Happy Friday! I went to the doctor for my knee yesterday. His advice was to rest and not work out. For someone whose known me since I was 7, he really knows nothing about me. I'm pretty sure I haven't worked out this century.

Chapter 21
It was just past midnight when the mediwitch came to check on Hermione. She frowned as the tests confirmed what she already knew. They would have to deliver the baby that day. Hermione was surprisingly stoic when she heard the news. Draco, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. His heart palpitated, sweat dampened his back, and he feared that his meager dinner was about to make a reappearance.

"We'll be okay, right?" Hermione whispered, giving his hand a squeeze.

Draco turned to face her, and realized the mediwitch was gone. "I...I hope so," he replied. He dug into his pocket and pulled the ring out once more. "Um, listen, I want you to know that I love you so much. I'm not asking you this because of the baby, because even if by some small chance she doesn't make it, I still want you to be my wife. Will you marry me, Hermione?"

"Really?" she asked as her eyes welled with tears. He nodded and held the ring up for her to see. "You won't regret it when we get home?"

"Absolutely not," he replied. "Even if you say no, I'll still find a way to spend the rest of my life with you." She held her left hand out to him and he put the ring on her finger. "I guess this means yes."

Leaning forward, she kissed him. "Yes, it means yes," she told him. "Will you stay in the room with me? I don't want to be in there alone."

He moved to sit beside her on the bed. "I won't leave your side," he promised, placing one arm around her shoulders and his other hand on her stomach.

"You should call Blaise and Pansy," she said. "And Harry and Astoria. Did I hear you mention something about Ron earlier? Did he call?"

Draco shook his head. "How much of my conversation with Harry did you hear?" he wondered.

Hermione shrugged. "Not much," she replied. "Just heard something about Ron and him coming to visit."

"Do you want to see him?"

She took a brief moment to think about his question before saying no. "It's not that I don't ever want to see him," she amended. "I just think that now isn't the time. There are more important things to deal with than reunions with ex-boyfriends."

He nodded in agreement as they lapsed into silence. The mediwitch returned half an hour later to announce that they had a room ready for her. Draco removed himself from the bed, and followed as it moved on its own. The delivery room was at the opposite end of the hallway, and Hermione would soon be ready for surgery. Draco was asked to step out of the room as she was assessed and prepped. Finding a deserted room, he slipped inside to call Harry and Blaise.

"No, I'll be in the room with her," he said when Blaise asked if they should come to the hospital. "I'm not sure how long the surgery will take."

"Potter's coming, yeah?" Blaise asked. When Draco confirmed that despite his insistence that he not come, he and Astoria planned to anyway. "Okay, so we'll have company. Pansy's mum can watch the kids."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine," he relented. "I'll see you after my daughter is born." He disconnected the call and returned to Hermione's room, glad to be admitted entrance. A sheet was set up to block Hermione's view of anything below her stomach. "What's that for?" Draco asked.

"Do you really want to see what my insides look like?" Hermione inquired.

He gently kissed her forehead. "Doing okay?" he asked. "Have they given you anything? You seem...calm."

She nodded. "Numbing potion. Can't feel anything below my shoulders," she said. "It's not a bad feeling. They also gave me something to help me relax. I think I might have needed that."

Draco chuckled. "I could use some of that too," he agreed.

The mediwitch smiled. "Okay, we're ready to start," she told them.

The Zabinis arrived first and made themselves comfortable in the waiting room. Pansy flipped angrily through a copy of Witch Weekly before tossing it on the small table beside the sofa. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," she seethed. "She still has at least two months to go, and you tell me everything's fine. And now...now they're delivering the baby! Why would you keep this from me?"

"I didn't want to worry you," he explained. "I was afraid that if Hermione had complications, you might think you'll have the same ones."

Pansy scoffed. "Oh, so you think I'm a hypochondriac now?" she inquired.

He shot her a pointed look. "When your uncle had prostate problems, you asked if you should get yours checked out," he pointed out. "It took Hermione half an hour to convince you that you had nothing to worry about since you don't have a prostate."

She rolled her eyes, though she knew he had a point. "Still, you should have told me yesterday," she muttered. "I shouldn't have to ask Potter things that my husband already knows."

He let slide that he found out about his child from someone who wasn't his wife. Instead, he said, "I'm sorry."

Sighing, she reached for his hand and held it. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the baby sooner," she replied.

Removing his hand from hers, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. "Consider us even?" he murmured, kissing her temple.

She laid her head on his shoulder and murmured, "I guess." They sat in silence as they awaited news of the Malfoy baby. "Blaise, what if something like this happens to us?"

"We'll handle it," he replied. "Just like Draco and Hermione. I'm sure our baby will be fine, just like theirs."

Harry and Astoria arrived half an hour later and joined them. "Any news?" Harry asked as he took Astoria's coat to hang up. Blaise shook his head and frowned. "Have you been here long?"

"Not really," Pansy replied. "I think the anxiety makes it feel longer."

The newly arrived couple sat down. "You've had a baby. How long does it usually take?" Astoria asked.

Pansy snorted. "Let's see - labor felt like it lasted somewhere around three weeks, and then they gave me the potions for the pain," she recalled. "The actual pushing two human beings out of my body seemed to go much faster after that."

Before anyone could respond, Draco appeared with a smile on his face. "She's here," he announced breathlessly. "She's here and she's perfect."

Questions were asked, excited and overlapping. He held up a hand to silence them, and asked Pansy to repeat herself first. "Will she be okay?" she asked.

"They think so," Draco replied. "She's small. Just over a kilo, but her organs are well developed. They're keeping her here for awhile though."

"How's Hermione?" Harry wondered. "Can we see her?"

Draco shook his head. "She's resting right now," he told them. "But do you want to see Athena? She's in the neonatal unit."

Pansy squealed. "I get to see my goddaughter?" she asked.

Draco chuckled. "You get to see your goddaughter."