Unexplainable Pain
Law tapped his finger on his elbow of his crossed arms. He was leaning against the wall in the training room observing the little battle currently going on between Neo and one of the crew. The crewmate threw a punch that almost grazed her cheek. She round house kicked at him, but it was too slow and her sparring partner blocked it.
Law could easily tell that she was slightly distracted with what happened yesterday since her movements were slower than they normally were. It still bothered her a bit, but it wasn't controlling her at all. Still, being docked at this island didn't help the matter either. He knew that. He wanted to get her away from here, from him, but couldn't just yet. He still had to pick up his gift for her. His stomach turned nervously at the though of having to pick it up soon. He was getting impatient with the slow ticking of time. He wanted it over and done with so he could then turn his nervous thoughts on actually giving it to her.
"Ah! Neo, I'm so sorry!" The shrieks of the crewmate snapped Law out of his nervous thoughts. Neo was now sitting on the ground with her arms wrapped around her stomach. Law pushed off the wall and rushed over to them.
Neo took several gasping breaths before being able to speak again. She said, "It's okay."
"No, it's not! I kicked you!" the crewmate shrieked.
Law knelt down beside them as Neo chuckled lightly. "You're suppose to. We're sparring after all."
"Yeah, I know, but…I didn't mean…I wasn't trying…" he muttered. Neo cupped his cheek when he couldn't finish a single sentence. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Really," Neo insisted. "I know getting hit is just a part of it. And I know you all have been going easy on me, too. It's actually kind of amazing that I've improved at all with how easy you all have been going on me."
The crewmate flinched in guilt. Law's eyebrow twitched. Both knew she was right. They all were holding back when it came to hand to hand combat with her. None of them wanted to hurt her, even by accident. The crewmate rubbed the back of his neck. He then said, "Sorry. We'll try to not do that so much in the future."
Law's eyebrows narrowed in on her hand still on his subordinate's cheek. A twinge of jealously swam through his chest. He cleared his throat then said, "Let me take a look at you just in case."
"All right, Captain," Neo said, sending another jolt of disappointment through Law's core.
The crewmate respectfully, and quietly, excused himself from the room. Once gone, Law lifted up her shirt. He touched his fingers to her stomach causing her to tense. "Does anything hurt?"
"No."
"How about when I press?" Law pressed gently on her stomach.
"N-no, Captain," Neo stuttered.
Law brushed his fingers over her skin again. No redness, no forming bruise, no pain. She was fine.
"Captain, is something wrong with me?"
He mentally cursed himself for letting his hand linger too long on her stomach. His hat dropped over his eyes, casting shadows over his flushed cheeks, and lowered her shirt back down. "No, Neo, you're fine."
"I'm sorry. I'm distracted," Neo said with a sigh. "I know I hit a very big milestone yesterday, but it still bugs me that that guy is still so close. I feel guilty about what I did. I know it wasn't my fault, but still. I just wish there was something I could do or say to him that would make it better."
"Don't worry about it," Law said. "Seeing someone like that would throw anyone for a loop. You're still handling it very well. So stop feeling guilty about it. That's an order. He's one of the ones that caused you to lose control in the first place. You have no reason to feel like you need to make up for it. Besides, his mind is too far gone. If you did try to make up for it, he wouldn't accept it. You owe him nothing."
"Really?" Neo asked.
"Yes." Law nodded. He held out his hand to her. She took it and followed him when he stood up. "You only feel like you owe him something because you're a very sweet person. You're clearly not the type to hold grudges against anyone no matter how much they have hurt you."
"I never noticed I was like that," Neo said thoughtfully while thinking about herself. "I guess I still have a lot to learn about myself. All right then, I'll try not to feel so guilty anymore. If I'm done training, I can get lunch started early then. I've been wanting to make some cookies, too."
"What are you making today?" Law asked. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, causing her to tense again.
"I was thinking about fried fish and onigiri. We haven't had those for a while. Some of the crew has wanted mash potatoes for a while also. Maybe some baked beans? That sounds good," Neo spoke thoughtfully. She then smiled at him. "Would that be all right?"
"Sounds very good." Law returned her smile. He stepped closer to her. He shifted the position of his hand so he could lace his fingers through hers. She became shy again at his actions. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she blushed. He chuckled and ran his thumb over her skin again. That's when he realized he had to go pick up the ring. It was getting close to ten o'clock. A light frown settled on his lips at the thought of separating from her. "I have to run back into town for a little bit."
"Oh, okay." Neo nodded. Disappointment had settled into her eyes.
"I won't be gone long," Law said. He cupped her cheek with his free hand. She nodded again. "Why don't you walk me to the door?"
"Okay." Her disappointment vanished a little with his question. He then led her out of the room, keeping her hand firmly in his.
"I'll be back soon, okay?" Law asked when they reached their destination.
"Okay." Neo nodded again. With one last look in each others eyes, the two reluctantly separated.
Law left the sub.
Neo headed to the galley. Both, at the same time, focused on feeling out the others presence. Both, at the same time, smiled when they locked onto each others spirit.
…
"I can't believe it's actually happening tomorrow. I was sure someone would slip up and tell her about it," Bepo said. He, Shachi and Penguin were standing at the door of the galley. They all were watching Neo as she moved around the room preparing lunch and mixing up the batter for her sugar cookies with the help of two other crewmates. "I guess this crew can keep a secret after all. I'm just glad we haven't upset her with all of our sneaking around. Is the party decorations and her gifts hidden?"
"Of course they are. They're tucked away in our quarters. She won't go in there even though she has permission to," Shachi replied. "The only part I'm concerned about is how to keep her distracted tomorrow while we're setting it all up. She's going to suspect something's going on when we start baking the cake. The smell is going to be hard to cover up."
"And we can't have her outside either since we're holding the party outside and not in the sub," Penguin said. He crossed his arms in thought. "I suppose we could spar with her to keep her distracted, but that doesn't solve the smell of the cake problem. Maybe if some of the crew fans the smell away from her? That won't do either. We can't keep her training ever second of the day. She'll go to the galley at some point. Hmm…how long is it going to take us to set all of this up? Maybe we could do that while she's sleeping when we reach the island? I'm not sure if that would work either. But first we need to leave this island for any of that to actually happen."
"Speaking of which…why haven't we left yet?" Shachi asked. "I thought we had all the supplies we needed."
"Captain said there was one more thing he had to get," Bepo answered. "He left a little while ago to pick it up."
"What do you suppose it is?" Shachi asked. "It's not like him to be the last one done shopping."
"I'm not sure." Bepo shrugged. "He left a little while ago after Neo's sparring session."
A smile appeared on Penguin's lips at a memory of yesterday. While doing his own shopping for Neo's gift that he got for her, he just happened to see Law and Neo. Of course he stayed hidden. He didn't want to take the chance of Neo seeing what he got for her, even thought it was safely tucked into the bag. He watched them for a while and notice Law taking in the ring maker while Neo was distracted by another booth. So he had a pretty good idea where their captain was at the moment. Penguin thought about telling them, but only for a second. If the captain wanted them to know he would have told them where he was going. Besides, they all would know soon. The captain won't be able to keep it a secret forever.
No one said anything else after that. They just watched their favorite blue hair girl prepare lunch for them all. The two crewmates, that were helping her, finished peeling all of the potatoes needed for lunch. They stood up from their seats and walked over to the sink to wash them off for her.
"Thanks, guys," Neo said while spooning out her cookies and dropping the batter on the cookie sheets she had sitting out.
"You're welcome," they chirped simultaneously with smiles.
After getting the batter on the pans, she slipped them into the oven. She then moved over to the cabinets that housed the pots needed to boil the potatoes. She pulled the two pots out and carried them over to the sink so she could fill them with water. She turned off the water when the first pot was filled then lifted the pan out of the sink. When she turned to walk to pot over to the stove, a sharp pain stabbed into her back between her shoulder blades. She cried out and, dropping the pot, she crashed to the floor. "Ah!"
"Neo!" the pirates cried while running over to her.
Penguin was the first to reach her. Ignoring the puddle on the floor, he knelt down and helped her sit up. He took her hand in his, allowing her to squeeze it. "Neo, what's wrong?"
"It's my back. It's hurts so much," she replied. Pain shot though her body again. She screamed and collapsed into Penguin's arms. "Penguin…"
Penguin lifted up the back of her shirt. All of them gasped at the bright red spot between her shoulder blades. Penguin then said, "Bepo! Go get the captain! Now!"
"Aye aye!" Bepo screeched, already running for the door.
"Hold on, Neo," Shachi said, kneeling down. "Bepo's going for the captain right now."
Neo just winced at the pain. They weren't sure if she had heard him or not.
...
"Here ya go, young man," the ring maker said while holding out the ring for Law. "Came out simply beautiful, if I do say so myself. I hope it's to your satisfaction."
"It is." Law inspected the ring with a light smile. He then pocketed the ring while handing the old guy a fairly thick wad of bills.
"It's been a pleasure, sir. I hope your girl will love it." The old man smiled.
"She will," Law said. He then walked away. He got about ten yards away from the ring maker when a dull, but very annoying pain settled into his back. He rolled his shoulders to try and get the pain to go away. Suddenly, the pain got sharper and he heard Neo's voice cry out for him.
'Captain!'
"Neo?" Before Law could process what He just experienced, Bepo came running up to him.
"Captain! Something's wrong with Neo!" Bepo screeched, arms and legs flailing wildly. "Hurry! Hurry! You have to come back to the sub now!"
Law only nodded in response. The two dashed through the crowds, weaving in and out of the people. Then rushed down the docks. When they got close enough, Law warped them into the sub. Bepo then said, "She's in the galley!"
Law was already heading in that direction before Bepo even spoke. Once inside the room, he dropped his sword and knelt down. He paused when his eyes noticed how red her back was. He then took her into his arms. "Neo?"
She pulled her eyes to his. Tears running down her cheeks from the pain. She winced then whimpered. "C-Captain…it hurts. It hurts a lot."
"Captain!" the crew shouted, worry dripping from their voices.
"Okay, come on." Law carefully lifted her into his arms and stood up. The crew followed him to the medical bay. Having to remove her shirt, he ordered them to stay out. "Wait out here."
"But, Captain…" Bepo started to protest.
"I have to remove her shirt. Stay out here," Law ordered again.
Reluctantly the crew obeyed the order and stayed out in the hall. Once through the door, Shachi closed it for their captain. He then took a few steps from the door to wait with the others. His sunglasses covered eyes roamed over the crew. Penguin, obviously the most worried of them all, was sitting down against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his bend up knees. Shachi walked over to him and sat down beside him. "She's going to be fine."
"Yeah." Penguin nodded without a smile. "I know."
…
Law gently sat her down on the exam table and promptly removed her shirt as quickly, and softly, as he possibly could then unhooked the clasp of her bar. He barely swallowed back a gasp when he saw her back again. Her skin was bright red and now glowing right between her shoulder blades. He leaned closer and inspected her glowing skin. How is that possible?
Another whimper from her snapped him out of his stare. He reached out and touched the glowing redness. Her skin was hot, but not 'hand jerking back' hot. He stepped away from her. After quickly filtering through his medications, he stepped back over to her and started to apply some anti-burn cream to her skin. His eyes widened when the cream instantly disappeared from her skin. He placed more on her skin only to have it end in the same results of disappearing. He tried a few other different creams and ointments he had. He growled to himself when he kept ending up with the same results. All of them disappeared from her back the second he put them on.
"C-Captain, I don't…feel so good," Neo said while placing her hand on her face. She started to sway.
Law shot his arm out just as she slumped forward and passed out. "Ne-" He started to call out her name when he noticed the glow and redness started to fade away. After about ten seconds it was completely gone. Thinking he was just seeing things, Law ran his fingers over her back again before hooking the clasp back in place. He pulled her shirt back on knowing he wouldn't be able to keep the crew out much longer, and laid her down on the table. He checked her pulse, finding it normal, and then stepped over to the door to open it. The worried eyes of his subordinates looked at him simultaneously.
"Captain, how is she?" Jean Bart asked.
Law hesitated before answering. With a sigh, he said, "I'm not sure. She passed out." The crew gasped. He quickly added, "She passed out from the pain, but appears to be resting comfortably now. The redness has vanished as well."
A tiny sigh of relief passed over the crew. Penguin stepped forward. He said, "Can we see her?"
"That'll be fine. Just keep it quiet and let her rest," Law ordered. He pushed the door open farther and they all filed inside.
"Captain, what's wrong with her?" Penguin asked once beside her. He stroked her hair. "Why does this keep happening?"
The crew waited anxiously for their captain to answer. Law didn't reply immediately. He just walked back over to his medical supplies. He pulled out a needle, alcohol, cotton balls, and a bandage. After placing them on a small silver tray, he stepped back over to her. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
After disinfecting the bend of her elbow, he inserted the needle into her skin. Since she didn't flinch from the poke Law knew she was still completely out of it. Once the needle body was filled, he pulled it out, bandaged the tiny prick then proceed to run every single test he could possibly think of running on her.
…
A steady familiar beeping was the first thing that greeted her when she started to wake up. She opened her eyes to slightly blurry vision and a little dizziness. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes again. Her vision was cleared, but the dizziness remained. "Hey there, sweetie. How are you feeling?"
Neo turned her head to the left. Penguin appeared in her view. She said, "A little dizzy, but better."
He took her hand and helped her sit up. She paused when something pulled on her shoulders and chest. She panicked when she saw wires running under the neck of her shirt. She grabbed at them to jerk them off. A familiar hand gently snapped out and grabbed hers before she could. Law's voice then reached her ears. "You're fine, Neo. I only hooked you up to the heart monitor just as a precaution." She turned her eyes to him just as he placed his free hand on her forehead. She tensed, but didn't pull away. "Your fever's gone down, too. That's good."
"I had a fever?" Neo asked releasing her hold on the wires she took a hold of his hand instead. Law nodded. "What's wrong with me? Why does my back keep hurting like this?"
"I wish I knew. I ran some tests while you were sleeping, but I haven't found anything," Law replied. Neo dropped her eyes down to her legs, her eyebrows narrowed with worry. When he started talking again she raised her eyes back to him. "Neo, I want you to stay in here tonight."
"What for?" she asked confusion started rising into her eyes.
"I just want to monitor you for a while," Law said. He tucked her hair behind her ear then tenderly stroked her cheek. She tensed again when his skin made contact with her own.
"Will you stay with me?" Her eyebrows turned up.
"Of course I will." Law smiled. He sat down on the edge of the bed with her. He gently pulled her into his arms, careful not to pull the heart monitoring patches off her skin. She nodded against his chest, the beeping of the heart monitor slightly increasing.
Penguin bit his bottom lip to keep himself from snickering. He knew now wasn't the time for teasing snickers, but, at the same time, he wasn't sure they would hear him even if he did snicker. He cleared his throat to remind them he was still there. They jumped lightly at the intrusion from the forgotten man. He said, "You're probably hungry. Would you like me to bring you something? Jean Bart and a couple others took over making what you had already going after we knew you weren't in any life threatening danger."
"Yeah, I think I can eat." Neo nodded again. "And some tea, please."
"Of course." Penguin chuckled before kissing her temple. "Coming right up. Would you like me to bring you anything, Captain?"
"No, I'm fine for now," Law replied. He waited for his subordinate to disappear into the hall before turning back to her. "I'm going to check your vitals then draw some more blood."
"What for?" Neo asked.
"Just another precaution," Law replied while getting up from the bed. He gathered what he needed then placed the items on a tray and walked over to her. He sat the tray down on the bed. "I just want to be thorough. I want to know I didn't miss anything."
"All right," Neo said while he checked her vitals. She shifted when he picked up the needle.
"I'll make this as painless as possible," Law then said when he noticed she really didn't like the idea. She only nodded in response. Once he wiped her arm clean with the disinfectant, he uncapped the needle and, as gently as possible, slipped the needle into her skin. She winced slightly, but held still. "Sorry."
"It's fine, Captain." Neo shook her head.
Law's stomach sank a little when she called him captain again. His mind drifted back to when she called him by his name and what the old man had said to him. "But my heart still flutters when I remember how her voice sounded when she said my name." And just like the old man, his heart fluttered again at the sound of his name on her lips.
"Captain?" Neo said.
"Hm?" Law hummed.
"Is something wrong?" Neo asked.
"Why would something be wrong?"
"You had this strange look on your face."
Law raised his eyes to her at that point. His heart raced at the purity and innocence in her eyes. "It's nothing," he replied. He grabbed a cotton ball and pulled out the needle. He laid down the needle before bending her arm up so she'd hold the little ball in place. He then grabbed the bandage, removed the cotton ball, and laid the bandage over her pricked arm. He studied her before speaking again. "Why don't you lay down and rest?"
"Okay, Captain." Neo nodded before laying back down.
Law rubbed his hand on her arm before picking up the tray and setting to work on studying her blood again.
"Suppertime!" Penguin announced cheerily when he reentered the room a short time later. He was carrying a tray with Neo's plate and drink on it as well as a plate and drink for himself. She sat back up. He then placed the tray on her lap and sat down on the bed with her. Just as the two started eating, the rest of the crew started filtering into the room holding their own plates and drinks.
"Hey, Neo!" they all greeted Neo cheerfully while claiming spots on the floor to sit down and eat. It didn't take long before the entire crew came into the room. Some of them were carrying extra pillows. They placed them behind her so she could recline instead of sitting up before joining their fellow crewmates on the floor.
Law was too busy, and distracted by the current problem, to even notice his crew was now in the room. He continued going over her blood until he heard her heart strumming, stomach fluttering, bell filled laughter. A couple of the crew was dancing around with their empty cups on their heads and chopsticks in their noses. He smiled. He was glad that the crew's antics were making her feel good enough to laugh. He turned back to his microscope, but didn't look into it. Instead he slipped his right hand into his pocket. His hand took hold of the tiny round object inside, making his heart pound even faster.
…
Law sat on the edge of the bed like he has many times since he brought Neo into the medical bay hours before. She had finally fallen asleep a while ago. Worry was etched over his face. His mind kept going over all the tests he had run on her and her blood. Nothing. No abnormalities. No diseases. There was just nothing. It really annoyed him that he didn't find anything. Something obviously was happening to her.
He clenched his fists. Maybe what was wrong with her can't be detected by my means, by human means. She is, after all, not human. She is an elemental. Whatever the heck that actually consisted of. Human medicine might have no effect on her at all. Or worse. They might have an effect on her. A bad one. After all she hasn't really been sick or anything since she came to live with us. And I have only used a sedative and painkillers on her a couple times. And the sedative hadn't taken a quick effect on her despite it being a heavy dosage. The painkillers seemed to do fine though.
Law grumbled. He rubbed the back of his neck. All of his doctor skills could end up hurting her. He felt so frustrated. He needed to know more about elemental biology and the effects medications could have on her. But how could that happen? Rayleigh said that her people were after her for whatever reason. They weren't going to be any help even if he could find them. He had also said that their home island of Luminous was hard to find. So the possibility of going there and stealing some of their medical books was an out of reach option as well. And since Neo wasn't even born when she was last on the island, she wouldn't be able to find it either or know anything about their medical procedures.
The only option that he had access to was experimenting on Neo. A sharp pain of fear and dread shot to the very core of this being. His body turned completely cold. There was no way he would ever do that to her. He couldn't. It would hurt her too much. He wouldn't do that to her. He wasn't going to do that to her. Never.
Law rubbed his hand over his face and growled. Why did his only accessible option have to hurt her? If he tried to find out what was wrong, it would hurt her. If he didn't try to find out what was wrong, her back would keep hurting her. What would happen to her if her pain were left untreated? The attacks were still far apart, but the pain was obviously getting worse. Was this a life threatening issue after all?
Before Law could spiral into a panic frenzy that the last question was starting to cause, he heard a knock on the closed medical bay door. "Yes? Who is it?"
"Just me," Penguin answered from the other side. "Permission to enter?"
"Granted." Law composed himself just before his subordinate entered into the room. "Something wrong?"
"No, everything's fine." Penguin smiled. He walked over to them and looked at Neo. "I was just coming to check and see if you needed anything."
"I'm fine," Law replied.
"Okay." Penguin nodded. "I just thought you might want to take a shower or something."
Law paused and thought about the man's words. "Shower, huh?"
"If you wanted to grab one, I could stay with her just in case she wakes up," Penguin offered.
Law nodded slowly. "Yeah, I could use one. It might clear my head."
Penguin only nodded in response.
Law let his eyes linger on Neo one last time before pushing himself off the bed. He shoved his hands into his pocket and forced himself to leave the room. The humming of the sub's engines, the creaking of the walls, the low talk of the crew who was still awake, his own footsteps, all faded away from his ears. He barely even registered making it to his room.
He opened the door and stepped inside. His eyes automatically went to his bed. A hollowness appeared in his chest. It wasn't right. Her not being in his bed just wasn't right to him. She should have been here instead of the medical bay. Law shook his head. He reminded himself that she was only going to sleep in there for one night. That's all. And he was going to be with her. He pushed himself forward into the room. He grabbed himself some clean clothes and walked over to the bathroom. He paused when his eyes fell onto her large teddy bear sitting in the corner of the room. The large white teddy bear he had won for her back on Sabaody.
Just one night. Just one, he thought before finally stepping into the bathroom. He turned on the water before quickly disrobing and stepping inside. He sighed when the hot water ran down his body, his tense with worry body. It helped relax him a bit. He felt a little better.
He then turned his attention to actually taking his shower. He told Penguin he wasn't going to be long. And he wanted to get back to her as soon as possible. So he lathered up his hair then his body as quick as he could then rinsed off. He stepped out of the shower and dried off just as quick. He had his pants pulled on and was about to button them up when he got the feeling he needed to get back to the medical bay. Now.
So with a hasty button up of his jeans, abandoning his shoes, he grabbed his shirt and dashed out of the room. He pushed through the partially opened door, that he'd left open. His heart about leaped into his throat when he saw she was wake. And, even from his spot several feet away, he could tell she was trembling. Penguin, who had his arms around her, turned his eyes to Law. Law demanded, "What happened?!"
"She just had a bad dream," Penguin replied, rubbing his hand on her back. Law walked over to them as the man continued. "I'm not sure, but I think it was about the first couple of times she woke up in here. She keeps mumbling something about chains. She did it in her sleep, too. I don't think she's completely awake at the moment."
Law released a sigh of relief that her back pain hadn't returned. But he also felt guilty for leaving her. "All right. I'll take it from here. You can go."
"Aye, Captain." Penguin nodded. He turned back to Neo and kissed her temple then finally released his hold on her. She trembled harder without his arms around her. He wanted to hold her again, but knew Law was better suited to handle her now. So he left the room, closing the door as he went.
And Law did. He dropped his shirt on the bed while sitting down where Penguin just was. He ran his fingers through her hair. She mumbled," Chains…no more…chains…no more please…no more chains…"
Law placed his finger under her chin and tilted her eyes to him. Penguin was right. She wasn't completely awake yet. Her eyes were lightly glazed over. "Neo, wake up. Wake up now."
Her eyes lightened up a bit at his words. She looked at him. She then looked at her wrists. "The chains are still there. Captain, I don't want to be chained down anymore."
"Neo, you're all right. You were just having a bad dream. There are no more chains." Law rubbed his hands over her wrists to prove his point. "See? They're not there."
"No more chains?" Neo drew her eyes back up to his.
"No more chains. And I will never put chains on you ever again." Law ran his fingers through her hair again. "I only did it then because you were a danger to yourself and to us. But you're not anymore. The chains are gone, forever. Do you understand?"
"I understand. No more chains. It was just a bad dream." Neo nodded lightly.
"I'm sorry. I should have realized that being in here could trigger bad dreams." Law pulled her into his arms and to his bare chest. "But I promise you only have to stay in here just for tonight. And I will be right by your side. I won't let you have another bad dream."
"Thank you, Captain." She nodded against him. He then felt her hands making their way up his torso. She tried to grab onto his shirt like she always did when scared or feeling vulnerable. When her fingers didn't curl around the fabric of his shirt, she lifted off of him. Her face flushed, her entire body stiffened and her heart pounded fast at the sight of his bare, tattooed chest. Law bit back a chuckle when the heart monitor started beeping wildly.
"Sorry. I forgot I didn't put my shirt on." Law, smiling, pulled away from her just enough so he could pull his shirt on. The second his impressive chest was covered the beeping from the heart monitor started to slow down. She remained staring at his chest, however. When it was obvious she wasn't going to move anytime soon, he chuckled then said, "You should lay back down now and get some sleep."
She snapped out of her trance then. She locked eyes with him. Timidly, she asked, "Will you laid down with me? Please? It's to…open in here. I don't like it."
"Of course I will." Law nodded. He then realized that she didn't have the security of the wall and him nearby like she did when sleeping in his bed. Compared to that the medical bay might as well had been an open field. He had always been with her since he moved her into his room. And even more so when he started sharing his bed with her. She had always had security until tonight. That was also another trigger to cause her to have a bad dream. "Lay down now."
She shifted over on the bed to make sure he had room to lay down then laid down herself. Law made sure she was tucked back into her cover before laying down beside her, thankful the crew brought in extra pillows. Sensing she wasn't going to fall back asleep as quick as he wanted her to, Law laid his arm over her and started to gently rub her back. Her heart rate sped up again. But she quickly adjusted to having his hand on her back. He soon lulled her into a peaceful sleep. He shifted a bit then settled into a long night of watching over her.
Once she was completely asleep, Law propped upon his elbow to watch her sleep. His hand slipped into his pocket where he had put the ring before his shower. His heart raced at the thought of giving it to her. He also thought about the reasons he was giving it to her. It was for her one year anniversary with them, but also for other reasons, mostly to keep men from hitting on her. His mind wandered back to the waiter at Sabaody. The man was clearly interested in Neo. Law really couldn't blame him. Neo was an amazing looking young woman. And her innocence made her even more attractive. He knew some men would take advantage of that. Having a ring on her finger would prevent some of that from happening. But was it all just him being protective of her? No. He wanted her to wear his ring. He wanted her to belong to him. To a degree she already did. But for that to actually happen she would have to agree to it. And she would have to start calling him by his name. After thinking about it for a few more minutes he decided it was about time she called him by his name.
