Plot: Emma gets a job at Riverview Psychiatric Hospital, where she's given the assignment to befriend a suborn patient: Regina Mills. SwanQueen AU-ish
She walked through the front doors confidently, swiftly making her way to the front desk, which was protected by glass. The lobby seemed shut off from the rest of the building. They certainly had the place locked down tight. The secretary, Gertrude, peered up at her, taking in her red leather jacket and jeans.
"Let me guess, the new hire?" She nodded. The older white woman sighed, her eyes dragging over her form once more before rolling, "What's your name, Newbie?"
"Emma Swan," The blonde quirked a brow, "And I can tell from the way you're looking at me like I'm scum that I'm not dressed correctly."
"You ain't scum, Newbie, just unprepared. This is a psychiatric hospital, not a skate park," Emma felt her cheeks burn and lowered her eyes. The woman pursed her lips, "We have a pair of scrubs you could wear for today. Just remember to buy your own for tomorrow."
Even though she disliked the uppity woman already, she couldn't help but toss her a grateful nod as a clipboard was shoved into her hands. The secretary pointed to the paperwork, "Fill all this out while I go get the scrubs."
The older woman limped through the back door of her glass-encased room and vanished. Emma cursed under her breath at her first mistake. She hadn't even considered her attire, as she wasn't used to a uniform. Plus, she had been running late because of Henry, her son, who decided that he needed to beat the level on his game before they could leave the apartment.
She rubbed her temples as she swiveled to take a seat on the hard, plastic chair before removing the black pen from the clipboard and filling out the paperwork. Her hand was shaky and it left her signature looking crooked. She wasn't nervous per ser. It was more worry of screwing up.
She was used to being around the mentally ill. From a young age, in group-homes, Emma met kids who were considered "crazy". They usually went undiagnosed because of the lack of care in the foster system but she always felt a connection with them, with their struggles, as she suffered from depression and anxiety as a teen, especially when she got pregnant with Henry and was dumped by his deadbeat father. But her son and therapy helped her recover from her dramatic low. It had always been a dream of hers to help those battling their own minds but she had no education or experience.
When Emma was shot while chasing a target, she realized that bounty bunting was too dangerous of an occupation for a single mother. So she packed up her life in Boston and moved to Augusta, Maine, with her son, and began scouring the web for job openings in the field of her dreams.
She was then smacked with the hard reality that working at a psychiatric institution required a lot of education and knowledge, both of which she did not have. All she had was personal experience. But when she called Riverview Psychiatric Hospital, who had a strong connection with United Way, an organization that helped communities and the underprivileged, they immediately told her that they were looking for people to just hang out with the patients, playing games and listening to their stories. And when she heard that she would get paid pretty well for it, she jumped at that chance, feeling as if fate had finally given her a break.
So, her hand shook because this seemed like the universe giving her a break and she had already screwed up with the damn clothes.
"You don't need to beat yourself up, ya know," Emma jumped, looking at the secretary with wide eyes. The older woman chuckled and tossed the light blue scrubs, with a nametag already attatched, onto the seat next to Emma, "Everyone makes mistakes. Just don't make it again."
The blonde nodded jerkily, scooping up the scrubs and handing over the clipboard as she whispered, "Is there somewhere I can change?"
The secretary pointed toward a large blue door by the glass-enclosed room, "In there. Once you're done, head through those double doors. Nurse Severe will give you specific orders. Good luck, Newbie."
Emma quickly entered the small bathroom, which was fairly pristine, and chucked on the mothball scented scrubs before pulling her long, blonde tresses into a ponytail. She exited the bathroom and made a beeline for the double doors, not wanting another encounter with Gertrude.
She knocked on the heavy, metal doors and waited for the cover over small opening in the center of the door to slide open. When it did it revealed a dark, stoic eyes peering at her.
"State your name and business." The woman's harsh inflection made her inside tighten.
Emma cleared her throat, "Emma Swan. I'm the new hire, supposed to keep an eye on the patients."
The slot closed and the blonde jumped at the loud screech of metal on metal. The blue door slid open and the strict woman pulled her in before slamming it shut and turning back to Emma, her expression neutral.
"I'm Nurse Severe, the supervisor of this floor," The blonde nurse gave her a hard glance, "The rules are simple for your position. You spend time with the patients, play board games, and listen to their stories. You do not hand out medicine, try to play therapist, or take orders from them. Our last hire made the mistake of listening to a patient that said it was perfectly normal for the mentally ill to go outside for fresh air unsupervised, hence the extremely secure door and you. Do you understand these rules?"
"Yes, ma'am." Emma could tell that Severe wasn't kidding around. The older woman's voice was tight, almost as tight as the bun laying on top of her head, and her posture was ram-rod straight.
The Nurse narrowed her eyes before nodding succinctly, "We have enough workers covering the floor but we need you to spend time with a patient that came to us recently. She was brought to us because she threatened officers after being discovered wandering I-95 in an elaborate costume. She claims to be from another land, rants about some curse and a Wicked Witch."
Severe gestured down the hall before beginning her trek down the hallway, with Emma right on her heels. The Nurse continued, "She believes these delusions are real, becomes quite enraged when told it isn't. In fact, she's been refusing to eat. We were hoping you could help us with her."
They rounded a corner before the Nurse's words truly sunk in, "Wait, you want me to befriend a homicidal woman?"
"She hasn't tried hurting anyone and she's been given a mild sedative. Plus, her wing has security officers on each end." The two reached the end of the bright hallway and turned left, where Emma shivered at the creepy atmosphere. It was a major change from the newly renovated wings.
"How fun…" She whispered under her breath but the Nurse caught it and gave her a glare before unlocking the double doors using the card hanging from her neck. The small dots on the mechanism turned green and Severe threw it open, allowing Emma to enter first.
As they made their way to door 108, Emma leaned toward her supervisor and murmured under her breath, "Do I allow the delusions or should I encourage her to stop?"
The Nurse sighed, "Normally, we don't do either but, in this case, I'd suggest going along with it. It seems to calm her when others listen to her story, makes her feel less alone, and she'll only become aggressive otherwise. Maybe if you're around long enough, we can ease her onto medication with your help."
"She's refusing medication?" Severe just nodded, as they had reached the door. The Nurse knocked on the door before shoving her skeleton key into the slot and sliding the door open.
Emma waited nervously, unable to see into the room. Severe sighed, seemingly making eye contact with the patient, "Rise and shine, Regina. We got you a friend."
"Doubtful, dear." Emma felt warmth spread through her chest at the sound of that deep, feminine voice. It was almost as if she'd heard that voice thousands of times before.
"Well, at least give her a chance." Emma felt her heart race when Severe gestured at her. The blonde stumbled forward, entering the doorway. Her curious eyes latched into the curvaceous form on the cot. She noticed that the patient, Regina (there was that feeling of deja-vu again), was ignoring her existence. So, she took a moment to take in the dark hair, sharp facial structure, and soulful eyes. The woman was beautiful. And a mentally ill patient at a facility.
Emma shook her head to rid those thoughts as she took a small step closer and tilted her head, "Hi."
She saw the brunette startled at her voice and quirked a brow. The patient's head snapped in her direction and those chestnut eyes latched into hers. The woman smiled wistfully, "Emma?"
The blonde felt her heart squeeze, "How do you know my name?"
Emma saw the patient visibly deflate and she scrunched her brow's, utterly confused by the other woman's reaction. Regina flashed her an insincere smile, "Your nametag, dear."
Emma peered down quickly, seeing the nametag, and coughed before turning to look at Severe, who looked about as perplexed as Emma.
"Come, dear," Regina smirked, extending her arm and patting the seat of the wooden chair by the bed, "Be my friend."
A/N: This is my first ever story that changes the show's storylines. I have no idea if it's an actual thing but I'm going to call it AU-ish. I'm going to gauge the response and see if I should continue. Thanks!