It was past midnight when Ruby was called in. She sat outside the healer’s office, her knees bouncing up and down nervously. Julian was still awake too, he sat quietly across from her, his head in his hands, shoulders tense but not saying a word.
When a nurse finally opened the door and called her in, Ruby felt like her heart stopped for a second. She got up and stepped inside, her hands cold and clammy. The healer, an older witch with kind eyes but a serious face, was sitting behind her desk. She motioned for Ruby to sit in the chair opposite her.
"Miss Ruby," the healer said softly but firmly, folding her hands on the file in front of her. "I have some things we need to talk about."
Ruby nodded quickly, her eyes darting to the file, her throat dry. "Yes... is Milo okay? Please tell me."
The healer didn’t answer right away. She leaned forward just a bit. "First, I need to ask you something. Have you seen him look very tired? Or maybe you’ve noticed him having trouble breathing? Feeling weak when walking or working?"
Ruby’s mouth parted. Her mind flashed back to just earlier that night—Milo’s soft smile, the way he kept blinking, how he closed his eyes when Karl spun him around. How he tried so hard to hide it with that sweet smile..
She nodded, her voice coming out small. "Yes... tonight, when he was dancing... I thought he looked out of breath. But I didn’t think... I didn’t know..." Her fingers twisted in her robe as she spoke.
The healer’s eyes softened but the line of her mouth stayed tight. She let out a quiet sigh and looked at Ruby with an expression so heavy it made Ruby’s chest squeeze tight.
"Miss Ruby..." she said slowly, choosing each word with care, "your husband has a hole in his heart. It is called a septal defect. He’s had it for a while... maybe even since he was very little. These small holes can sometimes be fine when people are young, but now... it’s causing him trouble."
Ruby’s eyes went wide. She felt her heart drop like a stone. "A... hole? In his heart?" Her voice trembled. "Does that mean...?"
The healer reached out, resting her hand gently over Ruby’s clenched ones. "It means he needs surgery. It is the best way to fix this. If we do nothing... it will only get worse. He might get weaker and weaker. But if we do the surgery, there is a very good chance he can live a long, normal life."
Ruby’s breath caught in her throat. She thought of Milo’s gentle laugh. His tiny moments of pain he never told her about. How he always smiled to hide it. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes but she swallowed them down.
"Will it be dangerous?" she asked in a whisper.
The healer gave a small, honest nod. "Any surgery on the heart is serious. But we have good doctors here. We will take care of him."
Ruby nodded, her eyes staring at the small flower vase on the desk but seeing nothing at all. She felt Julian’s eyes on her through the open door. She turned her head a little, catching his gaze—he looked so tired, so afraid. But Ruby lifted her chin, even when her lips trembled.
"I’ll do whatever you say," she said softly but firmly, her hands gripping the edge of the chair. "Please... do everything you can for him."
The healer squeezed her hands gently, her expression kind. "We will. He is strong. And so are you."
Ruby bit her lip hard, trying to keep her tears inside. She nodded, her voice low. "He’s... he’s my family. He’s our heart. Please save him."
The healer let out a quiet breath and looked straight into Ruby’s eyes. "Miss Ruby, listen to me carefully, alright? Milo will need to stay here in the hospital for some time. Right now he’s too weak for the surgery to be done immediately. We need to make his body a little stronger first."
Ruby sat there, her hands still cold, her heart beating so loud it made her ears ring. She held onto the healer’s every word, not daring to blink too long, afraid she’d miss something important.
She nodded, her throat tight. "How long will that take?" she asked, voice so soft it almost cracked.
"It depends," the healer said honestly. "Maybe a few weeks. Maybe longer. We will give him special medicine to help his heart not work so hard. He’ll need good food, lots of rest, and we’ll watch him day and night. If he gets even a little worse, we will be ready."
Ruby bit her lip, nodding as her mind spun with so many thoughts. "What about after the surgery?"
The healer squeezed her hand a little. "After the surgery, he will need more time to heal. He won’t be able to run around too soon. He’ll need gentle care—no stress, no heavy work, no sudden travel. And you must watch him, even at home."
Ruby’s shoulders dropped as she pictured Milo’s sweet face, always busy helping around the house, cooking beside Julian, giggling with karl... so gentle and careful, but never asking for much.
"He’ll hate being in the hospital so long," she whispered, half-smiling through her worry. "He always wants to help."
The healer gave her a kind, warm look. "Sometimes the ones who care for everyone else forget how to be cared for themselves. You must remind him."
Ruby’s eyes burned with tears she refused to let fall. She nodded. "I will."
The healer pulled a small slip of paper and wrote down some things. "We will do more tests tomorrow morning. You should get some rest tonight too, Miss Ruby. And let your family know—he will be safe here with us. You can see him anytime."
Ruby took the paper with shaking fingers. She stood up slowly, feeling her legs almost give out from how heavy the worry felt in her chest.
"Thank you," she said softly, her voice still trembling but honest. "Thank you for helping him."
—To be continued...🪄