Losing Pain

Chapter Seventeen

"Hello! My name is Rachel." A peppy looking brunette smiled and held out her hand. "I'll be one of the nurses helping you through your journey."

Harry smiled politely to her and shook her hand. "I'm Harry Potter, and this is Draco Malfoy."

Draco shook Rachel's hand as well, but it was more reluctantly.

"It's always good for patients to have supportive friends." The girl's peppiness was starting to really get on Draco's nerves.

"Oh, he's not just my friend. He's my boyfriend." Harry corrected her. "He's been doing his best at trying to help me get better. I guess I'm just stubborn." Harry laughed, but neither Rachel nor Draco joined in.

"Let me show you around." Rachel changed the subject. She started walking down a hallway and Harry and Draco followed closely behind. Almost suddenly, she stopped at a room with only a dresser, single bed, beside table, desk, and chair. "This will be your room. You're lucky because this is the last single room we have. If you had come later, you'd probably have a roommate. Tyler will drop off your suitcase here when they're done checking it."

"Why do they need to check luggage?" Draco asked.

Rachel looked at him and replied. "There are some things that patients try to smuggle in. Some are obsessive with working out, or they use diet pills. We can never be too safe." She gave another smile and headed farther down the hall.

The next door they stopped at was closed, but a window showed a group of people sitting in a circle. "This is group therapy. Later today, you'll talk with Dr. Femmingway and he'll decide how many times you'll see him and when you can start group therapy. Everybody seems to love him. It seems like less and less patients are coming back again too."

"That makes this place sound better by the second." Harry spoke. Rachel smiled to him and Harry smiled back. Even Draco liked the sound of that.

The three again walked down the hall, passing multiple rooms until the very last door on the right. Exercise equipment was inside. Only two bikes and a treadmill were being used. Another nurse was standing in a corner, watching over them. "You won't be allowed in here until Dr. Femmingway decides its okay. Even then, you probably won't be allowed much time in there. We can't have you backtracking."

"Would it be possible that I don't work out at all?" Harry asked. Rachel looked at him surprised. Draco smirked. He knew the boy hated exercise. The only workout Harry did was making out with him. "I just don't want any possible way to get worse again. I know you'll watch everything I do, but I still don't want to take chances."

Rachel looked at the teen, a little surprised, but put on her usual smile. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe you could spend some extra time in the art room behind us." Rachel turned around and walked towards the door on the left of the hall. Draco and Harry followed and looked into the glass to see a few people painting, beading, and using clay.

Harry nodded and smiled as Rachel continued the tour by leading them through the double doors that were at the end of the hallway. Beyond them was a large cafeteria. No one except for a janitor was in there at the moment, but by the look of it, plenty of patients could be there at once.

"As you can see, this is where you will eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You will also have snacks throughout the day, but these you can have anywhere except your room." Rachel explained. "After your meeting with Dr. Femmingway, you'll meet with our nutritionist, Jenny. She'll help you put together a selection of foods you could eat. There are enough options that you shouldn't have the same things too often."

Harry kept up his smile, but Draco couldn't keep up his fake smile any longer. A large frown covered his face as he looked at his Gryffindor. Harry noticed this right away. "Draco, what's wrong?"

Rachel turned to look at Draco too. She knew why he wasn't happy, but she didn't want to interfere. "I'm going to check and see if all of your paperwork is finalized. You two can wait here." Then, she left quietly.

"Draco, I'm not going to be here forever." Harry told him, taking the blonde's hand. "Anyways, this is what I need. We both know it."

Draco nodded. "I know it, but I don't want it. It may not be forever, but it's still going to seem that way. What am I supposed to do at home?"

Harry laughed. "Is that what you're worried about?"

Draco kissed Harry lightly, but passionately. Their tongues danced for awhile before Draco broke them apart. "No, I'm worried that I'm not going to be able to survive without doing that for so long."

Harry placed a hand on Draco's cheek and looked deep into his eyes. "I promise to make up for it when I'm able to come back."

This brought a small smile to Draco's lips which he used to kiss Harry's forehead lightly.

Rachel then walked into the room. "Everything is set. Now, if you'll follow me back to the front room where you can say your goodbyes."

Silently the three walked back to the front room. Another nurse was talking on a phone behind the front desk. Two teenage girls were playing a game of cards in a nearby sitting area complete with a television, and shelves of movies, books, and games.

"I guess I'll see you when you're able to come home." Draco spoke slowly. He was trying his best to keep his tears from falling. He noticed that Harry was doing the same.

"Yes." It was the only word Harry could say.

"Don't you know that he will be able to visit when Dr. Femmingway allows it?" Rachel interrupted.

Harry and Draco turned to the woman. "Yes, we do know that, but we've also decided that it wouldn't be good for me." Harry replied to her.

Rachel looked surprised again. She probably hadn't ever met such a 'different' patient. Draco and Harry turned back to each other.

"I'm going to miss you. Never forget that." Draco told Harry before pulling him into a hug. The two stayed that way for a few seconds before Harry was the one to pull away. He had a small smile on his face. Draco knew he was still trying not to cry.

Finally, Draco walked out of the room and walked down the empty hallway. His feet echoed as they hit the ceramic tiles once again. He never looked back until he reached the elevator at the end of the hallway. Only after he hit the button to go down, he turned and saw Harry looking right back at him. Neither of them looked away until the elevator doors opened and Draco stepped inside, letting the metal doors separate them for a time that was already starting to feel like an eternity.

A/N: There's the seventeenth chapter. It's a little bit longer, and the update was a lot sooner than the last one! Thank you to everyone who has kept reading it.