Making Memories: The Beginning
IndigoBlue6
Hermione fought back a groan of pain as she read over the final draft divorce agreement. The tight twinges in her abdomen grew worse as she fidgeted in an unsuccessful attempt to lessen the aching spasms. She fought to gain command of her choppy breathing as the next pang hit. Her perfect eyesight went blurry as she attempted to focus in on the miniscule font; the tiny room and the three others in side it began whirling wildly. Her head felt suddenly as if it weighed a ton and her eyelids quickly followed suit.
She thought, ~I need air,~ but couldn't quite form the desperate thought. ~Something is wrong!~ She thought she saw concern on the faces spinning in her view. She was sure she heard one of them say something, but couldn't understand any of it through the raging storm taking place in her mind. She saw the faces in front of her all contort with alarm as she felt herself falling...
"I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about her condition, Mr. Potter," the fretful young nurse said. "Technically, you're not family; I'm not permitted to release any medical information to non-familial relations," she recited.
"Tell me then," groused a frustrated male as he shoved his way into the small crowd surrounding the frazzled nurse. "I'm her husband."
"Mr. Malfoy?" Draco nodded curtly. "Would you please follow me? Unless you would like to stay here with-"
"No."
Simultaneous cries of distressed anger broke from Harry and the tall, wiry red-head next to him. "You idiot! We're just as much her family as you. More, now that you're her ex!" Ron almost growled.
"Wrong," Draco muttered. "She fainted before she signed. Hermione is still my wife."
Both Harry and Ron advanced toward the blond as he turned away, but came up short when Ginny quickly grabbed and admonished them. "He's her husband still, whether you two like it or not. It's still his choice on whether we're permitted to hear what happened to Hermione right away. *Obviously,* he wants to hear it first!" She glared at them. "Now, sit! Both of you. We'll find out later."
"What happened to her?" The anxious question burst from his mouth before the nurse quietly closed the door to Hermione's private room. She faced Draco with a braced and sympathetic expression.
"We ran numerous tests when you arrived. We found that she was dehydrated and slightly malnourished." The nurse paused, glancing from her clipboard to the cool, icy gaze of Draco's eyes. "The tests also told us something else..." Here, she trailed off once more.
"Well? What is it?" Draco grated out.
"Your wife is pregnant," she smiled, watching as the breath seemed to literally deflate from his entire body. "Nearly two months," she continued, "so it's doubtful she knew yet." The blond slowly sank into the soft leather recliner beside the hospital bed. He slowly shook his head, as if in disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth, once, twice.
"Is-" He cleared his throat. "Is the baby alright?"
The nurse's expression altered. "Your wife began hemorrhaging; most likely her body registered the fetus as a sort of threat to her health and attempted to... We were able to stabilize both your wife and the fetus."
"Will she be alright as well?" The nurse sighed.
"She's gone into a sort of coma, her mind's way of coping with the stress her body has undergone. No one can be sure when, or even *if*, she will wake up."
His hand trembled as he reached for the pale, lifeless one of Hermione's. A baby? Nearly two months? The nurse was probably correct in assuming most women wouldn't know at this point, but he knew Hermione; she would have at least suspected. So why hadn't she said something? He scoffed aloud as he realised how stupid that sounded. She was trying to divorce him. Of course he wouldn't be her first choice of confidants.
~But it's *my* baby,~ he thought angrily. He deserved to know if she had the least little thought of pregnancy. The baby was *his*. *She* was his.
And dehydrating and starving herself? What the hell was that? Had she just been too busy, or stressed? Or was it due to conscious effort?
Draco sighed again, his thoughts colliding in his mind. He settled back with a look of renewed determination. He'd talk to her when she woke, whenever that may be. He'd make her finally discuss what went south in their marriage he had for so long assumed was perfect. He'd make her tell him why she wsn't taking proper care of herself, and damn it, he *would* get her to agree to freeze the divorce proceedings until she at *least* gave him a proper chance to make things right between them.
Hermione tried to voice a low protest as the blanket of dark oblivion attempted to lift into awareness. The layers of nothingness slowly rose as she sluggishly opened her weighted eyelids.
She blinked rapidly at the abrupt brightness she encountered after the eternity of darkness she felt she had experienced. Her soft brown eyes darted around as she attempted to observe her unfmiliar surroundings. She saw the blurred profile of someone next to her, becme aware of the low murmur of multiple voices, of more blurred images in the room.
She turned her head back to her pillow, fully intending to return to that dark void of unawareness, as a dull pounding began in her head, when she felt a cool hand grasp hers.
"Hermione, wake up." The feminine voice was so soothing, like the soft grip of the small hand. "Hermione, come back to us." She felt a second hand, a warmer one, holding her right hand, the thumb rubbing tender circles just below her own.
"Hermione." This voice was different; it was soothing as well, but it had a sensuous undertone accompanying it.
Her eyes opened once more, in search of the owner of the smooth, male voice. She saw a flash of red as she turned her head, before coming into contact with the most fascinating mix of color: a canvas of bright silver, spattered with flecks of ice blue, mixed with specks of light gray, staring directly in her own eyes. The smooth, unlined face of the man seemed to contort with something like relief and she saw the soft lips move as he repeated her name.
Draco surveyed Hermione's slightly blank expression as she stared into his eyes. He watched as confusion overtook her pretty features when he said her name. Her huge brown orbs blinked up at him as she asked in the most bewildered tone, "Who are you?"