Just An Ordinary Week: Monday
Title: Just An Ordinary Week: Monday
Author:
bratty_jedi (Rachael)
Format: Fic (~1,000 words)
Rating: All Audiences
Prompt: 18 (July 3): Courtyard picture found here.
Warning: None.
Summary: "His hand lying on the cool white sheet of her hospital bed seemed almost as large as the body next to it."
Disclaimer: I own none of this. J. K. Rowling and assorted companies including but not limited to Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Warner Brothers own everything. They also make all the money. I am just having fun and in no way seek financial profit from their property.
Author's Note: I am going to try to tell one continuous story over this week (Saturday to Friday). Each prompt will be one day in a week in the lives of Remus and Tonks. Don’t be fooled by the title. This will (hopefully) not be a boring week for our hero and heroine. Sorry this one is late. I got distracted by work and making my new userpic.
This story follows Just an Ordinary Week: Saturday and Sunday.
He watched her as she slept. She looked so small and helpless with her limp brown hair falling over her petite face. His hand lying on the cool white sheet of her hospital bed seemed almost as large as the body next to it. She stirred, groggily beginning to awaken. "Remus?" she whispered.
He felt the hand resting on his shoulder tighten its grip. He glanced back at the woman standing behind him. Lines of worry etched her beautiful face. He turned back to the little girl on the bed, a girl he loved more than life itself. "Remus isn't here, honey," he said gently.
She turned to face him and he was pleased to note the alert spark that had returned to her vivid eyes. "Wotcher, Pop," she said with a smile.
Ted Tonks felt tears of relief rising to his eyes at her words. For the first time since receiving the summons to the hospital the day before, he knew his little girl would be all right. "Nice of you to recognize me this time." He laughed at the confusion on Tonks' face. "The other times you woke up, you asked for Remus and rolled over and went back to sleep when you found out he wasn't here."
"Other times?"
"You woke up three or four times while we were here yesterday," Andromeda explained as she moved to the other side of the bed and began fluffing their daughter's pillow.
Tonks shrugged unconcernedly. "Don't remember that. I remember the fire yesterday and talking to the Healer earlier this morning, but nothing in between."
"What did the Healer say?" Andromeda asked
Tonks sat up, moving the pillow Andromeda had so carefully fluffed. "The burns are healing slower than expected but I'll be fine."
"Do they know why the burns aren't reacting well?"
"The one earlier didn't. I'll go see if I can find someone else to ask." Tonks began to rise from her bed but was stopped by Andromeda's arm on her shoulders.
"You'll do no such thing, Nymphadora. You will stay in that bed and rest."
"It's Tonks, Mum," their daughter said with a slight smile.
"You may have your friends call you whatever you want but I named you Nymphadora and I shall call you Nymphadora."
Ted shook his head. They had had this same conversation thousands of times over the years. At one point, there had been actual arguments. Now, it was more an old family joke born out of their mutual stubbornness.
"Fine. Nymphadora can stay in bed, but Tonks is getting up."
"You need to rest."
"Mum, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. Watch." Tonks' face took on a familiar pinched expression and her hair resumed the short and spiky pink look she had favored of late.
"If she's well enough to morph," Ted interjected, "perhaps we should check with a Healer to see if she can walk around for a while?"
His wife did not look happy at the idea of a walk and his daughter did not seem to appreciate the suggestion that she needed a Healer's permission, but both reluctantly nodded.
Ten minutes later, they were slowly strolling around a magical courtyard built for just such a purpose in the heart of St. Mungo's. When he was sure none of the other patients and their families were in hearing range, Ted turned to his daughter. "Can you tell us what happened?" he asked. "Kingsley was here last night but he didn't tell us very much."
"Not much to tell. Death Eaters burned some Muggle flats. I ran in to grab a kid and got burned in the process. End of story."
"You couldn't rescue the child any other way?" Andromeda asked.
"Nope. I couldn't get her to jump. I couldn't summon her from a second story window without risking more injury to her. I couldn't blindly Apparate into an unknown building that was on fire. There were no brooms to get me up to the window. Trust me, Mum. I considered all other possible options. Running in and Apparating out was the best plan."
Listening to her explaining her calm analysis of a desperate situation, Ted realized just how much war was changing his little girl and he felt a cold shiver. Tonks felt his motion and glanced at him. He was saved from offering an explanation by an undetectable something on the pavement. Tonks stumbled forward, barely preventing herself from falling. She hissed slightly as her body bent, pain shooting through her bandaged burns.
"You see?" Andromeda said. "You really should be in bed resting."
"I'm fine, Mum. I just tripped."
"The Healer said not to exert yourself too much."
"I'm fine!"
Andromeda backed off in response to the sharp edge creeping into Tonks' voice. They walked in slightly uncomfortable silence. Tonks finally broke it. "Any word from Remus?" she asked almost too casually.
"No," Ted replied. "Kingsley mentioned he was on his way but wouldn’t say from where or how he knew." He looked at his daughter expectantly.
"I guess it might take him a few days to get here," she said without offering further explanation.
"Did you two have another fight?" Andromeda asked with concern.
"No! He's just away. Everything is fine."
"Good. I would hate to think he was being unreasonable again. I don't know how many times your father tried to end our relationship because he didn't want to come between me and my family."
"I know, Mum. You've told me."
"You have to be careful with men, Nymphadora. They always think they know what is best for you and they are almost always wrong."
"Tell me about it. The other day Remus…"
Ted drifted back, letting Tonks and Andromeda continue their discussion about the men in the lives. He smiled as he watched his wife's arm wrap around their daughter's shoulders. Perhaps it was a good thing for everyone, but especially Ted and Remus, that the two most stubborn women on the planet just happened to be the two most important women in their lives.