"The Healer's about to do rounds," Hermione said, settling down in the chair next to Liv. She had her legs folded up, tucked to her chest, testing the bounds of the chair. Harry hadn't moved an inch. It had been four hours and the only movement had been a jerky breathing.

"Good," she said, her voice tense.

Beside her, Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance that she pretended she didn't see. She didn't want this. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare already. Her mind cycled through the horrible outcomes that could be her new reality. Harry was the one who helped manage her through stressful situations, and she was struggling with his absence.

The clock on the wall ticked further and further into the evening as she waited for the Healer to stop by. Finally, the tall woman with a mop of curly dark hair sat with them. "How is everyone, this evening?"

Liv had no patience for pleasantries, and deferred to Hermione. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we've been better."

"I'm sure," she said. "I have good and bad news for you this evening."

"We'll take the good first," Ron said, shifting in his seat.

"I think he's going to make a good recovery," she said, scanning his chart. "He's young. His reflexes are strong. He's likely to have excellent quality of life."

Hours ago Liv would've bartered with her own life to hear these words, but they weren't quite as comforting as she thought they would be.

"The bad?" she asked, speaking up for the first time.

"There's no way to tell the extent of it the damage to his nervous system until he is awake and we can do extensive testing."

"When can you wake him up?" she asked.

The Healer laughed nervously. "It doesn't really work like that. We have to wait for the sedatives to wear off on their own. They will keep him subdued until his body is strong enough. It could be three hours or it could be three days, and I'm sorry I do not have any better answers for you."

She sighed, frustrated. The entire day had ground her down further than she'd known possible, and she was still without real answers.

"We'll be doing rounds twice a day to do basic tests on him, but there's nothing else we can do until he stirs. You can rest easy knowing he is not in any pain or discomfort, and we are taking excellent care of him."

Liv got up, feeling too much nervous energy in her to sit. She wasn't pleased with this report, though she couldn't do anything about it, or even demand the Healer do anything about it. It was what it was. Ron spoke with the Healer a bit more, though nothing notable came of it. She walked up and down the floor,

"Liv," Hermione said, her eyes full of pity. "Will you go to the cafeteria with me?"

"I really don't want to leave the floor," she said. "In case he wakes up. I want to be here."

"I know you do," she said, gently. "But he'd want you to eat, to take care of yourself. You need to eat."

"I think it's a good idea," Ron said. "You can go get something and come back and eat it here. It'll take ten minutes, and it will be good to stretch your legs. You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you stay where you are."

"Okay," she said, reluctantly. She grabbed her wallet and followed Hermione, silent the whole way. Hermione tried to fill the silence, but sensed that Liv needed silence, and respected it.

Liv scanned all of the different food options in the cafeteria, though none of them seemed to pique her interest. The meat in the stir fry looked dodgy, the salad bar had seen better days. She picked up an egg salad sandwich, finding it the least offensive, and decided she could probably eat a few bites, if it would get them off her case.

"Has this ever happened before?" she asked Hermione, on their climb back to the ward.

"He's been banged up," she said. "Broken bones, concussions, but no, he's never been hospitalized before."

She sighed. The ward let them back in with no hassle, and she settled back in to her chair. She opened the packaged sandwich, taking about three bites before it started to turn her stomach and she put it away.

"Liv, I think I should transfer my power over his medical decisions to you," Ron said. "It's a simple process, I talked to one of the administrators..."

She thought about it for a moment, and it did mean a lot to her that he considered her a permanent fixture to his life. It definitely affirmed that Ron had accepted her as Harry's girlfriend, even if it was only brought out by their shitty circumstances.

"I appreciate it, Ron," she said. "But I think you're much more level headed about this particular situation than I can hope to be."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I think so," she said. "Should we be so lucky that he makes it out of this in one piece, then we can discuss it."

He nodded at her, appreciating her honesty and clarity. "If you change your mind-"

"Thank you," she said, quietly.

"There's someone here from the Ministry," a nurse said, stopping into their room.

Ron looked towards Liv, and she shrugged. "I wasn't expecting anyone, but I'll go see who it is."

She walked down the hallway, curious as to who was visiting. It was after hours, anyways. As she opened the frosted glass door to the waiting area, she was surprised to see Rutherford his hands folded in his lap.

"Rutherford," she said, almost comforted by his presence. She hadn't expected him to drop by himself.

"How is he?" he asked. "I had to come check, I couldn't get away from the office before now, lots of ripples in the wake from this, this—"

"He's been better," she said. "They've got him… sedated, indefinitely, you can come see him, come on."

She held the door for him, and he followed her, silently. She didn't even care her boss was seeing her in such a vulnerable state. She led him into Harry's room, where he acknowledged Ron and Hermione quickly. Liv peeled back the curtain blocking him from the hallway, and Rutherford was able to take in the state he was in. He covered his mouth in shock, but didn't say anything yet.

"We won't know much more until he's awake," Liv said. "It could be a few days."

He sighed. "I hate when this happens. It's the worst part of our department, putting good people in dangerous situations."

"What happened, exactly?" she asked, curiously.

"I have two people on his teams' accounts of it, I'll let you read them in the morning if you'd like."

It didn't matter that much to her, in the moment, what happened. She could ask Holly if she wanted, she was there. "Of course."

"The timing, my god," he said.

Liv laughed, sarcastically. "Yeah."

"Did you get to tell him?"

"No," she said, thinking about her conversation with Kensington. "It doesn't matter. Plenty of time to discuss it later."

"That's right," he said, nodding. "I'm certain once he's up, he'll be surpassing all expectations getting back to good health."

"That's what we're all hoping."

"Is there anything the Ministry can do?"

"I don't think so," she said. "It's a waiting game at the moment. I plan on coming into work tomorrow, I have plenty of stuff to work on, but I'll let you know as things develop."

"Okay," he said. "Take care of yourself, Wellwood. We can't afford to have the department down by two of our best workers."

She knew it was a compliment, but if didn't help her feel much better. Rutherford excused himself, and she resumed her place by Harry's bedside.

"Liv," Hermione said, coming back in the room. "I think you should go get some rest."

She shook her head. "I know you're right... but the thought of going back to that big, stupid house and being alone in it right now? Sounds horrible."

"Come home with us," she offered. "We have a spare room. Or stay at Holly's... but you can't stay here forever. He's okay here, but he's going to need you strong when he's awake."

She knew Hermione was right, though the idea of leaving him was... trying, to say the least. She spent a few moments next to him, brushing his hair lightly with her fingers. If she closed her eyes, and didn't breathe in the scent of the hospital, it was almost like she was at home, with him. It grounded her enough to leave, for now.

"Okay," she said. "I'll go get a few hours of sleep... and write Andromeda to get her up to speed. And probably go into the office in the morning to set some things up."

"Sounds like a good plan," Ron said. "We will be here as much as we can."

"Like you said," she murmured. "Rest up. He'll need us when he's awake, right?"

"Right."

She felt bad showing up at Holly's house without announcing herself, though Holly seemed rather relieved to see her. "I didn't think they'd be successful in convincing you not to spend the next week in that chair."

She shrugged. "I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life."

"Oh honey," she said, putting her arm around her. "Come in, I'll make you a cup of tea and you can get some rest."

"Tea sounds great," she said, taking a seat at the dining room table. Everything in Holly's house was cobbled together from hand me down sets and thrift stores, but it made it feel cozy.

"The baby and Cian are asleep," she said, filling up the kettle and lighting the gas stove. "So it's just us, you can have some tea, maybe take a bath, if you'd like, of course-"

While she was talking, layers of Liv's composure melted away entirely, leaving tears streaming down her face as she gasped for air. She had kept herself together until she couldn't manage it anymore, and unraveled in a spectacular, snotty fashion.

"It's so scary," she managed, between sobs. "What if he doesn't wake up? What if he's not the same person when he wakes up? What if he's completely paralyzed?"

Holly set the steaming cup on the table in front of her, and wrapped her arms around Liv's shaking body. It was reminiscent of the stance they took when Liv found out her mother had passed away, and the parallel left her shaken. The shaking didn't stop, though the tears slowed, due to lack of tears left to cry.

"I don't have answers," Holly said. "But I know it's going to work out. He never takes no for an answer, he'll probably be back on his feet by the weekend. You know how he is."

"I'm so afraid he's not going to wake up," she managed to say, as her cries rendered her voice mostly useless. The strain on her chest was so powerful, as she tried to stop resisting the tears. It was hard.

"Do you want something to calm you down?" Holly asked gently, though Liv's response was an enthusiastic nod. That sounded ideal to her. She had a feeling a good night's sleep would give her better perspective on everything.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," Liv said, as Holly doctored her tea.

"Please don't apologize. You have so much on your plate. I can't even imagine."

Liv sipped at her tea as she felt the calming draught begin to take hold of her. It eased the anxiety in her chest, the tension in her neck and shoulders. She took a deep breath for the first time in hours. In that moment, she wondered why she hadn't asked for it hours ago.

"Where can I sleep?" Liv asked, her eyelids getting heavy.

Holly brought her upstairs, to the guest room. Liv kicked off her shoes, and sat on the bed. "I apologize in advance if the baby wakes you… he usually wakes up around 4, not because he's hungry or wet, he just thinks it's a great time for a party."

"I think I'll sleep right through it," she said, sighing. "Thank you, Holly."

"Of course. You know where to find me."

As soon as Liv's head hit the pillow, she was out in moments. She slept a deep sleep, blessedly uninterrupted by bad dreams.

—

She stirred to the sound of Xavi babbling in the next room over. At first, she tried to ignore it, but once she was awake, her mind started going and it was impossible to quell. She got up and stretched, her muscles fatigued from all the tension they held yesterday.

Tiptoeing, she made her way into the baby's room, and grabbed him from his crib. He was delighted to see her, and sat down with him in the glider, bouncing him on her legs and making him giggle. "You know it's still night time, right?"

He cooed at her in response, without a care in the world. He lightly stroked her face, and she found it pretty endearing, actually. She wasn't really a baby person… but this baby, he wasn't too bad. Eventually he got all his wiggles out of him, and snuggled up in her arms. She rested her hand on his back, gently lulling him to sleep. She got a little sleepy herself, though didn't give in to her desire for more sleep.

"I'm sorry he woke you up," Holly said, when she came in to get him just before six.

"He's fine," she murmured, giving him to her. "We had a little cuddle. He's so sweet."

"I'm rather fond of him," she said, proudly. He resisted Holly's attempts to wake him, so she gently set him back in his crib. "I got you clothing, after you fell asleep last night. I ran to the house and picked some things up for you…"

"Oh, thank you so much," she said, honestly surprised by the kindness. "You don't know how much I appreciate that."

"They're in your room, if you want to change."

Holly had outdone herself and selected a handful of outfits for her. Liv didn't have a care in the world about what she was wearing, but it was definitely time for new clothing. She picked a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and her work cloak, the least fussy option, and met Holly in the kitchen for coffee.

"What's your plan for today?"

"I'm going to stop at Mungos and see how he's doing, first," she said. "Then probably to the office for a bit—"

"What do you need at the office?" she asked. "I'll get it for you."

Liv sensed her hesitation, and knew this was not a matter of convenience. "Who can I expect to be an arse to me at the office, Holly?"

"Houston and I might have exchanged words," she said, sheepishly.

"I'm not afraid of him," she said. "I need to go to the office and delegate tasks. I simply can't do it from the hospital. If I could, I would, but my department needs me."

"Okay," she said, handing Liv coffee. "I'll be there, if you need me."

Liv nodded, appreciatively, though she knew that whatever she had to deal with at the office was up to her, and her alone. She finished her coffee, gave Holly a hug, and departed for the hospital.

Everything was comparatively very still, though the sun had yet to rise. It was just after six, and the hospital still seemed to be sleeping. She had no trouble getting into the ward, and found him in the exact position she'd left him in the night before. The gravity of the situation was hard to ignore, but she needed this time with him before she could go on with her day. A nurse noticed she had come in, and came to sit with her for a few moments.

"They examined him overnight and he's holding steady," she explained. "Which is good."

Liv nodded. "Any movement?"

"No, not yet," she said. "I wouldn't expect any for another twenty four hours, truthfully. His body is hard at work healing. This time is critical for him. The longer he's out, the stronger he will be when he opens his eyes."

That reassured her, a little, at least. She told herself that she could go without him another day or two if it meant he would be closer to coming home when he woke up. She sat by him for half an hour, before she decided to head to work and get started on what she needed to catch up on.

She was first in the office, though it wasn't a bad thing. She was certain it would be a trying day, and the less people staring at her, the better. After turning all the lights on, and brewing a fresh pot of coffee, she sat down at her desk to begin writing out what needed to get done today. Houston got a new case, to keep him nice and busy. The more menial, the better. She needed a report from two of her employees by the end of the day, and wanted to get status updates from a few more.

Before she could focus on accomplishing her to do list, she picked up the two documents Rutherford had left for her. Testaments of what had happened to Harry. In an unfamiliar loopy scrawl, she read Mari Selywn's account.

Aurors Potter, Marquis, and Evanson were leading Junior Aurors, including myself, on a trip through the Hainault neighborhood of London to observe some recent sites of suspicious behavior. Potter led the lot of us off the High street and down Cavalier Road towards the quieter, residential side of town where an unknown source of magic seems quite active on weekend nights. Potter was reminding us of the proper procedure when a deceptive ward was activated by a gesture in its direction. The ward lit up like Muggle electricity and sent him approximately ten feet in the air. He landed on the left side of his body, appearing unconscious, as Auror Marquis secured the area-

Liv put aside the paper, her stomach turning. The fact that he was hurt was purely accidental and that caused a surge of anger in her body. She folded the two sheets of parchment in half, then stuck them in her top drawer.

"Wellwood?" Rutherford asked, stopping by when he got in the office. "How long have you been here?"

She checked her watch. "About forty five minutes, sir. I have a lot of work to catch up on."

"You can work from home," he said, looking slightly concerned. "Let us know what we can do to help you."

"Can you come in?" she asked, as he lingered in her doorway. He did, shutting the door behind her. "I don't want anyone to think I'm getting special privileges because of my involvement with… him, and I need to do right by my employees. I'll be in the office all morning, most likely, trying to get as much of this done as possible. He's still sedated, I checked up on him this morning. He's safe. When he wakes up, that's when he's going to need me more. But for right now, I think this is the best place for me, for my sake and the continued smooth operation of the department."

He stood and listened to everything she had to say, nodding along. "You are wise beyond your years, Wellwood. I think you're going to make an excellent Head of Research."

She appreciated his respect but didn't have time for compliments. "Thank you, sir."

"I'll be in my office if you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."

She nodded, and got back to her work.

Author's Note: Another Friday, another chapter! Hope everyone's had a swell week and are in for a lovely weekend. I want to thank you all for your support and kind messages this week—they mean the world. I'm hard at work on the story that will follow Gravity, thanks to you all! And as always, thank you to my brilliant-beyond-words beta, potter-reading-coastie. Cheers, folks!