Warning: This story is rated M because it contains topics of a sensitive and controversial nature. Please do not read if you're easily upset.
One Day
"Ms. Weasley?"
Angelina glanced to to her right to see Healer Jensen peaking around the curtain that separated her bed from the rest of the room. She smiled weakly.
"Has it been an hour already?"
The healer smiled and nodded, stepping around the curtain. "It has. Did you sleep at all?"
Angelina shook her head. "I think I dozed off for a minute or two, but nothing more than that."
"Okay. The sedation potion I gave you has nearly worn off, then. How are you feeling otherwise?"
"Um...a little sore," Angelina replied.
"That's normal. Any dizziness? Do you feel faint or lightheaded?"
"No."
"Excellent," Healer Jensen said, jotting things down on her clipboard. "I'm just going to step out for a minute to grab a potion for you to take home. You can change back into your regular clothes in my absence. I'll be right back."
She smiled before turning to leave the room, her lime green healer's robe billowing around her ankles. Angelina slowly sat up, cringing at the fierce ache in her abdomen. She took her time standing up, tightly holding onto the bedpost for support. When she felt like she could stand on her own, she gently pulled the thin, white hospital gown over her head, then proceeded to put on her sweater and jeans. She sat down at the edge of the bed, clutching her middle a bit as she did so. She couldn't wait for that potion. The pain needed to go away if she was ever going to forget about this.
"Are you dressed, Ms. Weasley? May I come in?" Healer Jensen was back.
"Yes, I'm all set," Angelina said.
Her healer stepped around the curtain once more, a small vial of blueish-purple potion in her hand. She held up the bottle.
"Take some of this every night before you go to bed," Healer Jensen instructed. "It's a powerful potion, so you won't need more than a small sip. It will help ease the discomfort in your abdomen as well as speed up the healing process. It's very important that this is only taken before you are about to turn in for the night, as drowsiness is a common side effect."
"Alright," Angelina said, nodding her head. "And you said just a small sip each night?"
"Yes. You could probably get away with just a drop, to be honest. Also, if you notice any slight bleeding for the next few days, don't panic. It's perfectly normal. However, if it becomes drastic, come in immediately. Your recovery already seems to be going quite well, though, so I don't foresee any problems."
"Okay, good."
"Now, I'll need you back in here in about two weeks for a routine follow-up. Does the twenty-ninth work for you?"
"Um, I think that will be okay," Angelina said, mentally thinking of her schedule for the coming weeks.
"If that turns out to be a problem, send me an owl and we can reschedule," Healer Jensen said kindly. "Other than that, you're all set to go home. Do you have any questions for me before you leave?"
Angelina shook her head. "No, but thank you."
"Of course. If anything comes up, don't hesitate to contact me. Do you have someone to Apparate you home?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Even though your sedation potion seems to have worn off, we still recommend that you don't Apparate alone, just to be safe. I can send an owl to Mr. Weasley, if you'd like."
"No, that's okay. He's busy at work," Angelina lied. George had the day off. "Can I take the Floo?'
Healer Jensen nodded and smiled. "Yes, the Floo is perfectly fine."
"Okay, excellent," Angelina said. "Thank you very much, Healer Jensen. Not just for... you know, but for your discretion as well."
She nodded. "Of course, Ms. Weasley. Feel free to stop by anytime with questions, or if you just need to talk." She said the last part gently and sympathetically.
"I will. Thank you again."
Healer Jensen smiled before exiting the room to tend to her other patients. After tucking her healing potion into her pocket, Angelina proceeded down to the main lobby and into the fireplace. She didn't want to Floo directly home, as George would question it, so instead, she Floo'ed back to work. Her Daily Prophet coworkers were still bustling around to get the evening edition together, so no one noticed her sudden reappearance. Her excuse for leaving early was that she wasn't feeling well. It was partially true.
Without so much as a second glance from anyone, Angelina breezed through the building and stepped out into the crowded, snowy lane of Diagon Alley. Despite the dull ache still lingering in her middle, she couldn't help but smile as she weaved in and out of the shoppers. The Christmas season always brought such joy and charm to Diagon Alley as witches and wizards from all over Britain went there in pursuit of that perfect gift for someone special. She loved watching the children attempt to sweet-talk their parents into buying them an early present.
Her happiness faded the second she rounded the corner, instantly regretting coming back this way and wishing she had Floo'ed directly home despite George being there. Angelina stopped dead in her tracks. Tears began to sting her eyes, and they had absolutely nothing to do with the discomfort in her middle. Across the way, she could see the entrance to the small alley where it happened. It had been a rather nice evening in the middle of October. The stars were out and the temperature was mild. She was walking back to to the flat above the shop after a late shift when he grabbed her and dragged her down the dark passage between two brick buildings. He cast a silencing charm immediately; none of the shoppers on the main road were able to hear Angelina's cries for help.
Afterward, she laid there on the cold tarmac for a few minutes, not really believing what had just happened. Oddly enough, she didn't shed a tear. She was too shocked to cry. Why would he do such a thing? How could he do such a thing? It simply didn't make sense. When she arrived home that night, she was happy George wasn't there; he was away on a two-week business trip. She was grateful for her husband's absence because she wouldn't have been able to talk to him not just about what had happened, but about anything. She had been at a complete loss of words.
"It's over now, Angie," she whispered to herself as she stared at the small, dark alley. "It's over. It's all over."
Forcing herself to look away, Angelina held back her tears and continued to walk through the shoppers toward Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She'd never told George about that night. She knew she should have, but Angelina simply couldn't bring herself to do it. It hurt too much to think about, never mind discuss.
Once inside the shop, she was relieved to see that Verity was busy with a customer. Verity was a nice girl, but Angelina just wasn't in the proper state to make small talk. All she wanted to do was go straight upstairs to the flat, tell George she wasn't feeling well, go to bed, and sleep for a very, very long time.
Such a thing was nearly impossible to accomplish when George Weasley was her husband.
"Angie!" George said happily when she walked in, rising from the sofa to embrace her.
She faked a smile and hugged him back. He was such a wonderful person and that made it so much harder to keep her secret. She knew she could talk to him about anything. She knew he'd be supportive. But that's exactly why she couldn't tell him. It would destroy his spirit. Angelina refused to put that burden on his shoulders.
"Where were you today, love?" George asked when he pulled away. "I stopped by your office on my way home from Gringotts today, but Ginny said you left early. Did you sneak out to buy me a present of some kind?" He raised an eyebrow and grinned.
She smiled back, but shook her head. "No, I went to St. Mungo's." Not a lie.
George's smile immediately evolved into a sympathetic look. "Are you okay, love?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. I just wasn't feeling well." Also not a lie. Technically.
"Are you still feeling under the weather? I was gonna order Chinese take-away for us both, but I can make you some soup instead."
He was so sweet, and just for that moment, Angelina hated it. She wished for just one day George could be a complete jerk so she wouldn't feel so bad about not telling him the truth.
"I'm really not hungry, but thank you," she said. "I think I'm just going to turn in early."
George nodded. "Alright. But hey, before you do, I have some good news!"
"Oh?"
George smiled. "Bill owled me this afternoon. Fleur's pregnant again! They're having another one! Isn't that great?"
Angelina's heart sank. Of all the news it could have been, it had to be that. She was happy for Bill and Fleur, of course. They had been wanting to have a second child for a while. But why today, of all days? Couldn't Bill have waited until at least tomorrow to share their good news?
"You don't look happy," George commented.
"No, no, I am. It's just-"
"I know."
Angelina raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, you know?"
George just smiled sympathetically and pulled her in for another hug.
"One day," he whispered lovingly into her ear. "One day, it'll be our turn. It'll happen. I know it will."
Angelina's eyes welled up with tears despite her desperate attempts to hold them back. It absolutely broke her heart. She wanted a baby with George. They had been trying for about six months with no luck. And yes, that was part of the reason she was less-than-thrilled about the baby news. But the other part...
"Hey, you just get to bed, love," George said with a smile before kissing her gently on the cheek. "Get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow."
Angelina nodded and silently began to walk toward their room.
"And Angie?"
She turned to face him.
"I love you."
When he said it, Angelina literally felt his words hit her heart, and not in a good way. Something that should have made her feel so good made her feel nothing but guilt.
"I love you, too, George," Angelina said, and she meant it. She retreated to their bedroom, and once she closed the door, Angelina let the tears fall.
She leaned her back against the door and brought her hands down to her still aching abdomen. If he hadn't done that horrific thing to her two months before, she wouldn't be in so much pain. If it wasn't for him, she and George may be able to share the same type of news with the family as Bill and Fleur were. If he wasn't such a disgusting human being, she wouldn't have had to go to St. Mungo's that afternoon to do something she never thought she would ever have to do.
Angelina didn't want to hurt it, but she just couldn't keep it knowing it wasn't George's. According to Healer Jensen, it was a near certainty that conception occurred during the third week of October. George had left for his business trip on the twelfth of the month. There was hardly a chance it had been his.
But what if it was? Angelina thought. Maybe it was. There was a small possibility it could have been... no. No. Stop it, Angie. It wasn't. You know it wasn't.
And it was that thought that made Angelina's decision for her. She couldn't bring a child into the world knowing it wasn't her husband's. George had once told her that if they ever had a son, he wanted to name him after Fred. What if she did go through with the pregnancy and she had a boy? The thought of giving that precious name to a child who wasn't a Weasley...no. She couldn't have done it. And then George would have been hurt by her refusal to use the name. She would have had to explain why. She would've had to explain what happened that night in the alley. She would have had to tell George about what he did to her. She'd have to tell George about him.
She just couldn't talk about it anymore. She had told Healer Jensen, and that one time had hurt enough. She wouldn't force herself to relive that night ever again. It was too painful.
Angelina slowly changed into her pajamas, and before throwing her regular clothes into the laundry basket, she took the small vial of healing potion from the pocket of her jeans. She laid in bed thinking for a long time before she took a sip. She gently rubbed her tummy and knew that one day George's child would be in there. It would be his, and no one else's. It would be little Freddie, or a little girl whose name would be decided later. It would be theirs.
She took a small sip of the healing potion just as she'd been instructed to do. Instantly, the pain in her womb began to fade, and she only hoped that someday soon, the pain in her heart would, too.
One day, Angie, Angelina thought to herself as her surroundings slowly faded to black. It'll happen one day.
Author's Note: I still can't believe I wrote this. I hate torturing characters I love, especially George and Angelina. I can never seem to write a happy story with these two. I feel so bad. :( George and Angie, if by some unlikely chance you're actually real, I'm sorry I continuously put you through hell in my stories.
I don't usually feel compelled to say "no flames, please" after I write a story, but for this one, I probably should. I'm fully aware that the issues presented in this story probably upset or angered some of you, but please don't flame if it did. I will neither confirm nor deny here if this story reflects my own personal views on abortion, not because I'm uncomfortable talking about such views, but because this simply isn't the place to do it. It's a sensitive topic on all sides of the issue. We don't know what everyone on this site has experienced. Let's not risk hurting anyone's feelings.
This was written for OCDegrassi's Controversial Challenge on the HPFC forum. Thanks for reading!