Chapter Three
~Draco~
Ellie's nose screwed up in discomfort when Izzy pulled the access line from her arm. They were nasty little things, and I prided myself on making the process of putting them in as quick and pain free as possible for my patients.
"You're a bit pale, have some more to drink before you head back out." The nurse insisted, thrusting a bottle of orange and mango juice at her.
"I'm fine, just cover it so I can help Steph." She fretted. The last victim of the accident, our friend Steph, had just been rushed in.
"Let her go." I instructed and with a grimace, Izzy stepped back as Ellie leapt from the seat she'd spent the past half an hour confined to. Immediately she swayed, and I grabbed her arm, steadying her. "Ellie?"
"Got up too fast." She muttered, hurrying from the bay. Staring after her until she disappeared around the corner, I hoped I hadn't caused her any harm. If only she would have eaten the sandwiches Izzy had fetched her. As for the juice, she'd only downed half of it. A measly cup's worth!
"If she's no use, Adam will send her to rest." I rolled my eyes at Izzy.
"It's Steph, she won't go and rest."
"Thank God it is nothing too serious."
"Yeah..." I trailed off. From what we knew, Steph had suffered severe smoke inhalation and a sprained hand. She'd come in unconscious, which had initially scared us all half to death. There was still a slight risk of damage to her airways, but she was under observation, and now Ellie was free, she would be watching her friend's symptoms like a hawk.
"You should take a break." Izzy commented as I rubbed at my forehead. "She's stable." I turned back to check over Hermione Granger's still form.
"It's alright, I know her. Went to school with her."
"In England?"
"Uh yeah." I agreed. Although part of me wanted to rest as an excuse to flee her presence and hopefully avoid all the trouble she could cause me, another part wanted to be there when she awoke. Wanted her to know it had been I, Draco Malfoy, ex death eater, ex blood-supremacist and ex-hater of muggles, who had saved her life using muggle methods. Prove to someone from my old life I was not the same boy strung up like a puppet but changed. Evolved.
"Alright. Anything I can get you?"
"A cup of tea would be nice." Izzy gave a tired smile, leaving the bay, and I took the seat Ellie had vacated. My mind drifted back to her, to dinner, to before. Just what did she need to tell me?
~Ellie~
"You were right Steph." I whispered to the unconscious but thankfully stable form of my friend. Adam had gone for a break, leaving me to watch over her. It seemed the smoke inhalation from the bus explosion and resulting fumes from the fire had not raised her Co2 levels too badly.
"Right about what?" A hoarse voice whispered.
"Steph!" I practically leapt to her side. "How are you feeling?"
"Like a victim of Mt Vesuvius." She wheezed out. I checked her sats. "What's my o2?"
"Sitting at ninety-seven, but you are on a mask. We haven't risked taking it off while you've been out to it." I studied her ashen face. "Do you have any pain anywhere?"
"Chest is tight and feels shit." I nodded, only able to imagine as I took down notes. "My wrist hurts."
"Its sprained. Nothing serious."
"Head feels like someone took a mallet to it."
"That's from the smoke. You have no other injuries thankfully."
"Won't complain." She whispered, coughing a little. "It was bad out there." I swallowing hard. From patient to patient, we'd all drawn conclusions on just how bad it had been.
"The wards are filled up, including thoracic, so you'll be here overnight at least. I've written you up for Salbutomol, and you're on two litres of oxygen."
"Sounds good."
"Oh, and IV fluids." I added, knowing Steph would want to know exactly what we were doing with her.
"So, what was I right about?" I grimaced. Typical Steph trust her to be half dead and still bug me for info.
"This." I touched my stomach, unwilling to say anything more when we could be overheard. Her tired eyes widened.
"Oh my God!"
"Shh!"
"You haven't told him?" I shook my head, and she scowled. "Draco is here, isn't he?"
"Yeah, we were both called in before I could tell him."
"Well, go tell him now!"
"We're at work!" I hissed back.
"Shit, have you rested, had a break? What's the time?"
"Four in the morning." I replied, glancing out to a wall clock.
"You look really pale, you should take a break."
"I agree, Elle go and eat or something, you look like you're going to collapse." Adam had returned, and his authority was not something I could easily refute. I stared back at Steph, unsure.
"I'm fine, go and rest. I'll be here still when you come back."
"Aright." I turned to Adam. "Ventolin neb, it's set up to give her."
"No problem, now get out of my sight." He grinned, shooing me away.
~Hermione~
Everything was blurry and dark, and my head pounded a sickening rhythm behind my eyes.
A figure cut in and out of focus, moving about me. Pressure surrounded my left arm as if someone were grabbing at me and I fought to remain calm. I needed to figure out where I was.
My vision slowly grew clearer, and I began picking out features on the tall figure. Pale blonde hair, a stethoscope slung across broad shoulders, the subtle scent of expensive cologne mixed with poignant antiseptics. He was standing to my right, swiftly writing notes in a thin blue folder, mouth slightly crooked as he partially bit the corner of his bottom lip as if in deep thought.
He must have sensed my staring, because he looked up from his notes, silver-grey eyes meeting mine. "Hello Granger." It was deeper, perhaps husky, but I'd know that voice anywhere and it set my blood freezing within my veins.
"Malfoy." I breathed out, panic beginning to set in. "You're dead. You died." He cocked his head curiously before a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.
"Surprise, I'm not." I fully took in his form. Stethoscope, medical scrubs, badge stating he was a registrar. A doctor... Or was this a trick?
"Where's my wand?" I was stripped of my clothes, wearing instead two hospital gowns. It wasn't until I made to sit up, pain seared through my chest.
"Don't move, you've got fractured ribs." Malfoy held up a hand, the other hastily pulling something from the pocket of his trousers. "I was keeping it safe." He held out my wand as I re-caught my breath through the pain. I focused on silently summoning it, but my head throbbed at the effort. Reaching out, I grit out the two words which had my wand flying from his hand and into mine.
His expression changed immediately once I had my wand pointed at him. Broken bones or not, I was not going down without a fight. "Granger, you're not in danger here." He held up his hands, and I wondered where his own wand was, why he wasn't retaliating. The curtain behind him shifted and a blonde-haired woman appeared. I turned my wand on her, uncertain if she was a threat. Her startling blue eyes widened in fear, hands dropping whatever she had been holding to wrap protectively around her stomach as she took a step back.
"Granger, for Merlin's sake stop pointing that thing about, you're scaring my wife." Malfoy hissed. I felt a protective shield form between myself and the blonde woman. Shakily, I lowered my wand, staring back at her.
"I'm sorry." She gulped, nodding. Guilt tore through me. I'd just threatened a pregnant woman. Wait, Malfoy had said his wife? She was a witch then, but where was her wand?
"Ellie?" Malfoy questioned, moving towards her in apparent concern. I noticed now she was unnaturally pale, her breath coming out quick and shallow.
"I'm fine, I..." I stared in shock as the women's eyes fluttered and she began falling. Malfoy, already by her side, caught her up, easing her slowly to the ground with him.
"Ellie, shit!" Enraged grey eyes locked onto mine. "What did you do to her!"
"I didn't do anything!"
"Bullshit!" He snapped out, turning back to the unconscious woman cradled in his arms. "Ellie, come on wake up."
"Malfoy, I promise I didn't harm her." Shaking, I did the only thing I could to help; I reached for the controller situated within hands reach on my bed and pressed 'Emergency'.
Within seconds I heard running feet. A brunette nurse followed by another doctor and two more nurses burst past the curtains.
"What happened?" The brunette nurse and doctor simultaneously asked.
"She just collapsed." Malfoy replied as they worked around him, attaching monitors to the woman.
"Her blood pressure is quite low, that's why she's passed out." The other doctor clarified with a frown. "How many units did she give earlier?"
"Only a unit. She donated only six weeks earlier." The doctor, whose name tag read, Adam, nodded.
"She's meant to be on break, eating."
"Looks like she had intended to eat." The brunette nurse, whose name tag said Izzy, replied. I watched as she retrieved an unopened container of yogurt from the floor.
"I'm such an idiot, she hasn't eaten since maybe lunch yesterday. I just let her go back out there without eating anything." Malfoy groaned. "She did say she was dehydrated when I came home today." He added.
"We'll put her on fluids, she's stabilizing again." Doctor Adam, decided, and the nurse disappeared, returning with a stretcher. Malfoy carefully scooped her up to lie on the clean sheet and a hospital blanket was draped over her. Then she was wheeled out of sight. Malfoy looked conflicted, eyes darting to the curtained exit and back at me.
"I uh..."
"It's alright Draco, I'll keep an eye on your patient." The doctor named Adam reassured, picking up my notes.
"Ok, uh she just woke up, sats normal, blood pressure low end of normal, likely suffering concussion. Pain from ribs-"
"Just go, Draco." With a grateful nod, Malfoy practically ran from the bay.
"Miss Hermione Granger?" The doctor now observed me curiously. I nodded, glad I'd put my wand out of sight under my pillow after calling for help for the woman who was apparently Malfoy's wife. "My name is Adam."
"Can you tell me where I am?"
"You are in the Emergency of the Gold Coast Hospital."
"Why am I here, why is Malfoy here?" None of this made sense. I'd been with my parents; how could I be here and injured? I was certain it had something to do with Malfoy. He was supposed to be dead. There were still small groups of Voldemort's followers, not Deatheaters but supporters of his cause, which had not been captured all those years ago at the end of the war, it seemed if Draco Malfoy was alive when everyone in Britain thought him dead, then foul play was at hand and I was not safe here.
"Doctor Draco Malfoy was assigned to your care upon arrival. Can you not recall what brought you to us, Miss Granger?"
"No." I refrained from shaking my head, it throbbed now with theories and unanswered questions.
"You were on a bus. Do you remember being on a bus?"
"No."
"There was a collision between the bus you were on, and a second bus. You were caught up in the wreckage. It took the paramedics and rescue team some time to get you out." He paused, seeing if I followed. I nodded for him to go on.
"You've sustained a head injury to your forehead. Scans show no further damage, but a concussion seems to be evident. You have three fractured ribs, had a dislocated shoulder which has been treated, and a deep cut to your leg resulted in substantial blood loss requiring a unit-and-a-half of blood." A curious smile tugged at his lips. "It's quite a surprise you are awake already after your ordeal." I swallowed hard.
"Why is Malfoy here, what does he want?"
"He is your assigned doctor."
"No, he's up to something."
"I'm sorry Miss Granger, I do not follow. Do you know Doctor Malfoy?" The man staring at me looked truly confused.
"We went to school together." I replied with caution. His jaw dropped before he grinned.
"From England, ha! What are the odds of that! Well, rest assured, Draco is my best registrar, his quick thinking has saved countless lives tonight, including yours." I stared back, speechless. That didn't sound like the Malfoy I'd known in school and during the war at all.
"Now I understand you'll be feeling a bit of pain. Can you rate it from zero to ten? Ten being the absolute worst, and zero being no pain at all." He smiled encouragingly. I knew pain. The Cruciatus curse was not a pain I would ever forget at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Just a six, I think."
"What hurts the most right now?"
"My head feels like a migraine, but my ribs hurt more, it hurts to breathe."
"Draco has written you up for Fentanyl to help with the pain. Do you have any known allergies?"
"None."
"Excellent." He nodded, scribbling in my notes. "Izzy is your nurse. I'll have her bring you some more pain relief. I need to check on my other patients, but I imagine Draco will be around again soon." He smiled again and taking my notes, disappeared behind the green curtain leaving me alone to my thoughts. Maybe I was safe? But why was Malfoy here, and why did everyone think he was a doctor? A doctor which had saved my life?
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