When Rose finally got the go ahead to Apparate up to the 2nd Floor into a quarantined room, she was utterly relieved.
"Ugh, finally. All right let's go-"
"Wait, I think I'm going to be sick aga-"
Rose didn't wait for him to finish the sentence.
POP!
.
As they landed in the ward, Sam heaved again, splattering purple vomit all over the floor.
Coughing and spluttering, he looked darkly over at Rose, "Why didn't you wait just a second?"
"Well, either you vomit in this room or the next, either way you still vomit. What difference does it make?" Rose shrugged as she waved her wand, vanishing the vomit quickly.
"Apparition makes you queasy even you're not already about to puke!"
"So it can't make you any queasier than you already were, seeing as you were just about to spew. Besides, you've got no one to blame but yourself for all the puking, seeing as you left a rash across your neck untreated for a month!"
"Almost a month!" Sam snapped back
.
Rose was getting increasingly frustrated. As a Healer, early and preventative healthcare was her bread and butter.
"Why didn't you come in earlier Sam, you're so far along, who knows who else you've infected? Your parents have definitely got it, have you been in contact with anyone else?"
"No one, I got to my parents a week ago and I never left the house."
"You've been in Britain for a week? You obviously saw Al."
Sam rolled his eyes, "I can visit Britain for a week and not see Al, Rose. Seriously, I didn't see anyone, I swear."
.
Rose conjured up a bucket and shoved it at Sam, "Just keep your puke in here okay, I'm going to go get changed." She walked over to a wooden cupboard in the room and pulled out some black robes and a shirt.
Walking out of the room, she entered a hallway and made her way to a small bathroom to change out of the robes he had soiled. She had cleaned them off with magic but a sour smell still lingered on her.
The bathroom was simple, tiled the same lime green colour of her Healer robes.
Rose pulled off her robes and wrinkled her nose at the smell, the symptoms of Scrofungulus were some of the most bizarre out of all the magical maladies there were.
As she hopped into the shower and started the clothes self-washing in the basin, it occurred to her that Sam's symptoms weren't the most horrific thing about Scrofungulus. It was a fatal disease when not treated properly, and Sam was very far along.
They'd have to be very aggressive in their treatment if they wanted to stop the fungus from forming a stranglehold around Sam's neck, seeping down his throat and into all his other internal organs.
From the purple spew (that had even reached her hair, she realised rubbing a generous helping of cedar-smelling shampoo through it), it was obvious the fungus had already reached his stomach.
.
With her realisation about the potential mortality facing Sam, Rose was pushed right into action. She got out of the shower, dressed herself and sped back into the living room where she'd left Sam retching.
He was sitting on the couch, bucket in hand, which was now filled with even more purple vomit - exactly what everyone needs!
Rose crouched down and put her arm on his shoulder, worried but confident in exactly what she had to do, "I am going to get started okay?"
He nodded weakly.
Her wand started working vigorously, writing memos inside protection charms that could make their way out of the quarantine area, and casting preliminary healing charms to slow the growth of the Scrofungulus.
"I can't believe you're this far gone Sam, honestly…," Rose shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically to overshadow her genuine fears and concerns.
"It's that bad huh." He saw right through it, Sam had always excelled at Herbology.
He might not know the medical sides of things well, but he knew how dangerous Scrofungulus was. It could kill.
Rose didn't reply directly, quelling the rising panic that came with a patient who knew exactly how dire things were, "You should send word back to India, anyone you came into contact with their might also be infected."
"I'll send word back to the care centre as soon as I can."
They both heard a click at the door and a two small crystal phials, one round and one tall, floated through the a hatch in the door.
His treatments had arrived.
Rose made eye contact with Sam, and looked directly at him in a way she hadn't really since she'd come across him in the foyer of Mungos.
Things were only going to get worse and she had to make sure he understood what was going to happen next, "You know the treatment's going to be… really aggressive now right? It's going to hurt Sam, I'm not going to lie."
Sam looked back at her with his stormy grey eyes, only a flicker of fear running through him before he replied calmly, "Yeah I know, do what you have to do."
.
.
"AAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH."
"I told you this was going to hurt!"
"I know," he grimaced.
"Well then will you hold still you barmy git?"
Sam twisted his head away as he lay shirtless on a bed, gripping the covers in pain with both hands.
"That is unprofessional! You can't call me a git!"
"I know, I know, but it's not everyday you treat your childhood friend.
"Ughh, it bloomin' hurts Rose! I can't help moving-"
"Look we're almost done, I swear," she smeared more salve from the round phial onto his neck, then dipped two fingers back into the phial to get more, holding his head still with her other hand.
Sam cried out again, "Ughhhh, Merlin it fucking burns, fuck, shit, fuck!"
Rose chuckled, "This salve is really bringing out the potty mouth in you."
Sam smiled (or grimaced), "Says YOU. You used to swear like a sailor - some weird rebellion thing from the know-it-all goody-two-shoes image you were trying to escape. Besides, I've got to find some outlet for the terrible burning sensation spreading across my entire body - fuckkkkk ow ow bloody hell!"
.
Rose continued to spread the salve down and across Sam's collar bones as he winced and flinched.
As his primary Healer, Rose had chosen the most aggressive treatment plan possible: both the oral potion and the salve to try and kill the Scrofungulus internally and externally.
To steady him, Rose placed her other hand firmly on Sam's chest, "Hold still, okay, please try, we need to make sure this salve is applied evenly everywhere."
She looked up and as their eyes met, she felt a familiar shiver shoot through her stomach.
For some reason, Sam could still bring out the same stirring emotions in her that he always had.
He bit his lip, it seemed for some reason they had both only just realised how close they were, Sam lying down on the bed, Rose sitting next to him with her hand on his bare chest.
Rose froze for a moment, both of them barely breathing, then she broke the stare, looking back at this chest before continuing to apply the salve.
Sam tried not to cry out, but the burning sensation was too much, "Ughhhhhh," he groaned.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is the last little bit, honestly."
"Hah! You said that last time Weasley you liar."
.
They both laughed as Rose finally did finishing spreading the salve, but her smile faltered a little.
Sh turned her face away quickly but Sam saw the flash of anxiety and he lifted his hand to her arm, touching her as lightly as he could.
"Rose I know this disease is far along, it's my own fault. You don't have to look after me, I can treat myself and you can stay in quarantine alone-"
"This is seriously bad Sam, Scrofungulus can be fatal. You cannot treat yourself. I'm taking protective measures to quash the contagion before it can get hold of me, I'm your Healer and I have to stay in quarantine anyway-"
"But Rose," he paused, taking a breath to recognise the gravity of the situation, "if you stay quarantined together with me, St Mungos could end up blown to pieces."
He said it with such a straight dead-pan face Rose couldn't help but to guffaw loudly, "Merlin help me, you are still such a prat! But I am a professional, and we're adults now, we can get along."
She then promptly threw a cushion at his face.
Sniggering Sam called out, "Hey, hey, Cherry I'm ill! You have to treat me with kindness and tenderness-"
.
Rose just snorted and walked out of the bedroom, "There's going to be a lot more burning salve Malfoy, a lot more!" she called out from the hallway.
Malfoy smiled and looked up at the ceiling, it was almost like old times.
Then his brow wrinkled and he backtracked - he had accidentally called Rose 'Cherry', his old nickname for her.
And she hadn't batted an eyelid...