Ch. 22

Hermione's POV

I was awake long before I found the energy to open my eyes. I could hear small bits of shuffling and people talking here and there as I drifted in and out of sleep for hours. The left side of me was entirely numb; I wasn't even sure if I still had my arm. Did it get splinched off? The thought of that sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

After finally managing to crack my eyelids open, I could see someone pacing back and forth in front of the bed as they muttered quietly. There was hardly any noise except for the clicking of their shoes on the floor. Opening my eyes further, I was happy to see that it was Draco walking back and forth, reading papers that were in his hand.

I groaned as I shifted slightly and he jumped, racing over to me. "Oh thank Merlin!"

He took my right hand in his and pressed a kiss to my forehead as I made an attempt to sit up, but he gently but firmly held me in place. "Don't move; you need to rest still."

"I can rest while sitting up," I said quietly, the words catching in my dry throat.

A corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he shook his head. "Stubborn as always. At least let me get you more pillows."

"Alright, I can't really say no to more pillows," I sighed. Then I bit my lip and asked, "Do I still have my left arm?"

He laughed at that. "Yes, they put a numbing salve on your...injuries."

I couldn't help but notice the pain in his voice when he said that, but he turned away and returned shortly after with more pillows, arranging them behind me and then helping me to sit up slightly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked quietly, sitting on the bed next to me.

"Like I was ripped in half and the other half is missing," I answered.

Frowning, he sighed. "Well, the good news is that the Healers said you shouldn't have much scarring."

"What's the bad news?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You lost a lot of blood, and they want to keep you here for a few more days."

"Of course they do," I groaned. "How long was I out?"

"It's been nearly twenty-four hours," He said, squeezing my hand. "I was really worried that..."

He trailed off but didn't need to finish his sentence. I gave his hand a small squeeze and smiled at him. "I'm alright, Draco."

He returned the smile and then sighed. "I suppose I need to go tell the Healers that you're awake. I'm sure they'll want to check on you. Is there anything I can get you?"

I thought for a moment and then said, "Just some food and water. Will you be gone long?"

"I'll be back as quickly as I can." He smiled again and gave me another kiss before standing up and walking out of the room.

I sighed and looked around, taking in everything as I started getting a bit of energy back. There was a pile of paperwork on a chair against the back wall, along with a small black duffel bag that I could only assume was Draco's. I spied my phone on the chair next to it and reached out my right hand, groaning slightly as I tried to summon it to me.

The phone wobbled a bit but eventually rose off the chair and floated to my outstretched hand, and I grinned to myself triumphantly. There were a few unread messages from my parents wondering where I was and why I haven't talked to them in a few days, along with a message from Harry saying that the Minister gave me the rest of the week off due to the accident.

I sent a quick text to Ginny letting her know that I was awake and alright, and then texted my parents giving them a summarized version of what happened before my attention was caught by the door opening.

Draco walked in with a couple of Healers in ugly lime green robes following, and the Healer in front smiled at me.

"It's good to see you awake, Miss Granger," He said with a nod. "We were all very worried for a bit there."

They immediately went to start looking me over and running tests to see how I was healing and I noticed Draco giving me a look.

"You didn't get up, did you?" He asked, nodding towards my phone.

"Of course not, I used magic, silly," I said with a grin.

"You shouldn't be using magic just yet, Miss Granger," The second Healer advised sternly. "Any energy you have needs to be reserved so that you can heal."

I rolled my eyes when they looked away and I saw Draco smile at me.

Draco's POV

I watched quietly while the Healers looked her over, marveling over how much she already healing. She would smile and answer their questions in a soft voice, and I couldn't help but smile myself as I watched her, leaning against the wall.

It was appalling that her ex fiance did this to her. I couldn't imagine ever wanting to hurt the woman I loved, let alone put them through everything he had put her through. And in such a short time span too. It had been barely over a month, and he turned her life upside down. I chastised myself yet again for letting her walk away in our final year; I could've spared her so much hurt.

My thoughts were interrupted by one of the Healers turning to me and saying, "We must ask that you step out now while we change her bandages."

I nodded and Hermione gave me a smile before I left the room, frowning. Part of me wanted to see the extent of her injuries, but the other part was happy that they had me leave. I sat down in the chairs outside of the room and put my head in my hands, breathing in deep before bringing my head back up.

I waited patiently while the Healers changed her bandages, trying to curb my raging thoughts. At least in the room, I had my work to distract me. Out here, I had nothing. I even left my phone in the room so I couldn't text Blaise or Pansy to let them know that Hermione was awake. Hopefully they wouldn't take too long to change her bandages.

Thankfully I didn't have to wait long, and the doors soon opened again. The two Healers stepped out and one left while the first stopped and looked at me. "She seems to be healing well. She may even be able to go home tonight; if not, tomorrow morning. We will be changing her bandages again after lunch."

Then he nodded and left, allowing me back into the room. Hermione's energy seemed a little less when I entered but she still gave me a smile and reached out to me with her unbandaged hand as I went back to her side.

"Feel better?" I asked, taking her hand and sitting down on the bed.

She nodded and sighed. "They put more of that numbing salve on everything, so now I really can't feel anything except for my right arm."

I frowned. "How long are they going to be giving you that instead of a regular healing salve?"

"They said until I can either stand the pain or until I opt for the pain-relieving potions," She shrugged. "But the potions are making me sick so I'll just have to wait. It's not too bad, I guess. Just odd."

"I can't imagine what that's like," I said quietly.

She shrugged again and smiled. "It's not so bad. It's definitely better than being in pain."

I nodded. "So what are you going to do about work? I'm sure your department head would be able to give you the time off to heal."

"I have to go in," She said quickly. "I can't take too much time off; my work is too important."

Scowling at her, I said, "You're can't be serious. What if you open your wounds?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" She asked in an exasperated tone. "I don't want anyone else handling my cases!"

"Why don't I go to your office every day and get the work for you?" I asked with a shrug. "You can work from home."

She opened and closed her mouth, and I couldn't help but smirk at her brow furrowing. I knew she was trying to come up with an argument for it, and based on the range of expressions that crossed her face in the span of a few seconds, she couldn't come up with one.

Hermione groaned then and leaned her head back, staring up at the ceiling. "Fine, I'll work from home."

I grinned and pressed a kiss to her hand. Then she sat up and said, "The chances of me splitting open my injuries at home would be the same since I'll be moving around still."

"Oh." I frowned, running a hand through my hair as I tried to think of what to do. "Well, why don't I come over and help you?"

"Really?" She asked as her eyes widened in surprise. "You'd do that?"

"Of course!" I smiled at her. "Why wouldn't I help?"

She  smiled  then  and  gave  my  hand  a  squeeze.  "Thank  you,  Draco."