Paulie × Reader OC

Chapter 3

"P... Pau...au...lie? Wha...t am I... Doi...ng? P-P... Paulie..."
I could feel the smile appear on my face.
"To think... I'd... Be... Ha... Ha...ppy to see th-this... Idiot."
My thoughts faded away as I looked at him. I couldn't see properly, my vision was blur but I knew this feeling of warmth around Paulie.
"I'm... Moving... Ugh. Too bright... What is this?!"
I just layed there trying to look at everything that was happening.
"Paulie? P-Pau...lie are you... crying?"
"-ing to... Hang in there! I won't le..."
"What's this place. Ugh. My head feels fuzzy. Too bright."
"Ugh... Where is this?"
I slowly tried to sit up as I opened my eyes.
"Oh! Nuha! You're awake! Thank God you're okay! I'll tell the others! Don't move too much!"
Lulu ran out of the room.
"NUHA! YOU'RE AWAKE! I'M SO HAPPY!"
"Your voice is as loud as ever, Tilestone."
I chuckled as the overly muscled man overly shed tears.
"Well, I'm glad you're awake, Nuha."
"Iceberg-san!"
I tried to sit up but my foot felt like it was hanging in the air and a sharp needle like pain shot up my hand.
"Tsk! Aaah!"
I winced and groaned as I fell back onto the bed.
"What happened?!"
I complained.
"That's our line!"
All of them yelled at me.
"What happened to you?! You went to place an order for supplies yesterday and never returned, even when the order arrived!"
"I got a lift from the Straw Hats' Chef. I placed the order at the docks and when I was coming back... When I was coming back... I don't remember."
I sighed. I was terrified.
My body was bandaged everywhere, everything hurt when I tried to move.
"Paulie? Where's Paulie?"
I asked noticing his absence.
"He's not here."
"He's not going to visit me?"
"I don't think so."
My heart stung a little at that response.
"I'll tell him you're awake via a den den mushi."
Lulu and Tilestone left.
"He hates me that much, huh?"
I gripped my sheets.
"I know you think I'm annoying and always pick fights with you but I thought we were friends, Paulie. If anyone else had been injured you probably would've run to them, helped them and made sure they were okay. I guess, you don't think of me as anything more than a nuisance then. Is this, too, because I'm a woman, Paulie?"
"It's not quite what you think it is."
"Huh? Sorry, Iceberg-san, I don't quite understand."
"Paulie is very sensitive, when it comes to you. He was the one who was panicking the most when they got you here."
"Paulie? Was panicking? When I got here?"
"Well then, Iceberg-san, why didn't he come to meet me? Why didn't he stay here like Lulu and Tilestone?"
"Well, that, I don't know. How about you ask him?"
Iceberg-san smiled at me as he stood up from his stool.
"Well, I'll leave you to your resting now. Get well soon. The docks need you."
He smiled as he strolled out of the room.
"He's so dumb and confusing. Aren't we friends Paulie? You were panicking seeing me hurt, weren't you? Then why don't you want to see me? Aren't we friends, Paulie?"
"Come in."
I responded to the knock on the door.
"Hey! Get a lot of rest. Don't move around  too much."
"It's not like I can move, Lulu."
I giggled.
"We're all just glad that you're fine. That's all that matters to us, even to Paulie."
"Okay. Well, I'm glad to hear that he's happen but considering how much of a “man” he is, I didn't think he was pathetic enough to hide behind your back."
I snapped angrily, still smiling.
"Well, he didn't receive the den den mushi. Must've been busy."
"Oh! Sure! He's probably going to come here and tell me about how he can manage everything on his own and me being gone doesn't really make a difference at all. Jerk."
"Hey! Hey! Calm down. I'm sure he's just-"
"NUHA! GET WELL SOON! PAULIE SUCKS AT GIVING INSTRUCTIONS AND PLACING SUPPLIES ORDERS!"
Tilestone stood outside the room.
"Why are you standing there?"
"I DON'T WANT TO CAUSE YOU ANY TROUBLE!"
"Aww! Tilestone! You're so cute!"
I instantly felt my anger pacify a little at that comment.
"Who cares about Paulie?! I have Tilestone and Lulu!"
"Nuha-chan! I'm glad you're okay. If you need anything, I'll cook anything for you, but only what the doctor allows."
The Straw Hat crew's cook entered the room and instantly bowed to her as he stood in front of the shipwrights.
"HEY! WE WERE TALKING TO HER FIRST!"
"You are literally standing in the door."
The curly browed blond turned to Tilestone annoyed.
"Thank you so much for your concern, Sanji-san. Well, I guess now, even if I want to I couldn't join your crew in this condition."
I chuckled lying back down in my bed wincing and making faces at every movement.
"We just asked you not to move too much!"
Lulu yelled.
"Yes! Yes! Sorry sir. One little scratch and everyone's ordering me around!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Oh! Looks like somebody is acting tough."
Paulie smirked as he entered the room.
"Oh! Hi! Do I know you “someone who doesn't care if their friend is dying” ?"
"If you're already better enough to argue with me, then I'm sure you can get back to the docks."
He snapped at her.
"Why didn't I think of that?! You're such a geni- Ow!"
"Oi! Nuha! Are you alright?!"
"Yeah, I am okay."
I adjusted myself a little.
"Seems like you can't even move a little."
Lulu's face sprinkled with worry and concern.
"NUHA! DON'T ARGUE WITH PAULIE FOR NOW! WE DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO YOU!"
"You're too loud!"
Paulie said simultaneously along with me.
"Everyone please can we all go out. Let her rest, and you-" Chopper turned to me, "- if you move around too much, you'll end up breaking more of your bones! Stay put, rest, eat well and have fun, atleast for another 3 months."
"3 MONTHS?!"
All the shipwrights of Galley-La, including me, exclaimed.
"I can't stay put for 3 months! We've got shipbuilding to do and city building to do as well! There's stuff to restock, stuff to order, resources, inventory checking and managing, transportation, costing and estimation, marketing and so many more things are to be done!"
"Oh stop making a fuss! Just lay down. We'll handle it. Not like you do a major job."
"Oh really, Paulie?! Why don't you just fire me then, since you're the new boss of the Dock #1?!"
"Might as well do that! So, shut your trap and go to bed. Boss's orders."
"Just because you have authority doesn't mean you can order me around."
"I can, and I will. Shut up. Sleep."
Paulie said leaving through the door finally.
"Just what is your problem?! Why can't you just behave with me the way you do with your other guys?! I have seen you! I know you know how to have fun, I know you know how to care and I know how to make sure people's feelings aren't hurt! What's wrong with getting injured?! What the hell happened anyway?!"
"Don't push your luck, jerk! Once I get out of this damn ordeal, I'll make sure you-"
"For that get well and to get well, shut your mouth and rest."
Paulie slammed the door as he left the room.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Aren't you even going to— and you're gone without listening to anything that I have to say as usual."
I sighed as I dropped back into my bed, not like I could do anything more. They had attached a bag for urine and stool.
"I can't believe I can't even get up to go to the washroom! Really?! Just what happened?! How did I get in this condition."
I tried to remember what had happened. I forced myself to go back to remember what happened to me after I have the order of supplies.
"I remember laughing about Paulie's absolutely wrong sense of estimate and how it was casually mentioned about how important I am. I know I left the dock. What happened... Ugh... Aah..."
My brain felt like it was about to explode. I couldn't think about it. The painful sensations erupted like volcanoes every time I tried to tread in that territory.
"What happened? Why am I reacting like this?"
I could feel my heart race. My forehead was sweaty, my fingertips had grown cold. My breathing had become rapid and I could feel myself not wanting to remember anything, even though I wanted to. I didn't know what happened but I was really scared.
"This doesn't make any sense. What happened to me?! I don't want to feel this way. I'm scared. I'm really scared. No. Please. D-Don't come near me!'
"Paulie!"
I opened my eyes abruptly. I was panting and my chest felt tight.
"P-Paulie."
"Why am I saying his name?! What is happening to me?"
"Hey, you okay? Here's some water. Try to calm down."
The little reindeer offered as I smiled at him.
"Thank you, Dr. Chopper. You're a big help."
"Even if you praise my like that, I won't be happy at all! You jerk!"
I chuckled looking at how the action didn't match the words even remotely.
"Here."
He put the glass to my lips. I drank some water as he slowly titled the glass. It was definitely better for my dry throat. He silently dabbed off my sweat with a cool towel from my forehead.
"Say, Dr. Chopper, when will I be able to atleast move my hands a little or be able to sit up straight?"
"Depends on a lot of factors, but if you don't make your injuries worse, I think 3 weeks should be good enough for you to be able to move that much. You will still be very tired, because you've lost a lot of blood. You literally had your hands pierced, ribs broken, leg broken, too much blood loss, there's cuts and marks all over your body... If we hadn't found you in time, you would've died for sure."
"Am I really that injured?"
I couldn't believe it. I had been on the verge of death and I couldn't even remember who, how or why.
"Yes. That's why proper diet, rest and mental health is also important. You seem to have an amnesia. Like your brain doesn't want to remember anything."
"But why Dr. Chopper? Why doesn't my brain and by extension, me, want to remember anything?"
"There's a variety of reasons. I'll tell you later. Currently, you have to sleep."
The reindeer transformed into it's human-like form and pulled a black sleeping patch over my eyes.
"Good night. Don't try to remember anything forcefully. It will only hurt you."
"Like I'm gonna listen to that! I wanna know! What happened to me?! Why am I like this? Also, if you think, this will cause me to sleep, then it won't."
With this thought in mind, I didn't even realize when I fell asleep.