Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story and make no money from this work. It's just my fantasies I'm compelled to write. I owe it all to JK Rowling for creating such compelling characters for me to play with.
The ambulance arrived fairly quickly and they loaded Draco up. They let Hermione ride with them as they sped towards the hospital. She wanted to hold his hand, but the paramedics kept telling her to stay back. They were working on him and saying all sorts of scary things about internal injuries and brain damage. She was scared out of her mind. And when they got to the hospital they whisked him away and wouldn't let her follow. They told her to wait in the waiting area. She sat down numbly in a chair and noticed she had blood all over her clothes. Draco's blood. Blood he spilled while saving her life. If he hadn't of pushed her out of the way, she would be the one in the hospital fighting for life. If he died, it would be her fault. And she didn't know if she could live with herself after that. Especially because she'd never told him how she felt. She'd never said 'I love you' to him, even though he'd told her countless times. What was wrong with her? Why didn't she tell him? The truth was, she was scared. Scared to love him. But it had happened anyway. She couldn't stop it. And now she couldn't imagine her life without him in it. No matter what anyone else thought. It just didn't seem to matter anymore. He just had to pull through so she could tell him. He couldn't die without knowing he was loved.
She sat there for what seemed like forever and no one would tell her anything. They just kept saying they were working on him still. She was going crazy and didn't want to be alone. She was scared. So she went to a payphone and dialed up Harry. She knew his party was probably still in full swing and he might not hear the phone. But she willed him to answer. Luck was on her side because he finally picked up.
"Harry? It's me. You've got to come. There was an accident. I-I don't want to be alone. I'm scared," she cried into the phone.
"What happened? You left so suddenly. What sort of accident? Are you alright? Where are you?" Harry asked her frantically.
She explained about the accident and how Draco had saved her. And she told him what hospital she was at and begged him to come sit with her. He didn't hesitate.
"I'll be right there. It's going to be alright, Hermione. I promise you."
"Please hurry," she whispered sadly.
"I will," Harry assured her. And then he hung up quickly.
It only took five minutes for Harry to walk through the doors. Thank goodness for magic. He saw Hermione sitting in a chair covered in blood and he rushed over to her.
"Oh my God, is this your blood? Are you hurt too?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "No, it's Draco's blood. There was so much of it, Harry. I-I don't know if he'll make it," she cried and just collapsed into his arms.
Harry sat next to her and held her tightly. "It'll be okay. He's tough. He'll pull through."
"You didn't see how broken he looked. And it's my fault. I ran into the street without looking. I didn't see the car. He pushed me out of the way just in time. If he hadn't, that would be me in there."
"It's lucky he was there to save you. I owe him one now. So he better live because I know he'll be smug about it. Me owing him one. You know he'll pull through just to lord that over my head," Harry told her, trying to lighten the mood.
"I know everyone hates him, but Harry, he's not the same person he used to be. I love him," Hermione admitted to him.
"I know you do. That's why I tried to make everything better tonight. I thought if he mingled with our friends, it would help smooth things over. It was a stupid plan though. Ron and Ginny are just too stubborn. And you know that Draco was telling the truth about Ron attacking him unprovoked. He admitted it to me. Draco didn't do anything to him. Ron was just drunk and stupid."
"Are you actually defending Draco?" she was surprised at his words.
Harry sighed. "I guess I am. At least a little. You know he's never going to be my favorite person, but I know he's different. If he wasn't, you wouldn't love him. And he wouldn't have risked his life tonight to save yours."
"He really does love me, Harry. Look what he gave me," she said showing him her necklace.
"It's pretty. What is it?" he asked curiously.
"It's the constellation of Draco done up with diamonds. He wanted me to wear it always so he'd be near to my heart. He's really rather mushy and sentimental. You'd never guess it. And he'd hate me for telling you about his softer side. But it exists. He's very loving and good to me, Harry. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are. I hated that prat so much. And now look at me. It's crazy, I know. But I really do love him with all my heart. And if I lose him…"
"You won't lose him. I promise."
"How can you promise me that?"
"I don't know. I just know that he's strong. He has to be okay. We can't let ourselves think otherwise."
Hermione nodded and wished she could believe him. But Harry wasn't a fortune teller. Neither of them really knew what the outcome would be. But he sat there with her and held her while they waited. Finally a doctor came out and was looking for Hermione.
"Are you the young lady who came in with Draco Malfoy?" he asked as he approached her.
She stood up quickly. "Yes. Is he alright? Can I see him?"
"I'm afraid he's in surgery right now. He had some internal bleeding that we believe is from a ruptured spleen. He also has quite a bump on the head. He hasn't regained consciousness and frankly we're unsure if he ever will. The damage might be far too extensive. His brain is swelling and we plan to make a cut in his skull to relieve the pressure. I'm afraid he's not out of the woods, but he is stable. I'll know more once he gets out of surgery."
Hermione slumped down and felt like she was going to pass out. Harry caught her and helped her into a chair.
"This can't be happening," she muttered as she started crying again.
"What are his chances realistically?" Harry asked the doctor.
"I'm afraid I don't know. The spleen is an easy fix. We'll just remove it if we can't repair it. However the brain injury is less certain. We just won't know the extent of the damage until further tests can be run. I'm very sorry. Are you two family?"
"I'm his girlfriend," Hermione spoke up.
"Well if he has any family, perhaps you should let them know. They might want to be here just in case…"
"He doesn't pull through?" Harry finished for him.
The doctor nodded and Hermione cried harder. The doctor walked away and left them there to contemplate the news they'd just been given. Harry may not have liked Draco, but he never wished him dead. Or brain damaged. And especially now that Hermione loved him, he had even more reason to wish for his recovery. He just didn't know what to do to comfort her. He wished the news had been better.
"Do you want to go summon his parents?" Harry asked Hermione quietly, rubbing her back.
"Oh God, his parents. How am I going to tell them this? They'll be devastated."
"I could come with you, if you want."
Hermione looked at him with surprise. "You would? You'd go to the Malfoy's house of your own free will?"
"I won't enjoy it, but I'll do it for you."
Hermione shook her head. "No, that's alright. I'll go myself. Will you stay here and wait for word? I don't even know if I can get onto the grounds to tell the Malfoy's. They have passwords and charms set up. I don't know how I'm going to get their attention."
"You'll figure it out. I'll wait here for you to come back."
"Thank you Harry. This means a lot to me."
"Don't mention it. It's what friends do." He hugged her tightly and then he looked down at her clothes. "You might want to change your outfit before you show up at the Malfoy's. All that blood."
She looked down and realized he was right. She looked like a disaster victim and didn't really want to horrify his parents with the sight of all their son's blood on her clothes. She went into a bathroom and waved her wand over herself and new clothes appeared. She smoothed them down and she washed up her hands and face in the sink. She looked as presentable as she could. It's not like they'd be critiquing her appearance once she told them why she was there. She looked around the bathroom and noted it was deserted, so she just apparated out of there and landed in front of Malfoy Manor. She stood at the gate and looked up at the gargoyle perched there. Draco had said something Latin to it, but she had no idea what it was. She tried calling out to them over the fence but the driveway was far too long and the house was too far away. They'd never hear her. So she decided to try and climb the fence. She got all the way up to the top and tried to jump down into the yard, but a shield charm threw her back onto the ground outside the fence.
"God damn it. Stupid fucking charms. What am I going to do?" she muttered to herself. She knew of a few spells to break down barriers. She'd read up on things like that in case it was ever needed when they were on the run. But she didn't know what magic was guarding the property or which spell to try. So she tried them all. And finally one of them worked. She fell down off the fence when the barrier broke and landed in the yard surrounded by white peacocks. They were just staring at her when suddenly a caterwauling charm went off. She held her ears and tried to pick herself up off the ground. She walked closer to the house and suddenly the front door burst open and Lucius came storming out with his wand raised.
"Who goes there? I am armed and I will kill. Show yourself!" he yelled out.
"It's me. Please don't kill me." Hermione held up her hands and stood there until he saw who she was.
He frowned and waved his wand to turn the alarm off. The silence finally filled the air. Then he lowered his wand and looked at the disheveled Hermione curiously.
"What on earth are you doing in my yard at this time of night, Miss Granger? Where is Draco?" he asked her.
"That's why I'm here. There's been an accident. Draco is hurt. You need to come with me," she explained to him.
His face went white and she saw his hands start to shake slightly.
"Draco is hurt? How badly? What happened to him?"
"A car hit him. He's in a hospital in London. You need to get his mother and come with me."
Lucius stood there for a moment trying to take the information in. He finally walked over to Hermione, who looked ready to drop, and he held his arm out to her.
"Come inside with me. You'll need to explain to us what happened."
She followed him inside and found Narcissa standing on the staircase wondering what was going on. It was clear they had been ready for bed, if not asleep. They were both in bed clothes.
"Miss Granger? What are you doing here?" she asked confusedly.
"Cissy, there's been an accident. It's Draco. She says he was hit by a car," Lucius explained to his wife.
"What? A car? Oh lord, how did this happen? Is he okay?"
"I don't know yet. The doctors say he might have brain damage," Hermione choked out and started crying again.
Narcissa gasped and fell to her knees on the stairs.
"No, no. Not my Draco. This can't be happening. After all he went through," she began crying herself.
Lucius went to her and put his arm around her.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Draco is a fighter. But we must go. Get dressed. We need to go to the hospital," he told her gently. Then he looked at Hermione. "We'll be right back."
She nodded and wiped her eyes. It didn't take them long before they came back down and were dressed in their usual clothing. Draco's mother was still crying and she put her arm around Hermione as they walked out the door.
"Thank you for coming to tell us," she said to Hermione.
"It's no problem. I'm sorry I set off your alarm and scared you."
"It's quite alright. How did you break through anyway?"
"I know some spells. Quite a lot of them actually. But this was my first time breaking and entering. But I had a good reason."
They all walked to the outside fence and the two of them held onto Hermione as she whisked them out of there and back to the hospital. She didn't know of a secret place to land so they just showed up in front of the building. Some people were milling about and saw them appear, but none of them cared. Let the Muggles wonder what just happened. It wasn't really important right now. They all rushed inside and Harry jumped up when he saw them enter. Hermione went to him.
"Any news?" she asked.
"No, nothing yet."
Lucius looked at Harry with some distaste. "What are you doing here?" he asked gruffly.
"I'm here for Hermione."
"Very well. I suppose that's alright." Lucius said haughtily.
"As if you could ban me from a public hospital. I helped save your neck, remember? I urged the Ministry to let you go," Harry reminded him.
Lucius thought for a moment and then said nothing. "Who is in charge here? I need to speak to someone who knows something," he said finally.
Harry pointed at the front desk and Lucius took his wife and marched over there. Hermione sat down with Harry again and they watched as Lucius began shouting at the desk nurse.
"What do you mean he's in surgery? Get him out. He needs a proper hospital. I'm afraid this one won't do. We would like to move him immediately," he bellowed out so loudly everyone could hear him.
Hermione only guessed that the response was no because Lucius marched off disgustedly and came to sit with his wife near Harry and Hermione.
"They say he can't be moved. But he belongs at St. Mungo's where they actually know what they're doing. This filthy place will probably kill him for sure," he said to no one in particular.
"They have good doctors," Hermione piped up.
"Doctors. Muggle medicine is so behind the times. They can't heal properly. Why did you not immediately take him to St. Mungo's?" he asked Hermione angrily.
"I-I didn't think of it. We called an ambulance. This is where they take people. What was I supposed to do? He was dying!"
Narcissa wiped a tear out of her eye and held Lucius's arm. "Don't berate the girl. She did her best. We'll get him moved. We just have to wait until he's out of surgery."
Everyone was quiet and you could hear a pin drop. It seemed to take a lifetime before a doctor appeared again. But finally one did. He came over and spoke with them all.
"Are you the parents?" he asked the Malfoy's.
"Yes we are. How is my son?"
"He's doing as well as to be expected. We removed his spleen and patched up his liver. He'll recover fine from that. We're just concerned about the head injury now. He's still unconscious, but that's to be expected after the surgery."
"How soon can we move him? We have a private hospital that we'd like him to be at," Lucius told the doctor.
He scratched his head. "Well I wouldn't move him if I were you. He's not stable enough for transport."
"I'm coming back in the morning with my own medical professionals. And we will be moving him. He doesn't belong here."
"Fine. It's your call. You can sign him out against medical advice. But I don't recommend it."
"Mr. Malfoy, perhaps it's best you leave him here for awhile?" Hermione said to him softly.
"No. He needs healers. People who will know how to help him better than these Muggles. He's my son, so you have no say in what I chose to do." Lucius told her gruffly.
"Alright. But will you let me come with you?" she asked.
"He needs his family right now."
Narcissa stood up and came over to them. She put her arm around Hermione. "Lucius, she loves our son. That much is quite clear. And you know he loves her. Don't keep them apart. Not now."
Lucius just stared at his wife and wished she hadn't been so encouraging of Draco's relationship with Hermione. He tolerated it because he had choice. But he still hadn't given up hope that it was a passing fancy and Draco would eventually come to his senses. But it didn't look like that was the case. At least not right now.
"Very well. You can come. But we must go now. We need to set up for his transfer first thing in the morning. And it's very late. Perhaps you should go home as well, Miss Granger."
She shook her head. "No I'm staying here. What if he wakes up? I-I can't go. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow morning."
They departed and Harry and Hermione were left in the waiting area. "Are you sure you're going to stay? He probably will be asleep for awhile," Harry told her softly.
"I'm sure. I need to be here. But you can go, Harry. Thank you for coming to keep me sane. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"It's fine. Anything you need, just let me know."
She hugged Harry and watched him leave. And then she sat down again with her head in her hands. Time ticked by very slowly and a doctor came out to check on her.
"Miss? Are you with the Malfoy fellow?" he asked her.
She stood up quickly. "Yes, yes I am. Is he awake?"
He shook his head. "No I'm afraid not. But he is stable now and in the ICU. Would you like to see him?"
Hermione nodded very quickly. "Yes. I would like to see him very much."
The doctor led her to the elevator and told her, "Don't expect much now. I don't know if he can hear you or not. But you can try to talk to him. The preliminary tests we've run show brain activity. So this is all very promising. But I don't want to give you false hopes either."
"Right. No false hopes. But this means he's not brain dead, right?"
"Yes, he's not. We just aren't certain exactly if there was damage. He could have memory loss or loss of motor functions. We just don't know yet. And if his parents move him out of our care, then I'm afraid he could take a downturn. Do you know why they are so intent on moving him? This hospital is one of the finest."
"It's a long story. They know some doctors. Personal friends. They'd prefer he be under their care." Hermione made up a story as best she could.
"Very well then. He's right in this room." The doctor pointed to a curtain area and left Hermione alone.
She walked towards the curtain and pulled it back. Draco was lying there with machines whirling around him and a ventilator making him breathe. His head was wrapped with gauze that was tinged with blood. But his face looked almost angelic. He looked peaceful. Just like he was sleeping. She walked over and bent down and kissed his dry lips. She was afraid to touch him anywhere else because of the surgeries. But she sat down and took his hand, which had an IV in it with some sort of medicine pumping through it.
"Draco? Can you hear me? It's Hermione. I'm sorry I ran off. It was stupid of me. I know you asked me not to leave you, and I promise I won't. I'm here."
There was no response, just as expected. But she hoped maybe he could hear her voice. She couldn't believe this was happening. Draco had survived a war and then something as stupid as a speeding car might end his life. It might have damaged his beautiful mind. What if he was never the same again? What if he didn't remember her when he woke up? There were so many possibilities. She couldn't bear to think of them all. She eventually fell asleep in the chair at his bedside and was awoken when Lucius had stormed in early in the morning.
"Has he woken?" he asked her curiously.
She shook her head and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. "No, but I was talking to him. I hope he could hear me."
"His mother is beside herself. She's in the bathroom trying to pull herself together. But I've arranged for a team of healers to escort him to St. Mungo's right away. They're waiting downstairs with a proper ambulance so as not to arouse suspicion of the Muggles. Then soon enough he will be getting the finest care available. I'll see to it," he reassured Hermione.
She stood back while they busied around Draco getting him ready for transport. She just tried to stay out of the way. They wouldn't let her come along in the ambulance because there wasn't room. But she told them she'd meet them at St. Mungo's as soon as she could get there. She wanted to go home and take a shower and feed her cat first. She was running on auto pilot. When she arrived at St. Mungo's they directed her to the correct floor but informed her that the healers were busily working away on him and he could receive no visitors. His parents appeared to be gone, but she wasn't sure if they were lurking about elsewhere. But she just sat down in the waiting room hallway and chewed on her fingernails nervously. After awhile someone approached her, but she didn't look up right away.
"Hermione?"
She recognized the voice and looked up. "Ron? What are you doing here?"
"Harry told me what happened. I'm really sorry. It's my fault. I started some shit and it made you run off. I know that if I hadn't of attacked Draco, you wouldn't have left like that. And then you wouldn't have been running out into the street. I'm sorry," he told her sincerely. He felt like a complete ass.
"I rather thought you'd be pleased to know Draco was hurt," she said somewhat coldly.
"Of course I'm not pleased. I mean, yeah, I wanted to hurt him. But not like this. I just punched him in the face. I don't wish he was dead. I know you couldn't live with that," he told her softly.
"You're right. I couldn't live with that. I know you don't understand, but I love him."
Ron hated hearing her say that, but he knew as much. He'd been told as much. Plus it was written all over her face.
"I don't understand how you could love him, but I know you do. And I still love you, so that means I want you to be happy. Even if it's without me. So that's why I'm here. To tell you I'm sorry. And to be your friend. If you want me to be, that is," he said unsure of her feelings.
She looked up at him with tearstained cheeks and managed a smile. "Of course I still want to be your friend. I always have. I just didn't think you'd ever be able to do it."
"It's not easy, mind you. Losing you to Malfoy. It bloody well sucks. But I don't want to see you hurting. So I promise that when he wakes up, I won't punch him again."
"You'd better not."
"I won't. I wasn't thinking clearly last night. I'd had a lot to drink."
"We all did. I think that's one of the reasons this happened. I was intoxicated and hysterical and I just ran out into the street like an idiot. I didn't even see the car. Not until it was too late. This is my fault, not yours," she cried unhappily.
Ron sat down next to her and patted her gently on the shoulder. "It's okay. At least you're alright. That could have been you that got hit."
"It should have been me. But Draco pushed me out of the way."
"That's what Harry told me. I never thought he had it in him to do something heroic. A couple of years ago if you told me Draco Malfoy would do something selfless and heroic and I would have eaten my wand."
"He's really not as bad as you think he is."
"Really? Because he's always a total dick to me," Ron pointed out.
"Well so are you. You don't exactly treat him friendly. What do you expect?"
Ron shrugged slightly. "I guess you have a point."
"I don't expect you to be his friend, Ron. But you could at least be civil. For my sake. And tell your sister the same. Ginny was really rude last night."
"Aw, I can't control Ginny. She's got a mind of her own. But I'll try and talk to her. For you."
"Good."
They were silent for a time and then Ron finally asked, "So is there any word about how he's doing?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, not really. Just that they're working on him. I don't know what they can do for him here that the Muggle hospital wasn't doing. But his father was insistent he be brought here. I don't know. Perhaps magic can fix more than medicine can? I hope so."
"I'm sure it can. I mean, Muggles can't regrow bones and such. I'm sure they're doing a good job. He'll be good as new."
"I hope."
Eventually Ron left, after hugging Hermione and wishing her luck. She was glad to have seen him and have it be a civil conversation. She had missed him a lot. Even if her feelings for him were no longer romantic, she still missed him in her life. Perhaps now they could at least be on speaking terms again. She knew it had taken a lot for Ron to come visit her there and say he was sorry. She gave him credit for that. She certainly never expected it.
A week had now gone by and Draco's condition remained unchanged. His parents were there every day, along with her, but he just wasn't waking up. The healers said they could do no more. Now it was just up to him whether or not he would wake. They had repaired the hole they cut in his head to relieve the swelling and said his brain was back to normal and appeared fully functioning. But they wouldn't know exactly how well he fared until he actually opened his eyes. Hermione was sitting by his bedside, holding his hand, like she always did when he finally began to stir. At first his hand gripped hers tightly and she looked at him to see if there were other signs of life. He finally moved his head to the side and opened up his eyes sleepily. He stared at her face as if he didn't recognize her.
"Draco? Draco, it's me. Are you alright?" she asked him frantically.
He just stared at her for a moment and then he looked at his body lying in the hospital bed. He seemed very confused.
"Where am I?" he finally choked out, his voice hoarse.
"You're in the hospital. You were hit by a car. Do you remember?"
He stared at her and blinked his eyes a few times.
"Who are you?" he asked her curiously.
Her expression fell and she tried not to burst into tears. He didn't remember her. How could this be? But before she could burst into tears he smirked at her.
"I'm kidding. I got you good, Granger," he started to laugh, but it pained him to do so and he grimaced and held his stomach. "Ouch. Laughing isn't good," he muttered.
She wanted to smack him. How could he play a trick on her at a time like this?
"That was not funny, Draco," she said giving him a hard look. "I thought you had amnesia."
"Relax love, I remember you. I remember everything. At least I think I do. Did you break up with me?" he asked her softly.
She shook her head. "No. I didn't. It was a mistake. A stupid mistake. I was angry and drunk and I'm sorry. But no. We're not broken up. I promise."
"Good. Because I distinctly remember you telling me to leave you alone and that we had a shelf life," he said sadly.
"I didn't mean it. I was talking crazy. I just went mental for a moment. I'm so sorry, Draco. It's my fault you got hurt. If I had been paying attention…"
He squeezed her hand. "Don't. It's alright. I'm just glad you're okay. When I saw that car coming, I was so scared," he admitted to her, choking up.
She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "Shh, you saved me. It's because of you I'm alright. But I thought I'd lost you. They said you may never wake up," she had tears in her eyes.
"How long have I been here?"
"A week."
"A week? God, you must have been so worried. And my parents? Do they know?"
"Yes, of course. I ran and got them right after you were admitted to the other hospital. The one in London. They had you moved here to St. Mungo's."
"Are they here now?"
She shook her head. "No, not right now. They just left a bit ago. Should I get them?"
"No, it's alright. They'll be back. My mother must be a shambles."
"It's been hard on her. Hard for all of us who love you."
He looked at her and smiled as best he could. "Love me?"
"Yes."
"You love me?"
She took his hands and held them tightly. "I should have told you a long time ago, Draco. I-I was scared. It was stupid of me. But yes, I love you. I love you madly. And I don't want to ever let you go."
She leaned over and kissed him again and didn't want to stop, but she was afraid to hurt him so she pulled back and smiled at him.
"So it takes me almost dying for you to say it, huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I guess so."
"Why were you so scared?"
"I don't know. Because I didn't know if we could really work out. I was afraid to get hurt. But I know now that there was no stopping it even if I didn't say anything. I still felt it."
"You don't have to be scared anymore. We'll work out. Somehow, some way. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I only care what you think."
She kissed him again lightly and then she told him, "I better get the healers and tell them you're awake."
"Yeah, ask them when I can leave. I don't want to be here."
"You just woke up from a coma. I suspect you'll be here awhile."
Draco frowned at that. He hated hospitals. He just wanted to go back home. But he watched her walk out of the room and he smiled to himself. She was alright. And she loved him. She'd finally said it. It was like a dream. And he had thought he'd lost her forever. He didn't really remember the accident exactly. He only remembered her running away from him and then seeing the car about to hit her. Then it was all a blank. He knew he ran after her, but he wasn't sure if he made it in time. But apparently he had. It was only him that had been hurt. But he didn't really care about that. He'd do it all over again. He had actually saved her this time. He hadn't cowered in a corner while she was in danger. He did something and now she was alright. His injuries were worth it. If he had died to save her, it would have been worth it. She was all that mattered.
Feedback is appreciated! I hope you'll continue to read along!