"No.. his symptoms aren't changing, but he's not recovering the way I hypothesised in my original treatment plan - I'm worried about what this prolonged bout of Scrofungulus could be doing internally - I think I need to get in there and look around."
Sam had a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes Extendable Ear, snaked through the door of his bedroom, trying to hear Rose's muffled conversation with a senior Healer through the door of the quarantine zone.
Another person's hushed tones made it through to him, "Exploring internally is far too invasive, I think our only course of action is a magical coma - take the stress of daily functions out of the healing process, give the body full-time-"
Rose responded in a quiet but angry tone, "No, no way, 25% of patients never wake up from magically induced comas-"
.
"Healer Weasley, those are the best odds you're going to get. The odds of recovery after over 2 months of intensive treatment with no improvements? They're already low - this is a fungus that is not being shaken out, even with the best care Britain has to offer. It's been too long, he's only going to deteriorate from the side effects of our potions and then the Scrofungulus will take a true hold on his organ systems."
.
Rose's started pacing in front of the door, her hand on her forehead massaging her temples as she felt a stress headache coming on.
She was trying to process what Healer Greanleaf was proposing but her heart could barely take it.
A coma was a last-ditch attempt to save a dying patient.
A dying patient.
Her pulse raced as she felt her body start to overheat from the overwhelming urge to break down and cry.
Sam could not be dying, he just couldn't.
"There has to be another way Healer Greenleaf, please, this patient means a lot to me-" her voice cracked.
.
"I know Mr. Malfoy is a childhood friend of yours, and if you're too close to this case to think clearly, you have an ethical obligation to step down as his primary healer."
"No," Rose immediately snapped back, "I'm fine, I'm being as professional as I have ever been, I just want the best possible outcome."
"And the only way he will get that is with a magical coma Healer Weasley. Please, be reasonable"
.
From the ensuing silence Sam knew that the senior Healer must have left the door and he jumped back to his bed, stuffing the Extendable Ear beneath his pillow to keep up the pretense that he hadn't been listening in on the conversation.
He got back to his bed just in time as Rose knocked at the door, "Sam, can I come in?"
"Yes, of course."
Rose's face was flushed and even though she tried to portray calmness, Sam knew she was upset.
She'd never really mastered the art of hiding her feelings the way he'd been taught to, with his Malfoy mask of stony composure.
"What's wrong?" he asked, moving over on the bed so she had space to sit down. He patted the spot next to him.
.
"No, no nothing's wrong, we have a new treatment plan and it's the best plan of action, and everything is going to be fine," Rose adamantly stated as she sat down on the bed, trying to seem confident to convince herself as much as him.
She could feel herself tearing up, but she knew that really was unprofessional and she was determined to prove Healer Greenleaf wrong.
She was a great Healer, even though she'd only been practicing for 2 years.
She'd graduated at the top of her cohort, had top pick for this job, and what she lacked in experience she made up for in extra reading, research, study and compassion.
She was not going to let anybody else administer his care.
"Your best possible shot at recovery means a change of strategy. It's been 2 months and what we're doing isn't working."
.
She took a deep breath to steady herself, "We need to place you under a magically induced coma, so your body doesn't have to worry about day-to-day stresses like digesting food and increasing your heart rate, so you can have a better chance at healing."
"Yeah, that makes sense," he nodded.
Rose narrowed her eyes, "You don't seem surprised."
Sam looked down at the sheets bashfully and pulled out, "Okay so I might have been listening to your conversation through the door with this Extendable Ear."
He pulled it out sheepishly from beneath his pillow, the flesh-coloured string dangling from the fake ear onto the bed.
Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed at him, pushing his shoulder playfully, "How did you even get that in here?"
'Of course Sam had been eavesdropping on his Healer's treatment plan discussions,' Rose thought to herself, 'I should have known better than to mumble through the door and expect that to stop him.'
"I never go anywhere without one, it was in my pocket the day I got thrown into quarantine with you," Sam wrinkling his nose mischievously.
.
"Well in any case, I think they'll be sending in the draft for the coma soon, we probably don't have much longer before I have to administer it, unless for some reason you want us to wait."
Smiling, he tucked Rose's fringe behind her ear and leaned closer to her, "I just have one last request, and then you can send me to sleep any time you like."
Rose couldn't help but smile too, "Well that depends on what you want. Is it something easily smuggled into quarantine?"
Shaking his head Sam looked down, "There's really no need to smuggle anything."
.
There was only one more thing Sam wanted before he was put to sleep, potentially never to wake again.
Rose knew that they'd been skirting around the issue for weeks, ever since their kiss.
While they hadn't kissed again, moments of intimacy had passed more and more frequently between them; longer touches, hand-holding, deeply earnest compliments - sometimes Rose felt heady with emotion, like she was being swept up on a rising tide of joy, then falling in a death-drop from a broom only for her fall to be cushioned by a warmth spreading across her chest.
She wasn't in the least bit surprised when he told her what his last request was.
"I want to know that what we have is real, tangible. That it's not just all in my head. That you feel the same. I need us to be honest with each other about, well, us."
Rose shifted over to sit even close to him, lifting a hand to his face, "Of course I feel the same. I just didn't know if us, was something you wanted to deal with on top of getting better."
Reaching up, Sam clasped Rose's hand and turned his head to her palm, kissing it gently and sending shivers of anticipation down her spine.
.
"Well I do, in fact I think it will be what helps me get better."
Rose lifted her other hand to his face and cradled his head in her hands, staring deeply into his red-rimmed and tired grey eyes.
She pulled him oh so close, but stopped right before their lips met.
"This is real Sam. You give me shivers right through my whole body, you always have and this time, I'm not afraid of that."
They stayed like that, suspended in space for one breath-taking, aching, moment that felt like a lifetime, before Sam finally moved forward pulling Rose's whole body into meet his lips.
His heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest as he held her tightly, like it was the last thing he might ever do.
.
Rose grasped him tightly too, hooking her hands around his neck and truly letting herself go for the first time since Sam had come back into her life.
Even as they'd grown closer, they always kept just far enough from each other to keep things light, casual, joking - nothing serious. But in this moment, they both knew that this was the last chance they had to express how they felt before it might be all too late.
.
Sam felt like he was on fire - blood was rapidly rushing to his head, his lips exploring every part of Rose he could reach; jaw, neck, lips, cheek.
He felt her hands scrambling to find a hold on his shirt, just so she could keep grabbing, clinging, pulling him closer.
Finally Rose could release all the anxiety and tension that had been weighing her down, she could forget about her responsibilities as his Healer, forget about treatment plans and protection charms, potions and salves and just be present.
Breaking away to take in a breath of air Rose rested her forehead against his, "Sam," she whispered, cupping his face in both her hands, stroking his cheeks, stubble vaguely scratching at her fingers.
"You are going to get through this, I promise."
"I know Rosie."
And they didn't break away again or speak another word until they heard a knock at the front door of the quarantine zone, to let them know the potions for the coma had arrived.