Chapter Eight: Ghosts of the Past

Regina lay naked on her back staring up at the ceiling. Robin came into the bedroom after gathering her lotion from her vanity and straddled himself above her. He squeezed the liquid into the palm of his hands and peered down at her, "How do you feel?"

"Better than before," she replied with a sigh, her mind still reeling from their previous conversation. It felt good to be free of her tight dress, but the pain still lingered in her lower abdomen.

He gently placed his hands on her hip bones and massaged soothing circles over his pelvis. He moved down over her thighs and back up to rub her stomach. He watched her face for a reaction of pain or discomfort, but she released a breath of relief upon his touch. He smiled, "How's this?"

"Perfect. Thank you," she muttered, closing her eyes to bask in the moment.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Not at all," she replied.

He continued this pattern, switching between his palms and fingertips, but was careful not to press down too hard or cause her any discomfort. He ran his fingers along her protruding belly and wondered if perhaps a miracle might have occurred between them.

"Regina?" He asked, keeping his hands over her lower abs. She hummed to let him know she was listening before he continued, "Do you think there's a possibility that-"

He paused, unsure how to word the thought that was racing through his mind. She opened her eyes and saw him gazing down at her stomach. She caught the glimmer of hope that was twinkling in his icy blue irises and wished for a brief moment that what he was thinking could be possible.

"No," she whispered, the disappointment evident in her tone. She saw his shoulders shrink, sharing in that disappointment with her, and she added, "I wish."

He looked up, catching her chocolate brown orbs when he said, "Really?"

She nodded with a soft smile, placing her hands over his for comfort, "A child with you would be incredible compared to what really lies ahead for me."

"You're thinking the worst, Regina. It could be something that can be easily fixed."

"Or something life threatening," she said, her tone calm yet riddled with truth, "I need to be realistic, Robin."

"Why not allow yourself to be unrealistic for one night?" He asked, leaning down and placing sweet kisses to her bloated belly.

She couldn't help, but smile at his actions. She had to admit, it was a wonderful thought; it gave her hope. She knew deep down this wasn't some miracle baby. But the misguided notion that it could be was enough to bring the joy back to her face for even just a second. He crawled up so their faces were parallel, holding himself above her to avoid unnecessary tension to her midsection. She ran her fingers through his hair, "Girl or boy?"

"Girl. We've had our fair share of testosterone for one lifetime," he teased, thrilled that his joke was bringing the happiness back to Regina's eyes. He kissed the tip of her nose before adding, "She'd look exactly like you, but with my blue eyes."

"You'll be sitting at the door with your bow to scare her boyfriends," she chuckled, thoroughly enjoying their moment of make believe.

"I'm sure there will be a few girls chasing after her as well," he mentioned with a soft laugh, "The women in your family are quite attractive, milady."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"I don't think the world could ever be prepared for us to procreate," he sighed.

Regina's smile disappeared at the realization that their imaginations had led them to this place. She relaxed her head back to her pillow and said, "I suppose it's a good thing we'll never get to find out."

Robin rolled over to lay beside her, placing his hand gently over her pelvis when he said, "I'm sorry, my love."

"Me too," was all she could think to say in response as she rolled over to face him.

"I love you, Regina," he said, trying to stay strong for her, but finding it to be an incredibly difficult challenge, "With all my heart."

She placed a gentle kiss to his lips and replied, as they always did, "And I you."


Robin lay in silence as the sun began to rise over the island of Manhattan. He couldn't sleep, but then again he didn't try to; the thoughts of the day ahead causing him great torment. He watched as Regina slept peacefully beside him. He lay still, holding her in his strong arms careful not to wake her. She'd tossed and turned all night, a mixture of worry and pain, no doubt. He was relieved she was able to catch even a few hours of shut eye before the busy day ahead. He thought about calling the office and telling them she wouldn't be in so she could rest for just a few extra hours, but he knew she would object and become frustrated with him; work was the only thing that could distract Regina from the burden she was carrying. He only hoped that with him by her side for support, that burden might not be so heavy anymore.


Regina sat behind her desk finishing up the final touches to a contract she was putting together for a new client when she noticed the time. It was just about lunch which meant she had a very important appointment that she couldn't reschedule even though her anxiety was telling her to skip it. She stood up slowly from her chair and gathered her purse in her arms before peering out the large window. She spotted him on the street below, pacing nervously amongst the rush of commuters and uptown inhabitants. She frowned slightly at the sight of him, but was happy that she'd kept the secret from him; he would have been a nervous wreck for weeks if he'd known any sooner.

She passed Mallory on her way to the elevator and tried to avoid her without any luck, "Hey, where are you going?"

"Um," she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm meeting Robin for lunch."

"Oh geez, it's lunch already?" The blonde shook her head before adding, "Well, tell Robin he owes me some donuts. He's not getting away that easy."

Regina faked a laugh as she pressed the button for the elevator, "I'll be sure to tell him."

"Hey," her friend placed a hand on her shoulder, "You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"No, I'm fine," she replied, relieved when she heard the sound of the elevator arriving, "I'll be back in an hour."

The brunette hurried through the doors and didn't turn until she heard them close. She exhaled the breath she'd been holding and picked at the cuticle of her index finger nervously. Mallory's words rang in her ears. Although she hadn't literally seen a ghost, it felt like she had whenever she thought about how much her past would effect her future after this appointment.


The couple sat together in the waiting room of the gynecologist's office. Her hands shook nervously as she continued picking at the cuticle hanging from her finger while Robin ran his hand over his heard. He saw her leg popping quickly against the floor and placed his hand on her knee to still her movements. She looked in his direction and heard the sincerity in his voice when he said, "I'm here."

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice cracking with vulnerability as she squeezed his hand.

"Regina Mills?" The nurse called from the opposite side of the waiting area. Regina and Robin stood, but the woman shook her head, "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't usually allow anyone in the examination room with our patients unless it's a special situation."

"Please," the brunette asked in a pleading tone, "I need him."

The nurse looked between the couple and realized her words were true. She nodded and held the door open, gesturing for them to enter the first examination room on the left side of the hallway. Regina sat on the table and Robin stood directly by her side, too nervous to take the seat offered to him. The nurse took her patient's vitals and asked her to describe the problem so she could note it in the file for the doctor. Before leaving, she handed Regina a gown and told her to change into it, explaining that he would most likely need to perform a few tests in order to further asses the issue. Upon her exit, Regina stood and began removing her clothing. Robin held the gown open for her and wrapped her in it, rubbing her arms to keep her warm until the doctor entered the room after a few knocks on the door.

"It's good to see you again, Regina," the man stated, shaking her hand. He held his out for Robin to shake as he introduced himself, "I'm Doctor Whale."

"Robin Locksley," he took his hand and shook it firmly before quickly releasing it and returning it to Regina.

"It says in your file that you're having lower abdominal and pelvic pain, is that correct?"

Regina cleared her throat, "Yes. It started roughly two months ago and has only been getting worse over time."

"And some inflammation as well?" He asked as he read through the nurse's notes.

"That's right."

"Alright, just go ahead and lay down for me so I can take a look," he requested and she opened the gown for him to do so. He pressed down on the skin of her stomach just below her navel. She pressed her lips together and he noticed, asking, "That hurts?"

"It's tender," she answered as he continued to move around her stomach. When he pressed down on her pelvis, she yelped and squeezed Robin's hand tight.

The doctor nodded and took a step away, "Okay, Regina. You can sit up for me. Due to the area of the pain and your medical history, I'd like to perform an ultrasound and do a quick biopsy while I have you in the office today. The symptoms you've described are consistent with many things: Endometriosis, cysts, cervical and uterine cancer. I want to do everything we can to rule out the worst and then we'll go from there."

Regina nodded, but Robin spoke up, "When will we know the results?"

"The biopsy will take some time and I don't want you to have to come to the office more than once to discuss your options. I'd say within two weeks. We'll give you a call when the results are in and we can meet in my office to go over them at your earliest convenience."

"What about the pain?" Regina asked.

"I'll prescribe something to help with the pain and inflammation in the meantime. And try using a heating pad or warm compress to help you sleep," he suggested while writing out the prescription for her. He handed her the paper and she nodded with gratitude before he left the room to fetch the nurse.

She stared down at it, struggling to read Doctor Whale's handwriting. Robin watched her intently, placing his hand under her chin and lifting her head so their eyes could meet. He smiled reassuringly as he said, "It's a start."

"I know," she whispered in return, not feeling any better about the situation, but relieved that she might actually feel better once the medicine kicked in.

He kissed her lips softly and said, "Our time in Essex next week will be good for you. You can get away from all the stress and focus on resting."

She nodded and he spoke again, recognizing that she needed something more to ease her nerves, "We'll get to the bottom of this, Regina, and I'll be by your side every step of the way."

Regina smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. He was so brave and honorable; she felt lucky to have someone as strong as Robin to lean on during her struggle. She realized in that moment that she'd trusted him to be her rock; to provide security and strength when she had none left within herself. He had become the most important person in her life, aside from Henry, and she would do everything she could to fight for him; even if that meant fighting for her own life.


The following week began with Roland's return from camp. Robin unpacked the boy's bags and immediately laundered his dirty, smelly garments before repacking them for their vacation abroad. They decided to keep Regina's health issues from the children until they were certain of the problem and how she needed to be treated, but that didn't stop him from doing everything he could to help around the home.

Their children were excited to get away; Roland to see his grandparents and Henry to finally get to see where Robin came from. He'd always described his home with such passion and adornment and the teen couldn't wait to explore England for himself.

Regina met with Leopold to discuss her working hours while she was away and he urged her to enjoy her time with family without worrying so much about the firm. Her clients and cases seemed to be in top shape so he wasn't concerned if she took a day or two to spend time with her loved ones. She appreciated that more than he would ever know.

Tuesday morning they awoke early and fed their children before each indulging in a hot cup of coffee to start the day. They arrived at the airport early enough to check their luggage and Regina was able to buy the boys some snacks considering it was a lengthy flight. Once they were settled in their seats, Robin took Regina's hand in his own and held it tight, holding their secret between them as firmly as his grasp. She looked at him briefly before turning to peer out the window.

She watched as the plane took off and ascended into the clouds, admiring the birds that flew by and the way the world seemed so small below her. She rested her head back on the headrest of the leather seat and took a deep breath, allowing herself to relax for the first time in weeks. They needed this trip; Regina needed this trip. And as she closed her eyes, she couldn't have been more relieved that they were taking it.