Remus reached his old office in five minutes. The door was unlocked, so he just pushed his weight against it and walked through. Right across from the doorway was the fireplace, with a flowerpot of Floo Powder to the left. Remus set Tonks down on the chair by the desk, then walked over and stuck his hand into the flowerpot, pulling it out with a handful of the glittery powder.
He walked back over to where Tonks lay sprawled in the chair. Carefully, he picked her up again, then walked over to the fireplace. He threw the powder into the fireplace and shouted “Saint Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!”, the echo of his voice sounding eerie as he and Tonks spun out of sight.
Seconds later, they landed in the fireplace in the front area of Saint Mungo’s. A blonde reception witch ran over, her heels making little tap-tap sounds on the tile.
“Oh,” she said, peering down at Tonks. “Is this Nymphadora?”
“Tonks,” Remus said, carrying her over to the desk, where the witch resumed her spot. “She’s called Tonks.”
“Okay, then, Ms. Nymphadora Tonks,” the witch said. “What happened to her exactly?
“Well,” Remus said, struggling now to hold Tonks up. “Um-”
“Why don’t we just get a stretcher for you to put her on, and we can talk on the way up, ‘kay?” the witch asked, flicking her wand so a stretcher appeared beside Remus.
Carefully, he placed Tonks on the stretcher, catching her head so it wouldn’t smack the material. He lay her left arm on the material gently, not wanting to fracture it any more than it already was.
“Alright, hun, let’s go,” the witch said, flicking her wand again so that the stretcher moved. “Now, what is it that has happened to her?”
Remus gently placed his hand on Tonks’, and answered. “Well, we were fighting a battle and she was hit with a curse and fell down some stairs. Her entire left arm seems shattered, and two ribs and an ankle are possibly broken, also.” Remus used his free hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind Tonks’ ear, stroking her cheek before replacing his hand at his side.
“Okay,” the witch said as they turned a corner, going up a staircase. “I think we are going to put her in the same ward as Mr. Shacklebolt, considering we don’t know what curse it is that was used on her yet.”
They ascended up some more stairs, then turned into a hallway lined with doors. The witch turned to the first one on the left, then said, “This is our room that has no one staying in it. We can give it to Ms. Tonks.” She tapped the doorknob with her wand, and the door opened up.
“Just place her on any bed in here,” the witch said, stopping the stretcher in the center of the room. Remus lifted Tonks out of the stretcher gently, and turned towards a bed by the only window, where you could see the near-full moon shining brightly. The witch walked forward and pulled the blankets back off of the mattress. Remus walked forward and lay Tonks down on the bed, her hair fanning out behind her.
Remus studied her features for a few seconds, while they were lighted up by the glow of the moon before it drifted behind a cloud. She was becoming pale, her lips reddening slightly. There were red splotches where he had wiped at her cuts to clear away the blood. But, even through all of this, she still looked beautiful.
Just then, the witch interrupted Remus’ thoughts.
“Sir,” she said, tapping Remus’ shoulder. “Sir, could you leave the room for a minute? I have to call in the Healer to examine her.”
Remus nodded his head and stepped outside the door, then sank to his knees, his back against the hallway wall. He clasped his hands together and placed his forehead into them, willing himself to relax, but there was no way possible that he could.
Suddenly, Remus heard footsteps coming down the hall; when he looked up, he saw a man around twenty-three or so walking towards him. Remus made to stand up, but the man said, “No, sit. However, can you tell me where I might find Nymphadora Tonks?”
Remus said, “She is in this room.” He pointed to his left.
“Thank you, Sir,” the healer said, then rushed into the door, leaving Remus to drown in his worries, which felt like they were suffocating him.
Remus pulled his knees up to his chest and placed his palms there, laying his forehead into them, breathing deeply. He couldn’t stop thinking about what could possibly happen to Tonks. He didn’t know how he would be able to handle it if something were to happen to her.
Finally, after ten minutes, the witch and the healer came outside. Remus lifted his head from his hands and looked up at them.
“Is she going to be okay?” he asked quietly.
“She should be fine,” the healer said, reaching down a hand to help Remus up. “You can go in and see her if you like, though she is still out cold. We expect her to be in here for at least five days, possibly a week, at the very least.”
“Thank you,” Remus said. He stepped quietly into the room grabbed a chair, pulling it over to where Tonks lay on her bed. He placed it on the floor quietly and sat down, taking Tonks’ hand into his.
It was silent in the room, except for the returned breathing of Tonks, slow and steady. Remus was calmed by the sound of her breathing. Just knowing it was present gave him a comfort, because he now knew that Tonks was going to be fine.
He rubbed his thumb slowly over the back of her hand, feeling her smooth skin as he examined her face. The cuts were still there, but they were much less visible than before. Carefully, Remus ran his hand down her left arm; he could no longer feel a break. He ran his finger across her cheek and the skin was as smooth as ever.
Finally calming himself, knowing that she would be okay, Remus slipped Tonks’ hand into his, leaning his head back in the chair and breathing deeply until he fell asleep.
The next morning, Remus woke to sunlight shining brightly through the window above Tonks’ bed, his hand still wrapped around Tonks’. He looked around the room, yawning.
Just then, he spotted Kingsley. Quickly, Remus dropped Tonks’ hand from his and stood up.
“Kingsley,” he said, walking over to him. “What are you-”
“Shush!” Kingsley hissed, cutting him off. “The healer and the witch don’t know I’m in here. I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Why are you not allowed in here?” Remus asked, determined to keep Kingsley from asking about why he had had Tonks’ hand in his.
“I must stay in bed, according to the healer,” Kingsley said, rolling his eyes. “By the way, Remus, did I see your hand in Tonks’?” He crossed his arms and looked Remus square in the face.
“Um, yes,” Remus said. “Does it honestly matter?” He glanced down at his feet, not wanting Kingsley to see his face reddening.
“Well, no, I suppose it doesn’t matter why you were holding Tonks’ hand,” Kingsley replied, eyeing Remus suspiciously. “It is just a point of interest, is all.”
Remus stared at the ground, feeling trapped. Thankfully, at that moment, the witch from the previous night walked in.
“Mr. Shacklebolt!” she said sternly. “I thought the healer said you were to remain in your room for the time being.”
Kingsley looked from Remus to the witch, answering, “But I feel fine at the moment, ma’am. I thought I would just pay a visit to Remus and Tonks.”
“Well, Miss Tonks is still unconscious, by the looks of it, and I am sure Remus has work to be done,” the witch answered. “Kingsley, I’m sorry, but the healer thinks it wise for you to just remain in your room until he sees fit. Go back now, please. I have to attend to Miss Tonks.”
Reluctantly, Kingsley left, seeing it pointless to argue any longer, giving Remus a puzzled look on his way out.
The witch then turned to Remus. “Sir, if you have to go to work, you can leave. Your “is she your wife- , she’ll be fine. You can come back and see her again, and we’ll tell you how she’s doing.”
“I don’t have a job,” Remus replied. “But I suppose I can find something to do for now.” As he was turning to leave, he addressed the witch once more. “Oh, and she isn’t my wife; just a very close, very dear friend.” With that being said, Remus left Tonks’ room, going along the hallways and finally exiting Saint Mungo’s
Love Keeps Us Together (Sometimes Apart) by DontCallMeNymphadora
Chapter Notes: Here is chapter nine... all from Remus' PoV again, considering Tonks was unconcious for probably a few days... Hope you like it!!
Please read and review! I want to know what you think! Constructive Criticism is appreciated!!