Regina looked at the clock on the opposite end of the bar. She let out a deep sigh as it read 2 a.m. Between the argument with her sister and the scheme she tried to pull off with Lucy, it had been an utterly exhausting day. All she could think about was falling asleep in her very large, warm bed. She finished sweeping the floor and leaned against the door frame of the bar entrance. She just needed to close her eyes for a few minutes. When she gathered enough strength to get her car keys out, she blinked the sleep from her blurried eyes and locked the front entrance turning off the lights on her way out.
She ignited the engine of her vehicle while reminding herself that she only lived a few short minutes away. As soon as she exited the parking lot, she was keenly aware of how tired she actually was. The sleep in her eyes made her blinks long and slow and the soft glow of the lights blurred street signs together. Her whole body ached from both the stress of recent events and the long, busy day she had with so many customers. She veered slightly off the road and was quickly awaken by the grinding of the road's shoulder on her tires.
She pulled over to the side of the road hoping that another quick rest will allow her to finish her trek home. She picked up her phone debating whether she should call Facilier. He had a strong interest in her and she knew it. Additionally, she had full confidence that he would help her immediately and be a gentleman about it. However, the idea of calling him for help when she was only 2 minutes from her house sounded ridiculous. Gritting her teeth, she reignited the ignition and continued down her usual route. As the blinking of her eyes began to become longer and slower, the blurry vision returned again and she could no longer see the outline of the roads. Suddenly, she heard the sound of her tires grinding against the shoulder of the road and immediately felt a sudden force throw her from the car. The force was so strong and sudden, her seatbelt latch unlocked and she felt herself flying through the glass shield onto the cold, hard concrete. As she landed, she felt no pain but could hear the sound of her ankle and wrist crack.
The adrenaline rushing through her veins kept her from feeling any pain, and a sense of calm and tranquility washed over her. She rolled over and looked at her hands which were covered in small cuts. There was a large shard of glass in her thigh, with blood oozing out of the wound. However, she couldn't help but notice the stars in the sky and noticed how beautiful they looked. How nice it would be to be lying on a picnic blanket right now staring at the glowing lights in the sky. Tilting her head a bit further she could see her car which had completely rolled over. A small fire had started near the engine and billows of smoke rose from her car. She looked up again at the night sky and thought it was a better sight.
Samdi had been up late working in his home office, when he suddenly felt an urge to check on Regina. He had a strange feeling that something was wrong. He called Regina several times, but no one answered. Fortunately, her house was only a few blocks away from his apartment. He cared deeply for her, and the sense of impending doom was an unusual feeling to him. He had just turned the corner when he noticed Regina's car turned over, with large flames enveloping the vehicle. A quick search and he located Regina's body laying lifelessly on the concrete. He rushed to her side and noticed her large brown eyes staring at the sky.
"Regina," he stated calmly, "I am going to get you help." He scanned her body assessing her injuries.
Relief washed over her when she heard his voice. How did he know she was in trouble?
"Did I hurt anybody?" she whispered.
"No," he replied assuringly. "There was nobody else here. Two large tears spilled down her cheeks. She could not bare to know that she had injured or killed someone.
Facilier gently placed his hands under her neck and knees. She grimaced in pain as he lifted her from the ground.
"Shh…" he whispered softly. "Everything will be alright." Facilier gently carried the queen back to his apartment as he heard the nearing sirens of emergency vehicles coming to cover the accident.
Upon arriving to the apartment, Facilier immediately placed Regina on his bed and began looking for any ingredients he may have to heal her. He found several mild potions that would help ease her pain and heal her wounds.
Facilier sat on the bed beside her and explained what he was going to do. "Regina, I have some salve with some magical properties. I am going to clean your cuts and apply it. You should feel better soon."
She grabbed his wrist before he began. "Please, be gentle," she requested. Facilier's heart broke for her. His invincible queen sounded so helpless in that moment. Looking at the glass lodged in her thigh, he knew it would be impossible. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek to assure her that he would do his best.
"We have to get this glass out of your leg before I can apply the balm." A tear rolled down her face again, but she nodded her permission silently. Facilier examined the glass intently. With one quick motion, he pulled the large shard of glass cleanly from her thigh. Regina gritted her teeth and hissed in pain. It was almost unbearable pain. However, within seconds Samdi had cleaned the wound with antiseptic and applied the balm. The balm immediately soothed and dulled the pain, bringing much needed relief. He bandaged her leg and continued cleaning and applying the balm to the other cuts on her body.
"Would you like to tell me what happened?" he casually asked as he took a q-tip to her smaller cuts.
"Not really," she softly replied staring downwards.
"Hmm," was the only sound he made.
Regina sighed heavily and resigned herself to admit her fault. "I was...am so tired. It's been a long day." Samdi knew that the bar had been very busy today and that she was still upset from the earlier altercation with Zelena.
"All done," he smiled.
"Thank you, Samdi. Will you take me home?" she asked him yawning.
"I have a better idea. How about you take a shower and stay here for the night?"
Exhausted, Regina was in no condition to argue and nodded her head slightly in approval. Samdi walked into the adjoining bathroom to warm the shower and then helped Regina get up. She still had a thin layer on her of smoky ash from the wreck and concrete dust. Her body still ached and Samdi had to practically carry her into the stone-slabbed shower. He courteously assisted her in removing her clothing and helped her into the shower. Regina stopped him as he was closing the shower door. "Wait. Would you mind staying?" He knew this was her way of asking for help.
"Of course." He removed his clothing and joined her, maintaining his courteous and gentle dispositions. Her features were beautiful and mesmerizing, but he restrained himself from being anything other than a gentleman. She was exhausted and needed to rest. He washed her hair gently, and bathed her in lavender-scented soap before helping her out of the shower. In the bedroom, there was a pair of luxurious white silk pajamas laying on the bed. The tags had not even been removed.
"I apologize," he stated as he removed the tags."
"Where did you get these?" she asked.
"I had them delivered," he replied.
"At 3 o'clock in the morning?" she asked.
"I have contacts," he smiled.
Soon, they were lying in bed together and it didn't take long for Regina to fall into a deep slumber. Samdi stared at the beautiful queen beside him and knew that she needed to rest. Not just from the accident, but from life. He could tell that the current situation with her family had been taking its toll on her. She could have died from the accident.
It was almost comical that his queen, the Evil Queen, who had won so many battles valiantly could come so close to death by pure exhaustion. He wrapped his arms around his queen and placed one more soft kiss on her cheek.