Natalie was drifting in and out. She felt rough. Hestia had left to go to the Ministry. Natalie was pretty sure Romy had been in once. She didn't know though. She remember Kingsley yelling at a medi-witch about something. Now he was sitting quietly next to her bed, waiting for Dean or her father to show up. Natalie was trying to stay awake for that. The both of them were going to be so upset.

----

"To hell with it."

Dean had been trying to get past the nurse's station for the past hour, to no avail, and he'd finally had enough. As he strode towards the entrance to the ward, a burly orderly tried to block his path. Said orderly quickly changed his mind when he was informed in, no uncertain terms, that any further attempts to prevent Dean from seeing his girlfriend would require emergency surgery to remove head from rectum.

Quickly finding Natalie's room, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. "Hey," he whispered, not wanting to wake Natalie if she were asleep.

Natalie smiled tiredly at him.

Kingsley got up and kissed Natalie's forehead. "I'll be at the Ministry with Hestia. Get some rest."

"I was waiting for either you or Gray," Kingsley said to Dean. "I didn't want her alone here."

Natalie waved at his back. "I'm all right really, Dean. I'm sorry I worried you. I would like to go home now. They made me wait a long time. I'd rather see Ginny."

"Thanks for sitting with her. I appreciate it." Dean suppressed the urge to scowl as he took Kingsley's place at her bedside. Wait? They made an Auror injured in the line of duty wait? "Sorry, love. I barely managed to threaten my way in here. There's no way they'll let me sign you out. I'm afraid we're stuck until your Da gets here."

"So I don't suppose you'd be willing to just carry me out then?"

The door opened and a rather large orderly and an irate medi-witch were standing there.

"He's not supposed to be in here," the medi-witch snapped.

Natalie gave them a dark look. "If you make me get up to keep you from throwing my boyfriend out of the room, you'll be sorry."

"Very sorry," Gray snapped as he pushed inside the room. "Natalie, you are not to get out of that bed. I want to see the healer in charge of my daughter... NOW, and if you do not quit harassing her boyfriend who is as good as a member of our family, I'll make things very unpleasant for you. Now... run along before the boyfriend here mops the floor with the both of you. Go on."

They did.

"I'm getting you out of here," he said.

"I want to go home with Dean."

"I thought you might."

Dean grinned. "Good, it's settled then. I'll take you home, and we can see Gin in the morning. And for that matter, what will she be looking for, exactly?"

Natalie made a face. Both her father and Dean were looking at her expectantly. "Damage from the Cruciatus."

Her father's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. Natalie picked at her blanket and did not look at Dean.

"Again?" Dean tried to keep his tone casual, for Gray's sake if nothing else. "Damn it, woman, I keep telling you to duck, but do you listen? Noooo!" Inwardly, he was fuming. Nat had taken a crucio, and the healers had made her wait? Dean shook his head. "Well, let's check you out of here and fill the scrip for your potion, and we can be on our way."

"I didn't have time," Natalie said, frowning. "It all happened so fast. There were so many of them, and they had people there. They killed an Auror. And I was hurting then Romy made him stop. I... I don't have a script."

Gray scowled. "I will be right back."

He stalked out of the room.

Natalie looked at Dean. "I really didn't mean to. I wasn't trying to be brave."

"I know," Dean said with a sigh and a rueful grin. "You just can't help it, though. You see something bad, and you have to try and fix it." He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "And I'm so proud of you for it. It just scares me from time to time, is all."

Natalie reached out and took his hand, glad he was here. She was further glad that even though he did not like it, he understood.

Her father was suddenly back in the room with a bit of parchment. "This can be filled with any healer who has a potions master on hand. Weasley does, does she not? I want you to see her tomorrow for a thorough exam, and Tense and I will be by to see you on Monday after you have rested. No arguments, Natalie."

Dean's expression had grown steadily darker as he listened to Grayson. "You mean to tell me that the largest wizarding hospital in Europe isn't able to fill this themselves? Or are they just unwilling?" he spat.

"Bugger this," he muttered. Gathering Natalie in his arms, he stood. "Let's get out of here. We'll go see Gin in the morning, but for now I've got some post-Cruciatus potion at the house." At Gray's look, he smiled slightly. "It was supposed to be a joke, but someone," he said, squeezing his girlfriend slightly, "saw fit to ruin the punch line."

Natalie tightened her arms around Dean's neck and put his face in his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Dean looked down and kissed her temple. "No need to apologise, love. It's not your fault that Mungo's is full of bigot hacks."

"I'll see you soon, Nat."

Natalie nodded. She just wanted to go home. They were only stopped once on the way to the apparation point. Dean had a few choice things to say that had Natalie grinning into his shoulder. She must have nodded off because the next thing she knew Dean was putting her in his bed.

"Don't fall asleep on me yet, love." Dean rummaged around in the nightstand for a moment before pulling out a small vial. "Be a good girl and drink your potion, then you can sleep to your heart's content."

Natalie did as she was instructed. Her eyelids were drooping.

"Thanks for coming to get me. I didn't really want to sleep there. The last time I was at Mungo's was when Dennis died."

Dean's breath hitched. "Then we'll have to make sure that you don't have to go back there again. Maybe get you a dispensation from Harry so that you go to Gin from now on." Dean smiled slightly. "And while we're at it, perhaps we can update your emergency information so I don't have to threaten random orderlies with cranial rectosis."

Natalie giggled sleepily. "I'll do that on Monday."

Like hell you will "I think Gin might have something to say about that. As a matter of fact, so would I." Dean chuckled at Natalie's obstinate look. "Don't make me strap you to the bed, love." He paused for a moment.

"Well... not until we can both enjoy it, at least."

Natalie chuckled. It was getting more and more difficult for her to stay awake.

"Fine. Tuesday then."

"Oh, that's just brilliant," Dean said teasingly as he began to undress. "You'll finally be well enough to have a bit of fun, and you want out of my bed?" He shook his head. "I think I'm doing something wrong, here."

"No," Natalie said, eyes closing. "You don't do anything wrong. I'll be here on Tuesday night. I'll come home."

Dean smiled as her words warmed him. "Home?"

"Mmm," Natalie said, snuggling into the blankets. "Where you are is home."

Dean slid into bed beside her. As he wrapped his arms around her, he kissed her shoulder.

"Ditto."


{SUMMARY} Dean comes to pick Natalie up from Mungo's and take her home.