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Although he could not explain why he woke up so late at night and checking things on the ship, there was a feeling in his gut that told him to get up and make sure everything was alright. Since he could not shake the feeling of dread in his stomach, it made sense to just check everything out for the sake of settling his nerves before going to sleep. Unfortunately for the second commander, fate had other plans as the scene he was about to witness would stay with him forever. An eerie bloodcurdling scream was heard in the storage room from Ace, the freckled man having seen Thatch lying face down in a pool of blood following a stab wound to his right side thus waking anyone sleeping nearby.
“Thatch! Oh my god no this cannot be happening right now please don’t be dead I can’t lose another loved one again!” his voice trembling from growing panic and fear as memories of how he lost Sabo came to the front of his thoughts. Shaking those thoughts from his mind as he needed to focus on saving the cook’s life, unable to stop his hands from trembling however when he got to his knees to look for a pulse on the unconscious brunette. Fortunately for him he managed to find it after looking for a minute, feeling a small wave of relief come over him. There was still time to save Thatch but he had to act fast, remembering how applying direct pressure on a wound like this and having something to slow the bleeding was the best course of action. Ace couldn’t remove the white clothing himself however as that was most likely helping to some degree with slowing the bleeding so the freckled man went with using his shorts instead to use for applying pressure to the wound.
Using his belt to secure his shorts to Thatch’s side now Ace had to move Thatch which wasn’t going to be easy, both from being pressed for time and if he moved the cook in a way that injured the affected area further that could cause a whole nother set of problems. Letting out the breath that had been sitting inside of his chest Ace scooped Thatch up into his arms, having the man’s legs raised higher than the rest of his body as he also recalled that it helped with blood flow to the heart and brain. The blood on the floor and his lack of underwear were long forgotten as Ace ran towards the infirmary as fast as he could, nearly kicking the door right off the hinges when coming in with the cook as he saw Tate turning around ready to scold him for kicking in the door.
“How many times do we have to tell you people to stop kicking the door in for the infirm- oh my god you’re naked Ace. Wait… is that Thatch?!” Tate screeched from both the shock of the second commander being nude except for his orange hat and for the condition that the cook was in. “Me being naked was the first thing you noticed and not Thatch in my arms bleeding out Tate? Not important right now just start helping him I’m going to grab Marco and Haruta 'cause Haruta’s the same blood type as Thatch right?” Barely waiting long enough for Tate to nod her head before he was out the door again after setting Thatch down on an empty bed.
Now Ace normally didn't go barging into other commanders' rooms after a long day unless they were under attack or if a meeting between the commanders was being held but considering what has just transpired this was an exception. Politeness was being thrown out the window right now for saving a life. The freckled man swiftly kicked Marco's door in and pulled the older blonde right from his bed, pulling him up into a standing position with one arm over his shoulders as he ran back out of the room with Marco in tow.
"Sorry for the sudden wake-up call Marco but we need your help, Thatch has been badly wounded." It made more sense for Marco to see what was going on for himself than for Ace to try to frantically explain what was going on. Thatch was still alive and helping him recover from this took priority at the moment, the door to the infirmary swinging open as Ace brought Marco in. The few nurses that were still awake with one of them having retrieved Deuce were doing their best with getting the cook to stop bleeding so that they could save him, the cook’s bloody clothes and Ace’s shorts being discarded on the floor. In the process of doing this Thatch had woken up while the nurses were in the middle of cleaning the wound of debris and doing whatever they could to keep him comfortable. Deuce in the meantime was focusing his efforts on trying to keep him conscious by getting Thatch to focus his attention towards him and listen to the masked man talk about anything.
Before Marco could even begin to question Ace on what had happened to Thatch the man was right out of the door once again to get Haruta from their room so that they could help, knowing that Thatch was in good hands now that Marco and Deuce were there. For Deuce’s role in the current scenario, ensuring that the brunette stayed focused on him and reassuring him that everything would be okay was the best course of action. With Marco there helping Thatch would just have a long recovery period for both his physical and mental health once the truth of what had happened came out. The worst thing about all this was none of them even knew what had happened yet to give Thatch such an injury other than said injury being a stab wound. All they had to go on was that Ace had been the one to find him and then came rushing in with the cook in his arms before leaving the infirmary to go retrieve Marco and now Haruta.
Ace might know about it since he discovered the cook in his current condition but that would have to be put on hold until they were sure that Thatch was stable and more coherent to answer those questions, The second commander now returning to the infirmary with Haruta in tow. "Alright Marco, I got Haruta what do you need me to do for you?" Ace's number one priority right now was making sure Marco had what he needed to deal with Thatch’s injury as soon as possible. His gaze then shifting to Haruta, who looked just as shocked as he had been when discovering Thatch but then jumped into action, having quickly realized what they needed to do here and answers would need to wait for a later time. "Please get Haruta ready for a blood transfusion, yoi." Marco spoke to the nurse setting up a bag of blood and hooked Thatch onto it, The first commander’s thoughts already beginning to shift towards Thatch and fixing the injury.
As his hand ignited into a familiar bright blue with his flames, Marco instructed one nurse to prepare a bed for Haruta and another to prepare the necessary tools for stitching Thatch back together once he was sure things had been healed as much as possible in regard to any internal damage. His gaze then turned towards Deuce, happy that the other was talking to Thatch and making sure he stayed conscious for now. As he focused his flames a little more, he was hopeful that Thatch would soon feel the effect of them as the pain should soon diminish a little from the healing effects. "Ace, thank you for getting Haruta here so fast. First, I need you to get Haruta some sweets from the kitchen after the transfusion, preferable chocolate and something to drink. Next, you need to inform Oyaji about what happened and get everyone on the ship to look for the perpetrator because this stab wound was clearly made with the intention of killing Thatch. Furthermore, no one who is not severely wounded should enter the infirmary."
"I'll be back as soon as I can marco." Ace glanced back to see the nurses were already preparing Haruta for the blood transfusion. Making a mental note to get a little extra for the other nurses, Deuce and Marco so that they could stay awake to watch over Thatch while he went to report to Oyaji on what had happened. Knowing that this was going to be hard to hear but it was what happened and now they had to deal with it swiftly to ensure nobody else had been attacked.
Despite everything spinning around him and thatch feeling like he wanted to throw up, Thatch could still make out what was going on, feeling Deuce's hand squeeze his and asking him to keep speaking. It wasn't important what it was but he needed to keep talking, saying anything that was coming to his mind. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening to him, that Teach would do such a thing to him and for what? A devil fruit that he didn't even want to eat in the first place? Thatch would've given it to the man if he had just asked for it but no instead he chose to stab him like this and leave him for dead! His thoughts came to a halt when he heard footsteps and saw Ace returning from the kitchen with the requested items as well as a few extras. Were it not for Ace's discovery, the brunette probably wouldn't have made it and just that thought alone can be terrifying to anyone. “ I couldn't find chocolate but I have some brownies for Haruta along with some sweet tea for him. I also brought coffee for you, Deuce and the nurses so that you guys can keep awake Marco. Before I report what happened to Oyaji and keep watch outside the infirmary, is there anything else you need?”
"That's thoughtful of you, Ace. That’s all I need for now so I'll let you know when or if I need something else, yoi." Relieved at the fact that Ace was stepping up to assist in whatever way he could without wondering how Thatch was doing or if he would survive, Marco looked at Ace with an expression of gratitude and relief. He found it really helpful to keep his cool, as it enabled him to concentrate on the task at hand much better. First thing that needed to be done was stop the heavy flow of blood. The nurses and Deuce already set Thatch up on IV, so Marco didn't have to focus on that nor that he was getting the blood transfusion as his medical crew was very efficient. While Marco was talking to Ace Haruta was following everything as the transfusion was being done, eyes shining with worry and concern for the cook’s well being. They didn’t doubt Marco's abilities and skills as a doctor but Thatch looked half-dead at this point from losing so much blood. However, there was nothing they could do besides giving the blood the cook so desperately needed and they hated not being able to do more for Thatch. Thatch always took pride in taking care of all of them and now that they had the chance to give some of that care back to the cook the only thing they were able to do was giving blood was a tough pill to swallow, even though Haruta understood that they were doing all they could right now.
As the blood flow was finally decreasing, Marco could check the damage and wound without risking Thatch bleeding out. He then pressed a bandage onto the wound and told Tate to hold the pressure while he washed his hands before putting on gloves. Now came the next part, Giving thatch a sedative to further numb the pain so that the chance of Thatch moving around while stitching the wound closed was lessened. "Thatch I need you to breathe for me and tell me when you feel numb. Do you think you can do this for me, yoi?" His voice was calm and warm, eyes going to the cook as he began to administer the sedative.
Nodding his head to Marco Thatch waited for the sedation to kick in, trying to breathe slowly and calm so as to not work himself up and make it any worse than it was. He knew that it was pretty bad as far as the wound was despite being out of it from blood loss but he wasn't sure of the extent of the damage done to him. However, he had faith that Marco would fix him up and that he would be at full strength in no time. Was going to be hard to take it easier for the foreseeable future but he knew that it would have to be done if he wanted to heal properly with minimal issues, calling out to Ace before he left the Infirmary again. “ Wait. Ace come here for a second.” Thatch needed to tell them all who did this to him while it was both fresh in his mind and to deal with the problem as soon as possible. “Yes Thatch what do you need?” Being right by the cook’s side in an instant, taking hold of one of his hands with a gentle squeeze. If Thatch had something he needed to say then he will listen to every word he had to say.
“Teach did this. He was after the fruit I found, heard him say it was the reason he had joined the crew in the first place. He must not have expected anyone to find me and hoped I would bleed out before then and then he would be long gone. The fruit’s hidden in my room behind a fake board in the ceiling, near the lights. Get that fruit before he finds it and take it to Oyaji immediately Ace, Teach must not leave the ship!” It was a bit of a gamble on Thatch’s part but he doubted that after making fools out of them for the last twenty six years to get this fruit he found that Teach would just leave without it. Then again if the man was willing to play such a long con like this one who’s to say that anything they knew about Teach was actually true? There was one thing they knew for fact however, that fruit he found was obviously worth killing for so they had to keep Teach from getting to it and deal with him immediately. Seeing the rage simmer in those obsidian eyes that belonged to Ace Thatch felt his hand being squeezed tighter as a silent promise to carry out that request before running out the door one more time, leaving Thatch in the care of Marco, Deuce and the nurses.
"Feeling pretty numb right now Marco. Don’t worry too much though I’ll be better before you know it with such good nurses and doctors caring for me." His body was beginning to relax and feel the effects of the sedative so he had to stop speaking for a moment to get his thoughts in order and speak clearly when he needed to. Thatch was trying to save his energy where he could so that he could focus on Deuce's voice talking about what they would do for his recovery and let Marco work on him.
The fact that Thatch was still conscious and capable of talking and even focus a little was promising for his recovery and it helped to boost the hope Marco had for the cook’s recovery. The wound looked horrible and he couldn't believe someone that they had taken in and treated as family for so long had actually done this. How did none of them see this sooner? Seemed as if they got lucky however with Ace finding Thatch but he couldn’t rest easy until he knew that the brunette was out of danger. "Good. Don't get yourself worked up now. Relax, breathe and answer Deuce’s questions. I'll patch you up and you'll be as good as new soon enough, yoi." Doing what he could to keep the optimism up for everyone in the room. While he knew that Deuce, the nurses and Haruta could all see how the wound looked he didn't need them to lose hope and faith in his abilities. So he worked as fast and steady as he could, having Tate and a couple of the other nurses help him at some point, while also making sure not to worry Thatch too much. Now he was relying on Deuce to keep the optimism going as he worked on the cook’s injuries, Marco's eyes then moving to the blood bag to see that only a third of the blood was left now. "Keep an eye on the bag and switch it with Haruta’s when the time comes, yoi." Getting a quick nod of confirmation from Deuce.
Thatch understood that staying calm right now was the most important thing for him to do but it was hard to do that after what had happened, feeling that hurt and anger in his heart as he wanted to do something about it yet he couldn’t. Not in this condition at least. Thatch couldn't let himself get worked up and make things harder for Marco and the nurses working to save his life. Instead he chose to put all of his focus on Deuce right now and answer anything that Deuce wanted him to do, keeping those thoughts of betrayal at bay for the time being. Focusing on the masked man was helping with keeping his mind off of what was happening and keeping him conscious right now, lightly shaking his head to try and get rid of the heavy feeling that was beginning to settle into his eyes. "I trust you Marco so just tell me when I can rest my eyes, getting kind of hard to keep them open right now."
Marco couldn’t blame Thatch for feeling fatigued as he'd lost a lot of blood already, but he had to hold on just a little longer. "You can soon enough rest, just hold on a little more for us okay, Yoi?" Marco tried to sound like everything was fine and under control but he wasn’t happy with what he saw. While his healing powers had helped, the fact was that Thatch had a hole on the side of his body and it had done some damage. Biting his lower lip as he began the last part of patching the hole. Marco had done all he could do now so now all that was left was close the hole up, use his flames again and finally let Thatch sleep. Then it would be all up to Thatch's body and will, having a quick glance to Tate who was keeping her eyes on the transfusion as to make sure that they didn't take too much blood from Haruta. She was't sure if it would be enough, but it did seem that Marco had managed to stop the main bleeding. It was kind of a relief, though would this be enough?
Thatch wanted to be able to get some sleep now, can't he just rest his eyes for just a moment? being startled awake when he felt Deuce's hand lightly smacking his face to keep him alert and awake, green eyes looking into Deuce’s blue hues as the masked man shook his head no. Deuce couldn't let Thatch fall asleep yet until Marco had given him the clear that it was safe for the cook to do so, he knew that this must be hard for the cook to keep awake when factoring in everything that’s happened but he just had to hold on for a little longer. Deuce had faith in Marco and faith in the rest of the medical crew here to help the fourth commander so Deuce would hold onto that optimism that Thatch would get better from this with time and effort. They would not allow their friend to die here, not on their watch.
Carefully, Marco put his hand on the now closed wound and set his hand aflame once more, letting the flames heal as much as they could. His technique wasn't perfect as he didn't have to use it often but he gave his best. Normally Marco only used said technique on minor wounds so using them on this deadly injury was a big gamble. The first commander couldn't know for sure that it would help the healing process in any substantial way so to help Thatch's body along he also used an ointment he'd created, which eased pain and should help healing wounds.
Afterwards Marco had the nurses help him bandage the wound, making sure not to move Thatch all too much. "You did so well, Thatch. Get some sleep and let your body heal and rest. Were all here for you yoi." He spoke softly, as he made sure that Thatch was lying comfortably before giving him something for the pain as to help him sleep better. They had done everything they possibly could, now only time would tell if it was enough. One of the nurses set up a new bag of blood as to make sure Thatch had enough until his body was able to regenerate what it needed. Haruta was now lying on the bed next to Thatch’s, having already had the brownies and sweet tea but wasn't going to leave before Marco said it was okay. Besides they wanted to know how Thatch was doing when the cook woke up again.
Thatch could feel a small grin coming to his face as he was given the clear that he could finally allow himself to drift off to sleep. It had been difficult to keep his eyes open the whole time but now he can finally rest and hopefully the odds were in his favor of a good recovery. Once Thatch had drifted off to sleep Deuce had finally let go of the cook's hand and got himself straightened out, a heavy sigh slipping past his lips. "Well that was an uphill battle but we did good there so all we can do now is wait. Thatch is a strong man he'll pull through this so we just got to wait for him to wake up again, I could even stay here and keep watch over him if you would like me too Marco." Seeing Marco nod his head as with what Thatch had told Ace there was bound to be a meeting on what to do from here in regard to taking care of Thatch’s division until he was well enough to begin resuming his normal tasks. "Thank you Deuce I know I can trust you with this. Stay here until I return ok? His bandages needs to be changed every three hours for the next twenty four hours and don't forget to add the ointment to the wound. I’ll also need two people watching him for the next fourty eight hours but I will of course take some of the hours. work out a schedule for you, me and the nurses, yoi?" He had to rely on Deuce and the nurses right now as there was still so much he had to do and know before he could stay at Thatch's side.
Seeing Deuce nod his head to show he understood what he needed to Marco could feel his body begin to relax. Now that someone he knew would be able to handle the situation in is absence would be here for the cook the first commander helped Haruta off of the bed and motioned for them to follow him so that they could both freshen up before heading to the emergency meeting that would be held.