"Emma? My name's Ruby. And this is my boyfriend, Victor," the young woman said as she came down the front walk towards us.
"It's good to see you again, Ruby," Killian said, pulling her into a side hug.
"All of you, come inside," she offered with a smile. "We have beds set up for all of you. Emma, I put a smaller bed for Henry in your room because I thought you would want him close."
"Thank you," I said softly.
Victor held the door for us as we filed inside. I was carrying Henry and Killian was carrying the suitcases. Ruby ushered us down a hallway and into a small but comfortable bedroom.
"Emma, this is yours. Killian, I've got you in your usual room across the hall."
I nodded and set Henry on the bed. Killian set down the suitcases and gazed at us for a second before leaving the room. Ruby stayed and looked directly into my eyes.
"Mary Margaret and Killian have told me a little bit about your situation," she said. "And I just wanted to say, I am truly sorry for everything that has happened to you. I'm not pushing or anything, but if you ever need to talk or a shoulder to cry on, I'm here. Or you can use my phone to call Mary Margaret."
I smiled wanly at her slight attempt at humor and thanked her. She was really sweet for saying that, even though she had just met me.
"You're probably tired, so you're welcome to take a nap. We'll be having lunch around one if you feel like joining us," Ruby said. "If you don't feel up to it, I can bring a plate up to you."
"I may take you up on that," I smiled.
"And if you need a break from the little guy," she added, "Victor and I could use the practice with children."
She smiled as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. I immediately laid down on the bed and curled up beside Henry. But despite my exhaustion, I couldn't relax enough to actually get some sleep. I was terrified that Neal had figured out where we had gone.
I mean, he'd done it once before. Why not this time?
He could've tapped Mary Margaret's phone when she was arranging things with Ruby, or looked at her credit card statements for the plane tickets. Or he could've followed Killian. Or he could've put tracking devices on Henry and I. Ideas kept rushing through my head and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
I crossed to the window and opened it a little bit, gulping in the fresh air and trying to calm down. I tried to let my sensible side take over.
Neal wasn't that resourceful and he wasn't going to risk prison by doing clearly illegal things like that. Right?
Yes.
Neal had already left town by the time Killian came to meet us. Right?
Yes.
I did this for a few minutes and then sat down by Henry, looking down at his peaceful features. I was thankful that he didn't realize exactly how afraid I was or that we might be in danger.
"Mommy? I'm hungry…"