clumsy_auror | (no subject)

(no subject)

They enter the flat slowly; Ellie bounds up, and then stops, her head cocked to the side, perplexed.

It's early; almost too early for the kids to be up.

Almost.

When they get to the hall, Anthony seems to sense their presence from the master bedroom, and begins to wail. 'Dora deposits Bernard on his side of the bed, and crawls across to the baby, picking him up and patting his back. "I know. I know. You're dying."

Once Anthony is fed and changed and settled in his cot for the moment, 'Dora turns her attention back to her husband.

He's been sitting on the edge of the bed this entire time. Hasn't even taken his coat off.

She walks around to his side of the bed again and kneels, unlacing one shoe, almost biting through her lip. "We need to get some ice for your head, love. You can't go to sleep."

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"I have. So I reckon you'll be feeling a bit-- well, in and out, for a while. Did you lose consciousness?"

He gnaws on the inside of his cheek, and is quiet for far too long, choosing to look at Anthony rather than at her.

"I don't know."

"Shh. It's all right, I promise. Here, just stay there for a moment, all right? I need to fetch something from the study."

Without waiting for a response she's off down the hall. The sound of books being softly shuffled around the shelves drifts back into the bedroom.

Anthony sits back and begins to tell Daddy about this dream he had and there were thingers and Sunny had a piece of candy and it was good be cause she shared it.

Of course, Bernard gets none of this, but just lies there smiling, watching his son gesticulate, his eyelids drooping just a little.

After a minute Nymphadora returns, a large and surprisingly modern book in her hands.

"Right. Just got this last month from work; field medical guide. I think I saw a section in here on concussions."

Perching cross-legged on the bed, she opens the book, her face set with lines of concentration as she runs a finger down the index.

"Okay." He rubs his eye again and bites his lip. "Hopefully I can sleep... sometime? 'Cause I'm pretty wrecked."

Anthony crawls back over and flops onto Nymphadora's pillow, mimicking Bernard's position. Bernard reaches over and pokes him in the belly. Anthony laughs and points back at Bernard.

It takes a bit of cross-referencing, much muttering in Latin (and back-alley Londoner), and studying of diagrams, but finally Nymphadora takes a deep breath and raises her wand.

"Right. Hold still. Animadverto inferus."

Gently she taps him on the head, and abruptly a web of purple light appears, suspended in the air between them.

It appears tangled, at first, and then slowly resolves itself into a somewhat unmistakable shape.

She swallows hard.

For a few minutes Nymphadora looks carefully at the image in front of her, and compares it to a series of pictures on the pages of the book.

Finally: "Right." She sets it aside, flicks her wand, and the image disappears. "We'll take you to hospital tomorrow, but you haven't got any bleeding on the brain. That's the important thing."

"Okay." He falls silent, trying to control his breathing, trying to appear calm. Anthony's still looking at him.

"I need to go anyway. I just. I forgot for a little while. My." His voice cracks. "My back."

Her pallor pales considerably. Which is saying something.

"How-- how bad is it? Can you feel everything?"

He's starting to shake again, with the memory of it.

"It's okay now. But when I was running. From him. It was like my legs were there. And then they were gone. If it hadn't been pitch black, I'd be dead." He turns his eyes into the pillow for a second. "He walked right by me. I felt the air move as he walked past."

"Love, just don't... think on it right now." Her voice is low and soothing. "You're doing all right now." One hand reaches out to smooth along his cheek, the touch warm.

Anthony pats Mummy's hand on Daddy's cheek, his brow furrowed. Bernard looks up at them both, trying to stay calm.

"I'm sorry. But I should go. Tell them it happened."

"We'll go. It's all right. I don't have to be in to work until eleven anyway -- working a bit late for a meeting tomorrow night. I'll take you in."

"Okay," he repeats, sighing. His hand fists in her jumper. "Thanks." He smiles, wobbly. "You always take care of me."

"It was in the contract, if you'll recall" she replies, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

"I'll hold you to it forever," he whispers, his eyes slipping closed. It takes him a moment, but he opens them up again. "I was really scared."

Her hand slips down to his chest. Anthony burbles inquisitively, and 'Dora offers him her finger to gum. "So was I."

"I'm sorry," he replies, low, and it's different than the other times. "I love you. When I realized I was in trouble, you were all I thought of."

"I love you, too." Anthony yawns, then, and burrows closer to Bernard's side. "Dunno what I'd have done if you'd not come back."

Her eyes brighten considerably, but she kisses first Bernard and Anthony quickly and then slips off the bed.

"I reckon you can sleep a bit, if you like. Reckon Anthony wouldn't say no to a bit more of a nap. I'm gonna go check on Sunshine. All right?"

"All right." Bernard settles Anthony more securely and lets the baby grab his finger, leaning in to kiss him again. "We'll just... rest up."

He catches her eye, though, before she leaves. "But don't you two stay away, okay?"

"We won't. Soon as she wakes up, I'll bring her in, too."

With a warm look, she pauses at the doorway, and then slips down the hall towards Sunny's room.

"Well, monkey," Bernard whispers, settling into the bed and rubbing his eyes.

"It's just you and me." Ellie lifts her head, whuffing an indignant sigh. "And you too, Ellie."

He lets his eyes shut on the bright, sunny room and wills his body to relax, and if his eyes fly open every few minutes, well. The intervals get longer and longer, and his breathing gets slower and slower, until he, Anthony and Ellie are all sound asleep, for the moment.

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