Chapter 25: The Countdown
The day had finally arrived…it was Hermione's due date. Everyone in the Granger house was on edge, waiting for the bomb to erupt. Hermione waddled from room to room, hoping to induce labor. Ron followed room to room, praying that she would not go into labor. Ron felt utterly threatened by everything. He had been threatened by Hermione's father, and scared to death by his own father. It seemed that nothing good was going to come from having this baby, except his girlfriend regaining her body. He wanted to be able to place his arms all the way around his girlfriend.
Hermione, on the other hand was disgusted with the whole situation. It was her due date, time for the baby to come out, and she was tired of being pregnant, tired of waddling around, and tired of being unable to sit normally. She wanted to go more than five minutes before having to pee, and she wanted people to stop touching her stomach. Nobody ever ask her if they could touch her stomach, they'd just do it, and ask when she was due. Magic people did not do this, it was only in the muggle world that people wanted to touch her and make over her. She'd walk the streets with Ron, and people would glow at her, giving her the 'awwww' eyes. Occasionally and quite unfortunately, there were times when older people or clergymen would look at her with disapproval, taking note of her young face. Those same disapproving people would also have disapproved if she'd had an abortion.
It was late in the evening at the Granger house, and Ron and Hermione were sitting by the fire in the living room. The Granger's had gone for a quick bite to eat. It was a comfortable silence between Ron and Hermione, the kind that comes from true intimacy, though neither was sure when they had achieved this new intimacy. Ron was sitting on the floor with his back to the couch, while Hermione sat between his legs, leaning into his chest. His hands were folded over hers and resting on her stomach. The baby kicked frequently, anxious to get out and greet the world. Hermione laid her head back to stare into Ron's piercing blue eyes. For that moment, she could imagine that the baby she was carrying was Ron's, that perhaps, by some miracle Ron could love the baby as his own, be a father to it and a husband to her. Ron finally broke the silence after leaning down to kiss her on the forehead.
"I've been thinking." He started. "This baby…your baby, it's gonna be really tiny and stuff, right?"
Hermione opened her closed eyes and looked into his, wondering where this question was coming from or where it was going. "Yes Ronald, generally speaking, babies are really small when they are born. Although I honestly believe this baby is going to be the biggest baby in the world…especially if she continues to stay inside me and grow. I feel like a bit of an incubator really. Why do you ask Ronald?"
"Well, like I said…I've been thinking. What if I break her, like drop her on her head or something? I mean, you've seen me. I'm a right clutzy git. Maybe you want someone else around your baby?"
Hermione smiled at Ron, stifling back a laugh. "Ronald Weasley…you'll be great with the baby…if you want to be. Babies are quite resilient you know. I think your being quite adorable right now, and in case anything happens in the next 24 hours, I want you to know that you're the only one I want with me in the delivery room…the one I trust most."
She had said it, Ron thought, the words his father said run from 'delivery room.' He wanted to say 'no,' to tell her to take her mother instead, but he just sat there. Owls had been arriving all day from Hogwarts and the Burrow, wondering if anything had changed. Even McGonagall seemed anxious. This was to be the first ever Hogwarts baby. No student in history had ever had a baby while still in school. Then again, Hermione had been the student to which many 'firsts' had been attributed to. The only difference with this and the other firsts was the dark cloud that presided over this entire situation. Another student had raped Hermione, and few of the students knew that. Nobody asked questions about it, though Pansy and the other Slytherins had done everything to skew the student body toward thinking Hermione was a whore. Ron wondered if any of the Slytherin's, perhaps Crabbe or Goyle, had been in contact with Draco Malfoy…if it was possible that he knew Hermione was pregnant. Ron dismissed the thought, returning again to the word 'delivery room.'
"'Mione, baby…are you sure you wouldn't rather your mum be in the delivery room with you? After all, she's done this once already." Ron asked nervously, trying desperately to avoid looking into Hermione's brown eyes.
"Don't you want to be with me Ron?" She asked, puddles beginning to form in her eyes.
"Um…I don't really quite know what to say. I'm flattered, really, but…my dad told me that men belong in the waiting room…that only women should be in the delivery room. He said it was none to pleasant to be with a woman giving birth. I mean, it's not even my baby." The moment the words slipped from his mouth, he regretted them.
"OUT…GET OUT! Go home to the Burrow, and don't come back Ronald Weasley." Hermione raged, as she tried to escape Ron's grip on her. She could only roll on the floor. "Help me up first…then GET OUT!" Hermione demanded.
"I won't leave, and you can't make me…your taking what I said the wrong way…and I won't help you up, til you've let me explain." Ron fumbled, trying to escape Hermione's now flying fists. "First off…I'm sorry about saying it's not my baby…but you know it's not, and I can't make it so, no matter how involved I am with this pregnancy and baby. I know it hurts you to think of that, but facts are facts…and whether he knows it or not…which I hope it's the latter of the two, Draco Malfoy is this baby's father. Now as for me being in the delivery room…if you really want me there, of course I'll be there, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared of it. D'ya understand 'Mi? I gosh darn would do anything for you, but that doesn't always mean I'm gonna ring bells about doing it."
Hermione stopped glaring at Ron and tears began to fill her eyes, "You're right…you're absolutely right. It's not your baby, and no amount of playing house is going to make it so. But you have no idea how much it hurts. If you only knew how many of my dreams have been interrupted by this nightmare. I hate Draco, and now…a part of me will always have to love him, if I am to love my own baby. I just don't know that I can live with reality, so please, if only for a little while…pretend to not know it's Draco's baby." Hermione allowed the tears to flow freely, before taking Ron's hands and allowing him to help her stand. They stood for a moment facing one another before Ron finally leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips. He lingered for a moment near her face, hoping she would reciprocate, but instead she just stared blankly at him.
"What? Now we don't even kiss when we make up? C'mon 'Mione, I'm sorry. Just forgive me…alright?" He said, trying to figure out why she was being so resistant.
"It's not that Ron…it's just…" As she and Ron were kissing, she felt a gush between her legs, and froze in place. "It's just…"
"It's just what?" Ron said as he stepped back from her. "Eww…Hermione! That's disgusting. You could've just gone. You didn't have to…you know?"
"Ron…don't be a prat! My water just broke." She said, finally finding the words.
"So…who the bloody hell cares if the water's broke…I'll just use 'aguamente,' now go get cleaned up. You're kind of leaking." Ron blurted with no tact, and no clue.
"Ronald, you idiot…it means I'm going into labor, not that I need a plumber. We have to get to the hospital…the baby's coming."
"It can't come now…your parents aren't even home. Just wait, they'll be home in an hour or so."
Hermione was utterly flabbergasted by Ron at this point, who seemed to think that magic would hold the baby in place. She grabbed him by the arm, feeling the first labor pain, "RON! Go get the car…you have to take me to the hospital. You have to call my doctor, and we'll have to leave a note for mum and dad."
"Hermione, you know I can't drive a muggle car…you'll have to either wait or drive it yourself."
"I'm getting really tired of this Ron…just call an ambulance please…I don't want to give birth to my baby, sitting here arguing with you over muggle protocol."
Ron promptly placed his wand to his throat and called out, "Ambulance! Ambulance!"
"THE TELEPHONE RON…THE TELEPHONE!!!" Ron quickly ran at Hermione's demand and remembered that the muggles used telephones to talk to one another. He brought it back to Hermione who quickly dialed the hospital. Hermione was breathing deeply, realizing that it was going to be a very long night.