exchanged looks. Law suppressed a smile. It was hard to believe it had been just three days since he'd started to talk to the boy. It seemed that they had been knowing each others for ages.
"Come back in one hour," he said to the nurse and sat down by the bed. When the door closed, he reached for the bowl of milk soup on the table. Then, however, he looked at the boy and suggested, "Maybe you could eat by yourself, and I'll just hold the bowl for you? As much as you can."
Rosapelo nodded. They did as Law had proposed, although it took a longer while. The boy ate half of meal by himself, and when his hands grew weak, Law helped him with the rest.
"Would you like to eat anything else?" he asked, but this time Rosapelo shook his head.
Law noticed that his cheeks got some colours, probably due to the effort he'd made. He realised that the boy looked better than before. Healthier. He was glad for that.
"Good, maybe we can make that list of meals for you I mentioned before?" he asked, taking out a few paper sheets and a ball pen from his pockets. "We could make a plan for several days, what do you think? As I said, a twelve-year-old boy needs food..."
"Thirteen."
Law blinked, and his heart leapt in his chest. "What?"
"I'm thirteen," Rosapelo repeated in a whisper.
"Oh, that means you had your birthday along the way. When?"
"January 19," the boy replied, his voice still but a whisper.
Law nodded. His heart was racing because of excitement, and his mood raised the level of euphoria, but he didn't show it, for he didn't want to make Rosapelo nervous.
"Well, a thirteen-year-old boy needs even more food," he said just like that. "What would you like to have for breakfast? Something milky? Sandwiches?"
Step by step, they created more or less personal menu for Rosapelo. The boy quietly made his own proposals, just a few of them, while Law either recommended some dishes or critically commented others, guided by their nutritional value and burden on the digestive system. After two weeks of starvation, first the light products should be introduced, and in small amounts, but without forgetting their energy content. In less than half an hour, the sheets of paper Law brought with him were filled with the menu for the whole week, and what was left was to send them to the hospital kitchen that prepared meals for the patients... and to believe that the work wouldn't go to waste, namely, that Rosapelo would indeed eat four times per day, like he'd promised. Not only because it was the only way for him to get his strength back, but also because eating - deciding to eat yet another meal - meant the will to live.
"Sorry again for not coming in the morning," Law referred to the previous event. "I hope such emergencies won't happen again, but I can't promise you that. You know, it would be good if you didn't miss a meal in such a situation. You're slowly recovering," saying that, he smiled, "so I think you'll be able to eat by yourself, and if you don't... Won't you let a nurse help you?" he asked in an encouraging voice. "It's not for long. Soon there will be no need for that."
Rosapelo stared at him for a moment and then nodded. Law's smile grew wider.
"I'm glad. By the way... What would you like to do when I'm not here? I don't mean to offend you, but I think lying in the bed and staring at the ceiling must be... boring? It would be good if you could spend time in a more pleasant way... Maybe I could bring you some books? Or a radio? I suppose you're too big for playing with toys... Though, it's not about the age. No man even grows out of his fondness for technical things, so maybe you'd like to get some plastic model to assemble?" he kept asking.
Deep inside, he realised that a boy in depression and mourning didn't necessarily want to spend time 'in a more pleasant time', but the thought of Rosapelo dwelling in the dark thoughts for hours was unbearable. He wanted to change it, tried to make the boy detach from the dejecting reality, forget the heart-breaking grief, occupy his attention with something else, anything... Even for one moment.
On the other hand, he was aware that there was a danger, too. Every question relating to the boy's life was risky, and thus he hesitated a longer while before speaking again. He told himself that the benefits surely prevailed over the harm.
"What did you normally do when recovering from the bone fractures, Pelo? Actually... Would you like to tell me about yourself? We hardly know each other," he added in a lower voice as it suddenly occurred to him.
Something flickered in Rosapelo's eyes, and then the boy turned his head away. Law's heart stopped, although he'd been prepared for such a reaction. Damn, it was hard... Still, Law understood he had to maintain the contact; it was the only thing that could prevent the boy from falling into an even deeper melancholia. Just like Clione had said: he was Rosapelo's anchor point, the only object in the real world the boy could focus on, so... As long as Rosapelo focused on Law, his experience of all those worst emotions would be slightly attenuated.
"Maybe I shouldn't ply you with questions like that, only tell about myself first," he said, deciding on a new strategy. "Let's start from my birthday, since I already know yours. Mine is October 6. You know, everyone bothers me that day, reminding me how old I am. Ah, yeah, I'm thirty-nine. Three times your age, Pelo... Funny, isn't it? As for you... I think you're from Vokzel...?" He didn't know for sure, but that was where the boy had stayed during the storm. Since each of the Four Islands had its own hospital, there would be no need to sail to another place for treatment. "I come from the North Blue, just like the majority of my old crew... Except for Bepo, he's from the Grand Line. Do you remember Bepo? He's the head of the emergency department, a polar bear... a mink, I mean. He's absent now; he left for the medical congress, but should be back the next week. If you want to know how I appeared on Raftel, the answer is simple: I accompanied our Pirate King because someone sensible had to make sure that he found One Piece without destroying the world in the process. By the way, he and his crew aren't from the Grand Line... only Doctor Chopper from the internal medicine is. You may've heard of him, the only reindeer-doctor in the world... Yes, I know, we have a lot of freaks in our hospital... though I think that no-one can beat our dear psychiatrist."
Rosapelo wouldn't say a word - he was still looking out of the window, although it was another question if he saw anything there - so Law had to continue.
"You already know my favourite dishes... and I know yours, 'cause you told me. As for my hobbies, once I liked to wander around different places and collect commemorative coins... Nowadays, I never wander anywhere; I have enough work. I can't remember the last time I left Raftel. As for the coins, hmm... One day my collection vanished, and I suspect miss navigator of the Straw Hats with her kleptomania," he said sneeringly. "I'd rather not believe she did it deliberately... But let her keep it, the Straw Hats once helped me a great deal, I owe them a debt of gratitude that I will never be able to pay. In any case, I stopped to collect the coins. Where could I even do it? There were no coins on Raftel... before the Pirate King came, followed by people wishing to settle here. Now we have all five of them, each with his mug..."
Finally, Rosapelo turned his head towards him. Law smiled lightly.
"What you already know about me is that I was terminally ill in childhood, but I miraculously survived," he went on. "And before that... Well, as long as I can remember, I planned to be a doctor, so my hobbies included things like reading books and, um, examining dead animals, both from outside and inside. I wasn't a typical kid," he muttered, seeing that the boy's eyes grew wide a bit. "I know that you like to play football, right?"
Rosapelo nodded, and Law's smile turned warmer.
"That's good. And healthy. Kids should move a lot. Although we must to remedy those fractures of yours... But later. Do you like anything else?"
The boy was silent for a moment, observing him closely. "When I was ill," he whispered, "I liked to read. I had a lot of books from the library." He fell silent and looked down, and Law guessed who it was bringing him those books. "I also did my homework, so that I wasn't far behind in school. My friends borrowed me their notes."
It appeared that Rosapelo was a diligent pupil.
"You're a good kid," Law said, but those words didn't seem to gladden the boy, for he stared at the window again. "Actually, we should inform your school that you're here," he realised. "Tell me what school you attend."
Rosapelo gave him the name of the city he lived. Just like Law suspected, he came from Vokzel.
"We'll notify them," he assured. "As for the books... What kind of them you like to read?"
"All," the boy answered quietly.
"I'll get some for you," Law announced and was displeased to realise that there was no library for the patients in the hospital. He decided to correct that error right away.
The silent fell again. Law could clearly tell that the conversation wasn't easy for Rosapelo. Actually, it was hard for him, too. On one hand, he was extremely happy that the boy had finally decided to speak; on the other hand, however... Now that they were in the verbal contact, it meant they would undoubtedly touch the topics that probably neither of them wished to touch. Law smiled bitterly at that paradox. In a way, it was much easier yesterday, when Rosapelo could answer only yes, no, don't know, and only with blinking.
Law wasn't sure if he was ready for the conversation about those less happy things. The truth was he would gladly leave it to Clione, for who was better to work with the human tragedies than a psychiatrist? But Rosapelo didn't want to speak with the head doctor of the Seven. He didn't want to speak with anyone but Law. If Law refused... if he withdrew for any reason, especially his own cowardice, he would be the worst scum in the world. He mustn't let that boy down more than he already had, that was obvious. If he wanted to support him, he couldn't turn away from his suffering. He remembered he was here as a man, not a doctor.
Also, he knew that running away from the problems wouldn't do, for the past couldn't be undone. The boy had to work with his loss in safe circumstances and having a support of someone stronger; only that gave him any chance for being able to return to normal... unlike Law, who'd never managed to come to terms with his own tragedies, only had cut himself off and forbid himself to ever recollect them. He'd kept them inside for years and dozens of years, believing he was strong and could do anything, while in fact he was weaker and incapable of many things that were natural for others.
He didn't want that Rosapelo turned into such a defected man, if only it could be prevented. Maybe that was why now, instead of comfortably avoiding the topic (for the boy didn't touch it himself), he said bravely, "Pelo, if there's something you'd like to talk with me about, then say it. Whatever is on your mind, whatever you'd like to tell me or ask... I'll give you my time and hear you out. If you wish for my advice, I'll answer you the best I can. And what you're going to say stays between us. I'm not knowledgeable about many things... only about medicine and sailing... but I've been living in this world three time as long as you have... and my life wasn't always as pleasant as it is now... so I think that perhaps I'll be able to understand one or two things about you," he finished in a whisper.
Rosapelo gave him a distrustful look that pierced Law's heart. Well, there was no reason that the boy believed him without reservations.
"You see, Pelo, when I was ten, I lost my whole family," he said even more softly. "Both parents and my little sister."
The boy's eyes became wider. Law smiled, although he knew it was a rather sad smile.
"I could tell you about it, but I don't want to pour my past on you, if you don't want to know about it. I think that when someone has a problem, the worst thing to do is to give them a story about one's own difficulties, no matter how similar they might be. That's why, in the first place, I'm here to help you, not talk about myself. I want you to know that," he emphasised, looking at him seriously.
Rosapelo lowered his eyes. His fingers clutched at the cover, and then he asked quietly, "Why?"
Law blinked. "What?"
"Why do you care about me?" the boy asked, and his voice was even lower now.
Law was speechless for a longer while. Rosapelo's question baffled him completely, and he had no idea how to answer. Until now, he hadn't even thought of it. Thousands of answers flew through his mind, but none of them seemed proper, so he gave up and replied honestly, "I don't know. I just want to help you."
"But why?" Rosapelo asked again.
"Well, it would be the easiest to say: 'Because I'm a doctor.' I told you that we doctors find it difficult to see another person's suffering."
"But... You must have... many other patients... And yet you come here every day," the boy whispered.
Law leaned down to look him in the face; it required some acrobatics since Rosapelo had his eyes focused on his own stomach. "Pelo, am I hearing right...?" he asked in a slight disbelief. "An answer to that is very simple."
The boy raised his head one centimetre, but it was enough for their eyes to meet.
"It's you who wanted me to come," Law explained, still bent in half, and smiled wryly. "You didn't want anyone else. Has it changed? Hmm? Should I not come any more?" he asked.
Rosapelo shook his head, and his eyes were fixed on his stomach again.
"Well, I hope so," Law replied with faked severity, although in fact he felt like laughing. "Since I already rescheduled my work so that I can visit you four times per day. I plan to keep coming until you recover," he declared in a menacing voice, and then something made him add, "I'd come even more often, but, as you pointed out, I have a lot of patients," and he knew his words were honest.
The boy looked at him again and nodded. Law straightened up and glanced at the clock: it was almost three.
"Speaking of which, I should go, okay? I'll come around seven, we'll have a supper together. Of course, you can eat alone if you're hungry," he added quickly and got up, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "I'll try to get you a book. Maybe I'll find one that you haven't read yet," he said with a smile and then left.
He stopped by the nurses station. The morning shift was ending, which was very convenient for him. He informed that a nurse could go to Rosapelo again, and asked that the boy got the supper by 7 PM. Also, he handed the sheets with the menu, before saying, "Would any of you give me a favour?" Almost ten pairs of eyes stared at him with enthusiasm. "With preference to a morning shift," he added, causing more or less visible disappointment in half of present ones.
"What's the matter?" one nurse, Iris, asked.
"I'd like someone to go to the bookshop in Roger Bay and buy something suitable for a teenager, on the hospital's cost," he explained. "It's for Rosapelo, he likes reading. But it's important to bring it today."
"I can take care of it," the woman ensured him.
"Thanks. While you're at it, you may inform the owner that we'll soon make a bigger order. We have no library for the patients!" he added with faked indignation. "It's a scandal."
The staff giggled.
"Maybe that's because there was not a single bookshop on Raftel when this hospital was opened?" another nurse suggested. "Nothing you can't make up for."
"That's what I exactly plan to do," Law replied with a nod.
On the way to his office, he stopped by his deputy and ordered him to organise a small library for the patients' use, leaving him with the problem how to find space for it.
It was a quarter past seven when the new admissions were over. The moment the doors closed after the last lucky person qualified for treatment in the hospital on Raftel, Law grabbed a snack from the cupboard and ran to the Seven. The nurse left Rosapelo's room without a word, and Law apologised for being late and not able to stay much longer. Then they happily indulged in eating... as happily as it could be in the case of a sick boy without appetite and a man who considered eating as providing the organism with energy, in the first place.
"Law-san...?" Rosapelo spoke in a quiet voice when they were done with supper. His eyes were fixed on his knees under the cover. A brand new book was lying on the bed within his reach, but it seemed he had yet to take interest to it.
"Hmm?"
"Will you really come every day?" the boy asked, clenching his fingers on the linen.
"I will."
"But I... I'm bad..." Rosapelo whispered.
Law knitted his brow. "What?" he asked, feeling his heart start to beat faster.
The boy lowered his head even more. "Because of me... my mom..."
Law froze. His heart clenched with pain all to familiar, and his mind became all empty. He hadn't expected that. His little patient had just eaten supper, so Law had naively assumed the situation to be under control... And now he was in a panic, almost. What should he do? How should he relate to that? He had no idea... except that the worst solution was to say nothing.
"Pelo, look at me."
Rosapelo didn't react. Law thought for two seconds, then shifted from the chair onto the edge of the bed and put one hand on the boy's head, moving closer to him.
"Pelo, whatever happened, it wasn't your fault," he said firmly, although he was trembling inside. "Not in the slightest."
The boy looked out the window; it was dark outside. Law pulled back his arm and once more mustered his courage.
"Would you like to talk about it now?" he asked in a voice devoid of any hesitation.
Rosapelo, however, shook his head, and Law rebuked himself for the sense of relief that filled him, and for the fact that the boy's silence gave him a good excuse to leave... As a man, he didn't want to leave him in such mood; he wanted to comfort him somehow, show him his support... but the only thing that he could think of was to share his own past. Yet, he didn't want to impose it on Rosapelo. He'd said it himself he wouldn't do it.
"In that case... we'll talk about it when you're ready, okay?" he suggested.
This time the boy nodded.
"And now? Would you like something from me?" he asked.
Rosapelo declined. Still, Law felt miserable, for it was so terribly depressing, and knowing that he couldn't help only made it worse... But he had to find some positives. Maybe he should be happy that the boy could finally made his decisions and communicate them to others...? As far as he was concerned, Law intended to respect them.
"Then, see you tomo-" He froze, and a very unpleasant shiver ran down his spine. "Damn it..." He clenched his teeth to stop swearing, and then rubbed his face with both hands.
Rosapelo glanced at him, clearly sensing his sudden nervousness. Moron, a total moron, Law scolded himself inside, then took a Den Den Mushi from the pocket of his coat and called Clione, hoping that the psychiatrist was still at work.
"It's me. Are you still here? I need you, I'm in Rosapelo's room. No, everything is fine, I just... Listen, come here, would you? Thanks."
He hid the communicator, then grabbed the boy by his shoulders and looked at him beggingly. He wondered if it was how someone on the verge of madness felt, clutching at every possibility to retain his sanity.
"Pelo, I have a big favour to ask," he said with emphasis, staring in the confused blue eyes. "Our favourite psychiatrist will come here soon and.. Could you tell him that you wish for me to come here tomorrow?" he asked. "It's an incredible story, but... You see, I was forced to take a day off work once per month. I know, it's very stupid, but it means that on that particular day they don't want to see me in the hospital. And it falls tomorrow, on the sixteenth. Clione knows about it, and he will do everything in order to send me somewhere else. There's no doubt he won't let me in his ward. They have a real obsession over it... other doctors, I mean. Even though I'm a director, they treat me in such an absurd manner..." He shook his head. "But it's not important now. In any case, I think I won't be able to come near you tomorrow if we don't convince him to change his mind. So, Pelo... Please, tell him that, I beg you."
Rosapelo kept staring at him in confusion. He must have been completely shocked... and Law thought it was nothing strange. Actually, he was surprised by his outburst himself. He realised he was still squeezing the boy's shoulders, and withdrew his hands. A hysterical thought flew through his mind: he could have break his patient's bones again...
When Rosapelo wouldn't say anything, Law felt cold.
"Cause... you do want me to come tomorrow...?" he asked in a lower voice, wondering how he would bear with the negative.
Rosapelo, however, nodded, and Law felt the weight was lifted from his heart. Despite his upset, he smiled and then took two deep breaths to calm down. And then he rubbed his face with his hands.
"Thanks..." he muttered and didn't want to wonder about that feeling he'd just had: that one gesture could decide about life and death.
It was when Clione entered the room. He was without his white coat, so Law must have caught him the last possible moment... The psychiatrist wore his usual composed expression, although Law suspected that his call must have stirred at least a slight anxiety in him.
"What can I do for you?" he asked, shifting his gaze between the two of them.
Law looked at Rosapelo and then stared the psychiatrist in the eye. "Tomorrow is sixteenth," he said without emotion.
A surprise flashed in Clione's eyes. Ah, he too must have forgotten about it, Law thought. But he would undoubtedly remember by tomorrow...
"Your statutory day off. What about it?" the psychiatrist asked, folding his arms, ad if he knew what he would hear next.
Well, certainly not what he was going to hear, Law decided, praying inwardly that Rosapelo spoke indeed.
"Pelo would like to say something in regard to it," he replied, looking at his little patient again. His voice was calm, although his insides were twisting.
The clicking of the heels told him that Clione had come closer to stand in the feet of the bed. Rosapelo lowered his head and clutched at the fabric of the linen. Law didn't urge him, although he felt like doing so. He could do nothing about it; the decision was the boy's. He could only hope that Rosapelo won over his reluctance and spoke, even though so far he'd refused to communicate with anyone else. His heart was racing, and he had to do his best not to clench his fists.
Finally, Rosapelo raised his head and looked at the psychiatrist before lowering his eyes again. "I want that Law-san... comes here tomorrow," he said quietly but clearly, and Law realised that never before had he been proud of another person as much as he was now of that thirteen-year-old boy.
"Thanks," he muttered again... and then put one hand on Rosapelo's head and tousled his hair, for it seemed the most natural thing to do.
He turned to the psychiatrist, who, for the first time in his life, seemed to be having no idea what to say, which was a very satisfying sight in and of itself.
"How about it?" he asked, trying not to smile too triumphantly.
Clione stared at him, then at Rosapelo, and then again at him. He appeared slighly thrown off his usual balance. Law had no doubt that he was as happy as he was himself because of the fact the boy had spoken. As for the request itself...
The psychiatrist sighed lightly. "Since it's you who ask me that, Pelo, I can't decline you," he said. "I only hope that Law didn't whine to you about it for the whole day...?" he added with the slightest shade or sarcasm, casting the object of his statement a look askance.
Rosapelo shook his head.
"No, I just remembered," Law decided that being honest couldn't hurt anyone, and he smiled wider. "Thank you, Pelo."
The boy glanced at him, and Law grinned in reply. He felt as if the two of them were a couple of conspirators that had succeeded with a vile scheme. But it wasn't the best here...
"We'll have a whole day," he informed with joy that couldn't be more real. "A whole day, Pelo."
Rosapelo stared at him again, and this time he kept the eye contact. Law wished he could pass even a small part of his joy to the boy... And maybe he really had, for the next moment Rosapelo nodded with more resolve than before, and his lips twitched slightly, as if announcing a smile that was to come much later.
Law thought he couldn't wait for he day when he succeeded in bringing a real smile to Rosapelo's face.