A./N.: Kudos to Sarah's story 'A Way In Heaven'.

Jitters of the Heart

Suddenly Sarah felt her heart beat irregularly. She was having problems breathing and she felt faint. Her hands clutched at her chest where her heart beat frantically in an attempt to pump the necessary blood and oxygen through her body. The last thing she was aware of before falling into a faint was her husband's voice.

"Oh my God, Sarah, what's wrong with you, honey?"

----

Minerva had just leaned back and raised her hand to slap Arthur hard across the face when she felt Arthur's weight against her increase. That was going way too far! It was one thing to kiss her but it was an entirely different thing if he wanted to make out with her.

"Arthur! You just had heart surgery and ..."

But Minerva's exclamation was stuck in her throat as she realised Arthur was actually fainting and not feeling her up. Her arms wrapped around his waist as his head hit her chest painfully. Arthur's legs gave way under him and Minerva nearly lost her balance because of Arthur's additional weight on her slim frame. Never the physical person she was in danger of being crushed under him. Her knees already began to shake and her back was aching.

"Help! ... Help!" she cried out when she finally found her voice again.

Only a few minutes later Poppy barged into the room just as Minerva's legs gave way under her and Arthur's weight. She was crumbling to the floor, hearing Poppy's screech and just catching Arthur and pulling him off Minerva.

"Oh my God, Minerva! What happened to Arthur? Why is he out of bed?"

----

Molly knew at once. She had seen healers and nurses deliver the news of death too often in her time as a trainee to mistake the signs. Very calmly, feeling nothing whatever, she set down the almost full cup of tea she had been drinking, realising as she did so that for the rest of her life she would remember that there was a chip in the rim and that the "B" of the gold lettering on the side was almost worn away.

"... said you were here ... fainted ... heart failure and low pulse ... too much excitement ... needs observation and regulation of the heart rate ..."

Poppy's young assistant was talking, babbling, as Molly strode through the bright white halls, not looking at her, seeing the faces of the other Order members turn toward her in slow motion, not knowing, but seeing from a glance at her that something had happened.

Arthur was on the bed in his room. Poppy was putting a transfusion in his right arm and hanging the bottle with whatever liquid it contained to the side of Arthur's bed. Her other assistant was just putting this damn muggle construction they called heart monitor away and ...

Molly's own heart skipped a beat. Minerva was leaning over Arthur. She touched him briefly then she stood there, her hand on the heaving curve of his chest, looking at him as she had not looked for some time. Molly observed her husband too, but from the door.

A strong and delicate profile, sensitive lips and a chiselled nose and jaw. A handsome man, despite the lines that cut deep beside his mouth, lines of joy and laughter.

Minerva stood quite still, listening. Suddenly she realised with a start that she was listening for Arthur, expecting ... what? That he would apologize for the kiss? That he would say he loved her? She closed her eyes, to shut out the disturbing sight of his sleeping face.

"Arthur", she said softly, to the unsettling still form of her former student, "I did love you. Once I did ... but I always knew you were Molly's, even when you weren't yet sure yourself. I accepted a long time ago that I couldn't have you. I hope you and Sarah will one day forgive me for not telling you the truth."

Then she broke down sobbing. Her forehead bumped against his left arm as she slumped forward, her body and mind suddenly as tired as the day she had given birth to Sarah. Her shoulders shook from the effort to suppress her sobs. Her battle was soon over though and she was crying into his chest.

Molly still stood at the door. Her hands clutched the frame until her knuckles turned white and the wood squeaked protesting that treatment. Her eyes burnt a hole into Minerva's back. Not hatred but sympathy shone in their depths. She knew only too well what it was like to be in love with Arthur and think he didn't return that love. Her own heart had been broken when they had broken up momentarily in the winter of his last year in Hogwarts. Now she wondered if that had been caused by his crush on and one-night stand with Minerva. Sighing deeply, she released the door frame and turned around silently. She thought it only fair to give Minerva some privacy for her farewell.