Two Hearts

Shell Shock

Although he had convinced her to let him repair her pulled stitches, the actual event didn't go over so smoothly. Aisuru let Law lead her back to the table, where she sat quietly. He felt her heart rate increase again, but elected to ignore it. He had been very aware of her fear of the room, and all the equipment in it, but he had expected her to remember that it was him, not some other experiment crazed doctor.... Whom he had some guesses about.

He stepped over to the sink to scrub his hands, just in case. He didn't want anything getting infected. The heart in his pocket began beating madly at the same time he heard Aisuru fall to the floor. He jerked around as she clutched her head, sobbing once more. Blue light pulsed erratically from her skin, interspersed with random flashes of brilliant green.

The blue washed over him in waves, weakening every fiber of his being, while the green seemed fling her terror into his bones. Law staggered over to Aisuru, feeling the effects of the dizzying glow. He had grossly overestimated her trust in him.

"Aisuru-ya," he crouched froggystyle next to her. "You are safe. I just need to repair the damage to your stitches. Aisuru-ya?"

He realized that she wasn't listening. Her hands were over her ears, and the constant sobbing blocked out his voice. His choices were: a) try to sedate her regardless of her history and the fact she would likely never forgive him, b) use his advantage to force her into compliance with the necessary stitching, knowing it would be painful and unforgivable or c)...

Law sat cross-legged on the floor next to her, gingerly pulling her into his lap. He'd seen glimpses of Ikkaku's dramas where it seemed to be an effective technique for treating panic attacks. It didn't appear to be quite the magic cure the weeklies made it seem to be, but it wasn't completely ineffective, either.

Aisuru grabbed the front of his shirt, quieting from screaming to sobbing. It took what seemed like forever for her shaking to stop. Even then, she refused to be moved. Bepo had burst in at some point, staring down at them with his big, toothy mouth wide open.

"C-captain!" he gasped, suddenly covering his mouth with both paws, cheeks turning bright red. "I didn't mean to walk in, sorry, i'm sorry..."

"Ehhh!?" Law glared at him, "Bepo-ya, you've spent too much time with Shachi-ya and Penguin-ya. There is no way this could be misconstrued."

"You're right, i'm sorry, sorry..." Bepo ducked his head, not seeming at all like he believed Law in the slightest.

Law shook his head. Using his devil fruit powers, he pulled the tray containing his needles and wires to his side. "Aisuru-ya," he tried to sound calm and reassuring, "I need to fix those stitches now."

She nodded, holding out her arm, where the most accessible tear was located. After that, she refused to be moved out of Law's lap, so the disgruntled surgeon had to make due with whatever angle she presented him. It took much longer than he wanted, but at least he avoided anymore panic and violence.

Once finished, Law leaned back against the metal wall with a sigh. Aisuru was curled up with her butt on his thigh, and feet on the other. Her hands were tucked, mummy style, between her chest and knees, and her head rested on Law's chest. He could feel her heart rate finally slowing to a more normal pace. He laid his arms on his legs, forearms crossed, encircling Aisuru. He just wanted to sleep.

Of course, things didn't usually go his way on this ship. He had forgotten about Bepo, but the bear hadn't forgotten about him. Soon, most of the crew had gathered to make eyes at them.

"Captain is so indecent!" Shachi gasped as loudly as he could.

"And in the operating room!" Penguin added, dramatically holding his face.