Aurelia feels dizzy the moment she lets her eyes flutter open. The room smells terrible, as all hospitals do for multiple reasons, and the beeping of the machines don't sound for very long before they start to irritate her.

"Hey, welcome back. How are you feeling?" Harry's familiar voice rings sweetly in her ears and the corners of her lips lift up and into a smile despite how awful she feels.

Only a few seconds pass before his hand grips hers gently. His skin is so warm and comforting compared to the empty chill of the room and his hands bring her a nice calm, sense of relief because he's there.

"Like absolute trash." Aurelia laughs halfheartedly because of the effort that it took her to say three words, "How long has it been since they brought me back in?"

Harry checks the clock on the wall, "About four hours or so. If you feel dizzy, the nurse said to just press the button and let them know. They'll come in and adjust your meds so that you're comfortable."

Aurelia nods and sighs deeply because the action only made her more nauseous than before. She really hates this. "Thank God. I'm sorry that you have to deal with this."

She doesn't like that he has to be there with her and see her hooked up to a bunch of monitors with tubes in her arms. It's not something that she ever wanted anyone to see again, especially Harry.

His lips meet a clear spot on her hand and she smiles, "Don't be, it's really alright as long as you're okay. Would you like me to press the call button for you, since they seem to forget that you're very blind?"

Aurelia doesn't even bother to nod this time, her low breaths still haven't made any sort of difference and she really doesn't want to throw up, especially in front of Harry. "Yes, please."

The nurse takes forever and Aurelia feels worse than she has in years. She hates the drugs that the doctors keep her on after a procedure with a fiery passion. They make her feel like she's been back on chemotherapy and she loathes every second of it.

She's miserable and it's clear as day. Harry feels awful, but it was her decision to try the surgeries again and she was well aware of what would happen when she did. It still doesn't make him feel any better and hospitals really don't sit well with him, they've always creeped him out for a reason that he can't place.

Maybe it's because he knows what goes on behind the closed doors, all of the people who have gone through surgery and all of those who die in the right rooms. Whatever it is, he ignores it as best as he can to be there for Aurelia.

Aurelia's fighting off sleep the best that she can, her mind is never a good place after surgery so, the longer that she can stay awake, the better her drug induced dreams will be. "Do...do you know how long I'm supposed to stay for?"

Harry nods and hums so that she knows he heard her, "Five days, just so they can monitor things because, technically, you did have brain surgery. I'm sorry that I can't bring you real food, I know that hospital food is generally trash."

He watches with a small smile as her eyelids flutter with her attempt to stay awake and not succumb to the drug induced sleep. She's so unbelievable strong and he really admires that about her.

Aurelia hums after a moment, his words took a bit longer than usual for her to process because she's slowly losing consciousness. "That's okay. I've...I've gotten used to it over the years."

Harry frowns, it saddens him to know what she's gone through for most of her life. While he was out being a kid and getting into trouble as he grew up, she was in and out of hospitals on a routine basis and she was constantly hoping that she would make it another day so that, one day, she could be normal just like everyone else.

He's asked her about it countless times before, but it was only after she'd completely trusted him with her heart that she decided to tell him. It isn't something that she likes to talk about because it's very depressing and recalling her past brings back those feelings that she can never really get rid of, no matter how happy she is.

Even with Harry in her life, she still has trouble being happy on some days. And that's understandable, she had a rough childhood and everyone has bad days, even Harry who seems like he's constantly happy.

Aurelia can't tell anyone how many nights that she's stayed up with him, talking and comforting him and Harry did the same for her.

"Would you like anything special when we can go home?"

A few long moments of silence pass and Harry thinks that she's finally given in to sleep when her fatigued voice proves him wrong. "Crab legs. I know it's a pain because you have to do pretty much everything for me...but if you wouldn't mind, that would be so...wonderful."

Harry chuckles lightly, his smile returning because she's so considerate even though he's told her countless times that he doesn't mind helping her with everything if he has to. "Crab legs it is. Get some rest sweetheart, your body needs it. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

A soft smile rises to her lips before she takes a moment to coherently collect her thoughts, everything feels blurry and heavy. "I'm not worried about that."

Familiar and loving lips brush against her cheek and Aurelia sighs happily. "Sleep."

Aurelia's voice is light and soft as she replies, "Okay."

She sleeps through most of the day and Harry's been occupying his time by looking up baby stuff and filling out crosswords. When Aurelia finally wakes up, she's wide awake and she wants to do something to occupy her mind instead of just sitting in the room and waiting to be released.

Harry comes up with the idea of playing a game of riddles and she loves it.

"Okay, okay. Uh...I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old, what am I?"

Aurelia grins because she's heard this one before and Harry isn't very good at finding difficult riddles to ask her, "Candle. Wow, either you're going from memory, or google isn't very helpful."

Harry playfully rolls his eyes. She's absolutely adorable even though she's just being herself. "Or maybe I'm just going easy on you because you're pretty and I want you to feel smart."

Aurelia's laugh bounces off the walls and echoes in the busy hall, he certainly knows how to make her happy, "I'm sure that's exactly what you're doing. Next one please."

Harry's grinning with her because even small games like this are so very fun when they involve her. "Alright, Mrs. Smarty Pants. I am not alive, but I grow; I don't have lungs, but I need air; I don't have a mouth, but water kills me. What am I?"

This one has her stumped and he can tell by the look on her face and how she mumbles under her breath that it's taking a lot of thought.

"...not alive but grow...no lungs but need air..."

Harry gives her a few moments before he cheekily asks, "Give up yet, beautiful?"

Aurelia rolls her eyes and scoffs playfully. "Shut up and give me a minute."

Harry holds his hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright."

He knows that she'll get the answer, it's only a matter of time and he's a bit disappointed that he has to wait in silence because it's fun to mess with her.

"Fire! The answer is fire, you smartass!" Aurelia exclaims happily, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Correct! What goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at noon, and three feet in the evening?"

This riddle is a very difficult one that he only knows because one of his teachers had religiously taught Greek literature, and he'll be very impressed if she answers it correctly.

Aurelia recognizes the riddle instantly. She was very fascinated with Greek literature around the time that she lost her sight and her mother was kind enough to read her some of the most renowned works while she tried to learn Braille. The riddle that Harry's just given her is from Oedipus the King.

"Man. The answer is man. I didn't know that you had a particular interest in Greek literature?"

Harry laughs at the notion because he most certainly does not have an interest in Greek literature. "That's because I don't. I just had a teacher who was during grade school, and that particular work was very...memorable..."

He's absolutely right about that. "Good word choice there. What a shame though, I was really into that stuff for a good while. Well, that and everything from a much older era, really."

Harry's incredibly curious now because she hasn't told him this before, "Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have lived in another time period like that?"

Aurelia's smile brightens as she nods, "Yes, just about every time I read an older work or something that takes place in the past. It's kind of hard not to imagine things when you can't see. There are some things that seem wonderful and that I would have loved to have experienced, but there are also other things that give me chills just thinking about them. I also think that we were born in the time period that we were for a reason."

There really aren't any words capable of capturing just how much he adores this woman and, even though he knows her better than anyone else, there's always something new to learn and that's such a wonderful thing to him.

"What do you think your reason is?"

Aurelia blushes and her teeth sink into her lower lip. It's a rather attractive habit that she has when she's embarrassed, nervous, or both.

"Do you really want to know?"

Harry hums and kisses the top of her hand, "I really do."

She sighs lightly as she thinks about the proper way to word her answer without it coming out the wrong way. "I think that the reason I was born when I was, is to change the way that people think about cancer, to change how those who live with it live, and to make as much of a difference in someone's life as I possibly can. I think that I was put here to make a difference, even if it ends up being a small one. And, a selfish little part of me likes to think that I was born when I was so that I could love you and so that you could love me when no one else would."

There's a long silence and she's afraid that she's said something wrong. Her lips part to apologize when he finally speaks up, "That, is the most beautiful thing that I've ever heard, save for your name of course. Have I ever told you just how remarkable that you are?"

Aurelia flushes a shade deeper. She can hear the smile in his voice and something about that makes her feel so very, very alive. "Only every day."

Harry nods and his tongue darts out briefly to wet his lips, "Good."

"What about you? What's your reason?"

In all honesty, he doesn't really know how to answer. He's never really felt like he was called to do anything before and he's only ever really been passionate about four things: his family, his journals, music, and the pretty girl with the bright blue eyes.

And so, he answers her the best that he can with what he knows about himself. "I don't really know. But, I do know that I was certainly born when I was to show you the love that you deserve, and to help ease your burden because you and I both know that it's hard to make a difference, especially when you still have your bad days. I was definitely born when I was, to be yours and there is no doubt in my mind about that."

A few tears slide down her cheeks and he gently wipes them away with his thumb, a small smile present on each of their lips as he does so.

These tears are different from her usual sorrowful tears, these tears are joyful and Harry knows it without her having to say a single word. "I love you so much."

Harry presses his lips to hers, his palm resting against her tear stained cheek, "I love you so much more."