Title: Make it Without You
Category: TV Shows » Once Upon A Time
Author: Alwaysbringback-up
Language: English, Rating: Rated: M (for language and sexual themes)
Genre: Angst/General
Chapter 8: Aftermath
Pairing: SwanQueen
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the OUAT universe. All characters belong to Adam and Eddie, the show's creators. I promise that my writing is done purely for recreational purposes only. No ill harm is intended.
A/N: Wow... Okay, so... It became very clear to me after reading the reviews of the last chapter that some of you guys vehemently detest Regina (i.e. that you think she's a b****) which gives me the sense that maybe I did too good of a job making her character fallible. This story really was supposed to have a SwanQueen endgame, but now I'm not so sure.
It was really hard to write this chapter, as I struggled to take in all of your feedback. I really do appreciate how vocal you guys were, as it helped me understand how you feel about this story as a whole. I guess, what I would like to know now, is whether you want this story to go the way I intended it to in the beginning (SQ), or if you would truly like Emma to wind up with Jake.
(Tuesday, June 18, 2015, 5:30p.m.)
(Flashback...)
"I think that that'll do it for me," Regina said with everyone's eyes on her, as she straightened the papers in front of her on the podium. "Would you like to add any further comments, Sheriff Swan?"
During her many statements, when she'd addressed some of the more important issues facing Storybrooke and its citizens, Regina had purposely kept her eyes away from the blonde. After all, the blonde was extremely distracting. But now that the mayor was finished with all of her major talking points, she allowed her eyes to be drawn towards where she knew the blonde was standing. Regina felt a slight spike of alarm as she laid eyes on the blonde for the first time since the start of the council meeting. Emma was a ghostly pale.
"Sheriff Swan?" Regina softened her voice, while silently begging Emma to meet her gaze.
"Hmm?" Emma hummed, with a far off look in her eyes, as her eyes darted up from the floor. Every eye in the room was suddenly on the blonde. Emma began to feel even more overwhelmed, as she tried to anticipate the needs and expectations of everyone in attendance. She felt as if she were letting them all down, somehow. Emma visibly gulped, raking in a deep breath.
"Would you like to add anything further?" Regina questioned softly, as she gestured to the podium. Regina tried to soften her expression as she spoke slowly and clearly. For a fraction of a second, Emma feared Regina was singling her out, because she was displeased with the blonde in some way. The truth is, Emma had hardly listened to a word the brunette had said. No matter how hard she tried to focus, she found herself unable to do so. She'd been far too preoccupied with her own thoughts.
"Emma?" Regina looked genuinely concerned.
'Oh god,' Emma thought in a panic, as she pressed a hand to her middle. 'Breathe. Just breathe.' Emma felt her stomach traitorously lurch.
"I'm sorry. P-Please e-excuse me," Emma gasped as she abruptly took off down the aisle at a breakneck speed.
She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she practically sprinted for the exit. She felt like she was going to pass out. And she was sure that she would never live it down if that happened. She tried to ignore the way that Regina had looked at her - her eyes all full of genuine concern. She had imagined it, right? Regina couldn't possibly care. Emma pushed open the door leading out of the building and stumbled outside, with sweat pouring down her face.
After making it out the door, Emma veered immediately to the right. She thrust her arm out. Her hand slammed against the wall in an effort to steady her as she staggered down the walk. She could feel the brick scrape against the meaty flesh of her palm, chewing up the skin as she walked. Yet, she couldn't allow herself to be bothered by it. Her legs felt like they were about to give out on her at any moment, and, after a short distance, that is exactly what happened. Emma's knees gave out and she dropped down onto the concrete. She winced momentarily in pain, as her knees struck the concrete and the shock traveled up her legs. But one sensation was quickly abandoned for another. Emma began to crawl on all fours, but soon enough abandoned the effort altogether.
Emma gasped for breath, as her chest heaved up and down. Emma couldn't seem to catch her breath. She could feel the intense palpitations of her heart in her chest. It had all started with a flashback during the meeting. Emma just couldn't seem to calm her racing heart. Emma turned her back to the wall and pressed up against it, as if having her back against something solid could protect her from the feelings she was currently experiencing.
Emma lifted her palms to her eyes and pressed down as hard as she could, focusing on the resultant pain. She welcomed it. After all, the pain was the only thing that was constant. It had a definitive cause. Emma felt tears burn hotly in her eyes, as she struggled to merely breathe. Emma let her hands fall away. With a small thud, she let her head fall back against the cool brick of the wall behind her and closed her eyes.
She silently begged for mercy, even though she knew that it was still a long time coming. But the pain in her body, and in her mind, still made her wish for it. The pain she carried with her every day was becoming too much. After several long minutes, Emma still wasn't any better. In fact, she felt that much worse. Emma tried to push herself up from the ground, but failed. She hated feeling weak, and therefore, didn't want anyone to find her in her current state.
Emma closed her eyes and groaned as the door flew open, and Regina came rushing out. The brunette's head frantically turned side to side, her eyes searching for Emma. Her gaze fell onto Emma with a small gasp of recognition. She looked genuinely concerned for Emma's wellbeing.
"Emma?" Regina breathed as she quickly rushed over. "Emma, hey, what's wrong?"
'No' Emma gasped, letting out a near sob, as pain surged up in her chest. She didn't want Regina to see her like this. She would rather that Regina never saw her. She was a mess- past the point of breaking- and Emma didn't know how to fix it.
"I-I'm sorry," Emma said breathlessly, with sweat pouring down her face and tears building in her eyes. Emma's chest heaved up and down, but the blonde still felt as if she were starved for oxygen. It didn't seem to matter how many breaths the blonde took, she was constantly out of breath. Her lungs desperately raked for oxygen, but they couldn't seem to pull enough oxygen from the air.
Regina instantly dropped down onto her knees in front of the blonde - not caring that she would likely ruin her stockings in doing so. Reflexively, she reached out for Emma's wrist. Her fingers expertly found the pulse point. It was almost as if she'd done it many times before, but Emma knew that she hadn't. "I'm s-so s-sorry," Emma said while breathing heavily. She was hyperventilating, and was feeling even more faint because of it.
"Shh," Regina quieted her. "Shh… It's okay, Emma."
"My heart is… racing," Emma gasped. "I-I can't- can't stop it." Regina nodded, her eyes darting down to her watch, in order to count the frantic beats of Emma's heart. Regina frowned, as she realized that she could barely keep up with the beats of Emma's heart. She couldn't seem to count quickly enough. Emma's heart was beating so fast, Regina couldn't help but think that the blonde might as well be running a wind-sprint.
"God," Emma groaned, "It feels like I'm dying. Am I- am I dying?"
"No," Regina shook her head. "You're not dying. Everything is going to be okay, Emma. I promise."
"Everything just feels like its racing out of control," Emma whimpered.
"I know," Regina said as she looked up to see the panic in Emma's eyes. "I know it does. In fact, it probably feels like you're going to pass out," Regina told her. "But I promise you, that you're not going to. It's going to be okay, Emma. You're just having a panic attack. Just know- that you're safe. I promise. I'm here with you, and you're perfectly safe."
"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked in-between gasping breaths. "Why are you helping me? It's dangerous for you to be seen with me like this. Someone might think something is going on."
"You think I care about that?" Regina answered her. "I care about you, Emma. I care about you more than you will ever know. I can't bear to see you suffer like this."
"Regina," Emma said in a sob, as the first tears escaped.
"Shh," Regina said as she reached up to Emma's face, her hands sliding over Emma's cheeks. "Shh," Regina spoke calmly. "I know," Regina said as she leant forwards, her lips meeting Emma's softly in a searing kiss. Emma's eyes fluttered closed, her breathing evening out gradually, as she focused of the sensation of Regina's lips on hers. Regina was her anchor, and Emma was suddenly incredibly grateful for the brunette's presence.
As the kiss broke, Emma followed after her, desperate to keep a hold on her. Emma took in a hungry breath, and kissed Regina again. Regina moaned softly into the kiss. She would never be able to tell Emma just how much the blonde's touch meant to her. Emma was just as equally her lifeline, as Regina was hers. Emma breathed heavily through her nose as she kissed Regina. Slowly, Emma's breaths began to even out.
"That's it," Regina whispered, "That's it, dear. Just breathe with me. Match your breathing to mine. It's all going to be okay. I promise."
"I'm sorry," Emma apologized. "I'm really sorry if I ruined the meeting."
"It's okay," Regina said with an understanding look in her deep brown eyes. "You didn't ruin anything, Emma. I promise."
"I..." Emma spoke between ragged breaths.
"Emma, you don't have to be sorry. Believe me! I know what it's like, to feel like your world is about to implode." Regina took a breath. "Do- Do you want to talk about what caused it?"
"I…" Emma swallowed, not sure if she could talk about it. "I had a flashback to...to when I…"
"When you were the Dark One?" Regina finished for her. Emma nodded. Emma's breaths continued to sound heavily in the air between them.
"Yeah," Emma shuddered, "And I couldn't…" Another sob broke its way free. "I mean… I tortured people. I hurt people I cared about, and I don't know how I'm ever supposed to be able to forgive myself for that. God how can- how can you even look at me?"
"Emma," Regina said as she grabbed hold of Emma's face once more, coaxing the blonde to look into her deep chocolate eyes. Gently, Regina began stroking the side of Emma's face in a comforting gesture. "The person that did those things was not you. Yes, the darkness took your face for a time, but it was not you. It's why I fought so hard to get you back." Regina told her before capturing Emma's lips in an almost hungry, urgent kiss. "This," Regina punctuated with another kiss, "This is you. This is the Emma I fell in love with- the one that feels such love for other people that she is willing to do anything and everything in order to protect them." Regina's eyes shimmered, as the brunette let herself get worked up by the emotions behind her words. Emma let out another shaking breath.
"For a while I thought that you honestly gave up on me," Emma confessed, "But you never did give up on me, did you? You were there the whole time. You fought against me, and stood against me when no one else could. You were the only one strong enough to stop me."
"How could I?" Regina asked honestly, her voice breaking, "How could I give up on you, when you never…not once… gave up on me? I loved you, Emma. And although I may have been fighting against you for a time," Regina said passionately, "I assure you that I was fighting for you the whole time."
"I know," Emma's voice cracked. "You became the Savior in my place, Regina. Hell, you… You became my Savior." Regina shook her head. Emma would never know how much Emma's words meant to her.
"I'm just sorry about everything. I tried so hard to fight the darkness," Emma whispered, "but I wasn't strong enough."
"But we were, Emma," Regina told her. "Together we're always strong enough."
"How can you be so cool about this whole thing? I- I destroyed half of the freaking town," Emma said between quavering breaths.
"Nothing was damaged that cannot be easily repaired or replaced," Regina argued. "I promise it's going to be okay. It'll get better, Emma." Emma nodded.
"Come on," Regina said as she retreated, dropping Emma's hand briefly, as she pushed herself to her feet. She quickly offered Emma her hand. Tentatively, the blonde accepted, sliding her hand into Regina's. Regina threaded their fingers together and carefully tugged Emma to her feet. Emma let out a gasp as she immediately felt Regina's arms wrap around her. Emma let out a quavering breath as she returned the fierce embrace. As Emma pulled back, Regina reached out, her hand lifting Emma's gaze towards her own. She grasped Emma's chin between her thumb and forefinger, guiding Emma's lips towards her own with a gentle pressure. The sharp intake of breath that left them both as their lips collided, should have been telling.
The kiss was extremely gentle, languid and fluid. Regina moaned softly against Emma's lips. Eventually, the kiss came to an end, although they both attempted to prolong it. However, they needed to be careful as to who saw them.
"Come on," Regina ordered.
"Where are we going?" Emma asked softly.
"You're sick," Regina said softly, "I'm taking you home to get some rest."
The drive home to Emma's house seemed to take an eternity. Neither one of them was willing to break the silence. It was growing dark outside, and the lights of the town were coming on one by one. Emma reclined the front seat slightly and turn her head to look out of the passenger side window. She leant forward, pressing her warm skin to the cool glass. She let out a sigh at the relief that the cool glass gave her as it alleviated some of the heat of her forehead. Emma closed her eyes. She felt so vulnerable under Regina's inspection. She could feel Regina's eyes on her periodically and it threatened to steal the breath from her lungs. The air between the two of them was thick, and part of Emma wanted to just tell Regina the truth. But then, the part of Emma that was afraid kept her from doing so. Admitting it to Regina, saying the words out loud made it all more real.
If she would have been thinking logically, she would have remembered that admitting something had happened, was the only true way to move on and to accept it. But so many things were holding her back. Somehow, over the last month, Emma had managed to convince herself that Regina couldn't possibly care about her as deeply as she cared about the brunette.
And so there she was in Regina's passenger seat, trying to feign sleep in order to avoid the truth. She breathed in and out, fogging up the glass on the window. Regina meanwhile, had no idea of the internal struggle going on in Emma's mind. She had no clue as to the true agony that Emma was putting herself through each and every day. And if she had, Regina's heart would have been ripped out long ago with the pain of it all. Instead, she remained wonderfully ignorant. She gripped the wheel tightly, stealing worried glances of the Sheriff, her heart pounding in her chest. Emma looked pale, and it was hard for Regina to see her this way. Emma typically looked so strong, so untouchable, but clearly, whatever was plaguing Emma was winning at the moment.
"Emma?" Regina asked calmly.
"Mmm?" Emma moaned sleepily.
"We're here, love," Regina said softly as she turned off the engine. Emma didn't move. She was too damned tired. Regina gave the blonde's hand a squeeze and got out of the driver's side. She walked around to the other side and pulled the door open. Emma's head jerked back, and her eyes abruptly blinked open. With a frown Regina bent down and unbuckled Emma. She began to breathe a little shallower, as she smelled the Sheriff's intoxicating scent. "Come on," Regina whispered as she helped Emma out of the car. Emma's arm curled loosely around Regina's waist as the brunette walked her up to the front door. Emma leant against the wall, barely holding herself up.
"Emma," Regina said with flushed cheeks, "Where's your key?"
"Front left side pocket," Regina practically gulped as she realized what she was going to have to do. With trembling fingers, Regina stuck her fingertips into Emma's pocket, trying to ignore the moan that escaped unconsciously from the blonde's lips. For a heart stopping moment Regina froze. After she regained her calmness, Regina trapped the key between her index and middle finger and pulled it out. Slowly, she put the key in the lock and opened the door, helping Emma inside. By the time Regina hung the coats on the hook by the door, Emma had fled for the bathroom. Regina cringed as she heard Emma retching violently. Her heart broke just a little bit as she heard the broken moans coming in-between. Regina rushed for the bathroom, dropping to her knees beside the broken looking woman. With gentle, soothing motions, Regina gathered up Emma's hair and held it away from her face. She could see the sweat and tears seeping from Emma's eyes as wave after wave of nausea hit her. Regina rubbed her back, trying to coax everything out so that they wouldn't have to do this again. She tried to relax the aching muscles in Emma's arched back.
"Shh," Regina breathing in Emma's ear, "It's okay, love. Just get it all out. It's going to be okay." The words themselves made Emma want to cry all over again. Regina was being so kind, so gentle, and so loving that Emma felt like an awful person for not telling her the truth. But how could she? Finally, the vomiting stopped, as there was nothing left to come up. Emma scooted away from the toilet bowl, unknowingly pressing back against Regina. This time, it was Regina who moaned, unable to stop the noise from escaping. Emma sighed.
"Emma," Regina whispered softly. Regina closed her eyes as Emma's head dropped back on her shoulder. Regina wrapped her arms around the burning, exhausted, woman that she loved and just held her. Emma snuggled into Regina's arms, wanting to stay there forever. She'd never felt so comforted in all of the months she'd been going through this. It was almost enough to take the pain away, although however temporary. "Come on," Regina said after they stayed like that for about 20 minutes, which was a long time, but it felt like nothing. "Let's get you to bed." Regina stood up, before bending back down. She slipped one arm under Emma's back and another under Emma's legs and with a strained effort picked her up from the floor. Emma was silently impressed as Regina walked her to the bedroom and set her down on the bed. Emma watched in fascination as the mother in Regina took over and she walked over to the dresser, pulling out a t-shirt and boy shorts, as well as pajama bottoms. Regina walked back over and set them on the bed next to Emma.
"Arms up," Regina ordered finally. For a long moment, Emma just stared into Regina's stunning, chocolate brown eyes, as if she hadn't understood the request. "Emma, I need you to lift up your arms."
"You do know that I'm not a five year old, don't you?" Emma asked with raised brows, "I mean- I can dress myself."
"Humor me," Regina said she stared Emma down. Emma looked reluctant for a long moment, then the fatigue returned and she realized that she might, in fact, need Regina's help. Ever so slowly, Emma complied and lifted up her arms. Regina, using all of her self-control, reached for the hem of Emma's shirt and pulled it over the blonde's head. She made sure to look anywhere but forwards as she replaced the shirt with the fresh one from Emma's dresser. As soon as she tugged the shirt into place, Emma's upper body dropped backwards onto the mattress. Regina's heart was pounding so loudly by this point that she was afraid that Emma could hear it. Luckily, Emma's eyes were closed. Without hesitation, Regina reached for the button of Emma's jeans. Carefully, inch-by-inch she tugged them off before discarding them on the floor. Regina's stomach felt like it was stuck in her throat as her eyes raked in all of the flawless muscular skin that made up Emma's toned thighs. She nearly choked on her own air. Regina squeezed her eyes shut, deciding that she deserved an award for this. She wanted so desperately to touch Emma, but resisted. For a long moment, Regina stared into the carpet at her feet as she contemplated what she had to do next. Nope. She couldn't go there. It was only asking for trouble. Besides, Emma could deal with wearing the same underwear for one night. With another deep breath Regina grabbed Emma's pajama pants and slipped her feet through each side. She started to pull them on Emma until she reached her hips.
"Emma," Regina tried to keep her voice, as even as she could, "I need you to lift up for me."
"Mmm?" Emma whined.
"Lift your hips up for me," Regina requested again. This time Emma complied and Regina was able to secure the pajama bottoms around Emma's hips with a tug. Regina helped Emma under the covers. Emma tried to burrow underneath all of them, but Regina kept her from doing so.
"I'm cold," Emma complained as a violent shiver caused her body to shake.
"I know," Regina nodded brushing the hair out of Emma's face. "You have a fever, Emma. And so burrowing under all of those blankets is only going to make it go higher." Regina looked around. "Do you have a thermometer in the house somewhere?"
"Somewhere," Emma muttered sleepily. "But I don't know where."
"What about some Tylenol?" Regina asked.
"Maybe in the cabinet, in my bathroom," Emma answered.
"Okay," Regina nodded, "You rest for a while. I'll be right back." Emma murmured some sort of sleepy response and Regina watched as Emma's breathing evened out. Regina walked into the bathroom and looked in the cupboard. She rummaged around, unable to find a thermometer or regular Tylenol. Her brow furrowed as her eyes raked over several pill bottles. She picked one up and locked at it. Promethezine? Regina set it back down. And closed the cupboard. It looked like she was going to have to run down to the corner grocery store, although she really didn't want to leave Emma in her current state. Regina moved quickly as she scribbled a note, and grabbed Emma's key from the counter.
It took her about 20 minutes to get everything she needed. She got some ginger ale, Tylenol, chicken noodle soup, some crackers, and a thermometer. She walked back into a silent house. She slipped off her coat and hung it up before kicking off her shoes. She poured out some ginger ale and a couple Tylenol and made her way to Emma's bedroom. Emma was thrashing in the sheets, whimpers coming from her lips. Regina quickly set down the glass on the bedside table and sat down on the bed next to Emma. Her hands shook the blonde gently.
"Emma," Regina spoke softly, trying to wake her "Wake up, dear. It's just a dream." Emma, however, wasn't waking up. She continued to mutter things under her breath that Regina couldn't quite make out. Regina quickly brushed her hand across Emma's cheek. Regina thought it impossible but Emma had gotten even warmer. Quickly she rushed for what she could only guess was the linen closet, and pulled a washcloth from it. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding as she drenched it in cool water and rung it out. Without breathing, Regina sat down next to Emma, one hand framing the blonde's face while the other dabbed away at what could only be described as flaming skin. After a few minutes, of trying to rouse her, Emma's eyes blinked open and her body relaxed. Regina could tell that Emma was lethargic. Emma let out another groan before closing her eyes. Regina's heart melted a little. Regina reached out, brushing Emma's sopping bangs from her eyes.
"You think you can keep some Tylenol down?" Regina asked, "Emma, we have to try something." Picking up the glass from the bedside table, Regina looked deep into Emma's eyes, sizing the woman up for the challenge. Emma finally nodded, and Regina helped the blonde into a seated position, before handing her the glass and Tylenol. Emma put the tablets in her mouth and took a sip to force them down. She took a few more small sips and handed Regina the glass.
"Thank you," Emma said finally, grabbing the hand in Regina's lap and giving it a squeeze.
"Anything for you," Regina replied honestly. "Now go back to bed. I'll be on the couch if you need me." Regina stood up and switched off the lamp. She was almost to the door when Emma's voice had her freezing in her tracks.
"Stay." Regina turned around. Emma's green eyes found Regina's dark chocolate ones. "Please." Regina's heart started beating faster. How could Emma know? Regina took a step closer.
"You sure?" Regina asked, trying to keep her voice even. Emma nodded.
"The bed is big enough for both of us," Emma answered, "And frankly, I don't feel like being alone tonight." Regina didn't need to hear anything more. Within seconds she was climbing into the empty side of Emma's bed, breathing in the blonde's scent as she settled into the pillow. They were asleep almost instantly.
Emma woke up only a few minutes before her alarm started going off. She froze as she realized how close she was to Regina. Her fever had broken over the course of the night, and so now she could feel the heat coming from the body next to her. Slowly, without breathing Emma detangled her limbs from the blankets she had kicked off over the course of the night, and rolled over to turn the alarm clock off before it went off. Regina felt the shift of the mattress and her eyes opened. Slowly she rolled onto her side, just in time to come face to face with the blonde.
"Hey," Regina gasped, her hand reaching up to press against Emma's cheek.
"Hey," Emma whispered. "You stayed," Emma spoke with a tinge of amazement in her voice.
"Of course," Regina nodded. "But I should get back. Robin is probably wondering where I am."
"Oh," suddenly that vacant look was back in Emma's eyes again. "Right. Of course."
"Emma," Regina's voice was apologetic.
"It's…It's okay," Emma swallowed. "Thank you for taking care of me."
Regina reached out to pull Emma in for a kiss, but felt herself unexpectedly wrenched backwards and away from the blonde.
(Thursday, October 15th, 2015, 4:43a.m.)
Storybrooke General Hospital Waiting Room
Storybrooke, Maine
"Mom," Henry's voice, pulled her from the memory. "Mom, wake up!"
Regina's eyes flickered open, in alarm. A gasp fell from her lips, as her eyes were suddenly met with the intrusive, bright, blinding lights of the waiting room. For a moment she was disoriented. One moment she had been in Emma's bed with the blonde, and the next? Clearly Regina was not with Emma. Everything quickly came back to her. Regina let out a shuddering breath as she remembered. She was at the hospital. Emma was in bad shape. Regina tried desperately not to the feel the pain that was threatening to swallow her whole. Regina reached up to her eyes, rubbing at the tears that were suddenly threatening to escape.
"Mom," Henry said softly, persistently.
"I'm awake, dear," Regina murmured in a deep voice.
"I know, but…" Henry persisted, with another squeeze of her hand, "Are you okay?"
Regina shook her head, and blinked a few times, silently wondering how much time had passed. As her mind sought an answer to that question, her eyes darted to the clock. A spurt of breath escaped her lips, as she realized the amount of time that had actually passed. She'd been sleeping for quite some time. Regina turned her head towards the doorway, groaning as the muscles in her neck protested at the motion. Regina's hand darted up to the back of her neck, where her fingers immediately began a careful and meticulous massage of the muscles there. When she was finished soothing the sore muscles, Regina let out a sigh and leant forwards, placing her hands on her knees.
"I think Doctor Whale is coming over here," Henry said finally, drawing her attention.
Reflexively, Regina's head turned and she saw Dr. Whale walking towards them, looking tired. He was, in fact, coming over to talk to them. Regina stood up quickly, walking towards the man. Henry was right behind her.
"How is she?" Regina couldn't keep her voice from quavering.
"Well," he said quietly. "She's doing about as well as can be expected." Regina took a step forwards.
"What does that mean?" Jake asked, as he instantly appeared beside her.
"Well," Dr. Whale began uneasily, "We had to give Emma a transfusion in order to combat her blood loss. We also noticed that the levels of calcium and potassium in Emma's blood were alarmingly low. Emma is lucky to be alive. Extreme hypokalemia can result in cardiac arrest, if it goes unchecked." Regina let out a shuddering breath. "But luckily we caught it before it became life threatening."
"What about her injuries?" Jake questioned.
"Emma's CT indicates that she suffered a moderate concussion," Dr. Whale spoke. "Regina was able to heal the more substantial injury to the cranium, but unfortunately, Emma's still got to work her way out of the traumatic brain injury."
"What does that mean?" Henry asked.
"Well," Dr. Whale cleared his throat. "Okay…uh- How do I explain this?"
"You're the doctor for god's sake," Regina huffed, "You figure it out!"
"Okay," Whale sighed. "Well, the body has a sort of an off switch in times of extreme duress. Emma suffered severe trauma in several ways. She was exposed to cold for an extended period, she suffered significant blood loss, and she sustained actual physical trauma. In order to protect and preserve the rest of her body, other parts of her body had to shut down. And now that Emma has finally stabilized, Emma's body has to work itself out of that state. It has to… wake itself up again." Dr. Whale glanced down at her chart.
"Besides the head injury, what other injuries were there?" David asked.
"Oh," Whale cleared his throat, "She also suffered a compound fracture of the lower limb below the knee, and some deep tissue bruising around the ribs. She should be fine once she comes out of the coma. But I want to keep her under for the time being, in order to give her body some time to heal."
"Will she need surgery?" Jake asked worriedly.
"That depends," Dr. Whale hedged, "I set her leg for the time being, but Emma will likely need surgery in order to install stabilizing hardware."
"I can help with that," Regina shook her head, "I mean... I can heal Emma's leg, and any other injuries that she might have. I just need some time to rest, before attempting to do so. Healing her head injury really took it out of me, but I'm better now."
"Are you sure?" Dr. Whale asked as he looked to her. Regina nodded.
"Then she should make a full recovery," Dr. Whale spoke, "and be out of here in no time."
"Can I see her?" Regina asked. Whale met her eyes and nodded.
As Regina stepped into the darkness of Emma's room, she used the beeping to steady her footsteps. At the first sight of Emma, her breath caught in her throat, and she was sure that in that moment her heart stopped beating as well. Emma lay tangled in a sea of wires, looking so fragile and small. It was hard to process what she was looking at. She was so used to seeing Emma so strong and full of life. Not like this. The hospital bed seemed to threaten to swallow her whole. Regina tried to keep her eyes from searching for what she knew they would. There was a bag of blood, as well as a bag of saline hanging from the I.V. pole, and snaking down into Emma's arm.
Regina's eyes fell onto Emma's face. Large purple bags adorned the space beneath the blonde's eyes. Regina slowly walked towards the bed, and sat down, her hand immediately seeking out Emma's. A substantial amount of bruising covered Emma's arms, and Regina suspected, the rest of her body. She still felt Emma was beautiful, and knew every feature that lay underneath the vast amount of swelling and deep purple bruises, but it was hard to look at. She had driven Emma further and further away, and she knew that she was partially responsible for what happened. She loved Emma so much, but all she ever seemed to do was cause the blonde unbearable pain. Regina felt a sob break its way free from the back of her throat.
"I'm so sorry," Regina said as she leaned forwards, burrowing her face in the juncture between Emma's neck and shoulder. "I love you. I love you so much, Emma," Regina hiccuped. "You really scared the hell out of me this time."
"Mom?" Henry's voice forced her to pull away. "Mom, are you okay?" Regina pulled back, wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
"No," Regina admitted. "Not by a long shot."
"She'll be okay, right?" Henry said calmly.
"I…I don't know," Regina said with a shake of her head.
"Can I ask you something?" Henry spoke up after a minute's silence.
"Of course, dear," Regina said softly. "What is it?"
"Please don't be mad at me, okay? But… is there something going on between the two of you?" Henry asked as he stepped further into the room. Regina couldn't stop the look of panic that took over her usually stoic expression. "There is, isn't there?"
"Henry…" Regina hated how her voice cracked. "I…"
"You love her?" Henry asked, his eyes meeting Regina's. Regina opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't. However, Regina managed a single, resolute nod.
"And all this time I thought it was just wishful thinking…. I was afraid I was imagining it, because I wanted for it to be true so badly." Henry said, as he took in the way Regina's hand still held Emma's in hers.
"You do?" Regina asked, her eyes widening it in alarm.
"Of course I do," Henry said as if it were obvious. "I mean, my two moms together? Well, it's kind of perfect. And I've never cared much for Robin, if I'm being honest." Henry spoke honestly. "I just wanted you to be happy, so I- I acted like I did." Henry shrugged.
"Henry," Regina exhaled, clearly stunned by his honesty. Henry looked forlorn, as a sob tore it's way past Regina's throat.
"What's wrong?" Henry asked. "Why are you still so sad? I thought you'd be happy."
"Because- I ruined the best thing in my life - the only thing, apart from you, that truly mattered," Regina said with another sob. "I've lost her."
"Oh, mom," Henry said as he rushed forwards and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sure that's not true."
"It is," Regina cries against him. "I hurt her, Henry. I really really hurt her."
"It's gonna be okay," Henry reassured her. "Because I'm going to help you win her back. But you need to end things with Robin, first." Regina nodded, and pulled Henry even closer, threatening to crush him with the ferocity of the embrace.
A/N: Okay. So that's it for now! Please review or PM me! I really would like to know what direction you'd like me to go from here. It would be a lot easier to keep this a SQ story, as that was what was initially written. But I'm willing to change it, if all of you feel strongly about it.
