Hi! welcome to story #2. :) this is a multi-chapter fic which is currently about 47% written. Updates will be Monday evenings (EST). An angsty start, that will end HEA. As always, feedback and constructive criticism is appreciated!

A HUGE shout out to Lunarlyy as my alpha beta, who is taking time out of her days to make this story great!

I do not own any characters or content related to to works of Harry Potter, written by J.K. Rowling

There will be lemons in this story, but it will be a while before they show.

TWs: death, depression, suicidal thoughts, car accidents

A faint buzzing woke him from a deep slumber. He cracked his eyes with a start, blinking back the blinding pain while staring at his clock. The red timestamp read 3:14 a.m. What in the... He thought with a grimace. Reaching into the nightstand, Harry pulled the annoying device out to see an unknown number calling him. No one called him on this phone...

"Hello?" he said groggily as he quietly slipped from bed with a backward glance at his wife. Ginny shifted in her sleep with a huff.

"Hello, is this Mr. Potter?"

"Yeah," Harry mumbled as he made his way quietly to the door.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, this is Dr. Oliver from Royal London Hospital. We are calling you regarding a Miss Hermione Jean Granger. You are listed as both her next of kin and emergency contact."

Harry froze as he registered Hermione's name, an immediate panic set in. Forgetting his quietness, he spoke loudly, "What's happened? Is she alright?"

"She's in stable condition, but we're keeping her in the ICU for monitoring. If you could please come to the hospital to discuss her condition further, it would be better done in person." Dr. Oliver sounded short, clinical, and it did nothing to calm Harry's racing heart.

"Right, yes, of course. I'll be there as fast as I can." Harry said, thanking Dr. Oliver as he snapped the phone shut.

Ginny, clicking the light on, stared at him with wide eyes. "What's happened? Where are you going?"

Harry quickly got dressed. "Hermione, AE -- I have to go." He said in a rush. Reaching for his wand, he summoned his trainers and hastily put them on.

"Oh, gods, is she okay?!" Ginny questioned as she jumped from their bed, starting to clothe herself. There was a fear in her voice, and in her frantic pace she jammed her toe into the bed frame. "Bloody hell!"

"Gin, relax. It will be okay. They said she's stable," Harry explained as he walked Ginny, putting his hands on her shoulders. He had no idea if it was genuinely going to be okay, but having a panicked pregnant wife would not help the current situation. "You've got to stay here with James, so get back in bed."

"I will not! My best friend is in the hospital! I'll take him to the Burrow and meet you. Where is she?" Ginny lamented.

"Gin, I'll call you when I figure more out. Relax," Harry kissed her on the forehead. "Don't get worked up. The baby won't like that." Reaching down, he kissed her small, protruding belly, as well.

"Harry. James. Potter. I will not sit here while my best friend is in a hospital bed!" She yelled, and Harry sighed, knowing what would come next. Down the hall, James started to cry, amplified in their room by a magical baby monitor charm.

"Great..." Ginny sighed. Looking back at Harry, she held unshed tears in her eyes. "Is she alright?" Ginny whispered as a tear fell down her cheek.

"I don't know, Gin, but I'll call you when I find out."

"Call me the minute you know."

"I will, Gin. I love you."

"Love you, too, Potter."

And without warning, Harry disappeared in a crack of apparition.

The closest apparition spot landing him few streets over from The Royal London hospital. Catching his barrings, he immediately felt a downpour of rain assault his vision. He walked quickly, not caring that he was getting soaked, his only worry to arrive at the hospital as swiftly as possible. The roar of sirens booming by as he walked closer to his destination set his nerves afire again.

His best friend was currently lying in the ICU… his only thought on repeat was that she needed to survive this, had to endure. Hermione was the closest thing to a sister that he had. He'd already lost so much of his family, he couldn't lose his surrogate one as well.

Rushing through the front doors of the emergency ward, his heart hammering in his chest, he squinted as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. He wiped the residual rain off his glasses and straightened up as he approached the front desk.

"I'm looking for..." but the woman he addressed held up a finger while picking up a phone with multiple flashing lights. Taking a deep breath, Harry drummed his fingers on the counter as she finished her call.

"Yes, sir. How can I help you?" She asked with an annoyed tone. Harry thought it must be near the end of her shift. He recognized her annoyed glare, he used the same regularly at the DMLE.

"I'm here for Hermione Granger, her next of kin. She is in the ICU."

The nurse at the front desk checked her computer, one much nicer than anything Harry had ever seen. "Mr. Potter?" and Harry nodded. "Please have a seat, Dr. Oliver's nurse will be out to bring you back shortly."

Now irritated, Harry gave her a clipped "thanks" and made his way to the uncomfortable purple and blue patterned waiting room chairs. The waiting area was eerily quiet, other than a child screaming a few seats over. The televisions played a muted show then went unnoticed by most visitors. A few patrons were sleeping while others stared blankly around the room. The longer Harry sat, the more agitated he grew.

The screaming child threw themself to the floor in a tantrum. His mother looked exhausted, and Harry could empathize with her plight. James was a loud child who constantly wailed for attention. There were many nights he and Ginny had stayed up until all hours of the morning trying to soothe him, only to be woken 3 hours later by his cries.

"Mr. Potter?" A short, plump woman with blonde hair called out through the monotony, her back holding open the emergency ward door. She looked up from her clipboard and scanned the room. "Potter?"

Harry clambered to his feet, "Here," he asserted as he nearly sprinted to the door.

"Great, please come with me." Harry nodded and followed her through the long, sterile halls. She was just as clinical as Dr. Oliver had been on the phone. Harry suspected they did it to stay detached from the ever-changing situations around them. It couldn't be easy seeing people come and go, whether living or dead, so frequently.

She stopped at a room isolated from the others and motioned to the chair outside of it. "If you don't mind. Dr. Oliver will be along shortly to speak with you.

"Is she in there? I want to see her." Harry affirmed in his impatience. Being informed that he had to speak with the doctor before seeing Hermione left an uneasy feeling in his guy.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, Dr. Oliver requested to speak with you before seeing the patient." She nodded and left him standing in the hall.

Harry sat, but he wasn't alone for long. A tall, thin, white-haired man approached him. Dr. Oliver was embroidered on his white medical jacket, and he wore a blue shirt with a pair of dark trousers underneath. The doctor held his hand out, and Harry grasped it, giving it a shake.

"Mr. Potter. It's nice to meet you. Dr. Oliver."

"Likewise," Harry said, dropping the doctor's hand. "What happened?"

"Follow me to my office, please, we can discuss in there." Harry followed Dr. Oliver around the corner to his open office door. Dr. Oliver waited, indicating for Harry to enter first. Harry's heart hammered in his ears as he heard the door click shut.

"Thank you for coming so quickly. You must live close by."

"Uh... yeah. Not too far from here." Harry lied. "What's happened with Hermione?"

"Mr. Potter," Dr. Oliver began as he sat opposite Harry at his desk, "your friend was in a severe accident late last night. Her vehicle was hit head-on by a semi-tractor, the driver was drunk. It is a miracle she is alive. She was rushed here and underwent 5 hours of emergency surgery. We weren't sure if she would make it through the night. Her parents were in the front seat and died on impact." Harry's heart fell into his stomach listening to Dr. Oliver explain.

"Her... her parents?" Harry couldn't think of anything else to say. Hermione had spent months tracking down her parents after the war had ended. It had taken her 3 months to find them in a small seaside town in Australia and another 4 months working with Healers to attempt memory reversal. She had been grief-stricken when the Australian Healers told her they had tried all they could but couldn't bring them back.

She had spent a considerable portion of her war award money from the Ministry to fly in a specialized Healer from America. He spent weeks working on her parent's minds and was able to return a portion of their memories to them. While he couldn't bring them all back, he had given them enough to remember their daughter. It took her parents a while to forgive her, but they had been inseparable since. She had lived with them when they moved back to London to be reacquainted. After she moved in with Ron, she spent every weekend with them doing little things like shopping for groceries or simply watching television.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. That is why we called you. Unfortunately, both of her parents passed, and you are listed as her next of kin." Harry nodded dumbly, still in shock. "Miss Granger is in a coma due to brain injuries sustained in the accident."

Harry stared at Dr. Oliver, unable to process the emotions swirling through him. "A coma?!" Harry exclaimed as his senses kicked backed into gear. "You said she was stable!"

"She is stable. All of her vital signs are within normal ranges, the surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain was successful. We will just need to continue to monitor her throughout her coma." Dr. Oliver removed his glasses and set them on his desk. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. I know this is a lot to take in."

"You're bloody right, it is!" Harry was angry. Not at the doctor or the hospital that had saved his surrogate sister, but at the world for letting something so heinous happen to someone so genuinely kind. Hermione had already suffered so much. She didn't deserve this. "When can I see her?"

"We have some paperwork we need you to fill out. Her parent's burial information and the like. But I can let you see her before if you would like."

Harry nodded his head lamely and stood to follow the doctor back to Hermione's room. His heart was pounding in his chest, unshed tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. Dr. Oliver clapped him on the shoulder reassuringly and informed him he needed to make rounds but would come back to collect him. Harry had barely heard or been able to acknowledge the doctor as he left.

Lifting a shaking hand to the doorknob of Hermione's room, Harry took a deep breath. Whatever he had imagined he'd see when he opened the door was nothing compared to the sight of Hermione's bruised body as she lay still in her bed. Her head was wrapped entirely in bandages, including the whole left side of her face. Blood had seeped through, and the bandages were stained dark red. She had a tube down her throat, and machines were filling the room with buzzing as they monitored her vitals. Her arms and he assumed her legs were covered in cuts and bruises. It brought back memories of her tortured body after they escaped from Malfoy Manor, and he broke down crying.

He shuffled to her bedside, choking on a sob as he sat in the chair next to her. "Oh, 'Mione..." he cried as he set his hand on top of her still one. Seeing his best friend lay unconscious to the world broke his heart, and he cried harder than he had done in years.

"Mr. Potter?" A hand settled on Harry's shoulder sometime later and startled him. He looked up at Dr. Oliver with red-streaked cheeks, tears flowing freely from his eyes. "The nurses need to change her bandages now. Can you please come with me for the paperwork?"

Harry nodded, standing with one last glance to his best friend. "Stay strong, 'Mione..." he whispered as he leaned over and kissed her exposed cheek. He didn't want to leave, but a nurse bound into the room and gently pushed him toward the door. Her cheery yet subdued "she's in great hands," did nothing to soothe him. Harry gave a final look back at his best friend as he followed Dr. Oliver out for paperwork.