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SWEETER THAN A NIGHTINGALE
by Tyde

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Chapter Two

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His eyelids fluttered slightly but he didn't open his eyes just yet. A tickle in his throat caused him to cough and he heard a voice coming from someone sitting next to him.

"Try not to cough dear. Just breath normally"

It was at that moment that he realised he had a clear mask over his mouth that was feeding him oxygen. He felt...he couldn't describe it. Half like floating on a cloud and half like he'd just fallen off of said cloud and crashed to earth. He peeked through his lashes at the surroundings.

The woman sitting next to him wasn't at all familiar and finally he realised he was in a Muggle hospital and no doubt was being treated the Muggle way.

Why didn't the Mediwizards come? Why am I in a Muggle hospital? Where are my parents? What the hell happened? Ron hadn't yet remembered the events that had led to him being cared for in a medical facility; it would take some time before that would happen.

Urged on by Harry's words Hermione had gone into the operating theatre that day two weeks ago but despise her best efforts all she had managed was to stop the bleeding. It had saved his life that was true but she felt she had failed him with his other injuries because now it would take sometime for him to recover. Something he wouldn't have to go through if she'd been more experienced.

The nurse sitting next to his bed stood up and left as a familiar head of hair washed through his vision. A white-coated person leant down to his face.

"Ron? Ron, can you hear me?"

The voice of Hermione broke through his stupor and he tried to crack a smile. "Mione. What happened?"

"You don't remember?" She tried to hide the anxiety from her voice but she couldn't hide it from her face.

"No, but I'm alright, aren't I?"

She turned away from him and he started to feel sick to the stomach. She's practically a bloody Mediwitch. Then a terrible thought hit him. Oh bugger, maybe no one can fix me.

"Mione, am I dying?"

He heard her sniff loudly like she was sucking up tears and saw a hand raise as if to wipe her eyes and then she turned around. Her face was blotchy red, she had been crying.

"No you're not dying, but you almost did. Scared me half to death you did! But it's going to be a long process of recovery Ron. I'm sorry, I truly am, I tried to fix you but I couldn't do it. I just didn't know enough"

"Hermione Know-it-all Granger not knowing enough? Bollocks. You know everything I reckon and if you couldn't fix it then it was unfixable I say!" his sudden change of attitude surprised himself as well as the doctor. "What happened?"

"There was a bomb in the underground. Several actually, explosives set up in every main station along the Central Line. They detonated at lunchtime, right about the time you would have been heading over to see me."

"That's right, me and Harry were gonna meet you for lunch. Bloody hell, is Harry okay?"

"He's fine," she smiled. Someone else entered the room but Ron couldn't see clearly just yet.

"Always more worried about everyone else than yourself weren't you Ron?"

"Harry!"

"Yeah. Alright there?"

"Alright" The familiar answer came back at Harry and he grinned at his friend.

Suddenly the intensive care unit seemed to be a wash of ginger as all the members of the Weasley family descended upon Ron.

Fred and George offered up some trick wands and a flower that squirted you with pumpkin juice when you laughed, from their ready supply at their newly opened magic shop. Bill and Charlie hugged their brother fiercely.

"Careful!" Hermione admonished, and Percy seemed relieved but still pompous - electing to shake Ron's hand.

Molly and Ginny stood in the corner sobbing quietly with relief. His father stood on his right side and clasped one of Ron's hands in his.

"Good to see your back with us son. Not too sure about all this Muggle medicine and ekeltricity but Hermione assured me that they are giving you the best care here."

He trailed off when he noticed the IV drip running down into his son's arm. "What's this then? Is there a plug at the other end?"

He fell onto his knees and started to follow the tube only to find it connected up to a bag hanging from a pole that was indeed plugged into the wall.

"It regulates the amount of fluids being put into Ron's blood stream," Hermione explained as Arthur Weasley looked at it in awe.

"Does it hurt?"

"Can't feel it Dad. Didn't even notice it was there to be honest."

"What are all these people doing in here?" the night matron stood at the entrance to the IC unit with a look of thunder on her face. "He's a very sick man, Ms Granger I thought you would have known the rules at least. Get them out now!"

Hermione looked at the Weasley clan and Harry and raised her hands as if to say "What can I do?"

They took the hint, said a quick good bye to the patient and Hermione said she would keep them up to date with his progress. They hightailed it out of the hospital and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron for an overnight stay or two.

With all the excitement now over Ron let his eyelids start to droop again. These ceiling lamps are really rather harsh on the eyes he mused. Maybe a brightness softening charm would work. But he didn't have on his robes that would have his wand concealed in a fold for easy access, instead he was wearing what appeared to be a sack with a hole for heads and arms that tied in the back.

He suspected he wasn't wearing underpants and wondered who it had been that had removed his clothes in the first place. Ron also could see no sight of his wand and silently queried if it had been destroyed in the blast. Hermione was now sitting by his side, both her hands encasing one of his. She looked at him solemnly as if this was his funeral and she was saying her last good byes.

"Am I going to be okay, really Hermione?" his face was serious just like in first year when he was playing wizard's chess and her and Harry had been pieces.

"Eventually Ron, but it's going to take time. Physical therapy, you almost lost your leg, not to mention that lung of yours."

"Wondered why it hurt to breathe," His grin was classic Ron but she could tell that he wasn't really joking. A hint of pain was evident in his eyes.

Hermione put her stethoscope on his chest, checking to see if his lungs were clearing up or if he had some fluid on them. Thankfully they were clear and the pain was obviously just run of the mill pain and not get him into surgery now pain.

"I can give you something for that Ron, an injection." She started to prepare the syringe, careful to make sure that no air bubbles had gathered in it.

A suspicious look crept onto his face. He didn't really trust Muggle medicine and this was further supporting his theory that it was and primitive.

"You're gonna stick that metal thingie in my arm?"

"Just the tip of it, it just helps the liquid go in, the metal won't stay there, and it doesn't hurt" She was so matter of fact about everything that it relaxed him.

He looked mightily relieved at that admission. "Oh. What's the liquid?"

"Morphine, makes you sort of loopy for a while, but it makes the pain go away, or it's supposed to. Most of the time it just distracts you from the pain and you don't care about it anymore."

"Alright then, suppose it beats Madam Pomfrey's icky tasting painkiller potions any day." He let her swab his arm clean, closed his eyes tightly and then felt the jab of the needle. His eyes flew open in shock. "Mione you said it wouldn't hurt!"

"Honestly Ronald Weasley, you've had worse, do grow up."

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Author's note:  Laheara - yep I definitely wrote more! It's a work in progress so when I come up with new chapters then I'll put them up here. Thanks for the praise! I hope the rest of it lives up to your expectations. It'll probably only run for five or so chapters though. Not going to be a huge one.

paula – Thanks for the kind words. I tend to be fairly quick with updates (unless I'm off on holidays and aren't at work cause that's when I update – at lunch times of course!) so you shouldn't have to wait too long for more!