The End Of HER World

See disclaimer in chapter one.

Chapter 4 Ginny's plight

Ginny could sense some feeling in her body coming back to her. Everything was still blackness and devoid of all sound, but now she felt the presence of people around her. Someone is touching me, she thought. She tried to call out, but it didn't work. Then she felt her throat tingle, like she had swallowed something. There it was again. Strange, she thought. Then she had the feeling of being moved, like her body was floating in water.

Suddenly she had a sensation of sound. Like she was in a long tunnel, and someone was talking. She couldn't make out the words, but it was definitely voices. She felt somewhat encouraged by this. Maybe it means that I am not dead, she thought. Then she felt it. It was real. A real pain in her head. She tried to move, to turn her head towards the sounds, but she couldn't.

Now she could feel pain elsewhere on her body. Oh my gods, I have to pee. I can feel it. What do I do now, she wondered. Then she felt relief, and she didn't have to pee any more.

Now she could definitely feel someone touching her. Her arms, her legs. It was real. She tried to move them. She concentrated very hard. But she couldn't do it. Her mind was reeling, her brain was rebelling. Everything was telling her to let go. Let go of what, she wondered. She felt her thoughts slipping away. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She was out of the tunnel, and the voices were gone. Then the blackness overtook her again.

They were sitting in a restaurant having a pleasant dinner when Ron's mobile rang. He answered, spoke a few words, said yes, we will be there, then pushed the button to close the connection. "Finish up guys," he said. "That was the hospital. The doctors want to talk to us tonight at eight."

"Ron, how did the person sound? Did Ginny die? Did they say anything?"

"Relax Mione. They finished their initial evaluation and tests. Their ready to discuss her situation with us."

"Good," sighed Harry. "But, I have to tell you guys, I am very nervous. Gods, I am shaking."

"We all are Harry. Let's just pray that it's good news," said Hermione in a shaky voice. "Should we tell the family?"

"No. Absolutely not," stated Ron. "I don't want to say anything to them until we talk to the doctors."

"Agreed," confirmed Harry.

The three arrived at the hospital shortly before eight, and were escorted to a conference room on the third floor. A tall middle aged man greeted them.

Shaking their hands, he introduced himself as Doctor Hainsworth. After exchanging pleasantries, they all sat at a long conference table. Dr. Hainsworth explained that he was the head of the trauma department.

"Doctor, before we start, I need to know something," spoke Harry. "We were told at St. Mungo's that Ginny was dying. Is there any truth in that?"

"Yes, Mr. Potter. That was true at the time. Miss Weasley's lungs were severely damaged by the intense heat of the fire, and they were filling with fluids. St. Mungo's has no way of handling that situation, so I would say that they were correct. She most certainly would have died within a few days had you not intervened and had her transported here."

"We have at our disposal heart-lung machines that work the same way a persons lungs work. We route her blood through these machines and they oxygenate her blood, just like a person's lungs do. This keeps the patient alive while the lungs heal. We currently have Miss Weasley on such a machine. She will not die, Mr. Potter.

Harry leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. Silently, he thanked the gods for their gift.

"Before we discuss her other injuries Mr. Potter, I must tell you that in our examinations, we discovered something unrelated to her injuries. We discovered that she has the onset of a serious Gonorrhoeal infection. Are you familiar with this disease Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good. The infection can be easily treated with antibiotics. Now, I have to ask you, Mr. Potter, have you recently had sexual contact with Miss Weasley?"

"No sir. I have not had any contact with her, sexual or otherwise, for over two years."

"Good. But then that brings up a question all of us here are wondering. And you don't have to answer if you wish. We are all aware of the amount of money that you put forth for Miss Weasley. It did save her life, but we are wondering why you are involved."

"I'll answer you, even though I don't think it's pertinent to her current state of health. Miss Weasley and I had a relationship several years ago, while we were in school. Right now, we are simply friends."

"Friends? Somehow Mr. Potter, I sense that it is more than mere friendship. But that is neither here or there, let me get to the crux of her medical problems. The fire did much damage besides just her lungs. Most of the hair on her head was burned off, and she has first an second degree burns on her scalp and face and neck and arms. Mostly those areas of her upper body that were nor covered sustained burns."

"She has severe burns on her hands also, probably caused by the hot grease splashing on them. All these burned areas will heal over time, and are not life threatening. That is the good news. The bad news is something else."

"First, her hearing. The intensity of the explosion, the loudness of it, damaged the inner parts of her ear. Her hearing loss right now is about 80%. This is only an estimate, we will have to wait until she regains consciousness to properly evaluate her. The probability is that she will have some loss, but we don't know at this time how severe it will be. However, there are ways to treat hearing loss, including the use of hearing aids, so it won't be a debilitating loss for her."

"Next, her eyes. They too were damaged by the brightness and heat of the explosion. And again, we won't be able to properly evaluate the situation for some time. The probability is that her vision will be somewhat impaired, But how much, we can't say at this time"

"Doctor, at St. Mungo's Ginny's head was completely wrapped in bandages, including her eyes. Will her head continue to be wrapped, or can they be removed?"

"The bandages have already beer removed Mr. Potter. Her eyes are now uncovered, but we are keeping the room dark. We don't know what her reactions will be when she awakes. Remember, her hearing will be impaired, and what she sees will be out of focus."

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Potter, your friend is extremely lucky to be alive. She is young and otherwise healthy. She will have a long road ahead of her. It will be a long time before she is ready to lead a normal life again. Right now her main problem is her lungs. Worst case, they are damaged beyond repair. In that event, we will do a lung transplant, but I don't think that will be the case. I am confident that her lungs will repair themselves. We will evaluate her each day, and will keep you appraised of her progress."

"Doctor, how long will she be out of it, in a coma?" Harry asked.

"Right now, the coma is induced. We can bring her out of it at any time, but I would prefer to keep her induced for at least a few more days. She will still be in much pain, and the coma is for her benefit. It is not a deep coma. Her brain is working, somewhat like she is dreaming. It might be good for her if someone close to her is present when she awakes. It will ease her mind to have family there. We will let you know when we are going to bring her out of the coma."

"Doctor, what about visitors? She has a large family."

"No problem. You three can visit at any time. Otherwise, hospital policy is only two visitors at a time, and then for only fifteen minutes. We will allow you three to control that at your desecration. Any more questions? If not, then I will keep in touch, and you can reach me at anytime through my office here at the hospital."

They thanked the doctor, and made a quick visit to Ginny's room. She looked peaceful laying there. But it was a shock to see her bald head with the ugly patches where her scalp was burned.

So many tubes and wires connected to her. They watch in amazement at her blood flowing through the lung machine.

Harry was deeply touched by her plight, and broke into tears as he stood there watching her. Hermione took him into her arms and consoled him.

"Mione, I don't want anyone to see her head like that, with her hair burned off. She was so proud of her hair. Do you think we could find a cap or something for her?"

"Yes Harry, I think I still have a knitted winter hat that would fit her. I'll bring it tomorrow."

"Come on Harry," encouraged Hermione. "It could be worse. At least she is alive now, and no longer in danger of dying."

Ron gripped his shoulder and said to him, "Harry, you saved my sister's life. Again. We will never be able to thank you enough."

"Harry, she will be ok now. She'll recover. She has us, you. We will be there for her. We all will help her through this."

Harry sniffed as he fought back the tears. "Just seeing her alive is thanks enough, guys. Come on, let's go home."

End chapter four