The Hospital
“No.” Dorcas shook her head. “No, Marls is gonna be fine, she’s gonna be fine, she has to be. She has to be.”
“Dorcas,” James said softly. She just continued to shake her head.
“Cas, come here,” Alice tried. Dorcas looked up and Lily sucked in a breath. She looked…..Lily couldn’t even begin to describe it. The pain on her face was so raw, so heartbreakingly intense, that Lily began to cry.
“No, don’t….. don’t cry Lils,” Dorcas said, hobbling over and pulling Lily into her arms.
“I can’t help it,” Lily sobbed. “You’re hurting so much.”
“No,” Dorcas replied heavily. “Marlene is.” There was a flicker of something other than sadness in her eyes for a second, but it was gone before Lily could pinpoint it.
“When can we go see her, Professor?” Peter asked quietly.
“Now if you wish. You can floo directly to my office when you’re done,” McGonagall replied.
“Ok. I’m going to see her. Anyone else coming?” Sirius asked, looking at the devastated group.
“I will,” James said, getting to his feet.
“Same here,” Peter said. Mary also nodded.
“I’ll come along,” Frank said. He looked to Alice.
“Give us a few minutes,” Alice said, answering his silent question.
“I’ll wait with them,” Remus said. “Professor, can you Apparate us there?”
“Of course, Mr Lupin. I’ll be back for the rest of you in a few minutes.” She grabbed the others and Apparated away.
Remus moved to crouch in front of Alice, Lily, and Dorcas. “You know Marly’s gonna be ok, right? I mean, come on, it’s Marlene. She’s the toughest out of all of us.”
“Yeah,” Alice said. “She’s gonna be back on her feet in no time.”
“Right. Yeah, of course. Of course,” Lily said. Dorcas remained silent.
“Right. Do you guys want to come and see her?” Remus asked as McGonagall appeared beside them.
“Yeah,” Alice answered.
“Yeah, she’ll be bored without us,” Lily tried to quip. Dorcas cracked a small smile.
“Ok, let’s do this,” she said. The group grabbed a hold of McGonagall’s arm and disappeared.
——————————————————————————————
Lily looked around the hospital in apprehension. As far as she could tell, they were in some sort of private waiting area.
“This is an emergency patient waiting room. More people might show up, considering the breadth of the attack, so be prepared for some high tension levels. Doctors will come to you here when you can see Marlene,” McGonagall said. “I have to get back to Hogsmeade. I need you all- yes all includes you boys- to behave in a manner befitting the situation.” With that, she turned and disapparated away.
“Ok,” Frank muttered. “I guess just make yourselves comfortable, we can’t be sure how long it’ll be.” He sat near the corner, Alice beside him. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her as she shook slightly.
“Right, yeah. I’m gonna…. Try to find some tea or something. Yeah.” Sirius ambled off.
“What’s up with him?” Mary asked.
“He’s not a fan of hospitals. I’m gonna go after him, make sure he’s ok,” Remus replied. He got up from his seat and walked in the same direction as Sirius.
Lily sat next to Dorcas, who was sitting silently, staring at the floor and bouncing her leg. James sat on Dorcas’s other side. He shared an upset look with Lily, neither knowing how to make their friend feel better.
“Remember our prank war?” Dorcas asked suddenly. “How you two would go back and forth trying to out-prank each other, but it just ended with Remus winning?”
“Don’t remind me, I’m still bitter,” James laughed. Lily smiled, recalling James walking into the Great Hall covered in slime thanks to one of her pranks.
“Yeah,” Dorcas smirked. “Marlene started that.”
“Wait, what?” Lily asked.
“The first prank? You ending up with purple hair for a day? That was Marlene, but you were so quick to blame James that she just let you go after him. Then she started taking bets on who would win. She made almost 80 galleons.” Dorcas stopped bouncing her leg as she recounted the story.
“A war profiteer,” Lily nodded. “I should’ve known.”
“Damn,” James said. “Not gonna lie, that’s pretty clever.”
“Yeah,” Dorcas snorted. “She thought so too.” She fell silent, the smile disappearing from her face. Lily noticed and put an arm around her.
“She’ll be fine, Cas. She will be.”
“But what if she’s not? What then, Lily? How are we supposed to……. What are we gonna do if….”
“We won’t have to find out, Dorcas. Do you remember what I said during the summer?” James asked softly, kneeling in front of Dorcas.
“A lot of shit,” Dorcas answered.
James snorted. “Ok, but the time after………. After the thing?”
“You told me that beginnings matter more than ends.”
“Yeah. Do you know what I meant?”
“No, cuz it’s cryptic bullshit.”
“It means that no matter how things seem to end, they’re never really over. We’re not losing Marlene. She’s not going to die. But if she did……… If she did, Dorcas, we wouldn’t really lose her. The people we love never truly leave us. We can always find them again in here.” James laid a hand on his heart.
“That’s almost poetic, Potter. You ever considered writing?” Dorcas laughed with shining eyes. Lily couldn’t tell if it was due to tears or amusement.
“Fuck off, Meadowes. Here I was being all profound and you mock me? See if I ever help you again,” James pretended to scoff.
“That was actually pretty sound advice,” Alice called from across the room. “No matter what happens, we all loved her and she lives on through that.”
“Yeah, not bad mate,” Peter said.
“See?” James gestured. “They appreciate me.”
“Uh huh,” Lily teased.
“Yeah yeah, Evans, we already know you don’t like me, no need to drive it home so hard,” James replied. Lily just grinned.
“Well, this has to be the cheeriest waiting room I’ve ever seen,” Sirius remarked as he and Remus walked in. “All that’s left is a dance party.”
“Fuck off, mate,” James said. “Did you bring back any tea?”
“Nope,” Sirius grinned. “Go get your own you lazy pig.”
“Excuse me, I’m looking for the family of Marlene McKinnon?” A nurse poked her head into the waiting room.
“That’s us,” Dorcas said as she stood.
“Oh sorry, I should have been more specific. I’m looking for her parents?” The nurse said.
“I don’t think they’re here,” Alice said. “Is Marly ok? Is she awake yet?”
“I’m really not sure I should discuss this with someone outside the family….”
“Listen, we’re as close to family as it gets. We didn’t come here just to be told we don’t matter enough to know if she’s ok,” Dorcas seethed. “So here’s how it’s gonna go. You’re gonna take us to Marlene. On the way, you’re gonna tell us exactly what happened and what to expect for recovery. And if she’s awake when we get there, I don’t care what your visiting hours are, we’re staying with her until she kicks us out, got it?”
The nurse, the poor, brave nurse, replied, “Listen, I don’t think you understand exactly how things work here-“
“I understand that my friend is hurt. And a lot more people are gonna get hurt if you try to keep me from her.” Dorcas delivered the threat casually, but her tone promised a war unrivaled by any in history if her instructions weren’t obeyed.
“Alright, fine. Follow me,” the nurse capitulated to Dorcas’s controlled rage and led them through a long white hallway.
Sirius shivered. “I really hate hospitals.”
“Why is that?” Lily asked curiously.
“Everything is brightly lit and painted white and there’s not a single sign of life. There aren’t really any paintings on the wall and they don’t……. They’re places of death masquerading as places of healing.”
“That’s not creepy at all,” Lily said, looking around. He was right. There were no paintings, only a seemingly endless brightly lit corridor, identical on both sides. Lily could no longer see where they had come from.
“You see my point then, Red,” Sirius replied.
The nurse stopped them outside room 307. “Your friend suffered a major concussion, 5 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a lot of blood loss, and badly broken leg. The leg and ribs are mostly healed, but the lung and concussion will take little longer. She is awake, although the pain will mean she probably won’t speak much.”
“Ok. That’s……..yeah, alright. Ok.” Dorcas stuttered. “But she is expected to make a full recovery, right?”
“Of course,” the nurse responded. “May I go now? Contrary to your beliefs, there are other patients in this hospital who are grateful for the help I provide them.”
“Yeah yeah, just leave,” Mary grumbled. Lily laughed at her normally empathetic friend being totally unmoved. The nurse sniffed once disdainfully and was gone.
“Good riddance,” said Peter.
“Ok everyone, you heard the annoying nurse. Marly is awake, but she’s definitely hurting, so we need to keep it at like a five, ok?” Remus said, eyeing the group members, likely assessing which would cause the most trouble.
“Yes Professor,” James mocked, and Remus grimaced.
“Alright. Let’s go, Gryffindors.”
——————————————————————————————
Marlene was lying on a bed in the middle of the room. It wasn’t too small, with a few chairs and a beat-up looking couch. The Marauders all squeezed on to the couch. Frank, Alice, and Mary claimed the chairs, and Lily and Dorcas stood near the bed.
“Hey, Marls. How you feeling?” Dorcas asked gently.
“Like a building fell on me,” Marlene smiled. “I survived building falling on me, how badass is that?”
Dorcas laughed. “Pretty badass Marls. Pretty badass.”
“Why thank you. Is everyone ok? No one else got hurt too bad, right?”
“I broke a leg,” Mary raised her hand. Marlene grinned.
“Excellent, Mare, you get a sticker. Anyone else?”
“Dorcas got stabbed,” Frank offered. Dorcas shot him a withering glare. Marlene’s grin dropped.
“You what?” She asked quietly.
“It’s fine Marls. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Not a big deal? You got stabbed and it wasn’t a big deal?”
“I was lightly stabbed. I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Lightly stabbed is not a fucking thing, dumbass. You could have died-“
“We thought you might.” Dorcas’s statement silenced Marlene. She looked like she had had the breath knocked out of her. The others, who had been watching the bickering, went still.
“What?” Marlene asked, voice barely above a whisper.
“We thought there was a chance that you’d……. That this was it,” Dorcas said. “Jesus, Marls, I was so scared. I thought……. I thought…”
“Hey, no, come here,” Marlene said, patting the space on the bed next to her. Dorcas sat down gingerly, trying not to jostle the injured girl. Marlene had no such qualms, as she immediately sat up and wrapped her arms around Dorcas tightly.
“I’m here,” she whispered to Dorcas, who was shaking slightly. “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere. Can’t get rid of me that easily, Meadowes.”
“I… we thought…. I thought…. Jesus Christ, Marly, I can’t lose you. I can’t-“ Dorcas mumbled, cutting herself off by burying her face in the crook of Marlene’s neck. Marlene cradled the back of her head with one hand and rubbed circles on Dorcas’s back with the other.
“You won’t lose me Cas. Apparently not even if a building falls on me. I mean, I’ll have a wicked fucking scar, but besides that, I’m fine. You won’t lose me.” Marlene pulled Dorcas’s head up and rested her forehead against the brunette’s.
“Well, that was nauseating,” James remarked, breaking the silence. The others laughed to dissipate the tension, and Marlene pulled back with a blush on her face. Dorcas was also blushing pretty heavily.
“Says you, Potter. At least we didn’t squeal like five year old girls when Sirius and Remus finally got together,” Dorcas said.
“Hey, five year old girls are very formidable. I’m scared of them,” James answered.
“Sure Potter. Hey Marly, do you want a drink or something? I could get you water, or some tea,” Lily offered. Marlene smiled.
“Tea actually sounds good, my throat kinda hurts.”
“Ok. Come on Potter,” Lily said.
“Why am I coming?” James asked, though he got off the couch and moved towards the door.
“Because I’m almost certain that I’m going to get lost, and I need a well-trained tour guide to help.”
“Fair enough,” James said as he followed. Lily out and closed the door behind them. Everyone remained speechless for a minute.
“They’re totally boning, right?” Sirius asked, a gleam in his eye.
“If they aren’t, they will be soon. I say by the end of sixth year,” Alice said.
“Nah, you’re wrong. Seventh year, definitely.” Dorcas said. Marlene and Remus both nodded in agreement.
“I’ll take that action,” Alice said. “Winner gets 30 galleons.”
“You’re on,” Dorcas said. “Anyone else want in?”
“I’m with Alice. No way James waits til seventh year to ask her out again,” Sirius said. Frank nodded.
“Yeah, he’s pretty smitten.”
“I say they get together by Valentine’s Day,” Peter tossed in. Mary nodded.
“Ok, Frank, Sirius and I say by the end of sixth year. Peter and Mary say by Valentine’s Day, and Remus, Dorcas, and Marlene say seventh year. 30 galleons goes to the winners to be split evenly among them. May the best people win!”
——————————————————————————————
“They’re totally boning, right?” James asked, grinning.
“James!” Lily swatted his arm. “Don’t say that!”
“But they are! That whole conversation, the hug, the forehead touch? They are so into each other,” James said.
“Ok, but Dorcas is straight. That doesn’t make sense,” Lily answered. “Maybe they’re just closer than we realized.”
“The gal pal defense? Oh please Evans. They are into each other. Only question is, how do we get them IN to each other?” James continued to grin. Lily swatted him on the arm again.
“That’s disgusting Potter.”
“Uh huh. Actually though, we totally have to set them up,” James remarked as they entered the tea room.
“James, again, Dorcas. Is. Straight. She’s not into Marlene,” Lily said, although she was sad for her friend. She deserved her feelings being requited.
“Ok, I can’t take it anymore. Evans, can you keep a secret?” James asked, no longer smiling. His face was now solemn instead.
“Does the school know about Remus?” Lily answered, raising an eyebrow.
“Fair point.” James nodded. “Ok, Dorcas has sworn me to secrecy on this, so you can’t tell another soul, got it? Dorcas is a good friend and I won’t go against her wishes.”
“Ok, I solemnly swear I won’t say anything to anyone,” Lily replied, hand over her heart. “Now what’s up with Cas?”
“She’s very bi and very into Marlene.”