Chapter 2
They went into Harry's room. He looked awful with the way he was hooked to machines. He was intubated to help him breathe… Ginny sat beside him and looked determined to stay so Ron and Hermione left them alone.
"Oh Harry…" Ginny said watching Harry who had been given a sleeping draught.
Ginny watched him breathe for a while before she fell asleep in the chair. Alexander came in and picked Ginny up. He then transfigured the bed into a comfy bed and laid her back on it.
"So this is who he was mumbling about… Well, she's wearing the ring so I guess she said yes Mr. Potter…" Alexander smiled and walked out. "Drake could use a woman… he seems so distant and cold still. Hates me for saving him I guess. That boy… I thought he'd change." Alexander glanced at the pale boy with blonde hair that covered his eyes. "Hmm… maybe I should have forced him into action. Seeing the death of Andre might have straightened him up… even though Andre was a traitor." He noticed Drake grab something and realized it was beer. "YOU KNOW THAT IS NOT ALLOWED!" Alexander bellowed and the container got so hot Drake dropped it and it smashed. Drake shoved past Alexander a minute later.
"I'm off to Hogsmeade. Maybe I'll find that woman I could use." Drake sneered.
"Drake… please… Have I taught you nothing?" Alexander demanded
"YOU IGNORED ME TILL I BROUGHT BEER HOME! You were LOUSY!" Drake yelled.
Alexander stalked up muttering something like 'too much negative' and shoved Drake onto his ass. "YOU LISTEN HERE! This is a hospital so stop screaming! You had better straighten up… I'll send you home as violating your extended parole and you can live in The Pit… maybe that will fix you." Alexander grabbed Drake's collar and shoved him up against the wall. "I have done nothing but be kind and give you shelter and freedom from the Pit and this is how you repay me?!?! GO! GO FROM HERE! YOU ARE NOT WANTED ANYMORE… I thought you had potential… your name will be burning off the parchment soon I hope you realize. You know what you swore and you've done nothing to prove this… didn't your mother and father's deaths prove anything to you?" Alexander threw him towards the door. "I will be filing the report… I do wish you well but you wish yourself pity and are nothing but a sniveling coward who won't have the guts to trade his old life away." Alexander snarled then. "Pathetic." Alexander pointed at the door and Drake looked awful as he skulked out of it. Alexander shook his head sadly and went back to the office.
"Why wouldn't he tell us any of the other symptoms he was having?" Ron asked Hermione.
"I don't know." Hermione said.
"Why is it always him?!?!" Ron asked
"I wish I knew… Let's rest… we can go in the morning." Hermione said and they went to the bedroom and laid down to sleep.
Drake walked out the Inn at 3 that morning. He had a blonde witch on his arm and looked quite drunk. "You enjoy *hic* tonight?"
The witch smiled, then frowned, and settled on looking quite scared. "MY HUSBAND!"
"Your HUH?" Drake hiccupped and saw the black haired man stomping towards them and recognized him as head of the Department Of Defense. He could not recall his name but suddenly he sobered up. "You have a husband?" She nodded "And we…"
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY WIFE!" The man yelled reaching them finally.
"GRANGER!" A voice yelled through Hermione's flat. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" The owner of the voice moved into the adjoining apartment and yelled again. She heard a surprised grunt and screech followed by two rather loud thumps. "Hermione there's an emergency at the Hospital get out here."
Hermione scuttled out in her Hospital robes. "What is it?"
"Some woman brought this man in and he looked as though he'd been ran over by a train." The woman said.
"Alright Crystal… I'm coming… let me get my kit and I'll be there in a minute at most." Hermione said and scrambled off to get her kit.
"He is in bad shape. His skull is cracked… His ribs don't seem to resemble ribs anymore. His arms are broken and so is his left ankle. His kidneys took a lot of hits… broken jaw, nose, cheekbones… He's stable though and he should be ok." Hermione said and she could smell the stench of beer on him. "Who is he?"
"We don't really know. The woman wouldn't say. She looked like she was getting a black eye and had a busted lip… she refused to let us near her though because of all those 'damn prying questions' and we couldn't talk her into staying. Maybe whoever knocked the shit out of this guy did so because he had been with the woman who was the attacker's wife." Crystal said. "That's sad…"
"Yeah." Hermione said. "So most of the breaks are fixed except the skull and the left elbow?"
"Yeah that was dislocated and twisted and the bones that form the joint are snapped… semi-splintered… that'll be a long healing." Crystal said. "Poor fellow."
"Yeah." Hermione frowned.
"I feel bad for him… finding out the woman he just shagged was married to someone and getting the shit beat out of him while he was drunk." Crystal looked sadly at the man. "I hope he wakes up we have to figure out who he is."
"Yeah we do." Hermione said.
Ron woke up and wondered where Hermione had gone and then remembered hitting the floor and Hermione saying she had to go to the Hospital. Hospital… that reminded him about Harry and Harry's… cancer. Ron winced. That word felt like trying to say Snape in a positive way. His best friend had that dreaded disease… How would they save him. They had to save him. Harry Potter was going to make his sister happy not make her sad. "Damn you Potter… you'd better get better…"
Ginny woke up in a bed and thought she was at her flat until she saw the walls were all white. "Huh?" She looked around and sat up remembering she was in the hospital watching Harry and wondered how she got in a bed. She looked over at Harry and was surprised to find his awake and having pulled the tube out of his throat.
"Glad to see you awake. What happened to me?" Harry asked hoarsely.
"Er… well… It's nothing good." Ginny frowned and bit her lip nervously like Alexander had. "You've got cancer from the spell that hit your chest."
Harry's face fell. "Cancer?" He looked scared all of a sudden. "How bad? Did you say yes?"
"Very bad. There are some solutions. They'll check you x-rays over and make sure if there is something they can do before the big procedures…" Ginny smiled. "But I did say yes and no Harry I will not change my mind. You will get better… I will see to it."
"But Ginny…" Harry stammered.
"No. I loved you during all the uncertainty with Voldemort so I can handle this too." Ginny said. "Besides… we know one of the best medi-witches in the world. And she's one of your best friends."
Harry sighed and then smiled. "I give up then. You win. I just don't want you to get your hopes too high… it feels like I'm working on one lung…"
"Oh Harry. I think they are gonna try something to get more space in the lung so you can breathe. And of course give you something better for that cough." Ginny said.
"Good I was getting tired of coughing myself into a headache." Harry smiled feebly.
"Harry… don't pretend… remember how that affected you with Voldemort you had yourself so fooled that you sunk into that depression a bit too deep." Ginny gave a stern look at him.
"Hey… how long until the press posts it? About today about my fainting and probably within the week about the bigger thing… I think I need to shove this stupid tube back down my throat. I hate it though don't they got the thing they put in your nose like I've seen on shows my cousin watch?" Harry hit the nurse button and Rosalyn came in. Harry held the tube up. "Is there anything more comfortable than this I can use to breathe?"
"I'll go check." Rosalyn bustled off.
"Wait a minute… that wasn't a nurse…" Harry said.
"Nope. She's the wife of the head surgeon. Alexander Phoenix. She's Rosalyn." Ginny explained.
"Oh." Harry said.
"You just rest Harry Potter or I'll leave." Ginny said. "You're too winded sounding to be talking so much. Lay down."
Harry put on a look of mock fright and laid down. Alexander walked in then and Harry stared at him. Something about this man seemed familiar. "Do I know you?"
"No you probably don't." Alexander said. "Let me just check you out." He went through the motions. "No change… well less oxygen since you took the tube out. Here." He produced an oxygen mask and made Harry put it on. "You'll get oxygen and can talk with it on. Don't take this off until I decide how to clear your lung."
"Yes, sir." Harry said mockingly. "How do I eat?"
"I'll let you know and you can take it off then." Alexander groaned. "Please stop challenging me Mr. Potter."
"Ok." Harry said and laid back again. Alexander left. "You go home and shower and eat and change and stuff I'm going to sleep a little bit… I did use my lung a bit too much." Harry yawned. "G'night Gin."
"Night Harry." Ginny said sadly and left to go change and stuff after Harry had fallen asleep.
