In the entire history of doctors telling people that they don't have Typhus, Sirius Black may have been the first patient to react with disappointment at the news.
Outwardly, he thought he put on a decent show of gratitude and relief. But the visceral panic was undeniable when the doctor bid him goodnight and told him to rest well because tomorrow morning he'd be moved to the rehabilitation ward.
That would be it then. He'd never see Marlene McKinnon again.
He'd never seen her at all. It occurred to him that at some point it had ceased to matter. He'd have been happy to see her smile even if she looked like Queen Victoria in her later years.
Sirius pictured the famous image of the long reigning monarch at her Diamond Jubilee and silently thanked every possible deity that he didn't bear any resemblance to his great-great-grandmother before commencing with his nervous breakdown.
It… didn't...matter?
What on earth did that even mean?
He'd only just come to terms with the fact he enjoyed the Sister's company. He'd have flirted with anyone, sure, but she was a genuinely good person. She was fun. She could match him barb for barb. He hadn't intended for it to go further than that.
It turned completely pear shaped when she had been so… bizarrely kind to him…especially about the horror show she'd witnessed as his whole ugly history unfolded before her.
He'd opened up to her in a way that he thought he'd never want to again after the Potter family. It had been excruciatingly painful to willingly explain it all to them. It hadn't been a breeze with Marlene either, but she'd made it...less awful. She knew who he really was under the layers of emotional armor. And now he'd have to say goodbye and that would be that.
No.
Goodbye was simply unacceptable.
He didn't have time to think. The door latch clicked within a minute. She would be leaving for the night momentarily. Reflexively he stood up from where he sat at the edge of his cot. He had no idea what he was doing. But he definitely had to do something. Now.
"I've heard that congratulations are in order, Sir."
The sound of her voice, hit him like a gust of wind on a miserable summer day. He felt more grounded and resolute, despite the disconcerting pain that had taken hold in his chest.
"Right. I've been assured that it's safe for me to be in contact with people again. So...I'll be moved to rehabilitation."
Sirius Black was meant to be confident and self assured. That was what he'd always tried to project whether he felt it or not. How had he ended up nervous as a schoolboy standing in front of a woman whose face he'd never seen?
"That's what the doctor said, yes."
He concentrated extraordinarily hard on locating where her voice was coming from. There was a moment so silent that he could hear the pounding of his own heart. It was the rustling of her clothes, no longer covered by rubber, that finally set her location in front of him.
He reached out to her. His hand made gentle contact with the side of her face and everything felt right. When he closed the space between them and his lips met hers, he didn't think about his sight. There was only Marlene for that moment.
When she broke away from the kiss she didn't put distance between them. She leaned her forehead into his and he held her close as the words he meant to say spilled out.
"I don't want this to be goodbye."
"That's good, because I'll be there tomorrow at the Rehabilitation ward. Dr. Dodge told me I'm being transferred with you. Something about ease of transition?"
Sirius could feel her smiling. The sentiment was contagious. He was the first to start laughing, Marlene quickly joining in. He slid his hands down to her waist, relishing the feeling of her under his hands. He tried to memorize her with his fingers, her curves, her body moving with her breathing, the sound of her breath catching as he touched her, all of it. He was going to memorize exactly what she was, he'd spent too long wondering. He was almost glad that he had mistakenly believed they'd be on separate wards tomorrow. Apparently it was the push he needed. He didn't want to miss out on another minute that could be spent like this.
"So that was all very dramatic and unnecessary?" He knew he was grinning like a madman, but he couldn't help it.
She was silent for a moment too long and he wondered what she was thinking. Then he felt delicate fingers brushing his cheek. Fingers that lacked the protective rubber gloves; fingers that were soft, caressing; fingers that made his heart shake in his chest as they skimmed his scruffy face. His lips brushed against hers for just a fraction of a second. He was so thoroughly gone for her. He could worry about life's complications tomorrow. For now he was over-full with exhilaration.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Captain."
She had eased out of their embrace and the sound of her steps was getting further towards the door before he managed to correct her.
"You should probably settle in on referring to me as Sirius now."
He thought he heard her mutter "3-1, match set"
He didn't need need vision to know she'd been smiling as she turned heel and left without another word. Her smile had been his favorite noise for some time now.