"Regina!" A girlish voice reverberated around like an echo as soon as the young, black-haired woman and the doctor entered the room.
The owner of the voice, thirteen-year-old girl, jumped as soon as she saw her guests and threw her arms around the woman's neck. A few moments later tears were running down her cheeks.
"I'm here, my dear, I'm here now," the woman started quietly, rubbing the girl's back and not paying attention to the other people in the room. "Shh... it's alright, honey. I'm not going anywhere."
"I'm so scared."
"I know." The woman nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. The girl did the same before sniffling and hidding her head in her sister's chest. "But you're not alone anymore. I'm here now, sweetheart."
There was a moment of silence, during which the girl's quiet crying was the only source of sound. In the meantime her sister was rubbing her back and staring blankly on the wall, trying to understand everything that happened.
Her parents, her little sister and her husband were supposed to visit her at the university (she was one of the best students in her year) because they decided that they had barely seen her since she left the town. Daniel, her husband, who lived with her, was supposed to pick up her family and bring them to her.
However, not long after leaving Storybrooke – their family town – they had an accident. A drunk driver hit their car and everyone, except her little sister, was killed. Mary Margaret miraculously stayed unharmed, with only minor injuries. But doctor Whale already informed her that everything would be all right.
"What will happen now?" Regina had to blink several times because her sister's question took her by surprise. She had not even realized that they were left alone in the room. "Will they send me to the system?"
"No," Regina answered firmly. "I won't let that happen as long as I have something to say. I will apply to take care of you."
Mary Margaret sniffled once again.
"Do you promise?"
"I promise, sweetheart," the young woman nodded and kissed her sister's head. "I shall fight for it, if it is the last thing I do."
The next days were very hard.
Mary Margaret had to stay in the hospital for another two days and Regina was busy preparing the funeral and with talking with lawyers. She legally accepted their inheritance from their parents and began to fight for the custody of her sister. She really wished her parents and husband were still alive, so that she would not have to deal with that mess on her own.
"You really need a break, Regina," she heard the woman's voice not so far from her. She slowly raised her head and saw a grey-haired woman, who was looking at her sadly.
Cecilia Lucas, the owner of „Granny's Bed and Breakfast" where she was now, took a seat next to her and put a glass of water in front of her.
"How are you holding up, dear?"
"I don't know," Regina answered honestly and looked at her interlocutor. "It's hard."
"I can only imagine," the older woman nodded and put her hand on her shoulder. "It all happened so suddenly."
Regina just nodded.
"But at least Mary Margaret is all right," she sighed heavily and put her pen on the desk. She was so tired, but she had to finish the documents. "She's with doctor Hopper now. Doctor Whale said that it would be helpful for her if she could talk to a psychologist."
"What about you?" Cecilia asked. "Maybe you should visit him, too. You have been through so much lately, Regina."
The younger woman said nothing, just returned to her work, fighting with tears which appeared in her eyes. Why was all this so hard?
"I just buried my parents and my husband," she started a few moments later. "It's hard, but I can handle it. Besides, Mary Margaret needs me. I have to prove to the court that I am responsible enough to take care of her. I can't let her down. I can't allow her to be in the system."
"Let me tell you something, Regina," the owner of the restaurant started quietly. "I've known you since you were a baby. I know that you're strong and you want the best for your sister, but you need help, too. It's not shameful to ask for help. You know that I and all the citizens are on your side. No matter what. Besides, you need to care for not only Mary Margaret and yourself, but also for this little one growing in your belly."
The black-haired woman said nothing, just threw her arms around Cecilia's neck without thinking and hid her face in her chest.
She really needed someone to hold her in their arms.
"So how was school?" Regina asked her sister as soon as the younger girl left the building and took her waiting hand. "Anything interesting happened?"
"It's school, Regina," The thirteen-year-old rolled her eyes as soon as she heard the question. "How can it be interesting?"
"You tell me, dear. I finished middle school a long time ago. And I liked it then."
"Duh, you don't have to remind me that you're so old."
Hearing her sister's words, the woman chuckled and ruffled her hair.
More than a month had passed since the accident, and the sisters tried to live a normal life. Regina quit her studies to fully devote herself to the care of her sister, so that the girl would not have to change school, and also, she had been elected to be the new Mayor of the town, since the previous one was her father and Regina was studying law, too.
Mary Margaret, on the other hand, kept visiting Doctor Hooper and making progress. In the beginning, she had horrible nightmares and was afraid to approach the car, but it all started changing (however, she still refused to get in the car).
"And how was your day?" the girl asked as soon as they entered „Granny's" where their dinner was waiting. The owner knew that the older sister was busy, so she always had their meals ready for them. "How is little Henry?"
"Well, the doctor said that he's all right. Ready to come to the world in any moment."
Mary Margaret chuckled.
"But it's just the seventh month."
"Tell that to your nephew. I think that he will be a runner in the future. He's really in a hurry all the time."
"Like mother like son," the girl showed off her tongue.
When Regina was younger she was a quite good runner herself. She was one of the best runners in town and won many competitions back then. But then she went to high school and decided that she did not have time for stupid things. She fully devote herself to science and she became the best student Storybrooke High ever had. (And no, it had nothing to do with her mother disapproving her daughter's passion).
"Cheeky," the older sister said. "Just don't forget who's your guardian now and who can kick you out of the house."
"I love you too, sis," Mary Margaret grinned and began eating her dinner.
The young Mayor said nothing, just rolled her eyes and started her meal, too. In the meantime little Henry Daniel Mills-Mavor kicked his mother twice.
Two more months.
Two more months and he would finally say „hello" to the world.
I would like to thank you spiralnebulaM31 for being my beta.
Also, you may find me on tumblr under white-little-devil name.