THE TEST
"The magic moment is that in which a 'yes' or a 'no' may change the whole of our existence"
-Paulo Coelho
Enchanted Forest
The night was young and the music coming from inside the tavern was reverberating against the frightened frame of the queen.
She stood against the door...
Contemplating...
Entering this tavern will change her life forever...
She doesn't know if she's willing to make that kind of sacrifice...
She sighed and turned away.
She started to retreat when a voice called on her...
"Milady..."
And she knew that in that moment, she will never be able to turn her back away from the blue orbs that make her entire soul sing...
Maine
Regina was frozen as the bittersweet reunion took place before her eyes.
Marion, Robin's undead wife, is standing in front of her, within the arms that held her just moments ago.
She cannot help but drown in a multitude of emotions trying to crash against her stone cold persona...
She was doing fine in pretending until Roland...
That sweet, sweet boy whose dimples is enough to make all the pain go away, went to the woman and called her "mama"
She knows it is Marion's right...
Afterall, she really is Roland's mother.
Her heart was aching...
So she turned around and walked away as fast as her legs would carry her...
Because at that time, she wasn't sure
how far her magic would take her...
She took stride after stride, not looking back...
She failed to witness the little boy she so love collapse against the arms of the man that makes all wrong... Right.
"Your son has leukemia" Dr Whale said to the parents of the little child lying in the hospital bed.
"What does that mean?" Asked the father
"Leukemia is the cancer if the bone marrow, the tissue in the bone that produces that blood cells that serve as the body's protector" he tried to explain in the simplest form the medical vocabulary can be stated.
"However, your son's bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells that do not function properly..."
"So what do we do to save him?" Marion finally voiced out despite the confusion that the modernity of the times is causing.
"We'd have to have him undergo several rounds of chemo until the cancer cells are in remission and then we'd have the stem cell transplant. We have everything we need for the former but the latter is trickier. We'd have to harvest the marrow from his relatives most probably you or Marion. However, there is a chance of a mismatch. That's where it gets harder..."
Robin Hood's world turned upside down in a matter of moments.
First with Regina and now, Roland...
He cant bear the thought of losing hin against this.
They've gone through curses and magic and now... Science finally came to screw him up.
On the other side of the town, inside the semi lit crypt that provides a peculiar sense of safety, Regina watches Roland sleep from her mirror.
Her heart pains for him.
She hates to see him in pain and for the past couple of days, it is all that he's been feeling.
If only she could take it all away.
The results of the cross matching of the marrow came negative on both sides.
Everyone was gloomy but none as Robin and Regina.
They pain for the little boy that turn their world around.
It wasn't until Granny that the mood was lifted.
Years of living in Storybrooke with her stubborn grand daughter and a wide screen television has taught her quite a number of things, especially that her favourite show is a medical documentary.
She suggested that they hold a drive where everyone who wants to help will get the chance to have their blood tested against Roland, in hopes of finding a donor.
But it was not working.
A hundred samples later and they could find no match.
They were all losing hope until Regina gathered the courage to hand over a sample and get cross matched.
And for the first time in forever, fate finally sided with her.
The pain of a 14 gauge needle is nothing compared to the surging happiness her heart was oozing with.
99.9 Percent match.
Said the results.
She wasted no time.
The moment that Roland was in remission and healthy enough to undergo the procedure, she did not hesitate.
And after a couple of months, the little boy she loves so much finally became better.
His colour returned.
He regained weight.
But most importantly, his smile is back.
And that alone is enough to alleviate all the pain she's gone through over the years.
One fine morning, as she was walking in Main Street, the little bundle of energy bumped against her.
"Gina!!" He screamed in enthusiasm and hugged her so tight she did not want to ever let go.
She hugged him too.
Just as hard.
And he whisphered, "Thank you for saving me. You're my hero"
Regina's heart flew in the ninth cloud.
She'd never exchange this moment with anything.
"And you're mine" she whispered back and kissed his head as lovingly as she can.
Robin Hood can only smile.
"Paging Dr Whale, laboratory please" echoed the speaker in the lounge where the doctor was.
His mind was boggle. It still is.
And that page would answer all of his questions.
He went to the lab and procured the results of the test he has signed to go on.
And as he opens the result, his suspicions were all confirmed.
Combined parental index: 661, 985
Probability of parentage: 99.99998
Name of Child: Roland Hood
Name of Mother:...
REGINA MILLS