"Draco," Hermione whispered softly.
She had woken up not long ago, momentarily confused and panicked; that is, until she saw Draco, slumped in a chair near her hospital bed and fast asleep. For some reason his presence made her feel better; safer. She glanced down at her stomach and put her hands on it tenderly, wondering how, or where, her baby was.
She tried to sit up, but it hurt too much to do so, so she spoke louder. "Draco. Wake up," she said firmly.
He startled awake then, looking around in bewilderment until his eyes landed on the witch in the bed. "Hermione," he said, sitting up. "You're awake. How are you feeling?"
"Like my stomach was ripped open," she said dryly.
Draco aimed his wand at the door, making it glow to inform the Healers that they were needed. "I bet. The potions they gave you should be helping with that though."
Just then, a healer walked in with potion vials laying on a tray she was carrying.
"Can I see my baby?" Hermione asked straight away.
The healer smiled. "Yes, soon, I promise. It's good to see you're awake, Miss Granger. I have a few things for you to take to help manage the pain and make the healing process go faster."
Draco stood back as the healer handed Hermione a pain relieving and anti-inflammatory potion, a blood replenishing potion, and finally an antibiotic. She then lifted the sheets up and glanced at Hermione's incision, pleased to see that it was healing up nicely.
"Did they use dittany?" Hermione asked curiously, letting her fingers trail the thin scar.
The Healer nodded. "Yes, though a stronger version of it for surgeries such as this. Though there is still going to be some tenderness for a few more days, however. We'll want to have you walking in a bit, to get those muscles in use again, but we'll make sure you don't overdo it."
Hermione nodded then looked at the Healer with a worried expression. "How's the baby?"
The healer smiled and patted Hermione's knee. "He's doing well. Tiny, but well. Healer Clearwater will be into work in a few hours to look over your vitals and then she'll take you to her son."
They both thanked the healer as she left and Draco dropped back to the chair next to the bed.
"No offense, but you look like shite. Did you sleep at all?" Hermione asked as she leaned against her pillows.
Draco shook his head. "Not really. Just whatever I got while sitting in the chair."
Hermione yawned. "The potions are kicking in and making me tired. Why don't you go home and come back in a few hours? This way we'll both be rested when we see our son."
Draco wanted to argue, to say that he wasn't going anywhere, but he was too damn tired. "Alright. A few hours for a little kip, then I'll be right back." He got up and stretched, looking down at Hermione and found that she was already fast asleep.
As he walked towards the floo section of St. Mungo's, he realized that it was still late into the night; or perhaps, very early in the morning, with how quiet and empty the building seemed. He used the first available floo and it wasn't until he stepped into the living room that he realized he went to Hermione's flat instead of his own room at the manor.
With a tired shrug, he walked towards the couch and flicked his wand to transform it into a bed for himself like normal. When his foot connected with something on the floor, he glanced down, seeing the bag from the children's clothing store he had dropped earlier that day.
He picked it up and placed it near the fireplace so that he would remember to bring it with him when he went back to the hospital after a few hours rest.
The next time Hermione woke up, Draco was back, looking rested and refreshed. He was reading a book and didn't notice she was awake until she shifted slightly so that she was sitting up.
"Ah, she finally wakes," he said with a smirk.
She grinned at him. "You're looking better than before. I take it a few hours sleep in your own bed helped with that?"
Draco scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Ah, well, actually, I went to your flat out of habit so I just slept where I normally do in that situation." He got up and walked over to the door of the room and wheeled in a food cart. "Breakfast? They brought it over a bit ago but you were still asleep."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, please. I'm starved."
Draco set the tray in front of her and Hermione tucked into her meal.
"How's the food?" he asked conversationally.
"It's not bad. Not as good as the food sent over from the manor, but passable," she said, taking another bite.
Draco chuckled and muttered "I bet" before he opened his book again and continued reading.
"Have you been able to see him yet?" she asked quietly.
He shook his head. "Not yet. I think they're waiting for both us to be present."
"And my parents? I know they were still in Australia but were you able to let them know what happened?"
"My Mother said she was going to owl them. Their fireplace isn't connected to the floo so I couldn't floo-call them like everyone else. I'm sure they'll come as soon as they can."
Hermione nodded as she picked at the rest of her food then noticed a small gift bag on the table next to her bed. "What's this?" she asked.
Draco glanced up and nodded towards the present. "That is a little something I picked up at a baby clothing store right before your Patronus came."
"Can I open it?" she asked.
Draco shrugged. "I don't see why not."
As she reached for the bag, Draco was nervously awaiting her reaction and felt relieved when she smiled, pulling out the outfit.
It was an infant pajama sleeper, in thick orange and dark blue stripes. But what was really amazing to her was how there was a picture of a lion on the front and not a snake, as she expected. "This is adorable," she said.
Draco smirked. "Turn it around."
She did as she was told and started giggling. There was a small lion's tail on the bum section as well an attached hoodie that looked like a lion's head.
"This is absolutely the cutest thing I have seen so far. I think it should be his coming home outfit," she said, looking up at him.
Draco grinned proudly. "There's one more thing in the bag you missed."
Curiously, Hermione looked in the bag again and she found something wrapped in tissue paper on the bottom. She pulled it out and unwrapped it, smiling as she did so. She held up a pair of little grey booties, with a green snake stitched onto the top of each one.
"I couldn't very well leave out my house when making such purchases," he said with a wink.
Hermione chuckled and shook her head, putting both items back in the bag. "They're perfect. Thank you."
Draco nodded, smiling softly. "You're welcome."
Healer Clearwater walked in and both Hermione and Draco perked up when she did so.
"How's he doing?" Draco asked.
Clearwater smiled. "He's doing rather well. He still needs help with breathing on his own and regulating his temperature, but as he grows and eats, that should all be regulated in no time. How are you feeling, Hermione?"
"I'm well. Much better than yesterday," she said.
"You gave us quite a fright. I'm glad you came when you did," the Healer said as she walked over and checked her vitals. "Your blood pressure seems to have regulated, but we'll still keep an eye on it for awhile, just in case."
"Will I be able to breastfeed?" Hermione asked.
"I don't see why not. You'll have to start pumping though, as he will be too small to actually nurse from you just yet. We can give it to him through the feeding tube and in time, we can use a syringe until he's ready to nurse."
"Ok, good," Hermione said. "Can we see him?"
"Yes, actually, and we'll use this opportunity to have you walk and use your muscles. You up for that?"
The witch nodded eagerly. "Yes. I dislike being confined to a bed." She pulled the covers from her legs and swung them over the side of the bed. She stepped down gently and lifted herself, wobbling slightly. Draco was over in a flash and grabbed her elbow to help steady her. Hermione hissed quietly as she took a step, then another. "Is the NICU far?" she asked.
Clearwater chuckled. "Just down the hall. We'll go slow so you don't overwork yourself."
It took almost twenty minutes, but they finally made it to the area where their son was at.
A wheelchair appeared next to Hermione, who sat in it gratefully.
"You did wonderfully," Clearwater said. "Just sit tight while I make sure everything is good to go for us to visit."
The two parents nodded and eagerly waited for the Healer to return, which thankfully, was less than a minute.
"Alright, you two. Step through here and a sanitation spell will wash over you before you head into the main room. Healer Frost will meet you on the other side. She's head of the NICU department."
After saying their thanks, Draco wheeled Hermione into the small room and a tingle of magic that ran over them, automatically cleaning them from any germs they might be carrying.
They found Healer Frost, an older woman with striking white hair, and followed her through the main room, passing by other babies and their parents on the way.
Finally, they walked towards a cot encased within a bubble at the end of the room. The cot's mattress was raised so that the infant within was only half a foot from the top. Hermione stood, wanting to get a closer look, and, hand in hand, she and Draco walked over to finally look at their baby.
He was small, that was for sure. He was laying on his back, surrounded by rolled up blankets. He had a tube going into his tiny nose but other than that, he looked to be doing ok. He was asleep and wearing just a nappy, the size of which Draco had never seen before and realized they probably had to shrink the regular ones just to fit him. There was an ID tag on his leg which read:
"Baby Boy" Granger-Malfoy
DOB: 11/23/1998
ID# 46492787
Draco was sure he would be able to fit most of him in the palm of his hand. The hair on the top of his head was so blond that it was almost white which made Draco smile and wondered if he would have his or Hermione's eye color. He glanced over at Hermione who was standing there, her free hand covering her mouth as a few tears slipped from her eyes. He was worried for a moment that she was upset, but then she looked at him and gave him a watery smile before squeezing his hand.
"He's beautiful," she said, looking back to their son.
Draco nodded in agreement.
Healer Frost walked around to the other side of the cot and waved her wand to get his stats up. "He's doing really well right now." She looked up at Hermione and smiled. "Would you like to hold him? It can't be for too long, but skin-to-skin contact is really important to his development."
Hermione nodded eagerly. "Yes, please."
The healer conjured up two plush chairs and the pair of them walked over and took a seat.
With some maneuvering, Healer Frost removed the bubble that surrounded the infant and picked him up gently, making sure not to tangle the tube that was currently attached to him. "It's his feeding tube," she explained to the couple's questioning glance. "And the bubble around his cot is what keeps him warm and helps to regulate his body temp."
Hermione unbuttoned the top of her hospital gown slightly and Clearwater gently placed the baby on her chest, then covered them both with a warm blanket.
Draco wished he had a camera at that moment and realized that he remembered seeing one in Hermione's room. He concentrated on its location and flicked his wand, the camera appearing into his hand.
Hermione barely noticed anything except for the tiny bundle in her arms as she put her palm on his back and nearly covered him completely due to how small he was. Draco took a few pictures before setting it aside and walked over to stand behind Hermione and look down at the baby to get a closer look.
His little fists were clenched and his mouth was opened slightly as he breathed easily on his mother. Draco bent down and kissed his son's head, before turning and placing a gentle kiss to Hermione's temple. "Thank you," he said quietly and Hermione nodded as she ran a gentle finger over the child's arm.
"Do you have a name?" the Healer asked quietly as she watched the little family.
Hermione looked at Draco who gave a small smile and a nod.
"Yes. His name is Phineas. Phineas Joseph Granger-Malfoy."
And we have a name! I know some of you were wondering "Why that name? Well, I wanted something different and not used often, but still a family name. And since Phineas Nigelus was the great-great grandfather to Sirius, it was also in honor to him as well. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!