Voice of Love

25 | Twins

"What do we do? The Malfoys are the only ones keeping this hospital standing with their donations every year," the medi-witch tending to Narcissa whispered desperately to a fellow medi-wizard.

The voices felt so far away. Narcissa was in a state where she didn't know what was happening around her. When she finally remembered recent events, she quickly snapped back into consciousness.

"Rigel? Is my baby alright? What is going on?" Narcissa questioned frantically.

The medi-witch, a middle-aged woman with gray streaks in her hair, turned to look at Narcissa with a mixture of pity and anxiousness in her eyes.

Why is she watching me like that? Narcissa thought.

"Mrs. Malfoy, it appears that you have given birth to twins. We are normally able to know when there will be twins, but this was just completely unexpected."

Narcissa let out a huge breath in relief. She had feared the worst. "That's wonderful. I'll have to come up with a name for the second baby then."

The medi-witch bowed her head. "Mrs. Malfoy...one of them didn't make it. I'm so sorry."

Narcissa stared at the medi-witch. "I'm sorry? D-didn't make it?"

The medi-witch, whom Narcissa found out was named Betty, touched Narcissa's arm comfortingly. Narcissa stared in shock.

"Does my husband know about this?" she asked. She barely had any energy to cry.

Betty shook her head. "I think it would be best if you tell him. If you want to, I can call him in."

"That would be preferred. Where's the other baby?"

"He's currently being taken care of by the other nurses. I could bring him to you."

"Yes, please."

Betty rushed out of the room. Sighing, Narcissa leaned against the headboard. Not long from then, a smiling Lucius walked into the room, tenderly cradling the baby.

"How are you feeling? Have I bothered you by entering? The medi-witch said I could."

"I'm fine, love."

"Rigel is adorable, isn't he?" Lucius spoke softly. The affection he held in his expression when he gazed at the baby was unbearable.

Fresh tears started trickling down Narcissa's cheeks. She hadn't even thought it was possible to cry because of how exhausted she was. "Lucius...this is not Rigel you are holding. It turns out I had twins and Rigel... he di-didn't m-make it." Narcissa gulped.

"Oh, Cissa," her husband breathed. "Please don't cry."

Lucius said this but he had tears in his eyes. He attempted to hug Narcissa with one arm while holding the baby in the other.

"This is all my fault. Perhaps if I was healthier, Rigel would've been healthier. Then, he wouldn't have..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. A wave of tears washed over Narcissa. Her body, which was already weak, started shaking uncontrollably.

"No, Cissa. It's not your fault. You did nothing wrong. Please don't blame yourself."

"The doctors, however... How could they just let this happen? They didn't even inform us you would have twins," Lucius growled. "I am ending all donations to this hospital. They let our Rigel die."

Narcissa could see Lucius trying his best to control his temper. He didn't want to be reckless in front of her or the baby. Despite everything, Narcissa managed to smile. It was considerate of him to hold in his anger, for the most part.

There was knocking outside. "May I enter? I need to check on Mrs. Malfoy. We also need to take the baby to the nursery."

"Come in. The faster you take care of my wife and the baby, the faster we can leave this place," Lucius said.

He purposely bumped the medi-witch's shoulder as he left the room. Betty looked nervously at Narcissa.

"I'm truly sorry.... I'll make sure you get released from the hospital as soon as possible."

Narcissa sighed. She mostly blamed herself, but a small part of her, the irrational side, blamed the medi-witch. She knew it was unreasonable. Betty didn't do anything wrong other than not realize she was carrying twins. It was unfair for her. And so, Narcissa forced a tight-lipped smile.

"Do not blame yourself. You have been kind to us this whole visit. I cannot convince my husband to send donations again, and I do not wish it either. Nevertheless, I will recommend you to an acquaintance of mine at a different hospital. It is the least I can do for you."

Betty bowed her head humbly. "Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy. You are very kind."

"Your baby is being taken care of by a nurse. Once he is habituated, the nurse will be arriving with food and water. I'm sure you are feeling hungry. In the meantime, I have warm blankets; it is natural to feel cold. You will be transferred to the LDRP rooms soon."

Narcissa smiled gratefully. Betty handed her the warm blankets.

"I will leave you alone now. If there is anything you need, tell the nurse that will be coming. I instructed her to stay outside the door after she delivers the food and water.

---------------

"Finally, we are home and away from the wretched hospital," Lucius said.

He was holding their baby and guiding Narcissa to the manor's door at the same time.

"Lucius, please don't blame the hospital. I know it is hard. After all, we spent months preparing for Rigel to enter this world only to leave it. At least Merlin blessed us with this baby," Narcissa said.

Her husband sighed. "I won't be able to stop blaming them. But you're right, love. We are fortunate to have him."

"You know, we haven't named this baby. It feels wrong to call him 'the baby' and 'him.' Do you think this is a good time to give him a name?" Narcissa asked.

"I agree. I have been thinking of names while you were in the hospital, forgive me for doing so while mourning the loss of Rigel. I did find a name that I quite like, 'Draco.' It means 'dragon' in Latin. It is the name of a constellation as well."

"Draco. That is a beautiful name," Narcissa said.

"Well then, have a late welcome to the world, Draco," Lucius told the baby. Draco giggled and reached for Lucius' face.

Narcissa chuckled. She knew she would always remember Rigel, the baby she could never hold in her arms. But she was grateful for Draco. He was now a new light in her life.

A/N: Hey! I apologize for not updating for so long. My updating schedule went really wack, and I still don't know what it is at this point, but thank you for staying patient. I appreciate the love and support you guys have brought to this story <3

PS: If this book was randomly sitting in your library and you completely forgot about it until you got a notification that it updated, hi ;)