Hermione woke in a fog, her eyelids seeming to weigh a thousand pounds. Her body felt heavy and when she tried to swallow her throat felt like it had sand in it. She tried to force herself to finish waking, but the darn fog that seemed to hold her down remained.

"Hermione? Love?"

She knew the voice belonged to Draco, but he sounded so worried and tired that she almost didn't believe it was him. She wanted to reach out and find him, but her arm still refused to move.

A hand brushed over her hair and it helped some of the fog disappear, and she was able to muster the strength pry her eyes open a tad.

"Dra-" was that her voice? At least her throat seemed to be better.

"Shh. Let yourself wake up a little more; you had some pretty heavy sedatives."

Sedatives? Why would she need those? Had something happened?

She laid there for a little while longer, letting the feeling of her husband's hand in hers take away some of the growing worry that was invading her thoughts.

"Where am I?" It came out as a croak, but he seemed to hear her none the less.

She felt his breath ruffle her hair as he sighed. "The hospital. Do you remember anything?"

She opened her eyes all the way and took in the dark circles under his eyes. "Not really, though I'm guessing whatever I'm supposed to remember isn't very good." She sighed to herself before jerking further awake and bringing her hands to her belly, which was strangely deflated and no longer the hard, smooth mound it had been. "The baby-" she panicked, fighting to find the strength to get up. She felt hands push her back down and she looked up, wide eyed, to see Draco gently pushing her down.

"Calm down, please Shh." He pleaded with her, his voice still a horse whisper.

Silent tears ran from her eyes as she squeezed them shut, trying to drown out the feeling of being empty. She felt like the world was crashing down around her and her vision blurred as the tears came faster.

"She- the baby is alive, Hermione. She's really small and not fully developed, but the healers are hopeful. They said once you're stabilized we can take you to see her."

She let out a sob of relief, releasing the breath she had been unconsciously holding. She felt Draco take his hands from her shoulders and then wrap one of her hands in his.

He gently rubbed soothing circles with his thumb as he moved one of his hands up to cradle her face. She opened her eyes and stared right up into his grey orbs, suddenly glad and so very thankful that she wasn't alone in this.

"You said she?" It came out as a whisper, almost as of speaking loudly would break the fragile hope that swelled inside her.

He smiled a bit, and it completely transformed his face. "Yeah, the baby's a girl. She's beautiful, Hermione, but so little." His voice caught and together they tighten the grip they had one each other's hand.

If she had been able to process thoughts normally, she would have mused at how much Draco loved the baby that was only his through the blood adoption. She would have wondered how the massive change in his views had come about, but those were thoughts for a different time.

A knock came from the door and they both turned as Draco called out that it was okay to come on.

A short man, with graying hair, walked in and greeted Draco with a clap on the shoulder. "I'd heard you'd gotten married, but I didn't know that your wife was pregnant." He turned to look at her and offered her a smile. "I'm Healer McCloy and I delivered your little girl."

Hermione's heart jumped to her throat as she prepared herself for the worst.

"Cases like yours are unusual, but not completely unheard of. Sadly, we don't know what caused your labor, but we were able to safely deliver your daughter. You had to be put into an unconscious state for the procedure and I'm glad that you seem to be coming out of it." He moved around and withdrew his wand, flicking it to and fro as he cast diagnostic charms. Draco kept hold of her hand and she clung tightly to him, wanting desperately to be able to see her baby.

"Okay, it looks like there wasn't any lasting damage done, but I do want to keep you for another day to make sure nothing pops up."

"What about my bab-"

"Of course! I'll have a nurse come up to help you down. Your daughter is a fighter and is already making progress, but I'm afraid she'll have to stay here for the next few weeks, at the very least."

It hurt Hermione to think that she would be leaving St. Mungo's without her daughter, but she would do whatever was necessary to get her baby healthy. It was overwhelming and she hadn't really begun to make heads or tails of what had happened, but she was alive and so was her baby. She had Draco by her side, so she knew deep down that together they could face whatever was thrown their way.

When did she get so optimistic?

Draco rose and let go of her hand to walk the Healer out, and she took that time to stare off into space, the day taking its toll of her. She still felt numb and part of her wondered why she was no longer panicking, though it felt like she couldn't get out of her own mind. She felt lost and a million thoughts flowed through her mind and at the same time she couldn't seem to concentrate on one particular thing.

A light touch to her shoulder brought her back and she turned her head and focused in on Draco's face.

"The healer said that whatever caused your early labor hasn't affected you long term and that a nurse should be here soon to help you down to the High Level Infant Care Ward."

He touched her face gently and she felt tears well up in her eyes. One minute she was having the best time in Italy on her honeymoon and now she was laying in a hospital bed after having an emergency procedure to deliver her baby. She didn't know how to feel and that feeling alone scared her.

He wiped at a tear that had silently fallen down her cheek and sat down on the bed next to her. "She's alive, love. I know this isn't what either of us had planned, but we'll get through it." He held her hand tightly and sat with her until another knock came at the door, this time reveling a tall woman with chocolate skin.

"I hate that we had to meet your wife like this, Healer Malfoy, but we'll get everything all taken care of."

Hermione immediately warmed to the woman who spoke in soothing tones and exuded kindness. The woman came around to the other side of her bed and took her wand out, muttering a spell that produced a wheelchair. "My name is Amanda and I know the wheelchair may seem a bit overboard, but hospital policy." She gave her a smile before her and Draco helped Hermione sit and make her way to the edge of the bed and then the short distance to the wheelchair.

"Alrighty, off we go!" Together they made their way out of the room and down a long hallway. "Thankfully they put all the infant care wards on the same level as the maternity ward."

The closer they got to the ward the more nervous Hermione became. What if she didn't feel anything when she saw her? What if she looked like Ron?

They stopped in front of a set of large doors and Amanda motioned for the woman inside to open the doors. She took a deep breath and clutched her shaking hands in her lap before Draco kneeled down and took them in his. "Hermione, it'll all be okay. Just wait until you see her." He let them go as Amanda pushed the chair forward and she took one more deep breath before she found herself inside the ward.

Small containers housing sick and tiny babies were nestled everywhere and Amanda kept pushing her until they came to one in the corner of the ward.

"Alrighty, here we are. She has to stay in her bed for the charms and spells to help grow her lungs, but you can reach in and touch her."

Draco bent down and took her arm to help her stand, Amanda standing close in case she was needed, though after Hermione was standing she said that she would be close, but she would give them some privacy.

Hermione's heart leapt to her throat as she stared in at the tiny baby, with pink skin and a smattering of blonde hair on her small head.

Tear ran down unchecked as she reached out and ran a finger down one tiny arm and Draco pulled her close and lent her his strength.

"Hi baby" she whispered through her tears, "I'm your mommy."