Chapter Four

Draco slept through recovery. When he awoke the following morning, he was in a hospital bed. The side rails were up, and he was hooked to a machine. He closed his mind and tried to clear his mind. What the hell had happened to him? He couldn't remember.

It was past ten o'clock when he opened his eyes again. She was there, standing beside the bed, pulling the sheets up around his waist. Amber Eyes. He hadn't imagined her after all.

She looked different today. She was still dressed in surgical scrubs, but her hair wasn't hidden underneath a cap. It was down around her shoulders, and the color was a deep, rich auburn.

She was much prettier than he remembered.

She noticed he was awake. "Good morning. How are you feeling? Still a little drowsy?"

He struggled to sit up. She flicked her wand. The head of the bed slowly rose. Draco felt a tugging in his side and a mild stinging sensation.

"Tell me when."

"That's good," he said. "Thanks."

She picked up his chart and started writing while he blatantly stared at her. He felt vulnerable and awkward sitting in bed in a hospital gown. He couldn't think of anything clever to say to her. For the first time in his life he wanted to be charming, but he didn't have the faintest idea how to go about it. He was a die-hard workaholic, and there simply hadn't been room for social graces in his life. In the last four years- since his wife's death- he had become blunt, abrasive, and to the point because it saved time, and Draco, these days anyway, was always in a hurry to get things done. This sudden turnabout surprised him. He actually wanted to be charming. Go figure. Still, Draco thought he could manage it. Yeah. Charming was definitely doable.

"Do you remember what happened last night?" she asked, glancing up from her notes.

"I had surgery."

"Yes, your appendix was removed. Another fifteen minutes and you definitely would have ruptured."

"I remember bits and pieces. What happened to your eye?"

She smiled as she started writing in his chart again. "I didn't duck fast enough."

"Who are you?"

"Dr. Weasley."

"Ginny?"

"Excuse me?"

"Someone called you Ginny. You're Ron's little sister."

Ginevera closed the folder, and tucked the quill back into her pocket. She gave him her full attention. The surgical nurses were right. Draco Malfoy was gorgeous… and sexy as hell. But none of that should matter. She was his physician, nothing more, nothing less, yet she couldn't help reacting to him as any woman would naturally react to such a fit specimen. His hair was sticking up and he needed a shave, but he was still sexy. There wasn't anything wrong with noticing that… unless, of course, he noticed her noticing.

"You just asked me a question, didn't you?" She drew a blank.

He could tell he rattled her, but he didn't know why. "You're Ginny Weasley?"

She nodded. "Yes. The staff calls me Ginny. Its short for Ginevra."

"Ginevera's a pretty name."

"Thank you."

It was all coming back to Draco now. He was at a party, and there was this beautiful woman in a slinky black evening gown. She was breathtaking. He remembered that. She had killer amber eyes and there was some singer with her. No, that couldn't be right. Obviously, his head hadn't cleared yet.

"You were talking to me… after the surgery," he said.

"In recovery. Yes," she agreed. "But you were doing most of the talking." She was smiling again.

"Yeah? What did I say?"

"Mostly gibberish," she said.

"You took my wand. Where is it?"

"Locked up in the hospital safe with your other personal possessions. Dr. Cooper will make sure you get them back before you leave. He's going to be taking over your care. You'll meet him in a little while when he makes his rounds."

"Why?"

"Why what, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Draco," he corrected. "My name's Draco."

"Yes, I know. I remember you from Hogwarts. And by the way, the answers no. I won't marry you. You were very talkative whilst in pre-op."

He smiled, sure she was joking. "I don't remember being in pre-op. I remember the pain though. It hurt like a son of a…"

"I'm sure it did."

"You did the surgery, didn't you? I didn't imagine that?"

"Yes, I did the surgery."

She was backing out of the room. He didn't want her to leave just yet. He wanted to find out more about her. Hell, he wished he were more adept at small talk.

"Wait."

She stopped. "Yes?"

"Water… could I have a glass of water?"

She went to the bedside table, poured a tiny bit of water into a glass, and handed it to him. "Just a sip," she said. "If you get nauseated and throw up, you'll mess up my stitches."

"Okay," he said. He took a drink and handed the glass back to her.

"You don't look old enough to be a surgeon." Stupid, he though, but it was the best he could come up with at the moment.

"I hear that a lot."

"You look like you should be in college." That statement, he decided, was worse than stupid.

"Dr. Weasley? May I interrupt?" A male aide was standing in the hallway, shifting a large cardboard box under his arm.

"Yes, Bobby?"

"Dr. Cooper filled this box with medical supplies from his office for your clinic," the young man said. "What do you want me to do with it? Dr. Cooper left it at the nurses' station, but they wanted it moved. It was in the way."

"Would you mind taking it down to my locker?"

"Its too big, Dr. Weasley. It won't fit. It isn't heavy, though."

She glanced around, then looked at Draco. "Would you mind if Bobby left my box here? My father will carry it down just as soon as he arrives."

"I don't mind," Draco said.

"I wont be seeing you again. I'm going home today, but don't worry. You're in good hands. Dr. Cooper's chief of surgery here and he'll take good care of you."

"Where's home?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole."

"Whats that?"

She smiled again, and he noticed the little dimple in her left cheek. "Home is a little town that's pretty much surrounded by fields and wood-land, and I can't wait to get back there."

"Homesick?"

"Yes, I am," she admitted. "I'm a small town girl at heart. It isn't a very glamorous life, and that's what I like about it."

"You like living in the middle of nowhere." It was a statement not a question, but she responded anyway.

"You sound shocked."

"No, just surprised."

"You're from a big, sprawling city, so you'd probably hate it."

"Why do you say that?"

She shrugged. "You always seemed so… sophisticated in comparison to everyone else."

He didn't know if that was a compliment or a criticism. "Sometimes you can't go home. I think I read that in a book once." He mused. "So, are you the town doctor?"

"One of several," she said. "I'm opening a clinic there. It's not very fancy, but there's a real need. So many of the people don't have the resources to get regular medical care."

"Sounds like they're very lucky to have you."

She shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm the lucky one." Then she laughed. "That sounded saintly, didn't it? I am the lucky one, though. The people are wonderful- at least I think they are- and the give me far more than I can give them," When she spoke, her whole face lit up. "You know what I'm going to like best?"

"What's that?"

"No games. For the most part, they're honest, ordinary people trying to scrape a living together. They don't waste a lot of time on foolishness."

"So, everyone loves everyone else?" He scoffed at the notion.

"No, of course not," she replied. "But I'll know my enemies. They wont sneak up behind me and blindside me. It isn't their style." She smiled again. "They'll get right in my face, and I'm going to like that. Like I said, no games. After the residency I just finished, that's going to be a refreshing change."

"You wont miss the big, beautiful office and all the trappings?"

"Not really. There are rewards other than money. Oh sure, it would be great to have all the supplies and equipment we need, but we'll make do. I've spent a lot of years getting ready for this… besides, I made a promise."

He kept asking questions to keep her talking. He was interested in hearing about her town but not nearly as much as he was fascinated with her expressions. There was such passion and joy in her voice, and her eyes sparkled as she talked about her family and friends and the good she hoped she could do.

She reminded him of how he had felt about life after his parents had passed away, when he'd started losing his cynicism towards life. He, too, had wanted to change the world, to make it a better place. But Victoria had ended all that. Looking back he had failed miserably.

"I've worn you out, going on and on about my hometown. I'll let you rest now," she sai.

"When can I get out of here?"

"That's Dr. Cooper's call, but if it were up to me, I'd keep you another night. You had quite a nasty infection. You need to take it easy for a couple of weeks, and don't forget to take your potions. Good luck, Draco."

And then she was gone, and he'd lost the only chance he had to find out more about her. He knew where her home was though. He fell asleep trying to figure out a way to see her again.