May 13th, 1893 - Hogsmeade Hospital

Once Noble had brought Daff to the Hospital and checked her in, he'd sent a note to the Potts household. He'd intended to leave at that point, but the junior healer had given him an odd look — so now he felt obligated to wait until someone else came for her. He hated this. He sat on a chair in a corner of her room and waited for someone to arrive or for Daff to wake up.

Unfortunately, the door to the room opened first. Noble stood up, discomfort radiating from his whole body.

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Laurel Potts Elias Grimstone to start, then @"Daffodil Potts"

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The flower show was a success. Sure there were a few mishaps here and there but overall Laurel felt it was a job well done. But any thoughts of her own success vanished the instant she received the note.

It had taken Laurel no time at all to get to the hospital and seek out Daffy she was completely a flutter by the time she charged into the room. "What happened?" Laurel asked breathlessly to the first person she saw - which happened to be Mr. Greengrass, wwhy he was there her mind would only begun to wonder about later. Right now she had to make sure her baby was alright.

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Mama Potts' is a joy thanks to Bee <3

He had lost track of Daff at the flower show, hadn’t even known anything was wrong until one of the Potts girls had sent for him saying she was at the hospital. Her mother had just gone – Elias had disapparated soon after, the fear of what could have happened to her like ice in his chest. He found the room, his gaze falling wildly from Laurel Potts to Daffy on the hospital bed, looking – pale and weak and small and still, clammy like death. He – didn’t know what this was. Had she overworked herself on the flower show? That would be like her. She’d been a little shaken since the break-in, but with him she had always seemed cheerful enough, gradually getting back to herself... so what was this?

“Is she alright?” Elias said hoarsely, his heart in his throat. He glanced at Mrs. Potts before he realised she had all the same questions written on her face, which left – whoever this was to explain.

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Now that Daff's family — and Mr. Grimstone, ugh — Noble was hoping he could escape. He even stood up from his chair. But they were asking him questions. "The healer said she'll be alright," he started. "I saw her fall off a swing, and then she — said she was dizzy, and she wouldn't stop shaking, and she couldn't stand." It was easy enough to list out her symptoms — he was on the other side of this plenty of times.

His eyes flickered between Mrs. Potts and Mr. Grimstone. Noble cleared his throat. "She said she hadn't slept in a week?" he added, more of a question than a statement.

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Laurel's eyes widened as Mr. Greengrass listed each symptom, but her mind was tallying them, wondering how this had happened. And then... she hadn't slept? How had Laurel not noticed that. What kind of mother did that make her. Laurel crossed the room and gently smooth her hand over Daffy's forehead as if she were a young child again. Watching one's child grow up was such a hard thing to do. "Oh Daffy." She murmured. Then pinned her gaze on Mr. Greengrass. "What did they give her? Did they use any spells?" She needed to know every last detail, make sure every possible thing that could be done had been done.

  

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Mama Potts' is a joy thanks to Bee <3

Elias had been – coping well enough as the stranger explained what had happened, or at least had been able to listen calmly, to take it all in; it had sounded like an accident, like a fit of faintness that had come on suddenly; like no one’s fault.

His eyes had been on Daff, half-picturing it happening as he’d described it, the swing and the shaking, until that tentative question. Elias’ gaze lurched back up; she hadn’t slept in a week; and he couldn’t fathom if it had been meant that way, but something sank in him. It landed like an accusation. Laurel had moved towards Daffy’s bedside, which left Elias hanging back here like a fool, unable to process that fact or progress anywhere past it.

“I – I didn’t know,” he murmured, throat dry, but the point was how hadn’t he? Daffy hadn’t said anything. But – whether she had or not – shouldn’t he have noticed something?

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"You'd have to ask the healer, sorry," Noble said, deferentially, to Mrs. Potts. He had a vague idea, but the sooner he got away, the better it would be. He slid towards the door. "I have to take my leave, but I hope she recovers swiftly."

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set by Bee

The apparating to the hospital had done her in, consciousness fading entirely as she'd slumped down on the cold marble floor.

Everything else was a bit of a blur, things fading in and out; being put in a hospital bed, Noble's figure in the corner swimming in her periphery behind the healers as they did their job. Things had stilled, not much activity in the room and though she had a vague awareness of where she was, as she slipped into sleep, that's when everything went south. Her subconscious took over and what had kept her up for weeks caught up with her again.

She was back in the shop, everything all closed up and she'd headed upstairs to eat and head to bed, flower show plans in her hand to work on until her eyes were blurry. Then she was crawling into bed, extinguishing the lights with Winston snuggling in.

As soon as she'd closed her eyes a loud crash echoed through her room and Daff woke with a start, sitting straight up in her hospital bed, gasping, hand going to her heart. The disorientation had her turning wide eyes on each person in the room in turn; her mother, Elias, Noble. Her eyes lingered there on him for a fraction of a second too long before she flicked back between Elias and her mother. "What happened?" Her voice was hoarse, hardly more than a whisper as she slid her hand to her pounding head. Maybe she had finally gone crazy.

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One moment her child was still under her hand and the next she was flinging herself forward, hand pushing Laurel's back to feel her own heart, eyes wide in horror. She looked just as she did as a child when she woken from a nightmare. Laurel wanted nothing more to let Daffy cling to her bosom till her breathing calmed and she was reading to drift back to sleep, but those days had long since passed. "Shh. Darling." She soothed, running her hand against the top of her daughter's head. "You fell off a swing and Mr. Greengrass brought you here." Her eyes turned to the man who had been trying to leave, pinning him with a glance. There was more to the story. He never actually said he'd brought Daffy here, and her gaze held in it a demand for more questions.

  

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Mama Potts' is a joy thanks to Bee <3

Daffy was awake, and Elias felt like he ought to be able to breathe properly again. He couldn’t, but.

There was a look of frozen panic in her eyes that reminded him of how shaken she had been the morning after the break-in. And he couldn’t even move close enough to take her hand, because her mother was there at her side, doing the soothing and doling out explanations. All he could do was watch – watch Daffy’s hand on her heart, follow her gaze as it slid from her mother to him to the other man, watch it affixed to him for a strangely long beat.

Elias didn’t know what it meant – if it meant anything – but Daff was awake and the other man, Greengrass, was trying to leave. Elias glanced his way. He wasn’t about to stop him – though Daffy’s mother seemed to disagree – but he felt obliged to say something. “Thank you,” he offered, in a low tone.

At least someone had been there for her when it counted.

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Damn, Daff had terrible hiding. Noble froze on his way to the door. He may have been able to slip out anyways, but Mrs. Potts kept staring at him. At least Grimstone was polite about things — maybe even grateful — and he shrugged in response to the other man. It was the least he could do, both as a stranger and as Daffy's former love.

"I'll leave you all to it," he offered, once more hoping to escape.

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set by Bee

The more coherent she became the more aware of just how awkward the air in the room was. Clearing her throat, she looked at her mum carefully. "I remember now, it's alright. Mr. Greengrass can go, thank you." She cast a very brief glance and a half-smile in his direction, hoping Noble would take that cue to slink out the door now.

The distraction of an explanation would hopefully allow him the uncontested exit he deserved. "I haven't been sleeping well. After the burglary I was having nightmares." Laying there, trying to fall asleep, only for nothing to happen, or all of the fear to flood back in. So instead she'd used the time to plan the flower show. It had been much easier to be productive until the exhaustion kicked in and she got an hour or two here and there, but nothing substantial or restorative.

"Apparently it all caught up with me today and I fainted, which is why I was brought here." Twice. She'd fainted twice, and the shaking and everything else that had happened, but she wasn't going to dramatize it anymore than necessary.

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The young man thought he'd just leave? Oh no - Laurel was about to open her mouth to object when Daffodil stepped in. Laurel looked back down at her daughter's face and smoothed her hair away from her forehead again. She wanted to lay a million kisses on that pale forehead and press her child into her bosom. But those days were gone and would likely only be greeted with an exasperated 'mum'. Instead she listened, a frown crossing her features. "Oh Daff." She sighed. "Why didn't you say something?" She would have helped her darling daughter in any of a million ways rather than letting her hoist the full extent of the work she had done. Truly, while Daff was indispensable, there was no way Laurel would let the come between her daughter and her daughter's health.

  

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Mama Potts' is a joy thanks to Bee <3

Elias didn’t know what to do with himself, not with Daffy’s mother here, not with all the time he had spent with Daff during the days and still having no inkling how bad it had gotten for her at night. And it was difficult to be angry with her when he was facing her in a hospital bed – he was just glad she was awake again, and that her mother would make sure she took better care of herself now – but he didn’t know how to say anything to her, either.

Mrs. Potts’ question was mirrored in his own gaze. “I’m glad you’ll be alright,” he added, a little distant.

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look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

Noble had taken the cue to slip out the door and Daff looked back at her mother with a sheepish expression. "I'm sorry," She said finally, looking first at her mother, but eyes lingering on Elias longer. Something felt off and she knew she should have said something sooner, but she honestly didn't know how to ask for help with this.

Daff had been about to try and explain further when a healer came bustling into the room. Now that she was awake, they could do a proper examination and everyone was shooed from the space, well as best as Laurel Potts could be shooed. Nothing felt very settled, but there wasn't anything she could do about it right now. Hopefully she would be sent home and she could go about trying to fix everything sooner rather than later.

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