A/N:
Well everyone, I'm sorry to report that this is the final chapter of Scraping Metal. I'm going to miss writing it! This is the longest chapter and in Hermione's POV since we started the story with her I figured we might as well end it with her.
A special thanks to ObsessedRHShipper, vernalequinox135, Avanell, tamara72 and hptwlight95 for reading and reviewing Chapter 11!!
Hermione looked out the window of her new room and watched the snowfall on the dark window and out into the dark abyss of the dim sky. She was the only one in the room. The night before she had been moved to the room she was currently in. It was much more cheery then her previous room. The walls were a lovely light blue color instead of the boring white color that covered the walls of the rest of the hospital. It gave the room a much more comfortable feeling as well. She felt so much more relaxed now that she didn't have all of those wires, Hermione had a single IV in her arm now and she was still hooked up to the heart monitor. Listening to the steady quiet beeping sounds, she closed her eyes for what she thought was only a moment.
"Hermione?"
"Yes?" She asked without opening her eyes.
"How are you feeling?"
Hermione opened her eyes. Ginny stood over her with a concerned look on her face. Hermione wasn't entirely sure if she remembered Ginny even coming in. Turning her head toward the window she realized that the sun was high in the sky. She turned to face Ginny.
"How long was I asleep?"
"It's ten-thirty so a few hours." Ginny replied as she grabbed a nearby chair and sat down. "I came in right about the time you fell asleep."
Both women were silent for only a moment. Ginny leaned forward and asked again, "How are you feeling?"
Hermione shrugged "Brilliant under the circumstances. My chest is only sore if I sigh deeply but other than that I can breathe fine. Only a little sore. I suspect that it's the work of the pain medication that they gave me earlier."
"Do you feel well enough for a few visitors?"
"Visitors?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
Ginny nodded, standing up she slowly walked toward the door that led to the Hospital's hallways. Peering out, she called to someone. A few moments later Hermione could see a small, redheaded little girl hesitantly peering into the room at Hermione. Her blue eyes seemed to be wet but at the same time filled with wonder.
"Hi Mummy." Rose whispered as Ginny gently guided her into the room.
Hermione smiled, and felt her heart twinge as her daughter took hesitant steps toward her mother. "Hi honey."
"Are you okay?" Hermione could sense the fear in her daughter's voice, it wasn't the same fear that she had sensed the last time they had seen each other this was a different type of fear all together.
"I'm fine sweetie."
"Really?"
Hermione nodded. She watched as Rose took a hesitant step forward.
"I was so afraid Mummy. I tried to be brave like Gryffindor. I really did."
"Rosie honey, I'm so proud of you. You were so brave."
Rose shook her head quickly, her red curls bobbing. "No! I wasn't brave!"
"You weren't?"
Rose looked down at her feet as if she didn't want to admit something; she muttered a little to her shoes.
"What was that Rosie?"
"I said that I wasn't brave. I cried Mummy!" Rose sounded as if she was disgusted with herself. "I don't think Gryffindor ever cried!"
Hermione watched as her daughter stood in front of her, crying her eyes out. More than anything she wanted to burst from her bed and wrap her arms around her daughter.
"Rosie? Come here."
She watched as Rose hiccupped and walked toward her mother's bedside. Hermione smiled as she looked into her daughter's wet blue eyes. She took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"I'm proud of you honey. You were brave."
"But—" Rose's chin began to quiver.
"You were brave in the car weren't you? You didn't cry then right?"
Rose nodded.
"You were brave then. That's when I needed you to be brave and you were. So you see? You were brave like Gryffindor. I'm so proud of you."
Rose gave her mother a teary-smile. Hermione squeezed her hand again.
"Mummy?"
"Yes?"
"Where are Hugo and Daddy? Granddad said that they weren't here anymore."
Hermione bit her lip. She didn't have all of the details but she knew enough to tell Rose the truth and she wouldn't deny her that. "The Muggle doctors decided that Hugo needed to go see someone who could help him better. Daddy went with him."
Rose looked away from her mother toward the door. For a moment, Hermione feared that she was about to run toward it but Rose soon looked back up at Hermione. "When will they be back? When Hugo is all better?"
Hermione nodded.
"When will that be?"
Hermione looked away from Rose, visions of the accident running though her brain. She saw the broken windshield in her mind. She remembered Rose's fearful cry. She remembered praying to hear something other than her son's silence. "I don't know."
"He'll be okay though won't he? The Muggle doctors will fix Hugo like they fixed you right?"
Hermione looked back toward her daughter. Rose seemed to be thirsty for information, much like Hermione herself had been earlier. She took a long, calm breath before speaking.
"Daddy sent Uncle Harry a Patronus to tell us that Hugo was going to be better soon. He has a really good Muggle doctor taking care of him."
Rose seemed assured by her mother's words and smiled. Hermione smiled back, wishing that she could be like Rose, so naïve. She would never tell her daughter this, but it was torture for Hermione to just lay in a hospital bed while her injured son was across town in another hospital, being looked at by strange doctors. A single tear fell from Hermione's cheek. The only comfort she could get from the situation was that Ron was with him.
A half-hour later, after getting permission from a nurse, Hermione found herself reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard as Rose lay in the bed beside her. It had taken them awhile but Hermione had eventually convinced the nurse that she would be perfectly safe if Rose simply laid beside her, for the nurse was convinced that any contact by the three year old would result in Hermione going into a relapse. The nurse had finally given in and helped Rose into the into the small hospital bed. After she had made sure that Rose wouldn't be able to rip out Hermione's stitches and made Rose promise to sit up straight and not lean on her mother did she leave and Rose had pulled out the book that she had gotten from the Burrow.
Hermione smiled to herself. Rose was sitting up just like she had promised the nurse. She was trying to listen to Hermione read Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump. Hermione couldn't help but notice that Rose's head was beginning to nod slightly and her eyes were beginning to droop. It was obvious that Rose was getting tired.
She could feel Rose slowly lean against her as she drifted off to sleep. Pain stabbed Hermione's torso as her sleeping daughter, unknowingly leaned against the bruised body of her mother.
Hermione took a small, sharp breath as she closed the book. Her arms felt like lead as she put it on her lap. She could hardly handle the pain. It was so hard to believe that Rose's little head could put Hermione into so much agony. She bit her lip as she tried not to cry out in pain, fearing that it would wake Rose or someone would hear, come in and take Rose away.
She didn't care if it was causing her pain, all Hermione wanted to do was hold her family in her arms, safe and sound. Hermione let the tears flow down her cheeks into Rose's sweet smelling hair as she took short, sharp breaths. The pain was getting to her but Hermione continued to bite her lip and continued to look down at her sweet little girl. More than anything, Hermione wanted the rest of her family sitting by her bedside, safe and sound, if she could only have one of them with her for the moment she would have to hold on to that moment for as long as she could. She had to tolerate the pain, which was already at its breaking point.
"Hermione?"
She jumped at the sound of Harry's voice—she had been concentrating so hard on not making any noise that she hadn't heard her come in. She looked up at Harry with her teary eyes.
"You look like you're in pain." He whispered.
"I'm fine." She whispered, her voice shaking a little. She could tell Harry knew that wasn't the case and knew what was causing her pain.
Harry nodded towards Rose. "How long has she been asleep?"
"She just fell asleep only a few minutes ago. It hasn't been very long Harry. I'm fine really. Please don't take her."
"I've got to Hermione. She's got to go back to the Burrow anyway, visiting hours are over."
She watched in a mixture of relief and horror, as Harry slowly, ever so carefully, leaned forward and picked her up. Rose barely stirred. She could feel her chest relax and she could now breathe and was not in pain. However, Hermione felt terrible as she watched Harry hold her daughter.
"George got a hold of your parents." Harry whispered, "They were on vacation but they decided to come back as soon as they found out. George says that they will be here tonight."
Hermione nodded. Not taking her eyes off of her daughter. She looked so helpless in Harry's arms. Hermione felt another little pang in the pit of her stomach.
"It's my fault."
"Huh?" Harry blinked. "What's your fault?"
Hermione closed her eyes. She could feel a tear trickle down her cheek and she took a shaky breath. "It's my fault we were in the accident."
Harry shook his head fiercely. "No Hermione. It wasn't your fault and you know it."
"I should have put up a Supersensory Charm. But we had been Christmas Shopping and I was so wiped out, thinking that we had to get home and a thousand other things and I didn't think about it. I normally do you know." She wiped away another tear. The longer she talked the more of them seemed to come. "It's ironic isn't it? The day we get into a car accident is the day I forget to put up the charm?" She took another shaky breath.
Harry once again shook his head fiercely. He sat down on the chair beside her bed, still holding Rose who continued to sleep on. "You know it wasn't your fault. It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone—it wouldn't have mattered if you had the Supersensory Charm anyway, it would have only given you a few extra seconds."
Hermione was silent and continued to cry as he continued to tell her the same thing over and over. Harry's words did make sense but at the same time Hermione couldn't grasp what he was saying to logic.
She watched as Harry took her hand and squeezed it. "You did nothing wrong Hermione. You were brilliant." He then took Rose out of the room.
Hermione lay alone in the room. Her sobs beginning to lighten. She knew that Harry was right. Why did she still feel so guilty? Hermione knew the answer what the answer was even before she had finished her thoughts. Hugo. Until she saw him again and got to hold him in her arms with Ron by her side stroking her hair and Rose giggling beside her, she would continue to blame herself.
The rest of the morning was extremely dull. Doctors came in and out to check up on her. Hermione got to taste the wonders of hospital food all the time with Harry or Ginny by her side.
"Hermione?" a nurse poked her head in the room while Hermione and Ginny were having a detailed discussion about Christmas. "You have some visitors."
"But I thought that visiting hours are over?"
The nurse nodded. "They are but your doctor thinks that these visitors will do you some good. Mrs. Potter I'm going to have to ask you to step outside, only two visitors allowed at a time."
Ginny nodded to the nurse and walked out of the room, not before waving her Hermione and smiling. "I'll be back later."
Hermione nodded and watched her go. The door remained open for a few minutes, the nurse held it open, Hermione guessed that who ever it was Ginny was talking to them. She watched and almost yelled in joy as the nurse step-sided and a tall, redheaded man came into view. His hair was in a wild state like it hadn't been brushed and he looked tired. He smiled at her. So did the little redheaded not-yet one year old that he held in his arms. Emotion welled up inside Hermione. Tears once again filled her eyes but this time she let them flow, for they were happy tears.
"Ron! Hugo!"
A/N:
Well…. it's been a real pleasure writing this here story and like I said I'm going to miss it deeply. I want to thank everyone who has stuck with all my hiatuses and my writer's block curse. I also want to thank Dylan who has put up with this story since December when I got the idea and started writing it. I owe you big time girl!
If you want to read more of my stuff feel free to check out Rose Weasley and the Forbidden Forest, which features Rose of course. I'd really appreciate it if you were to stop by and give it a read and review!
Until next time!
Jenny