𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒃𝒐𝒚 | mattheo riddle

42 | recovery

author's note

*TRIGGER WARNING*

This chapter may include sensitive topics and descriptions regarding sick patients/mentions of death.

Please take caution if this is a sensitive topic to you.

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Wednesday 13th December 2023

7:23 pm

Silence. I've heard, seen and sensed absolute nothingness for time I can't count. My body feels stiff and cold, barely movable. My eyes slowly blink open, and I'm staring up at a blank white ceiling.

I realise I'm laying down in some sort of infirmary bed, with a drip attached to me. I make an effort to slowly move my head to look around the room, when I spot Theodore sat at a chair beside my bed.

His head is hanging low, and his hands are clasped together. I can barely speak, but I don't need to. He senses I'm awake once he glances up at me, and his eyes widen in shock.

He rapidly gets out of his seat to come closer to me and gasps, looking down at me.

"Jaya, you're awake, oh my god." He says sounding a little panicked and I try to push myself up on the bed.

My brain is all muddled and I can't make out what's happening to me, or why I'm in a random infirmary I've never seen before.

"Theo... what's happening? You've got cuts on your face- what happened?" I ask him and he prevents me from sitting up, looking really concerned but I fight back and use my strength to sit up in the bed.

The room I'm in is empty, only containing my hospital bed, myself and my drip.

Theo let's out a breath and sits beside me, holding onto my cold hand. I realise now that he's closer, his face reads nothing but despair and sleepless nights.

"You've been asleep for three days Jaya."

"What?"

"One second, I need to go and grab a nurse, tell them that you're awake." He tells me and I grab his wrist and pull him back.

"I'm fine, I p-promise." My voice begins to break up, as I find it difficult to speak when I feel so weak. "I need to know what's going on. Where's Mattheo?"

Theodore pauses for a moment and looks away, before glancing back up at me.

"What's the last thing your remember Jaya?"

I close my eyes shut and try really hard to recall my memory, and as I do... slowly pictures start flooding back into my mind.

The Malfoy Manor.

Voldemort.

"Oh my god Theo where's Mattheo? He's in danger we need to stop hi-"

"Riddle is okay, don't worry." He cuts off my panicked voice and lets out a breath. "The boys, Riddle and I... we stormed the Malfoy Manor. We had some help though, since we knew it'd be a big fight." He explains to me and no words come out of my mouth as I continue to hear what he has to say.

"We planned on rescuing you, but Riddle realised that it may possibly be a trap so we brought back up. Riddle brought some sorcerers he knew who betrayed Voldemort but managed to escape. It was a full blown fight, and you were in the centre of it all."

"I- Is everyone okay, I mean- who won?"

"Riddle saved you, Jaya. He went head on with the Dark Lord who was about to kill you but... his father was no match for the anger that drove Mattheo's magic at that moment."

"Oh my god." Tears begin to stream down my face as I feel the immense amount of worry I have for Mattheo, not wanting to imagine what possibly could've happened to him.

"Voldemort however, after we all combined our strength... we managed to kill him."

"He's dead!?"

"Yes, completely. This was after the war continued and was brought to Hogwarts. Things only settled down a day later." He explains.

"And Mattheo? What about him?"

"He's alive... but he withstood severe injuries Jaya. He's in a coma right now, and we don't know when or if he'll wake up." Theodore's voice begins to break up, and his eyes start to water.

We both sit there crying and I embrace him into a hug, not being able to cope knowing that Mattheo... the boy I love, may possibly never wake up again.

"I have to see him Theo. Please, take me to him."

***

After walking through the infirmary, I realise there's a lot more witches and wizards seeking help than I expected. I even recognise people I know from Hogwarts, possibly getting treatment for their injuries after the war Theo told me about, or maybe even visiting their loved ones.

The place is chaos. People pacing back and forth, even though it's only been a day since the war is over. It only makes me more fearful of what Mattheo's condition could be like, knowing he may have taken a direct hit from his very own father.

We make it to the room where he's being held, and I pause outside of the door, look down and take a deep breath. It takes a lot of courage in me to prepare myself for the emotional turmoil I'm about to face, but I remind myself that I need to be there for him.

I need to see him.

I hold onto my IV pole that I wheeled in with me, and slowly turn the handle. Theodore waits outside as I enter the room, and I look up as the door closes behind me.

Tears immediately spill out of my eyes when I find Mattheo laying there on the hospital bed, with multiple bleeping machines surrounding him, scanning his vitals. An oxygen mask is placed over his mouth and I swear...

I can't hold myself together.

I slowly walk towards him, and stand directly beside the bed. My head hangs low, and I immediately start crying.

"You won Mattheo. He's gone and you're free now. You don't have to run away anymore."

As I say these words through my weeps and tears, I pray that they reach him. That he can hear what I'm saying. I wish that he could open his eyes now, so that I can give him one big hug and reassure him that everything will be alright.

That we can be together without anyone telling us no.

But there's a chance he might never wake up again, and I don't think I could possibly live with that.

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author's note

I nearly cried whilst writing this... sorry my lovely readers for putting you through this💔

If you've enjoyed this story so far, please don't forget to vote⬇️

I love you all and I hope you're doing okay after this chapter🥲 I'll try and update soon🫶🏽