George walked up to the bed where his small, newborn daughter lay. She looked more fragile than he could have ever imagined a baby ever could. She had tubes in her nose, mouth and arms. The tubes in her arms were delivering several different potions into her tiny little body. The tube in her nose was for getting food to her stomach, and the tube in her mouth was helping her breathe. The most shocking thing about her though was the gaping hole at the small of her back, which was clearly visible.
"What did you name her?" Ron asked. George had nearly forgotten he wasn't alone and didn't look away from his small daughter as he replied. "Sarafina. Her name is Sarafina." George smiled as he looked down upon his beautiful little girl. "What was it the healer called it, again?" asked Ron, looking at the little girl with profound sadness. "He called it Spina Bifida," George took care to speak the name of the strange disease slowly in order to say it correctly. "The healer in charge of her care said that he was not trained to care for her. He said that no healer was and that he needed time to contact a Muggle doctor affiliated with St. Mungo's because this is primarily a Muggle condition and only occurs in children from magical families when the mother is Muggleborn or Muggle."
The tiny baby began to cry and George began to stroke her thick, flaming red hair. She continued to cry though, and a healer nurse came over to see what was the matter. "The breathing tube can be extremely uncomfortable for her," the nurse says to George as she begins to look through the vials of potions on the cart next to the baby's bed. "We need to keep her sedated, until her lungs have become strong enough for her to breath on her own." The nurse then continues to administer a cocktail of potions speaking gently and soothingly to the baby until the baby has fallen into a deep sleep. George holds his daughters little hand again as the nurse is out of the way.
"Will she be ok after the surgery though?" Ron asks George, once again breaking the silence. "Like, will she be able to live and function properly, or will she… you know… have problems?"
At this question George looks up at Ron, and takes in a deep breath before answering. "Well, according to the healers, the defect means that her spinal cord didn't fully form…" George pauses for a minute before he continues, his eyes filling with tears as he speaks again. "The healer told me that because of her malformed spine, there is almost no possibility that she will ever be able to walk or sit up on her own." George looked down as the tears threatened more than ever to spill over.
Ron looks astounded and puts an arm around George comfortingly, "C-can't they do something? Will the surgery not repair it, not make it possible for her to walk? Surely there is a spell…" George shook his head sadly. "The surgery is to repair the open wound and to fuse the spine but the damage to her legs has already been done and there is nothing anybody can do." George then broke down in tears and Ron pulled him into a tight hug.
"What will I do Ron?" cried George. "Whitney told me that she just cannot handle a disabled daughter and that she will not keep her. I cannot give away my precious daughter though. What will I do? My wife has left the baby and me. It's only been two years since I lost Fred and I just don't understand how I can possibly manage any more heartbreak." Ron just holds his brother, unable to find the words what to say, he only says. "Well at least she's a Weasley, we are all here to help you love and care for her." George feels a little better now knowing that this is the absolute truth.
Later that day Sarafina's healer walked into the waiting room where George sat with his Mother and older brother Percy. The healer was accompanied by what he could only assume was the Muggle doctor. They both stopped in front of George. "She has done remarkably well during the surgery," says the Muggle doctor. "Her open wound has been closed and her spinal fusion has been complete. The only thing we had to do extra was add a shunt in her head to drain spinal fluid from her head. The spinal fluid buildup in her head is called Hydrocephalus and is seen often in children with Spina Bifida. It may cause extra issues but as long as you continue with her muggle medications and her potions, as well as bringing her to both of us for regular check ups, she will be fine." George makes a sigh of relief as Molly hugs him tightly and Percy pats him on the back firmly. "You may see her now, but…" the doctor hesitated as he turned to Molly and Percy. "Unfortunately, we can only permit Sarafina's father in for the time being, because she is only in recovery her risk of infection is rather high." They both nod, understanding and Molly gives George a reassuring smile as he stands and follows the doctor to see his little girl.
His mouth and nose are covered with a mask and he is not yet allowed to hold his little girl but he is able to stroke her beautiful red hair and hold her little hand. As he looked down at his little girl he can see that she is still breathing with a tube down her throat, and eating with a tube in her nose but she is the most beautiful baby he has ever seen, and for the first time since the moment he watched his twin brother and best friend die, he felt truly happy.
AN: I'm sorry if things are not completely accurate as far as her condition goes, if anybody would like to be my consultant for all matters Spina Bifida, please let me know, I'd love to work with you.