A/N: Anyone else really needing their Once Upon A Time fix? I know I am! Although good luck to my Rumbelle shipper heart... that ship has well and truly sunk for sure. Whilst the Evil Queen is just precious in my eyes, she needs to back Zelena and back the fuck up from Rumple... GoldenQueen is a big NO NO!
Anyway, Sunday/Monday morning is almost here for us all... the sooner it arrives, the better!
Once again, this is a one-shot story - I am working up to multi-chapters again, don't worry!
Enjoy!
"I knew I should have worn more than just my jacket." Emma says, wrapping her arms tighter around her body as she steps over a large root. "My poor coat is all lonely back at the Station; where it is warm."
"I did warn you that it is cold out here, love. You saw that when I returned from the docks this morning." Killian says from his place beside her as they walk. He places a kiss to the side of her face, registering the cold of her skin. "Even more so considering that the rain has not stopped."
They were finishing their lunch of Granny's take-out when Emma received the call at the Sheriff Station. A group of teenagers has been on a hike together when one of them had become trapped - requiring their Saviour and Sheriff to help them. Killian had quickly offered to come along so Emma would not be alone out in the woods since David's shift was not for another hour. Now, they are nearing the toll bridge, yet there has been no sign of the teenagers.
Emma pushes her soaked hair away from her forehead for the fifth time, regretting not tying it up that morning, and sighs.
"If only I could control the weather." she mumbles to herself and hears a slight chuckle from Killian, signalling that he heard her words.
"I understand that completely, love. Rough seas can be hard to master at times." he says and presses a kiss to her temple, droplets of water falling from the clumped tendrils of wet hair plastered to his forehead.
They walk in a comfortable silence, Emma now holding Killian's hand tight in her own, looking around for the teenagers.
"Perhaps we should look else- ah!" Emma screams out, her legs quickly giving out which sends her crashing to the floor, causing her to hit her head strongly on a sharp rock.
"Emma!" Killian shouts, quickly kneeling beside his love; fear gripping him when he sees the arrow shaft that is protruding from her left shoulder. "Emma? Emma, love. Come on."
Placing his hand carefully beneath her neck to keep her head relatively still, Killian pulls Emma over so she is laying more on her back but still off of the wound. Blood is pouring from a deep gash on her forehead and her skin is already so pale thanks to the cold.
"Come on, love." he begs, knowing not to jostle her so the injury becomes worse. "Wake up. Please."
Emma does not respond and Killian looks around the woods, unable to spot the assailant around and between the trees. The rain partially obscuring his vision is not helping him either. He turns back to Emma, running his thumb over her cheek in the hopes that she will respond; but she doesn't.
Killian raises his hand and burrows it inside his jacket, extracting his phone. He swiftly finds David's name in his small contacts list and begins to make the call. However, a loud beep rings in his ear and he pulls his phone back into view to see that there is no service.
"Bloody hell!" he shouts loudly, locking the device and putting it back in his pocket. He looks at the wound on Emma's head, courtesy of the rock, and sees that blood is still flowing quickly. "It looks like I am carrying you back then, Emma. You'll be alright." He breathes deep for a moment, his hand stroking her cheek. "You'll be alright."
He stands up, scanning the trees once more, before crouching down and placing his arms beneath Emma's body to lift her up. He is stopped quickly as he begins to straighten, an arrow suddenly lodging itself just above the back of his right knee. He manages to put Emma down, jostling her too much for his liking, before falling himself, pain radiating from the wound.
Killian quickly takes a firm hold of the arrow shaft and grits his teeth, pulling it out of his leg in one fluid movement. He throws it roughly to one side and puts his hand over his wound which makes him hiss. He pulls his arm up and is relieved to see that the wound is not too bad, nor the blood flowing out too quickly. The pirate then moves back to Emma.
The arrow shaft has broken and been pushed deeper into her shoulder. Killian moves his hand on her back, realising that like her head wound, this one is bleeding quite heavily. A groan from Emma as she begins to regain consciousness makes Killian turn her back over slightly so she can see his face.
"Emma? Open your eyes for me, love." Killian tries to keep his voice level, but fails.
Emma groans again, her eyes fluttering open. There is a moment where she simply does nothing... but then she begins to sob in pain.
"Where am I?" she chokes out and Killian strokes her soaked hair, removing the droplets of rain from her face and trying to use his body to shield her eyes from the falling droplets.
"We are in the woods, Emma." he says, leaning over her even more to keep eye contact better.
"Why?"
Killian's heart breaks at the vulnerability in her voice; the strong pain there too. He continues his soothing strokes in her hair, recognising that Emma is highly concussed from her head injury.
"We went to find those teenagers, didn't we?" Killian's voice is impossibly soft to try and calm Emma down.
Emma continues to sob, everything too much in her concussed state.
"Where am I?" she asks again and Killian's heart drops.
'Stay calm. Stay calm, for her.' he thinks to himself, inhaling a deep breath to calm him before answering Emma.
"We are out in the woods, sweetheart." Killian repeats, his voice even softer.
"I can't see properly." Emma sobs, moving her head.
"No, stay still." Killian says, stilling her head with his hand. "It is going to be alright."
"It's all blurry." Emma says, her breathing picking up as her panic builds. "Why is it blurry?"
"You're alright, love. Just focus on me, stay calm." Killian soothes, wincing strongly when he shifts his leg.
"Everything is dizzy, and dark." Emma slurs and Killian strokes her cheek, keeping his eyes on hers. She begins to shiver violently due to the cold air and rain. "Make it stop."
Killian's heart lurches at her words and he feels so hopeless - unable to help her.
"It's alright." he finds himself saying again. He sees Emma's eyes becoming heavier with each second and he wishes with every fibre of his being that he could make it stop.
"I don't want to die." Emma slurs and Killian presses a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"That will not be happening, Emma. Trust me, I will do whatever I can to help you." Killian vows and helplessly watches as Emma loses consciousness once more.
Killian gently rolls Emma to have another look at the wound caused by the arrow. He notices a blue shine on the broken shaft where it isn't coated in her blood.
"Bloody hell." he mutters to himself and moves into a crouch. He has to clench his jaw to stop himself crying out; the pain in his leg increasing tenfold. He once again places his arms beneath Emma before successfully lifting her up, ensuring no pressure is applied to her shoulder wound. Killian cringes when her head lolls against his shoulder but knows this is how she will get the help she desperately needs.
Killian limps back the way they had come, his leg continuously giving out but he is determined to continue regardless.
"Emma?! Killian?!"
The pirate immediately recognises the voice and stops moving.
"Dave! Over here!" he shouts to get the Prince's attention. A moment later, David appears as he runs towards them.
"What happened?" David asks and quickly takes Emma into his arms, his heart stopping at the sight of so much blood; and that is only on her head.
Killian stumbles on the spot, his face pale like Emma's, before replying.
"Some lad got stuck and as we went to find them, Emma was hit then so was I trying to get her help." he explains, his vision beginning to blur as he continues to lose blood.
"My truck is just the other side of those trees. We will wait for the ambulance there." David says.
"No signal." Killian breathes out, stumbling again.
"There is back at the truck. Come on." David says hastily, swiftly walking back to his truck.
Killian stumbles more as he limps, grabbing hold of trees to help him along. He does not care that David has gone ahead, preferring that Emma be the priority over him. When he finally arrives back at the truck, he sees that Emma has been laid across the backseats, a blanket over her and a bloodied cloth in David's hand from where he has been trying to stem the bleeding on her forehead.
"Get in the front seat, Killian." David says, adjusting the blanket around his daughter.
Killian obeys but halfway there, his leg gives out completely and he falls heavily to the ground. David rushes over and help him stand up on his left leg before helping him into the passenger seat. He reclines it back so Killian is partially laying down in the hopes that he will stay awake.
"I have called an ambulance and they will be here soon." David says to him.
Killian nods and then his head drops to his chest, too heavy for him to raise back up.
"Emma-" he mumbles.
"Will be alright." David interrupts. "Now, breathe and try to stay awake for me." He places his hand on Killian's cheek and raises his head so panicked eyes meet lethargic orbs. "They aren't far away now, Killian. Keep your eyes open."
The sound of faint sirens briefly reaches Killian's ears before all sounds fade. Killian looks up at David who is saying something but nothing at all is registering to his brain. The pain in his leg disappears and his vision goes black as unconsciousness claims him.
...
Killian wakes as a needle is pushed into the back of his hand so drugs can be administered as they are now on route to the hospital.
"Emma..." Killian croaks and the paramedic holds his shoulder down when he tries to sit up despite the wooziness in his head.
"She is right here. We are doing what we can in here but the doctors at the hospital will have to work their magic." he says before pushing some drugs into Killian's cannula.
"I need to see her." Killian says but feels his limbs swiftly growing heavy. A mask is placed over his face and as much as he wishes to remove it, he cannot. "Emma-"
"It is alright." the paramedic says, trying to keep Killian calm. "It is just something to help you out whilst the doctors look you and Emma over. Just relax now, Mr. Jones."
"But, Emma..." Killian's words are muffled by the oxygen mask and are slurred, his eyes closing.
"Just relax now. You are going to be fine."
...
It doesn't take long for Killian to disobey Doctor Whale's orders to stay in bed once the pirate wakes in his hospital bed. He was informed that his injury was not severe and will heal completely if he remains resting in bed. But it was impossible for Killian to lay there for more than a few minutes before his drug hazed mind focused solely on Emma.
He awkwardly pulls his dressing gown tighter to his body as he sits on the edge of the bed. His right arm is connected to various wires - which he has been strongly ordered not to pull out - which makes it awkward to pull on his muddy shoes. On the small table to the side of his bed lies his hook attached to his brace, his rings beside the small lamp there. He picks up the brace and quickly pulls it on, buckling the straps to keep it in place.
Killian's gazes goes around the small ward he has been placed in and is relieved to see that there are currently no nurses or doctors loitering around. He grabs the IV stand that currently holds a small bag of blood, half full, and a bag of saline and uses it to help pull himself up to standing. He withholds his loud groan as the pain increases and limps slowly out of the ward. He goes down the corridor, looking inside each room until he locates Emma.
He stops outside her room, looking at her still form on the bed. Her skin is still pale but the wound on her forehead has been stitched up and he can see the large white bandage on her left shoulder, peeking out from beneath her hospital gown.
Killian moves inside, gingerly lowering himself into the chair right beside the bed. His hand, ring free, clasps her left hand which cold despite the numerous blankets over her body. He smiles when he sees that her ring still sits upon her finger; a modest diamond set within a golden band - the gold from a coin from on top of the beanstalk - specially engraved with a swan and hook forming a heart on the inside.
He lifts her hand to his lips, pressing a firm kiss on her knuckles before resting her hand back on the bed, pulling the blankets to cover the appendage up in an attempt to warm her up further. Killian's gaze then rises to her face and her hair, freshly brushed. He frowns, knowing that Snow is responsible for such a thing but confused about where she could be - along with everyone else.
Killian is drawn out of his musings when the sound of a groan reaches his ears. Despite his own injury and pain, he stands so he is hovering above Emma; his hand running soothingly in her hair to help calm her - a gesture he knows works thanks to her nightmares.
"I'm here, Emma." he says softly as her eyes open, her gaze unfocused. "You're alright, my love."
"Where am I?" she asks, her voice rough. "Everything is blurry."
"We are in the hospital, love. Do you remember what happened?"
Emma frowns, her hands coming out from beneath the blankets. Her left hand comes up to grip his wrist, the diamond glinting for a moment, and Killian raises his hook for her to grasp in her right hand, which she does.
"I remember falling... and pain?" she says, her words ending as a question as her memory remains fuzzy, hidden beneath layers of concussion and medication.
"Aye, love." Killian confirms, looking in her eyes and seeing that her gaze is clearer.
"Why are you in a hospital gown?" she asks. "Are you hurt?"
"It is nothing, love." Killian dismisses, leaning against the bed more to reduce the pressure on his leg.
"Killian..."
The pirate sighs, continuing his hand movements in her hair.
"I tried getting you help after you were attacked but as I was picking you up, whoever shot you shot me too, on the back of my knee." he says and Emma's grip increases alongside the heartrate monitor doing the same, the beeps almost becoming louder as they speed up. "It wasn't too bad so I pulled out the arrow, picked you up and got to the edge of the woods when your father arrived."
"You could have made your leg worse, Killian. Why did you bloody do that?"
"How could I not? Your life will always be put before mine, Emma. I would have rather lost my leg than leave you so badly injured in the woods."
A few tears escape Emma's eyes as she looks at her fiancé before her.
"Sit down, Killian. Rest that leg, please." Emma says softly and Killian complies once he has pulled the chair as close as he can to the bed.
He grips her hand tightly in his and presses another kiss to her knuckles, his thumb brushing over her ring.
"I love you so much." he whispers, connecting his gaze to Emma's.
"I love you too." Emma says, her eyes heavy as the drugs work around her system.
"Go back to sleep, love. You need rest." Killian says and turns when he hears multiple sets of feet, all in a rush.
"-should have stayed in bed." Whale's voice reaches him.
Snow suddenly comes though the door, followed by Doctor Whale, David, Henry and Regina.
"I told you he would be in here." Snow says to Whale. "It was going to happen regardless since you split them."
Henry moves over to the opposite side of the bed to Killian and squeezes Emma's arm, being careful of the tubes there. Emma smiles sleepily at her son to reassure him.
"It's alright, kid." she says and lifts her hand to brush away stray tears from his face. She shifts ever so slightly in the bed. "Come here."
Henry climbs onto the bed, into the small space beside Emma and rests his head on her right shoulder. Her hand runs through his hair and she watches Whale in the corner of her eye as he adds some medication to her IV line.
"What exactly happened to me?" Emma asks. "My shoulder feels really weird."
"We have numbed it for now so the pain isn't too much for you." Whale explains, picking up the chart from the end of the bed and adding his observations. "The arrow was lodged quite deeply into your shoulder but thankfully missed anything important. However, the arrow was laced with some form of poison."
"Poison?" Emma questions.
"David called me and I saw it immediately." Regina says. "It is a poison that encourages a very painful death but is only used on those who have magic as it extracts it. Thankfully, that is not until the final stage which we just managed to avoid."
Henry leans in to Emma more and she realises just how scared he must have been to receive the news about the attack and the state she was in. She presses a lingering kiss to his forehead and continues her hand in his hair.
"What about the antidote?" Killian asks.
"It was administered about ten minutes after I arrived here." Regina says. "For it to work effectively, you need to stay here for at least three days Emma and rest."
Emma groans which makes everyone chuckle lightly.
"You, Captain, must do the same." Whale orders. "Back to bed is the best place for you right now. You have some strong meds in your system and I am surprised you managed to get here from your ward on your own."
Killian shakes his head. "No bloody chance with how bloody far I am away from Emma."
"Killian-" David tries but is interrupted.
"No, not happening. I am staying close to my fiancée; end of discussion." Killian says, his voice firm.
"How about we put you next door?" Snow starts, her voice light. "The room is unoccupied and much more private and closer than the ward." She turns to face Doctor Whale. "Can we have that organised? That way, your patient will almost certainly listen to you."
Whale thinks about it for a moment before nodding. "There is already a bed there. I will have someone bring your things over for you."
"Thank you." Snow says and moves over to Killian. "Come on then. Let's get you to bed - I will not take no for an answer."
Killian sighs but nods in acceptance. He stands, groaning slightly before kissing Emma.
"I love you." she mumbles.
"I love you too." Killian replies. He smiles slightly and removes his hook from its brace. "Keep it safe for me, love."
"Always." Emma says, grabbing hold of it and pressing it against her chest; a comfort blanket of sorts.
Killian presses another kiss to Emma's lips before straightening and grabbing hold of his IV stand. He is grateful for the support that Snow kindly offers him as he reluctantly limps from the room, away from his fiancée; for now.
...
"For the sake of your leg, please stay in bed, Killian." Snow says, adjusting the blankets around his frame once he is laying down. "I know it is hard for you and Emma to be apart, but for now it is best; for the sake of both of your health."
Killian settles into the uncomfortable bed further but stops at the look Snow is giving him.
"Is something wrong?" he asks and Snow shakes her head.
"Despite your injury and the risk on your life, you made sure that Emma would get the help she needed." Snow states with slight disbelief in her tone. "I just... Thank you, Killian."
Killian looks down at the covers in front of him. "Her life is far more important than my own; Emma will always take priority over me."
Snow places her hand on Killian's empty brace, squeezing slightly though he cannot feel it.
"I am so glad that Emma chose to open her heart to you, Killian; that she allowed herself to trust and love you."
"I am one very lucky pirate that she does love me." Killian says, scratching behind his ear. "Even luckier that in a few weeks, I will be able to call her my wife."
Snow smiles before she takes a seat in the chair beside his bed.
"David would never admit it himself," she starts, keeping eye contact. "but we are both glad that Emma has found such happiness with you. We are lucky that we will be able to call you our son-in-law. You're already a part of this family; we just need to make it official now."
Killian releases a small smile to Snow then becomes slightly sombre when a thought comes to mind.
"How did Dave know to find us?" he asks, confusion clear on his features.
"He went to the station and saw that it was locked so went inside to see what Emma may have left him since he knew that you were having lunch together so assumed that you just went out but he noticed the rubbish from Granny's on the desk. He said that the phone rang and it was a group of teenagers who had called earlier on and said that their friend was fine but there was something in the woods that shot an arrow at them. David tried calling Emma, then you, but the calls would not go through." Snow sits forwards in her chair. "He called me to explain everything and kept talking as he drove to the woods but once he passed the Sheriff car, he cut off. He was so worried about both of you."
"I doubt he was worried about me; more about Emma." Killian says.
Snow shakes her head. "I met David here when you both arrived. He was shaken over Emma, of course he was, but he made sure that you were seen to at the same time as Emma. He didn't hide the fact that he panicked when you fell unconscious in the truck."
"I didn't know he cared." Killian says, his voice light.
"We both know full well that he will not admit it." Snow says on a laugh and Killian joins in for a moment before stopping.
"Have you managed to track down whoever attacked Emma?" he asks.
"Regina is brewing more locator potion so we will find them as the arrow tip was kept."
Killian nods and settles down more.
"At least we will find them." he mumbles.
"I do mean what I say, Killian. I am very grateful that you put Emma first, that you love her as much and as strongly as you do."
"Emma trusts me to look after her and that is what I did, and will always do. I would risk my life a million times over to keep her safe; it is what you do when you love someone, isn't it."
Snow smiles and places her hand on Killian's arm.
"Indeed it is."
End note: Please review! :)