Heart (Book 2 of Broken Together)

Chapter 3: Infection

Draco

Woke slowly when I noticed Hermione wasn't on the bed. I quickly stood up and looked around. She wasn't in the room.

"Hermione?" I called.

I opened the small bathroom door and froze. Hermione lay in a look of her own blood. Her body was pale, she was barely breathing. There was so much blood it was a miracle her chest was still moving up and down.

I ran out of the room and to the hall.

"I NEED A HEALER!" I screamed.

Three healers ran in. Wordlessly, I pulled one of them into the bathroom.

Before I knew it, we were in the emergency room. They allowed me to be there because I'm part Veela. I couldn't stand what they were doing to her. The main healer was screaming at the others to get him stuff while he tried to save her life.

"Sir! Sir! Please! I need you to sit down!" A nurse said, waving her hands in front of my face.

I sat down and stared at the nurse with tears in my eyes.

"Will she be okay?" I whispered.

"We need permission, Mr Malfoy," the main healer stated.

"For what?" I asked, trying not to look a dying body of the love of my life.

"To amputate her leg. She likely won't survive with it," the healer replied.

The other healers were putting blood replenishing potion in her IV. My mind was racing.

"I need an answer now!" The healer shouted.

"Yes, you have my permission," I rushed.

Hermione (earlier)

I woke really needing to pee. I slowly stood up and went into the bathroom. It was dark, so I tripped on the bottom of the door. I fell flat on the floor and scraped the hurt part of my leg on the door. I hit my head really hard on the floor.

I felt the blood flowing out of my leg. I couldn't get up, and I couldn't call for help. I just hoped Draco would find me before it was too late.

Draco (later)

I waited anxiously in the nique for a nurse to get me. I was holding Rose, trying to calm down. I couldn't think right. Rose kept crying, she knew I was upset.

"Shh, I'm okay, Rose. I'm okay," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

She only got louder. I laid her in her crib and plopped down in a chair. I put my head in my hands and sobbed.

~*~*~

I was shook awake in my seat five hours later.

"Mr Malfoy, we wanted to tell you that the procedure went amazingly well. We think she will make a full recovery. She's in recovery right now, but you can see her in around an hour," she told me.

It felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. I let out a breath.

"Is she...?"

"She's legally handicapped, Mr Malfoy. Her leg had a lethal infection we hadn't caught before you found her injured. We had to amputate her leg before the infection could spread. The head healer will speak to you when Ms Granger wakes up."

I stood up with my heart aching.

"I want to see her," I stated.

"She's in recovery-"

"I'm part Veela, there are laws that say I can be with her during and after surgery if I wish. I suggest you take me to her before I call the ministry," I threatened.

"Yes sir, sorry sir," she nodded leading me out the door.

We went back to two big doors. It led to another hallway. A sign said recovery. She led me to room 125 and opened the door.  And there Hermione lay. She was so pale and sick looking. Once I recovered from the shock of seeing her, I rushed to her side.

"Sir, I must ask that you don't touch her. She is trying to heal," the nurse told me.

"Can I hold her hand?" I asked.

"I suppose. The head healer will be here in a couple hours to answer questions and give prescriptions and such," she stated before leaving the room.

I pulled a chair up with my free hand and sat down. I carefully lifted up the blanket and looked at her leg. It was the left one, it ended just above where her kneecap would have been. I couldn't believe this was happening.

"Hermione, Love, I'm sorry," I whispered.

She was almost completely motionless. She looked almost lifeless. Her hair was frizzy and shaggy, while her face was pale and worn.

I felt tears come to my eyes as I thought of her reaction to this. She can't just recover from this. Her body has been changed forever. She can't walk again without a prosthetic leg.

I've already been thinking about everything like that. I have millions of Galleons, so we were great on costs. I would get Rose that heart, and Hermione a prosthetic. I had everything planned out already.

I just wished it wasn't all necessary. If I'd just protected Hermione well enough that night, then we wouldn't be here. Rose wouldn't need a new heart. Hermione wouldn't be like this.

This was all my fault.