Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story is meant purely in tribute to the original work.
The halls of St. Mungo's had never seemed so foreign to Luna before. She had to admit that although she did not spend that much of her time here, Luna could find her way to Neville's parents' ward by memory. Now, looking down the hallway, she felt as if this were her first time here. Luna recalled the first time Neville had brought her to meet his parents. She was certain this felt nothing like that time. Harry glanced over to his old friend as he accompanied her down the hallway. Luna's face was mask of emotionless stoicism. After her initial breakdown at her home, Harry managed to inform Luna that Neville was alive but his condition was uncertain. He had no idea how he managed to get the words out after being shaken to his core at seeing Luna fall apart. All he knew was that it was like someone had thrown a switch inside her. Luna had wiped her tears from her cheeks, caught her breath, stood up, and with an eerie calmness, simply stated to Harry, "I need to see Neville. Please take me to him." Harry considered himself fortunate that he managed to apparate them to St. Mungo's without splinching. He reminded himself never to attempt that again in that mental condition.
Harry recalled Neville once remarking to him that he found Luna difficult to read. He remembered agreeing with Neville but as he watched Luna out of the corner of his eye, he was sure this was not quite the scenario his fellow auror envisioned when he said those words. Harry found himself fraught with worry that Luna might have another episode that he had just witnessed. This was not the first time he had to deliver such news, Harry had seen wives break down before. However, he was certain that it was infinitely worse when you had to witness it from a close friend. As the two of them entered the waiting room, Harry felt a small sense of relief as he saw Ron and an older man with salt and pepper hair seated in the room. It took a moment for Harry to recognize the older man as Neville's branch chief.
Ron stood as the two of them approached. "Glad to see you two, although I wish it were under happier circumstances."
"That's very kind of you Ron." Luna's voice carried an unnerving calmness to it, at least on the surface. Anyone who had taken out the time to get to know Luna as a friend instantly picked up on the fear in her voice that would have been hidden from everyone else. All three men considered Luna a friend. "May I see him?"
Inspector Chen shook his head. "I'm sorry Luna, the healers are still working on him. They said they'd let us know as soon as possible. I've been asking for updates from everyone that I've seen coming in and out of his room. They've got the best working on him as we speak. I know it's easier said than done but we just have to wait right now."
As Luna and the inspector continued speaking, Harry pulled Ron to one side and lowered his voice. "Ginny? Hermione?"
Harry didn't really need to elaborate, Ron knew the drill. "I sent them both owls half an hour ago. They should be here any minute."
"Level with me Ron. How is he?"
Ron gave a tight frown. "Even money right now. It's not good." Harry gave a deep sigh and gave Ron's shoulder a squeeze with his hand as he looked over to Luna again.
"Seb, what happened?", Luna pleaded.
"It was a tough one Luna.", the inspector answered, "This fellow put up quite a fight."
"Inspector, please."
Seb sighed, he knew it was useless with Luna's wide eyes boring into him like they were. "We were raiding another illicit lab. This one was a big one, set up in a warehouse. There were a lot of them and the regular assault team was short-handed. We went in with them to lend a hand and even up the odds. Neville paired up with a fellow from Narcotics, Alexander McIntyre. Neville handled himself well in the raid, he and Alex supported each other well in their battles. They ended up taking on a pair of former Death Eaters in a part of the warehouse used for processing the raw product. Lots of nasty substances lying about, most of them not friendly to bare skin. Neville's adversary sent a killing curse that he managed to deflect. Neville got his opponent with an incendiary spell and the fellow took a tumble into one of the vats. That put out the flames but that turned out to be the least of that criminal's worries. Alex sent his opponent out the window with a nice stunning spell. Too bad the window was three storeys above the ground. Unfortunately, the criminal sent out a Reductor spell. It went wide of Alex and Neville but it turned out it was aimed at a high pressure storage tank next to Alex. Some of the fuel for manufacturing was in that tank and the results were explosive. Alex took the brunt of it. Neville was a bit luckier. A table helped shield him but it also slammed him into a wall across the room."
Luna looked down for a moment as he processed the information she had just heard. It took only a moment when she looked back up to meet the inspector's eyes. "Will he live?"
"We don't know yet. I'm sorry I don't have any better information that that Luna, but it's the truth. You know I wouldn't lie to you."
"Thank you Seb, for being honest with me and for being here."
"Think nothing of it. I just wish I could have done more."
Luna took the older man's hand to reassure him. "You've nothing to blame yourself for. Neville's partner, Alex, how is he?" Seb's mouth tightened into a frown for a moment before he simply shook his head, not trusting his words for the moment. "Did he have any family?"
"Wife, 2 year old son.", Seb answered. Luna could not help but feel some empathy for the woman who was most likely visiting another part of St. Mungo's for a far more unpleasant reason than the one she was here for. At that moment, Luna looked up at the sound of distinctly feminine footsteps entering the waiting room. Hermione and Ginny were walking as fast as they possibly could without crossing the threshold of the definition of running. They both nodded briefly to their husbands, who stood clear in full understanding of the situation. The two newcomers folded Luna into their embrace as fresh tears began to spill.
"How is he?", Ginny asked after a few minutes.
Luna shook her head as she wiped away some tears on her cheeks. "He's alive but they won't let me see him yet. They say they don't know if-"
"Don't think about it.", Hermione interrupted, "Nothing is for certain except that he's alive. Just focus on that for now, alright?" Luna nodded as her two friends sat her down and took up position on either side of her. There was nothing anyone could do at the moment but wait.
Over the course of the next half hour, only one healer left the ward Neville was in but he could provide no further updates. Xenophilius Lovegood and Augusta Longbottom then arrived, one right after the other. After her father provided a comforting hug, Luna was slightly surprised that Neville's grandmother swept her up in an embrace. When the older lady released her, Luna could swear she saw tears in her eyes. Shortly afterward, the younger auror that had accompanied Harry to Luna's doorstep arrived and spoke quietly to Inspector Chen. Seb nodded and turned to Luna. He quickly explained that McIntyre's widow had arrived and he was going to meet her and the Chief Inspector from Narcotics. Seb went on to reassure Luna that he would be back as soon as he could. Luna wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed afterwards but it seemed that shortly afterward, a rather senior-looking healer stepped through the double doors of the ward. Luna rose immediately to meet him. "I'm here for Neville Longbottom, is there any update on his condition?"
"Pardon miss, I was looking for the inspector.", the elder man stated, but not unkindly, "I don't believe we've met, are you related to the patient?"
"I'm his wife."
"Ah yes, I remember being told now that you had arrived. I'm Adrian Brewster, I've been working on your husband since he arrived.", the healer said as he extended his hand.
"Luna.", she answered as Luna shook the proffered hand. She noted that it was a firm, warm grip that exuded confidence through years of experience. Something about it lifted her spirits ever so slightly.
"I'm happy to tell you that he'll live-", Luna quietly let out a breath that she did not realize she had been holding in, "-but he has a long road to recovery ahead of him. I can allow a brief visitation time-", the assembled group rose as one, "-for one person only.", the healer finished. Everyone save for Luna sat back down dejectedly.
"I'd like to see him please.", Luna stated as she apologetically turned to her friends.
Hermione simply smiled by way of silently telling Luna that everyone understood. Luna gave a half-hearted smile as she turned for the doors. The healer stopped her short of the portal. "Luna, I need to inform you of a few things first. Neville is unconscious and most likely will be for the rest of the day, most likely another day as well. He's still heavily bandaged but it looks like the worst is over. I just want you to be informed of what you're about to see." At Luna's head nod, Adrian opened the doors for her. As she approached Neville's bedside she was able to get a good look at her husband's condition. She found herself thinking that Adrian's description did Neville no justice as, in her opinion, he looked infinitely worse. Luna felt her eyes well up once more as her gaze swept over him. He looked so pale and his skin looked so sallow that were it not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Luna might have thought Healer Brewster had brought her to the morgue. Adrian conjured up some images for Luna to examine. "Inspector Chen may have informed you that your husband was caught in an explosion." Luna nodded for him to continue. "Some furniture helped shield him from the blast but it was, unfortunately, also responsible for most of the trauma." Healer Brewster pointed out various features on the diagnostic images. "Four broken ribs on his right side which also punctured his right lung, causing it to collapse. We were able to mend the ribs, re-inflate his lung, and drain it of fluid. He may wheeze and find deep breaths difficult for a couple of days." Adrian scrolled the image downwards. "It appears his right leg was caught in between two objects. Probably whatever he was hurled against and the table that sent him into it. Heavy compression damage to his right knee, all but crushing it. Normally we would have been able to mend it better had we gotten to it sooner but his torso required priority. As such, by the time we could devote our efforts on his knee, we could not mend it as well as we wished. We were able to regenerate most of the bone fragments that were missing, this pin here is permanent, I'm afraid, and this one up here as well. He should regain about 75% usage of his leg with some physical therapy. Prolonged usage of his leg will probably cause discomfort from now on, a cane will probably alleviate that." Adrian scrolled the image upwards. "He sustained a concussion as well. The good news is that we find no fractures and no swelling of the brain. However, this is not his first concussion and repeat occurrences are always a worry. Hence, we wish to keep him for observation for a couple days. He also sustained a few minor burns but we treated them with no complications. Shouldn't even leave a scar."
Luna nodded. "Lord knows he has enough of those on the outside and inside.", she thought. "Will he really be unconscious for the next couple of days?", Luna asked.
"Most likely. I wish I could give an exact time when he'll wake up but there is no telling."
Luna nodded and moved next to the head of her husband's bed. She leaned down and kissed his cheek ever so gently. Healer Brewster murmured something about paperwork as he dispelled the images he conjured and silently backed away to give the couple some privacy. Luna sat down and took Neville's hand gently in hers. She leaned in toward his ear to whisper. "I'd like to believe that you can hear me Neville. I just want you to know that I'm here and I'm waiting for you to come back for me, just like you have done for me. I don't know if you're dreaming right now, but I hope I'm there for you too." Luna brought his hand up to her lips as she began her vigil.
At some point, Luna briefly left Neville's bedside to update her friends and relatives on his condition. There was a collective sigh of relief that Neville's survival was assured but some consternation at his condition. The group agreed to take turns checking up on the couple and to provide logistics. Luna was hesitant at the idea of imposing on everyone but Augusta made it very clear that it was no imposition and she insisted that the only thing Luna needed to worry about was when Neville would regain consciousness. Indeed, Luna spent all of her time at St. Mungo's. The staff had set up a cot for her next to Neville's bed. It was clear from anyone who met her that the term, "Visiting Hours", meant nothing to Luna and she would not be separated from her husband. True to their words, her friends and Neville's grandmother brought a steady supply of meals. Augusta had insisted that Luna eat something other than "hospital food". Hermione and Ginny had brought in books at Luna's request, which she read to Neville as she waited.
Two days had passed since Luna had begun her vigil and she was reading to Neville from a Muggle book, The Outsiders, that Hermione had brought her. Luna thought it was an oddly titled book but the story was quite engaging. She kept her voice soft and low so as not to disturb anyone else in the ward. Still, she hoped that somehow her voice would reach him. Luna was in mid-sentence when she felt it. It was a light squeeze of his hand around hers, so light that Luna thought she might have imagined it. As she looked down to their joined hands, she felt it again. This time there was no doubt, she saw his hand flex to curl around hers. She looked up to see his eyelids flutter and his head roll back and forth a bit. Luna's heart leapt as she leaned in toward Neville's face. His eyes slowly came open, disoriented, and took a moment to focus on her. His mouth opened and a raspy, croaking sound came forth, not unlike something she once heard from Trevor. Luna realized his mouth must have been parched and reached for a glass of water with a straw that the staff had provided for just this reason. "Not too much all at once", she cautioned as she moved the straw away after a couple sips.
Neville took a moment longer to stare at her as he tried to speak again. "I'm alive?"
"Yes, of course silly! Why else would you be here?"
"I thought I was looking at an angel for a moment."
Luna smiled despite their surroundings. "You must have sustained a concussion to think that. I haven't brushed my hair or touched any make-up for days now."
Neville shook his head slightly. "I've never seen anything more beautiful."
Luna simply smiled as she leaned in to give him a gentle kiss on his lips. "Please don't ever do this do me again Neville. When Harry showed up at our door, I had thought the worst."
"Harry was the one they sent to tell you? Poor fellow, I don't think I would've have wanted that duty."
Luna realized at that moment that while she and her two friends dreaded the thought of each other's husbands showing up with bad news, the men must have dreaded the thought of having to go to any of the women's homes for the same reason. "I hadn't really thought of it that way until now. He did have a rather difficult time of it."
"I can only imagine. How are you feeling?"
Luna nearly laughed. "I should be the one asking you that. Aside from my disheveled appearance, I'm fine. What about you? Are you in pain?"
"Some, kind of all over. More on the right side it seems."
"That is where most of your injuries were."
"How long have I been out?"
"It's been two days."
Neville closed his eyes as he let the news sink in. When he opened them again he directed his gaze to his wife. "You've been here this whole time?" Luna nodded. "I'm sorry to have put you through all this."
"You've nothing to apologize for. You didn't do this on purpose."
"All the same, I'm sorry to have worried and stressed you so much."
Luna patted his hand reassuringly. "There'll be no more talk of that nature. I knew the risks when I decided to be with you." Neville squeezed her hand gently in silent thanks. "If you're able, I think the healers will want to speak with you. And after that, there are quite a few others who will probably want some of your time as well."
"I've been asleep for long enough. I think I'm ready to be awake for a while."
Author's Note: This chapter turned out longer than I expected. I had intended for the recovery scene to be shorter and I would fold the next chapter into this one. I just felt that I shouldn't rush this chapter.
I forgot to mention something in my notes waaay back in Chapter Two: A lignum vitae is a type of tree that is known for being a slow grower. I figured there might be a magical species somewhere out there.
Back in Chapter Eight, there is a reference to Baren's white tea. Baren's is reference to Barings Bank, the defunct British financial institution that was taken down by a commodities trader who lost huge sums of money and used administrative legerdemain to cover it up until the bank became insolvent. One man was able to take down one of the oldest and most distinguished banks in the country.
Back in Chapter Eleven, there is a reference to an amaranthine lotus. Amaranthine means a purple-type color.
Something I should probably clarify: If it isn't already very apparent, I speak American English. I know a little about British English and a few British idioms from the UK fellows I work with. However, more American English has crept into their speech than British English has crept into mine. As such, I won't try to write in British English as I simply can't and I don't want to write something that would make you cringe more than you already might be doing. Also, I think if I tried, it would be a serious affront to any UK folks reading this.
Many thanks again to everyone who is reading this and special thanks to Weasley-Ronnie for keeping up the steady reviews! Apologies for the slowed pace, I'm doing a lot of work on the new home right now.