New chapter! Thanks for all the reviews, follows/faves.


Chapter 7. Bulletproof

She doesn't know how she could let that happen.

She saw him with the gun aimed at Robin and she wasn't even able to react, although she had been trained for that kind of situations, just as Robin. She never thought she would be so shocked when it comes to her family, she always believed she would be the first to step in if this happened to Robin or Roland, but nevertheless here they are, with Robin lying on his side as he tries to reach for the injury on the back of his right shoulder, knowing he has to put pressure on the wound to help with the bleeding.

"Robin... I'm sorry," he hears her cries, watching how her hands tremble with all the adrenaline rush of the whole situation as she tries to put her phone back in her pocket and press the wound herself, and as much as he wants to reach for her and reassure her that he's fine, that it's not her fault, he's forced to halt his movements by the severe pain he feels in his arm.

It's not her fault, right? She wouldn't set a trap for him, and certainly not in front of their son's school.

Roland. What if he'd witnessed everything? It'd be a shock that would chase him for the rest of his life, he doesn't want to cause that to his son, the situation they are going through is enough to haunt the little boy's life.

Without a second thought and trying to gather all the strength he has, he tries to move, only to be immediately stopped by Regina, who keeps him in the same position in an attempt to avoid any more damages that can be caused by his sudden movements.

"Robin, what are you doing? Don't move! Let me help!" she demands, trying her best to gather some magic in her palm, at the same time the other keeps pressing the wound, but she's too distracted by the whole situation and she feels his left hand grabbing hers, stopping her from exposing her magic in the middle of the street, even if it's a quiet one. He knows how she has to keep her magic a secret and he'll not let her expose herself just to save him.

"Roland," he gasps, in an attempt to remind her of where she found them, which just contributes to the tears that fall from her eyes, as she pictures how their life would be without Robin, how her three-year-old can be fatherless within moments if they don't act properly. She doesn't want to imagine that, refuses to believe in such thing, so she repeats in her head that it's just a matter of minutes until an ambulance reaches them, and focuses in reassuring him the best she can.

"It's okay, you dragged me far enough from the school," she says, her breath getting caught in her throat when she spots the small smile forming on his lips, that bastard, always capable of making her feel better in the worst of the situations, as he allows himself to soothe a little, knowing that at least his son is safe and sound.

She's brought back to reality by the sound of footsteps rushing towards her, and by the unmistakable voice of the smug sheriff of that town as he calls for her, crouching beside her and placing his hands on her shoulders, "Regina, are you okay?"

"Graham, what have you done?!" she yells, shaking her shoulders to force his hands out of her without having to remove hers from Robin's injury, caused by the bullet the man beside her shot at him.

She's boiling inside, reminding herself that her hands stopping the bleeding it's probably what's helping Robin right now, so she has to remain calm, control herself to not throw her anger at the sheriff instead of focusing on what it's really important right now, Robin's health.

"I was trying to protect you!" he replies, but her attention is fully on Robin, who she's sure is losing the battle against the tiredness when he doesn't react to Graham's presence. He's fighting to keep his eyes open, fighting to remain conscious and give Regina some assurance, but it's just too much at that moment, "After what you told me yesterday-"

"Forget what I told you!" she snaps at him, allowing herself to look away from her husband long enough to glare disapproving at the sheriff, "I was angry and being stupid-"

"Don't try to convince me that everything was a lie," he interrupts her, recalling the night before when Regina had shown up at the station.

-/-

She bursts into the station strongly committed to clear things up with the man her husband hates so much. She's almost sure their little fight over the position of sheriff has to be related to Robin's actual job, because she knows if Robin had beaten Graham, he would never work for an organization like hers, and would be solving the crimes in a legal way and not killing people in the shadows like they do.

So she makes her way into the building, willing to face everybody who tries to stop her from reaching the sheriff's office, but luckily for her (or for them) it's late enough for him to be alone at the station, and she opens the door to find him seated at the computer, looking away from the screen when he spots her at the door.

"Hi, can I help you?" he doesn't recognize her at first, she notices, and probably he doesn't have to, it has been four years and fortunately she hasn't had any problems with the police so she allows herself to get into his space, placing her bag on the chair in front of her and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

She's not there to make small talk, she wants to know the truth for once, so she gets right to the point, watching as he raises his eyebrows when she addresses him, "Why Robin didn't get the job?"

He wasn't expecting that question, she can see by the way his smug look changes for a puzzled one, but he doesn't give into her and regains his composure right away, raising himself from his chair and walking slowly towards her as if that way he could scare her away.

"So you're his friend," he remembers, causing her to roll her eyes when he stops in his tracks with the same attitude and look from four years ago at Granny's, "I was right in come after you."

"I simply asked a question. Is that so hard to answer?" she replies, smirking at him and causing the man to let out a laugh at her boldness. He really makes anyone lose its patience. She had a tough night, she just argued with her best friend a few minutes ago and she's on the verge of losing her family so she isn't really in the mood for games. She just wants to get out of there and think about her life from now on.

"Audacious," he offers, but before she could say something else, he's putting his hands in his pockets at the same time he shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head as he answers her, "Because he's not qualified?"

"Oh please," she almost chuckles, pacing the room as she rambles about her theory, failing to notice the confused look on the man's face, "Let me guess, he's more valuable as an assassin."

"What?"

"That way you can continue to pretend to do your job," she continues without a stop, "while, in reality, other people do it for you and you just have to take the credit because they can't reveal their identities. Seems a good plan."

-/-

"You seemed pretty convincing," he replies, and she's so emotionally tired from the whole situation that she doesn't try to deny it anymore.

She'd exposed Robin to the man he hates and now she could see how her action had affected her whole family. This is all her fault. It's because of her they are waiting for a damn ambulance that seems will never arrive, it's her fault that he's injured, and worst, it's her fault that his eyes are slowly closing until the moment she knows he really passed out and she can't do anything apart from waiting.

Robin, she sobs at the torture of the moment, not daring to look at her hands on his wound, knowing that the sight of his blood will just bring her down, so she remains focused, letting out a breath of relief when she hears the distinct sound of the ambulance approaching them.

"You really didn't know?" she asks Graham one last time, not sure why she's asking him that when she already knows the answer. Her certainty is further confirmed as he shakes his head, causing her to sigh and address him one more time before the paramedics run towards them to check Robin, "And I gave you an excuse to get rid of him."

In seconds, they are surrounded by the medical team and Regina is forced to clear the way for them to act, watching in pain as one of the paramedics checks Robin's pulse at the same time other puts a pressure bandage on his shoulder, replacing Regina in the task of keeping the bleeding under control.

He's quickly loaded onto the stretcher, and Regina follows him towards the ambulance, only to be stopped by the same man that shot her husband, as he grabs her hand, keeping her from entering the inside of the vehicle, "I never wanted to get rid of him."

But she doesn't care and, besides, she doesn't have time, she has one of the paramedics already calling for her, saying that she has to hurry up if she wants to accompany him and that all the time is precious at that moment.

###

It feels like forever since they'd brought Robin to the room where he's staying in. His eyes remain closed, most certainly disturbed by the bright light they insist on keeping on all the time, while he finally sleeps safely, with a little more relieved Regina by his side.

She's seated by the bed, with her face buried in her crossed arms, at the same time her thumb caresses slightly the skin of his hand, as she allows the latest tears to leave her eyes now that at least that situation his over.

It had been a nightmare. Watching powerless every move of the paramedics as they drive them to the hospital, and then watching him being taken inside, when her wait really begins.

She's only able to breathe again when she's informed by a nurse that, after the whole treatment, she finally can see him, and is led by the young woman to the floor where his room is located, informing her that since she's his wife she can wait there until he wakes up.

So Regina had settled herself beside him, and until this moment, she had allowed herself to cry for him even if their situation isn't the most pleasant one.

"I'm sorry," she starts, her voice nothing more than a whisper as if she's afraid to wake him when in reality is all what she wants at that moment. Being able to gaze into those blue eyes for the whole time granted to her. She never noticed how much she needs it until the moment that is taken away from her, which just makes her think that she shouldn't be doing this right now.

She shouldn't be this worried sick about him, she'd done what she had to do, had helped him with his bleeding while they waited for the ambulance, had accompanied him to the hospital and had stayed while he was being treated, but now that he was out of any danger, she should have walked home instead of stick around, crying as she holds his hand and mutter apologies.

But even if the turmoil of the situation is starting to vanish, she knows she owes him an apology, even if it's just because she'd revealed his real job to the man he probably hates most in the entire Storybrooke, causing his near-death in the process.

"I'm sorry if I put you in danger," she continues, making an effort to control the tears she's decided to wipe from her face for good.

Whether they like it or not, they won't be able to recover their life as it used to be. He knows too much, she knows too much, and Roland has the right to live a comfortable life without the war that his parents living in the same house would bring. They won't be able to control their companies, and every day would be a struggle to survive and believe that the other didn't know what it's organization was planning. It would be a nightmare, and as hard as it may be, she doesn't have what it takes to live that way. So she forces herself to be convinced that she will be happy as long as Roland is safe with both of them, and that they need to live separate lives in order to guarantee that safety.

"I won't cause you any more trouble," she finishes, removing her hand from his as she prepares to stand up, but is taken by surprise when she feels a soft grip, trying to keep her in place, at the same time she hears a groan of pain, followed by what appears to be a version of her name in a more forced manner. She turns to find those blue eyes slowly trying to open, while Robin tries to move on his spot, only to be stopped by her, who quickly releases herself from his grip and holds him in place, "Wait, don't move."

He seems confused, dopey, and she knows he's in pain when he brings his 'good arm' to the bandaged one, wincing when his palm touches the injured member.

He shouldn't be feeling pain, not when he's still dizzy from the medicine, or maybe the effect of whatever painkiller they gave him is vanishing, but she's not a doctor and she really should call somebody so he can be in good hands and so she can go home before it's too late, "I'll get somebody-"

"No," he immediately stops her, ignoring his pain as he grabs her hand one more time, keeping her from leaving his side, and if she wanted, she just needed to free her hand from his, knowing he still isn't able to hold her with enough strength to really prevent her from leaving.

Leaving him now would be too cruel. She knows she'll have to do it, eventually, but he's probably just looking for answers and, apart from the doctors, she doesn't know who could be a better person to answer him.

So she remains with him, and even though she goes against her wishes, she removes her hand from his and moves from the bed to pace the room, unable to continue to just stand there looking at him.

"I wasn't expecting to see you still here," she can hear a hint of happiness in his voice as he addresses her, which causes a smile to appear on her lips that she quickly removes before he has the chance to see it, at the same time she walks towards the window, desperately searching for something to stare that is not the man lying on the bed behind her.

"You still my husband," she offers, trying to convince herself that that is the only reason why she remained there with him, and not because she truly cares about him, whether she likes it or not, "And I thought you'd want some answers."

That was true. In all that time she had, while she was waiting for him to be treated, she'd wondered about how much Robin was aware of her talk with Graham, and how she'd tell him everything when he started to ask questions. He would kill him once he knew. And then would kill her too for revealing that information to the sheriff.

But for now she would just answer his questions, and if he didn't ask about the man who shot him, she wouldn't mention that either.

"So, what happened?" he asks, shifting his gaze to the bandage on his arm, not daring to move a muscle again, knowing how the pain would attack him every time he tried. She was already preparing to answer, would try to tell him without having to reach the part when the name of the shooter will be included, but before she could say something, he was already interrupting her, correcting his question, "I mean, I know what happened, I just want to know what they did to me."

That's more likable. He wants to know the medical procedures, those she could tell him without having to hide things from him.

"The bullet didn't cause too much damage, it caused injuries to some tissue, but I think the worst is that they needed to remove the bullet from your shoulder," she explains, watching as he just stares at her, as if he's expecting her to say something else, but that is what had happened, she's not exactly a doctor to explain what happens during the surgery, "They said it could take a while for you to wake up."

It's the only thing she remembers to say, and a thing that she regrets immediately as soon as she hears the words that come out of his mouth when he looks towards the window, noticing how the sun is already preparing to give way to the early evening, "But you remained here."

They had been there for hours, he realizes, and yes, she's stayed there. Because with all the emotion, she couldn't think straight, and when she finally came to her senses, he grabbed her hand and didn't let her leave before it was too late. And now she's here with him, trying to fight against the feelings that it's obvious she still has for him, while he's just making everything harder for everyone.

"Yes," she replies quietly, because there's no point in denying that, but she'll make things clear and she won't give him false hopes when she already knows they won't be able to make their relationship work. She's only there because he has the right to see his questions answered, but as soon as she can, she'll get back to her son, who she's sure also needs her at that moment, "And I should've picked up Roland."

"Where is he?" he asks, and she almost let out a breath of relief. It's so much easier to talk about their son. Just the thought of him helps Regina to put her mind at ease, at least until she has to tell him what happened with his father.

She's still thinking about how much she'll tell him. Robin is out of danger now, and she really believes it's not worth it to scare the boy to death and tell him his father had been shot, but it's Robin's choice.

So she finally walks back to the bed where he's lying in, lets her eyes meet his blue ones and answers him, "He's with Mary Margaret, I should pick him up when I leave. What do you want me to tell him?"

He's taken by surprise with her question, after all she's his mother and she knows what is best for him, but it's clear that she wants to separate things between them and that evidence makes Robin's heart break a little more.

He doesn't want them to be the divorced parents in which each one has its own house, with its own rules and its own education for their son, at the same time Roland has to get used to everything. It doesn't make sense when in Robin's head he's more than willing to make things work with Regina.

"Robin?" he hears her voice in the middle of all those thoughts, pulling him back to reality and reminding him that she's still waiting for an answer from him.

That sucks. He wants to raise their son with her, wants her to give her opinion about everything that concerns Roland, as well as he wants to have a say in these matters too.

Nevertheless, he finds himself answering her question, saying that Roland should be fine if she tells him that he just suffered a little accident with his arm, and she nods, averts her eyes from him, now that she knows they won't talk about Roland anymore.

She can see how Robin is hurt by her question, but it's better if he gets used to it, because she won't put this back anymore, they have to part ways for good, in order to move forward.

"So it's clear that you think our story can't have a happy ending," he says after a while, making her look back at him just for a second before she's staring outside the window again, doing whatever it takes to not let her mask fall now that he understood what it's the best for them.

"Happy endings it's for stories that haven't finished yet," she replies, the cooler answer she could manage at that moment, and she knows by the silence that she'd affected him and it's probably her cue to leave now that their talk is far away from the one about his medical condition.

So she moves to grab her bag placed at the end of his bed, and rushes to get to the door before he could say something else, failing completely in her attempt to run away from him when she stops in her tracks at his words, "Why didn't you let me die? Your friend was making your job easier."

"Excuse me?" she turns around, this time with the intention of really look at him in the eyes, and she almost could swear that she'd spot a hint of guilt and regret in them, but it was done. He'd said it, and there was no turning back and erase those last words of his mouth.

"What do you think it'll happen if we don't fight together?" he tries to change the course of the talk, in an attempt to make her understand what he meant with those words, which had ended up to come out more severe than he intended, due to the rollercoaster of emotions that was happening inside his head right now. He'd just woken up from a surgery, with his wife practically telling him that she doesn't want to fight for their four-year marriage, and he'd just made the things worse when he almost accused her of his near-death. Great, "Our companies will make us kill each other."

"I wasn't talking about my job, Robin, I can deal with that, I was talking about Graham," she explains, as if he didn't know, but apparently she isn't willing to let that pass. But he focuses on her words and what she means with 'I can deal with that'? Is it means that she'd never kill him? Even if her company would force her to it, she'd find a way to ignore it?

"It was he who tried to kill me, didn't he?" he asks, much calmer now, unlike Regina, who appears to get more upset as their conversation begins to unfold. Maybe this wasn't the best time to talk to her, but she started to make him feel insecure and Robin had no choice but to try to defend their relationship.

"Yes, but I never asked him to-"

"I know, Regina, and I didn't mean that," he says, desperate to make her see that he never wanted to accuse her of anything, he just wants to understand what had happened the night before that drove Graham to think that he needed to protect Regina. Or he'd misunderstood? God, that is a mess. Their whole situation is a mess and just gets worse every time one of them tries to do something about it, "Why did Graham say he was protecting you from me?"

He notices how his question affects her. There it's the problem. He knows she'd never ask the sheriff to kill him, but she is definitely hiding something and the longer it takes for her to answer, more sure he's that the problem it's not just him, "Regina?"

"I told him your real job, okay?" she finally answers, tears prickling the back of her eyes as she tries at all costs avoid his hurt look, "If it's my fault that you're in a hospital bed with your arm covered with a bandage? Probably is."

She's crying now, really crying, and Robin doesn't have the capacity to argue with her when she seems genuinely sorry about the whole thing. He just wished to know why.

"But why, Regina, why did you do that?" he asks, trying at all costs to stop his own tears that threaten to fall through his face as well, "You knew he-"

"I thought he already knew it! I thought this was all a plan to make you do their job while they just needed to take the credit for it," she explains, and she's being sincere, Robin knows her, which just makes him hate that situation even more. She never thought that she was making him vulnerable or put him at risk, yes, she'd done that with a hot head without even notice that that could be life-threatening for him, but that was just another reason for them to calm down before they could make any more mistakes.

"Don't worry, this will not happen again," she says, strongly wiping the tears off her face as she approaches him on the bed, and not even when she'd decided to keep Roland she seemed so adamant as right now.

Regina is glad for that. It's exactly what she wants him to think when she decided to tell him that at that moment. She just hopes that she can be able to hold that attitude at least until she leaves that room, because she's anything but convinced right now, she just doesn't want Robin to see that, "I want a divorce."

"What? Regina-"

"I won't go back, Robin," she interrupts, at the same time she gathers her things to leave, finally making her way to leave the room and just stopping to inform him that she will bring Roland to visit him tomorrow since he has to stay in the hospital for at least that night.

###

She can't believe she'd asked him for the divorce. She never thought she'd be capable of doing that, especially in the position they were, but he'd pushed her to do it and now that she'd done it, she wouldn't go back, knowing that that first push is all they needed to move on with their lives.

She could focus on Roland now without the distraction of having to deal with a failed marriage, and she knows that, at first, it'll be difficult for all of them, but they will end up getting used to it like any other family that had to go through a divorce.

They just need to protect their son, he's the most important, and maybe, with them living separate lives, they can forget about their incident and can continue with their jobs without having to deal with each other, which she's sure can't happen if they insist on keeping their marriage.

Everything is showing them that the right thing to do is what she'd done the day before, so why she keeps feeling that everything is wrong?

"Mommy... mommy?"

"What, Roland?!" she's pulled away from her thoughts by her son's voice, causing her to reply to him in a ruder and louder way than she intended, regretting immediately as soon as she sees the concern plastered all over the boy's face, reminding her of where they are and of what she's about to face a second time.

"Do you think daddy is okay?" he asks, and is enough to have Regina fighting against the persistent tears that don't seem to want to leave her alone over the last few days, noticing that, in the middle of all those thoughts, she didn't realize they are already standing in front of the door for Robin's room.

She has to get herself together. She's not even inside the room and she's already nervous in anticipation of seeing him after what she'd asked him the day before. She doesn't trust herself, she realizes, she knows that they won't talk about that in front of Roland, and they are here so the little boy can see his father, but nevertheless, she's feeling more nervous than she should, considering that it was her who made the decision of ending their marriage.

What if Roland hates her for that? What if he goes up against her and doesn't want to see her anymore? It's too much to bear.

"Mommy?"

"He's fine, you'll see," she answers, a little smile on her face, because at least she can assure him of that.

Without losing any more time, she opens the door to allow them to enter the room, relaxing immediately when she sees the large smile that forms on her son's face, at the same time the boy runs towards the bed where his papa is now sitting, waiting for them with another smile that competes with Roland's.

"My boy!" Robin hugs him with his 'good arm', holding him tightly against him as soon as Regina places Roland beside him on the bed, while the little boy wraps his arms around Robin's neck, attentively to not touch his father's injured arm, but Robin couldn't care less. Roland is there with him, with his face buried in the crook of his neck, and he hates even more to have a sling on his arm, for the simple reason that it's keeping him from holding his son and touching his brown curls at the same time.

It's so comforting, being able to have his little boy spoiling him as they use to do at home, and it's with that moment that Robin fears about something happening to him or Regina, because who will watch for their boy if that happened? He wants to think that that is something that they don't need to worry about, but after his accident the day before he can't think that way.

So he finds himself changing a look with Regina, who tries her best to not let herself getting drawn into that moment, because this is a time for father and son and, since she chose to separate things, she is incapable of getting involved, even knowing that Robin wouldn't be mad about it.

"I'll be right back," she mutters, making Robin simply nod as he looks down to their boy, who lifts his head when the sound of the door closing behind Regina echoes through the room.

He's three and he doesn't know what's going on, but if he's surprised to see his mother leaving the room, he doesn't say a thing and instead, focuses his attention back on his father, on his injured arm more specifically.

"It hurts?" he asks, placing his palm on Robin's upper arm, and thank God his wound is on the shoulder, because he doesn't want to wince in pain in front of his son and he's sure that if he was touching the right place he wouldn't be able to control himself.

But thankfully his arm is intact, so Roland can touch whatever he wants and Robin will be able to keep his smile, winking at the boy as he assures that he's fine, he doesn't feel pain as long as he holds his arm still with a little help of the sling.

That has Roland changing his concerned look for a laugh, making Robin sigh in relief, because the last thing he wants is to be a cause of concern for a three-year-old. But Roland finally seems to be relaxing after all the reassurances of his father, and it's just a matter of seconds until he's placing his head back on Robin's good shoulder, as they remain like this for a while.

"Papa?" Roland mutters against Robin's neck, denying his father's suspicious that he'd fallen asleep, but apparently, the boy is very much awake and ready to start a conversation when Robin hums against the boy's curls, "Mommy's sad."

Of course, how they thought they could hide everything from him? He's three, not a fool, sooner or later he'd notice that something is off and would ask, they just didn't think that it would be so soon.

"And she yelled," he adds, causing Robin to frown at that and bring his hand to his son's head, holding him against him. It's hard to believe that Regina would yell at Roland, but his son wouldn't lie and with everything happening, she may have lost it and let the situation escape her control.

"I'm sure she's fine, Roland, but I'll talk to her and see why she may have done that, okay?" he promises, kissing his son's curls as the boy nods, and at least he doesn't press the issue, just grips Robin even more, letting his father soothe him as he runs his fingers through the boy's dark curls.

###

She closes the door behind her, letting Robin and Roland enjoy their moment together as she takes the opportunity to walk towards the hospital cafeteria, desperate for a coffee to help her to get through another day of chaos in her life.

She'd remained home with Roland that day, until after lunch when they'd made their way to the hospital like she'd promised her son.

He was dying to see his father, Regina had said exactly what Robin had asked her to say to him, but he wouldn't rest until he could see with his eyes that his father was fine. So she'd brought him here and now he could be enjoying his moment with Robin while she was enjoying her coffee, the best way to soothe her in times like this.

"How much should I give you?" she asks the cashier, fishing for her wallet in her purse while the young woman searches for something on the register, stopping Regina when she's about to hand her some money.

"Your check's already been paid, ma'am," she informs, causing the brunette to frown and look around, spotting a familiar face in one of the tables. No.

She offers a quick 'thank you' to the woman behind the counter, before she turns around and moves towards that same table, placing the money on the surface with a deliberate amount of force to make the man sitting there look up at her.

"Are the donuts a police thing?" she asks, clearly upset to see him sitting there, eating his snack as if it was no big deal, when the fault that she has to be there with her son is entirely his, "I don't want anything from you."

She leaves the money in front of him before she rushes to the door, only to be stopped by Graham when he grabs her wrist and halts her movements to make her look at him, "Regina, I need to talk to you."

"We don't have anything to talk about," she snaps at him, causing the persons around them to stare at the pair, but she doesn't care, she wants to get out of there as quickly as possible, because the last thing she needs is to talk with the man that shot Robin and made their lives a bigger nightmare than it already was.

"Actually, we have, because I've come to learn that it was your husband who has been shot, I'm the police, and I can demand a talk with you if I want to," unbelievable. He was the one who shot him, who almost made her three-year-old fatherless, and now he was 'demanding' a talk with her? This is so wrong, and it doesn't help her that they're in a public place, where she can't exactly start to yell at the police, let alone refuse to talk to him, "Regina, I just want to talk to you."

And she doesn't know why, or better she knows, but it's against her better instincts that she follows him towards a table in one of the corners of the room, sitting across from him and waiting until it's him who starts to say something, since she doesn't have anything to say to him, "I'm sorry."

Well, she wasn't expecting that. Or maybe she was, thinking twice, it's the least he could say to make himself look good and apologize it's just not that tough. On the other hand, be honest it's a lot harder, and Regina finds herself scoffing at him, not believing for a second that his apologies can be real. If he didn't want to hurt Robin, he wouldn't have shot in the first place. Now the damage was done and it isn't his apologies that will make her feel better about the whole thing.

"I'm being honest, Regina. What I said to you before you entered the ambulance was true," he says, seeing by her face that she is trying to recall that specific moment amid all the confusion. Yes, she remembers him saying something about that, but that doesn't mean she has to believe him, "I wasn't trying to kill him, but I can't forget what you told me the night before either."

There is that excuse again. She already feels quite bad for having exposed Robin, she doesn't need him reminding her of that. She'd rather having him ignoring everything that had happened than having him here, trying to apologize about something that it's clear he doesn't feel any guilt.

So she lets her face fall in her hands, desperate to end that talk with Graham, but he doesn't seem to want to do that as he addresses her once again, "You don't have to feel guilty, Regina, you were really brave. You did what you had to do."

"No, I didn't, Graham! I didn't have to do anything!" she replies, raising her voice and forgetting about where they are. He's making her crazy every time he thinks he knows her or knows how she feels. He knows nothing, and she can live without his concerns or apologies, "Why are you apologizing anyway?"

"Because I don't want you to look at me the way you are now," he answers, looking deeply into her brown eyes, and he seems sincere now, which just leaves her more confuse.

"And how I'm looking at you?" she asks, leaning back in her chair and waiting to know what he means by that.

"Like you hate me more than anything," he explains, watching the way her eyebrows arch at his answer. It's not like she has no reason for that. He almost killed the father of her child and that's more than a reason to don't like the man.

"Well, you shot my husband-"

"Who, the last time I checked, was forcing you to talk to him," he defends, interrupting her words. Robin wasn't 'forcing' her. He grabbed her wrist to keep her from leaving, but she could have left that she's sure he wouldn't make her stay, unlike Graham, who used his job to make her talk to him, "I had to act when he grabbed you, Regina, I-"

"You grabbed me too!" she replies, removing her hand from under his as soon as he tried to reach for her.

What is he trying to do? Win her over so she doesn't open her mouth and tell that it was him who hurt her husband? Who cares about that anyway? He'll keep his job and she won't get anything from it.

"I'm done with this talk, I have to pick up my son," she says, gathering her things and getting up from the table at the same time she hears him addressing her one more time, asking her something like 'You have a son?', but at least he has the sense to not grab her, "Not that it concerns you."

And then she's gone, is already by the door when she turns back at the sound of something that she's sure are his fists hitting the table, and good, maybe he can understand now the damages he caused.

###

"Roland, are you ready?" she bursts into the hospital room where earlier she'd left her son with Robin, going straight to the bed where the blue-eyed man is seated with their son, without really even notice the woman standing a few inches from them.

She's one of the nurses that had been in charge of Robin after he'd left the recovery room, and she really hopes that the reason for her visit isn't an unpleasant one. It's bad enough everything they've gone through, she doesn't believe she can bear anything else, but judging by the smiles on their faces, it doesn't seem that she'll be welcome with bad news.

"Mrs. Mills, we were waiting for you," the woman carries some sheets in her hands, together with a pen, and she approaches Regina, who isn't able to stare at them with one look that's not a puzzled one, as the woman offers her a gentle smile, winking at Roland, at the same time she addresses Regina, "Don't worry we just need you to sign these papers so I can discharge your husband."

Discharge? That means he can go home today? With her? God, she's not ready.

"He's doing really good, and the doctor considers that if Mr. Locksley has the proper help to change the bandage every day at home, then he's free to leave," she smiles, handing her the papers to which Regina accepts, but just remains scanning them, as if she's reading all the information when in reality she's thinking about how they would do that. How they will live together after everything that happened and after she'd asked him for divorce, "Besides, your son assured us that his daddy will be in great hands."

"Yeah, you can take care of daddy, right mommy?" he's staring at her with those big brown eyes, the ones he'd inherited from her, and she looks quickly at Robin, who doesn't say a word, knowing all too well what it's crossing through her mind at that moment.

He doesn't want her to feel forced to take care of him, he just wants her to sign the papers so he can leave the hospital, and as soon as he's outside, he'll tell her he'll take care of himself.

"Do you understand that we can't discharge any patient if we don't have the certainty that he'll be treated properly," the woman explains, noticing how Regina is reluctant to sign. Robin can't say anything to her at that moment, but he offers her his best puppy look, causing a small smile to appear on her lips that she quickly tries to hide, knowing it's useless when he smiles too, "In this case we just need some assurance that Mr. Locksley will have some help at home."

"Sure, I'm sorry," Regina replies, quickly signing and handing her the papers in her hands.

They'll find a way to make that work, he can always ask the medical department of his company to help him.


So, I don't know how I managed to write this in two days, I think I wanted to give you an update and probably I wanted to know what would happen just as much as you :P

I hope the chapter is good so, thoughts? :)

Another thing, poor Regina. This chapter was like a train wreck for her, but it'll get better... Eventually. ;P

Thanks for the reading!