ight y'all so i'm basically laid up right now. i sprained my ankle pretty bad and have to be in a boot and walk with crutches. so for the next two weeks you might have sooner updates. this is a much longer chapter than i usually do, but it's one of my favorites.
chapter nineteen:
hermione stood in the doorframe, her hand over her mouth in horror as mr. steeple spoke. draco was coming around behind her as he stood.
his hands found her waist as he pulled her towards him, embracing her.
both looked at the older man in horror, tears pricking at everyone's eyes.
"we were in a taxi, riding back from dinner in the city. a car swerved in front of the taxi, our driver didn't see it coming until it was too late. the car hit the drivers side, hitting my wife and the driver.
"i was thrown into the passengers seat, avoiding serious injury, just a few bruises. my wife and the driver weren't so lucky. the driver," the old man paused, words seeming to fail, "he didn't make it."
"oh my god." hermione uttered, her head shaking in disbelief.
"and your wife?" draco urged.
"she's in the hospital, they're preforming some sort of operation on her. i didn't catch all the details, i was - and am - still recovering from the shock of it all." the man said softly.
hermione reached out and wrapped an arm around the mans shoulders, pulling him in for a tight hug, which he quickly returned. when they separated, draco invited the man inside for a cup of tea to calm his nerves.
hermione put the kettle on, and soon enough the whistle of boiling water could be heard.
they sat in silence as the tea brewed in their cups, each letting reality slowly sink in. hermione couldn't believe that a drunk driver would crash into them, and she couldn't help but worry herself over the well-being of mrs. steeple. they haven't known the couple for very long, maybe a month or so, but they had grown very close. draco was busy worrying over everyone. he couldn't help but notice the way hermione was worrying her bottom lip and how mr. steeple was stirring his tea absentmindedly. mr. steeple was still trying to grasp what had happened to his wife.
suddenly, hermione stood up and walked out of the kitchen, her footsteps echoing down the short hallway as she went to the bathroom.
once the door was closed, she slid down, her back to the door. her hands cupped her head as her elbows rested on her knees when she brought them up to her chest. a shaky breath left her, sounding slightly like a sob and feeling emotionally painful.
hermione knew that she shouldn't be so worked up over mrs. steeples accident. after all, they had barely known the old couple for a month. she couldn't help it, although she tried containing it. the woman had become a second mother to her, rescuing her from panic attacks and break downs when draco was out. the thought of the woman being gone was too much.
a small sob escaped the young woman as she ran her fingers through some lose strands of hair in her face, tucking them behind her ears once more.
slowly, she rose from her position on the floor and went to the sink. she stared at her red eyes in the mirror, taking a small handful of cold water from the faucet she turned on and splashing it on her face. the redness soon disappeared from her eyes and she dried her face and neck off.
unlocking the door, she was met with draco standing right outside the bathroom, almost running into the man as he startled her.
"are you alright?" he asked softly, cupping her cheek with one of his palms.
"i will be." hermione said, equally if not softer.
"are you, currently?"
"no."
"that's what i thought."
draco brought his face closer to hers, his forehead against hers. he had to bend down slightly to reach the shorter woman's face. pressing a gentle kiss to the woman's lips, he pulled away and looked her in the eyes, searching for something.
roughly, hermione grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him towards her. a grunt escaped him as he slammed into her. their lips mashed together in a passionate kiss, tongues exploring each other's mouths.
all at once, draco spun her around and roughly slammed her into the wall. it was her turn to grunt as her back hit the wall.
his hands trailed down from her shoulders as their lips moved around each other's. his hands reached the hem of her shirt and dug underneath the shirt, trailing back up and finding the fabric of her bra. his fingers lifted up the material of the bra and found her nipples, which he quickly took into his fingers and tugged on. her nipples perked and hardened as he tugged on them, and she had to try her hardest to stifle any moans that she would have normally let come out of her mouth.
hermiones hands drifted downwards, finding his pants as one hand drifted farther than the hem of his pants. his boner made a tent in his pants, making it easy for her hand to find his dick.
her hand wrapped around the throbbing erection, bringing her hand up and down slowly. draco had to do his best to block out the feeling she was causing in him. if he orgasmed he would have to change his pants, and mr. steeple would notice that for sure.
the pressure built up slowly in his balls as she increased her rhythm slightly. his hands grasped at her breasts more furiously as he started to orgasm.
cum leaked through his pants as he reached his climax. he tried to stifle as many moans as he could, but he did manage to growl out hermiones name.
he took one hand out from underneath her shirt and grasped at her hand that was jacking him off. he held onto her hand, making her move her hand much faster than she was, causing a groan to come out of his mouth. his hand went limp as his toes curled and his erection leaked out a second orgasm.
when her hand stopped jacking him off, his other hand rose back to her breasts, squeezing them and kneading at her nipples.
a small moan escaped her mouth, her head tilting back slightly in ecstasy. their lips never parted, not even when either of them needed to let out a groan or moan.
slowly, one of dracos hands fell down to the hem of her pants, sliding underneath that and finding the lace of her underwear. he slid his hand under her underwear, finding her pussy. using his thumb to massage her hardened pearl, he rubbed two fingers in a circular motion around her entrance.
he slowly slid those two fingers in and out of her entrence as his thumb continued to massage her pearl.
her feet rose up to her tippy-toes as he increased his rhythm to match the one she had used just a few seconds ago. she groaned quietly as his tongue slipped farther into her mouth and made harsh movements against the roof of her mouth.
after she had reached her first orgasm, both were tired and definitely needed a change of clothing.
"would you two accompany me to the hospital?" mr. steeple said after all three had finished their tea.
"us?" hermione asked incredulously.
"yes. my wife is quite fond of you, as am i. i think she would be delighted to see you when she comes out of surgery."
"alright." draco said, looking to hermione for confirmation, who nodded.
the three walked out of the hotel room once hermione had grabbed her purse and draco the car keys. they didn't take a cab, instead choosing to walk to the hospital, which wasn't too far away.
hermione and draco held hands, hermione feeling much safer with her hand in his firm grasp. the elder walked near them, his old bones making the journey.
when they arrived at the hospital, they walked into the er and went to the front desk. mr. steeple communicated with the nurse there and got three tags that gave them access to the waiting room in the icu.
each of the three clipped on the tag and walked through a set of doors to get to the elevators. they took one up to the floor that the icu was on, and were greeted by the sight of a waiting room filled with people with red eyes and tear stained faces. the woman at the desk looked at them somberly, her features contorted into a look of pure sincerity.
"how may i help you?" she said softly as they approached the desk.
"my wife, mrs. emily steeple, came in almost an hour ago for surgery." mr. steeple said, his voice wavering with emotion.
the woman clicked some of the keys on the keyboard in front of her and her head turned slightly to look at the monitor.
"yes, she is still in surgery." the woman said after a short pause, her voice sympathetic.
"oh." the old man whispered, tears pricking at the sides of his eyes.
"i'm so sorry, i wish i could provide more information, i'm sure our nurses and doctors are doing everything they can. feel free to wait here until someone comes out with more information for you." the woman said, glancing at all three of them in turn with sympathy written all over her face.
hermione nodded to the woman out of thanks and took the old man by the shoulders, leading him to a chair. a woman and child sat across from them, the woman's face tear stained and the child clutching to a stuffed animal dog tightly.
hermione offered a small wave to the child and a nod to the woman, which was received with a small, grateful smile.
the room was filled with eerie silence. hermione grasped dracos hand tightly, his other hand coming around to rest atop their joined hands. he gave her a small, gentle kiss on the forehead and then turned to stare at the floor, the sad faces being too much for him to look at.
hermione, on the other hand, looked at every face in the room with them.
there were men, women and children alike filling the room. some chairs sat deserted, the soft glow of the lighting illuminating them. others had occupants, mostly in groups but a few staggered singles.
there was the woman and child, a man, an older couple, a teenage girl, a family of three and a couple.
each person had some type of look about them, whether it was emanating off of them or a physical look that told a story.
the woman and child seemed to be either waiting for the husband or for another child. the man was either waiting for a woman or for a child. the older couple was waiting for one of their children. the teenage girl was waiting for a parent, or parents. the family of three was waiting on a child. the couple was waiting on a child.
you could tell by the way their faces fell when they looked at a child, or a man or a woman. the way their tears fell on and off, or a sob that escaped them occasionally, no matter how much they tried to stifle it.
some were covering their mouths, still absorbing the shock of it all, others sat with blank stares, leaving emotions at the doorway. each had a tear stained face, some worse than others.
clothes were torn in some places where you could tell that they got into an accident, others were still in pristine condition. some people had rushed outfits, hairdos and makeup.
hermione lingered on the faces of the children, the way they kept glancing up at their family in a desperate attempt to comprehend what was going on around them. none of them knew fully.
the teenage girl was the last that hermione looked at. she was younger than hermione, maybe fourteen at most. her blond hair was tangled and her arms covered in scrapes and bandages. her face was covered in tear stains, her eyes swollen and red from crying. she was worrying her bottom lip, a drop of blood showing from how much she was worrying it. her clothing was ripped in some places, hanging off of her body. her feet were almost bare, her toes poking out of holes in her shoes and dust and dirt firmly coating the material. she was looking at the ground, her hands clasped tightly together in her lap. it looked like she was shivering, which wouldn't be surprising given that she was only wearing a dirty, ripped pair of pants and an also dirty and ripped t-shirt.
hermione glanced at draco, who was staring at the ground, not wanting to look at all of the faces.
"hey, babe?" hermione whispered to him.
"yeah?"
"see that girl over there?"
"yeah."
"do you reckon she's had any lunch?"
"probably not."
"can i take her for lunch?"
"now?"
"yeah."
"sure, i'll stay with mr. steeple." draco kissed her knuckles. "stay safe, baby."
"thank you."
draco gave a nod in response as the young woman rose from her seat and walked over to the teen girl.
the girl flinched away slightly as hermione knelt in front of her, and she stiffened as hermione set a gentle hand on her knee.
"hi." hermione said softly, trying to get the girl to look at her.
"hi." the girl mumbled quietly.
"have you had any lunch?"
"no."
at the question, the girl looked up slightly, her eyes meeting hermiones for an instant before disappearing from hermiones gaze once more.
"can i buy you some lunch?" hermione paused, considering a question. "maybe some new clothes too?"
"sure."
hermione stood, extending her hand out to the dirty girl. this action had brought the attention of everyone in the room to the pair. the woman at the front desk smiled for the first time in a while as she witnessed an action of pure kindness.
the other people in the room watched as the girl tentatively took hermiones hand and stood on shaky feet.
the girl could have just barely been five feet tall, her clothes hanging loosely off her body.
she took some tentative steps forward before joining hermione in leaving the room and emerging into the hallway. she - once again - took hermiones gentle hand and they found the elevator together, taking it down to the ground floor.
when the doors dinged open, the pair walked out, the sunlight shining down brightly on the pair as they left the hospital.
walking into a clothes store, hermione led the girl to the girls section. they had walked in silence, hermione not wanting to scare the young girl. after all, she didn't know anything about her and she was just a stranger to the young girl.
the store was crowded, making them blend in. the girl looked relieved when the store was crowded, it meant people wouldn't be focusing on her.
the store was called loft outlet, and it was packed with people. there were multiple designated sections; children's, men's, women's and teens. hermione guided the girl to the teens section, bringing her to where it looked like there was the most girls clothing.
the young girl looked up at hermione, her mouth open slightly in disbelief that a stranger was actually being serious about buying her new clothing.
hermione gave her a small smile, eliciting the corners of the girls mouth to curl into an even smaller smile.
"see anything you like?" hermione asked softly.
the girl jumped slightly, but calmed back down after a moment. "yeah."
"where?"
"here," the girl said as she shyly walked over to a rack of long sleeve shirts. they were flannels of different colors and sizes. the girl pointed to a blue and green flannel, the sleeves especially long.
"do you want to try it on?" hermione asked, taking it from the rack.
the girl slowly nodded and took it from her extended hand. hermione led her to the changing rooms and she walked in one. hermione left to go look at more clothes while the girl tried it on.
she glanced at jeans, t-shirts, bras, underwear, socks and shorts.
"what size are you?" hermione mumbled quietly to herself.
"extra small," a tiny voice said from behind her.
"excuse me?" hermione said, turning around suddenly.
"you asked what size i am. i'm an extra small." the girl said quietly, her voice barely audible through all the noise in the store.
"oh, well thank you."
"how does the shirt look?"
hermione noticed then that the girl was wearing the flannel she had picked out. hermione smiled at the sight of the girl giving a small twirl so hermione could see.
"it looks amazing, we definitely have to get it."
"really?" the girl sounded stunned.
"yes, it looks good on you." hermione turned back around and grabbed a pair of extra small, whitewashed and ripped jeans that she had been looking at. "what about these?"
"those are cute."
"wanna try them on?"
"y-yes, please."
hermione handed the girl the pants, who then happily ran off with them to the dressing rooms.
as the girl tried the pants on, hermione walked around picking out different types of clothing for the girl. she had already made up her mind on something, and she knew that draco would be fine with it as well.
she picked out multiple pairs of pants, a few more shirts, some t-shirts, undergarments and shorts. walking to the dressing room, she saw the young girl emerge with both the flannel and jeans in hand. there was a tiny smile on her dirty face and her cheeks had more color in them.
"i picked out a few more things," hermione said, "i hope you like them."
"thank you." the girl said as the tentatively handed hermione the clothes in her hand. "do we check out now?"
"no, there's one more area of the store we have to visit."
the girl nodded as hermione took her hand once more and led her to the shoes section.
"shoes?" the girl asked quietly, looking up at hermione.
"i can see your toes through those ones, i thought it was time for a new pair." hermione said with a slight shrug.
they walked through aisles and aisles, finally landing on the expensive sneakers.
"how do these look?" hermione asked, holding up a pair of black air force ones.
"they're cool," the girl started until she saw the price tag, "but super expensive. i don't need that expensive of shoes. the cheaper ones work fine."
"no, i want to get you these." hermione said stubbornly.
"okay." the girl smiled a full smile, the biggest sign of joy hermione had seen on her face the whole - short - time she has known the girl.
five minutes earlier:
draco and mr. steeple sat in the waiting room, both anxiously waiting for any news about mrs. steeple. draco hadn't known the old woman very long, but she had become a very dear friend of his and hermiones.
"is anyone here for a emily steeple?" a woman in scrubs asked after pushing open doors near the back of the front desk.
draco hurriedly stood up, alerting the woman that he and mr. steeple were there for the old woman.
"she did alright during surgery, but we had to put her into a medically induced coma for her safety. we're monitoring her vitals and she is alright. you can come see her, if you'd like." the woman said softly.
"where is she?" mr. steeple asked urgently.
"icu room four."
"thank you." draco and mr. steeple said at the same time.
as fast as his old legs could carry him, mr. steeple followed the nurse to icu room four.
"dear god." the old man gasped as he walked into the room where his wife was.
emily steeple never looked so small. she had multiple ivs coming out of both arms, liquids in the bags attached dripping into the ivs. she had a ventilator coming out of her mouth, a machine having to breathe for her as she couldn't for herself. the bedsheet came up to her hips, her arms placed in her lap. her eyes were closed and her chest was rising steadily, but barely. the beeping of the machine monitoring her vitals was the only noise filling the eerily silent room.
mr. steeple walked slowly to his wife's bedside, taking a seat beside her. he took one of her pale, cold hands into his and pressed a gentle kiss to it.
"my wife, my beautiful wife." the old man mumbled as he stared at his wife.
the doors opened as a nurse came in to check her vitals. the nurse went to the opposite side of the bed then the old man - who seemed perfectly oblivious - and checked the numbers and signs on the machine.
"she looks all good," the nurse said, "visiting hours are almost over. you can come back tomorrow at noon and visit her."
the nurse exited the room and the old man stood. draco was still standing by the door in somber silence.
the old man left the room with draco at his heels, walking to the elevator and taking it down to the ground floor. he hobbled out of the hospital in somber resolve, his head hanging low and his old joints never seeming heavier.
hermione and the girl roamed the streets looking for somewhere to eat.
after a while they finally found a place to eat and they got seated in a booth. they were given menus and as they were looking over the food, a waiter walked over and got their drink orders.
the girl ordered orange juice, pancakes and bacon. hermione ordered coca cola and a salad.
when they got their orders, the girl ate hungrily. hermione couldn't help but wonder when the last time she ate was. the way she scooped food into her mouth so fast and gulped it up like she didn't know when her next meal would be scared hermione.
"who brought you to the hospital?" hermione asked softly, trying not to startle the girl.
the girl dropped her fork, the noise ringing out through the restaurant. she dipped her head down low, her entire body shutting down and closing off.
"i'm sorry, i don't mean to intrude, it's not my business." hermione said as she reached out to hand the fork back to the girl.
the girl took it in her shaky hand and resumed eating.
"what's your name?" hermione asked.
"grace."
"hi, grace, i'm hermione."
"hi."
they continued eating, grace scarfing her food as fast as she could.
"can i ask when the last time you ate was?"
"three days ago."
"oh my god, you must be starved."
grace nodded as she shoveled another bite into her mouth.
"do you have a place to stay?"
silence.
"any family?"
silence.
"would you come stay with me?"
grace whipped her head up at that, her eyes wide open in shock. her mouth opened slightly and then closed again. she looked like a fish out of water.
"s-stay with y-you?"
"yes, me and my boyfriend. we live at a hotel right now, it's super spacious. you can use the office as a bedroom, or we could convert it into a guest bedroom and you could make it your own. we have a kitten, her name is narcissa, but we call her nat for short."
"really, i could?"
"yes."
"thank you, for everything."
"my pleasure, now finish up so we can go get you settled."
draco got home later than expected after he took mr. steeple out for lunch. when he walked into his hotel room, he was met with a sight that he didn't expect to see, but it honestly didn't surprise him.
he saw hermione and the girl from the hospital sitting on the stools by the island in the kitchen.
the girl was shorter than hermione by maybe a foot, but they looked somewhat similar. their noses were the same shape. their hair starkly contrasted with blonde against red/brown. the girl was still dirty, she obviously hadn't had a bath yet.
"hi." he said, making both girls jump.
"hi, baby!" hermione said excitedly. she got off her stool and stalked over to him, placing a quick kiss on his lips before returning to her stool.
"hi." the girl mumbled shyly, her eyes slightly wide at the sight of draco.
hermione picked up on how nervous the girl was around men so she put her hand on the girls knee to comfort her.
"draco, meet grace." hermione indicated.
"hi, grace."
"hi."
"do you remember me from the hospital?" draco said as he slowly walked over to the girl and knelt before her.
"yes."
"i won't hurt you, don't worry."
suddenly, grace threw her arms around dracos neck and buried her head into his shoulder. her body shook as she let out shaky sobs.
draco looked at hermione, who looked back at him. hermione gave him a small nod and he wrapped his arms around her, one of his hands patting the back of her head. slowly, she emerged from their hug and wiped her nose. she apologized quietly and let her head drop.
"no, it's ok." draco said as he took her chin between his forefinger and thumb, turning her head to look at him. "it's alright, ok?"
"ok."
"good. how would you feel about a bath?"
"that'd be nice."
"why don't you go pick out some of your new clothes to wear and me and draco will draw a bath for you?" hermione suggested.
"okay." grace said as she hopped down from her stool and ran to the office, where they had put all of her clothes.
"she doesn't have a family or a home to go back to. i felt so bad i had to take her in. i wouldn't be able to live with myself if i let her stay in that hospital alone and scared." hermione said softly to draco.
"that's," draco pressed a kiss to her lips, "ok," another kiss, "i," another, "understand," and another.
"thank you."
hermione and draco left the kitchen area to go to the bathroom at the end of the hall.
hermione worked on getting candles lit around the tub for lighting while draco worked on getting the water to a good temperature. when they were done with the bath supplies, hermione went to grab grace while draco stayed in the bathroom. he set out a toothbrush and toothpaste, a hairbrush, towels, soap and hair products, hair dryer and an extra robe.
when hermione returned with grace, the bathroom was set perfectly. the lighting was dim since only the candles were illuminating the room. the soft glow from the candles made the room an orangish hue. the items draco had set out were lined on the counter.
"call me if you need me." hermione said to grace before the couple walked out, closing the door behind them.
hermione was smashed against the wall, her hands tangled thoroughly in dracos hair. his hands were ravishing her body, running up and down her clothing to explore every inch of her.
their lips were engaged in a heated kiss, love being shared through passion.
draco slammed hermione into the wall again, her body hitting against the wall making her grunt. his hands found their way into her shirt once more, roughly tugging on her nipples. he could feel them or perk and harden under his fingertips as he played with them.
hermiones hands tugged back dracos head, exposing the skin on his neck. hermione licked the skin and placed kisses wherever she saw fit. she bit down on the skin around this throat, making a soft moan escape his gaping mouth.
draco ravished hermiones breasts as she moved her head off his neck and smashed her lips back into his. his hands slid around her breasts, his fingertips tugging at her perked nipples.
his boner tented his pants, sticking up against hermiones legs.
"i love you so much." draco said against hermiones lips.
"i love you too." hermione said.