Author's Note: First let me thank everyone who had reviewed, alerted, or put this story on their favorites it means a lot to me.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own them? I'm just playing with someone else's toys and do return them in the same shape I have found them (well that may not always be the case).
Severus woke slowly as fingers were being dragged through his hair, he had no idea that such an action could bring such a feeling a calm over him. Then it dawned on him where he was and that it had to be Hermione.
He opened his eyes to see her smiling down at him, finally she asked.
"What are you doing here?"
He straightened before saying,
"To be with you."
"Why? I thought after…. I thought…"
He stood up leaning over her still holding her hand he laid his other arm above her head while brushing her hair back with his fingers.
"Hermione to me you will always be worth fighting for, what I want us to have is worth fighting for. I don't want you to shut me out and I will try my hardest not to shut you out either. I know we still have a ways to go, I'm not going to pretend it will be easy but the end will be worth it."
She reached up laying her hand on his cheek before saying,
"Please tell me I'm not dreaming."
He smiled at her before saying,
"If it is I don't ever want to wake." He kissed her forehead before someone clearing their throat made him jerk upright to see a smiling doctor standing in the doorway.
"I just wanted to check on my patient then I'll be out of your way." The man whispered, that was when Severus noticed that Potter was asleep in the chair on the other side of the bed and Draco and Astoria were asleep together in another chair.
He had moved to allow the doctor access, he heard them mumbling but couldn't make out what was being said. Finally the doctor said,
"Well I would think that you'll be able to go home in a few days, maybe Friday or Saturday depending on how you do."
"Thanks." Hermione said before he left, then she got a good look around the room before saying,
"I have no idea where to start, the flowers or wake them."
Severus sat back down saying,
"You might get Draco and Astoria to leave but you'll never get Potter to move."
"I know, he can be quiet the mother hen at times."
Severus chuckled before saying,
"Let them sleep, they'll be up soon enough."
"So then where did all the flowers come from?"
Severus pointed one vase out saying,
"Someone Potter kept calling Big D."
"His cousin Duddley."
"Petunia's son?"
"Yeah, want to hear how karma can bite you in the ass?"
His heart leapt at the smile that crossed her face, for some reason he knew he was going to like this.
"Sure."
"D met, fell in love with, and married a witch. Debbie, never misses an opportunity to tell Petunia how Harry saved the wizarding world, how her grandkids are all going to be going to the school her sister did, and how that 'awful boy' was a major contributor to bringing down Voldemort."
"I am sure Petunia had much worse names for me."
"It was the only one Harry and D ever heard her say, Harry had assumed she meant James but after he…. The memories he was pretty sure she was talking about you."
"More than likely."
"And those?" she asked pointing to some sitting by the window.
"Who do you think?" he asked knowing that if she thought about it she would figure it out.
Hermione stared at the flowers, suddenly it came to her.
"Neville."
"Yes, and those over there are from Mrs. Potter."
"Ginny?"
"Do you know another?"
"Sadly no, but she….."
"Don't worry about it right now."
"I'm not going to, it won't matter anyway too much time has went by."
He took her hand again before saying, "Yes there has been."
Hermione got the impression that he was speaking about more than the dead friendship between her and Ginny.
Severus stood again he wanted to know but was scared to ask,
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
He came back to the bed taking her hand in his again, leaning over as before so he could see her properly before asking,
"How long have you been in pain?"
"I don't really know, I kept ignoring it. Three or four months I would guess."
"And bleeding?"
"About the same."
His heart lurched, he had to count to ten before he even opened his mouth or he was going to be very cutting. She could have died from this, the thought scared him more than he wanted to admit.
"Severus?"
"Hang on." Then he said under his breath "Eight… Nine."
Hermione watched him, he was counting which meant that he was upset with her and trying to keep from yelling at her.
"Do you realize you could have bled to death?" he finally asked calmly.
"No, I mean it never crossed my mind."
"Please don't keep things like that to yourself, if you can't tell me then tell someone. I don't want to lose you."
The next thing Hermione knew she was opening her eyes again light pouring into the window, Draco and Astoria were the only ones in the room with her.
"I sent them to eat." Draco said.
"And they listened?" Hermione asked.
"As long as we almost swore a wizard oath not to leave you alone." Astoria said. "How are you feeling."
"Sore, but not like it was."
"What about what they had to do?" Astoria asked.
"Really I am fine with it, I already knew children were never going to be part of my future. It really doesn't bother me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes I am, now don't worry about me."
"Like that is going to happen." Draco said.
"Anyway, that means I can spoil everyone else's kids rotten and hype them up on candy and send them home."
"Don't even think about it." Draco said.
"Oh and I know a few of the jinx that Fred and George….."
"Granger." Draco said slowly making Hermione giggle then hold her stomach saying,
"Ouch. You really can be too easy sometimes Malfoy."
Astoria stood saying,
"I need to take a walk, I'll be back."
Once she was gone Draco seriously asked,
"Are you sure your okay with this?"
Hermione took his hand saying,
"Yes I am, I've time to come to terms with never having children. But thank you for asking."
"Anytime, and you know you can't spoil him any more than I do."
"I wouldn't bet on that."
~~^~~SSHG~~^~~
By the time Friday came Hermione begged to go home, she was so board doing nothing. The doctor finally relented as long as someone stayed with her for the next few weeks.
Severus had taken it upon himself to take that job, with Astoria coming over during the day along with Luna when the other couldn't make it.
By the next Friday Hermione said to Severus,
"I will be fine alone while you're gone you know."
"The doctor said…."
"I know what the doctor said, but having someone here all the time is getting on my nerves."
"Do you want me to…."
"I didn't say that, but I went from a mostly solitary life to having someone here twenty four seven. Plus you look tired trying to be there and here, you should just come on the weekends."
"Hermione what if something happens?"
"I have lived alone for five years, I think I can handle it."
"Hermione, please don't fight me on this." He said in a voice that told Hermione he was to the point of begging her to do what he wanted.
"Then stop walking on eggshells around me, you always side step subjects that might cause words between us. The doctor never said anything about not talking about things that need to be talked about."
"Fine, what do you want to talk about?"
"I don't know, it's just to know that I can bring something up and you won't avoid it."
"Okay I'll stop doing that."
"Good."
Severus couldn't concentrate on his essays he was grading after that, there was something that he needed to bring up with Hermione before this went any further but he would be damned if he could think of a way to do it. He would have to bring up the memory she left at his house, then he wanted her to see his though he knew this wasn't the best idea but he needed to really have a clean slate with her.
Author's Note: Comments really do make me smile and brighten my day.
Also I wanted to let you know that I have a couple of Severus/Hermione videos on youtube, the link is in my profile.