Forget Me Not (Draco/Hermione)

Chapter Six- Tiny Bundle of Hope

"Pregnant?"

His words cut through the silence like a knife through butter. McCarthy had witnessed many partners getting the news of their impending father hoods but never had she met one who seemed this... cold. His pale grey eyes met her blue ones. They were blank with not a single emotion evident. Then the ice shattered and his guard fell as he burst into tears and lunged at the healer. Grabbing her, he squeezed her into a tight hug.

"I'm going to be a father," he roared, swinging the surprised healer around. 

"Mr Granger!" she gasped as he placed her back on solid ground. 

"Mr Granger is my father-in-law." 

"Whoever you are, we are not out of trouble yet," she said sternly. "The accident was severe enough to put your wife in a coma. The embryo is but a ball of cells and can easily be evacuated from her body." The man's face fell and he turned back to the unconscious form of Hermione. 

"Is there any magic? That can keep it safe?"

"None at such an early stage but hope and patience. The mother was resilient enough to survive a collision. Why can't the child?"

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A week later, McCarthy was back on shift on the same ward as before. Thompson's revenge was swift and brutal with McCarthy spending four long shifts on the paediatric ward. Having sworn to have her tubes tied, she was pleased to return to the quiet, comfort of the private wards. The Christmas carol man had left and was replaced with a little, old witch with good manners but a bad case of dragonpox.

Hermione's room itself was devoid of life apart from the silent form of the patient and a small vase of daffodils next to her bed. The chair was empty but the table was stacked with a pile of pregnancy and childcare books. She began to leaf through the top one, a brightly coloured tome called The Wizard Father's Guide To Birth.

"I see you've seen my pile." The healer jumped at the voice behind her and she spun around guiltily to meet the amused grey eyes of the handsome man standing before her. His blond hair was neatly combed and his face was well shaved. His stained clothing had been replaced with a simple but comfortable green t-shirt and blue jeans. "I know it's early but I was too excited."

"I assume she's still pregnant?"

"I've had the healer check three times a day though I'm pleased to see you're back."

"My boss made me change shifts for the rest of the week," McCarthy moved over to the patient and began the examination. "Has her condition changed at all."

"Yes," the man bounded over until he stood next to the healer. "Yesterday, she squeezed my hand and on Thursday, she blinked when I said her name."

"That's fantastic. She might be waking up soon."

The man settled down with his book, sipping a cup of machine coffee as he read. Every now and again, he would stop and scribble something down in a little notebook of his. McCarthy watched him curiously from over by the bed. It was like seeing a new man. And all due to a bundle of cells. 

"Little baby Malfoy is in his third week," the man piped up, turning over a page. "He's nestling into his mother's uterus lining now and by the end of the week, he'll be five hundred cells."

"I am a healer," she laughed, waving her wand over Hermione's abdomen. "I know this stuff... Hang on, baby Malfoy?"

"Yes," the man smiled uneasily, placing his book down on his lap. "My name's Draco Malfoy."

Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter but I wanted to return to the present. :)