Bepo sat motionless in the dark on a small metal stool. He'd broken the previous chair his reluctant host had grudgingly offered. He would have been content to sit on the floor, grateful even to avoid another accident, but the niece had insisted.
He flinched as the door creaked open, blinded by the sliver of light through the crack. He turned his head to see the small girl. "W-we're eating dinner." She whispered shyly. "W-would you-?"
He shook his great head in silent refusal. His gaze returned to the front where his Captain lay fast asleep in bed. His heart ached with regret when Law's face grimaced in a brief moment of pain. He had done his best to treat his wounds and bandage them tightly, but he was no medic. He sometimes wondered if he'd been assigned Navigation just to keep his mistakes from creating fatalities.
He jumped slightly in surprise as he felt a warm plate pressed into his paws. She smiled the sweetest smile up at him. "I brought you some dinner."
He wasn't hungry and hadn't been for some time. His grave concern for his Captain consumed his usual appetite. However, he couldn't bring himself to reject the offering. He was truly grateful for her kindness. He raised his paw to her cheek, spreading his fingers wide. She grinned as she took hold of his hand and rubbed her face in it. "Fuzzy, wuzzy, fluffy fur!" She laughed into his palm, which made him smile in turn. He wasn't used to being treated so playfully, but it helped lift his spirits for just a moment.
The door creaked as it opened wider. "Sachie!" A gruff man's voice barked. "What's taking so long?"
Bepo quickly pulled his hand back. "I'm sorry! It's my fault, sir."
She pouted. "Why can't he come eat with us?"
"I'm not having him break all my chairs," the old man grumbled bitterly as he stepped into the room. He hesitated as he glanced over at his other guest. This one hadn't been much trouble, but his mood soured to see cold food from the noon meal sitting untouched on the nightstand nearby. He went over to pick it up. "And stop wasting food on this one! There's no sense in bringing any until he wakes up."
Her face fell in disappointment. "But what if-?"
"I'll share my plate with him," Bepo reassured her. "We don't want to impose-"
The old man scoffed at that. "You should have thought of that before barging right on in."
Bepo hung his head shamefully at his impulsive mistake. She stood between them with her arms stretched out to defend him. "It's not his fault that he thought this place was abandoned! If you kept it cleaner in the first place-"
"My housekeeping isn't the problem here!" He snapped irritably as he shoved the plate towards her to take. "Take this away and eat your own already."
She took it and stomped away; her little feet pounded as heavily as the average tiptoe. He took a step closer to the great Mink. "And you be nice to him Uncle!" She waved a warning finger at him before leaving.
He sighed as he shook his head, but his expression did soften just a smidgen. "We'll leave as soon as possible," Bepo tried to reassure him.
"No one uses this room anyway, so it hardly matters," he grumbled under his breath, the fight giving out in his tone. His niece seemed to have a similar softening effect on him. "Just don't let that food there go to waste," he said as he turned to leave, clicking the door shut behind him.
He looked down at his plate. It did look tasty and smelled delicious, but the task seemed monumental. He swallowed hard as he picked up the fork set just under the mashed potatoes and took the first bite. It felt lumpy on his tongue, but the spices were a tantalizing blend. He looked up to hear the bed creak as Law shifted fitfully in his sleep. Bepo squared his shoulders as he straightened his back. The Captain was going to expect him to be at his best when he finally woke up. Refusing to eat wasn't going to be an option any longer and the next bite was a bigger one. His stomach ached a bit in protest, but he forced himself to continue. He could do this; he MUST do this! They may have lost, but the battle was far from over. The Heart Pirates must never lose heart and as long as the Captain lives, it would continue to beat the odds.