Hospital Visits
Spring 1979
On a certain rainy day in May, Emmeline winds up at St Mungo's after being poisoned by some unknown potion.
As usual, Mary doesn't get to know the details of whatever's happened. That goes for most of her encounters with Order members (or more accurately, her encounters with alleged Order members). For some reason, Emmeline comes in the exact day Mary's assigned to the Poisoning Department at St Mungo's, though she supposes that it's not that much of a coincidence these days. The hospital's constantly short-staffed and depending on the estimated workload that day, they're assigned to different wards at the beginning of their shifts. This means that Mary's been spending a third of her time outside of the Janus Thickey ward the past few weeks, and she's gotten rather used to it, the unpredictability that comes with her job.
The more experienced healers work on Emmeline while Mary takes a backseat role, ready to assist if needed. But truth is, they're going in blind as well. Emmeline says she doesn't know what the poison is either, and Mary's not sure she believes that. Perhaps Emmeline's been sworn to secrecy when it comes to her work with the Order, bound by some unbreakable vow or something of the sort. But then again, if Emmeline had wanted to say something that would have helped with the diagnosis, she probably would have between the fourth and fifth time she throws her guts up so Mary believes her like she has a choice not to. She thinks it's not worth it, if she's lying through her teeth at the expense of her life, even if the secrets take her to an early grave, but then again, who is she to judge? After all, she's not part of it. She's just there for the aftermath.
Mary watches as the healers cast a few more diagnostic spells in an attempt to figure out what's happening to Emmeline's body. In all honesty, there's not much they can do without being able to confirm what exactly it is that Emmeline's ingested and by the end, they're convinced that she just needs a few days to get whatever it is out of her system. Her conditions haven't worsened since coming in, so the only thing they can do is wait it out. There's not much they can do about the pain in case it counteracts with the other potions and interferes with Emmeline's body trying to get the toxic substance out. They've taken into account the risks so now the only thing they can do is keep a steady eye on her.
Mary's seen Emmeline at St Mungo's exactly three times over the past three months, like clockwork. Emmeline arrives at St Mungo's with a broken leg in March and it had been something that Mary could easily heal on her own without needing much supervision. She's trusted with a lot and she thinks it's because she's good at what she does (in a non-conceited way). There are times when she thinks the healing comes naturally to her and she feels the magic run in her bones, it feels like her body's telling her that this is what she's suited for in this life. Maybe becoming a healer had always been in her destiny.
After Mary fixes the broken bone, Emmeline's required to stay the night for observation per hospital regulations. Mary had the night shift anyway so she stays with her until she gets called on to work on someone else. She checks in on her whenever she's in between patients and makes time for Emmeline. She says a gentle goodbye when Emmeline gets discharged the next day and says she hopes she doesn't see her again so soon, praying silently that Emmeline will be a little more careful the next time.
About a month ago, on a day in late April, her prayers prove fruitless as Emmeline staggers into the ward again after being hit with a tongue-tying curse and this time, Benjy's with her, arms wrapped around Emmeline's waist, steadying her and holding her up. Emmeline clings to him like her life depends on it and Mary can't help thinking that it just might.
Mary tries to be professional as she tries to fix Emmeline. She can't do it on her own so she calls in another healer with more experience than her. They manage to do so eventually and Mary tries not to be jealous of the way Benjy and Emmeline have this unspoken bond. Literally, because Emmeline's been unable to speak for the majority of the day and Benjy just keeps the one-sided conversation flowing with ease. He makes her laugh even when she's not supposed to move while Mary's healing her and Emmeline makes Benjy laugh even when she's just glaring daggers at him.
Mary has half the mind to go off and tell Benjy that she needs some space to work her magic but she can't deny that the laughter makes things a little easier, despite the fact that he's a bit of a distraction. His laugh's contagious and it makes the situation seem less dire, like it's less heavy and she can pretend like the death eaters didn't just fucking curse Emmeline with dark magic. The thought of it makes Mary livid, and she tries not to let it show. Even after they manage to undo the effects of the curse, she's supposed to get some rest so her muscles go back to its usual state. Mary thinks that as much as she likes seeing Emmeline, she wishes she wouldn't keep getting herself in situations like this.
Benjy gets called away from Emmeline's bedside, eventually. She supposes the Order wouldn't allow two of their members to take time off if only one of them's injured. Mary stays with her after Benjy's gone and watches as Emmeline falls asleep. She finds out Emmeline's been discharged when she comes back to an empty bed the next morning and Williams tells her that she saw Emmeline leaving earlier. She pretends it doesn't hurt a little, the fact that Emmeline hadn't said goodbye before leaving.
So in May, Mary thinks Emmeline arrives right on time considering it's been about a month since her last appearance at St Mungo's. As usual, Emmeline's stubborn. Mary stays with her the whole night because this time, the damage is considerably worse and she knows that there's a chance things could go downhill during the night. Mary convinces herself that this is the only reason she's by Emmeline's bedside even though there are plenty of healers around the ward. She's not scheduled to work the night shift and it's definitely not because she's starting to care about Emmeline. She just cares about the wellbeing of her patients, that's all. What's a little unpaid overtime?
"I don't need you to take care of me."
That's the first thing that Emmeline tells Mary when she sees her by her bedside, after she vomits her guts out for the sixth time upon awaking.
Mary raises an eyebrow. "Oh, please." That's rather conceited of her, she thinks but she doesn't voice out the thought. She's a healer and it's her bloody job to take care of Emmeline. Mary doesn't know who Emmeline's convincing, but she waves her wand and cleans up the mess effortlessly. She spends the night despite Emmeline's protests and eventually, when Emmeline's feeling a bit better, they do talk for a bit. Mary then watches as Emmeline finally manages to drift off to sleep. She looks so much younger with her eyes closed, and Mary makes herself another cup of coffee to get through the night. She bids her farewell when she's discharged but by this time, she's more than aware that she's going to see Emmeline again soon. She just hopes it isn't anything too serious.
Mary wasn't prepared for what came next.
Like clockwork, Emmeline appears at St Mungo's in June after being hit with a horrible, violent curse. It's a new one, something in between a full-body bind and a time-delay hex. This time, Emmeline comes into St Mungo's on a stretcher, completely paralysed. The initial diagnosis shows that Emmeline just so also happens to have three broken ribs, a broken hip and a dislocated shoulder.
The sight of Emmeline unravels Mary a little bit, if she's to be honest. Her eyes have been forcibly closed and she's still, unmoving, covered in bruises and cuts that are far from indicative of her internal injuries. Mary tries not to let it get to her because the first thought she has is that Emmeline might be dead. The death eaters might have finally killed her this time. She quickly figures out, or rather, hears from another healer, that Emmeline's just been paralysed. Still, it doesn't ease the ache she feels in her heart.
Mary's mostly on the sidelines as the other healers work on the broken bones and dislocated shoulder, save for the occasional assist, and still, Mary's hands are still undeniably shaking. Emmeline's still sound asleep, or at least Mary pretends that Emmeline's just asleep rather than unconscious. They've given her something anyway, so that she doesn't wake up in the middle of the operation. When they're done, she's allocated to a ward for observation overnight, needing round the clock supervision for the meantime. Mary volunteers to take care of her - it's not like she actually has a choice. It's Emmeline, after all.
So there she is, curtains pulled shut so it's just her and an unconscious Emmeline. Mary's standing there, getting ready to cast a few spells to set Emmeline's bones properly and to heal her other minor cuts and bruises, knowing it's going to take more than a while by the sheer amount of it. The full-body bind likely hasn't worn off yet, but they'll only be able to tell once Emmeline wakes since she's sedated with potions at this point
She's about seventy percent done when Emmeline stirs awake and her eyes flutter open.
"Back again, Vance." She says with a smile that's taking up all of her energy to muster up. God, she hates what the war's doing to Emmeline, to all of them. She doesn't know why but the first thought is that she wants to protect Emmeline from the knowledge that she was extremely close to death. Many of those curses could have been fatal had there not been luck on her side. Mary imagines if they hadn't gotten to her in time, uncertain of what would have happened if a few of her broken bones weren't healed properly. She could have easily been paralysed or simply succumbed to one of her many injuries. Mary tries really hard not to think about it.
Even in her barely lucid state, Emmeline manages to crack a joke. "Hey, Macdonald." Mary can see the look in her eyes as she remembers what happened, flashbacks hitting her in waves. Em's voice croaks as she continues. "Come here often?"
Mary tries not to laugh though the corners of her lips unwillingly turn up. At least her humour's intact. Mary lets out a sign of relief, a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. She's also trying really, really hard to hold back the tears.
Emmeline's okay, this time, she reminds herself.
"You gave me a fright." Mary admits as she quietly casts spells to deal with Emmeline's bruises. She focuses on the healing, the flow of blood running beneath Emmeline's skin and tries not to think about the fact that it's Emmeline on the hospital bed. She waves her wand with precision and whispers the spells, one by one. Just a few more and Emmeline's fixed. The full-body bind is apparently still in force so Mary speeds up with the healing in case it wears off while she's setting Emmeline's bones.
"I like to keep you on your toes."
Mary doesn't know whether she wants to hold the other girl or whether she wants to hit her more. The only reason she doesn't go with the latter is because of her already brutal injuries. She can't help but think that Emmeline looks so fragile in that hospital bed. She's exposed, in more ways than one. Mary becomes increasingly aware of the fact that Emmeline's partly naked and conscious now.
"I, er...I had to take some of your clothes off. To make sure I was setting the bones properly. Sorry - I'll get you a gown, I've just got to finish this..." She explains as she tries not to make eye contact with Emmeline.
"It's fine." The other girl assures her. She's more than aware that Emmeline's staring at her but she focuses on the task at hand. With every movement of her wand, the bruises slowly fade and Emmeline's skin pulls itself back together like there was never a cut to begin with. She works on the dislocated bones and she can't resist as she glances back at Emmeline and sees the look in her eyes. Emmeline smiles when she sees Mary looking but Mary can tell it's forced. It takes a second to click but it looks like she's in pain.
"Can you feel it?" The realisation hits her and she stops her spells the second it hits.
"What?" The look on Emmeline's face all but confirms it.
"Are you in pain?" Mary's jaw clenches. She's going to bloody strangle her.
"Are - oh. Yeah. I...I can't move, but the spell doesn't take away...sensation." Emmeline explains. She doesn't look like she's too bothered by it though, but Mary knows enough that it's a front. Considering the extent of her injuries, Emmeline should be in a considerable amount of pain.
"Shit. Why didn't you say anything? I'd have given you a pain potion - hang on."
She'd always thought that a full-body bind would be painless, and the only thing that kept her from completely breaking down was the thought that Emmeline wouldn't have been able to feel the extent of her injuries in that state. She wouldn't have been able to feel it when they cracked one rib, then another, and another, and then when they broke her hip, followed by the dislocated shoulder.
"You were working."
Mary could kill her, if she weren't already in a hospital bed. She hates how stubborn the other girl is being but it takes one look at her for her anger to fade. She thinks of the other girl sticking it out because she doesn't want to be an inconvenience and she tries not to let the tears fall then and there. She wants to hold her, to tell her that it's okay to ask for help, to grab her and convince her that doesn't have to tough it out. She's never seen Emmeline look this vulnerable.
"Right. Sorry, I'll just..."
Mary clears her throat and tugs at the blanket to cover Emmeline's torso. She sees the other girl shiver as the fabric grazes her skin. She searches through her stock of potions and measures out the right amount into a smaller vial. This particular option is usually reserved for rather serious injuries, but despite the fact that Mary's never tasted it before, she knows from experience that this is one of the harder potions to get patients to swallow.
“Tilt back a little,” Mary instructs. When Emmeline does exactly what she says, she gives Emmeline a little bit of encouragement, knowing how horrid the potion is going to taste and that she'll probably have to force it down Emmeline's throat so it doesn't come back up. That combined with the fact that Emmeline doesn't have full control of her body yet. “Good—like that."
"Open your mouth."
Mary's careful as she administers the potion, knowing that the other girl's still unable to move but if her senses are still in tact, she'll probably unfortunately be able to taste it. She tries not to think about how sensual it feels, how close her hands are to Emmeline's mouth, how she's practically kneeling on Emmeline's bed to reach the right angle. She tries not to think about how Emmeline's neck is stretched, how her lips are wet as she closes her mouth to swallow and there's something about the way that Emmeline looks at her. From the smell of the potion, it's a miracle Emmeline manages to get it down, holding her gaze all the whole, though Mary's not completely certain that she isn't the one holding Emmeline's gaze.
Even though she's not the one downing the dreadful potion, Mary feels her own throat go dry. Her fingers brush against Emmeline's throat, steadying her jaw and she tries really hard not to think about the fact that they're touching and how it would feel to press against Emmeline's neck with a little more force. For now, her touch is soft as she keeps the vial tilted against Emmeline's lips and her head steady until the entire vial is gone.
She can practically see the shift in Emmeline's eyes as the pain evaporates, a few seconds after Mary lets go of Emmeline. Mary sets the empty vial down on the bedside table and she hears Emmeline blurt out the second she's done.
“Do you want to get coffee with me?”
Mary has her back turned towards Emmeline. She momentarily freezes as her mind takes in the words and she swears her heart skips a beat. This is a terrible idea. This is a really, really terrible idea, she thinks. Everything inside her is screaming that she can't say yes, that she can't get actually fancy someone like Emmeline. She can't get involved with Emmeline, period. She barely registers it when her mouth opens to speak.
“The coffee they serve in the café here is shit."
She sees the hint of a smile on the other girl's face as they make eye contact. Mary hopes her nerves doesn't show on her face.
“Well, I suppose we’d have to go somewhere else then.”
Mary grins and if there's a part of her brain telling her that she shouldn't go there, Mary doesn't hear it.