Let It Be Forever

Mistletoe

After three days in the hospital wing, Ryan was finally released and allowed to see Hermione. He found her in her chambers, reading quietly. She had her legs stretched out on the couch and she was wearing some blue cotton pants with a white t-shirt. On her feet were some thick socks, undoubtedly to give her aching feet extra comfort on the stone floors. Ryan frowned at the shadows under her tired brown eyes. Guilt clawed at his stomach as he realized that her sleepless nights and anxious days were likely his fault.

"Hermione?" he said quietly.

Her head jerked up. "Ryan," she said in surprise. "How are you feeling?"

He moved to sit next to her. "I'm fine," he responded, the shame he was feeling visible on his face. "Are you ok?"

Hermione looked away. "I'm really upset," she said, refusing to meet his eye. "I can't believe you did something so stupid. I know that you spent a lot of money on drugs," she said, her tone frosty. "I know that you've been lying to me for months about your whereabouts and activities. A marriage should be built on love and trust, but I see no evidence of love in you. Nor do I have any reason to trust you."

"Hermione, I'm sorry," Ryan said. "I do love you. I love you more than anything. And I know I have to earn your trust. Please forgive me."

Hermione sighed. "I know you can be a great person Ryan," she said quietly. "You can still make things right. But, you must know that I won't allow our baby to suffer for your bad decisions. I won't let you put this baby through what you put me through."

"I'd never hurt our baby," Ryan said softly, wrapping his arms around her. "I'll be a great husband and father. You'll see." He held Hermione close, stroking her hair soothingly. Hermione cried silently against his chest, fighting down the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.

Hermione thoroughly enjoyed teaching, but as the term progressed, she became exasperated by her expanding belly. Her back ached, her feet hurt and she felt as if the baby was determined to crush her lungs and pelvic bone at the same time. Before she knew it, Hermione found herself watching students leave for the Christmas holidays.

She ducked into the library after breakfast to avoid being jostled too much by students in a hurry to leave. She moved to a bookshelf and reached to pull a book down. A cramping pain in her side made her drop her arm with a sharp intake of breath.

"Is everything alright?" said a rich baritone voice. Hermione turned her head to find Severus sitting at a nearby table, watching her with a slight frown.

"I'm alright," Hermione replied. "I just have a cramping in my side."

Severus was at her side in a moment, his normally stern face full of concern. "I'm fine," Hermione assured him. She rubbed her enlarged abdomen ruefully. "My abdominal muscles are stretched tight around my belly and the baby..."

"So, movement involving any stretching is painful," Severus concluded. "Which book did you want?"

"Third from the left," she directed him. He pulled the book down, smirking as he read the title.

"Hogwarts: A History again Hermione?" he drawled.

"It relaxes me," she mumbled, blushing. To her surprise, Severus led her to the table and held a chair out for her. He set the book in front of Hermione and sat down in his chair across from her. She smiled gratefully.

"Why did you not use your wand?" Severus asked.

"Poppy told me not to use magic unless it was necessary," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "I get tired very quickly, you see. Using magic makes it worse. So, until the baby is born, I'll have to be careful."