Bedside Manner (Law x Reader)

11. Coffee Date

You looked caged between Eustass and two men that Law only vaguely recognized. They were the red head's crew-- that much he was sure of. You kept stealing glances back at the sleeping brute. If it was to check his vitals on the nearby screen or make sure he hadn't been woken up, he couldn't say.

It was obvious you had stayed at his bedside through the night. The scrubs you wore the day before were wrinkled and your hair was in disarray; he could see the bags below your eyes from where he stood.

He watched you sigh for the fiftieth time, fingers roughly raking through your tresses. You said something to the men and made to leave, but neither moved to clear the doorway.

"There's nothing to say."

Law stopped to the side of the door, going unnoticed by the men whose large frames kept him out of your sight.

"I don't know what you guys have gotten messed up in, but get out of it." You warned. "And get Kid to update his emergency contact. I don't want to be the one who receives that call."

You weren't sure if the sullen expression on Heat's face was from your refusal to stick around and talk to Kid or if it was... well, his face. They had tried to come to Kid's defense, exscused his behavior from all those years ago.

They didn't need to.

You understood it, to a point, as someone who had been close to him and now from a medical standpoint.

But also: "I lost someone that day too, dammit!"

"You know how close they were." Wire had tried to explain, but you cut him off with a disbelieving scoff.

It suddenly hurt to breathe as you stared at them with a crazed look. He wanted to talk about how close they were? You wanted to scream, to kick the chair and maybe swing your fist into something. Wire's jaw looked like a tempting target, but your thoughts were interrupted by a gruff voice.

"You should have pulled him out."

You went rigid, fists clenched tightly at your sides. You couldn't even bring yourself to look back at him. "I thought I had time. He begged me to get you away first, said to come back for him. He said it would be fine."

And you believed him. You always did.

He was the rock of your little group.

"Tch."

This wasn't something he should have been eavesdropping on, but rather than walk away, Law stepped into the room.

"l/n, is your pager on?" His question had Heat and Wire moving aside. While he felt their eyes narrowing on him, his own never left you. "They've been trying to reach you."

You opened your mouth and he was sure he could see the gears turning behind your eyes. You started to turn your head towards Kid, but in the end you couldn't bring yourself to. You nodded to Law, gratefully following him out.

Meanwhile, the redhead scowled at your back.

"... Thank you."

Law hadn't acknowledged your oddly timid words until you had reached the stairwell. He searched your face a moment and you felt a strange fluttering in your gut. There was the slightest curve to his lips.

"Grab a coffee with me?"

-

"I don't want to talk about it." You said as soon as the two of you had settled at a table.

The hospital's cafeteria was filled with a quiet hum, many of the tables taken up by staff squeezing in a quick meal break. You caught Monet's eye as she walked past with what looked to be a yogurt parfait. The yogurt was nearly squeezed out from the plastic cup when she tightened her grip, a frown on her face.

You looked back to the man as he brought his cup to his lips, humming. "Then don't."

You drummed your fingers against the warm styrofoam. You should talk about something though, right? Before the other night you probably wouldn't have been able to stand even sitting at the same table with him.

Scratch that; you weren't handling it well at that moment either. The more your attention stayed on his hands, the more you recalled how they had felt on your bare skin. The initial shock from how cold they had been, the practiced movements as though he had explored your body countless times before.

You cleared your throat. "So, Cora?"

"Cora-san is the man who raised me after my parents passed."

You hid your embarrassment behind your cup, suddenly finding the courtyard outside the window to be incredibly interesting. His laughter made sense then. You would have laughed at yourself too, had you realized sooner. Your ears were burning.

You just kept making yourself look like a fool in front of this man and it was ridiculous how much it bothered you.

"He calls all the time to check in, worrying over every little thing." It was impossible to miss the soft, fond tone his voice had taken on. "He's a bit much."

You smiled without much thought. "That's sweet. My foster mom really only reaches out over the holidays. Even then, it's usually just a card with a picture of her and her current fosters."

The young doctor perked up.

"She fostered me and Kid around the same time." You added. "And as you saw, our relationship is rocky at best."

"Well, what's going on here?" Sachi came to a sudden halt, reaching out to grab Penguin by the back of his shirt before he could walk off without him. The nurse was grinning, his eyes switching from his friend to you and back again. "Is this a date?"

You choked on your coffee, having to set your cup down as you broke into a coughing fit. You hit your fist against your chest a few times until you calmed down.

Law pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a breath. When the man didn't answer, he looked to you and wiggled his brows.

"This is two colleagues having coffee." You clarified.

Sachi shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean if that's what you guys want to call it."