So I'm sorry to say this will be the last chapter of this story. I've done what I wanted to with the characters and plot (not quite, but I'll put another note down at the end explaining). So enjoy! And thank you thank you thank you for reading and supporting me!
"Are you scared, Mama?" Little Roland asked his mother as the nurse worked to hook Regina up to monitors and machines. "Who me? Not a chance," the woman teased as she ruffled the boy's hair.
Henry knowing the severity of the situation unlike his brother, simply laid his head on his mother's chest and held her tight for a minute, trying not to cry. Emma watched as her wife stroked his back and whispered soothing words into his ear. Henry had every right to be afraid; she was terrified and so was Regina, despite the act of bravado she put forth.
Today was the day Regina would be receiving a new heart. Whale had pulled some strings and fought so hard for the woman that he very nearly lost his job. It proved to both of them that the doctor wasn't a complete ass, and he actually cared for Regina like everyone else in this town. How could they not?
Emma couldn't help but frown as Regina gently pushed Henry away, watching as Mary Margaret led them out of the hospital room. This could be the last time she would see her boys, and she didn't want to hurry anything.
Whale rolled in another hospital bed and set it right next to Regina's so it almost created a double. "Sorry ladies, we don't seem to have any spare cots. Hope you don't mind sleeping on this."
"Thank you, Whale," Emma said with a smile as she set her duffel bag on top of it. The boys would be going home with her mother while she stayed here with Regina for the next couple days. Tomorrow morning Regina would be undergoing the knife while Emma would most likely be suffering from anxiety.
Regina reached her free hand across to Emma's side as the blonde climbed into the bed. "Maybe Whale should give you something to calm your nerves, Em," she said softly.
Emma quickly shook her head. She hated hospitals, and she hated shots. Even when she was giving birth to Henry she refused an epidural. Besides, the medication would only be a temporary fix for the inevitable she would have to face tomorrow. She wanted as much time with her wife as possible.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Emma asked, changing the subject. Regina looked over at her, a knowing smile on her face. "Henry," the older woman said what she was thinking. It was a sweet memory now, despite both women being scared out of their minds at the time.
2003…
The baby monitor glowed as the sound of Henry's wails filled the darkened room. It was a common occurrence for the 2-year-old to wake them, as he hated sleeping in his crib and to prevent him from escaping they had to put a light mesh netting over the top.
A low whine escaped Emma's throat as Regina nudged her. "Your son wants you…"
The blonde yawned and buried her face further into her pillow. "Before sunrise he's your son."
Henry's wails intensified, turning into screams. Emma sat up immediately, knowing that was her son's pained crying sound. "Regina, I think something's wrong."
Her wife followed her out of bed to the little boy's room. Henry was standing in his crib, cheeks flushed from crying and snot running down his face. He howled louder as he saw his mommies.
Emma picked him up and noticed that even through his fleece PJ's he was running a fever. Upon touching his tummy to try and soothe him, the toddler cried out and wriggled away from her.
"Shh shh shh, little Henry, it's alright," Emma said softly, kissing his brow to find he was sweating. "Regina, I think we should get him to the doctor. Something's not right."
Regina agreed and packed a small bag for them before driving to the hospital. Henry screamed and cried the whole way, not even taking comfort in his favorite stuffed bear that he carried with him everywhere.
"We need to get him back to surgery right away. His appendix is about to burst," Whale said upon inspecting him.
Tears filled Emma's eyes as she watched nurses bustle around the little boy, hooking him up to monitors and trying to keep him calm. Her heart pounded inside of her chest so fast she actually was beginning to feel faint. She had never felt so scared in her entire life.
"It would help if you came back with him while we give him the anesthetic. He's- Miss Swan, are you alright?"
"Swan-Mills," Emma stubbornly corrected him. "I'm fine. Just make sure Henry is okay."
"Perhaps you should take a seat- "
"I SAID TAKE CARE OF MY SON!" Emma practically screamed. "Emma. Emma hun, sit down," Regina said, gently pulling her to a chair. "He's going to be okay. I'll go back and keep him calm. You wait for your parents here, alright?"
Emma nodded, clutching Henry's stuffed bear to her chest. Regina always knew how to break through that wall and calm her down.
Mary Margaret and David soon arrived, and Emma was thankful for the familiarity of her father's arms holding her close. Regina respected her space, staying close by but giving her the time she needed with her parents.
Cora arrived soon after, bringing food and supplies for them as Henry would have to stay in the hospital for a few days.
Whale was kind enough to send in an extra bed for them to sleep in so they could stay close to Henry. Soon, the toddler was out of surgery and in his room. Whale had informed them the surgery had gone well and he would make a full recovery.
Emma squeezed herself on his bed, holding him as she patiently waited for the anesthetic to wear off. Regina laid in the bed beside them, rubbing Emma's back in silent comfort with their boy nestled in between them.
"So he did okay? Was he scared without me being there?" Emma asked nervously as she stroked his dark brown locks. "He did fine. I read him a book while they put a mask on him, and he just drifted off to sleep," Regina reassured her.
"Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if I was alone with him. Just- thank you for being here for us," Emma said as tears rolled down her face. Regina gently wiped them away and cupped her face in her hand. "I'm your wife, Emma. I'm with you through everything. Forever and always."
"I'll be okay, Emma. We've made it this far, haven't we? This is just another bump in the road. And this means I'll be able to live a long life. So no giving your heart away, you better promise me. It's mine."
Emma couldn't help but smile at that. Her nose scrunched up and she leaned forward to give her a kiss. "Yours," she breathed as Regina held her close.
Emma followed Regina back as far as the doctors would allow before seeing her off. She had made sure to give her lots of kisses and even managed to sneak in a joke about her silly blue hairnet (which Regina looked beautiful in).
Mary Margaret arrived with Henry and a bouquet of flowers in tow soon after they took Regina back, leaving Roland in the care of Ruby. Emma was thankful for the distraction from pacing like a caged animal around the ICU waiting area.
Henry seemed to be in a better mood and tried to entertain his mother with funny pictures of him and Roland pet-sitting Pongo. Emma held him as close as she could without embarrassing him (because god forbid if one of his teen friends saw him hugging his mother) and tried not to think of what was happening behind those steel doors.
10 hours later, Whale emerged from the restricted area. "Regina's doing well so far. I thought I would inform you. We are stitching her up, monitoring her and making sure her vitals are where we want them. She stayed with us the entire time. We'll have her in the ICU recovering soon. Then we will monitor her for a few days to make sure her heart is working like it should."
Emma immediately relaxed. Regina had made it. She was going to be okay. Henry hugged her tightly, flashing her a toothy grin. Once Whale went back and Mary Margaret excused herself to go to the bathroom, Henry pulled her up.
Emma let him lead her to the cafeteria, where like a true gentleman he bought her a cup of coffee using his allowance. "Ma, I just wanted to say I'm sorry," the boy said.
Emma looked up in surprise. It had been months since Henry had taken his anger out on them, and they had more or less forgotten about it. Winter was finally turning into Spring, Emma was going on her 7th month of sobriety, and they had become a happy little family all under one roof again.
Respectfully, she let him speak. Despite all of them attending therapy once a week, there was just some things that had to be told directly.
"When you and Mom were… struggling, I didn't make things easier by yelling and running off. I just- I wanted to say that I'm really proud of you and that I'm really glad you're my mom," Henry said.
Emma reached her hand across the table to hold his. "I couldn't have asked for a better son. You definitely keep me on my toes," she said, booping him on the nose like she used to do when he was little. "And I know you were hurting. I wasn't fair to you. But now things are different. Better."
"Definitely," the teen agreed.
"You're 15 now, drinking coffee, going on dates… Roland is 7 now. I'm 34, Mama is 35. We're old!" Emma teased. "By the way… who's that girl you've been sneaking around with?"
"Mom…" Henry whined, blushing slightly. "Oh come on, Henry. Who else am I going to give a hard time to? I can't exactly make fun of your mom," the blonde said.
Henry jiggled his foot nervously. "Okay, fine," he relented, blowing his bangs out of his eyes. "Her name is Grace. We met in comic club and we work on yearbook together. She's editor and I run the weekly student interviews. We've only hung out a few times."
"So, is that the girl you were making out with in the den last week?" Emma asked with a glint in her eye. Henry nearly spit out his coffee. "Um- y- yeah. We were studying."
"Studying. Right," Emma drawled. Mary Margaret interrupted the awkward conversation, saving her grandson from being interrogated. "Regina's in recovery."
Emma practically ran to Regina's room. "She should wake up in a few minutes. Call me when she does, and we'll get her started on pain management," Whale informed her.
Emma pulled up a chair and watched her wife sleep. She looked so peaceful and serene this way. Regina had been worried about the large scar that would run down chest more than the surgery; Emma knew she was insecure about herself (crazy woman) and so Emma always made sure to compliment her every day.
Eventually, Regina's eyes fluttered open. "Hey, beautiful," Emma greeted her with a kiss to her hand. A smile ghosted over the raven-haired woman's face before her eyelids drooped once more.
Emma made sure to keep a close eye on the monitors she was hooked up to, although the hospital staff was surely doing the same since she was technically in critical condition. A few minutes later, Regina woke up again. This time she tried to sit up more and wake up. Emma gently held her still.
"How did it go?" Regina asked in a raspy voice. "God, I must look terrible."
"You look beautiful to me," Emma said, grabbing the cup of ice chips off the table and feeding her a couple. "Whale said the surgery went well. How does your heart feel?"
"Well, it's beating. I think that's a good sign," the older woman said. Emma rolled her eyes at the sarcastic comment coming from her wife. Good to know she still had her same sense of humor.
"Well, look who's awake," Whale greeted them. Regina glanced over at her the blonde, and Emma just barely noticed the flicker of nervousness in her eyes. She gently held her hand and gave her a subtle nod, silently reassuring her.
The doctor began to check her over, humming what sounded like positive noises every so often. Emma kindly looked away as he lifted Regina's gown to check on her stitches; he didn't want Regina to become uncomfortable with her looking at it.
"So?" Regina inquired with a tinge of impatience as the man scribbled onto his clipboard. "So far, your new heart seems to be holding up just fine. However, you are not out of the clear yet; these next 48 hours will be the most crucial. I'm going to give you some medication to stay one step ahead of your pain," Whale explained.
A quiet knocking on the glass caught their attention. Regina's eyes lit up as she noticed their eldest son practically standing with his nose to the glass, becoming impatient with having to wait.
"May I see my son?" The woman asked. Whale sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Only for a few minutes after he has been sterilized. I don't want to expose you to anything that might put you in danger. Even Emma has stretched her stay past the safe amount," the doctor answered.
Emma quickly gave her wife a kiss before switching places with their son. She watched their exchange with a smile, admiring how in that moment Henry seemed like he was 5 years old again. His cheeks flushed as Regina reached up to cup his face, and he absent-mindedly scuffed his sneaker against the floor as Regina said something to him that was unheard by his other mother but seemed to make him happy.
Whale quickly ushered the boy out and Emma took the opportunity to sneak in one last time before he gave Regina medicine to knock her out.
"You should go home and get some rest," Regina advised her. "You're beginning to look like a racoon, Swan."
Emma simply chuckled and rolled her eyes. "There's a magical bean like called coffee that helps me stay awake. Maybe you've heard of it. Oh wait, you probably haven't, seeing as you are an old lady now."
Regina swatted her arm as best she could, sticking her tongue out at the blonde. Then she grew serious. "I'm not kidding, Emma. Go home and take Henry with you. I'm sure Whale will keep you updated."
Emma shook her head defiantly. "I'm staying right here. My mom can handle Henry, and there's a comfy couch in the waiting room calling my name."
And stay she did. For the next 4 days, she lived at the hospital, faithfully doting on her wife and listening carefully to the doctor's instructions for home care.
As the months passed, things continued looking up. No longer was Regina out of breath, complaining about chest pain, and taking countless medications. She was free, in a sense.
The two women cuddled on their bed after a night out of the small town. It had been their first date alone where Emma didn't have to worry about her wife's health, and Regina didn't have to worry about Emma taking one too many shots of tequila.
Regina shivered as Emma slipped an ice-cold hand underneath her shirt, fingernails softly skimming the pinkened scar that was in the last stages of healing. They hadn't been intimate at all since before Emma went to rehab minus the lingering kisses and wandering hands.
Truth be told, Regina hadn't even allowed Emma to see her bare skin. Every day she stared into the mirror at the big scar stretching from just right above her chest down to the top of her belly, frowning at its rude appearance.
Emma called it her battle scar and always made sure to reassure her that she would love her always, scar and all. Though the declaration of love was admirable, Regina just wasn't comfortable letting Emma look at it. It was ugly and seemed to highlight her greatest imperfections.
But tonight was different. Regina wanted to open herself up fully to her lover. So she gently reached her hand to join the blonde's, holding both still. "Emma," she breathed. The blonde looked up at her with wide, knowing eyes. Her pupils dilated the slightest as Regina flicked her tongue out to run along her bottom lip. "Make love to me."
If they described their sex lives now, most people (especially Ruby) would agree that it was very vanilla and entirely way too loving. They had long since decided to close the door on their punishment/reward system, both agreeing it hit too close to home with them. But that didn't mean they still couldn't have fun.
Regina still liked to consider herself top dog in their relationship; taking control of their kisses, their movements, ordering Emma to say her name over and over as she loved hearing it on the blonde's lips. Every now and then she would get a little frisky and smack or pinch the blonde's ass, but never had she laid a cruel hand on her wife again, and neither did Emma.
The blonde had begun to nibble and kiss on her neck, fingers twisting at the buttons of her blouse but not daring to open it. Regina shimmied out of her skirt before tugging on her wife's hips, struggling to pull down the skin-tight denim covering them.
Emma reached back to help her, not once breaking contact with her skin that she was surely marking. She whined once Regina tugged on her shirt too, silently indicating she take it off. Regina gasped quietly as Emma's hot lips momentarily released her, the cool air in the room hitting the darkened mark.
The raven-haired woman expertly flicked open her bra, exposing the blonde's breasts and licking her lips at the way they jiggled slightly before settling. Emma moaned as she reached up to squeeze one. It delighted her to hear that sound again, and the pleasure shot straight down to her core.
"Undress me," she whispered boldly in her wife's ear, flicking her tongue out to trace the curve of it. Emma pulled back, nimble fingers dancing across her silk blouse. "All the way?"
Regina impatiently grabbed the blonde's hand that was cupping her face, using her free one to grab onto Emma's that was resting on her shirt before violently ripping her blouse open. The blonde beauty's mouth fell open in shock.
She hadn't even bothered to look down at her stomach yet; no, Emma was staring at her like she was a manifestation of sex itself. The only sound in the room was the white buttons scattering every which way and heavy breathing.
"Holy shit, Regina." Emma gaped at her, lust glazing over her emerald eyes. Finally, she allowed herself to look down at the scar Regina tried so hard to avoid. A hushed silence fell over them. And then, Emma did something that brought tears to her wife's eyes. She leaned down and placed a tender kiss on top of it.
"You are beautiful. And I'm sorry to say, this is my newest favorite feature of yours," Emma said with a smile. Regina simply smirked at her. "I thought my ass was your favorite."
"Oh that definitely comes into second place along with your boobs, but this… this is exquisite."
Regina felt her heart speed up inside of her chest, tensing as she anticipated the pain to come. But it never did. Emma peppered kisses along the soft line, and Regina was surprised to feel herself growing even wetter at the action.
The blonde rested her head against her chest as she used to do, afraid of pushing too hard and injuring her. But now they didn't have to worry about that. Regina could run a marathon and this heart would still keep pumping without any ill effects.
"Did I tell you to stop?" She growled into her wife's ear. Emma forced herself to sit up, moving forward a bit to straddle her. Regina shot forward, hungrily attaching her lips to her nipple and sucking so hard Emma cried out. She didn't let up.
Quickly she snuck her hand underneath the band of Emma's underwear, humming with satisfaction as slick warmth coated her fingers. Emma tried to do the same, but Regina caught her hand and instead pressed it to her other sensitive breast.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she made her way up to capture Emma's lips, rubbing the blonde's hardened nub in small circles. "Let me touch you!" Emma begged against her mouth. Regina shushed her quietly. "Patience, my Emma. This is what making love is all about."
Emma cried out sharply as Regina slipped a finger inside of her. Regina raised an eyebrow as she felt how tight she was. "Have you not been pleasuring yourself, dear?"
Emma bit down on her lip and shook her head. "N- no, I wanted to wait until you were ready."
"Such a sweet girl… so patient… you knew your little box of toys hidden underneath this bed wouldn't satisfy you quite like I can, didn't you?" Regina murmured, making sure to move slowly as to not cause her discomfort.
"Yes," Emma agreed, slowly rocking her hips now. Regina focused on her clit, not daring to put another finger inside. But it seems the one was just enough, as when she curled it Emma cried out in ecstasy and fell forward as she came.
"We'll have to work on that," Regina said, stroking the blonde's curls as she allowed her a moment of rest. "Because I cannot wait to fuck you with my cock so hard you won't dare to touch your pussy for a week."
Emma looked up at her with shining eyes. "May I make love to you now, Regina?"
"Oh please do," Regina answered, spreading her legs.
This time it was Emma's turn to suck and nip and please. She started with her breasts, alternating between the two and leaving marks only they would see. By the time she dipped her head down to taste the woman's dripping core, Regina was on the brink of coming.
"Just like that. Mm, yes…" Regina moaned and rubbed herself back and forth on Emma's inviting face. The blonde allowed it; normally she would pin her hips down and fuck her dry until she saw stars, but now she allowed Regina to take control.
Emma practically slammed two fingers inside of her pussy without any warning. She must have assumed Regina hadn't been doing the exact same thing she was; waiting for her. But Regina welcomed the pain, welcomed the excitement that came with not having to be careful.
"Emma Emma Emma Emma Emma!" The older woman panted, chanting her wife's name over and over as she reached her peak. Emma brought her up once more before moving to lay down beside her.
On instinct, Regina pulled her onto her chest. "This isn't hurting you, is it?" The blonde asked nervously. "Not at all. I missed us cuddling like this," Regina answered. "I missed your heartbeat," Emma said quietly. "It's all yours," Regina reassured her. "Mine," Emma agreed before drifting off to sleep.
That's the end of this story! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and I hope you are too. My main ending idea was to have Emma and Regina get into a car accident and have Emma die and then Regina wake up in the hospital with Emma's heart in her chest, but I figured that would have been too dark. So, happy ending it is! Thank you for all of you, seriously you guys are amazing. Make sure to leave a review telling me what you think and stay tuned for more stories! Much love.