The sheets were warm, but only because I had been lying in them for so long. I opened my eyes and looked at the white curtains hanging around the bed blocking me off from the rest of the room. There were voices in the distances and I knew two out of the three who were speaking: Sirius and Gabriel. I looked to my side and saw Braven sitting up. He took my hand and made to speak but I put my hand over his mouth as Sirius's voice reached my ears.

"I'm afraid I'm not understanding, Healer Hall. What do you mean she had a miscarriage?"

"I mean your girlfriend was pregnant Mr. Black," said the male voice that I didn't recognize. "She was only about four weeks along. The baby had no chance of surviving the beating she took. You may suggest to her that if you're trying to have children that she avoid violent situations at work."

"Did you know about this?" Sirius asked. I had to assume he was asking Gabriel.

"No," he whispered. "She didn't tell me anything."

I sighed and rubbed my face. So much for Sirius not knowing, the damn healer went and ruined it all. Now, Sirius would be incredibly disappointed and possibly want to try and have another baby.

"Braven, is this what you saw?" I whispered to him. The silence was killing me now. "Did you for see me having the miscarriage?"

Braven hesitated for a moment then nodded.

"I didn't want to tell you because I knew you had just found out."

"It's alright," I whispered. "I'm a horrible person, I didn't want the baby anyways."

"That doesn't make you a horrible person," said Braven. "I didn't want a baby when Haiden's mother was pregnant. It wasn't until Haiden was born that I realized I wanted to be a Father. I wanted to keep her and protect her. Having a baby is a miracle, Cadence."

The silence returned and I put my head in my hands. Braven didn't realize that I didn't want children at all right now, even if it was a miracle. I wiped the tears out of my eyes as the curtain was pulled back and the Healer entered. Gabriel and Sirius were behind of them—both of them looking stoic and sad. I didn't look at either of them, only stared at my hands. I wiped the last tear running down my cheek away as the Healer came to stand next to me. Sirius moved and sat next to me on the bed. He took my hand and squeezed it.

"I'm very sorry for your lost," said the Healer. "But you are healthy, besides the bumps and bruises, and your ribs will heal with time. I suggest that you be more careful and less violent with your job, Ms. Coleman. There will be other babies."

He thought I was crying because I had lost the baby. I sighed and brushed my hair out of my facing, nodding a little.

"Until then," he said. "You need lots of rest. Those ribs won't heal if you don't give them the chance to. You have three men here who care about you very much, I'm sure they will take good care of you."

"She's more stubborn then you'd know," said Gabriel with a small smile.

"I'll be fine," I said glaring at him.

"See?" Sirius smiled. He kissed my hand and brushed my cheek.

"Well, you'll all be able to go home once I get the results back for your blood test," he said. "I suggest you all let her rest some."

"Thank you," I said to the Healer. He nodded and left the curtains, leaving me alone with the men. I looked at Sirius and forced a smile.

"If you two could excuse us," he whispered looking to Braven and Gabriel.

"Of course," said Gabriel. "Come on Braven, I'll buy you a cup of coffee."

Braven stood up and walked away with Gabriel. I watched them both as they left, then turned my eyes to Sirius, to focus on him. He had a small smile on his face, but it was a sad one.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "If I had known I would have protected you better."

"Oh, and how would you have done that?" I asked with some annoyance on my tongue. "As I recall I am the one trained as an Auror."

"You should have told me."

"I found out this morning," I snipped. "I had just found out before it all happened."

"Oh," whispered Sirius sadly. "I'm sorry Cadence…I just…I wish we were having a baby…"

"Why?" I whispered. He looked at me with raised eyebrows, as if I shouldn't have to ask that question.

"Because I love you and I want to have a family with you," he said.

"Sirius," I whispered squeezing his hands. "I don't want to have children right now. It's not the right time—this world is too violent for me to bring them into the world with a clear conscious. And with my Father…the child would be in more danger then can be imagined. I don't want to bring a child into that danger…I'm just not ready yet."

Sirius didn't say anything, but nodded his head. I could tell he was upset by my words, but he understood them. He kissed my hands and stroked my cheek.

"If that is how you feel," he whispered. I nodded.

"It is," I said. He leaned forward and kissed me deeply.

"I'm happy you're okay," he said. I kissed him slowly in return.

"I love you."

"I love you too," he said.

By the end of the night I was back in my own bed. Sirius was being ridiculous, not letting me move from the bed to get anything myself. He insisted that I needed the rest. He told me to take advantage of him doing everything I asked that way I didn't lift a finger.

"You would do this every day if I let you," I said as he left the bedroom with a glowing smile. I sat back in the pillows and sighed. I didn't like feeling helpless this way. I wasn't used to being weighted on and I certainly didn't like it.

There was a knock on the bedroom door and I looked to it, bidding who ever was there to enter. Gabriel appeared and I tucked my hair behind my ear softly. Immediately I put up my walls to block him from reading me and he smiled slightly.

"I'm not going to invade your mind, Cadence," he said sitting down in the arm chair near the left side of the bed. I looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Why didn't you tell the Healer I didn't want Sirius to know?"

"I didn't have the chance," he whispered.

I nodded.

"Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to tell you that the Minister sends her deepest sympathies," he said.

"You told her?"

"Well, Cadence when you didn't show up at work I had to tell them something. Don't worry about it. It's a perfectly reasonable reason to miss work."

I sighed and put my head in my hands.

"You'll be happy to know that I caught the bastard who attacked us," he said. I looked up at him very serious.

"You did? Is he dead?"

"No," said Gabriel shaking his head. "What do you think I am?"

We both smirked a little. "I'd like to see him."

"I couldn't get anything out of him," Gabriel said. "He's not going to open up to you."

"We'll see," I said. "Where's he at?"

"Azkaban."

"We can go on Saturday."

"If you're better."

"I'll be better."

The bedroom door opened and Sirius came in with my breakfast. I smiled at him and said thank you. I was happy to see that Lily came in behind him, along with James. I beamed at my friends. Lily leaned over the bed and hugged me tightly.

"Happy birthday!" Lily said cheerfully. James placed a package at the end of the bed, wrapped in red wrapping paper with a blue bow on it. "We brought you something. How are you?"

"I'm okay, thanks for the gift," I smiled. "How are you?"

"Great," she said squeezing my hand.

James leaned over me and kissed my forehead. "Why'd you have to go and scare us like that?"

"You know I do these things intentionally," I laughed.

"Well," said Gabriel. "I'll see you later, Cadence. Everyone," he nodded his head to my friends and I smiled a little.

"Saturday, Gabriel."

"Only if you're well enough."

"I will be," I yelled after him as he left the room.

"What's going on Saturday?" asked Sirius.

"I'm going to Azkaban to interrogate the bastard who attacked me and Gabriel," I said bluntly. Sirius looked at me like I was crazy.

"You can't go down there."

"Sirius," I said sharply. "I'll be fine. I have to interrogate him to figure out how he knew I was pregnant. I had only found out that day—how is it possible he knew?"

"Did anyone else know?" Sirius asked slowly. I knew he was thinking Gabriel.

"Braven did," I said. "He had a vision of it."

Sirius frowned deeply. He would have liked it better if Gabriel was the traitor.

"I don't know what that means," I whispered to him. "For all we know Voldemort could just have a hold on Braven—a Legilimency type of hold."

Sirius nodded.

"Just be careful," said Lily who was sitting at the foot of the bed. "You can't go getting hurt again."

"The bastard won't be able to hurt me," I said. "He'll be bond."

"I meant the Dementors, Cadence," said Lily.

"They can't be trusted," whispered James. "It's only a matter of time before they break from the Ministry loyalties and follow your Father completely."

I nodded.

"I promise I'll be careful," I whispered. "After all I did spend two weeks there."

"Hey, Padfoot," said James standing up. "Let's go get something to eat…leave the girls alone."

Sirius leaned over the bed and kissed my forehead. Lily smiled at James as he stood up and he pinched her arm playfully. The two men left the room and Lily smiled back at me.

"I said yes," she said holding out her hand. I was surprised when she flashed the small diamond ring in front of me. I took her hand and smiled.

"Wow, congratulations, Lily," I beamed. I was happy for her, and surprised that it took her until September to warm up to the being engaged. We had the discussion about the proposal back in July. I was starting to think that she was going to wait until after my Father was defeated to get married. To me, it didn't seem right to be celebrating something like that in this time—the celebration would draw a lot of attention; this wasn't a time to be bold and loud, nor a time to lavish someone with nice gifts and well wishes. People were afraid to leave their own homes, and never knew who to trust. But at the same time, lots of young couples, like James and Lily, were getting married quickly. It was a fear that forced them to marry so quickly—a fear that they would die in the war and never have been married.

"James and I love each other," Lily shrugged seeming to read my expression. "It seems silly to wait any longer."

I nodded.

"I'd like you to be my maid of honor," Lily said.

I smiled. "Lily, I'd be honored. What kind of dress do I need?"

"You can just wear a black one," she shrugged. "It's not going to be a big wedding."

"It's that a little depressing for a wedding?"

"I don't want anything fancy for it," Lily shrugged. "And I'm sure you have a nice black dress to wear."

I frowned slightly. "The last time I wore a black dress was to my Mother's funeral."

"Alright," said Lily with a small frown. She got up and moved to the closet. "Well you can wear any dress you want…you are the only bride's maid."

"Should Sirius and I match?" I asked pulling the sheets off of my body slowly. I wasn't supposed to be out of bed yet, but I felt fine no matter what the doctors told me. If Sirius saw me trying to get out of bed he'd force me right back into it.

"He's wearing black dress robes, Cadence, anything matches that."

"I suppose," I said getting off the bed and walking to the closet. I leaned against the door frame as Lily peeled through my dresses. She noticed me and frowned.

"You shouldn't be out of bed."

"I'm fine," I said standing up straight. "See anything you think I should wear?"

"I like this blue one," she said pulling out my Mother's blue sundress. I had never worn it, only tried it on once. My Mother had wanted me to wear it to my spring dance that we had in America. I had absolutely loved it—it was dark blue, to my knees and spaghetti strapped.

I nodded my head slowly.

"What's wrong?"

"It was a dress my Mother gave me," I whispered.

"Oh," said Lily frowning. She hung the dress back up, hiding it between a black dress and a pair of black slacks. "You don't have to wear it, it just caught my eye."

"No, maybe I will. I've never worn it before."

"Cadence," whispered Lily.

"Yea?"

"I'm sure your Mother loved you."

I forced a smile and nodded. "She left my Father for me. I suppose that means something."

I turned and walked out of the closet, heading back to the bed. I didn't feel like I had to lay back down, but it seemed like a good excuse to escape the conversation that might ensue about my Mother. She was the last person I wanted to think about right now. I had to focus on the interrogation I was going to go to on Saturday, and the fact that Braven maybe a spy for my Father. I sunk into the pillows and pulled the covers over me. Lily appeared and apologized for bringing up the dress and my Mother.

"It's not your fault, you didn't know," I said.

"I'll let you get some rest," she said. "See you in a few days."

I nodded. "Alright."

"Be careful this weekend."

"Of course, Lily."

"Bye, Cadence," she said from the door. I waved to her and crossed my hands over my stomach as she left. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Breathe. That was the first step.