A Priceless Gift

Chapter 22

Harry pulled the covers right up over Draco to his neck and tucked them warmly around him. Draco always had a tendency to snuggle and sleep as far beneath the covers as possible. The room was dimly lit by a single lamp above Draco's bed and the atmosphere was making Harry sleepy.

Harry was bending down to kiss Draco's forehead when Ron, Hermione, Narcissa, Severus and Remus piled into the room.

Narcissa barrelled directly over to Draco's other side and started examining him closely. "How is he?" she asked frantically.

"He's exhausted and in a bit of pain now that the potions are wearing off. They've given him a sedative to make him sleep through the night. Sorry he's not awake to see you guys, but he's had a big day," Harry said apologetically.

"What happened? Did the operation go ok?" Narcissa pressed.

"It went fine, but he was a little sick when he woke up," Harry answered.

"In what way?" Narcissa continued.

"He vomited. All over me, actually, but he felt better afterwards," Harry said with a sigh at being questioned. "I have something to tell you all."

"What is it, Harry?" Remus asked. Narcissa stayed standing next to Draco and Harry sat on the side of the bed, but everyone else took one of the visitors' seats.

"Hang on, where's Blaise and Pansy?" Harry asked.

"Oh, Pansy had to go home to her daughter, darling, so Blaise took her," Narcissa answered. "She only had the babysitter until six." Harry nodded. Pansy had a three year old daughter, who was the product of a one-night stand. She was a single mother and, as far as Harry was aware, doing a fantastic job.

"Ok. I met with the Minister of Magic today. That's where I was when Draco fell ill. Anyway, she told me that the laws for same sex marriage had been passed and that the Ministry want Draco and I to be the first gay couple to get married on the day the laws are enacted. So, I kinda proposed to Draco in the Recovery room and he accepted," Harry explained quickly then looked up and grinned at everyone. "We're getting married!"

Narcissa squealed and was around the bed within seconds, pulling Harry into a huge hug. She started jumping up and down, taking Harry with her. When it became obvious that Narcissa wasn't letting go of Harry, Remus, Hermione, and Ron joined the hug. Severus just stood back with a small smirk on his face.

After an extensive round of congratulations, kisses, hugs, and pats of the back (and even a hand shake from Severus before the Potions Master had to return to Hogwarts), Harry flopped down in a chair beside the bed and smiled. He was exhausted but unbelievably happy.

"So, what date do they want you to have the wedding?" Hermione asked. Draco shifted in his sleep and whimpered slightly. Harry frowned, realising that Draco must still be in some pain. He smoothed the blankets down next to Draco and stroked his hand absentmindedly.

"Christmas Eve," Harry said with a sigh. "Pain in the arse of a day, but that's what they want. We have no say in the matter. If it's not us, they'll find another willing couple. You'll be almost eight months along by then, Hermione, and it only gives us two months to plan everything. Draco wants it so bad, but I'm not sure it's such a good idea to rush it. I'd be inclined to wait until after the baby is born when he's short of the Couvade and you're no longer pregnant."

"Maybe you should chat to him about it when he's feeling better?" Remus suggested but Harry shook his head.

"His heart's set on it." Harry smiled. "We all know what that means."

Narcissa pulled a chair up next to Harry and she put an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Harry, darling, I know you love to spoil him rotten - I'm guilty of the same crime - and god only knows he loves being spoiled. But you shouldn't just go along with it because his heart's set on it," Narcissa said gently. "I'd be first to agree with you that maybe planning the wedding during the pregnancy isn't so practical and, well... maybe you both should, um, talk a little about... things... before you jump into anything."

"But I feel the same as Draco. We both want to get married as soon as possible, and I think Draco would prefer to be married before the baby is born. Though, he never said so before because it wasn't a possibility then. Besides, I was supposed to give the Minister our answer this afternoon, so I'll have to call her soon either way, and Draco won't wake until the morning."

"Harry, have you thought about the media and such? We all know how much you despise the press and it's going to be unavoidable if you have the first same-sex marriage," Hermione spoke up.

"Yeah, I did think about that and I spoke briefly to Draco about it. We are going to have some privacy agreements drawn up by his colleagues and only allow media access for a limited time at the wedding." Harry yawned.

"Wow, it's all so huge," Ron commented. "But your wedding, same-sex or not, Harry, was always going to be plagued by media. You may as well do it with a splash and be the well-deserved first gay couple to be married. With both your's and Draco's status in the wizarding world, your marriage would be the ideal way to celebrate the new laws, and I really do think you guys deserve to be the first."

"I agree," Hermione encouraged.

"I know what you're saying, Ron. But I just can't help to picture Draco puking into a rubbish bin at the alter during our vows," Harry said with a small laugh. "I don't know if he'll be up to it."

"I'm sure Draco will make himself up to it," Narcissa said with a snort. Harry smiled and kissed the back of Draco's hand.

"You know what? Fuck it. We're going to get married on December the twenty fourth and we're going to have a fantastic wedding." Harry gave himself a satisfied smile and nodded.

"And so you both should, son." Remus smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Ooo, we get to plan a wedding!" Narcissa clapped her hands eagerly. "A big white wedding, with all the extras! A big cake, and lots of beautiful flowers! Oh, I have to start contacting caterers and florists..." Harry gulped and stared horrified at Narcissa, when she suddenly turned to him and gave him a huge kiss. "Oh, my beautiful boy, I couldn't ask for anyone better for a son-in-law!"

Ron and Hermione were sniggering openly, and Remus was clearly trying to politely hide his amusement.

"Oh, um, Narcissa," Harry said, eager to steer the subject completely away from his and Draco's wedding. "Draco's going to need some loose cotton pyjamas for his stay here in hospital. Seamus said they would be the best for him and he doesn't have any. He usually just sleeps in boxers... if, uh, anything. Would you be able to duck over to Diagon Alley and get some for him?"

"Oh, of course, love. I'll go first thing in the morning." Narcissa patted his leg affectionately. Harry yawned again and thought his face was going to turn inside out. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Harry, you look completely exhausted."

"Mmmm..." Harry mumbled as he placed he head on his arm that was resting on the side of Draco's bed.

"Don't doze off on us, son. You need to contact the Minister. How about Narcissa and I take you home? You said Draco won't wake until the morning?" Remus asked and placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Um, yeah, about seven thirty Seamus said." Harry stood up and gave Draco a kiss on his forehead. Draco nuzzled slightly into Harry's hand. Harry smiled and tucked the covers around his sleeping boyfriend.

Hermione and Ron gave him a hug while Narcissa gave Draco a goodnight kiss. "We'll drop back tomorrow after lunch to see how Draco's doing. Get some rest, Harry. You'll need it." Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Sleep well, mate," Ron said, then he and Hermione left.

Harry checked on Draco one last time and felt reluctant to leave him.

Narcissa saw Harry's procrastination and gently took his arm, leading him away from the bed. "He'll be fine, love. You'll be back in the morning before he even wakes," she said and squeezed his forearm. Harry nodded and allowed himself to be led from the room by Narcissa and Remus.

o o o o o

The next morning, Harry was woken gently by Narcissa. Both and she Remus had spent the night to ensure Harry got plenty of rest. It turns out they didn't have to worry because Harry managed to stay awake long enough to have a quick shower and Floo call the Minister before he fell into bed, and was asleep within minutes.

Narcissa woke him at six am and Harry cursed himself for nearly oversleeping. He wanted to be back at the hospital before Draco woke because the staff all seemed to think Draco would be in a lot of pain that morning.

Narcissa decided to accompany Harry to the hospital, but Remus had an appointment to attend and couldn't make it. "I think he'll be really pleased to have some new pyjamas and be able to get out of those horrible hospital gowns," Harry commented as he entered Draco's room.

Draco was curled up on his side and snuggled as far down in the covers as he could get. A mediwitch was tucking a fresh blanket over Draco and she looked up, smiling at Narcissa and Harry. "Good morning!" she greeted them.

"Good morning," Harry replied. "How has he been?"

"Oh, slept right through as expected, though he had a restless night. His fever has gone completely and he seems to have settled down in the last few hours. He should be waking soon. He's quite a burrower, isn't he? I don't think any of us has seen his face yet, it's always hidden beneath the covers!" she laughed.

"Yeah, he hates being cold," Harry chuckled.

"I might just duck down to the gift shop and get him some flowers," Narcissa said. "This room is dreary." Harry nodded.

"Just press this button if he needs anything." The mediwitch hung the buzzer over Draco's headboard and then left Harry alone with him.

It was only a few minutes before Draco started stirring, followed by a deep, pained groan. "Harry?" Draco croaked and Harry pulled the covers away from Draco's face.

"Shhhhh, I'm here, baby," Harry soothed.

Draco went to roll on his back but yelped in pain. "It hurts," he whimpered and clutched this side where his operation wound was. "Oh my god, it fucking hurts!"

"Just try not to move and I'll get someone to see if you can have something for the pain," Harry told.

"See if I can have some?" Draco hissed. "They better fucking give me some!" He gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut. Harry pressed the buzzer and Draco froze. "Harry..."

"What's the matter, sweetheart?"

"There's a needle in my arm," Draco said in a strangely hoarse voice. "A needle is in my arm, Harry."

"Um," Harry said and frantically pressed at the button again.

"Harry!" Draco squeaked. "Needle!"

"Try and stay calm, Draco," Harry urged and watched Draco's eyes flash in panic. "Shit, is this thing not working, or something?!" he snapped.

"Get it out! Get it out!" Draco shrieked and started clawing at the thick bandages as distressed tears started spilling from his eyes.

"Is everything alright?" a middle aged male mediwizard said as he hurried into the room.

"Does everything look alright?" Harry sneered. "He was supposed to be on a Calming Draught! Draco, baby, please stop ripping at the bandage!" Harry grabbed Draco's hand and held it tight to stop Draco doing any damage.

"You're hurting me! I have to get it out!" Draco sobbed.

"It's ok, Draco," the mediwizard tried to soothe. "Your Healer is on her way." He held out his hand and summoned a Calming Draught and a Pain Potion then inserted them into Draco's IV line.

By the time Jenny arrived in the room, Draco was hiccupping softly and wiping his eyes with his free hand. "They told me he was going to be having Calming Draught! They said he wouldn't have a chance to get upset about the IV!" Harry seethed the minute Jenny walked in the door. Jenny frowned and snatched up Draco's chart, scanning it quickly.

"Why wasn't he given the draught prior to waking?" Jenny asked the mediwizard firmly. "It clearly states here it should have been administered at six thirty this morning!"

"The night duty staff told us he had settled in the early hours of this morning and didn't need it!" the mediwizard protested.

"The Calming Draught is a necessity independent of his operation! It's to stop any anxiety due to a phobia. The medication should have continued to have been given until I stated otherwise. I will be speaking to the Healer in Charge about this." Jenny hung Draco's chart back on the end of his bed and dismissed the mediwizard. "Have you any pain, Draco?"

"A little," Draco said in a small voice. "I think I need to go to the toilet."

"Ok, that's good. Would you like to try and get out of bed to use the bathroom? We do prefer patients to be up and about as soon as possible, but the morning after surgery is sometimes too soon. It's entirely up to you," Jenny explained and patted his leg.

"I'd like to try the bathroom... but... I want Harry to come with me," Draco mumbled. Harry raised his eyebrows. Draco had always been adamant about his privacy in the bathroom, so this was unexpected.

"Are you sure, love? I can wait outside and you can call me if you need to," Harry offered.

"I want you there, Harry." Draco still sounded a bit tearful. Harry nodded and Jenny called a mediwitch to assist Draco to get out of bed.

Harry helped Draco in the bathroom with minimal fuss, but Draco was in a distinct amount of pain. As he was easing himself back down into bed, Jenny grinned at them both.

"A little birdie told me a rather important question was asked in Recovery last night," Jenny said lightly. Harry felt his stomach plummet when Draco's eyes widened and he shot Harry an unreadable look. Oh god, he doesn't remember! Harry thought.

"We, um, haven't had much of a chance to absorb it yet," Draco finally mumbled and Harry breathed a tiny sigh of relief.

"Well, I better leave you to it! You don't have much time, from what I hear," Jenny said with a laugh.

This earned Harry another strange gaze from Draco. He said goodbye to Jenny and then turned to Draco. "What's going on? What's with the weird looks? Do you not want to go through with this?" Harry demanded and Draco flinched.

"You know I do, Harry," Draco said in a soft voice and then sighed as he turned to look out the window.

"Then what? Please talk to me," Harry pleaded and sat on the seat beside the bed. Draco looked back to Harry with a small frown on his face.

"After our last big fight, when I went to work the night of our anniversary and you stayed at Mum's..." Draco started and he could immediately see Harry's eyes fill with hurt. "She said some things to me the next morning and it's been bothering me ever since. I'm not sure it's wise for us to get married with everything still unresolved with this issue of my career."

Harry wet his lips and opened his mouth to say something but then closed it again. Draco watched him for a few moments and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What did she say?" Harry asked finally.

"She said that if it's different things we both want, then maybe it's time to re-evaluate our relationship and that if I'm not able to commit myself entirely to you, then maybe you should cut your losses because you don't deserve the way I keep hurting you. She said career advancement and children are supposed to enhance life, not damage the most valuable part of it..." Draco once again looked back at Harry. "And she was right," he finished in a whisper and covered his face with his hand.

"What are you saying, Draco?" Harry asked anxiously. "You want us to break up?"

"NO!" Draco responded immediately. "I just don't know how to fix things."

"I don't know what to say to you," Harry said honestly. "I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"Why not?" Draco cried. "Why can't you just ask me to throw it all in?! I would, Harry! I've told you I would! I would give up everything for you!"

"You can't possibly expect me to ask you that, Draco," Harry murmured. "It would mean you wouldn't have to make a decision. That's not fair of you to put that on me."

"Would you eventually leave me if I stayed in my new position?"

Harry shook his head sadly. "I don't know," he said. "I don't know how things will be once our baby is born. You've started your new work as senior partner and although I now see less of you than I did before, we seem to be working alight. But when the baby comes..."

Victor's words from that night rang in Draco's mind once again 'Your job should be first and foremost in everything, Draco. Harry will have to learn to like that or lump it, just like my wife did. My children grew up just accepting that their father would be home when he was home, and that was it' and Draco felt miserable.

"Do you hate me for this even being an issue?" Draco asked.

"No, I don't hate you, but it does hurt a bit," Harry admitted. "The baby changed everything, Draco. Before that, everything just... worked. We were in a routine and neither of had anything to breach that. Up until then, it was alright for work to be all consuming for you and I didn't feel like I was taking a back seat to your career at all. But now... I just... I want us to be a real family. None of this ever bothered me before because none it was possible. I just can't see the happy family I envisage when you aren't there all the time."

Draco was silent for a few long minutes and he avoided Harry's gaze the whole time. "I need some time alone, Harry," he finally murmured. "I need to do the thinking I've put off for too long now."

Harry nodded and stood up. "I love you," he said and when he leant down to give Draco a kiss, Draco wrapped his arms around Harry and held on tightly.

"You're everything to me, Harry, and I don't want to lose you," Draco whispered. "Will you come back tonight?"

"Do you want me to?" Harry stepped back and tucked some stray strands of Draco's hair behind his ear.

"I don't want you to go at all, but I..."

"I know," Harry cut in. "Get the staff to contact me at home if you need to. I'll ring your work and tell them what's happened." He moved to the door and stopped, turning back to look at Draco. Draco looked back at him and then burst into tears as Harry disappeared out the door.