oblivioni traditæ

Expergo

Newt nervously fidgetted with the handle of his case as he followed Queenie through the halls of MACUSA. He never worried, having taught himself not to, but this time, he was. There was one thing that could make him worry . . . Tina. 

Tina had gone on a mission a few days before. The mission had been assigned at a very bad time, only a few days after Queenie and Jacob had arrived. She was supposed to be gone for a week but it was now four days after she had left. 

Newt had received a letter that morning saying that there had been an accident and Tina was lying unconscious in the hospital. He had Queenie had rushed over to MACUSA immediately and were now quickly making their way to the hospital. They reached the reception and were taken to a room by a young Healer.

The clean, white room had a few cabinets along the walls and a single bed against one wall. Tina's motionless form lay on the bed. An older Healer, a woman named Pamela Gallagher, was standing beside the bed, writing something on the clipboard in her hand.

Wordlessly, Newt moved across the room to the bed. Tina was lying on her back, above the covers. Her eyes were closed and she looked peaceful, her chest gently rising and falling with every breath. He reached down and slowly ran the back of a finger down her cheek. There were a few scratches on her cheeks and neck. There were also a few bloodstains on her shirt, most of them surrounding a small rip. Her head was wrapped in a clean, white bandage, contrasting with her dark hair. Newt could see blood seeping through the fabric where it crossed her right temple.

"What happened?" Queenie asked Gallagher.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "You'd have to ask her partner. He stepped out but he should be back soon."

Just then, the door opened and Tina's partner Alton Harper came in the room. "Ah, Scamander, Miss Goldstein," he said. "You made it."

"What happened to her?" Newt asked.

A worried frown formed on Harper's forehead. "Well, we were in the middle of a fight and Goldstein got hit by a spell. It launched her backward and she crashed into a wall. The spell destroyed the wall and she was left half buried and unconscious."

"She had a number of fractured bones," Gallager said. "And a few cuts and bruises. We've dealt with all of those. However, what worries me most is that she seems to have hit her head pretty badly."

Queenie let out a quiet gasp. Newt glanced at her, wondering what had made her react that way. She motioned for him to listen to Gallager.

"I'm afraid that she might suffer some memory loss," she continued. "We won't be able to know how much she's forgotten until she wakes up."

"Oh," Newt said. His gaze traveled back to the woman in the bed. The thought of her having lost even just a portion of her memories, especially her memories of him, was awful. He reached for her hand, taking it in his own, and gently ran his thumb over her smooth skin.

Gallagher glanced at her clipboard again. "I've got to step out. I should be back in about ten minutes. Send for me if she shows any signs of waking up."

The other three nodded and she left the room. Harper conjured up a chair and dropped into it, letting out a heavy sigh. There were already two chairs in the room so Queenie pulled them up, offering one to Newt. He moved the chair closer to the bed and took a seat, still not letting go of Tina's hand.

They were silent for a few minutes. Newt had returned to staring at Tina. His eyes were drawn to the bandage around her head. It was wrapped firmly around her head, over her hair, but it went under her bangs and they covered it slightly. Her expression was peaceful . . . she almost looked dead. He knew she wasn't. He could hear her gentle breathing and see the rise and fall of her chest. Her lips were parted slightly so she could breathe. Newt found himself fighting the urge to kiss her.