A/N: Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed last chapter! Your support means the world to me. I'm glad you liked it. I didn't think I'd have this chapter done so soon, and I debated waiting a day or two to post it in case chapter 3 takes longer than I anticipate, but I figured that I might as well post it. I wouldn't expect to get updates this fast normally. That being said, I've already started chapter 3 so we'll see what happens. Onto part two…

David flew into the first parking spot he could find. Snow barely waited for the car to stop before tumbling out of it, intent on getting to her baby girl as fast as possible. David put the car in park, then moved to the back of the car to take Neal and the diaper bag out. Unfortunately, he knows where the entrance of the hospital is from the numerous times his friends and family have had to pay a visit to Storybrooke's only doctor.

The kind receptionist pointed him in the direction of Emma's room in the Emergency Department with a silent apology. If the receptionist was worried, then how bad of shape could his daughter be in? He refused to believe she was too badly injured. He'd seen her battle the fiercest of enemies and fall through portals without getting so much as a scratch; the few times she had been injured, he remembered Snow's incessant worry and Emma's protests at the care Snow was trying to push on her.

So no, David couldn't believe that Emma Swan was too banged up over a car crash. Of course he knew how bad they could be from his false David Nolan memories, but the highest speed limit in Storybrooke was thirty five miles per hour. He knew from a training manual Emma had made him read that even in a head on collision at that speed, both drivers usually survived and made it out with fairly minor injuries. Emma was going to be just–

Lost in his thoughts about vehicular collisions, David managed to walk straight into a shell-shocked Snow. He looked down at the baby carrier to make sure Neal was fine; he was sleeping.

"Charming…" the brunette whispered, and David followed her line of sight to the bed, where a limp, blonde form was laying, with numerous tubes covering her body.

"That's not Emma," he said, shaking his head firmly. His words spurred Snow into motion, and she launched herself across the room and knelt at her daughter's bed.

"Emma? Emma, can you hear me? It's Mom." She did a once over, and her eyes took in every single tube that was connected to her princess. "David, she's on a respirator." Her voice grew more frantic with each word. He moved beside his wife and put the baby carrier on the ground. He desperately wanted to reach out to Emma, but he didn't know where he could touch her without hurting her. There were lacerations where there weren't tubes, and numerous bandages.

"She's so pale," he said, his voice thick with emotion. From the doorway, Dr. Whale cleared his throat.

"I was hoping to be in the room when you arrived," he said apologetically. Snow stood up and scooped Neal into her arms while David shook the other man's hand. "As you can see, Miss Swan's had quite the adventure. She has two broken ribs, a concussion, some intracranial swelling, a broken wrist, several deep cuts, frostbite, and hypothermia."

"Oh my God," Snow's hand threw up to her mouth to stifle a gasp. "How?"

"I'm only a doctor, not an accident scene processor. However, I suspect her car skidded on ice, which caused her to plow into a light pole. The impact itself caused the broken ribs, concussion, cerebral swelling, and the broken wrist. It also caused the windshield to shatter, which is what gave her the lacerations. It allowed the freezing air into the car, exposing her to the elements and snowfall, causing the frostbite and hypothermia."

"Is she going to be okay? Why is she on a respirator?" Snow clutched Neal tighter.

"The latter is easier to answer; due to the extent of her injuries, I would like her energy to be focused on waking up and repairing her body, since we can breathe for her."

"So Emma's essentially on life support," David commented.

"No," Dr. Whale shook his head, "I suspect she can breathe on her own, and she can regulate her own body temperature. None of her vital organs are compromised, this is just a precaution. Once the brain swelling goes down, I'll feel comfortable enough to take her off the respirator."

"Is she going to be okay?" Snow repeated. At that, Dr. Whale hesitated.

"Her injuries are severe. We still don't know if she went without oxygen for a period of time. I put in an order for a CT to make sure there's no internal bleeding. Right now, it's too early to say anything definitively. I wouldn't want to give you false hope. However, I will say that Miss Swan is a fighter, tilts the odds in her favor."

"She is," David let a small, proud smile grace his lips despite the gloominess of the situation.

"Is there anything else I can answer for you?"

"When should we expect her wake up?" Snow asked.

"It's difficult to say. Probably in the next twenty four to seventy two hours. If she does so before the swelling is greatly reduced, then I'll put her in a medically induced coma."

"So right now she's in a coma all by herself?"

"Yes," Dr. Whale nodded. "It's probably for the best at the moment."

"Thank you," Snow offered him a tiny smile, signaling they had no further questions. Now that he didn't have to be the medical professional for the time being, Dr. Whale allowed himself to be just Viktor, the man who'd grown fond of the injured woman he was tasked to care for.

"For what it's worth, I'm really rooting for her. And I can't imagine what you two are going through right now, so if there's anything you need, just let me know."

"That means a lot," The brunette blinked back tears, touched at her friend's words.

"I know she and I haven't always seen eye to eye on everything, but… I admire her and I respect her. I promise I will do everything in my power to give her back to you."

"I'll hold you to that," David said with a seriousness Snow had never heard before. "Don't expect to be treating her while you're drunk, or I swear to God–"

"I won't," Dr. Whale said, his jaw clenching with carefully controlled anger, though David had every right to be concerned since he did operate on Owen when he was, as Snow had put it, drunk off his ass. "I was trying to tell you that without actually saying it."

"Well I just wanted things to be crystal clear with no room for misunderstandings," the king replied. "This is my daughter we're talking about. She means the world to Snow and I because of that. And maybe she doesn't mean all that much to you because she's just another person to you, but she isn't. She's the woman who's saved your ass along with everyone else's more times than I can count, and who will probably do so time and time again. For your sake, you better keep her alive."

"I fully intend to do so," Dr. Whale said with a practiced calm. He knew David was still bitter about his and Mary Margaret's one night stand (and he didn't blame him for still having hard feelings), but he didn't want that to color David's opinion of him. He knew that was perhaps asking too much, but he hoped that they could set their differences aside so that they could make the best decisions possible regarding Emma's care. After checking Emma's stats one more time, he bid his farewell and left the two parents to figure out what to do next.

"We should call Regina so she can let Henry know what happened," Snow said, her gaze lingering on Emma's pale face.

"I can, you should stay here with Emma," David offered. She smiled thankfully at him and took a seat in one of the chairs next to Emma's bed.

"When you come back, I'll grab us some food while you stay with her." Snow knew he only offered to call Regina so she could have a few minutes alone with their daughter. She wanted to give him the same chance.

"Sounds good," he replied. With that, he set out for the waiting room so he could make his call without disturbing any other patients.

With her husband gone, Snow allowed her mask to slip a little. She knew David was just as upset as her, and she didn't want him to feel like he had to be strong for her; they had to be strong for each other. And though she wanted nothing more than to curl up into a ball and weep, she knew she had to be Emma's rock until she was feeling better.

"Emma, honey, it's Mom. When your father was in a coma as David Nolan, he could hear me talking to him, so I'm just going to go ahead and talk to you because I think and hope you can hear me. And you might kill me for some of the things I'm going to say, but that's alright. I'd gladly take you pissed off at me because that would mean you came back to me." She sighed and took a deep, steadying breath. "Gods Emma, I love you so much. There's so much I want to say to you, so much I need to say to you. You are the light of my life. Whenever I look at you, I can't help but think of how proud I am of you, of how proud I am to have you as a daughter… my daughter. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, and I just know you're going to be okay. You have to be." Snow's eyes filled up again, and this time, she didn't bother trying to keep the tears from spilling over. "Unfortunately, I can imagine my life without you because I know what it's like because I've had to lose you so many times. But I hate it. Life without you is awful. You know, there were times when, during that year you and Henry were in New York, I'd go looking for you in the castle just to have a conversation with you. Except you weren't there, and each time I realized that, it hurt worse than the time before. Or Charming would say something and I'd wait for a sarcastic response from you, and you weren't there to give one. In your words, it sucked," she laughed and swiped at her eyes. "Even now, I keep waiting for you to open your eyes and tell me to stop this mushiness. So do me a favor, and get better, okay sweetheart?"

She looked down and realized she'd taken Emma's hand in hers. She frowned, not remembering having done so. She let it go and moved over to Neal's car seat. She gently laid him down in there so he could rest more comfortably. She then unzipped the diaper bag and pulled out Emma's baby blanket.

"You're definitely going to be mad at me for this, but I thought you might want it," she said as she draped it across her daughter's still body. "If anybody asks or questions it, I'll just say it was the first blanket I could find when running out of the house because I put it somewhere that was easy to access. No one else has to know you keep it in your dresser, or that you used to keep it under your pillow." She felt David's presence, and she looked behind her and motioned for him to come in.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Yeah," she laughed quietly, suddenly self-conscious about her red, puffy eyes and stiff, damp cheeks. "Well, as okay as I can be given the circumstances. How about you?"

"Same," he nodded, putting on his best brave face. Snow saw through it, though. She always did.

"Charming, what happened isn't your fault."

"You knew something was wrong, but I chalked it up to the new-mother hormones floating around in your bloodstream. If I had just believed you the first time you said something, maybe she wouldn't be in such bad shape. And it's not just that," he ran the back of his hand over his eyes in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. "I should have made her take the cruiser while I took the bug for lunch. Or I should have just picked her up and dealt with the consequences of her being irritated. If she had–"

"You don't know that would have made any difference. Maybe the four-wheel drive would have failed. Maybe you both would be lying in a hospital bed with a million tubes sticking in and out of you. You can't focus on the what-ifs. You'll drive yourself crazy. Besides, she's a grown woman, not the little baby we put in that wardrobe a lifetime ago. We can't force her to do things she doesn't want to do or make decisions for her."

"I know," he sighed and sat down next to Snow.

"How much of what I said to Emma did you hear?" She asked.

"Just from when you put the blanket on her. When she wakes up and finds it on her, she's going to be pissed."

"It's a small price to pay if it makes her feel better, even if she won't admit it," the brunette replied. "Were you able to get ahold of Regina?"

"Yeah, she said she'll tell Henry. I told her she shouldn't drive over here tonight since things are stable as of right now and it's not worth risking them getting in an accident. The roads should get cleared overnight and she'll bring him over in the morning."

"The poor kid can't get a break," Snow sighed. "I hope he takes it alright."

"I'm sure he will, he's a strong kid," David replied.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have a breaking point."

"Still, there's nothing we can do about it from here. Regina will know how to help him and hopefully by tomorrow he'll have calmed down some, and Emma will be doing much better," he said.

Snow glanced down at the baby carrier and sighed again. "David, Neal should be here as little as possible. He can't get sick. I know we can't bring him anywhere tonight, but… maybe Belle could watch him for a few hours a day? And I know you'll have to go to the station at least once a day, but Neal can't be there with you in case you need to go out on a call. And he can't stay here with me, and Emma shouldn't be alone."

"As reluctant as I am to suggest this, I know a guy who has nothing to do all day who would love to sit here with Emma."

"Hook," Snow smiled. "I actually think that's a great idea."

"You're supposed to be on my side," he said glumly.

"I'm on Emma's side. You and I both know how happy he makes her. Having him with her might make a difference, and anything's worth a shot. At the very least, we should call him to let him know about the accident," Snow said as she fished her cell phone out of her pocket. "I'll call him and get us some food. Do you want anything in particular?"

"I'll have whatever you have," he said. She gave him a squeeze on the shoulder before leaving the room. Once the door was closed behind her, David turned to his daughter and took hold of her hand. "Emma, I am so sorry. This is all my fault, I should have made you come with me, or take the cruiser… I should have listened to your mom. I was supposed to protect you, but I keep failing." He paused, waiting for her to crack an eye open, moan about the bright lights, and tell him that she could take care of herself. Of course, she didn't –couldn't– but logic didn't stop the disappointment from bubbling up in his chest. "Ems, you gotta get better. I already miss your snarky remarks and the way you smile at Henry. On a deeper note, which I'm sure you'll give me Hell for later, life isn't the same without you. It just isn't. I love you, my princess," he whispered as he brushed a blonde lock off her forehead. "There are so many things I want to tell you, but I think I'll wait till you can respond. So how about for now I tell you a story?" He took a deep breath and began his tale. "Once Upon a time, a little princess had her daddy wrapped right around her finger. He couldn't have loved her more. She was his whole universe, even though he'd only known her for five minutes. He knew she couldn't stay with him, though. He had to protect her even if it meant he would never see her again. Though some would say he bravely fought off the bad guys who wanted to hurt his princess, he thinks that the little princess was the brave one. She was so tiny and fragile, but she never made a sound even with all the chaos going on around her." His lips quirked up a bit as he once again grasped her hand. "Maybe she wasn't as fragile as she looked. He put her in a wardrobe, knowing it was the only way to save her. He felt a blade pierce his shoulder, and he fell to the ground. As his vision began blurring, he watched in horror as the bad guys violently opened the wardrobe. He could feel the life draining out of him, but he was okay with it because he could see that his sweet, precious, little princess was safe."

"And one day, she would tell him that she doesn't need him to save her anymore," Snow smiled tearfully from the doorway with a tray in her arms. "And on that same day, the princess's parents would have to accept the fact that their little baby was a full grown, extremely independent woman who grew up as anything but a princess."

"But they love her just as much as when they first laid eyes on her. They always will," David finished.

"I think I know where Henry got his love for stories," the brunette said. "Is pizza okay? I was hoping the smell might help Emma wake up. You know how she loves her pizza."

"Snow, Dr. Whale said he would put her in a medically induced coma even if she wakes up before the swelling goes down."

"Yeah, but what if the swelling's already gone down and we're just waiting for her to wake up?"

"I guess waking up at all is a positive sign," he sighed and accepted the slice of pizza on a flimsy paper plate. A knock on the door startled them, and Dr. Whale walked in, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry, it looks like you've just gotten settled in. We're ready to take Miss Swan for a full body CT, and I think it would be best to move her up to her permanent room afterwards." His eyes landed on the cream-colored blanket, but he said nothing.

"If you'd just give us a minute with her, we'll pack up and meet her in her room," David said.

"I want to stay with her. I'll wait outside of the CT room, but I want to be as close as possible to her at all times," Snow said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"That's fine," the doctor replied, nodding in understanding. "We'll come in and get her when you're ready, but I'd like to do this in a timely manner."

"Of course, thank you."

Dr. Whale closed the door to give the family some privacy. David took the baby blanket off of Emma's bed while Snow condensed Neal's things. Lastly, he stuck the blanket in the diaper bag and brushed a thumb over Emma's forehead.

"I love you, sweetheart. I'll see you real soon, okay?" He pecked Snow on the lips and opened the door. Dr. Whale came in and prepared Emma's bed for moving while the nurse told David Emma's new room number. With the diaper bag in one hand and the baby carrier in the other, he made his way to the second floor of Storybrooke General, completely trusting Snow to take care of their baby girl until they were all upstairs together.

"Henry!" Regina called up the stairs, the knot in her stomach tightening as each second ticked by. She was in no way happy to hear about the accident. Though she'd never admit it aloud, she had a huge amount of respect for Emma. Maybe in another world where she hadn't tried to kill her or put her under a sleeping curse, they could have been friends.

"Coming!" Henry replied. Sure enough, the pitter patter of his feet echoed in the strangely quiet house. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he frowned. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Why don't we go sit on the couch," she said, draping an arm around his shoulder and guiding him into the living room.

"What happened? Is everything okay?"

Once sitting, she took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "Emma was in an accident. She's in the hospital, but David said she should be okay."

"Wh–what kind of accident?" Henry did his best to remain calm. He knew from experience that freaking out never helped anything.

"She was driving home, and they think she skidded on a patch of ice and slammed into a telephone pole. She's stable, Henry. She's fine right now."

"I wanna see her," he said with finality.

"Sweetheart, we can't drive there tonight. It's too bad out. If there was a big possibility she wouldn't make it through the night, I would absolutely bring you in a heartbeat, but–"

"You said 'big possibility'. So right now there's a small possibility she won't be okay?" Henry's voice grew frantic.

"She… suffered some severe injuries, but you know Emma. She's as stubborn and thick-headed as they come. A lot of people have tried to kill her a lot of times, and I'm pretty sure she's unkillable. Besides, I think it would take a little more than a telephone pole to take her out."

"Can I talk to her?" He fought against the tickling in the back of his throat. Regina could see his inner battle, but she decided not to comment on it for the moment. Even just a few years ago, he would have let himself be comforted. Now in his early teenage years, she could see him closing himself off (though she wondered how much that had to do with his age and how much it had to do with being raised by her and Emma). She didn't want to make him uncomfortable. With his latest question, her heart dropped. He was asking all the questions that she didn't have happy or good answers to.

"She's not awake… I'm sorry. I… the best I can do is let you talk to David or Mary Margaret." He mulled that over for a few moments, then shook his head.

"No. I think I'll just go back to my room, maybe make her a card or something."

"Okay, sweetheart," she brushed a mop of dark hair out of his eyes. "You know you can talk to me, right?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, already shrugging her arm off his shoulder. Regina watched him fly up the stairs and sighed. She hated feeling this helpless.