At two eleven in the morning, Draco Apparated in front of Hermione's house, not wanting to invade her pricacy. He was exhausted and there were still no results about Damien. The hospital had kicked him out though, saying he could come back first thing in the morning.
He knocked, not knowing what to say to her. But he realized he didn't have to say anything when Hermione answered the door.
She looked almost as exhausted as he felt. Her eyes were almost completely bloodshot and her hair was as frizzy as it had been when it was long.
He opened his arms to her and she let him embrace her. She cried into his shoulder and he ran his hand up and down her back. They stood like that for a moment before Draco pulled her back into the house.
"Where's Ayden?" he asked, closing the door behind them.
"Asleep in my bed, surrounded by pillows," she said. "I'm scared he'll fall out of the bed. . . . I've never felt like this before, Draco. I've never felt completely and utterly useless before."
"I think he'll be okay, Hermione," he said, making her sit down on the couch. "They say it's just a concussion; he'll wake up any day now. . . . I'll make you a cup of tea."
Hermione muttered a thanks as he got up and went into the kitchen, using his wand to fix her a cup of tea.
She sipped it carefully, leaning back into the couch with her eyes closed.
"You should get some sleep," he told her when she had finished her tea.
"I've tried," she said, "but my brain is running at a mile a minute and I can't seem to slow it down. I'm just so . . . overwhelmed with worry."
Draco hesitantly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He was still kind of new to this whole touching kind of thing. He had just gotten used to it with Ayden and Damien a couple of days ago.
"Mommy? Daddy?"
Draco and Hermione looked up at the stairs to see Ayden, holding a blanket and his thumb in his mouth. It was this moment that made Draco rememember that the boys were only four years old, still very vunerable no matter how smart they are.
"What's wrong darling?" Hermione asked, standing. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"I had a bad dream," the child said, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I was yelling Damien's name but he wouldn't wake up."
Hermione rushed up the stairs, faster than Draco had ever seen her move, and grabbed the boy into her arms. Running her fingers through his curls, she carried back to the couch, sitting next to Draco again, who wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders again.
She looked up at him and smiled, mouthing the words "thank you". Draco smiled back, nodding.
The morning found Draco, laying half on the couch, half off the couch, with his arm wrapped Hermione whose head lay on Draco's shoulder, her arms wrapped around Ayden, who was laying on his dad, his hands clutching to his mother's pajamas.