Chapter 3: I Bet It Stung
Regina let out a loud gasped at a large bruised on her shoulder and small cuts littering both her arms. Her left arm however was a shade of dark purple and swollen "What the hell happened?!"
Emma let out a grunt at Regina prodding her arm. "Ouch! Stop that!"
"I would if you tell me what happened! Omg! Euw! It's swollen so bad I think it's gonna pop!"
"Well stop touching it then!" Emma said while trying to turn from Regina's evil fingers. She stepped back and flopped heavily on the far end of the sofa again. And let out a huffed before telling Regina what happened.
"That idiot drunkard got angry when the bartender refused to serve him so he created a scene. He threw anything that's within his reach. Including the bar stool! They called me. I got there and he was like possessed or something so we got into a fight when he refused to calm down. So you can imagine a construction worker strength in a fist fight, hence…" and she gestured to her injuries. "David got him in the cell for the night"
She looked at Regina and saw the woman went to grab her phone and pacing in the living room waiting for the person on the other side of the line to answer her. She looked like a T-Rex ready to eat its prey. Emma was glad she was not on the brunette shit list. So Emma eavesdropped on Regina's phone call while pretending to close her eyes and rest.
"Rubes! I need you to come and babysit Henry now please. Yes. Tell Granny I'm sorry. I'll make it up to her and you. Yes. Thank you dear."
"Evening Mr. Booth. Yes I heard. I'm sorry. How's the place now? I want you to make a report and press charge. He went too far this time. Yes that would be lovely. Drop by my office at 10am tomorrow."
"Whale! Oh stop it. I don't have time for that now. Now I need you to be ready. I'll be there in 15 with Sheriff Swan. What? I don't know." She glanced at Emma before continuing "well she's alive. I'm not a doctor!" she shouted and promptly ended the call and walked upstairs. Not long after, the doorbell rang and Regina went to answer it.
"Oh yeah. You were right. Euw Emma! Can I touch it?" Emma opened her eyes to Ruby's fingers inches from her swollen arm. Luckily she was quick enough to escape Ruby's fingers.
"What's wrong with you guys? Don't you know you shouldn't touch injuries?" Emma said to both women with a glare and both of them looked at each other and just shrugged before Regina said in a stern voice "Okay you're coming with me. Come now."
"What? Where are we going?" dumbly Emma raised from her seat.
"We're going to the hospital. Hurry up."
"No. No we're not."
"Oh come on. Don't be a child. Come now" while picking up Emma's jacket. She eyed it before tossing it back on the sofa. "Yeah I don't think it's a good idea for you to wear that dirty thing over your wounds."
Before Emma could say a word, Regina was out the living room and back with a comfortable looking peacoat and putting it on Emma's shoulder.
Emma stood dumbfounded. Before she got to process what's happening, she was in Regina's car heading to the hospital.
After the x-ray and more prodding from the doctor, Emma and Regina sat in an examination room waiting for Dr. Whale to deliver the result. "So ladies. Not to worry. Fortunately, our Sheriff had a hairline fracture. Nothing serious and you won't need surgery because it can be easily mended with just two weeks of rest and having it cast and another 4 weeks of light activities. But I will need you to come for a follow-up in two weeks before you can proceed with your 1month of light activities."
They both thank the doctor but before Regina got far, she was stopped by Whale "Regina! Wait! I was wondering, did Ruby say anything about… You know…" he asked with a sheepish smile.
"Really Whale? Now? It's 11:30pm and I got a son waiting for me at home. Why don't you ask her yourself?"
"Well, I was trying to give her space?" he said it making it a question.
Regina rolled her eyes "I won't be worry about it if I were you. Just drop by the diner tomorrow and talk to her. You should be fine" she patted his shoulder and gave him a small genuine smile before walking with Emma to her car.
It was exactly 6days later that Emma thought she might actually went crazy. She was bored not able to work or do anything. The only interesting thing that she looks forward to everyday was Henry's call at 8pm, before his bedtime. The kid was so sweet. He was actually worried about Emma and will ask her has she eaten for the day. Did she eat anything green. He would tell her that he misses her so much and wishes she would get well soon. The phone call usually lasted for 20minutes before Regina would tell him it's time for bed.
So today, Emma decided to make a surprise visit to her best buddy. She went to the nursery with a bag of ham sandwich and a box of orange juice 'Kid eats food like this right?' the voice in her head asked.
She reached her destination just as the playtime begins before their parents would arrive in the next 30minutes. Henry was so engrossed building a Lego house that he didn't notice her presence until she clears her throat loudly. Turning around, he jumped and shouted "EMMA!"
Luckily before he reached her, MM caught him and told him to be careful of Emma's arm.
Emma took his hand and led him to a bench near the playground and handed him the sandwich. Munching like a hamster, he asked her after he swallowed each bite, which impressed Emma. The little man got manners.
"Emma. Your hand still hurt?" and they chatted until MM came interrupting Henry's story about his drawing.
"Henry, your mother just called. She said she will be late and asked me to bring you to the office. So would you like something to eat before we go?"
Henry looked confused being interrupted mid-story and Emma jumped in to help the poor kid.
"He just ate. I brought him sandwich. Do you think Regina would mind if I bring him? I have nothing to do." At his teacher nod, she then turned to the boy "Henry, would you like me to walk you to your mother's office today?"
At her question, Henry scrambled to get his backpack and was bouncing with excitement that he gets to have a walk with Emma.
Reaching Regina's office corridor, they was met by a startled face of her assistant. "Sheriff Swan. I thought you're on leave for another week?"
"Yeah I am. But I'm here as Mr. Mills' bodyguard. Right buddy?" she patted Henry's tiny shoulder. He smiled proudly at Mrs. Deen while giggling and nodding his head.
Mrs. Deen smiled fondly at both of them before she intercom the Mayor of their arrival. Emma managed to blink twice before the Mayor's door was open abruptly.
"Henry? Emma! Why are you here? Did anything happen to Ms. Blanchard? Henry, are you okay?" she asked while bending to Henry's height and patted his body to check for any injuries.
Emma looked at the mayor with an amused smile and chuckle before sauntering inside the office, making herself home on the black sofa.
"Whoa, you are a mama bear!" Regina closed the door and she and Henry joined Emma on the sofa.
"Ms. Swan, care to explain why you are here?"
"Well. I got bored and decided to hang with my friend" she said with a grin and high-five Henry who's busy taking out his coloring book from his backpack, ignoring the adults' conversation.
Regina glared at her so she continued "Hey don't worry. I asked MM and she said I can walk Henry. If you're worry about me kidnapping a child."
"You are supposed to be home resting. Are you that incompetent to follow simple order?"
"Why are you so mad? I was bored and hungry and there's nothing to eat. It's not like I can cook with one hand, so somehow I gotta get out for food. Geez"
Regina was silent for a moment before in a kinder voice, "If you don't mind, please keeps Henry busy for a while. I'll be done in 30minutes and you will have dinner at my house" and went to her office desk without waiting for Emma's respond.
Emma just looked at her boss confusedly. Wondering how could a person be angry one minute and offering food to people the next. But she definitely won't deny food.
"Oh god. I didn't know you could cook this good!" Emma said while shoving more lasagna into her mouth. Henry giggles next to her and Regina cocked a brow "There are many things you don't know about me Ms. Swan"
With Emma in the house, Henry asked her to read him bed time story and was asleep on the 3rd page of the book.
They were sitting in Regina's home office, each with a glass of wine when Emma spoke what she was thinking for the past 5minutes "Whoa, my voice must be really lame. He was out in a flash."
"He was tired. He did walked from the nursery to my office and spent the evening playing hide and seek with you"
"So you're saying my voice isn't lame?" Emma asked her with a toothy grin.
Regina rolled her eyes "Oh they are lame. I feel like pulling my ears off when you talk."
"But you didn't." Emma responded before she let out a long sigh. "Ahh I'm so full. Thank you for dinner. That was amazing. Who did you learn to cook from?"
In a softer voice than Emma would imagined hearing, "My father taught me. He was so good at cooking that he did all the cooking in our home. You would like his version of cheese burger. Lots of bacon and unhealthy stuff." She said with a small smile and a faraway look.
Emma, in her unsentimental-self, didn't know how or what to respond to Regina, not with that look on her face. That happy yet sad look. So she opted with "How did you know I like bacon and all that unhealthy stuff?"
Regina looked at her with that, are-you-kidding-me look, "It won't take a genius to know you like junk and greasy food" and arched her brow, daring Emma to tell that she was wrong.
"Huh. Well, junk and greasy foods are easy and fast to get. I can just open a box of frozen pizza; shove in the oven and bam! Food!" she responded with a smug smile.
"Okay that's it. You will come here tomorrow for dinner again and I'll let Ruby knows that she is to deny you unhealthy food. At least until you gets better"
"Hey! You can't do that! You're not my mother!"
"Oh hush you. You're friends with Henry. You fall under children category in my list. And I always keep an eye on Henry's friends."
"Are you serious? You can't do that. I need my sugar and fat intake!"
"Of course you do. That's why there's food pyramid. Why am I even explaining this to you? You're like what? 35? You should know all this."
"I'm 33, thank you very much. And you're old! Only old people talk healthy stuff!" she huffed and pouted and tried to cross her arm but winced when it bumped with her other hand.
"Let me guess, you didn't take you meds?" she asked with a bored look.
"I was going to! See! I brought it with me! And what do you care?" she said and took it out from her jacket pocket and dangling it in front of Regina's face.
"Like I said, children." And went to get a glass of water for Emma.
