Of Warlords and Children (Trafalgar Law Book 2)

Chapter Fourteen

Rayne's Pov

Despite constantly waking up early in the morning it can be said that I am still not a morning person. Especially when morning sickness decides to kick in. After emptying my already empty stomach yet again I sit back and groan, flushing the toilet. This was the first time in a long while since I had morning sickness. 

I think back to the times when Oz would make his Ginger-Mint tea for me. Rubbing my aching stomach I get enough energy to push myself to my feet. Shuffling past Law and out of the room I get to the kitchen. For a moment I just stand there at the doorway and stare. I hadn't been inside the actual kitchen since Oz had passed away.

The kitchen was Oz's domain and even now I still expect him to come from the freezer with the lunch menu, ready to serve. Though I know that won't happen. After a moment I gain enough courage to take the first step into the eerily empty room. Running my fingers along the counter tops I stop to the left of the stove and start to root around in the cabinets. 

"No... No... no..." I mumble to myself, trying to find out if he left any of the tea in the cabinet. So far I hadn't found anything.

"Rayne? What are you doing?"

I almost jump out of my skin. Turning around I see Darwin standing there in the doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. His hat is crooked on his head, his hair sticking out of it everywhere. His eyes are bloodshot and have a mass of bags underneath them. Poor Darwin was almost as hurt as I was at Oz's death. Oz had been as much of a father to him as he was mine. 

"Looking for some Ginger-Mint tea."

Darwin shuffles into the kitchen and stands behind me, peering into the tea cabinet. "Come to think of it... in all of the times he's made that tea I've never seen a box mix."

"Huh? You mean he made it from scratch?" 

Darwin nods, "Probably."

Tears come to my eyes at that. He was such a wonderful man, he genuinely cared. He didn't deserve to die the way he did. Darwin sees my tears and immediately starts to panic. He waves his hands around with a panicked expression before he finally grabs me by the arms and smacks me into his chest. 

"A-ah! Don't cry! Please don't cry I don't know what to do!" He stammers. 

His arms go around me and practically start to crush me into him further. Soon enough I'm not able to breathe because of how tight he's hugging me. "D-Darwin! Air!"

Darwin's arms are gone in an instant and I'm gasping for breath. For a scrawny guy he sure had a grip on him. "Sorry!"

I wipe away my tears and laugh a bit, "It's alright. I'm sorry for crying, damn hormones being what they are."

"What's going on?" Law asks as he comes into the room. 

"Ah nothing Law, I just got a bit emotional is all."

He cocks a brow, "Oh?"

I nod and brush my hair away from my eyes, it's getting pretty long, "Yeah, I was just looking for some of Oz's Ginger-Mint tea."

"He makes it from scratch."

I begin to tear up again, "I know..."

Law sighs and nods to Darwin, who all but flees from the room in an effort to not see me cry again. Law brings me into his chest where I proceed to cry my eyes out. I can't believe how much crying I've done lately, it's deplorable really. Law leads me over to the galley and sits me down in one of the chairs. He kneels down in front of me and looks at me right in the face.