ELEVEN
Harry took Hermione to a muggle hospital, which was closer to the house than St. Mungo's. He had no idea how he had managed to drive all the way there - he was now very glad he had bought the car. Since the moment he saw her lying in the bathroom floor, he felt his stomach drop to the floor. He feared that there could be something wrong with the baby.
He also feared for her life. He didn't know what could have caused Hermione to lose consciousness. He just hoped it wasn't anything life threatening. Hermione meant so much to him, as much as the baby growing inside of her.
Finally, a doctor came out of the room where Hermione had been taken to. Harry had been asked to wait outside. The doctor came up to him.
"Are you the father?" he asked.
Harry nodded his head.
"Your wife is fine. She's sleeping now."
"She's not my…" started Harry, but then thought that didn't matter. "What happened to her? How's the baby?"
"They're both fine. Your wife was beginning to go into early labor." Looking at Harry's confused face, he explained. "For some reason, she started having contractions, but don't worry, everything seems fine now."
The doctor placed a hand in Harry's arm reassuringly.
"This tends to happen sometimes. All we need to do is make sure she has lots of rest in order to keep any more contractions from coming. We don't want the baby to be born just yet. It's better if the baby remains in its mum's tummy at least for eight more weeks."
"Yeah, yeah." Harry still felt a little anxious, but at least he knew things were okay for now. "What could've caused this?"
"It could be anything, for example if she's been doing heavy work, if she's been under a lot of pressure, or if she's not been eating right." Harry immediately thought the being-under-pressure thing sounded just about right. "When was the last time she saw her doctor?"
"Uh… I don't know for sure. She was living in Greece. I guess she must've seen a doctor there." Harry felt bad not knowing this important piece of information.
"Well, just make sure she finds a doctor here and that she has a check up sometime soon."
--- * --- * --- * ---
Hermione opened her eyes slowly. She wasn't sure where she was. She turned her face to the side and realized she was in a hospital. For a few seconds she couldn't remember why she was there.
Instinctively, she placed a hand in her belly, as if checking her baby was still there, and rubbed it gently. Just then she realized her other hand was softly trapped between a pair of warm hands. She turned her face in that direction and found Harry sitting next to her.
Harry, whose forehead rested on top of their joined hands, hadn't noticed she was awake. Hermione placed her free hand on top of his head and run it through his hair.
Harry quickly pulled his head up.
"Hermione!" he said quickly.
She could see concern in his green eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked standing up and leaning towards her. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and smiled warmly at her.
"What happened?"
Harry explained, in soft terms, what the doctor had said. She placed her hand back on her stomach, worry in her face.
"Don't worry!" he said reading her expression. "Everything is okay now. You're just going to have to stay in bed for a couple of days."
"You mean I have to stay here?"
Harry pulled some of her brown curls away from her face. "No, they're going to let you go home in the morning. You'll just have to be in bed for a couple more days"
Hermione sighed in relief. She didn't fancy the idea of staying on a hospital bed for days.
She then looked into his eyes. Their faces were just a few inches apart. Harry was looking down at her with such love in his eyes that it made her blush. She wanted to look away, but it was as if their eyes were connected. She couldn't break the strong gaze that was pulling her towards him.
Hermione's heart started pounding so hard, she could feel it in her chest. She was even afraid he might be able to hear it. He started to move closer to her, ready to kiss the lips he had been dying to kiss again since that day back in December.
Suddenly the door opened and Ginny walked in. Harry quickly pulled back. Ginny froze at the door, realizing she had interrupted something. She was about to turn on her heels and walk out when Hermione stretched her hand out towards her.
Ginny, walked to the side of the bed opposite where Harry was and sat there, taking Hermione's hand in hers.
"How are you feeling?" asked Ginny softly.
"I'm okay. Thanks."
Harry, after regaining control of himself, talked again. "Reckon I'd better go out and let them know you're okay."
"Who's them?" Hermione asked, thinking that perhaps Ron and Luna were outside.
"Your parents," responded Ginny.
Hermione opened her mouth. Seeing her questioning expression Harry informed her. "I called them."
"You called them?" she asked surprised. "Why?"
Harry sat on the bed as well. "I thought they had to know, Hermione," said Harry not meeting her eyes. Then, he added looking up at her. "They got here almost immediately after I called. They've been worried about you… and the baby."
Hermione didn't say anything. She had felt bad knowing her parents were upset with her. Now that they were outside she wasn't sure what to expect. Harry guessed her thoughts.
"Don't worry. They're not upset anymore. They want to see you." Then standing up, he asked, "Should I go get them?"
"I'll go," offered Ginny. She quickly stood up and walked out of the room.
Harry looked back at Hermione and took one of her hands. "You want me to leave you alone with them?" He offered knowing they wouldn't yell at her anymore.
"No," she responded quickly. "Please stay." She tightened her grip on Harry's hand.
Harry nodded his head and gently pulled her hand up to his lips to kiss it softly. Just then the door opened once more. This time, Hermione's parents walked in. Without letting go of Harry's hand, Hermione turned to them.
Mrs. Granger walked to the bed and sat on the same spot Ginny had been sitting earlier. Mr. Granger was standing right next to his wife.
"How are you feeling sweetheart?" asked Mrs. Granger.
Mr. Granger walked closer to Hermione, looking down at the floor. He looked just like a little boy that has behaved badly and is begging for forgiveness.
"Dad?" said Hermione softly.
He looked up to find a warm smile in his daughter's face. He smiled back at her and got even closer to the bed. He took Hermione's free hand in his and did the exact same thing Harry had done a few minutes ago. He kissed her.
Tears of happiness rolled out of Hermione's eyes without her realizing it. Her father let go of her hand and pulled her up in a tight hug, his eyes also watery.
"I'm sorry, sweetie," he whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you." He softly let go of her, now meeting her brown eyes. "You know I love you. I just… I only want what's best for you." Then looking at Harry, he added, "And I know you've found it."
--- * --- * --- * ---
Harry stayed with Hermione at the hospital all night. Hermione's parents left, but came back early in the morning to help Harry get Hermione home. They also wanted to know where Harry's house was located so they could visit their daughter any time.
All through the day, people came in and out of the house to check on Hermione. Mrs. Granger stayed there all morning, which allowed Harry to take a well-deserved nap since he hadn't slept much at the hospital. Before she left, Ginny and Luna got there and stayed for most of the afternoon. Even the guys, Ron, the twins and Neville, visited later that day.
They had all been worried about Hermione's complications, but were also glad to see she was fine. The one who felt the most relieved was Harry. Having Hermione back home lifted his spirits. He was determined to make sure Hermione got the rest she needed.
Staying in bed for a couple of days was not appealing to Hermione, but she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure her baby wasn't born prematurely.
That night, once everyone left, Harry was in Hermione's room. He had just brought in a jar with water to keep in her night table. She couldn't deny it felt great to have Harry treating her so nicely and giving her so much attention.
"How are you feeling?" asked Harry sitting down on the bed. Hermione's upper body was slightly lifted up by a few pillows behind her back.
"You've asked me that like twelve times this day," she said smiling at him.
He took her hand and caressed it gently. "Well, I want to make sure you're okay." He looked deeply into her eyes. "You scared me last night. It felt awful to see you like that."
Hermione placed her free hand on top of Harry's. "I know," she said softly. "I'm sorry, but I was scared too, you know." Hermione let go of Harry's hand and rubbed her belly. "I don't want anything to go wrong."
Harry leaned closer to her belly and rubbed it too. "Don't worry. We'll do everything the doctor tells us to make sure both of you are okay. Which reminds me," he said sitting up. "We still need to make an appointment for you."
"Actually, I already have one," she announced. "My mum called her doctor this morning. I'm supposed to see her this Friday."
"Her?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, it's a woman." Hermione looked at him curiously. "Why? Does it matter?"
Harry looked down and talked without meeting her eyes. "No, of course not." He looked up and smiled. "As long as you're taken care of, it doesn't matter." He remained silent for a few minutes. Then, a goofy smile appeared in his face.
"What are you smirking about?"
"It's just silly, you know. Here you are a healer and you're going to see a muggle doctor."
"There's nothing wrong with that! I've been seeing by muggle doctors plenty times before." she said smiling back. "Besides, my mum did it before I even said anything. I didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her I didn't want a muggle doctor."
"Yeah, I know. I was just being a git." He then looked at the clock. "I should let you sleep now," he said standing up.
Hermione grabbed hold of his hand just as he stood up. "Don't go yet," she said. "I'm not sleepy. Just… stay here, okay?"
Harry sat back down. He softly pulled away a strand of hair from her face, looking intensely into her eyes. The previous night, when Harry had been afraid something wrong might happen to her, a switch had turned on in Harry's mind. He finally admitted to himself that he loved her.
The feeling had always been there. Harry had gotten so used to it, he didn't recognize it for what it really was. During the time Hermione had been in Greece, he had missed her terribly. But he would always tell himself it was normal. "After all those years in Hogwarts, I'm just used to seeing her every day," he would think.
Plus, he had always been sure that she'd be coming home. "She isn't gone forever. She'll soon be back."
But last night had been different. For a while, he had been afraid he was going to lose her forever. That moment he had realized he wouldn't be able to continue without her. He needed her just like he needed air. Things were clear for him now.
He knew now where all that passion and desire of their night together had come from. It had always been there, waiting patiently to be let out. It hadn't just been about sex. It had been about making love.
Thinking about that, he looked at her pregnant belly. He gently caressed it. Just then, the baby moved as if returning the gesture. Harry smiled.
"What's on your mind?" asked Hermione seeing his dreamy expression as he kissed her belly.
"I'm just so happy," he said looking up at her. "I'm so happy to have you both."
She smiled warmly at him patting the empty side of the bed next to her, inviting him to lie down. He looked at her for a few seconds, to then accept the invitation. He crawled next to her. Hermione turned on her side, giving her back to Harry, and pulled his arm over her body. He got closer to her and enclosed her with his arm.
"I'm very happy too." She whispered.
Feeling there was no other place in the world where he'd rather be than next to Hermione, Harry closed his eyes breathing deeply in the scent of her hair. Before they knew it, sleep took over them.