A/N: Soo... something got fucked up, and somehow I ended up editing something wrong, or something, and a kind reader informed me that this was NO LONGER Fallen, but was my DWP fic... xD
SOOO, it has been fixed. Now...
THIS IS THE ACTUAL FALLEN.
Thank you so much for telling me. Awkward moment.
So, without further ado:
THE ACTUAL STORY THAT GOES WITH THE SUMMARY GIVEN
All of my embarrassed love,
CBC
Emma sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, "Regina! I'm home! Hannah!" Stepping up the few stairs into the foyer, she rolled her neck back and forth a little, trying to relieve some of the tension.
She hated having Storybrooke now available to the 'public' because stupid tourists did stupid things, and she had to deal with them.
"Emma, dear, I'm in the kitchen! Hannah's outside in the back," her wife called, and Emma smiled at the sound.
God did she love her wife.
Making her way to the kitchen she smiled, "It's good to see you home. I'm sorry I'm late. I'm glad you didn't have to get caught up with that shit at Granny's."
"Mmm, I do agree," Regina gave her a kiss, and Emma sighed wearily, wrapping her arms loosely around her wife's waist, "I'm very sorry you had to get caught up in it. How's Ruby?"
"A bit beat, but she's been worse for wear. Damn assholes and their hands. Even when she has a rock on her hand, and her skirts to her knees their poking and prodding at her."
"Perhaps we need to discuss with Granny about putting up some signs that say a fine is to be paid, and time spent in a cell if any patron fondles or harasses the waitresses. I am more than willing to make it a legislation, and I'm sure the town will agree whole-heartedly."
Emma smiled and rested her cheek to Regina's shoulder, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. I will discuss it with Granny tomorrow, and we'll bring it into action at the council meeting on Friday."
"Go get changed, dear, and put your gun in its safe. Dinner will be ready soon. When you come back down, call Hannah back inside, will you dear, and get her cleaned up for dinner."
"Sure. I love you, Regina," Emma mumbled, but made no moves to leave.
Regina chuckled before slapping a hand against Emma's ass and giving her a good goosing, which caused a startled yelp to tumble from Emma's lips as she jumped away, "I love you too, Emma, now go get into some more comfortable clothes, dear."
Pulling Regina close for another quick kiss, Emma gave her wife's ass a soft slap, chuckling at the gasp it pulled from Regina's lips, "I'll be back down in a few."
"I love you."
Emma smiled as she headed towards the stairs, "I love you."
She was half way up when a loud crack, and a piercing scream reached her ears. Spinning around, she practically threw herself down the stairs in her rush towards the sound, "Hannah!" She yelled as she bounded outside.
She saw that her wife was just a few feet in front of her, her heels kicked off as she ran in her stockings to their now hysterically sobbing daughter, "Mommy! Momma!"
Picking up her speed, she collapsed to her knees just as Regina did, "Hannah, baby, what happened?" Regina asked, her hands hovering close, brushing tears from glistening cheeks, "Emma, call for an ambulance, I'm not going to risk moving her."
"You're okay, baby, you're okay, Hannah. We're right here," Emma murmured, leaning over to press a kiss to her daughter's forehead as she tugged her phone from her pocket and dialed the hospital's number.
"Hannah, where does it hurt, baby. Tell Mommy where it hurts." Regina shifted closer and ran her hands soothingly through her six-year-old daughter's hair, "Tell Mommy what happened."
Hannah sobbed as she reached up a hand and squeezed at the hem of Regina's skirt, "I… was on the swing, Mommy!"
"We need an ambulance at 108 Mifflin, yes, the Swan-Mills residence, backyard. Use the side path to the back gate to reach us. Hannah's had an accident," Emma spoke quickly when the line picked up, "please hurry." Looking around, she noted that the rather large branch that held the swing was now lying split, and broken, on the ground.
How in the hell had such a large branch snapped like that? She thought as she listened to- was it Nala?- the EMT nurse pass the directive to others in the emergency crew.
"Did the branch hit you, baby?" Regina asked.
Hannah shook her head a little, "I… jumped 'way," she cried, burying her face into Regina's lap, crying harder as she moved to do so.
"Where does it hurt, Hannah?" Emma asked, not having heard if their daughter had answered when Regina had asked.
"Leg, Momma... and arm."
Emma relayed the information as she rested her hand on the shaking little hand clinging to her wife's skirt, "You're gonna be okay, sweetheart, the doctors are coming."
Regina swallowed, and looked at Emma, "I didn't see the fall. I don't know what to do. Without having seen the fall, I can't use any magic to try and heal her."
Emma wiped away a tear on her wife's cheek, "That's okay, she's going to be okay, right Hannah? We're gonna get the big doctor to help you, and Mommy and Momma are going to be there, right there with you. Then we're going to call Henry and tell him what a big girl you are. Cause they're gonna do x-rays to see your bones, and patch you up so you'll be good as new."
Hannah continued to sob but nodded her head a little at Emma's words, "It hurts, Mommy," she cried into Regina's lap.
"I know, baby. I know, I'm sorry. We're right here, baby. We're right here, Hannah," Regina soothed as she continued to run her fingers through their daughter's hair, before she started to hum Hannah's favorite melody.
"Hannah, you wanna see some magic?" Emma asked, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead, "You want to see a light show before the doctors get here to take us to the hospital?"
Their daughter looked at her and nodded a little, her loud sobbing calming just a little from the mix of Regina's humming and soothing fingers, as well as Emma's thumb running gently over the back of Hannah's hand and the offer of a light show.
"Okay, Hannah, watch," Emma swirled her free hand in the air and blew lightly over her fingertips, creating little specks of dancing light. Wiggling her fingers the specks shifted and moved to create the shape of a bunny hopping in a circle. She smiled as her daughter giggled a little through her crying.
Regina's humming continued as they heard sirens building through the town. It would still take about five minutes for the ambulance to reach them- Emma reminded herself- despite how the echoing town made the vehicle seem closer. Moving her fingers again, the light swirled and became a majestic dragon blowing out a gust of fire, and dove towards their daughter, splashing warm light across her cheeks, making Hannah gasp in startled delight.
"Momma… my tummy hurts."
"Okay, baby. We'll let the doctors know. They're almost here, okay. Just a little longer, and they're going to help make everything better. Stay as still as you can, baby, okay? We're right here, baby. Me and Mommy, we're right here with you," Emma whispered as her wife continued to hum softly, and continued to stroke Hannah's beautiful dark tresses.
Emma continued to change the light's shape, into a ladybug that flittered around above Hannah's head, into a snail that crawled through the air, into a twinkling star that exploded to become a fiery Phoenix that twisted into a dolphin splashing into the water, into spouting fireworks, into a pair of dancers, into a flashing camera, into a puppy with a bouncing ball, into a blooming flower, into a beautiful butterfly that floated through the air to land on Hannah's nose.
Hannah's cries continued to calm as she remained calm and completely transfixed on the magical lights as Regina's hands soothed through her tresses, and whispered humming calmed her heart, "Momma, I'm getting sleepy. My tummy hurts, Momma."
"You can't sleep, baby, not yet, okay. Keep watching the lights, baby. The doctors are gonna help make it all better."
"Okay, Momma," Hannah sniffed as she let out a little yawn.
"Hannah, stay awake for Momma," Emma stated a little more firmly, fear gripping her heart at the idea of her baby falling asleep and not waking up, "stay awake, baby. Stay awake for Momma. The doctors are almost here." She made the butterfly walk gently over Hannah's face.
Emma noted- as she listened to the growing sound of the sirens approaching her home… probably two minutes out now… why couldn't they move faster- that Regina had tears spilling down her cheeks, but chose to not bring it up until later, knowing not to bring Hannah's attention to her other mother's silent crying of her own, "Hannah, baby, watch," Emma whispered as the light butterfly lifted back into the air before transforming into a mermaid, then a school of small fish that skittered around before morphing into a lion, then into a tiger, then into a bear.
Hannah giggled, "Lions and tigers and bears."
Emma smiled, "Oh my!"
Hannah giggled again as Emma continued her performance. The light became a ballerina, then a galloping stallion, then a spaceship as it launched into the sky, "Can I sleep now, Momma?" Hannah mumbled as her eyes began to droop.
"No, Hannah. Hannah, baby, stay awake for Momma. Stay awake for Momma and Mommy, okay, Hannah?"
The ambulance had to be just around the damn corner. They were almost here. They were on the way, they were so close.
Hannah let out a soft, pained sigh as she blinked, "Momma-"
"Stay awake! Hannah! Hannah, baby, look at me! Look at Momma, Hannah! Look at Momma!" Emma raised her voice a little as she rested a hand onto Hannah's cheek, "Stay awake, baby. The doctors are almost here. Just stay awake a little longer, okay, baby, so the doctors are here. Stay awake, baby! Stay awake, Hannah."
Hannah's eyes continued to droop, her blinking becoming lethargic, "Momma…"
Emma felt panic seize her and she rubbed her fingers on Hannah's cheek, "Keep your eyes open, Hannah. Keep your eyes open for Momma. Okay, baby. Let's have a staring contest, huh? Wanna beat Momma at a staring contest?"
The sirens were blaring now, and tires squealed as Hannah's eyes closed again, "Hannah! Open your eyes, Hannah! Open your eyes for Momma!"
Voices began to call out and footsteps trampling up the bricked walkway reached her ears, "Back here!" She hollered, "Hannah! Hannah, baby! Open your eyes, baby! Open your eyes! Hannah! Come on, baby! Open your eyes!" Tears began to stream down her cheeks as a sob escaped her wife's lips, and she continued to call for their daughter to open her beautiful green eyes.
"Sheriff, Madam Mayor, we need you to move," An EMT stated firmly, resting a gentle hand on each of their shoulders.
Emma sobbed as she withdrew from her daughter, and all but dragged Regina with her, "Take care of our baby!" She screamed as she held Regina's quivering body to her chest as her wife cried.
The man nodded before slipping into motion with his working crew, as they slid Hannah onto the gurney and rolled it out of the back, running tests and chattering over each other as they went.
Emma forced her tears to stop, and lifted a sobbing Regina into her arms and followed after, stopping short as she saw the mass of people just outside her house, "Emma! Regina!" A chorus of voices rang out, as her parents, Ruby, and Tinkerbell ran to them.
"What happened?"
"Come on, tell us after, we'll give you a ride."
"Right, there's no way we're letting either of you drive right now."
"It's gonna be okay. You know that. Hannah's a very strong little girl."
"Ruby, you take them to the hospital, we'll be there shortly after. Don't hit anyone! The whole damn town is out on the streets."
"I'll ride with Ruby. Do you think grabbing some clothes for everyone would be a good idea?"
"I'll do that, while Charming takes care of some of the crowd. We don't want them all to be at the hospital. Then we'll meet you all there."
"Sure. Let's go."
Allowing her body to be pulled towards a car, Emma held Regina to her, knowing that her wife wouldn't be able to walk on her own, "It's gonna be okay, Regina. She's gonna be okay. They're gonna make sure she's okay," she said as she slid Regina into the car, before clambering in beside her, while Tink got into the passenger seat, and Ruby into the driver's seat.
Regina burrowed her face into Emma's shoulder, "I can't feel her, Emma," Regina whispered through her tears, and Emma felt her stomach drop as Ruby pulled out away from the curb, and the mass of people quickly moved out of the way.
/SQ/
They didn't make it time to watch their little girl get whisked away, and they were promptly ordered to sit down and wait, either in the large waiting room, or in a private setting room.
Regina simply nodded, her eyes puffy and bloodshot, but her tears somewhat mellowed in the public area. Emma swallowed as Regina's hand continued to ghost across her abdomen, and looked to the nurse as she squeezed the tan hand that was tightly tangled with her own, "Private, please. When Snow and David get here, send them in. Ruby and Tink are allowed as well."
The nurse nodded, "Sure. This way, please."
They were swiftly led down a corridor, and the noise of the waiting room of the ER faded with each step, until they reached a door, "Thanks," Emma said when the nurse pushed it open.
"No problem. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll inform the doctor right away that you're here, so he knows where to find you. They took Hannah immediately into an OR, in case while doing the preliminary work something is discovered. When they arrived, her heart was still beating, they assessed that both the Ulna and the Radius in her left wrist are broken, and her left Tibia. The X-Rays they will perform will confirm how bad, and if there is a possible fracture in her Fibula, as well as how bad the damage is in her talocrural region- her ankle."
Emma nodded, and as soon as the nurse had left, she sat down and gathered Regina into her lap, holding her close as tears began to streak down her cheeks again, "I should have been outside with her. I said that I was just going to finish with dinner. I should have brought her back in with me."
Pressing a kiss to Regina's temple, Emma disagreed, "You did nothing wrong, Regina. This was not your fault in anyway."
Regina sobbed into her shoulder, "She wouldn't have fallen if I had been outside with her!"
"Hey. No. Stop blaming yourself. This is not your fault. Do you understand me? I can blame myself just as much as you can. I should have decided to go out into the back to tell Hannah I was home, but I went to take a shower instead. I should have come home early, so I could have been playing outside with Hannah while you finished with dinner. I should have called Hannah in when I got home. I should have gone through the backyard and brought her in with me. It is not our fault. We did not push our beautiful little girl off the swing. You are not a bad parent because you stepped inside to keep the house from burning down while making food to eat. I am not a bad parent because I decided a nice shower sounded really good before I wanted to gather my daughter into my arms for a hug. Playing the 'what if' game is only going to make us both sick to our stomachs. It is not our fault she fell."
"What are we going to do…" Regina whispered after a moment.
Emma pulled her in a little tighter, "We are going to sit here, and pray to whatever Deity that might be up there that our little girl will be okay. We are going to stay out of the way of the doctors doing their jobs. We are going to stick together, and be here for our baby girl. We are going to do everything we can to make her comfortable, whether that is for the months she's in casts, or the few hours that her life drains from her body. We will be the loving, caring parents that she knows us to be."
Regina choked on another sob as she nodded into Emma's shoulder, clutching with tight fingers to the back of Emma's shirt.
/SQ/
Emma shifted gently so as not to wake her sleeping wife, as the doctor came into the room, "Sheriff, I have an update."
She nodded, "Whale, how is she?"
"She's going to be just fine."
Emma swallowed the sob that threatened to spill from her lips, "Oh thank God. Oh God. Okay, hold on. Step back outside, then come back in. I'll wake Regina, and I'll ask again."
He nodded in calm understanding, "Of course," and quickly slipped back outside of the private room.
A soft knock sounded on the door, and Emma cleared her throat gently before speaking, "Come in."
The door opened, and Whale stepped back in, "I have an update, on your daughter," he spoke, his voice louder than when he had said it the first time.
Emma shook Regina slightly, "Regina, honey, wake up. Whale is here." She pressed a kiss to the top of Regina's head, and rubbed her wife's back, "Regina, Whale is here."
Her wife twisted on her lap, and unburied her face from the crook of Emma's neck, "Emma?"
"Whale is here," she said softly, pressing a kiss to Regina' forehead, "He has news on Hannah, honey."
Regina's head shot up, eyes seeking out the doctor, "Hannah?" She unwrapped herself from Emma's arms and stood up, "How's my baby?"
Grabbing Regina's hand, Emma carefully pulled her back into her lap, "Whale, how's Hannah?"
He cleared his throat, "She has broken both bones in her left forearm, and we have set them so that they will heal properly. Her Tibia in her left leg fractured, and we have it set and cast as well. She has two broken ribs, and the fall caused some internal bleeding in her intestines. We've reset her ribs and stitched the tear in her intestinal lining. It was touch and go for a bit, but she pulled through. She's pretty beat and bruised, but with care, and time she will make a full recovery. With some physical therapy afterwards, we will rebuild the muscle atrophy, and she will be as good as new, with minimal scarring. We were fortunate that even with the intestinal tearing, we were able to go in through her belly button, and only had to make a one-inch incision in her abdomen for better access. She'll have a little scarring where we went in with a two-inch incision to push her ribs back into place with a newly acquired tool for such specific purposes. She should make a full recovery, and because everything has been set properly, as she ages, her healing will only increase. The broken bones will strengthen, and any small ailments, such as a slight limp, will disappear."
Emma tightened her grip around her wife when Regina let out a joyful cry, "Oh God. My baby's okay. Our baby's okay. She's okay."
Holding back her own tears, Emma rested her cheek to Regina's and looked at Whale, "When can we see her?"
"In a couple of hours. She's still coming off the anesthesia, and we need to adjust her morphine drip. She'll be remaining in the hospital at least five days, it could be up to eleven or twelve. When she's discharged, we'll give you the appropriate painkillers and dosages. She's going to be very sleepy, for quite a while, and it's for the best. We'll go over more of those details later, and I'll be sure to make print outs as well. For now, I recommend you both go home and get some sleep."
Regina cut in, "No. Absolutely not. I am not leaving!"
"The nurses are taking very good care of your daughter, Madam Mayor, but it would be very hard to do so if you don't make sure to take care of yourself as well. If you really don't wish to leave, I'll have a nurse show you to an on-call room for the night."
Emma grabbed for Regina's hand and squeezed, "Yes, please, that would be really great."
"Sure, I'll get that set up. If you need to make any calls, this room is safe for that. Or please step outside of the building, but please avoid making too many calls in the building. It's rare, but sometimes the radiation waves can disturb machines in the hospital."
Emma nodded, pressing a kiss to Regina's hand, then her cheek, then her temple, "Thank you, Whale, we'll let you know if we need anything."
He smiled before exiting the private room, leaving the two alone. After a brief moment Regina curled even closer to Emma, "She's okay."
Emma clung to Regina, holding her close, "She's okay. Hannah's okay."
"She's okay," Regina whispered.
"She's okay."
/SQ/
Regina stepped forward softly, "Hey, baby. How are you feeling?"
"Sleepy," Hannah murmured, a yawn stretching her mouth open.
"I know sweetheart, you're going to be sleepy for a little while longer. Your body heals faster when you sleep."
"Where's Momma?" Hannah asked, blinking wearily.
"She's at work, baby. She'll be home soon." Regina carefully sat on the edge of her daughter's bed. Because of the pain medication, Hannah was hardly awake for five or six hours throughout the day. She would eat, take her medication and fall back to sleep. Sometimes she wouldn't even wake when she needed the bathroom, and Regina had resorted to getting diapers, so they didn't have to constantly change the sheets.
Hannah smiled a little and raised her good arm to graze her fingers across her mother's hand, "Mommy?"
"Yes, sweetheart?" Regina answered, leaning to kiss her daughter's forehead, and hold the little hand in her own.
"Will you show me," Hannah yawned again, "pretty lights."
"Pretty lights?"
Hannah's eyes fluttered a little, "Yea… like Momma."
Realization dawned on her and Regina nodded, "Of course, baby, what color?"
Her daughter giggled a little, "All colors."
Flicking the wrist of her hand that wasn't holding her daughter's hand, she smiled when she heard Hannah's excited gasp at the bright burst of lights that lit up the room, "I'm going to move you a little, okay, baby? Then I'm going to lay down with you, so we can use the whole room."
Hannah nodded, and only let out a tiny whimper when Regina lifted her off the bed, and made room for herself to share, "Ready, Mommy."
Regina pressed a kiss to her daughter's temple, "All ready, sweetheart. Watch." She swirled her wrist and fingers in the air, and the multi-colored lights shifted and danced around the room to portray a forest with a moon shining bright. Wiggling her fingers, a unicorn galloped through the trees, and an owl swooped through the sky.
Hannah watched and gasped with delight as Regina put on a beautiful show, "Pretty."
Smiling, Regina continued to maneuver the lights into beautiful scenes, until she was sure that Hannah had drifted back to sleep. Covering her mouth as she yawned, she settled more comfortably on the double bed they had purchased to help ensure that Hannah wouldn't roll out of bed, Regina closed her eyes and drifted to sleep as well.
Where she remained until her loving wife found her, and gently woke her with a kiss, a smile, and the three little words that she had never understood with a fiercer passion since they had almost lost their beautiful little girl.
A/N: Rightie-O then.
THAT is Fallen.
Not the beginning of Get Down Tonight.
Right.
Sorry.
Reviews are loved and appreciated.
All my love,
CBC
