Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time.
"He can wait."
Emma Swan was almost, but not quite regretting her decision about Hook. She had been so preoccupied by the stranger in the other car, that she hadn't noticed when Hook's eyes had rolled back and he had lost consciousness. It hadn't been very unexpected, especially since Rumple had almost choked him to death only a few minutes before. Emma had watched rather worriedly as the medics had loaded both men into the ambulance and set off for the Storybrooke hospital. Hook had been frighteningly still and pale on the stretcher as the medic folded blankets around him. Now Emma was sitting in an uncomfortable, stereotypical hospital chair waiting for news of Belle, Hook, and the stranger.
"Sherriff!" One of the nurses came frantically rushing in, looking as though she was about to lose her mind.
"What? Did you find out who-" Emma started as she stood up, immediately alert.
"No, it's Mr. Jones. He's not responding well to being treated."
Emma rolled her eyes at Hook's theatrics. She could only imagine how Hook was dealing with the current situation.
She followed the nurse into the room where Hook was being kept. Said pirate was currently fighting off Dr. Whale and at least three other nurses. All of whom looked harried and definitely annoyed. Emma strode over and grabbed Hook's good arm. She pulled a pair of handcuffs from her pocket and forcefully fastened one around his wrist and the other around the bedrail. Hook paused his struggles and looked up at her, an unusual amount of pain flaring in his eyes.
"Lass, would you be so kind as to remove this?" Hook jerked his wrist against the metal cuff, immediately gasping sharply as his cracked ribs protested at the movement.
One of the nurses hurried over to Hook's side, and rolled up the sleeve of his hospital gown. Hook was still too busy fighting the handcuff and pleading with Emma to release him to notice that the nurse was injecting something into his arm.
However, once the needle was in his arm, Hook immediately began to flail, managed to knock over several machines and monitors. Emma and Dr. Whale instantly pinned him down to the bed, the blankets tangling around all three of them as Hook continued to thrash. Emma was almost frightened by the look of fear on Hook's face as he gasped and struggled.
"Killian, you need to calm down! It'll help with the pain!" Emma tried to calm Hook down. Hook desperately shook his head, sweat beading on his forehead as he fought against her hold.
"Get the bloody hell away from me!" panted Hook as he struggled to throw off Emma and Dr. Whale.
"I don't want to calm down!" Hook yelled. He managed to sit up halfway, but Dr. Whale pushed him firmly back against the bed.
Finally, Emma succeeded in subduing Hook just enough that the nurse could finish giving the pirate the sedative. Hook scowled as best he could at Emma, wincing at the suddenly overpowering pain in his ribcage. The poke to his ribs had hurt him enough that he had stopped struggling.
"He should be asleep in a few minutes," Dr. Whale announced as the nurse finally slid the needle out of Hook's arm. The pirate tried to curl up and away from everyone, although the mess of blankets and various pieces of medical equipment hampered him.
"I have some questions for him" Emma said.
"Please don't take too long, he will be asleep in less than five minutes" Dr. Whale said as he ushered the nurses out of the room, leaving Emma with a very sleepy Hook.
"Hook. Stay awake" Emma came to stand over the pirate.
He gave her a very glassy-eyed and cheeky grin. Emma just glared back in response.
"Where's Cora?" she asked.
"Who?" Hook stared up at her in obvious confusion. Emma sighed, she was beginning to think there was no point in questioning Hook any further. Not when he was more or less drugged out of his mind.
"Cora. You know who. Where is she?" Emma demanded.
"I don' know who you're talkin' 'bout…" Hook's voice became increasingly slurred and his eyelids fluttered down to half-mast.
"Get some sleep" Emma turned away from the sleepy pirate.
Hook immediately grabbed her wrist, his grip loose but still tight enough to stop her from leaving.
"Kee' me comp'ny, love?" he asked softly.
"No, I-" Emma relented as she looked down at the sedated and rather vulnerable pirate. His eyes were wearily slipping shut and he kept forcing them open. It was obviously getting harder for him, but Hook seemed desperately intent on fighting sleep. He shifted slightly, his body already exhausted from both his earlier struggles and the sedative.
"Fine. Five minutes." Emma seriously doubted Hook would be conscious for any longer than two minutes. She settled herself on the edge of Hook's bed.
He locked his fingers around her wrist, his grip tightening and slackening as he fought the ever-increasing need for sleep. Emma absentmindedly started to run her fingers through Hook's short and rather spiky hair. She remembered how his face had looked just before Rumple had kicked him. He had been hell-bent on getting revenge and then Rumple completely destroyed any hope he had. She remembered how vulnerable Hook had looked, unconscious in the ambulance. And now, struggling against sleep, Hook looked even more helpless and lost. Emma looked down to find Hook hanging onto the last shreds of consciousness, his grip on her wrist almost nonexistent.
"I like that" he murmured, his head lolling loosely on the pillow.
"Like what?" Emma's hand froze in his hair.
"That…" Hook's breathing was already even and slow. He struggled to keep his eyes open for one last time and Emma had to smile.
"Y'look like an angel…" Hook's voice finally trailed off and his eyelids fluttered shut.
"I'm certainly not an angel," Emma muttered, glancing down at Hook's surprisingly peaceful, sleeping face.
Okay, so my first Once Upon a Time fanfic! I'd love if you could tell me what you thought of this and if there's anything I could fix with the characters!
