Fury

Fury

Chapter Eighteen

Silver

She blinked slowly, stupidly, staring up at the bright lights hovering above her. There was a buzzing in her ear and a wretched pain in her side, and there was something wrong with both of her arms, and she couldn't have moved to save her life. She knew something important, vitally so, was happening, but damned if she knew what it was. And there was something else, something niggling at the back of her mind as she fought to rise above the undercurrent of foggy forgetfulness.

There was a crash, and then someone cursed. "Can't they keep this damn thing steady?" a male voice asked, annoyance in every word.

There was a high-pitched sound wailing above her, and she couldn't move her arms. Groaning, she turned her neck, but that wasn't really moving, either.

"She's awake!" another voice cried, and there was a sudden flurry of activity. A face hovered above her, handsome in its way, she supposed, focusing on the brown eyes that searched her face worriedly.

"Cate, do you know where you are?"

She frowned. She was at work. Or in her apartment. Either way, she didn't know him. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She shook her head instead.

His mouth thinned. "You're being transported to Saint Joseph's Hospital. You've been shot. We should be there in the next couple of minutes, so I don't want you to worry."

She fought the rising tide of panic as she remembered, vividly, exactly what had happened. And then there was that very last memory, right before she woke up here, in this dangerous Muggle ambulance...

George, his face white, screaming as he ran towards her falling body.

She blinked at the man hovering above her and opened her mouth. The word came out in a whisper. "George?"

The man glanced at the front of the ambulance. "Your husband? He's following. One of the officers is bringing him."

They hit a bump and she winced as her body was jostled. There should have been pain, but there was just a delightfully numb feeling. The man's jaw was thrust forward as he yelled to be more careful.

She stared at the back of his head as the world went out of focus again, and she sank into blackness.

~*~
The next time she woke up, there were lights rolling by above her, and voices speaking rapidly, and someone calling her name in a shout, as though from a distance. She closed her eyes again as sudden agony ripped through her stomach. She couldn't even scream.

The darkness pulled her under.

~*~

They had stopped moving.

"The bullet is lodged near her liver. I don't think its copper...perhaps steel, or silver, but that can't be what's causing her levels to rise..." The voice trailed off, and Cate sank back into the warm, welcoming darkness, not wanting to know more.

~*~

"Mr. Weasley, we're going to take her into surgery now. The bullet will have to be surgically removed, and it appears that there was some liver and kidney damage that will need to be repaired. We need to get her in immediately. Can I have you sign this form?"

Cate opened her eyes slowly, hearing the voices on the side of the room. There were several machines beeping around her, but she didn't really care. He was speaking.

"Can I see her before you take her in?" His voice was hoarse, and it sounded like he was holding back tears. A pen scratched across a piece of paper.

The other man's voice was full of sympathy. "Of course, but you'll need to be quick." There was a rustle of fabric. "This surgery is pretty common. She should pull through, but it'll be a few hours. Is there anyone you can call, her family, friends, anyone who can be here with you?"

George paused. "They're all back home, in England. I haven't...I'll call when she's in surgery, but..."

"That's alright. Be quick. The nurses should be back momentarily to begin prepping her."

George came into her line of sight, his face drawn and pale. "Cate?" he whispered, seeing her eyes on him. "Hey."

She smiled, and tried to speak, but nothing came out. He went to her side and grabbed her hand; she could just feel the pressure on her fingertips. He choked back a sob.

"You're going to be fine. The doctors said that they should be able to fix everything. It won't be as quick as back home," he added slowly, and low so that no one else could hear. "But they've said they're the best in the area." He paused, and his eyes filled with tears. "I'll call Hermione; she should be able to get word to your family."

She squeezed his hand as hard as she could, which wasn't much. A tear slid down his cheek. "I won't lose you again, not just after I've found you. I'll be waiting here the whole time. I promise."

A group of people surrounded her, fiddling with the machines. A woman put a hand on George's shoulder, and he straightened. "I've got to go, love, but I'll be waiting for you. I promise." He squeezed her hand. "Love you."

She blinked in response, and then they did something, and she fell asleep.

~*~
She woke again, and nearly screamed from the pain. They were doing something, and it hurt, it hurt, it hurt...

There were voices; one, a woman's, gave an order, and there was less pain, but now there was a burning, a screaming agony, all in her stomach, and there shouldn't have been.

She didn't so much as fall asleep again as pass out from the sheer agony. It felt like the bullet was ripping through her again.

~*~

She was in a beige room, in a bed, and she still couldn't move, though there wasn't the pain and agony that she remembered. Her mouth was dry, her stomach was numb, and she felt like she was choking. She tried to gasp in air, but there was something blocking her throat. She began to flail around, and panic truly set in.

Then, there were hands on hers, gently pulling them away from her mouth, and a voice, low and calm, telling her not to panic, that she had a breathing tube, and that she was perfectly alright. She stared up at the face, an older woman with kind brown eyes and long dark hair pulled back from her face. She spoke slowly, telling Cate where she was, how she had gotten there, and that the surgery had gone very well. She also said that Cate had a guest. Cate stared at the woman, and felt herself drifting back to sleep.

~*~

She was in a beige room, in a bed, and she still couldn't move, though there wasn't the pain and agony that she remembered. Her mouth was dry, her stomach was numb, and she felt like she was choking, but it all felt familiar. She felt her mouth; there was a tube in it, and she remembered that it would help her breathe, and she didn't fight it this time.

There was someone sitting next to her bed. She turned her head as much as she could, which wasn't a lot, and saw George, sound asleep, his face relaxed and mouth open as he snored gently. His arms were crossed around his chest, and his legs were straight out, nearly touching the bed.

He looked both peaceful and exhausted, and he looked wonderful.

She hadn't had much chance to study him when he came into the café, but now, relaxed in sleep, she could see that the last year had been kinder to him than it had to her.

He looked better, somehow, and much older, as though the last two years had aged him beyond his years. His red hair, one of her favorite features, was shorter, and slightly shaggy, as though it could stand to be cut. His right ear hole was visible, which was a change; he hadn't ever been keen on showing it before, and had kept his hair long, to hide it. His eyes were closed, but there were little crinkles around the edges, as though he had been smiling for a long time in the sun. He had, if it was possible, more freckles, and was tanned; his nose was slightly burned and peeling. He looked broader in the chest, and the green sweater he wore, with the sleeves rolled up, was stretched perfectly, accenting the hint of muscle that hadn't been there the last time.

She wanted to run her hands through his hair; she wanted to run away again. It seemed that as long as she was near him, they were both in danger. She hadn't received a message until he'd appeared, but then, she didn't want to be away from him, either.

She turned away as the door to her room opened, and a doctor in a long white coat walked in, followed by a shorter, younger nurse. George woke with a snort, nearly falling out of his chair, then stretched quickly and moved to stand by her bed, out of the way.

The doctor came over to her bed and started reading off numbers to the nurse, who scribbled them down furiously, as he checked her over. He made a few comments, but Cate didn't really pay attention; George was looking at her, his eyes dulled slightly with sleep but still the same lovely brown that she remembered. She tried to smile, but nothing was working as it should; George gave her a tight grin that looked more like a grimace.

The doctor finally seemed to notice that she was awake.

"Ah, Mrs. Weasley. I'm Doctor Pender. Good to see you up and about." It was an incredibly tactless thing to say, something George would have said, or at least appreciated, but he didn't appear to be in the mood. And that was the second time she remembered being called Mrs. Weasley.

Pender made a few cursory examinations and pronounced himself satisfied with her progression, then motioned for George to have a seat.

"Now, Mrs. Weasley..." he began, but George held up a hand.

"Please, call her Cate. Mrs. Weasley's my mother." Cate nodded, sending a shot of irritation down her throat.

"Alright then. Not a problem. Cate, you were shot in the back, just below the tenth rib. The bullet tore through your liver and penetrated your right kidney, and exited near your naval. The surgeons were able to repair all of the damage, and there should be no lasting side effects. Interestingly enough, the bullet was silver, which caused more damage than a normal, copper bullet would have. You also lost a lot of blood..." He trailed off, seeing something in both of their faces. "What?"

George frowned. "You said the bullet was silver?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. Not exactly rare, but uncommon enough that the police were sure they'd be able to track down the shooters quickly." He misread the look that George gave him. "Now, the shooter might have been delusional, thinking he was shooting a werewolf," Pender laughed; the nurse gave a pained laugh as well, as though she could tell that the doctor wasn't being reassuring. "But it is becoming more widely known that a silver bullet doesn't deform as much as a lead or copper bullet at short range, and can be more dangerous."

George nodded, and his voice was chocked. "Yes, of course. It's just that...well, she's allergic to silver." He looked down at his hands.

Pender blinked. "Ah. That would explain some of the complications that we encountered in the surgery. Nothing too horrible, I assure you!" he explained, noting George's worried frown. "The surgeons really did an excellent job." Flustered, he flipped through his notes. "Okay, now. I see we did have to give you a transfusion, which is not uncommon with gunshot wounds. There are also several drugs you'll be taking, to help prevent infection. The bullet did not fragment, which is good, and so did as little damage as we could have hoped for. Still bad, though, right?" he asked, grinning.

George gave him a tense smile. "Right."

Pender smiled obliviously. "Okay, well, we'll be removing the breathing tube shortly, and some of the IV lines, but you are looking at a few days in Intensive Care. I'll be your primary physician until then, so let any of the nurses know of your concerns and we'll deal with them as they come up. Alright?"

Cate blinked, and George nodded. Pender stood, smiled, and motioned for the nurse to continue. The woman waited until he was out of the room before turning a reassuring smile on to the two of them. "He's really a very good doctor. If anything happened to me, I'd want him to take care of me."

George sighed. "Thanks, uh..."

She pointed to her nametag. "Abby. I'll be here for a few more hours, and then one of the other nurses will take over. And I'll probably be here the whole time you are." She set her notepad on the counter and began to wash her hands. "Now, Mr. Weasley, there are a couple of examinations I'm going to have to do, and I'm sure your wife would appreciate it if you stepped out for a few minutes."

George stood, looking lost. "Um, yeah. Sure. I can...I can go get cleaned up. Shower, or something."

Abby nodded. "Perhaps get something to eat?"

George looked back at Cate, who was staring at him with wide blue eyes. "How long..."

Abby snapped on a pair of gloves. "Just tell the nurse's station where you're going, and leave a number. We'll call you if anything changes. Otherwise, figure half an hour. We'll let you know when it's good to come in."

"Thank you," he said, leaning over and kissing Cate gently on the cheek. She smiled up at him with her eyes, and squeezed his fingers. "Be back soon."

~*~
There was a couch set up in one corner. One of the nurses had come by with a pillow and a couple of blankets for George, and he'd made himself a nice little bed. Without asking, he laid himself out on the couch, his long legs hanging over the edge. Cate didn't mind; the drugs were making her woozy and she'd missed him. She wanted him there.

It had been rather horrible, having the breathing tube removed. She was glad George wasn't there; she'd gagged and coughed, and it had hurt her stomach horribly. The nurses had been wonderful, and soon she was relaxed, sedated; the only irritation was a sore throat, and a little hoarseness in her voice.

George came back with wet hair; the nurse had immediately ushered him out of the room and ordered him to dry it; didn't he know that she could become infected from the drops of water going anywhere near any injuries? He'd soon returned, looking both sheepish and mutinous. He sat on the edge of her bed, carefully avoiding any tubing, holding her hand and telling her about all of the new jokes he'd invented. There wasn't a hint of reproach in his voice, and he'd never once said that he was mad at her, but she thought there might be a hint of blame underneath his carefree words.

She'd waited until they were sure to be alone before saying anything. "I missed you." Her voice was still hoarse, and didn't sound like her own.

He shrugged. "I missed you." He caught a glimpse of her face. "And yeah, sure, you left, but Harry explained to me what was happening, and I know you did it to protect me, but I'm a big boy; I can protect myself."

Cate shook her head. "They attacked you. I couldn't let them hurt you because of me." She looked down. "I still haven't forgiven myself for what happened to you."

George clenched his jaw. "If you'd told me everything that was going on, I might have been able to help you. I certainly wouldn't have let you be alone, ever, and I would have made sure we were both protected."

She blinked back tears and changed the subject. "Why does everyone keep calling me Mrs. Weasley? What did you tell them?"

George blushed. "You needed a next of kin, or something like that, and they wouldn't tell me anything, so I just said you were my wife. I swear, I didn't plan it, it just happened, but then I needed to make sure everything said that it was true, so I modified a couple of memories and changed your driver's license. They only let me stay here because I said I was your husband."

Cate grinned. "Well, then, I forgive you. But if my mother ever gets word...or yours! Oh, can you imagine what your mother would say if she found out?"

George stood up, horror on his face. "I...I have to...oh, Merlin's hairy balls!"

Cate laughed, and it hurt, but she didn't care. "I promise I won't tell."

They sat in companionable silence after that, with the occasional interruption by a nurse. Sometimes, she would ask him about what had happened after she left, and sometimes he would ask her, but they were mostly trying to avoid the topic.

And then, it was late. She was exhausted. She'd slept a few times during the day, but now she felt drained, and George definitely looked the same. He was laying down, arm across his eyes, looking horribly uncomfortable. Before she fell asleep, she whispered, "Hey, George?"

"Yes?" his voice was low, rough, and half-asleep.

"I'm really glad you're here with me."

He grunted. "Yeah. Me too."