Ginny Weasley was a young nurse, having only graduated the previous year from Hogwarts when war erupted. Prior to the war she attended one of the best and innovative nursing programs in all of England combining magic with Muggle Science.
After the Great War she worked a year at St Mungo's , then decided to try travel nursing. She had always wanted to venture out, and discovered this was just the opportunity. Packing her bags she headed off to America, Chicago to be precise. Immediately she was hired at Cook County Wizard Hospital's Free Preventive Care Clinic, treating low-income wizarding families. The clinic was not just the best in the states but in the whole wizarding world. At St. Mungo's , Muggle medicine was strictly forbidden. In the states the witches and wizards freely combined Magic and Muggle alternative therapies. What gave her the most satisfaction was ensuring that wizarding families that needed the most healthcare support received it without slipping through the cracks no matter what their finances were. Some of the families were very much like her own despite having names such as Nguyen, Burgos or Marchinski. It was extremely fulfilling work yet sometimes her heart ached for a bit more, and she wondered what it could be that she yearned for.
***
8 years prior
She had volunteered to be on the front lines with Aurors, side by side with Healers . Knee deep in blood and healing potions, she watched as Hermione was floated in on a stretcher, contorting and moaning due to the Cruciatis Curse
"Healer we need to evacuate this casualty as soon as possible" Ginny stated urgently.
"We don't have the resources right now, she's a lost cause, just make her last few hours as painless as possible."
"Dammit, I might just be a nurse but I tell you -NO ONE IS A LOST CAUSE!" Ginny walked past him seething ,checking on Hermione's wounds and vital signs. Her blood pressure was dangerously low. She was still screaming in pain. Ginny wanted to cast a pain relief spell on Hermione but knew the effects would cause Hermione's blood pressure to drop even lower. There was no way in Hades Hermione would die. Not on her watch.
"Don't you die Hermione! You promised me many nieces and nephews I expect you to deliver on your promises!"
She ran to the potions cabinet, muttering a curseword realizing supplies were low. She scrounged in the cabinets and found muggle supplies that the other doctors and nurses were too loathe to use, but she wouldn't let her sister-in -law die. Grabbing a 16 gauge needle and a bag of normal saline she went over to Hermione and searched for a vein. she inserted the needle quickly and started infusing the solution. Tapping the bag lightly with her wand and uttered "Corpus Sano."
Immediately Hermione's painful moans started to die down.
"Just what do you think you are doing?" The attending healer Thompson asked her.
"Saving a life!" screaming at Thompson, Ginny reminded herself that she shouldn't be yelling at her superiors but this was war, and she wouldn't be bullied by demanding snobbish Healers who thought every nurse was just a diaper changer.
She saw Thompson give Hermione a quick check and did something even more uncharacteristic "Good job, show all the nurses how to do a muggle IV. I have to admit we've been cut off from our supply line and we haven't been able to get any potions in two days, but as I can see - you have figured out a solution "
Normally Ginny would have been happy to receive a compliment which the nurses had been accustomed to never receive. Now, she really didn't care. This was her job and she was damn good at it - praise or no praise.
***
The battle of Hogsmeade was become more fierce with each passing day. More casualties were brought in, stretching staff and supplies thin. Already Ginny and the other hospital staff had been up past the 24 hour mark when another 40 more casualties were brought in. This sent the staff in a flurry of activity.
"Nurse Weasley, need you over here now!" screamed Healer Thompson. Ginny ran over to Thompson with IV in hand. "We need these patients triaged," He pointed to Aurors and civilians that were being magicked in by strectcher.
Ginny's eyes rested on a man covered completely in black, "Healer Thompson this man is expectant"
Healer Thompson looked away.
"He's a death eater, let him die!" she heard Healer Chadwick add.
A nurse responded, "He's the enemy, leave him. We have more important people to attend to."
"Healer Thompson this man is going to die! Death Eater or not, he is still a patient, a human being!" Ginny pleaded
Healer Thompson shook his head, "I'd rather give a 2nd chance to a patient that valued life instead of taking it away."
Ginny glared at him and turned her attentions to the cloaked Death Eater. His breath was ragged and his chest was covered in blood. She waved a wand at his wounds chanting, "Cruento Desiit."
The wound from the patient's chest started to close but the patient had already suffered extreme blood loss. Healer Thompson watching his nurse with intense scrutiny stepped over and grudgingly muttered additional healing spells.
"After you're done giving him an IV, give him the oxygen spell and I want an x-ray stat"
Ginny nodded surprised at Healer Thompson's sudden help. She looked down at the death eater before her. No one else would dare touch this man. They would rather have him die. Already the staff and other patients were muttering to leave him to the starving Hippogriffs outside. Ginny may have hated Thompson at times but he was a true healer in every sense of the word, it didn't matter if you were rich poor, muggle or wizard…you were a patient first and foremost. She was glad he recognized her as a nurse who had the same ideals and decided to assist her.
The IV hung in place as she tapped the bag repeating the same words, "Corpus Sano." Ginny silently whispered a spell to check the patient's oxygen level which was dangerously low. Tapping the bag again, "Aeris plura" .
Ginny palpated the patient's chest with her wand , watching it glow, she dipped the wand in the bottle next to her and tapped the parchment.
"Healer, Thompson here is your X-ray. Will you be needing me anywhere else?"
"I think we are fully staffed tonight, you need to sleep, before you do, just wash up that Death eater and get him changed before someone decides to kill him"
Ginny nodded, "Yes, sir"
She drew the curtains around the bed trying to give the patient as much privacy as could be afforded in a field hospital.
Ginny heard the patient sleeping soundly. He was still unconscious so she had to undo his cloak herself which smelled like blood, infection and death. She took the basin next to her and started to clean the blood stains from his chest. Ginny was nearly finished when she got to his hood. She was so busy trying to save him that she had never taken off his mask. She wondered what monster lay beneath. Slowly she undid the clasp around the neck and let out a horrified gasp. Draco Malfoy.
She shouldn't have been surprised. He was an evil git in school but she never imagined….this.
Ginny thought back to her 1st year at Hogwarts and the evil diary that Lucis Malfoy had given her. With a father like that she understood why he turned to this path, for this path could have been her own. Ginny thought of her brothers of Hermione, Harry…of all the people fighting Voldemort, people who would be dying and not coming home tonight.
"You're too young" she whispered to the unconscious Malfoy. Ginny knew that even on the Deatheater side, young men like Draco were dying out there in the fields surrounding Hogwarts, on the streets of Hogsmeade for some stupid silly man who didn't care about the people he sent to do his dirty work. She dipped the washcloth in the basin bringing it to his arm. Slowly she traced the dark mark, thinking to herself why such an attractive man had to blemish himself with a mark that was so hideous.
Though the matter at hand was serious a funny thought entered her head, Malfoy would be absolutely mortified if he knew a Weasley had seen him naked! She chuckled to herself as she finished with his bath. After dressing Malfoy in a patient gown and covering him with blankets, Ginny slowly arose but was stopped suddenly when she felt his hand grab her arm, bringing her back on the bed .
"Pp-please stay" Malfoy was stuttering obviously still under the anesthetic spell Thompson had put on him.
"Ok" Ginny simply said, not knowing exactly why he aroused such sympathy from her when she had been around the sick and dying all day.
Ginny could tell he was trying to look at her but was unable to focus. "I didn't mean to…"
"Ssh" Ginny whispered gently, "Sleep" She smoothed his hair as a mother would do with a young child
"I'm so sorry." Draco weakly held Ginny's hand and held it to his chest.
Ginny could have removed it, but she didn't only staring at how deceptively angelic Malfoy looked. "Thank you." he whispered.
The phrase alone almost sent Ginny into shock. If Malfoy kept this up she would end up a patient herself. Finally Draco Malfoy drifted into a deep sleep. Ginny ordered one of the younger Medics to stand guard. It was too dangerous to leave him unattended.
"How long should I be here Nurse Weasley?" The younger medic asked
"The Aurors should be coming tomorrow for their prisoner."
The next day was bright and sunny masking what horrors had happened the days before. She walked over to where Draco Malfoy lay. He was gone.
"The aurors came this morning, Ma'am" the medic answered when he saw her searching eyes.
Azkaban will probably be safer for Malfoy, she thought. But she didn't dwell on him for long. Bells rang out in Hogsmeade, bugles sounded in the air, Veelas sang of the demise of Voldemort at the hands of Harry Potter and friends. The war was over.
***
Present Day -Chicago
A much needed vacation for two weeks had cleared Ginny's mind. Ron, Hermione and their two kids had apparated over to visit her. They had taken in the sights and sounds of the Windy City. It had been fun seeing Chicago once again through tourist eyes. She had taken them to a famous muggle attraction - the Sears Tower, watched the new expansion Quidditch team - The Chicago Capones. Unfortunately the team had lost once again but it had been great fun nonetheless. Hermione became addicted to Deep Dish Chicago style pizza, constantly complaining that she was getting fatter everyday.
"Well, you are pregnant." Ron had in all his sensitivity told her.
Yes- it had been a great time. Now it was back to work. She didn't mind, in fact she had missed the hustle and bustle. A workaholic she was, and loved every minute of patient contact.
Ginny apparated to Cook County Wizard Hospital's Free Preventive Care Clinic and headed for the nurses lounge.
"Ginny!" called her friend Estella Rodriguez, a pretty black haired nurse who had become one of Ginny's closest friends, "How was vacation?"
"Well, Estella I am pretty relaxed now and am in a pretty good mood. Tell me what have I been missing?"
Estella grabbed a doughnut, "Where to begin……." she paused after finishing her breakfast and reaching for another, " Mr. Coolson is back. He was hexed with the conjunctivitis curse after trying to date said hexers wife…."
Estella updated her on the patients when suddenly changed the subject…"and there's a new Attending Healer. He's British you know…..maybe….."
"Stop it right there Estella. Just because he's British doesn't mean we'll get along. The last time you set me up with a British guy it was a complete disaster. Remember?"
Estella's mouth was full and almost choking on her doughnut in laughter, "How was I to know he was gay!"
"How would you feel if I tried matching you with every Mexican man I met?"
Estella fingered her wedding ring, "Too late." She grinned, " If you don't stop being so picky you may find all the men taken."
"I'm quite happy being single thank you, My social calendar is far too busy to think about men at this stage in my life." Ok that sounded convincing, didn't it? Ginny hoped it did. Too many people were meddling in her love life as it was - Her coworkers, well meaning roommates, her mother, not to mention Harry Ron and Hermione. Couldn't they all see that her life was complete without a man to muck it all up?
"Once you see the new Attending Healer you may change your tune, he is muy guapo!"
"I can't trust you, you think everyone is, what do you say, muy guapo!." Ginny laughed with Estella.
"Wait till you see him, the only thing…he has such a horrible demeanor. He's quite mean. Told me yesterday I was incompetent because I gave Mrs. Gatorski one vial of Perpperup potion when he said he wanted two. I told him it was written only one vial on the patient's parchment records but he kept blaming me…"
"Another bad attitude Healer, Ginny added, "Doesn't matter that most of us have been nursing far longer than they have been magically doctoring - they've all got god complexes. Let's start rounds and I'll see you on break"
"Estella grinned, "Whatever you say head nurse"
***
Ginny had just gotten back from lunch when she spotted Leslie one of the newest staff nurses crying. "Leslie? What's wrong?
Her tear- streaked face turned towards Ginny. "The new Healer, he said I had the IQ of a Hippogriff" 'sniff', "said standards in Americas must be quite low to let an idiot like me practice nursing!" She continued to sob, "I wasn't supposed to remove a patient's health charm for another 24 hours but I removed it in 12. It said so right in the records. Then the Healer says according to The United States Dept of Medical Magic, it specifically states that a health charm is to be in place for 24 hours. He went on and on 'bout how I should know better, no matter what the chart said. I'm no seer Ginny. I can't read that damn Healer's mind!" 'sniff'
Handing her more tissues she gave the nurse a comforting pat, "There, there Leslie. I'll go talk to him."
Ginny was infuriated. Already this new attending healer had put down two of her staff nurses. As head nurse she would have to have a talk with him about respecting the nursing personnel. "Is he with patient's?"
Leslie shook her head and pointed to the staff lounge.
Marching to the lounge, she thought of a million things to say to this new Healer. None of them nice. She saw him with his back turned, reading a medical magic journal on the benefits of bubotuber pus as a treatment for skin ailments.
"Excuse me, Healer"
The Healer still hadn't turned around to acknowledge her. Typical, Ginny thought. These Healers thought they could run the world without nurses, and gods help them if the nurses ever went on strike.
"I'm Virginia Weasley, head nurse. It's come to my attention that you have been verbally abusing the nurses here on staff. As head nurse if you have any complaints I suggest you come to me first."
"Well, well, well,"
The healer rose from his seat and turned to face Ginny.
Ginny couldn't hide her shocked face.
"Little Weasel all grown up, and her mouth has fallen suit."
The new healer was Draco Malfoy.
****
To be continued