A/N: Okay, first and formost, this is for my gifted friend Kayla (a.k.a. Recnadeneres, shameless plug for her wonderful story, 'Oracles Of Prodigy' find it on my favorite stories or favorite authors). She has but one downfall, she seems to think Ron and Hermione should be together, SO wrong! It's all about Harry and Hermione H.M.S. Pumpkin Pie baby! Anywho, she asked me to write this, so there, I'm done! No more favors! Read, Review, Enjoy!
Oh wait! Harry lives! Just thought I'd put that in too.
"Granger, get out here!" Dr. Macy McMillan called harshly from the doorway of the break room. "We've got three sets coming in from the Arours deck. There's been a bust."
Hermione's heart stopped a moment. Harry and Ron were on duty today.
Macy obviously didn't notice, flicking her wand at a scarlet box on the wall, sending off alarms to on call doctors. "Get your special victim wards on. It was big, with bigger curses. Some are still in effect. I feel sorry for the poor boys, they'll be lucky if they can feel their fingers, and if they can, it won't be pretty." Macy turned and caught a glance at the pale faced girl and had a pang of pity. "Don't worry hun', The more experienced doctors will cover the harshest ones, residents, like yourself, will get the breaks and bruises."
Hermione began to move again, grabbing wooden charms off the walls. "It's not that;" she faltered and restarted. "No, it's because some of my friends were on duty today."
Macy stuffed a tart in her mouth and turned to wash her hands. "Eat something, it's going to be a long night." After a pregnant silence she sighed and turned to face Hermione. "I'll give you my watch shift and you can check for them then. I'd ask for names, but half of them are knocked out and the other half wouldn't know their names if we even tried to ask. You'll have to find them yourself."
Hermione let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Thanks Macy."
"This is no time to get mushy; hurry up girl!"
"And what are you, that wanting you,
I should be kept awake,
As many nights as there are days,
With weeping for your sake?"
Hermione hadn't heard anything to say that Ron or Harry were in the fray, but she hadn't heard anything to the contrary either. There were about twenty-five arours in the intensive care unit and another five in the Critical condition ward. They came in all ways, disfigured, dismantled, and hysterical. All those Hermione had treated weren't horrible, but most weren't quite sure where they were.
Hermione led her lit wand through the maze of hospital beds, looking for activity, but her mind was on Harry and Ron's health.
"Where is Ron?" She thought. "Why hasn't he called, he should have known I was worrying." She cast another pain spell on patient thirteen. "That jerk, I bet he's not even thinking about me." She thought venemetly, then instantly regretting it. "What if he's one of the casualties?" She shook her head. "Harry would have called, or seen to me." She almost tripped with the next thought. "What if they both died?"
She didn't have long to play with this thought, though. Patient fourteen began mumbling. Hermione went to cast a pacifying spell, but stopped when the word "Weasley" came tumbling from his mouth.
"Weasley, where is he?" He mumbled. "Flames, smoke, I couldn't see him."
"What?" Hermione asked, trying to decipher what he was saying through the haze of pain killing spells that he was on.
"He ran," The man coughed. Every word he said was strained and weak, but he kept on. "He ran toward them, telling us to get away. Ugh, he and Harry, they charged them." Seeming spent he stopped.
Hermione grabbed his hand. "What, what did they do?"
He started again. "They gave us a distraction," the man's eyes opened. "Did they live miss?" He asked weakly.
A tear slipped through Hermione's dry eyes. "I don't know."
"And what are you, that missing you,
as many days as crawl,
I should be listening to the wind,
and staring at the wall?"
"He should recover fairly quickly after he comes to, Mrs. Weasley." Hermione reassured her, though she felt less and less assured as the hours dragged on. It had been two days since Hermione had found Ron and Harry in the Critical Care ward. After it had been seen that they had lived through the night, they had been moved to the Intensive Care Unit. Hermione checked on them every break and now was speaking with Mrs. Weasley who had come to see her two boys.
"I'm so glad you are here Hermione dear. Ron and Harry couldn't be in better hands." She smiled a teary smile, noting Hermione's worn look.
A bluish tint haunted her eyelids and the sad look in her normally bright cinnamon eyes told stories of how long she had been looking after the boys. Molly Weasley knew that look; it was the look she had mastered during the frightening time of Arthur's Auror career that had landed him the same hospital.
Hermione smiled a watery smile. "I'm not taking care of them, just looking after during my breaks. Thank Dr. McMillan."
"I know a man that's a braver man,
And twenty men as kind,
And what are you that you should be,
the one man in my mind?"
Hermione sigh and put her head in her hands, rubbing her weary eyes. "Why the two men I love?" She thought.
It had taken a long time to get over the blushing to realize that she did love them. She loved them in two very separate ways, but she still loved them with all her heart.
For all her books and all her studies she still couldn't figure out her own heart. Harry was, of course, a better match for her. Harry as intelligent as she was, as hopeful, as kind. He might as well have a tattoo on his forehead stating "I am the perfect boyfriend". He was debonair, sweet, handsome, the list went on. Harry's fame drew people to him like a magnet, but there was more. People were drawn to his life force, his outgoing leadership that he had never taken notice to, and that just added to the attractiveness. Though for every magnet there is another pole. Alike in make-up, but very different.
Ron was that pole. For every hopeful thought of Harry's, Ron had a pessimistic one. For every Doe eyed girl that followed Harry, there was one wishing Ron would have a very big accident in the potions room. While Harry had the 'tall dark and handsome' mystique going for him, Ron was tall and gawky with flame red hair that might as well had screamed "Weasley". Harry was her shoulder to cry on, letting her give into self pity, but Ron was the kick in the trousers she needed. Ron was a sparring partner that made her get out and do things. Ron wasn't her leaning post, he was her cattle prod.
"Yet women's ways are witless ways,
As any sage will tell,
And what am I that I should love,
so wisely and so well?"
"He'll be coming around either tonight or tomorrow, Mrs. Weasley. I'm afraid Hermione's being a bit melodramatic about all of it."
Mrs. Weasley smiled and replied. "She's got every right; she loves those two. I wouldn't be surprised if Ron took a little longer to get released with Hermione here every day."
Ron felt the ache in his bones first, then the burns of healing hex marks. He strained to open his eyes, but they felt weighed with deep enchantments to keep him sleeping. He was close to giving in, but the thought of where Hermione made him fight. He needed to know where she was, he needed to know if she was all right.
He had never told her how he felt. What if he was in someone's home, bleeding to death? What if he had been picked up by some Wikkin with no clue how to heal? What if he was dying in some hospital outside of Transylvenia? Of course Hermione would have told him he was being stupid, but he didn't know where she was.
Where ever he really was he could hear the wurr of machines and the soft breathing of others. He could hear someone near him, mumbling. Then he heard steps coming closer, the click-clack of women's' shoes.
"Please wake-up Ron." Ron felt his heart jump, it was Hermione. He felt her grab his hand. "Please?" Her voice wavered and it was scratchy as though she had been crying. "I love you Ron."
Ron pushed against his eyelids, using every muscle he could call upon to open his eyes and see her, to say something to her. "I'm all right! I love you too!" His body yelled, but there was nothing in response; the enchantments were too strong, he couldn't fight them.
He gave up, just enjoying the feeling of her hand in his. He was obviously safe, or she wouldn't be here, but did they think he was dying? He began to be frightened again, then he stopped. Her hand was pulled out, but he felt her presence.
Hermione took a look at his face. Ron's hair splayed out on the stark white pillow, his face pale and strained. She needed to go home and sleep, but she took one last moment to lean in and kiss him lightly. She brushed against his lips with hers, for a moment there was nothing, then she felt him kissing back, his arm went to the small of her back and he propped himself up on the other. It was not passionate, but soft and sweet, the opposite of their relationship.
After a moment, they broke to get air. Ron gasped for a moment then grinned. "Hello nurse."