Katie Bell was sore. No, she was beyond sore…she was so sore that it felt like she had been hit a thousand times with bludgers.
But what did she expect? She had been sitting in his damn wooden chair for nearly a week without a break, without much sleep…just sitting here.
She looked down at the sleeping form in the bed next to her chair, the reason she was here…Oliver Wood. Oliver Bloody Tobias Wood.
He was hurt. She didn't know the details, exactly. Really, she hadn't stuck around long enough to find out from her mother when she told her, nor had she wasted anytime finding out at the hospital.
All she cared about was being here, for him, when she needed him, like he was when she needed him.
She was pretty sure though, that it had something to do with a bludger, followed by a fall of some extreme height.
And she was also pretty sure that she hated bludgers. If she ever became a chairperson on the sports board, she would have them replaced with something a little less lethal, like pillows.
She sighed, brushing the hair from his face. "Ollie? Ollie Ollie Oxen Free? Will you please just wake up? Please? It's been over two weeks now…I'm worried, I'm…"
She felt the tears on the corner of her eyes, the tears that she never cried. She was scared. Oliver Wood was her hero. He was always the one that she leaned on, the one that would always pick her up off the ground when she fell. He had never been hurt like this. She was scared because she didn't want to see him like this…
But she would never tell him, because, she knew that if he could hear her, and he heard that she was afraid, it would just make him feel worse. And she didn't want that…
But she also couldn't take this much longer. She was going to explode if she had to sit in this damn chair any longer. Of course, no one was making her, other than her Scottish captain who was unconscious right now. Huh. Maybe it was her… Yeah, it was her.
She grabbed his hand. "Ollie. I'm tired of this…you are so much stronger than this…you're not some Scottish sissy. A bludger isn't enough to stop you, is it?" It wasn't working. Finally, she resorted to saying something that she never thought she would say. "Ollie, if you wake up now, I promise, promise promise promise, that I will willingly and formally apologize for my attitude for dawn practices, and I will not, will not complain." There was nothing. "Ollie!" Still, nothing. "Fine, just sod it all!"
She slouched back into the chair, her eyes never leaving Oliver.
It was weird. He had changed a lot in the time that she had known him, yet she still remained the same old Oliver Wood. He was still tall, with reddish brown hair and emerald green eyes that could make any girl melt. His Scottish accent was still as thick as molasses, but could still, directed at a girl, make said person do just about anything. This, she knew from experience.
Well, she could actually confirm that his accent was the dame, since he'd been asleep this whole time, and she hadn't actually seen him since he left Hogwarts and went to training, but she was pretty sure that something like that couldn't change. And even more the same, he still loved quidditch. Actually, he might have become a bit more obsessed no that he was keeper for Puddlemore United. She knew that because there could be no other reason than this that could make Oliver break his promise to write her. Okay, he did write, but not as much as he promised…
But there were some things about him that changed. He was still tall, yes, but over the years, he filled out his lean frame a little more, in the muscular sense of course. His abs were more defined, yes she had taken peek, alone with the muscles on his arms. She silently thanked years of quidditch for than one. Especially in those last few years of school, when he was trying to impress the leagues, he had really become more…defined. And the Puddlemore United practices weren't doing any harm either…
But even better than his muscles was his hair. He had grown it out a little more, and now it looked a bit more red than brown. She loved it. She loved the red in his hair. It was what made Oliver himself.
She also loved his eyes. She was dying to see them, to see if they had changed. That was one thing above all that Katie hoped would stay the same. She always knew your eyes were the window to your soul. She didn't want to see that Ollie, her Ollie, had change.
-----
"Katie?" She heard a soft voice whisper her name, a gentle hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.
She was disoriented slightly, but it only took her a moment to remember. She bolted up, her eyes still closed. "Whassthamadder?"
She heard a faint laugh, and opened her eyes to find Mrs. Woo standing in front of her. "Katie Bell, go home and get some sleep."
Mrs. Wood pulled up a chair and sat down next to Kate. "S'okay, Mrs. Wood. I'm fine."
"Well, would you like some coffee?"
She nodded. "Please."
With a flick of a wand, Mrs. Wood conjured up two cups of piping hot coffee, handing one to Katie.
"And why didn't I think of that?" She sighed, leaning against her chair.
"Dear, you haven't had a decent amount of sleep since Oliver's been here. It's okay not to think straight all of the time."
They sipped their coffee in silence, looking down at the form of the man who seemed to be sleeping. It was Mrs. Wood that broke that broke the silence.
"Have you been going to school lately?" Katie shook her head. "Really? How's that?"
"When Mum came and told me, she said it was an emergency. Dumbledore made arrangements for me to miss ad much time as I need. He sends all of my homework here. I do it sometimes, when it gets boring."
"Does it ever get exciting?"
She shrugged. "Sometimes, he makes noises." Mrs. Wood Laughed, Katie giving a little chuckle.
She drained her coffee, setting down her cup. She leaned in and, instinctively, grabbed his hand, her other brushing the hair from his face. Damn hair, it wouldn't stay where she put it.
Mrs. Wood noticed the gesture, and smiled. "Thank you Katie, for being here when I can't. I know that he's well taken care of."
Katie smiled, but her eyes never left his face. "He would have done the same for me…"
"In a heartbeat. He cares for you a lot Katie. I'm glad to see that it's returned."
There was a comfortable silence that encompassed the room, Katie sat, stroking his brow, while Mrs. Wood watched, a little more at ease.
"How's he doing Mrs. Wood?"
"You've been here more than any of us. If anyone knows, it's you."
"Well, all I know is that he's breathing a little better, which is a good sign. But I don't even know what's wrong with him to know if he's getting better, if he's going to be okay. And the healers won't tell me."
Mrs. Wood laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "The healers say that he'll be fine, just as long as he wakes up."
Katie laughed. "That's what I keep telling the prat, but he won't listen."
"Just keep telling him Katie…they say that the best thing we can do is talk to him."
Katie finally tore her eyes away from Oliver long enough to look at his mum. "But… but I thought that was for people in a coma…"
Mrs. Wood nodded. "Yes dear, it is…"
A small oh escaped her lips before her tears began to flow, the tears that she held back for so long.
Things were so real now. It was no longer just a bludger to the head. It was a coma, a real coma, something that could kill you.
"Oh, Katie…" Mrs. Wood wrapped her arm around the crying girl, rocking her like she did when she was little. She was murmuring little shushing noises in her ear. "It'll be alright honey, it'll be alright…"
But for the first time ever, when it came to Oliver, she was sure.
-----
The hallways were dark and empty, not surprising for near midnight. Katie was tiptoeing through them slowly, for some reason trying to be quiet. She almost forgot that she wasn't still in the hospital wing.
When she had stopped crying, she left Mrs. Wood alone with her son, to say whatever she needed to say, but that was nearly six hours ago.
Katie just couldn't go back. She wanted to be with him, to tell him it was okay, but she couldn't even convince herself of that. When Mrs. Wood had told her what was wrong, it was like a ton of bricks had hit her. She couldn't breath. It was also so real.
She thought that Oliver was unstoppable, that the worst thing that could happen to him was just being knocked out. Never once had she considered a coma.
She paced in front of the hospital doors, fighting with her own emotions. Mrs. Wood had told her to keep talking to him, that it could help him wake up, but then again, she wasn't sure she could trust what to say.
She couldn't go back in there, not yet. She turned away from the door, taking a few steps towards the tea room, but then…
"Oh, damn it all. He needs you Katie, be strong." She turned around, running through the doors before she could stop herself.
She wasn't sure what she expected, whether she expected him to be worse, or just different, but he was just the same, still lying there, like he was asleep.
She approached the bed carefully, suddenly afraid to make any hasty movements. She sat down in her chair, grabbing his hand.
"Hey, Ollie…" It seemed as if the conversation was awkward, that she hadn't done this a thousand time already. "Ollie, what am I supposed to do with you? Your mum…she just told me what was wrong, and it all seems more real now…you have to wake up Ollie, that's the only way you'll get better. I need you to get better…just…wake up…"
Nothing.
She huffed, hitting her head on the bed. She bit back the tears that were forming in her eyes. It was just so frustrating, him not listening to what she was saying.
Katie chuckled. What else was knew.
She rested her chin on their intertwined hands. "I'll be here Ollie, talking to you everyday, as long as you need me. I promise…"
And with that, she fell asleep.
----
A couple days had passed since Mrs. Wood had come to visit. In that time, Katie had been talking to Oliver considerably more than normal, which was a lot in itself. She eventually had to begin talking about random things, like how white the bed sheets were.
Yet, still nothing was changing, and Katie was getting more scared day after day.
But she had reason to be. She had done some research about comas. Apparently, the longer a person was unconscious, the less of a chance they had to actually recover. Essentially, Oliver's proverbial clock was ticking…
She was slouched in her chair looking at Oliver. She didn't even notice the day healer walk up to her until she felt the pressure of a hand on her shoulder.
It was Marie, she thought. "Katie…my shift has ended, the night nurse is coming in soon…she might check on you a little later…I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded. She didn't like the night nurse very much. She didn't let her talk to Oliver as much; she said it disturbed the other patients.
"Katie, he'll be alright."
"Thanks."
The woman gave a half smile before walking out of the room and towards the main hall.
Katie glanced around. St. Mungo's. There, in the corner by the door was Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom, Neville's parents. They had been sick for a long time now, this place was their permanent home. As it was for Lockhart, who was only a few beds down. As annoying as he was, he had provided a lot of entertainment for her, someone to keep her from being lonely. There were a few others who had been here years…the man who had been bitten by an acromantula, the young girl who had taken a sleeping potion, and old man…she couldn't remember what happened to him.
But there were also a lot who were rapidly getting better, on their way out. There was the girl Adele, who had broken a few bones, Mr. Cranley, a young man who had experienced an unfortunate event with a toaster. Hawthorne had just left yesterday… there was still hope.
She heard the door creak open, and she knew it was the night nurse. No one really came to visit after six o clock. That's when the ministry closed down, and it was a lot harder to get in. It looked like Katie would be spending a night alone, without talking again.
Hours passed in complete silence. Katie had been trying to do her homework, but she just couldn't concentrate. Every time she picked up a book, it reminded her of Oliver. She picked up the herbology book and it made her think of the time she tutored him. She picked up transfiguration and all she could think of was when he turned the bludgers into pixies when they made him mad. She picked up care of magical creatures, and she laughed too hard because she thought about when her and Oliver stumbled upon the colony of vicious gnomes. And then there was potions. She might as well just forget about that; she couldn't even do it without him.
So she ended up sitting there doing absolutely nothing but staring at Oliver. She was just thinking that she could use a cup of tea when suddenly one was thrust into her face.
She took it. "Thank you."
"No problem dear...it looked like you needed some." She pulled up a chair, sitting next to her. "Having trouble with your homework?"
Katie was confused at how she would know that until she took in the appearance of her books splayed all over the floor in front of her, quill in a pile on the table, and piles of used scroll. "Yeah…it all makes me think of him…"
"So you two are close then?"
Katie smiled. "Best friends."
"How long?"
"As long as I can remember. He's always been there. He's my hero, the one who's always protected me…"
"And now you have to protect him…"
"Yeah. It's just weird. I'm not like him, you know. I don't know what to do to make everything okay. I don't know what to say. So, I try to think what he'd do for me, but usually he'd just give me a hug and tell me It's okay Kates or Kates, I know you'll make it…but that's not something I can do…I can't hug him."
"But you can talk to him." Katie shot her a sideways glance, the old healer chuckled. "I know, I always tell you to be quiet. I don't mean not to talk, I just mean not so loud…"
She sighed. "The thing is I do talk to him, all day, but I don't think he's listening."
"Well, maybe he is listening, he's just not hearing anything worth listening to."
Huh…Maybe Katie had misjudged the woman. She seemed nice enough after all, she seemed like she genuinely cared.
Katie didn't respond, and neither did the healer. She was too busy drinking her tea, and Katie's mind was racing.
What if she was right? Maybe she wasn't saying anything that he really cared to hear, anything that was making an impression.
So, what should she be saying?
When the healer was finished with her tea, she stood up, and with a smile she said. "You should really finish that tea dear, it'll do you wonders." She turned to leave, but then turned back to Katie. "Oh, and I believe I've gone temporarily deaf tonight, so if you just happened to be talking, I don't think that I could hear it…" She gave her a little wink, and Katie smiled.
So, the healer had given her free reign to speak as she needed.
The question was, what exactly was she supposed to say.
-------
The clock stroked midnight, and she still hadn't said anything to him. In truth, she couldn't figure out what to say to him that was meaningful. There were things she always wanted to say, things she could say, but things that didn't feel right to say to someone who couldn't respond.
But she had put it off long enough. She couldn't sit here anymore, while the time slipped by…she couldn't.
Katie Bell took a breath to steady herself before grabbing his hand in both of hers. She took another one before she started.
"Hey Ollie, it's been a while, huh? I'm sorry, but I didn't know what to say. You're mum just told me what was wrong with you. It kind of changed things. It became so serious. But I'm going to have a real talk with you now, okay?"
He didn't respond, but in her head, she could hear him saying, in his lovely Scottish accent something along the lines of It's bloody well time that you talk to me; you left me here all alone to myself for how long?
"So, what exactly are we supposed to talk about? I guess maybe school would be a good place to start right? Well, it's fun, but we miss you. It's just not the same without you… nothing's the same without you. But I guess there's a reason for that though, right…Did you realize that this is the first year that we've ever really been apart? So far, it's good, but it's…just not the same. What do you do without you bestest best friend ever?"
She ran a hand through his hair, a smile on her face, but it quickly faded. "I don't know what I would do if it was always like this, if you don't…if you didn't…"
She could feel the tears in the corner of her eyes. She tried to fight them at first, but then she stopped herself. No. He needs to see this, he needs to hear this. "I'm scared Ollie. I'm so scared... I was before I knew what was really wrong, but when you're mum told me, it was like everything went black. I couldn't breath. I don't want to lose you. Bloody hell I'm scared…"
The tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now, and unto the bed sheets. "Ollie, you know you're my best friend. You know that, but there's so much more that you don't. You're my quidditch captain, my hero, my rock, my… I need you, you're there to make things better, you're there, and I know that I can lean on you. If you fall, if you crumble, what will I do?"
"But it's not even what you do, Oliver that I miss. It's you that I miss more than anything. I miss your voice, your smile, your jokes. I miss your eyes. I miss sleeping in your arms when I fall asleep in the common room, and your speeches. Hell, I even miss your cheery attitude in dawn practice."
Somehow, what she was saying just didn't seem like it was enough. But could she tell him. Could she tell him that he was all she thought about, all she dreamed about? Could she tell him that when he left, she cried not only because she was losing a friend, but because she never got to tell him how she really felt?
"Oliver…I can't believe I'm about to tell you this, but if this won't make you listen, then I don't know what will."
She took a deep breath, closing her eyes against the tears. She drew on her last remaining bit of strength that she could must.
"Ollie, we're friends, always have been. And I don't want to ruin that I don't…but Oliver, how I feel about you…it's just more…"
She was struggling how to tell him, how to find the words that weren't coming out right. "Oh fuck it…Oliver Tobias Wood…I love you, and I don't just mean as a friend…I mean I fully and completely love you, with my whole heart. I'm in love with you, have been for a while. I just didn't know how to tell you. I mean, how do you tell someone that you're the person they dream about?"
"And that's why I'm so scared Ollie, I'm so scared… I wouldn't just be losing a friend, but the only person that I have ever felt this way for before. I'll be losing my everything…" She sobbed. "Oh, gods, I don't want to lose you…"
She was crying more now that she ever remembered doing before. She needed Oliver more than ever. She needed him to hold her and tell her it was all okay. Before she could even stop herself, she scrambled into the bed next to him, resting her head against his chest, cuddling next to his side.
She just let the tears come, until she couldn't cry anymore, until she was exhausted and she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer. And so she fell asleep, still in the bed with Oliver
-----
The artificial sunlight shone through the open window by Oliver's bed, onto Katie, waking her from her sleep. She breathed in, slowly opening her eyes. She felt more refreshed now than she had since Oliver's been here.
She stretched her body, her arms spread across the bed. She had been expecting to feel the hard muscle of Ollie's chest, but instead she hit the soft sheets.
It took her a second for it to register the difference, and then another before the importance of that fact hit her.
She shot up. Oliver wasn't here. He was gone, and apparently no where to be seen. For gods sake's where would in a man in a coma go. Unless…
Unless things had gone wrong. Unless he hadn't woken up at all.
She thought her tears had dried up last night, but maybe she had more to cry. She could feel her tears etch a path down her cheek, as she gazed down to look at her hands, the emptiness taking over her. He was gone…
"Kates?" She heard a familiar voice call her name, her nickname that only he used. Only Oliver…it couldn't be, she must be hearing things. "Kates, what's the matter?" But it sounded so real, better than any of her impressions. His accent was the same, it hadn't changed at all. Maybe it was…
She looked up from her hands, her cheeks soaked. But a smile cracked on her face when she saw who was standing there.
"Oliver!" It really was him. In her excitement, she launched herself off of the bed and into his arms. She didn't realize until the second it was two late that this probably wasn't the best idea, seeing as how he was probably weak from being in a bed for weeks. She was expecting to hit him and fall back to the floor. Instead, she hit him, and he didn't budge. He just wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her just as tight as she was squeezing him.
He buried his head into her hair, breathing in the scent of vanilla, the scent that he missed so much. "Kates."
They stood there for god knows how long before Oliver had enough sense to move then to the bed. He sat down, pulling her into his lap. "God Oliver, I was so worried, I was so scared." Her tears began flowing again.
He brushed his thumbs across her cheeks. "Shh, shh Katie, it's okay…everything's okay, I'm fine now, thanks to you."
"What do you mean?"
He smiled at her. "I heard you Kates. I heard you talking to me, from the beginning. But what you were saying, it was so short, and so far away that I couldn't find my way back to you…"
He slid a hand to her hair at the base of her neck. "But then, last night, what you said to me. It was so powerful and so personal, and it just cut through everything. I could hear every word, I could hear how much you needed me. It helped me find my way to you again."
Her breath caught in her throat. "You heard everything?" She grabbed his shoulders to keep from falling backwards.
His other hand slid to her waist. "Yeah, I heard everything."
She gulped. "Even…even when I said-"
"Everything…"
"Oh, well, um…Oliver…"
"Did you mean it?" He was nearly whispering to her.
She nodded. "Yes. But Oliver, if you don't feel the same I understand, I do, and I won't be mad…"
"Kates?" He tried to get her attention, but it didn't work. She kept babbling. It was her habit when she was nervous.
"…and most of all, I really don't want to ruin our friendship at all. You're my best friend Oliver, and I-"
"KATES!" He said it a little bit louder, breaking her out of her reverie. She just stared at him, a pout on her face. Their eyes were locked, and she was happy to see that his hadn't changed at all. But she really didn't have a chance to enjoy that fact before Oliver spoke again. "I love you."
She frowned. "Wait, what…"
"I love you too Katie. I have for I don't remember how long. I just couldn't tell you. But Katie, I do. I'm in love with you."
"Ollie…"
He bent his head down to hers slowly. Oliver rested his forehead on hers, taking in her scent. "Please, say it Kates, I need to hear it…"
"I'm in love with you Oliver."
"Good, because I really want to do this…"
Before she could register what he was doing, she felt his lips on hers. They were as soft as she always thought they would be, and she was in heaven. It couldn't get better than this. Or so she thought.
But then, he felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, and her head began spinning. She opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to slip in, beginning the battle for dominance.
They were so engrossed in each other that they didn't notice anyone was watching them until they heard the healer clear her throat.
They broke apart, Katie turning towards the noise, and Oliver burying his head in her hair.
"Hello there Marie." Katie smiled.
"Katie, I don't think that right now is a good time for Mr. Wood to be exerting himself, seeing as how he's just woken up."
"Right, well, you see…I…was just letting him know how much I missed him."
Marie laughed. "Well, I think he's got the point, right Mr. Wood."
Oliver looked up into Katie's eyes, a smirk playing across his lips. "Not just quite yet…" And with that, he pressed his lips against hers again.
"Now Mr. Wood, I don't think…" the healer began before stopping, realizing just how vain it was. "Oh bugger it all. At least you two are enjoying yourself for once."
And so she walked off, leaving the pair to their own devices, watched by a very amused Lockhart.
"Now there's something I remember…"
so what did you think??? Please review!!! I want to know how i did