Dream Chasers: Zoro x Reader

Chapter 15: Surgeon Of Death

It was early. You could just barely see outside the small fogged up porthole window perched high upon the wall. There must be a storm coming, the skies were gloomy with the darkest shades of black and grey. The sun was nowhere in sight hiding beyond the thick blanket of clouds. You'd like to see the bigger picture, but haven't moved an inch from the bed in the sick bay unless someone had carried you. In which nobody did, the sick bay was practically your bedroom now. Somehow someway, your legs became even more useless since before. Even the slightest pressure on your feet brought tears to your eyes. You couldn’t help but sigh loudly unintentionally waking Zoro from his nap along the floor. He saw your distant staring, sitting up from the floor with the push of his arm. All he did was stare at you in return. You blushed madly for a few seconds, turning the other cheek. "Sorry Zoro, did I wake you?"

"I can't get what the Love Cook said to you the other day off my mind," Zoro ignored your question. Bringing up an entirely new subject that had nothing to do with anything at the moment. Zoro wasn't wrong though, you were thinking almost the same exact thing just moments beforehand.

"Which thing? Sanji has said quite a few harmful things to me lately," Sanji has been the downer lately. But you knew exactly which comment Zoro was going to bring up. You just wanted to ignore the question just a little bit longer. Until Law can help.

"It’s your fault that you decided to wait this long to seek better medical attention... So, why'd you wait so long to tell anybody?" That was the question you wanted to save for later… Zoro no doubt was gonna force your hand.

You sighed breaking the line of sight. "Zoro... Again, I'd rather tell you at a different time. Can you... Can you please wait until I get a diagnosis from Law?" You were really stretching how long everything could wait. Surely his patience was wearing thin by now. All you need is that diagnosis. Chopper can’t find anything, and that’s bad. It could mean loads of things. Like a new disease, or even a disease that Chopper hasn’t seen before. Or you were just a crazy loon. Either way, it's more than likely a disease Chopper hasn’t encountered yet.

Zoro made a low growl that vibrated from within his throat. "I want the truth now," he spoke sternly. Shoulders slumping forward just seconds later. "At least tell me part of the truth. I'll leave the subject alone for a while." Zoro settled for a compromise, seeing how this was a sensitive subject.

"Okay then," you patted the empty space besides yourself on the bed. Zoro nodded sharply, getting up from his spot upon the floor. Shaking the entire bed upon sitting down. You reached out to hold his hand, in which he met you halfway. "I held out on the truth because of Chopper's first exam on me,” you began from the beginning of the incident. “Since he said that there was nothing wrong with me, I thought it was just minor pain coming back from Skypiea. The air is thicker and the gravity is lighter. Coming back to earth, the gravity must've done a number on me. So I thought I'd heal but I didn't. Figured it was all in my head," that was the first half of the truth. The second half shall remain a mystery until later when Law comes into the picture.

“I see…” The facts all added up. Zoro couldn’t say that you’re lying. Even he was experiencing problems upon arrival in Skypiea, not the trip back, in which you fall victim to. “Paranoid or not, you should’ve told us sooner (Y/n). You would’ve gotten help sooner.”

You figured Zoro would respond in this sort of way. Despite the fact he sleeps all day, he isn’t one to purposely waste time with the truth. “Zoro, just wait okay. I held out for a bigger reason. Just wait…”

You can see the pain in Zoro’s eyes. He was internally hurting more than you ever were. “Why not tell me now?” Your lover couldn’t get past your glossy eyes and pale complexion. How loose your hand held his own. The moment he realized how little love you had left to give.