Thursday, 31 October, 12:00 PST, present day
Drew sat in the lounge finishing up her lunch; a tuna fish sandwich on wheat and a green salad. She smiled to herself as she looked at the screen on her mobile as the phone buzzed. She picked it up, answering the video call.
"Hey, Mum," she said as she started to clean up her food containers.
"Hey, Drew," Hermione Malfoy said as they stepped out of the fireplace, "We just arrived at Junior's. Say, 'Hi,' Andy."
"Mommy," the ten-month-old infant smiled and waved into the camera. He was dressed as a "mini-Phillip." Grandma Hermione put him in a brown muscle suit over which she put on Phillip's recognizable number 12 green Celtic jersey with his last name blazoned on the back.
"I can't believe I'm going to miss his first Halloween," Drew said as she waved at her son.
"We'll take lots of photos and videos, Drew," her mother said.
"Thanks, Mum," Drew said, her voice wavering.
"Alright, little ones," the Malfoy matriarch called the clan to attention, "Say, 'Hello,' to Auntie Drew."
The chorus of greetings came through the mobile's video camera. Drew returned a wave and a 'hello' as well. The Muggle doctor took in a breath, "Have fun guys. Don't eat too much candy."
There was laughter on the other end. Hermione turned the camera back on herself. "We'll be out for an hour or so before we all head back to Malfoy Manor for the 'after-party.'"
Drew laughed, "I love you, Mum."
"Love you, too, Drew," Hermione smiled, "Don't work too hard."
"Don't worry, Mum," Drew smiled. "The crazies don't start coming in until after 11 pm according to Marco. We'll be back from Aston's pre-grand opening by then."
Hermione canted an eyebrow. Drew rolled her eyes. "Have a great time, kids," Drew called over her mother's shoulder.
"Bye, Auntie Drew," the kids said before Drew ended the call.
Drew smiled to herself and shook her head. She stood up as she looked at her wristwatch, six more hours. She washed her hands before exiting the lounge to head back to the ER.
o-o-o
Thursday, 31 October, 18:00 PST, present day
Drew buttoned the top of her blue long-sleeved blouse as she looked at herself in the mirror in the female locker room. She and the ER team had just gotten out of surgery almost fifteen minutes ago after which she hightailed it to the showers.
She blew out a breath as she looked at herself again She unbuttoned the top button, not wanting to look so stuffy. She checked her watch before exiting the lockers.
The male doctor, dressed in a grey suit and blue tie, nodded at her as he tapped the face of his wristwatch. She rolled her eyes.
"Shall we," Marco said as he nodded for them to exit. "I figured you'd change into something more formal."
She snickered. "Seriously, Marco," she said as she raised her eyebrows. "Aston knows we're coming in from work."
"I know," he nodded as they headed to the ER reception area.
"You look good, though," she smiled as they approached the front counter. "Hey, Tania."
"Hey, Drew," the nurse nodded at the couple, "So, we'll be expecting you two back by ten."
The two doctors nodded. "Yup," Marco said. "We'll have our phones on, though."
"Yeah, you know how Halloween nights are, Marco," Tania nodded. "I think we'll be okay, though."
"Yeah, the crazies start to rush in closer to the eleven o'clock hour," Marco said as Drew nodded remembering her first Halloween at San Agustin's the year before.
The pair exited the hospital's emergency room exit and headed to Chasing Angels, the Wizarding pub a few blocks away from the hospital. It was a short leisurely ten-minute walk. Drew opened the door for them to enter the pub.
She nodded at Marco for them to enter one of the domestic fireplaces. "You wanna do the honors?" she asked as she poured the Floo powder into Marco's palm.
The young man dropped the soot onto the green flames and in his clearest voice said the name of the new Hilton restaurant. The pair stepped out of the Floo network connected chimney and walked into a small room. They nodded at each other before Drew took the lead. She exited the room and turned right. Marco followed her down the hallway passing the restaurant's restrooms as they entered the darkened foyer.
The restaurant wasn't open to the public until the next evening when the official grand opening was going to occur. They entered the main restaurant and walked toward the buffet area.
They both saw the owner who smiled at them. He waved them over to where he sat with an elderly gentleman. Drew smiled as they approached the two men who had stood up.
"Good evening, Mr. Baguio," Drew said as he hugged Aston's father.
"It's nice to see you, young lady," Mr. Baguio said as he nodded at her before pulling out the seat to his right for her. He turned to shake Marco's hand in welcome.
"Alright, ladies and fellows," Aston said as he raised his glass of champagne, addressing the group of kitchen workers, waitstaff, and his special guests. "Let's raise a glass to this place.
"I want to thank everyone for being here to help us celebrate our pre-grand opening. We've all worked very hard for this. Here's to a successful grand opening tomorrow night. To 8o8 on the Coast," the young restaurateur raised his glass as everyone chimed in.
"Dad," the young chef turned to his father, "Would you do the honors and say grace?"
The old baker nodded as he proceeded to bless the food and the hands that prepared the buffet. He asked for the Lord to continue to guide his son and his team members as they embark on this shared journey with this new restaurant. Everyone bowed their heads as the elder started the traditional Catholic blessing as others in the crowd chimed in.
Mr. Baguio nodded at his son after everyone at the gather said, "Amen."
"Please help yourselves," Aston said as he waved the guests toward the buffet line.
o-o-o
Thursday, 31 October, 18:15 PST, present day
The guests went through the buffet line and specialty food stations. Aston led Drew, Marco, and his father through the food line, making sure everyone got a piece of everything on the line.
The foursome returned to their table with platefuls of food. They began to tuck in.
"The food's amazing as always, Aston," Drew said as everyone agreed. The live band, rehearsing for tomorrow's grand opening played some background music as the guests enjoyed their meal.
"So, Drew," Mr. Baguio began, "How's your Mum and Dad?"
Drew took a sip from her champagne flute before answering. "They're doing fine, Mr. Baguio. They moved back to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire, over a year ago. Mum's semi-retired and Dad's back with the Ministry."
The old baker nodded his head. "I wondered why we don't see Hermione at the baker too often, now."
"Yeah," Drew nodded. "She picks up pastries when she schedules herself for rounds, though."
"Yes, she does," Mr. Baguio said as he nodded.
"Mum likes being around all of her grandkids," Drew smiled as she reached for her mobile in her pocket. "She babysits all of the infants and toddlers while we're at work.
"Mum helped with trick-or-treating again this year," the young doctor said as she showed her companions photos of her mother catering to the costumed youngsters. Mr. Baguio smiled as he looked at the photos.
"So, Drew and Marco can't make tomorrow's grand opening," Aston said to his father. "Just like you, Dad."
The older man laughed. "You know Mum always drops by at midnight on All Souls Day."
Aston nodded and smiled. They all ate for a moment.
"I'm sure tomorrow will be tremendously successful, Son," Mr. Baguio smiled. "I would have figured all of you young people would be there."
"The boss here put us on schedule," Marco said smiling.
"Haha," Drew smiled shaking her head, "It was the natural rotation. Besides, we're short personnel this weekend."
"I know, I know," Marco said as he put his hands up. They all laughed.
"Isn't Phillip coming tomorrow?" Mr. Baguio asked his son.
"Yeah," Aston nodded as he glanced at Drew. "He'll be here. Along with every other athlete, celebrity, and model. We're totally booked."
"I'm sure the team's going to do great, hon," Marco said as he squeezed Aston's right hand for assurance.
"To a successful grand opening," Drew said as she raised her glass of champagne.
"Here, here," Marco said as he raised his glass.
"Cheers," Mr. Baguio said as they all clinked their glasses. They continued to eat as they enjoyed the ambiance and each other's company.
o-o-o
Thursday, 31 October, 21:45 PST, present day
Drew and Mr. Baguio sat watching the guests dance on the dancefloor as the band played. Aston and Marco were part of the crowd. The young doctor and the old baker sat sipping their after-dinner tea.
"They look happy," Mr. Baguio nodded to where the couple danced.
"Yes, they do," Drew said. "You must be very proud of Aston, Sir."
"That I am," Mr. Baguio smiled. "His mother and I are quite proud of him. She says so every time she's come to visit."
The old man took a sip of his tea before taking a breath. He smiled at the young lady, "You know when you showed us that Halloween picture of Andy, I swear, it brought back so many memories of the two of them at that daycare. That little boy is the spitting image of his dad."
Drew looked down for a moment. She blew out a breath as she peered up at the baker. She smiled and nodded at the old man.
"Astoria and I started dating exclusively in our fifth year at Hogwarts," Mr. Baguio smiled. "Her Pureblood parents hated us being together. A few months after we graduated from Hogwarts, she went off to Wizarding university and I returned home to help Mum and Dad run the bakery.
"We were only separated for a few months before I broke down and proposed to her. Her parents disowned her once they found out.
"She moved in with me and my parents in the two-bedroom apartment above the bakery," she shrugged his shoulders. "We got married. She attended university while I worked with Mum and Dad.
"Then our generation's Wizarding War came about. She decided to leave the Wizarding World and join me at the bakery," he smiled. "She was a gamer."
Drew smiled. Mr. Baguio smiled solemnly, "My dad passed away three years into our marriage. Mrs. Baguio and I put our efforts into helping Mum.
"Aston's mum baked the most amazing beef and vegetable empanadas. While the Wizarding war waged, Mrs. Baguio and I worked side-by-side at the bakery," he smiled. "Her parents ... died two years before the war ended. They were collateral damage. They died protecting her whereabouts. She felt guilty for not mending things with them.
"I reminded her that they would always be in her heart," he shrugged. "We found out the most amazing news which coincided with the end fo the war. We were pregnant. We were trying for so long."
Drew looked towards Aston and Marco who were still enjoying themselves on the dancefloor. She turned back to the old man who wiped away a tear. "I think she knew. She was very good at Occlumency. She cherished all of the sonogram photos.
"The delivery was fraught with complications from the beginning," he said. "I never left her side. She waited until Aston was born. She carried him on her chest for a few minutes. She looked up at me and said she loved me.
"Then the machines started to blare," he took a sip of his tea. "Aston never got the chance to really get to know her when she was alive. But she's watched over us since then.
"I didn't think I was going to be able to function without her. But Mum kept the family together," he breathed in looking on at his son. He turned to face the doctor, "Mum died when Aston was a year old.
"I had the family business to run and I didn't know how I was going to do that and take care of my son at the same time. That daycare was a godsend.
"I know what it's like to be a single parent, Drew," he said looking at her. Drew gulped. "It was difficult. I had Astoria and Aston's grandparents' visits to look forward to. They kept me grounded."
"You've done a great job raising him, Mr. Baguio," Drew said.
The baker nodded. "How about you, Drew? Has Phillip offered to help out with Andy?"
"He doesn't know about him yet," she said softly.
"You're worried he'll reject him."
"I wouldn't want him to stay because he felt obligated, Sir," she said.
"I don't think that would be the only reason why he would stay."
Drew gulped, "You've met most of his girlfriends when they used to hang out with Aston. I don't fit the mold."
Mr. Baguio chuckled, "You ever wondered why he's had so many?"
"I really try not to think about that," Drew said, blushing.
Mr. Baguio laughed, "You ever think it's because none of them could ever hold a candle to you."
Drew laughed, "You're incorrigible, Mr. Baguio."
The older man laughed. "When Phillip and his father moved back to London, he came by the house to hang out with Aston. It was as if the eleven years of separation never happened. They were thick as thieves again.
"Phillip would always talk about the smarty-pants girl that was in all of their classes," Mr. Baguio said as Drew smiled. "Although, it seemed as if it sounded more like complaining and whining.
"But if you actually listened," he said canting his head at her, "You could hear a sense of longing in his voice. You're his happy ending, Drew."
"I can see where Aston gets his optimistic visions of the future from," Drew smiled.
"Aston's mother and I were very good at Legilimency," Mr. Baguio smiled. "You're going to have to forgive him for his future matchmaking attempt."
Drew canted an eyebrow at him before laughing. She nodded as Aston and Marco headed towards their table.
"Hey, you two," Aston said as he took a sip of his glass of water.
"Looks like you were having a lot of fun out there," his father said.
"Yeah, Aston's a great dancer," Marco said as he, too, took a drink of water.
"Marco's mobile alarm started to ring," Aston said as he looked at Drew who also looked at her mobile. She left it on vibrate. She almost missed the alarm. She rolled her eyes at Aston as she stood up.
"For whom the bell tolls," she sighed.
Marco kissed Aston on the cheek before hugging Mr. Baguio. He nodded at the old man.
"Alright," Aston said. "You two have fun at work."
"Haha," Drew said as she hugged Aston. "Tomorrow's grand opening is going to be a success, Aston."
"Wish you both could be there," he said as he hugged her back. "I can tell him, 'hi,' for you, you know."
She smirked at him good-naturedly, "Marco and I should be heading back.
"Mr. Baguio, it's always a pleasure to chat with you," she said as she hugged the old man.
"I'll walk you guys out," Aston said as he led the two doctors through the restaurant.
They headed towards the restrooms. They went past a few meters before they turned left into the hallway that led to the small room that they had exited from earlier that evening.
"I'll see you two later," Aston said as he gave both of them a hug before watching them enter the room.
Drew nodded at Marco as they entered the chimney that would take them to the Wizarding pub. Drew put her hands in her pocket as Marco picked up a handful of Floo powder. Drew pulled out two vials, specially concocted by her brother, Heath.
"Hangover cure," she said as she handed the other vial to Marco, "Cheers."
They both downed the potion. Marco dropped the powder and called out the address.
The pair stepped out of the chimney and headed out the exit doors. "Back to the grindstone," she said.
He laughed as he put his arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the hospital. Drew gazed at the starry sky, thinking about her conversation with the elderly man. She smiled to herself as they entered the ER.