Regina tightened her grip on David's hand in the kiss and cry. They had made it to Nationals and with their strong performance in the free, they had a chance to make it to the podium. She felt Granny's hand on her shoulder as she whispered to the both of them. "No matter what the judges think, you did a perfect program. Not a single mistake. You should be both proud of yourselves! You've accomplished so much in a short year!"
Granny had worked with Emma to get Regina safely back on the ice. In the meantime, they had made sure David and Regina could practice pair moves safely in the confined of a gym. A lot of their performance rested on David's ability to throw Regina in the air and catch her safely, and to lift her up above his head. Consequently, while her ankle was still healing, Regina had spent most of her practice time in a harness, hung from the ceiling, so David could learn the motion of lifts and get used to the way Regina distributed her weight in the air.
"Regina Mills and David Nolan have earned in the free skate: 137.43." Apparently the judges agreed with Granny. This score landed them in the first position and with only two pairs left to skate, they were guaranteed a bronze medal.
As the crowd erupted in cheers, Regina hugged David tightly. "We did it!" She whispered to him. "We made it!" They would probably be named as alternates on the National Team. They may never get the chance to compete but at least, they were on the radar of the selecting committee.
As David and Regina made their way to the winner's booth, David stole a kiss from her. Regina smiled against his lips, feeling free for the first time. Although she knew the kiss had probably sent Cora in a rage, Regina knew her mother would not comment on it. After all, they had become America's sweethearts and in Cora's book, any publicity was better than none.
"Next year, the Olympics!" Regina told David excitingly as they sat down on the comfortable seats.
"Where you will be the first woman to do a quad throw jump."
"Where WE will be the first pair to do that move." Regina kissed his cheek. "I can't throw myself that high in the air!"
ECECEC
"Bronze, Regina? You really need to step up your game a year away from the Olympics!" Cora berated her daughter. Back in her bedroom in Storybrooke, Regina took her Bronze medal and displayed it proudly on her shelf. "I thought you and David were performing triple combinations for your side-by-side? This would have earned you a silver and a spot at Worlds instead of being named as alternate!"
Regina rolled her eyes. "Mother! David hurt his knee at work a couple of weeks ago. It was safer to do a clean double than risk a triple!"
"Is this boy holding you back? I can talk to Granny. We can find you a better partner…"
"NO!" Regina screamed. "I already have a partner! David is perfect for me! Can a bronze be enough for once? Can I just be enough?"
"Regina, I just want what's best for you…"
"No you don't." Regina interrupted. "You want what's best for you! You don't care about me or David. All you care about is seeing my name in magazines!"
Cora snorted. "Right now, all I'm seeing is that America's sweethearts nonsense. When are you finally going to date someone who deserves you?"
"I LOVE DAVID!" Regina screamed. "Why can't you accept that? Why can't you accept him?"
"Regina, that's enough! I won't let you marry someone who can't even afford to take you out to dinner besides that burger joint on Main Street!"
Regina's eyes filled up with tears. She fister her hands, digging her fingernails into her palms. The pain was usually enough to soothe her anger but not today. Regina had weathered through insults after insults but she couldn't conceive a world where she wouldn't be able to date David. And since she had failed to give her mother what she had wanted on her own, Regina knew that Cora wouldn't hesitate to marry her off.
Feeling the sudden need for fresh air, Regina stormed out of her room, grabbing the keys she had left on her dresser in the process.
"REGINA!" Cora yelled after her daughter. "Regina, come back here immediately. This discussion is not over."
Regina ignored her mother and ran down the marble staircase that led to the foyer.
"Regina!" Her father called out softly from the bottom, having left his office after hearing the commotion upstairs. His heart broke when he saw the tears streaming down her face. What had Cora done this time?
Regina rushed past him without making eye contact and jerked her arm away when her father tried to reach out to her. She needed to put as much distance between her and this mansion as she could. She ran down the steps leading to the main driveway and climbed in her car.
"Regina!" She heard her mother calling her one more time. Regina just sped away toward the only place she knew she would be safe from her mother.
EC
David tightened his grip on the blanket he had carried to the playground where he knew he would find Regina. It had been their secret rendezvous point, the only place in Storybrooke they could be together when they'd started dating.
He approached the crumbling castle on which Regina was sitting. The playground had been condemned years prior, when the mayor had opened a newer and safer one on the other side of town but the locals had petitioned to keep the old one overlooking the ocean. No kids ever came to play nowadays but for the ones who did years ago, it had become a lovers' nest.
David stood in front of her and silently wrapped the blanket around her shaking form. With only her light sport jacket on, Regina was freezing in the January evening breeze. The brunette wrapped her arms around David's neck and buried her face into his chest. David just held her close to him, letting her cry. There was nothing he could say. He knew Cora well enough to understand how much pressure Regina was under.
When Regina finally quieted, David kissed the top of her head. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Regina shook her head. "No."
"Was it about the competition?" David insisted.
Regina shrugged. "It started that way." She slowly straightened up so she could look David in the eyes. "But it was about us."
David nodded once. He had feared this day would come eventually, especially since their relationship was now public. Cora had let it happen if it meant a gold medal but they didn't bring back the gold.
"She wants me to marry some rich guy…" Regina continued. "Why can't I be good enough for her? Why can't my choices be good enough?" The tears had started flowing again. "When am I not gonna be enough for you?"
David gasped in shock. Cora had utterly destroyed her daughter's self-worth. He cupped her cheeks to force her to look into his eyes. "Regina, I love you. You don't have to prove anything to me. All I want is for you to be happy."
A choked sob escaped her throat at the confession. She sank into David's embrace and let herself cry. She had never wanted this life. Cora had imposed it on her. But she wouldn't trade it for anything if it meant being with David.
David held her until Regina cried herself to sleep. Gently, David reached for her car keys in her jacket's pocket before lifting Regina into his arms. He carried her to the car and made her as comfortable as possible in the passenger's seat before extracting his cell phone from his back pocket.
David searched for the text Henry had sent earlier and composed one himself. Regina is with me. I'm going to take her to my place for tonight. He reread the message before sending it. He kissed Regina's forehead and caressed her cheek. The brunette scrunched up her nose in her sleep and leaned instinctively against David. "I wish you could see how precious you are. You are extraordinary, Regina. No matter what your mother says."
When David parked in the driveway of his modest home, Ruth was already waiting for him on the small porch. "I made a bed for her." She announced as her son was carrying the sleeping brunette into their home. Ruth loved Regina and she considered her like a daughter. She couldn't understand how her mother could be so cruel to the young girl.
"Thanks, mom." David kissed Ruth on the cheek before making his way to the guest bedroom in the back of the house.
"Has she eaten?" Ruth asked as David was making Regina comfortable.
The young man shook his head. "I don't think so. But I don't want to wake her. That's why I brought her here. I wanted her to have one peaceful night before facing Cora again."
Ruth smiled at her son in pride. She had raised him well. Despite not being able to afford everything David had wanted, she had given him love and kindness. "Henry apparently agrees with you. He called five minutes ago to say that he'll pick Regina up in the morning."
David sighed. He wished he could give his girlfriend more time away from her pain but he knew that would be impossible. David rubbed Regina's back soothingly. "I just want to take her away from this life."
Ruth sat on the bed by Regina's feet and placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "You are. Regina is happy when she is with you." The words that were meant to comfort him only made him more hopeless. Cora wanted to separate them and his experience had taught him that Cora more often than not obtained what she wanted.
ECECEC
"Regina, are you ready?" Granny called out from the side of the rink where she was making sure the harness would catch Regina shall she miss her quad jump. They had been practicing that move all summer but Regina was under-rotating on the throw, causing her to fall hard on the ice.
The brunette nodded as she she re-adjusted her gloves. David skated behind her and reached for her waist. "We can take a break if you need to." He whispered in her ear. Something had been bothering Regina in the past month. She wasn't her perky self and he could feel the tiredness in her movements.
Regina shook her head. "We need to get this. I should be getting out of this harness soon so I can learn to control the landing. We need that move at the opening of the competition season if we want to have a chance to make the Olympics team." Before David could argue with her, she skated away to the middle of the ice, waiting for her partner.
David hesitated. On the one hand, he was getting more and more concerned over Regina's physical condition and he didn't want her to get hurt while attempting the quad throw. On the other hand, he knew how much pressure she was under with Cora and he didn't want to add more with unfounded accusations. In the end, he decided to trust his partner and followed her to the middle of the rink.
"Alright. Let's try this again." Granny announced. "David, just concentrate on throwing Regina as high as you can for now. We'll work on your form later. Regina, just try to rotate it. Don't worry about landing, we're doing this for you. I just want you to get the sensation of nailing that quad!"
Regina smiled at Granny before nodding once. The couple took the ice, gaining speed to enable the move. As they were skating across the ice, David could feel Regina leaning more and more against him. As he directed them to the center of the ice, David felt Regina collapsed in his arms.
"Don't throw her!" Granny screamed in a panic. But David had no intention of throwing her into the air. He stopped them and lifted her up into his arms. Regina's eyes rolled up and everything went dark around her.
ECECEC
Dr. Whale crossed his hands over Regina's file and leaned over to deliver the bad news. "Regina has atrial septal defect." He looked at the young girl in the eyes. "It's a hole in the part of the septum that separates the atria." The doctor pointed at the sections of the modeled heart he had on his desk as he spoke.
"What does that mean?" Cora asked immediately.
"Your daughter has a hole in her heart the allows the oxygen-rich blood to flow from the left chamber to the right chamber instead of going into the ventricle as it should. So instead of delivering oxygen to her body, it's going back to the lungs. Most people don't notice the problem until later in life but given that Regina is an athlete, I'm not surprised she's starting to see the symptoms now." Whale turned his attention back to Regina. Since she was 19, she would have to make the decision concerning her care.
Regina played with her hands nervously. She wished David could be with her but her mother hadn't allowed it. Since the brunette stayed silent, Dr. Whale continued. "In your case, the defect is in the lower part of the septum. It's called primum ASD."
"What's the treatment?" Cora asked immediately.
"We need to repair it surgically." Dr. Whale kept looking at Regina, who hadn't said a word since entering his office. "Open-heart surgery."
Cora gasped. "Isn't there another way? Henry, we need to get a second opinion. Call your contacts in Boston. I'm not about to let this charlatan operate on my daughter."
Henry ignored his wife's outburst, concentrating on Regina. "Honey, what do you want to do?"
"Will I be able to skate? After the surgery, will I be able to go to the Olympics?" This was the only way her mother would allow her to even be in the same room as David. If her career was over, she would never see the man she loved again.
Whale shook his head. "You'll need at least six months to heal. I don't think you'll be able to make this Olympics cycle."
"But I will get back on the ice."
Whale nodded. "Yes. Once the hole is repaired and you have sufficiently recovered, you'll be able to train again."
Regina let out a breath of relief. "What do I need to do?" Regina listened attentively as Dr. Whale described the procedure.
ECECEC
"I wish you'd have listened to me and gone to Boston for a second opinion." Cora berated Regina as she organized her clothes in the hospital's room dresser.
"Mother, going to another doctor wouldn't have changed anything." She replied mechanically as the nurse placed an IV in her arm and connected her to a heart monitor. She hadn't been able to see David in the last couple of months and the separation was weighing on her heavily.
Out of breath from the simple act of sitting up in her bed, Regina leaned against the pillow. "You're ok?" The nurse asked her, trying to make the scared young woman more comfortable.
Regina nodded. "Just tired…" She looked in her mother's direction.
The nurse understood the unspoken request. "We should let you get some rest then."
"I'm not leaving my daughter here alone." Cora resisted.
"She needs all the rest she can get. Besides, Dr. Whale wants to talk to you about post-operative care instructions." The nurse lied, hoping that the good doctor would play the game.
"Oh." Cora simply replied. "Get some sleep, Regina. Your father and I will see you before the surgery." She kissed her daughter's forehead before following the nurse out of the room.
Once alone, Regina curled herself in a fetal position and cried. She was scared, scared to die in the morning without seeing David again.
EC
Dr. Whale was waiting for Mr Mills in the nurse's lounge. He had agreed to the old man's request to let Regina's partner and boyfriend in the hospital before the surgery. Henry didn't have to explain his actions; Dr. Whale had spent enough time with Cora to know that there would be no reasoning with her.
As soon as one of the nurses announced their arrival, Whale went to greet them in the small office he seldom used in this wing of the hospital. "I can let you see her for half an hour." The doctor told the young man. "Then she really needs to get some rest."
"How is she doing?" David asked worryingly. Although Henry had kept him informed of Regina's health, he knew the old man was hiding her true condition from him.
"She'll be happy to see you." The doctor answered truthfully. Regina was a nervous wreck and if half an hour with her boyfriend would help her relax, he was more than happy to help Henry sneak David into her room.
The doctor showed David to his girlfriend's room. Regina was unsurprisingly still awake and she gasped in both bewilderment and happiness as soon as she saw him. "David!" She squealed as she tried to sit up on the bed.
"Regina!" David ran toward her and hugged her tightly against him. "I've missed you so much." He nuzzled in her hair.
Regina was breathing hard against him, her sick heart unable to pump the much needed oxygen through her body. "You're here." She whispered, sinking into the warmth of his body. "You're here."
David gently pulled from her and cupped her cheeks with both hands. She looked tired and her pale skin betrayed her illness. "I'm sorry I couldn't be with you." He pecked her lips. "But I'm here, baby."
Regina nodded slowly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I love you." She wheezed.
"I love you too." David helped Regina lie back down on her bed and tucked the blanket around her. He caressed her forehead with the back of his fingers. "You're going to feel better in no time."
"I killed our Olympics dream." She looked away from him.
"You didn't. All that matters right now is you. You need to get some rest for tomorrow morning. And you need to spend all your energy healing, not worrying about anything else, ok?"
"What if I can't come back to competition? What if we can never skate together again?" She kept asking.
"Then, we'll be that boring couple who watches Netflix with cats and dogs on our laps." David reassured. "I'm not leaving you, honey. We'll find a way to be together." He promised.
Regina was too tired to argue. Her eyes were closing in spite of her best efforts and she soon fell asleep, safe in David's embrace. The young man kissed his girlfriend's forehead. "Sweet dreams."
EC
"I called Mrs. Lucas this morning." Cora told her husband as they entered the hospital. "She's wishing Regina a prompt recovery but is unwilling to talk about a return to competition."
Henry gritted his teeth. All he cared about was for Regina to come out of surgery alive, not whether she would be able to throw herself into the air in some daredevil move. As they walked to the hospital room where Regina was being prepared for surgery, Cora continued to describe the steps they would need to follow to ensure Regina's prompt recovery. She froze when she saw David by her daughter's side through the large window. "What is he doing here?" She seethed.
Henry grabbed his wife by the forearm before she could make a scene. "Cora, stop!" Henry turned around so she would face him. "Regina loves David. I've stood by and watched you destroy them. But no more! Regina may not come out of this! Do you realize this? She wants to be with him and right now, what she wants is my only concern. So swallow your anger, as I know you can do so well, and let's support our daughter."
Cora was furious. How dared he speak to her this way? She greeted her teeth but before she could formulate an appropriate, caustic response, they were interrupted by a booming voice. "Morning!"
They turned around to find Dr. Whale standing with his clipboard a few feet away from them. How much had he heard? "I called David last night. Regina was anxious and having troubles sleeping. He's been able to keep her calm enough for the surgery today." He announced, answering Cora's original question. The smug smile on his lips also betrayed his knowledge of her conversation with her husband. "We're all set to go in an hour. Please, keep Regina calm." He looked at Henry. "She needs your support now." Not waiting for an answer, the doctor excused himself, leaving the couple speechless outside of their daughter's room.
"How dare he?" Cora barked.
"He's right." Henry interrupted. "Regina needs all of us by her side right now." Henry looked pointedly in David's direction. "Including her partner."
Cora rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. But as soon as she is recovered, we need to have a talk about her future. On and off the ice."
Henry nodded in a conciliatory gesture. At least, he'd won this battle. "Shall we?" He extended his arm forward. Cora plastered a smile on her face before entering Regina's room.
"How are you feeling?" Cora asked, ignoring David. She walked around the bed to take Regina's free hand. David felt the tug on his arm as he tried to pull away, sure to be dismissed from the room promptly. But Henry's hand on his shoulder kept him in place.
"I'm ok." Regina answered tiredly.
"Dr. Whale told us you were having trouble sleeping." Cora gently brushed Regina's hair away from her face.
Regina tightened her grip on David, her lower lip quivering in indecision and fear. "I'm scared." She finally blurted out.
"It's going to be ok." Cora soothed. "Dr. Whale is going to take great care of you. And we'll be here when you wake up."
"Will you?" Regina asked David. The young man looked at Cora quickly, unsure about what to answer.
"We'll all be with you." Henry answered instead, gently squeezing Regina's knee. "David, your mother, and I will be here when you wake up."
Her father's promise seemed to appease the young woman and she relaxed on the bed. "You're going to be ok, Regina." David soothed while rubbing the back of her hand. Cora looked at her daughter: for the first time in months, she seemed less anxious.
Although she would never admit it aloud, Cora knew David was responsible for it. She hated him, or rather she was scared of him. Would he take her baby away? She had been in love once, before her mother arranged her wedding with Henry Mills. She had considered running away with her prince charming to live their happily ever after away from her mother. She hadn't shed a tear when the old hag had died three years into her arranged marriage. Would Regina shed a tear at her funeral? Would she miss her?
The room felt silent as Regina held onto the people she loved with all her strength. She knew the risks. She also knew she wouldn't be able to recover alone and she wished her mother wouldn't force her to choose between her and David. She couldn't: she loved her family and she loved David. She wanted to have them both by her side. Why couldn't her mother accept him?
They stayed with her until the orderlies wheeled her to the operating room. David and the Mills went to sit in the waiting area. As the first hour went by, David started to play nervously with his hands. He wanted to get up and pace the room but he didn't dare move under Cora's stare.
"Do you want some coffee?" Henry offered after another ten minutes.
The young man shook his head. "I'm ok. I just want to make sure Regina is alright."
The old man stood. "I'll be right back." He told his wife before heading toward the vending machines he had spotted earlier.
"You know Regina won't be able to skate for six months. She'll be at home, resting." Cora broke the heavy silence.
David jumped at the unexpected remark. "I don't care whether she ever skates again. I just want her to be ok."
Cora was taken aback by his reply. "She won't be with you." She clarified.
David looked up at the woman who had been around his entire life. "I want her to be healthy. No matter what it takes."
"You would let her go?"
"If that's what she wants, yes. I know this situation is causing her a lot of stress. The last thing I want is to cause more. You said it yourself. She needs all her strength to recover. And stress is not good for her."
Cora frowned. "She'll be here for a while."
"She'll spend the night in the ICU and she'll spend the next three to seven days here before being allowed to go home to make sure her wound is healing properly. It will depend on whether they have to put tubes in her chest for drainage." David interrupted. "She'll be on a special diet and will have to build up her strength, probably over the next six months or so."
"How do you know all this?" Cora's eyes narrowed.
"I read as much as I could online." David looked at the clock. Only five minutes had passed.
"You really do love her, don't you?" Cora had never considered the possibility before.
"With all my heart."
The two sat in silence until Henry came back with the promised coffee. "Thank you." She told her husband as she grabbed the cup of coffee with both hands. Henry's eyes widened in shock. His wife had never thanked him before.
Cora's attention moved back to David. Her mother had taken her dreams away, forcing her into a loveless marriage. Henry was a good husband. She would never deny this but she had never loved him. Not the way Regina loved David. And Henry had never loved her the way David loved Regina. Henry may have cared for her, but there was no passion. They wouldn't suffer from being separated from each other.
EC
Cora looked up at the clock. Regina had been in surgery for four hours already and she found herself growing more anxious by the minute. David was pacing the waiting area furiously, awaiting for some news.
Dr. Whale would be able to fix the physical damage to Regina's heart but Cora was the one responsible for shattering it further.
After another hour of anxiety, Dr. Whale finally appeared at the door. Cora, Henry and David rushed towards him. "Regina is awake. The surgery went great." He reassured immediately. "We moved her to the ICU for the night."
"Can we see her?" Cora pressed immediately while David slumped in a nearby chair. Regina was ok and he could finally breathe. He may never be able to see her again, but she would get to live.
"I can authorize only a 10-minute visit for one of you." Whale answered.
"I think David should go." Henry announced to everyone's shock. More surprising, Cora didn't argue with her husband and the young man followed Dr. Whale toward the ICU.
Henry took his wife's hand and squeezed it in comfort. "She loves you, Cora. David is not taking her away. But if you force her to choose…" Henry let the threat hung in the air. They both knew Regina would choose David. Cora had chosen her prince charming. For the first time, she wondered whether her relationship with her mother would have been different if she had let Cora in control of her own life. Probably. Certainly. Perhaps by letting Regina choose, she would be able to have her little girl in her life.
David's heart was beating fast in his chest as they approached the ICU. "Is she ok?"
Whale nodded. "She's still a little groggy but we're managing her pain. She has a tube in her chest and she's connected to a lot of machines but everything is normal." The doctor prepared the young man. He placed his hand on David's back to stir him toward a sink. "Let's get you washed up." The doctor explained to David how to wash his hands and use the antibacterial soap. Once he was done, Whale directed David to Regina's bedside.
She attempted a smile as soon as she saw him. "Hey baby…" He whispered to her as he came to stand on her right side. Her entire chest was covered with bandages and he could see the various tubes Whale had mentioned secured on her left side. David lifted his hand but seemed to think better of it.
"You can touch her." Whale encouraged. David being by her side could only improve Regina's condition. They needed to keep her calm and the doctor couldn't think of a better medication.
David took Regina's hand and kissed the back of it. "How are you feeling?"
Regina nodded. "Ok…" Her voice was hoarse from the tube she had in her throat until about ten minutes ago. "Tired." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I dreamt about us."
"Oh!" David feigned his surprise. "What were we doing?"
"We were at the Olympics." Regina answered, slightly out of breath. Just the simple act of talking was more draining than her most intense competitions.
"Did we win?" David asked her, running his fingers along the side of her arm.
Regina nodded. "We did our quad." Her eyes were closing but she was fighting to spend a bit more time with David. "They cheered…"
"We'll get to do our quad, baby. I promise." Regina fell asleep before David could finish his sentence.
"I think we should let her rest tonight." Whale stated. "You can see her again in the morning."
David nodded mechanically, unable to tear himself from Regina. The doctor placed his hand on his shoulder to nudge the young man. "Can I kiss her?" David asked quickly. Whale nodded and waited for the young man in love to kiss his girlfriend.
"Sweet dreams, baby." David whispered against Regina's lips. "I love you, Regina."
ECECEC
"Regina!" Cora called. "You heard Dr. Whale, no more than an hour today." She reminded her daughter as she was getting prepared for her date with David. Whale had finally given her permission to spend some time outside and she couldn't wait to leave her room.
Not that the last few months had been what she had originally expected. After her surgery, her mother had been more accepting of David and she had been able to spend most of her recovery with him by her side, first at the hospital and then at home. "I know, Mother." Regina answered as she waltzed through her walking closet, looking for the perfect outfit. David had warned her to dress warmly for the occasion so Regina picked out her wool pullover and leggings to put underneath her jeans.
"And I'll tell David the same thing."
"Mother!" Regina turned around, mortified. She caught herself before she started complaining. Cora had been trying to be better with David. She had even invited him and Ruth to Thanksgiving dinner and had allowed Regina to have a special Christmas evening with David. But Regina knew that one misstep and everything could be taken away from her. "Fine." She conceded. "I'll be careful about not spending more than an hour out." She promised.
"Thank you." Cora hugged her daughter. The gesture was unfamiliar to Regina but she had learned to enjoy these moments with her mother.
"Now, finish dressing up. David will be here any minute." Cora smiled at her daughter. "Let me get your snow boots. The weather has been nasty this past couple of days." Regina nodded at her mother before dressing up as quickly as she could manage. Even the simplest activities often left her out of breath.
Cora grabbed a hat, scarf, and gloves from the dresser before joining her daughter back in the walking closet. She helped Regina with the shoes, much to the young girl's chagrin. Her mother's intentions were in the right place but Regina wasn't used to being mothered in such a way.
Thankfully, she was saved by a soft knock on her bedroom's door. "Regina, someone is here to see you."
The brunette didn't give her mother enough time to lace her shoes as she jumped into David's waiting arms. "Hello!" She greeted with a kiss.
"Regina!" Cora griped. "Would you stay in place for just a second so I can tie your shoes!"
Regina rolled her eyes. "She didn't do it when I was four years old. Why now?" She whined. "Please take me away!"
David chuckled as he lifted Regina up and carried her to her bed, hoping to distract Regina long enough for Cora to finish dressing her daughter. He had practice over the past three months, first with the dressings and later with her pajamas as her wound was slowly healing. When Regina was finally ready, David helped her off her bed and walked her toward the main staircase leading to the foyer.
David helped her down the stairs, making sure she wouldn't trip and fall and that her heart was pumping enough oxygen through her body. Regina appreciated David's care. It didn't feel as overbearing as her parents', who were always reminding her of her current limitations. With David, she was free to dream about her future. And he made these dreams concrete by training hard every day at the rink, waiting for her return to the ice.
As soon as Regina stepped outside, she took a deep breath. Usually, she didn't get to enjoy her short trip towards the car waiting for her at the bottom of the porch. But today was different. There would be no doctor appointment. Just her and David for whatever he had in mind. "Where are we going?" She asked as he helped her get comfortable in the passenger's seat of her car. His beloved truck had broken down a couple of weeks ago and he was still waiting for the replacement part. Regina had offered him her car in the meantime since she had no use for it.
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you." He pecked her lips before closing her door and jogging to the driver's side.
It took all of Regina's self-control not to ask any more questions. However, as David maneuvered along the coast, Regina knew their destination. A few minutes later, David turned into the parking lot of their "castle" on the abandoned playground.
She gasped as soon as she saw it. It had been repaired and painted while retaining its rustic look. Small christmas lights were wrapped around the poles and railings. The effect was breathtaking. "Your parents had it renovated." He explained.
Regina looked at him questioningly. "Why?"
David shrugged. "They know how much it means to you." He turned to grab the blankets he had placed on the back seat earlier. "I'll be right back. Stay here." He waited for Regina to acknowledge him before getting out of the car. He walked backwards toward the structure to make sure Regina wouldn't attempt to get out of the car by herself.
David arranged the blankets at the top of the structure and ran back to the car to help Regina. "Are you going to allow me to walk there or are you planning to carry me for the rest of my life?" Regina asked him sarcastically.
David sighed but let the jab pass. "Let's just say I care about my head, which your mother would surely have if anything happened to you today." He helped Regina walk to the castle and lifted her to the raised platform before leaping onto it himself.
They sat together on the edge of the structure looking at the ocean. David wrapped the blankets around them and held Regina close to him. "Warm enough?"
The brunette nodded. The short trip had exhausted her more than she would be willing to admit. "Remember when we were kids? We used to play here for hours."
"I remember shepherd David rescuing princess Regina many times." He kissed the side of her head. "I can't even remember the number of dragons I've slayed and armies I've vanquished to get to you."
"And then you would climb here and ask for my hand." Regina placed a soft kiss under his jaw. "We must have gotten engaged at least a hundred times!" She laughed.
David rubbed her side. "And together we've slayed our own monsters too." He said more seriously. "Your ankle injury."
"Your fear to throw me into the air properly." She teased.
"Your heart condition." He continued.
"My mother." She whispered back as David lips sealed around hers into a tender kiss. His free hand rummaged through his jacket's pocket for the velvet box.
When they parted, David opened it in front of a shocked Regina. "Would you marry me?"
Regina's eyes filled up with tears. The ring was gorgeous. She nodded quickly, unable to find her voice. She removed her glove and let David slide the ring on her finger. "Yes." She finally mumbled. "I'll marry you."