Entry for Day Seven (Sunday), last day of OQPromptParty!
Prompt 168. OQ stranded on an island.
ALONG WITH
Prompt 4. Regina has scars from surviving a fire and thinks nobody can love her, Robin proves her wrong.
Prompt 30. Summer vacation.
Prompt 34. One of them gets injured and the other has to take care of them.
Prompt 48. One of them falling (any kind of fall), the other helping.
Prompt 109. Sharing body heat to stay alive.
Prompt 146. Regina's past haunts her.
Enjoy!
It's to the incessant beep, beep, beeping of the monitor and the ceaseless hum of the fluorescent lights above that Robin wakes with a start. Opening his eyes, he stares blankly at the plain white tiled ceiling. His head is pounding. His entire body aches. Feeling unbelievably weak, he can do no more than lift his head and assess his surroundings through a slightly blurred vision.
"Welcome back, Mr. Locksley," a voice suddenly speaks. Robin turns his head around, eyes taking a few moments to focus in on the nurse who now stands at his bedside. "How are you feeling?"
Robin groans, lifting a limp hand to swipe his palm down his face. He hisses the moment his fingers come into contact with the swollen, tender bandaged skin of the greater part of the left side of his face and nose. His left leg is tightly wrapped in gauze. "Like hell…"
The nurse smiles sympathetically. "That's to be expected," she replies kindly before offering him a glass of water, "Please drink. Slow sips."
Robin gratefully accepts the proffered cup. The water moistens his dry mouth and is like a balm to his scratchy, sore throat. Drinking even a few sips makes him feel about a thousand times better. "Thank you," he murmurs as he places the cup down and tries his best to sit up.
"Take it easy," the nurse advises, placing a steady hand on Robin's shoulder and lower back as some means of support. "You've had quite the ordeal."
Ordeal… The word jolts free a myriad of thoughts to his brain and kickstarts his memory. And it isn't long before the fog clears and Robin realizes just what had happened… and why he's here in the first place.
"The wreck… the island…" Robin breathes, his blue eyes widening as the shock of it all returns, twisting his gut in a way that's nauseating.
The nurse nods solemnly. "Thank God they found you in time," she acknowledges, "You and—"
"Regina!" Robin gasps, bolting up even straighter on the bed. "Oh shit, Regina!" He looks about the room in a slight panic, but is immediately relieved to see another bed just a few feet to his right. His heart aches as he takes in her sleeping form. She's but a small, emaciated figure lying limp on the mattress; looking as if the white hospital sheets are about to swallow her whole in a matter of seconds. Her features are roughed up, but she is no less stunning. In sleep, she looks so peaceful. "Is she…" Robin's heart plummets at the remembrance of the severity of her condition by the time they were rescued. She was all but lifeless in his arms.
"No, she's not," the nurse replies with a gentle smile, "She's still recovering from surgery. It was a complicated one."
Robin shakes his head slowly, sparing a long look at his beloved. Like on that island from hell, every bit of his concern shifts toward Regina. And with every fiber of his own battered body, he hopes and prays that she'll wake up soon and that she'll be okay.
Memories of their torturous six days on that desert island flash unbidden in his mind. And as Robin can do nothing but lie there helplessly, he is unwillingly taken back to that fateful day.
Day One
He is jolted awake to the sound of her blood-curdling screams. There is fire everywhere, and it's burning brighter and hotter with every passing second. The stench of fuel fills his nostrils, accompanied by the stifling thickness of smoke that threatens to choke him alive. Pain. Nothing but pain is all he can feel. But with the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Robin pulls himself up to a sit, eyes moving wildly about the cabin. His body is like jelly, but there's only one thing on his mind. Regina. Where's Regina?
"Robin!" Regina screams.
And suddenly he sees her, scrambling just barely on her hands and knees towards him. "Come on, we have to get moving!" Regina pleads, her brown eyes large with fear as she grabs tightly onto his arm and pulls.
Robin grits his teeth, trying his best to shimmy out from under a seat that had pinned his legs. Regina does her best to help remove the obstacle until he is free. And they both stumble out of a gaping hole in the wreckage. Hobbling their way through the thick surrounding brush, Robin and Regina do their best to get as far away from the burning plane, whose potential to explode grows more lethal with every step.
But there's only so far they can go.
With cries in agony, the couple collapse onto the jungle floor. With wide eyes, Robin looks through the trees, back towards the crash site a few hundred yards away. He is in complete horror upon seeing their only means of escape now demolished into mere fragments of what it used to be and dangerously on fire.
Beside him, Regina whimpers quietly, her body snug against Robin's shoulder. He takes no time in turning to her, gently lifting her torso away from his side to assess her injuries. Wide glazed-over chocolate eyes stare back at him with the most broken of looks, tearing his heart to pieces. There's a deep laceration that extends from the center of her forehead to her right temple. There are third degree burns that cover her arms and the left side of her chest in ghastly splotches of white, red, some even as far as black. How she can possibly remain conscious still is a miracle, though certainly due to the adrenaline that courses within her system. But as it is sure to fade, Robin worries about the pain she'll have to endure. Seeing her like this utterly breaks him. And he has no words to describe the anger he feels towards fate and its decision to bring upon such destruction.
Robin himself isn't in the best of states either. The left side of his face feels broken. His eye is unbelievably swollen. His nose is certainly shattered. And when Robin looks down, there is an ugly looking gash that runs up almost the entire length of his leg below the knee.
"Regina," Robin breathes as the brunette starts to sway, her eyes fluttering closed. He grabs her face with both his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Come on. You need to stay with me. You need to stay awake."
She's delirious from the shock of it all. "Robin…" Regina's eyes flutter open.
"That's it darling," Robin breathes, kissing her forehead, "Stay with me."
Regina's brows pull together, her chocolate orbs distant as she tries to focus on him. "I—I can't feel my arm, I…"
Robin lets out a breath, a chill running down his spine as he looks to her right arm where the burns are worst. "I know, I know," he tries to comfort. He looks around, trying to find what little he can to wrap just even the worst of her wounds. He resorts to tearing off a strip of his own tattered t-shirt and wind the fabric as tight as he can around the nastiest-looking burn. "You'll be okay. We both will."
But it's a statement that could potentially lie far from the truth. Cradling Regina, Robin spares a look at their surroundings. Jungle. As far as the eye can see. Horror sets in as the full weight of their dire situation falls like a ton of bricks on his shoulders. And along with all that pain, his stomach sinks like a rock.
Robin can hardly believe that just minutes ago they were flying over the Caribbean, intent on spending a nice summer vacation in luxury on the islands—a perfect way to celebrate the mark of their six-month anniversary. But now, he hasn't the slightest of where they are, what island they've landed on, or if anyone at all is even aware that they're missing. Both Robin and Regina have turned out to be the only two survivors of the four on board this deadly plane crash. The only reason why they are lucky enough to have survived is because they chose seats at the back of the tiny aircraft.
"Regina?"
"Hmm…" The brunette lifts her head.
"Can you stand?"
Regina swallows hard. "I… I can try."
"Right, okay." Robin shifts to his feet, using every bit of strength he has left to take Regina with him. Every muscle in his body screams in protest. But he promptly ignores it, intent on keeping the brunette and himself upright as they slowly navigate their way through the thick brush. But then, Regina loses her footing when her right foot catches onto a small rock. She falls straight to her knees with a small yelp. It takes everything Robin has for him to lift her back up to stand, allowing her to lean her full weight onto him.
"Where are we going?" Regina asks, panting.
"Back to the crash," Robin answers, doing his best to keep her snug against his hip as they walk, "The sun's going down. Hopefully the fire has died down, and we can use it for shelter."
Going back is fairly easy as he keeps his eye trained on the wreckage that peeks through the trees. But what he doesn't expect is the brand-new wave of shock at the carnage in its entirety as they witness it up close. A few passengers have been thrown from the plane upon impact, their bodies now lying at unnatural angles in the dirt. The stench of gasoline, smoke, and blood is enough to make Robin want to double over and vomit. Biting the inside of his cheek, he turns his head away from the gruesome sights. Beside him, Regina stiffens considerably, and she lets out a soft sob. But Robin presses her on, not wanting them both to dwell on it.
They find shelter at the back of the plane, a small hollowed out space untouched by the flames that have thankfully died down. Robin helps Regina back into a sitting position before he too takes a seat, pulling her form into him and firmly snuggling up with her. It's not much, this small space, and there are plenty of gaping holes that let the evening's chilling air through. But Robin prays that it'll at least be something.
When night falls, he is heavy with exhaustion but stays awake and alert in fear of the deadly predators that could be lurking about. Both Robin and Regina reek of blood, and should any animal get even a small whiff of them, Robin knows it could be game over. So he sits quietly in the dark, ears alert with rapt attention to any small sound: a rustling of bushes, the snapping of twigs, the pitter patter of animal paws that could scurry about. Nestled into his side, Regina shivers from the plunging temperature. The cold having done no good for their open wounds, and with the amount of blood they've already lost, the chilling night could prove to be detrimental to their already fragile state of health. Finding himself unable to stop with the shaking as well, Robin wraps himself around Regina as best he can, telepathically willing his own meager supply of body heat to flow into hers, all the while praying that this night end.
Day Two
The next morning, Robin wakes from a light doze to the sound of a rustling and a flutter of wings from overhead. Beside him, Regina stirs from the same light slumber, blinking into the soft morning rays of sunshine.
"You all right?" Robin asks, shifting his position on the ground. Every bone and muscle in his body screams out to him, having been stuck in this uncomfortable sitting position all night long.
Regina nods weakly. "As good as I'll ever be in this situation."
Little whimpers and moans of pain escape from their lips as both slide themselves from their pitiful shelter and come to stand. As they start slowly from the wreckage, Robin and Regina are faced yet again with the full brunt of the sight of the crash's destruction. Looking at it with a somewhat newer perspective fills them both with a profound sense of dread. Yet, in the midst of it, there's that bit of hope that they can scavenge around, maybe find anything useful that survived the crash.
"Look, it's my bag," Regina breathes, stumbling towards her backpack that lay a ways from one of the plane's broken wings. Sinking to her knees, she digs through it like a raccoon for a minute until she lets out a little cry in relief upon finding her half-empty water bottle.
"No, no, don't drink it all!" Robin gasps, grabbing the bottle and tugging it away from Regina's lips as she chugs the liquid. The look she gives him is between that of irritation and a childlike pout.
"I'm thirsty," Regina whines, reaching for the bottle in Robin's hand. "Give it back."
"You're not thinking straight," Robin says, "This may be the only bit of water you have. You need to save it."
Regina huffs, shooting her boyfriend a glaring look before turning back to see what else is in the backpack. She finds a summer scarf, holding it up in the light. "Here," she says, eyeing Robin's oozing, blood encrusted leg, "For your leg."
Robin nods, taking a seat beside Regina as she starts to tightly wrap the entire wound with the scarf's sheer material.
"I guess it's better than nothing," Regina sighs, leaning back to survey her handiwork.
Robin shakes his head. "How are your burns?"
As Regina gazes down at her arms and chest, he can just see her heart plummet to the ground. "They hurt," she mutters, "But the bigger ones I can't feel at all…"
"I'm afraid those we would need to worry about most," Robin sighs, looking around helplessly. "Our only hope is that someone find us soon. I guess for now, try to keep any more dirt from getting into them." It pains him to think that his love could be in critical danger, and himself unable to do anything about it. Though, such helplessness spurs Robin on, making him even more determined than ever to get them out of this mess and back to safety.
"Here," Regina suddenly says, sticking the water bottle under Robin's nose. "I'm sorry I didn't offer you some. I just… got desperate." She throws him a meek look.
Robin smiles softly. "Keep it," he says, pushing the bottle away, "I'm not thirsty yet."
In truth, he is absolutely parched. But he knows that with those burns, Regina will be in much more need of fluid than he.
"So what do we do now?" Regina asks, wrapping her arms around her torso.
Robin shakes his head. Though it's a bad idea, because every time he does, it sends a powerful dart of pain slicing across his brain. He is certain he has a major concussion. "I guess we just sit here and wait."
"Sit here and wait?" Regina gapes. "Out in the open like this?"
Robin sighs. "It's our best chance of being found," he insists, now thinking a bit more clearly, "The control tower that monitors this plane must know it's missing. It will look for the plane first. If we leave and they find it and not us, they'll assume everyone died."
"I don't like this." Regina looks around nervously, "I'm city girl, Robin, I don't do all this survival stuff." Her eyes are blown wide, chest starting to heave.
Sensing a panic attack, Robin wastes no time in taking her face in his hands. "Regina, breathe," he whispers, "Breathe. I know it's scary. But you have to trust me. Rescuers will be on their way. They probably are already. It's just a matter of time."
Regina stares at him with her big brown eyes, the fear so evident in her expression. "I'm so sorry, Robin," she sniffs, her eyes beginning to water, "This was my idea and I…"
"No, Regina," Robin whispers, gripping her cheeks firmly, "You are not to blame for this mess, understand? This isn't your fault."
"We're going to die here…"
"No, we're not."
"How do you know?"
Robin sighs. "Because I have hope. And I have faith in us. I love you, Regina. We will get through this together. I promise." Regina's lower lip trembles, but Robin puts a stop to it instantly by pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss. Pushing aside the taste of blood on her skin, he kisses her with everything he has, wanting nothing more than to comfort her—to be her rock, her support.
Day Three
The search teams should have come by now. They should be saved by now. But no. As the sun climbs to high noon, Robin and Regina are left stuck in this grisly disaster zone. There are but a few inches of water left in Regina's bottle. And it fills them both with a burdensome terror, each little sip adding more phrases for the completion of their death sentences.
"Regina?"
"Yes…" Regina lies flat on the jungle floor, her face pale, eyes unfocused.
Robin is really beginning to worry about her. With every breath she takes, the light dims a little more from her eyes. The weight of her wounds is taking its toll. The burned patches of her skin appear leathery, the worst having gone fully numb to the touch. The hair that sticks to her forehead, cheeks, and neck is damp with sweat. But her whole body has begun to tremble. And Robin knows that this is a very bad thing. Infection is setting in, and it's setting in fast.
"Drink, Regina," Robin coaxes gently, pouring the last few drops of water past her lips.
Regina closes her eyes at the wet sensation, her tongue peeking out to lick at her grossly chapped lips.
"Talk to me," Robin beckons in fear that if she goes silent, he'll lose her forever. He gathers her in his arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead and swiping back her hair. "Say something."
"I'm so tired…"
"I know, darling, I know," Robin sighs, continuing to stroke her hair. He racks his mind for something to say, anything to distract them both from this miserable situation. "You know, before the crash, you were asking me about that house we looked at the week before we left. You know the little green one with the white trimming? It was a cute little cottage, though not one I thought was particularly your style."
He smiles fondly. Having been more than comfortable growing up, he knows his love's usual habitat of towering apartments above New York City, and large offices with wall to wall windows and lots of space, is more her type. He always thought her to be the most regal of characters, walking with an air of power in her step whilst dominating the courthouse with every word flicked from her clever tongue. When Robin had first met Regina, he knew himself to be way out of her league. He was but a mere schoolteacher in the district. His best friend Will had gotten into trouble with the law, which led Robin face to face for the first time with the cutthroat brunette. She was known to be one of the greatest defendants on the entire East Coast. With that fierce and fiery look in her eye, Regina fought tooth and claw, ending up with yet another win not only over Will's case but over Robin's heart as well. By then, the schoolteacher had mustered enough courage to bravely offer to take her out for a drink that night to celebrate. And from then on, spurred on by a few furtive touches and coquettish looks in the eye whilst being under the influence, the rest is history.
"I was so touched by your willingness to move with me to Storybrooke when I got the job. I know we'll be so happy there, you and I, in that little house."
Robin gazes down at Regina, her eyes fluttering open to meet his. The smallest of smiles spreads across her cracked, bloodied lips as she lifts a hand upward to cup his cheek. "That—that life wasn't for me anymore," she husks, teeth chattering. She swallows hard and tries again. "That apartment was just so cold…"
Tears burn Robin's eyes as he runs his thumb gently over Regina's cheekbone. "We will get out of here," he breathes, "We will get to that house. I promise you. But you have to keep fighting, okay? Can you do that for me?"
Slowly, Regina nods her head. "Okay."
Day Four
It's another long, cold, restless night before Regina wakes up on her side, shaking unstoppably. She catches a small glance down at her burnt arms, letting out a cry in disgust. They look absolutely horrendous. There's yellow puss oozing from the places that aren't charred to a crisp. While the burns don't hurt per se, having been far too burnt to feel anything, her arms still ache in a way that has her moaning in pain.
Regina's gut wrenches as she continues to stare helplessly at the decrepit state of her body. The shame she'd battled all this time is stronger than ever, amplified by her stomach gnarled with hunger and her throat crying out in thirst. Her tongue sticks to the roof of her mouth. It feels as if someone has wedged giant cotton balls in her cheeks. But nothing is compared to the anguish she feels when she thinks of the long-term aftereffects should she and Robin survive: the scars she will bear, the drastic change in her own appearance. Since she was a young girl, Regina had been raised to believe that looks were everything. And since she was naturally beautiful, her mother forced her to be perfect, leading her to believe that no one would love her if she was anything but.
So what would Robin think? Would he still stay with her now that she is forever changed?
"Regina?"
Regina turns her head to meet her boyfriend's blue eyes wide with concern. She sniffles softly.
"Darling, what is it?" He immediately collapses to her side, gathering her up into his arms.
"I'm ugly."
"No, Regina, why? What's making you say this?" Robin's voice is firm.
"These wounds will scar. I won't be the same person as I was."
"Regina, no," Robin hushes, his hand soothing the skin of her cheek. "You are perfect to me no matter what. A few scars will not change that. You are a fighter, my love, you've always been. These scars will just be proof of that."
Regardless of his words, humiliation overwhelms Regina, her eyes growing distant as suddenly she shifts her gaze from Robin's eyes at the slight movement in her periphery. And there, standing behind him, she sees her mother pointing a long gnarled finger.
"Look what you've done to yourself, Regina," she spits, "Now who could ever love a broken monster like you?"
Regina lets out a dry sob, far too dehydrated to cry. "Mother…"
"Regina?" She hardly feels Robin shake her. "Regina!"
"I'm sorry…"
"Regina, no," Robin cries desperately, "Nobody's here."
"I… sorry."
"Regina!"
Regina blinks, the hallucination disappearing at last, leaving her to stare up at Robin's distressed features. Her vision still is hazy. But he's here. It's just him.
"Bloody hell, Regina," Robin squeezes her tightly to him.
But all Regina can do is apologize. Over and over and over.
Day Five
There had been a rainfall the night before. And it was both a blessing and a curse. A curse in the way that when damp and barely sheltered from the frigid night air, Regina's risk of hypothermia reached critical levels. And Robin had to spend a fearsome eight to ten hours keeping his exhausted and delirious girlfriend from sleeping. Speaking of delirium, her first vision, which had undoubtedly scared the living daylights out of Robin, was no match to the following ones she had last night. She cried out against her mother. She'd tried to reach out to touch her father. She'd physically fought Robin thinking he was her abusive ex-husband. With every breath she took, Regina was becoming more and more out of touch with reality: a deadly symptom of extreme dehydration.
That's why Robin was unbelievably relieved to have found some leftover rain captured on one of the jungle's thick leaves, hence the blessing, and brought it over immediately for Regina to drink. She could barely swallow it down; her throat was so dry. A pained expression overcame her features as she sipped the precious liquid.
Robin was able to find more for himself. But even with his condition slightly better than that of his beloved's, dehydration was most certainly taking its toll on him in the same manner. As he now lays beside Regina, he stares up at the treetops that ripple above him, trying his very best to keep his grasp on reality. But a little movement here, and a flicker of something there, Robin finds the task quite daunting. There are even times when he thinks he sees a plane or helicopter fly ahead. But he knows that's not real.
The jungle's dense trees are far too thick, hiding the wreckage from sight. They may never be found. And with Regina's condition having made a turn for the worst… No. Robin won't even think about that.
Day Six
Her body is limp in his arms. The agony is unbearable. Robin screams out into the silence of the forest, begging her to stay with him. He clutches Regina tightly, watching her eyes flutter but not open. It's in this moment that his heart is ripped from his chest and he sobs openly for the first time—no longer the strong and hopeful figure for the both of them but a despairing mess that pleads to any god listening that his love may be spared.
"Don't you dare die on me, Regina," Robin hisses through gritted teeth, "You can't die." His chest heaves in large uncontrollable sobs. "We have so much more we need to do, so much more we need to see. What about the house? The little green house with the white trimming?" It was to be their sanctuary, their own place to start over and live a new life free of the past. Robin squeezes his eyes shut, bending forward to press his forehead to Regina's cheek. His broken nose strokes her now rough skin. "We need more time… We haven't had any time!"
Robin cries hard into Regina's neck as his entire world crashes around him. No longer can he feel the twisting of his gut wrought with hunger, or the burden of his own thirst threatening his own life, or his weakness from the loss of blood. All he feels now is the broken fragments of his heart shattering painfully within his chest and impeding upon every breath he takes.
The world around him is silent as he sits there, weeping, begging for the gods to take him too if she's to go.
But then he hears something in the brush. It's a thick rustling that draws nearer and nearer until they burst into the small clearing in a pack of about a dozen. With voices yelling, barking orders right and left, and talking into their radios, the ground search team surrounds the couple. It takes two members to pry Robin from Regina.
He is so stunned that he can hardly register what is happening. Everything moves in a blur. It all happens so fast that Robin can barely comprehend that they are being rescued. He thought this day would never come.
Within minutes, the helicopter appears and airlifts both he and Regina from the wreckage. And before Robin knows it, they are en route to the nearest hospital on the mainland. He remains by Regina's side ever hopeful, never letting go of her hand the entire journey there.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Regina groans, opening her eyes slowly. The first thing she registers is the dull pain, the way her entire upper body is stiff and practically immobile, wrapped tightly in a thick gauze. It immediately causes her heart to sink, a potent reminder of what's to be seen underneath. But she forces the thought from her mind for now, focusing on the rest of her surroundings.
And that's when she sees him.
He sits on her bedside, soft but expressive blue eyes watching her silently. When their gazes meet, he breathes out a small laugh, relief flooding his features.
"Robin," Regina croaks, her throat unbelievably hoarse. But thankfully, due to her IV, the full brunt of dehydration has been practically erased.
Robin grins, reaching out to take her hand that lays limp on the bed. "I knew you could do it," he whispers, his eyes beginning to glisten with a fresh bout of tears.
Regina smiles weakly, still incredibly exhausted, but no less elated. "How long was I…"
"Three days since I woke." Robin rubs the top of her hand with his thumb before moving it to touch her cheek. "I thought I lost you."
A small spark reignites in Regina's eyes and she smirks slightly. "Not a chance."
"God, you're so beautiful."
This sobers Regina once more and she gives a pained expression. "Am I really?" She breathes, "Still?"
Robin shakes his head. "Of course, my love. You will always be beautiful, inside and out. And I will always love you. You're the strongest, most courageous woman I know. And I'm so, so proud of you."
His words melt Regina completely as she stares up at him in wonder, taking in his battered and bruised, but just as beautiful, features. "I love you, Robin," she breathes, smiling a watery smile up at him.
Robin beams down at her, all the love and adoration pouring forth from his ocean eyes. "And I, you."