Bella laid on the ground lifeless, unmoving and bleeding. Hermione threw herself onto the ground and pulled a bleeding Bella into her lap. "It's okay," she heard the older woman cough out, barely above a whisper, her voice strained with pain. Bella's eyes fluttered while Hermione attempted to stop the bleeding with pressure from her hand. Harry threw his button down shirt at Hermione who held it to Bella's chest while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. "Is it over?" more broken words came from the woman below her.

"Shh," Hermione said reassuringly, trying to hold back her tears. "Try not to speak. Yes, it's all over, my love. You are free."

"I'm so cold," were the last words spoken before Bella's eyes closed, her breathing strangled and her body went limp. Hermione clutched to her tighter, silently praying to anyone listening to save her girlfriend.

She didn't know it at the time but the next 24 hours would be the worst of Hermione's life. Time flew by in blur yet it seemed like time had stood still. When the police swept the scene, Hermione was ushered into the ambulance with her girlfriend as they were rushed to hospital. The brunette had refused to cry as the older woman lay motionless when the emergency team started various IVs, placed her on oxygen and tried to get her to communicate with them. Bella wasn't waking up but as the EMS told Hermione, "at least she's breathing."

"At least she's breathing?" Hermione nearly shouted in the guy's face. "How is that in the realm of consolation to her bleeding to death at this moment." Hermione turned her head, willing the tears to stay in her eyes. "I apologize," she said quietly and the two men nodded. "I feel helpless and I just don't know what to do for her."

"Let us worry about saving her and you just concentrate on staying strong. She's going to need you when she finally wakes up," the younger guy gave her a small smile before turning back to the machines and tracking Bella's vitals.

They arrived at the hospital and Bella was wheeled in through the emergency room doors while Hermione was stopped at the entrance by a hospital staff member. "You can't go back there with them just yet."

"What?" Hermione's eyes widened, "why not?"

"Hospital protocol." The nurse looked at Hermione with as much sympathy as she could muster. "You'll be allowed back there once they have her stabilized. If she needs emergency surgery, the doctor will come out for consent providing the patient can not consent for herself. Are you the next of kin?"

Hermione caught her lip between her teeth. Telling her that she was her girlfriend wouldn't be enough, "I'm her wife," she said quickly without thinking of any future consequences.

"Okay then," she held her pen to a piece of paper as the young woman gave her her name. "Okay, Mrs. Black, someone will come out to talk to you as soon as they have any updates. You can have a seat in there," she pointed to a very sad looking room full of crying people, a small tv, a communal coffee pot and a couple of vending machines. "Well this is depressing," she mumbled to herself making her way into the room and picked a seat in the furthest corner away from everyone. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Bella's sisters and Tonks to fill them in briefly about what happened and a follow up message to come to the hospital.

Over an hour had passed and nobody had come to give her an update. She was anxious and just about to go out and ask the nurse what was going on when she saw Cissy, Andy and Tonks come rushing into the room where Hermione had been sitting. She quickly got up and threw herself into Dora's open arms immediately letting out a flood of tears that she had been holding onto for the past two hours. She stood in the embrace until her tears had run dry. "I'm sorry, I've gotten your top all wet," Hermione sniffled.

"It's all right," Tonks pulled back to look at her friend. "I'd ask you how you are doing but," she motioned to the big wet spot on her shoulder, "I think this says it all. Let's sit?" The four of them sat at the little table in the corner of the room.

Immediately the sisters wanted to know what had happened so Hermione recounted the events of the night up until their current situation. "Nobody has told you anything yet?" Narcissa asked with a tone of disgust. "That's not good enough."

"Surely someone has some news," Andy added looking out of the window towards the nurses station where two women were sitting playing on their phones. "Uh oh," she said looking at her younger sister who was fuming. "Hold her back, Dora."

"Should I go out there and ask what's going on?" Hermione asked when the blonde started to rise from her seat.

Someone wearing scrubs entered the room and called out , "Mrs. Black?"

The three women all looked at Hermione who turned a bright shade of pink, "I'll explain later just go with it." She stood up and started walking over to the woman. "I'm Mrs. Black."

"Ahh yes," she looked up from her clipboard. "Your wife coded twice on the table from shock and blood loss but it seems she has stabilized for now. The doctor wants you to come back so she can talk to you before they take the other Mrs. Black into surgery."

"Surgery?" Hermione repeated crestfallen. She pointed to the table she had just come from, "those are Bella's sisters and niece, are they permitted back as well?"

The orderly shook her head, "just you right now due to the fragile nature of your wife."

"Okay just give me a second, please," she asked and when the woman nodded, Hermione made her way back to the table. She saw the worried looks on their faces and was not happy to bring the bad news. "Bella needs surgery. They said she coded twice. That means she died, twice already. The doctor wants to talk to me and you aren't permitted back there with me. I don't think I can do this," Hermione was panicking. "I shouldn't be the one back there." She looked at Andy and Cissy, "one of you should go."

"No," Cissy gave a small smile. "Bella would want it to be you."

"She'd kick our asses if she found out we took her place," Andy tried to lighten the mood. "Just go on back and give her kisses from us all and tell her to be brave. You can do this, Hermione."

Hermione wiped a few stray tears from her eyes, nodded and walked back over to the orderly, "I'm ready now."

"Follow me," she said, turning and taking Hermione through heavy automated double doors and into a labyrinth of patient rooms, cubbies, various nurses stations and gurneys along the many hallways. "She's right through there," the woman pointed to room 83. "She's unconscious at the moment and is intubated for surgery so she can breathe. The scene may jar you when you first go in there. She can hear you if you talk to her. The doctor will be in shortly to speak with you."

Hermione gulped and slowly turned to face the door to Bella's emergency room cubby. She slid open the door and slipped inside, her stomach jumped into her throat. The sight before her truly gutted her. The older woman looked so small laying in the hospital bed. She had several IVs coming out of both of her arms, wires connected to various bags of liquid hanging above her. She was without her shirt and was covered in bandages that appeared to be bleeding through and temporary. Bella was indeed ventilated, the machine pumping breath into her body. "I'm not going to cry," Hermione chanted to herself as she made her way to the head of the bed, bending down and placing a kiss on her girlfriend's chilled forehead. "Hi," she quietly whispered, "I'm not sure if you can hear me but I guess I'll give it a go." Hermione sighed and continued, reaching down to hold Bella's hand, "facing Tom without Kevlar was incredibly hasty and a completely stupid idea and if you were conscious I would tell you that I told you so however I think the bullet is doing that for me." She looked down and brushed the stray curls from her face, "I need you to come back to me. I truly believe that I was meant to find you. You are my future and my hope. Don't forget my lighthouse. The light is shining for you so please please please find your way back home to me." She bent down and placed three additional kisses to her forehead, "those are from your sisters and niece. They are outside and wanted me to tell you that they all love you very much. We all do, Bella." She smiled for a moment, "I had to tell the nurse I was your wife and they've all been calling me Mrs. Black and I absolutely adore it. So, when you get better, I'm expecting a legitimate proposal."

A small knock was heard against the glass and a woman's voice was heard before she was seen, "Mrs. Black? I'm Doctor Shepard, head of neurosurgery and this," she pointed to the other doctor, "is Dr. Williams, she is the general surgeon who first assessed your wife when she came into the ER." Hermione nodded but didn't dare speak. "I guess we can start with the good news, the bullet didn't hit your wife in a deadly area of her chest. The bullet is embedded in the upper right quadrant near her collarbone, in the upper chest and shoulder area. Through primlimary X-rays, we can see that the bullet is still in there but has broken into pieces so we need to go in to remove them. Her collar bone broke on impact and we are unsure of the damage to the muscles in her shoulder and how it will impact the use of her right arm until we get in and assess the damage." The doctor took a breath, "first, we are going to go in and remove the bullet then fix her collarbone. Afterwards we will take a look at what's going on inside her body and the rest depends on the severity of the damage."

"Okay," Hermione breathed, "is she going to be okay?"

"Barring any major infections, the worst case scenario is that your wife will lose the normal function of her hand. What is it that your wife does?"

"She's a tattoo artist," Hermione's face fell at the thought of Bella not being able to tattoo anymore.

"I see," the other doctor said, "well we won't know the full extent of the injury until after surgery. After the bullet is removed, someone will be out to talk to you about what happens next. Do you have any questions?"

"Is she in any pain?"

"No, not currently. I won't sugar coat it. It's going to be a long and frustrating recovery for your wife. She's going to need a good support system at home."

"We will all be there for her no matter what," Hermione said with a sad smile when the doctors excused themselves and the nurses and prep team came in. Hermione gave Bella one last kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I love you. Please come back to me," before they wheeled her out of the room and down the hallway through a set of heavy double doors.

It was two hours into Bella's surgery when she and the rest of the family were moved up into a regular hospital room. She had been admitted to the hospital so they wanted to free up the emergency room bed for another incoming patient.

"It's pretty nice up here," Tonks said standing up looking out of the window at the view of the city.

"Don't go getting any ideas honey. We all know how clumsy you are but we only need one family member in surgery at a time. Please, sit before you hurt yourself." Andy said in a motherly tone.

"How much longer do you think they're going to be?" Hermione asked pacing in the empty area where Bella's bed would go.

"It's hard to tell, sweetheart." Cissy walked over to her and led her to a seat, helped her sit down and sat next to her, grabbing her hand to ground her. "Bella's a strong person. She won't go without a fight."

"Strong and stubborn as hell," Andy snorted.

"Well yes, that too," the blonde smirked.

"Why didn't she wear the vest?" Tonks said, turning from the window, kicking the small food table causing it to slide across the floor.

"Sirius, Harry and I all tried to get her to wear it but you know Bella," Hermione gave a sad smile, "overconfident as always."

"I think it was more so that she was too afraid to think clearly," three heads turned to look at Narcissa. "I was the one who met her at the police station after Lily was killed. She was a wreck. She wouldn't even speak to me. Just staring at the wall and bouncing her leg up and down," she recounted. "When she finally spoke all she said was that she didn't do it and I believed her without an ounce of doubt. So no," she shook her head, "I don't think Bella was doing much thinking at all tonight except how to not have that night repeated."

"Funny enough," Andy said seriously, "it did repeat itself but with a fun new twist."

"It's all so fucking unfair!" Tonks shouted, throwing her bottle of cola across the room. Andy was on the move, pulling her daughter up and into a hug when her daughter's walls finally broke and she started sobbing for her aunt. "I just want her to be okay. She needs to be okay. I need her," she said quietly, "we all need her."

Hermione turned to Cissy, "I need some air and a drink. I'll be right back." She excused herself quietly from the room and walked down to the little room with the vending machines. Her eyes were zoned on the soda machine and didn't see the other person in the room.

Hermione nearly jumped out of her skin when a voice called from behind her, "how's Bella?"

"Dear Lord, I almost had a heart attack," she turned around and saw Sirius sitting on a chair along the windowed wall. "She's still in surgery. The doctor said she might lose proper function of her arm and her collarbone was shattered."

"So even if she did wear the Kevlar, it wouldn't really have helped." He sighed and patted the seat next to him. "How are you? Really?"

"I'm trying desperately not to cry." She opened her bottle of water and took a sip. "This is all just too much. Bella's going to be gutted when she wakes up and finds out she might not be able to tattoo again." She looked over and saw her cousin nod. "What happened to Tom?"

"Dead," no emotion came through in the quick one word answer. "Looks like I'm a better shot than Tom." Hermione took another sip of her water. "I would've been here earlier but they had me at the station for questioning like I was the murderer in this scenario. Fucking ridiculous."

"You were acting on instinct. Your cousin had been shot in front of your eyes. How were you supposed to react?"

"That was my thought processing," he shrugged. "The cops caught the man in the car. Harry and I had him in there for questioning after my questioning was over and he sang like a canary. The kid gave up everyone in the ring for a decreased sentence."

"So it's truly over?" Hermione looked almost hopeful.

"It should be," Sirius nodded. "Hopefully by this time tomorrow our men will have brought the rest of the ring in for questioning and booking while they await trial."

"Thank you for coming."

"I have a lot of making up to do to my cousins and this is the least I could do," he started to smile, "though killing the mother fucker who shot Bella should earn me a few good graces."

"I think it might be a good start," she smiled.

Hermione sat and got to know Sirius a little better though she must have lost track of time because Tonks came rushing into the room. "Hermione, you need to come back. A nurse just came in and said the surgery was over and that the doctors would be up soon to talk to you." She turned and looked at her companion, "Sirius," she nodded her head in acknowledgement.

He nodded back, "I still don't know what to call you."

"Tonks is fine."

"And if I told you I killed Tom? Could I call you Dora then?" Sirius smiled.

"No," his smile faded, "but it's a good start." She gave him a small smile in return.

"Nice talking to you," Hermione turned to her companion, "are you staying for a while?"

"I'll be around," he nodded.

Once back inside the room, Hermione deflated a little expecting to see Bella in there but the space where her bed should be was still empty.

"She's in recovery, dear," Cissy came over to give her a hug, "they won't bring her up for a while. They have to monitor her."

A soft knock sounded on the thick wooden door and Dr. Shepard came into the room. She was still wearing her surgery cap and was without her lab coat. "Mrs. Black, have a seat."

"Well that doesn't sound good," Andy said from her position across the room. She sat next to her daughter and grabbed onto her hand.

Hermione nodded and took a seat next to Cissy, reaching out to grab her hand as well.

"Are you family?" Dr. Shepard addressed the other women in the room.

"We are her sisters and this is my daughter," Andy confirmed for the doctor.

"Okay," the doctor pulled up a seat so she was eye level with the women. "Mrs. Black's surgery went as well as expected. It was trickery when we opened her up than we had originally thought. The bullet did shatter into fragments and we were able to extract all but one small piece. The bullet fragment shouldn't impact her day or day life though there is the risk of her body rejecting the metal and the need for an extra surgery to remove it."

"Why couldn't you take it out?" Andy asked when she saw Hermione was too shocked to speak.

"Taking it out at this stage is ill advised. It is deep into her shoulder muscle and we didn't want to cause more trauma. Over time the fragment will work itself out. We want to discuss the option for another surgery with Mrs. Black when she wakes up."

"Please, call her Bella," Hermione asked quietly.

"Bella's clavicle was shattered upon impact. Our orthopedic surgeon had to rebuild the bone, using metal to bind the pieces together while they heal. Once her bones heal, we will go back in and take the rod out. At that time we can see if the fragment has moved to an easier location to remove it."

"And what of her hand strength?"

"We aren't sure yet. With her clavicle broken, she'll need to be in a sling for 10 weeks before we can go back in to finish. Her hand and lower arm will most likely be numb for a few weeks until she regains strength. After her clavicle heals, she will need therapy to regain all of her strength. If she has hand tremors due to the trauma, we can talk about additional surgeries for nerve damage. It's all contingent on her own healing process."

"So she might still have full function of her arm?" Hermione asked.

"It's possible but we won't know for sure until we take the rods out of her clavicle." Dr. Shepard folded her hands, "look I know this has been a scary ordeal but Bella did really well in surgery. Her brain activity looks great and there was no additional coding. I expect that her recovery will go well with all the love and support you can give her. She's going to be in a lot of pain and most will most likely be frustrated when she wakes up and can't feel her arm. I've also recommended that she sees a counselor until she heals."

"She has a counselor already," Hermione spoke up.

"Good," Dr. Shepard nodded, "Bella's going to be down in recovery for an hour while they monitor her brain activity and oxygen levels. She's no longer intubated because she's stable enough to breathe on her own; however she will be on a lot of pain medication and antibiotics so she might not wake up for a while. Try not to panic if she's not awake today or tomorrow."

"No promises," Andy smiled at the doctor who nodded and excused herself from the room.

"Who's going to tell Aunt Bella that she won't be able to feel her arm for 10 weeks at least?"

"The doctor," Andy laughed.

—————

A full 36 hours had passed since Bella was brought back into her hospital room from the recovery wing. She had stirred in her sleep, whimpering in pain but hadn't woken up once. Various doctors and nurses fluttered in the room checking her vitals and changing her IVs throughout the two days. The Black sisters and Tonks had left around the 24 hour mark to go home and get some rest. Hermione refused to leave. The hospital staff gave her an extra blanket and pillow and she slept on a little pull out chair bed that was mostly used for spouses during childbirth. Everyone just kept reassuring Hermione that Bella was doing as expected and that she was a fighter. Sirius had been by a few times, checking to see if Bella had come around yet. Even Ginny and Luna stopped by with flowers and a few changes of clothes for Hermione which she was eternally thankful for. The brunette made use of the shower in Bella's room though she felt guilty using it, the nurse told her it was fine.

Hermione was currently sitting in her chair along the window reading a book that her friends dropped off as well when she heard movement coming from Bella's bed. She looked over and her girlfriend's eyes were still closed though her brow was furrowed. This usually happened when it was time for another dose of painkiller. "The nurses would be in soon," she thought to herself and went back to reading.

A small painful gasp came from beside her followed by a very horse and barely there, "fuck me."

Hermione threw her book down and ran over to the head of the bed, "Bella?"

Dark eyes fluttered open and closed a few times, blinking from the harsh hospital lighting. She tried to speak but nothing came out. Hermione hurried and held up a cup of water with a straw and Bella gladly accepted. When she had a few sips, she cleared her throat, "fuck."

Hermione smiled and leaned down to kiss her girlfriend on the forehead. "I've been waiting ages to hear your voice again."

"What happened? How long was I out?" She looked around the room and then down at herself, "why can't I feel my arm?"

"Maybe I should go get Dr. Shepard." Hermione started to retreat when Bella reached out with her good arm stopping her from leaving, giving her a pleading look. "Tom shot you," Bella gave her a look that conveyed that she already knew that much. "The bullet shattered your clavicle and was lodged into your shoulder in fragments. You can't feel your arm right now because there's a metal rod in there to help fuse your bones back together." She sighed, "I don't think I'm explaining this right. The doctor will be able to explain it better."

"What happened to Tom?"

"He's dead," Bella's eyebrow twitched, "Sirius shot him after you went down."

Bella's mouth turned up into a small smile, "then this," she inclined her head towards her sling, "was worth it." Her head fell back against the pillows, "ouch," she whimpered.

Hermione smiled at her and pushed the call button for the nurse, "time for your pain medication."

"It's nice to see your face, pet."

"I've missed you terribly," Hermione whispered, leaning over to place a small kiss on the side of Bella's mouth. "It's been too quiet without you." She pushed the hair away from her girlfriend's face, "I was scared I'd never get a chance to hear your voice again."

"Mrs. Black is everything okay?" The nurse came in looking at Hermione. Bella looked up at her with a raised eyebrow, the brunette flushing brightly.

"Bella's awake and I think she's in pain."

The nurse smiled, "welcome back Mrs. Black. I'll be right back with your meds and I'll let Dr. Shepard know that you are awake."

She took her leave from the room and Bella turned towards Hermione, "Mrs. Black?"

"I panicked when I got here. I thought if they knew I was just your girlfriend they wouldn't tell me anything." The pink in her cheeks just kept burning under Bella's gaze.

"Mrs. Black," she smirked, "I like the sound of that."

—————

Bella had to stay in the hospital for an additional few days but was eventually released into Hermione's care with the caveats that if a persistent fever came on, swelling, or any other scary sounding alternative happened they would come back to the hospital immediately. The list of medical appointments Bella had between the time of her discharge and her surgery at 10 weeks to remove the metal rod was astounding. She had neurology visits, PT which she thought was useless since she couldn't move her arm, CT scans, PCP check ins and of course weekly counseling sessions with Minerva.

It was three weeks until the removal surgery and at that time they could begin to find out the full extent of the injury to her shoulder muscles and nerves in her arm. She was getting cabin fever sitting around and not being able to work or do much of anything. She couldn't even hold a book for fuck's sake. She had never realized how important the use of her arm was for daily living. She was done with the sling, done being helpless, just fucking done. "No!" She said in a louder voice than she would normally use.

"Just let me help you get dressed," Hermione shouted back. "This would go a lot faster if you stop acting like a petulant child and just let me help."

"I don't need help from anyone," Bella hissed and snatched the pants out of Hermione's hand.

"Fine," Hermione said back, equally frustrated, "I'm leaving. Dress yourself. I've been nothing but helpful and understanding and I'm tired of you snapping at me all the time." She turned and made her way out of the bedroom door slamming it behind her.

The door slam made Bella cringe. She tried to go after her but Hermione was already out of the back door when she came out. "Fuck," she sighed. "You fucked that one up, Black." She threw her pants on the floor and went back into the bedroom, laid down in just her underwear and let a few tears fall from her eyes. She was unsure how long she laid there thinking but there was one thing she was sure of, "I need to apologize to Hermione."

She got her phone out and called her niece, "hey," she said when Dora answered. "I fucked up."

"Did you yell at Hermione again?"

Bella sighed, "I didn't mean to. I'm just so over all of this being babied and I snapped when she tried to help me put on my pants. I'm already aware that I'm a fucking idiot so let's skip that part of the conversation."

"Noted," Dora laughed. "How many more weeks?"

"Three weeks now," Bella grumbled, "but then we really see what the damage is. I can feel my fingers a little more now but who know what'll fucking happen after the next surgery." She wiped her hand down her face, "I suppose I should be glad I'm alive."

"I mean I wasn't going to say anything but yeah," Bella could hear her niece's insufferable smirk through the phone. "So flowers this time?"

"No, I gave her flowers when I bitched about how she ran the bath," Bella growled angry at herself, "god I'm such a fucking monster right now. I hate myself for not being able to do anything and for taking it out on my person."

"You could always propose," her niece said, amusement clear in her voice.

"Should I?"

"I was joking, Aunt Bella."

"But I was going to do it eventually anyways. Can you come pick me up? Take me to a jeweler."

"You can't be serious," her niece was at a loss for words. "A proposal after a fight is definitely not the way you want the proposal to go. Imagine having to remember a stupid squabble about putting your pants on for the rest of your life. Your kids will ask you how you proposed and you'll have to tell them you were too much of an asshole to let their mother dress you. Tonight's not the night, mate."

"Nighty presumptuous of you to assume that we will be having children but I see your point. I suppose I won't propose tonight but I want to get a ring. Just having it will remind me not to be such an asshole all the time," her niece was quiet, "please?"

"Fine," she sighed, "I'll come."

"Great!" Bella smiled, "I'm going to need you to put my pants on." Tonks was heard laughing through the phone, "it's not funny!"

——————

Bella had gone with her niece that day to pick out her fantasy engagement ring for her girlfriend. When she got back to the shop, she hid it in her tattoo equipment cabinet knowing the brunette would have no reason to look there. Just having the ring in her possession made her incredibly happy. The proposal didn't accompany her apology that evening. She apologized to Hermione by ordering in a nice dinner, lighting a bunch of candles and grovelling telling her what an asshole she was and she picked out a few books for Hermione on the way back from the jewlers. "I understand you are frustrated Bella. I'm only here to help you. I love you," was the response she got from her girlfriend after her apology. The three weeks had gone by quickly and they found themselves back at the hospital. Bella was checked in for her surgery and was already taken for a preliminary CT scan. "I'm scared for you," Hermione said when the nurses left and she was alone with the dark haired woman.

"I'm scared too, pet." Bella admitted. "What if I have to give up tattooing?"

"Well you did tell Ginny you were a trust fund baby," Hermione smirked, "so you must be loaded."

"Well that's a humble brag honestly," Bella rolled her eyes, "my father was a piece of shit so I feel entitled to his riches though I've worked for all the things I've gotten so far in life." She squeezed Hermione's hand with her left, "though I suppose if this," she nodded to her sling, "doesn't go well, I can tap into my trust fund."

"I'm sorry," Hermione apologized and Bella raised an eyebrow, "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Pretty soon Dr. McGonagall will be giving me a regular position and I'll have plenty of money to contribute."

"Absolutely not," Bella shook her head, "the last thing we are going to talk about before my surgery is fucking finances." She laughed and pulled Hermione down into a hug. "Now. Remind me that we have to ask Dr. Shepard how long I have to wait until I can fuck you properly."

Hermione's whole face turned red just as there was a knock at the door and Dr. Shepard came walking in smiling, "ahh the Black ladies. Good to see you again." She shook each lady's hand. "By the look on Hermione's face, I'd say that Bella just said something inappropriate for the hospital."

"You've gotten to know us well over the last ten weeks," Hermione said, trying to cool her blush.

"So today's the big day," Bella looked at her arm.

"Yes," Dr. Shepard walked over gingerly pressed on Bella's collar and shoulder a little checking for pain. "I look at your CT scan and the good news is that the remaining fragment worked its way to the surface so we should be able to get it out without much trouble."

"That is good news," Hermione smiled at her girlfriend.

"Yeah although I sense a but coming," Bella shifted to look at her doctor.

"Not really a but more like a because," the doctor sat on the swivel chair and rolled up next to Bella to be able to look her in the eyes. Hermione was convinced this doctor had the best bedside manners she had even seen.

"Careful sitting so close, doc." Bella smirked. "Hermione gets pretty jealous and I'm sure she wouldn't think twice about punching you in the face whether you saved my life or not." Hermione shot her a look of indignation. "Well," Bella shrugged, "I'm not wrong."

"Bella," Hermione whispered, her cheeks flaming brightly again.

"I'm not here to flirt. I assure you," the doctor held her hands up. "I want to talk to you about your surgery. We are going to take the rod out first and check the range of motion with your clavicle and shoulder and while we are in there we will get the fragment out. Now this is the new part," she rested her hand on Bella's shoulder out of comfort, "I'd like to do this whole surgery awake. That way we could test your nerves and muscles while we are in there to see the full range of functioning you have in your arm. And if we run into any kinks, I can fix the connections that are misfiring in your nerves to give you the best chance at having full function of your hand."

"Is it safe to have her awake?"

"Many of our nerve surgeries are done while our patient awake so that they can respond and move when we ask."

"Will she feel any pain?"

"None," the doctor smiled at Hermione. "The surgery itself is perfectly routine. It just sounds a little scary."

"I'll say but hell, if I'll be able to tattoo again, I'll do it."

"You will still need to wear a brace for a few months while you regain your strength and go to physical therapy to regain your range of motion. Again, it's a long recovery time but hopefully you'll be back in the shop within six months, maybe sooner depending on how the surgery goes and your commitment to PT."

"Damn more recovery time," Bella looked at Hermione as if to offer a preemptive apology. "Let's do it."

"Okay," Dr. Shepard stood and made her way to the door, "the team will be in to prep you within the hour. And Mrs. Black, we will be out to update you on the process during the nerve testing portion of the surgery. See you in the OR."

"Shit," Bella said, "I forgot to ask about when we can fuck."

"Oh, behave," Hermione bent over and gave her girlfriend a lingering kiss, pushing her anxiety aside and putting a brave face on for the woman about to go into surgery.

—————

The surgery had been a success much to everyone's relief. Dr. Shepard found three nerves that needed to be rebuilt. When pressed upon, they caused tremors in Bella's hand. It was scary since it was her dominant hand. The doctor successfully regrew the nerve endings and was hopeful that with proper time and physical therapy Bella would regain full use of her hand without the tremors. "So good as new?" She joked with her doctor when she was done with the surgery. Bella had made sure to ask about having sex when Hermione was around just to wind her up.

It had been two months since the surgery and she found her arm and hand getting stronger everyday. Physical therapy was kicking her ass but she requested to go twice as often because Bella was determined to heal as quickly as possible. Her arm was still currently braced and she was instructed only to remove it during bathing, sleeping and during physical therapy but she found herself disobeying the rules more often than not when she declared it was time for a break from the brace. The dark haired woman walked back in through the front doors of her shop and found her niece sitting at her station tattooing a client's forearm and her girlfriend was behind the front desk, reading case notes and twirling a long strand of hair around her index finger. Bella bit her lip at the sight. It had been far too many months since they had last had sex and she was dying for some love and attention. She had been shot in July and it was nearing Christmas and honestly she couldn't remember the last time she had been this sexually frustrated since she had gotten together with Hermione. She groaned internally when her girlfriend looked up and smiled at her. Determined, she walked over to the desk, "come upstairs with me?"

The brunette nodded telling Tonks that she'd be back in a little while. "Your aunt needs some help upstairs. I'll be back."

Tonks laughed through her nose, "I bet she needs help." The pink haired woman felt a small smack on the back of her head.

Hermione made her way upstairs and as soon as she shut the door Bella had her pinned up against it engaging her in a sloppy, hungry kiss full of need and desire. She gasped and the older woman wasted no time slipping her tongue into the waiting mouth. She expertly glided her tongue against her lover's and a gutteral noise escaped her throat when she felt Hermione's hand travel down her body, into her back pocket, cupping her ass through the rough material of her jeans. She gave Hermione a small reprieve from the kissing and attacked her neck. She dragged her tongue from her collarbone up to her ear and playfully nipped at it, breathing hotly against her, "I'm so wet for you right now." Hermione groaned and jerked her hips forward looking for friction. Bella took her good hand and dragged it down her body, squeezed her thigh and brought her leg up to wrap around her waist, pressing her further into the door. She ground her hips into Hermione who gasped at the pressure. "I need you, pet." She sucked on the thumping pulse point before biting down a little rougher than normal. Bella pulled back entirely and moaned when she saw Hermione's eyes flutter open, cloudy with lust.

"We can't," Hermione protested, "you haven't been cleared."

"I cleared myself," Bella chuckled, slowly sliding her hand up Hermione's body, under her shirt, cupping her small breast, an excited nipple already straining against her lacy bra. She groaned and lifted Hermione's shirt up, bending slightly to lap at the hard bud through the lace of the bra. Hermione's head was spinning, logically she knew they needed to wait but currently she didn't give a fuck about waiting. Bella moaned when she encased the nipple in her mouth and sucked greedily like she had been deprived of oxygen for all these months. Hermione began grinding her hips again when she felt Bella smirk around her nipple. "Seems like you've cleared me too," she pulled her mouth away with a wet pop, looking down to see the soaked lace of Hermione's bra where her mouth had just been. The site sent a rush of heat to Bella's core. She stood back up, looking deep into Hermione's eyes and stuck her bottom lip out just a fraction of an inch, "please?"

Hermione's breath hitched, "please what?"

"Please let me fuck you," she bit her bottom lip, "or you can fuck me. I'm not too picky. Something needs to happen though before I cum just from sucking your nipple."

Hermione groaned and untangled her leg from Bella's waist, pushing her back slightly, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom. "Lay down," she commanded.

Bella's eyes clouded over and she happily made her way over to the center of the bed. "Come on now, pet. Don't hold back." She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows.

Hermione shot Bella her best sultry look before slowly pulling off all of her clothes, leaving herself bare before her girlfriend. She made her way over to the bed and undressed Bella with the kind reverence meant for a queen. When she was finally naked save her arm brace, Hermione slowly raked her eyes up and down Bella's body causing the older woman's cheeks to turn a slight shade of pink. "You are a goddess, Bella." She parted Bella's legs and gasped at the amount of wetness that had pulled between them and smeared down her thighs, "all for me?" She raised an eyebrow. "Well I can't let this go to waste," she lowered herself in between the wanting, open legs of her girlfriend and went to work cleaning up the mess on her inner thighs, moaning at the first taste of Bella in over five months. She left a few love bites along the unblemished pale thighs.

Finally after what felt like eternity, Hermione kissed her swollen clit and she swore Bella purred, her good hand fisting her hair and pushing the brunette harder into her center. Encouraged by the voracious woman below her, she flattened her tongue and wrapped her arms around Bella's thighs pulling her closer to her face, forcing her knees up and her womanhood to become more exposed to her, increasing the pace of her tongue. Grinding her hips up into Hermione's face, the dark haired woman was moaning and muttering curse words. "Fuck me, just like that," Bella felt Hermione unwrap one of her hands, thrusting two fingers deep inside her needy cunt without warning making Bella scream out her name, cumming embarrassingly quick, clenching Hermione's fingers, desperately sucking them further into her core. Hermione waited until she felt the last flutters of Bella's pussy before pulling out of her girlfriend, bringing her fingers up and slowly sucking the cum off of them, staring up at her lover. She removed her fingers with a pop and she knew Bella wanted more. She trailed back up her body, kissing her deeply letting Bella taste herself. Bella moaned at the taste, the battle for dominance lasted a few moments before Hermione pulled back panting. She was beyond wet herself and needed some reprieve. "What?" Bella asked breathily. "Why are you smiling like that?" The brunette ducked her head and bit Bella's neck, another purr. Bella raised her wet fold and rubbed them on Hermione's leg. "More, please."

It was Hermione's time to moan, she left a line of open mouth kissed from Bella's pulse point, along the curve of her jaw to her ear. She breathed out, "can I strap you?" It can out more desperate and needy than she intended but by the enthusiastic head nod and "fuck yes" from below her, she knew her intent was clear. Hermione nibbled on her earlobe for a second before reaching over to grab the black box. She made quick work of getting the strapless strap out and was going to get the lube when Bella shook her head, "I don't think we need that today, pet."

Hermione felt soft fingers lightly running through her folds and she shuddered. It had been far too long since they did this and she was so far past the point of caring about the injury but snapped back into reality for a moment, "is your arm okay?" She looked down and saw Bella nod as two fingers from her good hand entered her swollen, needy cunt. "Oh God," she mumbled, her head falling on Bella's shoulder.

"It's goddess actually or Bella but I won't be too picky," she smirked, thrusting in and out at a relentless pace. From above, Hermione was gyrating her hips, meeting every thrust as if she were trying to re energize herself through her girlfriend's magical fingers. Bella was slightly surprised when she felt a hand enclose around her wrist as Hermione sat up and reluctantly pulled the magical fingers out of her wet center. "What?" Bella began to ask when she saw Hermione bend down and take Bella's fingers into her mouth, sucking and moaning deeply at the taste of herself. "Fuck," she breathed out when her fingers were released and Hermione easily slide the insert of the strap into her body. She put a pillow under Bella's hips and spread her legs, bringing her knees up and displaying her lovely dripping folds. "Ready?" Hermione asked when the tip of the strap was pressing softly at her entrance. Bella's reply came in the form of a groan when the strap was pushed into her to the hilt. She felt deliciously full and was about to beg for movement when Hermione lowered herself onto Bella engaging her in a kiss, slowly thrusting into the woman below her.

"You feel amazing my love," Hermione said between kisses. "I already feel your pussy pulling me in further." She picked up the pace, chasing her own orgasm. Moans, curse words, and erotic wet noises were all the could be heard as Hermione thrust into her lover at an unrelenting pace. "Are you close? I don't know how much longer I can last," Hermione breathed into Bella's ear before nipping below her jaw. Bella's hand reached down between their body's and turned on the vibration. She sat up onto Hermione's lap and began impaling herself on the toy, rocking back and forth, the toy dragging across the brunette's clit with each movement, "Oh fuck," she whined when she felt herself clench around the insert. Ducking her head down, she sucked hard on one of Bella's erect nipples, using her hands to grab the older woman's ass and bringing her down harder and faster onto the dildo. "Bella, I'm cumming," Hermione bit down on Bella's nipple which sent the woman above her into her own earth shattering orgasm. "Fuck, I'm cumming, don't stop." The lover's got swept over the edge into a shared moment of bliss before falling back onto the bed, panting, Hermione still buried inside her girlfriend.

"Holy shit," Bella laughed when Hermione carefully slid out of her and removed the toy, discarding it on the side of the bed and coming to snuggle up against Bella's good side. "Five months is too long."

"Mmm," Hermione nuzzled into her girlfriend's neck, placing a soft kiss under her jaw. "That was exceptional."

"I'm not going to argue with that," she kissed the top of the brunette's head and started tracing her fingers in random patterns on her back. Silence fell over the pair as they lay in the happy aftermath of their shared orgasms. "I wanted to say thank you," Bella spoke quietly.

"Thanks for the orgasms?" Hermione looked up and smirked.

"No," Bella was looking up at the ceiling and smiled, "well yes but I also wanted to thank you for sticking with me through all of this." She felt her girlfriend stiffen like she wanted to speak but just kept talking. "I know I haven't been the easiest person to get along with right now and I just wanted you to know how much I appreciated your unconditional love and patience with me." She looked down, finally meeting eyes with her girlfriend, "if the situation were reversed, I would've done the same. I love you so much."

Hermione reached up slightly, closing the gap, tilting her head and bringing their lips together in a soft barely there kiss. "I love you, too."

—————-

The holiday season had passed by in a whirlwind and the ladies found themselves deep in the new year. January had already ended and Valentine's Day was creeping around the corner. Hermione was officially a full time counselor at Dr. McGonagall's practice and she had a full roster of clients. She was so happy at her job but still found time to man the front desk at the Dark Mark on the weekends. Cissy would return to work the desk during the weekdays after Bella was cleared to start tattooing again. Today was that day. Bella had gone alone to what she had hoped was her final meeting with Dr. Shepard because Hermione had a client she couldn't cancel on.

She sat on the examining table when Dr. Shepard knocked and walked into the room. "Bella, how are you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way but I truly hope this is the last time I see your face doc." Bella smirked when she saw her doctor smile. "Please tell me I'm done with this," she pointed to the brace, "and that I can get back to work."

"How has your physical therapy been going? They said you were wearing the brace half the time and they cleared you for light work duties."

"It's been going well I think."

"Any tremors?"

"Umm," Bella bit her lip, "well not constantly but if I'm working too long or get tired, I notice little tremors in my hand."

"That's normal. It takes nerves a long time to grow back after they've been rebuilt. You'll need to continue physical therapy. It says on your report that you are at 86% functioning which is amazing. I'm confident that if you keep going you'll be back to normal range and in less than a year." The doctor closed her notes and looked at Bella, "I think you can discontinue the use of the brace and return to work with the caveat that if your tremors get worse or become more constant that you increase the use of your brace and decrease the activity levels while continuing physical therapy. Deal?"

Bella smiled so big her cheeks hurt, "deal."

"So unfortunately I do have to see you again on the year anniversary just to get everything wrapped up and to see how you've progressed from here."

"I suppose I can make an appearance for that," Bella chuckled.

"Any big plans now that you are an almost free woman?"

"I'm going to ask Hermione to marry me."

Dr. Shepard turned around quickly to stare at her patient, "what?"

"Oh we aren't married," Bella smirked, "she just said that so the hospital would give her all the information she needed."

"Well," the doctor smiled, "for what it's worth, you are an amazing couple and I wish you nothing but the best. I better be invited to the wedding."

"Of course," she smirked.

Hermione left the office later than normal that evening but had texted Bella to let her know she'd be arriving home late. When she got to the shop, all the lights were off so Hermione walked around back to go enter their house through the back entrance. The lights were also off when she entered through the kitchen. She noticed dim light coming from underneath the bedroom door and made her way over there cautiously. With her on the door knob, she opened it slowly and gasped when she saw what awaited her. Bella was standing in the middle of the room wearing a fitted suit complete with a black button up shirt and black necktie. She had her hair piled up in her usual knot on the top of her head. The room was surrounded with lit candles and it smelled incredible. There were rose petals on the floor leading from the door to the bed where a pile of petals rested with a black box in the middle. "What's all this?" She looked from the bed to her girlfriend. "You look beautiful," she said, doing a double take. "What a minute. Where's your brace?" Realization hit her, "did Dr. Shepard give you the all clear?"

Bella smiled brightly at the brunette, "all clear with her patented caveats," she chuckled. "We can talk about that later," she walked over to Hermione, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the bed. "I've been holding onto this for awhile now and it's finally time to give it to you," she pointed to the new looking black box in the bed.

"You upgraded the box?" Hermione looked confused.

"Something like that," Bella chuckled, placing a soft kiss on the corner of Hermione's mouth. She turned and grabbed the box, opening it to reveal a smaller box inside. Hermione's eyes widened and her hand went up to her mouth, suppressing a little gasp. "Hermione," Bella started slowly, staring deep into her eyes. "You honestly came into my life like a whirlwind. I wasn't looking for anyone but the first time I spoke to you, you filled this hole in my heart that I didn't realize was in need of being filled. You are truly everything I never knew I always wanted. You keep me sane, love. Selfless, patient, smarter than anyone I've ever met, gorgeous, funny, dynamite in bed, you are the complete package. Whatever life throws at me next, I know that I can make it through because you are my lighthouse and I will always find my way back to you." Bella stopped and took a breath, reaching out to wipe the tear that had fallen down the younger woman's cheek.

"Will you do me the greatest honor of my life," she got down on one knee and opened the lid to the ring box revealing a platinum ring, centered with a half carat diamond surrounded by emerald accents. The stones were held by two leaves growing from the band which was twisted with vines wrap around and holding it all together. "Will you marry me?"

Before Bella could get the question fully out of her mouth, Hermione shouted "yes," pulling the older woman up into a soul crushing hug. "A million times yes." She placed a series of quick kisses all over Bella's face as the older woman struggled to get the ring out of the box and slide it onto her finger.

When the ring was finally in place, both women looked down to stare at it. Bella brought the hand up to her mouth and kissed it, "it's perfect."

"It's finally official. This is the happiest day of my life to date." She kissed the tip of Bella's nose. "So, all that's left to figure out is where do we go from here?" Hermione smiled as she rested her forehead against her fiancé's.

Bella smiled and closed her eyes, the answer was simple, "anywhere you want, Mrs. Black."