So I had this dream… trigger warning. (Seriously. This started as a dream and I felt compelled to write it. Full of clichés etc. but I got quite excited when writing so.) Also warning I have used some creative license when it comes to medical stuff. It will be obvious but I don't dream in a medically accurate manner.

I have 5 chapters ready and probably won't write much more any time soon. Not sure if there will be a posting schedule yet, we'll see how fast I write it. I'll probably hate posting this but we'll see.

"Maggie?" David questioned as he watched his wife come down the stairs. She seemed shaky, and he could see from where he stood that her skin was pale and clammy. It was clear when she looked up at him, her expression one of confusion that something was not right. He watched as she stepped off the last step, swaying slightly as she gripped the bottom of the banister.

"Yeah baby?" The crackly tone of her voice concerned David and made him frown and he took a step towards her at the same time she moved.

"Are you ok sweetheart?" David asked, his tone making it clear he would not believe any answer other than no.

"I'm..." David took another step forward, halfway to her when her legs collapsed under her. He was not fast enough to catch her as she fell to the ground.

He dropped the mug he was holding, the coffee splattering to the ground before the cup smashed. He was on his knees beside her in less than a second, ignoring the liquid soaking into his pants as he struggled in his pocket for his phone.

"EMMA! Come down here!" He ran a hand over the clammy skin of his unconscious wife and typed in 911, hearing the footsteps of his 6 year old at the top of the stairs.

"Daddy, what…" David had looked up at her approach, his finger hovering over the call button, as Emma took a few more steps and noticed the collapsed woman. "MOMMY! Daddy what happened?"

"I don't know sweetheart but we need to get her to the hospital ok?" The petite blonde nodded vigorously and ran to the doorway, pulling on her boots and coat, struggling momentarily to pull David's coat off the hook. She carried it to him as he pocketed his keys, lifting the unconscious woman into his arms. "Go grab my keys from the counter sweetie, we're gonna drive ok?" David ordered. Emma was out of the room and back in thirty seconds and was following her father out the door as the love of his life remained dead to the world.

The trip to the hospital was fast, but to David it seemed to go on forever. His wife was strapped into the front seat beside him, their daughter behind her torn between looking out the window, poking her mom's shoulder and asking her dad if 'mommy is ok'. David was trying to remain upbeat for the six year old, but the fact she had yet to regain consciousness was concerning to him.

The hospital was close enough and so David was pulling into the parking lot just as Mary Margaret was beginning to stir. As David looked for a spot, Emma had noticed her mother was now awake and so was asking her questions, trying to keep her responding.

"Mommy are you ok?"

"Mmhhngghh."

"Momma… we're at the hospital… daddy said they're gon' fix you."

The small girl obviously didn't understand the extent of the situation as it was, as her mother again lost consciousness, her head lolling down to her chest. Emma merely poked here again. "Momma wake up, we're here."

David was out of the car, helping his daughter out of the seat and into her jacket, not wanting to waste a second. He paused as she grabbed her bunny before opening the front, ready to take his wife in to be seen to.

The staff did rush to his aid as soon as they saw him carrying her through the front doors of the emergency department. She was on a gurney and through the double doors families could not go through in moments, and David was left stood in the middle of the corridor, staring after her.

"Excuse me sir?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Daddy?"

David looked down at his little girl with a frown. "What baby?" He answered absentmindedly, still looking at the doors as a nurse ran from one room to the other behind them.

"Daddy this lady wants to talk to you." He looked down at the confused little girl, following her finger to who she was pointing to, a woman stood just in front of him to the side.

"Oh. Sorry…" The nurse smiled kindly when she had David's attention and he nodded, glancing through the doors again on the off chance his wife would be seen walking out through them. When she wasn't, he turned his full attention to the nurse in front of him.

"Sir we just need to take some details from you, while they're taking care of your wife." He nodded again and bent down to lift his daughter into his arms. Although she was getting older, he sensed she needed the comfort from him as much as he needed it from her.

"Sure… Her name is Mary Margaret Nolan, she goes by Maggie. Date of birth 7th March 1987. No known allergies. She's not on any medications. She just collapsed at home." He paused as he remembered the moment her legs collapsed from under her.

"And how long was she unconscious sir?"

"Uh, I think it took about ten minutes, for us to get from home to here. She came back in the car for a moment but then…"

"And has she had any symptoms before the collapse?"

"She's had some flu symptoms. A little vomiting. Nothing too concerning. She saw a doctor and she said everything was fine. Why? What could it be?"

"She's been taken for some scans Mr Nolan, hopefully they will give more of an answer as to why she collapsed. I'm going to bring you some forms to fill in and then when she is awake we will come and find you. If you want to take the little one to the waiting room, there are some things there that she can play with. I'll be right back with your forms Mr Nolan." David simply nodded again, shifting Emma on his hip.

When he'd been handed the forms he carried Emma into the room he had been directed to, placing her down on the empty chair in the corner. Grabbing a pen from the table with magazines on in the corner, he sat beside her and began to fill in the form.

"Daddy?" David looked up from the form where he was putting in Mary Margaret's personal details.

"Yeah honey?" David asked quietly, glancing at the little girl and back to the form to show although he was writing, she had his attention.

"I'm scared. Is momma gonna be okay?" With a sigh, David turned in his seat, reaching over to take his daughters hand. He wasn't frustrated with her, more with the situation. He didn't know what was going on, but his wife had never really been sick before, aside from the rare cough or cold, let alone badly enough to end up in hospital.

"I'm sure the doctors will do everything they can to make her better. We're gonna wait right here until she wakes up and then as soon as we can, we'll go in and see her." Emma nodded with a frown, leaning her head against his upper arm as he carried on writing with his other hand. When the form was completed he simply put it on the chair next to him, assuming someone would come for it. When his hands were free, the little girl took the opportunity to climb on his lap. When she was comfortable she lifted her toy bunny up in front of his face.

"Daddy; Bugs is sleepy. Can we take a nap?" David tightened his arms around his little one, pressing a kiss to the top of her head when she laid her head against his chest. Before an hour ago it had been a normal day for the family, Emma had slept well the previous night and so David knew she wasn't tired, but falling asleep now would mean she didn't have to worry about her mommy.

David wished it was that easy for him. He didn't think he'd ever forget the memory of his wife collapsing the way she did, and it probably wasn't as traumatic as she'd be looking if something was really wrong. He sat back, cradling his daughter, unwilling and unable to sleep like she did.