Thank you for the amazing feedback! Honestly, I was taken back by the interest!
Emma sighed when she heard the doorbell ring. Ever since she was released from the hospital after a three week stay, everyone from her family had been constantly coming by to check up on her, as if Emma wasn't on the road to recovery and wasn't healing properly
She was fine.
Well, fine. The fall left her with a concussion that was starting to get better and a broken leg, but other than that, she was really doing great. The doctors told her she could be by herself as long as she took her pain medications, went to her check ups, and monitored the symptoms as they come up.
Her parents had a spare set of keys, so it was not as bad when they came over because she didn't have to open the door for them. But David, oh God, he decided to come over every two hours or so to see if she was alive and well. It was a little bit irritating. He refused to take Emma's keys because she needed to keep them, just in case. And so, Emma had to open the door for David every single time, and she hated it, especially because the crutches hurt her armpits as she walked.
She reached the door at the same time that the bell rang for the second time. So impatient! She thought as she rolled her eyes while reaching for the door knob.
"What do you -," her words trailed off as she realized that the person at her door was not David but the one and only Regina Mills, "Oh, it's you."
"Hello, Miss Swan."
"So, we're back to you calling me Miss Swan."
Emma left the door open and turned around to sit on the same couch where she has been spending the past few days. The doctors told her that while she could walk, she shouldn't do so for long periods of time. They also told Emma that her leg should be elevated to prevent swelling. Regina took it as an invitation so she let herself in and closed the door behind her.
"It's nice of you to finally come by," Emma commented as she sat and pointed her cast, "You were not at the hospital."
It was a lie. David told her that Regina visited every day while she was in an induced coma. She only stopped coming by when the doctors said that Emma's brain swelling had gone down and that they would take her off her sedatives. And while she was happy that the brunette had been there, it hurt to know that she was not important enough for Regina to visit once again after she woke up from the coma.
"I - " whatever excuse Regina was about to make died on her lips. "The editing is mostly over. The audio is the only thing that really needs fixing. The movie should be done in few weeks," she explained as she sat in a couch that was across from Emma's.
"Great," the blonde said, looking through the window. It was not that she wasn't happy, she worked hard on the movie and she wanted it to be a big hit. But part of her hoped that Regina would have come to visit her to talk about her, not the movie.
"We took off the scene," she pointed out and Emma knew immediately which scene they were talking about, "And we left that scene where you are hanging from the pirate's ship, I know you -,"
Emma interrupted Regina, "It's not that I don't care. But did you really come to talk about the movie?"
Regina looked at her, with her warm brown eyes, and Emma left like she was drowning in a pool of hot chocolate. "No," the brunette admitted.
She didn't add anything else, but the confession was enough for Emma who just looked at the brunette and said, "Good." A smile followed after the word and Regina mirrored the expression.
Then, silence reigned the room. Regina's eyes moved around the room, taking in everything she could. Regina studied the countless picture frames with faces of people Regina remembered from the hospital and countless objects that didn't follow a common theme, such as a red toy car next to an elephant figurine. She wondered what was the story behind those two objects.
If this would be a movie set, she'd have designed this room for a warm yet messy person. Someone who loved her family and friends as much as they loved her. Someone who collected a million of useless things because they held sentimental value. The room was one hundred percent Emma. Her eyes landed on the blonde, who was looking at her with an amused smile.
"I wanted to visit you, once you woke up," Regina confessed after a while, "But film studio was pressuring to have the film finished as soon as possible. I tried explaining the circumstances, but you know how it is. The show must go on."
"It's ok." Emma said, almost in a whisper, her eyes shifting to the window once again. She took a deep breath and then looked at the movie director, "David told me you came by and visit while I was unconscious. It just hurt that you didn't come by once I was awake."
"I know and I'm sorry."
An awkward silence continues between the ladies.
This one was shorter and was broken by Emma. "So, what's next for the great Regina Mills?"
Regina chuckled, "I'm taking a break."
"You are?" Emma asked in a shocked tone, because she never expected a workaholic like Regina to take a break.
The brunette nodded and looked at the empty space next to Emma, silently asking permission to sit there. The blonde understood the question and quickly tapped the place that Regina wanted to occupy.
"I - I'm not great with relationships. They are always doomed to fail. So I pushed you away, trying to protect myself," Regina said once she was sitting close to Emma, "But when I saw you fall, when I saw you unresponsive, laying on that bed. I was angry at myself, at my way of thinking. I realized I'd rather have you, and being happy, even if it's just for a second than living a safe life without knowing if we could have work it out. Because Emma, this past year with you, has been one of the best years of my life. And I don't want it to be just a year, I want it to be for as long as we manage."
Emma's eyes started to tear up, because Regina's words were so raw and beautiful.
"So, when they told me you'd be alright, I went and pushed everyone to work hard, to finish faster," she remembered the all nighters she pulled with her crew members. "I still have some work to do, but it's not much. And when that's over and done with and when you're fully healed, we'll do anything your heart desires."
"Anything?" Emma asked as her eyes filled with unshed tears. Happy tears.
"Anything you want, darling."
Emma laughed. "Darling," she repeated the word. No one had ever called her darling. "I like it." the blonde admitted. Then, she raised an arm, inviting Regina to scoot closer. The brunette didn't argue with that and gently pressed her upper body to Emma's. Regina kept on talking to Emma about how terrible her editing days had been without Emma's coffees, food, and unwanted opinions.
They didn't realize they were dangerously close to passing out. They didn't hear Emma's parents open the door and letting themselves in. The parents found their daughter asleep with a smile on her face and a petite brunette wrapped around her torso like a koala. Emma's parents looked at each other knowingly and after placing a blanket over both slumbering bodies, they quietly left the apartment.
- F I N -