It was a bit disheartening that Summer needed just a moment to collect herself before opening the hospital room's door. For the life of her she couldn't shake the anxiety deep in her gut as she stared at the handle. There shouldn't have been a reason for it, yet she hesitated all the same. Beyond the door was not one of Joker's people. They were friendly.
Finally—after a longer amount of time than what she was willing to admit to—she gripped the handle a bit tighter and slowly turned it, pushing on the door until it began to give way. Inch by inch, she opened the door, until she saw the two occupants inside.
Shachi, seated in the chair beside his friend's bed, looked up from his phone at the sound of the door. In a near comical fashion, Summer was able to see the exact moment he recognized who she was, because his eyes went wide and he nearly dropped the device from his hand.
"Holy shit…" Standing in a rush and hurrying over to her. She braced herself for the barrel hug he squeezed her body with, but she hadn't anticipated just how emotional he'd be to see her. His arms were tight and warm around her smaller frame. "You're alive…" He muttered.
"Somehow, yeah." She said, smiling into his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't contact you sooner. I just got released from the hospital yesterday."
"Don't apologize." Shachi said, releasing her and stepping away from the blonde to give her some more room. If she'd just gotten out, he didn't want to accidentally hurt her. "If there's anyone who needs to apologize, it's us. We should have-"
"I don't want you saying sorry for anything." She said gently, soft smile still in place. "I never blamed either of you for anything that happened to me." Her eyes lit upon the sleeping form of Penguin, who looked better than the last time she'd seen him. Though, anything was better than lying in a pool of your own blood on the floor.
"Still. It weighs on us. Both of us." Shachi admitted, and it was then that she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. It must have been effected them a lot more than she'd anticipated. A part of her knew they'd feel guilty for it, but not to this extent.
"Don't let it. Please." She asked genuinely. "I just wanted to come by to make sure you were both ok. My friend was able to find Penguin's check in record and told me where to find you."
Shachi nodded, his own gaze turning onto his friend. For a moment he only stood there silently. "It was touch and go for a second. The doctor said if we hadn't gotten him here when we did he would have died. I've never—" He swallowed, lip quivering just enough for her to notice. "I've never been so closing to losing someone I cared about, you know? I was this close to losing my best friend. Hell, nearly both of them. And they're more like brothers than anything."
Summer cast her eyes down and nodded, feeling his sorrow. She'd nearly lost everything she loved too. She could understand his feelings. "But we're all here. We're all alive. That the only thing we should focus on."
"Yeah…" Shachi said thickly, licking his lips uncomfortably. "In the end, everyone's ok. Law called us yesterday and told us he was alright. I'm not sure what we're going to do about his warrant though…"
"I'm sure we'll figure something out." She said optimistically. Simply for the sake of being the positive voice in all of this. Shachi wasn't in any sort of mindset to be positive. No need to bring her own negativity into the small space with them. He didn't respond to it anyway.
Figuring that a change in subject was warranted, she cleared her throat and stepped closer to Penguin. He looked peaceful laying there. "How long does he have to stay here for?"
"Another couple days." Shachi said, wandering back over to his original seat and taking it again. "The bullet was very close to a major artery, so the doctors want to keep him a bit longer than they usually would for his wound type. Just to make sure there's no post-operational complications.
Shachi shook his head with a small scoff. "I haven't even been home to wash out the…" He trailed off, eyes trailing off in a glaze. "I just go to work and come back here. But it needs to be cleaned before he's discharged."
"I can help with that." Summer offered. "Later today, I'll go and do the best I can. That way you don't have to bother yourself with it." She said gently, happy to be of assistance in this situation. It would be morbid, but necessary. And something she would be able to complete.
Shachi stared at his sleeping friend awhile, mulling over what she said, before slowly nodding. "I normally wouldn't let you do that. You've been through a lot as well, but…I just…can't bring myself to go back there and look at it. All it does it remind me of coming home and seeing him on the floor…I thought he was dead when I first saw it, he was so pale."
Summer frowned, grimacing as she felt another wave of sorrow. That couldn't have been easy. They all had scars coming out of this experience. None of them got away unscathed. "Don't worry yourself with it, then. You can count on me."
"Thanks." He swallowed and took an even breath, trying to bring himself back in a better headspace. "Have you seen Law yet?"
The blonde shook her head. "I was going to see him next. I wanted to give myself time to recover from everything before then. But, I've been dying to see him, at the same time." She admitted.
Shachi stood and rounded the bed to stand beside her again. "Then go see him. We'll be ok."
She frowned. "But Penguin isn't awake yet-"
Shachi gave her a small grin, the closest thing he could manage given the circumstances. "I'll tell him you stopped by, and that you don't want him to blame himself. Besides, you can come by again later when you have the chance, if you really want to tell him yourself. But go see Law. I know you probably both need it right now."
Summer gave him a long look, before nodding gratefully and stepping into a goodbye hug. They both squeezed, reassuring themselves that they were both still indeed alive. A reminder that everything had worked out ok. She took a deep breath, inhaling his jacket, before stepping back and releasing him.
"Take care of yourself. I'll be back later to get the key, and see if he's awake again."
"Ok." Shachi said, watching her go. Summer slipped out the door and closed it behind her, feeling a strange mix of emotions. She'd been expecting to be relieved and happy, but seeing Shachi so upset over almost losing the one person in the world he was the closest to…that hurt her deeper than she'd expected. Law and his friends truly shared a remarkable bond.
She wandered thoughtfully to the end of the row of hospital rooms, turning the corner and heading in the direction of the elevators. She truly was relived that they were alright, but obviously there was still some healing to be done on both Penguin's and Shachi's part. It was a small wonder he was reluctant to go home and see the red-stained carpet where his friend had almost died. She wouldn't be surprised if they ended up moving somewhere else, the memories of what had happened that day too strong to continue living there.
With a start, Summer realized she'd reached the elevators, and she pressed the button for the lift. The hospital's intercom sounded overhead, calling a doctor to the intensive care department, and she could hear the hubbub of general hospital sounds. The elevator dinged as the cabin reached her floor, and the sounds of wheelchair wheels against the wooden floors was nearly driving her mad. As soon as the doors opened, she stepped into the cabin, and pressed the button to close them again, followed by the correct floor number.
She was nervous, once again, as the thought of finally seeing Law hit her in full. It had only been a few days since she'd last seen him, but before that it had been a few months. She had been so eager to see him after all that time, but the circumstances surrounding their first reunion had been less than pleasant. Hopefully this time, things would go a little better.
She reached the intensive care unit floor and followed the signs to his room. She had to sign in with a nurse, but no one gave her any trouble. The nurse simply smiled and directed her towards the correct hallway to find him.
His door was closed, as she'd predicted. A part of her thought about knocking before entering, but she didn't want to wake him up if he happened to be sleeping. If that was the case, she'd come back at a later time to try to see him. Somehow, now that she was directly in front of Law's door, her hesitation vanished, and she wasted no more time in going inside.
The handle turned silently, the door's hinges were well oiled and made no sound. Inside, she spotted Law sitting up, the bed's head lifted to accommodate the change in position, and he was watching something on the tv across from him. His hair was the ever-present mess it had always been. And despite looking paler than normal and a bit thin, he was the same Law she'd always known him to be. She smiled, so happy to see him up and awake.
The moment the door opened, he swung his gaze to meet her, and she enjoyed the genuine surprise on his face to see that it was indeed her. His mouth opened slightly, as if wanting to say something but unable to voice it. Summer huffed out a breath of a laugh and closed the door behind her.
She nearly jogged over to his bedside, tossing her purse in the chair beside the bed, and threw her arms around him eagerly. He responded with just as much enthusiasm, grunting when she squeezed a little too tight, but too pleased to tell her to stop. He'd endure pain worse than this for her. Always.
"I'm so glad you're ok…" She whispered into his shoulder, head nudging itself under his chin to nuzzle him closer and to try to stop the tears of joy from falling. "I'm so glad everyone's ok…"
"Summer…" He muttered, pulling her away from himself. Summer frowned a bit, confused as to why he was pushing her away, but lost any other train of thought as he tilted her head so he could crush their lips together in a searing kiss. He may still have been recovering and wasn't up to full strength, but he could have fooled her with the passion behind the gesture, his hands buried themselves in her golden locks, keeping her close lest she slip away from him somehow.
She sighed behind her lips, smiling as she reveled in the feeling of being with him again. She'd missed this so much. She'd missed him so much. It was such a perfect reminder that they were both alive, feeling his mouth meld against hers with a desperation she too had been feeling over the past few months.
He changed from deep, lingering kisses to soft, chaste ones, peppering her lips with them until she couldn't help but giggle. She felt him smile against her lips as he reverted back to the first kind, stealing her breath away and sending a pang of pleasure through her chest.
Law groaned with the want, desiring nothing more than to spend the rest of his day just kissing her like this to make up for their months apart. He wanted to do more but this wasn't the time nor place for that, and they both still had a lot of healing to do before he'd even broach that relationship hurdle. Besides, he'd prefer the Commissioner not to interrupt them when he eventually came back from talking to Corazon.
They quickly depleted their oxygen and had no other choice than to pull away. Summer rested her forehead against his, feeling the heat of his breath against her face. She opened her eyes to half-lids, looking at him truly for the first time in months. This moment of solace, of pure joy and relief, was so cleansing and welcome. She only hoped that Law felt some sort of comfort from it as well.
His brow was furrowed, and she could guess what the first words out of his mouth would be.
"I'm sorry for everything…" He said breathlessly, refusing to open his eyes and look at her. Perhaps he didn't want to see any accusation in her own. "I'll never forgive myself for putting your through all of this…"
Summer shook her head back and forth an inch. "Law, it's ok-"
"No, it's not." He finally cracked open his eyes and searched her violet ones with a deep sadness. "You've endured so much because of me…had to do things you never wanted to because of me."
The mention of her past actions made her look away, but he gently coaxed her gaze back to his.
"I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere else. No matter what happens I'll be here with you to make up for all the time I've kept us apart." He swore seriously.
She nodded, but couldn't help but think of the obvious kink in that plan. "Your warrant…"
"I know." He admitted, hands drifting down from her hair down to her shoulders. "But I'll think of something. I won't go to prison after everything I've done to fix my mistakes. I won't leave you alone again."
They stared into each other's eyes for a few more seconds, before Summer nodded. She believed that he believed what he was saying, but knew better than to voice her own doubts. She had to stay positive for him. "Ok."
"I don't know what I did so right to find someone as incredible as you…" He whispered, eyes slowly drifting back down to her lips. "You've gone through hell and can still find it in yourself to stay here with me…"
"I'm not going anywhere either." Summer smiled sweetly, slowly closing the gap between them. They met again in a tender kiss, slowly exploring and relearning the shapes of their lips just in case they'd forgotten over the past few months. Law swore to himself he'd find a way to make sure he could kiss them every day for the rest of his days, and Summer thought much the same in her own mind.
They quickly pulled apart at the sound of knocking on his hospital room door. Law and Summer shared a look, before she stepped back a bit and sat in the nearest chair, trying to school her features into something that didn't obviously scream 'we were just making out.'
"Come in." Law called, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh. He'd been getting a lot of visitors lately. More than he'd expected.
The Commissioner entered first, and spotted Summer sitting at Law's bedside. He smiled, glad that she was in a much better state than the last time he'd seen her. Neither had time to really process his presence, because directly behind him, a woman holding a briefcase stepped into view. A silver-haired woman…
Summer opened her mouth to greet her best friend, but she held up a finger for silence, and cleared her throat. Her back to the Commissioner, he didn't see the gesture, but Summer understood that she wasn't supposed to 'recognize' her in front of the Commissioner. Though, she had no clue as to what she was doing here.
"Trafalgar Law?" She asked, sticking out a hand to the bedridden man when she approached. He took it in confusion. "My name is Hitomi Silver, of Quicksilver Law Firm. I am your state-appointed defense attorney for the upcoming case against you. Might we have a few minutes alone to discuss some options?"
Law's eyes confusion cleared, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Summer was delighted. There was no better person to be representing Law than Hitomi, she would do the absolute best she could to keep him from going to prison. Though, she was normally the one making sure the defendant was locked away…the blonde had no idea how a prosecuting attorney could also defend someone in court, but she assumed Hitomi knew a lot more about what she was doing than Summer did. A wave of relief washed through her.
Summer took the hint for privacy and stood from her chair, grabbing her bag. "I'll be outside for a bit."
Law watched her go silently, and the door shut between them. Summer sighed, feeling a tiny smile upturn the corners of her mouth. A bench was nearby, so she wandered over and sat to wait. Who knew how long it would take for them to get the specifics of the case squared away?
Law's door opened again, and the Commissioner stepped outside with a sigh. "I guess lawyer-client confidentiality trumps even a federal order for police watch on a suspect." He chuckled, approaching and taking the seat beside her. "Ah, well. Good to see you on your feet, kid. How are you feeling?"
She regarded him, then smiled. "I'm alright. Just wish things would be over with so everything can go back to normal."
"Yeah, I don't blame you. Cases like this? They aren't known to be quick and easy." He said, shifting to get a bit more comfortable in his seat. A few nurses walked by, carrying medical equipment and clipboards. Summer watched them pass by.
"Now, how are you really doing?" He asked suddenly, and she gave him a sidelong stare.
"I'm…" She started immediately, wanting to proclaim that she was indeed fine, but something in his eyes stopped her. They both knew that was a lie. He could practically see right through her. Instead, she sighed and shook her head. "I'm…not sure."
"Accepting that something is wrong is the first step towards recovery. It doesn't do to lie to yourself about your own health. Just makes things worse down the line." He said wisely with a slow nod. He was staring straight ahead at the opposite side of the hallway, where a generic painting you'd find in any public service building sat hanging. "It takes time, so don't rush it."
Summer nodded mutely, staring down at her bag where the pamphlet for her ASD diagnosis was still sitting. Time. Everything always took time…
As soon as the door shut behind the Commissioner, Hitomi rounded on him, placing her hands on the bed and leaning in real close. "Let's get one thing straight, Law. I am not your biggest fan. The only reason I'm here is because Summer is alive and…well, as healthy as she can be considering the circumstances. Had that not been the case, I'd be the one making sure your ass was thrown in prison for the rest of eternity."
Her eyes narrowed, and Law tried his best to sink back another inch or so in the bed. "I still haven't entirely forgiven you for everything you've put her through. No matter how much she might tell you it's ok, it isn't. Because of you, I almost lost a good friend. And I make sure never to forget the faces of those who wronged me or my family.
"So you're real lucky this room has cameras in it, or I might just be tempted to do a little damage of my own." She took a breath to even herself, before looking at him with a much less threatening stare. "Now…I'm going to help you as best I can out of this mess, because I know how much you mean to Summer. And I'd hate to have her suffer through 20 years of loneliness waiting for a criminal to do his time. Do I make myself clear?"
There weren't many people that could legitimately scare Law. He'd faced Joker head on, and countless other operatives within his network without batting an eye. But to see the silver-haired woman nearly pressing him into the springs of the hospital bed was something else entirely. He couldn't help the swallow of slight terror and nodded silently.
"Good." She said in a much cheerier tone, straightening up and smoothing down her pencil skirt. "Then, let's talk about what lies ahead of you, shall we?"
ns 15.158.61.48da2
