AN:HAPPY RUMBELLE ANNIVERSARY! This is just an angsty one-shot.
Rumplestiltskin made his way to the hospital, the Charmings and Bae following. After he asked for Belle, Bae had asked who she was. Rumplestiltskin didn't hesitate. He told him who she was to him, the feelings he has for her and what happened to her. His son had a sad smile on his face, happy that his father had found someone, but sad because she had endured this fate.
Dr Whale had gone to ask Belle if she'd like Rumplestiltskin to come in her room. The Charmings had told him she was safe and no harm had come to her. He was glad for that despite how on edge he was with Hook and two witches at loose.
Rumplestiltskin looked up hopefully as Dr Whale walked out of Belle's room. "She's agreed to see you for ten minutes.", he said.
Rumplestiltskin slowly limped into Belle's room, gently closing the door.
He looked at her. She was sat in her bed, curled up, looking cautiously at him. She was looking at him like she should of done all those years ago, when he had been in his monstrous form. Her blue eyes showed signs of worry and stress, as well as lack of sleep.
He limped up near her bed and sat on the chair near it, backing away a bit to give her space.
" I can promise, I won't hurt you.", he whispered. It was as if his reassurance had opened her up to him a bit, as her shoulders relaxed a little.
"How are you feeling. Have you had any memories come to you?", he asked carefully in a soft tone he only used to her.
" I don't r-remember what everyone's telling me. I only know that you was holding fire. Everyone thinks I'm crazy.", she said quietly.
"You're not crazy. I have magic, well not anymore but I did and I was holding fire cause a horrible man had hurt you.", he said.
She stared at him, as if trying to find out information from looking at him.
He spotted a book at her side and picked it up. Ah, you been reading? This, this book is a favourite of yours. You'd quote to me your favourite parts.", he said, smiling at the memory.
She looked at the book with a sad and frustrated expression. "What is it?", he asked her, worry washing over him. He wanted to grab her hands and stroke them to reassure her. But he couldn't.
"I-I can't read. The words, they confuse me.", she said with a defeated expression on her face. Rumplestiltskin wanted to break down and cry. She couldn't read. Belle loved reading and now she couldn't remember anything, she couldn't read.
"I decided to learn something else. I was watching the box thing and this person was putting this stuff to put a plate together. I thought about that cup and, I thought it might fix that. So I got someone to get me some of that stuff and-", she said, cutting off as she pulled a bag out of the draws and placed it in his palms.
Rumplestiltskin opened the bag and his heart stopped. There it was. Their chipped cup. It was fixed. There were all these crack lines now, but it was still fixed. He looked up at his Belle, his eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you.", he said through his tears.
"I don't know what it means to me, but it means something to you, and I am sorry I smashed it.", she said, looking at him.
Rumplestiltskin wanted to hold her hands that were resting on the little bed table. As he was looking at her hands, his eyes caught sight of her arms.
They were both covered in these different shaped, purple blotches. Some were a green mixed with yellow. They looked painful.
"Who did that to you?", he asked, pointing at her arms, trying not to scare her.
Belle looked at her arms at her bruises. She touched one and winced, which made Rumplestiltskin boil with rage.
"The nurse. I kept losing it and she just stuck the needle in me and everything went black.", she said vacantly, as if remembering every encounter she had with the nurse and the needle.
Rumplestiltskin could feel his rage going sky high. They had drugged her just cause she freaked out. They could of just tried to calm her another way, not drug her and treat her like that. He was going to be having some discussions with that nurse, and oh how interesting they will be.
"Do they hurt?", he asked her calmly. "Only when I touch them or leaned on anything.", she said. She was looking at Rumplestiltskins hands now, which seemed to be shaking.
"How did you do that?", she asked him, pointing to his knuckle which was bruised and red from where he had punched the toilet dispenser. He told her some lie about falling over.
"Does it hurt?", she asked him, and she was holding his knuckle in her small hands.
He gulped at her touch, he had missed it. "Only when I touch it.", he said. As he said that, she dropped her hands away from his and muttered a sorry. He told her that it was ok.
His attention was back to her bruises. He told her he had to go and only if she wanted, that he would return and that he will make sure she isn't drugged again. As he said that and opened her door to leave, she gave a little smile. He had gained her trust. That was better than how it had been a few days ago. He opened the door and was faced with the Charmings and his son.
"You said she was safe and unharmed.", he said to the Charmings, not losing it in front of his son. "She was.", said a confused Charming. Before Rumplestiltskin could reply,he spotted a nurse walking behind him, into Belle's room. He stopped her and looked into her cold eyes, that showed a little sign of fear.
"You will not drug Belle again. I don't care if it was because she was freaking out, she has bruises all over her. If she is in need of calming down, you will do it without hurting her. Try talking instead. If I find out, I'll make sure you don't work here again.", he said. The nurse nodded a little and walked into Belle's room.
Before they all went home, sorting out their other huge situation, Rumplestiltskin said he needed the restroom. As he walked off, he saw Emma give him a concerned look. She knew what he was going to do.
As he went into the restroom, he let it all out. He punched the wall to his right, with his injured hand, thinking about everything. About his Belle. About Hook. He stopped as he thought of his son. Then his grandson. He couldn't believe it. He had a grandson. Henry.
He wrapped his now other injured hand in toilet paper. Then sliding both gloves on, wincing in pain. It was lucky he'd been wearing gloves. No one would see.
He walked out, seeing Emma look at his gloves hands. As they walked in, he looked in the window of his Belle's room. She had the book in her hand, a frustrated and concentrating expression on her face. He'd get her back, he'd do anything to get her back, he would never give up. Not on her, just like he hadn't with Bae. He'll do whatever he can for her.