Sophia was in a critical condition, there was no doubt about that. Doctors and nurses surrounded her bed, working frantically. Machines beeped loudly and within the room. It was chaos. Yet outside, the Charming family, her friends, and Regina just watched in silence. Each of them were fretting, and for equally good but different reasons.
Henry couldn't bear to watch another second. He blamed himself. If he had just stayed back, Sophia probably would have handled it all fine. Now, everything could be in jeopardy.
He plonked down on a chair. His head flopped forward and he stared down at his feet, and tacky off white linoleum floor.
David joined him. Sitting beside Henry with a sympathetic sigh, he reached out his hand and placed it lightly on his back. Henry was growing up fast. Quite the young man he was now as he tensed at the comforting touch.
"She'll pull through. Sophia seems like a fighter to me."
David tried to be reassuring, but Henry wasn't buying it. Yes, Sophia was a fighter, but that didn't mean she was gonna make it. By rights, she shouldn't have even been there. He sighed again and nodded, if only to appease his grandpa. However, it did nothing to help how upset he was.
"Come on Henry. You did your best. I know you only wanted to help her." he patted his shoulder again. "You two have become quite close huh?"
"Yeah" he shrugged. "More than you can imagine. She's, she's…."
Henry stammered unable to find the words to finish his sentence. He wanted so desperately to tell his grandfather the secrets he kept, but he was unsure what to do for the best. The conflict the decision inflicted upon him caused him further pain. If Sophia didn't make it, nothing would ever be the same again.
Just as Henry made up his mind to say something, the doctor approached his mothers. He perked up, listening intently, as did everyone else.
"I'm sorry to have to be the bearer of such bad news, but Sophia has lost a considerable amount of blood. She will need a transfusion as soon as possible."
"Then give her one!" Regina snapped.
The quickness of her reaction a surprise, and a little overwhelming for the rest of the group.
"Well, Madam Mayor, with all due respect, I would very much like to do that. But there are complications."
Regina exasperated a frustrated sigh. There always were with these people. She silently cursed and waited for the doctor to continue.
"Sophia has a very rare blood type. One we don't have stock of, I am afraid. We have made a request for a transfer from the city, but that could be hours. We really don't have that time."
Regina's frown deepened as the doctor continued to explain. As usual, the ever hopeful Mary Margaret had to enquire further as to what could be done to assist because, surely there was something.
When the doctor sighed, advising of the blood type so that he could properly explain the rarity, Regina paled little. She couldn't quite believe it, and surely it couldn't be a coincidence. She had learned many years ago of her own blood type rarity, and had never been more grateful for her powers. They allowed her to self heal. Surely Sophia could do the same, but then the blood loss was significant, and she was weak.
Regina sighed inwardly and turned away from the doctor, troubled. This was just a strange coincidence, and she couldn't put her finger on what exactly it was.
"Can any of us help? I mean I know it would have to be quite a coincidence, but perhaps?" Mary Margaret chirped in her overly hopeful way.
Emma too had become distracted. By Regina, and her sudden behaviour. The woman was rarely this quiet during Storybrooke issues, apart from that time she had broken her heart of course. Emma wondered if that bringing back Marian had changed Regina for good. She thought they were passed it, but she could be wrong.
"What? Regina? Really?" Emma heard her mother cry almost ecstatically at the doctor.
Whatever he had said; she had missed it. Her head whipped back around to face them, lip wobbling with uncertainty to question what she hadn't heard. Admittedly everyone else, her father especially looked a little shocked, but not as much as she was.
Regina nodded admitting it was true. She agreed to donate some blood for Sophia, and went with doctor, her head full of the same questions in Emma's, about how this was even possible.
Henry took a seat again and sighed. Everything was coming out too fast. His family weren't dumb. They were going to figure out who Sophia was sooner rather than later, and that came with extra complication.
He looked up at Sophia's friends. They were huddled, talking with urgency but not volume, the other side of the waiting room. They knew the same as he. This was a disaster.
David came back to join him, offering him comfort whilst Mary Margaret waited with their daughter. He placed his hand on Henry's back gently, ideas floating through his mind as he thought hard, and observed Henry's glances at their group of new acquaintances. That's when it finally hit him. His grandson knew something he had been pondering.
"Henry, I have a really important question to ask you? You won't be in any trouble, but please tell me; is Sophia who I think she is?"
His voice was sincere and quiet. Henry looked up slowly, tears brimming once again in his little eyes that looked so like Emma's. Suddenly Henry just broke down in tears.
"Yes! And no one was supposed to find out. This, I could have ruined everything now!"
David did his best to offer comfort, now suspicious Sophia's friends were worrying over the same thing. It was so obvious now. Sophia fitted right in with their family unit perfectly, just as it appeared she was meant to; just not yet.
"Henry, I know Sophia swore you to secrecy, but I think they need to know." David sighed as he saw Regina, wandering back and heading straight for Sophia's friends.
Henry looked desperate. He didn't see why they needed to know just yet. If his mother had given blood for Sophia's transplant, then she might recover. They really didn't need to know, did they? David, unfortunately saw it differently. He apologised to Henry and got up.
Emma had joined Regina, and they were talking mostly with Mel as he approached. Definitely a situation of conflict that he just couldn't avoid. He interrupted, excusing himself for doing so politely.
"I have some information, Emma, Regina I'm sorry but this needs to be said."
David caught Mel glaring at him as his daughter, and Regina turned to him with puzzled looks. Emma just looked innocently confused, as Regina took a more defiant stance, arms folded, and insisted that he just get on with it instead of 'beating around the bush' or so it were.
"Sophia isn't, well I don't know who we all thought she was, but she's…."
"DON'T!"
David found himself interrupted urgently by Atlantis.
"Just spit it out Charming." Regina snapped.
"She's, your daughter." he revealed with a sigh, which resulted in a loud scoff from Regina. "Both of you. She's your daughter."
David clarified seeing the dumbfounded looks of his daughter, and the one of utter disbelief from Regina.
"I don't think so Charming. I don't even like Emma!" Regina retaliated so fiercely it made Emma, and David flinch.
"Well, not like that anyway." she quickly tried to clarify.
"Ok I think we should all just calm down. Regina lets just go and talk about this." Emma attempted to disarm the potentially explosive conversation if it continued in public.
"Talk about what? It's not even possible Miss Swan, both you and I know it!" she snapped defensively.
"Yes, well then perhaps of we just go and calm down we can work out what is going on. Come on."
Emma indicated with her head they retreat outside of the visitors room. Despite her reluctance, Regina followed. She wasn't looking forward to this discussion, or the pressure it put on to accompany their only just blossoming relationship.
"That's fantastic news! Congratulations to us. How the hell is she our daughter?! This makes no sense." Regina sounded off the second they were alone in the corridor.
Emma glanced around, instantly noting the looks they got from passing medical staff. There was a door not far from them, probably a supplies cupboard. It would have to do. Regina couldn't continue to rant in public, and Emma wasn't willing to 'chat' things through that way either. She grabbed Regina's wrist, hearing but ignoring her protests, and pulled her into the dark space.
"YOU, are being ridiculous!" Regina accused, as Emma felt around in the darkness of the confined space for a light switch.
Her hand trailed along the small length of wall, finding the switch and flicking it on. She hadn't even commented properly yet, and it seemed that Regina was squarely going to accuse her of all sorts. That was Regina's way though; affairs of the heart made her defensive.
The small medical supplies closet was filled with light. Regina huffed and puffed, pinching the bridge of her nose and scrunching her eyes.
"You know, perhaps it is possible." Emma tried gently. "We just got together, who knows what the future holds."
"Did you miss something in your Biology lessons, Miss Swan, or did you just skip education entirely?!"
"Regina!" Emma cried, taken aback by her cutting comment.
Although, why it surprised her, she really didn't know. She barely had time to continue before Regina was off on one again. Clearly giving her the lessons she accused her of missing.
"In case you have forgotten Miss Swan, you are a woman, as am I. Two women cannot just make a baby!"
"There are ways." Emma frowned.
"Yes, perhaps. Expensive, and near on impossible ways! I cannot carry a child."
Regina looked pained to admit such a fact. Emma wondered if she had actually meant to, or if the secret had just popped from her lips in the heat of the moment. She supposed it was the latter.
"Perhaps, I gave birth to her then. It's still a possibility."
Emma tried to move the conversation along. Regina scoffed once more, a hint of a smirk starting on her lips as she whipped her head up.
"Yes, well you do have a knack for accidental pregnancy don't you!"
Emma winced again. Regina was really dishing out the hurtful comments today.
"Hey, come on that's not fair. Yes Henry was an accident but I wouldn't have it any other way."
Her voice was sincere as she spoke. That was true, and if she could have done it any differently, she would have.
"Well according to you, you would because suddenly we have an accidental daughter!"
Regina wasn't buying it. Her determination to dismiss Sophia was winding Emma up. Voices started to raise as they argued with one another.
"That's not fair!" Emma snapped when Regina barked some rather harsh words her way.
Regina insisted she'd never be so irresponsible to get Emma pregnant, if that was actually logical. Of course it wasn't, and the more Emma kept insisting that it could be, the nastier Regina got about it.
Emma had reached the end of her tether when she shoved Regina back. She hit the shelves back first. The impact causing them to wobble and some of the items stored to fall around them. It was reminiscent of the time Henry had eaten that stupid turnover.
Regina hissed, a glint of fascination flashing across her eyes. Emma had her pinned by her wrists. An insane amount of strength holding her in place. They stared intently at one another. A heady exchange of frustration needing to be burned, and lust between them.
"Do you think everything is ok?" Mary Margaret asked hesitantly.
In the visitors waiting area, they had all heard the distant and faint arguing voices of the two women. They also heard the crashing of the disturbed shelves.
"That probably wasn't them. Try not to worry. If it is to be believed, which I think it is." David glanced away from his wife to look at Sophia's huddled friends. "Then they need to work this out for themselves."
Mary Margaret nodded. She wanted to check on them still, knowing how their tempers could flare, and how capable they were of hurting one another. She had to admit that David was right. Emma and Regina had to sort this themselves.
"I didn't even realise they liked each other that much." she said, for the sake of having something to say.
David half smiled. Now that he agreed with. Despite what he had known, his wife really hadn't noticed.
'Well now we have a problem, don't we? They know." Mel stressed.
The three of them stood in their own separate group. Upset with the way events had gone was an understatement. The outcome could potentially destroy everything; not just for Sophia, but for them too. Any alteration to the timeline of events, and all of their existence could be in jeopardy.
They shared a knowing look, before glancing at Henry who just looked distraught. Mel headed to Charming and his wife. There was nothing they could do about the disastrous situation now, so she had to do something. A round of hot drinks whilst they waited would do.
"Here, go get the kid some candy. Try to reassure him." she said as she flung a bill at Atlantis and Phoenix.