#human chopper

—————

The ride to the hospital was quiet, the two of them driving in comfortable silence only interrupted by Franky softly singing along with the radio. Robin watched the scenery outside the window change from the quiet suburb area into the city scape with people rushing about while she simply enjoyed watching them, all the while absent-mindedly rubbing circles into Franky’s hand where it was resting over the shift knob.

It was nice. She was almost sad when they arrived at their destination but glancing at her watch, she knew she couldn’t ask for them driving around for a bit longer or they wouldn’t make it in time for their reservation in half an hour. She would need to ask Franky to take her for a drive later.

Getting out of their car, the two of them finally made their way from the parking lot and into the hospital, walking the familiar hallways straight to the E.R.. As they greeted both the nurses and doctors along the way, Robin thought, not for the first time, how ridiculous it was that they were at the hospital often enough to know most of the staff. And it was even funnier to know that it wasn’t thanks to their son working there, but because of the other disaster of a child who wasn’t their own but might as well be as they have been picking him up from this very same E.R. after his every fight and every work accident for the past maybe ten years.

Recognizing the loud laughter that carried over to them as soon as Franky opened the door for Robin, the two of them exchanged a glance, an unspoken tension leaving them. When the boss of Luffy’s firefighter unit called them, he did say it wasn’t anything serious but they were still worried. It was definitely a relief to hear him laughing so easily as if nothing had happened.

“Well, I guess he’s fine,” Franky noted, a grin on his lips.

Robin shook her head, the corners of her mouth twitching. “That, or he’s dying after some burning house fell on him and he’s so high on painkillers that he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“When does he ever know what he’s doing?” someone next to them muttered, making the couple glance at the tall doctor who was standing by the nurse’s station and glaring in the direction the laughter was coming from.

Franky and Robin laughed then, both at how true those words were and at how annoyed the doctor looked. “Hello, Law. I take it Luffy got to you before Chopper found him,” Robin teased, doing her best to keep her amusement out of her voice.

Law made a face. “I don’t know how he came to the conclusion we’re friends.”

“To be fair, he’s here often enough to be considered everyone’s friend,” Franky said mock thoughtfully, making the doctor roll his eyes.

Just then the tell-tale call of their names caught the couple’s attention and Law waved them off, turning back to whatever he was doing before, so Franky wrapped his arm against Robin’s waist before they headed towards the furiously waving patient together.

Taking a first good look at Luffy, they could see he only had a few scratches, plus one arm in a brace; it didn’t look like that bothered him at all, however, instead the short doctor sitting next to him had to grab at Luffy’s shoulder to stop him from throwing the injured arm around as well.

“I see you’re as super as ever, Luffy,” Franky called in greeting and Luffy smiled brightly in response, nodding furiously.

Robin glanced Chopper, who was only scowling unhappily. He had probably scolded Luffy so many times before they arrived that he didn’t have it in himself to even try to say anything to him anymore. “Doctor, is he good to be discharged?” she asked politely, smiling at the long-suffering look her son gave her.

“I guess,” Chopper sighed. “He just can’t use his arm for the next week at least but other than that, he’s fine.”

“Woo!” Luffy cried out, rasing both his arms in the air in celebration and making Chopper sigh deeply in defeat.

“Chopper, you’re a super doctor!” Franky said, patting Chopper’s shoulder. “He’ll be up and wrecking havoc again so soon!”

“Dad, please, don’t encourage him,” Chopper begged.

Robin smiled knowingly, noticing the happy blush that appeared on Chopper’s cheeks at the praise. Their baby was really too cute. “So, both of you ready to go?”

Luffy loudly called an affirmative while Chopper stood up, saying he needed to have a quick talk with his boss Marco before he went to grab his things so they could go. The three of them watched the young man run off, Luffy pouting that he would have to wait a few more minutes before he was free to go and have his sort-of parents take him and Chopper out for dinner. Ass the young man complained about how hungry he was, Robin couldn’t help but wonder how many meals he had had that day already. Although, she didn’t mind feeding him more either way.