Into Forever

The hospital we arrived at a few hours later was smaller than St. Mungo’s, but still a step up from an at-home birth, which neither of us were prepared for. My contractions had gradually gotten closer, and now I was only about seven minutes apart. It actually made sense, considering I’d been in labor for about six hours now.

We came to a rough stop on a patch of grass in front of the hospital; Fred had me up in his arms again in a second, leaving the broom behind as we rushed towards the doors. As they slowly slid open, Fred burst inside and cried,

“She’s having a baby!”

Surprisingly, we didn’t get as big of a commotion as I’d thought. An elderly nurse slowly made her way over to the pair of us; a strong contraction swept over me, and I let out a pained cry. The elderly nurse just blinked at me and asked,

“Name?”

I opened my mouth to say Kelsey Werner, but Fred spoke over me, saying,

“Kelsey Weasley!”

“Do you have an appointment?” she asked, flipping a page on her clipboard.

“No we don’t have a bloody appointment,” Fred cried. “My girlfriend is having a baby!”

“Alright, just take a seat over there,” the nurse said, waving her hand towards a grouping of seats.

“You’ve got to be bloody kidding me,” Fred snarled, staring after the nurse.

“Let’s just sit down, and wait for the doctor-“ I began, but Fred shook his head. Glancing around, his eyes stopped on a point just past my head; I craned my neck to see what had put a devilish grin on his face.

“Oh bloody hell, Fred,” I hissed, trying to get out of his arms. “I can’t take you anywhere!”

With the goofy grin still spread across his face, Fred raced over towards the front desk, just barely skidding to a halt before he slammed me into the counter. Quickly, he deposited me in one of the wheelchairs that had caught his eye, and before the elderly nurse could stop him, he unlocked the brakes and took off down the hall. I clutched the arms of the wheelchair with all the strength I had, my eyes stretched wide as Fred whipped around a corner, yelling,

“We need a doctor, STAT! My girlfriend is having a baby!”

This time, Fred’s screams were met with a bit more attention. Further down the hall, a tall, lanky doctor with silver hair poked his head out of the room as several nurses and other doctors watched Fred sprint down the hall, wheeling me around like a maniac.

The silver-haired doctor stepped into the hall and motioned for Fred to enter the room he’d just came from. Fred nearly tipped the wheelchair as he raced into the room. I’m glad he reached forward and held me in the chair when he came to an abrupt stop, because I would’ve flown forward right through the window.

“Hi, I’m Dr. Macabee,” the silver-haired doctor said, coming up to Fred and giving him a firm handshake. As he took my hand, being a bit gentler, he said, “I hear you’re having a baby.”

I laughed as I slowly got out of the wheelchair, thankful to be holding still.

“That seems to be the case. I’m Kelsey-“

“Weasley,” Fred finished, grinning at me. “And I’m Fred Weasley.”

“Pleasure to meet both of you,” he said, nodding at us. “Well, let’s just see how far along in labor you are Kelsey,” Dr. Macabee said, placing a hand on my back and guiding me to the hospital bed. As he began to ask me questions (when my water had broke, how far along I was…) he handed me a very unflattering hospital gown. Once we’d finished talking, he said,

“Get changed, and I’ll come back to see how dilated you are.”

As I told him thanks, Dr. Macabee nodded and backed out of the room, shutting the door. I peeled my jeans off first, and then began to struggle with my hoodie and shirt. It had begun to rain on our way over, and I was still soaked. Fred ended up yanking my clothes off, much resembling the way he had when I’d conceived.

Pulling the hospital gown on, Fred tied it up for me, then stepped around to the front to get a good look at me.

“If you’d worn that the night of the last Quidditch game, I don’t think we’d be here today.”

“What’re you saying, Weasley?” I asked him, narrowing my eyes.

“I’m saying that gown looks bloody awful on you, dear,” he told me, pulling me into a hug and kissing the top of my head. There was a knock on the door just as another contraction swept over me.

Since I was still hugging Fred, my grip around his neck tightened as I drew in a sharp breath.

“Come in,” Fred wheezed as he tried to untangle himself from my hold. “Bloody hell, Kelsey, break my hand, not my neck !”

“Sorry,” I groaned, backing up and dropping down on the bed. Fred grinned at me, coming to help me get comfortable as Dr. Macabee said,

“Alright, lean back and let me take a look.”

Fred settled on the mattress next to me, taking my hand in both of his. As Dr. Macabee examined me, I said to Fred,

“You should really let your mum and dad know what’s going on. I know they’ll never forgive us if they miss this.”

Fred furrowed his eyebrows, then nodded.

“Right, right. Once he’s done here, I’ll send my patronus to have a chat with them.”

After just a few moments, Dr. Macabee said,

“Well, Kelsey, you’re about two centimeters dilated, so you’ve got a bit of waiting to do.”

“How long will it take?” I asked him as Fred got to his feet. Dr. Macabee shrugged.

“It could take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. Will you be wanting any pain medication?”

Fred and I locked eyes, and I shook my head.

“No, I want a natural birth.”

Dr. Macabee nodded, and said,

“Alright then, Kelsey, I’ll let you two be for a while. I’ll be back in a bit to give you an ultrasound.”

“Thank you,” I said as he once again disappeared out of the room and shut the door. Pulling his wand from his back pocket, Fred flicked his wand and said Expecto patronum. A wave of silver light shot from his wand, and a silvery animal appeared from the tip and sat itself down on the tiles in front of him.

“What animal is that?” I asked, cocking my head to the side as his patronus glanced over at me.

“An ocelot, I reckon,” Fred said with a grin. The ocelot wrapped its tail around its paws as it stared up at Fred; he pressed the tip of his wand to his throat and said,

“Hi mum, it’s Fred. I need to talk to you. Is it safe?” As Fred lowered his wand, he said to the patronus,

“The burrow.”

The ocelot nodded and turned, then took off, leaping through the wall and leaving us alone.

As we waited for a reply, Dr. Macabee entered and asked,

“Do you know the sex of the baby?”

“No, we want to keep it a surprise,” I told him, smiling at Fred as I said that.

Dr. Macabee spread the chilly gel onto my stomach, then turned the machine away from me so I couldn’t see the screen.

A small smile came onto his face, and he looked over at me.

“Everything looks great, Kelsey. I think you’ll be in for a smooth delivery.” Getting to his feet, Dr. Macabee shut off the screen and cleaned my belly off, saying, “Alright, I’ll let you two have some peace and quiet for a bit. I’ll check up on you later, Kelsey.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” I told him as he exited the room. As Fred and I sat in silence, I cleared my throat and asked,

“Have you come up with any suitable names?”

“I still think Squallimer-“ Fred’s answer was cut off by the appearance of a large silvery cat making its way into the room. Fred was lucky he hadn’t finished that sentence.

“Oh Fred! I’m so glad you’re alright! Yes, yes, it’s fine to talk! How is Kelsey doing, dear? And how are you and George holding up? Your father says hello, and wants to know how you’re doing as well. Bill and Fleur stopped by the other day- oh! Right, what did you need to talk about?”

I burst out laughing; I could picture Mrs. Weasley bustling around the kitchen, getting lost in her thoughts. But I was drawn back to the shape of Mrs. Weasley’s patronus.

“Is that a cougar?” I asked, studying the large cat as it disappeared from the room. I had expected Mrs. Weasley’s patronus to be something more peaceful. Like a bunny, or a kitten or something.

“Yeah, you’d be surprised how much mum resembles that cat.”

“What d’you mean?” I asked, wincing as another contraction took hold of me; this one lasted a bit longer than the other ones. Fred waited until my face returned to normal.

“Well, cougars are protective of their cubs” he said, waving his wand to produce his ocelot again. “And they make this unmatchable shrieking sound which you’d be surprised to know sounds exactly like mum when she’s shouting at George and I.”

I laughed again as Fred pressed the wand to his throat and said,

“Well bring dad and whoever else is with you to Sacred Heart hospital in southern England, because the baby’s on the way.” After telling the ocelot where to go, Fred continued to stand as he waited for his mother’s patronus to return.

After nearly ten minutes, Fred and I began to grow worried.

“She should have either replied or shown up by now,” he fretted, settling down on the bed and running a hand through his flaming disheveled hair.

“I’m sure she’s sending us nearly a book’s worth of a reply,” I told him, still a bit shaky from the latest contraction.

“Maybe I should disapparate-“

From outside in the hall, we could hear several excited voices. Fred and I exchanged a puzzled glance just as our door was thrown open. Mrs. Weasley rushed in as Fred got to his feet; she threw her arms around Fred, giving him a vicious hug. Behind him, Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur were gathered in the doorway, beaming at me (Bill and Fleur looked exceptionally happy as they took in the sight of us). As Mrs. Weasley let Fred go, she turned to me; all her anger at my unexpected pregnancy seemed to vanish at that moment when she locked eyes with me.

“Oh, Kelsey! I’m so happy for you dear!” she exclaimed, rushing forward and leaning over to give me the best hug she could while I was laying down. Mr. Weasley, Fleur, and Bill stepped inside and greeted Fred and I, looking excited. As Mrs. Weasley pulled back, she glanced around the room.

“Where’s George?” she asked, looking between Fred and I. The expression on her face reminded me of way back when, the day after Carson’s apartment had been attacked and Fred and George had stayed behind. I didn’t have an answer for her then, and I didn’t have one now. I caught the flicker of worry that crossed Bill and Fleur’s faces; Fred grasped his mom’s shoulder, and was just about to say something comforting when there was a loud pop from down the hallway, and moments later several more voices demanding to see Kelsey Werner/Weasley.

Fred grinned ear to ear as he rushed past everyone else; Bill and Fleur visibly relaxed, so I asked,

“Did you catch the last PotterWatch episode?”

Mrs. Weasley looked baffled, but Bill just nodded. I gave him a small smile as the four faces I’d been so worried about appeared in my line of vision. Mrs. Weasley gasped in horror as she took in the sight of George, Lee, Uncle Remus, and Kingsley, all bloodied and bruised from the fight at the cabin.

As Mrs. Weasley demanded explanations from Fred and George, Uncle Remus slipped past her and came up to my side, taking my hand and smiling down at me. I smiled up at him as he said,

“I’m so happy for you, Kelsey. And I know your father would be, too.”

“I wish he could be here,” I said quietly, and Uncle Remus nodded in agreement.

“He is, Kelsey. He’ll always be with you.”

In the background, I heard Mrs. Weasley exclaim,

“What were you two thinking, putting Kelsey into danger like that!? I should think you would have learned a bit of responsibility…”

As Mrs. Weasley continued, I leaned back on the bed and fell into idle talk with my Uncle as he held my hand. Things felt right again.

-x-

“Oh bloody hell!” I gasped six and a half hours later, tears leaking from my eyes as a powerful contraction overtook my body. “I should’ve taken the pain killers!”

“Me too,” Fred groaned, wincing as I tightened my hold on his hand. Lee, Kingsley, Bill, Fleur, and Mr. Weasley had gone for food (and probably to escape my screams); Mrs. Weasley was on one side of me, wiping at my forehead with a damp cloth. Fred had my hand (actually, I was gripping it like no tomorrow) and Uncle Remus was on my other side, hand resting gently on my arm because he’d managed to pull his hand from my killer grip.

George had pulled up a chair beside Fred and had given him his hand to squeeze to relieve the pain I was causing. As I squeezed again and let out a pained shriek, Dr. Macabee said,

“You’re just about fully dilated, Kelsey, just hold on a bit longer.”

I let out a low groan as the contraction slowly eased away; I knew in just a few moments, another one would hit me with full force. Fred took his hand back for a moment to shake it out and get some feeling back into his.

“Blimey, Kelso, I’m gonna loose my fingers by the end of this.”

“I’m never doing this again,” I gasped as the pain of the next contraction began to increase. “If you ever get me pregnant again, I’ll kill you, I swear it!”

Fred just laughed as he took my hand again, saying,

“Once you see the baby, everything will change love.”

“Then you can give birth!” I exclaimed, shutting my eyes as the pain began to intensify.

Nearly another hour passed before I saw Dr. Macabee again; the group that had left to get food had returned just a few minutes ago, and while they’d brought me my own share, I was too worked up and in pain to eat anything.

As Dr. Macabee checked me once more, he clapped his hands together and said,

“You’re fully dilated, Kelsey. I’m going to ask that all but three family members leave until after the baby is delivered.”

I looked around at everyone, my eyes watering, as George said,

“I nominate Fred, mum, and Professor Lupin to stay with Kelsey.”

“I second that nomination,” Lee agreed, getting to his feet. He gave my knee a pat saying,

“You’re great, Kelsey, but there are just certain things I don’t need to see.”

Laughing despite the pain, I said quick goodbyes and thank you’s to everyone as they shuffled out. Molly, Uncle Remus, and Fred all held their original positions as a nurse entered the room pushing a small trolley-like thing with a large plastic box at the top, which is where I guessed they’d place the baby.

“Alright, Kelsey, I’m going to need you to give me several strong pushes. Can you do that for me?”

Nodding, I took Fred’s hand in one of mine, and Uncle Remus’s in the other, took a deep breath, and then pushed with all my might.

“That’s great, Kelsey! You’re doing wonderfully! Keep pushing!”

Thirty minutes later, and I was still pushing. I’d expected it to just pop right out, but no such luck.

“Why’s it taking so long?!” I gasped between pushes.

“You’re a first-time mom,” Dr. Macabee told me gently. “It’ll take a bit longer the first time round. You’re doing great.”

The pain was so intense I was sure I was going to pass out; I was exhausted, and I just wanted to get the baby out and be done with it all. I was just about to drop my head back and give up when Dr. Macabee exclaimed,

“I see the head! Push, Kelsey, the baby’s almost out!”

Excitement overwhelmed me, and with a final powerful squeeze to the hands I was holding, I gave a mighty push, and Dr. Macabee cried,

“There we go!”

As I closed my eyes to take a deep breath, I heard a cry start up in front of me, and opened my eyes. My mouth opened to a small, surprised ‘o’ as I took in the sight of my baby.

“It’s a boy,” Dr. Macabee said, still seated in front of me.

“Oh thank Merlin it’s over,” I breathed, dropping my head back in relief.

“You’re not done just yet,” Dr. Macabee said, the corners of his eyes turning up as he smiled behind his mask.

“What do you mean I’m not done?!” I snarled, another wave of pain engulfing me, catching me by surprise. Mrs. Weasley gasped as she exchanged an excited look of wonderment with Uncle Remus.

“I need you to give me a few more pushes,” Dr. Macabee ordered to my surprise and confusion. Still in pain and wanting to be done, I took a breath and pushed as much as I could.

And when Dr. Macabee produced the second baby from between my legs and stood to show me, I just about passed out from happiness and relief.

“Congratulations, this one’s a girl. You’re now the proud mother of twins.”

Unable to think of anything sentimental to say, I rolled my head to the side to look at Fred and muttered,

“I blame your genetics for that.”

Fred just burst out laughing, and only now did I notice the tears of happiness that had begun to run down his face. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, saying happily “I’ll gladly take the blame, love,” as he got to his feet and rushed to the doctors side.

Dr. Macabee handed Fred some scissor-like things and Fred grinned as he cut the cord to the first baby, our little boy. Dr. Macabee wrapped the baby in a blue blanket and handed him to Fred. Fred’s eyes were watering with happiness as he stared down at his son. Mrs. Weasley sniffled into her hankerchief as she watched the heartwarming scene.

Dr. Macabee looked at the pair of us as he pulled his mask down off his face.

“Do you two have a name picked out?”

Serious anxiety swept over me; if Fred even mentioned Squallimer Galbertrose, I would strangle him in his sleep. Fred locked eyes with me, grinned, and nodded.

Oh god, I’m going to have to murder my boyfriend.

“Kelsey actually picked it out,” he said, tilting his face down to smile at our son. “Cameron Blake.”

Uncle Remus let out a sigh of relief with me, whispering,

“I was very worried about your son for a second.”

My grin spread from cheek to cheek as I asked,

“I thought you said Cameron was too common

“How many ‘Cameron’s did you see running around Hogwarts?” he countered, grinning at me. “Besides, he just looks like a Cameron.”

I held out my arms for my son; Fred beamed and stepped to my side, handing me my baby boy. I curled my son to my chest as I stared down at him. His eyes were open, and Mrs. Weasley gasped in surprise.

“His eyes are just like Fred’s,” she said softly, smiling down at the baby. For some reason, he did look like Cameron Blake to me. I beamed at my baby; his eyes were a vivid shade of blue, brought to life by the tuft of bright orange hair on the top of his head. Tears leaked down my face as I held my son close to me, never wanting to let him go. I glanced up at Fred to see him holding a bundle of pink blankets in his arms.

Fred smiled down at his daughter, the love shining in his eyes.

“She’s gorgeous, Kelsey. She’s gonna be a real heartbreaker some day.”

“What’s her name?” I asked him, sitting up a bit as he walked over to me and sunk down on the bed next to me.

“You pick, since I got to choose Cameron’s name.”

Fred leaned into me so I could get a better look at our daughter; just like Cameron, she had a tuft of vivid red hair, but when she opened her eyes, they were the same green-blue as mine. More tears welled in my eyes, and the perfect name came to mind.

“Brielle Ginevra,” I said, looking up to Fred for approval. His smile grew even wider as Dr. Macabee said,

“Are you ready for visitors?”

I nodded excitedly, and as the door opened, George was the first one inside. He held up a very large camera and snapped a picture of Fred and I laughing at him. Quickly, he handed the camera off to Lee, who was right behind him, and George hurried to Fred’s side to meet his niece and nephew.

“Blimey, twins!” he exclaimed, grinning down at my babies. “I wonder how that happened.”

Fred and George laughed, and I turned to Mrs. Weasley and asked,

“Molly, do you want to hold your grandson?” She made an excited sound and held out her arms; gently, I transferred Cameron over to her. Immediately, she was cooing to him, smiling like never before.

“That’s Cameron Blake,” Fred announced proudly; I swear I heard George say, “No Squallimer Galbertrose?”

Fred gently pressed Brielle into his brothers arms and said,

“And this is Brielle Ginevra.”

As my son and daughter were passed around, Lee took pictures for Fred and I, passing the camera to Arthur when it was his turn to hold Cameron because George was still hogging Brielle.

Two hours later, I finally decided I was ready for some peace and quiet.

“We’ll be right outside, dear,” Mrs. Weasley said, handing my daughter (that she’d managed to weasel from George) back to me. Everyone added their goodbyes as they shuffled out the door, leaving Fred and I alone, curled up on the hospital bed with Cameron and Brielle in our arms. We laid like that for almost an hour, not saying anything, just staring in wonderment at our children.

“We make some pretty good-looking babies,” Fred whispered to me; after feeding them, the twins had fallen asleep, and we didn’t want to wake them.

“You’ve got that right,” I said, brushing the back of my hand down Cameron’s cheek as I smoothed out Brielle’s fiery tuft of hair. “We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

“See, I told you you’d change your mind,” Fred laughed quietly, his blue eyes still alight with happiness. As we held each others gaze, Fred’s smile grew a bit, and he slowly sat up, taking Cameron with him. I watched as he stood and gently sat Cameron in the little bed Dr. Macabee had brought in earlier.

Coming back to the bed, Fred gently took Brielle from my arms, sat her in the bed beside Cameron, and then turned back to me. I pushed myself up in bed. Dr. Macabee had insisted I stay off my feet for tonight, so I was confined to the bed for now.

Fred met my eyes; I tilted my head to the side, waiting for an explanation. I hadn’t been done holding my daughter. Fred reached into his pocket, a wild grin on his face; my breath caught in my throat.

Wordlessly, Fred pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and, as I watched through tearfilled eyes he sunk down on one knee. I scooted to the edge of the bed so I could see him better.

“Kelsey, I’ve loved you since the day I met you. You’re beautiful, smart, funny, and you put up with me better than anyone else I’ve ever met. You’re now the mum of our beautiful twins, and I want to be with you forever. I can’t imagine life without you. So now I’m asking, Kelsey Lynette Werner, will you marry me?”

Fred opened the box in his hand, holding it up closer so I could see it in the dim lighting.

“Oh my god, yes, of course Fred! Of course I’ll marry you!” I exclaimed, tears pouring down my eyes.

“Brilliant,” Fred said with a grin, taking the ring out as he took a hold of my hand; he slipped it onto my ring finger, then got to his feet. I threw my arms around Fred as he wrapped me in a hug; despite everything we’d gone through in the past few days, he still held the delicious scent of cinnamon cookies and aftershave. I breathed in the sweet scent as he tactfully crawled into the bed beside me, while still hugging me.

“When this war is all over, we’ll have a huge wedding. We’ll invite everyone.. I can see it now…”

I snuggled into his arms, happier than I’d ever been, and began to fall asleep as I listened to Fred describe our future wedding.

As soon as this war’s over, I thought to myself, We’ll never be apart.