minnow // sirius black

ten

10 :  st. mungo's

It was a close call, and Dad had been right.

My Healer, a man that was in his mid 40's or early 50's, had been the one cussing that the elevator was too slow. In my hysteria, I hadn't recognized anyone other than my family. I didn't even recognize one of my favorite nurses when she had helped me onto the stretcher. Dad had recalled the way that felt to him; he'd never been more afraid. I was absolutely hysterical, and was apparently screaming for longer than I had thought, as he said I started getting louder right after we landed in the lobby, drawing the attention of everyone on that floor. Apparently, in the elevator, I wasn't just screaming, I was shrieking. James had heard me screaming until I passed out.

Everyone that was in that elevator agrees, that the moment I stopped screaming was the most relieving, yet terrifying. For a 16 year old girl, who was definitely dying, to just stop screaming in less than a second, without warning, they'd all thought I had died. Dad says he doesn't remember much more after that, having frozen in place and not left the elevator. The space between me going silent, and the Healers stabilizing me, was blank for him.

James remembered it for us all.

When I woke up, I was surprised to see Sirius sleeping in the chair beside my bed, his cheek resting against the tips of my fingers. I could just barely feel his breath tickling the inside of my wrist. His face was towards me, but his eyes were closed.

Arlo Douglas, my Healer, was standing at the foot of my bed, his hands tightly gripping the foot board as he was leaning over. I could just barely see that his eyes were screwed shut, and his breathing wasn't even.

He looked like he was in pain.

His eyes relaxed, and he leaned his head back, letting out a heavy sigh. As he did so, my hand twitched - the one that Sirius was just barely touching.

That's when I felt the tube down my throat. It was an awfully terrifying moment, to be peacefully awake and then suddenly feeling a thick tube in my throat. As I choked on the tube, my entire body jerked and Arlo's eyes shot open. In the same movement, Sirius jumped out of his seat and stood beside the bed with wide, surprised, eyes.

He looked so relieved, yet surprised and confused that I was awake. That my eyes were open and that I tried to sit up so I could take out the tube that was stuck down my throat.

I had placed my hand firmly against the bed, and pushed. I got absolutely nowhere, and to panic. The tube was preventing me from breathing on my own - and it had slightly maneuvered to where I was now getting very little oxygen. I was unable to breathe, and it was terrifying.

Arlo rushed to my side, sitting on the bed opposite of Sirius, who nearly tripped over the chair behind him trying to get out of his way. One he had calmed me down just enough that I no longer thrashed, Arlo carefully pulled the tube out of my throat, which was beyond uncomfortable. Sirius turned around and pulled the curtain behind him open, waking James who was asleep in the hospital bed on the other side. My brother groaned quietly as he shifted his body, opening his eyes only when Sirius nudged him.

His eyes met mine, and he looked like he'd seen a ghost. His face paled, his eyes suddenly wide. He was like that for a long moment before my brother jumped out of his bed and grinned widely.

My Healer forced me to lay back, lifting the back of the bed so that I was more so sitting, before he started taking my pulse, as well as testing my pupils. He tested my reflexes in my knees, as well as rubbing the back of his light against the bottom of my foot, to which I giggled, being extremely ticklish. He took my temperature, and checked my throat, nose and ears.