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Chapter Thirty Seven.

Percy had been in a haze for how long he didn't know. But the numbness and drifting in and out was nice. The not thinking, the not caring, the not hurting. So it was quite the shock for him when he awoke out of the pleasant anaesthetic state he had been used to, to a sore body. He fumbled for the button which pulsed Morphine into his blood (better than anything Madame Pomfrey at school had given him!) and moaned. His lips were dry and he turned to see if there were any ice chips left in the bowl. And that's when he saw it – the crimson crest of the Weasley pin. The tie pin his Father had bestowed on to him and the one he had discarded and Penny…

His bowels almost turned to water at the shock of the realisation - Penny had been there!

He looked around in fear – how had she known he was here? A couple of the nurses had joked about the press…Had she heard from the Muggle press? Who else had heard? He half expected Professor Snape to jump out from behind a curtain. Moaning he sat up. He had to go – he had to get out.

At this sudden movement a Doctor came over with a smile. Percy had vaguely remembered him as the surgeon who had operated on him. During his rare lucid moments he had remembered the man murmuring pleased as he had checked the wounds under the dressing every few hours.

"Ah, the Professor is awake," the Doctor said too cheerily.

Percy mumbled something he hoped seemed polite and from his coat pocket the man pulled out a small jar and held it out.

Percy took it hesitantly and eyed the small metallic looking object inside it.

"There you go," the Doctor beamed, "The little bastard we got out of you."

"Huh," Percy murmured and circled the jar around in his hand. He had a strange feeling he could only attribute as Arthur Weasley Syndrome, looking in fascination at the very small thing that had caused so much agony.

"How are you feeling, Mr. McCartney?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, ummm…Sore," Percy replied.

"Yes, that is regretful. We are trying to wean you off the Morphine now the period of danger is over, but if you're finding it too unbearable; we'll see what we can do. Now, the police would like to talk to you sooner or later. I've kept them away while you were resting, but are you well enough to speak to them?"

"Speak…Police…Why?" Percy asked nervously.

"Well, asking the routine witness questions, really, nothing to be concerned about, Mr. McCartney. They just need a statement from you."

"I see…Well, I really want to –" Percy began.

"But now we get to the exciting part," the Doctor said interrupting Percy, and from a file he pulled out what seemed to be a dark piece of material with an outline of a body in ghostly white on it, "I want to show you your x-ray."

"Ohhh, x-ray," Percy said, grasping on to that word as a student who hadn't studied grasped on to the only term they recognised in an important exam, "That's me, right?" he vaguely remembered that x-ray term being thrown about in Muggle Studies, years ago.

The Doctor moved over to him, "Now, see this here?" he pointed to a mark on the shoulder on the material.

Percy leaned in, "Er…Yes…Is that in me?"

"It was," the Doctor said excitedly, "We removed it earlier...But it's amazing. You see how perfectly shaped it is?"

Percy looked at it awkwardly, then looked at the small object in the jar, "...Yes?" – like he knew anything about guns and their...Billets...

The Doctor took off his glasses, "Mr. McCartney, when the bullet entered your body, it's as if...The force just stopped. There was no damage besides the initial entry point and the blood loss. It stayed entirely intact and we pulled it from you without any complications at all... It's as if your wound point acted as concrete, which is...Well, utterly remarkable. And considering there is a very major artery in your shoulder, it could have been a disaster...Remarkable!"

"Huh," Percy took another look at the object in the jar, "I see."

"Mr. McCartney," the Doctor laughed, "Take it home, coat it in gold, turn it into a pendant, show it to your grandchildren – that is just amazing. Amazing indeed. Somebody was watching you that night."

Percy smiled at the man's enthusiasm, "Thank you, Sir, really," and he lay back down before he remembered he had been planning to leave. He moaned to himself – sitting up had been exhausting enough, he would just rest for a little while before leaving...

He awoke later to his nose tingling from the smell of fried potato. He turned and saw Michelle sitting with a parcel of paper on her lap. She smiled gently, "Percy, are you feeling alright? I can ditch these if they make you feel sick, but I thought…Well…Since hospital food is a bit dodgy, I'd bring some fish and chips. But I don't know – how is the Morphine making you feel?"

He smiled groggily at her presence, and suddenly it wasn't just his nose that tingled at her pretty dark curls, and an obscenely large crocheted rose clipped on a headband, "You're a vision for a dying man," he said croakily, "I'm sorry, I think I might be sick eating that, but don't go."

She smiled slightly, "I'll just give these to a couple of teens out there in the waiting room then," and she flounced out quickly.

He was feeling a little dizzy again and he closed his eyes, murmuring a song to himself before he turned his eyes to the bedside table again and the Weasley pin assaulted his eyes. Penny. He had forgotten…

Michelle came back in a few minutes and sat beside him again. Her eyes travelled to what was bothering Percy and she bit her lip, "There was a girl who came…When you were asleep yesterday. She dropped that off. What is it, Percy?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," he turned to face her, his brow a knot of worry, "What – what did she say?"

Michelle swallowed, and for once her perfect ability to lie escaped her and she said feebly, "Nothing – much that is."

Percy's eyes filled with tears, and he covered his face with his hand, "Nothing…I'm sure she said nothing…"

"Percy," she said soothingly, "Tell me what's wrong. Tell me why you – what you've run away from."

"What did she say?"

That had meant to sound aggressive, but with Percy sniffling it had sounded like the demand of a young child.

"Does it matter what she said?"

"Yes, yes it – how did she find me?" he wailed.

Michelle thought it better not to tell him that it had been all over the news, instead she reached for his hand, "Percy – it seems I'm your only friend at the moment."

Percy did not answer to this, so she added, "You can tell me anything. I want to be your friend," – I want to be more than a friend. She decided not to add that.

"No – no, all of this is my business. Mine," he said stubbornly, but he did not move his hand away from his eyes, "Merlin I need more Morphine."

Michelle repressed a laugh at the use of Merlin, and she instead moved over to him and took a deep breath, "My Mother…My Mother's in a mental hospital..."

Percy did not move his hand away for a moment, but then slowly looked at her, still sniffling, he said stubbornly, "Is this supposed to be a you tell me something, I tell you something of mine, deep and meaningful chat?"

She smiled at Percy awkwardly, "I guess…?" she chewed her lip, "That's how friendship usually works, isn't it?"

Percy snorted a half-hearted laugh, and encouraged by this, Michelle gently sat on the bed beside him, brushing his curls softly, "It's your turn."

"My turn?" he laughed, "I see…My turn…What do you want to know?"

"A secret," she said, "I want to know a secret."

Percy lay there thoughtfully and moved aside a little as Michelle lay beside him and curled up, her arm over his chest, they lay there, snug and safe. He knew it was the Morphine – he knew he wasn't in his right mind really, his mind roiling in fear over Penny, but it was nice to have his colourful girl beside him. She smelled of takeaway and cheap perfume and vanilla and it clouded his senses slightly, as he murmured, "I bought you flowers the night I was shot. I don't know where they are now. But they were bright and pink and obscene and burned my irises. They reminded me of you…And they shouldn't, because I'm in love with another."

She nuzzled him slightly and murmured, "You're paying personal penance for a lot of things, aren't you?"

"…Yes. I don't deserve this. I don't deserve you. I don't deserve…"

She gently cupped his face and steered it towards her. He gazed at her soft features, and the silver glitter on her eyelashes and he moaned, "I love Penny…I don't deserve this…"

Her mouth captured his ever so gently it was over before he knew it, and he instinctively moved forward for more as they kissed again for a few moments. Her lips were soft, and with his good hand he caressed her chocolate curls before she sat up and moved away.

He watched her as she picked up her handbag to go, smiling coyly at his shyness, and moved down to plant a kiss on his forehead, "Why don't you let me decide on what you do and don't deserve, right Percy Ignatius?" she then stepped back, and moved away, and Percy closed his eyes, savouring her scent of vanilla.