Disclaimer: I disclaim.

Fallen Angel

Ch. 3 – The Hospital

After situating Harry in a more comfortable position for everyone, a few moments of near panic, many unsuccessful attempts at waking him, and several hours of disturbed silence, they finally reached their destination. The bustling, modern day city home to nearly one million people: Diagon.

Draco had been born and raised here. This city was the base of operations for Malfoy Inc., the company he was the sole heir of. Diagon was also a city that was caught up with the twenty-first century, unlike so many rural towns lost in the nineteenth.

But that was beside the point.

Right now Draco was in his bed, blissfully unaware of the occurrences of elsewhere.

John and Bill were in the waiting room of the Malfoy Inc. hospital engaging themselves in a very boring and cliché activity known as…waiting. They were chosen for this through a very unlucky round of drawing straws. Everyone had wanted to get home and rest after they got back so John and Bill were rather putout to be left in the obnoxiously sterile building.

The reason for their confinement was simple: Harry Evans.

As soon as the train had stopped at Diagon Station the six men from Malfoy Inc. had hopped off and rushed the unconscious boy to the hospital. After the excitement wore off and Harry was checked in it was time to pick who would stay and who would sleep in their own beds. The results were not pleasing to John and Bill.

Hours had passed and it was closing in on two in the morning. No one had felt the need to tell them anything about Evans and both knew it was because they would only tell Draco. That was one of the most infuriating things about the whole mess. Only Draco would get the information and yet, Draco wasn't here. John and Bill weren't here to get regular updates on the boy's condition rather, they were here incase he suddenly up and died, which seemed an unlikely occurrence. But they waited none the less.

"Hey, John?" A very sleepy Bill called to his right.

"Hmm?" Came the equally drowsy reply.

"Why the fuck are we here again?" Bill asked, squinting his eyes against the harshly bright lights of the waiting room.

"The goddamned straws."

Bill groaned and shifted in his chair. "But why are we here? They're never gonna tell us anything." John sighed and sat up from his slouched position, rubbing his back.

"I'm getting too old for this…" Bill snorted half-heartedly.

"Tell me something I don't know."

"I know you and Jimmy had a nice little get-together a few weeks ago…if you know what I mean."

Bill's eyes widened and he nearly fell out of his chair in shock. "What? How did you know that!" John smiled smugly to himself.

"I know many things. But I didn't know you were gay…" Bill groaned again and put his head in his hands.

"I'm not gay. I'm…open-minded. And we were drunk…sorta." It was John's turn to snort.

"Yeah. Drunk. That's it." Bill picked his head up to glare at the older man.

"What? We were drunk. We were!" John just smiled and shook his head. "Bastard."

"And proud of it." Bill leaned back in his chair again.

"What time is it?"

"Two seventeen." The red-haired man sunk further into his chair.

"And why are we here? Draco should be here. It's his responsibility. I should be in bed…" he moaned out.

"With Jimmy…?" John laughed as he dodged a box of tissues flung at his head. "Hey! People need those y'know."

"Shut up."

"No. And we're here, in this florescent hell-hole, because Draco is an evil git with nothing better to do than torture us."

"And sleep," Bill added.

"And sleep," the other man confirmed wistfully.

Two hours later brought about four o' clock and the arrival of news for the uncomfortably dozing pair.

"Sirs. Sirs. Excuse me. Sirs!" John and Bill jumped at the near-screech of the nurse and fought to wake up.

"Wha…?" Was Bill's intelligent question.

"I'm terribly sorry, Mr.…."

"Weasley. But call me Bill. And that oaf is John."

"Yes, well, the young man you brought in earlier, Mr. Evan's, he's, well, he's woken up." John and Bill let out sighs of relief that it was nothing serious.

"And…?" John asked, noticing her fidgety behavior and obvious distress.

"And he's…throwing a fit. He won't let anyone near him and he's flailing all over the place. He keeps saying things like, 'no' and 'don't touch me' and 'not again.' I thought maybe…you might know what to do. The doctors don't think it'd be safe, or beneficial to his mental state, to sedate him."

The two men sat for a moment, dazed at what the nurse had said. Suddenly John snapped out of his stupor. "Bill…" Said man looked over at him.

"What?"

"You go and try to call him down." Bill opened his mouth to protest but John cut him off. "He needs someone he knows, he's met you, and I have to go call Draco. This is something he should be told about."

Bill nodded and allowed the nurse to lead him quickly down the hall. John watched them disappear before turning toward the courtesy phone. Picking up the bright red device he dialed Draco's number from the small piece of paper it was written on. After several rings the blonde finally picked up.

"What? This had better be good," a sleep filled voice said.

"Draco? It's John."

"John? Why are you calling? It's…4 in the morning."

"Yes Draco. It is. I'm calling about Evans."

"Evans?" Draco seemed to become more alert. "Why? What happened? He's not dead is he?" Though Draco hid it well John could tell he was near panic. If Evans died Draco would have failed his mission, and his father.

"No." John could practically feel the relief wash over the other man. "But he did wake up."

"That's it? You called to tell me he's awake? You could have waited until morning for that," Draco said impatiently, annoyed at the disturbance.

"It is morning and that's not all. He's awake but he's freaking out."

"What do you mean 'freaking out'?"

"He won't let anyone touch him and he's destroying the room. I think you should get down here. Now."

"Fine, fine. I'll be there soon. Just don't let him hurt himself. Father will kill me."

"Alright. See you soon."

"Indeed." With that the other end went dead and John hung up the phone. He thought about going to check on Evans and Bill, but decided he'd rather not be on the receiving end of one of the boys 'struggle episodes.' One was too many in his opinion.

Bill grew more and more nervous as they got closer to the yells of hospital staff and the sounds of things hitting solid surfaces.

"Mr. Evans! Please calm down! He must examine you!" An elderly nurse screamed.

"No! Nonononononono. DON'T TOUCH ME!" This was followed by a terrified screech. The nurse led Bill to the open door way and his mouth dropped open.

Metal hospital equipment was strewn about the room, sheets laid tattered amongst the ruin, glass covered the floor and about twenty people were crowded around the walls.

"Mr. Evans! Stop that this instant," a young looking doctor commanded. Harry just picked up the Bible on his bedside table and chucked it at the offending man. The doctor ducked and turned red with fury. "That is it! Hold him down!"

Bill's shock wore off as he saw three large men walk towards the petrified boy. Harry's eyes widened to the size of saucers and he began to shake as hands reached out to grab him. As soon as the appendages made contact with his skin he began to thrash wildly, scratching on of the men on the face. This caused the male nurses to tighten their hold. "No! Let go! Don't!" Bill had had enough and stormed into the room shouting,

"Enough! Let go of him right now." When no one listened to him he grew impatient and the frightened noises Evans was making didn't help to calm Bill down. "NOW!" The three men looked at Bill, then the doctor. The latter nodded and they let go off the terrified boy. "Everyone out."

"I don't think that tha-"

"Out!" Bill interrupted. They all left without another word. Once the door closed Bill turned back to the bed. Harry was curled up into a little ball and whimpering pathetically with his eyes squeezed shut. "Evans? Hey. You okay?"

When no reply was forth coming Bill reached out his hand and gently touch Harry's arm. At the contact Harry's eyes snapped open and he jerked away, scooting towards the headboard.

"Hey, don't worry I'm not going to hurt you. Do you remember me? I'm Bill. You met me yesterday? With Draco?" Harry was still shaking but seemed to have calmed down significantly.

"Y-you mean, M-Malfoy?" was the shaky response.

"Yes, Malfoy. So you remember me?" A nod was his only answer. "Good. Are you okay?" Another nod. "You sure?" Evans nodded but hugged himself, trying to stop the shaking.

"Where are we?"

"The hospital. You passed out on the train." Harry's eyes widened slightly.

"I did?"

"Yep. Nearly gave us a heart attack." The black-haired boy lowered his head.

"Sorry."

"Hey, don't worry about it. All that matters is that you're okay now, right?" Harry looked up, into Bill's eyes, and after several seconds he smiled.

"If you say so." Bill couldn't help but smile back. Soon Harry looked away again and hugged himself tighter.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. I just…never mind."

"No. What?" Bill asked curiously. The younger boy looked at him and then looked away.

"Nothing important. It's stupid really."

"I'm sure it's not. Come on, you can tell me."

"Well, I sometimes need…I have to have…it just that I…," the small male stumbled out.

"You need what…? It's okay Evans."

"Call me Harry."

"Okay, Harry. Just say it, don't worry."

"Well, I need human contact sometimes. It keeps me calm. But it can't be someone I don't know. Strange people make me uncomfortable, especially when they touch me…" Bill smirked at the memory of the petite boy in front of him scratching a long line down one of the orderly's faces.

"I bet they do."

"Yeah, well, I told you it's stupid," Harry said, wrapping his arms more tightly around himself.

"No it's not. Scoot over." Harry looked at his suspiciously for a moment.

"Why?" Bill chuckled.

"Just do it. I'm your friend now right? Trust me." After a few moments of hesitation the boy nodded and made room. Bill walked over and sat down Indian style on the bed. "Hmm. Comfy," he commented dryly. Harry giggled.

They sat there for a while, side by side. Eventually Bill noticed that Harry was still shaking. Suddenly, without warning, Bill scooped up the light figure next to him and pulled him into his lap. A small squeak of surprise was his reward.

"What was that for?" Green eyes glared into his, demanding an answer as the owner of said eyes straddled Bill.

"Human contact. Now shut up before I change my mind and toss you on the floor," Bill said lightly, leaning back against the wall. Harry sighed but snuggled closer anyway, wrapping his arms around Bill's neck and feeling arms slide around his own waist.

"Bet you're some kind of pervert aren't you?" Harry asked into Bill's neck.

"Of course," the taller man replied, smirking. "But be warned, this doesn't leave the room."

"Mm-hm." Slowly, Bill felt Harry stop shaking. He was about to ask the boy if he was ready to let go when the door burst open, startling Harry and causing him to jump off Bill but to cling furiously to the red heads side.

Draco stood in the doorway, followed by John and the same young nurse from the waiting room. Silence reigned for several seconds before John interjected with one of his witticisms.

"Well, Bill. What will Jimmy say about this?" Bill glared but Draco decided it was time to say something.

"Bill Weasley. Please tell my why you were allowing Evans to straddle you…in the hospital." His voice was calm but his eyes spoke volumes. Bill was in trouble.

"Umm…"

"I'm sorry. It was my fault," Harry said softly, loosening his hold on Bill. "I asked him to." Draco turned to look at Harry.

"Asked him to what, Evans?" Shrinking back slightly Harry answered,

"I, uh, asked for a hug…" Draco stood motionless, blinked, looked at Bill, looked at Harry, blinked again, and smirked.

"A…hug," he repeated. "Okay then. Carry on," he said coolly, sweeping out the door. "I see I'm not needed here, I'll be going home now."

"Excuse me Mr. Malfoy," the nurse said politely. "We're ready to discharge Mr. Evans and we need your signature." Draco rubbed him temples.

"Fine. Lead the way. Get dressed Evans." Harry looked down, realizing for the first time that he only wore his boxers and a flimsy dress-like thing. "Come on Bill." Bill left the room, saying a quiet 'Later' to Harry.

Draco, Bill, and John followed Nancy, the nurse, to the front desk to sign Harry out of the hospital. They were silent on the way there. After all the documentation was in order Draco turned to John.

"John? Can you go pull my car around front for me?"

"Sure." Draco handed him the keys and turned to go down the hall. "Come on Bill."

"But I was going to go with Jo-"

"He can do it himself," Draco interrupted. Bill just nodded and started after Draco. "So, did he really ask you for a hug?"

"More or less," Bill answered cryptically, glancing sideways at the young blonde next to him and not liking where this was going. "What else would I be doing with him in my lap?"

"A few things come to mind. Just don't mess around with him Bill. It would be…unwise," Draco said seriously. Bill couldn't help but laugh.

"Wow Draco. Jealous much?" Before he could blink Draco had rounded on him and looked ready to throw him into the wall.

"I'm not jealous of you being straddled by some adolescent fuck-toy; I just don't want my father down my throat if you mess him up. No playing with the merchandise Bill. You know the deal." Draco was only vaguely aware that he was talking about Evans as if he wasn't even a human being, but was far too pissed off to care. Bill on the other hand seemed to care quite a bit.

"Look here Blondie," he started angrily, "I don't particularly care what orifice your father decides to go through, you can't treat the kid like a fucking piece of trash. And I'm not out to take advantage of him. I was just being nice. You should try it sometime," he finished coldly. Draco refused to let Bill's words affect him in any way and forced himself to calm down.

"So, what, you go in his room and he miraculously calms down and asks you for a hug?" Bill shifted a bit, put off by Draco's sudden change in temper and his question. He didn't know if Harry wanted people to know about his odd quirk and it didn't feel like it was his place to tell, but this conversation was going in a very bad direction. Besides, what could it hurt? Bill sighed.

"Fine Draco, you win. He didn't ask me for a hug." Draco blinked at the abruptness of Bill's confession. He wasn't sure if he should feel smug at being right, or feel disappointed in Bill for whatever it was they were doing. He decided to stay neutral.

"Then what were you doing?"

"Giving him a hug." Bill could see the annoyance rekindle itself in Draco's eyes and he knew what was about to come.

"You just said he didn't ask for a hug Bill. So cut the crap and just tell me what the hell was going on," the blonde stated coolly, trying hard to contain an outburst. However, Bill was finding Draco's aggravation rather amusing to watch.

"I told you. I was giving him a hug." Bill hid a smile as Draco's fingers twitched.

"Bill…" Draco said warningly.

"What?" was the innocent reply. Draco then saw what the taller man was doing: baiting him. Draco let out a deep breath and asked,

"Why were you hugging him?" Bill looked put out by the end of his game but answered anyway.

"He needed one."

"Why?" Bill shrugged, resuming the previously forgotten activity of walking with Draco not far behind.

"Something about human contact. Makes him calm or something." Draco was walking in silence for a moment thinking things over, when a thought struck him. He looked to Bill.

"If he needs 'human contact' then why wouldn't he let the doctors near him?"

"He doesn't like for strangers to touch him." Draco found this odd considering the line of work Evans was previously in but said nothing about it.

"Well, he'll have to get over that."

"Yup. But do you now fully understand that I was not trying to molest him?"

"Yes I do."

"Naturally by 'yes' you mean, 'Yes Bill, of course. How wrong I was to doubt you. I'm so sorry I let my insane jealousy and feminine emotions cloud my judgment.' Right?" Bill asked, using an unnaturally high voice to impersonate Draco.

"No."

"Aww, Drakie-poo. I'm hurt."

"Good." Bill pouted. "And don't call me 'Drakie-poo.' And I'm not feminine…or jealous."

"A little delayed on the 'jealous' there, weren't you?" Bill teased with a smirk playing on his lips. He was comfortable teasing Draco and he could do it without fear, which was something very few could boast. Bill and Draco had been something close to friends nearly since Bill had come to work for Malfoy Inc.

"Bill, I'm not now, nor have I ever been, jealous of you." This caused the red head to grin. "Evans concerns me in one way and one way only. It is my responsibility to personally deliver him to father, for whatever unfathomable reason, and that's it. There is no other attachment and there shouldn't be, seeing as how I met him just over 24 hours ago," Draco lectured.

"I know, I know. Don't get your panties in a wad," Bill said as he realized they had passed Harry's door quite some time ago. "Oops. We missed out exit." Draco looked around.

"So we have. And Bill? For future reference, don't talk of my 'panties.' Wadded or otherwise. I'm still your employer you know." They headed back down the hall.

"No you're not. Luscious is." Draco smirked at Bill's nickname for his father.

"That's Master Luscious to you," he said. The walked in silence for a few steps before Bill suddenly spoke,

"Hey, what are you going to do with him?"

"Who?" Draco asked, confused.

"Harry." This only served to confuse Draco more.

"Give him to father…?" Bill shook his head.

"Yeah but, it's only Saturday. You won't see Lucius until…" Bill trailed off, seeing Draco's frown.

"Shit! What am I going to do with him?" he said wildly as they reached Evans' door. Draco was shocked at himself for overlooking this one minor detail. What was he going to do with the boy for two days? He couldn't stay in the hospital…Draco was suddenly jarred from his musings by Bill.

"Take him to your place."

Harry sat on the hospital bed bouncing slightly. He was feeling exceptionally fidgety and nervous about the small white, and recently cleaned, room he now found himself in, but he was also glad that it wasn't the dark and gloomy room he was used to. He was still apprehensive however, because he had no idea what was to become of him. The explanation he had been given by Malfoy had left something to be desired. 'My father has sent for you' didn't really say much. His 'father' could want Harry to be his own personal plaything for all anyone knew.

Harry looked around the room once more.

The people he had met so far had seemed nice enough. Not one of them had tried anything. Aside from the one called John carrying him on a horse and Bill hugging him, no one but Malfoy had touched him at all. Harry didn't know if he should be thankful or nervous about this.

Malfoy had said that he had to deliver Harry to his father himself. Harry took this to mean that the older Malfoy wanted him untainted. Well, Harry thought to himself, it's a little late for that.

Harry had increased his bouncing on the surprisingly spring bed when he heard a loud 'What?' from the other side of his door, which caused him to fall off into the nightstand next to the bed. After he, the table, and the glass vase has all toppled to the floor with a loud crash the door to his room opened and two people entered.

"Shit, Harry, are you okay?" the, now familiar, voice of Bill asked. Bill himself appeared next to the fallen boy only seconds later, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah. Just fell." Bill looked him over quickly, checking for any injuries.

"Well, the glass got your arm a bit," he said, lightly holding said appendage.

"It's fine." Bill dropped the arm and walked towards the door.

"I'm gonna go get a bandage or something. I'll be right back." With that he left. Harry looked at the door before turning to Draco.

"Hello again."

"Hello." Harry shifted.

"Sorry I passed out on the train," he offered uncertainly. Draco shrugged.

"It's fine. Sit down." As he said it Draco sat down on the chair next to Harry's bed and watched as the smaller boy climbed on top of it. "Bill told me." Startled eyes met his.

"Told you what?" Evans asked.

"About why you were in his lap."

"And…what did he tell you?"

"That you need human contact." Harry let out a breath of relief that Bill had told the truth and hadn't made up some story that involved…something else.

"Yeah…" An awkward silence settled before Draco took it upon himself to speak.

"So I signed the discharge papers…" Harry felt compelled to respond.

"Mmm."

"I'll be taking you to my father on Monday." Harry nodded before he realized that it was only Saturday morning.

"So…I'm staying here then?" Draco shook his head.

"I already signed you out remember?"

"Then…?"

"You'll be coming home with me." Harry sat still and simply stared at Draco with a dumbstruck expression for a few seconds.

"What?"

"I'll be taking you home as soon as you are bandaged," Draco said, indicating Harry's arm.

"Home?"

"Yes. To where I live." Bill chose this moment to reenter the room, carrying a first aid kit.

"Sorry it took so-" He was cut off by Harry doing the only thing he could think of to do in a situation like the one he currently found himself in: running. Bill was pushed out of the way as the raven-haired boy sprinted out the door and down the hall into the huge, potentially hazardous hospital beyond. Bill turned, bewildered, toward Draco for an explanation but the blonde looked just as befuddled as he did. "What happened?"

"I have no idea." Bill looked back at the door and both stared at it for a moment, expecting Harry to pop back inside, before they simultaneously realized that he wasn't coming back and that he was now lost somewhere inside the ridiculously large building or, even more frightening, somewhere outside in the ridiculously dangerous city.

"Well, I'd better go tell John that we won't be leaving for a while."