A/N: Here's an extra chapter for you guys. I more than owe it to you after keeping you hanging for so long.
Hermione was late getting into work Monday morning, having had a very long weekend. She was sore in all the right places, her back had a huge bruise on it where she'd been pushed backwards over the kitchen table, and her mark looked red and raw; she couldn't contain the smile as she slipped her lab coat over her clothes and sat at her desk to get to work. Not even the huge pile of files on her desk next to the equally huge pile of missives could ruin her good mood. She was remembering why she was late in the first place, Bill thought she needed some company in the shower, when there was a knock on her door.
"Come in," she practically sang out, looking up to see who needed her so early. Dean was standing in the doorway drinking coffee from a paper cafeteria cup.
"Good morning, Healer Granger. I was wondering if you would grace us with your presence today." The subtle reminder of her weekend had her fingering her mark through her blouse.
"Good morning, Dean. What has you so grouchy today?" Hermione motioned him to take a seat across from her; it had been awhile since she'd made time to speak to her interns about all the work in the department.
"I was on-call this weekend and Ms. Scarlett had me called in six times." He tiredly ran a hand down his face. "Each time she thought she was in labor; it didn't matter how many times I told her that she's only three months along and that she isn't in labor, she just kept saying that I didn't understand a woman's body and that I should call you in instead. I told her it wasn't your weekend to be on-call and she decided that she wanted to make an appointment for today." He drained the rest of his cup of coffee, glaring into the bottom of the now empty cup like it was at fault for his piss-poor mood.
"I'm terribly sorry, Dean. I'll be sure to see her when she comes in, first time mothers are sometimes very frustrating. She just doesn't understand what's all happening to her body." Hermione gave him an encouraging smile, willing him to tell her what else was going on in the department that she may have missed over the past few weeks when she was so distracted.
"Oh, also, the social worker reviewing Theo's case is supposed to be stopping by sometime this week to evaluate his work environment. If it goes well, the adoption should be finalized within the next two to six weeks." He pulled a face at the time frame for the adoption. The social workers didn't seem to mind that there was a tiny human life at stake, choosing instead to drag their feet. It crossed her mind that she might be able to have the process expedited just because of who she was. She tried to never fall back on her 'Golden Trio' status, hating that her achievements in school weren't nearly as important as her achievements in helping to defeat Voldemort when she was nothing but a child.
"I'll look into that time frame. It seems ridiculous that they would push it off for an indeterminate amount of time like that." She was already brainstorming who she would call on this, Harry for sure, and the Minister for Magic: Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Hermione, there's one more thing, as well." Dean was shifting in his seat, knowing that his boss wasn't going to like what he had to say. His body language had Hermione nervous.
"Yes, Dean?"
"Mr. Goode and Healer Adams requested an appointment for this afternoon. They didn't say what it was about." Hermione's mind was whirring, what could they possibly want? She'd done what they'd asked and taken, not one, but two interns. Could it be about Dean's temporary banishment from surgery? Or was it about Theo's adopting a child that was being kept in the hospital nursery? She heaved a great, put-upon sigh, she supposed that she would find out sooner rather than later.
"What time, Dean?" Dean looked uncomfortable again. He had said that afternoon, so it wasn't like they were waiting in the hallway; were they? She shook the thought away quickly, those two pompous asses wouldn't have waited in the hallway the whole time she was talking to Dean. They preferred her thrown off by their presence as opposed to prepared.
"Two'o'clock."
"Thank-you for letting me know, Dean. I appreciate the heads-up. I only have three surgeries today, plus that appointment with Ms. Scarlett. Two'o'clock should be no problem." Hermione was scribbling a note to herself not to forget the appointment, magically sticking it to the top of her desk so it couldn't get knocked off by accident.
"Yes, and there is only one other appointment scheduled for this morning. I was hoping I could leave after I was done with it? I'm still pretty tired from basically spending my entire weekend here." Dean followed up the statement with a yawn for effect, leaving Hermione smirking.
"Of course, Dean. I'll have Theo if I need any help, but we both know he won't leave Jackson unless he has to," Hermione was smiling fondly thinking of Theo and his gentleness with the baby.
"Thanks, Hermione." Dean stood to leave the office. He needed another cup of coffee if he was going to be hanging out for another couple of hours.
"No problem, Dean. Enjoy the rest of your day." As he was pulling the door closed, she checked the time. It was already eight thirty-three. Her first surgery was scheduled for nine, but she needed to check in with Cheryl to see what time Ms. Scarlett would be coming in. She walked down the hallway to the waiting area where Cheryl was sitting behind her desk.
"Good morning, Healer Granger. What can I do for you?" Cheryl looked expectantly up at the young healer, knowing that she only sought her out for questions pertaining to her schedule.
"Dean informed me that Ms. Scarlett made a last minute appointment for today and I just wanted to know what time that was to be at as I have a surgery that I need to head up for in a few minutes." Hermione leaned against the counter to relieve a little of the soreness in her legs.
"Her appointment is for nine-thirty. I didn't realize that she had requested you specifically or I would have made it later." Cheryl looked like she felt guilty about the over-sight.
"Thanks, Cheryl. When she gets in would you mind letting Theo know? He should be able to stall until I can get back down here." Cheryl breathed a sigh of relief and agreed to do as she was asked. "I'm going to let him know that I will need his assistance about that time." She walked across the hallway to the nursery, letting herself in.
Theo was waving his wand over one of the two babies that were current residents of the nursery. The one he was checking up on was supposed to be leaving with his mother later that day, she still needed to sign off on the discharge paperwork for mother and baby, but to do so she needed current vitals on both patients. The little one was starting to get fussy, probably wanting breakfast, so Theo settled him into the bassinet and waved for one of the nurses to come take the baby to his mother. Carmen smiled at Theo and Hermione before taking the baby with her out of the room.
"Hello, Theo. Hello, Jackson." She directed the second greeting to the wriggling baby in a bassinet to the left.
"Good morning, Hermione. What can I do for you?" Theo scooped little Jackson up and grabbed a pre-made bottle off of a table where he had set it, settling down in a rocking chair to feed him.
"I'm going to need you to stall a patient for me in a bit. Her appointment is at nine-thirty but I have a surgery at nine and can't be down here that quick. She specifically wants to meet with me, so hopefully she'll wait, but I need you to inform her that I didn't forget about her and I will be there as soon as possible." Hermione watched as Jackson pulled away from the bottle, trying to take in a breath. He was still struggling a bit with his breathing. She located an infant nasal cannula, a muggle device used to help people who were short of breath, and hooked it up to two liters of oxygen before slipping it into his nose. She ran her wand over the baby and saw that his oxygen saturation was only ninety-three. She waited a minute of him being on oxygen before checking again. It was up a bit to ninety-five, but he wasn't trying to pull away from his bottle anymore.
"No problem, Hermione. I'll watch for her." Theo smiled softly down at the baby in his arms, watching his eyelids droop.
"Don't trouble yourself, Theo. Cheryl agreed to let you know once she gets here. Just stay with little Jackson until she needs you." Hermione turned to leave, offering a thank-you over her shoulder. It was time to head upstairs.
She changed quickly, leaving her clothes in her designated locker. She scrubbed in for the elective surgery that she was preforming. The pregnant woman had been in an accident that caused her face to become disfigured. She would be working with Healer Billings, a specialty surgeon in plastic surgery. There was only so much that magic could do to alter one's appearance. The woman was only ten weeks along, but didn't want to wait another seven months before she had the reconstructive surgery. Hermione had signed off on it with the stipulation that she be included in the actual surgery. She wouldn't be preforming the procedure, but she needed to be there to monitor the anesthesia they used and the vitals for both the woman and the fetus. The witch was from America and had heard about Hermione and her extensive training with pregnant women, opting to travel for the surgery rather than have it done back home by someone who wasn't as specially trained.
Mitch and Tina were already in the surgical suite, Mitch clearly the one that was scrubbed in for the day, and Tina the circulating. They were chit-chatting as Tina flitted around gathering the necessary tools, opening the package just enough to allow Mitch to reach in and pull out the sterile equipment without breaking sterility. She greeted both of them, jumping in surprise as Tina dropped whatever she was holding with a crash. The young woman gave a scream, staring at Hermione's neck. It was then that she realized in the sterile scrubs Tina could see her mark, and she would know what it was because she herself was seeing a werewolf. She didn't even ask what was going through Tina's mind.
"Tina, please pull yourself together and get new equipment out. We don't have time for your drama today." Hermione waited while she scrambled around to get all new equipment before telling her to get her a sterile gown. To her credit, Tina did very well once she got over her initial shock at seeing Hermione's mark. She was sure that Tina would be telling Mitch why she reacted the way she did once Hermione was out of the room.
The patient was brought into the room at that point and Hermione went to greet her patient. "Hello, Lindsey. How are you feeling?" The patient fidgeted with her hospital gown, grimacing a bit in response.
"Nervous, to be honest! I'm starting to wonder why I wouldn't just wait and have this done after the little one comes along instead of risking their life." Lindsey was chewing on her lip, her nervousness clear to everyone in the room.
"It's entirely your decision, Lindsey, but I wouldn't have signed off on it if I thought there would be any complications. You are healthy, your fetus is healthy. I'll be here to monitor your vital signs, and your baby's; as well as the amount of anesthesia you are given. You couldn't be in better hands." Healer Billings decided to make his presence known at this point.
"Yes, Miss Wyatt, Healer Granger and I will both do everything in our power to make sure that nothing goes wrong. We have a plan; you'll remember that we spoke of this last week in my office, to make this as quick and efficient as possible. We can only give you enough medication to put you under for half an hour, so we will need to start as soon as we are sure that you're under its effects." Healer Billings smiled encouragingly at the young woman, watching her relax under his gaze. Hermione was impressed with how quickly he managed to expel her fears and offered a matching smile of encouragement.
"Ok, I'm ready," Lindsey breathed a deep breath in and out before settling back onto the bed. The surgery went off without a hitch, going even quicker than they expected. The witch was in recovery by nine-forty, and Hermione was on her way back downstairs for her nine-thirty appointment with Ms. Scarlett. She walked into the patient room that Cheryl was pointing at, nodding her thanks.
"Hello, Susan. I'd heard that you wanted to speak with me. How can I help?" Hermione waved Theo out of the room, smiling in thanks to the man.
"Well, Healer Granger, I was in this weekend because I was having stomach pain, and your trainee," she spit the word like a curse, "wouldn't do a thing to help me. I think they should be better trained before being left to their own devices."
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I trust both Dean and Theo implicitly. I do agree that they have a lot to learn yet, but let's go ahead and go over everything that has been going on that has you worried."
"Hmph. Well, I've been having some cramping in my stomach, down here," she rubbed her hand across her lower abdomen, "as well as some diarrhea. Could I be in labor already?"
"I doubt it, ma'am, but I would like to run a few tests just to see what's going on." Hermione indicated that she should lie back on the exam table, taking her wand out to start her diagnostic tests. She rolled her shirt up and started rotating her wand around in complex patterns. She scribbled a few things on the chart that Theo had left for her on the table in the room, before stopping to think what could be wrong. She set her wand down and pressed on the right lower area of Susan's abdomen, noting the sharp intake of breath that accompanied the action. She leaned back, offering her hand to Susan to sit back up.
"What's wrong? Is the baby okay?" Susan looked nervous, as all new mothers would in this situation.
"I think you might have appendicitis, Susan. The only way to conclusively tell is to go in through the emergency department and have some imaging tests done. I would order them myself, but I can only order them as an outpatient procedure and I think it is very important for you to have the testing done as soon as possible. One of the procedures that they will probably request in called a CT scan and it uses radiation. The radiation would be directed at the fetus, and fetuses are more susceptible to any potential radiation damage than adults. The risks are minimal as far as we know, there hasn't been much research done on fetuses that are exposed to large amounts of radiation, and as your Healer I wouldn't normally recommend the test, but I believe in this case that the benefit to finding out for sure if you have appendicitis outweighs any risk to the baby." Susan looked positively terrified now.
"What happens if I ignore the pain and just deal with it? Will it go away?" Susan asked.
"You would be putting your own life at risk, and subsequently your baby's." Hermione wasn't going to sugar-coat things, but she honestly felt like it would be a good idea for the woman to get the test. "I'll walk you to the ED if you'd like. It's easy to get lost around here, after all."
Susan was nodding, her hand resting on her abdomen. Her eyes looked pinched, her face withdrawn. She looked positively terrified. Hermione took her out the front door and to the lifts. She pushed the button for the ground floor where the front entrance to the ED was. She walked up to the receptionist and gave her patient's name and told the witch that it was to be STAT and she would be popping in to talk to Healer Martin just to be sure that it really was done STAT. After she settled her patient into the waiting room, she walked through to where she knew she would find the head of the emergency department. Healer Martin was an older gentleman that was very intelligent and quick witted. As she told him the specifics of the case, he kept looking at her funny, but he was too much of a gentleman to say what he was thinking, and he promised to get the woman a room next so that they could start the necessary testing. Hermione hoped that she was wrong, but she had a feeling that she wasn't.
A/N: Please let me know what you think in a quick review!