Chapter 3: Jane Doe

The overhead lights were switched off, relieving the room of the persistently annoying buzz that accompanies neon lights. The only sound now was that of the soft puff of air escaping through half opened lips and the gentle beep of the machine that monitored the steady beat of the motionless girl's heart. The door to the hospital room slowly opened, displacing the darkness into the far corners. A head appeared around the side of the door and a nurse dressed primly in white uniform slipped through the portal.

Working efficiently she checked the still patients vitals making crisp, clean marks on her clipboard as she completed each step. Nurse Elizabeth Connolly, better known as Nurse Lizzie, smoothed the frizzled hair out of the young girls face by running her fingers through it. The heavy tresses had been shaved off long ago, the girls mass of hair was simply to difficult for the nurses to manage and so it had been removed. It was a weekly ritual for them now. Never before had they seen hair that grew as fast as this girl's did. She grazed a brown curl fondly with the tip of her finger. It looked like Jane was due for another haircut.

Making a final marking on her clipboard, Lizzie looked down at the sleeping patient with a wistful smile on her face. Jane Doe was such a sad case, she thought taking the forlorn seat next to her bed. The girl had been found in an abandon alley in an obscure town a short distance from the hospital. She had been brought in unconscious, alone with no form of ID on her. But was most strange was the way that most of her clothes had been singed away as if consumed by a fire but not a mark was on her skin. There had been no physical trauma to her body. No explanation for her unconscious state, and yet, here she was, months later still in a deep coma.

Lizzie settled into the chair, picking up Jane's lifeless hand. She felt so bad for the young girl. She couldn't be more than seventeen or eighteen and she had no one in the entire world. Without identification they had no way of contacting her family or friends and no one had come looking for her. This girl had no one, no one except for the two babies growing inside her.

Lizzie sighed wistfully. Jane was a complete bafflement to her. Like a puzzle she needed to figure out. How could no one have come looking for her when she was obviously loved by someone? And why was it that she hadn't woken up? To Lizzie it almost seemed like something so horrible had happened to her that her brain refused to let her wake up. It had been five moths now since Jane had been brought to them and during that time Lizzie had come to care for her even though she had never spoken a word with her.

The door creaked open again and another nurse poked his head through the half open door and flipped on the light switch just inside. "Any changes?" He asked when he saw Lizzie sitting, as he often did, in the chair beside Jane's bed.

She shook her head sadly as he moved closer to the bed and looked down at the young patient. "No. Nothings changed." She stroked the young girls hands soothingly. "Not a flicker of life in her."

Nate, the other nurse, came and stood behind Lizzie's chair and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "No one's shown up?" He asked, continuing with what had become almost a daily routine for the two of them.

Again Lizzie shook her head. "No. It's strange," Her brows scrunched in thought as she turned in the chair to look up and back at him. "It's almost like she appeared out of no where. No one saw her go into the alley, the only saw her come out."

Nate pursed his lips in thought. "I think it's strange that the father hasn't come looking for her yet. You would think he would want to know where the mother of his children is."

"Who says he knows she's pregnant. She's five months which means it had to have happened right before it was found. We don't even know how she became pregnant."

"But we know it wasn't rape. We did the test and…"

"I know." Tenderly Lizzie reached up and rubbed Jane's slightly swollen stomach. "I just feel so bad for her. She should have family and friends here with her."

Nate smiled sadly, giving Lizzie's shoulder another squeeze. "Well, at least you're here for her."

Lizzie brushed another strand of hair out of the sleeping girl's eyes. "All I know is that human contact can make all the difference in the world sometimes. These chairs should be filled with loved ones, and she doesn't have any. So, I'll be here with her when ever I can."

"As will I. Don't forget me, sweet heart. I care about this girl just as much as you do."

Lizzie smiled as she dramatically rolled her eyes. "Don't worry I don't think I will ever be able to forget the fabulous Nathan Shanks?"

"Bet your sweet ass you won't."

Lizzie chuckled despite herself. "Stop being such a Drama Queen."

"I am what I am, my dear, and nothings going to change that."

Lizzie rolled her eyes before focusing them back on the silent girl. Nate leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his best friend and pressed a chaste kiss to her cheek. "I'll sit with her while you finish your rounds."

The blond, curly haired nurse looked down at her watch than back at Nate with puzzlement. "I thought you didn't start for another hour. What are you doing in so early?"

"I knew you'd want someone to sit with her." Nate straightened to his full height. "I thought I'd do it for you."

Lizzie smiled her gratitude. "Thank you Nate." She gave Jane's hand one more squeeze before rising to her feet and flashing Nate her most grateful smile. No one else in the entire hospital seemed to understand her and Nate's connection to Jane Doe. They all thought they were a both bit barmy to be as attached as they were. But she couldn't help the connection she felt. At the door she looked back into the room one more time, and saw Nate sitting closer to Jane's bed, running his fingers through her hair like a father might his sick child. She smiled sadly. Yes, Nate felt it to. That feeling like this girl was someone special who need their help.

Lizzie slid though the door and let it swing silently back into place.


"All ways remember." Harry said to the portrait of the fat lady in the pink dress.

"And where have you two been?" The fat lady asked concernedly, putting her hands on her rounded hips. "That young sister of yours has been running around frantic trying to find you both. And what is it that happened to you. You're all banged up and scratched."

Harry sighed heavily. "Will you please just let us in?"

The fat lady tisked as she swung open allowing Ron and Harry to step up into the common room. Both were bone weary and aggravated after the furious admonishment they had received from Professor McGonagall upon there return to the castle. And even that had followed a reprimand from Kingsley Shakelbolt and Mad-Eye Moody.

Harry didn't understand why he and Ron were being treated this way. Yes they had left school grounds following a lead they had wormed out of Tonks on Hermione's wearabouts. And yes, it had resulted in them ending up in the middle of a fray between the Death Eaters and the Aurors who were trying to take over the dark strong hold. But damn it, they had both had a hand in bringing down the darkest being wizard kind had ever seen. Not only that, but they were both seventeen, of legal age. If they didn't want to come back to the school no one could make them. Only one person had the power to do that and that person was Hermione.

The only reason why he and Ron were still at school and not devoting all their time and energy into finding Hermione was because deep down they both knew that there was nothing they could do for her right now, but most importantly, because they both knew how important graduating was to Hermione. She would have wanted them to finish, no matter what happened to her.

And so, they were both still attending Hogwarts, working harder then ever. It seemed in her absence Ron personified some of her more annoying qualities like an unhealthy desire to finish homework well before it was due. He had also taken onto his shoulders the joined responsibilities of Head Boy and Girl as Hermione was gone and out of respect for her and all that she had done for the school, no girl had taken her place. And on top of his new responsibilities and all the course work he was accomplishing, he still found time to attend quidditch practice. He played better then ever, even though Harry knew his heart really wasn't in it.

Everything Ron did now, Harry knew, was because Hermione would have wanted him to. It was truly heartbreaking to see how empty and alone Ron was without her. In the wake of his loss he had reverted back to a Ron similar to the one that had been with them for most of the last year. And yet this one was different.

Last year Ron blamed himself for everything that had gone wrong. But this year, now, Ron wasn't to blame. They caught the culprit who took Hermione away from them. They just couldn't find the girl who was causing them all heartache.

"Harry!" The sound of Ginny's voice calling him from across the common room snapped him out of his gloomy thoughts. He turned just in time to see a blur of red before he felt her gentle arms circle around his neck and her legs go around his waist in a protective fierce, protective hug. "Where the hell have you been?" She asked as she pulled his face in close and kissed every inch of it she could reach. "You and Ron disappeared, and I couldn't find you. I was so worried." She pulled back enough to look him in the eyes and saw the healed cut that ran the length of his cheek. "What happened?" Her legs slid free of his waist. When her feet touched the floor she stepped back and away from him so that she could better look him over. "Harry. Ron." She turned to include her brother in her assessment. "What did you two do?"

"Nothing." Heat rushed up Harry's face as he tried to look away, hiding what he knew would be a guilty expression.

"You went looking for her again, didn't you?" Ginny crossed her arms sternly in front of her chest, perfecting a stern, angry glare.

"Ginny…"

"You can't keep doing this. What if something had happened to either of you today?"

"Ginny, were fine. Look," Harry held out his arms. "No harm done."

"No harm done? Have you looked at yourselves?" she screeched. "You're bruised and bloody. You ran into Death Eater's didn't you? Do you have a death wish, Harry? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Harry reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to stop looking for her."

"I know that." Tearfully she stepped into Harry's arms and placed her tear stained cheek into his shoulder. "And I wouldn't want you too. But every time you disappear like that it scares me. It wouldn't be so hard if I could come with you."

"No." Harry's arms dropped from around her. "Out of the question." He made a slashing motion as he took a step back.

"Harry…"

"No. It's not going to happen."

"Why are you being so stubborn?" She jabbed him angrily in the chest with one of her slender fingers. "I was there in the last battler wasn't I?"

"Yes, but…"

"And I made it through without a scrape, didn't I?"

"That's not the point…"

"So why do you think I am incapable of handling myself now?"

"I never said you were incapable of anything."

"But you've implied it. Every time you and Ron have snuck out of the castle without me you are letting me know that you don't think I am capable of taking care of myself."

"That is not why I don't want you with us." Harry's face darkened with his rising anger and agitation.

"So you admit it!"

"Ginny…"

"What is it, Harry? Why don't you want me to come with? You don't think I can handle it, do you?"

"No!"

"No you do or no you don't?"

"Ginny! I can't loose you too!" Harry shocked her into silence. He placed his hands on either side of her face and drew it in until their foreheads were touching. "I can't, Gin. I can't loose you too. I don't think I'd survive."

Ron watched the entire exchange with a heavy heart. Harry and Ginny reminded him so much of himself and Hermione that it made his heart hurt. This wasn't easy for him. He hadn't expected his best mate and his little sister to fall for each other, but somehow, when he wasn't looking, they did. And now he was forced to push aside his big brother, over protectiveness and pretend like he was all right with them being together.

He watched the way that they held tight to each other, clinging like their lives depended on it and suddenly he understood. Harry and Ginny felt for each other they way he felt for Hermione. All that other stuff, Ginny being too young, Harry always being in danger, all of it, didn't matter in the end. All that mattered was that they loved each other. And in that moment he knew he didn't want his best mate and his little sister to make the same mistake that he did.

"Harry," his black haired friend started at the sound of his name, having forgotten that he and Ginny were not alone.

Reluctantly he let go of Ginny and turned to face his friend, readying for the angry tirade he knew was coming. He was floored into unresponsiveness when instead Ron took several steps forward and placed a hand on both his and Ginny's shoulder and turned them to face each other.

"Don't worry about tomorrow." He said. "Savor every day, savor each other, for all its worth. Because the truth is, you never know when it's going to end. When something is going to take one of you away." He stepped back leaving the two to stare at him in utter disbelief. "I know what regret feels like. I don't want you two to ever know what that feels like."

He gave Harry a gentle nudge toward Ginny before he turned and strode toward the portrait that guarded the entrance to the Head's sweet that he had once shared with Hermione.

"What was that?" Harry asked when the portrait swung closed.

"I think," Ginny rapped her arms around Harry's waist from the back, resting her head on his shoulder. "that that was his way of giving us his blessing."

"No… you think?"

"Yeah." Ginny chuckled. "I think."