Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be posting in this type of forum if this were mine and I was making truckloads of money, but I don't make that much, and here I am, so guess what? Still not mine. Sigh...
A/N: Anybody who is familiar with the Callahan's universe will have seen by now that I've done a little re-arranging of the timeline there. In Spider's books, by this point in time, the gang have moved, lock, stock, and beer barrel, to Key West. I really really wanted Harry and Ginny to meet Mike and Doc. Alas, that wouldn't be possible if he were to head to Florida. Those who know the books already know why, and the ones who haven't read it wouldn't want the surprise ruined. In that vein, if you've never read the Callahan's books, then I envy you, still having that to look forward to. I very highly recommend them.
On another note, I would really like to thank my kind reviewers. I've truly been blown away by the response to this story. Jeanne, I was going to write an a/n for the previous chapter, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Rachel, I am definitely planning on keeping it going for a while yet. Xayne, you are absolutely right. Spider is da man. I don't know how many copies of the Callahan books I've worn out or given away to friends. I lost track about five years ago.
If you're interested in finding out more about Spider Robinson and all the denizens of Callahan's, go to my author profile, and you'll find links to some great sites with a lot more information.
Mission of Mercy:
Following Doc down the highway to the hospital, Ginny's arms wrapped around his waist, Harry wished this drive could go on forever. He could definitely get used to this. As they pulled into the driveway, he thought to himself that the talk they had planned would be coming a lot sooner than he had thought it would. He really needed to know if there was a chance that they could get together.
Snugged up against Harry's back, with her arms securely around him, Ginny felt like this was where she was meant to be. Her heart sang to know that she was the one he came to, to take care of the small patient they were to see. Somehow, without his saying it, she knew that he hadn't called anyone else before her. She remembered how evasive her mother had been earlier, when she had asked about Harry's letter. The look on her mum's face had been hopeful. Ginny thought there just might be a chance for the two of them. She felt a small sense of loss, as they pulled up outside the emergency room entrance, and they climbed off the bike, Ginny taking her bag in with her.
The three of them strode into the hospital. They were a mismatched group. Doc Webster was still dressed in professional looking clothing, still with the stethoscope hanging around his neck. Ginny was dressed in snug blue jeans, a green t-shirt, and a yellow pullover. Harry had on tight black jeans, a black collarless button down, black riding boots, and his black leather riding jacket, with the word 'Triumph' embroidered on the back, in red and gold thread. It was a good thing the nurse on duty behind the desk caught sight of Doc first, or she might have acted very unprofessionally, at seeing Harry. As it was, he distracted her without knowing it, as he was in the act of pulling his sunglasses off and tucking them away. Ginny saw the look on the nurses face as she saw Harry's vivid green eyes. She chuckled and shook her head a bit, thinking to herself about the stunned-bunny look on the woman's face. "Merlin! He has that effect even on some poor muggle woman who has no idea who he is."
Doc strode to the desk and addressed the nurse. "Theresa, what room is the Cooper girl in?"
"She's in ICU, room three." She shook her head sadly. "It really doesn't look good for her. Poor little thing. Only six months old."
Doc gestured for the other two to follow him, "Come on, take a look. See what you think." As they walked through, Theresa rose to say something, but stopped as she saw the looks on their faces. The young nurse didn't miss the look of hope in his eyes as he walked by her. She wondered what kind of specialists they were. Doc was only that brusque with people he respected. She offered up a small prayer, hoping they would be able to do something for the little girl.
They passed through to the Intensive Care Unit, and Doc led Ginny to room three. To one side of the door was a small sign, reading, "Cooper, Jeanne". Harry and Ginny looked through the glass at the little form laying there in the bed. As they saw her, their hearts went out to the baby girl. Neither of them realized that, as they looked on, their arms had gone to each other's waists. After a few moments, Ginny visibly pulled herself together and turned to the two men.
"I'm going to go in and take a closer look. I need to see how bad the damage is." She cast a quick silencing charm in the area around the door. "I'll do my best, but I can't guarantee a thing. Magic can do a lot, but..." Her voice trailed off at this for a moment. "I'll do everything I possibly can. If I need any help, I'll let you know. For now, just stay right here, alright?" At their nods, she turned and went into the room.
As they watched, she set her bag down on the chair next to the bed and pulled out an amulet. She muttered a quick spell, and set the amulet down next to the girl, to allow it to read her, and asess her condition. A moment later, a soft golden glow spread from the jewel at the center of it, brightened, then drew back down into itself. Ginny turned her head and gave an encouraging nod at the two men standing outside. As she turned back to her patient, Doc murmured to Harry, "She is an extraordinary young woman, Harry. Does she know how much you love her?"
Harry turned to the older man with a rueful grin. "Am I made of glass now? How is it everybody I talk to lately catches on so quickly to feelings I didn't even know I had until the past few days?"
Doc laughed. "Young man, it's almost impossible not to see it. I'll wager you two have been friends a long damn time, eh?"
Harry eyed the doctor speculatively. "Actually, we have. We've known each other for more than six years, now. She's the sister of one of my two best friends. She stuck by me through some very dark times." A shadow passed across his face, but was gone as quickly, to be replaced by a look of fondness. "I owe her more than I can ever say. She saved my sanity and my life." He added, almost to himself, "How could I not love her?"
The two men watched Ginny's graceful movements, as she ministered to the little girl. She wore a look that was both tenderness and a determination that they found fascinating.
The doctor turned to Harry after a few moments. "I'll tell you something. That young lady loves you. I saw it in her eyes when she came out of the fireplace. When you let go of her, she was almost disappointed. I saw the same look when she got off of your bike, too." He shook his head with a chuckle. "Son, if you don't tell her soon, you'll both explode. I'll be right back. Want a cup of coffee or anything?"
"Thanks anyway, Doc. I'll wait til later. I know the sort of things that comes out of some of those vending machines.", he said with a smile.
As the older man walked away, Harry turned back to the window, watching Ginny work. She paused, looking up at him for a moment. She gestured for him to come into the room. He went through the door. "How's she doing?"
Ginny put her wand away, and started packing up the other tools of her trade. "She'll be fine, now. I couldn't believe the shape she was in when we got here." She took a deep breath, and didn't say anything for a moment. "The poor thing really wasn't going to last much longer, the way she was. It was a near thing." The young witch looked up with a weary expression. "I'm ready to go now."
Harry took her bag and led her out of the room. He could feel her fatigue, and put his arm around her for support. By the time they got back out to the lobby, Doc had shown up and asked them to wait outside, while he talked to the nurse at the desk for a moment.
They made their way out the main entrance, looking up at the stars. Ginny was very aware of Harry's arm around her waist, and thrilled at it. They walked slowly over to where the old Triumph was parked. Harry reluctantly took his arm from around her, and strapped the bag back onto the bike. He got the helmets back out, and they waited for Doc to come back out. Ginny leaned back against the bike, relaxing, with her eyes closed. It was a cool night, and felt quite nice.
Harry studied the face in front of him. He couldn't believe how long it had taken him to realize what his true feelings for this girl really were. He resolved to let her know, just as soon as he could.
Doc Webster watched the two from the door for a moment. As he looked on, he could almost see Harry's parents, Lily and James. He thought to himself that, when these two finally got together, their love would outshine even that couple. Even without magic, he could almost sense the connection that was growing between the two.
He cleared his throat as he walked towards them, drawing their attention. "Are you two ready to head back over? I don't know about you, but I'm getting thirsty again."
Harry and Ginny put the helmets back on, and mounted the bike again. The engine started with a growl, and they pulled out onto the road, following him back to Callahan's.
A few minutes later, the two vehicles were parked once again in the gravel lot. Harry said to Doc, "We'll be a couple minutes, alright?" With a nod, the older man walked inside. The young wizard asked, "Do you mind if we stay out here for a few minutes?"
Ginny shook her head and said, "Not at all. It's a wonderful night. I can't believe how clear it is out here." They walked around the side of the building, in a comfortable silence.
After a few minutes, Harry took her hand and said, "Gin, there's a couple of things I need to say. If I don't say them soon, I feel as if I'll burst." She looked up at him with a curious expression on her face. He hesitated, for just a moment, visibly gathered his courage, and said "I don't know any other way to say this, so I'll just say it right out. Ginny, I love you."
"Harry, I..."
Harry placed a hand gently over her mouth for a moment. "Please, just let me finish. This is hard enough for me to say, as it is." She nodded, signaling him to go on. "I don't know when it started. At the moment, I don't think it even matters. All I know is that, at some point over the past couple years, I realized at some level, whether I consciously knew it or not, I needed you around. When I think back on it now, I realize that my day couldn't be complete, unless I had talked to you, heard your voice, or better yet, your laugh." With a tender look, he tucked some strands of her hair back behind her ear. "I remember, about six months ago, Malfoy made some snide comment about you. I don't even remember what it was now. All I know is, the next thing I knew, there were four members of the D.A. prying me off of him, and I had three weeks of detention. McGonnagal was pretty upset with me, until somebody told her a couple of days later what ferret-boy had said. After that, I spent the rest of detention with her helping me with my transfiguration homework." Harry laughed a little at the memory, then said, "The thing is, it wouldn't have mattered. I would've still done it, even if I'd had to spend the rest of the time helping Fluffy with oral hygiene." Ginny had heard about the humongous three-headed dog, and the mental image of Harry brushing three sets of teeth continuously was enough to make her giggle for a moment. "That's because it would have been for you. Ginevra Weasley, I love you, and I think I always have." He moved in and with his hands gently touching the back of her neck, pulled her in close, for a long, slow kiss. When he broke off a minute later, he moved back. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I know you got over the crush you had on me a long time ago. I just had to get this off my chest. I understand if you don't feel the same." With this, he started to turn away.
Ginny grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "Harry, you idiot! Get back here! I love you, too! Do I have your complete, undivided attention, now?" Harry nodded, a dumbstruck expression on his face. "Yes, I got over the crush I had on you. Quite a little while ago, as a matter of fact. I even thought I could get over you. That's why I went out with half the prats in my year, and a few from the year behind me. Do you know why none of them lasted? They weren't you. With every boy I dated, there was something that didn't measure up. Whether it was looks, attitude, the way they acted when they were around me, there was always something that wasn't right. It wasn't until a year ago, that I realized that, even though that silly school-girl crush was gone, what had taken it's place was really love, this time. By that time, however, we were already such good friends, that I didn't want to risk losing that. So, I pushed it back, just as far as I could, so I could continue to be the friend that you needed. With Ron and Hermione a couple, they weren't always around for you to go to. I knew how badly you needed somebody you could talk to, somebody you could confide in. Especially after that damned prophecy came out, and everybody started staring. I know how much you've always hated being the center of that kind of attention." She shook her head. "You will never know what it did to me to watch you and Cho Chang, when I knew the only thing she cared about was how famous you were, and how she thought she could talk to you about Cedric. Only problem was, if anybody mentioned Cedric around her, she turned into a bloody faucet, with the handle stuck open." Ginny gave a sour laugh. "I never knew it was possible to cry that much without dehydrating yourself. The point is, if she had cared about you, Harry, not the Boy Who Bloody Lived, I think I would have been able to let you go. As it was, though, I saw what she was after. I knew she would never feel about you the way that I do. I love you. I think I always have, and I know I always will."
With this, she pulled him down to her for a kiss. It started out slow, tender, then became more passionate, truly expressing the depth of their emotions, in a way that words could never do.
A while later, they broke apart, with looks of amazement. Harry stayed bent over, his forehead touching hers, as they looked deep into each other's eyes. A smile slowly broke over his face and he said, "Hell of a night, eh?" They both started laughing as he took her hand and started walking her over to the front of the building.
They walked through the door. As they approached the bar, Doc Webster caught Harry's eye, and gave him a grin. He came walking over and said, "Hey Harry, ever hear the one about the talking dog?" As Harry was about to answer, he heard a voice from near the floor, saying, "Doc, vould you giff it as rest already?" The young man started as he realized that the voice came from a German Shepherd curled up on the floor. "If he doesn't vatch it, hes gonna get a bite on the ass." The dog laid his head back down, and seemed to go back to sleep. Harry turned to his new girlfriend with a grin on his face. "Is he Sirius?" Ginny stared at him with a shocked looked on her face. This was the first time in too long that she had heard him joke about his godfather. Suddenly, she started giggling, and couldn't stop. Harry grinned back at her. Somehow, Doc realized he had just been out-punned, and, determined not to let that happen, started telling a very involved story, the punch line of which had everybody groaning when they heard it.
Mike Callahan looked out from behind the bar with a grin on his face. He lit up one of his trademark cigars, stinking the place up to high heaven.
"That's what I like to see, dammit. A place that's merry."