Regina was never fond of hospitals. Most of her experiences weren't something she wanted to remember; all the broken bones, cuts that required stitches and the concussions she suffered through. She was reckless as a child, and she was also a clumsy thing—not the best combination. She'd mount her bike and attempt to ride it down the steps, and then end up falling face-first into the concrete ground instead, or insist on playing hockey with her cousin and his friends, then get distracted for a split second and slam right into the glass. She always laughed it off, though. Even when it hurt so bad and tears were pouring down her face, she'd still laugh over the incident.

So hospitals were something she couldn't stand after visiting them so frequently.

But, not all her visits were so dreadful. There was one pleasant memory out of the bunch—the birth of her son, Henry.

As painful and as stressful as that day was, it was one of the happiest days of her life.

Henry was planned. He wasn't the product of a one-night stand or a relationship that fell through, no, that wasn't why she was sitting at the waiting room on her own. He was planned because she was nearly thirty-two-years old then and had never been in a real relationship. She couldn't be, not when all her first dates ended up tragically.

There was the guy that spent the entire dinner gloating over all the money he had, and then suggested going dutch—which was fine, it didn't bother Regina. She was more than capable of paying for herself. However, he ended up slipping enough money just to cover his drink, leaving her to take care of the rest. The son of a bitch ordered a lobster dinner that night.

Then there was the one who chose her food for her. She didn't sit through the date for another second, she gathered her things and left before the drinks even arrived. Or the know-it-all who wouldn't shut up about every little thing he knew. She returned home knowing that crocodiles couldn't stick out their tongues, snails can sleep for three years and the original name for the butterfly was a flutterby. She didn't know how true these facts were and, quite frankly, she didn't care.

She had a terrible luck with men, so an anonymous sperm donor it was.

She didn't regret going down that road, not at all, not even when she had no one to hold her hand through labor and when she gave birth to her son. It was still the best decision she ever made. On the other hand, she hated not having someone with her to keep her company in the meantime and reassure her that everything will be just fine.

It wasn't like the surgery would take forever, nor was it something that hasn't been done almost every single day all across the globe. It was a tonsillectomy. The doctor promised her it would take less than an hour, and her boy will be in and out before she knew it. But it'd only been ten minutes since and it felt like a lifetime had gone by, and she was growing more and more agitated by the minute, huffing and shifting relentlessly in her spot.

"Milady?"

Regina's brows flew to her hairline at the word and she glanced up from her phone, only to find a pair of calm, ocean blues staring down at her. She looked to her right and then her left before gazing up again and pointing a finger to herself. "Are…you talking to me?"

The man chuckled, a warmhearted sound bubbling out of his chest, and he nodded. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, but you seem a little troubled. Which, I understand, we're in a hospital's waiting room." He scratched the nape of his neck and flashed her a sheepish smile, one she found herself returning.

"My son," she answered, gesturing a thumb down the corridor that led to the operation room. His expression softened, almost sympathetically. "It's nothing serious, he's just getting his tonsils removed. I just…I overthink too much and worry myself over nothing. Think of all the terrible scenarios of all the things that could go wrong."

"Completely understandable." He pointed to the seat next to her, and she nodded. He sat down beside her and continued, "Believe it or not, my son is getting his tonsillectomy today, too."

"Is he?"

He hummed with a smile. "I think he's rather excited, though. You know, over getting all the ice cream his little heart desires."

Regina laughed. That would explain why a little boy would be excited over a surgery. What child wouldn't be so eager to have ice cream whenever they pleased? "How old is he?"

"Five. Yours?"

"Henry turned six just a couple of months ago."

"Do they finally outgrow their terrible twos by then?" he joked, the desperation in his voice added to the little pout he gave made her laugh.

She never understood the term terrible twos—it lasted an extra three years before her boy's tantrums subsided.

"I'm Robin, by the way," he introduced, extending a hand, and she took it, giving it a friendly shake.

"Regina."

"Regina," he repeated, his smile widening, presenting her with the dimples on either side of his cheeks. "It's lovely meeting you."

Thirty minutes passed before her son was escorted out of the operation room and taken into his own to rest and recover. Thirty minutes that flew by in a blink as she chatted away with the stranger she befriended. They talked and talked about whatever came into their minds first, about their children, the silly things the boys did, and they exchanged a few parental tips to help one another, and about his move from London to Maine.

He was a nomad, he told her. He never liked the idea of being rooted to one place when the world had so much to offer. He started off by visiting Ireland, the birth place of his parents, then travelled down to Austria, spent his days chasing waterfalls and laying in the beautiful nature it offered, and then he crossed France and Spain off his list before deciding to take it a step further and travel to the United States. That was when he met his son's mother. Marian. She knocked him off his feet, quite literally, when she ran into him to get to her work, and he fell in love with her then.

Sadly, their love story only lasted for three years. She passed away in a fatal car accident, leaving him behind to care for an infant on his own.

Regina sympathized with him, offered her condolences and he thanked her for it, and then just like that, he shifted from the heavy subject to something light, making her laugh all over again at the stories he willingly shared.

It's been a couple of hours since she saw Robin, and his son's operation had to be done by now. She felt bad for not being there for him the way he was for her, give him the company he gave her, but she couldn't possibly leave Henry alone in the recovery room for half an hour, even if he was still unconscious.

Regina glanced up at the clock and sighed at the time; just a little past five in the afternoon. She was starving, she hadn't eaten anything since last night's dinner, too nervous to manage anything down. But her stomach demanded food, growling embarrassingly loud. So she kissed her sleeping son's forehead and whispered a promise to return in a minute before heading out and down the corridor to the vending the machine at the end of it.

It wasn't the healthiest option, but it'll do. It'll keep her satisfied for a while.

There were too many choices for her to pick from, she felt like a kid again, wondering if she should spend a dollar on a candy or a savory snack. She settled on both. She was an adult, she'll get whatever she damn well pleased.

She grabbed herself a packet of salt and vinegar chips, a bag of peanut M&M's and a bottle of water.

On the way back to Henry's room, she saw Robin leaving the one just two doors down. Her stomach flopped and her heart fluttered, and she swallowed the chocolate she was chewing when he looked up at her and grinned.

"I didn't think I'd be seeing you at all after our little chat earlier," he said. "How's your boy?"

"Good, he's good. He's still out cold," she chuckled. "How's Roland doing?"

"Not any different. I'm glad he's resting, though. I know he won't be as excited over the ice cream when he wakes up sore and all." His smile widened and he motioned in front of them. "I was just going to grab me a bite, would you like to join me?"

"I'm good," she declined, holding up the snacks she just purchased.

"That's hardly food, Regina."

"I know. I just…don't really feel comfortable leaving Henry alone for too long," she confessed. "I'm the type of person that—"

"Overthinks stuff," he finished for her, then laughed. "Let me bring you something with me at least."

"Oh, you really don't have to."

"I insist."

"But Robin—"

"No, no. No buts. You need to eat…more than just crisps and chocolate. Now, any preferences?"

She shook her head at this stubbornness but smiled at the goofy grin he flashed her. "Fine. You know what, surprise me."

He surprised her alright.

"What's all this?" Regina gaped, looking through everything he brought with wide eyes.

He showed up with a bag full of goodies; sandwiches, pre-packaged fruits, a few snacks and drinks. Far too much for a single person to devour.

"I wasn't sure what to get you," he easily said, shrugging his shoulders.

"So you bought the whole store?"

"Well, the business seemed kinda slow," he joked. "I'd like to think I was doing them a favor."

"You're crazy," she laughed, setting the bag down by the foot of the bed. "Thank you, though."

"My pleasure." He stood quietly by the doorframe for a moment, holding her gaze with a smile, then pushed himself away and clasped his hands in front of him. "Well, I better get going. Return to Roland before Will loses his mind out of boredom," he chuckled, and waved in her direction, adding, "and let you rest a bit before your boy wakes up."

"Robin, wait." A smile formed on her lips when he halted and looked back at her. She got up and cleared her throat. "I…was wondering if you and your son would like to…join me and Henry tomorrow for some ice cream?" She folded her arms over her chest and glanced back at her sleeping son, then at Robin again. "They're keeping him overnight, but the doctor said he should be good to go in the morning."

It wasn't something she often did, going around and asking people if they'd like to join her and Henry for ice cream. She wasn't exactly a social butterfly, she loved being left alone, quite enjoyed it actually. But she liked Robin, and maybe she wanted to get to know him better, and, well, that was her best excuse. It was stupid, but he broke into a smile and nodded his head.

"I think Roland would like that very much."

"And…his dad?"

His smile grew then, baring his pearly whites and his eyes crinkled. "I would love that."