I Solemnly Swear... (Marauders // Wolfstar // Jily oneshots!)

Moral Support (JILY)

Prompt 33: Every day for as long as she could remember, Lily watched the same man sit in the hospital waiting room for hours on end. Sometimes he was allowed in to visit whoever it was he wanted to see, sometimes he wasn't. But without fail, he was there. Lily was determined to find out why.

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"Visiting starts in about five minutes, Lily," Marlene said as she tugged on her coat behind the nurses desk. "Doctor McGonagall has left a list of who can come in today. She's down in A&E if you need her. You sure you'll be alright?" Lily looked up from her computer, nodding to her fellow nurse as Marlene stared at her in concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she said. "Don't worry about me, Marls." Marlene pursed her lips.

"But I do worry about you," she said. "Look since the breakup you've taken every night shift you can get. That's not healthy, Lily. You need to give yourself a break."

"I'm okay, honestly, Marlene," Lily assured her. "The night shift isn't so bad. Besides, it's mostly quiet and I can get on with some reading." Marlene didn't look convinced. She opened her mouth to argue again but thought better of it after Lily gave her a look that clearly said: go away. After a moment of hesitation, Marlene finally left, waving goodbye at the end of the corridor. 

Lily sighed with relief the moment Marlene was out of sight. She loved the girl, of course, but by God was she persistent sometimes. And she only seemed to be getting worse after the break up. Not that Lily was too upset about that. Angry, definitely, but she had fallen out of love with Severus a very long time ago. Lily was just mad at herself that she didn't end things earlier. It was silly really, knowing what Severus had been doing over the last year. But she supposed she was holding onto something that no longer existed. Maybe it was foolish of her but she did love Sev once. Looking back on it now though, she wondered if she was simply lonely and tired of all the idiot men she'd been dating when she agreed to go out with Sev. She wasn't sure she'd ever truly been in love with Severus as a partner. As a friend, definitely, but romantically she wasn't so sure.

Staring back at her computer screen, she made a mental note of the patients she'd need to check on tonight. Most were new arrivals who would only be staying for a night or two before they'd be moved to a different ward. The rest were in for long-term stays, many far too ill to leave. It broke her heart to nurse these patients sometimes. But that was why she chose to be a nurse in the first place - to mend anyone she could. 

"Oh-erm-excuse me." The voice startled Lily, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked up from her computer screen to see a man standing nervously in front of the desk. He seemed to be a bundle of energy, hopping from foot to foot and shifting the bunch of flowers in his hand. 

"Good evening," Lily said politely. "How can I help?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm here to see my friend? I was told he was in Room 9?" the man said. Lily glanced back down at the list of visitors Doctor McGonagall approved. There was only one name for Room 9. 

"What's your name, sir? I just need to see if the doctor has allowed your visit," she asked. 

"Oh, it's James. James Potter," the man replied. Lily winced.

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter-"

"Call me James," he interrupted. Lily blinked.

"Well I'm sorry...James," she said carefully. "The doctor hasn't approved you for visitation tonight. Your name isn't on the list." 

"Oh." James seemed to deflate a bit. Lily braced herself for the incoming demands of being allowed through to the ward but they never came. Instead, James just nodded slowly and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "Okay, thank you for letting me know," he said. "I take it he had a bad day? That's usually why they don't let me in..."