"Hermione. Hermione."
Draco shook Hermione gently. She was sleep between him and Ron on the chairs while Ayden slept in Draco's lap. He shook her again and she opened her eyes, sitting up with a start.
"Is Damien awake?" she said. They had all been sitting there for five hours. It was now going on midnight.
"No not yet," he said sadly. "Why – why don't you take Ayden home and get him to bed? I'll stay here and bring you any news."
Hermione and Ron both stared at him surprised before Hermione said, "Are you – are you sure?"
Draco nodded. "Get some rest."
Hermione hesitated before getting to her feet and taking Ayden from him. Giving Draco a small smile, she Apparated from the hospital. Draco looked over at Ron to see that he was still glaring at him.
"You may have fooled Hermione," Ron said, "but you can't fool me."
Draco laughed for the first time that night. "I don't think you give Hermione enough credit. Do you really think that I could fool her by pretending I'm interested in the kids? Or are you more worried that I trying to fool her into thinking I'm interested in her?"
Ron said nothing. Instead to chose to stare at the wall angrily.
"Either way," Draco continued, "I'm pretty sure if I were just pretending, Hermione would have figured it out days ago. Apparently, I must be in this for the long haul."
"Listen, Malfoy, I don't know who you think you are –"
"I know exactly who I am Weasley. I'm Draco Malfoy, father of the boy who's lying in their unconscious at the moment and of the boy whose mother has taken him home. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on my son."
Draco got to the street, fixing his clothes and walked into Damien's room, leaving a seething Ron behind him.
At home, Hermione lay Ayden down in her bed. Lovingly, she took off his shirt and pants and changed him into his bottoms, deciding she would just give him his bath in the morning.
She changed herself and then climbed into with her son, pulling the covers over them both. She caressed his cheek, admiring his beauty and realizing, actually seeing how much he did look like his father. She gently twisted her fingers in his curly blond hair, smiling at him.
He rolled over and his eyes opened slowly, looking up at her. "Mommy?"
"Yes, darling?"
"Is Damien going to be okay?"
Tears well up in her eyes again. For a minute, she considered telling him that his brother would of course be okay, but she really didn't know that and she learned over time that those little white lies often do more damage than the truth ever could. "I hope so baby," she said.
He cuddled closer to her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding his little frame against her. "I love you baby," she said.
"I love you too, mommy," he said sleepily.
After a while, the boy was sleep again and Hermione was able to let herself cry freely.