This is an idea I've been kicking around for a while though I'm not entierly sure where it's going. Be warned, this is gonna be a fairly angsty short story.
~The Last Ronin~
"Emma, honey, can you hear me? It's Mom…"
Those words break through the numb haze that has engulfed my mind and I turn my head slightly towards the sound. I open my mouth to reply but nothing comes out. A twinge rips through me, originating somewhere in my chest, but before I can grasp what it is, the numbness slams back over me, pulling me back into it's cold embrace. Safe.
I turn back to the wall, slowly tracing the stitching of each pad that lines it with my eyes. At first I tried counting them but I could never get passed one. One pad. One stitch. One thread. One soul…Maybe one more try though.
One. One. One. One…
x-x-x-x-x
"Why doesn't she answer?" Snow asks Dr. Hopper as she watches our daughter, her face twisted with worry, "And why is she wearing that…"
"Well, she's heavily sedated right now," the Doctor responds in his usual quiet voice, "and the jacket is for her safety as well as that of the staff. As I told you on the phone, Emma attacked one of the orderlies earlier…"
"My mom's gonna be ok though right?" Henry interrupts, clutching nervously at his grandmother's hand.
"I-I don't know Henry," Dr. Hopper replies after a moments hesitation, "something…broke inside your mother and until we know what it is and what caused it we can't really help her."
Snow sighs and turns to face the Doctor, the worry on her face turning to sadness, "Come now Dr. Hopper, you know what's wrong with her. She's been like this ever since Hook…"
"The pirate? Isn't he dead though."
"Exactly," Snow nods, "he died and my daughter's heart broke."