This alteration-to-canon fic idea came to me in a flash one day. The premise is pretty much depression city. I apologize in advance, especially in light of the travesty that is Sean Maguire's exit from the show. This is a WARNING – MAJOR tragedy ahead and a somewhat callous Robin who moved on from Regina to Marian while in NYC.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Once Upon a Time. I wrote this story solely for entertainment purposes. I have asserted creative license and made some alterations to the timeline of canon events and minor details.

Much thanks to all the lovely readers who have already read or commented on my other fics! For first time readers, try my other stories as well – even if this one isn't your cup of tea, my other projects are all about the love and adventures of our favorite OQ pair! PLEASE review – I cannot tell you how much your feedback makes my day! Now fasten your seatbelts, and enjoy the ride!

Chapter 1: Tears Forthcoming

Robin whistled as he went down the street. The sky was bluer. The grass was greener. The birds were singing. The sun shone brighter.

In reality, he was walking down a grimy New York sidewalk. The air was thick with pollution and second-hand smoke. As per usual, the city was bustling with hurried businessman, venders and tourists. Each mundane detail about the unkind city escaped his notice that day because he was so happy.

His mind drifted to the night before.

.:.

.:.

Robin arrived home from his telemarketer job. He had no patience for the work but had to do something to keep his wife and son fed. On the inside, the former outlaw seethed with frustration at the rude, impatient callers he had to deal with day after day. The man's external disposition, however, told a different story. Robin lived by his code, which required him to leave his burdens of the day at the door and be the best father and husband he could be when he was around his family.

When the tired man came into the small urban apartment, he was met with the surprise of his life. A gigantic 'Welcome Home, Daddy' banner was hanging across one wall. Balloons littered the floor. The table was set with a new fine linen tablecloth, delicate china, and dripping candles.

"SURPRISE!"

Roland burst from the kitchen with the energy of a tornado and barreled into his father's legs. Behind her son, Marian came following with less enthusiasm but with matching joy, her face glowing.

"What's the occasion?" Robin was in awe of his small family. Gone were the worries he had held just moments ago. In their place, Robin was filled to the brim with love and life. His family gave him everything he needed.

"Papa," Roland whined, "I told you it's a surprise!"

Robin chuckled and then turned to Marian for the answer.

"Robin, stop with that teasing grin. You've always been so curious and thought you could employ your roguish charms in order to get your way. Tonight, you will just have to wait. Now sit down and enjoy while I finish dinner!"

Marian began walking off toward the kitchen to take the chicken out of the oven, but her persistent husband came up from behind and wrapped her in his embrace.

"You must know, wife, that I always enjoy my time when I am home with my beautiful wife and son."

It still felt odd to Robin to call his Marian 'wife' or even to speak to her at all. For decades, she had been gone. For years, he had mourned the loss of her – his wife and Roland's mother. Marian had been the sun in his life; her smile lit up his whole life and made him feel blessed and happy every waking hour. When she died, he felt dead. But Roland... That boy was the reason. Roland had been the baby that almost never was. Marian had undergone a very trying and risky pregnancy to bring Roland into the world. Once their precious baby boy was born, the Hoods counted every day special that they were allowed to be parents. So when Marian no longer lived, Robin forced himself to keep going. He had to be strong for Roland. He could not let his son, who needed his father, to go without a father since the young lad would forever be motherless. At first, getting up every day, eating, and even speaking to anyone had been a chore. Slowly but surely, Robin remembered how to live. He gradually began to embrace being a father and once again leading the Merry Men. His love for Marian never diminished and his pain at her loss never ended, but Roland and each new day added color back to his life.

And then, many years later, there was Regina. In the Enchanted Forest… In Storybrooke after the Missing Year… It didn't really matter when they met. It was electric. It was magical. It was destiny. Everyone could see the sparks fly between the duo when they were together sniping at one another. Their barbs and duels of wit in the Enchanted Forest were the talk of the Merry Men and gang of 'heroes'. Of course, Snow, being the eternal optimist, constantly hinted to Regina that all of the sharp but flirtatious banter with the archer could be something more. Regina always denied her growing feelings, but Robin knew that one day would come when she would be forced to acknowledge their mutual feelings. They could be great together. And they were – for a time. Until Marian returned from the dead.

The past. Regina had once told him that it's a saying in this world – leave the past in the past. Let sleeping dogs lie. One out of just many flawless days with her, the new couple had agreed to start over. To be the new beginning for each other in life that they had never been afforded before.

Robin almost smiled at his quick journey down memory lane, but then the haze faded. He was back in the apartment in New York – away from her. He was with his wife. It wasn't fair to be thinking about his life with Regina in Storybrooke. After all, he had recently promised his wife that he was choosing her. Robin chose Marian – his present, his reality, his family. Being a man of his word, Robin had accepted Marian back into his heart and his bed. He hadn't even thought of Regina that often since the first night he had made the final decision to let go of the past (once again, and this time, letting go of Regina instead of moving on with her). That was the night he truly reconnected with his wife. That was when he did the right thing.

And he had been happy ever since – at least, that's what he told himself. He ignored how uncomfortable he had felt his first night back in Marian's arms, wishing it was Regina. He ignored the odd remarks Marian made that were so unlike her and her forgetfulness of their past together. He would not allow himself to dwell on how much he ached inside when he went to the supermarket and bought apples or when Roland begged to ride a horse in Central Park. Everywhere he looked he saw Regina. It was too much! Each and every time his heart twinged, he redirected his mind to focus on his Marian.

Reminded again of his wife, Robin scrubbed his mind of all turmoil and focused on the woman before him. He caressed her softly, moving his hands gently up and down her sides. Leaning into her back, he tenderly kissed her neck.

Marian hummed in contentment. "Now, as much as I love kissing you…"

Robin peppered her neck with kisses and then turned her toward him for an explosively passionate kiss on the lips.

Marian relaxed into her husband's arms. She rested one hand on Robin's shoulder and carded the other through his thick mane of hair.

"Robin! I do enjoy this very much, but I must make sure the chicken does not burn!" Marian giggled in a girlish manner and attempted to pull away.

Her sneaky husband stopped her. "Let the chicken burn!" And with that, Robin twirled Marian around and pulled her down into his lap on the sofa.

After another heated kiss, the married couple broke for air. Robin rested his forehead against Marian's, their noses nuzzling. This was always what Regina and I did. No, this is what Marian and I do.

"Do you just how much I love you, Robin of Locksley?" Marian lifted her face to show Robin her effervescent, beaming smile.

"I think so, milady. Just as much as your husband loves you." Robin gave her a peck.

Marian halted his renewed efforts at affection. She pushed at his shoulders firmly but lightly.

"No, Robin. I know you've been elsewhere. You were in the land of the living. I was dead. You were with the Evil Queen for a while. I may not like it, but I do understand it – to a certain extent. But I am so glad you chose a life with me. Years ago, we made vows that meant something. They still mean everything to me. I am so blessed to have you in Roland in my life again. You are my second chance."

Again, Robin was hit with a flood of sorrow in his heart. His chest pounded with pain over Regina. He had pledged HER a second chance together. But that was just not to be.

"I am so glad, milady. I know I gave you reason to doubt me. I did become close to Regina, but I am with you now. I never stopped loving you. We are husband and wife. We are family."

This time, Marian went in for the kiss. She grasped him tightly, pulled him back toward her, and dove in. Never before had Marian been so sloppy with her kisses and so enthusiastic. Robin had noticed Marian to be a bit more wanton in the last couple of weeks than she had ever been in the Forest, but he chalked that up to new vigor that accompanied reclaiming her life. As it was, Marian plunged her tongue into her husband's mouth and dueled his with much ferocity.

"Whoa, milady! I must say, that was quite a kiss! I am not complaining, but what is the cause of this?" Robin smiled expectantly and then looked around him. "And what of ALL of this?"

"I am so glad we are a family! I had wanted to wait until after dinner, but I do not think I can manage the tedium. I love you! I love Roland! I love our family! I have a new life with the most important people in my life. I could not have asked for more. But more, we have been given."

"What do you mean?" Robin was becoming more anxious by the minute. What did Marian mean? But surely, it must be good by the looks of her ecstatic expression.

"Robin, we are going to have another child!"

"Marian, are you certain?"

Robin looked to his wife for confirmation. When she nodded, he whooped with joy. He stood up and spun his thin wife in the air and started making his way across the room.

"Robin, I am so happy you are excited for this baby!"

"How could I not be?! I am going to be a father again!"

"But wait, what are we doing? And what about the dinner?"

"We are going to celebrate. Roland can have some play time. The dinner can just wait."

Then Robin carried his newly expecting wife over the threshold of their bedroom and kicked the door closed.

.:.

.:.

Back in the present, Robin gleefully strode down the pavement. All was well in the world. He could not wait for his new baby to be born! Nothing – not even that horrid Rumpelstiltskin – could bring him down.

Speaking of the imp, he was here. Robin had reached his destination. Above him was the large sign announcing the looming building ahead – Mount Sinai Hospital. The former outlaw didn't relish helping the terrible man. Marian had even selfishly begged him not to intervene. Robin could not believe his wife – how could sweet Marian turn her back on any human being?! Then again, his wife was pregnant and probably worried about being left alone in this strange new land. No matter! Robin would live by his honor regardless of his personal feelings or the risk of being involved with Rumpelstiltskin.

Room 508. 508. 508.

Robin had been told that was where he could find the ailing Dark One. He had never been in such a bustling, chaotic place as a modern-day hospital, but thankfully, a kind nurse had helped him. Following her instructions, he had ridden the elevator to the fifth floor. Now all he needed to do was find the right room!

As he walked down the busy hospital hallway, checking room numbers, he peeked into every room he passed. A frail girl with no hair and a teddy bear in her arms. A young man laid-up in bed with an ear-splitting cough. An elderly woman who seemed unresponsive and a white-haired man – whom Robin presumed to be the woman's husband – yelling belligerently at the sheepish doctor. Each one of these patients looked to be in such serious condition. Robin's heart went out to them. Where do they live? What life did they have before? What bodily condition has robbed them of their lives?

Room 520. 519. 518. 517. 516. 5-

Robin glanced into room 516, and life stopped. Robin's chest constricted. His breath caught. His head throbbed. He could not think nor move.

There was Regina.

How could it be?! His Regina was in Storybrooke. When he had left, his Regina had been fine. She was not supposed to be here, in New York, in a hospital bed. Yet here she was.

Regina looked as beautiful as ever, or perhaps that was the eternal love in Robin's eyes that told him that. Undeniably, Regina Mills was a gorgeous woman. Her olive complexion, dark, silky hair, piercing eyes, and killer physique made that a given. However, this was not the siren-like woman Robin had left broken-hearted in Storybrooke. Upon closer inspection, the woman who lay in the bed was a stranger. This woman had a ghostly pallor. This woman slumped in a positively un-queenly manner. This woman made no effort to hide her pain or weakness. This woman was decidedly not his Regina.

"Robin?"

She had seen him.

Robin hesitantly stepped forward. Though Regina had addressed him, her eyes were now diverted to the far wall. Robin took the opportunity to take in his surroundings. The space was shrouded in darkness. The windows were entirely covered, shielding the room's occupant from light and the outside world. Altogether, Robin found the environment to be quite depressing, cold, and lonely.

Looking around further, he found pictures of Henry crammed onto every flat surface. Ranging from a baby to the teenager that he now was, Henry exuded vibrant life of youthfulness and hopefulness, even across the distance of time and space. Robin continued his perusal and found one particular snapshot of Henry and Regina… with Roland and himself.

It was that day. The day the four of them had been a family. The day they had all been blissfully happy, without a care in the world. The day Marian had come back from the past. Then there was no more Regina, no more second chance. But oh! What a day that had been! Robin had awakened at dawn, only to find Regina at his side prodding him playfully. She was already dressed and ready for a morning walk in the woods. He groggily insisted on being allowed more sleep, and Regina fell back into bed with him. When she finally convinced him to arise for the day, they trekked hand-in-hand to their log for a picnic. Laughter and declarations of new love filtered through the desolate wooded area. After their private time had finished, they went out for ice cream with the boys. Henry and Roland chatted up a storm about this new video game and that new comic book, but the two parents knew that their children's excitement was really about the new familial situation in which they all found themselves. The adults, too, were over the moon.

Robin was snapped out of his reverie with a loud clearing of the throat on Regina's part. The woman of the hour had seen where Robin's gaze lay and had immediately known where his thoughts probably rested. She felt ill at ease. That rapturous, all-too-perfect memory would never again be reality.

"Robin…"

For once in her life, the former queen had no words to say. Second-nature diplomacy and self-confidence of the royal and the politician had long ago fled. The poise that always appeared in her straight spine and upward-tilted head were nowhere to be found. Regina was just a woman.

"Why don't you come in. And please, shut the door." Regina croaked, beckoning her former lover to enter.

Robin did as he was bade, quite willing to close the door for the privacy that would inevitably be needed for this coming delicate discussion. He inched forward, as if reluctant to come within proximity of the once fierce sorceress, and quietly sat in a nearby chair.

After a few long seconds of silence, Regina cut to the chase. "Robin, why are you here?"

"To see Rumpelstiltskin, actually."

"Why? Why is Gold here? And why are you here to see the imp?" Regina's seemingly dilapidated physical state did not encroach upon her ability to shoot someone down with a glare.

"The Dark One was having some heart difficulty caused by his many years of evil deeds. I brought him here and then aided him in obtaining the Elixir of the Wounded Heart. Today, I am returning to check on his recovery." The noble outlaw cringed at his explanation of helping such a vile man, but he knew that if he did not tell Regina everything, she would press him for the truth until doomsday.

"Ever the honorable man! Right, Robin?" The typical dry venom Regina favored hung in the air, but the bite to her words was lacking.

"I imagine you are reacting the same as Marian did," Robin mused. One look at Regina's face told him that was the wrong thing to say.

Robin, you bloody fool, you cannot mention your wife to your former lover!

He hurried on. "The Dark One has done much evil in the past to multitudes of people. But you, Milady, taught me that anyone, regardless of their wrongs and their pasts, should be given the chance to change. I do not know if Rumpelstiltskin will indeed find redemption, but I could not allow him to die if I could prevent his death."

Robin expected a rebuttal, fiery words, sarcasm, or even the rare agreement from his queen. But nothing.

Regina sat in silence. Her dark eyes swirled with things unsaid. Whereas the outlaw could once look into her eyes and read her heart, she was now a blank slate – an utter mystery.

"No one can fault you for your honor, Robin." She spoke quietly in the silent room. Her slow but sure words pierced the still air. "Not even I…in the end."

Robin's breath caught. Once again he was reminded of all that he had forsaken when he had been forced to cross the town line with Marian. He did not pause to accept his conscious choice in rejecting his soul mate when he had slept with Marian and conceived a child with her. In this moment, he only thought of Regina.

"I must live by my honor, if that is all I ever have," Robin announced with a false bravado.

"I know. I know."

The reassurance and resigned peacefulness in Regina's words were not patronizing like they would have been coming from anyone else, but they still deeply disturbed Robin. His Regina would never answer in so few words with such tranquility. It was not a comforting sign of contentment. Regina sounded resigned, like a condemned person. But what was she resigned to?

Robin got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He had already begun feeling sick as soon as he saw his former love in this hospital bed. Regina was a harsh reminder of the bright future that had been dangled in front of his face, only to be snatched away. She was the embodiment of his dreams and his desires. She shared his soul, and their hearts had beat as one. Robin was once again reminded of how much of a fool he was to have left his soul mate and second chance. He had left her to cry at the town line over him, and now she was in the hospital. The hospital!

"Regina, why are you here?"

The gravity in his tone was one Regina had never heard before. Robin had been teasing, understanding, regretful, forthright, determined, sad, optimistic, nostalgic, and hopeful. Never had he been so serious.

Regina was shaken to the core. His appearance outside her door was like a penny from heaven or a breath of fresh air, but her thief was approaching deep waters – the likes of which she did not want to tread. She plunged in anyway, hoping that she could avoid the truth.

"I just had a few pains, Robin. Nothing serious. No need to worry."

Robin was definitely not buying it.

"Tell me the truth, Regina. I saw the patients in the rooms nearby, and they all appeared to be severely ill. Don't tell me you are surrounded by serious cases, while you came for a simple checkup."

Robin shot Regina a stern look, which she translated as 'Don't test me'.

"You don't know how hospitals in this land work, Thief," Regina hissed in protest.

Robin settled momentarily on her use of his nickname but the moved along. He would not be distracted or swayed by her words. He had to uncover the real reason she was here!

"You're right, Milady. I don't have full knowledge of how this land works. What I do know is common sense and logic. Logic tells me that if the man in the next room is shouting and crying over his 'unconscious' wife, then she is dying or already dead. That leaves me to suspect that you are in poor condition, and I pray that you are not dying."

Regina was drawn in by Robin's expressive blue eyes. She could get lost in them. They called to her like an oasis called to a person in the desert. Despite how overloaded her senses were, how her mind reeled with memories, how her gut roiled in panic, how her heart urged her to kiss Robin and never let him go… Despite all these things that afflicted Regina, she knew she must stand resolute. The queen may have fallen from grace, but she refused to be conquered – even to him, the man she still loved and would always love.

"Believe me or don't believe me, Robin. It's your choice." Regina sighed tiredly. "It matters not to me whether you think me lying or not. You said you were here to see Mr. Gold. I'll leave you to it, unless you have anything else to say to me."

Regina gazed at her lost soul mate apprehensively. He must stop asking about me! He must forget me! She wrung her hands anxiously, hoping he would just leave. No one knew what she had been through in the recent days of her miserable life, and she intended to keep it that way. Regina quashed her traitorous instincts, which told her to once again lay bare and broken before this man and tell him everything. She would be strong. She would do this the right way, for once in her life.

"Regina, I know there's more you're not telling me. You look different – still as stunning as ever, but different. There's something wrong. But I won't press. I lost the right when I left you. I'm with Marian now, and that's how it should be. I just want you to know that you meant a lot to me. Roland loved you so much! You truly were my second chance. Just know that you can change your mind. I live not so far away, and you can call me if you need me. If you need to unburden yourself, if you need to laugh, if you want a sparring companion…whatever it is... Even if you don't ever call, just know that I am your friend to whom you may tell anything. We can be friends, can't we, Regina?"

Robin turned to Regina for confirmation. All he received was a slight nod. That was enough for him. He grabbed one of the magazines sitting on the bedside table, drew a pen from his shirt pocket, and scribbled down his personal cell phone number.

"Here it is! Now rest up, lovely. I hope you are doing well again in a short while!"

Robin wanted to kiss her, to hug her…to- something! But their past had only left him with remorse and hesitance. He found himself increasingly unworthy of speaking to this woman – this goddess of a woman who had suffered so much unbearable loss in her life. He had stolen her heart and not even cared to look behind when he walked away with it.

Instead of being his normal courageous self, Robin timidly reached out to pat Regina's shoulder.

Although the gesture itself was rather awkward, Regina felt something stir within herself. It was the soul connection – that incredible impulse the rushed through her system every time she touched him. Even through their separation, that bitterly painful time for her when he had been with Marian, their connection had survived.

As Robin pivoted to make an escape to the door, a dainty hand grasped his arm. He gasped. Regina was reaching for him.

"Don't go," she whispered.

"I won't." He turned back around and retreated to his former seat.

"Please stay with me until I fall asleep. I promise it won't be long. I just don't want to be alone right now."

Regina's pleading nearly broke his heart. Never before had he heard the former Evil Queen nor the composed Madame Mayor ever sound so small. She was so childlike, so helpless.

The thought caused Robin to once again scan his soul mate. What he saw was terrifying. The usually arresting, voluptuous figure had been replaced by a skeletal husk. Her abnormal weight loss and sallow complexion absolutely scared the typically unshakeable archer. Where is MY Regina?

"I'll stay," he promised.

If only you could. If only I could. Regina took heart in his abiding care for her but cried internally for all that could not be.

Just as he thought she was drifting off to sleep, Robin heard her speak once more.

"You are my friend, Robin. The problem is... you will always be so much more to me."

Robin jolted awake. Tapping lightly on his shoulder was none other than Rumpelstiltskin.

"Wha-"

The Dark One motioned to Regina, still sleeping soundly in her bed. "I'd like to speak to you outside."

Robin nodded and arose from his seat. He followed Rumple out of the room and into the hallway, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"What is it that you want?" Robin asked.

"Why is it that you think I want something from you, dearie? You did come to see me, didn't you? That is, of course, before you stumbled upon our dear queen."

"Yes. I came to see how you've been doing since you drank the elixir. Clearly, it has helped. You seem to be in good health now. Meanwhile, Regina has gotten herself into a sorry state and landed herself in the hospital. Do you have any idea what exactly is wrong with her?"

Robin was not in a good mood, having been shaken out of his peaceful nap, and was itching to return to Regina's side. If he had to be out of the room, he wanted answers.

"Settle down, dearie. Wouldn't want to wake the sleeping beauty, now would we?" Rumple's impish nature was starting to come out from the shadows of his human form, and Robin didn't like the evasion one bit. "In answer to your question, I do know what is wrong with Regina.

"You must tell me," Robin demanded, almost frantic.

"No. We need to have a discussion first."

Right then, an orderly wheeled a boy down the hall in a wheelchair. The young patient was hooked up to an I.V. Evidence of his sickliness was displayed by the long scar on his face and the unhealthy yellowish tint to his skin.

Rumpelstiltskin pulled Robin out of the way of the traffic and a ways down the corridor into a vacant alcove where they could continue their conversation.

"As I was saying, dearie, I do have knowledge of Regina's condition, but I will not tell you everything until we have a little chat. I am the Dark One, a man who exchanged his normal life, his cowardly ways, for the Darkness. When I was searching for happiness, I failed to recognize I already had it with my son Baelfire. I gave him up in my pursuit of power and eventually lost him forever."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He was genuinely sympathetic toward the imp for losing his only child, but all Robin wanted to hear about was Regina. "But what does that have to do with Regina?"

"Patience. I failed to recognize the happiness right in front of me. You've gone and done the same thing." Rumple rebuked the archer in his own matter-of-fact fashion.

"You mean Regina? I had no choice but to leave Storybrooke. I couldn't possibly have allowed Marian to wander about in this strange new land by herself!"

Robin couldn't believe the gall of this man. He had no right to judge him or correct him! Rumpelstiltskin had done far worse things than him and did not know the full story!

"Everyone in Storybrooke, by now, knows of the unwavering moral code you live by. I do believe you threw away your happiness when you left Regina, but that is none of my business. You can choose Marian; that is your right in life. I only told you all this so that you know what you did – how you threw away Regina's happiness, too."

"What do you mean?!" Robin ground his teeth. He was not about to take any more accusations from Rumpelstiltskin, of all people!

Rumple extended his arm. With a puff of smoke, a manila folder magically appeared in his outstretched hand.

"This will explain what I mean."

Rumple handed the anxious outlaw the folder.

Robin opened it and scoured the documents for information. After a few minutes, he slapped the folder shut.

"This is futile! I can't understand a bloody word! Could you please tell me what this is? Why did you give it to me? And what does it say?" Robin's frustration and anxiety were at a boiling point.

"I just gave you a peek at Regina's medical file. I entrusted it to you because you asked me what I knew. What does it say, you ask? I don't think you want to know, but I will tell you because you must know. Patient Regina Mills. Age 36. In for cardiac sarcoma."

Rumpelstiltskin chanced a look at his companion. Robin only offered a confused but extremely distraught expression. When Rumple paused his spiel, the archer narrowed his eyes. Before Robin could yell at Rumple, the imp continued in his explanation.

"What this all means is that Regina has a malignant or cancerous tumor growing on her heart. It is cutting off blood flow to her heart. Apparently, because of the tumor's particular location, the rapidity of its growth, and the lateness in which it was diagnosed, it cannot be treated."

The Dark One's final pronouncement of Regina's prognosis was shocking, to say the least. From the day he had met her until the day he left town, Robin had known his soul mate to be a survivor. She was the strongest woman- No. She was the strongest person he had ever met. He could not fathom her as being sick.

And what is that supposed to mean?! Robin's emotions were raging, but his mind froze. He could not process this new information. Only that morning he had been happy with his wife. Maybe not truly happy, but he had been okay. Now he was completely destroyed. The woman he had loved- The woman he still loved was not okay.

"What do you mean it can't be treated?!" Robin shouted. He balled his hands into fists and stepped closer to get in the Dark One's face.

"It means that the doctors can't do anything to help a woman that has a life-threatening condition. It means that Regina is waiting in there for a miracle or for death."

Robin couldn't handle anymore. The man doesn't know what he's talking about. He needs to shut up! Regina is going to be fine and in fighting form, just as she always is. She'll be back in Storybrooke battling the next great villain in no time.

Those are the words Robin force-fed his mind. But even through his mind's desperate chatter, he knew it wasn't true. He knew nothing was right anymore.

I have to get away from this bloody hospital!

Rumple seemed to be reading his mind.

"Before you go, dearie, I would think seriously about how you will spend your time in the near future. Regina may not be here much longer," the Dark One warned.

"I cannot hear this!"

Robin turned on his heel and bolted down the corridor. Before he got on the elevator, he halted to stare back at Regina's door. Room 516.

"It doesn't look good," a deep male voice said.

Snatched away from his inner turmoil, Robin searched for the owner of the voice. Ahh, he must be the doctor. A woman stood beside him in scrubs. The nurse.

"The poor dear! And she has nobody to see her through the cancer!" The woman exclaimed with great pity.

"I see these cases everyday, but I never get over the experience of having to walk these people toward death. Most of them make it, but cases like hers… I'm the one that always has to be the stoic doctor and the tough man while my heart is breaking for these dying patients. I'm the one that has to tell their loved ones they're not going to make it. And then when the patient does die, I hold the sobbing husbands, wives, and children as they mourn a pain that will never go away."

The doctor shook his head and appeared to be genuinely moved by the sentiments he shared.

The nurse patted the doctor's arm and added her two cents. "But this lady has no one! She has a tumor eating up her heart, and she will die alone! This world is SO unfair!"

"Well, it won't be long now. Her vitals haven't been looking good for the last couple hours. I think she only has a day or so. Go back into room 516 and make sure Ms. Mills is comfortable. It won't be long, and we have to do our best for her even now."

He's talking about Regina! I can't hear anymore! I won't listen to Rumpelstiltskin or that fool doctor! I won't!

Robin rushed into the elevator and pounded at the buttons. The doors closed. The elevator started making its descent.

I must leave! I must!

The elevator seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. Robin felt suffocated. His throat tightened. His eyes watered. He didn't care that he was still in public. He didn't think that this was the woman he had abandoned long ago. He didn't think or do anything consciously at all.

When he arrived at the ground floor, Robin ambled out of the elevator like a zombie. He was overtaken by dread. All rational thought was out the window, yet his mind rumbled on at light speed like a freight train.

I left her!

I did this!

I moved on!

I broke my soul mate's heart!

I am responsible!

She's going to die!

Regina is going to die because of me!

"NOOOOO!" Robin wailed. He fell to the ground, unaware and unashamed of his open sorrow. Without qualms or worries about the time, his family, or the rest of his so-called life, he lay in the lobby of the hospital and cried until a security guard came, picked him up, and forced him to leave.