Law was drifting. Through what, he wasn't sure.
It was dark, and he couldn't feel anything, but he knew he was…there. Wherever there so happened to be. There was absolutely no sign of his own body though, and when he tried reaching down to check that he was alright, he didn't even have hands to do so with. The emptiness stretched on forever, with no sources of light to guide him. Were his eyes even open?
It felt like he was laying down but he couldn't be sure. Which way was up here, anyway? His sense of equilibrium was all sorts of messed up, and there were no landmarks he could use to get his bearings. Where was here? He felt he should know but nothing came to mind.
The one consolation in all of this was that…he felt really fucking good. There was no pain at all, and everything was a pleasantly warm temperature. It felt so…nice. So…lovely. He was content to stay that way if he had to.
The bartender spent some time just floating, enjoying the feeling of nothing at all, before he became aware of a low, distant noise. He wouldn't have been able to say when it had started, but now that he was aware of it, he couldn't get rid of it. No. He wanted to go back to nothing at all, but the noise persisted, getting louder.
"…didn't expect him to be awake this soon."
"Tough kid."
Suddenly he could feel his body again, and he was yanked from the sea of nothing back into consciousness, and his eyes opened slowly. Beeping. Constant beeping, he noticed the vitals machine off to his left, and the dimly lit hospital room where he currently resided.
So he hadn't died after all.
A dark-skinned woman leaned into his line of sight and gave a smile. "Can you hear me, sweetie? Do you know where you are?"
Law nodded slowly, not trusting his own voice at the moment. His mind was still foggy and…swimming. He glanced at the board on the opposite wall with his treatment details written on it. Morphine. No wonder he was feeling so great. They'd given him quite a bit, he suspected, due to the gunshot and stab wound he'd sustained.
"Do you need anything at all?" The nurse asked again kindly, waiting patiently for him.
"Water." He said in a dry voice. "Feel dehydrated."
"No problem, I'll be right back with that. I'm sure the doctor will want to go over your treatment plan now that you're awake, too." The nurse stood straighter and trekked out of the room to leave him alone again.
Well, not quite alone. When the nurse left, Law's attention was dragged over to a man who'd been sitting in a visitor chair just behind where she'd been. He stood, walking closer to the bed. He didn't seem familiar, but something about his uniform was-.
"Mr. Trafalgar Law, right? I'm Commissioner Sengoku with the CPD." He introduced, turning slightly to display the badge on his uniform. Law regarded it with sudden tension in his body, then decided that it wasn't worth the effort, so he relaxed a bit. It's not like he could change this outcome. The man was here to stay, and nothing Law said or did would change it. "I'm sure you must be wondering why I'm here."
"Not really." He mused honestly. "I could take a guess."
"Heh, fair enough." Sengoku said, grabbing one of the visitor chairs and dragging it to the side of the bed so as not to encroach on his space. "I'll be straight with you, then. There's a warrant out for your arrest in connection with gang activity and a whole slew of other related criminal charges. Once you're discharged, I'm to bring you into custody."
"So, what are you doing here exactly?" He wondered, seeing as it would still take him several days at least of recovery before he was well enough to get out of the hospital.
Sengoku's expression never really changed from amusement and honesty. Strange. "We wouldn't want you skipping town once you're all patched up. You'll be under my supervision until then."
Law settled himself back in the bed, watching as the nurse returned with a cup of water. "Thank you." He said, taking a few sips as the doctor came into the room with a soft knock, holding a clipboard. The officer stood and got out of the way for the medical professional so he could work.
The doctor went through everything he knew about Law's condition, providing him details about his treatment plan, expected timeline of recovery, and the works. Sengoku stood to the side, looking out the window of the room as they went over medical details, seeing as it really wasn't his business.
The gunshot wound was clean and had gone straight through, so there was no concern over it. However, the stab wound to his chest had the potential for infection. They were treating with the appropriate medications but sepsis was always a possibility when it came to wounds.
The doctor left not long after, leaving Law and the Commissioner alone once more. He returned to his seat and clenched his hands together, elbows on his knees.
"So, you're pretty well banged up, aren't you?"
Law shrugged. "I've had worse." Then, another thought came to mind and he panicked. "The others, a man and a woman, are they-"
"Relax, don't give yourself a heart attack." He soothed, holding up a hand to calm him. "The staff says the girl is fine. Dehydrated and bruised all over but they said she should be fine in a few days. Rosinante, well, last I heard he's going through a second surgery to repair tissue damage from the bullets."
The bartender internally sighed with relief at the confirmation that Summer was ok. He worried about her mental state, especially after killing Joker herself, but at least she was alive. He could help her after that point. Corazon, however, he…
"What are they saying about him?" He nearly whispered, almost afraid of the answer.
Sengoku gave a long sigh, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. "He's not out of the woods yet, but you shouldn't go shopping for coffins either. He's strong, he'll recover, it'll just take some time. Don't worry about him."
"…you talk like you know him." Law realized, seeing as he called him by his actual name, not the one he preferred everyone to call him.
Sengoku looked surprised, then. "What, he's never mentioned me?" When Law shook his head, he scoffed. "Figures. I knew his father, way back when. After what happened to his family, well…I did my best to look after him. He's the closest thing I have to any real family."
Law wondered what he meant by 'what happened to his family.' Corazon never talked about his real family, now that he really thought about it. He hadn't ever cared to know, really. Nor thought to ask. But now he was curious. "No children?"
"Married to the job." He gruffed good-naturedly with a shrug. "Who has time for a family when you can't help but bring your work home every night? Never could settle down."
He nodded silently to himself, his gaze off to the side. Law was willing to bet this topic of conversation was something he mulled over a lot. Then, he suddenly snapped back up and clapped his hands together. "But, either way, we're not here to talk about me. This is about you and your warrant."
"Why was it filed in the first place?" Law genuinely wanted to know. Where had they gotten evidence of his crimes? They'd been so long ago.
Sengoku grinned a little, shrugging. "You know, I'm really not supposed to give out information on informants. Especially to the people they're snitching out."
The bartender felt a 'but' coming on, and waited in silence for whatever came next. He wasn't disappointed.
"…but, seeing as you're Rosinante's boy, and I don't entirely trust the man who gave me the information myself, I'll make an exception just this once." The officer said, shifting in his seat to get a bit comfier. "A man named Vergo, who we currently have in custody, says you were an integral part of Donquixote Doflamingo's criminal network. He's hoping that by ratting you out, it will reduce his own sentence."
Law looked away, his good mood from before fading in a second. So. Things weren't finished quite yet. He supposed he should have expected this. Vergo wasn't going down without dragging Law with him. His final stand to destroy Law's life, perhaps. He only hoped that the bastard was locked up for life too.
Sengoku cleared his throat, digging out a pen and some paper. "So, should we start on your witness statement now, and get it out of the way?"
"Maybe I should wait for my lawyer first." Law said, and Sengoku cocked a brow.
"You know, the people who say that the most are guilty." He said, tapping the paper with a pen. "Besides, it's just your witness statement. You're not entering your plea."
The bartender gave him a stale look. "Or don't realize that their every word will be used against them. I'm aware of how the legal system works, Commissioner. I'd like to rest up and go through everything myself first." He winced, trying to think back over the events of the past few…days? He wasn't sure how long it had been since that day. Besides, he wasn't lying. "It's still a little foggy right now, anyway."
Sengoku didn't seem all that disappointed or upset that Law wasn't going to give him the answers he was looking for right now. He nodded with a thoughtful frown, then stood up suddenly. "Well, we've got all the time in the world to get to that part. And plenty of time to get to know each other, too."
Law gave him a strange glance, and the older man grinned.
"What, you think I don't want to get to know the kid Rosinante is so vested in? He's like family to me, so I guess that would make me…your estranged uncle or something…who you've never met."
He took another long sip of his water, finishing up the cup in one last gulp. "Riiight…"
The Commissioner chuckled, then started towards the door. "Well, I'm off to get myself a bite from the cafeteria. Nothing beats hospital food, am I right? Want anything while I'm gone?"
"No thanks."
"Suit yourself." He shrugged, opening the door to his room and closing it behind him on the way out. Law stared at the door for several seconds, before returning his gaze back to the rest of the room. There was a clear, plastic bag on the table, most likely containing his clothes and other items with him when he'd walked into that warehouse. He hoped his phone was still in there. He'd need it to call a lawyer.
But he'd do that another time. Right now, he just wanted to sleep for at least a week.
A hospital room. It was bright and warm, and the tv on the opposite end of the room was quietly playing an episode of some daytime tv program she'd never seen before. Summer squinted, almost blinded by the bright light that filtered in through the windows. She looked around, not spotting anyone in the room with her. She could hear a gentle hubbub outside, probably nurses and doctors hurrying to and fro to different rooms, but none entered hers.
She was glad of that fact, happy to take the opportunity to awaken of her own accord, but still not quite sure what she was doing here. Looking down, she spotted a 'NURSE CALL' button and decided to press it, figuring that this was the best way to get some answers. The button lit up blue and stayed lit for a minute or so.
There was a soft knock at the door, and a male nurse dressed in dark blue scrubs entered, looking over at her kindly. "Hey, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
"Well…confused." She admitted, watching as he wandered over to the machine attaching a saline drip to her arm. "Where am I?"
He checked levels and wrote a few things on a clipboard hanging at the foot of her bed. "Well, you're in Mercy Memorial Hospital for some dehydration and a few others things. Do you remember how you got here?"
"Not really…I'm still a little hazy on that." She shook her head slowly. "How did I get here?"
The nurse shrugged. "Well, from what they told me, you were with a few other people who were also injured. Pretty badly, too. I guess they found you in some old part of town, they drove you all here in an ambulance…does that ring any bells?"
And just as he mentioned it, she pieced it together. All the events leading up to it. Shachi and Penguin's apartment. The warehouse. Law and Corazon. And…Joker. That nasty, horrible man that she…that…she…
Summer swallowed a deep breath, before feeling her body begin to shake. Her fingers fisted the thin blanket covering her body and she choked back a sob, eyes watering with fresh tears. "Oh god…"
The nurse noticed the change in her behavior and rushed to her side. "Hey, hey! You're ok now. Whatever happened, we're gonna make sure it doesn't happen again." He soothed, laying a comforting hand on her fist.
"No, you don't under…stand…I…there wasn't…hah…hah…" Her chest heaved up and down, and each breath felt painful, labored, like her lungs wouldn't fill all the way. She didn't notice that he pressed the call for nurse button on the bed again, silently calling for additional help.
"Ms. King, I need you to calm down. You need to slow your breathing." He instructed, trying to placate her as best he could without using a lot of force. He probably thought it would only make things worse. "Your body needs to rest."
"I can't…" She sobbed out, trying to rid herself of the memory of…oh god, she didn't even want to think the word…The splatter of blood had been horrifying, the way he'd crumbled into himself and fell to the ground…the puddle it left behind…it only sent her into further hysterics.
Another two nurses walked in, saw the state she was in, and approached to help. She could barely talk through her hyperventilation and crying, trying to tell them that she didn't want to be helped. Not after what she'd done.
They must have given her something to calm her down, because she felt a cool, soothing effect through her veins, and after several minutes of trying to fight with the nurses, she began to slowly come down from her panic. The shaking reduced, and her lungs were no longer on fire.
"We'll give you something to sleep a little longer if you'd like." The male nurse told her. Summer doubted she could form a coherent sentence right then, so simply replied with a small nod, closing her eyes to hold back the remaining tears she had left to shed. Within minutes, she was asleep again, and safe behind her own drug-induced subconscious.
The second round of consciousness in her temporary hospital room wasn't as comfortable. Summer felt crummy and sore, the pain medication beginning to fade somewhat. It was just as light outside as it had been the first time, so she expected that perhaps it was the following morning.
She felt rested, the hours of sleep doing their job to keep her body energized and ready for action, but her body would take a few more days at least to feel back to normal. She hadn't thought it was possible to feel this bad before. This time, she waited some time before pressing the nurse button, wanting to acquaint and prepare herself for the next time someone came in.
She blocked any thought of the…killing…from her mind. Right now all she wanted was to talk to someone she knew. The same nurse from before came in, this time smiling sheepishly.
"Hey, I'm sorry about before. I hope I didn't say anything to upset you. I tend to just blurt things out, to be honest. Probably not the best quality for bedside manner, yeah?" He looked genuinely apologetic, and she knew he hadn't meant to cause the panic attack.
Summer shook her head. "It's not your fault. And it wasn't anything that you really did. So don't worry about it. But I'm hoping you can do something for me."
"Sure, what do you need?" He looked eager to be of some help this time around.
"Is there a phone I could use? I don't have one, and there are some people I really need to call."
The nurse nodded enthusiastically. "Sure, you can use mine." He pulled out his own cell phone from his scrub pocket and unlocked it for her. "I'll step out into the hall so you can talk in private, just ring me in once you're done."
"Thank you so much." She said, accepting the device eagerly. "Oh, and before you go…what's my room number?"
"316." He smiled, then turned, doing as he'd promised, leaving her in her room alone to dial who she needed desperately to hear from.
"Big Sis, you should come home for lunch every day." Soma declared, eating his grilled cheese and tomato soup with vigor. "I eat better with you around, and Zoro leaves me to starve."
Hitomi raised a brow and glanced at her boyfriend, who looked affronted. "Is that so?"
"I would never lie to you." He added, looking at her with innocence.
"Hmm…" She gave Zoro a small smile, but he only rolled his eyes, not bothering to plead his case against the younger man. He'd learned by now that it was basically no use. "I seem to recall an empty McDonald's bag in the trash when I came home yesterday, with an empty nuggets box. Which just so happens to be your favorite. Care to explain that?"
"Well, one box of nuggets isn't enough to sustain my body. I'm a growing boy. So yeah, basically starving." He elaborated with gusto, halfway between bites of his sandwich and slurps of his soup. "Besides, you work such long hours."
"Well, after this week, you'll be back at school and you won't have to worry about it." She said, taking a bite of her salad.
"And I'll be back at work." Zoro added thoughtfully. "Wonder if they've found a replacement for me yet."
"There's no way they could. You're too scary-looking to replace." Soma joked, escaping Zoro's amused glare by running from the table with his empty plate and bowl.
"Huh, wonder if they'd take a pipsqueak kid like you." He called after the boy, who 'booed!' before he went back into his room. The door shut, leaving Hitomi and Zoro alone once more. The boy was getting more comfortable with Zoro being around all the time, and was slowly growing to trust him with his sister. They were finding more and more alone time together.
"He means well." Hitomi defended her brother with a small smile, and Zoro raised a brow.
"Sure, sure…" He too was finished and got up to put his dishes in the sink. "I'll do the dishes tonight, and don't worry about laundry."
"What?" She said in surprise, stabbing the last few pieces of lettuce in her bowl with her fork. "You did them last week, and most of the dirty clothes are mine this time around. I'll get it done when I get back."
"Don't worry about it." He said, returning to the table and leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Just focus on work. I'll take care of the rest. Need to pull my weight around here anyway."
Hitomi was about to say that he'd already more than earned his keep by making sure Soma was alright while she was away, but she took a glance at the clock. "Oh, damn. I'll run late if I don't leave now."
With an apologetic shrug, she wandered back into her room to touch up on her makeup. She could hear Soma's gameboy sounds from his room, so he was preoccupied. He probably wouldn't come out until she got home from work. She smiled, glad he was back to his old self. Whatever Zoro had done to help him with the stress of the break-in, he had done wonders. Her little brother was back again, as he'd been before.
While in the middle of retouching her eyeliner, her cell phone rang, and she frowned, not recognizing the number. She'd requested to be put on the Do-Not-Call list for all solicitors, so perhaps this was simply a wrong number. Either way, she answered.
"Hello?'
Zoro was startled as a panicked shout came from Hitomi's bedroom, and he paused mid-way through washing one of the plates. Setting it to the side, he rinsed his hands and turned off the water, drying them quickly with a towel. By the time he was halfway down the hallway to the room, she burst open through the door, looking both startled and elated.
"We're going to the hospital. Right now."
The green-haired man stopped short, shaking his head in confusion and wonder, watching as she knocked hastily on Soma's door. Followed by a sudden fear, glancing over her body for any injuries. "What? Why? Are you alright?"
"What is it, Big Sis?" Soma asked, immediately opening the door to the hallway.
Hitomi gave a wide smile, dragging them both towards the front door. "Summer just called. She's alive!"
Hitomi felt two distinctly separate emotions the moment she stepped into room 316. The first was sorrow. Summer's hair was flat, greasy, and unkempt. Her skin was pale, blatant bruising all over her body, and one of her eyes was a dull gray around the socket. No doubt at one point having been a black eye.
But the moment Summer tore her eyes from the tv on the wall and saw them, Hitomi felt so happy. Her friend was alive and well, and out of danger of whatever it was chasing Law.
"Hi guys." She said lamely, giving them a wave. "It's been awhile."
"My god, do you have any idea how worried I have been these past few months?" Hitomi ground out in a rush, hurrying over to her to give her a hug. She was gentle, keeping in mind the bruises on her body, but strong enough to communicate the worry she'd felt the past while. "You dropped off the face of the earth and I couldn't reach you."
"I know, I'm sor-OOF! Hi…Soma." She wheezed, the boy having attached himself to her opposite side of where Hitomi stood. But he didn't quite take into account the state of her injuries, and squeezed as hard as he could.
"Summer, what happened? Where did you go? Big Sis says you were on vacation, but you never called and now you're in the hospital?"
Summer gave Hitomi a sad glance. She also met Zoro's eyes who stood behind her, nodding slowly as a greeting. Still as quiet as ever, she noticed. But, he'd come with Hitomi, which was a development she wanted to talk about with her friend later. In private.
"Yes, what did happen?" Hitomi questioned softly, easing up on the hug and kneeling by the bedside.
The blonde looked down at her lap. "I'd rather…not talk about it right now…if that's ok?"
Soma wasn't hearing it. "Why not? Was it some accident? Or something embarrassing?" Or-"
"You should drop it, Soma." Zoro said quietly before Hitomi could, gaining the boy's attention. "Whatever happened, she's been through a lot. Give her some time and space."
"Oh. Right." He said, realizing how pushy he'd been. "Sorry, Summer….I just missed you while you were gone is all."
Summer's smile, albeit tinged with a bit of sadness, returned. "It's alright. I missed you guys too. I'm glad to be back."
There was a short pause where she just looked at the three of them with joy, before Zoro cleared his throat uncomfortably. He didn't like uncomfortable silences like this. Especially when in the company of people he didn't know all that well. Summer was a friend, but not an extremely close one.
"Uhh, is…Law around?" He ventured to ask, hoping it wouldn't be a bad question to ask. He had a few words he wanted to say to the man if he was.
Summer shrugged. "They said he was admitted too, but I don't know which room. Corazon is here too…somewhere. Hopefully he's ok…" She muttered, gaze drifting off.
Zoro cleared his throat again. "I'll…see if I can find out some answers for you." He promised, before leaving the room to go do so. He figured she'd want some time alone with Hitomi and Soma anyway. They were much closer to her than he was.
The intensive care unit of the hospital was much more dimly lit than Summer's floor. It required him to sign in as a visitor, rather than just walking inside. Things were a bit more monitored here. He was allowed in and instructed on which room to go to.
He knocked a few times on the door and quiet 'come in' was heard on the other end. Zoro opened it up, stepping inside.
Law obviously wasn't expecting him at all, because he raised his brows when he saw who had visited him. "How did you find me?" He asked neutrally.
Zoro shrugged, wandering deeper inside. "Summer called, and we came to visit. I figured you'd be here too, maybe. Thought I'd stop by and check for sure."
Law certainly had seen better days. He could see a large bandage covering his shoulder, and underneath the hospital gown was the tell-tale sign of more bandages. He looked extremely tired, the circles under his eyes more pronounced than usual. But for once, the guy didn't have that smug and self-righteous look about him, unlike all those nights working together at the bar. He looked beaten down for once.
Law shook his head, eyes closing slowly. "Well you picked a good time. The Commissioner isn't here right now. On his lunch break I guess."
Seeing the green-haired man's confusion, he continued. "I've got a warrant. They're babysitting me until I'm discharged so they can arrest me."
"Huh." He mused, somewhat surprised by that. He figured Law would be careful enough to avoid the law. There wasn't much else he cared about along that avenue, so he changed subjects. "So, what happened anyway? She's not ready to talk about it yet. Figured I'd ask you."
Law opened his eyes, but stared straight ahead, taking his time to come up with an answer he was willing to give. "I took care of things." He finally decided, turning to give Zoro a meaningful look. "None of this will ever happen again."
The security guard nodded again, this time in respect. "Good."
"I'm just worried about Summer. She…" He trailed off, narrowing his eyes. "…she had to do something she shouldn't have had to. I don't know how ok she'll be after this."
There was an uneasy silence between them, and Zoro shifted between his feet, hands in his pockets.
"At least she's alive, though." Law finally finished. "I hope Corazon is too."
Zoro perked up, glad he could move on from the more depressing subjects. "I asked a doctor on my way up. Took a bit of convincing to shake him for info, but he told me that Corazon just came out of a third surgery this morning, and most of the damage has been repaired. The rest should heal normally. He should make a full recovery, be out of here in a few weeks."
Law looked relieved to hear that, and nodded wearily. "That's good."
They both mulled over the information they'd provided each other, before something came to Zoro's mind. "Oh yeah, you owe me a free punch to the face when you're out of here. For Hitomi's place getting broken into by one of Vergo's guys."
Law winced. "Are they ok?"
"Soma had some troubles with nightmares for awhile, but he seems to be getting better. Shook Hitomi's confidence a little, but I know she's strong. Either way, it wouldn't have happened if-"
"I know." Law interrupted, nodding his agreement. "I owe you more than that, honestly. I never meant for them to be put in danger. It never even occurred to me."
"Yeah, well. You couldn't have prevented it, I guess." Zoro didn't hold it over the guy. It wasn't related to Law, but still. He felt like Law needed to return the favor somehow. It would get some of the resentment towards the bartender off his chest. "Still. Be expecting it."
"I will." Law said.
The green-haired man cleared his throat, taking his hands out of his pockets to scratch his head. "I'll leave you be. Should get back to the others."
"You do that. And," Law paused, licking his lips uncertainly, "tell Summer…that…I'm….just..…that I'm glad she's ok."
With another awkward wave to the bedridden bartender, Zoro nodded and left the room quietly, shutting the door behind him to plunge the room into silence once more.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
