A/N: Um, I think the chapter title gives away more than I thought, but it works. I hope you enjoy this chapter. The story is winding down to a close, what is it, five more chapters until the end. I will give you all a clue the next chapter will be a lot longer and will continue more from the library of Potter Ranch and finally the, okay, okay, I'll stop talking and let you get on with the story.
Thanks to all of you who have reviewed.
Chapter 37
The Last Crumb
London General Hospital
Current Day
This time as Hagrid approaches the sliding glass doors he is more prepared for his encounter. A small smile causes his beard to lift slightly as he feels this is the last of the bread crumbs. A feeling almost overcomes him as he steps through the doors and into the whiteness of the hospital hallway. A feeling he knows as the call of his friend. As he feels this a hope he had long since thought dead raises in his heart. Maybe just maybe this will be it.
Stepping up to the counter he places the bag the lady gave him from the last hospital, he looks at the man behind the counter. "Excuse me," he asks softly trying not to scare the young man.
The man jumps anyway as he looks up and up and up as his eyes widen in shock at the size of the man standing in front of him. "Um," he almost grunts out, "Can I help you sir," he finally asks.
"Ye'," Hagrid says with a raise of his beard. "I am 'ookin' for a John Dow, who 'as tran'fer'd here," he starts with what is starting to feel like a broken record of an explanation. "he's th's tall," he continues as he puts his hand out once again, "'lack 'air, a scar of a 'ightenin' bo't on his 'orehead," he says as he points to his own head.
The man pales as he hears the description, "you know him," he almost shouts out in excitement.
"He's here 'han," Hagrid almost begs in his own excitement.
The man nods his head once, "I have to get the doctor on call, could you please have a seat," the man asks as he points over at the chairs against the wall.
"'kay," Hagrid agrees as he takes the bag and sits down on the chair. He watches the young man disappear almost at a run down the hallway. He smiles himself at having finally found his young friend. He decides he should see what the last lady was talking about, drumsticks indeed.
Slowly he opens the bag and looks into it, his eyes widening almost to the point where his eyes almost pop out of their sockets. Reaching into the bag he removes what he was told were drumsticks, lifting them into the light he realizes he can identify whose is whose. He knows which wand is Harry's and which one is not. The pair of drumsticks is instead a pair of wands. Wands used in the final battle between Harry and Voldemort; from the looks of it Harry was able to get Voldemort's wand. A smile crosses Hagrid's eyes at the thought that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will no longer be able to harm his friend.
A sound distracts him and he quickly places the wands back into the bag as he looks up to find two people walking his way. He stands up and walks towards them, hoping his search has come to an end. But more than anything hoping his search comes to a happy end. "Sir," the lady says as she nears the half giant.
"Ma'am," he says and nods his head in greeting. The man who Hagrid had first spoken with quickly returns to his place behind the counter, glad not to have to deal with the large man.
"Richard tells me you are here about Jacen," she says looking at him hopefully.
"Jacen," Hagrid asks in return.
She smiles at him, "sorry," she says. "We don't like calling everyone John Doe it can get very confusing, so we call him Jacen," she explains to him.
"Oh, I 'ee," Hagrid agrees with a smile.
"Shall we go and see him to see if he really is the one you are looking for," she asks as she points her hand down the hall she had just come from. Hagrid quickly joins her and the two of them start waling together down the hallway she had just come from. They continue walking with Hagrid dwarfing the young doctor as they walk. "What is his real name," she finally asks hoping to finally learn her young patients' name.
"Harry," Hagrid answers as they reach a set of doors with the words 'long term care' painted on the glass above the woodened part of the doors.
The lady smiles at this, "that fits him," she says with a nod. She pushes the door open and the pair walks into the darkened room. She pauses at the door wanting to see if this tall man can find his friend, a test of his honesty.
Hagrid looks around the room trying to find his friend. His eyes quickly scan the room coming to an instant stop when he sees raven black hair resting on a pillow. Slowly and almost timidly he makes his way over to the bed, his eyes filling up with tears knowing he has finally found his friend. Reaching his friends' bedside he gently places the bag on the bed by his feet and makes his way up to the head of the bed. As he sees the peaceful look on his sleeping friends face, Hagrid can't help but smile. Hagrid softly places his hand on Harry's face and pushes his hair gently out of his sleeping eyes. "Harry," Hagrid whispers almost disbelievingly as his tears spill over and roll down his cheek and into his beard.
The lady doctor smiles widely at the scene and she knows he was telling the truth. Instantly her smile evaporates as she remembers their predicament with this patient and the hospital chief. "Sir," she says into the silence of the room that is only filled with the sound of the heart monitor's and ventilation tubes.
Hagrid looks up and over in her direction as she starts to walk toward them, "ya'," he says in return.
"We have a slight problem," she confesses.
"Problym," Hagrid repeats.
"Yes, you see it seems the hospital chief wants to relocate Harry here to a more permanent placement," she starts to explain. "They will be moving him today," she sighs sadly.
"What's wron' with him," Hagrid asks as his mind starts working on a solution to this new problem.
"He has suffered massive trauma," the lady sighs out in frustration, "he has severe head trauma, internal damage," she shakes her head. "Most of the physical stuff has already healed, the problem is the head trauma, he may never wake up," she says to him sadly as she tries to put all the medical terminology into words this man can understand.
"Can I ta'e 'im wit' me," Hagrid asks knowing it is a dim hope.
"I can't let you," she says honestly. "But," she whispers seeing the sadness in his eyes which nearly breaks her heart.
"Bu'," Hagrid repeats.
"If there is some way you can get him out of here without anyone noticing," she says giving him a hint.
"That," Hagrid grins, "I 'an do," he tells her with a nod. "I 'ust have to ma'e a cal'," he tells her with a slight nod.
"Hurry," she tells him. She doesn't like sending anyone to a mental institution just because they can't wake up. "There isn't much time," she tells him. "However you need another doctor to look after him," she quickly says to the man, not wanting her patient to go uncared for.
"I'll ca'l Dobby an' Ma'am Pomfrey," Hagrid nods his head in agreement, "she 'ill be ab'e to he'p him," he says with another smile. "How lon' ha'e I got," Hagrid asks.
"About two hours," she says instantly not understanding why she is doing this.
"Than' you do'tor," Hagrid says as he gathers the bag in his hand, "he 'ill be ou' of here be'ore you 'now it," he vows to her.
The lady doctor watches the giant go down the hallway wondering how he is going to be able to pull this off. She wonders why she feels so needy, so willing to help them. She has never done anything like this in her life. With a shake of her head, she looks back at the bed containing the raven hair man, "hello Harry, it is nice to finally meet you, I hope I am doing the right thing," she says to the room. She is startled when a feeling of completeness fills her soul. Shaking her head in confusion she returns to her rounds.