Can't Happen Here

Chapter 2: Receiving the Bad News

~*~

            The first thing Ron saw when he came to was Hermione's pale face. Her eyes were extremely red and some stray tears were gliding down her cheeks. The moment she saw him looking at her, she gasped with relief and quickly removed her small, warm hand from his grasp and wiped the tears away hurriedly. She managed a tiny grin and then hugged him hard.

            "Oh, Ron! I thought I was going to lose you!"

            Ron looked around confused. He took a glance at his surroundings. It seemed that about 5 machines were huddled around one side of his bed. A heart monitor was steadily bleeping and he had an IV attached in his wrist. A tremor went through him as he slowly turned to look back to Hermione, the memories rushing back. Chest tightness. Breathing inability. Screaming. Blackness…

            "What happened, 'Mione?"

            Hermione fiddled with a tissue in her lap, her chocolate brown eyes unable to meet his steely blue ones. She just barely managed to whisper out a response.

            "You started wheezing and you turned blue. You clutched your chest and then fainted. The doctors had to shock you and give you CPR. You almost died…"

            Ron was shocked. He hadn't thought that his mini "attacks" would turn into something so horrible.

            "What's wrong with me? Why did it happen?"

            Hermione shrugged.

            "The doctor ran some tests. He should be here soon to give us the results."

            Ron closed his eyes and struggled to keep calm. Immediately, the worst thoughts he could think of came rushing at him. Did he have cancer? Asthma? Something worse? He let out a big breath in a whoosh, commanding himself to think optimistic. Before he could reassure Hermione that everything was fine and the he was fine, a nurse walked in briskly.

            "Doctor Hastings is ready to see you now."

            Ron looked at Hermione, attempting to put a shaky grin on his face. This was his future and like it or not, he had to face whatever life threw his way.

~*~

            This was it. #206. Ron's fate rested behind that door. He sighed heavily as the nurse opened the door and wheeled him in. She had insisted on bringing him in a wheelchair, not matter how much he protested that he could walk. He finally complied after Hermione asked him to just go along with it. He barely even noticed as Hermione sat down in a chair next to his wheelchair. All he saw, all he could focus on was the grim face of Doctor Hastings. His chest rose up and down in great heaves, and his hands began to shake slightly on their own accord. The words fumbled out of him.

            "So…So what's wrong with me, Doc? I'm fine… right?"

            Doctor Hastings stood up slowly and turned off the lights and put two X-Rays on a little lighted thing. He pointed to the first one with a pencil.

            "This, Mr. Weasley, is your heart."

            Hermione gasped. It was humongous.

            "Is… is it supposed to be that big, Doctor?"

            Dr. Hastings sighed.

            "No, it's not. That's where our problem lies. Ron's heart is twice the size it should be and it is pushing against his rib cage, thus causing him to have breathing problems. It cannot send out all the oxygen it should and it is very slowly suffocating Ron."

            Ron's stomach fell to the floor. He couldn't have possibly seen this coming. Which 19 year old would? He was young and healthy. He worked out every day and was in perfect health. How could this have happened to him? He stuttered out a reply, a reach for hope, anything.

            "What can we do to prevent this from happening?"

            Dr. Hastings sat back down in his plushy office chair and sighed.

            "The only option we have is to get you a new heart and as soon as possible. We will put you on the waiting list and wait for a heart to arrive. When it comes, we will put you through surgery and take out your old heart and put in your new one. After that, we can only hope your body accepts the heart and everything functions right."

            "And how much will this cost?" Hermione asked timidly.

            Dr. Hastings turned his beady eyed look on her.

            "To get on the waiting list, 4,000 Galleons. For the surgery, say around 15,000 Galleons."

            Hermione gasped.

            "And what if we don't have the money?"

            "Ask your insurance to pay for it. If you can't pay for it, then we cannot do the surgery. Hospital rules."

            Hermione stood up in a rage.

            "You will let his die even if you have the heart ready and waiting for him just to get the money?"

            Dr. Hastings looked shocked.

            "I'm sorry. That's the rules. I didn't make them, so I can't break them. I'll call the nurse to bring you back to the room."

            He buzzed the button and left the room to treat other patients. Hermione turned to Ron slowly and was shocked to see tears running down his face.

            "How will we get through this, 'Mione? How will we survive this?"

            Hermione pulled him into an embrace and held him as they wept together. It was the beginning of a journey that would change them forever and leave scars in their lives for eternity.