Chapter Text
Living in a world without you
Perfect Scent - another universe
Part 1: In my life
"Hey, little brother! Are you really not going to think about it at all? After all, you're already in your mid-thirties and you're not going to"
"Thank you for your care and instruction, but it won't change my decision."
"That's such a shame, big brother! Please, think about it again. Imagine it - kids!"
"Lammy, you know my attitude. Father and Mother understand and accept it. So why are you the only one who can't? You're not a little kid anymore, are you?"
"I understand, but... Think about it, will you? Even if it's just for my sake. I promise I would be a wonderful aunt!"
"You're a wonderful mother. Isn't that enough for you?" he tried a small but honest smile and sighed inwardly.
Why couldn't his own, beloved, younger sister put this issue behind him? He had done it himself.
"My break is over. We'll talk again another time," he added hastily before Lami could reply.
"All right," she grumbled in an acidic tone at the other end of the line, "but only as an exception. See you soon, Dr. Heartstealer...!"
Trafalgar D Water Law rolled his eyes at the sound of this term of endearment, but said nothing more. Instead, he just mumbled into the phone again and finally hung up. After all, it wasn't a lie that his break was over and he would do well to get back to the emergency room unless he wanted to leave his colleagues there hanging - and nothing was further from his mind.
He put the cell phone in the inside pocket of his jacket in the locker and carefully locked it before running both hands over his face and pulling the doctor's coat back on.
Straightening his shoulders, he glanced in the mirror at the end of the row of lockers and nodded curtly to himself, stepping out of the locker room and back into the hospital hallway with a few quick steps and hurrying down the corridor to get to the outpatient clinic and the adjoining emergency room.
To his great relief, the corridor was empty apart from two nurses, who gave him a small smile as they passed. Law gave a curt nod in response. His mind was already back on his shift and the patients who might have joined him in the twenty minutes or so he had been on leave.
Earlier, he had left the waiting room almost empty. Only two patients were still waiting for admission and the specialist they needed. Neither of which were cases for him.
As he pushed open the large glass door and stepped into the spacious surgery, the stuffy air hit him.
It was loud, it was always loud in the outpatient practice.
There weren't even that many people here. Just the two nurses who took care of data recording and coordination, two orderlies who took the patients to the appropriate treatment rooms and wards if they couldn't do it on their own and Law himself, as well as a colleague - he had forgotten who was on his shift.
As pleasant as the volume was at this moment of his return to the premises, the smells were overwhelming.
Law was always glad that he simply didn't smell most of it thanks to his tablets.
Because Law...
Dr. Trafalgar D Water Law was an Alpha.
One of those people who were considered the born elite, who were supposedly made to run companies and countries and who were born to be the pride of humanity. Absolute nonsense in his eyes. All his life he had wanted to be a doctor, a heart surgeon, he had known that for sure at the age of eight and had had to work just as hard as any other student.
Well, maybe not quite as much.
After all, he came from a whole family of doctors and he was very lucky - or unlucky, depending on your point of view - to have been taught far too much medical knowledge as a young child. For him, going into medicine was probably the only logical consequence. But he was more than happy to do so. And since his father had contacts in research, Law could now consider himself lucky to have had access to the latest tablets as a teenager.
Because Alphas were not the only special feature in his world.
In addition to the broad mass of people who were officially called Betas, but hardly anyone called them that, there was another kind. A third, so-called "second" race. As the supposed counterpart to the Alphas, the elite of creation, there were Omegas. They were usually weaker, their rights were severely restricted until a few years ago, they had not been allowed to study or pursue their desired profession until two generations ago.
To this day, there were parts of society that looked down on Omegas, calling them worthless or even dirty. It was not uncommon for Law to be told how badly an Omega was treated simply because they were born an Omega. A fact that was just as absurd to him as discriminating against someone because of their skin color, religious beliefs or language.
No human could choose what or where they were born. And maybe it was his upbringing, maybe it was the fact that he was an alpha, or maybe it was simply that he used his common sense - but he made no distinction between people.
And today he no longer recognized these differences.
Because although there was a very clear sign that revealed the second sex - the smell of a human - Law could not perceive it.
Alphas could smell unbound omegas and, to a much lesser extent, other alphas. Betas did not smell anyone under normal circumstances. And Omegas smelled everyone. Unbound alphas, bound alphas, albeit much weaker, betas and, of course, other omegas.
Law was one of the few alphas who took pills and thus completely blocked the absorption of the pheromones of the opposite sex and completely suppressed his own pheromones.
When he was younger, such preparations had only been available for omegas, but now suitable medication was also available for alphas and he had been taking it since his teenage years. Initially under the strict supervision of his parents, he was still part of a long-term study that followed the development and effects of the drug.
Thanks to the small tablets he took every single morning, he couldn't smell any of the other people. So his perception was limited to the typical smells around him. And that was absolutely enough for him.
The corridor, the whole building was filled with odors: First of all, sweat, coffee - of course, nicotine, blood, vomit, spices from the last meal served to the patients and, last but not least, the omnipresent disinfectant, the sweetly unbearable mixture of deodorants and perfumes and cleaning agents that the colleagues from the cleaning team had just used to keep the one or other stain on the smooth surfaces of the waiting area of the outpatient clinic at least halfway germ-free.
Yes, Law was a surgeon with heart and soul. He was a passionate doctor and loved his work, but every now and then he hated being here. Like probably every other person, but like most people, he didn't have time right now to be bothered by the fate of the afternoon shift at the surgery. After all, it was Monday and not Friday. He found Fridays to be the worst. Often enough, his shift went seamlessly from the outpatient clinic to the night shift in the emergency department because no major operations were scheduled from the afternoon onwards due to the approaching weekend. And as he was one of the few colleagues who was single and childless, he was happy to take on the shifts.
After all, no one could really complain if he worked at times that family mothers and fathers liked to spend at home. And Lami had gotten used to the fact that he was a busy uncle from the very beginning.
Inwardly, he shook off the thoughts, tightened his shoulders instead and took another breath. Then he was working again.
He had patients who needed him. And they couldn't help it if he wanted a free and lazy afternoon every now and then. They were here because there were more pressing matters than sitting around at home doing nothing. And he was more than aware of that.
And as if the universe wanted to prove to him the importance of his thought, he heard the soft whimpering of a child as the glass door swung open.
Children were his weak point. If a child was unwell, he would drop everything. His father often joked that he should have become a pediatrician, but Law knew that would be too hard on his psyche.
He couldn't help it. Seeing a child suffer touched him. It gnawed at an ancient memory in him and the desire to calm the child, to doctor it and to see it laugh again burned so deep inside him that he would never say it out loud.
It felt like an eternity ago that he had sworn to alleviate the suffering of every child immediately, if it was in his power to do so, and to this day he had always kept to this promise.
His gaze darted around the waiting room as he stepped up to the open counter and the desk of the nurses on duty, his eyes only casually glancing at her figure.
There was only one of them sitting here, the colleague was nowhere to be seen and Law wasn't interested enough to go into it. Strictly speaking, it was none of his business anyway. Instead, he turned to the filing cabinet, where there was a small pile, and reached for the top file. He knew it could only be the child's. Children always had priority. Whether in the surgery, the emergency room or during operations.
"I'm back. What have we got?" he asked as he opened the slim file and his eyes scanned over the child's name and the key data.
"Suspected fracture in the right forearm. She fell off the climbing frame while playing."
The young woman behind the desk looked at him and Law felt her gaze. But he didn't look up. Grumbling, he just nodded and continued to ask.
"Who is with her?"
"Father, Beta," she told him simply, her voice professionally calm, and he was glad that she limited herself to the bare essentials.
He grumbled again and nodded this time, looked at the name again and then turned away from the young nurse, turning fully into the open waiting area, his eyes darting from one patient to another.
The crying girl sitting on one of the chairs on the left definitely had priority. Otherwise, when he looked around, they were rather harmless concerns and all adults. They would be able to wait. Without a doubt.
So he closed the file again, buried his free hand in the pocket of his doctor's coat and headed towards the girl. As he stopped in front of her, he heard her pause in surprise as she sobbed quietly and sniffled. Law tried to smile warmly as he addressed her.
"Hello little one. Are you Aurelia? My name is Trafalgar and I'm a doctor."
She sniffled again, rubbed her face with her left hand and then slowly raised her head to look at Law. And Law froze.
His breath caught in his throat as he returned the young child's gaze.
She had big, amber-colored eyes that were a little puffy from crying. Her features were perfectly symmetrical, she had a cute little snub nose and her blonde, straight hair fell in tangled strands around her pretty face. She might still be a long way from becoming a woman, but Law already knew that she would be beautiful one day.
But that wasn't what made him hold his breath in horror.
Nor the fact that she was wearing blue dungarees that were only fastened over one shoulder and the T-shirt she was wearing underneath was dirty and a little smeared with blood. He also didn't mind that her knees were scraped.
And not even the red shirt, which had obviously been misappropriated as a makeshift bandage to improvise a dressing, really managed to catch his eye.
No, what made Trafalgar Law doubt his eyes at that moment was the fact that he thought he was looking into a mirror into the past. This girl - she looked just like he did as a child! If her hair had been black and shorter, he could have mistaken her for his own flesh and blood!
But how could that be? Wasn't that completely impossible?
Yes, Law had heard of such coincidences and supposedly everyone had a genetic twin, but this one surprised him and for a moment he was almost incapacitated.
He saw the red lips moving in front of him and, blinking hastily, he forced himself back to the reality of the waiting room, pushing the thoughts into the depths of his mind and concentrating on the melodic sound of her voice - despite the fact that she had been crying until just now.
"My arm hurts so much!" she wailed, tears glistening in her big eyes, which she hurriedly tried to blink away.
Law nodded at her.
"Come on, let's have a look together. Can you walk on your own or would you like a wheelchair?"
"I don't need a wheelchair," she mumbled, biting her lips tightly together.
"All right. Come on then."
She stood up slowly and only at that moment did Law realize that two hands had slipped from her knees.
"Can Dad come with me?"
Her voice sounded anxious and Law's gaze slid over her small figure further to the right. There sat a young man who had remained silent until now. He was only wearing short, dark blue jeans and a thin, almost transparent, shimmering white sleeveless shirt. The red shirt tied around her arm was obviously his. Her father.
To Law's great astonishment, he had been quiet until now.
"Of course, we can't leave Dad waiting here alone, can we?" he agreed in a friendly manner and nodded encouragingly.
The girl nodded as well and her small hand felt for her father's hand, which he carefully clasped. Law hurriedly averted his eyes at the gesture. He could almost see at that moment how much Aurelia loved her dad.
He hurriedly walked towards treatment room two and opened the door for the two of them.
He waited until they had passed him, then closed the door behind him and took another deep breath. The young man had probably only held back because they hadn't been alone in the waiting room. Law was used to parents worrying loudly and panicking about their children. The fact that this man had been so quiet so far was really an exception.
When he looked at Aurelia again, she was letting her father lift her onto the treatment table, which was a little too high for her, and Law nodded curtly, followed the two of them across the room and waited politely until he could approach her again.
Without saying anything, the man retreated to the head of the couch, just far enough away from his child that he could still hold her hand if she wanted him to.
"Well, let's get this off you first, shall we?" Law nodded at Aurelia's left arm, stretched out his left hand and pulled a pair of disposable gloves from the dispenser on the wall to his left. He also took his face mask from the pocket of his coat.
Aurelia swallowed visibly and nodded. A tremor ran through her body as Law pulled up the small swivel chair without a backrest and lowered himself onto it. Using the pedal on the floor, he lowered the chair a little and sought her gaze.
"I hope it doesn't scare you when I wear the mask and gloves," he drew her gaze to him and, to his great relief, she really looked at him.
He could see the fear and pain in her wide eyes and he knew he had to hurry.
"No... no, not at all. It's okay," she said, taking a shaky breath.
"Have you seen masks like this before?" he continued, pointing to his face.
She pressed her lips tightly together again, as if trying to calm herself, and then nodded slowly.
"Most kids always get scared when they see me like this, you know? It must look scary if you've never seen a doctor like this before."
Although she made an effort to appear relaxed, he could sense her tension. How could he not?
As he began to carefully unbutton the red shirt and remove it from her arm, she flinched slightly and sucked in air with a hiss.
He was glad that it wasn't stuck to the wound, otherwise it would certainly have been worse. To distract her, he just kept talking.
"Or do you just know it all already?"
"Yes, Dad often wore one of these when I was younger. He was ill once and didn't want me to catch it. That's why I know it..." she explained to him readily and her head turned a little to the side to look at her father.
Law nodded understandingly.
"That's very exemplary of him. And I'm happy if I don't scare you."
"Don't do that. I'm not a baby anymore."
"I see. Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention earlier. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Almost 8! It's my birthday soon!"
He nodded in understanding as he finally took the shirt off completely and his eyes widened a tiny bit. He was finally able to look at the wound and was relieved that it didn't look any worse. After what the nurse had said - a suspected fracture - he had expected the worst, but he saw at a glance that it wasn't that dramatic. Much to his relief.
"Eight is a great age. When is your birthday?"
His line of questioning didn't miss its target, although they both surely knew that he had already read all the information he was asking her for in the file. Of course, he had memorized the age and also the fact where she had injured herself, but it was always handy to distract children so that he could treat them. That way they didn't react so excitedly - especially when parents were around to encourage their panic instead of calming them down. Or who played down their fear and tears. Law knew them too. Both options were exhausting.
In contrast, this moment was almost refreshingly calm.
"On June 6th."
Law nodded again and forgot for a moment that she couldn't see his smile behind the mask. His concentration was on the wound. It was open, but not as deep as he had expected and peppered with grains of sand and small pebbles. It was just like the surface of a climbing frame in the city playgrounds. She was still bleeding, but even that wasn't so bad. To his relief. Most children were frightened when they saw blood running from the body. The bone was apparently intact and he felt the underside of the arm again to make sure, but he found no indication that the ulna or radius was seriously damaged. Nevertheless, he would play it safe.
"That's a particularly nice date," he murmured and nodded briefly, "can you try moving your fingers?" he asked and they both looked down at her hand.
She first moved her fingers obediently, then closed them into a fist at his request, opened them again and grinned when he nodded in satisfaction.
"All right, Aurelia," he raised his eyes and smiled again, "I suggest we clean the wound and stop the bleeding. We'll take an X-ray to make sure there's nothing broken and then we'll patch you up. What do you think?"
"Am I going to get stitches?" she stared at him with her mouth open and her eyes wide.
She probably instinctively avoided looking at her arm and Law continued to hold it carefully in his gloved hands.
"No, I don't think that will be necessary. The wound isn't that deep and the tendons and muscles are intact."
Disappointment flashed in her eyes and she pouted as she slumped a little.
"Menno, now I thought I could at least tell school that I had stitches!"
Law grinned.
"Believe me, it's not something you really want," he stood up briefly, approached the cupboard on the wall and fetched the tweezers, kidney dish, cotton pads and iodine to place everything next to Aurelia on the couch, "And now, please grit your teeth. I'll get the little stones out and it can be a bit uncomfortable."
She turned pale in an instant.
"Does that hurt?"
"Don't worry. I'll be very careful. Or would you like an anesthetic?"
"An anaesthetic?" she repeated questioningly.
"I can give you an injection so that you can't feel anything in your arm. It will last for about half an hour."
Aurelia was visibly struggling with herself. She turned her head and looked at her dad, chewing on her lower lip.
"You decide, darling. It's okay either way," Law heard an unfamiliar voice and it took him two heartbeats to realize that this voice could only belong to the young man standing next to his patient. His eyes darted over and for the first time he took a closer look at him.
He had black hair that looked a little disheveled. His face was handsome, even if the expression in his eyes was rather reserved. Law felt a certain emptiness in his large, dark brown eyes. There was a very fine scar under the left one, which his connoisseur's eye could see must be very old and had certainly been stitched up in its time. He couldn't make out any stubble on the man's face and his features looked somehow soft and gentle. He could make out the tiniest hint of a smile on his thin lips and he couldn't help but find this man beautiful.
The man's left hand carefully placed itself on the small shoulder and squeezed very gently. And again, for a heartbeat, Law had the feeling that he had to look away from the love between the two of them, which he could literally see.
There was something about that moment that stayed with him forever. He couldn't say exactly why later, but this small gesture, this moment, was etched in his memory.
The girl still seemed indecisive and so he tried to help her.
"You are incredibly brave. But it's not necessary for you to be in pain. If it hurts too much, the injection will help. That's all right. And it won't last long, I promise," he explained kindly and went back to the cupboard at the side of the room to simply prepare the appropriate injection. Perhaps it was easier for her to agree when she saw that it was a particularly thin syringe and that little of the liquid was in small flasks. After all, Law had often experienced that children in particular - not only children by far, but especially often - experienced a special surge of fear at the sight of a syringe.
But when he returned to hers, he was in for a surprise.
She shook her head.
"No, that's all right. I can take it. As long as I don't have to look."
The doctor smirked again under his mask, but only put the syringe to one side instead of putting it away completely.
"Of course. But if it does hurt, please say so, all right?"
She managed a smile and nodded.
"Dad says that you have to put up with a little pain now and then. That doesn't mean it will hurt forever, but if you can bear it, everything will get better afterwards."
Law blinked curiously at the other adult, who also avoided his gaze and only looked at the young patient.
"That's an interesting life lesson," he admitted and sat back down on the stool, scooted very close to Aurelia and gently took her arm again to finally start his work.
He dabbed the edges of the torn skin with a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant, heard the girl draw in air and didn't stop.
"You'll tell me if it's too bad, okay?" he asked without looking up.
"I'll do that," she nodded, which he could see in the corner of his eye.
Law hurried to remove all the grains of sand and pebbles from the wound. He lost count of how many times he heard a very faint tinkling sound as pebbles fell into the metal bowl and just listened to his patient's breathing.
"Would you like to tell me exactly what happened? Why you fell, I mean?" he asked after a while to break the silence.
"Oh," she responded a little uncertainly, "That... is a bit embarrassing," she explained and laughed unconvincingly.
"Don't worry. Nothing you tell me will leave these four walls. And believe me, it can't be more embarrassing than the stories I get to hear on the night shift in the emergency room. That's where people get the stupidest ideas!"
The girl fidgeted for a moment, but then took an audible breath and began to talk.
Law concentrated on what he was doing and listened just enough to overhear her saying that she wanted to climb to the top of the climbing wall at the playground. Almost at the top, she had tried to turn to her dad and wave to him, but then lost her balance and fell off.
"And that's embarrassing. I certainly won't tell the others at school...!"
Law raised his head and put the tweezers to one side.
"It's not an embarrassing story, I promise you," he smiled indulgently, "There are much worse things that people do. You got a little carried away in your joy. That can happen. The important thing is that you've learned something from it. And I'm sure you have."
"Yes, definitely," Aurelia confirmed, nodding, "I'd better hold on tight from now on."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Now let's go to the x-ray."
As the doctor stood up and carefully let go of her arm so that she could hold it close to her body, he heard her father say something again. It was quiet, obviously meant only for her ears, and once again that day his behavior surprised Law deeply.
"You're incredible, sunshine. Dad is very proud of you. But please don't overdo it. If you want, I'll carry you."
To Law's relief, she laughed softly.
"It's okay, Dad, it's okay."
"It's not far. We have an X-ray machine here in the surgery. It's just down the corridor here," Law explained, pointing to the door, then pointing to the left, "I'm not leaving your side."
"Can Dad come with me again?" she asked and stood up, landing light-footedly on her sneakers and looking over from Law to her young father.
And again Law's gaze flitted over the silent man as he slipped off his gloves and put the utensils to one side and slipped off the mask, letting it disappear into his smock pocket. This man could hardly be thirty. He was probably even younger. It was unusual for fathers to come by with their children, and for once he gave in to his curiosity.
"Of course. We can't leave Dad alone, can we?" he winked at Aurelia and opened the door to see her out, "But may I pry?"
"You've been curious the whole time!" she grinned, but nodded, "You're a doctor, so you must be. What do you want to know?"
"I'm not used to young patients like you being here without your mom. Is your mother still at work or something?"
They were just turning left down the corridor, leaving the open area with the waiting room behind them, when Aurelia hung her head next to him. Law immediately sensed that something had changed.
"I don't have a mother," she said quietly and Law's eyes widened.
"Sorry, I didn't know that!" he apologized hastily, but she shook her head curtly.
"That's all right. How would you know? I don't remember her. She died when I was just born."
Law nodded in understanding, but said nothing more.
He felt the young father's gaze on his back, who was surprisingly silent even now. It would have been his right to reprimand the doctor, but he didn't say a word. Law was genuinely sorry for his question.
They reached the X-ray room in silence and were greeted by one of the nurses.
"I need an image of her left arm to rule out a fracture," he instructed the young woman, who greeted her curtly and then asked Aurelia with a smile to follow her into the next room.
"Excuse me," Law spun around as the girl disappeared, "It was very tactless of me to ask that."
The young man only looked at him briefly, then turned his head in the direction in which his child had disappeared.
"That's all right. She's right. How were you supposed to know?" he raised his shoulders and also walked towards the door through which Aurelia and the nurse had gone.
"Wait a minute. You're not allowed in there," he stopped him and pointed to the large window that looked into the next room.
The nurse handed Aurelia one of the large nightgowns and pointed to the changing room at the other end of the room. Law knew that she was explaining to her that she was not allowed to wear any metal objects on her body and therefore asked her to change.
They talked briefly and the nurse nodded with a smile, then followed her and they both disappeared for a short time before coming out again. Aurelia was now not wearing earrings, dungarees or shoes. And Law also knew now that the nurse had made sure that there was no other metal on her clothes. They watched as she placed a heavy lead vest around Aurelia's shoulders, which reached to her knees, and then helped her to lie down on the stretcher. They laid her injured arm flat next to the girl with a little distance between them.
With a nod from the girl, the nurse came back to them.
"It's ready, Doctor. The recording will be ready soon."
Law just nodded, letting her do her work and his gaze continued to rest on the girl.
When he looked at her like that, he realized that she didn't look like him, but somehow she did, and no matter how often he felt the thought flaring up in his head, he wouldn't let it drive him away completely. It was amazing. No logic, no medical knowledge helped. It remained impressive and he found himself wondering whether she might have gone out in earlier years like he had as a child.
What nonsense was going through his head!
Shaking his head inwardly, he watched as the nurse went back to his patient and waited patiently until she had changed again and the finished picture was shown to him on the display on the wall.
"Oh, that looks very good," he nodded in the direction of the monitor and his father took his hint.
Aurelia had just rejoined them and looked at him with wide eyes. She didn't have her earrings back in her ears yet, but her dungarees were now closed on both sides.
"So?" she asked anxiously and he smiled at her.
"It's all right. Take a look for yourself."
She stepped between him and her dad and leaned her head back so she could see the pictures.
Law raised her right arm and pointed to the beautiful x-ray of her arm.
"Look, this is your humerus. It's perfect. And here's your elbow. The joint is in perfect condition. Just like the ulna and radius. I wasn't really worried that something might be broken, but a hairline fracture would have been possible. But here," he stroked the white parts of the picture visibly with his fingertips, "you can see that your bones are completely intact. That's how it should look at your age."
"Then you don't have to operate on me, do you?" she asked hopefully and Law nodded in agreement.
"That's right. We'll give you a nice bandage and then you can go home with Dad. How does that sound?"
"That sounds great!"
He took the two of them back to treatment room two, where he coated the open wound with iodine and carefully closed it with a few staple plasters before applying a bandage.
"Please leave the plasters on for at least a week, okay? If they come off, you can replace them," he pressed a small box of plasters into her uninjured hand, "But the wound should be well treated with these. You've seen how to apply them. Do you think you can manage that at home if necessary?"
Aurelia nodded. She had visibly recovered from her shock and was now even beaming a little.
"Dad and I will definitely manage that."
"Very good. If there's anything else, please come by again. Are you still in pain? Should I give you some painkillers? Or is something else hurting you?" he inquired, looking at her knees, which were only a little scuffed.
"It hurts, but it's not bad. It's all good."
Law nodded curtly, but pulled a strip of tablets from a drawer in the cupboard against the wall.
"Here, this is a low-dose painkiller. It's suitable for children. If it does get worse, take one with a glass of water."
He didn't give the tablets to her, but to her father.
"If you need anything else, if she develops a fever or gets dizzy, make sure you contact us again. She has no signs of concussion, but we should still remain vigilant."
The man nodded and now returned Law's gaze more firmly than before. Determination looked back at him.
"I take good care of them. Thank you for everything."
"You're welcome," Law nodded to him and turned to Aurelia again, "You're by far the bravest almost-eight-year-old I've ever met. Take good care of yourself and your dad."
"Sure!" she grinned and held out her uninjured hand to him, "And here's to you."
He took hold of her and nodded to her.
As the two said goodbye, her father reached out his hand and Law instinctively grabbed it. He shook it and felt a small, hot tingle rush through his hand and a small shiver run down his spine.
To cover up the moment, he nodded to him again and looked after them as they left the room.
Aurelia said something to her father that made no sense in his head, although he thought he understood the words. The tingling in his hand did not immediately subside. It spread through his body, like the warm feeling of security when his mother hugged him.
Nonsense. How did he come up with that?
Unconsciously, he looked down at his fingers as the door slammed shut behind them. Part of him cringed as he realized that he was no longer wearing gloves! That had never happened to him before. He had avoided physical contact for as long as he could remember! Who knew who he would scare with his existence as an Alpha if they shook his hand and some of his scent still clung to him? Despite the blockers!
He shook off the thought and sighed.
Obviously nothing had happened.
So time for the next patient.
As he picked up Aurelia's file to scribble a few notes, he paused again.
Monkey D. Aurelia.
He paused. Something about that name seemed... familiar. But from where...?
With the file in his hand, he left the room and headed for the nurses' counter.
"Excuse me," he began, placing the file closed on the desk top in front of him, "would you do me a favor?"
"Of course, doctor. How can I help?"
He lifted the young girl's file and nodded his head slightly to the left.
"I'd like to borrow these. My shift runs until midnight. After that, I'd just put them with the others. Is that possible?"
He was aware that the nurses were very strict with their files. Even the thought of taking one out of the system for any length of time was repugnant to most of the staff - especially here in the outpatient department or even the emergency room. The system was the only really effective attempt to keep order in the chaos they often experienced here and in the emergency department. But Law was very lucky that he was blessed with good looks. If he really wanted it, hardly anyone had ever been able to deny him a wish.
And luckily for him, it was working now too.
The young nurse bit her lower lip, giggled bashfully and then nodded reluctantly.
"But you know how the bosses react when the file is not in its place. You promise I'll get it back by the morning shift tomorrow?"
"Great word of honor," he winked at her and he was sure that if he had been able to detect her scent, she would have smelled particularly sweet right now.
"All right, then. But please don't betray me to anyone."
"If you don't betray me either?"
He slipped the file unseen into the next patient's file, which he took with him to treatment room two, and secretly let it disappear into one of the drawers. Yes, Law could have written the name down and looked it up later, but there was something in his mind that wouldn't let him rest. It was more of a hunch, a feeling, than actual knowledge, but he had to investigate.
And so the file waited in the drawer until he was finally able to finish his shift hours later and quietly and secretly made his way to his office with it.
He absolutely needed certainty.
His office wasn't big, but it was functional and, thanks to his sister, there were even two plants that he had never watered himself, but which were in perfect condition. Someone from the cleaning team must have taken care of them. Law had long since lost sight of them. And right now he didn't even look around, but headed straight for his laptop at the desk, flipped it open before he had even taken a seat and sank impatiently into the leather desk chair while the laptop became functional.
Without waiting any longer, he opened the file again, started the patient archive and took a deep breath as he entered the name in the search bar.
Monkey.
Barely two or three heartbeats passed, but they seemed like an eternity to the surgeon, without him being able to even begin to define his impatience and the excitement associated with it. But ever since he had shaken hands with this man - for the first time since who knew when without gloves! - this restlessness rumbled inside him and wouldn't let go.
When the result appeared on the monitor, his heart beat much harder.
Monkey D Luffy.
Hastily, he clicked on the digital file, unconsciously licked his lips and leaned closer, as if he could read the information better if he just moved closer to the laptop. His heartbeat increased.
Monkey D Luffy. Male. Omega.
Law stared at the few words in the header in disbelief.
And then he heard the words that Aurelia had said to her father, very quietly, when the two of them had already turned to leave and were almost out of the door.
"The doctor was really nice, wasn't he, Mommy?"