| Firecrab
Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: melbourne
Posts: 887
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Chapter Sixty Four
Three weeks later
‘Gin, I’ve got some news’ she grinned walking in to her sitting by the incubator with her hand touching his,
‘Yep’ she turned to Penny,
‘They’re saying you can hold him this afternoon’
She allowed the grin to spread ‘Really’
‘Really, they know you’ll want to wait for Harry to have finished work and they want to weigh him again to check he’s ok but other then that, tonight he’s all yours’
‘Awesome’ she tickled his belly gently as he wriggled and wrinkled his nose gurgling.
‘I’ll be back later sweetheart, I’ve just got to see your sisters and tell your Daddy the good news on his lunch break’
***
Sophia yawned and pulled her self up off the couch, he squirmed as he had been for the last ten minutes.
‘You’re a week early I’ll give you that’ she waddled to pick up her wand and the over night bag by the door, ‘It’s ok though, you’ll take a little longer to get here I’m guessing’ she locked the door and put out her wand for the knight bus. The bouncy trip to the hospital was done in record time; they’d taken one look at her and bumped her up the list to be dropped off first. She paid, said thanks and made her way to the hospital entrance.
She found Cara, who led her to a room and she sent the patronus to Charlie, as she held her belly feeling the contractions getting stronger,
He was on his broom in the middle of instructing the team though a drill when the lioness appeared on the pitch,
‘I’m at Mungo’s, I’m in labour, don’t fall off your broom Charlie’
The team cheered, he swooped down to land and grinning apparated to the hospital.
‘Soph’ he went straight to her,
‘Hey’ she held his hand, ‘You look scared’ she giggled ‘He’ll be a little while yet’
‘Ok’
‘They’ve been warning me it could go into tomorrow’
‘Oh – really’
‘He’s not impatient to get here I guess’
‘But he’s defiantly coming’
‘Yeah, the pains there I’m just good at hiding it – just you wait it won’t be long before I’m screaming like Gin’
‘Merlin, can I leave for that bit then?’
‘I’ve got your hand, I’m not letting go’ she cringed and squeezed it feeling a surge of pain.
He laughed nervously and used his free hand to send a patronus to the Burrow, ‘She’ll tell everyone, that’s that covered’ he leant in to kiss her forehead ‘So now we just wait then’
‘Yep, don’t worry, I’m terrified too’
***
‘Here you go guys, he’s a lot bigger then he was you can tell now he’s out of the incubator’ she placed him in Ginny’s arms in a blanket with the tubes still attached,
‘But still smaller then the girls were’
‘He’ll be bigger soon enough’ Harry said watching the way she was looking at him like she never wanted to let him go.
Cara knocked on the door for Penny,
‘Yep’
‘Sophia Blacks checked - oh hi guys’
‘Sophia’s here?’ Harry said looking up ‘She in labour?’
‘Yep, be a while yet, you’ve got time to spend with James before you even have to worry about their little one’
‘Ok’ he stroked James head,
‘Erm, Penny, need to have a word with you about something’
‘Sure’ she looked at them with James ‘I’ll be back in a sec’ she left to go out to her,
‘What is it?’
‘The baby’s heart beat – it’s strange, it’s there but there is something weird about it, I think there might be a small hole – can you check it out?’
‘Sure – they have a half hour with him before he has to go back in, could you stay with them?’
‘Ok’
***
‘Hi, Mr and Mrs Black, I’m Penny, the healer in charge of the maternity unit’
‘Hi’ Soph smiled ‘I remember you from Ginny’
‘That’s right – they’re here, they’re having there first hold of little James this time round’ she fiddle with the sound on the machine attached to Soph’s belly, ‘But I’m here because there has been some concern about this little one’
‘What do you mean?’ Charlie said anxiously,
‘His heart beat is – ah its just a little off – hmm – yep’ she turned it down and prepared to tell them the news, ‘Ok, we’re going to make sure he’s fine but the best thing for him right now is a c-section because by the sound of the beat he has a small hole – the machines we use now are lot more sensitive so it wouldn’t have been as noticeable before but you are lucky you came in now before the contractions got any worse’
‘So can you fix it – the hole?’
‘Yep, but we have to get him out quick sharp before it changes and in case it gets worse during the birth – his heart rate would go up as you have to push him out and we can’t be sure it will be able to take it’
‘OK’
‘I’ll get an orderly to take you guys straight down – Dad can be in there too to hold your hand, you’ll be awake the entire time and then we’ll take him straight to be fixed up’
‘Ok’ she said again still in shock,
Charlie held on to her gently, ‘He’s going to be ok, she said he’s going to be ok they just have to fix it’
‘Uh huh’ she could feel the tears down her cheeks and he didn’t release his grip on her hand to lean in and wipe them away,
‘He’s going to be fine; they know what they’re doing’
‘And here we go’ Penny held the blanketed bundle to Sophia’s chest so she could see him,
‘He’s, he’s – Charlie he’s’
‘I know’ he reached to touch his head,
‘Now I know this seems so cruel but it’s good for him to meet you first, before we take him off for surgery’ they each gave him a kiss and then watched her take him into the next room,
‘We’ll close you up and he’ll be back in your arms soon enough’ a healer said as they worked and then they were lead to a private room to wait it out. Molly had been nervously roaming the halls waiting for them, had checked in on Ginny, Harry and James had told them when she found out about the c section and then spent time trying to find Sophia’s room.
Ginny stayed to watch James as Harry left to see Sophia after he was sure him leaving wasn’t going to annoy her and he’d asked her three times if it was ok.
‘Soph’ he opened the door and she held her arms out for him immediately, he smiled reassuringly and wrapped her in the hug, ‘How is everything?’ he nodded to Molly and Gwen sitting anxiously in the corner,
‘He’s going to be ok, they’re going to put him in with James and tell us when we can see him’
‘What was it that was wrong?’
‘A hole, a little hole in his heart – they said it’s a defect that just happens sometimes’
‘But they said he’ll be fine right, they know what they’re doing here, me and Gin wouldn’t have had the girls or James if it wasn’t for Mungo’s’
‘I know’ she sniffed ‘They let me hold him for a second when he came out, he’s got red hair’ she smiled
‘You guys named him?’
‘Hmm’ she bit her lip as Charlie laughed lightly,
‘We wanted to ask you first’
Harry looked between them ‘Erm… what?’
‘We want to call him Harry silly’ Soph said ‘Harry Tobias Black’
‘Oh’ he blinked ‘Are you sure?’
‘If it’s ok with Gin, I mean she won’t be annoyed after wanting to call your next Harry Jr or something…’
‘I don’t think we’re going to – it’s fine’ he swallowed nervously, ‘its fine with me… ’ he walked out and Soph made to go after him. Charlie stopped her and went himself,
‘Harry?’
‘She doesn’t want any more kids, after this, after the twins, she’s too scared too’
‘Oh’
‘She says she just hurts them’
‘And you want more?’
‘I’ll do whatever she wants, I won’t push her for more children if she doesn’t want more’
‘She probably does but from her history she has every reason to want to avoid it too, the pain of it all again and again – I don’t think she could cope to lose a baby Harry’
‘I know, and I know it’s extremely selfish of me to want more kids with her when she can’t bear the thought after nearly losing the three we’re so lucky to have’
‘Maybe given time, maybe when James’ ok and the girls are grown up a little more – you’ve still got time to change your mind about things, most people don’t have kids till there my age or older now’
‘I don’t think she’ll ever change her mind’
‘If you love her you’ll live with that’
‘Charlie I know, I just wish… I’ve always wanted a big family, like the one you’ve come from, were everyone has somebody, I had no one, for ten miserable years I had no one and now when I thought-’ he rubbed his forehead ‘- Just forget I said anything and tell Soph I’d be honoured to have him named after me’ he made to leave but Charlie stopped him again,
‘You have to tell her’
‘What?’
‘You have to tell Ginny how you feel’
‘No I don’t, not if it will hurt her, not if it makes her feel obligated – if we have more children it has to be because we both want it not because she’s trying to make me happy, not so that she feels she needs to keep me with her, it doesn’t matter what goes on, I’ll have her, I’ll have the twins and James, we’ll have a family’
‘A family you won’t ever be satisfied with’
‘Don’t say that’
‘But it’s true; you’ll always want more from Gin without even realising you’ll pressure her into it’
‘I will not’
‘You do it Harry – I’ve seen you do it and she knows you do it, it’s your kind of personality’
‘I – I couldn’t – I wouldn’t force her’
‘She moved in with you, she kept the twins, she agreed to marry you while she was practically on her death bed, she kept James – did she ever tell you she was seeing someone to talk to about it all, did she ever tell you she didn’t want him or feel ready for him?’
‘Don’t’ he shook his head,
‘You know what you’ve done to her and you know you have no right to ask her for more children after she never wanted this life in the first place’
‘You sound like Ron you know’
‘Maybe he’s right, in something’s maybe’
‘I’m not going to hit you because you’ve just had a kid and it would upset Soph’
‘Thank you’
‘I think I’m going to check on my wife and my son now’
‘Ok’
He left and Charlie returned to Soph,
‘What was that about – is he ok – has something happened with James?’
‘No, he’s fine, it’s nothing’
‘Then why didn’t he comeback in – tell me the truth Charlie’
‘He said he’d be honoured for you to name him after him’
‘What else – you didn’t spent that amount of time talking about that’
‘Don’t worry about it’
‘When you say that I can’t help but to do so – if you don’t tell me I’ll go and ask him’
‘Sophia, its ok’ Molly said carefully and got up to pat her hand, ‘Don’t you get stressed about it now, it’s not good for you, you’re still fragile’
‘I want to know what’s going on, what’s wrong with my brother Charlie, tell me’
‘It’s not for me to say ok, he doesn’t want you to know’
‘But you know, if you’d have let me go, then I would know’ she replied, ‘He wouldn’t just leave me in the dark about something, I’m his sister!’
‘Hmm’
‘Not hmm Charlie, I’m his sister and he tells me everything!’
‘Well he won’t tell you this unless you ask him ok’ he sighed and trudged to the door, ‘I’m going to see what’s going on with our son’
‘His names Harry’ she crossed her arms glaring at him,
‘And as of five minutes ago I would have been happy about that’ he left and she huffed, fuming in her bed,
‘Sophia, it will do no good to get upset about it, they’re stubborn boys, and they’ll tell you when they’re ready’
‘They think just because you’ve pushed out their baby they can’t tell you things anymore or something, did Arthur stop telling you things when you were pregnant each time or something’
‘Don’t fret on it, when they’re ready’
‘They’ll tell me, what if I’m more pushy and impatient than that though’ she got up and pulled on the dressing gown on the door but he came back in time to distract her,
‘They said we can see him now – where were you going?’
‘To see Harry, big Harry’
‘Merlin – look I’ll tell you later ok, just lets worry about our son for now’
‘Harry’
He sniffed refusing to say it,
‘Don’t act so childish, I’m naming him that no matter what so you can just get over it’
‘Whatever’ he followed her on to the ward only to see him and Ginny both in there looking at James and Little Harry as the Healer finished whatever she was doing to the incubator he was in.
Molly smiled ‘I’m going to go and tell the others everything’s ok with him, see you later alright’ she hugged them both and left.
‘He’s lovely’ Ginny said moving to hug Sophia when they came in gowned and gloved, ‘So one of the family with the red hair’
‘I know, but I got my wish, he’s going to look like his Dad’
‘What are you going to call him?’
‘Harry – didn’t he tell you – boys’
‘No, he didn’t’ she frowned at him,
‘I thought you would want the pleasure Soph’
‘So what are you calling him?’ Ginny replied turning to Soph again,
She laughed ‘Harry, his names Harry Gin’
‘Oh’ she hugged her again ‘Mmm Harry, this is going to be confusing’
‘I know’ she noticed Harry glaring at Charlie as he did back, ‘Oh for the love of God, tell me what’s happened I can’t take it anymore’
‘Nothing’ Harry replied and moved to James turning his back on them,
Charlie stared at him still ‘I’m not saying anything, it’s his problem not mine’
‘Shut up’
‘Or maybe I should, just so Ginny has a better idea of what’s going on, give her warning for once’
‘Spit it out Charlie’ Ginny frowned at him, ‘what do I need warning about?’
‘Nothing’ Harry muttered reaching in to stroke James’ head,
Soph continued ‘It can’t be “nothing” if you’re both like this – you were brothers what’s happened in the space of twenty minutes to change that?’
‘Tell her Harry, tell her what’s going on through your head right now as you stand there with your son’
He let go and walked out of the room again if only to avoid throwing punches as he had before, he wanted to show he could control himself and not let what was none of his business get to him.
‘Harry?’ she said softly behind him ‘Talk to me please’
‘They asked me if I wouldn’t mind them calling him after me, I said it was great’ he rubbed his forehead still facing away from her, ‘She said – she said she wanted to know if it would be ok with you, in case that’s what you planned to call our next…’
‘But you know after James – I can’t do it again Harry, I can’t risk losing a child, you said you understood’
‘It doesn’t stop me from hoping you’d change your mind’
‘I’m sorry, but you know full well why’
‘He said I’d pressure you into it, he said that’s what I do, I make you feel guilty, I make you feel obligated to stay with me, to be worthy of being with me that’s not right, I just want you and the family we’ve got, I can – I can be ok, be happy, without having more kids, you know that right?’
‘Hmm’
‘Oh Gin’
‘It’s ok, I know why you want more, it’s to have a family a big family and believe me I’d love that too, it’s just not going to happen if I’m scared – if I’m terrified of losing our baby each time I’m pregnant’
‘I understand’
‘I might change my mind; we still have time, we have plenty of time’
‘Charlie said the same thing’
‘Well then’ she reached to hug him ‘We have all the time in the world me and you, we didn’t before but we do now’
‘Uh huh’
__________________
RIP JD Salinger |